Digital Commons Network^™

Parametric Analysis Of Resilient Modulus Modeling For Recycled Asphalt Pavement In Base Layer, Ehab Noureldin, Magdy Abdelrahman

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The resilient modulus (M_R) has been found to be the most important parameter in the Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide (MEPDG) for the base layer. A literature review showed that the use of recycled asphalt pavement (RAP) in the base layer had many economic and structural benefits. The prediction of M_R with the specific MEPDG model for the base layer mixed with RAP was found to be reliable for several field conditions. However, further studies of the MEPDG model are needed for an understanding of the physical meaning of each parameter in the model. The most important factor …

An Atrial Activity Based Algorithm For The Single-Beat Rate-Independent Detection Of Atrial Fibrillation, Steven J. Ladavich Jr.

Theses

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia and is the cause of 15% of all ischemic strokes in the United States. In many cases, AF is episodic and/or asymptomatic and as a result, there is a strong need for algorithms capable of quickly and reliably detecting AF, even in cases where the heart rate is controlled through medication or with a pacemaker. Current RR interval (RRI)-based algorithms do not directly target atrial activity, cannot detect AF when the heart rate is controlled, and analyze relatively long intervals of the electrocardiography (ECG) to make an AF determination. This work …

Design Trade-Offs For Reliable On-Chip Wireless Interconnects In Noc Platforms, Manoj Prashanth Yuvaraj

Theses

The massive levels of integration following Moore's Law making modern multi-core chips prevail in various domains ranging from scientific applications to bioinformatics applications for consumer electronics. With higher and higher number of cores on the same die traditional bus based interconnections are no longer a scalable communication infrastructure. On-chip networks were proposed enabled a scalable plug-and-play mechanism for interconnecting hundreds of cores on the same chip. Wired interconnects between the cores in a traditional Network-on-Chip (NoC) system, becomes a bottleneck with increase in the number of cores thereby increasing the latency and energy to transmit signals over them. Hence, there …

Antenna Gain Enhancement And Beamshaping Using A Diffractive Optical Element (Doe) Lens, Christopher Torbitt

Theses

Dielectric and metamaterial lenses have been designed for gain enhancement and beam shaping. The motivation for this work came from a commercially available slotted waveguide antenna with a dielectric lens that shapes the beam and enhances the gain only in the azimuth plane. When two of these antennas, each with a dielectric lens, are stacked as an array to form the sum and difference patterns the elevation plane gain is low and the beam width too wide to be acceptable for radar applications.

The objective of the present work is to design a diffractive optical element (DOE) lens for gain …

Bike To Basics: A Cargo Bicycle Design For Short-Distance Commuting, Cong Yao

Theses

Cycling plays an important role in our modern transportation system. It is simple, efficient and affordable. Bike is human powered, lightweight and relatively easy to manufacture compared to other vehicles. There are many companies dedicated to producing different types of bicycles for the market and there are many bicycle builders who craft authentic unique bicycles by hand.

For my thesis project, I studied the history of the bicycle in order to understand the philosophy of bicycling. I addressed many types of problems in this field and did field research in bike shops and with bicycle enthusiasts. I learned many techniques …

Adaptive Control Of Uncertain Systems With Gain Scheduled Reference Models And Constrained Control Inputs, Mehrdad Pakmehr, Tansel Yucelen

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper develops a new state feedback model reference adaptive control approach for uncertain systems with gain scheduled reference models in a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) setting with constrained control inputs. A single Lyapunov matrix is computed for multiple linearization of the nonlinear closed loop gain scheduled reference system, using convex optimization tools. This approach guarantees stability of the closed loop gain scheduled reference model. Adaptive state feedback control architecture is then developed, and its stability is proven for the case with constrained control inputs. The resulting closed-loop system is shown to have bounded solutions with bounded tracking error, with the …

Thermal-Electromagnetic Analysis Of Infrared Antennas, Edward C. Kinzel, Brian Slovick, James Ginn, Brian Lail, Glenn Boreman

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Antenna-coupled Metal-Oxide-Metal (MOM) diodes have been demonstrated for sensing and proposed for energy harvesting at THz, infrared, and even visible frequencies. The design of the antenna allows engineering of the response of the device with respect to polarization, wavelength and angle of incidence. The classic understanding of the antenna coupled MOM diode is that the electric field generated by the antenna causes electrons to tunnel through the barrier oxide. This is supported by the fact that when the oxide separates metals with different work functions, a properly polarized field can produce an asymmetric tunnel current under zero bias. Losses in …

Verifiable Frequency-Limited Adaptive Control Performance Based On Linear Matrix Inequalities, Mario Luca Fravolini, Tansel Yucelen, Daniel Wagner, Ali Albattat, Paolo Valigi

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Adaptive controllers are often criticized for the lack of clear and easy verification procedures that relate design parameters to time domain performance especially during transients. For this reason, it is a challenge to rigorously certify existing adaptive control algorithms. To that end, we propose a validation framework where stability and performance requirements are formulated in terms of Linear Matrix Inequalities. This brings the advantage that adaptive controller design and verification can be analyzed and optimized via the solution of a convex optimization whose objective is to guarantee the evolution of the error components within an a-priori specified domain. This approach …

The Effect Of Different Rollover Conditions Of The Vibrator On Human Injury, Qin Li, Hang Liu, Zhiqiang Huang, Yaping Ding, Xiaoping Du

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Vibrator, as a crucial vehicle of oil and gas exploration, is challenged by the complex terrains. The probability of rollover accident is therefore high in bumpy terrain in which the drivers' life is seriously threatened. Finite element numerical analysis was used to study the injury of the driver's head, neck and chest in the rollover accidents of domestic KZ-28 type vibrator on different conditions. The injuries of three parts were evaluated based on the human injury criteria. Driver's safety on different rollover conditions was comparatively analyzed. The results indicated that the injury degree of human head caused by vibrator rollover …

Transition Zone Design Final Report, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Adam J. Kirk, Andrea Cull, Austin Dahlem

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this report is to document the activities of the research effort and present the findings of the work accomplished. Transition zone is the area in which it is communicated to drivers that the roadway environment is changing (i.e., from rural to built-up) and that their speed should change as well. This study evaluated treatments that could advise drivers to this. Based on the study findings, it is recommended to add additional speed warning sites to such transition zones.

Synthesis And Characterization Of Sugar Based Low Molecular Weight Gelators And The Preparation Of Chiral Sulfinamides, Hari Prasad Reddy Mangunuru

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Low molecular weight gelators (LMWGs) have received considerable attention in the field of chemistry from last few decades. These compounds form self-assembled fibrous networks like micelles, cylindrical, sheets, fibers, layers and so on. The fibrous network entraps the solvent and forms gel, because of the self-assembly phenomenon and their demonstrated potential uses in a variety of areas, ranging from environmental to medicinal applications.

Sugars are good starting materials to synthesize the new class of LMWG's, because these are different from some expensive materials, these are natural products. We have synthesized and characterized the LMGS's based on D-glucose and D …

Reducing Intrinsic Cognitive Load In Complex Learning Such As Flight Training That Involves Both Cognitive And Psychomotor Tasks, Adil Aslan

STEMPS Theses & Dissertations

Flying an aircraft requires processing or considering great number of inputs and an ability to link these data to a massive amount of information in order to interpret them. As a result, flight training imposes a high intrinsic cognitive load. The focus of this research was to investigate the effect of decreasing intrinsic cognitive load for complex tasks such as flight training that involves both cognitive and psychomotor tasks. Participants ( n = 38) completed an instruction unit on how to conduct a simulated Ground Controlled Approach (GCA) and were asked to report perceived cognitive load in addition to tests …

Educational Policy Decisions Effect Upon Same-Gender Public Education, Richard Gerard Catoire

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Theses & Dissertations

The No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001, with emphasis on greater choice and flexibility for parents and students in public education, to include the provision for same-gender public schools and classrooms, led to a resurgence in same-gender public education in the United States. With the results of the research on same-gender education presenting conflicting evidence and mixed-perspectives on the outcomes of same-gender education in improving academic achievement or attainment, there are still questions to be answered, not only to the effectiveness of same-gender education, but also to policy decisions to establish same-gender public education programs. While proponents of …

Characterization Of Shear Wave Velocity And Its Anisotropy In Uniform Granular Materials, Xin Kang, Bate Bate, Louis Ge

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Small strain stiffness of granular materials is important to many engineering applications, such as earthquake engineering, pavement, machine foundation, embankment subjected to tidal impacts, and foundations for structures under wind loads. Shear wave velocity, which is an indicator of stiffness, was measured with a newly developed bender element testing system. Test data supported that this testing system is effective in evaluating the shear wave velocity and its anisotropy of uniform spherical granular materials, including glass beads, uniform medium, and fine sands. Influencing factors on the Vs such as grain size and applied stress were studied. Two components of the soil …

Effects Of Chemical Stabilizers On An Expansive Clay, Honghua Zhao, Louis Ge, Thomas M. Petry, Yi Zhen Sun

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Expansive clays exhibit a high potential for the volume change behavior when the soil moisture changes. The estimated annual cost of the damage to the facilities built on expansive clay in the United States exceeds 9 billion dollars. Because of the physicochemical nature of the expansive clay, the use of chemical agents to improve their engineering properties is common. This research investigated the effects of chemical agents on an expansive soil from Texas through a laboratory injection method. The agents used in this study included lime, potassium-based agents, and a group of ionic agents. Swelling tests, chemical tests, and soil …

Ionizing Radiation Detection Using Microstructured Optical Fiber, Stanton Dehaven

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Ionizing radiation detecting microstructured optical fibers are fabricated, modeled and experimentally measured for X-ray detection in the 10-40 keV energy range. These fibers operate by containing a scintillator material which emits visible light when exposed to ionizing radiation. An X-ray source characterized with a CdTe spectrometer is used to quantify the X-ray detection efficiency of the fibers. The solid state CdTe detector is considered 100% efficient in this energy range. A liquid filled microstructured optical fiber (MOF) is presented where numerical analysis and experimental observation leads to a geometric theory of photon transmission using total internal reflection. The model relates …

An Instrument To Assess Individual Capacity For System Thinking, Ra'ed M. Jaradat

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop and deploy a new systems thinking instrument to assess individual capacity for systems thinking using an inductive research design. While technology has been increasing exponentially, the corresponding methods to harness those technological advances, and the problems they have spawned, is lagging. While there is a broad collection of systems based methods, techniques, technologies, and tools that can be used in dealing with complex problems, these are predicated on an individual's capacity for engaging a level of systems thinking commensurate with their effective, deployment. Research based methods to determine individual capacity for systems …

A Fault Prediction Scheme For Takagi-Sugeno Fuzzy Systems With Immeasurable Premise Variables And Disturbance, Balaje T. Thumati, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

As explained in the literature, it is very hard to measure premise variables of a Takagi-Sugeno (TS) fuzzy system. Therefore, in this paper, a fault detection and prediction (FDP) scheme is designed for a class of TS fuzzy systems with immeasurable (unknown) premise variables and external disturbances. A fault detection (FD) observer is designed to approximate the system output and the premise variables. Subsequently, a FD residual is generated by comparing the observer output with respect to the system output. The FD residual is evaluated to detect any faults in the system. Further, time-to-failure (TTF) of the TS fuzzy system …

Indoor Positioning System Using Geo-Magnetic Field, Abhinav Saxena, Maciej Zawodniok

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper we address the problem of non-Adversarial co-operative localization using the Earth's ambient magnetic field. We demonstrate the feasibility of using magnetic field to perform localization and tracking. A three-Axis magnetic field sensor is employed to locate and track a target. The algorithm estimates the position using the magnitude of the current magnetic field readings. Our technique depends on the local distortions in the Earth's magnetic field created by presence of various magnetic or metallic objects in the local workspace. These objects may be manmade or naturally occurring. The magnetic field data corresponding to known locations is stored …

Economic Scheduling Of Residential Plug-In (Hybrid) Electric Vehicle (Phev) Charging, Maigha, Mariesa L. Crow

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In the past decade, plug-in (hybrid) electric vehicles (PHEVs) have been widely proposed as a viable alternative to internal combustion vehicles to reduce fossil fuel emissions and dependence on petroleum. Off-peak vehicle charging is frequently proposed to reduce the stress on the electric power grid by shaping the load curve. Time of use (TOU) rates have been recommended to incentivize PHEV owners to shift their charging patterns. Many utilities are not currently equipped to provide real-time use rates to their customers but can provide two or three staggered rate levels. To date, an analysis of the optimal number of levels …

Decomposition Of Ionic Liquid Ferrofluids For Multi-Mode Spacecraft Propulsion, Steven P. Berg, Brynne Coleman, Joshua L. Rovey

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ionic liquid ferrofluids based on mixtures of [Emim][EtSO4] and [Bmim][NO3] fuels and hydroxylammonium nitrate oxidizer were synthesized by adding iron oxide nanoparticles. The resulting propellants were then tested for decomposition capability. Spot plate testing indicated that the temperature required to initiate rapid decomposition dropped from 115 °C to 75 °C with a 30% by weight addition of iron oxide for the [Bmim][NO3] propellant. Adding more iron oxide resulted in an increase in onset temperature. The [Emim][EtSO4] propellant had a much lower decrease in onset temperature, bottoming out at 90 °C. Batch reactor tests under vacuum showed that 10% addition of …

Four-Dimensional Reflectivity Data Comparison Between Two Ground-Based Radars: Methodology And Statistical Analysis, Bong Chul Seo, Witold F. Krajewski, James A. Smith

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A methodology is proposed to compare radar reflectivity data obtained from two partially overlapping ground-based radars in order to explain relative differences in radar-rainfall products and establish sound merging procedures for multi-radar observing networks. To identify radar calibration differences, radar reflectivity is compared for well-matched radar sampling volumes viewing common meteorological targets. Temporal separation and three-dimensional matching of two different sampling volumes were considered based on the original polar coordinates of radar observation. Since the proposed method assumes radar beam propagation under standard atmospheric conditions, anomalous propagation cases were eliminated from the analysis. The reflectivity comparison results show systematic differences …

Ticks And Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiae Of Southeastern Virginia, Robyn M. Nadolny, Chelsea L. Wright, Daniel E. Sonenshine, Wayne L. Hynes, Holly D. Gaff

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The incidence of tick-borne rickettsial disease in the southeastern United States has been rising steadily through the past decade, and the range expansions of tick species and tick-borne infectious agents, new and old, has resulted in an unprecedented mix of vectors and pathogens. The results of an ongoing 4-year surveillance project describe the relative abundance of questing tick populations in southeastern Virginia. Since 2009, more than 66,000 questing ticks of 7 species have been collected from vegetation in a variety of habitats, with Amblyomma americanum constituting over 95% of ticks collected. Other species represented included Ixodes scapularis, Dermacentor variabilis …

Phylogeography Unplugged: Comparative Surveys In The Genomic Era, Brian W. Bowen, Kartik Shanker, Nina Yasuda, Maria Celia Malay, Sophie Von Der Heyden, Gustav Paulay, Luiz A. Rocha, Kimberly A. Selkoe, Paul H. Barber, Suzanne T. Williams, Harilaos A. Lessios, Eric D. Crandall, Giacomo Bernardi, Christopher P. Meyer, Kent E. Carpenter, Robert J. Toonen

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

In March 2012, the authors met at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) in Durham, North Carolina, USA, to discuss approaches and cooperative ventures in Indo-Pacific phylogeography. The group emerged with a series of findings: (1) Marine population structure is complex, but single locus mtDNA studies continue to provide powerful first assessment of phylogeographic patterns. (2) These patterns gain greater significance/power when resolved in a diversity of taxa. New analytical tools are emerging to address these analyses with multi-taxon approaches. (3) Genome-wide analyses are warranted if selection is indicated by surveys of standard markers. Such indicators can include discordance between …

Southern Sin: True Stories Of The Sultry South And Women Behaving Badly, Lee Gutkind, Beth Ann Fennelly, Dorothy Allison

In Fact Books

In the steamy South, temptation is as wild and plentiful as kudzu. Whether the sin in question is skinny-dipping or becoming an unlikely porn star, running rum or renting out a room to a pair of exhibitionistic adulterers, in these true stories women defy tradition and forge their own paths through life—often learning unexpected lessons from the experience.

Citizen Litigants Citizen Regulators: Four Cases Where Citizen Suits Drove Development Of Clean Water Law, Karl S. Coplan

Elisabeth Haub School of Law Faculty Publications

One of the key innovations of the 1970s regulatory environmental revolution was the provision for citizen enforcement of regulatory standards. This innovation upset the previous bipolar regulatory model, which was a two-way negotiation between the regulated industries and the (often captive) regulatory agencies. By removing agency enforcement discretion as a means of underenforcing statutory norms, the citizens suit brought a new constituency to the regulatory bargaining table. The citizen suit had the intended effect of implementing a regime of full enforcement of the new environmental norms.

But the revolutionary effect of the newly minted citizen suit was not limited to …

A Loose Domain Swapping Organization Confers A Remarkable Stability To The Dimeric Structure Of The Arginine Binding Protein From Thermotoga Maritima, Alessia Ruggiero, Jonathan D. Dattelbaum, Maria Staiano, Rita Berisio, Sabato D'Auria, Luigi Vitagliano

Chemistry Faculty Publications

The arginine binding protein from Thermatoga maritima (TmArgBP), a substrate binding protein (SBP) involved in the ABC system of solute transport, presents a number of remarkable properties. These include an extraordinary stability to temperature and chemical denaturants and the tendency to form multimeric structures, an uncommon feature among SBPs involved in solute transport. Here we report a biophysical and structural characterization of the TmArgBP dimer. Our data indicate that the dimer of the protein is endowed with a remarkable stability since its full dissociation requires high temperature as well as SDS and urea at high concentrations. In order to elucidate …

Climate Change Securities Disclosures In Australia, Amanda Liu

Sabin Center for Climate Change Law

This working paper looks at the extent to which current securities filings regulations with the Australian securities authorities require (or alternatively, recommend) listed Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) entities to disclose climate change risks on the performance of a listed entity. The paper also reviews what in practice is being reported for the 2013 reporting year.

Design And Implementation Of E-Commerce Site For Online Shopping, Sidhartha Reddy Vatrapu

All Capstone Projects

In today’s fast-changing business environment, it’s extremely important to be able to respond to client needs in the most effective and timely manner. If your customers wish to see your business online and have instant access to your products or services.

Online Shopping is a lifestyle e-commerce web application, which retails various fashion and lifestyle products (Currently Men’s Wear). This project allows viewing various products available enables registered users to purchase desired products instantly using PayPal payment processor (Instant Pay) and also can place order by using Cash on Delivery (Pay Later) option. This project provides an easy access to …

Criminalizing Revenge Porn, Danielle Citron, Mary Anne Franks

Articles

No abstract provided.