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2011

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Development And Application Of A Three-Dimensional Probabilistic Wind-Borne Debris Trajectory Model, James Grayson Dec 2011

Development And Application Of A Three-Dimensional Probabilistic Wind-Borne Debris Trajectory Model, James Grayson

All Theses

This research presents a probabilistic debris trajectory model adapted from current 6-degree-of-freedom (6-DoF) deterministic models, in which the aleatoric (inherent) uncertainty is explicitly considered in the proposed probabilistic model. While the inherent randomness in the debris flight trajectory is irreducible due to the wind turbulence, variation in wind direction, gustiness of the wind event and so forth, the proposed probabilistic model seeks to address these uncertainties through Monte Carlo simulations with the appropriate statistical distributions applied to the governing equations of motion of the debris. Verification of the probabilistic debris trajectory model is performed through an analytical and visual comparison …

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Magic Meat, Adam Stewart Dec 2011

Magic Meat, Adam Stewart

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Have you ever been really secure in what it means to be? If not, it's ok. If so,
don't be delusional. Either way, I have created a series of devices that present the
challenges of self-division and fluctuation, and reveals this complicated human
characteristic not as a product of being broken, fractured, and dysfunctional, but as an
advantageous ability to adopt complex multiple perspectives, sometimes simultaneously.
These devices can be thought of as 'gym equipment' to exercise the more
immaterial, invisible portions of ourselves. Strengthening the connections between
physicality and the mental/emotional aspects of our bodies demonstrates an ability to …

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The Development Of A Far Red To Near Infrared Fluorescent Probe For Use In Optical Imaging, Margaret Fiedler Dec 2011

The Development Of A Far Red To Near Infrared Fluorescent Probe For Use In Optical Imaging, Margaret Fiedler

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New techniques for biological optical imaging are of great interest for the detection and visualization of processes and disease in both clinical and research areas. One major advancement has been the use of far red and near infrared (NIR) light, as it has the ability to penetrate tissues deeper than other parts of the spectrum which are readily scatter and absorbed by the surroundings. In order to improve the signal to noise ratio and resolution of optical images, contrast agents are used. Fluorescent markers can be modified to attach to specific molecular targets, creating small molecular probes. These targets can …

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Ecological Disinfestation: Physical And Biological Characterization Of Filtration Substrates For Removing Zoospores Of Phytophthora Nicotianae From Water, Elizabeth Nyberg Dec 2011

Ecological Disinfestation: Physical And Biological Characterization Of Filtration Substrates For Removing Zoospores Of Phytophthora Nicotianae From Water, Elizabeth Nyberg

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Although recycling irrigation water is beneficial to the nursery industry as it serves to decrease potable water usage and reduces the release of excess agrichemicals into the environment, it also poses the risk of becoming the source for and means of dispersing water-borne plant pathogens. Plant pathogens of major concern in irrigation water are species of Phytophthora. These pathogens are a significant threat because they can attack a vast number of plants, many of which are ornamental crops grown in nurseries, by releasing motile zoospores directly into irrigation water. Several treatment methods are available to remove plant pathogens from irrigation …

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Chlorine Absorption Utilizing Caustic Sodium Sulfite, Henry Mcdonald Dec 2011

Chlorine Absorption Utilizing Caustic Sodium Sulfite, Henry Mcdonald

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A scrubber was required to abate a waste stream containing chlorine gas created in the electrolytic dissolution step of the aqueous polishing process at the Mixed Oxides Fuel Fabrication Facility at Savannah River Site, South Carolina. A method of absorption that utilized caustic sodium sulfite as the scrubbing agent was studied for implementation in the process. This method was found to be highly efficient with respect to process requirements, and it was also found to provide enhanced performance over the more conventional method of chlorine scrubbing which uses only aqueous sodium hydroxide as a reagent. Sulfite provides an additional advantage …

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Discovery Through The Art Of Making, Andrew Daly Dec 2011

Discovery Through The Art Of Making, Andrew Daly

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Between growing up on a farm, and working in a saddle shop, I have been conditioned to understand my environment in an empirical and experiential manner. There is a certain kind of education that can only be achieved through working with your hands, and the knowledge obtained in that fashion cannot be sufficiently translated through the written word, or with the use of technology. It is important to me to keep this type of education alive.
I have disciplined myself to learning the traditional printmaking techniques of engraving and lithography for their laborious hands on qualities so that I can …

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Fabrication And Characterization Of Multi-Functional Non-Spherical Particles Via Mechanical Deformation, Venkata Shilpa Varahagiri Dec 2011

Fabrication And Characterization Of Multi-Functional Non-Spherical Particles Via Mechanical Deformation, Venkata Shilpa Varahagiri

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Nanoparticles bridge the gap between bulk materials and molecules. They possess exciting but contrasting mechanical, chemical, magnetic and optical properties when compared to their bulk counterparts due to their shape and size. When the size of noble metal nanoparticles is reduced to less than the wavelength of light, the particles intensely absorb and scatter light at wavelengths that depend on the particle size, shape, and local dielectric environment due to Localized Surface Plasmon Resonance (LSPR) modes. Recently, plasmonic particles have been used in a wide variety of sensor and optical device applications including immunoassays and surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy substrates. …

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Tools For Nourishment, Ernst Meyer Dec 2011

Tools For Nourishment, Ernst Meyer

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Although modern life is often fragmented and hurried with little time for reflection, the shared use and contemplation of handmade objects can strengthen human connections. By creating functional ceramics for everyday use, I make tools that help heighten users' awareness of their food, their families and their communities. My work considers the interaction between person and object through the senses of sight and touch. Cups, pouring vessels and small bowls have rounded forms that fit easily in the hand, while large bowls have grooves and folds inspired by the natural landscape; plate and bowl sets are designed to be assembled …

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A Comparison Of The Performance Of Neural Q-Learning And Soar-Rl On A Derivative Of The Block Design (Bd)/Block Design Multiple Choice (Bdmc) Subtests On The Wisc-Iv Intelligence Test, Charreau Bell Dec 2011

A Comparison Of The Performance Of Neural Q-Learning And Soar-Rl On A Derivative Of The Block Design (Bd)/Block Design Multiple Choice (Bdmc) Subtests On The Wisc-Iv Intelligence Test, Charreau Bell

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Teaching an autonomous agent to perform tasks that are simple to humans can be complex, especially when the task requires successive steps, has a low likelihood of successful completion with a brute force approach, and when the solution space is too large or too complex to be explicitly encoded. Reinforcement learning algorithms are particularly suited to such situations, and are based on rewards that help the agent to find the optimal action to execute given a certain state. The task investigated in this thesis is a modified form of the Block Design (BD) and Block Design Multiple Choice (BDMC) subtests, …

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Laminar Flame Speed Estimation From Experimental Data Using A Quasi-Dimensional Turbulent Flame Entrainment Combustion Simulation For Spark Ignition Engines, Akash Desai Dec 2011

Laminar Flame Speed Estimation From Experimental Data Using A Quasi-Dimensional Turbulent Flame Entrainment Combustion Simulation For Spark Ignition Engines, Akash Desai

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The goal of this research is to develop a thermodynamic simulation of spark-ignition engine combustion that uses a predictive burn-rate model. Previously done thermodynamic engine simulations in MATLAB are based on a specified burn rate model. Also, the effect of turbulence parameters on the rate of mass burn up is not considered. A predictive burn rate model is necessary to study the effect of different fuels on spark ignition engine combustion. The effect of laminar flame speed and turbulent intensity on combustion is difficult to assess experimental due to the difficulty in the measurement of these two variables. Thus, the …

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An Analysis Of Managerial Retention Decisions Using Major League Baseball, William Ward Dec 2011

An Analysis Of Managerial Retention Decisions Using Major League Baseball, William Ward

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Major League Baseball managers are often blamed for the poor performance of a baseball team. In the past two years alone, there have been eight midseason managerial firings and six postseason managerial firings. While this number may seem high, these numbers have actually been consistent with probabilities of managerial retention since 1930, when baseball was still in the early stages of its development as a professional sport. In the following study, I examine the factors that are taken into account during these managerial firing decisions and what conditions are present when changes do take place. Using Major League Baseball managerial …

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A Survey And Assessment Of The State Of Low Impact Development In The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester County Region Of Coastal South Carolina Emphasizing The Role Of Landscape Architects In Stormwater Management, Noelle Castiglia Dec 2011

A Survey And Assessment Of The State Of Low Impact Development In The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester County Region Of Coastal South Carolina Emphasizing The Role Of Landscape Architects In Stormwater Management, Noelle Castiglia

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Watersheds across the U.S., particularly population-dense coastal regions, are being impacted by cultural development preferences which promote an increase in impervious surfaces and ultimately increase the rate and volume of stormwater runoff. Low Impact Development (LID), a site specific form of green infrastructure (GI), is being adopted by many municipalities as an alternative stormwater management solution. Taking advantage of local ecological systems, LID addresses pressing growth requirements with the fundamental need to protect waterways, while also meeting federal regulations resulting from the National Permit Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). This thesis attempts to assess the state of LID in the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester …

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Sensory Spaces, Thomas Schram Dec 2011

Sensory Spaces, Thomas Schram

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We are all products of our environments and simultaneously have the ability to shape and change those environments. Physical environments obviously influence how we perceive and understand ourselves in relation to our surroundings, but non-physical environments have an ever-increasing effect as well. Changing technologies and increased use of online networks pose new questions about how we understand and relate to the settings we inhabit. Inspired by the work of Sherry Turkle, my work examines the tension in the transition many people experience as they incorporate more internet-ready, globally connected technology into their daily lives. I examine the intersection between virtual …

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The Food Waste Management System In A Southeastern Hospital, Amal Habadi Dec 2011

The Food Waste Management System In A Southeastern Hospital, Amal Habadi

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Effective waste management has always posed a challenge to those in food service operations. This study investigated the amount of food waste from Bon Secours St. Francis Health System foodservice operations using the Trim Trax¨ program. Trim Trax¨ is a food waste management program in which employees measure the volume of waste produced in pre-production and post-production areas. The objectives of this study were to collect the amount of waste produced during meal preparations and compare it with three weeks of retrospective data kept by employees in the salad/baking pre-production area, the cooking/grilling pre-production area and post-production area. Results showed …

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Effects Of Dietary Supplementation Of Conjugated Linoleic Acid In Horses, Shannon Headley Dec 2011

Effects Of Dietary Supplementation Of Conjugated Linoleic Acid In Horses, Shannon Headley

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Conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) reduces inflammation via the inhibition of cyclooxygenase II , thus reducing prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) production. Conjugated linoleic acid has a suggested osteoclast-suppressive role in bone remodeling and osteoarthritis, which are dependent on bone resorptive stimulator PGE2. Bone resorption marker, deoxypyridinoline (DPD), and bone formation marker, bone alkaline phosphatase (BAP), have been modulated by CLA supplementation in other species. Recent research in equine exercise physiology investigated dietary supplementation of polyunsaturated fatty acids as a possible prevention and treatment for osteoarthritis, but CLA supplementation has putative effects on skeletal function or inflammation in horses has not been reported. …

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Building Preliminary Guideline For Earthquake Evacuation, Guang Miao Dec 2011

Building Preliminary Guideline For Earthquake Evacuation, Guang Miao

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Disaster frequency appears to be increasing. The impact of those disasters has increased substantially in terms of mortality and economic losses. Evacuation, as an inevitable part of disaster management systems, plays a critical role in disaster mitigation. The efficiency of all-hazard disaster evacuation could be increased by making appropriate decisions on policies and practices for planning, preparedness and response, and taking certain traffic operations, management and control. Common principles for large disaster evacuation have been established, mostly based on the experience of hurricane events. However, earthquakes have a series of special characteristics, which are different from other disasters, such as …

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Temporal Pier Scour Evolution Under Stepped Hydrographs, Mark Schillinger Dec 2011

Temporal Pier Scour Evolution Under Stepped Hydrographs, Mark Schillinger

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The present study was aimed at measuring the scour hole profile at bridge piers under clear water scour. Scour tests were performed under both steady state flow and under stepped hydrographs. Multiple smaller flood events were run to determine how flood history affects scour hole development. Various equilibrium scour depth equations and proposed temporal scour models were compared. The similarity of the scour hole profiles with time and flow history were evaluated.
Experiments were conducted in a 14.8 m long, 1.19 m wide, 1.22 m deep rectangular flume with a model bridge pier. A uniform sediment bed (d50= …

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Modeling Impacts Of Foothills Parkway Construction On Stream Water Quality Using Real-Time Remote Monitoring, Clark Chewning Dec 2011

Modeling Impacts Of Foothills Parkway Construction On Stream Water Quality Using Real-Time Remote Monitoring, Clark Chewning

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ABSTRACT
The need to monitor surface water quality has been increasingly recognized in recent years in environmental and natural resource management. The advent of real-time remote monitoring technologies has accelerated and enhanced this process. Field observations of water quality data are able to be conducted and analyzed in ways that were previously unavailable.
The objectives of this research were to deploy and test a real-time remote monitoring system for three small watersheds (Hembree, Dunn, and Rudd Hollows) in the Great Smoky Mountains. The watersheds ranged in size from 12 to 19 ha. Real-time remote monitoring stations were established in three …

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A Web-Integrated Environment For Component-Based Software Reasoning, Charles Cook Dec 2011

A Web-Integrated Environment For Component-Based Software Reasoning, Charles Cook

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This thesis presents the Web IDE, a web-integrated environment for component-based software reasoning. The Web IDE is specifically tailored to emphasize the relationships among various components in component-based software engineering (CBSE) and to facilitate reasoning. It allows students to use RESOLVE, a component-based, integrated specification and programming language, to build components and systems, providing real-time feedback that can be used to reason about the correctness of their component implementations. Real-time interaction and relationship focused component presentation reinforces CBSE and reasoning principles in a way not possible with traditional programming exercises and file management systems.
The Web IDE has gone through …

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Role Of Surface Coatings In Lithium-Ion Batteries, Archana Kayyar Dec 2011

Role Of Surface Coatings In Lithium-Ion Batteries, Archana Kayyar

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Rechargeable batteries that can charge and discharge at high rates have applications in hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles and they provide energy storages for wind energy. Various methods like reducing particle size, aliovalent doping and carbon coating have been researched in order to attain higher charge and discharge rates in rechargeable Li-ion batteries. In this work, the electrode materials were coated with amorphous films in an attempt to improve the rate capability of the batteries.
A study by Kang and Ceder suggested that a Li4P2O7-like 'fast-ion conducting surface phase' could form on the surface …

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Analysis And Implementation Of Room Assignment Problem And Cannon's Algorithm On General Purpose Programmable Graphical Processing Units With Cuda, Harsh Vardhan Dwivedi Dec 2011

Analysis And Implementation Of Room Assignment Problem And Cannon's Algorithm On General Purpose Programmable Graphical Processing Units With Cuda, Harsh Vardhan Dwivedi

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General-purpose Graphics Processing Units (GP-GPU) has emerged as a popular computing paradigm for high-performance computing over the last few years. The increased interest in GP-GPUs for parallel computing mirrors the trend in general computing with the rise of multi-core processors as an alternative approach to increase processor performance. Many applications that were previously accelerated on distributed processing platforms with MPI or multithreaded techniques such as OpenMP are now being investigated to assess their performance on GP-GPU platforms. Since the GP-GPU platform is designed to give higher performance for parallel problems, applications on other parallel architectures are good candidates for performance …

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In Vitro Study Of Fluid Diodes In The Pulmonary Valve Position, John Porcher Dec 2011

In Vitro Study Of Fluid Diodes In The Pulmonary Valve Position, John Porcher

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Every year many people suffer from severe chronic pulmonary insufficiency. Problems that can be incurred include the valve becoming stenotic, where it inhibits antegrade flow, and incompetent, allowing retrograde flow. When either of these conditions occurs with great severity, it is often necessary for the native valve to be replaced. There are no acceptable, permanent solutions currently available for a pulmonary valve replacement. Previous research, based on regurgitant fraction and transvalvular gradient, has indicated that a fluid diode could possibly serve as a permanent valve replacement solution. This study investigated the effectiveness of a diode to reduce the workload of …

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An Early Warning Monitoring System For Cnc Spindle Bearing Failure, Andrew Werner Dec 2011

An Early Warning Monitoring System For Cnc Spindle Bearing Failure, Andrew Werner

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Equipment employed in a manufacturing environment must be able to operate as long as possible having as little downtime as possible. Therefore, maintenance is crucial in order to allow for the equipment to perform its designated tasks without failure, especially on critical systems. In a CNC machine, if the spindle fails, the machine is useless. Having the ability to detect spindle degradation to the point where a replacement spindle installation can be planned, via condition monitoring, is invaluable to a manufacturer who utilizes these types of machines.
An early warning monitoring system for CNC spindle bearing failure has been developed …

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The Accuracy Of Drivers' Perceptions Of The Effects Of Headlight Glare On Their Ability To Recognize Pedestrians At Night, Stephanie Whetsel Dec 2011

The Accuracy Of Drivers' Perceptions Of The Effects Of Headlight Glare On Their Ability To Recognize Pedestrians At Night, Stephanie Whetsel

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Recently, researchers have begun to assess the extent to which drivers believe their ability to see is degraded by headlight glare. Research has suggested that drivers may overestimate the extent to which glare from headlamps degrades their ability to see letters. This project extended this research by quantifying the accuracy with which drivers judge that glare interferes with their ability to see pedestrians at night. On average, participants overestimated the distance at which drivers would see a pedestrian by a factor of more than three. Headlight glare disrupted participants' ability to recognize the pedestrian wearing both non-retroreflective and reflective clothing …

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Printing Carbon Nanotube Based Supercapacitors For Packaging, Alexandra Hartman Dec 2011

Printing Carbon Nanotube Based Supercapacitors For Packaging, Alexandra Hartman

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Living in a world full of portable electronics, there is great need for energy storage devices. Currently, limitations for storage involve power inefficiencies as well as bulkiness. This is why printable charge storage devices that display good electrochemical performance are needed. It is for this reason that research into the production and packaging of carbon nanotube based super capacitors was carried out.
A super capacitor can be built by using high surface area multi-walled carbon nanotubes suspended in an ionic liquid. The two active electrodes are made from a combination of the multi-walled carbon nanotubes and an ionic liquid, ground …

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Empirical Study: Failure Of Glass-To-Metal Seals During Shock Loading, William Horton Dec 2011

Empirical Study: Failure Of Glass-To-Metal Seals During Shock Loading, William Horton

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The goal of this thesis was to determine the empirical failure mechanisms and sequence of cartridge actuated devices (CADs) experiencing failure of the glass-to-metal (G/M) seal. Impact loading was conducted with a drop weight machine at room temperature and 300¡F, and then empirically analyzed with high speed video. Resulting peak overload force, shear stress, and impulse were all calculated. The room temperature samples were found to absorb twice the impulse upon failure as the elevated temperature G/M seals. Closed-form and three-dimensional finite element analysis was used to determine the stress state and deformation upon loading. Furthermore, high speed data was …

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Driving Down The Virtual Broadway: Testing The Feasibility Of Educating Young Drivers In Virtual Worlds, Christopher Ball Dec 2011

Driving Down The Virtual Broadway: Testing The Feasibility Of Educating Young Drivers In Virtual Worlds, Christopher Ball

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The Clemson University Automotive Safety Research Institute funded the creation of a three-dimensional virtual representation of an established teen driver education program. This virtual safe driving program was created within the public virtual world of Second Life. The overall objective of this project was to explore the use of virtual worlds as potential mediums for teen driver education. The specific objectives of this study were: (1) to adapt and translate the Petty Safe Driving Program curriculum into a virtual world; (2) to create a virtual learning environment that can exist as an engaging, entertaining, and educational program addition; (3) to …

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The Design Of A Haptic Device For Training And Evaluating Surgeon And Novice Laparoscopic Movement Skills, Ryan Bontreger Dec 2011

The Design Of A Haptic Device For Training And Evaluating Surgeon And Novice Laparoscopic Movement Skills, Ryan Bontreger

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As proper levels of force application are necessary to ensure patient safety, and training hours with an expert on live subjects are difficult, enhanced computer-based training is needed to teach the next generation of surgeons. Considering the role of touch in surgery, there is a need for a device capable of discerning the haptic ability of surgical trainees. This need is amplified by minimally invasive surgical techniques where a surgeon's sense of tissue properties comes not directly through their own hands but indirectly through the tools. A haptic device capable of producing a realistic range of forces and motions that …

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Analysis And Parameterization Of The Flight Of Ember Generation Experiments, Hillary Harris Dec 2011

Analysis And Parameterization Of The Flight Of Ember Generation Experiments, Hillary Harris

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This thesis presents a study on ember flight modeling based on a series of wind tunnel experiments. The purpose of these experiments and the data collected was to provide the input conditions for an ember flight model in order to compare and validate the model predictions. An analysis was performed which determined the sensitivity of model predictions of downwind mass distribution to uncertainties in the model input parameters.
From the wind tunnel experiments, flight distances were measured and characteristic ember size distributions were obtained from the collected data. A flight model was developed based on standard models published in the …

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Abundance, Overload, And Excess, Kristina Falotico Dec 2011

Abundance, Overload, And Excess, Kristina Falotico

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As a middle class American, I have become aware of my culture's inclination and capability to accumulate goods. Through relocations, my life in recent years has been a transient one; relying mostly on possessions to constitute a home. At the same time these
possessions begin to become a burden, weighing me down as they constantly get packed and unpacked. It is through these experiences that I've become more aware of what we surround ourselves with and which represent our lives. My prints explore the notion of
everyday household goods and how much we have amassed as a culture. My observation …

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