Digital Commons Network^™

Modeling And Simulation Of Robot Arms With Flexible Links, John G. Danis

Theses

The design of lightweight robot arms introduces a degree of flexiblity in the individual links which renders the arm difficult to control. Solution of the control problem requires accurate and detailed mathematical models of the arm dynamics. A comprehensive survey of the current literature in this area has shown that although many such models exist, there is a great diversity in their structure, function, and applicability. The different objectives and techniques of model development which lead to this diversity are examined and summarized in this thesis. Bases for classification of the mathematical models and techniques of development are established, and …

Use Of Recirculation Reactor To Study Biodegradation Of 2-Chlorophenol, Kai-Chung Yang

Theses

The performance of immobilized cells in the treatment of hazardous waste was investigated using a recirculation flow reactor run in a batch mode. A mixed microbial population from a municipal wastewater treatment plant was immobilized in calcium alginate gel. The bio-oxidation ability of these microbes towards a model toxin (2-chlorophenol) was studied. The process parameters studied were as follows:

1. Flow rate of the recycle stream;
2. Biomass loading;
3. Spiking concentration of 2-chlorophenol;
4. Use of buffered vs. non-buffered defined medium.

Dissolved oxygen concentration was monitored using a flow Clark-type dissolved oxygen probe. Oxygen consumption was correlated with the biodegradation of 2-chlorophenol. Physical …

Investigation Of High Shear-Rate Viscoelastic Flow, Sudarshan S. Sood

Theses

The object of this study is to understand two important characteristics exhibited by viscoelastic fluids at high shear-rates, and analyse their influence on practical applications Viscoelastic fluids, such as polymer solutions, when subjected to high shear stress, behave in a manner which has not been sufficiently analytically explained In experimental studies, such fluids have shown.

(a) Stress relaxation.

(b) Decrease of viscosity with an increase in shear rate.

(c) Slight decrease of viscosity with temperature.

(d) Normal stress differences in shear flow.

In this thesis an analytical explanation is given for two (a and b ) of these features This …

Friedman's Model Of Calculating The Optimum Bid Price Using Dbase Iii Plus, Selim Uzel

Theses

The micro-computer program, BIDCALC presented in this thesis is offered as simple, practical, and proven approach to developing an effective data-based competitive bidding strategy. BIDCALC is written in dBASE III Plus programming language for MS-DOS based computers.

Main purpose of the program is to evaluate the optimum bid using the Friedman's model of Maximizing the Expected Profit. At the same time the program keeps track of necessary competitor and project information in data base files which are easily transferable to other software packages. The program is capable of generating a variety of reports in a matter of seconds.

BIDCALC is …

A New Hazardous Waste Treatment Technology Utilizing Low Power Density Microwave Energy, Gabriele Else Windgasse

Theses

Two major applications of a new hazardous waste treatment technology using low power density microwave energy have been characterized: 1) Desorption of organic materials such as: trichloro-ethylene, para-xylene, naphthalene and gasoline hydrocarbons from substrates such as: sand and granulated activated carbon was achieved by microwave induced steam distillation and the application of a new phenomenon: arcing between GAC particles when they are exposed to microwave radiation. All contaminants could be removed to 100% (non-detectable with GC and GC-MS). 2) Decomposition of organic contaminants such as: trichloro-ethylene and trichloro-ethane in arcing/heating GAC beds. A new fluidized bed reactor ("RDW-reactor", after Ray, …

Determination Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons From Incineration Emission Samples, Robert Cebula

Theses

Stack emissions from five sources (one pulverized coal combustion operation, three sewage sludge incineration operations and one gray tin refractory operation) were sampled by use of U.S. EPA Modified Method 5 isokinetic sampling unit for vapor and particulate effluent. The sampling unit provided XAD-2 resin samples, polytetrafluoroethylene and glass fiber filters and impinger washings of dichloromethane. The resins were soxhlet extracted using dichloromethane (DCM) and the filters were soxhlet extracted using DCM followed by acetone. Fractionation of extracts was accomplished by thin layer chromatography. The resulting fractions were analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), nitro-PAH and quinone-PAH by high-performance liquid …

A Model For The Determination Of Market Based Pricing Of Telecommunication Products, Katherine J. Sullivan

Theses

The deregulation of AT&T, has impacted telecommunication product pricing in the U.S. market. Previously, pricing had been based on cost plus mark-up, as stipulated by regulatory commissions. Now, pricing decisions require consideration of the competitive impact, consumer demand for the product, corporate pricing objectives and marketing strategies. This paper proposes a pricing process that is relevant for this new environment which enables the product manager to price properly.

The method proposed utilizes microeconomic theory and takes into account the product test price, unit cost, opportunity cost, nonprice factor cost and consumer demand. Incorporating a number of different pricing strategies, it …

Analysis Of Selected Pollutants In Complex Media, Suyi Luo

Theses

Part one: A rapid and reliable procedure is developed for the measurement of the carcinogen benzo(a)pyrene in food. It is a streamlined hybrid of two published methods. These involve ethanalic potassium hydroxide digestion of samples, isooctane extraction, column chromatography on florisil, separation of B(a)P by thin-layer chromatography and measurement of B(a)P by fluorimetry. The recovery of a B(a)P spike of sample is 86.0 + 14.5 % . The procedure which has a limited of detection of 0.05 ng/g (0.05ppb), has been applied to the Human Exposure to B(a)P study.

Part Two: Hexachlorocyclohexane, hexachlorobenzene and some selected PCB congeners were found …

Reliability Evaluation Of Liquid Crystal Displays Under Accelerated Test Conditions, Ishatdev Singh Rathore

Theses

This thesis deals with the recent study of reliability of liquid crystal displays. This study determined the effects of high temperature on LCD reliability. To accomplish this, reliability life testing was done on different kinds of LCD samples under different operating conditions. The tests were carried out on the samples of two different vendors at two different temperatures. No humidity was added in any test.

Vendor No. 1

1. 120 units at 77° ± l° C.

2. 80 units at 85° ± 1° C.

Vendor No. 2

1. 60 hard and 60 soft glass units at 77° ± 1°C.

2. …

Sorption Characteristics And Their Effects On Geotechnical Properties Of Clay Soils, Arambawattage Mahendra Rodrigo

Theses

An experimental investigation on the sorption characteristics of clay soils with liquid organics (phenol, chlorophenol, nitrophenol and chlorobenzene) and their effects upon geotechnical properties was undertaken. The investigation consisted of two different phases, namely, (1) the sorption/ desorption study, including kinetic rate, equilibrium time, isotherm modeling, and (2) geotechnical properties due to clay/ liquid organic interactions. The results of kinetic rate study indicate that the equilibration time for the contaminants way dependent upon the hydrophobic or the hydrophelic nature of the chemical. For equilibrium adsorption models, the linear isotherm was found to be the best fit in predicting sorption capacities …

Culture Analysis In A Merger Environment, Dorairaj Sharathram

Theses

The effects of the merger upon the People Express Airline company is studied with particular emphasis upon changes in corporate culture and structure.

A case study approach utilizes an extensive literature search and interviews with People Express executives. It is confirmed that the structural change has led to the cultural change.

With a unique style of management structure and culture, People Express, due to its own mistakes and problems, quickly lost its market share and allowed itself to be taken over by Continental Airlines a subsidiary of Houston based Texas Air Corp.

It is interesting to note that the corporate …

The Changing Role Of The Electric Utility Rates Manager, Richard J. Tutela

Theses

The Changing Role of the Electric Utility Rates Manager will examine the rapidly changing functions of the electric utility rates and regulatory affairs executives. It will explore the changing attitudes, responsibilities, concerns, and required resources of the incumbents. Moreover, it will project and examine the issues which will be of major concern before the turn of the century.

Expectations are that the future functions associated with managing electric rates will soon be significantly different than those in recent past. Further, expectations are to find that if some specific issues which are projected to be of major concern are not properly …

The State And Future Of Televised Professional Training Systems, Robert Michael Brady

Theses

This paper investigates the topic of televised professional training -- that is training and educating managers and technical professionals via live or videotaped television broadcasts. The investigation begins with a description of how some typical educational networks operate; it then goes on to analyze in a strictly theoretical sense, some of the advantages and disadvantages that such a system would have compared with the traditional methods of offering continuing education; it then discusses the results of two specially prepared surveys -- one addressed to the administrator/manager, and one addressed to the student. These areas are then united in a final …

3-D Reconstruction Of Microvasculature From High Voltage Electron Microscopy (Hvem) Data, Pradip Kumar Paul

Theses

This is a new method for histoarchitectural and volumetric analyses of cell compartments of microvasculature with the use of a unique combination of computerized 3-D reconstruction and HVEM thick serial cross sections. The technology is potentially a reliable, simple, accurate and fast method. Pioneering work in this area was started by Todd et al. (Circ Res Vol :53 p 319 ;1983) basically using light microscopy, but supported by conventional ultrathin transmission electron microscopy. These techniques are important in that they promise to resolve controversies in terms of evaluating the occurance of hyperplasia and hypertrophy in small resistance vessels in various …

Biosynthesis Of Amine Oxides Using Calcium-Alginate Immobilized Hog Liver Microsomes : An Evaluation Of Process And Reactor Design, Ioannis I. Valvis

Theses

An evaluation of the biocatalytic ability and the potential utilization of Calcium-alginate immobilized hepatic microsomes (beads) for the biosynthesis of amine oxides has been performed, To accomplish this task, the following three areas Were investigated: immobilization, catalytic biooxidation ability, and reactor configurations.

Immobilization was found to result in higher yields over free microsomes at the expense of higher cofactor requirements. Refrigerated drying of immobilized micro-somes appears to be a better storage technique than wet storage in buffer. Smaller beads resulted in higher rates than larger beads, but size did not affect the overall yield.

Chlorpromazine (CPZ), diphenylamine (DPA) and 4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine …

A Silicon Photodiode Array For Soft X-Ray Sensing, Chih-Te Hu

Theses

An array of 30 x 30 sensing cells including logic within each cell and a self-scan address circuit are described. A unique scintillation technique is used to increase the threshold sensitivity 60dB for X-ray photon sensing beyond that obtainable with conventional photodiode sensors. Simulations for the sensing cell and some additional logic elements are based on SPICE version 2G5 and HILO 3. Worst case analysis includes variations in threshold voltage V_TP and V_TN for the CMOS circuit components. The final CMOS chip dimension using MOSIS 1.2 micron rules is 10mm x 10mm base on the 80 …

Investigation Of Different Cmos Dram Sense Amplifier Configurations In Vlsi, Bihju Chiu

Theses

Sense amplifiers are particularly difficult circuits to design. In this work, only CMOS sense amplifiers are considered. There are typically two configurations of CMOS sense amplifiers: the cross-connected flip flop configuration and the current-mirror configuration. They are widely used nowadays with various modifications. These improved configurations are simulated and optimized with SPICE package, and their relative performances are also compared in this thesis.

Synergistic Fillers In Polymer Concrete : New Composites, Syed Hassan Javed

Theses

The objective of this study was to examine the effects of synergistic fillers on underwater construction, burning and mechanical properties of polymer portland cement concrete(PPCC).

Fine grains of hydrous calcium sulfate, Trihydrated alumina, Calcium carbonate and fibrous unhydrous calcium sulfate were examined in PPCC. It has been observed that these synergistic filler improves the mechanical property (stress) and reduce the average time of burning of PPCC. With fixed quantity of polymer, the deterioration of PPCC in water increases by replacing the sand with above stated fillers.

Rf Characterization Of A Directly Modulated Ingaasp Buried Heterostructure Laser Diode, Charlotte Alvarez

Theses

The use of fiber optics for the transmission of microwave signals had its beginnings in 1984. Applications were limited to the lower microwave frequency regions. Technology in this field is advancing rapidly due to the high demand driven by the telecommunications community for high speed digital applications. Extensive research and development efforts are underway by both the component manufacturers and the subsystem end user. Most of the near term applications of microwaves in fiber optics are in weapon systems and communication systems for military and other government agencies.

The high frequency modulation characteristics of Lytel's InGaAsP 1300 nm buried heterostructure …

Estimation Of Modified Proctor Densities Based On Visual Identification, Ramesh Damodaram

Theses

Often in construction jobs requiring controlled compaction, there is a delay involved in testing the soil sample to be used as a structural fill. Here a rational approach has been adopted to get these values from 600 test data available. Using these data, appropriate relationships between grain sizes, maximum dry densities and optimum moisture content were developed. From these, two tables were derived to estimate the maximum dry density and optimum moisture content based on grain size distribution.

In a fill control job, if the borrow pit happens to change, the field personnel could obtain soil samples and send them …

Messaging, The Effects Of The Use Of Voice Mail On The Use Of Electronic Mail, Terese M. De Troia

Theses

A number of office automation products have evolved over the years to address the messaging needs of organizations. The 1800's brought us telegraph systems which led the way for teletype and Telex systems, followed by facsimilie, computer-based message systems, document based electronic mail and, most recently, voice store and forward (or voice messaging) systems (Advances in Office Automation, 1985). Voice messaging systems, a newly emerging method of communications, are having a significant impact on communications. The concept of messaging services is rapidly gaining acceptance in business communities (Girishankar 1986, Hirschheim 1985). With costs rising and time becoming more valuable, organizations …

Two Domain Heat Transfer Studies Using A Coupled Finite-Difference And Boundary Element Programs, Serap Dikmenli

Theses

An iterative coupling of a finite-difference boundary layer code "STAN5"' and a boundary element code "BEASY"2 have been used to study two dimensional convective-conductive problems. The coupling method essentially leaves undisturbed the codes of these programs and uses their custom features in their applicable domains. The boundary layer program is used-in the convective domain, while "BEASY" is used in the solid domain. Compatability conditions are established between these domain solutions and an iterative scheme is used until these conditions are mutually satisfied.

The indirect communication of compatability (boundary) criteria between these programs was achieved by two editor/data-transferor like programs. Combined …

Reliability Of Packaging In Microcircuits, Zia Iqbal

Theses

The semiconductor industry is faced with the problems of how to increase the level of reliability of semiconductor parts being used in the electronic systems which have had their lifetimes extended through new and better system design.

This paper deals with the reliability of packaging constructions commonly used in large scale integration / integrated circuits and will present the failure mechanisms and failure modes which can arise when proper processing is used. In addition, the materials used in each construction and how they affect reliabilty will be analyzed.

It is not the intention of this paper to present any new, …

Independent Equations Method For Power System State-Estimation, Shun-Gee Lin

Theses

The problem of power system state estimation (PSSE) is to convert the available. redundant and noise contaminated measurements, and other information into a best estimate of the state of the system.

Methods to solve the PSSE, including the sub-problems of bad data presence detection, identification and reconstruction, are reviewed. The Independent Equations Method (IEM) was selected for in-depth study and analysis.

The tree method for bad data identification is tested and failed due to the suspected ill-conditioning of the sensitivity matrix. For bad-data reconstruction, the IEM fails as described. Modifications that saves computing time and ensures reconstruction success are presented …

Study Of Dynamic Cmos Families And Development Of Certain Guidelines For Logic Synthesis, Vinay Santurkar

Theses

This work studies in detail two dynamic logic families, namely Zipper and Nora. It compares their performance using SPICE, a popular circuit simulator. Results show that a novel clocking scheme and a different latch circuit for the Nora pipelined structure can push its maximum clock rate of CMOS Dynamic circuits higher. It also ascertains whether the increased complexity of NORA is justified compared to the simpler Zipper circuit. It is shown that for very long logic chains, Nora works faster than Zipper. The work also presents some guidelines for synthesis of logic functions using CMOS Dynamic Cells. It shows that …

Automatic Generation Of Robot Paths For Waterjet Cutting From Autocad Drawings, Samir Vij

Theses

The automatic generation of robot paths for a commercial water-jet cutting system by establishing a link with a commercial CAD system, in an attempt to achieve paper-less manufacturing and to minimize human interface is the objective of this thesis.

Water-jet cutting is an emerging technology with unlimited potential for a wide variety of manufacturing applications. Water-jet cutting systems integrated with robotic work cells allow the user to cut a variety of parts through part programs generated for robot controllers. The system employed is an Ingersoll-Rand water-jet cutting system, the movement of which is controlled by an Allen-Bradley 8200R programmable robot …

Comparative Energy Analysis Of An Office Building Using A Microcomputeromparative Energy Analysis Of An Office Building Using A Microcomputer, Dale Krasnoff Bromberg

Theses

An energy analysis was performed on an office building using two different software packages - ASEAM and Trakload. The structure studied was the P.S.E. & G. headquarters in Newark, N.J.. The results of various parametric runs were compared. Then results from one of the programs were compared with results of a study carried out by Tishman Research Corporation and Jaros, Baum & Bolles, consulting engineers.

Although the two software products had variations in input requirements, overall the results of the two programs were similar. The overall deviation for total energy consumption between the two programs was between 3% and 15%. …

Study Of The Structure And Capacity Of Construction Industry In Pakistan, Tayyab A. Ansari

Theses

The construction industry is the second largest sector in Pakistan's economy after agriculture. It is a fragmented industry which includes very small and very large contracting groups. It includes professional groups such as architects, engineers, management personnel etc. Major part of this industry is dominated by material's suppliers, vendors etc.

In the light of the developments which have taken place particularly over the last ten years, the study has covered the capacity of the construction industry in terms of estimated output, availability of manpower, demand and production of building materials , financial problems, credit, quality of work, the role of …

Bead Design For Biodegradation Of 2-Chlorophenol Using Microorganisms Entrapped In Alginate Gel, Fayaz Lakhwala

Theses

The performance of immobilized cell reactors varies with a number of parameters, one of which is proper bead design. A mixed microbial population from a waste water treatment plant was immobilized in calcium alginate gel. The viability of these organisms was studied in a microassay reactor by varying parameters such as concentration of calcium chloride, concentration of sodium alginate, temperature of operation, biomass concentration within the beads and concentration of a model compound (2-chlorophenol). The effect of storage on viability over a period of three months was also investigated. It was found possible to have access to active biomass by …

Design Of A Fiber Optic Oxygen Sensor Based On Immobilized Hemoglobin, Mendu Govind Raj

Theses

The fiber optic Oxygen sensor consists of a thin layer of immobilized deoxyhemoglobin at the common end of a bifurcated fiber. Immobilization is done using the alginate gel procedure. The immobilized reagent is separated from the standard oxygen sample by the gel with or without semi-permeable membrane, and the entire configuration is enclosed in an oxygen free sample cell. Light from a tungsten-halogen lamp, filtered through a 405nm filter is passed through one arm of a bifurcated fiber to the sample cell. The reflected intensity (a highly polished aluminum foil or a plate is placed at the bottom of the …