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A Dual-Stage Approach To Dental Image Registration., Zainab Millwala Jan 2004

A Dual-Stage Approach To Dental Image Registration., Zainab Millwala

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the development of Automated Dental Identification System (ADIS), we focus on registration to align the subject dental regions of interest with respective reference regions. With the goal to achieve high performance for dental image registration, a dualstage approach is proposed which is based on the hypotheses generation-verification paradigm. The registration of the dental regions of interest is the basis for hypotheses generation. The hypotheses generated by using a fast method are verified to retrieve the candidate parameter sets to give accurate alignment of the regions. The statistical distributions of local geometric properties of image contours constitute the essential concept …

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The Impact Of Stimulation On Production Decline Type Curves For Cbm Wells., Manuel Arturo Sanchez Jan 2004

The Impact Of Stimulation On Production Decline Type Curves For Cbm Wells., Manuel Arturo Sanchez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Coalbed methane (CBM) is considered an unconventional gas resource produced from coal seams usually with low permeability at shallow depths. Analyzing the production performance in CBM reservoirs is challenging, especially at the early stage of the recovery. Most of the small producers in the Appalachian Basin cannot afford personnel or meet economical requirements involved in the use of the numerical simulator to evaluate CBM reservoirs. Production type curve are useful tool for predicting the performance of CBM reservoirs. A set of type curves have been previously developed for unstimulated vertical wells in CBM reservoirs. Most of the CBM wells drilled …

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Developing Intelligent Synthetic Logs: Application To Upper Devonian Units In Pennsylvania., Luisa F. Rolon Jan 2004

Developing Intelligent Synthetic Logs: Application To Upper Devonian Units In Pennsylvania., Luisa F. Rolon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A methodology to generate synthetic wireline logs is presented. Synthetic logs can help to analyze the reservoir properties in areas where the set of logs that are necessary, are absent or incomplete. The approach presented involves the use of Artificial Neural Networks, as the main tool, in conjunction with data obtained from conventional wireline logs. Implementation of this approach aims to reduce operation costs to companies. Development of the neural network model was completed using a General Regression Neural Network, and four wells that included gamma ray, density, neutron, and resistivity logs. Synthetic logs were generated through two different exercises. …

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Developing Uv Photodetector And Ohmic Contact Techniques On Gallium Nitride., Lavanya Turlapati Jan 2004

Developing Uv Photodetector And Ohmic Contact Techniques On Gallium Nitride., Lavanya Turlapati

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Group III nitride wide bandgap semiconductors have recently attracted considerable interest due to their applications for optical devices operating in the blue and ultraviolet (UV) wavelength regions. These materials were also found to be suitable for operation at high power levels, high temperatures and harsh environments. Some applications of UV photodetectors include chemical and biological analysis, flame detection, and optical communications. This project is based on designing AlGaN based quantum well UV photodetector. It has been determined that the presence of multiple quantum wells in the active region improves the device responsivity. The device performance depends on many factors that …

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A Parametric Study Of In-Line Filter Holders., Glen A. Wilt Jan 2004

A Parametric Study Of In-Line Filter Holders., Glen A. Wilt

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With modern diesel engines producing smaller and lighter particulate mass output, the performance of in-line filtering, used to determine emissions of particulate matter (PM), has become less understood. Several factors including filter characteristics, filter holder geometry, exhaust dilution, filter face temperature, and secondary dilution characteristics need to be investigated. This study investigates factors influenced by filter holder geometry. In the past, many loosely designed filter holders were applied to emissions testing. Recently, 40 CFR Part 1065 recommended a standard filter holder design to be used in all emissions tests. However, it is not known if this design is optimal. To …

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Estimating The Impact Of Occupational Fatal Injuries On The United States Gross Domestic Product., Elyce Anne Biddle Jan 2004

Estimating The Impact Of Occupational Fatal Injuries On The United States Gross Domestic Product., Elyce Anne Biddle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Mankind has been concerned with the safety and well-being of workers for more than 2,000 years. Despite this concern, occupational injuries have claimed the lives of nearly 60,000 American workers from 1992-2001 as reported through the Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) program. The traditional measures of the human loss used—frequency, rate, and severity—are not the only measures of the achievements of the occupational safety and health community. Nor are they the only means to direct efforts to reduce the number of occupational incidents. Economic loss is another perspective that provides a more complete and meaningful …

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A Qualitative And Quantitative Analysis Of West Virginia University Portal Mix (Mountaineer Information Xpress)., Adel Alzenedy Jan 2004

A Qualitative And Quantitative Analysis Of West Virginia University Portal Mix (Mountaineer Information Xpress)., Adel Alzenedy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use and performance of West Virginia University Portal MIX (Mountaineer Information Xpress), with a focus on its features. As students and faculty in the College of Human Resources and Education were the target population, this study specifically investigated their satisfaction levels towards MIX. Qualitative and quantitative methods were used in this research, which involves faculty and students in the College of HR&E at West Virginia University. Quantitative data gathering was conducted with the use of online and paper-based surveys. Qualitative data was gathered through informal interviews with a selected sample of …

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Educating Without Borders: The Influence Of International Cross-Cultural Experiences On Teaching With A Global Perspective In Higher Education., Nicholas A. Ciccarello Jan 2004

Educating Without Borders: The Influence Of International Cross-Cultural Experiences On Teaching With A Global Perspective In Higher Education., Nicholas A. Ciccarello

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Global issues, as well as multicultural and global education, are receiving national and international attention, not only within the educational community, but also within society at large. Global education is fast becoming the subject of a growing body of literature, and both K–12 and postsecondary schools have begun to place importance on the successful incorporation of global perspectives in education. The purpose of this study was to examine the various perceived effects of international cross-cultural experiences on the subsequent curricula and instruction of higher education faculty. This phenomenological study utilized data collection methods which included logistical data, recorded interviews, follow-up …

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Accuracy Of Performing Space Analysis Using Emodels And Plaster Models., S. Russell Mullen Jan 2004

Accuracy Of Performing Space Analysis Using Emodels And Plaster Models., S. Russell Mullen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of emodels when calculating a Bolton ratio. Models from 30 patients from the West Virginia University Department of Orthodontics were measured using calipers and emodels, and the time it took to do the measurements was recorded. Ball bearings were scanned into an emodel file and measured to evaluate whether any magnification was present in emodels. The difference between the two methods was calculated and a paired t-test was used to analyze the data. There was no significant difference between the Bolton ratios calculated using the two methods. There was a …

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Trinetr: An Intrusion Detection Alert Management And Analysis System., Jinqiao Yu Jan 2004

Trinetr: An Intrusion Detection Alert Management And Analysis System., Jinqiao Yu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Intrusion detection system (IDS) is a software system or hardware device deployed to monitor network and host activities including data flows and information accesses etc. to capture suspicious activities. In recent years, IDS has begun to gain wide acceptance as a necessary and worthwhile investment in security. But current IDS products present many flaws including alert flooding, excessive false alerts, isolated alerts, lack of context awareness and security decision support etc. Many of these problems are severely hindering them from being used more efficiently in practice. To make the use of IDS products more efficient and generated alerts more accurate, …

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Multiterminal Relay Networks: Performance Bounds, Protocol Design, And Channel Coding Strategies., Bin Zhao Jan 2004

Multiterminal Relay Networks: Performance Bounds, Protocol Design, And Channel Coding Strategies., Bin Zhao

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The combination of silicon scaling and energy-efficient multi-terminal packet radio technology will soon allow low power devices to be embedded virtually everywhere, enabling a wide range of revolutionary applications that will radically change the way that people and devices interact with their environments. Given current trends in the advancement of technology, to engineer useful embedded wireless networks with long lifetimes and massive scale required for many applications, new analytical tools and approaches to protocol design that reflect recent perspectives on wireless networking are necessary. The major objective of this dissertation is to characterize the fundamental performance bounds and devise an …

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The Transient Behavior Of Fluidized Bed Reactors: An Experimental Approach To Predict Erosion And Attrition Phenomena., Abdulaziz Aljodai Jan 2004

The Transient Behavior Of Fluidized Bed Reactors: An Experimental Approach To Predict Erosion And Attrition Phenomena., Abdulaziz Aljodai

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The attrition of fluidized particles and the erosion of in-bed tubes (IBT) cause serious practical problems in operating fluidized bed reactors, particularly in fluidized bed combustion systems (FBC-systems). In order to provide a basic understanding and an effective control of the attrition and erosion phenomena, a novel approach has been developed in this study. The proposed approach differs in three ways from the conventional one. First, the peaks of transient particles' forces prevailing in a fluidized bed (responsible for erosion of in-bed tubes and attrition of fluidized particles) were measured, and represented by fracture critical values (FCV) of sensitive tracer …

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The Quantitative Accomplishments Of Selected Aspects Of The Educational Process 1960-1990 With An Examination Of The Reading Curricula Concepts In Saudi Arabia., Mohammad Alrobaee Jan 2004

The Quantitative Accomplishments Of Selected Aspects Of The Educational Process 1960-1990 With An Examination Of The Reading Curricula Concepts In Saudi Arabia., Mohammad Alrobaee

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The purpose of this study was to outline some detailed history about some parts of the education process in Saudi Arabia especially about the general, higher, female education with a separate part about the curriculum of reading of education and to learn and spread information about the education development that my country is experiencing. The start of this development and its evolution was very difficult, but it passed through stages up to the current stage. We will see these constant changes proven by figures, statistics, and photographs. The detailing of the specifics related to this inventory is an endeavor to …

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Internationalizing An Institution: An Emerging Model Of Effective Leadership, Infrastructure And Cultural Factors., Amelia Davis Courts Jan 2004

Internationalizing An Institution: An Emerging Model Of Effective Leadership, Infrastructure And Cultural Factors., Amelia Davis Courts

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As the United States continues to play a leadership role in the international arena, it depends on the higher education sector to prepare capable leaders who can be guiding forces in the international economic, political, and social environments of the twenty-first century (National Association of State and Land Grant Universities, 2000). This is the ultimate goal of international education. Although current literature clearly describes the benefits of internationalizing higher education, there are few studies that describe how it can be successfully implemented at the institutional level. Using a qualitative, grounded theory approach, this study examined the factors that contributed to …

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Spectral Analysis And Regularity Quantification Of Skeletal Muscle Signals As A Non-Invasive Assessment Of Muscle Activity., Israel Restus Hall Jan 2004

Spectral Analysis And Regularity Quantification Of Skeletal Muscle Signals As A Non-Invasive Assessment Of Muscle Activity., Israel Restus Hall

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The research presented here was carried out at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), a division of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Morgantown, West Virginia. At NIOSH, there is a strong need for modes of analyzing a wealth of biomedical data. In this particular case, that data was comprised of numerous muscleinduced force-time series, derived from two groups of experimental subjects. One group was comprised of rats exposed to vibration similar to that experienced by human workers who work with certain hand-tools or equipment. The other group was a control group, not exposed …

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Using Three-Dimensional Profile Measurement And Diametric Probe Unit To Study Wearing Mechanism., Kian Huat Tan Jan 2004

Using Three-Dimensional Profile Measurement And Diametric Probe Unit To Study Wearing Mechanism., Kian Huat Tan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the last decade, many wearing test setups have been developed to study material wearing resistance. Different methods are utilized to determine the wearing rate of materials. In this research, wearing tests of 316LS specimens with tungsten carbide laser clad coating against ACD ceramic are conducted by using 500lb test bath equipment at 30% or 50% of production line tension conditions. A phase-shifting shadow moiré technique and a high precision diametric probe unit are utilized to study the wearing rate of these wearing materials. Depth (1-D), contacting area (2-D) and volume loss (3-D) wearing rate measurements are evaluated; these were …

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Evaluating Runoff Water Quality And Ammonia Volatilization In Three Turkey Litter Application Methods, Michael Dale Shamblin Dec 2003

Evaluating Runoff Water Quality And Ammonia Volatilization In Three Turkey Litter Application Methods, Michael Dale Shamblin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Poultry litter is an important nutrient source in crop production. However, the traditional practice of broadcasting poultry litter on the soil surface could result in nutrient losses in runoff as well as substantial ammonia volatilization losses, which could adversely affect both the environment and agricultural productivity. This research compared nutrient runoff (natural and simulated) losses on 1 m x 2 m plots and ammonia volatilization from different turkey litter application methods (broadcast, surface-banded, incorporated band, and control) applied in triplicate. No significant differences were observed between any of the treatments in any of the runoff constituents measured. Over three runoff …

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Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis) Movement And Habitat Use In A Headwater Stream Of The Central Appalachian Mountains Of West Virginia, Marisa Nel Logan Dec 2003

Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis) Movement And Habitat Use In A Headwater Stream Of The Central Appalachian Mountains Of West Virginia, Marisa Nel Logan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) are the only salmonid native to the Appalachians. They are a resilient species, populating small, low productive streams. Although such streams have historically been abundant in the Appalachians, brook trout populations have been threatened due to habitat degradation such as logging and acidification of waters. The objective of this study was to evaluate brook trout habitat use, home range, and movement patterns in an Appalachian headwater stream during spring and more specifically high flow events. I implanted brook trout with radio tags and tracked their movement for approximately 30 days during late spring 2002 and early …

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Aquaculture-Related Stress On Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) And Arctic Char (Salvelinus Alpinus), Christopher D. Nelson Dec 2003

Aquaculture-Related Stress On Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) And Arctic Char (Salvelinus Alpinus), Christopher D. Nelson

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Recent expansions in aquaculture characterize it as one of the fastest growing segments of the U.S. agricultural sector. Expansion has been facilitated by increased production of many important aquatic species including catfish, salmon, trout, tilapia, shrimp, oysters, and crawfish. West Virginia aquaculture, also an expanding industry, is currently characterized by small-scale, widely dispersed farms. To facilitate future expansion of aquaculture in West Virginia, focuses on product quality as well as production efficiency, identification of limiting factors and investigation into new or alternative management techniques are needed. Objectives of this project were to determine the effects of nitrite and carbon dioxide …

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Investigation Of Initiation Of Reverse Transcription In Retroviruses Using Vectors With Two Primer -Binding Sites, Yegor A. Voronin Dec 2003

Investigation Of Initiation Of Reverse Transcription In Retroviruses Using Vectors With Two Primer -Binding Sites, Yegor A. Voronin

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Initiation of reverse transcription in retroviruses occurs on a specific place in viral genome, called primer-binding site (PBS). Cellular tRNA is annealed to the complementary PBS and is used as a primer. We constructed murine leukemia virus (MLV)-based vectors containing two PBSs, one in normal position and another in the middle of the vector. Green fluorescence protein (GFP) gene was inserted between the two PBSs. The internal PBS was derived from a spleen necrosis virus (SNV), which uses the same tRNA-Pro as a primer. We have shown that the internal PBS was functional for initiation of reverse transcription. Replication of …

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Generalized Nowhere Zero Flow, Jingjing Chen Dec 2003

Generalized Nowhere Zero Flow, Jingjing Chen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Let G be an undirected graph, A be an (additive) abelian group and A* = A - {lcub}0{rcub}. A graph G is A-connected if G has an orientation D(G) such that for every function b : V(G ) A satisfying Sv∈VG b(v) = 0, there is a function f : E(G) A* such that at each vertex v ∈ V(G), ∂f(v), the net flow out from v, equals b( v). An A-nowhere-zero-flow (abbreviated as A-NZF) in G is a function f : E(G) A* such that at each vertex v ∈ V(G), ∂f(v) = 0.;In this paper, we investigate the …

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Parametric Modeling Of Bolted Joints Between Components Made Of Particulate Composite Materials, Vasudha Goteti Dec 2003

Parametric Modeling Of Bolted Joints Between Components Made Of Particulate Composite Materials, Vasudha Goteti

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Particulate metal matrix composites (MMC) exhibit higher stiffness, strength and wear resistance compared to metal alloys. They exhibit superior compressive and buckling strength because of their higher plastic modulus. MMC's can operate at very higher temperatures than fiber-reinforced polymer composites. Their isotropic behavior and forming ability by conventional methods makes them a better choice for low-cost applications. They have good thermal conductivity, high electrical conductivity and low thermal expansion.;The main objective of this study is to predict numerically the stress distributions around the hole in a bolted joint made of particulate metal matrix composite and to investigate the associated load …

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Characterization Of New Particulate Mmc Materials And Bolted Joints Through Applicable Astm Standards, Vinu Zacharia Mathew Dec 2003

Characterization Of New Particulate Mmc Materials And Bolted Joints Through Applicable Astm Standards, Vinu Zacharia Mathew

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Particulate reinforced metal matrix composites (PRMMC) comprise a new class of materials whose properties can be adjusted to suit a particular application. The main purpose of producing PRMMC is to achieve lightweight materials with added properties like high stiffness, high ultimate strength and hardness.;In this study we deal with PRMMC manufactured by a novel technology involving the pressure less infiltration of aluminum into a mass of ceramic reinforcement particles. Basic tests like tension test, three point bending test, hardness tests and coefficient of thermal expansion are conducted according to the ASTM standards in order to characterize the material. All these …

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Flow Characterization Of The Ul Smoke Box And Spot-Type Smoke Detectors, Christopher P. Menchini Dec 2003

Flow Characterization Of The Ul Smoke Box And Spot-Type Smoke Detectors, Christopher P. Menchini

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The scope of this research involves the first known effort at designing a highly detailed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model to characterize the flow fields with the UL Smoke Box and a spot type smoke detector within the test section of the smoke box. The proposed CFD model, designed to reflect the same measured conditions in the UL Smoke Box, was developed and validated through experimental velocity data using laser Doppler and hot-wire anemometry. With excellent qualitative comparisons between experimental and computational results, flow characterization using the laminar flow model available in the commercial software package FluentRTM was sufficiently achieved. …

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Standardization Of Test Methods For Property Evaluation Of Frp Bars, Vijay Kumar Tripathi Dec 2003

Standardization Of Test Methods For Property Evaluation Of Frp Bars, Vijay Kumar Tripathi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The objective of this research is to verify/modify/develop standardized test methods for evaluating mechanical properties of Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) bars by conducting limited complementary tests to determine/verify their mechanical properties. Both short and long-term tests were conducted as a part of this research. Short-term tests included tension, flexure, shear and bond property evaluations. Long-term tests included evaluation of moisture absorption and flexural tests on aged bars. A total of 229 FRP bars with different fibers (carbon, glass and aramid), varying diameters (# 3 to #8) and surface textures (ribbed, sand-coated, and sand-coated with helical wraps) were tested under this …

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One-Dimensional Transient Numerical Modeling Of A Micro-Power Generation System, Emre Tatli Dec 2003

One-Dimensional Transient Numerical Modeling Of A Micro-Power Generation System, Emre Tatli

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Two core modules of a more comprehensive model for analyzing the flow of fluids in a hybrid system including a fuel cell are developed. First part consists of a new procedure for scaling turbomachinery maps. In the last few decades, the sizes of turbomachinery have been getting smaller and smaller for various purposes. New designs have pushed the limits of power generation to be in more compact sizes, which lead to smaller compressors and turbines. For new designs, it is important to know how the turbomachinery in the system will behave at certain conditions. But it is not practical to …

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Architecture-Level Risk Assessment Tool Based On Uml Specification, Tianjian Wang Dec 2003

Architecture-Level Risk Assessment Tool Based On Uml Specification, Tianjian Wang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Most faults in software systems are likely to be found in only a few of components [1]. The early identification of these components allows the project management to focus on remedial actions, such as redesigning the critical components that are likely to cause field failures or optimally allocating resources on implementation and testing [2]. This thesis presents a prototype tool called Architecture-level Risk Assessment Tool (ARAT) to demonstrate the process of risk assessment. The final result of this process is to distinguish those potentially high risk components in the software system. ARAT is built on the risk assessment methodology [3]. …

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Distributed Dispatchers For Partially Clairvoyant Schedulers, Kiran S. Yellajyosula Dec 2003

Distributed Dispatchers For Partially Clairvoyant Schedulers, Kiran S. Yellajyosula

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This work focuses on the empirical evaluation of distributed dispatching strategies on shared and distributed memory architectures for hard real-time systems. The dispatching model accommodates process parameter variability and analyzes the effect of variable execution times.;Hard real-time systems are modeled in the E-T-C scheduling framework and dispatched if a valid schedule exists. We examine the dispatchability of Partially Clairvoyant schedules of different sizes and varying deadlines under reasonable assumptions. The effect of scaling up the number of processors used by the dispatcher is also studied. The results validate the superiority of the distributed strategies over sequential dispatching and scalability of …

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Plant-Wide Energy Assessment Using A Systems Approach, Rajkumar Selvaraj Dec 2003

Plant-Wide Energy Assessment Using A Systems Approach, Rajkumar Selvaraj

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Energy plays a central role in the operation of the industrialized U.S. economy. Industry is historically the largest consuming sector of the economy with more than 60 percent of the energy consumed for manufacturing. The U.S. chemical industry is the world's largest producer of chemicals producing over 25 percent of the total production worldwide. In a chemical industry, the energy is used to supply heat and power for manufacturing processes and for energy feedstock. Due to the energy intensive nature of chemical industries, energy assessments performed could yield huge savings in energy and cost.;The aim of this research is to …

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Empirical Development Of A Scale Of Patience, Kenneth C. Dudley Dec 2003

Empirical Development Of A Scale Of Patience, Kenneth C. Dudley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Patience is a construct not directly studied in the literature. Studies in the psychological literature have typically spoken of patience only as the converse of impatience. The assumption of these studies is that patience exists in the absence of impatience. However, other research proposes a multidimensional model of patience based on qualitative studies. It follows from the multidimensional model that patience exists on a continuum with the potential for different levels or amounts of patience across different situations. The purpose of this study was to develop an objective measure of patience.;To develop a measure of patience an item pool was …

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