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Volume 47 - Issue 10 - Friday, December 9, 2011, Rose Thorn Staff

The Rose Thorn Archive

The Rose Thorn, Rose-Hulman's independent student newspaper.

The Good 5 Cent Cigar (12/9/2011), University Of Rhode Island

The Good 5 Cent Cigar (Student Newspaper Archives)

This is a digitized, downloadable version of the University of Rhode Island school newspaper.

R&J Holding Co V. The Redevelopment Authority Of

2011 Decisions

USDC for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

Reporter - December 9th 2011, Rit Reporter Staff

University Publications

No abstract provided.

Commencement Convocation Program, Usf, Graduate, December 9, 2011, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

President's Global Leadership Award - Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang

Commencement Convocation Program, Usf, Baccalaureates, December 9, 2011, University Of South Florida

USF Graduation and Convocation Programs

King O'Neal Scholars - Stephen Coder, Chelsea Conley, Chasity Guerra, and Luke Richardson; Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters - Paul Farmer; Honorary Doctor of Education - Michael S. McPherson; President's Global Leadership Award - Young-Sun Lee; Outstanding Graduate - Ryan Spellins

Is Diesel A Dirty Word? Examing The Communication And Public Relations Challenges Faced By Auto Manufacturers Who Want To Introduce Small Diesel Engines To The American Market, Christopher Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Cars with small diesel engines make up a large part of the automobile market in virtually every region of the world but the United States. In this study, the researcher sought to determine if there are preexisting attitudes toward diesel fuel and engines among American consumers and whether those attitudes affect consumers' expressed opinions (i.e. buying habits) which contribute to that disparity. The researcher carried out two studies. The first was a modified Delphi study of public relations professionals in the automotive field. Respondents were given several basic questions regarding diesel engines in the American market followed by a series …

2011 Fall Commencement Program: Winona State University, Winona State University

WSU Commencement Programs

This is the Winona State University Fall 2011 commencement program. Commencement was on Friday, December 9, 2011.

Supercritical Alcohol Processing Of Crude Bio-Oil And Pine Wood Chips, Gang Huang

Theses and Dissertations

Eight alcohols in their supercritical states were used individually to treat crude bio-oil and pine wood chips. All supercritical alcohols studied, with the exception of tertbutanol, exhibited the ability to decrease the oxygen content, acid value and/or remove unstable compounds from the crude bio-oil. For supercritical 1-butanol, its use for upgrading of crude bio-oil resulted in a product with much lower oxygen content, lower acid value and fewer unstable compounds. Two CoMo catalysts were examined for their impact on the bio-oil upgrading process with supercritical alcohol. Their influence on the oxygen content, acid value and concentrations of unstable compounds in …

Uncertainty Visualization Of Ensemble Simulations, Jibonananda Sanyal

Theses and Dissertations

Ensemble simulation is a commonly used technique in operational forecasting of weather and floods. Multi-member ensemble output is usually large, multivariate, and challenging to interpret interactively. Forecast meteorologists and hydrologists are interested in understanding the uncertainties associated with the simulation; specifically variability between the ensemble members. The visualization of ensemble members is currently accomplished through spaghetti plots or hydrographs. To improve visualization techniques and tools for forecasters, we conducted a userstudy to evaluate the effectiveness of existing uncertainty visualization techniques on 1D and 2D synthetic datasets. We designed an uncertainty evaluation framework to enable easier design of such studies for …

Development Of A Grond-Based High-Resolution 3d-Sar System For Studying The Microwave Scattering Characteristics Of Trees, Justin Frank Penner

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the development of a high-resolution ground-based 3D-SAR system and investigates its application to microwave-vegetation studies. The development process of the system is detailed including an enumeration of high-level requirements, discussions on key design issues, and detailed descriptions of the system down to a component level. The system operates on a 5.4 GHz (C-band) signal, provides a synthetic aperture area of 1.7 m x 1.7 m, and offers resolution of 0.75 m x 0.3 m x 0.3 m (range x azimuth x elevation). The system is employed on several trees with varying physical characteristics. The resulting imagery demonstrates …

A Conceptual Framework For Student Understanding Of Logarithms, Heather Rebecca Ambler Williams

Theses and Dissertations

In the past, frameworks for what it means for students to understand elementary mathematical concepts like addition have been well-researched. These frameworks are useful for identifying what students must understand to have a good grasp of the concept. Few such research-based frameworks exist for secondary mathematical topics. The intent of this study was to create such a framework for what it means for students to understand logarithms, a topic that has been under-researched up to this point. Four task-based interviews were conducted with each of four different preservice secondary mathematics teachers in order to test a preliminary framework I had …

Seasonal Habitat Selection By Greater Sage Grouse In Strawberry Valley Utah, Riley D. Peck

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined winter habitat use and nesting ecology of greater sage grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) in Strawberry Valley (SV), Utah located in the north-central part of the state. We monitored sage grouse with the aid of radio telemetry throughout the year, but specifically used information from the winter and nesting periods for this study. Our study provided evidence that sage grouse show fidelity to nesting areas in subsequent years regardless of nest success. We found only 57% of our nests located within the 3 km distance from an active lek typically used to delineate critical nesting habitat. We …

State V. Peterson Respondent's Brief Dckt. 38723

Idaho Supreme Court Records & Briefs, All

No abstract provided.

Flyer News, Vol. 59, No. 20 (Dec. 9, 2011), University Of Dayton

Flyer News

Student-run newspaper of the University of Dayton.

A Motion Capture Based Analysis Of The Effects Of Body Armor On Shooting Posture, Christopher Blackledge

Theses and Dissertations

Body armor designs that limit the range-of-motion required for vital law enforcement tasks, such as shooting may be dangerous. Therefore, a posture based biomechanical analysis was performed to determine if upper body joint angles can be used to assess the effects of armor designs on assumed shooting. Participants (n=8) completed a battery of simulated duty tasks for three armor configurations (no armor, concealable, and tactical armor) while motion capture was used to compute included joint angles of the upper extremity and neck. In general, joint angles were impacted by armor configuration, and law enforcement experience (measured in years) significantly impacted …

On The Use Of Image Processing And Pattern Recognition Tools To Enhance High Resolution Satellite Precipitation Estimation Based On Cloud Classification, Majid Mahrooghy

Theses and Dissertations

Satellite precipitation estimation at high spatial and temporal resolutions is beneficial for research and applications in the areas of weather, flood forecasting, hydrology, and agriculture. In this research, image processing and pattern recognition tools are incorporated into the Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information using Artificial Neural Networks Cloud Classification System (PERSIANN-CCS) methodology to enhance satellite precipitation and rainfall estimation. The enhanced algorithm incorporates five main steps to derive precipitation estimates: 1) segmenting the satellite infrared cloud images into patches; 2) extracting features from the segmented cloud patches; 3) feature selection or dimensionality reduction; 4) categorizing the cloud patches into …

Generic Strategies To Implement Material Grading In Finite Element Methods For Isotropic And Anisotropic Materials, Ke Yu

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

We look at generic strategies to transfer material grading into finite element methods. Three strategies are proposed to transfer material grading into the finite element analysis. These strategies are node-centered, element-centered, and the definition of material grading through external functions. The process to achieve each strategy is stated, and examples are used to illustrate each strategy, and to compare them. The strategies are implemented in finite-deformation nonlinear elastic analysis.

Several examples are used to illustrate the implementation of each strategy for graded isotropic materials. For these examples, the results obtained from finite element models are compared with those obtained from …

The Effect Of Material And Processing On The Impact Strength Of Vapor-Grown Carbon Nanofiber/Vinyl Ester Composites, Glenn William Torres

Theses and Dissertations

A design of experiments methodology was used to investigate the effect of vaporgrown carbon nanofiber (VGCNF) weight fraction, high-shear mixing time, and ultrasonication time on the Izod impact strength of vinyl ester (VE) based nanocomposites. A response surface model (RSM) was developed for predicting impact strengths using a regression analysis approach. The RSM predicts a maximum increase in impact strength of 18% at a VGCNF weight fraction of 0.17 parts per hundred parts resin (phr) (a volume percent of ~0.1) and 100 min high-shear mixing when compared to that of neat VE. The impact strength predictions show an initial increase …

A Framework For Studying The Physical Degradation Characteristics Of Dvds And Their Relationship To Digital Errors, Brian K. Saville

Theses and Dissertations

The methods used to store data on DVD-R discs have been proven to work over the last 15 years. However, there has been a growing concern that these discs will be outlasted by the paper records they were meant to replace. The data on a DVD-R is stored as optical contrasts which have the potential to be misread and even damaged. This damage may occur either on the surface or internally to the disc, especially on the recording layer itself. The literature is saturated with studies attempting to determine the time period in which discs may fail and what the …

Fall Commencement Ceremonies, University Of North Florida

Commencement Printed Materials

Program for the Fall Commencement ceremonies.

Modeling Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymeric Composite Laminates For Piezoelectric Morphing Structures, Darryl Vincent Murray

Theses and Dissertations

Thin unsymmetric carbon fiber reinforced polymeric(CFRP) composite laminates are examined for use of morphing structures using piezoelectric actuation. During fabrication, unsymmetric laminates are able to deform to more than one post-cure room temperature shape. Thin cross-ply laminates will deform to a cylindrical post-cure room temperature shape while thicker non-cross-ply laminates will deform to a saddle shape. Predictions of the deformed post-cure shape will be made by modeling the cure process using analytical and numerical. These models will then serve as expectations for experimental tests. Modeling the fabrication process allowed for characterizing important data such as residual stresses from the cure …

Modified Network Simplex Method To Solve A Sheltering Network Planning And Management Problem, Lingfeng Li

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation considers sheltering network planning and operations for natural disaster preparedness and responses with a two-stage stochastic program. The first phase of the network design decides the locations, capacities and held resources of new permanent shelters. Both fixed costs for building a new permanent shelter and variable costs based on capacity are considered. Under each disaster scenario featured by the evacuee demand and transportation network condition, the flows of evacuees and resources to shelters, including permanent and temporary ones, are determined in the second stage to minimize the transportation and shortage/surplus costs. Typically, a large number of scenarios are …

Multi-Agent Cooperative Control Via A Unified Optimal Control Approach, Jianan Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Recent rapid advances in computing, communication, sensing, and actuation, together with miniaturization technologies, have offered unprecedented opportunities to employ large numbers of autonomous vehicles (air, ground, and water) working cooperatively to accomplish a mission. Cooperative control of such multi-agent dynamical systems has potential impact on numerous civilian, homeland security, and military applications. Compared with single-agent control problems, new theoretical and practical challenges emerge and need to be addressed in cooperative control of multiagent dynamical systems, including but not limited to problem size, task coupling, limited computational resources at individual agent level, communication constraints, and the need for real-time obstacle/collision avoidance. …

Numerical Analysis Of Aberdeen Pool Sedimentation, Nathan Dwayne Clifton

Theses and Dissertations

The main objective of this research was to create a two dimensional and three dimensional Environmental Fluid Dynamics Code (EFDC) model using Aberdeen Pool of the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway for the purpose of determining the differences in their ability to address sediment transport. These objectives were reached in the results with comparisons of water levels, sediment concentrations, shear stress, and bed change. The models produced very similar results for the majority of the sediment transport throughout both models with the overall trend being deposition except in the upper limits of the Tombigbee River. The main differences between the two models are …

Optimal Operation Of Multi-Terminal Vsc Based Mvdc Shipboard Power System, Sandeep Yeleti

Theses and Dissertations

The Medium Voltage DC (MVDC) architecture of shipboard power system (SPS) with higher power density and enhanced power control is seen as a future prospect in warships by US Navy. Optimal operation of SPS is essential to enable efficient power and energy usage in the tightly coupled and power limited systems. It helps in obtaining adequate and reliable power supply by rescheduling generator output and energy storage devices for different operating scenarios and can also ensure power supply to critical loads during fault conditions. The self-commutated Voltage Source Converters (VSCs) with high dynamic performance and independent control over the real …

Pedestrian Dynamics: Modeling And Analyzing Cognitive Processes And Traffic Flows To Evaluate Facility Service Level, Hohyun Lee

Theses and Dissertations

Walking is the oldest and foremost mode of transportation through history and the prevalence of walking has increased. Effective pedestrian model is crucial to evaluate pedestrian facility service level and to enhance pedestrian safety, performance, and satisfaction. The objectives of this study were to: (1) validate the efficacy of utilizing queueing network model, which predicts cognitive information processing time and task performance; (2) develop a generalized queueing network based cognitive information processing model that can be utilized and applied to construct pedestrian cognitive structure and estimate the reaction time with the first moment of service time distribution; (3) investigate pedestrian …

Integrated Optimal And Robust Control Of Spacecraft In Proximity Operations, Hejia Pan

Theses and Dissertations

With the rapid growth of space activities and advancement of aerospace science and technology, many autonomous space missions have been proliferating in recent decades. Control of spacecraft in proximity operations is of great importance to accomplish these missions. The research in this dissertation aims to provide a precise, efficient, optimal, and robust controller to ensure successful spacecraft proximity operations. This is a challenging control task since the problem involves highly nonlinear dynamics including translational motion, rotational motion, and flexible structure deformation and vibration. In addition, uncertainties in the system modeling parameters and disturbances make the precise control more difficult. Four …

Static And Free Vibration Analyses Of Composite Shells Based On Different Shell Theories, Ebrahim Asadi

Theses and Dissertations

Equations of motion with required boundary conditions for doubly curved deep and thick composite shells are shown using two formulations. The first is based upon the formulation that was presented initially by Rath and Das (1973, J. Sound and Vib.) and followed by Reddy (1984, J. Engng. Mech. ASCE). In this formulation, plate stiffness parameters are used for thick shells, which reduced the equations to those applicable for shallow shells. This formulation is widely used but its accuracy has not been completely tested. The second formulation is based upon that of Qatu (1995, Compos. Press. Vessl. Indust.; 1999, Int. J. …

Static And Vibration Analysis Of Thick Generally Laminated Composite Deep Curved Beams, Mehdi Hajianmaleki

Theses and Dissertations

A rigorous first order shear deformation theory (FSDT) is employed along with modified ABD parameters to analyze static and free vibration behavior of generally laminated beams and shafts. Different approaches for calculating composite beam stiffness parameters have been considered and the most accurate one that accounts for material couplings have been used to analyze static and free vibration behaviors of straight beams with different laminates and boundary conditions. In order to analyze curved beams, the term (1+z/R) is exactly integrated into ABD parameters formulation and an equivalent modulus of elasticity is used instead of traditional stiffness terms to account for …