Digital Commons Network^™

Uncertainty-Aware Deep Learning For Prediction Of Remaining Useful Life Of Mechanical Systems, Samuel J. Cornelius

Theses and Dissertations

Remaining useful life (RUL) prediction is a problem that researchers in the prognostics and health management (PHM) community have been studying for decades. Both physics-based and data-driven methods have been investigated, and in recent years, deep learning has gained significant attention. When sufficiently large and diverse datasets are available, deep neural networks can achieve state-of-the-art performance in RUL prediction for a variety of systems. However, for end users to trust the results of these models, especially as they are integrated into safety-critical systems, RUL prediction uncertainty must be captured. This work explores an approach for estimating both epistemic and heteroscedastic …

The Development Of Authentic Virtual Reality Scenarios To Measure Individuals’ Level Of Systems Thinking Skills And Learning Abilities, Vidanelage L. Dayarathna

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation develops virtual reality modules to capture individuals’ learning abilities and systems thinking skills in dynamic environments. In the first chapter, an immersive queuing theory teaching module is developed using virtual reality technology. The objective of the study is to present systems engineering concepts in a more sophisticated environment and measure students learning abilities. Furthermore, the study explores the performance gaps between male and female students in manufacturing systems concepts. To investigate the gender biases toward the performance of developed VR module, three efficacy measures (simulation sickness questionnaire, systems usability scale, and presence questionnaire) and two effectiveness measures (NASA …

Characterization Of Small Molecules And Ions By Atmospheric Pressure Ionization-Mass Spectrometry, Maleesha De Silva

Theses and Dissertations

Mass spectrometry (MS) has become a widely used technique for the characterization of a wide range of substances in diverse fields. The selection of appropriate ionization techniques, source parameters, charge carriers based on the analyte’s polarity is essential in MS as only the ions are detected. When using a soft ionization technique, single stage-MS at best provides only chemical composition; thus, tandem MS is needed to determine structural information and dissociation pathways. This dissertation focuses on the characterization of various small molecules and ions using different ionization techniques, charge carriers, and collision-induced dissociation (CID).

In Chapter II, commercially available ionic …

Testing Of Methods For Reducing Motivational Bias In Multi - Criteria Decision Analysis Problems, Chadwick Samuel Kerr

Theses and Dissertations

The idea of multi-criteria decision making has been around for quite a while. All judgement tasks are potential points of bias introduction. Each judgement task was assessed to identify common biases introduced through an extensive literature review for each task and bias. In several other studies, the distinction is made between cognitive and motivational biases. Cognitive biases are widely studied and well known with mitigations that have been validated. Motivational biases are judgements influenced by the decision maker’s desire for a specific outcome, also referred to as intentional bias, that are hard to correct and received very little testing and …

The Effects Of Cover Crops In An Integrated Livestock/Continuous Corn Cropping System In East-Central Mississippi, Ken Randolph Waddell

Theses and Dissertations

There is growing interest within the agricultural industry on how cover crop systems affect soil health and economic productivity in integrated crop-livestock systems. This study investigated the combined effects of cover crop species; no-till and conventional till; and grazed (G) and un-grazed (UG) in a continuous corn (Zea mays) production system in east-central Mississippi. Cover crops were established in the fall of 2019 and 2020 in two separate field studies. Corn yield was not affected by grazing or tillage but was affected by cover crop species. We then compared the difference in cover crop species treatments with their respective corn …

Design Of Plastic Contaminant Eliminator In Seed Cotton, Joshua H. Tandio

Theses and Dissertations

Plastic contamination in cotton is a problem in cotton industry and researchers have worked on this problem with different approaches. This thesis documents the design of mechanical and electronic real-time systems for detecting and removing plastic contaminants. The mechanical system was designed to expose plastic embedded inside the seed cotton to the sensor and to separate plastic contaminated cotton from the process stream. The detection system consisted of an embedded computer interfaced with a USB camera and Neural Network (NN) software running in it. Two NN models were tested, a transfer learning model and a built-from-scratch original model. The original …

Impacts Of Sea-Level Rise On Urban Properties In Tampa Due To Climate Change, Weiwei Xie

Theses and Dissertations

The fast urbanization produces a large and growing population in coastal areas. However, the rise of sea level, one of the most significant impacts of global warming, makes coastal communities much more vulnerable to flooding than before. This Master’s thesis study investigates sea-level rise impacts on parcel-level property in the specific coastal city of Tampa, Florida, USA. An improved sea-level rise model based on satellite altimeter data is first used to predict future sea levels. Based on high-resolution LiDAR digital elevation data and property map, flooded properties are identified to evaluate property damage cost. This empirical analysis provides an in-depth …

Predictive Computational Materials Modeling With Machine Learning: Creating The Next Generation Of Atomistic Potential Using Neural Networks, Mashroor Shafat Nitol

Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning techniques using artificial neural networks (ANNs) have proven to be effective tools to rapidly mimic first principles calculations. These tools are capable of sub meV/atom accuracy while operating with linear scaling with respect to the system size. Here novel interatomic potentials are constructed based on the rapid artificial neural network (RANN) formalism. This approach generates precise force fields for various metals that have historically been difficult to describe at the atomic scale. These force fields can be utilized in molecular dynamics simulations to provide new physical insights. The RANN formalism, which is incorporated into a LAMMPS molecular dynamics …

A Data-Driven Approach For The Investigation Of Microstructural Effects On The Effective Piezoelectric Responses Of Additively Manufactured Triply Periodic Bi-Continuous Piezocomposite, Wenhua Yang

Theses and Dissertations

A two-scale model consisting of ceramic grain scale and composite scale are developed to systematically evaluate the effects of microstructures (e.g., residual pores, grain size, texture) and geometry on the piezoelectric responses of the polarized triply periodic bi-continuous (TPC) piezocomposites. These TPC piezocomposites were fabricated by a recently developed additive manufacturing (AM) process named suspension-enclosing projection-stereolithography (SEPS) under different process conditions. In the model, the Fourier spectral iterative perturbation method (FSIPM) and the finite element method will be adopted for the calculation at the grain and composite scale, respectively. On the grain scale, a DL approach based on stacked generative …

Synthesis And Characterization Of A Ccc-Nhc Manganese Complex And Its Catalytic Activity In Alpha-Alkylation Reactions Of Ketones Using Alcohols – Acceptorless Dehydrogenative Coupling Reaction, Thi Bao Tran Nguyen

Theses and Dissertations

N-heterocyclic carbenes are essential for the synthesis and stabilization of various metal complexes due to the tendency to act as sigma-donor of sp2 hybridized lone pair in carbene into sigma-accepting orbital of metals. Meanwhile, the electronic and steric properties of pincer complexes can be fine-tuned by modifying three sites bonded to the metals. Utilizing advantages of both NHCs and the pincer structures, NHCs-based pincer complexes have become increasingly developed in recent years. After the discovery of zirconium and rhodium complexes with CCC-NHC backbones reported in 2005, Hollis’s group has been interested in applying the CCC-NHC pincer precursor for other transition …

Heat Transfer In The Seabed Boundary Layer, S. Michele, R. Stuhlmeier, A. G.L. Borthwick

School of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics

We present a theoretical model of the temperature distribution in the boundary layer region close to the seabed. Using a perturbation expansion, multiple scales and similarity variables, we show how free-surface waves enhance heat transfer between seawater and a seabed with a solid, horizontal, smooth surface. Maximum heat exchange occurs at a fixed frequency depending on ocean depth, and does not increase monotonically with the length and phase speed of propagating free-surface waves. Close agreement is found between predictions by the analytical model and a finite-difference scheme. It is found that free-surface waves can substantially affect the spatial evolution of …

Residential Metals Abatement Program Quality Assurance Project Plan (Non-Residential Parcels – Indoor Dust), Mike Mcanulty

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

The NTh-Order Comprehensive Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis Methodology For Response-Coupled Forward/Adjoint Linear Systems (NTh-Casam-L): Ii. Illustrative Application, Dan Gabriel Cacuci

Faculty Publications

This work illustrates the application of the n^th-order comprehensive adjoint sensitivity analysis methodology for response-coupled forward/adjoint linear systems (abbreviated as “n^th-CASAM-L”) to a paradigm model that describes the transmission of particles (neutrons and/or photons) through homogenized materials, as encountered in radiation protection and shielding. The first-, second-, and third-order sensitivities of responses that depend on both the forward and adjoint particle fluxes are obtained exactly, in closed-form, underscoring the principles and methodology underlying the n^th-CASAM-L. The results presented in this work underscore the fundamentally important role of the n^th-CASAM-L in the quest …

The NTh-Order Comprehensive Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis Methodology For Response-Coupled Forward/Adjoint Linear Systems (NTh-Casam-L): I. Mathematical Framework, Dan Gabriel Cacuci

Faculty Publications

This work presents the mathematical framework of the n^th-Order Comprehensive Adjoint Sensitivity Analysis Methodology for Response-Coupled Forward/Adjoint Linear Systems (abbreviated as “n^th-CASAM-L”), which is conceived for obtaining the exact expressions of arbitrarily-high-order (n^th-order) sensitivities of a generic system response with respect to all of the parameters (including boundary and initial conditions) underlying the respective forward/adjoint systems. Since many of the most important responses for linear systems involve the solutions of both the forward and the adjoint linear models that correspond to the respective physical system, the sensitivity analysis of such responses makes it necessary …

Epa Region 8 Qa Document Review Crosswalk, Trec Inc., A Woodard And Curran Company, Nikia Greene

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Draft Final Quarterly Operations And Maintenance Report Butte Treatment Lagoon System – Third Quarter 2021, Dave Griffis

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

63 Update: Fall 2022 Unifi Courses, University Of Northern Iowa. General Education Re-Envisioning Committee.

General Education Re-envisioning Committee Documents

The list of courses approved for the general education program for Fall 2022.

Stratigraphic Analysis Of The Capps Limestone In The North Norton Oil Field In Runnels County, Texas, William Thompson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Desmoinesian (Middle Pennsylvanian) Capps Limestone Member of the Mineral Wells Formation is a carbonate reservoir located in North Central Texas. It consists of interbedded limestone, sandstone, and shale units. Much of the Capps Limestone exists in the subsurface of Brown, Coleman, Runnels, Coke, Nolan, and Taylor counties, however, the Capps Limestone outcrops on the surface in Brown, Eastland, and Palo Pinto counties.

The cored interval from Runnels County was deposited in a marginal marine environment during the Middle Pennsylvanian Period. Although the Capps Limestone was first described in the 1890s, there is still much to be discovered about its …

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Npl Site Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit, Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

A Framework For Phrase Based Smt In The Technical Translation Domain, Hisham Farouk Khodeir

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Using Parallel Primary Caches To Improve Capacity And Bandwidth, John Rubena Wani

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Error Correction In Quantum Cryptography, Mohamed Salah El Ashmawy

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Burning And Management Alternatives On Forage Accumulation And Floristic Composition Of A Native Pasture, I. Heringer, A. V. A. Jacques

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The forage accumulation and floristic composition of native pasture, submitted to burning and alternative management practices, was evaluated during one year. The experimental design was a completely randomized, with five treatments and three replications. The forage accumulation was evaluated in a grazing exclusion cage, and the floristic composition was estimated with Botanal method. The systems without burning were more productive and, among these, the forage accumulation was similar between the one without burning and without mowing and the improve treatments, and the annual accumulation was greater than 9,000 Kg/ha of green forage dry matter. The species Paspalum notatum, P. …

Nitrogen Flow To Duodenum Of Steers Grazing On Orchardgrass And Meadowfescue Pastures, Masaaki Hanada, Y. Aibibula, Meiji Okamoto

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This experiment was conducted to evaluate nitrogen flow to the duodenum of steers grazing on orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L., OG) or meadowfescue (Festuca elatior L., MF) pasture. Holstein steers fitted with cannulas in the rumen and duodenum were used. Nitrogen content and in vitro dry matter digestibility of herbage did not differ between OG and MF pastures. Herbage nitrogen intake of steers grazing on OG and MF pastures averaged 229 and 271 g/day, respectively. Nitrogen flows to the duodenum of steers grazing on orchardgrass and meadowfescue pastures averaged 187 and 195g/d, respectively. Microbial nitrogen flow to the duodenum …

The Effects Of Post-Grazing Sward Conditions On Herbage Accumulation In Winter And Spring, F. P. Hughes, P. N. P. Matthews, C. Matthew

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Two on-farm experiments were conducted in the winter and spring of 1998 on a New Zealand seasonal production dairy farm to determine the effect of herbage mass present after grazing on subsequent pasture growth rates. Experiments involved a range of post-grazing levels of herbage mass (870, 1140, 1390, 1640, 1920 kg DM/ha in winter, and 1100, 1420, 1700 and 1910 kg DM/ha in spring) representing a range in cow intakes of 6.1-20.0 and 7.6-18.5 kg DM/cow/day in winter and spring, respectively. In both experiments there was a range of postgrazing herbage mass (1200-1600 kg DM/ha in winter and 1400-1800 kg …

Liberal Arts On The Florida Frontier: The Founding Of Rollins College, 1885-1890, Jack C. Lane

Florida Historical Quarterly

Although unique in its particulars, the founding of Rollins College in 1885 strongly resembled the formation and establishment of liberal arts colleges throughout the nineteenth century. Three forces-educational denominationalism, community boosterism, and real estate entrepreneurism-converged during the century to create a mania of indiscriminate college-building that produced as many as 700 institutions by the beginning of the Civil War. Founded in the waning years of the “ages of colleges,” Rollins fits this nineteenth-century pattern. It was the Congregational Church that established Rollins in the small frontier town of Winter Park, Florida. The local citizens provided most of the funds, and …

Some Optical And Electrical Properties Of Cadmium Sulfide And Lead Sulfide Thin Films Prepared By Electron Beam Deposition, Achiri Celestine Tange

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Resource Optimization Property Manager For Autonomic Computing, Hazem A. M. Sharaf El Din

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Moment-Preserving Piecewise Approximation For 1-D And 2-D Signals, Soha M. A. A. Seif

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

For Children’S Sake, Gerry Boyle

Colby Magazine

For three decades, Steve Nicholas has worked to create more sustainable cities. He tells videographer Reggie Huang why we must make progress on this urgent problem before it’s turned over to the next generation.