Digital Commons Network^™

Variable Reluctance Virtual Torque Sensor For Automotive Applications, Vivek Iddum

Masters Theses

Torque sensing has been realized as one of the critical aspects in improving the dynamic vehicle performance in automotive systems. This thesis mainly presents the work on the development of a novel torque measurement method based on the estimation of nth-order flywheel angular acceleration from the variable reluctance flywheel speed sensor pulses. The number of firings in the engine determine the order of the harmonic to be used for torque estimation. The nth-order flywheel angular acceleration is computed using a micro-controller with built in timer counter and an associated signal conditioning circuit. The pulses obtained from the flywheel speed sensor …

A Structural And Stratigraphic Study Of The A-2 Carbonate In Southwest Michigan And Reservoir Characterization Of An A-2 Carbonate Gas Storage Field, Clayton Joupperi

Masters Theses

The Overisel and Salem gas storage fields of southwest Michigan annually store 34 Bcf of natural working gas in the upper dolomitized portion of the Silurian A-2 Carbonate. Porosity and permeability in these fields is thought to be enhanced by fracturing and dolomitization associated with the dissolution and collapse of underlying salt units. This study utilizes wire-line logs from 383 wells to explore the structural and stratigraphic controls on the deposition and diagenesis of the A-2 Carbonate in southwest Michigan. Core and thin sections from 4 wells serve as the primary data for investigating the depositional and diagenetic history of …

Tearing The Guts Out Of The Wehrmacht: A Re-Examination Of The Russo-German War, Randall Wells, Jr.

Masters Theses

Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941. Hitler’s plan to annihilate Germany’s Eastern neighbor and populate the vast Russian expanse with his own people was as ambitious as it was adventuristic. Although it began successful, the Russo-German War quickly devolved into a quagmire as Russian troops outfought their German opponent and beat them back to Berlin. Contrary to prevailing historiography, the Wehrmacht’s loss on the Eastern Front cannot be solely attributed to a failure to equip German troops with proper winter clothing, an inadequate logistics network or Hitler’s interference in military decisions. For an army that had …

Sinister Subshade: The Revival Of The Ku Klux Klan In Modern America, Taylor Ashton Spicer

Masters Theses

Through the implementation of qualitative analysis this study purposes to discover if there exists possible correlation between President Trump’s assent to power and the increasing legitimacy of the Ku Klux Klan. Using Ernest Bormann’s (1972) Fantasy Theme Criticism, the Knights Party official website and the Donald J. Trump official website are systematically analyzed for dramatis personae (character), setting and action. The rhetorical visions compiled from each analysis are compared employing Ernest Bormann’s (1980) Symbolic Convergence Theory. Resulting analysis suggests little to no correlation between the two movements. The two websites provide very different rhetorical visions with no overlap. The work …

The Origins And Uses Of The Three-Fifths Clause Related To Slavery And Taxation, William F. Hughes

Masters Theses

The Three-fifths clause of the 1787 U.S. Constitution is noted for having a role in perpetuating racial injustices of America’s early slave culture, solidifying the document as pro-slavery in design and practice. This thesis, however, examines the ubiquitous application of the three-fifths ratio as used in ancient societies, medieval governments, and colonial America. Being associated with proportions of scale, this understanding of the three-fifths formula is essential in supporting the intent of the Constitutional framers to create a proportional based system of government that encompassed citizenship, representation, and taxation as related to production theory. The empirical methodology used in this …

Mathematical Modeling And Empirical Validation Of A Conceptual Exoskeleton For Astronaut Glove Augmentation, Joseph Kissling

Masters Theses

Space presents numerous difficulties for astronauts conducting their work, not the least of which is the spacesuit that is worn to protect them from space. It has long been known that a spacesuit is difficult to work in, especially the rigid and pressurized gloves that put strain on the astronaut's hands, frequently leading to injuries. Astronaut gloves inhibit more than 50% of their strength in some cases [1]. NASA and other space agencies have been working to alleviate these problems by attempting to mechanically augment the gloves to reduce the exertions of the astronaut. To date, no augmentation systems have …

14-3-3 Protein Rad24 And Its Effect On Mid1 Localization And Contractile Acto- Myosin Ring Assembly During Cytokinesis In S. Pombe, Anissa P. Grawe

Masters Theses

In animal and yeast cells, cell division (cytokinesis) is facilitated by the formation of a contractile acto-myosin ring (CAR). Proper CAR formation and constriction is heavily reliant on the temporal regulation, phosphorylation, and localization of key proteins. In the fission yeast S. pombe, Mid1 is an important dimeric CAR scaffolding protein that connects the contractile apparatus to the plasma membrane at the right place and time during cytokinesis. Mid1 is confined to both the nucleus and protein assemblies called nodes during interphase, and transitions to the cell cortex at mitotic entry as nodes mature and coalesce into the CAR. Rad24 …

Deep Reinforcement Learning For Autonomous Search And Rescue, Juan Gonzalo Cárcamo Zuluaga

Masters Theses

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are becoming more prevalent every day. In addition, advances in battery life and electronic sensors have enabled the development of diverse UAV applications outside their original military domain. For example, Search and Rescue (SAR) operations can benefit greatly from modern UAVs since even the simplest commercial models are equipped with high-resolution cameras and the ability to stream video to a computer or portable device. As a result, autonomous unmanned systems (ground, aquatic, and aerial) have recently been employed for such typical SAR tasks as terrain mapping, task observation, and early supply delivery. However, these systems were …

Time Evolution Of Ecog Network Connectivity In Patients With Refractory Epilepsy, Michael J. Selesko

Masters Theses

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder that causes recurrent, unprovoked seizures. Focal, refractory epilepsy is characterized by seizures that start in a specific area in the brain and do not respond to antiepileptic medication. This study was conducted to characterize the connectivity of the focal brain region where seizures originate, known as the epileptogenic zone. Connectivity was measured from electrocorticogram (ECoG) recordings, during seizure events, using information theoretic measures mutual information (MI) and (TE). MI is the amount of information shared between two discrete random variables. TE is the directed information transfer between two discrete random variables. MI provides information …

A Case Study On Application Of Fuzzy Logic Based Controller For Peak Load Shaving In A Typical Household's Per Day Electricity Consumption, Krishna P. Sharma

Masters Theses

The cost of electricity for consumers depends on the cost of generation, transmission, and distribution of power. The electrical load consumed by consumers per day is not constant throughout the day. The utilities must be capable of meeting the load demand, which means they must have enough electricity generation potential and necessary infrastructure. This cost is significant. However, the revenue they generate will only be for the actual use of electricity by the consumers. In general, the electrical power generation is done in stages, always generating a base load. As demand changes throughout the day, additional stages of power generation …

Identification Of The Seizure Onset Zone By Auto-Regressive Model Residual Modulation Applied To Intracranial Eeg And Its Correlation To Channels With High Preponderances Of Detected Hfos, Allison L. Rogutich

Masters Theses

The objective of this thesis was to examine the ability of the Autoregressive Model Residual Modulation (ARRm) method to identify the Seizure Onset Zone (SOZ) in intracranial electroencephalogram (iEEG) of patients with refractory epilepsy. Patients who have not become seizure free after multiple trials of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may seek treatment through epilepsy surgery. Cortical electrodes are implanted directly on the cerebral cortex, then iEEG is collected. A specialized neurologist reviews the iEEG, then in consultation with the neurosurgeon, the SOZ is determined and areas of the brain may be chosen for resection. The success rate of epilepsy surgery varies, …

Modeling Of Cold Compressor Pump Down Process, Kyle A. Dinger

Masters Theses

The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) will use a sub-atmospheric helium refrigeration process operating at 2 K (31 mbar) to support the superconducting radio frequency (SRF) Niobium structures (known as cavities), which are housed within ‘cryo-modules’. The cryomodules are large containers whose exterior forms a vacuum chamber that serves as a thermal shield. The cryo-modules, and the superconducting devices contained within, are used to accelerate charged particles. The accelerator at FRIB is comprised of three separate linear segments, separately or collectively, called a linear accelerator or ‘LINAC’. The helium used as the working fluid to cool the SRF Niobium …

Modelling The Financial Effects Of Naïve Neutral Zone Limits On Energy Storage Systems Participating In Midwest Iso Energy Markets Under Frequency Regulation Prioritization Policies, Patrick J. Mccarthy

Masters Theses

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) participating in frequency regulation services in MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator) energy markets do so by charging from and discharging to the bulk electrical grid to satisfy power demands. Frequency regulation can demand a high energy throughput from a BESS, causing electrochemical aging. The aging of a BESS must be controlled to within financially feasible limits. MISO has proposed new frequency regulation prioritization policies that enable a BESS to manage its own aging by setting its acceptable State of Charge (SOC) range, called its neutral zone. MISO will seek to prioritize a BESS’ regulation so …

Impacts Of Sediment Dredging On Phosphorus Dynamics In A Restored Riparian Wetland, Kimberly Oldenborg

Masters Theses

Global reductions in biodiversity and water quality are having major consequences for ecosystem health and societal well-being. The restoration of riverine floodplains and wetlands provides an ideal opportunity to increase biodiversity and water quality because their hydrologic connectivity to adjacent streams and rivers promotes the formation of heterogeneous habitat while also facilitating their functioning as a nutrient sink, in general. However, many historic floodplains and riverine wetlands have been drained for the creation of agricultural land, resulting in an accumulation of nutrients in the soils. Therefore, restoration practices that hydrologically reconnect former agricultural land to an adjacent stream or river …

Assessment Of Invasive Gypsophila Paniculata Control Methods In The Northwest Michigan Dunes, Emma K. Rice

Masters Theses

Gypsophila paniculata is an invasive species in Michigan’s northern lower peninsula and a problem invasive in much of the northern United States and Canada. Gypsophila paniculata readily outcompetes native plants in sandy, well-drained soils due to its deep taproot, which allows access to scarce resources. It reproduces and disperses mainly by seed, but the phenology of seed maturation is poorly understood. Gypsophila paniculata is of particular concern in lakeshore dunes because the areas where it is most dense are also populated by several endemic and threatened species. Despite many years of intensive management, high densities of G. paniculata persist …

Estimating Components Of Stream Metabolism Using The Free Water Dissolved Oxygen Method, Jay R. Zuidema Jr.

Masters Theses

Stream ecosystem metabolism is commonly measured in stream ecology studies in order to understand the functioning of the stream ecosystem and as an indicator of stream health. One common method for gathering the time series data required to estimate stream metabolism is the free water dissolved oxygen method, which involves measuring dissolved oxygen in freely moving water. This is accomplished by taking measurements at a single location (one-station monitoring method) or at two locations (two-station monitoring method). In conjunction with these data, a process-based model of dissolved oxygen dynamics is used to estimate gross primary production, respiration, and net production. …

Pyrolysis Of Plastic Waste From Medical Services Facilities Into Potential Fuel And/Or Fuel Additives, Bright Kweku Ansah Baiden

Masters Theses

Limited space and high costs for landfilling as well as increasing regulations in plastic waste disposal, has led to high operating costs for organizations involved in managing plastic waste from medical facilities which led to the need to investigate an alternative option such as pyrolysis. The overall goal of this study was to evaluate pyrolysis as a means to repurpose plastic waste obtained from medical service facilities into fuel and fuel additive compounds, with two objectives involving, (1) to examine the effect of heat input (as voltage) and reaction/residence time; and (2) to evaluate the effect of the plastic waste …

Control-Oriented Automatic Transmission- Based Powertrain Modeling And Simulation With Judder, Harshal B. Kundale

Masters Theses

This work presents automatic transmission-based powertrain modeling. The powertrain consists of an engine, torque converter with lock up clutch, transmission gearbox, propeller shaft, and vehicle body. Simplified powertrain component models are developed for vehicle powertrain dynamic response analysis and future control work. The powertrain components are modeled with algebraic and first order non-linear differential equations. A MATLAB-based powertrain simulation system is developed to investigate the transient characteristics during lock up of torque converter. Simulation results are used in the determination of effects of judder on torque and angular velocity. Clutch judder is a self-excited vibration that occurs during the clutch …

The Effects Of Gateway Width On Driver Yielding To Pedestrians: A Systematic And Parametric Analysis, Jonathan M. Hochmuth

Masters Theses

The gateway in-street sign treatment has been demonstrated to be a cost-effective method for increasing driver yielding behavior at crosswalks. In the present study, wide and narrow gateway widths were compared at two sites to determine if there was a differential effect on driver yielding behavior. Then, the relationship between width and yielding was refined with a parametric analysis at one of these sites. Gateway width was varied in two-foot intervals from 12ft to 18ft. The results indicated an inverse relationship between gateway width and driver yielding behavior. There are likely two variables related to this effect. First, because drivers …

Maintaining Deck Profile In Steel I-Girder Bridges During Deck Placement, Ali Naif Inceefe

Masters Theses

Conventional steel I-girder highway bridges utilize cast-in-place concrete deck. Maintaining the deck profile as per project specifications might be a challenging task. Deformation of girders and formwork used for deck placement need to be controlled during deck placement. Differential deflection between girders, exterior girder web out-of-plane deformation, exterior girder warping, or a combination thereof could impact the deck profile. These deformations challenge maintaining deck profile and need to be considered as a part of constructability evaluation. Determining deck profile due to potential girder deformations is necessary before deck placement so that the remedial actions can be implemented when deck finish …

An Investigation Of Sub-Meter Skill In Stem And Non-Stem Undergraduate Students, Laura A. Tingin

Masters Theses

This study designed a nationally-relevant, valid, and reliable survey that measures STEM and Non-STEM undergraduate student familiarity with sub-meter metric scale and common sub-meter sized science objects. The instrument assesses scalar relationship and scalar magnitude, as explained by Cheek, LaDue, and Shipley (2017). The instrument development was based on an existing Scale of Objects Questionnaire (SOQ) instrument created by Tretter, Jones, Andre, Negishi, & Minogue (2006a) which was modified to be nationally relevant and in an electronic format in two phases: online survey development and undergraduate pilot testing. Online survey development was framed in the tailored design method described by …

Experimental Comparison Between Hollow Cathodes With Cermet, Lanthanum Hexaboride, And Barium Oxide Insert Materials, Nagual Simmons

Masters Theses

This thesis compares two different hollow cathode assemblies (HCA) using three different insert materials. NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) provided the H6 HCA and the Lanthanum Hexaboride (LaB₆) insert. A barium oxide (BaO) insert was purchased from Ebeam and used with the H6 HCA. The novel Cermet material was purchased from Plasma Controls, LLC and the HCA was based on the JPL H6 HCA. Plasma properties in the external region of all three inserts and the internal region of the LaB₆ were determine using two separate Langmuir probes. Various operating points were tested at a combination of …

Computational Study Of The Nature Of Tetrel Bond, Yama Aman

Masters Theses

For more than a hundred years, the type of a chemical bond has been distinguished according to the relative electronegativities of chemical units at the ends of a bond. Whereas, the bond of unequally electronegative on both ends is called a polar covalent or even ionic bond or a non-polar covalent bond in case of both equal. Regardless the type of bonded elements, the whole idea for the bond was believed to be electron driven only. In the 20th century the development of the idea, that not just the electronic relation but specific elements are also able to characterize the …

On Wlan Fingerprint Indoor Positioning Systems Clustering, And Classification For Enhanced Performance, Haider G. Al Glehawi

Masters Theses

The most economic and affordable IPS are those incorporating existing infrastructure, such as the widely spread Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN). The Received Signal Strength (RSS) fingerprinting-based system is one of the most promising and powerful techniques so far to be used for indoor positioning. However, there are two challenges in using RSS based IPS; the first challenge is the variation of RSS to indoor multipath propagation, and the second is the high number of Access Points (APs) that are deployed in the region of interest. The first issue leads to degradation in the performance of RSS based IPS, while …

Implemenatation Of Additive Print Manufacturing Processes For The Development Of Flexible Thermal Sensors, Vikram Shreeshail Turkani

Masters Theses

This work focuses on the design, fabrication and characterization of novel flexible thermal sensors using additive print manufacturing processes. Initially, a carbon nanotube (CNT) based negative temperature coefficient (NTC) thermistor was fabricated on a flexible polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate using screen and gravure printing processes. The thermistor consists of two silver (Ag) electrodes deposited using screen printing process. A CNT based sensing layer was deposited using gravure printing process on the Ag electrodes. Finally, a primary polymer and a secondary Ag encapsulation layer were deposited using screen printing process. The capability of the fabricated thermistor was investigated by measuring its …

Defining Contagion : Examining Imagination As A Source Of The Infection In Print Studios, Joshua Tangen

Masters Theses

In this thesis, I attempted to define a contagious component of art education within a community print shop. In this quest, I examine theories around imagination, creativity, and psychology through an analysis of the work of Maxine Greene, Kieran Egan, Ken Robinson, and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. Gathered from a variety of sources that include, books, scholarly articles, and online video, I link Greene’s concepts of what role imagination plays in critical thinking and empathy, Egan’s promotion of imagination’s ability to create personal and emotional engagement, Robinson’s ideas about creativity in learning, and Csikszentmihayli’s theory of flow. Connecting these four philosophers are …

Zoom-Out : Expansion Of Pedagogical Approaches Within Moving Image Education, Thomas Flint

Masters Theses

The moving image is arguably the most complex form of expression that we have ever invented. Yet, the degree to which the medium can be taken advantage of throughout its process of creation does not always seem to be grasped within the context of education. Zoom-Out examines the current state of moving image education and how the range of ways in which film can be shaped for the purpose of learning might be further expanded upon. An overview of how standard film industry practices transition into educational settings provides a backdrop for highlighting pedagogical tendencies that point to a reliance …

Purpose After Tragedy, Elena Tepavac

Masters Theses

Psychological trauma arises through the experience of conflict, such as war, fire, and terrorism. People exposed carry fragments with them throughout their lifetime. Buildings hold a great significance in the fabric of the cities they inhabit, and can also become vessels for trauma. They carry the gift of keeping memories alive even as they succumb to ruins.

One such building is the RTS- Radio Television of Serbia, located in the center of Belgrade, Serbia. During the Kosovo War of the late 1990’s, NATO saw this media center as a target because of its communication ties to the Yugoslav Armed Forces …

Preventing Lonely Death, Hyun Kyu Lee, Menghan Zhou

Masters Theses

Loneliness is part of a constellation of social, emotional and health outcomes for the elderly which collectively form one of the greatest public health issue worldwide. Various factors, such as losing connections with family and friends, and economic issues contribute to social isolation for the elderly, leading directly into the growing problem of “lonely death.” Lonely death describes the phenomenon of bodies discovered days, weeks, even months after death. It is possible to address this social problem almost entirely via architectural means, working within existing infrastructure of cities.

This thesis proposes a scattered elderly community within selected Boston MBTA Orange …

Reveal The Aura : Risd Contemplative Atrium, Shuyi Guo

Masters Theses

The built environment affects us on an emotional and psychological level; architecture can be as calming as meditation. Architecturally-induced contemplative states allow inhabitants to experience the benefits of meditation through space. Emotional well-being is essential to personal development and integral to the creative process. The Rhode Island School of Design campus currently offers counseling and psychological services for student and faculty. What is not offered is a space for students and faculty to seek inner peace in a relaxed way. In order to support the RISD community by creating a place for people to promote mental health in a consistent …