Digital Commons Network^™

Underground Mine Fire Simulation Using Multiscale Modeling Approach, Xichen Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

"Underground mine fires have always been a major concern. Past events show that fire poses a severe safety hazard to mine workers, and causes tremendous economic loss to the mine and surrounding communities. A good understanding of the interaction between a mine fire and the mine ventilation network is crucial for effective fire emergency planning and hazard control. Unfortunately our understanding of a fire is still limited due to the complex nature of mine fires and a lack of adequate resource for studying them.

A new multiscale modeling approach coupling conventional 1D and 3D techniques has shown to be a …

Theoretical Studies Of Few-Body Problems, Uttam Chowdhury

Doctoral Dissertations

"Heavy ion collisions with atomic and molecular targets produce many outcomes. The Schrödinger equation is not analytically soluble for more than two mutually interacting particles. As a result, theory must resort to using approximations, the validity of which is determined by comparison with experiment. This work is focused on finding better approximations to describe ionization and capture processes in proton collisions.

Proton-impact ionization of molecular hydrogen is treated as a 3-body problem. Usually the target is treated as an atomic target and the results are multiplied by an ad hoc factor to account for the molecular structure. Measured cross sections …

Stress Corrosion Cracking Behavior Of Friction Stir Processed Ultrafine Grained Light Metal Alloys, Gaurav Ramchandra Argade

Doctoral Dissertations

"The influence of friction stir processing (FSP), a microstructural modification tool, on the corrosion behavior of Al-Mg, Al-Mg-Sc, Mg-Al-Zn and Mg-Y-RE alloys has been studied. An attempt has been made to establish correlation between processing parameters and the subsequent microstructural evolution especially matrix grain size on the corrosion and stress corrosion properties of the alloys. A relationship between grain size and corrosion rate for Mg-Y-RE alloys was envisaged and power law type behavior was proposed. Ultrafine fine grained (UFG) microstructure showed one order magnitude lower corrosion rate.

Grain refinement achieved through different FSP parameters showed lower corrosion currents for Al-Mg …

A Comparison Analysis Of Defensive Routines And Theories-In-Use Of Engineering And Non-Engineering Managers, Tyria Riley

Doctoral Dissertations

"Engineering managers are managers who have an understanding of both the technical and business world in organizations. Many lead teams of their peers who are purely technical individuals. However, the success of an engineering manager depends on being able to function in both worlds when necessary. There is a stigma that engineers experience challenges in areas such as communication, conflict resolution, and leadership. Due to these challenges, defensive routines are likely to exist. Defensive routines are behaviors that are common in many managers and may hinder the success of an organization. This research uses a case study approach to measure …

X-Ray Crystallography For The Study Of Nickel And Iron Salicylaldimines, Carla Schmiesing Eribal

Doctoral Dissertations

"X-ray diffraction of single crystals has developed dramatically over the last century by combining fundamental theories of light, diffraction, and statistics to generate the complete, geometric structure of molecules. The quality of the resulting X -ray structure data are reported in R₁ < 5%, wR2 < 12% and a goodness of fit value of one. This technique was applied specifically to the evaluation of the spin crossover (SCO) compound [Fe(salpm)₂]BF₄ʺ0.5EtOH and how the molecule's geometry changed during a two-step thermal LS-HS conversion. The crystal structure was measured at 100,175,225, and 296 K to yield final R₁ values of 0.047, 0.054, 0.051, and 0.058, respectively. The coordination bond lengths show the spin transitions occur between 100-175K at one crystallographically unique Fe and between 175-225K at the other Fe site. No strong long range interactions are found, suggesting a gradual spin transition. Reaction ofNi(Nalkyl-sal)₂ complexes with Ni(N0₃)₂ form either nickel dimeric, [Ni₃(Rsal)(N0₃)(MeOH)]₂ or trinuclear complexes, Ni₃(Rsal)₄(N0₃)₂. The binuclear complexes, with orthogonal bridging ligands, show overall ferromagnetic interactions. The crystal structures for Ni₃(Rsal)₄(N0₃)₂ from methyl to benzyl were solved and indicate no steric restriction on formation for the series. The trinuclear compounds form an isosceles triangle of metal atoms with the isopropyl analog showing an overall antiferromagnetic interaction with J=+11.386 and J23=-13.891. Lastly, xanthene spirolactam derivatives were structurally analyzed to determine binding modes for their selective and sensitive (µM) detection of metals Cr³⁺, Fe³⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺ and the nerve gas mimic, dichlorophosphate"--Abstract, page iii.

Modelling Interruptions Of Human-In-The Loop Tasks, Muhammet Servet Gulum

Doctoral Dissertations

"Interruptions are a part of our everyday experience and are increasingly becoming a part of our work. Systems are typically not designed with consideration of the effects of interrupting a user during a task sequence. Research is being done in the field of interruptions and its effects. There have been various claims about the effects of interruptions on human task performance. It has been shown that interruptions may not only increase the time to perform a task but also decrease the performance. It has also been analyzed that the effect of interruptions depends on many parameters including task complexity, point …

Prediction And Performance Of Single Piles In Clay Soils Under Vibratory Loadings, Domenica Cambio

Doctoral Dissertations

"This study developed a model for predicting the response, in terms of amplitude versus frequency of single piles under lateral vibratory loadings embedded in clay or fine silty soils. The model incorporates frequency dependent parameters and the effects of soil non-linearity through the relationship between soil shear modulus and damping with strain. A computer program, Dyna5, was used to generate the computed response of single piles using the Novak and El-Shamouby (1983) approach. Soil non-linearity was accounted for by incorporating spline interpolation routine into Dyna5. Sliding and coupled rocking vibrations were addressed. The computed responses were predicted and compared with …

A Methodology For Statistical Propped Fracture Treatment Design In Fluvial Environments, Prue Elizabeth Smith

Doctoral Dissertations

"Treatment design for hydraulic fracturing historically has been deterministic in nature. In a deterministic design, required variables can be determined and are assumed to be laterally continuous. This is difficult for geologic settings in general, but nearly impossible in fluvial geologic environments where the second assumption is violated.

Recent work has employed statistical methods to account for the complexity and heterogeneity in fluvial environments. Statistical design tools have been used to assist with improving the design process in complex fluvial geologic systems. Currently, the statistical design tools must be created using a "trial and error" process, which requires first completing/fracturing …

Analyses Of Alternative Energy Deployments, Mathew Thomas

Doctoral Dissertations

"Energy use around the world is rising drastically. Fossil fuels, including liquid fuels, natural gas, and coal, are expected to supply 80% of the world's energy need in 2035. As a result, the world's energy-related carbon dioxide emission is expected to increase from 30.2 billion metric tons in 2008 to 43.2 billion metric tons in 2035. Significant steps are necessary to reduce the dependence on fossil fuel and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Renewable and alternative energy technologies can assist in reducing the use of fossil fuels and can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. However, most of the renewable energy technologies …

Nano-Particles Induced Oxidative Stress In Immortalized Human Brain Endothelial Cells, Xinsheng Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

"Nanoparticles are engineered structure with at least one dimension of 100 nanometers or less. These materials are increasingly being used for commercial purposes such as catalyst, semiconductor, cosmetics, microelectronic, and drug carrier. However, the toxicological impact of these materials has not yet been studied in detail, thereby limiting their use. In our present study, we use human brain endothelial cell line as a blood-brain barrier (BBB) model to investigate if two kinds of nanoparticles [ 1). Diesel exhaust particles (DEPs) and 2). single wall carbon nanotube (CNT) ] induced oxidative stress in cell model. Our studies showed that DEPs or …

Evaluation Of An Early Intervention Program In A Rural County, Andrea Thomas

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education ETD Archive

The purpose of this study was to evaluate an early intervention program (EIP) in the southeastern United States. The program was adopted in 2000 by the state’s assembly and implemented in 2001. The goal of the program was to help students in kindergarten through fifth grade to perform on grade level in reading and mathematics. Students were identified and placed in the program based on standardized test scores and teachers’ checklists. Once placed in the program, students were given individualized programs targeted to help them perform better in reading and mathematics.

The research questions focused on the student achievement of …

Speech Intelligibility Prediction Using A Neurogram Similarity Index Measure, Andrew Hines, Naomi Harte

Articles

Performance Intensity functions can be used to provide additional information over measurement of speech reception threshold and maximum phoneme recognition by plotting a test subject's recognition probability over a range of sound intensities. A computational model of the auditory periphery was used to replace the human subject and develop a methodology that simulates a real listener test. The newly developed NSIM is used to evaluate the model outputs in response to Consonant-Vowel-Consonant (CVC) word lists and produce phoneme discrimination scores.

Using Lidar As A Monitoring Device To Calculate Volume Of Rockfall Over Time, Travis James Kassebaum

Masters Theses

"There are many natural hazards which threaten the stability of highway infrastructure and the safety of motoring public. Rockfall and unstable slopes are one of the major concerns. This thesis describes a method which safely and accurately evaluates rockfall on rock outcrops through the use of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data. LiDAR is an imaging technology which can be used to measure and evaluate possible rock outcrop hazards such as: rockfall, rock-avalanches, debris flows, and landslides. LiDAR produces a three dimensional point cloud of millions of points which gives spatial data on the scanned object, accurate to millimeters, in …

Parametric Moment Closure For Non-Linear State Dependent Stochastic Systems, Ritesh Arora

Masters Theses

"This research highlights the use of moment closure approximation techniques to provide analytical approximations to nonlinear state dependent systems. Nonlinear systems are often difficult to solve and often approximated through the use of simulation. However, Moment Closure has the capability to derive an approximate solution by making a closed form solution out of open set of differential equations representing nonlinear system behavior in both transient and equilibrium state. It is this capability of approximating the closed form solution to complex systems that draws interest in the use of this method within systems engineering. This research further extends to the stability …

Generic Kinematic Simulation For Verification Of Laser Deposition Tool Paths, Sweta Dhaveji Chakravadhanula

Masters Theses

"The development of 3D visual simulation tool for machine simulation is a key approach in saving time and reducing cost. It is an important step before a manufacturing operation is performed on a part, as a tool to detect collision and validate the operation results. There are several kinds of manufacturing equipment being used and hence there is a need for the development of a generalized method to visually simulate a variety of machines. This paper presents the research conducted on describing machine configuration in a generic format which not only gives useful information, but can also be used as …

Computation Of Power Plane Pair Inductance, Measurement Of Multiple Switching Current Components And Switching Current Measurement For Multiple Ics With An Island Structure, Liang Li

Masters Theses

"The first part of the thesis presents the computation of power / ground plane pair inductance based on Partial Element Equivalent Circuit (PEEC) method in power distribution network (PDN) design. An efficient approach for the inductance computation is investigated. Speed-up techniques are employed include using the faster decay of mutual coupling due to the "differential" currents (same magnitude but opposite directions) in the two planes. Also, an approximate rectangular mesh reduction method is introduced which allows a local increase in mesh density.

The second part presents a measurement-based data-processing approach to obtain parameters of multiple current components through a bulk …

Chemical Risk In Early Design, Carlton Ashley Washburn

Masters Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to present a methodology to identify risks in the chemical product development process, including fortification of the failure mode taxonomy by including chemical failures. This work will enable comprehensive risk analysis in technology-based products that have a chemical based subsystem, such as those used in the lithography process in the semiconductor industry. This research broadened the failure mode taxonomy by identifying chemical failures from publications in the semiconductor industry. These failures were analyzed to determine the rudimentary failure modes in each case. The newly identified failure modes were added to the failure mode taxonomy. …

Effects Of High Volume Fly Ash And Powder Activators On Plastic And Hardened Concrete Properties, Drew Alexander Davis

Masters Theses

This study was performed to examine the effects of high volumes of Class C fly ash modified by powder activators upon the plastic and hardened properties of concrete. In a companion study, five Missouri area cements and five Class C fly ashes were examined for incompatibilities, with the most and least reactive combinations being scaled up to full scale concrete testing. Two baseline concrete mixtures were examined, the only difference in mixtures being the sources of portland cement and fly ash. Fly ash replacement was examined at 50% and 70% replacement (by total cementitious mass). Three powder activators were used …

Identification Of Starry Milia-Like Cysts In Seborrheic Keratoses And Malignant Melanomas Using Image Processing Techniques, Viswanaath Subramanian

Masters Theses

"Seborrheic keratoses are the most common benign tumors found in older individuals. Seborrheic keratoses are normally benign in nature, but sometimes in a large lesion area of seborrheic keratoses, secondary tumors, or squamous cell carcinoma in situ or malignant melanoma may occur. It has been found that seborrheic keratoses have a few features that distinguish them from melanomas. Milia-like cysts, comedo-like openings and network-like structures are the most prominent features found in seborrheic keratoses. Comedo-like openings are pigmented structures and are mostly oval yellowish, brown or black in appearance. They can also be observed in melanocytic lesions and melanomas. Milia-like …

Kasabi Cε Ŋɔ Amani Acε (Mani History), George Tucker Childs, Morlay Boyo Keita, Foday Jd Camara

Mani, a Disappearing Language of Sierra Leone and Guinea

This account of Mani history, as spoken by Morlay Boyo Keita and Foday JD Camara, was recorded in Palatougou in 2005 as part of the Mani Documentation Project (MDP), Dr. G. Tucker Childs P.I.

Mani: Buk 1, George Tucker Childs, Meghan Oswalt, Dan Oswalt, Hannah Sarvasy

Mani, a Disappearing Language of Sierra Leone and Guinea

Book 1 in a series of 4 primers for the Mani language, created by G. Tucker Childs. Based on fieldwork in the coastal Samou region of Guinea (Conakry) and Sierra Leone, beginning in 2000.

Illustrated by Hannah Sarvasy, with contributions from Meghan Oswalt and Dan Oswalt.

Mani: Buk 2, George Tucker Childs, Meghan Oswalt, Dan Oswalt, Hannah Sarvasy

Mani, a Disappearing Language of Sierra Leone and Guinea

Book 2 in a series of 4 primers for the Mani language, created by G. Tucker Childs. Based on fieldwork in the coastal Samou region of Guinea (Conakry) and Sierra Leone, beginning in 2000.

Illustrated by Hannah Sarvasy, with contributions from Meghan Oswalt and Dan Oswalt.

Mani: Buk 3, George Tucker Childs, Meghan Oswalt, Dan Oswalt, Hannah Sarvasy

Mani, a Disappearing Language of Sierra Leone and Guinea

Book 3 in a series of 4 primers for the Mani language, created by G. Tucker Childs. Based on fieldwork in the coastal Samou region of Guinea (Conakry) and Sierra Leone, beginning in 2000.

Illustrated by Hannah Sarvasy, with contributions from Meghan Oswalt and Dan Oswalt.

Mani: Buk 4, George Tucker Childs, Meghan Oswalt, Dan Oswalt, Hannah Sarvasy

Mani, a Disappearing Language of Sierra Leone and Guinea

Book 4 in a series of 4 primers for the Mani language, created by G. Tucker Childs. Based on fieldwork in the coastal Samou region of Guinea (Conakry) and Sierra Leone, beginning in 2000.

Illustrated by Hannah Sarvasy, with contributions from Meghan Oswalt and Dan Oswalt.

Civic Education And Democratic Backsliding In The Wake Of Kenya’S Post-2007 Election Violence, Steven E. Finkel, Jeremy Horowitz, Reynaldo T. Rojo-Mendoza

Dartmouth Scholarship

This article examines two unexplored questions concerning the impact of civic education programs in emerging democracies: (1) whether such programs have longer-terms effects and (2) whether civic education can be effective under conditions of democratic “backsliding.” We investigate these questions in the context of a large-scale civic education program in Kenya just before the disputed 2007 election that sparked a wave of ethnic clashes and brought the country to the brink of civil war. Analysis of a survey of 1,800 “treatment” and 1,800 “control” individuals shows that the program had significant long-term effects on variables related to civic competence and …

"Man Up": A Longitudinal Evaluation Of Adherence To Traditional Masculinity Among Racially/Ethnically Diverse Adolescent Inmates, Mary Elisabeth Gray

Dissertations and Theses

Research has consistently demonstrated strong relationships between high levels of adherence to traditional masculinity ideology and poor health and behavior outcomes (e.g., Levant & Richmond, 2007; O'Neil, 2008). Though recent studies have demonstrated support for theories of multiple masculinities or the idea that one's masculinity ideology is developed, maintained, and restructured according to one's social and environmental contexts (e.g., Smiler, 2004), understanding how male gender contributes to social problems within diverse communities, social groups, and contexts is not well established (Mankowski & Maton, 2010). The current study examined how individual and contextual variables predict change in level of adherence to …

Reconceptualizing Organizational Commitment Using The Theory Of Reasoned Action: Testing Antecedents Of Multiple Organizational Behaviors, Thu Gia Hoang

Dissertations and Theses

The Three-Component Model of organizational commitment (TCM) by Meyer and Allen (1991, 1997) is widely regarded as the most dominant model in organizational commitment research (Cohen, 2003, 2007). However, recent research by Solinger et al. (2008) questioned the legitimacy of the TCM as a general model of organizational commitment. More specifically, the authors criticized the TCM for grouping affective commitment as an attitude toward target with continuance and normative commitment as attitudes toward behaviors under one general label of attitudinal construct. Based on the Theory of Reasoned Action (TRA; Ajzen & Fishbein, 1980), Solinger et al. (2008) argued that we …

Extending Relativistic Programming To Multiple Writers, Philip William Howard

Dissertations and Theses

For software to take advantage of modern multicore processors, it must be safely concurrent and it must scale. Many techniques that allow safe concurrency do so at the expense of scalability. Coarse grain locking allows multiple threads to access common data safely, but not at the same time. Non-Blocking Synchronization and Transactional Memory techniques optimistically allow concurrency, but only for disjoint accesses and only at a high performance cost. Relativistic programming is a technique that allows low overhead readers and joint access parallelism between readers and writers. Most of the work on relativistic programming has assumed a single writer at …

Building On The Strengths Of Indigenous Knowledge To Promote Sustainable Development In Crisis Conditions From The Community Level: The Case Of Palestine, Jehad Yousif Alayasa

Dissertations and Theses

This study began focused on the use of traditional knowledge in promoting sustainable development in crisis conditions. Presented the question: How have successful community-level sustainable development efforts undertaken under crisis conditions drawn upon indigenous knowledge to achieve positive outcomes? The study is a cross case analysis. The three cases addressed in this study have explained some of the ways that indigenous knowledge has played significant positive roles in promoting sustainable development for communities living under crisis conditions in Palestine. Indigenous knowledge community based patterns indicated significant focus on strengths of local culture, social cohesion, the integration process, and special advantages …

Apatite Crystal Populations Of The 1991 Mount Pinatubo Eruption, Philippines: Implications For The Generation Of High Sulfur Apatite In Silicic Melts, Ashley Elizabeth Van Hoose

Dissertations and Theses

On June 15, 1991, Mount Pinatubo, Philippines, ejected 20 million tonnes of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, significantly impacting global climate and stratospheric ozone. Recharging basaltic magma mixed into the 50 km³ dacitic magma reservoir 6 to 11 km beneath Mount Pinatubo, and triggered the 1991 eruption. The result of the magma mixing was a hybrid andesite with quenched basalt inclusions that erupted as a dome between June 7 and June 12. On June 15, approximately 5 km³ of anhydrite-bearing magma was erupted from the main phenocryst-rich, dacitic reservoir. This study will utilize this extraordinary framework of the 1991 Pinatubo …