Digital Commons Network^™

A Dynamic Workflow Framework For Mass Customization Using Web Service And Autonomous Agent Technologies, Daniel J. Karpowitz

Theses and Dissertations

Custom software development and maintenance is one of the key expenses associated with developing automated systems for mass customization. This paper presents a method for reducing the risk associated with this expense by developing a flexible environment for determining and executing dynamic workflow paths. Strategies for developing an autonomous agent-based framework and for identifying and creating web services for specific process tasks are presented. The proposed methods are outlined in two different case studies to illustrate the approach for both a generic process with complex workflow paths and a more specific sequential engineering process.

The Daily Egyptian, December 07, 2006, Daily Egyptian Staff

December 2006

No abstract provided.

December 7, 2006, Council On Academic Affairs

Minutes

No abstract provided.

December 7, 2006, University Of North Dakota

University Senate Meeting Minutes

Minutes from the December 7, 2006, meeting of the University Senate. 25 pages

The Weekly Challenger, December 7, 2006, The Weekly Challenger, Et Al

Weekly Challenger Newspaper Collection

The December 7, 2006, issue of The Weekly Challenger.

Five Teams Of Entrepreneurs Advance In Business Plan Competition: Frozen Funnel Cakes, Celebrity Fantasy League Among Winners

News Releases

News release announces Jim Croghan brainstormed a business idea to solve craving for funnel cakes when the carnival has left town.

Fate Of Fish Production In A Seasonally Flooded Saltmarsh, Philip W. Stevens, Clay L. Montague, Kenneth J. Sulak

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Although saltmarshes are thought to enhance the productivity of open estuarine water, the mechanism by which energy transfer occurs has been debated for decades. One possible mechanism is the transfer of saltmarsh production to estuarine waters by vagile fishes and invertebrates. Monthly estimates of fish standing stock, net fish ingress, and predation were used to develop a bio-mass budget to estimates annual production of fishes and the relative yield to predatory fish, birds, and direct migration to the estuary. Annual production of saltmarsh fishes was estimated to 31.0 gm^-2 saltmarsh, which falls within the range of previously reported values …

Vista: December 7, 2006, University Of San Diego

USD Vista (1965-)

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of The Effects Of Subgrid-Scale Turbulence On Resolvable-Scale Statistics, Qinglin Chen

All Dissertations

The effects of the subgrid-scale (SGS) turbulence on the resolvable-scale statistics and the effects of SGS models on large-eddy simulation (LES) are studied. It is shown that the SGS turbulence evolves the resolvable-scale joint probability density function (JPDF) through the conditional means of the SGS stress, the SGS scalar flux, and their production rate, which must be reproduced by the SGS model for LES to predict correctly the one-point resolvable-scale statistics, a primary goal of LES. This necessary condition is used as the basis for studying SGS physics and for testing SGS models. Theoretical predictions, measurements data obtained in a …

An Analysis Of The Accounting Methods Used By Builders Producing Twenty-Five Or Fewer Homes Per Year, David Andrus

Theses and Dissertations

Accounting plays a crucial role in the success of any business, but it is particularly vital in the construction industry, a complex field that typically requires the coordination of multiple subcontractors and multiple jobs in any given year. Although small-volume home builders make up 70 percent of the membership of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), a trade association of the home building industry, little is known about the accounting practices of these builders. This thesis undertook to study the accounting practices of small-volume home builders. Small-volume home builders were defined as those producing 25 homes or fewer in …

Shape Matching, Relevance Feedback, And Indexing With Application To Spine X-Ray Image Retrieval, Xiaoqian Xu

Theses and Dissertations

The National Library of Medicine (NLM), an institute in the National Institutes of Health (NIH), maintains a collection of 17,000 digitized spine X-ray images obtained from the second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II). Research effort has been devoted to develop a web-accessible retrieval system that allows retrieval of images from the NHANES II database on relevant and frequently found pathologies. A comprehensive and successful image retrieval system requires effective image representation and matching methods, relevance feedback algorithms to incorporate user opinions, and efficient indexing schemes for fast access to image databases. This dissertation studies and develops approaches …

Washington University Record, December 7, 2006

Washington University Record

No abstract provided.

Volume 44, Number 31: December 07, 2006, University Of North Dakota

University Letter Archive

No abstract provided.

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, December 7, 2006, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Department of Agricultural Systems Technology and Education

• New Course

Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences

• New Course
• Prerequisite Change

Department of Nutrition and Food Science

• Title Change, Course Number Change
• Delete Course

College of Business

• New Course

School of Accountancy

• Remove University Studies Designation
• Course Description Change

Department of Business Information Systems

• Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change
• Course Description Change
• Reactivate Course

Department of Economics

• Delete Course

Department of Family, Consumer, and Human Development

• New Course
• Title Change, Course Description Change

Department of Health, Physical Education and Recreation

• New Course
• Prerequisite Change

Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation

• New …

Investigation Of Poly[4(5)-Vinylimidazole] Composites And Their Potential As Proton Conductive Membranes, Jinghang Wu

Theses

In order to demonstrate proton conductivity in an imidazole polymer system, novel composite proton exchange membranes were fabricated by casting films of poly[4(5)-vinylimidazole/vinylimidazolium trifluoromethylsufonylimide] and poly(vinylidene fluoride)], PVdF, from mixed dimethylformamide (DMF) solutions. The phase, composition and morphology of these composites were examined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and hot stage polarized microscopy. Thermal stability was evaluated by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA). Proton conductivity was in a fuel cell test fixture evaluated at GM Fuel Cell Activities in Honeoye Falls, NY. DSC thermograms were characterized by a crystalline melt for the PVdF component at ∼169°C. All composites displayed a well-form …

Educational Policies Committee Minutes, December 7, 2006, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee
• Course Approvals
• Syllabus Approval

Analysis Of Near-Infrared Phase Effects On Biometric Iris Data, Brady Roos Stevenson

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to ascertain potential iris scan data variations from near infrared waves derived from fluorescent illumination. Prior studies of iris data variances from infrared wave interference of halogen, incandescent, and sunlight with iris cameras suggest that similar changes may exist under near infrared wavelengths from fluorescent light. The concern is that the fluorescent energy emission may interfere with the near infrared detection of an iris camera. An iris camera is used to measure human eye characteristics known as biometrics. If such infrared emission is statistically significant, then it can alter the validity of the iris …

Investigation Into Compatibility Between Repair Material And Substrate Concrete Using Experimental And Finite Element Method, Rashmi Pattnaik

All Dissertations

The failure of concrete repairs is mainly due to improper selection of repair material based on individual repair material properties, without investigating the compatibility between repair material and substrate concrete. In this dissertation the compatibility between eight repair materials and substrate concrete was investigated in three stages. First, individual properties of the repair materials such as setting time, flow, compressive strength, flexural strength, split tensile strength, bond strength, drying shrinkage, freeze-thaw resistance, and permeability, were determined using standard ASTM test procedures. Second, the compatibility was investigated using a composite beam under third point loading. Third, the correlation of repair material …

Stabilization Of Vascular Elastin By Treatment With Tannins, Jason Isenburg

All Dissertations

Elastin is an important component of the extracellular matrix that endows cardiovascular tissue with the ability to extend and recoil repetitively. It has been shown that elastin may be vulnerable to enzymatic degradation and calcification in certain pathological cases. As a result, elastin degeneration may be associated with the failure of tissue-derived cardiovascular devices, such as bioprosthetic heart valves, as well as the development and progression of aortic aneurysms, a disease associated with progressive connective tissue degeneration of the arterial wall. Therefore, an elastin stabilizing agent may be beneficial for both applications. As such, our objectives for elastin stabilization are …

Characterization Of Capillary-Channeled Polymer Fibers As Stationary Phases For High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Of Macromolecules, Dwella Nelson

All Dissertations

Capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fibers are being developed and characterized as high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) stationary phases for reversed-phase separations of proteins. Conventional porous phases are not well suited for separating large macromolecules due to the slow diffusivity of the molecules, large diffusional distances, and stagnant mobile phase zones within the column. Stationary phases are continually being developed to address the challenges associated with HPLC of proteins and other macromolecules in general. C-CP fiber stationary phases are an alternative to conventional bead technology and offer a variety of chemical and physical advantages. The fibers can be selected for their chemical functionality …

Channel-Access And Routing Protocols For Wireless Ad Hoc Networks With Directional Antennas, Arvind Swaminathan

All Dissertations

Medium-access control (MAC) and multiple-hop routing protocols are presented that exploit the presence of directional antennas at nodes in a wireless ad hoc network. The protocols are designed for heterogeneous networks in which an arbitrary subset use directional antennas. It is shown that the new protocols improvement the network`s performance substantially in a wide range of scenarios.
A new MAC protocol is presented that employs the RTS/CTS mechanism. It accounts for the constraints imposed by a directional antenna system, and it is designed to exploit the capabilities of a directional antenna. It is shown that the receiver blocking problem is …

Modeling And Simulation Of Friction-Limited Continuously Variable Transmissions, Nilabh Srivastava

All Dissertations

Over the last few decades, a lot of research effort has increasingly been directed towards developing vehicle transmissions that accomplish the government imperatives of increased vehicle efficiency and lower exhaust (greenhouse gaseous) emissions. These exhaust emissions can be regulated or lowered by increasing the fuel economy of a vehicle, and CVTs (continuously variable transmissions), indubitably, play a crucial role in this plan to improve the fuel economy. A continuously variable transmission is an emerging automotive transmission technology that offers a continuum of gear ratios between desired limits. A CVT offers numerous advantages over the conventional multi-step gear transmissions such as …

Managing Product Line Asset Bases, John Hunt

All Dissertations

Product lines are predicated on collecting assets common to the desired product portfolio, commonly known as the asset base. For many product lines, the size of asset base has become large enough to create a variety of difficulties. The techniques for managing large product line asset bases are unaddressed in the literature.
This research presents new techniques that take advantage of asset base characteristics, unavailable in more general collections, to both reduce the number of assets and to organize the asset base that go beyond what is possible with other software collections. The result is an asset base that is …

A Torque Based Power Input Model For Friction Stir Welding, Jefferson W. Pew

Theses and Dissertations

For decades models have been developed for predicting the size of the weld nugget and heat affected zones in fusion welded structures. The basis for these models is the welding heat input, which is fairly well understood for most arc welding processes. However, this traditional approach is not as straightforward for Friction Stir Welding (FSW). To date, there is no definitive relationship to quantify the heat input for FSW. An important step to establish a heat input model is to identify how FSW process parameters affect weld power. This study details the relationship between FSW process parameters and torque for …

The Missouri Miner, December 7, 2006

The Missouri Miner Newspaper

No abstract provided.

2006-12-07 Unm News Minute, University Of New Mexico Communication And Marketing Department

UNM News Minute 2006

No abstract provided.

Using A Spline To Model The Motion Of A 4-Man Fireteam During Building Clearing Exercises, Marshall Werner

All Theses

This paper examines the problem of tracking positions of a fireteam (4-5 men) as they perform building clearing exercises in order to predict future motion od the team. This was done by examining the team as a single entity rather than 4 or 5 separate entities. A team model was used under the assumption that the team stays together as a group and moves in specific patterns. The model chosen for this experiment was a spline curve. This spline curve allowed for movement in straight lines through hallways as well as curving around corners.

Evaporation Estimation Using A Floating Pan, Michael Klink

All Theses

Almost all regions in the United States must accurately estimate evaporation to have effective water management programs. The purpose of this study is to develop a better method for measuring evaporation. Lake evaporation along with meteorological data are measured directly from a floating pan. The floating pan is specifically designed to account for one of the most sensitive parameters of evaporation, the water surface temperature, which the design achieves. However, other design factors such as air movement, solar radiation, stability, heat transfer, wave action, water level range, and site location were also taken into consideration. The evaporation measured from the …

Optimizing The Project Team's Contribution To Business Objectives, Chad Rowland

All Theses

The traditional expectations of the project team are for the processes of engineering, procurement, construction, and start-up to be expertly administered. However, these performance criteria can be satisfied yet still not meet the ultimate business needs of the owner. The purpose of this thesis was to determine ways to improve the likelihood of achieving owner's business objectives. Fifty-one questionnaire survey forms were analyzed to obtain data for thirty-three pre-project planning activities. A data analysis concluded with a degree of statistical significance that for thirteen of the thirty-three activities, the more successful projects, as defined by the satisfaction of the business …

A Comparison Of The Zns(Ag) Scintillation Detector To The Silicon Semiconductor Detector For Quantification Of Alpha Radioactivity In Aqueous Solutions, Jennifer Foster

All Theses

A ZnS(Ag) detector was successfully used in the direct detection of alpha particles from aqueous solutions and the results were compared to the passivated ion implanted planar silicon (PIPS) continuous air monitor (CAM) detector. The ZnS(Ag) detector is recommended for on-line detection of gross alpha radioactivity from high-level liquid waste process streams; however, the detector suffers from limitations due to variations in detection efficiency with alpha energies. The beta and gamma interference did not significantly spillover into the alpha region of interest of the ZnS(Ag) detector which provided absolute detection efficiencies of 7.19 ± 0.13%, 5.37 ± 0.02%, and 4.21 …