Digital Commons Network^™

Validation Of Nitrogen Oxides And Pm Correction Factors For Heavy Duty Diesel Engines., Mahesh Govindareddy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Considering the contribution of oxides of nitrogen (NOx) from on-road heavy duty diesel engines to the atmospheric inventory, their accurate measurement is important. According to the Code of Federal Regulations Title 40 Part 86 Subpart N, NOx measured at a given temperature and relative humidity is corrected to standard conditions using a humidity correction factor. This factor depends on the intake air absolute humidity. However, this correction factor was developed in the 1970’s and may not be applicable to the existing engine technologies. Also, after the 1998 Consent Decrees, in-use testing has become a part of engine certification and the …

An Experimental And Computational Investigation Of Dielectrics For Use In Quarter Wave Coaxial Cavity Resonators., Andrew D. Lowery

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Emissions from automobiles are becoming more of an environmental concern. Typical measures for controlling emissions, such as variable timing, aftertreatment, and alternative fuels have been investigated. Current research has involved manipulating the ignition inside of the combustion chamber. It has been demonstrated that a plasma flame can be generated from microwaves in a Quarter Wave Coaxial Cavity Resonator (QWCCR). By using this technology, as well as developing an interface to an automobile’s ignition system, it may become possible for researchers to sustain combustion in a modern internal combustion engine. Filling each plasma cavity with a dielectric medium can both alter …

Numerical Modeling Of Deformations Caused By Carbon Dioxide Sequestration In Coal Seams, Xiaochao Tang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Atmospheric concentrations of CO2, as the most prevalent greenhouse gas, have been dramatically increased due to the anthropogenic emission mainly from fuel combustion. Geologic sequestration of CO2 in coal seams is an attractive choice to mitigate global CO2 emissions and its consequences. It can also provide secondary benefits such as enhanced coalbed methane production.;Three coal sites from Appalachian basin and Black Warrior basin were selected to numerically study the effects of CO2 injection in coal seams on overburden deformations. Finite element method was used for the analysis of overburden response. The analysis consisted of two phases---CO 2 injection and pore …

Durability Of Nanoclay Frp Bars For Concrete Members, Vijayarajan Krishnaswamy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In this research, glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars were manufactured with nanoclay at CFC-WVU laboratory to evaluate mechanical properties and durability. GFRP bars (0.5 in. and 0.75 in. dia.) were manufactured at room temperature by manual pultrusion. Vinyl ester resin was used with 4% exfoliated nanoclay by weight with a 44.7% glass fiber (roving) volume. Shear mixer was used to exfoliate nanoclay in the resin. GFRP bars measuring 12 ft. long were successfully manufactured with a low void content of 0.39%.;GFRP bars manufactured with and without nanoclay were tested in tension, shear and bond prior to and after aging …

Database Anonymization Services, Chad B. Meador

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The progress of technology and the development of powerful databases have made it possible to store and easily access continually increasing amounts of sensitive data about people. Since personal information is becoming common in many different databases, it is vital that this data be hidden to ensure privacy of the individuals whose records are stored in these repositories. Database anonymization is the key to securing these databases by ensuring that database users will be unable to reveal sensitive personal information by intelligently structuring their queries.

We analyzed the structure of the BiomData database which contains images and sound recordings of …

An Investigation Of Supports And Barriers Experienced By Students With Learning Disabilities As They Transition To And Persist In The Postsecondary Setting, Shawn Mahoney Kuba

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This inquiry investigated supports and barriers experienced by students with learning disabilities as they transitioned to, and persisted in, a four-year liberal arts college setting. The goal of the inquiry was twofold: first, to understand from the perspective of the students themselves, the experience of being in and working through the postsecondary environment, especially what facilitates and what obstructs continued participation; and second, to extrapolate from these data, recommendations to inform postsecondary programming for students with learning disabilities.;Over a 3 year period, two cohorts of students with learning disabilities, transition and persistence phase students, volunteered to participate in semi-structured face-to-face …

Thermal Stress In Concrete Slabs Under Different Constraints, Dhananjay Rao Hejamadi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Previous research has shown that thermal stresses developed in concrete pavements due to daily and seasonal temperature variations may be larger than those induced due to traffic loading. Dowel bars that are used for load transfer at the transverse joints of concrete pavements introduce high stresses at their interfaces with concrete leading to various forms of transverse joint distress. To solve this problem, Shoukry et al. (2001) developed an alternative design of dowel bars called "Shok Bar" that was installed by Shoukry and his team in a concrete pavement section placed at the parking lot of WVDOT Maintenance Shop at …

Selective Hate Crime Law Enforcement: Race's Influence On The Police Decision To Arrest In Violent Hate Crimes Incidents., Rodney M. Huff

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This paper investigates racial differences in rates of arrest for violent hate crimes against persons. Using 2002 NIBRS data compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, I develop and test logistic regression models which illuminate race’s influence on the police decision to arrest in violent hate crime incidents. Analyses of these models yield mixed support for hypotheses derived from the conflict perspective, central to which is the proposition that, within a class society, dominant groups use criminal law to increase their control of minority groups in order to maintain power and privileges historically reserved for elites. Results of analysis show …

Shoes First: The Process Of Designing Costumes For Shakespeare's "Measure For Measure"., Lesley Sorenson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This paper documents the deepening of my understanding of the costume design process for Measure for Measure. Prior to this journey of discovery there was little recognition of all steps or their impact on the final product. While analyzing the results during the thesis process I re-learned the importance of organization, problem solving, multi-tasking and communication in the evolution of making art. Part of this discovery also included the greater awareness of how detailed each aspect must be; how focused and how committed one must be to take design to a higher level. These ideas are documented throughout the processes …

Epr And Endor Studies Of Point Defects In The Nonlinear Optical Crystals Rubidium Titanium Oxide Phosphate And Potassium Titanium Oxide Arsenate., Yongquan Jiang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Four studies of point defects RbTiOPO4 and KTiOAsO4 crystals are described in this dissertation. In the first study, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electronnuclear double resonance (ENDOR) are used to characterize the complex hyperfine patterns exhibited by the primary radiation-induced trapped hole center in single crystals of RbTiOPO4 (commonly referred to as RTP). These defects are produced at 77 K by irradiating with x rays, and they are destroyed by raising the temperature above approximately 170 K. In this center, the hole resides on a bridging oxygen ion located between two titanium ions and is stabilized by a nearby rubidium …

Parents' Perceptions Of The Gluten-Free Casein-Free Diet For Their Children With Autism, Annette Puglisi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study examined the factors that affected parent's decision for putting their autistic children on a gluten free casein free diet (gfcf diet). Parents completed a fifteen question survey relating to multiple factors affecting their lives while having their children on a gfcf diet. In addition, parents were asked to fill out a three day diet history for their child for a nutrient analysis.;Fifty three surveys (21%) and ten diet histories were returned. The majority of parents first heard of the gfcf diet either on the Internet (28%) or from Parent Magazine (32%). Desperation (25%) was the main reason parents …

Culvert Inventory And Effects On Fish Assemblages In A Central Appalachian Watershed, Ira O. Poplar-Jeffers

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

We surveyed 120 state-owned culverts within the upper Cheat River basin, West Virginia, and used a fish passage evaluation filter to quantify passage barriers. We quantified the length of stream and weighted potential brook trout recruitment area isolated by each culvert. We also sampled fish communities upstream and downstream of 24 culverts to quantify the impacts of culvert-related isolation on fish assemblages. We found 69% of culverts to be completely impassable. We determined that 17% of the stream length and 23% of weighted potential recruitment area in the study area were isolated by impassable culverts. We found that impassable culverts …

Development Of A Vehicle Road Load Model For Ecu Broadcast Power Verification In On-Road Emissions Testing, Nathan A. Moynahan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

West Virginia University (WVU) has become an industry leader in heavy-duty emissions testing and is continuously improving and updating their testing goals, procedures, and quality. As emissions testing is conducted at WVU in a real-world, on-road environment, engine parameter values are read through the test vehicle's electronic control unit (ECU) and recorded for use in data reductions. One significant value that is recorded by the WVU emissions measurement system is the ECU engine power output. Theses values are recorded and used to report vehicle's brake specific emissions values over a prescribed open-road test route. Because of the fact that the …

Characterization Of Web Server Workload, Amit Sangle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Realistic and formal mathematical description of web-server workload forms a fundamental step in the design of synthetic workload generators, capacity planning and accurate predictions of performance measures. In this thesis we perform detailed empirical analysis of the web workload by analyzing access logs of nine web-servers. Unlike most previous work that focused on request-based workload characterization, we analyze both request and session characteristics. We perform rigorous statistical analysis to determine the self-similarity of web traffic and heavy-tailedness of the distribution of different session parameters. Our analysis shows that web traffic is self-similar and the degree of self-similarity is proportional to …

Software Tools For Real-Time Simulation And Control, Raghu Sankarayogi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this thesis is to design and simulate a multi-agent based energy management system for a shipboard power system in hard real-time environment. The automatic reconfiguration of shipboard power systems is essential to improve survivability. Multi-agent technology is used in designing the reconfigurable energy management system using a self-stabilizing maximum flow algorithm. The agent based energy management system is designed in a Matlab/Simulink environment. Reconfiguration is performed for several situations including start-up, loss of an agent, limited available power, and distribution to priority ranked loads. The number of steps taken to reach the global solution and the time …

Ensemble Learning For Ranking Interesting Attributes, Erik W. Sinsel

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Machine learning knowledge representations, such as decision trees; are often incomprehensible to humans. They can also contain errors specific to the representation type and the data used to generate them. By combining larger; less comprehensible decision trees, it is possible to increase their accuracy as an ensemble compared to the best individual tree. The thesis examines an ensemble learning technique and presents a unique knowledge elicitation technique which produces an ordered ranking of attributes by their importance in leading to more desirable classifications. The technique compares full branches of decision trees, finding the set difference of shared attributes. The combination …

Investigation Of Internal Fluid Pressure In Cells, Jayendran Srinivasan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Articular cartilage is a connective tissue that covers the ends of bones in joints, providing a nearly frictionless bearing surface for efficiently transmitting loads to the underlying joint. It is made up of specialized cells called chondrocytes that are responsible for its growth and maintenance. Studies indicate that cells remodel the tissue in response to mechanical loading. However the mechanism by which cells sense and respond to mechanical signals is poorly understood.;Studies also suggest the presence of internal fluid pressure in cells and change in this fluid pressure is believed to play a role in cellular mechanical signal transduction. This …

Error And Attack Tolerance Of Complex Real Networks, Vamsi Salla

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Real networks are often subjected to failures and attacks. Real networks are found to be robust to errors and vulnerable to attacks. This behavior of real networks is attributed to their non-homogeneous degree distribution. Non-homogenous networks are also known as scale free networks. Real networks along with the scale free property show high modularity.;Many network models have been proposed to model real networks. Erdos-Renyi Random network model is the first attempt, but fails to incorporate both properties - scale free as well as the high modularity of the real networks. Small world model shows high clustering but lacks non-homogeneous distribution. …

Characterization And Investigation Of Molybdenum Carbides On Activated Carbon As Hydrogenation Catalysts, Christopher H. Clark

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The formation of Mo2C and MoC supported on activated carbon was investigated in three different flowing reaction gas environments: H2, He, and CO. Additionally, benzene hydrogenation activity was studied for the catalysts reduced in each of these three different gas environments.;It was found through in-situ x-ray diffraction (XRD) that reducing in H2, ammonium heptamolybdate impregnated on activated carbon yielded 1-3 nm Mo2C particles. When the same material was calcinced in inert, 9 nm Mo2C particles were formed. If the reduction gas were CO, MoC particles having size less than 3 nm were formed. In all three reduction environments, the in-situ …

Non-Ideal Iris Recognition, Vivekanand Dorairaj

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Of the many biometrics that exist, iris recognition is finding more attention than any other due to its potential for improved accuracy, permanence, and acceptance. Current iris recognition systems operate on frontal view images of good quality. Due to the small area of the iris, user co-operation is required. In this work, a new system capable of processing iris images which are not necessarily in frontal view is described. This overcomes one of the major hurdles with current iris recognition systems and enhances user convenience and accuracy. The proposed system is designed to operate in two steps: (i) preprocessing and …

Modeling And Control Of A Small Glass Furnace, Andrea R. Holladay

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Most control systems currently used for glass furnaces monitor temperature with a thermocouple placed in the crown of the furnace and adjust the flow rate of the fuel to maintain a set point. The temperature measured is much closer to that of the combustion gasses within the furnace rather than the temperature of the glass. Models that predict the temperature of the glass are available in the form of complicated Computational Fluid Dynamics packages that are cost prohibitive to companies with small profit margins.;In this work, a simplified mathematical model has been developed to represent the dynamic performance of a …

Multiagent Autonomous Energy Management, Shilpa B. Ganesh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this thesis is to design distributed software agents for reliable operation of integrated electric power systems of modern electric warships. The automatic reconfiguration of electric shipboard power systems is an important step toward improved fight-through and self-healing capabilities of naval warships. The improvements are conceptualized by redesigning the electric power system and its controls. This research focuses on a new scheme for an energy management system in the form of distributed control/software agents. Multiagent systems provide an ideal level of abstraction for modeling complex applications where distributed and heterogeneous entities need to cooperate to achieve a common …

Image Quality Assessment For Iris Biometric, Nathan D. Kalka

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Iris recognition, the ability to recognize and distinguish individuals by their iris pattern, is the most reliable biometric in terms of recognition and identification performance. However, performance of these systems is affected by poor quality imaging. In this work, we extend previous research efforts on iris quality assessment by analyzing the effect of seven quality factors: defocus blur, motion blur, off-angle, occlusion, specular reflection, lighting, and pixel-counts on the performance of traditional iris recognition system. We have concluded that defocus blur, motion blur, and off-angle are the factors that affect recognition performance the most. We further designed a fully automated …

Optical Detection Of Multiple Faults Of A Mems Based Linear Comb Resonator, Lakshmi Deepasree Konduparthi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Investigating the dynamic behavior of any Micro Electro Mechanical system is critical for better control and fault prediction. Linear Comb Resonator is one such MEMS generic device that exhibits motion parallel to the plane of the chip. The dynamic motion of the Linear Comb Resonator is characterized by various parameters such as mass, force applied and also the stiffness constant of the flexure that holds the device. The aim of the project is to determine the changes caused by the asymmetry in the flexure design and the fluctuations in the behavior of the resonator due to this. The changes in …

Computer Aided Detection Of Defects In Frp Bridge Decks Using Infrared Thermography, Gajanan M. Lonkar

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this research is to develop a turn-key system that is able to interface with the FLIR ThermaCAM S60 infrared camera and automatically capture and analyze defects in infrared images of FRP bridge decks. Infrared thermography is one of the nondestructive evaluation (NDE) techniques that are being used to locate defects (debonds and delaminations) in bridge components. It is a rapid data collection and interpretation technique having high sensitivity and reliability. Analysis of infrared images by human interpretation is dependent on the users knowledge and hence introduces ambiguity in the defect detection process.;This thesis investigates the use of …

Empirical Study Of Error Behavior In Web Servers, Ajay Deep Singh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The World Wide Web has been a huge success, bringing the Internet to widespread popularity. For Web based systems to deal effectively with increasing number of Web clients, it is very important to understand the basic fundamentals of Web workload and error characteristics. In this thesis we focus on detailed empirical analysis of Web server error characteristics and reliability based on the data extracted from eleven different web servers. First, we address the data collection process and describe the methods for extraction of workload and error data from Web logs. Then, we analyze the Web error characteristics which include unique …

Carbon Fuels For The Direct Carbon Fuel Cell, Abha Saddawi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research focuses on using the U.S.' abundant coal reserves to create carbon fuels for the production of energy in a very efficient and environmentally friendly manner via the use of a Direct Carbon Fuel Cell (DCFC). This cell utilizes a process by which carbon is electrochemically converted directly to electricity, allowing theoretical cell efficiency to approach 80%. Using carbon made from the solvent extraction of coal eliminates most of the volatiles, ash, and sulfur from the fuel while most of the remaining NOX, sulfur, and fly-ash byproducts are captured by the cell itself. The aim of this project is …

Prosody In Text-To-Speech Synthesis Using Fuzzy Logic, Jonathan Brent Williams

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For over a thousand years, inventors, scientists and researchers have tried to reproduce human speech. Today, the quality of synthesized speech is not equivalent to the quality of real speech. Most research on speech synthesis focuses on improving the quality of the speech produced by Text-to-Speech (TTS) systems. The best TTS systems use unit selection-based concatenation to synthesize speech. However, this method is very timely and the speech database is very large. Diphone concatenated synthesized speech requires less memory, but sounds robotic. This thesis explores the use of fuzzy logic to make diphone concatenated speech sound more natural. A TTS …

Reconstruction Of Fingerprints From Minutiae Points, Jidnya A. Shah

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Most fingerprint authentication systems utilize minutiae information to compare fingerprint images. During enrollment, the minutiae template of a user's fingerprint is extracted and stored in the database. In this work, we concern ourselves with the amount of fingerprint information that can be elicited from the minutiae template of a user's fingerprint. We demonstrate that minutiae information can reveal substantial details such as the orientation field and class of the (unseen) parent fingerprint that can potentially be used to reconstruct the original fingerprint image.;Given a minutiae template, the proposed method first estimates the orientation map of the parent fingerprint by constructing …

Graphical User Interface For Three-Dimensional Fe Modeling Of Composite Steel Bridges, Aditya Vuchi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The goal of bridge engineers has always been to design economical structures that are safe, serviceable and durable. In order to assess the performance and safety of these bridges, one of the analytical methods employed is finite-element (FE) modeling. This method involves breaking down the bridge structure into an assembly of finite-sized elements. The behavior of the elements and the overall structure can be obtained by formulating a series of constitutive relationships and algebraic equations that can be readily solved with computer processors.;Extensive research is being carried out to develop efficient finite element programs for bridge design. As a part …