Digital Commons Network^™

Probability Theory On Time Scales And Applications To Finance And Inequalities, Thomas Matthews

Doctoral Dissertations

"In this dissertation, the recently discovered concept of time scales is applied to probability theory, thus unifying discrete, continuous and many other cases. A short introduction to the theory of time scales is provided. Following this preliminary overview, the moment generating function is derived using a Laplace transformation on time scales. Various unifications of statements and new theorems in statistics are shown. Next, distributions on time scales are defined and their properties are studied. Most of the derived formulas and statements correspond exactly to those from discrete and continuous calculus and extend the applicability to many other cases. Some theorems …

Receiver Function Studies Of Crustal Structure, Composition, And Evolution Beneath The Afar Depression, Ethiopia, Sattam A. Almadani

Doctoral Dissertations

"The dissertation utilizes a set of sophisticated computer programs developed at the Geophysics group at Missouri S&T to characterize crustal properties beneath the Afar Depression in Ethiopia where extensional tectonics dominates. In this study, measurements of crustal thickness (H), crustal mean Vp/Vs [which is related to Poisson's ratio (Σ)], and the sharpness of the Moho (R) were determined using teleseismic data from 18 broadband seismic sensors that we deployed along a profile of 250 km long with a station spacing of ~ 10 km. The stations had been recording continuously for an entire year from December 2009 until December 2010. …

Strength Adjustable Preformed Particle Gels For Conformance Control, Jia Zhou

Doctoral Dissertations

"Reservoir heterogeneity and early water breakthrough (also known as fingering) represent two of the greatest challenges to recover crude oil efficiently. Gel treatments have been implemented as a cost-effective method to plug high permeability zones and thus improve sweep efficiency in reservoirs. However, when extensive cross-flows exist between formation layers, gel treatments become less efficient. Polymer was used in polymer flooding to increase the viscosity of the injected fluids and to correct the fingering problem. However, such treatment may be uneconomical since dramatic viscosity loss (80-90%) is caused by shearing degradation during the injection process near the wellbore.

This research …

Development Of A Fuel Cell Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle And Vehicle Simulator For Energy Management Assessment, Andrew Meintz

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation offers a description of the development of a fuel cell plug-in hybrid electric vehicle focusing on the propulsion architecture selection, propulsion system control, and high-level energy management. Two energy management techniques have been developed and implemented for real-time control of the vehicle. The first method is a heuristic method that relies on a short-term moving average of the vehicle power requirements. The second method utilizes an affine function of the short-term and long-term moving average vehicle power requirements. The development process of these methods has required the creation of a vehicle simulator capable of estimating the effect of …

Development Of A Simple Vibration Model For Predicting The Structural Dynamics Of An Hcci Engine, Jeffery A. Massey

Doctoral Dissertations

"The hypothesis tested in this work is that the surface vibration and radiated sound of an engine operating under HCCI combustion is dominated by the free vibration response of the engine's structural components to an impulsive loading brought about by the rapid energy release of the HCCI combustion process. Recent work by the author has shown that classical vibration theory describing the dynamic response of a single-degree-of-freedom (SDOF) oscillator may capture the major characteristics of the engine surface vibrations. Through an experimental investigation of HCCI combustion engine dynamics this model has been developed further.

A band level analysis of measured …

Dynamic Ergonomic Analysis And Simulation Of Fastening Operation, Akul Joshi

Doctoral Dissertations

"Operator performing fastening operation with powered hand-tools at awkward postures is subjected to external forces that may pose a risk of developing ergonomic injuries. For design of safe workplaces and selection of tools it is necessary to identify the probable causes of discomfort by simulating the work conditions and quantifying the risk factors. An ergonomic simulator is developed to simulate the fastening operation and quantify the effects of posture and force in fastening operation. The effect of dynamic forces is analyzed using two approaches. The first approach analyzes the effect of tool vibration while the second analyzes the hand-arm system …

Preliminary Model Development Of Metal Complexation Of Polyester Derivatives Of 2,2'-Biimidazole, Shelonda Rena Taylor Finch

Doctoral Dissertations

"The objective of this study was to develop a chemical model for metal ion complex formation by a macroligand system with multi-metal binding sites using 2,2'-biimidazole as the starting molecule of the ligand system. Prior studies in this laboratory guided the selection of diesters and hydroxyethyl derivatives of 2,2'-biimidazole as model monomers. In addition, metal ion complexation studies with 2,2'-biimidazole derivatives were conducted. As a result, crystal structures of 1,1'-di(methylpropionato)-2,2-biimidazole, 2,2'-bis(1H-imidazolium) dinitrate and silver 2,2'-bis(1H-imidazolium) trinitrate, were reported. The crystal structures indicated a dependence upon the binding ability of the protonated 2,2'-biimidazole and counter ions. transesterification of the diesters and …

Quantum Electrodynamics And Fundamental Constants, Benedikt J. Wundt

Doctoral Dissertations

"The unprecedented precision achieved both in the experimental measurements as well as in the theoretical description of atomic bound states make them an ideal study object for fundamental physics and the determination of fundamental constants. This requires a careful study of the effects from quantum electrodynamics (QED) on the interaction between the electron and the nucleus.

The two theoretical approaches for the evaluation of QED corrections are presented and discussed. Due to the presence of two energy scales from the binding potential and the radiation field, an overlapping parameter has to be used in both the approaches in order to …

Quantum Phase Transitions In The Presence Of Disorder And Dissipation, Chetan Kotabage

Doctoral Dissertations

"A quantum phase transition is a phase transition at absolute zero occurring under variations in an external non-thermal parameter such as magnetic field or pressure. Quantum phase transitions are one among the important topics currently investigated in condensed matter physics. They are observed in various systems, e.g., in the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase transition in LiHoF₄ or in the superconductor-metal phase transition in nanowires.

A particular class of quantum phase transitions, which is phase transitions in the presence of disorder and dissipation, is investigated here. An example of this class is the ferromagnetic-paramagnetic phase transition in Ni₁₋ₓVₓ or CePd_1-xRhₓ caused …

Sandwich Structures With Advanced Facings, Cody H. Nguyen

Doctoral Dissertations

"The purpose of this research is to investigate potential advantages of two innovative designs of sandwich panels. The first design involves sandwich panels with a piece-wise thickness of the facings aiming at two possible outcomes: (I) improved the structural response, i.e. strength and stiffness, without increasing the weight of the structure or (2) reduction in the weight of the structure without a detriment to its structural response. The analysis is conducted analytically using the first-order shear deformation theory and numerically by the finite element analysis of conventional and stepped-wise sandwich panels. The applicability of the first-order shear deformation theory to …

Spiking Neural Networks And Their Applications, Cameron Eric Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations

"Artificial neural networks (ANNs) have been developed as adaptable, robust function approximators for at least the last quarter-century. They have progressed through two generations, and the third is now under development. Spiking neural networks (SNNs) seek to improve on previous generations in two ways: by using a more biologically-inspired neuron, they are shown to be capable of more complex calculations; incorporating polychronous properties of highly-recurrent networks with delays of different lengths on each synapse to achieve large numbers of possible patterns with relatively few neurons and synapses.

Abstracted spiking neurons have been used as a third-generation activation function in a …

Workforce Planning Models For Semiconductor Manufacturing: Assembly-Test Operations, Shrikant Jarugumilli

Doctoral Dissertations

"We present a framework that integrates strategic and operational workforce planning models. Since these models provide decisions for planning horizons with different lengths, the formulation and solution strategy should ensure that the flow of information between these models is both appropriate and consistent.

The single-shift workforce planning problem is formulated as a two-phase goal program. In the first phase, the model allocates the workers to machine groups and identifies the shortage of workers (referred to as gap) followed by the second phase, in which certain constraints are relaxed and the workers are reallocated to the machine groups in order to …

Enhanced Heavy Oil Recovery By Alkali-Surfactant In The Pennsylvania Warner Sandstone, Rabia Mohamed Hunky

Doctoral Dissertations

"In this research, a study of the non-thermal method of alkaline-surfactant (AS) flooding to enhance heavy oil recovery from the Pennsylvanian Warner sandstone reservoir in Western Missouri was conducted. This work includ [sic] testing approximately 30 commercial surfactants and using a heavy oil sample with an API of 17. It was found that a number of surfactants could create stable emulsions. The viscosity of heavy oil could be reduced from 18,518 cp to 2.5 cp at 25⁰C through emulsification of certain surfactants. One of the major findings was that the emulsion created by the commercial surfactant, Igepalʼ CO-530 was stable …

Georgia Southern Magazine, Georgia Southern University

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Gera Conference Program [2011], Gera

Georgia Educational Research Association Conference

Conference program for 2011.

The Who Global Code Of Practice On The International Recruitment Of Health Personnel: The Evolution Of Global Health Diplomacy, Allyn L. Taylor, Ibadat S. Dhillon

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

The May 2010 adoption of the World Health Organization Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel created a global architecture, including ethical norms and institutional and legal arrangements, to guide international cooperation and serve as a platform for continuing dialogue on the critical problem of health worker migration. Highlighting the contribution of non-binding instruments to global health governance, this article describes the Code negotiation process from its early stages to the formal adoption of the final text of the Code. Detailed are the vigorous negotiations amongst key stakeholders, including the active role of non-governmental organizations. The …

Williams V. Illinois And The Confrontation Clause: Does Testimony By A Surrogate Witness Violate The Confrontation Clause?, Paul F. Rothstein, Ronald J. Coleman

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This article comprises a four-part debate between Paul Rothstein, Professor of Law at Georgetown Law Center, and Ronald J. Coleman, who works in the litigation practice group at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, on Williams v. Illinois, a Supreme Court case that involves the Confrontation Clause, which entitles a criminal defendant to confront an accusing witness in court. The issue at hand is whether said clause is infringed when a report not introduced into evidence at trial is used by an expert to testify about the results of testing that has been conducted by a non-testifying third party. …

Interpretation And Construction, Randy E. Barnett

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

In recent years, it has become apparent that there is a difference between (a) discovering the semantic meaning of the words in the text of the Constitution, and (b) putting that meaning into effect by applying it in particular cases and controversies. To capture this difference, following the lead of political science professor Keith Whittington, legal scholars are increasingly distinguishing between the activities of “interpretation” and “construction.” Although the Supreme Court unavoidably engages in both activities, it is useful to keep these categories separate. For one thing, if originalism is a theory of interpretation, then it may be of limited …

The Rise And Fall Of The Implied Warranty Of Habitability, David A. Super

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Growing concern about poverty in the late 1960s produced two sweeping legal revolutions. One gave welfare recipients rights against arbitrary eligibility rules and benefit terminations. The other gave low-income tenants recourse when landlords failed to repair their homes. The 1996 welfare law exposed the welfare rights revolution's frailty. Little noticed by legal scholars, the tenants' rights revolution also has failed, and for broadly similar reasons.

Withholding rent deliberately to challenge landlords' failure to repair is unduly risky for most tenants in ill-maintained dwellings: either moving to better housing is a better option or the risk of retaliation is too great. …

Two Kinds Of Plain Meaning, Victoria Nourse

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

Is plain meaning so plain? This is not meant to be a philosophical question, but one deserving serious legal analysis. The plain-meaning rule claims to provide certainty and narrow statutes' domains. The author agrees with, as a relative claim, comparing plain meaning with purposivism. She does not agree that plain-meaning analysis is as easy as its proponents suggest. In this piece, the author teases out two very different ideas of plain meaning--ordinary/popular meaning and expansive/legalist meaning--suggesting that doctrinal analysis requires more than plain-meaning simpliciter. Perhaps more importantly, she argues that plain meaning, as legalist meaning, can quite …

Model Based Diagnostics And Prognostics Of Practical Industrial Systems, Raja Sekhar Kraleti

Masters Theses

"In this thesis, the diagnosis and prognosis of single and simultaneous multiple incipient faults in practical industrial systems is demonstrated in two papers. For the purpose of fault detection and failure prediction, a model based strategy is adopted, which involves using an online adaptive estimator. The online estimator estimates the system dynamics. Residual is generated based on the physical system model and the estimated system dynamics. This residual is used to detect the fault. Once the fault is detected, a tunable nonlinear neural network online approximator in discrete-time (OLAD) along with a robust adaptive term is initiated. The OLAD utilizes …

Development Of Hybrid Composite Bipolar Plates For Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells, Nathaniel James Richie

Masters Theses

"Bipolar plates are one of the most expensive components of a PEM fuel cell and by far the heaviest. Bipolar plates are responsible for providing flow fields for reaction gases, acting as current collectors for electrons liberated during the chemical reaction inside the cell, and providing structural support for the fuel cell stack. Current PEM fuel cell bipolar plate technology is built on the use of sintered graphite which is costly and requires time-consuming machining. Furthermore, due to the brittle nature of graphite, plates must be made relatively thick which adds significant weight and volume to larger stacks, such as …

Relaxation Imaging To Characterize Lightweight Polymer-Crosslinked Aerogels, Emmalou T. Satterfield

Masters Theses

"Silica aerogels are three-dimensional assemblies of silica nanoparticles with extremely low densities. In some instances, the internal void volume is more than 90% of the total volume. The highly porous structure of the aerogels leads to attractive properties for thermal and noise insulation, due to very low thermal conductivity and very high acoustic impedance. The strength of silica aerogels has been substantially improved by casting a thin conformal polymer coating over the entire internal porous surfaces of the nanostructure. The coating reinforces the interparticle connections without significantly compromising the internal void space. To analyze and compare the properties of several …

Shale Gas Rock Characterization And 3d Submicron Pore Network Reconstruction, Malek Elgmati

Masters Theses

"Determining shale gas petrophysical properties is the cornerstone to any reservoir-management practice. Hitherto, conventional core analyses are inadequate to attain the petrophysical properties of shale gas at submicron-scale. This study combines interdisciplinary techniques from material science, petrophysics, and geochemistry to characterize different shale gas samples from North America including Utica, Haynesville and Fayetteville shale gas plays. Submicron pore structure, clay mineralogy, wettability and organic matter maturation were investigated to evaluate the petrophysical properties of shale gas rocks and to determine the impact of organic and inorganic matters on wettability alteration for different fracturing fluids on shale gas rocks.

High pressure …

Inherent And Model-Form Uncertainty Analysis For Cfd Simulation Of Synthetic Jet Actuators, Daoru Frank Han

Masters Theses

"A mixed aleatory (inherent) and epistemic (model-form) uncertainty quantification (UQ) analysis method was applied to a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling problem of synthetic jet actuators. A test case, (Case 3, flow over a hump model with synthetic jet actuator control) from the CFDVAL2004 workshop was selected to apply the Second-Order Probability framework implemented with a stochastic response surface obtained from Quadrature-Based Non-Intrusive Polynomial Chaos (NIPC). Three uncertainty sources were considered: (1) epistemic uncertainty in turbulence model, (2) aleatory uncertainty in free stream velocity and (3) aleatory uncertainty in actuation frequency. Uncertainties in both long-time averaged and phase averaged quantities …

Design And Development Of Manufacturing Methods For Manufacturing Of Pem Fuel Cell Mea's, Nikhil Pramod Kulkarni

Masters Theses

"This thesis focuses on design and manufacturing of Fuel cell components using Additive Manufacturing techniques and then in the later part on design and manufacturing of Membrane Electrode Assembly (MEA) which is a very important component in fuel cells. Additive manufacturing methods are fast and efficient manufacturing methods which are additive building up components layer by layer instead of conventional subtractive manufacturing techniques. This ensures low cost and faster manufacturing. Additive manufacturing is important for fuel cell component manufacturing since it is important in fuel cells to minimize wastage and reduce the cost. MEA is the basis of the cost …

The Feasibility Of Using Bifidobacteria Bifidum (Atcc 700541) For The Production Of Prebiotic Oligosaccharides, Candice Marie Luehrs

Masters Theses

"Galactooligosaccharides (GOS) are prebiotics that are being used to influence intestinal microbiota towards health promoting, beneficial bacteria like bifidobacteria. Natural sources of GOS are not found in suitable levels to achieve the desired health effects so economically viable commercial production methods are important. Enzymatic conversion of lactose to GOS through transgalactosylation is a preferred method since the starting material is inexpensive and readily available. Enzymes used in batch production are purified from fungal or bacterial sources or remain in whole cells cultured for GOS production. Purified or unbound enzymes are single use whereas enzymes retained within whole cells can potentially …

Design Of A Hydrogen Community For Santa Monica, Vijay Mohan

Masters Theses

"Hydrogen systems infrastructure development and fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) have the potential to replace the gasoline internal combustion engine vehicles thus increasing energy security and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Hydrogen fueling infrastructure development is critical for the commercialization and consumer acceptability of the FCVs, thus recognizing hydrogen as an affordable transportation fuel. This paper presents the conceptual design of a scalable and reproducible hydrogen fueling station in Santa Monica, California. The various hydrogen production technologies have been evaluated and the usage of renewable energy sources such as biogas and landfill gas has been emphasized. The technical specifications of the hydrogen …

The Effects Select Physical Parameters Have On An Explosively Formed Projectile's Performance, Phillip R. Mulligan

Masters Theses

"Identifying how changes in the physical parameters of an Explosively Formed Projectile (EFP) affect its performance is crucial in determining what physical parameters could be changed to achieve a desired performance. This research analyzes five of the physical parameters of an EFP, similar to an Iranian design (Worsey, 2009), and the effects on performance. The five physical parameters selected for this research were charge weight, confining geometry, flyer thickness, flyer curvature, and explosives-type. Eighteen different EFP designs were used to test the penetration, measured velocity, production of a dominant projectile, and kinetic energy of these five physical parameters. Of the …

Waterjet Injection Of Powdered Activated Carbon For Sediment Remediation, Chris J. Redell

Masters Theses

"In situ sediment remediation through waterjet-activated carbon amendment delivery is an innovative means to mitigate the dangers posed by hydrophobic organic compounds. Ease of use and applicability to inundated environments makes this technique valuable. This work made feasible low-pressure injections of a 15% (by dry weight) carbon/water slurry through a pulsating piston pump waterjet. The project fabricated nozzle tips and a unique injection apparatus comprising a quantitative system for the evaluation of bench scale models. Based on a series of iterative processes, injections of carbon were analyzed for depth and concentration. Injections varied in duration and they were made into …