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2009

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Good Woman Is Hard To Find, Virginia A. Paxton Jan 2009

Good Woman Is Hard To Find, Virginia A. Paxton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

While Flannery O'Connor's characters and narrative landscape may share a history with those of other works often labeled "Southern gothic," her heavily judicious narrative voice utilizes the depravity of the South struggling to find its identity as a means to explore her vision of God's mercy and distinguishes her work as satirical criticism. This thesis analyzes her construction of a distinctive satirical narrative voice for Wise Blood, particularly as it deviates from how she initially wrote the first chapters as presented in earlier short stories like "The Train" and "The Peeler." Here, the ways in which O'Connor revises her diction …

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Home Automation And Power Conservation Using Zigbeeª, Michael G. Dibenedetto Jan 2009

Home Automation And Power Conservation Using Zigbeeª, Michael G. Dibenedetto

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The ZigBee standard is a wireless networking standard created and maintained by the ZigBee Alliance. The standard aims to provide an inexpensive, reliable, and efficient solution for wirelessly networked sensing and control products. The ZigBee Alliance is composed of over 300 member companies making use of the standard in different ways, ranging from energy management and efficiency, to RF remote controls, to health care products. Home automation is one market that greatly benefits from the use of ZigBee. With a focus on conserving home electricity use, a sample design is created to test a home automation network using Freescale's ZigBee …

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I'Ll Be Your Mirror, Brittany K. Rigdon Jan 2009

I'Ll Be Your Mirror, Brittany K. Rigdon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Traditional fairy tales represent some of the oldest and most archetypal forms of literature. However, as humanity rapidly evolves, the genre and content of traditional fairy tales still operates as a prevalent socializing agent that fails to promote pluralism. Instead, traditional fairy tales illustrate and uphold limited gender roles and expectations. This paper examines Hermann Hesse's role as a pioneer in a now burgeoning movement of fairy tale revisions that blur boundaries between fantasy and reality by introducing specific, everyday locations, countries, and individuals coupled with a copious use of the double. This formula draws the reader into the tale …

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Imperialism And The 1999 Women's World Cup, Michele. Canning Jan 2009

Imperialism And The 1999 Women's World Cup, Michele. Canning

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

This research examines the U.S. media during the 1999 Women's World Cup from a feminist postcolonial standpoint. This research adds to current feminist scholarship on women and sports by de-centering the global North in its discourse. It reveals the bias of the media through the representation of the United States National Team as a universal "woman" athlete and the standard for international women's soccer. It further argues that, as a result, the Nigerian National Team was cast in simplistic stereotypes of race, class, ethnicity, and nation, which were often also appropriated and commodified. I emphasize that the Nigerian National Team …

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Dynamic Characterization And Forensic Investigation Of Reinforced Asphalt Pavement Cores From Sr15/Us98, Rodrigo. Ledezma-Campodonico Jan 2009

Dynamic Characterization And Forensic Investigation Of Reinforced Asphalt Pavement Cores From Sr15/Us98, Rodrigo. Ledezma-Campodonico

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Due to the presence of deep deposits of organic soils at shallow depths, roadways in western Palm Beach County, FL show premature distress and failure requiring frequent rehabilitation. In an effort to develop effective mitigation strategies, 24 test sections, containing various types of pavement reinforcing materials, were constructed during Fall of 2008. This study presents a forensic investigation and dynamic characterization of reinforced asphalt cores obtained from SR15/US98 for evaluating the uniformity of test sections, qualitative comparisons, and developing empirical models for predicting permanent deformation and material damage with stress cycles simulating traffic loading.

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Immigrant Status, Substance Use And Sexual Risk Among Afro-Caribbean Adolescents Living In South Florida, Kim. Jolly Jan 2009

Immigrant Status, Substance Use And Sexual Risk Among Afro-Caribbean Adolescents Living In South Florida, Kim. Jolly

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Objectives: To describe the co-occurrence of substance use and sexual activity behaviors among Afro-Caribbean adolescents living in South Florida, with attention to legal status, socio-demographic factors and risk-taking attitudes and behaviors. Methods: Convenience sampling was used to select 106 Afro-Caribbean adolescents from community centers in South Florida. A descriptive exploratory study was conducted. Data was analyzed using an independent t test, frequencies and crosstabs. Results: The study consists of 106 adolescents, 75% (n = 79) documented and 25% (n = 27) undocumented. Forty-one documented and 10 undocumented adolescents were sexually active. Of those, 14.6% of the documented and 40% of …

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Influence Of Motion Type On Memory Of Simple Events, Johanna D. Berger Jan 2009

Influence Of Motion Type On Memory Of Simple Events, Johanna D. Berger

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

This experiment investigated an individual's memory of specific motion events, unique actor, intrinsic motion, and extrinsic motion combination. Intrinsic motions involve the movement of an individual's body parts in a specific manner to move around, while extrinsic motions specify a path in reference to an external object. Participants viewed video clips, each depicting an actor performing a unique extrinsic and intrinsic motion combination. One week later, they viewed a different series of retrieval video clips consisting of old (identical to encoding), extrinsic conjunction (extrinsic motion previously performed by different actor), intrinsic conjunction (intrinsic motion previously performed by different actor), and …

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Impact Of It Security Psychological Climate On Salient User Beliefs Toward It Security, Janis A. Warner Jan 2009

Impact Of It Security Psychological Climate On Salient User Beliefs Toward It Security, Janis A. Warner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

There is a growing need to better understand what influences user behavior for developing comprehensive IT security systems. This study integrates two prominent bodies of research, the theory of planned behavior used to frame the factors influencing user behavior and individual level climate perceptions used to frame organizational environment influences, to develop a multidimensional IT security user behavior model. The model is then used as the basis for a survey based research to empirically test the hypotheses whether the perceived IT security climate of an organization significantly influences the users beliefs regarding the use of IT security. The intent of …

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Initial Investigations Of The Magnetic Circular Dichroism Of Isobutene Using Synchrotron Radiation In The Vacuum Ultraviolet Region, Clifford. Sanders Jan 2009

Initial Investigations Of The Magnetic Circular Dichroism Of Isobutene Using Synchrotron Radiation In The Vacuum Ultraviolet Region, Clifford. Sanders

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Ethylene is the simplest alkene. The carbon-carbon double bond is ubiquitous in the field of chemistry. Ethylene serves as the basis for understanding these molecules. Thus, the assignment of the electronic transitions in ethylene is an important endeavor that many scientists have undertaken, but are yet to decipher theoretically or experimentally. Synchrotron Radiation in the vacuum ultraviolet region allows for magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) measurements of ethylene and other simple alkenes. Studies of ethylene and propylene revealed that the páap* (AgáaB1u ethylene notation) transition is not the lowest energy transition. The páa3s(R) (AgáaB3u ethylene notation) is the lowest energy transition. …

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Integrated Component Selection Framework For System Level Design, Chad. Calvert Jan 2009

Integrated Component Selection Framework For System Level Design, Chad. Calvert

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The increasing system design complexity is negatively impacting the overall system design productivity by increasing the cost and time of product development. One key to overcoming these challenges is exploiting Component Based Engineering practices. However it is a challenge to select an optimum component from a component library that will satisfy all system functional and non-functional requirements, due to varying performance parameters and quality of service requirements. In this thesis we propose an integrated framework for component selection. The framework is a two phase approach that includes a system modeling and analysis phase and a component selection phase. Three component …

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Influence Of A Professional Development Module Focused On The Research-Based Evidence Of The Culture And Gender Bias Found In Disney Animated Fairy Tales On Preprimary Early Childhood Teachers, Ruth A. Doran Jan 2009

Influence Of A Professional Development Module Focused On The Research-Based Evidence Of The Culture And Gender Bias Found In Disney Animated Fairy Tales On Preprimary Early Childhood Teachers, Ruth A. Doran

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Disney commands a strong market presence worldwide in print and multimedia products used for early childhood entertainment. Yet, the gender and cultural bias found in Disney animated fairy tale media has been well documented. Although preprimary early childhood teachers are urged to maintain a multicultural environment that is free of bias and stereotypes, very little training or support is presented to guide preprimary early childhood teachers in the selection of materials for use in their preprimary early childhood classrooms. The study sought to investigate the influence of a professional development module focused on the gender and cultural bias found in …

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Judge, Jury, And Executioner, Kathleen. Rush Jan 2009

Judge, Jury, And Executioner, Kathleen. Rush

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Much of Tennessee Williams' work features mentally ill characters; his devotion to and interest in the subject has led to the composition of many plays that highlight the humanity of the insane, rather that caricaturize them with the usual stereotypes. In Suddenly Last Summer, Williams challenges the social stigmas most "normal" people attach to madness. Throughout the course of the action, the lines dividing sane and insane, normate and non-normate, gradually blur disrupting the audience's social equilibrium. By undermining presumed viewer prejudices toward the mentally ill, Williams creates the opportunity for redrawing the social boundaries of exclusion and inclusion.

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Impact Of The Informal Economic Gdp Growth In Latin America And The Caribbean, Chantal. Wedderburn Jan 2009

Impact Of The Informal Economic Gdp Growth In Latin America And The Caribbean, Chantal. Wedderburn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The informal, underground or shadow economy is a significant, growing force throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, contributing to overall output, yet diminishing productivity, congesting public services, and depriving developing nations of potential fiscal revenues. This paper discusses the various definitions and methods of measurement of the informal sector, with the aim of showing the importance of collecting taxes in informal economies. Informal economy participants engage in tax evasion and avoidance of governmental regulations, therefore the implications of excessive tax burdens and onerous bureaucracy are studied, with a focus on their impact on GDP growth. Informal sector enterprises can greatly …

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Implementing Security In An Ip Multimedia Subsystem (Ims) Next Generation Network - A Case Study, Jose M. Ortiz-Villajos Jan 2009

Implementing Security In An Ip Multimedia Subsystem (Ims) Next Generation Network - A Case Study, Jose M. Ortiz-Villajos

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) has gone from just a step in the evolution of the GSM cellular architecture control core, to being the de-facto framework for Next Generation Network (NGN) implementations and deployments by operators world-wide, not only cellular mobile communications operators, but also fixed line, cable television, and alternative operators. With this transition from standards documents to the real world, engineers in these new multimedia communications companies need to face the task of making these new networks secure against threats and real attacks that were not a part of the previous generation of networks. We present the IMS …

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Let Them Run Wild, Val. Czerny Jan 2009

Let Them Run Wild, Val. Czerny

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Drawing from literary criticism, ecological philosophy, psychoanalysis, and the wisdom of the female principle - or what Paula Gunn Allen perceives as "Her presence," the "power to make and relate"- this interdisciplinary study challenges dominant assumptions that habitually prevail in western cultural thinking. Let Them Run Wild investigates alternative, "buried" articulations which emerge in nineteenth-and early twentieth-century narratives that especially engage an audience of both children and adult readers. Recognizing the fictions inherent in linear-driven thought, these articulations celebrate narrative moments where reason is complicated and reconjectured, where absence is affirmed as presence, and where tale-tellers disappear behind the messages …

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Is There A Relationship Between Academic Achievement And School Climate At The Elementary, Middle, Or High School Grade Level?, Thomas Stacy Doyal Jan 2009

Is There A Relationship Between Academic Achievement And School Climate At The Elementary, Middle, Or High School Grade Level?, Thomas Stacy Doyal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Researchers have determined that many factors, including school climate, may be contributing to the lack of academic achievement of many of our students. In an effort to better understand this issue, this study tested for possible relationships between the school climate of multiple schools in Palm Beach County, Florida, and their students' academic achievement. Separate analyses were done at the elementary, middle, and high school levels. For the purpose of this study, academic achievement (criterion variable) was measure by the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, Math and Reading sections. School climate (predictor variable) was measured by the school district's yearly climate …

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Interlaminar Mode Iii Fracture Ect Method - Testing And Analysis, Grant. Browning Jan 2009

Interlaminar Mode Iii Fracture Ect Method - Testing And Analysis, Grant. Browning

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

In an effort to obtain an improved mode III fracture toughness test suitable for a testing standard, mechanics analysis, experimental testing, and finite element analysis (FEA) have been conducted. Of particular concern are the merits of one-point and two-point edge crack torsion (ECT) test methods, the influence of specimen geometry that overhangs beyond load/support points, and the influence of crack length on the compliance and energy release rate. Shear stress distributions at the crack front are determined to examine the uniformity of mode III loading and mode II influence. The shear stress distributions in the one-point and two-point tests are …

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Mathematical Modeling Of Plankton Patchiness, Simantha S. Ather Jan 2009

Mathematical Modeling Of Plankton Patchiness, Simantha S. Ather

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

In natural systems, it has been observed that plankton exist in patches rather than in an even distribution across a body of water. However, the mechanisms behind this patchiness are not fully understood. Several previous modeling studies have examined the effects of abiotic and biotic factors on patch structure. Yet these models ignore a key point: zooplankton often undergo diel vertical migration. I have formulated a model that incorporates vertical movement into the Rosezweig-MacArthur (R-M) predator-prey model. The R-M model is stable only at a carrying capacity below a critical value. I found that adding vertical movement stabilizes the system …

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Latinas Experiencing Transnational Motherhood, Rosa Maria Sternberg Jan 2009

Latinas Experiencing Transnational Motherhood, Rosa Maria Sternberg

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Economic changes have made the immigration of women to the United States part of major political and social issues. Women from Latin America frequently immigrate alone and without legal documentation, leaving their children in the care of relatives or friends, thus becoming transnational mothers in the process. Hispanic/Latino groups comprise the largest minority in the U.S., and Latina women account for 48.9% of the total Latino population. This demographic trend is expected to continue, and Hispanic/Latino groups are projected to experience the largest population increase in the coming decades (Marshall, Urrutia-Rojas, Soto-Mas & Coggin, 2005). The separation from their family …

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Lived Experience Of The Spouses Of Transplant Recipients, Jo Anne Stecher Jan 2009

Lived Experience Of The Spouses Of Transplant Recipients, Jo Anne Stecher

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The numbers of transplant surgeries continue to rise in the U.S. This results in a greater number of caregivers who are present in the recipients' lives. Most often these caregivers are spouses. Transplant spouses present with emotional needs, which have been expressed in this study. Nurses, especially those who work with the spouses of transplant candidates and recipients, could be appreciative of the requirements that have been told by these spouses. Six women and two men were interviewed for this study. Their stories were analyzed using a phenomenological approach and five themes emerged from the data. The themes that surfaced …

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Let's Get Into Character, Marc R. Fedderman Jan 2009

Let's Get Into Character, Marc R. Fedderman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

This study will focus on Quentin Tarantino's three most recent films: Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003), Kill Bill: Volume 2 (2004), and Death Proof (2007). These works are significant, in that they present a marked departure from the director's earlier films. Specifically, they offer portrayals of resourceful and powerful female protagonists, in stark contrast to the frequently neglected and marginalized women of Reservoir Dogs (1992) and Pulp Fiction (1994). Buttressed by a mixture of psychoanalytic feminist and postmodern theories, I will perform a careful textual analysis of these latest films. In particular, I intend to uncover the ways in which …

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Marketing Music In A Digital Age, James Rocco Amedeo Jan 2009

Marketing Music In A Digital Age, James Rocco Amedeo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The physical sale of music and the effectiveness of traditional media are expected to continue to decline, challenging marketers to develop new methods to create awareness about music. Although music sales are declining, interest in music is healthy, and strongest amongst the American young adult market - between the ages 18-34. This marketing plan uses traditional and innovative techniques to capture the attention of the target market, which is more culturally diverse and technologically advanced than any previous demographic.

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Mate Value And Partner-Directed Insults, Emily J. Miner Jan 2009

Mate Value And Partner-Directed Insults, Emily J. Miner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

To prevent a partner's infidelity and relationship defection, men perform mate retention behaviors. Some of these mate retention behaviors are high-risk because they decrease the likelihood of infidelity while potentially increasing the likelihood of relationship defection. Although previous research has indicated that mate value may be related to mate retention generally, research has not addressed these cost-inflicting mate retention behaviors specifically. The current research examines the relationship between men's and women's mate values and men's use of partner-directed insults - a specific type of cost-inflicting mate retention behavior. The results from a sample of 158 women indicate that although men's …

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Methionine Sulfoxide Reductases, David J. Brunell Jan 2009

Methionine Sulfoxide Reductases, David J. Brunell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The methionine sulfoxide reductase (Msr) enzymes catalyze the reduction of methionine sulfoxide (Met(O)) to methionine. The Msr enzymes protect cells against oxidative stress and may have a role in aging. The MsrA family of enzymes reduces stereospecifically the S epimer of free and protein-bound Met(O) while the MsrB family reduces the R epimer of Met(O) in proteins. It has been generally accepted, primarily from studies on MsrA, that the biological reductant for the Msr enzymes is thioredoxin (Trx), although high levels of dithiothreitol (DTT) can be used as the reductant in vitro. In contrast, certain MsrB enzymes show less than …

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Mariage Et La Maternitâe Chez Marie De France, Palazzolo Danielle Firmino Jan 2009

Mariage Et La Maternitâe Chez Marie De France, Palazzolo Danielle Firmino

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

Twelfth century French feudal culture witnesses the codification of new marriage laws and a rapid rise in popularity of the Cult of the Virgin Mary, with correspondingly renewed attention being paid to women by ecclesiastical intellectuals of all sects. Of particular interest to these churchmen was the duty of the medieval wife to bear children. The Lais of Marie de France, a late twelfth-century text, often focus explicitly on motherhood (both biological and symbolic) and therefore allow a deeper examination of the new cultural representations of women in the dual role of spouse and mother. The Lais further highlight the …

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Meis Oculis, Joshua. Richards Jan 2009

Meis Oculis, Joshua. Richards

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

This study is an examination of ocular imagery in the secular poetry of T.S. Eliot. As a symbol, eyes begin as a metonym for the panoptic vision of society. In the earliest poems, Michel Foucault's conceptions of discipline illuminate the acerbic paranoia attached to ocular imagery and its source in the culture of turn-of-the-century Boston. Towards 1919, the image of eyes becomes an objective correlative for the figure of Dante's Beatrice who represents both earthly and divine love. The loss of sight by the various speakers in both - "Gerontion" and The Waste Land is then the loss of connection …

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Methodology To Assess The Feasibility For Light Rail Transit In A Low To Medium Density Environment Via Geographic Information Systems And Image Interpretation, Dylan. Kennard Jan 2009

Methodology To Assess The Feasibility For Light Rail Transit In A Low To Medium Density Environment Via Geographic Information Systems And Image Interpretation, Dylan. Kennard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

The world currently has more people living in cities than in rural areas. In the United States this is no exception, and as a result government policy is focusing on the supply of 'green' jobs that help repair and expand its infrastructure in an attempt to help curb non-renewable resource use. The expansion of public transportation throughout the country is one facet of the multi-pronged US government policy. In the tri-county area of South Florida (Palm Beach County, Broward County, and Miami-Dade County) a research study known as the South Florida East Coast Corridor Transit Analysis (SFECCTA) entered Phase 2 …

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Model-Based Classification Of Speech Audio, Chris. Thoman Jan 2009

Model-Based Classification Of Speech Audio, Chris. Thoman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

This work explores the process of model-based classification of speech audio signals using low-level feature vectors. The process of extracting low-level features from audio signals is described along with a discussion of established techniques for training and testing mixture model-based classifiers and using these models in conjunction with feature selection algorithms to select optimal feature subsets. The results of a number of classification experiments using a publicly available speech database, the Berlin Database of Emotional Speech, are presented. This includes experiments in optimizing feature extraction parameters and comparing different feature selection results from over 700 candidate feature vectors for the …

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Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming Model To Optimize The Use Of Aircraft Deicing And Anti-Icing Fluids, Scott E. Ornitz Jan 2009

Mixed Integer Nonlinear Programming Model To Optimize The Use Of Aircraft Deicing And Anti-Icing Fluids, Scott E. Ornitz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

A detailed study is proposed for understanding the use of aircraft deicing and anti-icing fluids (ADAF) and optimal use of these fluids in airport operations. A detailed literature review of past and current technologies is conducted and possible opportunities to improve the use of ADAF and relevant recommendations are derived. Mathematical optimization models (e.g. MINLP with binary variables) based on a variety of objectives, which deal with exhaustive sets of system constraints are formulated, developed and applied to case studies. One real-life case study area which routinely carries out aircraft deicing is used for testing the mathematical optimization formulations for …

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Numerical Performance Prediction For Fau's First Generation Ocean Current Turbine, Nicolas. Vanrietvelde Jan 2009

Numerical Performance Prediction For Fau's First Generation Ocean Current Turbine, Nicolas. Vanrietvelde

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2000 - 2009

This thesis presents the analytically predicted position, motion, attitude, power output and forces on Florida Atlantic University's (FAU) first generation ocean current turbine for a wide range of operating conditions. These values are calculated using a 7- DOF dynamics simulation of the turbine and the cable that attaches it to the mooring system. The numerical simulation modifications and upgrades completed in this work include developing a wave model including the effects of waves into the simulation, upgrading the rotor model to specify the number of blades and upgrading the cable model to specify the number of cable elements. This enhanced …

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