Digital Commons Network^™

Assessing Product Configurator Capabilities For Successful Mass Customization, Kundana Inala

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Mass customization is becoming a competitive strategy for companies offering individualized products. Product configurators provide a platform for companies to do interactive product configuration which is essential for mass customization. Companies need to realize the degree of customization appreciated by the customers and the extent of customization that can be offered competitively. This research is an effort to develop an approach to ascertain the product configurator requirements to achieve mass customization. The frameworks developed for this research are validated with a case study.

Influence Of Surface Roughness Of Copper Substrate On Wetting Behavior Of Molten Solder Alloys, Dinesh Reddy Nalagatla

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The objective of this study is to understand the effect of surface roughness of the Cu substrate on the wetting of molten solder alloys. Eutectic Sn-Pb, pure Sn and eutectic Sn-Cu solder alloys and Cu substrates with different surface finish viz., highly polished surface, polished surface and unpolished surface were used in this work. Highly polished surface was prepared in Metallography lab, University of Kentucky while other two substrates were obtained from a vendor. Surface roughness properties of each substrate were measured using an optical profilometer. Highly polished surface was found to be of least surface roughness, while unpolished surface …

The Use Of Selective Annealing For Superplastic Forming Of Mg Az31 Alloy, Michael Christopher Cusick

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

A recent study on the Post-Formed properties of Superplastically Formed Magnesium AZ31B has shown that the heating time prior to testing has a major effect on the Post Forming properties of the superplastically material. To this point, there has been very little examination into the effect of pre-heating or annealing on superplastic forming (SPF) properties. In this work, the effects of annealing prior to the SPF of Mg AZ31 alloy were examined. Both high temperature SPF tensile and bulge specimens were formed after annealing. Multiple annealing temperatures were examined to produce specimens with grain sizes ranging from 8 andamp;igrave;m to …

An Approach To Inverse Modeling Through The Integration Of Artificial Neural Networks And Genetic Algorithms, Kirthi Bedida

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

A hybrid model integrating predictive capabilities of Artificial Neural Network (ANN) and optimization feature of Genetic Algorithm (GA) is developed for the purpose of inverse modeling. The proposed approach is applied to Superplastic forming of materials to predict the material properties which characterize the performance of a material. The study is carried out on two problems. For the first problem, ANN is trained to predict the strain rate sensitivity index m given the temperature and the strain rate. The performance of different gradient search methods used in training the ANN model is demonstrated. Similar approach is used for the second …

The Development Of An Engine Lubricant Containing Soybean Oil, Stephanie Mccoy

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The major downfalls of vegetable oils, namely soybean oil in this research, are very detrimental to engine lubricant performance. A unique - out of the box- additive package is needed to compensate for the lubricant deficiencies. This research searched for unique additive solutions to the problems of oxidation and heat stability, low temperature pumpability, and fluid corrosiveness. The additive solutions were then tested in preliminary engine tests. In this research, several formulations were developed that passed the main engine oil low temperature test, the mini rotary viscometer. The lubricants met the passing viscosity requirements of 60,000 centipoise and exhibited no …

Tracing The Origin Of The Recent Rise In Neuropathogenic Ehv-1, Kathryn Laura Smith

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Equine herpesvirus type-1(EHV-1) is a complex virus known for inducing various forms of disease in horses. In recent years, the number of cases of neurological disease caused by this virus has increased. While there are a number of possible sources for this recent surge, this project set out to determine if a genotypic shift in the latent population of the virus in favor of the neuropathogenic form of EHV-1 is the basis for the recent increase in frequency of EHV-1 neurologic disease. To ascertain if such a shift has in fact occurred, 450 EHV-1 isolates were obtained from fetal tissues …

A Database Of Persons Convicted Of Felonies In Washtenaw County, Michigan, 1990-2007, Donald E. Shelton

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

This study is a database of information from Washtenaw County, Michigan, court records of approximately one-fourth of its convicted felons from 1990 to 2007. It includes 3,123 sentencing appearances for 3,992 crimes committed by 2,495 defendants. It includes 1126 probation violation resentencings for a total of 5,118 sentences. It contains demographics of defendants and the dynamics of their crimes and the sentencing process. Several official court reports in each case were examined.

Preliminary descriptive and frequency analyses are reported to describe the database in detail and lay the groundwork for future sophisticated regression and other analyses. Special attention is given …

A Network Processing Node For Light Unmanned Aircraft, Timothy William Arrowsmith

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Over the last decade, research into unmanned and autonomous vehicles has greatly increased. With applications ranging from science and exploration to humanitarian and military efforts, the rising need for autonomous vehicles demands constant innovation and growth. The Intelligent Dependable Embedded Architectures (IDEA) lab at the University of Kentucky is continually launching research oriented programs [1]. A few key projects focus on the development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV). Through this research, at the University of Kentucky, the need to develop a reliable, lightweight, node based hardware for use in light UAVs and other unmanned and autonomous vehicles became apparent. This …

The Multifaceted Nature Of Impulsive Sensation-Seeking: Differential Relationships With Personality, Deviance, And Laboratory Tasks, Drew J. Miller

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The current study examined divergences among impulsivity and sensation seeking items from the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire Impulsive Sensation Seeking scale in terms of their relations to other personality models, deviance, and laboratory task outcomes. A sample of 654 undergraduates was gathered across two studies and given a Five Factor Model of personality measure (e.g. NEO Five Factor Inventory, NEO Five Factor Report Form), deviance measures (e.g. Antisocial Behavior Inventory, Explicit Attitudes Towards Marijuana Questionnaire), and three laboratory tasks (e.g. Balloon Analogue Risk Task, Newmans Card-Playing Task). Results demonstrated the hypothesized divergences among impulsivity and sensation seeking items on measures of …

Optimization Of A Dual-Mode Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor, Prasanth Bathae Kumaresh

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Surface plasmon waves are TM polarized charge density waves that propagate at the interface of two media with real dielectric constants of opposite sign (i.e. liquid dielectric and certain metals). Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) sensors use these waves to detect refractive index changes adjacent to the metal layer. Refractive index changes arise from the binding of an analyte (e.g. a target molecule, protein, or bacterium) to the functionalized metal layer or from interfering effects such as changes in solution index. Standard, single channel SPR sensors cannot differentiate these two effects as their design allows only one mode to be coupled. …

Numerical Investigation And Parallel Computing For Thermal Transport Mechanism During Nanomachining, Ravi R. Kumar

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Nano-scale machining, or Nanomachining is a hybrid process in which the total thermal energy necessary to remove atoms from a work-piece surface is applied from external sources. In the current study, the total thermal energy necessary to remove atoms from a work-piece surface is applied from two sources: (1) localized energy from a laser beam focused to a micron-scale spot to preheat the work-piece, and (2) a high-precision electron-beam emitted from the tips of carbon nano-tubes to remove material via evaporation/sublimation. Macro-to-nano scale heat transfer models are discussed for understanding their capability to capture and its application to predict the …

Testing The Role Of Anxiety As An Underlying Mechanism Of The Alcohol-Aggression Relation, Joshua Parker Phillips

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that acute alcohol consumption facilitates aggression through the reduction of adaptive anxiety/fear responses to danger/threat. Participants were 80 healthy male social drinkers between 21 and 33 years of age. They were randomly assigned to one of four groups: 1) Alcohol/anxiety induction (n=20), 2) Placebo/anxiety induction (n=20), 3) Alcohol only (n=20), and 4) Placebo only (n=20). Anxiety was induced by informing participants that they had to deliver a speech about what they liked and disliked about their body in front of a video camera. A modified version of the Taylor Aggression …

Cutting Propagation And Container Production Of Rudy Haag Burning Bush [Euonymus Alatus Rudy Haag], Amy Lynn Poston

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Softwood cuttings of Euonymus alatus and the cultivar Rudy Haag, a nearly seedless cultivar, were taken in Kentucky on two cutting dates. E. alatus Rudy Haag cuttings taken in mid-May, untreated or treated with 1000 - 3000 ppm IBA, produced many roots on a high percentage of cuttings. Post-rooting shoot growth was reduced for the species with cuttings taken in June. Rudy Haag produced new growth on cuttings taken in May with no IBA treatment. Transplanting resulted in a decrease in new growth. Liner plants of E. alatus Compactus and Rudy Haag were planted into 1 and 3 gallon containers …

A Camera-Based Energy Relaxation Framework To Minimize Color Artifacts In A Projected Display, Nathaniel Sanders

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

We introduce a technique to automatically correct color inconsistencies in a display composed of one or more digital light projectors (DLP). The method is agnostic to the source of error and can detect and address color problems from a number of sources. Examples include inter- and intra-projector color differences, display surface markings, and environmental lighting differences on the display. In contrast to methods that discover and map all colors into the greatest common color space, we minimize local color discontinuities to create color seamlessness while remaining tolerant to significant color error. The technique makes use of a commodity camera and …

Implementation And Validation Of The Hybrid Turbulence Models In An Unstructured Grid Code, Sri S. Panguluri

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Since its introduction in 1997, the use of Detached Eddy Simulation (DES) and similar hybrid turbulence techniques has become increasingly popular in the field of CFD. However, with increased use some of the limitations of the DES model have become apparent. One of these is the dependence of DES on grid construction, particularly regarding the point of transition between the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes and Large Eddy Simulation models. An additional issue that arises with unstructured grids is the definition of the grid spacing in the implementation of a DES length scale. To lay the ground work to study these effects the …

Understanding Hope: A Review Of Measurement And Construct Validity Research, Lisa M. Edwards, Kevin L. Rand, Shane J. Lopez, C. R. Snyder

College of Education Faculty Research and Publications

Hope has been discussed by philosophers, theologians, educators, and scientists, to name but a few groups of people, over the preceding two millennia. During the last 15 years, C. R. Snyder and his colleagues at the University of Kansas have developed a theory and associated measures of the hope construct that have received extensive, detailed attention both within and outside the field of psychology. In this chapter, we describe Snyder's hope model and some of the research findings that have supported the validity of this construct. Beginning with a conceptual definition of hope, we move to relevant findings about the …

Individual And Organizational Differences In Organizational Commitment And Escalation Of Commitment, Molly J. Russ

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The present study extended the literature on employee commitment and escalation bias to include individual and organizational difference factors. Escalation bias refers to the tendency for a decision-maker to become overly committed to the decision focus (e.g., the organization, supervisor, an ongoing project) even in light of negative feedback regarding the person’s or project’s performance (Moon, 2001; Staw, 1976). An escalation of commitment to a losing course of action is viewed as risky and often costly behavior to organizations. The main purpose of the present study was to identify factors that may predispose persons to escalate their commitment. While using …

Reinforcement Learning Neural-Network-Based Controller For Nonlinear Discrete-Time Systems With Input Constraints, Pingan He, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A novel adaptive-critic-based neural network (NN) controller in discrete time is designed to deliver a desired tracking performance for a class of nonlinear systems in the presence of actuator constraints. The constraints of the actuator are treated in the controller design as the saturation nonlinearity. The adaptive critic NN controller architecture based on state feedback includes two NNs: the critic NN is used to approximate the "strategic" utility function, whereas the action NN is employed to minimize both the strategic utility function and the unknown nonlinear dynamic estimation errors. The critic and action NN weight updates are derived by minimizing …

Control Of Nonholonomic Mobile Robot Formations: Backstepping Kinematics Into Dynamics, Jagannathan Sarangapani, Travis Alan Dierks

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, we seek to expand framework developed to control a single nonholonomic mobile robot to include the control of formations of multiple nonholonomic mobile robots. A combined kinematic/torque control law is developed for leader-follower based formation control using backstepping in order to accommodate the dynamics of the robots and the formation in contrast with kinematic-based formation controllers. The asymptotic stability of the entire formation is guaranteed using Lyapunov theory, and numerical results are provided The kinematic controller is developed around control strategies for single mobile robots and the idea of virtual leaders. The virtual leader is replaced with …

A Redefined Feminine From Paleolithic To Twenty-First Century Through Children's Literature & Film, Pamela Dee Mccombs

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The intention of my critical discourse is to redefine the knowledge of the feminine that Western tradition, through “master narratives,” silenced, subverted, and deferred. My guidelines were drawn from the deconstruction of philosophical works by Jacques Derrida and redefined the unique circle of “Being and beings” to be not just God and man, but God, Goddess, and Human, the Goddess being the original feminine. I discovered the feminine beginning, through archaeomythologists Gimbutas, Dever, and Davis-Kimball, with the unearthing of female figurines, temple models, and warrior priestesses. I found examples of the feminine survival through the Dark Ages in Lithuanian Dainos …

The Effect Of The Reducing Agent Triphenylphosphine On Arachidonic Acid Metabolism By Prostaglandin H2 Synthase, Lalini Ailaboina

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Prostaglandin H2 synthase (PGHS) catalyzes the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandin endoperoxide (PGH2), which is a precursor to a variety of prostaglandins that function as hormones. Gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry is employed to look for the novel products produced by reaction of triphenylphosphine with arachidonic acid prior to and during the PGHS reaction. Triphenylphosphine (TPP) is known to reduce hydro peroxides to alcohols and is used in the present study to ascertain the extent to which hydroperoxides in arachidonic acid preparations and in PGHS contribute to enzyme activity. Incubation of PGHS with arachidonic acid that was treated …

Semantic Image Retrieval Using Relevance Feedback And Transaction Logs, Amin Shah-Hosseini

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Due to the recent improvements in digital photography and storage capacity, storing large amounts of images has been made possible, and efficient means to retrieve images matching a user’s query are needed. Content-based Image Retrieval (CBIR) systems automatically extract image contents based on image features, i.e. color, texture, and shape. Relevance feedback methods are applied to CBIR to integrate users’ perceptions and reduce the gap between high-level image semantics and low-level image features. The precision of a CBIR system in retrieving semantically rich (complex) images is improved in this dissertation work by making advancements in three areas of a CBIR …

[Introduction To] Schaum's Outline Of Data Structures With Java, John R. Hubbard

Bookshelf

Schaum's Outlines are the key to faster learning and higher grades in every subject. Each Outline presents all the essential course information in an easy-to-follow, topic-by-topic format. You also get hundreds of examples, solved problems, and practice exercises to test your skills.

Schaum's Outline of Data Structures with Java gives you:

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Fully compatible with your classroom text, Schaum's highlights all the important facts you need to know.

Adaptive Power Control Protocol With Hardware Implementation For Wireless Sensor And Rfid Reader Networks, Kainan Cha, Jagannathan Sarangapani, David Pommerenke

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The development and deployment of radio frequency identification (RFID) systems render a novel distributed sensor network which enhances visibility into manufacturing processes. In RFID systems, the detection range and read rates will suffer from interference among high-power reading devices. This problem grows severely and degrades system performance in dense RFID networks. Consequently, medium access protocols (MAC) protocols are needed for such networks to assess and provide access to the channel so that tags can be read accurately. In this paper, we investigate a suite of feasible power control schemes to ensure overall coverage area of the system while maintaining a …

An Online Approximator-Based Fault Detection Framework For Nonlinear Discrete-Time Systems, Balaje T. Thumati, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, a fault detection scheme is developed for nonlinear discrete time systems. The changes in the system dynamics due to incipient failures are modeled as a nonlinear function of state and input variables while the time profile of the failures is assumed to be exponentially developing. The fault is detected by monitoring the system and is approximated by using online approximators. A stable adaptation law in discrete-time is developed in order to characterize the faults. The robustness of the diagnosis scheme is shown by extensive mathematical analysis and simulation results.

Asymptotic Stability Of Nonholonomic Mobile Robot Formations Using Multilayer Neural Networks, Jagannathan Sarangapani, Travis Alan Dierks

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, a combined kinematic/torque control law is developed for leader-follower based formation control using backstepping in order to accommodate the dynamics of the robots and the formation in contrast with kinematic-based formation controllers that are widely reported in the literature. A multilayer neural network (NN) is introduced along with robust integral of the sign of the error (RISE) feedback to approximate the dynamics of the follower as well as its leader using online weight tuning. It is shown using Lyapunov theory that the errors for the entire formation are asymptotically stable and the NN weights are bounded as …

Market Fragmenting Regulation - Why Gasoline Costs So Much (And Why It's Going To Cost More), Andrew P. Morriss, Nathaniel Stewart

Faculty Scholarship

Virtually everyone holds an opinion on what is wrong with gasoline markets. Some critics argue that gasoline costs too much, fattening greedy oil barons at the expense of consumers. Some link reducing oil producers' profits to stopping terrorism. Others contend that gasoline costs too little, subsidizing suburban sprawl and gas-guzzling SUVs at the expense of the environment. Web sites track gasoline prices and grocery stores sell low-cost fuel to lure shoppers. Policy makers debate whether gas taxes should be cut to lower the cost of living; need to be increased to make drivers pay the full cost of their behavior; …

Herbal Medications: Implications For The Operating Room, Tricia Marcuson

Theses and Dissertations

US households have an increasing number of people using herbal medications as common self treatments. According to Hodges & Kam (2002), 32-37% of Americans have used herbal medications in the last year. Schmidt (2004) states that 1 in 3 Americans consume herbal products each year. Between 1990 and 1997, the use of herbal medicines increased 380% (Ernst, 2004). The interactions between herbal medications and anesthetic drugs become more important and meaningful due to the wide spread use. There are currently 15 million adults in the United States at risk for a potential adverse interaction with a prescription medication and an …

Mobile Speed Estimation For Broadband Wireless Communications, Y. Rosa Zheng, Chengshan Xiao

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, a new algorithm is proposed to estimate mobile speed for broadband wireless communications, which often encounter large number of fading channel taps causing severe intersymbol interference. Theoretical analysis is first derived and practical algorithm is proposed based on the analytical results. The algorithm employs a modified auto-covariance of received signal power to estimate the speed of mobiles. The algorithm is based on the received signals which contain unknown transmitted data, unknown frequency selective multipaths possibly including line-of-sight (LOS) component, and random receiver noise. The algorithm works well for frequency selective Rayleigh and Rician channels. The algorithm is …

Neural Network Controller Development And Implementation For Spark Ignition Engines With High Egr Levels, Jonathan B. Vance, Atmika Singh, Brian C. Kaul, Jagannathan Sarangapani, J. A. Drallmeier

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Past research has shown substantial reductions in the oxides of nitrogen (NOx) concentrations by using 10% -25% exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) in spark ignition (SI) engines (see Dudek and Sain, 1989). However, under high EGR levels, the engine exhibits strong cyclic dispersion in heat release which may lead to instability and unsatisfactory performance preventing commercial engines to operate with high EGR levels. A neural network (NN)-based output feedback controller is developed to reduce cyclic variation in the heat release under high levels of EGR even when the engine dynamics are unknown by using fuel as the control input. A separate …