Digital Commons Network^™

Nondestructive Dynamic Load Testing Of Bridges Using Strain Sensors, Suzanne Boland

Theses

This thesis investigates the use of nondestructive bridge load testing utilizing strain sensing equipment. Nondestructive bridge load testing has not been used extensively due to lack of expertise and perceived high cost. It can, however, play a key role when an existing bridge needs to be evaluated. Since most evaluation techniques tend to be conservative, the results from such an evaluation may not represent the real properties of the structural members. The true properties of an existing bridge can be identified using the results from nondestructive static and dynamic load testing. The procedures used to identify a structure with the …

Investigation Of Potential Oxygen Defect Mechanism Of Persistent Photoconductivity And Photoinduced Superconductivity In Yba2cu3ox, Denise Catherine Chew

Theses

In this thesis work, we conclude that oxygen vacancy defects play a fundamental role in the PPC/PISC mechanism and identify the oxygen defects as F centers (an oxygen vacancy which traps two electrons) or F⁺ centers. Also, the correlation between the peaks observed in the luminescence spectra and those observed in the wavelength dependence of PPC suggest that the photogeneration of charges and their annihilation via luminescent recombination occur in the same level (Cu-O chains) of the YBa₂Cu₃O_x crystal. Previous models had assigned the peaks in the PPC excitation spectrum to charge transfer in …

Comparison Of Reductive Dehalogenation By Microbial Populations On Adsorptive Versus Non-Adsorptive Bioreactor Support Materials, Linda S. Colella

Theses

The overall performance of two bioreactors was studied. The reactor with a wood-based activated carbon as a biosupport completely dehalogenated a higher feed concentration of trichlorophenol than that with Manville beads. The carbon reactor was further characterized by the development of adsorption isotherms for most of the class of chlorophenols. Competitive adsorption wag investigated using an anaerobic medium, and a lignite-based carbon was studied for comparison. The order of adsorption strength on both carbons is trichloropenols> dichlorophenols> monochlorophenols, with the wood-based carbon having higher overall adsorption than the lignite-based carbon. The presence of the anaerobic medium decreased the extent of …

Adaptive Radar In Heterogeneous Environment, Albert Futernik

Theses

Radar performance in heterogeneous clutter has been a much studied topic. In all the studies so far, various forms of the sample matrix inversion (SMI) technique where used to calculate the weight vector of the processor. In this thesis an eigenanalysis-based technique known as the eigencanceler, is used. Performance of this technique is compared to the performance of the generalized likelihood ration (GLR) processor. This comparison is done using the clutter edge model, in which there is an abrupt change in the clutter power in the reference window. It is shown that the false alarm rate fluctuations, of the cell …

Design For Quality Manufacturability Analysis Of Total Nonconformity Damaged Parts, Samir R. Gami

Theses

The competitive nature of modern manufacturing, demands that innovative approaches be applied in order to have a competitive edge. Shortening the product development cycle, the period from initial design to full production, is a priority for most manufacturers today. The DFQM methodology addresses the issue of quality manufacturability (QM) - the likelihood that defects will occur during manufacture of a product in a standard plant. As a consequence, DFQM helps to shorten the design cycle time. The DFQM architecture identifies a variety of design factors and variables that influence specific defects. This process of influencing defects can be described by …

Integrating Key Functions In Product Development : A Conceptual Product Development Model For The Korean Context, Jong-Wook Kim

Theses

The high-tech market is characterized by market uncertainty, technology uncertainty and rapid change. To survive in this risky high-tech market, a company must create competitively effective product development practices that meet its own unique needs and circumstances.

One effective practice is cross-functional integration in the product development process. The advantages of integration include a shortened time to market, successful transformation of research results to production, productivity improvement, innovation project success, and high-quality problem solutions. However, these advantages are rarely obtained in the current product development practices of Korean companies. Their product development efforts are generally characterized by time consuming sequential …

Gabor Expansion Of An Equivalent Dipole Antenna, Oksana Manzhura

Theses

The Gabor representation in the context of an aperture problem is an expansion of a radiated field in terms of a discrete set of linearly shifted and spatially rotated elementary Gaussian beams. The parameters that can be varied in this summation are the number of beams and corresponding beam widths. As the difficulty associated with the unique determination of the expansion coefficients was alleviated, the method has been successfully applied to one and two dimensional apertures. Although, the asymptotic evaluation of expansion functions has reduced the computational burden drasticallym it was at the expense of some loss in accuracy. The …

Small Computer System Interface (Scsi) Universal Services For The Turbonet Parallel Computer, Artak Ohan Melkonian

Theses

TurboNet is a parallel computer with shared-memory and message-passing hybrid architecture. It employs two boards, with four digital signal processors (DSPs) each, and a host FORCE SPARC CPU-2CE board with a SCSI bus.

Software has been developed in this thesis to provide SCSI services to programs running on the DSPs. DSP programs can therefore fully control assigned SCSI devices at the SCSI command level. Transfer control modifiers ensure compatibility with most SCSI devices.

The software provides service for three SCSI access levels. The "su" SCSI universal device driver is built into the host computer's kernel and is a gateway to …

Design And Development Of Four To Sixteen Channel Video Multiplexers, Ronan Rahimi

Theses

Video multiplexer series were successfully designed and built for prototype and evaluation both in terms of hardware and software. The hardware platform was designed to accommodate up to sixteen color video input channels for time lapse or real time recording on a single video cassette recorder. This product implements four modes of operation; Live, Record, Playback and Menu mode, which is not a full mode of operation. Menu mode is a series of on-screen programming menus which appears on Live, Record and Playback modes. Menu mode enables the user to program the machine to work under specific modes of application. …

The Development Of An Embedded Wireless Modem Conforming To Advanced Mobile Phone System And Cellular Digital Packet Data Standards, Xin Ren

Theses

Introduced by AT&T Bell Labs in 1970s, today Advanced Mobile Phone Systems (AMPS) - a first generation analog cellular system serve millions of customers in the United States and 55 other countries, and the number of subscribers is still rapidly increasing. Although digital cellular systems are emerging in recent years, research efforts are still being made to the enhancement of AMPS systems because of their popularity. An example is the new Cellular Digital Packet Data (CDPD) standard announced in 1994. CDPD is an overlay of the existing AMPS, and has the capability of transmitting data packets over such an analog …

Configuring The Radial Basis Function Neural Network, Insoo Sohn

Theses

The most important factor in configuring an optimum radial basis function (RBF) network is the training of neural units in the hidden layer. Many algorithms have been proposed, e.g., competitive learning (CL), to train the hidden units. CL suffers from producing "dead-units." The other major factor Which was ignored in the past is the appropriate selection of the number of neural units in the hidden layer. The frequency sensitive competitive learning (FSCL) algorithm was proposed to alleviate the problem of dead-units, but it does not alleviate the latter problem. The rival penalized competitive learning (RPCL) algorithm is an improved version …

Continuous Monitoring Of Volatile Organic Compound Emissions Using Microtrap Based Injection Technique And Gas Chromatography, Wenjun Chen

Theses

A microtrap is made by packing a small diameter tubing with an adsorbent. The microtrap can be rapidly heated with a pulse of electrical current resulting in a sharp desorption that can act as an injection for GC separation. The microtrap can be used in several configurations to concentrate and inject sample in continuous, on-line monitoring system.

In this research a laboratory scale catalytic incinerator was set up and volatile organic compounds in the incinerator effluents were monitored using the microtrap based injection systems. The detection systems used were gas chromatography and nonmethane organic carbon (NMOC) analyzer. Conventional sample valve, …

Linearly Tapered Slot Antenna, Luis Alberto Tumialan

Theses

Design procedure for Linearly Tapered Slot Antennas (LTSA) has been developed and implemented using High Frequency Structure Simulator (HFSS) code based on a finite-element analysis.

A CAD study of two variations of a LISA based on either a stripline or a microstrip feed has been carried out. Circular and radial stubs have been considered in these designs for an antenna operating at 10 Ghz. LTSA on a Duroid substrate fed by a stripline has been designed to operate with better than 12 dB return loss. Fabricated antenna was characterized and had even a wider response than the CAD design. Radiation …

A Comparative Study Of Image Compress Schemes, Kui Wang

Theses

Image compression is an important and active area of signal processing. All popular image compression techniques consist of three stages: Image transformation, quantization (lossy compression only), and lossless coding (of quantized transform coefficients).

This thesis deals with a comparative study of several lossy image compression techniques. First, it reviews the well-known techniques of each stage. Starting with the first stage, the techniques of orthogonal block transformation and subband transform are described in detail. Then the quantization stage is described, followed by a brief review of the techniques for the third stage, lossless coding.

Then these different image compression techniques are …

Determination Of Physical Parameters Affecting Biofiltration Of Vocs, Steven Matthew Wojdyla

Theses

This study dealt with the determination of physical and design parameters affecting the transient behavior of classical biofilters employed in removal of VOCs from airstreams. The column packing material consisted of a mixture of peat and perlite particles (2:3, v:v). The design parameters investigated were the density of the packing material, its porosity, and the void fraction of the filter-bed. The physical parameters investigated were the characteristics of adsorption equilibrium between VOCs and packing material, and the mass transfer coefficients of VOCs to the packing material.

The density of the packing material was found to be 0.679 x 106 g-packing/ …

Design And Analysis Of Environmentally Safe Cooling Systems For Machine Tools, Haiping Xu

Theses

Many cooling systems of metal cutting and both their advantages and disadvantages have been reviewed. The cutting forces' relationships, stress distribution, energy consumption and heat generation of orthogonal processes are discussed. A two-dimensional finite element model has been developed to design and analyze a new proposed cooling device, which comes from the idea of "A Novel Cooling Device" proposed by Billatos et al. First, a thermal calculation is completed to compare the temperature difference between two different shapes of coiled pipe. Then, three different cutting conditions, which were considered in the experiments by Childs et al, are conducted under three …

A Study Of Performance Differences Between A Hybrid And Rapid Access Film System, And Calibration Strategies For An Imagersetter, Jaruwat Savetpacharaporn

Theses

An imagesetter can be calibrated by measuring solid density and using a linearizing program. An alternative method consists of adjusting exposure in order to optimize resolution. This method works well with a rapid access system; however, preliminary tests show that it may not be applicable to a hybrid system. This study had the following purposes: (1) to investigate the differences in response over the halftone range between a hybrid film and a rapid access film on a laser exposure imagesetter, (2) to evaluate the applicability of calibra tion and linearization methods using checkerboard patterns, (3)to determine a better method, if …

Corporate Animation, Carol Langella

Theses

Not provided.

A Study Of Curriculum Development And Style: Implemented In Culinary Arts, Karen Leach

Theses

Not listed.

What Are The Impediments To The Effective Transfer Of Training Information Of Technology Advanced Equipment In The Food Service Industry, Kenneth Megarr

Theses

Increasingly, commercial food equipment manufacturers are producing products that operate using electronic touch controls and microprocessors to assist in the production of food. The purpose of this study is to determine if impediments of the transfer of information in the care, maintenance and most importantly use and operation of technologically advanced food service equipment exist. And, if in fact they do, what can be done to eliminate these impediments. It is the opinion of the author that there may lie an inherent rift between the advancement of technology on food service equipment and either the training that accompanies such equipment …

Design Of Graduate Program Home Page For The School Of Food, Hotel And Travel Management, Mei-Jung Cheng

Theses

The graduate program home page was designed for two target markets: potential graduate students and potential employers for our graduate students. To attract more students enrolling in the School of Food, Hotel and Travel Management (FHTM) at RIT and increase the graduate students recruited opportunity by outside company, it is necessary to let those two groups know what the school is doing and what students are learning during the academic years by simply viewing the web pages. The graduate page design was emphasized on the functions of frames and hyperlinks because the frames are getting popular on the Internet. Further, …

Impact Of A Hospital-Based Department Of Food And Nutrition Newsletter In Changing Eating Behaviors Of Hospital Employees, Mary M. Crockett

Theses

The impact of a weekly nutrition newsletter upon the eating behavior of hospital employees was examined in this study. Ten percent (175) of employees who eat in a hospital cafeteria were surveyed before, and three months after, the initiation of a nutrition newsletter. Each survey had two parts. The first part was designed to gather demographic information and to assess employee satisfaction with the cafeteria. The second part was a self-reported eating behavior questionnaire comprised of seventeen questions with three possible scores for each response. Information gathered in part one of the first survey was used to make changes to …

Comparative Analysis Of Airline Reservation Systems On The Internet In Terms Of Convenience, Somyot Wattanakamolchai

Theses

The Internet is expanding at a rapid pace every day as well as various groups of people are trying to put their transactions on the Net including travel industry's people. Many travel agencies and airline companies today launch their travel services on the Web. These services include checking flight schedule and availability and ticket reservations and purchases. The focus of this study was to analyze these travel services on the Internet to find out whether they were convenient for public users. A review of literature, focusing on travel agencies and the Internet and the dimension of convenience for using the …

Effectiveness Of The Sanitation Certification Process, Ronald Manfredo

Theses

The objective of the survey was to illustrate that sanitation certification leads to a cleaner kitchen. Questionnaires were sent to 180 commercial establishments varying from restaurants, hotels, hospitals, and resorts. Statistical analysis results were calculated using Minitab statistical analysis computer program. Results from the survey indicated that 69 percent of the respondents were self-operated. Management in over 58 percent of the response didn't require their staff to be certified in a sanitation program. However, 57 percent of the managers were required to be certified in some type of program. Sixty nine percent of the respondents felt a course and an …

Ontario Superhost... What Is Its Value To Service Providers?, Susan Hamer

Theses

The purpose of this study is to examine the Ontario SuperHost Seminar and determine the value of its content, in the workplace, according to the surveyed participants. The sample group included employees from various businesses and companies who held positions at levels ranging from President and C.E.O., department managers, municipal government employees to fast-food counter staff, and general citizens. The surveyed participants live and work in villages, towns and cities in South Central Ontario. The results of the survey indicate that the Ontario SuperHost Seminar is beneficial to improving a number of interpersonal skills required by service providers in order …

Assessment Of Changes In The Decision Making Environment In A 210 Room, Rochester, Ny Hotel: A 1996 Case Study, Nikhila Sridhar

Theses

This case study was done to measure changes from 1994 to 1996 in the decision making environment of a local, 210 room hotel in Rochester, NY. This study is considered to be a developmental research project using a longitudinal approach. The data collected in this case study were compared to the results of Koo who conducted the same study in 1994. This case study also compared differences between two Rochester, NY hotels, Hotel A and Hotel B, in 1996 that are owned and operated by the same corporation. The instrument used in this case study was the psychometric, critical incident …

Measuring The Effectiveness Of Service Management On Priority Assessment: A Case Study For The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Andrew Jacobson

Theses

This study addresses three main questions of how effective is the Ritz-Carlton on service process management. They are 1) What process management do they use, 2) What are the top three priorities and 3) How do they measure what they are measuring against. These three questions were asked how the Ritz-Carlton were able to maintain their excellent quality after winning the Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. To address these questions, two main approaches were taken. Two interviews were conducted, On March 29th, 1995 with Mr. Patrick Mene, Director of Quality Control, at the Corporate Office in Buckhead, Georgia and August …

Temporary Labor: Issues Of Training, Motivating, And Retaining A Temporary Workforce, Kerry Beadle

Theses

This study focuses on the limiting conditions affecting training, motivating and retaining the temporary employees at the White Eagle Conference Center in Hamilton, New York. In order to provide a clear understanding of the temporary employee situation, a broad outlook of the use of temporaries in the service sector is presented. It includes factors inhibiting commitment, pride, and an ownership feeling in the organization, as well as discussion of issues dealing with training, recruiting, orientation, and turnover. The data gathered for this study was developed through a company wide survey. Information relevant to the subject was collected from literary sources …

Achieving Customer Delight Through Employee Driven Teams, Philip Guarno

Theses

This study shows the relationship between TQM and employee driven teams, and customer satisfaction and delight. The study explains the developmental stages of TQM leading up to self directed work teams in the U.S. The subjects for the study are the Food and Beverage department at IBM, Palisades. The property has been the recipient of several quality awards based upon the Malcolm Baldrige Award criteria. The study presents the training and tools utilized to implement the teams, a sample of the customer survey form and detailed analysis of data presented in the format of World Class, customer satisfaction and defect …

Assessment Of Changes In The Decision Making Environment In A Rochester, Ny Hotel: A 1996 Case Study, Salaya Chermsirivattana

Theses

This was a third year case study on the detection of changes in the structures and processes that support effective decision making within a hotel in Rochester, NY The case study is considered to be a developmental research using a longitudinal approach in a present perspective. The purpose for this case study was to look at changes that occurred in these two sets of years: (1) 1994 and 1996; and (2) 1995 and 1996. The results found in 1996' s study were compared to those found by Koo in 1994 and Stubblebine in 1995 with the use of the "Organizational …