Digital Commons Network^™

Region Based Convolutional Neural Networks For Object Detection And Recognition In Adas Application, Sachit Kaul

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Object Detection and Recognition using Computer Vision has been a very interesting and a challenging field of study from past three decades. Recent advancements in Deep Learning and as well as increase in computational power has reignited the interest of researchers in this field in last decade. Implementing Machine Learning and Computer Vision techniques in scene classification and object localization particularly for automated driving purpose has been a topic of discussion in last half decade and we have seen some brilliant advancements in recent times as self-driving cars are becoming a reality. In this thesis we focus on Region based …

The Design And Linearization Of Flow Control Device And Pressure Forces On Valve, Penchala Sumanth Reddy Challa

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Emerging technologies are pushing the limits by reducing the size of the nodes, raising the heat densities of packages thereby demanding better thermal management. The cooling power requirement increases drastically when air is used as the cooling medium in high power density servers as air has a low heat transfer coefficient. Very viable replacements for air as the cooling medium are water and oil. Oil is not as widely used as it has its own disadvantages when compared to water. Water has appreciably higher heat transfer coefficient, which helps it to remove heat from the server at a much faster …

Computational Model For Steady State Simulation Of A Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (Sofc) Planar Stack Model Undergoing Reforming Process, Vaibhav Vijay Indulkar

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC), is a clean and low-pollution technology of generating power of high efficiency. Its applicability for both stationery and transportation power generation systems, adaptability for wide range fuel sources, as wells its process of direct conversion of fuel to energy make it an important source of power generation. An effective design of sub-systems or individual components play a key role in overall working of a plant. Thus, critical analysis at the component level is of importance for the overall plant efficiency. In the present study a heat transfer model of a planar SOFC stack to be …

Reliability Assessment Of Solder Joint Using Bga Package – Megtron 6 Versus Fr4 Printed Circuit Boards Using Drop Testing, Pradnya Chandrakant Mundhe

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

In electronic industry Ball grid array (BGA) package, surface mount technology has been used widely, due to its robust design, high density connections and improved performance. In surface mount technology, solder joints are used to interconnect package and PCB board assembly. High frequency laminates use in PCB boards provides excellent performance for high speed, frequency devices. Nelco 4000-13EPSI, Panasonic Megtron 6, and Rogers 4350B are few popular laminates. Component size reduction and structural complexity because of increasing number of transistors are making it very difficult to protect the packages from mechanical, thermal, and electrical damage. Difference in material properties between …

Computational Morphology Modelling And Mixed Mode Fracture Analysis Of Zrb2/Sic Based Ceramic Nano-Materials Using Molecular Dynamics, Krutarth Shaileshkumar Patel

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Transition metal carbides, nitrides, and borides are a group of Ultra High-Temperature Ceramic (UHTC). Owing to their remarkable properties of the high melting point, high thermal conductivity and excellent strength at elevated temperature ZrB2 based composites are of high interest for use in the high-temperature environment. It is proved that addition of SiC in ZrB2 can advance composite’s oxidation resistance, mechanical strength, fracture toughness and sintering behavior. Firstly, molecular dynamics is used to simulate crack growth under mixed mode loading in Al, SiC, and ZrB2 single crystals by considering inclined crack under uniaxial tension and crack growth angle are compared …

Investigation Of Thermophysical Properties Of Enhanced Molten Salt Nanofluids For Thermal Energy Storage (Tes) In Concentrated Solar Power (Csp) Systems, Joohyun Seo

Material Science and Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Concentrated solar power (CSP) technologies have a great economical and technical potential for energy production in future. Its incorporation with thermal energy storage (TES) overcomes one of the biggest challenges in most renewable energy technologies, the intermittency of energy supply by natural resources. TES with 15-hour storage capacity is already commercialized to operate a CSP plant for 24 hours a day. When the sunlight is concentrated by mirrors into a small focal point, a heat transfer fluid (HTF) transfers the collected heat to a turbine or an engine to produce electricity and any surplus heat to a TES unit for …

Establishment Of Lateral Organ Asymmetries In The Invertebrate Chordate, Ciona Intestinalis, Karl Palmquist , '17, Bradley Justin Davidson , '91

Biology Faculty Works

Background: The evolutionary emergence and diversification of the chordates appear to involve dramatic changes in organ morphogenesis along the left/right axis. However, the ancestral chordate mechanism for establishing lateral asymmetry remains ambiguous. Additionally, links between the initial establishment of lateral asymmetry and subsequent asymmetries in organ morphogenesis are poorly characterized. Results: To explore asymmetric organ morphogenesis during chordate evolution, we have begun to characterize left/right patterning of the heart and endodermal organs in an invertebrate chordate, Ciona intestinalis. Here, we show that Ciona has a laterally asymmetric, right-sided heart. Our data indicate that cardiac lateral asymmetry requires H+/K+ ion flux, …

Shear Behavior Of Synthetic Fiber Reinforced Concrete Box Culverts, Mahnaz Mostafazadeh

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This research pursues a comprehensive experimental study on the shear capacity of zero-slump, dry-cast Synthetic Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (SYN-FRC) with the aim of reducing or even eliminating stirrups in box culverts. Since using stirrups in structures such as box culverts need labor work and cause reinforcement congestion, eliminating or reducing stirrups in design, prevent poor-quality concrete, help better concrete compaction and could save manufacturer time and money over the years. This study first determined the shear capacity of synthetic fiber concrete matrix by varying fiber volume fraction. Then, FEA and full experimental tests have been conducted to evaluate the effect of …

Revealing Hemodynamic Response And Dynamic Changes In Functional Cortical Networks Using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (Fnirs), Jianwei Cao

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

Therapeutic interventions, such as physical therapy and non-invasive brain electrical stimulation can enhance the physical performance of persons with brain disorders. One often-used form of physical therapy named constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) improves motor control skills of children with cerebral palsy (CP) through forced intensive use of the affected extremity. A complementary method to physical rehabilitation methods for overcoming a deficit is to facilitate use of the affected brain areas by non-invasive brain electrical stimulation. One currently popular form of brain stimulation is transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), which has been shown to enhance both motor and language performance in …

Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition Coating Amorphous Silica Based Implants Enhancing Angiogenesis And Mitigating Toxic Oxidative Stress In Critical Size Bone Defects, Felipe Alves Monte

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

The advances in bone tissue engineering search for a biomaterial that could efficiently and gradually replace the bone while the new tissue grows through the implanted structure. However, due to limitations mainly related to mechanical properties and challenges, such as the balance between tissue regeneration and material degradation, the coating of well-known inert materials still has been used in orthopedics and dental clinical practices. Bone defects are commonly related to deleterious oxidative stress induced by low oxygen levels and inflammation. Toxic oxidative stress can impair damaged tissue healing due to inhibiting new blood vessels and new bone formation. The interaction …

Improvements To The Duplicate Shear Tester, Yazeed Suleiman Jweihan

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Rutting in the asphalt concrete layer is a major distress in flexible pavements caused by the permanent shear deformation in asphalt mixes. The shear deformation is induced by heavy truck axis during hot summer days. Rutting affects directly the safety and users comfort. Therefore, developing of an appropriate test device for measuring the fundamental shear properties of asphalt mixes is important in order to improve the rutting resistance of asphalt mixes and pavement performance. The desired device should be simple, inexpensive, and accurate to be able to be incorporated for a quality control or quality assurance process, as well as …

Evaluation Of Plant Root On The Performance Of Evapotranspiration (Et) Cover System, Md Jobair Bin Alam

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The performance of an evapotranspiration (ET) cover for a landfill exceeds that of a conventional landfill final cover. Its low percolation and high evapotranspiration rely on the properties of unsaturated soils, the energy demands of plants, and the atmosphere. Plant roots pull water out of the cover soil and release it into the environment, thus managing water in a much more natural way than the conventional cover, where water is controlled by creating a physical barrier. Therefore, plant roots are a significant component in the optimization of ET cover performance. In recent years, a great deal of effort has been …

The Effect Of Corporate Governance On The Change In Market Valuation Of Corporate Spin-Offs: An Empirical Investigation Of Spun-Off Subsidiaries, Orhan Volkan Ozbek

Management Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation focuses on the change in market valuation of spun-off subsidiaries two years after the corporate spin-off. A review of the literature indicates that the research pertaining to determinants of the market valuation following corporate spin-offs from the perspective of spun-off subsidiaries has been limited. While the extensive corporate governance literature indicates that different governance structures of the firm have diverse implications on the choice of firm strategies and associated performance, our knowledge of how these governance elements might impact the change in market valuation of spun-off subsidiaries is virtually nonexistent. Grounded in agency, resource dependence, and upper echelons …

Quantitative Non-Destructive Evaluation (Nde) Of Frp Laminate-Concrete Bond Strength, Mina Riad

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Repair and rehabilitation methods for civil infrastructure have become a topic of great interest to engineers. Fiber Reinforced Polymer (FRP) is considered as one of the most popular and practical solutions for strengthening and retrofitting of civil infrastructure. Several past studies indicated that significant increase in strength and stiffness can be achieved by using this technology. The FRP-concrete interface bond is critical in transferring stresses from the concrete surface to the FRP. However, the evaluation of the bond strength is still a challenging issue. To evaluate the bond strength using non-destructive techniques, 32 concrete beams strengthened with FRP using different …

Non-Linear Analysis Of Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete Hollow Columns Under Uniaxial Bending, Mohammed Huzaifa Ghori

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

This study investigates the performance of Steel Fiber Reinforced concrete hollow columns under axial compressive load and uniaxial bending with varying amounts of steel fiber using Finite Element Method of Analysis. The columns are of two groups, one with a 10% void and the other group has 20% void at the center. Each group’s specimens’ fiber content is varied in 0.5% increments from 0 to 1.5%. Also, the collapse load of the columns was obtained. Numerical results were compared with the available experiments. Two parametric studies were conducted by varying the amount of void percentages and steel fiber contents. In …

Fatigue Life Improvement Of Welded Girders With Ultrasonic Impact Treatment, Jonathan Fong-Ching Hui

Open Access Theses

The fatigue life of welded connections can be improved by a variety of post-weld treatment methods. One of the most effective methods is ultrasonic impact treatment (UIT). This technology may be applied during shop fabrication, but the greatest benefit comes from field retrofitting applications. Tensile cyclic stress ranges drive fatigue crack initiation and growth at the weld toe. This is made worse by tensile residual stresses at the weld toe that can reach the yield strength of the base metal resulting from differential cooling of the weld metal during fabrication. This concentration of tensile residual stress can have the effect …

Sympathy For The Devil: Gawker, Thiel, And Newsworthiness, Amy Gajda

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Petrophysical Characterization Of The Jo Mill Submarine Fan Complex, Spraberry Trend, Midland Basin, Texas, Benjamin Frederic Rogers

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

Understanding and quantifying reservoir quality require a new suite of knowledge when approaching the nanometer sized pore-networks of unconventional reservoirs. These low porosity and permeability reservoirs have been produced in major basins all over the world, but characterizing their pore networks has been fairly recent in its application. One of the challenges of quantifying reservoir characteristics like porosity, pore size distribution, permeability, and tortuosity in unconventional reservoirs is the abundance of their nanometer-sized pore systems. Pore systems in these rocks tend to behave differently and with less predictability than the conventional reservoir. The Spraberry Formation in the Midland Basin of …

Characterization Of Nanopetrophysical Properties Of The Mancos “B”/ Prairie Canyon Member Of The Mancos Shale, Rio Blanco, Colorado, Scott Brian Leaseburge

Earth & Environmental Sciences Theses - Archive

Over the past decade hydrocarbon production from unconventional reservoirs has grown to become a significant source of North American domestic energy and will likely continue so for decades to come. However, production from unconventional reservoirs is plagued with low overall recovery and sharp declines in production. Low matrix permeability and poor pore connectively are significant factors limiting recovery and production. Research into the fluid flow characteristics of low permeability reservoirs can lead to extended initial production and greater overall recovery. Technically recoverable unconventional oil and gas resources in the Mancos Shale of the Piceance Basin are estimated to be 66.3 …

Numerical Solution Of Saddle Point Problems By Projection, Gul Karaduman

Mathematics Dissertations - Archive

In this thesis, we work on iterative solutions of large linear systems of saddle point problems of the form    A B1 T B2 0       x y    =    f 0    , where A ∈ R n×n , B1, B2 ∈ R m×n , f ∈ R n , and n ≥ m. Many applications in computational sciences and engineering give rise to saddle point problems such as finite element approximations to Stokes problems, image reconstruction, tomography, genetics, statistics and model order reduction for …

Dripping With Blood, Ryan Santangelo

The Prairie Light Review

No abstract provided.

Critical Success Factors For Agile Project Management In Non-Software Related Product Development Teams, Jeff Totten

Dissertations

The use of agile project management methods in the software development industry is well established and researched. The purpose of this study is to understand whether agile project management methods (Scrum in particular) used successfully in the software industry are also being used in full, or in part, in non-software development industries when managing product development projects.

Using an online survey instrument, data was collected from 329 non-software/IT global practitioners to identify in what industries and work functions agile project management methods are used, to find the independent variables that have a significant relationship with project success, and to determine …

Erosion And Accretion On A Mudflat: The Importance Of Very Shallow-Water Effects, Benwei Shi, James R. Cooper, Paula D. Pratolongo, Shu Gao, T. J. Bouma, Gaocong Li, Chunyan Li, S. L. Yang, Ya Ping Wang

Faculty Publications

Understanding erosion and accretion dynamics during an entire tidal cycle is important for assessing their impacts on the habitats of biological communities and the long-term morphological evolution of intertidal mudflats. However, previous studies often omitted erosion and accretion during very shallow-water stages (VSWS, water depths < 0.20 m). It is during these VSWS that bottom friction becomes relatively strong and thus erosion and accretion dynamics are likely to differ from those during deeper flows. In this study, we examine the contribution of very shallow-water effects to erosion and accretion of the entire tidal cycle, based on measured and modeled time-series of bed-level changes. Our field experiments revealed that the VSWS accounted for only 11% of the duration of the entire tidal cycle, but erosion and accretion during these stages accounted for 35% of the bed-level changes of the entire tidal cycle. Predicted cumulative bed-level changes agree much better with measured results when the entire tidal cycle is modeled than when only the conditions at water depths of >0.2 m (i.e., probe submerged) are considered. These findings suggest that the magnitude of bed-level changes during VSWS should not be neglected when modeling morphodynamic processes. Our results are useful in understanding the mechanisms of micro-topography formation and destruction that often occur at VSWS, and also improve our understanding and modeling ability of coastal morphological …

Comparing Methods Of Targeting Obesity Interventions In Populations: An Agent-Based Simulation, Rahmatollah Beheshti, Mehdi Jalalpour, Thomas A. Glass

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Social networks as well as neighborhood environments have been shown to effect obesity-related behaviors including energy intake and physical activity. Accordingly, harnessing social networks to improve targeting of obesity interventions may be promising to the extent this leads to social multiplier effects and wider diffusion of intervention impact on populations. However, the literature evaluating network-based interventions has been inconsistent. Computational methods like agent-based models (ABM) provide researchers with tools to experiment in a simulated environment. We develop an ABM to compare conventional targeting methods (random selection, based on individual obesity risk, and vulnerable areas) with network-based targeting methods. We adapt …

Association Between Cognitive Function And Quality Of Life In Patients With Head And Neck Cancer, Amy M. Williams, Jamie Lindholm, Diana Cook, Farzan Siddiqui, Tamer Ghanem, Steven S. Chang

Otolaryngology Articles

No abstract provided.

The Monadnock Volume 59, December 2017, Clark University Geographical Society

The Monadnock (Clark Geographical Society)

Volume 59 of The Monadnock. The Monadnock was the alumni magazine of the Clark University Geographical Society (1927-1985) (2014-present).

Family Limited Partnerships And Section 2036: Not Such A Good Fit, Mitchell M. Gans, Jonathan G. Blattmachr

ACTEC Law Journal

The IRS has struggled to close down abusive family limited partnerships. At first unreceptive to IRS arguments, the courts eventually embraced section 2036 as an estate-tax tool for attacking such partnerships. Because the section was not designed to apply to partnerships, difficulties have arisen as the courts have struggled with the fit. In its most recent encounter, the Tax Court in Powell grappled with a fit-related issue that implicates the Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Byrum. The Powell court, it will be argued, misread Byrum, conflating the majority opinion with the dissent – and converting the rule-based approach …

Front Matter

ACTEC Law Journal

No abstract provided.

The Banner - V. 152, No. 11 - (December 2017), Christian Reformed Church In North America

The Banner

No abstract provided.

2017-2018 Winter - University School Alumni Newsletter, University School, East Tennessee State University

University School Newsletters

No abstract provided.