Digital Commons Network^™

Making Renewables Profitable For Lincoln Electrical System, Jack Mensinger

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

The potential for Nebraska to integrate renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind, in a financially sustainable and profitable method, has been proposed and shot down. Too many Nebraskans continue to doubt and reject renewables due to the perception that they are too expensive and the continued cost over traditional energy sources are too high. Most of Nebraska’s energy comes from coal, (63%) as of 2018, with the remainder lying primarily in nuclear (15%), and wind (14%). With the innovations and adoption of renewables by other states, what is keeping Nebraskans from joining the renewable party? The primary reason …

Positive Points Of Bernie's Green New Deal, Bailey Mullins

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

The Green New Deal will help will create jobs in the energy market. Many people fear that the workers in the coal mines or oil plants will be out of job but this is actually false. The Green New Deal will create jobs in the energy market, all while switching our infrastructure to 100% renewable energy. The Green New Deal is the best way for our country to become more sustainable, modernize our energy infrastructure, and do it without costing americans jobs. First off the Green New Deal will create 20 million new job openings according to Bernie Sanders campaign …

Adaptation To Climate Change, Pascal Ntaganda

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Climate is changing rapidly. Some scientists say that the effects are now irreversible. The foundation on which government organizations, some of them being the congress in the United States, is not strong enough to stop climate change. The fact that the approaches being taken target market-based situations, makes it inefficient. Governments create solutions to reduce the impacts, as they make sure that these activities do not affect their economies. The level at which effects of climate change threaten life and resources of a country, is what stimulates the economy to adapt to the strategies set to mitigate climate change. In …

Facts, Not Feelings, Gannon Rush

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

“The world is gonna end in 12 years if we don't address climate change and your biggest issue is how are we gonna pay for it? ” This is a direct quote from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a sitting U.S. congresswoman. In the next few sentences, she also proceeds to say that climate change is “our generations World War II”. 70 million people died in World War II, not only is it doing disrespect to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice, but it is physically impossible to compare war to climate change. What she and others, such as Greta Thunberg and Al …

Wind Is The First Step To Winning, Martin Brannaman

Op-Eds from ENSC230 Energy and the Environment: Economics and Policies

Wind energy is the way of the future, and those who don’t have it will get left behind. Wind has already proven to be useful to countries in Europe, such as Denmark, Germany, and Spain. These countries are benefited from EU policy, to help alleviate some economic stress that might come from having diversified energy sources. This diversification of energy is good for countries economically and energy wise, allows them to not be too heavily reliant upon one source. This issue is clearly on display in America who is heavily reliant on oil and coal for example, the 1973 oil …

Knowledge Representation Method Of Joint Operation Situation Based On Knowledge Graph, Baokui Wang, Wu Lin, Xiaofeng Hu, Xiaoyuan He

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Lacking of common knowledge for understanding and judging complex situation of operation by machines is one of the difficulties in intelligent situation cognition. The knowledge representation methods based on knowledge graph are reviewed. The characteristics and difficulties of joint operation situation knowledge representation are analyzed. Moreover, the concept of scenario knowledge graph is presented, as well as the knowledge sources and basic content of scenario knowledge graph are described. This paper also points out that the joint knowledge representation method based on discrete symbols and continuous vectors in specific scenario is an effective way to express joint operation situation …

Using Archaeological Remote Sensing To Evaluate Land Use And Constructed Space In Chaco Canyon, Jennie Odessa Sturm

Anthropology ETDs

Archaeological remote sensing includes a suite of non-invasive methods that can be used to study elements of the archaeological record that may not be achievable otherwise. Using primarily geophysical remote sensing, and especially ground-penetrating radar (GPR), three studies involving questions of “use” were conducted in Chaco Canyon, New Mexico. The first used GPR to study the built interior features of a single room in Pueblo Bonito to evaluate use and function of that room. Three categories of features were identified in the GPR data and confirmed with subsequent excavation. The second study used GPR to re-evaluate an enigmatic land use …

Dynamic Collision Optimization Algorithm Based On Ray Detection, Li Xing, Yanfang Fu, Wang Liang, Chengtao Lu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Aiming at the inaccurate collision detection problem in Unity 3D-based visual simulation systems, a dynamic collision optimization algorithm based on ray detection is designed and implemented. The 3D virtual scene is segmented by octree, which simplifies the detection range of obstacles during the operation of simulation systems. At the same time, based on ray detection, according to the quantization coefficient and distance of the threat degree of obstacles, an appropriate collision collider is dynamically added to the obstacles to complete collision detection. The results show that the algorithm not only improves the fluency of visual simulation systems but also …

Exposition Aux Bioaérosols Dans Les Centres De Traitement Des Eaux Usées : Application D’Approches Moléculaires Et Risque Viral, Caroline Duchaine, Marc Veillette, Vanessa Dion Dupont, Hamza Mbareche, Évelyne Brisebois, Jacques Lavoie, Yves Beaudet

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Le traitement des eaux usées comporte plusieurs étapes susceptibles de générer des bioaérosols auxquels des travailleurs peuvent être exposés. Bien que la littérature à ce sujet soit relativement abondante, les connaissances relatives au risque, à l’exposition et à la fréquence de certaines maladies chez cette population demeurent mal documentées. L’environnement des centres de traitement des eaux usées est complexe à plusieurs égards. En effet, les différents sites de traitement représentent des risques variables en ce qui a trait à la nature et à la concentration des bioaérosols, ainsi qu’au type de travail effectué. La majorité des études s’intéressant à cette …

Exact Isovector Pairing In A Shell-Model Framework: Role Of Proton-Neutron Correlations In Isobaric Analog States, M. E. Miora, K. D. Launey, D. Kekejian, F. Pan, J. P. Draayer

Faculty Publications

We utilize a nuclear shell model Hamiltonian with only two adjustable parameters to generate, for the first time, exact solutions for pairing correlations for light to medium-mass nuclei, including the challenging proton-neutron pairs, while also identifying the primary physics involved. In addition to single-particle energy and Coulomb potential terms, the shell model Hamiltonian consists of an isovector T=1 pairing interaction and an average proton-neutron isoscalar T=0 interaction, where the T=0 term describes the average interaction between nonpaired protons and neutrons. This Hamiltonian is exactly solvable, where, utilizing three to seven single-particle energy levels, we reproduce experimental data for 0+ state …

Numerical Modeling Of Effects Of Extreme Precipitation And Flooding On Earthen Levees Under A Changing Climate, Firas Jasim

Theses and Dissertations

Adaptation to climate change requires a careful evaluation of the infrastructure performance under extreme events in a changing climate. Earthen levees are critical infrastructure systems, which play a vital role to the country’s safety, environment, and economic security. The main objective of this study is to quantitatively assess the integrity of earthen levees subject to extreme precipitation and flooding under a changing climate. A multi-disciplinary modeling framework is developed and applied to two earthen levees, Elkhorn and Sherman Island levees, in California. Patterns of extreme precipitation and flooding are obtained for the study areas under current and future climate. A …

Float, Frida Sterenberg

Capstones

A family of Afghan asylum seekers on the Greek island of Lesvos had found a trace of stability in their lives. They lived in a house, found jobs, were developing new skills and were even nurturing some creative vein while they waited for their asylum interview scheduled for early 2020. But all that was taken away, abruptly, when they were transferred to Athens in mid-September.

The illusive feeling of stability is something the family knows all too well.

Raziye, the mother, has been a refugee for four decades and her children their entire life. Raziye and her late husband fled …

Comparison Of Charge Storage Properties Of Prussian Blue Analogues Containing Cobalt And Copper, Amanda Rensmo, Jennifer R. Hampton

Faculty Publications

Prussian blue analogues are of great interest as alternative battery materials because of their long life cycle and potential use of earth-abundant elements. In this work, thin film mixed-metal hexacyanoferrates (HCFs) based on NiCo and NiCu alloys were fabricated in an all electrochemical process. The structure and composition of the samples were characterized, along with the charge storage capacity and kinetics of the charge transfer reaction. For both NiCo-HCF and NiCu-HCF samples, the total charge capacity increased with the substitution of Ni with more Co or Cu, and the increase was larger for Cu samples than for Co samples. On …

Enhanced Controllers For Voltage-Sourced Converters Interfaced With Weak Ac Power Grids, Sushil Silwal

Theses and Dissertations

Many distributed energy resource (DER) systems are remotely located and are often interfaced at low or medium voltage levels through power electronics converters such as voltage-sourced converters (VSC). Therefore, a weak-grid situation is encountered where the voltage and frequency at the point of DER coupling can experience fluctuations. A power converter designed to operate in normal and strong grid conditions may not perform satisfactorily during such weak and distorted grid conditions. Hence, considering the full dynamics of the system during weak-grid conditions in the design of converter control is indispensable to ensure the stability of the DER and the grid. …

Basal Travertine Of The Bouse Formation: Geochemistry, Diagenesis And Implications For The Integration Of The Colorado River, Christina Ferguson

Earth and Planetary Sciences ETDs

The Pliocene Bouse Formation is discontinuously exposed in the lower Colorado River region and is a record of the first arrival of the Colorado River to the Gulf of California 5 million years ago. It consists broadly of a lower carbonate member (travertine, marl, and bioclastic units) and an upper siliciclastic member (claystone, mudstone, and Colorado River sands). This paper focuses on the basal travertine (synonymous with “tufa”) unit of the lower carbonate member. Because of its basal position and its chemical encrustation of pre-Bouse topography, the travertine can offer insight into the earliest depositional settings and may be a …

Point Cloud Processing With Neural Networks, Stephanie Miller, Jiahao Li

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

In this project, we explore new techniques and architectures for applying deep neural networks when the input is point cloud data. We first consider applying convolutions on regular pixel and voxel grids, using polynomials of point coordinates and Fourier transforms to get a rich feature representation for all points mapped to the same pixel or voxel. We also apply these ideas to generalize the recently proposed "interpolated convolution", by learning continuous-space kernels as a combination of polynomial and Fourier basis kernels. Experiments on the ModelNet40 dataset demonstrate that our methods have superior performance over the baselines in 3D object recognition.

C(Sp2)-C(Sp3) Cross-Coupling Of Aryl Halides And Active C(Spp3)-H Bonds Via Dual Catalysis: Organic Photocatalysis/Nickel Redox Catalysis, Nicholas Armada

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Convenient catalytic methodologies that can facilitate the formation of C-C bonds are undoubtedly of great interest in synthetic organic chemistry. Recent reports in literature have showcased hybrid catalytic methods that couple Ni-redox catalysis and photocatalysis to enable C-H activation of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and subsequent cross-coupling with aryl halides in appreciable yields and under relatively mild reaction conditions.^1-2 However, these studies used expensive, heavy metal-containing photocatalysts and both report difficulty obtaining low-specificity across their scopes of aryl-halides. The following report will shed light on a class of photo-excitable small organic molecules that – in conjunction with a catalytic Ni-redox cycle …

Acceptability Of A Vaginal Ring To Prevent Hiv And Pregnancy: Integrating Multiple Qualitative Methods, Dana Watnick

Dissertations and Theses

Heterosexual vaginal sex can simultaneously put women at risk for unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, such as HIV, disproportionately impacting poor women around the world. Both unintended pregnancy and HIV are persistent public health concerns associated with negative outcomes for mothers, families and communities. The current mix of prevention tools available to women to protect against unintended pregnancy and HIV is limited. Multipurpose Prevention Technologies (MPTs) are innovative products that simultaneously offer protection against pregnancy and HIV. However, MPTs will only be effective in reducing unintended pregnancy and incident HIV if women are willing to use them. With an …

Quantification Of Neuronal Specific Responses To Depletion Of The Nascent Polypeptide-Associated Complex In Caenorhabditis Elegans, Harrison Hall

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Cells experiencing misfolded protein stress can become debilitated and die, consistent with this stress being linked to numerous diseases. When misfolded proteins accumulate in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), the unfolded protein response (UPR) initiates mechanisms that resolve this stress or trigger apoptosis, dependent on the severity and/or duration of the stress. The nascent polypeptide-associated complex (NAC) is a heterodimeric chaperone that mediates proper protein folding and localization during translation; depletion of the NAC promotes misfolded protein stress in the ER, resulting in the initiation of the UPR in affected cells. The relationship between the NAC and the UPR is not …

Flexural Bending Test Of Topology Optimization Additively Manufactured Parts, Mohammed Afify

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this work is to model, manufacture, and test an optimized Messerschmitt-BölkowBlohm beam using additive manufacturing. The implemented method is the Solid Isotropic Material with Penalization of a minimum compliance design. The Taubin smoothing technique was used to attenuate geometric noise and minimize the formation of overhanging angles and residual stresses due to the thermal activity of the selective laser melting process. The optimized model required examination and repair of local errors such as surface gaps, non-manifold vertices, and intersecting facets. A comparison between experimental and numerical results of the linear elastic regimes showed that the additively manufactured …

Numerical Modeling Of Compacted Fills Under Landing Mats Subjected To Aircraft Loads, Jeremiah Matthew Stache

Theses and Dissertations

Rutting failures are prominent in expedient airfields constructed with AM2 landing mats over soft existing subgrades. There are many issues that must be addressed when approaching this multiaceted problem. The load transfer mechanism occurring at interlocking mat joints and the mat-soil interface bonding condition affect near surface subgrade response. The repeated loading coupled with lateral aircraft wander causes significant principal stress rotation in the subgrade. This kneading action then causes variations in the excess pore-water pressure and a subsequent softening of the soil. The purpose of this study is to investigate the critical factors that lead to subgrade rutting failures …

Commencement Ceremonies, University Of North Florida

Commencement Printed Materials

Program for the Fall Commencement ceremonies.

Study On Optimization Of Shore Bridge Operator Scheduling Considering The Influence Of Ambient Temperature, Yibin Wang, Haihong Yu, Danlan Xie

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: The refinement of port management puts forward new requirements for its service capacity, and human factors are the key factors affecting the port service capacity. It is a new and feasible research direction to improve port operation efficiency by adjusting human factors. Based on the theoretical model of temperature affecting efficiency, this paper uses FlexSim system simulation software to analyze the change of employee's working efficiency with time, and studies the optimal scheduling strategy of shore bridge operators under different temperatures. Finally, it is concluded that when the ambient temperature is suitable for human body, the eight-hour scheduling …

A Method Of Manifold Learning For Locality Preserving Projections Based On Geodesic, Lijun Xu, Jinghan Fang, Yiping Wang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In order to solve the problem of under-fitting state of LPP algorithm in practical application,in this paper, the mapping principle of Locality Preserving Projections (LPP) is discussed in detail. The relationship of LPP method between the under-fitting state on certain dataset and adjacency graph is analyzed. The LPP manifold learning method (ISOLPP) is proposed on the basis of geodesic. The experiment results show that the good embedded effect is achieved by implenmenting ISOLPP method on multiple test data sets. It significantly improves the adaptability of the algorithm by not only inheriting the advantages of LPP algorithm with explicit projection …

Synergic Production Scheduling Method For Distributed Multi-Plants Based On Fusion Decision Tree, Wang Yan, Tianlun Jiang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In the synergic production scheduling optimization problem of distributed multi-plants, it is necessary to consider the two stages of job allocation between factories and job scheduling in factories at the same time. This paper first establishes a distributed multi-plant scheduling model with total cost and advance/delay as the optimization objectives, and then proposes a nested optimization algorithm framework integrating ID3 decision tree with Gauss particle swarm optimization. In this framework, independent scheduling optimization within the factory is nested in the process of inter factory allocation optimization, and elite retention strategy is introduced to improve the algorithm optimization. In …

Overview Of Cooperative Target Assignment, Ou Qiao, Xiaoyuan He, Jiuyang Tao

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: The concept and connotation of combat coordination are briefly analyzed. The historical origin of cooperative target allocation and its orientation in command and control process are expounded. The research status of collaborative target allocation in model building and algorithm solving is analyzed comprehensively, the shortcomings of current research is pointed out. It is proposed that for the next step we should pay more attention to large-scale collaborative target allocation under dynamic and confrontational conditions, and focus on the real-time, adaptability and iterative evolution mechanism of the algorithm.

A Mesh Model Simplification Method Based On Visual Feature Preservation, Che Li, Dejun Tang, Shimin Li, Fengju Kang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Aiming at the problems of mesh visual feature loss and oversimplification in mesh simplification algorithm, a visual feature preservation based triangle mesh model simplification algorithm is proposed. The multi-viewpoint perception method is used to measure the visual perception error caused by the difference between the original and the simplified model in the two-dimensional view under the optimal viewpoint set. Based on QEM algorithm, a novel geometric error metric is built by introducing the triangle shape factor. The triangle collapse error function is defined by combining visual perception and geometric error to control the simplified depth of the model. Through …

Research On Clock Synchronization Of Simulation System Based On Ethernet And Optical Fiber Network, Yulin Meng, Shen Tao, Shuaihao Wang, Lüyi Zhao, Chengshi Tang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: With the development of simulation communication and Ethernet clock synchronization technology, the traditional timing simulation method based on real-time operating system can not meet the accuracy requirements of clock synchronization between multi-simulation systems. A time synchronization method between simulation systems based on IEEE1588 clock synchronization protocol and optical fiber reflection memory network is proposed, in which the Beidou/GPS timing device periodically calibrates the real-time operating system, and the real-time operating system divides the frequency of the calibrated clock information and synchronizes the clock of each simulation system through the high-speed optical fiber reflection memory network. The clock synchronization …

Research On Control Technology Of Aeroengine Heat Exchanger, Qingyang Jiang, Song Hua

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In order to solve the high temperature problem caused by the high speed of the synergistic aspirating engine, this paper designs a control algorithm for the heat exchanger. In the process of designing the control algorithm, considering the strong nonlinearity, uncertainty and strong coupling of the engine, The decoupling study of the multi-input and multi-output linear model of the heat exchanger is carried out. The decoupling effect of two different decoupling methods on the strongly coupled heat exchanger is obtained. The fuzzy decoupling PID controller has short adjustment time and overshoot. Small, conclusions with better decoupling effects.

Downhole Drilling Processing Data Acquisition And Stick Slip Characteristic Analysis, Huang Sheng, Zhang Tao, Chongjun Huang, Yumei Li, Deng Hu, Zhang Xia

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: During oil drilling process, drill string vibrations are detrimental to the bit and drill string, which even causes failure of equipment. Researches show that, studying the law of near bit vibration data can reduce non-production time (NPT) and improve drilling efficiency. This paper uses power spectral density and wavelet transform to analyze vibration signals, then compares with normal drilling situation to find out stick slip characteristics. The results show that, when stick slip occurs, the mean value of lateral vibration fluctuates greatly, which indicates stick slip is mainly based on torsional vibration. From the perspective of power spectral density …