Digital Commons Network^™

Regenerative Shock Absorbers For Energy Harvesting From Vehicle Suspensions, Zhongjie Li

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

While the energy consumption around the world is keeping increasing, energy harvesting is more and more popular, especially in vehicle suspensions. The objective of this research is to design an electricity-harvesting shock absorber with high-power density and retrofittability to recover large amount of vibration energy traditionally dissipated in vehicle suspensions and to enhance vehicle dynamics for ride comfort and road safety at the same time. An introduction and overview of vehicle suspensions as well as regenerative shock absorbers is presented to help understand the motivation for the research. 100 to 400 Watts' energy is accessible in vehicle suspensions, which corresponds …

Approximating Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes With Parametric Belief Distributions For Continuous State Spaces, Timothy Ryan Knapik

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

This dissertation focuses on training autonomous agents to plan and act under uncertainty, specifically for cases where the underlying state spaces are continuous in nature. Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs) are a class of models aimed at training agents to seek high rewards or low costs while navigating a state space without knowing their true location. Information regarding an agent's location is gathered in the form of possibly nonlinear and noisy measurements as a function of the true location. An exactly solved POMDP allows an agent to optimally balance seeking rewards and seeking information regarding its position in state …

Investigation Of Factors That Control Droplet Formation In Microfluidic Cross-Junctions Using The Lattice Boltzmann Method, Jason Pellegrino

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Microfluidics could potentially provide a cheaper and more effective alternative to current industrial and laboratory fluid management techniques due to the large surface area-to-volume ratios; however, optimization of the flow conditions necessary for precise droplet generation is required for any segmented flow application. The Shan-Chen multicomponent multiphase Lattice Boltzmann method was used to simulate droplet formation conditions and provide insight about the conditions for different flow regimes like streaming, threading, and stable droplet generation. For the range of numerically stable flow conditions tested, the combined effects of the Capillary number and velocity ratio were demonstrated to be the process drivers …

Pluralism, Democracy, And The `Empty Place Of Power': Using Lefort's Political Theory To Address The Problem Of Tolerance, Michael Roess

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Though widely adopted since the European wars of religion in the 16th and 17th centuries, liberal solutions to the problem of tolerance continue to face difficulties over issues, such as abortion and religious freedom, where deeply held values and matters of governance intersect. In this dissertation I provide a new argument for political tolerance that is supported by a Lefortian conception of democratic political legitimacy. In the first half of the dissertation I argue that two forms of liberalism, public reason liberalism and liberalism of conscience, fail to adequately address the difficulties posed by religious pluralism. In its Rawlsian form, …

Design And Analysis Of Structured Graph Based Wireless Sensor Networks, Jung Hun Ryu

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

In dense wireless sensor networks, a sensor node may have several neighbor nodes within radio range. In this case, efficient network design is more challenging than with sparse networks. Researches on efficient network design for dense networks are often based on random networks and include comprehensive network performance analysis. Random networks have many advantages for wireless sensor networks, such as short-distance radio range, flexibility for nodes to join or leave the network, and self-organization. However, there are also disadvantages inherent to random networks such as difficulty to guarantee global properties such as diameter and connectivity. On the other hand, there …

An Efficient Framework For High-Quality Low-Dose Ct Reconstruction And Reference-Based Image Restoration, Wei Xu

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

CT imaging procedures have been shown to considerably increase the medical radiation dose to patients, giving rise to cancer. As a result, low dose imaging modalities have gained much attention recently. However, this renders traditional CT reconstruction processes no longer sufficient. Iterative reconstruction algorithms using numerical optimization paradigms are better suited, but they suffer from (1) expensive computation, (2) problems with the selection of optimal parameters to simultaneously optimize speed and (3) poor reconstruction quality. To cope with these problems, we have made several contributions to low-dose CT. First, we have devised a GPU-accelerated ordered subset iterative CT reconstruction algorithm …

Mapping O-Fucosylation And O-Glucosylation On Human Notch3 Epidermal Growth Factor-Like (Egf) Repeats Using Nano-Lc-Esi-Ms/Ms, Ga-Ram Hwang

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The Notch protein is a transmembrane signaling protein responsible for regulating several important pathways among all metazoans including cell proliferation, differentiation, and death. Notch exists as one protein in Drosophila, but has four homologs in mice and humans (Notch1- 4). A defining component of the Notch protein is the presence of 29-36 tandem epidermal growth factor-like (EGF) repeats, small protein motifs defined by the presence of six cysteines forming three disulfide bonds. Defects in Notch have been linked to various diseases like Alagille syndrome and cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL). CADASIL is responsible for early …

Regulation Of Dimerization And Activation Of The Thrombopoietin Receptor, Miki Itaya

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The thrombopoietin receptor (TpoR) is an indispensable receptor that regulates megakaryocytopoiesis and platelet formation in response to its ligand, thrombopoietin (Tpo). Mutations in TpoR result in an increased or decreased number of platelets, leading to various platelet disorders, such as essential thrombocythemia (ET) and primary myelofibrosis (PMF). Most of the clinically relevant mutations of TpoR are found in the transmembrane (TM) domain and juxtamembrane (JM) region of the receptor, suggesting that the TM-JM region may play a critical role in regulation of TpoR activity. However, the precise molecular mechanism by which this region affects the TpoR conformation and the resultant …

Quantitative Computational And Biophysical Investigation Of Multivalent Proteins, Vadim Patsalo

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The valency of a biological molecule is the number of interactions that it is able to make with other molecules. Multivalency arises in proteins which oligomerize or contain tandem repeats, and commonly involves the binding of carbohydrates. Biological processes which rely on multivalency include surface interactions (e.g. virus-cell adhesion and cell-cell binding) or de-mixing phenomena. The energetics of multivalent interactions can be significantly enhanced relative to their monovalent counterparts, and numerous multivalent inhibitors of viral infection have been identified. In this dissertation, we present computational and biophysical investigations of several multivalent proteins related to human viral pathogens. The bivalent lectin …

The Impact Of Diabatic Heating On Jet Variability And Shift, Xiaoming Xia

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The IPCC-AR4 simulations project a robust poleward shift and slight strengthening of the mid-latitude jet and storm track in the Southern Hemisphere under global warming. In order to find out why the jet and storm track respond in this way, three important studies have been performed, as follows: 1) The quality of IPCC-AR4 climate simulations has been investigated by comparing model simulations with atmospheric reanalyses in terms of not only the mean flow but also storm track variations. Reanalyses data are separated into two time periods: before and after satellite, with the after-satellite NCEP reanalysis used as the reference. The …

How Does Climate Influence Speciation: Theoretical And Empirical Perspectives, Xia Hua

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Many people are now familiar with the idea that climate change can cause extinction. Here, I show how climate change may also lead to the origin of new species. I explore two major aspects of how climate influences speciation. First, variation in climatic conditions over space and time can be a direct driver of speciation, via two mechanisms. Climate may drive allopatric speciation when a geographic barrier that consists of suboptimal climatic conditions for a species divides the species range and climatic niche conservatism of the species limits its adaptation to the climatic conditions, preventing gene flow between the two …

Query Plan Execution In A Heterogeneous Stream Management System For Situational Awareness, Indrakshi Ray, Sanjay K. Madria, Mark Linderman

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Battlefield monitoring involves collecting streaming data from different sources, transmitting the data over a heterogeneous network, and processing queries in real-time in order to respond to events in a timely manner. Nodes in these networks differ with respect to their processing, storage and communication capabilities. Links in the network differ with respect to their communication bandwidth. the topology of the network itself is subject to change, as the nodes and links may become unavailable. Continuous queries executed in such environments must also meet some quality of service (QoS) requirements, such as, response time, throughput, and memory usage. We propose that …

Exploring Compile Time Caching Of Explicit Queries In Programming Codes, Venkata Krishna Suhas Nerella, Sanjay Madria, Thomas Weigert

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Object oriented programming languages raised the level of abstraction by incorporating first class query constructs explicitly in the program codes. These query constructs allow programmers to express operations over collections as object queries and also provide optimal query execution utilizing query optimization strategies from domain of databases. However, when a query is repeated in the program, it is executed afresh. This paper presents an approach to reduce the run time execution of programs involving explicit queries by caching the results of repeated queries and incrementally maintaining the cached results. We propose determination of cache entries at compile time by performing …

The Design And Implementation Of A Mobile Game Engine For The Android Platform, Jon Hammer

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

In this thesis, a two-dimensional game engine is proposed for the Android mobile platform that facilitates rapid development of those games by individual developers or hobbyists. The essential elements of game design are presented so as to introduce the reader to the concepts that are crucial for comprehension of the paper. A brief overview of the Android Operating System is also included for those unfamiliar with it. Three primary design goals are identified, and a prototype solution is described in detail. The prototype is then evaluated against those design goals to see how well it accomplishes each task. The results …

Ole Miss Engineer 2012-2013

Ole Miss Engineer

No abstract provided.

User Taglines: Alternative Presentations Of Expertise And Interest In Social Media, Hemant Purohit, Alex Dow, Omar Alonso, Lei Duan, Kevin Haas

Kno.e.sis Publications

Web applications are increasingly showing recommended users from social media along with some descriptions, an attempt to show relevancy - why they are being shown. For example, Twitter search for a topical keyword shows expert twitterers on the side for 'whom to follow'. Google+ and Facebook also recommend users to follow or add to friend circle. Popular Internet newspaper- The Huffington Post shows Twitter influencers/ experts on the side of an article for authoritative relevant tweets. The state of the art shows user profile bios as summary for Twitter experts, but it has issues with length constraint imposed by user …

The Connection, Winter 2012, Lindenwood University

The Connection (1989-2017)

Lindenwood University alumni magazine.

Determination Of Repetitive Jumping Intensity Relative To Measured Vo2max, Laura Igaune

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

To regular exercise and a healthy diet, the American Heart Association (AHA) strongly recommends rope jumping, and according to previous studies, rope jumping is considered a very strenuous exercise. Therefore the purpose of this study was to determine the steady state metabolic cost of repetitive jumping on the Digi-Jump machine, and to determine if exercise on this device is more or less strenuous than similar exercise with a jump rope. We also evaluated relative intensity of this type of exercise, based on each person’s VO_2max as measured on a treadmill. Twenty – seven subjects completed two trials, one jumping …

Phosphorus Transport And Distribution In Kentucky Soils Prepared Using Various Biochar Types, Anvesh Reddy

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Conserving the environment is an issue that is gaining popularity day by day. Phosphorus transfer from agricultural soils is an important environmental issue that is being closely observed as the transport of phosphorous to water bodies is adversely affecting water quality due to accelerated eutrophication. It is important to establish phosphorous models that accurately account for soil test phosphorous. Standard models like SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) and EPIC (Environmental Policy Integrated Climate) were designed for serving this purpose. They are now used as the basis for developing new models that can more accurately account for the phosphorus transport, …

Assessment Of Passive Fire Protection On Steel-Girder Bridges, Michael Davidson

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Bridges in the US are severely damaged or suffer collapse from fires at significant rates, even when compared to other hazards such as earthquakes. Fire-induced bridge collapses are perpetuated by the general lack of installed fire protection systems. Therefore, new materials and applications are needed to mitigate structural damage that can be caused to civil infrastructure by severe fires. Accordingly, the objective of this study is to further the development of new fire protection applications in transportation structures. Specifically, the investigation centers on the development of new applications in passive fire protection materials, within the context of shielding steel-girder bridges …

Using Dweck's Theory Of Motivation To Determine How A Student's View Of Intelligence Affects Their Overall Academic Achievement, Keely P'Pool

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This study explored how student intelligence was directly linked to the goals and motivation held by students when engaged in academic settings. Students were administered a questionnaire developed by Dr. Carol Dweck in which they responded to statements in order to determine their individual theory of intelligence. Once this was accomplished, multiple student variables (including but not limited to first semester GPA, second semester GPA, ACT composite score, age, and college coursework) were compared to their view of intelligence to determine if any correlations existed.

Results showed that there was no significant difference between students who viewed intelligence as malleable …

Integrating Expert System And Geographic Information System For Spatial Decision Making, Sriharsha Shesham

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Spatial decision making is a process of providing an effective solution for a problem that encompasses semi-structured spatial data. It is a challenging task which involves various factors to consider. For example, in order to build a new industry, an appropriate site must be selected for which several factors have to be taken into consideration. Some of the factors, which can affect the decision in this particular case, are air pollution, noise pollution, and distance from living areas, which makes the decision difficult. The geographic information systems (GIS) and the expert systems (ES) have many advantages in solving problems in …

Nabla Fractional Calculus And Its Application In Analyzing Tumor Growth Of Cancer, Fang Wu

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

This thesis consists of six chapters. In the first chapter, we review some basic definitions and concepts of fractional calculus. Then we introduce fractional difference equations involving the Riemann-Liouville operator of real number order between zero and one. In the second chapter, we apply the Brouwer fixed point and Contraction Mapping Theorems to prove that there exists a solution for up to the first order nabla fractional difference equation with an initial condition. In chapter three, we define a lower and an upper solution for up to the first order nabla fractional difference equation with an initial condition. Under certain …

On Metal Synthesis Of Some Substituted Rhenium And Manganese Complexes, Jaron Michael Thomas

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Heterocyclic organic and organometallic compounds (i.e. polypyrrole), and their derivatives, have been of great interest for conductive polymers due to their novel properties and environmental stability as compared to their non-aromatic analogs (i.e. polyacetylene). Our current interest focus upon the potential role of metal ligand bound pyridazines as the next generation of electronic devices that utilize the metal ligands bound to organics as the semiconducting material. Pyridazine is a 6-membered aromatic ring with two adjacent nitrogen atoms. These are promising candidates for a variety of materials and commercial applications; but they are difficult to get a metal ligand to fuse …

Sustainable Municipal Operations: Independence, Oregon, Portland State University. Hatfield School Of Government. Center For Public Service, Ed Gallagher, Dave Rouse, Dennis Kurtz, Tanya Johnston

Center for Public Service Publications and Reports

Portland State University, Hatfield School of Government (PSU), and Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA), has formed a partnership to develop Sustainable Municipal Operations Plans that documents sustainability and energy management best practices. The goal of this partnership is to determine how a City/municipality can actively manage energy as a controllable expense by following a predetermined operation protocol. The PSU team developed a framework of best practices for sustainable municipal operations in different categories including facilities, fleet, purchasing, operations and the work environment. After identifying pilot jurisdictions, the team applied these best practices to the current operations of local governments in …

Designing Tools For Studying The Dynamic Glycome, John F. Rakus

Chemistry Faculty Research

Glycosylation involves the post-translational addition of carbohydrates to protein molecules and is an intricate and indispensable biochemical process. Study of this complicated network of interactions is hindered by the lack of a coding template analogous to the genetic code, and by the vast structural complexity inherent to carbohydrate polymers. We use lectins (non-enzymatic carbohydrate-binding proteins of non-immunological origin) as microarray probes to identify carbohydrate features expressed on cellular surfaces. Specifically, we utilized lectin microarray technology to investigate the differences in carbohydrates expressed by the cell lines of the Nation Cancer Institute’s NCI-60 panel. Our investigation identified tissue-specific expression differences in …

Judging A Book By Its Cover: Using Lectin Microarrays To Identify How Glycosylation Is Regulated, John F. Rakus

Chemistry Faculty Research

Glycosylation involves the post-translational addition of carbohydrates to protein molecules and is an intricate and indispensable biochemical process. Study of this complicated network of interactions is hindered by the lack of a coding template analogous to the genetic code, and by the vast structural complexity inherent to carbohydrate polymers. We use lectins (non-enzymatic carbohydrate-binding proteins of non-immunological origin) as microarray probes to identify carbohydrate features expressed on cellular surfaces. Specifically, we utilized lectin microarray technology to investigate the differences in carbohydrates expressed by the cell lines of the Nation Cancer Institute’s NCI-60 panel. Our investigation identified tissue-specific expression differences in …

Creating Tomorrow, Fall 2012, College Of Engineering

College of Engineering Magazines

Annual magazine for the College of Engineering at Utah State University.

Fuzzy-Excom Software Project Risk Assessment, Luiz Fernando Capretz, Ekananta Manalif, Ali Bou Nassif, Danny Ho

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

A software development project can be considered to be risky project due to the uncertainty of the information (customer requirements), the complexity of the process, and the intangible nature of the product. Under these conditions, risk management in software development projects is mandatory, but often it is difficult and expensive to implement.

Expert COCOMO is an efficient approach to software project risk management, which leverages existing knowledge and expertise from previous effort estimation activities to assess the risk in a new software project. However, the original method has a limitation because it cannot effectively deal with imprecise and uncertain inputs …

A Treeboost Model For Software Effort Estimation Based On Use Case Points, Luiz Fernando Capretz, Ali Bou Nassif

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

Software effort prediction is an important task in the software development life cycle. Many models including regression models, machine learning models, algorithmic models, expert judgment and estimation by analogy have been widely used to estimate software effort and cost. In this work, a Treeboost (Stochastic Gradient Boosting) model is put forward to predict software effort based on the Use Case Point method. The inputs of the model include software size in use case points, productivity and complexity. A multiple linear regression model was created and the Treeboost model was evaluated against the multiple linear regression model, as well as the …