Digital Commons Network^™

Testing Embedded System Applications, Tingting Yu

School of Computing: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Embedded systems are becoming increasingly ubiquitous, controlling a wide variety of popular and safety-critical devices. Testing is the most commonly used method for validating software systems, and effective testing techniques could be helpful for improving the dependability of these systems. However, there are challenges involved in developing such techniques. Embedded systems consist of layers of software – application layers utilize services provided by underlying system service and hardware support layers. A typical embedded application consists of multiple user tasks. Interactions between application layers and lower layers, and interactions between the various user tasks that are initiated by the application layer, …

Modeling Of Aortic Valve Anatomic Geometry From Clinical Multi Detector-Row Computed Tomography Images, Gregory A. Book

Master's Theses

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) is an emerging and viable alternative to surgical valve replacement. A TAVI procedure involves insertion of a catheter into the heart through an artery or transapically, and expanding valve stent in place. This procedure dramatically reduces the recovery time by eliminating the need for open heart surgery. Understanding the biomechanics of the stent-valve interaction is crucial for proper device deployment and function. In this study, we examine the extraction of valve geometries and creation of valve models from multi-detector row computed tomography (MDCT) images that may eventually be used to model stent expansion on a …

Evaluation Of Hydraulic Efficiency Of Disinfection Systems Based On Residence Time Distribution Curves, Jordan M. Wilson, Subhas K. Venayagamoorthy

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Hydraulic efficiency is a vital component in evaluating the disinfection capability of a contact system. Current practice evaluates these systems based upon the theoretical detention time (TDT) and the rising limb of the residence time distribution (RTD) curve. This evaluation methodology is expected because most systems are built based on TDT under a "black box" approach to disinfection system design. Within recent years, the proliferation of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has allowed a more insightful approach to disinfection system design and analysis. Research presented in this study using CFD models and physical tracer studies shows that evaluation methods based upon …

Predicting Someone's True Identity: Linguistic Norms And Cues In Online Personal Advertisements, Lindsay Elliott

Theses

Internet dating is now ranked third as the way people meet, behind meeting at work or school, and through a friend or family member. This study researches the use of social and linguistic norms in online dating advertisements. Previous research has posed that social groups create unique identities and group members will selectively present themselves in ways consistent with these identities. Using Craigslist to assess the similarities and differences between genders and sexualities in online personal postings, an online quiz-like survey was created. This research reports on people's abilities to predict the sexual orientation and gender of the writer based …

Irrigation District Turnouts, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This is meant to be a very quick, roughly written primer on irrigation district turnout selection. It by no means covers all of the details, but it might help out. ITRC offers flow measurement classes, with online registration at www.itrc.org. We have also done testing on quite a few designs over the years, but the work was almost all confidential in nature.

The Song Is Not The Same: Jews And American Popular Music, Josh Kun

The Jewish Role in American Life: An Annual Review

There has been a long-standing relationship between Jewish Americans and the world of American popular music. The essays in this volume blend surveys of music making as a whole with profiles of single artists. This is volume 8 of the annual publication, The Jewish Role in American Life (ISSN 1934-7529), produced by the Casden Institute for the Study of the Jewish Role in American Life at the University of Southern California.

Fitting A Distribution To Catastrophic Event, Ebenezer Osei

Theses and Dissertations

Statistics is a branch of mathematics which is heavily employed in the area of Actuarial Mathematics. This thesis first reviews the importance of statistical distributions in the analysis of insurance problems and the applications of Statistics in the area of risk and insurance. The Normal, Log-normal, Pareto, Gamma, standard Beta, Frechet, Gumbel, Weibull, Poisson, binomial, and negative binomial distributions are looked at and the importance of these distributions in general insurance is also emphasized. A careful review of literature is to provide practitioners in the general insurance industry with statistical tools which are of immediate application in the industry. These …

Modeling And Testing Of Dna Motion For Nanoinjection, Regis Agenor David

Theses and Dissertations

A new technique, called nanoinjection, is being developed to insert foreign DNA into a living cell. Such DNA transfection is commonly used to create transgenic organisms vital to the study of genetics, immunology, and many other biological sciences. In nanoinjection, DNA, which has a net negative charge, is electrically attracted to a micromachined lance. The lance then pierces the cell membranes, and the voltage on the lance is reversed, repelling the DNA into the cell. It is shown that DNA motion is strongly correlated to ion transport through a process called electrophoresis. Gel electrophoresis is used to move DNA using …

Lost On Purpose, Matthew Mccain Martin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations Archive

In nine linked nonfiction essays and eight codas, the author seeks to understand the meaning of being lost and the importance of not knowing in an era of instantaneous and ubiquitous information. Through extensive interviews, research, and memoir, the author seeks out those who choose to live lost in order to understand his own penchant for escape. Framed by the mystery of antique maps, these essays find the author in several different locations, from Tasmania to Siberia to Utah. In each, the author meets and spends time with an ambassador of each place before finally attempting to become lost himself.

Incorporating Feedback From Multiple Sensory Modalities Enhances Brain–Machine Interface Control, Aaron J. Suminski, Dennis C. Tkach, Andrew H. Fagg, Nicholas G. Hatsopoulos

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The brain typically uses a rich supply of feedback from multiple sensory modalities to control movement in healthy individuals. In many individuals, these afferent pathways, as well as their efferent counterparts, are compromised by disease or injury resulting in significant impairments and reduced quality of life. Brain–machine interfaces (BMIs) offer the promise of recovered functionality to these individuals by allowing them to control a device using their thoughts. Most current BMI implementations use visual feedback for closed-loop control; however, it has been suggested that the inclusion of additional feedback modalities may lead to improvements in control. We demonstrate for the …

Representation And Validation Of Domain And Range Restrictions In A Relational Database-Driven Ontology Maintenance System, Patrick G. Edgett, Leong Lee, Jennifer L. Leopold, Alton B. Coalter

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

An ontology can be used to represent and organize the objects, properties, events, processes, and relations that embody an area of reality [1]. These knowledge bases may be created manually (by individuals or groups), and/or automatically using software tools, such as those developed for information retrieval and data mining. Recently the National Science Foundation funded a large collaborative development project for the semi-automated construction of an ontology of amphibian anatomy (AmphibAnat [2]). to satisfy the extensive community curation requirements of that project, a generic, Web-Based, multi-user, relational database ontology management system (RDBOM [3]) was constructed, based upon a novel theoretical …

An Adaptive Coverage Control Algorithm For Deployment Of Nonholonomic Mobile Sensors, Chaouki T. Abdallah, Jose Marcio Luna, Rafael Fierro, John Wood

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

We show the Lyapunov stability and convergence of an adaptive and decentralized coverage control for a team of mobile sensors. This new approach assumes nonholonomic sensors rather than the usual holonomic sensors found in the literature. The kinematics of the unicycle model and a nonlinear control law in polar coordinates are used in order to prove the stability of the controller applied over a team of mobile sensors. The convergence and feasibility of the coverage control algorithm are verified through simulations in Matlab. Furthermore, some experiments are carried out using a team of four Pioneer 3-AT robots sensing a piecewise …

Glimpses Of Islam In Egypt., Madame Emilie Hyacinthe Loyson

The Open Court

No abstract provided.

The Fierce Green Fire: Vol. 1 Issue 7, Wofford College Environmental Studies Program

The Fierce Green Fire

No abstract provided.

12/14/2010 Obituary Records, Hawaii Obituaries

Obituaries

List of Obituaries for individuals who passed away on 12/14/2010. Scroll down to see the names and obituary description.

Less Talk; More Action: Sbar As An Interactive Approach For Ethical Decision- Making, Francine Mancuso Parker Edd, Rn, Cne, Libba Reed Mcmillan Phd, Rn

Journal of Health Ethics

Oftentimes as educators, instructors approach ethics education as if students have all the time in the world to pontificate. This article provides an alternative teaching strategy where there is less ‘talk’, and more action as the SBAR model is utilized in the ethical decision making process. A case study depicting a difficult patient care situation provides the backdrop for a discussion of ethical decision making as a skill which can be developed when sound reasoning and principles are applied by the nursing student or novice nurse. By assuring that students have a working understanding of the concept of advocacy from …

Purification Of Synthetic Oligomers, Shiyue Fang

Michigan Tech Patents

This invention provides a novel method for purifying synthetic oligomers comprising capping, polymerizing and separating any failure sequences produced during oligomer synthesis. Either the failure sequence or the full-length oligomer may be polymerized. Optionally, small molecule impurities may also be incorporated into the polymerized material. The invention provides novel capping agents having a polymerizable functional group. The invention also provides kits comprising at least one composition of the present invention.

Hydraulic Conductivity Of Cement-Treated Soils And Aggregates After Freezing, Michael Scott Shea

Theses and Dissertations

Improvements in the strength and durability of frost-susceptible soils and aggregates can be achieved through chemical stabilization using portland cement, where the efficacy of cement stabilization for improving durability depends on the degree to which hydraulic conductivity is reduced. Hydraulic conductivity is commonly estimated from basic soil properties using Moulton's empirical equation. However, the hydraulic conductivity estimation does not consider the detrimental effects of freezing or the benefits of cement stabilization. The purpose of this research was to derive new equations relating hydraulic conductivity after freezing to specific material properties of cement-treated soils and aggregates stabilized with different concentrations of …

General Education Subcommittee Minutes, December 14, 2010, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Course Approvals

Syllabi Approvals

Other Business

• USU-CEU Courses
• CIL
• English 2010 is backlogged
• Math 1050 is full
• BAI is full
• Humanities is doing well

Next Meeting

Ua3/8/8 President's Office-Meredith Speech File, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Speeches written and delivered by Thomas Meredith.

High Efficiency Solar Powered Fans, Danny Parker, Bart Hibbs

UCF Patents

Highly efficient solar fans used in portable and built in configurations. A ventilation fan can be used for exhausting air out from underneath roofs, and/or for being portable in use and application. The fan can include optimized airflow blades having a twisted configuration that can move at a rotational speed operation of up to approximately 500 rpm. The approximately 15 inch diameter twisted blades can be pre-milded on a hub that together form a single molded unit of plastic. They can also be fabricated using metal. The unit can be mounted in an exhaust outlet having a conical diffuser on …

Design Of S-Band Transition Based On Microstrip Quarter-Wave Transformers, Bashir Souid, Josh Merchant, Michael Rice, Mahmoud El Sabbagh

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - All Scholarship

In this technical report, the design of a high-frequency matching circuit is presented. This circuit is a transformer comprising a cascade of multisections of quarter-wavelength transmission lines. The transformer, also referred to as matching circuit, is implemented based on microstrip technology. The matching circuit is required to perform as a transition from a 10-Ω load to a 50-Ω source. Moreover, this transition is specified to have a return loss more than 20 dB over the entire S-band from 2 GHz to 4 GHz. Analytical model developed and verified by full-wave simulation results indicates that the design of a quarter-wavelength transformer …

On A Generalized Time-Varying Seir Epidemic Model With Mixed Point And Distributed Time-Varying Delays And Combined Regular And Impulsive Vaccination Controls, Ravi P. Agarwal, Manuel De La Sen, Asier Ibeas, Santiago Alonso-Quesada

Mathematics and System Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper discusses a generalized time-varying SEIR propagation disease model subject to delays which potentially involves mixed regular and impulsive vaccination rules. The model takes also into account the natural population growing and the mortality associated to the disease, and the potential presence of disease endemic thresholds for both the infected and infectious population dynamics as well as the lost of immunity of newborns. The presence of outsider infectious is also considered. It is assumed that there is a finite number of time-varying distributed delays in the susceptible-infected coupling dynamics influencing the susceptible and infected differential equations. It is also …

Superhydrophobic Thin Films Fabricated By Reactive Layer-By-Layer Assembly Of Azlactone-Functionalized Polymers, Maren E. Buck, Sarina C. Schwartz, David M. Lynn

Chemistry: Faculty Publications

We report an approach to the fabrication of superhydrophobic thin films that is based on the "reactive" layer-by-layer assembly of azlactone-containing polymer multilayers. We demonstrate that films fabricated from alternating layers of the azlactone functionalized polymer poly(2-vinyl- 4,4-dimethylazlactone) (PVDMA) and poly(ethyleneimine) (PEI) exhibit micro- and nanoscale surface features that result in water contact angles in excess of 150°. Our results reveal that the formation of these surface features is (i) dependent upon film thickness (i.e., the number of layers of PEI and PVDMA deposited) and (ii) that it is influenced strongly by the presence (or absence) of cyclic azlactone-functionalized oligomers …

High Rates Of Photobiological H2 Production By A Cyanobacteriium Under Aerobic Conditions., Anindita Bandyopadhyay, Jana Stöckel, Louis A. Sherman, Himadri B. Pakrasi

Department of Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Among the emerging renewable and green energy sources, biohydrogen stands out as an appealing choice. Hydrogen can be produced by certain groups of microorganisms that possess functional nitrogenase and/or bidirectional hydrogenases. In particular, the potential of photobiological hydrogen production by oxygenic photosynthetic microbes has attracted significant interest. However, nitrogenase and hydrogenase are generally oxygen sensitive, and require protective mechanisms to function in an aerobic extracellular environment. Here, we describeCyanothece sp. ATCC 51142, a unicellular, diazotrophic cyanobacterium with the capacity to generate high levels of hydrogen under aerobic conditions. Wild-type Cyanothece 51142 can produce hydrogen at rates as high as …

The Effects Of Electricity Pring On Phev Competitiveness, Shisheng Huang, Bri-Mathias S. Hodge, Farzad Taheripour, Joseph F. Pekny, Gintaras V. Reklaitis, Wallace E. Tyner

PPRI Digital Library

Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs) will soon start to be introduced into the transportation sector, thereby raising a host of issues related to their use, adoption and effects on the electricity sector. Their introduction has the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector, which has led to government policies aimed at easing their introduction. If their wide-spread adoption is set as a target it is imperative to consider the effects of existing policies that may increase or decrease their adoption rate. In this study, we present a micro level electricity demand model that can gauge the effects …

Nurse Anesthetist's Perceptions Regarding Utilization Of Anesthesia Support Personnel, Mary Ford

Theses and Dissertations

Anesthesia support personnel (ASP) provide direct support to health care providers administering anesthesia (Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists [CRNAs] and anesthesiologists). Because these anesthesia providers are caring for a patient whom they cannot legally or ethically leave unattended, ASP are employed to bring them extra supplies or equipment, prepare equipment for the case, maintain and clean equipment, and generally function as directed by the anesthesia provider. Given the limited literature and importance of ASP in maintaining equipment essential to safe practice, it is necessary to describe the population to understand who is functioning in this role to insure that these individuals …

Optimization Strategy For Resonant Mass Sensor Design In The Presence Of Squeeze Film Damping, Chengzhang Li, Michele H. Miller

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

This paper investigates the design optimization of an electrostatically actuated microcantilever resonator that operates in air. The nonlinear effects of electrostatic actuation and air damping make the structural dynamics modeling more complex. There is a need for an efficient way to simulate the system behavior so that the design can be more readily optimized. This paper describes an efficient analytical approach for determining the optimum design for a microcantilever resonant mass sensor. One simple case is described. The sensor design is a square plate that is coated with a functional polymer and attached to the substrate with folded leg springs. …

Use Of Systems Analysis To Assess And Minimize Water Security Risks, James Uber, Regan Murray, Robert Janke

Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education

No abstract provided.

Wastewater Security, Eileen J. O’Neill, Alan Hais

Journal of Contemporary Water Research and Education

No abstract provided.