Digital Commons Network^™

Revision: The Literary Compass, Ashton Nanninga

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Revision is necessary in the writing process; it is the creative stepping-stone towards a finished product. Throughout all stages in writing, revision exists. From the entry point of writing – after words meet the page – to submission, it is essential. Determining how to revise as a self-editor as well as receiving critiques and comments from others can be a difficult. Even understanding what constitutes revision can be unclear. In this thesis, understanding what revision is from its origin to application in writing today will be explored. Revision is a subjective process; it varies from person to person. In order …

Predicting Louisiana Public High School Dropout Through Imbalanced Learning Techniques, Marmar Orooji, Jianhua Chen

Faculty Publications

This study is motivated by the magnitude of the problem of Louisiana high school dropout and its negative impacts on individual and public well-being. Our goal is to predict students who are at risk of high school dropout, by examining Louisiana administrative dataset. Due to the imbalanced nature of the dataset, imbalanced learning techniques including resampling, case weighting, and cost-sensitive learning have been applied to enhance the prediction performance on the rare class. Performance metrics used in this study are F-measure, recall and precision of the rare class. We compare the performance of several machine learning algorithms such as neural …

Sparse Transducer Imaging, Sen Bing

Electrical Engineering Theses and Dissertations

Ultrasound is commonly used in medicine for imaging different organ systems. Also, it is widely used to monitor fetal development. The most common ultrasound imaging technique is B-mode, which uses an array of transducers to generate a narrow beam.

The array with dynamic focusing is implemented by phase shifters which are complex and costly. Also, the beamwidth is not sufficiently narrow which means it cannot provide high resolution. My research will investigate a new method which doesn’t need narrow beam and can be implemented by only one transducer. The new system can give potentially higher resolution and significantly reduce the …

Waste Gasification, Glyn D. Lewis, Nash Taylor, Nicholas L. Ordonez, David S. Mccallum

Mechanical Engineering

This document summarizes the work the IGT Team has conducted on the topic of waste to energy gasification over the Cal Poly Winter, Spring, and Fall quarters of 2019. The project is being carried out by four Cal Poly Mechanical Engineering students: Nash Taylor, Glyn Lewis, David McCallum, and Nicholas Ordonez and the sponsor of this project is Tod duBois. The team’s original goal was to successfully create a system that compiles residential solid waste on a small scale, gasifies it, and measures the typical syngas outputs, so that the team may assess the viability of gasification of household waste …

Deployable Cover For Cubesat Fuv Imager, Edwin J. Rainville, Patrick J. Rainville, Jeff Wagner

Mechanical Engineering

The goal is to develop a deployable cover for a far ultraviolet imager cube satellite that will be used to map the earth’s auroras in the ionosphere. The deployable cover is used to protect the Far Ultra-Violet (FUV) sensor and lenses, house two mirrors which are used to filter unwanted light and expose optics when deployed. The deployable cover consists of a door, an actuator, a lockout mechanism, and an “open position” indicator. This project also includes designing a fixture for testing the optical alignment of the deployable cover after launch and during orbital conditions. The subassembly is required to …

Model Block Press Design, Ben Todd Van Hamersveld, Chester Wong, Alexander Wing-Jon Giannousis

Mechanical Engineering

This project’s goal is to redesign the Center for Vocational Building Technology (CVBT) BP9 earth block press, which makes 1/3 scale compressed earth blocks to build demonstration model homes in Thailand. The full-scale block press, the BP6, provides a sustainable and affordable technique for constructing habitable homes in Thailand. The BP9 serves as a tool to inform the public of the advantages of human-powered earth block presses through demonstration. The BP9 press design has multiple problems: it is too expensive to manufacture, there is too much friction when used, it has several weak points due to users unintentionally applying excessive …

Tumble Bot, Alena Beyer, Blake Gonzales, Jensen Severance, Liam Chaffey

Mechanical Engineering

Passive locomotion is the ability for an object to move from one place to another by the means of the environment. In nature species such as tumbleweed, fox tails, plankton, and man o’ war jellyfish rely on passive modes of transportation for survival and are able to cross vast distances with little to no expenditure of their own energy. This document seeks to explore the feasibility of building a machine relies on the energy of Mars’ environment to explore the Martian surface.

The “Tensegrity Tumbleweed Locomotion” (nicknamed Tumble Bot) senior project was sponsored by NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). The …

Mad Jack Alpine Touring Model Design, Austin Gasbarra, Gillian Stargensky, Madeleine Mccool, Brannon Smudz

Mechanical Engineering

Skiing is a sport enjoyed by millions of people every year, yet ski boots are very uncomfortable and cost- prohibitive, resulting in a low conversion rate of first-time skiers to lifetime skiers. Additionally, Alpine Touring (AT) is seeing a surge in popularity as ski resorts become more expensive, but few companies are developing affordable products in this realm. Mad Jack Snow Sports has developed a product that they believe addresses some of the main issues associated with skiing, but they want to develop their product line further. The problem statement and scope state that the purpose of this project is …

Critical Radius Of Insulation, Maria N. Ambrose, Samuel J. Sayre, Travis W. Martin, Matt T. Sterling

Mechanical Engineering

The critical radius of insulation is a counterintuitive concept within the study of heat transfer. The theory states that adding insulation to a cylindrical or spherical object will increase the rate of heat loss rather than decrease it, if the radius (thickness) of the insulation is at its “critical” value. The Critical Radius of Insulation Senior Project is designed to demonstrate this phenomenon to Heat Transfer students via a portable apparatus. The concept will be demonstrated with a cylindrical object which is heated by way of a separate voltage source. Thermocouples will display the temperature of the cylinder while insulation …

Resource Allocation And Task Scheduling Optimization In Cloud-Based Content Delivery Networks With Edge Computing, Yang Peng

Operations Research and Engineering Management Theses and Dissertations

The extensive growth in adoption of mobile devices pushes global Internet protocol (IP) traffic to grow and content delivery network (CDN) will carry 72 percent of total Internet traffic by 2022, up from 56 percent in 2017. In this praxis, Interconnected Cache Edge (ICE) based on different public cloud infrastructures with multiple edge computing sites is considered to help CDN service providers (SPs) to maximize their operational profit. The problem of resource allocation and performance optimization is studied in order to maximize the cache hit ratio with available CDN capacity.

The considered problem is formulated as a multi-stage stochastic linear …

Evaluation Of Fire-Affected Concrete Structures By Non-Destructive Testing Methods, Upal Mohammad Towfiqul Quadir

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Fire hazard on concrete structures has been a significant concern around the world. After a fire hazard, the crucial part is the evaluation of the fire-affected concrete for strengthening or demolition. For evaluation of a fire-affected concrete structure, Non-destructive Testing (NDT) methods would certainly be a more viable option than the destructive testing methods. Until now, no specific code was developed for quantifiable evaluation of fire-affected concrete with NDT. To develop the method for Non-destructive Evaluation (NDE) of fire-affected concrete, 8 small-sized (4 in x 4 in x 15 in) and 32 medium-sized (8 in x 8 in x 36 …

Development Of A Machine Learning-Based Prediction Model For Construction And Environmental Costs Of Trenchless Spray-Applied Pipe Linings, Cured-In-Place Pipe, And Sliplining Methods In Large Diameter Culverts, Ramtin Serajiantehrani

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

According to U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration there are more than 4.1 million miles of road in total length, making it the world’s longest and biggest road network with millions of culverts hidden underneath the road in the United States. The development of underground infrastructure, concerns about environmental impacts, and economic trends are influencing society, resulting in the advancement of technology for more environment-friendly and cost-effective pipeline rehabilitation. Trenchless technologies employ innovative methods, materials, and equipment that require minimum surface excavation and access area for rehabilitation of old and deteriorated culverts. Trenchless technologies can be used when other …

Menaxhimi I Riskut Në Institucionet Financiare – Bankat Në Kosovë, Breta Berisha

Theses and Dissertations

“Çdo e vërtetë shkencore, është një ide e gabuar në pritje...” Karl R. Popper (The Logic Scientific Discovery, 1934) Në kuadër të këtij studimi në fillim është analizuar menaxhimi i riskut në institucionet financiare, duke i përmbledhur të gjitha risqet që i kanosen një sistemi bankar. Ky studim i shqyrton menaxhimin e riskut të kredisë, riskut operacional, riskut të likuiditetit dhe reputacional. Qëllimi i studimit është se si menaxhohen këto risqe në institucionet bankare, si dhe vështrimi i rregullativës së Komitetit të Bazelit për Mbikëqyrje Bankare (BCBS). Gjatë studimeve kemi hasur një qasje të bazuar në vlerësimet e brendshme me …

Menaxhimi I Relacionit Me Klientin (Crm) Në Epokën E Digjitalizimit: Rasti I Institucioneve Bankare, Dafina Hasani Ibrahimi

Theses and Dissertations

Ekonomia globale është duke u transformuar me një ritëm të shpejtë, derisa teknologjia është instrumenti kryesor për këtë ndryshim. Ndikimi i revolucionit teknologjik po përjetohet në të gjitha sferat e jetës gjithashtu edhe në sektorin bankar në Kosovë. Banka nuk është më e kufizuar vetëm në sistemin tradicional të relacioneve me klientin, por është transformuar në një sistem modern të afarizmit bankar virtual. Sot, në tregun global të gjitha bizneset, të të gjitha industrive dhe madhësive, nga kompanitë e mëdha deri tek kompanitë e vogla dhe private, po i kushtojnë rëndësi relacioneve me klientë, për të fituar klientë besnik. Filozofia …

Eksplorimi I Arkitekturës “ Biofilike” Në Banim Kolektiv, Në Qytetin E Ferizajit, Rilind Bajrami

Theses and Dissertations

Migrimi i popullsisë nga fshatrat dhe rrethinat në qytetin e Ferizajt është shtytësi primar i përdorimit të arkitekturës “Biofilike” për të krijuar një ambient sa më natyral që banoret të ndjehen “në qytet si në shtëpi”dhe të krijohet ndjesia i komunitetit dhe kolektivitet në banim urban. Për më tepër, një zhvillim i tillë do të sfidonte modelet stereotip të ndërtesave kolektive / shumëbanesore drejtë një Urbanizmi të Ri, si reflektim i nevojës për rritje të kualitetit të jetës në densitete gjithnjë e më të mëdha urbane. Zhvillimi i arkitekturës së qëndrueshme të banimit urban duke krijuar hapësira të cilat sjellin …

The Effect Of Black Teachers In The Elementary School, Evadne N. Bowlin

Honors Capstones

There are many ways black teachers affect elementary schools. The influence of a black teacher is mainly on black students, but also white students, colleagues, and administrators. Black teachers help to enhance cultural awareness among white teachers and administrators. They do this by helping others recognize their implicit bias — the attitudes that affect understanding and actions in an unconscious manner (Toribio, 2018). Black teachers also hold high expectations in students that lead to the ambition to achieve and persevere. Having a natural disadvantage in society gives black teachers the will to succeed and strive for greatness and that characteristic …

Evaluation Of Reducing Cement Content In Ndor Class R Combined Aggregate Gradations, Miras Mamirov, Jiong Hu, Yong-Rak Kim

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The main objective of this research project was to achieve a cement reduction on Nebraska slip-form pavement concrete through aggregate particle packing optimization. A literature review was conducted to examine different aggregate optimization tools, quality control tests, and historical data of Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) pavement mixtures. It was found that the Modified Toufar Model has good potential in optimizing particle packing and predicting packing degrees. The combined aggregate void content test was found to be useful to experimentally justify optimized aggregate gradations. The Box Test with a modified index and image analysis tool for surface void estimation was …

Long-Term Performance Evaluation Of Nudeck In Kearney East Bypass, George Morcous, Marc Maguire

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The Kearney East Bypass bridge is the first project that implements the newly developed precast concrete deck system (known as 2nd generation NUDECK). The new system consists of full-depth full-width precast prestressed concrete deck panels that are 12 ft (3.66 m) long each. The panels have covered shear pockets at 4 ft (1.22 m) spacing on each girder line to host clustered shear connectors that are adjustable in height. Narrow unreinforced transverse joints are used to eliminate the need for deck overlay. Also, deck panels are post-tensioned in the longitudinal direction using a new post-tensioning system that eliminates the need …

Standard Design For Nebraska County Bridges, Chungwook Sim, Jiong Hu, Maher K. Tadros, Alexander Bleyhl, David Gee

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Many county-owned bridges in Nebraska need replacement due to their structural deficiency. Most of the bridges needing replacement are in the 40 to 60 ft range. This span range lacks a standard design that fits Nebraska county practices in terms of speed and simplicity of construction. The current systems being used are (a) Precast 1 by 2 ft planks which can span up to 30 ft, (b) Cast-in-place slab bridges which can span up to 50 ft but require extensive field formwork, concrete placing, and curing, and are best when constructed in three-span units, and (c) Inverted tees which can …

Precast Concrete Deck-To-Girder Connection Using Uhpc, George Morcous, Mostafa Abo El-Khier

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The implementation of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) in bridge construction has been growing rapidly in the last two decades due to its excellent mechanical properties, workability, and durability. This report presents a new UHPC connection between precast concrete deck panels and bridge girders that eliminates changes to the design and production of girder shear connectors commonly used in conventional cast-in-place concrete deck construction. In conventional construction, girder shear reinforcement or studs are extended into the cast-in-place concrete deck to transfer interface shear and create composite section. In the new connection, girder shear reinforcement or studs are kept underneath the deck panels, …

Development Of High-Performance Rapid Patching Materials For Pavement Repair, Gholami Shayan, Jiong Hu, Yong-Rak Kim

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Concrete pavements exhibiting severe distresses which require patching are commonly observed in the concrete pavement in Nebraska. Due to the requirements of opening pavement to traffic after placing the rapid patching materials, it is essential for that concrete to achieve high early strength. To ensure this, a high cement content and chloride-based accelerators are currently used in the Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) Portland cement-based rapid-patching materials. Besides its associated high cost, high cement content tends to result in a less stable mix with high shrinkage, high heat of hydration, and high cracking potential. In addition, using chloride-based accelerators has …

Condition Assessment Of Bridge Decks With Asphalt Overlay, Sepehr Pashoutani, Jinying Zhu

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Ground penetrating RADAR (GPR) is a widely used nondestructive testing (NDT) method for bridge deck evaluation. However, the current GPR signal and data processing software and algorithms are not able to provide comprehensive information about bridge deck condition. Although the original objective of this research project was to develop GPR analysis algorithms for condition assessment of bridge decks with asphalt overlay, the scope of work has been expanded to concrete bridge decks with or without overlays.

In this study, the research team developed a complete GPR analysis procedure that includes the following components: 1) obtain zero-time for GPR reflection at …

An Individual-Carcass Model For Quantifying Bacterial Cross-Contamination In An Industrial Three-Stage Poultry Scalding Tank, Zachary Mccarthy, Ben Smith, Aamir Fazil, Shawn D. Ryan, Jianhong Wu, Daniel Munther

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

On Vibration Suppression And Trajectory Tracking In Largely Uncertain Torsional System: An Error-Based Adrc Approach, R. Madonski, M. Ramirez-Neria, M. Stankovic, Sally Shao, Zhiqiang Gao, J. Yang, S. Li

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Publications

In this work, a practically relevant control problem of compensating harmonic uncertainties is tackled. The problem is formulated and solved here using an active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) methodology. A novel, custom ADRC structure is proposed that utilizes an innovative resonant extended state observer (RESO), dedicated to systems subjected to harmonic interferences. In order to make the introduced solution more industry-friendly, the entire observer-centered control topology is additionally restructured into one degree-of-freedom, compact, feedback error-based form (similar to ubiquitous in practice PID controller). Such reorganization enables a straightforward implementation and commission of the proposed technique in wide range of industrial …

“學詞”與“詞學” : 晚清民國的詞法論述與詞學演進, Zongjie Gong

嶺南學報 Lingnan Journal of Chinese Studies

伴随著晚清民國之際詞學體系建構的初步展開，研討學詞、總結作詞法也成為此時期詞學研究的焦點。從20世紀最初二十年指導“學詞”論著的不斷湧現，到三四十年代龍榆生、詹安泰對“詞學”與“學詞”的界分，這兩種對詞學不同層面的理解，恰好呈現出詞學在近現代轉型中實現其自身内部結構調整的路徑。有關“詞法”的討論從因襲前人發展為自我創獲，與此同時，詞學研究從以創作為主要導向，演變為創作和研究二分的態勢。對此稍作梳理，可以讓我們在文學創作與文學研究二者的互動關係上，更好地去把握晚清民國的詞體觀發展與詞學演進的軌跡。

As the system of ci theory in Late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China developed, discussions on methods for ci writing became the focus of relevant studies in that period with a great many publicaitons on how to conduct ci writing. In the 1930s and 1940s, Long Yusheng and Zhan Antai discussed the differences between learning and studying ci and ci theories. The intertwined process of these two streams reveals the evolution and the modernization of ci studies. Clarifying the relationship of these two, will help us better understand the trajectory of the development of ci theories in …

Children And Online Privacy Protection: Empowerment From Cognitive Defense Strategies, J. Craig Andrews, Kristen L. Walker, Jeremy Kees

Marketing Faculty Research and Publications

At present, very little is known about what might encourage children and teens to limit access to their private information online and to restrict what they share on social media and video sites. Federal and state agencies face challenges encouraging companies to help children, teens, and parents protect their information online. The authors extend previous cognitive defense research by examining (1) effects beyond advertising as applied to information privacy online; (2) not only children’s/teens’ beliefs and knowledge, but also their online privacy decisions; (3) multiple age categories; (4) multiple cognitive defense strategies (educational video, quiz with feedback, or absence of …

Novel Optimization Approaches For Integrated Design And Operation Of Smart Manufacturing And Energy Systems, Alphonse Hakizimana

All Dissertations

This dissertation contributes novel theoretical results that enable the use of efficient optimization algorithms for the design of energy and manufacturing systems with high operational flexibility. Operational flexibility is a central theme of the smart grid and smart manufacturing paradigms because it enables systems to optimally adapt to highly dynamic and uncertain operating environments. Such environments are increasingly prevalent in the energy and manufacturing industries due to factors such as the increasing use of variable renewable energy resources (e.g., wind and solar) and the potential benefits of responding quickly to variations in product demands, real-time electricity markets, etc. For systems …

Essays On China's Cigarette Industry, Xi Bai

All Dissertations

This dissertation comprises three chapters on the Chinese cigarettes industry. The China State Tobacco Monopoly Administration (STMA) regulates this industry, allocating quotas of production across manufacturers. Between 2006 and 2007, it mandated all cigarette firms within a province merge into a single state-owned, province-level firm. After the merger, the province-level firms allocate their quotas for the maximum number of cartons they can produce directly.

In the first chapter, I examine how the mandated change in market structure resulting from the STMA affected allocation on the quality dimension. To assess the pre-merger differences in market structure in quota allocation, I compare …

Modification Of Optical And Structural Properties Of Dc Magnetron Sputtered Tungsten Oxide Thin Films For Electrochromic Application, P Yaemsanguansak, M Sittishoktram, R Tuayjaroen, E Ketsombun, T Lertvanithphol, C Luangchaisri, T Jutarosaga

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

The optical properties of tungsten oxide thin films prepared by a reactive DC magnetron sputtering technique were investigated. The influences of O2 flow rates (15 and 18 sccm) and DC sputtering powers (5, 15 and 25 W) on the optical properties of 200 nm-thick tungsten oxide films on indium tin oxide substrates (WO3/ITO/glass) were investigated using UV-visible spectrophotometer. The results indicated that the transmission modulation in visible region between colored state and bleached state of the films increased significantly with decreasing DC sputtering power and increasing O2 flow rate. The results corresponded with the increase of film roughness and density …

Identifying The Risk Factors To Postpartum Depression, Jannica Bondoc Santos

Senior Theses

A woman’s life instantly changes after the birth of their child. Furthermore, culture influences the stigma that a mother is the primary caregiver of their children and are accountable for the health and upbringing of the child. Giving birth to a baby and taking up the responsibility of another human life is a great impact in a female’s existence. In addition to the new tasks that come with motherhood, women are also challenged to cope with their emotional and mental state after giving birth. The most chronic mental illness that can develop after labor is postpartum depression (PPD). Women who …