Digital Commons Network^™

Efficacy Of Virtual Models In A Production Systems Course, Lawrence Whitman, Barbara Chaparro

Publications

Wichita State University has developed an integrated set of virtual reality models of an aircraft assembly line. These models are intended to provide students an ‘artifact’ of industrial and manufacturing engineering by providing a realistic environment for initial learning and application. By utilizing a virtual model of the line, students are able to view the process and interrogate the process details, make changes and observe the effects, and gain a better understanding of the concepts and their interrelationships. This paper presents the method used to assess if virtual models (computer models of a real factory) lead to: improved perception of …

Hurricane Damage To The Ocean, Charles S. Colgan, Jefferey Adkins

Publications

In 2005, insured losses from hurricanes and other catastrophes were greater than in any other year in U.S. history. NOAA’s National Hurricane Center estimates that $85 billion of total damages resulted from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita alone. One year later, the region affected by these two hurricanes still struggles to recover, both as a place to live and as a viable economy. Using data from the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, the National Ocean Economics Program has developed a data series that allows the economic damage to coastal regions to be seen in a new light: what happens …

Historical Resource Inventory And Evaluation Report: Cal Poly Cottages, Jrp Historical Consulting, Llc

Publications

California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly) proposes to demolish three historic on- campus residential buildings known as the "Cal Poly Cottages." Cal Poly hired Crawford Multari & Clark Associates (CMCA) to conduct the environmental assessment of this proposed project. CMCA, in turn, contracted with JRP Historical Consulting (JRP) to prepare this Historical Resource Inventory and Evaluation Report for the historic residences.

The purpose of this document is to comply with state environmental regulations as they pertain to the protection of historic architectural resources. This study was conducted in accordance with Section 15064.5(a)(2)-(3) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) guidelines. …

Riparian Shading And Groundwater Enhance Growth Potential For Smallmouth Bass In Ozark Streams, Gregory W. Whitledge, Charles F. Rabeni, Gust Annis, Scott P. Sowa

Publications

Moderation of stream temperatures by riparian shading and groundwater are known to promote growth and survival of salmonid fishes, but effects of riparian shade and groundwater on to be growth of warmwater stream fishes are poorly understood or assumed to be negligible. We used stream temperature models to relate shading from riparian vegetation and groundwater inflow to summer water temperatures in Missouri Ozark streams and evaluated effects of summer water temperatures on smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu, growth using a bioenergetics model. Bioenergetics model simulations revealed that adult smallmouth bass in non-spring-fed streams have lower growth potential during summer than …

Innovative Schematic Concept Analysis For A Space Suit Portable Life Support Subsystem, M. Schuller, R. Kobrick, T. Lalk, L. Wiseman, F. Little, Et Al.

Publications

Conceptual designs for a space suit Personal Life Support Subsystem (PLSS) were developed and assessed to determine if upgrading the system using new, emerging, or projected technologies to fulfill basic functions would result in mass, volume, or performance improvements. Technologies were identified to satisfy each of the functions of the PLSS in three environments (zero-g, Lunar, and Martian) and in three time frames (2006, 2010, and 2020). The viability of candidate technologies was evaluated using evaluation criteria such as safety, technology readiness, and reliability. System concepts (schematics) were developed for combinations of time frame and environment by assigning specific technologies …

Planning For The Community Forest In South Carolina: A Guidebook, 2006 July, Donna S. London, Donald L. Ham

Publications

No abstract provided.

Human Error And Commercial Aviation Accidents: A Comprehensive, Fine-Grained Analysis Using Hfacs, Scott Shappell, Cristy Detwiler, Kali Holcomb, Carla Hackworth, Albert Boquet, Douglas Wiegmann

Publications

The Human Factors Analysis and Classification System (HFACS) is a theoretically based tool for investigating and analyzing human error associated with accidents and incidents. Previous research has shown that HFACS can be reliably used to identify general trends in the human factors associated with military and general aviation accidents. The aim of this study was to extend previous examinations of aviation accidents to include specific aircrew, environmental, supervisory, and organizational factors associated with 14 CFR Part 121 (Air Carrier) and 14 CFR Part 135 (Commuter) accidents using HFACS. The majority of causal factors were attributed to the aircrew and the …

Reweighting At-Sat To Mitigate Group Score Differences, Andrew R. Dattel, Raymond E. King

Publications

The Air Traffic Selection and Training (AT-SAT) test battery is the selection tool for applicants for Air Traffic Control Specialist (ATCS) positions within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) who have not previously been employed as an air traffic controller. AT-SAT is an aptitude test developed to predict the likelihood of successfully learning ATCS skills. Before operational use, however, concerns were raised about the low passing rate of incumbent (who are fully trained and certified) ATCS personnel (who participated in the initial research) and score differences between groups, which could result in adverse impact (possible unfair discrimination). To address these concerns, …

Restoration Of Riparian Buffer At The Former Smelt Hill Dam Site, Falmouth, Maine, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership

Publications

Project description: The Casco Bay Estuary Partnership (CBEP) was awarded a grant from the Gulf of Maine Council to restore approximately 250 feet of riparian buffer habitat at the site of the former Smelt Hill dam in Falmouth, Maine. CBEP selected Northern Ecological Associates, Inc. (NEA) a consulting firm with expertise in riparian restoration, to design and oversee implementation of the project. Presumpscot River Watch, a local nonprofit organization whose volunteers sample water quality throughout the watershed, coordinated with abutting landowners and volunteers.

Project objectives and goals: The overall project objective was to restore a native vegetated riparian buffer at …

Investigation Of Corrosion Effects On Bond-Slip And Tensile Strength Of Reinforced Concrete Members, M. A. Shayanfar, Amir Safiey, M. Ghalehnovi

Publications

The corrosion effect on tensile strength of RC members is very important to region with high corrosion conditions. In this article a study on finding bond behaviour, crack pattern, crack spacing, and tensile strength of RC members is presented. For this purpose a comprehensive experimental program including reinforced concrete cylanders with different concrete covers and reinforcement ratios under various corrosion rates is conducted. The specimens are located in large tub containing water and salt (5% salt solution) with a devich for accelerated corrosion production. For each specimen, the variation of total tensile strength versus its average strain is plotted and …

Use Of Optimization To Develop A Correlation Model For Predicting Residual Napl Saturation, Lizette R. Chevalier

Publications

Predicting the residual saturation of a trapped non-aqueous phase liquid contaminant is critical to estimating the region of contamination, the design of remediation strategies, and risk assessment. Models were developed to predict residual NAPL saturation utilizing optimization and non-linear error functions, consequently allowing for a broader mathematical approach to model development. The input parameters evaluated represent soil and fluid properties: the uniformity coefficient (C_u), the coefficient of gradation (C_c), the capillary number (Nc), the bond number (Nb) and the total trapping number (Nt). Overall, the model that performed …

The Death And Life Of Urban Design: Jane Jacobs,The Rockefeller Foundation And The New Research In Urbanism, 1955–1965, Peter L. Laurence

Publications

Between 1955 and 1965, the Rockefeller Foundation responded to the urban crises created by the pre- and post-war housing shortage and heavy-handed urban renewa lstrategies by sponsoring urban design research projects by Kevin Lynch, Jane Jacobs, E. A.Gutkind, Ian McHarg, Christopher Tunnard, Ian Nairn, Edmund Bacon, Christopher Alexander and others. Drawing on documents from the Rockefeller Foundation Archives,this paper considers the state of urban design theory after World War II and outlines the major sponsored research projects. The work of Jane Jacobs, who was closely involved with the Foundation’s urban design research programme, is examined in greater detail, while the …

Real-Time Identification Of Sliding Friction Using Labview Fpga, Laine Mears, Jeannie S. Falcon, Thomas R. Kurfess

Publications

Friction is present in all mechanical systems, and can greatly affect system stability and control in precision motion applications. In this paper, we present application of a frictional model to trajectory planning of a part centering system with real-time identification of model parameters through system force and position response. This identification is carried out using LabVIEW motion control software and digital signal processing (DSP) and field-programmable gate array (FPGA) hardware. A comparison of hardware performance for force measurement is also made.

Simple Sequence Repeats As Advantageous Mutators In Evolution, Yechezkel Kashi, David G. King

Publications

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) often serve to modify genes with which they are associated. The influence of SSRs on gene regulation, transcription and protein function typically depends on the number of repeats, while mutations that add or subtract repeat units are both frequent and reversible. SSRs thus provide a prolific source of quantitative and qualitative variation. Over the past decade, researchers have found that this spontaneous variation has been tapped by natural and artificial selection to adjust almost every aspect of gene function. These studies support the hypothesis that SSRs, by virtue of their special mutational and functional qualities, have …

Architectural Tradeoffs For Unifying Campus Grid Resources, Amy Apon, Bart Taylor

Publications

Most universities have a powerful collection of computing resources on campus for use in areas from high performance computing to general access student labs. However, these resources are rarely used to their full potential. Grid computing offers a way to unify these resources and to better utilize the capability they provide. The complexity of some grid tools makes learning to use them a daunting task for users not familiar with using the command line. Combining these tools together into a single web portal interface provides campus faculty and students with an easy way to access the campus resources. This paper …

Involvement Of Coenzyme M During Aerobic Biodegradation Of Vinyl Chloride And Ethene By Pseudomonas Putida Strain Aj And Ochrobactrum Sp. Strain Td†, Anthony S. Danko, Christopher Saski, Jeffrey P. Tomkins, David L. Freeman

Publications

The involvement of coenzyme M in aerobic biodegradation of vinyl chloride and ethene in Pseudomonas putida strain AJ and Ochrobactrum sp. strain TD was demonstrated using PCR, hybridization, and enzyme assays. The results of this study extend the range of eubacteria known to use epoxyalkane:coenzyme M transferase.

Active Water Resource Management: Tools For Better Water Management, John D'Antonio

Publications

No abstract provided.

The Importance Of Pulsed Physical Events For Sustainability Of Louisiana Coastal Forested Wetlands, William Conner, J W. Day Jr, G P. Shaffer

Publications

A number of freshwater diversions from the Mississippi River into Louisiana’s coastal wetlands are currently in operation or in the planning stage. These diversions have multiple objectives including maintaining a desirable salinity gradient, restoring deteriorating wetlands, and enhancing fisheries. The extensive freshwater forested wetlands surrounding the western end of Lake Pontchartrain receive little or no sediment input and are currently deteriorating due to continuous flooding. Diverting nutrient-rich water through wetlands can lead to substantial nutrient removal and to enhanced accretion. The objective of this paper is to compare the impacts on freshwater wetland ecology, accretion, and water quality of several …

Towards Sustainable Management Of Louisiana's Coastal Wetland Forests: Problems, Contraints, And A New Beginning, William Conner, J L. Chambers, R F. Keim, S P. Faulkner, J W. Day, E S. Gardiner, M S. Hughes, S L. King, K W. Mcleod, C A. Miller, J A. Nyman, G P. Shaffer

Publications

Over 345,000 ha of forested swamps occur throughout the Mississippi River Deltaic Plain. Natural and anthropogenic changes in hydrology and geomorphology at local and landscape levels have reduced the productivity in many of these coastal wetland forests areas and have caused the complete loss of forest cover in some places. A summary and interpretation of the available
science, suggestions for policy change, and a multidisciplinary (multi-responsibility) approach were needed to address these issues [in the context of private land]. In response, the Louisiana Governor's office formed a Coastal Wetland Forest Conservation and Use Science Working Group (SWG) and an associated …

An Assessment Of The Fiscal Impact Of The Clarendon Farms And Mcleod Farm Developments On Beaufort County, South Carolina, 2006 April, William E. Molnar, Charles D. Taylor

Publications

No abstract provided.

Phylogenetic Analyses Of Vitis (Vitaceae) Based On Complete Chloroplast Genome Sequences: Effects Of Taxon Sampling And Phylogenetic Methods On Resolving Relationships Among Rosids, Robert K. Jansen, Charalambos Kaittanis, Christopher Saski, Seung-Bum Lee, Jeffrey Tomkins, Andrew Alverson, Henry Daniell

Publications

The Vitaceae (grape) is an economically important family of angiosperms whose phylogenetic placement is currently unresolved. Recent phylogenetic analyses based on one to several genes have suggested several alternative placements of this family, including sister to Caryophyllales, asterids, Saxifragales, Dilleniaceae or to rest of rosids, though support for these different results has been weak. There has been a recent interest in using complete chloroplast genome sequences for resolving phylogenetic relationships among angiosperms. These studies have clarified relationships among several major lineages but they have also emphasized the importance of taxon sampling and the effects of different phylogenetic methods for obtaining …

Structural And Mechanical Properties Of Tazrn Films: Experimental And Ab Initio Studies, S M. Aouadi

Publications

This paper reports on the growth and characterization of the structural and mechanical properties of tantalum zirconium nitride films and the subsequent simulation of these properties using an ab initio calculation based on density functional theory (DFT) within the generalized gradient approximation. The films were deposited by reactive unbalanced magnetron sputtering and their physical and chemical properties were studied by means of x-ray diffraction (XRD), Rutherford backscattering (RBS), and nanoindentation. XRD revealed that these films formed a solid solution and that the lattice constant decreased linearly with Ta content. RBS provided the elemental composition of the films. Nanoindentation was used …

Beneath The Tip Of The Iceberg: A Human Factors Analysis Of General Aviation Accidents In Alaska Versus The Rest Of The United States, Cristy Detwiler, Carla Hackworth, Kali Holcomb, Albert Boquet, Elaine Pfleiderer, Douglas Wiegmann, Scott Shappell

Publications

Historically, general aviation (GA) accidents have been overlooked and their impact under-appreciated when compared with those in the commercial or military sector. Recently however, the Federal Aviation Administration and other governmental and civilian organizations have focused their attention on one piece of this proverbial “iceberg,” that being GA accidents occurring in Alaska. This study examines more than 17,000 GA accidents using the Human Factors Analysis and Classification System. Comparisons of Alaska to the rest of the U.S. (RoUS) included traditional demographic and environmental variables, as well as the human errors committed by aircrews. Overall, categorical differences among unsafe acts (decision …

Numerical Simulation Of Nonlinear Elastic Wave Propagation In Piecewise Homogeneous Media, Arkadi Berezovski, Mihhail Berezovski, Juri Engelbrecht

Publications

Systematic experimental work [S. Zhuang, G. Ravichandran, D. Grady, J. Mech. Phys. Solids 51 (2003) 245–265] on laminated composites subjected to high velocity impact loading exhibits the dispersed wave field and the oscillatory behavior of waves with respect to a mean value. Such a behavior is absent in homogeneous solids. An approximate solution to the plate impact in layered heterogeneous solids has been developed in [X. Chen, N. Chandra, A.M. Rajendran, Int. J. Solids Struct. 41 (2004) 4635–4659]. The influence of the particle velocity on many process characteristics was demonstrated. Based on earlier results [A. Berezovski, J. Engelbrecht, G.A. Maugin, …

Intensified And Protective Cd4+ T Cell Immunity In Mice With Anti-Dendritic Cell Hiv Gag Fusion Antibody Vaccine, Christine Trumpfheller, Jennifer S. Finke, Carolina B. López

Publications

Current human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine approaches emphasize prime boost strategies comprising multiple doses of DNA vaccine and recombinant viral vectors. We are developing a protein-based approach that directly harnesses principles for generating T cell immunity. Vaccine is delivered to maturing dendritic cells in lymphoid tissue by engineering protein antigen into an antibody to DEC-205, a receptor for antigen presentation. Here we characterize the CD4⁺ T cell immune response to HIV gag and compare efficacy with other vaccine strategies in a single dose. DEC-205-targeted HIV gag p24 or p41 induces stronger CD4⁺ T cell immunity relative to high …

Immunogenicity And Efficacy Of Immunodeficiency Virus-Like Particles Pseudotyped With The G Protein Of Vesicular Stomatitis Virus, Seraphin Kuate, Christiane P. Stahl-Hennig, Heribert Stoiber

Publications

Vaccination with exogenous antigens such as recombinant viral proteins, immunodeficiency virus-derived whole inactivated virus particles, or virus-like particles (VLP) has generally failed to provide sufficient protection in animal models for AIDS. Pseudotyping VLPs with the vesicular stomatitis virus G protein (VSV-G), which is known to mediate entry into dendritic cells, might allow more efficient stimulation of immune responses. Therefore, we pseudotyped noninfectious immunodeficiency virus-like particles with VSV-G and carried out a preliminary screen of their immunogenicity and vaccination efficacy. Incorporation of VSV-G into HIV-1 VLPs led to hundred-fold higher antibody titers to HIV-1 Gag and enhancement of T cell responses …

Dendritic Cell Targeting Of Survivin Protein In A Xenogeneic Form Elicits Strong Cd4+ T Cell Immunity To Mouse Survivin, Anna Charalambous, Margarita Oks, Godwin W. Nchinda

Publications

To determine whether strong CD4⁺ T cell immunity could be induced to a nonmutated self protein that is important for tumorigenesis, we selectively targeted the xenogencic form of survivin, a survival protein overexpressed in tumors, to maturing dendritic cells in lymphoid tissues. Dendritic cell targeting via the DEC205 receptor in the presence of anti-CD40 and poly(I:C) as maturation stimuli, induced strong human and mouse survivin-specific CD4⁺ T cell responses, as determined by IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-2 production, as well as the development of lytic MHC class II-restricted T cells and memory. Immunity was enhanced further by depletion of …

Casco Bay Plan 2006 Update, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership

Publications

The Casco Bay Estuary Partnership (CBEP, formerly the Casco Bay Estuary Project) is a collaborative effort to preserve and protect the bay’s resources. The partners include local, state, and federal agencies and interested citizen groups. In 1990, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency designated Casco Bay as “an estuary of national significance,” leading to the formation of the CBEP. For the past 15 years, CBEP has received significant annual federal funding to develop and implement a plan for the bay’s future.

Highland Lake Fish Passage Restoration (Fact Sheet), Elaine Tremble, Department Of Marine Resources, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Maine Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership, Gulf Of Maine Coastal Program, Natural Resources Conservation Service, City Of Westbrook, Highland Lake Association

Publications

Renovating the fishway and restoring the degraded stream channel at Highland Lake Dam will improve upstream and downstream passage for diadromous (sea-run) fish – especially alewives. Historically, alewives had enjoyed free access to Highland Lake’s spawning and nursery habitat, so this project will help restore the alewife population, enhance biological vitality, improve recreational opportunities and expand economic prospects in the Presumpscot River Watershed, Casco Bay and the Gulf of Maine. This restoration project represents one more important piece in the ongoing efforts of state and federal natural resource agencies, towns, non-government organizations and individual citizens to bring the Presumpscot River …

New Meadows Lake Tidal Restoration Feasibility Study, Woodlot Alternatives, Inc.

Publications

No abstract provided.