Digital Commons Network^™

How Intermediate Capacity Modes Provide Accessibility And Resilience In Metropolitan Transit Networks: Insights From A Global Study Of 19 Cities, Jan Scheurer

Journal of Public Transportation

Drawing on the Spatial Network Analysis of Multimodal Urban Transport Systems (SNAMUTS) accessibility tool, this paper introduces comparative results of public transport network performance measures in 19 metropolitan regions in developed countries. These results are assessed typologically and functionally to highlight the contribution of each common public transport mode to maximize (or not) the integration of transport networks with the urban structure to optimize accessibility outcomes. It is shown that the capacity and performance spectrum embodied by each mode represents a gradual scale that allocates a specific niche to intermediate modes, particularly trams that are present in half the cities …

Investigating The Effect Of Gasoline Prices On Transit Ridership And Unobserved Heterogeneity, Hojin Jung, Gun Jea Yu, Kyoung-Min Kwon

Journal of Public Transportation

Based on a unique scanner panel data set on debit and credit card transactions, we examined the effect of gasoline prices on individual choices between private vehicle use and public transit ridership. The unique feature of our data allowed us to address possible heterogeneity in the effect of gasoline prices and to explicitly incorporate the link between private vehicle use and public transit ridership. A series of empirical analyses reveal that there is significant heterogeneity in the effect of gasoline prices on fuel consumption and that financial constraints and commitment to vehicle use determine individual sensitivities to the price of …

Optimal Limited-Stop Bus Routes Selection Using A Genetic Algorithm And Smart Card Data, Yongju Yi, Keechoo Choi, Young-Jae Lee

Journal of Public Transportation

In recent years, express bus service has come into the spotlight by overcoming slow bus operating speeds while maintaining its accessibility when it operates with local bus services. This study developed an optimal limited-stop bus routes selection (LSBRS) guideline as a scenario-based analysis and compared it with case study results. Smart card data and a genetic algorithm (GA) were used to develop the model with different scenarios. Then, total travel time savings as a result of implementing limited-stop bus service generated by the GA model were computed. The effectiveness of each factor was verified by multiple regression analysis, and the …

Passenger Satisfaction And Mental Adaptation Under Adverse Conditions: Case Study In Manila, Andra Charis Mijares, Mio Suzuki, Tetsuo Yai

Journal of Public Transportation

Public transportation systems in several developing cities face congestion, air pollution, and safety problems, yet many passengers use them regularly. This study examines the structure of passenger satisfaction and the role of mental adaptation under such conditions. Metro Manila MRT-3 was analyzed as a case study.

The actual and perceived conditions at the MRT-3 were assessed using surveys. Results of the waiting time and PM_2.5 monitoring surveys revealed that passengers queue for 30 minutes, on average, while being exposed to unsafe levels of PM_2.5. The questionnaire survey results show some discrepancies between actual and perceived values, suggesting …

Regularity Of Public Transport Usage: A Case Study Of Bus Rides In Lisbon, Portugal, Stefan Foell, Santi Phithakkitnukoon, Marco Veloso, Gerd Kortuem, Carlos Bento

Journal of Public Transportation

This paper presents an analysis of regularity in public transport usage based on a large-scale bus transportation data of Lisbon, Portugal. By exploring the combined information from the bus boarding history of riders and bus arrivals at each bus stop, an analysis of individual bus usage was performed. Daily and weekly patterns were extracted, from which it was observed that a rider takes, on average, 2 trips, visits 1.93 distinct stops, and uses 1.55 distinct bus lines daily. Inter-trip time analysis revealed a daily cycle, and a study of the interaction between riders and bus infrastructure explored how usage was …

Diet And Foraging Behaviors Of Timber Rattlesnakes, Crotalus Horridus, In Eastern Virginia, Scott M. Goetz, Christopher E. Petersen, Robert K. Rose, John D. Kleopfer, Alan H. Savitzky

Biology Faculty Publications

During a 17-yr telemetry study, we examined the diet and ambush behavior of a population of Crotalus horridus in southeastern Virginia. Forty dietary items were identified from 37 fecal samples. We documented 722 instances of snakes in an ambush posture, 61% of which were in a vertical-tree posture, as if hunting arboreal prey at the base of a tree. The most common prey items were Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), which accounted for 45% of all dietary items and represented an estimated 78% of total biomass consumed by C. horridus. Prey was not consumed in proportion to availability, based on …

Specific Emotions And Altruistic Decision Making - A Study In Relational Perspective, Srinwanti Hazra Chaudhury

Psychology Theses - Archive

The role of emotions in decision making processes has long been of interest to researchers due to its relevance in our daily consumption decisions. Recent experimental studies have suggested that specific emotions prime different implicit goals. However, despite their importance in applied settings, there has been a lack of clear understanding of how specific emotions might influence prosocial activities, such as donating money to charitable organizations, or engaging in volunteering behavior. To explore the effect of specific emotions on altruism, a between-subjects study was conducted to examine four emotion conditions (e.g., anxiety, sadness, pride, hope) along with a control neutral …

An Investigation Of Critical Thinking Outcomes In An Online Developmental Psychology Learning Environment, Michael C. Natishyn

Psychology Dissertations - Archive

Critical thinking (CT) has become a hot topic in academic and mainstream media, where the development of these skills may influence efficacy and productivity in educational and career environments, potentially impacting academic success, employability, and even routine decisions encountered in everyday life. Since the learning environment is germane to reinforcement of CT skills and as institutions shift towards online learning, the online classroom has potential for influencing CT skills and cultivating technically adept high-quality college graduates. The current project sought to investigate relationships between CT and course outcomes within multiple semesters of an online Developmental Psychology course. Data were comprised …

Design Of Flow Control Device For Dynamic Cold Plate And Optimization Of Servers To Decrease Junction Temperature Of Heat Sinks, Kunal Atulkumar Shah

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Electronics cooling research is facing the challenges of high heat flux removal and increased pumping power. Not much attention has been focused related to server and module level cooling. The continued increase in heat fluxes at the chip level due to new and robust technology nodes following Moore’s law is starting to push the limits of air cooling and especially for high end servers. An alternative to air cooling is liquid (water and oil immersed) cooling. The optimized dynamic cold plates that use water as the cooling fluid have shown over 28 % and 52% of reduction in pumping power …

Evaluating Increasing Hospital Closure Rates In U.S: A Model Framework And A Lean Six Sigma Deployment Approach For Quality Improvement Initiatives To Prevent Further Closures In Rural And Disadvanaged Locations, Soma Sekar Balasubramanian

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Hospital Closures occur from time to time. Several rural hospitals were closed in the U.S recently in an unprecedented manner and hundreds of others are at the risk of closing. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) which was amended in 2010, has brought sea of changes in the healthcare industry right from changing the way how hospitals receive reimbursements by introducing several new programs targeting hospitals’ quality of care to expanding health insurance for millions of poor and underprivileged populations in the country. The goal of this study is to understand the closure of rural hospitals in line …

Dynamic Wireless Interrogation Of Antenna‐Sensor In Harsh Environment, Jun Yao

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Microstrip antenna-sensor has received considerable interests in recent years due to its simple configuration, compact size, and multi-modality sensitivity. Due to its simple and conformal planar configuration, antenna-sensor can be easily attached on the structure surface for Structure Health Monitoring (SHM). As a promising sensor, the resonant frequency of the antenna-sensor is sensitive to different structure properties: such as planar stress, temperature, pressure and moisture. As a passive antenna, antenna-sensor’s resonant frequency can be wirelessly interrogated at a middle range distance without using an on-board battery. However, a major challenge of antenna-sensor’s wireless interrogation is to isolate the antenna backscattering …

In Pueblo's Wake; Flawed Leadership And The Role Of Juche In The Capture Of The Uss Pueblo, James A. Duermeyer

History Theses - Archive

On January 23, 1968, North Korea attacked and seized an American Navy spy ship, the USS Pueblo. In the process, one American sailor was mortally wounded and another ten crew members were injured, including the ship's commanding officer. The crew was held for eleven months in a North Korean prison. Today, the ship remains in North Korea as a gray, steel museum, glorifying the success of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's Navy in its struggle against the imperialist American aggressors. This thesis examines two primary question: How could the capture and retention of a U.S. Navy warship by a …

Trajectory Tracking Control Of A Quadrotor During Cooperative Operation Between Uav And Ugv, Ajibola S. Fowowe

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

In recent times, there has been an increase in the use and application of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). UAVs are used for various operations ranging from military applications to civilian purposes such as traffic monitoring, photography, surveillance and others. Within the UAV family, rotorcrafts take precedence over the fixed wing aircraft especially because of their unique features such as vertical takeoff and landing, increased payload, high maneuverability and more. They can be used to perform dangerous tasks and access environments that pose danger to man such as observatory wood and building fire, military purposes etc. This project focused on one …

Implementation Of A Java Processor On A Fpga, Omkar Joshi

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

Java, a programming language developed by Sun Microsystems in 1991, now managed by Oracle, has become one of the most popular computer languages for application development. This popularity can be credited to Java being architectural neutral and portable. It means that a Java program executed on any computer will yield the same result, irrespective of the underlying hardware. When a Java program is compiled it creates a Java class file. The class file contains instructions known as Bytecodes, which are executed by the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). The JVM is an abstract processor, which interprets and translates the bytecodes into …

Optimal Attribute Weighting In A Nearest Neighbor Classifier, Jugal Raju Sheth

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

Nearest Neighbor algorithms are non-parametric algorithms that use distance measure techniques for classification and regressions. This thesis, first improves the traditional nearest neighbor classifier by optimizing its distance measure using a second order training algorithm. It then presents a second order method to adjust center vectors. It is shown that the distance measure weight optimization and center vector optimization, individually and together reduce the final classification error. The testing error of our algorithm is shown to be less than that of LVQ V.2.1

A Comparison Of Soil Ph, Leaf Caffeine Concentration, And Disease Prevalence In Coffea Arabica, December 2016, Sofia Lochner

Monteverde Institute: Tropical Ecology and Conservation

This study investigates the relationship between soil pH, caffeine content in leaves, and disease prevalence in Coffea arabica. Caffeine is a secondary metabolite that acts as an insecticide and antimicrobial to protect the coffee leaves, shoots, and fruits from fungus and herbivory. I used caffeine water extraction and UV/V spectrophotometry to analyze the caffeine content in leaf samples from a total of forty trees in four different sites at the Life Monteverde farm in Cañitas, Guanacaste. At each tree a soil sample was collected for pH analysis and a disease survey was conducted for Hemileia vastatrix, Mycena citricolor, and herbivory. …

Analizimi Dhe Zhvillimi I Modulit Të Orarit Në Wordpress, Gëzim Rexhepi

Theses and Dissertations

Përdorimi i një orari do të ishte një lehtësim i madh në menaxhimin e ngjarjeve të cilat ndodhin në një festival, si rezultat i kërkesave dhe nevojave për një orar i cili do të ishte lehtë i menaxhueshëm nga festivalet e ndryshme vendosa të zhvilloj ketë orar. Ky orar është dizajnuar dhe implementuar për festivalin “Dokufest”. Mirëpo ky orar mund të përdoret edhe nga festivale të tjera. Ky orar do ju ndihmoj festivaleve të ndryshme që të kenë më të lehtë shtimin e ngjarjeve të ndryshme e pastaj ato ngjarje ti shfaqin në këtë orar i cili është mjaft i …

Analysis Of Groundwater Contaminants Using Aris Dispersion Model, Nirmala P. Ratchagar, S. Senthamilselvi

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

The paper presents the study of dispersion of contaminants in unsteady laminar flow of an incompressible fluid (groundwater) bounded by an upper porous layer and lower impermeable layer with interphase mass transfer. An analytical solution of unsteady advection dispersion based on Aris-Barton method of moments is presented up to the second moment about the mean in axial direction.

Umphlett Qci Dec 2016, Natalie A. Umphlett

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

Highlights for the Basin

Temperature and Precipitation Anomalies

Drought Conditions

Large Fires Impact Region

Heavy Rains Bring Flooding to Montana

Isolated Impacts to Agriculture

3-Month Precipitation and Temperature Outlooks

Soil Moisture Conditions

Covert Channel Using Man-In-The-Middle Over Https, Matthew Johnson, Peter Lutz, Daryl Johnson

Presentations and other scholarship

The goal of this covert channel is to prove the feasibility of using encrypted HTTPS traffic to carry a covert channel. The encryption key is not needed because the original HTTPS payload is not decrypted. The covert message will be appended to the HTTPS data field. The receiver will extract the covert channel and restore the original HTTPS traffic for forwarding. Only legitimate HTTPS connections will be used as the overt channel. A Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attack at the sending and receiving ends will give access to modify the traffic streams. The HTTPS return traffic from the server can carry a …

Covert Channel Using Man-In-The-Middle Over Https, Matthew Johnson, Peter Lutz, Daryl Johnson

Presentations and other scholarship

The goal of this covert channel is to prove the feasibility of using encrypted HTTPS traffic to carry a covert channel. The encryption key is not needed because the original HTTPS payload is not decrypted. The covert message will be appended to the HTTPS data field. The receiver will extract the covert channel and restore the original HTTPS traffic for forwarding. Only legitimate HTTPS connections will be used as the overt channel. A Man-in-the-Middle (MITM) attack at the sending and receiving ends will give access to modify the traffic streams. The HTTPS return traffic from the server can carry a …

Accumulator Volume Sensor Final Project Report, Chris Naughton, Kinwei Yu, Michael George

Mechanical Engineering

Accumulator Volume Sensing Team has developed two sensor designs aimed at detecting the position of the piston within a 4024 accumulator. The two designs include the use of a Renishaw LMA10 magnetic encoder and a SpectraSymbol HotPot linear potentiometer. The magnetic encoder solution drastically increases the accuracy of sensing the piston position compared to the current solutions of both a string-pot and linear variable differential transformer while costing slightly less. The linear potentiometer seeks to provide a solution that drastically decreases the cost compared to the present sensing methods. Both designs call for a modification to one half of the …

Automated Machine Tender, Ryan A. Canfield, Samuel N. Adler, Louis S. Roseguo

Mechanical Engineering

The use of CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) machines automate production in factories through programs controlling manual operations such as milling or lathing. The manufacturing process can be automated beyond the use of CNC machines through the addition of a robotic tender capable of carrying out the same tasks as a human operator. A tender can be integrated into the CNC machine itself, or purchased separately and configured to autonomously operate a particular machine. Smaller companies making limited production runs may not find it economically feasible to purchase large scale integrated machine tenders, but would benefit from a versatile autonomous machine …

Photovoltaic Cooking In The Developing World, Tyler Watkins, Christopher O'Day, Omar Arriaga

Mechanical Engineering

The challenge of clean cooking is faced by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. We present a cooking technology consisting of a solar panel directly connected to an electric heater in a well-insulated chamber. Assuming continued decrease in solar panel prices, we anticipate that in a few decades Solar Electric Cooking technologies will be the most common cooking technology for the poor. Appropriate use of insulation reduces the power demand making low-power Insulated Solar Electric Cooking systems already cost competitive.

Non-Destructive Testing Of Carbon Fiber Crank Arms, Timothy Hoekstra, Grant Pocklington, Johnathan Simeroth

Mechanical Engineering

Carbon fiber components present unique challenges for detecting defects, damage, and fatigue. Nondestructive methods exist for testing and locating defects. However, most of these methods are expensive, not versatile enough for practical use on non-idealized parts, or both. Vibrothermography can be an affordable option and has shown promising results with thin rectangular panels. The goal of this senior project was to assess the feasibility of using vibrothermography to find defects in SRAM carbon fiber crank arms. Our team found vibrothermography to be a feasible method of non-destructive testing for carbon fiber crank arms, and this report discusses the development and …

Final Design Report: Polymer Fatigue Characterization Test Method, Wyatt Ayling, Tyler Price, Brandon Stell, Michela Upson

Mechanical Engineering

Polylogix is a team dedicated to the design, build, and testing of a fatigue machine to simulate cyclic loading on a biomedical polymer. This project is sponsored by Endologix, Inc. to provide test data characterizing mechanical material properties of various formulations of polymer used in abdominal aortic aneurysm surgeries. With this project goal, the machine must be able to test the polymer at body conditions; these include a testing temperature of 37°C and a cycling frequency ranging from 1 Hz to 10 Hz. This report proposes the following solution to this design challenge: an AC motor-driven mechanism utilizing a planetary …

Small Community Oil Spill Preparedness Research Project, Christopher Covert

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

As transportation through the Arctic becomes more prevalent with tourism and oil exploration, small communities within the Arctic are susceptible to oil spills from fuel barges, passing ships, tank farms, and oily discharges. Oil spills threaten both humans and animals that co-habitat these Arctic regions. Little has been done to prepare these small communities in preparation for an oil spill and as a result they are not well protected. As the notion of globalization is incorporated into the Arctic it will be imperative to protect these small communities. To better understand this topic, the researcher took an analytical approach to …

General Communication, Inc. Project Management Office Reporting For Results Project, Donna Neill

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

General Communication Incorporated (GCI) is a project-driven company. As the PMO is established there is a need to document current reporting practices and improve the organizations project management maturity level by standardizing the reporting process and methodology, and determining the foundation to practice continuous improvement within the program management group. Research is needed to document an effective reporting system and implement improvements to the current reporting system with input from GCI team members. The goal of this project is to develop an effective reporting guide that documents current reporting templates and practices, and considers best practices and project management maturity …

Establishing Reasons And Recommendation On How To Increase Biomedical Technical Training In Alaska, Julianna Fuqua

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

There is an acknowledgement in literature about the increasing healthcare needs, and the disparity among rural area healthcare needs. This project explores and establishes that there is a need for increased biomedical technical training in the State of Alaska. The need and recommendations are discovered through research of current methods within the State and in other locations and analyzes different ways they are currently obtained in Alaska, and suggest hiring locally as a way to increase the number of trained biomedical technicians in Alaska.

Application Of Revolving Door Technology In Reducing Energy Loss In Anchorage, Alaska, Raymond A. Ballard

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

Arctic entryways (vestibules) are an important building feature in Alaska for energy savings. Vestibules and revolving doors are often designed to reduce air infiltration rates and ultimately reduce building energy costs. In Anchorage, most buildings utilize vestibule technology for building entrances but revolving door technology is also a viable option to consider. In Anchorage, Alaska, reduction of energy consumption is necessary for long-term sustainability of most buildings and businesses. The project included a review of relevant literature publications to select methods to predict air infiltration rate due to vestibules versus revolving doors; calculations for energy usage of various Anchorage public …