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Characterization Of Per- And Polyflouroalkyl Substances In Aqueous Filmforming Foam Wash Waters, John M. Diskin Mar 2024

Characterization Of Per- And Polyflouroalkyl Substances In Aqueous Filmforming Foam Wash Waters, John M. Diskin

Theses and Dissertations

The fiscal year 2020 National Defense Authorization Act mandated the publication of a military specification for a fluorine-free firefighting foam available for use no later than October 1, 2023. Replacing AFFF with a fluorine-free alternative creates the issue of decontaminating current firefighting infrastructure of residual PFAS without replacing these systems. To eliminate outstanding PFAS, the proposed solution is to drain the AFFF from current fire suppression systems and flush the plumbing three times with uncontaminated water. This study tested the efficacy of the triple rinse method by conducting scaled down experiments on a variety of plumbing components from a retired …


Machine Learning Predictions Of Electricity Transfers Between Balancing Authorities In The Carolinas, Victoria Groleau Mar 2024

Machine Learning Predictions Of Electricity Transfers Between Balancing Authorities In The Carolinas, Victoria Groleau

Theses and Dissertations

Climate change through reduced streamflow, increased temperatures, and other factors impacts the efficiency of energy generation systems. The United States electric grid is comprised of a large network of balancing authorities engaged in trading electricity to maintain balance between supply and demand. The generation of electricity, a pivotal component of this balance, is impacted by climate change and weather variability as well as the growing demand for energy. Several hydro climatological factors such as streamflow, air temperature, and wind speed significantly influence the efficiency of power plant electricity generation. Due to the exchange of electricity between balancing authorities, impacts to …


Modeling Recovery Of The Florida Electric Transmission Grid After Severe Weather Event, Wei B. Guan Mar 2024

Modeling Recovery Of The Florida Electric Transmission Grid After Severe Weather Event, Wei B. Guan

Theses and Dissertations

Predicted changes to the climate are expected to increase the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. The Florida electric grid is a critical infrastructure system susceptible to severe weather events, especially hurricanes, causing widespread damage and outages. A foundational concept of the electric grid’s resilience is its ability to recover after extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and flooding. The recovery of the electrical grid after an extreme event is predicated upon the electrical asset's remoteness and the component's level of damage. Using fragility analysis, previous models have assessed the mean time to recover for transmission towers and substations …


Challenges That Inhibit Sbir Commercialization: The Small Businesses’ Perspective, Hart J. Holt Mar 2024

Challenges That Inhibit Sbir Commercialization: The Small Businesses’ Perspective, Hart J. Holt

Theses and Dissertations

Every year the United States invests $3.2B in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program. The program seeks to promote innovation among the nation’s small businesses. This research considers challenges faced by small businesses working with the DoD, which accounts for half of the annual SBIR investment. We surveyed participating businesses with open-ended questions to understand their perspectives. Our data consists of 286 responses from firms that have held Air Force SBIR contracts. Using Qualitative Content Analysis, we identified five categories of challenges: SolverSeeker Disconnect, Funding, Engagement, Processes, and Seeker Education. Furthermore, the results of a statistical analysis indicated that …


Public-Private Partnerships (Ppps) In The Defense-Critical Semiconductor Industry: A History And Firm Level Analysis, Holden J. Holt Mar 2024

Public-Private Partnerships (Ppps) In The Defense-Critical Semiconductor Industry: A History And Firm Level Analysis, Holden J. Holt

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis provides 3 contributions to the literature of semiconductor industry industrial policy. The thesis (1) provides a historical overview of industrial policy within the U.S. semiconductor industry, (2) measures semiconductor public-private partnership (PPP) participation and (3) measures firm functions’ impact on firm level performance. PPP participation data was gathered from a sample of 10 semiconductor PPPs. Firm level performance data was collected from 66 public, U.S., SIC 3674 “Semiconductor and Related Devices” firms from 2014 to 2022, and a random effects, fixed effects, and pooled ordinary least squares regression was conducted on an unbalanced panel data set of 524 …


Optimizing Hub And Spoke Selections For Adaptive Basing In Agile Combat Employment, Alan Heng Mar 2024

Optimizing Hub And Spoke Selections For Adaptive Basing In Agile Combat Employment, Alan Heng

Theses and Dissertations

Advancing technologies and emerging competitors within the Indo-Pacific region have rendered the use of fixed installations for United States Air Force (USAF) operations less than optimal for generating airpower. The adoption of Agile Combat Employment (ACE) is imperative and emphasizes a hub-and-spoke model. However, the methodology for selection of contingency locations remains undecided. Current selection of optimal sites hinges on an optimization framework, employing either rank-based or mathematical approaches that consider various criteria to assess and quantify each location. These criteria are then addressed through objectives and constraints, forming the basis for an effective decision-making process. This paper introduces two …


Predictive Analytics For Military Construction Overruns: A Machine Learning Approach, William D. Hunter Mar 2024

Predictive Analytics For Military Construction Overruns: A Machine Learning Approach, William D. Hunter

Theses and Dissertations

This research focused on analyzing cost and schedule overruns in a specific set of Air Force MILCON projects. Using data from the Built Infrastructure Common Operating Picture (BICOP), several advanced machine learning techniques, including LASSO regression and Random Forest, were applied to uncover patterns and build predictive models. The work sought to enhance the decision-making capabilities and efficiency of project managers within the Air Force through data-driven insights. A key finding from the models indicated that location was the most important factor in influencing a project’s tendency toward cost and schedule overrun. The best model for predicting schedule overrun achieved …


Cloud One Migration Schedule Drivers And Schedule Growth, Ryan J. Jansen Mar 2024

Cloud One Migration Schedule Drivers And Schedule Growth, Ryan J. Jansen

Theses and Dissertations

Cloud One, chartered in 2017 under the guidance of Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) leadership, continues to serve as the USAF’s leading cloud services and hosting platform by providing secure computing environments, application migration assistance, and data management. Prior research has yielded qualitative insights regarding Cloud One’s personnel requirements, application of technical performance, requirements fulfillment, security risks, and various other cost metrics, but schedule improvement recommendations based on the quantitative analysis of migration schedule data has yet to be provided. This research identifies trends within migration sprint schedules and completed schedule data for Cloud One’s completed application migrations. …


Quantifying Resilience And Redundancy For Air Force Linear Infrastructure, Ryan C. Jakovich Mar 2024

Quantifying Resilience And Redundancy For Air Force Linear Infrastructure, Ryan C. Jakovich

Theses and Dissertations

The historical underfunding of USAF infrastructure necessitates a strategic approach to reduce excess infrastructure while preserving resilience in the face of potential first-strike scenarios. This thesis formulates an infrastructure resilience metric that assesses network performance under varying degrees of damage. Furthermore, the study calculates the impact of redundant infrastructure by introducing added structural elements and measuring the resultant reduction in performance loss during damage scenarios. Utilizing USAF geospatial infrastructure data, adjacency matrices representing graph theory networks were constructed in Arc GIS Pro and evaluated using coding languages from the IGraph library and algorithms developed in RStudio. The newly proposed performance …


Assessing Military Parking: A Deep Learning Approach To Evaluating Standards And Impacts, Ryan D. Lalonde Mar 2024

Assessing Military Parking: A Deep Learning Approach To Evaluating Standards And Impacts, Ryan D. Lalonde

Theses and Dissertations

Current United States Department of Defense (DoD) standards require a minimum amount of parking for each building. This requirement defines how much off-street parking to construct. However, the impact of these requirements remains unclear. This study builds upon the emerging field of overhead imagery analytics by directly tying it to parking on military installations. Specifically, this study leverages a pretrained deep learning car detection model, Car Detection – USA, developed by Esri for use within ArcGIS, and couples it with open-access temporal imagery sourced from Google Earth Pro to assess selected parking lots across Area B, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, …


Artificial Intelligence And Perception: An Empirical Study, Anthony J. Neil Mar 2024

Artificial Intelligence And Perception: An Empirical Study, Anthony J. Neil

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the impact of adjusting artificial intelligence explainability levels’ outputs on user perception. The overarching study extends within the Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) domain. It examines a spectrum of variables, including performance, cognizance, familiarity, transparency, system bias, and the overall impact of AI, to understand their collective and individual effects that enable effective professional use in an organization. The study aims to illuminate the relationship between the degree of explainability provided by large language models such as ChatGPT, Bard, and Bing AI and the performance of these models when tasked with XAI adjustments.


Digital Airworthiness: Development Of A Sysml Based Framework For The Usaf Airworthiness Process, Justin T. Moore Mar 2024

Digital Airworthiness: Development Of A Sysml Based Framework For The Usaf Airworthiness Process, Justin T. Moore

Theses and Dissertations

In 2018 USAF decided to move towards a digital transition for programs and processes. To maximize the impact of initial transition efforts the airworthiness process was identified as a candidate for digital implementation. The airworthiness process is mandated for nearly every system or modification that flies. The airworthiness process identifies specific tasks that must be performed and artifacts that must be produced. This research worked to develop a framework that utilizes SysML to pattern these processes and the required artifacts. A system agnostic, importable library was developed using custom stereotypes and relationships for the purpose of application to digital system …


Exploring Fiscal Year Budget Assessments: A Look At Sbir/Sttr And Congressional Rescissions, Bryan N. Palmer Mar 2024

Exploring Fiscal Year Budget Assessments: A Look At Sbir/Sttr And Congressional Rescissions, Bryan N. Palmer

Theses and Dissertations

This study examines the relationship between acquisition programs within the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (LCMC) and budgetary assessments from both the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer (SBIR & STTR) programs, as well as Congressional Rescissions. It analyzes the tendency and severity of budget cuts across different programs, considering factors such as completion time, budget activities, and a variable akin to true Acquisition Category (ACAT) levels. Key findings include a significant difference in the rates of proportion of programs assessed between appropriations 3010 (23.65%) and 3600 (67.05%) from fiscal years 2010-2023. The research indicates a …


Developing A Rule-Of-Thumb To Predict Total O&S Costs Utilizing A Single Ces Element, Shane A. Scantling Mar 2024

Developing A Rule-Of-Thumb To Predict Total O&S Costs Utilizing A Single Ces Element, Shane A. Scantling

Theses and Dissertations

A rule of thumb is a broadly accurate guide based on experience rather than theory. This study examines the potential for a rule of thumb to predict Operation and Sustainment (O&S) costs. The Center for Naval Analysis (CNA) found that a single variable could accurately predict total O&S costs. We found that while a single variable could be highly predictive and strongly correlated to total O&S costs, it is not the same variable for all platforms. We improved upon this initial heuristic proposed by Stumborg by developing an individual heuristic for each Mission Design (MD). We found that a form …


Human Capital Impacts In Military Acquisition, David K. Smith Mar 2024

Human Capital Impacts In Military Acquisition, David K. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense has historically struggled to control both cost and schedule growth within acquisitions programs. Many studies have investigated these issues, but very few have explored the impact of human capital in improving performance outcomes. This study provides a description of current acquisition team manning and performs contingency table analysis to evaluate the impact of personnel, base, and ACAT on cost and schedule performance. The results of the study suggest that personnel has little to no impact on performance metrics of any kind, indicating that teams are allocated effectively. The study also suggests that ACAT 3 programs are …


Estimating Stimulated Raman Scattering Noise In Cwdm O-Band Channels Induced By Two Classical Dwdm Sources In A Quantum Network Fiber Segment, Kurt T. Spranger Ii Mar 2024

Estimating Stimulated Raman Scattering Noise In Cwdm O-Band Channels Induced By Two Classical Dwdm Sources In A Quantum Network Fiber Segment, Kurt T. Spranger Ii

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to estimate the stimulated Raman scattering noise induced in CWDM O-band channels by two DWDM classical sources in a terrestrial quantum optical network containing classical and quantum optical signal coexistence in the same fiber segment. A use case is defined and analyzed which extracts a single fiber segment from a notional Bell state measurement found in a notional terrestrial quantum network. A stimulated Raman scattering noise model is employed in a Python simulation to estimate and rank-order the five O-band channels with the least amount of relative induced stimulated Raman scattering noise when given …


Deploying Field-Capable Genome Sequencing: Human Performance Considerations Under Various Personal Protective Equipment Ensembles, Steven A. Torres Mar 2024

Deploying Field-Capable Genome Sequencing: Human Performance Considerations Under Various Personal Protective Equipment Ensembles, Steven A. Torres

Theses and Dissertations

Field-portable genome sequencing enhances the Department of Defense's strategy for detecting biological threats, particularly in resource-limited environments. While current field-capable detection methods are effective, challenges in identifying emerging threats pose risks to personnel safety. As biotechnological advancements like portable nanopore genome sequencing can advance biological detection capabilities, the viability of conducting laboratory tasks under Mission-Oriented Protective Posture (MOPP) ensembles lacks sufficient data. This research assesses the effectiveness of tools like pipettes, centrifuges, vortexes, and nanopore sequencing within a MOPP ensemble. Novice participants were utilized to explore the extension of this capability, and they completed tasks in three conditions: Fatigues, Laboratory …


Navigating Model-Based Systems Engineering (Mbse) Transition In The Department Of Defense (Dod): A Capability-Based Assessment (Cba) Use Case, Emily M. Tritschler Mar 2024

Navigating Model-Based Systems Engineering (Mbse) Transition In The Department Of Defense (Dod): A Capability-Based Assessment (Cba) Use Case, Emily M. Tritschler

Theses and Dissertations

The Department of Defense (DOD) wants to implement Model-Based System Engineering (MBSE) to accelerate and improve the acquisition process of increasingly complex systems. However, the department has not provided the necessary guidance on how to fully implement MBSE into our systems. This provided the following research opportunity: select a common DOD process, create an MBSE methodology, generate a model in accordance with that developed method, record the cost of modeling, and interview the model recipients to characterize their opinions on the investment. The research created a twelve-step methodology for application towards the gap analysis and characterization phase of a Capability-Based …


Analyzing Earned Value Management For Long Duration Development Efforts, Bradley L. Vuu Mar 2024

Analyzing Earned Value Management For Long Duration Development Efforts, Bradley L. Vuu

Theses and Dissertations

Earned Value Management (EVM) is an integral tool for the success of many programs by allowing the assessment of cost and schedule performance via its metrics. However, the accuracy of these metrics depends on programspecific factors such as phase and contract type. The purpose of this research is to analyze the stability of Estimates at Completion (EACs) for long duration development efforts. Prior research by Christensen in 1996 on EAC stability for development and production contracts was replicated by Kim, White, Ritschel, and Millette in 2019 and found differing results using modern data. This research found that for development efforts …


Root Cause Analysis For Troop Construction Schedule Delays And Cost Overruns, Richard H. Wilkens Mar 2024

Root Cause Analysis For Troop Construction Schedule Delays And Cost Overruns, Richard H. Wilkens

Theses and Dissertations

Troop construction can be an effective tool when a project is simple enough to execute projects in a timely and cost effective manner. However, underlying variables plague these projects causing them to miss anticipated deadlines which in return could make them more costly. Significant variables that convey impact to cost and schedule are Equipment Operating Issues, Edits During Construction, Design Flaws, Lack of Communication, Poor User Coordination, Improper Documentation, Inaccurate Submittals, Low Quality Control, and Lack of Experience. Project engineers and project managers must provide effective continuity as well as improve their own competence and situational awareness to effectively mitigate …


Sensor-Based Vehicle Classification Using Machine Learning, Luke Mcfadden Mar 2024

Sensor-Based Vehicle Classification Using Machine Learning, Luke Mcfadden

Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the classification of vehicles into heavy and light categories using acoustic, seismic, and magnetic sensor data. The effectiveness of using frequency domain data and classical machine learning techniques, is compared with the effectiveness of using time-series data and neural networks. The primary aim in doing so was to understand if modern neural network architectures could effectively remove the need for more traditional frequency based signals processing. A significant deliverable of this thesis was the feature importance determined for each of the three phenomenological types found within the data (acoustic, seismic, and magnetic). By analyzing the importance of …


Generalized Characterization Of Biaxial Media Using Ultra-Wideband Multi-Static Focused Beam System With Polarimetric Calibration, Jeffrey P. Massman Mar 2024

Generalized Characterization Of Biaxial Media Using Ultra-Wideband Multi-Static Focused Beam System With Polarimetric Calibration, Jeffrey P. Massman

Theses and Dissertations

Novel metamaterial and metasurface realizations provide unique control of the electromagnetic wave dispersion but present many challenges for accurate constitutive parameter extraction. One measurement approach commonly employed is a freespace non-destructive focus beam system. Modern implementations are configured with multi-static dual-polarized capabilities for characterizing complex materials and offer many advantages by enabling ultra-wideband sampling, multiple measurement degrees of freedom and larger sample sizes. Practical electromagnetic material characterization of complex bianisotropic media requires the advancement of wave propagation analysis and calibration schemes. This research focuses on generalized biaxial media characterization and multi-static focused beam system metrology with polarimetric calibration schemes and …


Life Cycle Analysis Of Mobile Nuclear Reactor Compared To Other Alternative Fuels In Indopacom, Maria J. Hurtado Mar 2024

Life Cycle Analysis Of Mobile Nuclear Reactor Compared To Other Alternative Fuels In Indopacom, Maria J. Hurtado

Theses and Dissertations

Energy is an item that makes the military vulnerable as it is something that they depend on the most which can have negative impacts. Mobile nuclear reactors are gaining the interest of many leaders in the military as a viable option of a potential alternative fuel source. There are many positives in utilizing mobile nuclear reactors in terms of environmental impacts and feasibility of transport. Studies have shown that mobile nuclear reactors can produce very low or negligible carbon emissions during operations. The focus of this thesis is to determine the environmental impacts of nuclear reactors, logistical requirements, and determine …


Human Performance Modeling Architecture With Hc-130j Mission Application, Stephanie G. Slimp Mar 2024

Human Performance Modeling Architecture With Hc-130j Mission Application, Stephanie G. Slimp

Theses and Dissertations

The DOD emphasizes digital engineering using Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), where MBSE includes SysML-based models of systems. Analysis of system impacts on the human operators and their performance typically occurs through non-MBSE approaches, if at all. One current process, considered the As-Is process for this research, evaluates human performance and workload using IMPRINT, a discrete event simulation (DES) tool. IMPRINT primarily exists as a standalone tool with limited built-in functionality to integrate with an MBSE tool. Using the HC-130J and its crew during a CSAR mission as the system, this research develops a generalizable and updateable human performance modeling architecture …


Measuring The Effects Of Selective And Divided Attention Conditions On Language Production: Comparing Across Age Groups For Aphasia Assessment, Emily Mcdonald Mar 2024

Measuring The Effects Of Selective And Divided Attention Conditions On Language Production: Comparing Across Age Groups For Aphasia Assessment, Emily Mcdonald

Theses and Dissertations

This study was divided into two parts. Study 1 examined the spoken language production of neurologically healthy adults (NHA) in selective and divided attention conditions during a story retell task. NHA participant groups consisted of 21 younger (26–54), 19 older (55–69), and 20 elderly (70–85) adults. Study 2 investigated how the language production of four people with aphasia (PWA) compared to their respective NHA group. All participants retold stories in a silent baseline condition, three background noise conditions (cocktail party, conversation, phone call), and one dual-task condition (tone discrimination). Language production measures (speech rate, disfluent verbalizations, language efficiency, lexical diversity, …


An Analysis Of China’S Perceived Geographic Locations Of Interest By Use Of Value Informed Facility Location Models, Layton C. Hedge Mar 2024

An Analysis Of China’S Perceived Geographic Locations Of Interest By Use Of Value Informed Facility Location Models, Layton C. Hedge

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines China and derives insights specific to it and the First Island Chain and the Second Island Chain. In doing so, this research demonstrates a methodology to examine other competitors and their geostrategic interests. In the first phase of analysis, it develops a value hierarchy to depict objectives within subregions of the area of interest and considers four alternative weightings of the value hierarchy. In the second phase of analysis, it applies four location-covering models to assess how the competitor would emplace a range of limited resources to deter and/or control points of interest. Results indicate that land-based …


Measuring The Comparative Performance Of Usaf Behavioral Health Clinic Operations: Emphasis On Capacity, Daniel L. Straw Mar 2024

Measuring The Comparative Performance Of Usaf Behavioral Health Clinic Operations: Emphasis On Capacity, Daniel L. Straw

Theses and Dissertations

This research examines the operations of behavioral health clinics in Air Force Continental United States facilities, with a focus on operational efficiency and capacity through Data Envelopment Analysis. Most facilities operate near capacity, demonstrating efficient resource usage, but concerns arise with the potential of increased demand. Days-to-care and leakage are identified as major sources of inefficiency, suggesting that addressing these issues can enhance operations and reduce costs. The study also explores the impact of COVID-19 on care delivery.


Comparative Analysis Of Satellite Battery Technologies: A Cross-Sectional And Temporal Study Within And Across Battery Types, Andrew H. Chung Mar 2024

Comparative Analysis Of Satellite Battery Technologies: A Cross-Sectional And Temporal Study Within And Across Battery Types, Andrew H. Chung

Theses and Dissertations

Trends in costs for batteries incorporated in satellite electrical power systems (EPS) have been identified by Space Systems Command (SSC) within the Unmanned Space Vehicle Cost Model (USCM) database. A subset of pre-1980s data consisting of Nickel-Cadmium battery costs was excluded from battery cost estimating relationship (CER) development as a result of this determination. This research aims to ascertain the impacts of these trends on satellite cost estimating practices by assessing developments in battery costs over time, comparing normalized Nickel-Cadmium (NiCd) / NickelHydrogen (NiH2) / Lithium-Ion (Li-Ion) battery costs, identifying differences between the NiH2 and Li-Ion modern battery types, and …


Navigating Complex Environments: A Comparative Study Of Shortest Path Algorithms For Military A2ad And Civilian Obstacle Avoidance, Ebony N. Williams Mar 2024

Navigating Complex Environments: A Comparative Study Of Shortest Path Algorithms For Military A2ad And Civilian Obstacle Avoidance, Ebony N. Williams

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates advanced navigation in complex environments for urban and military applications, focusing on overcoming obstacles through algorithms like Dijkstra's. It highlights the role of adaptable cost functions in customizing strategies for different scenarios. The research identifies effective algorithm-cost function combinations, improving route planning and safety in civilian and defense sectors. It advances pathfinding knowledge and sets the groundwork for future enhancements with Python simulations and AFSIM.


Evaluating United States Air Force Installation Water Security, Michael L. Berg Mar 2024

Evaluating United States Air Force Installation Water Security, Michael L. Berg

Theses and Dissertations

Water shortage at Mountain Home Air Force Base in the last decade ignited the need for an assessment of relative water security risk across United States Air Force installations. Current evaluation methods often differ from actual conditions suggesting a need to categorize security across the enterprise for multiple discrete locations. Indicator-based approaches for characterizing water security are common in academic literature but have little methodological consensus and have rarely been applied to discrete areas spread across geographically separated locations with diverse climates. Using a two-stage analytical hierarchy process and normalized utility functions, water security at 30 installations across the continental …