Engineering Commons^™

An Intervention Framework Based On A Complementary Theory Of Organizational Decline, George S. Mwaluko

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This paper has developed an intervention framework based a complementary theory Of Organization decline. Any management intervention effort is normally based on a certain theory of organizational decline i.e. a theory that explains the causes for failure of organizations. Four major theories Of Organisational decline were identified in the literature, reviewed and integrated into one, presumably more superior, theory of organisational decline. They included the natural selection theory, the resourc+based theory, the theory Of misperception of feed!mck and the contingency theory. The new theory was then used to guide the design of an intervention framework. The framework utas then used …

Statistical Methods For Kinetic Modeling Of Fischer Tropsch Synthesis On A Supported Iron Catalyst, Brian L. Critchfield

Theses and Dissertations

Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis (FTS) is a promising technology for the production of ultra-clean fuels and chemical feedstocks from biomass, coal, or natural gas. Iron catalysts are ideal for conversion of coal and biomass. However, precipitated iron catalysts used in slurry-bubble column reactors suffer from high attrition resulting in difficulty separating catalysts from product and increased slurry viscosity. Thus, development of an active and selective-supported iron catalyst to manage attrition is needed. This thesis focuses on the development of a supported iron catalyst and kinetic models of FTS on the catalyst using advanced statistical methods for experimental design and analysis. A high …

Observation And Tracking Of Tropical Cyclones Using Resolution Enhanced Scatterometry, Richard Ryan Halterman

Theses and Dissertations

The QuikSCAT scatterometer provides global daily coverage of oceanic near-surface vector winds. Recently, algorithms have been developed to enhance the spatial resolution of QuikSCAT winds from 25~km to 2.5~km posting. These ultra-high resolution winds are used, in comparison with standard L2B data product winds, to observe and track tropical cyclones. Resolution enhanced winds are found to provide additional storm structure such as inner core size and structure and the presence of multiple eyewalls compared with standard resolution winds. The 2.5~km winds are also able to observe storms nearer to the shore than 25~km winds. An analysis of circulation center locatability …

Evaporation Estimation Using A Floating Pan, Michael Klink

All Theses

Almost all regions in the United States must accurately estimate evaporation to have effective water management programs. The purpose of this study is to develop a better method for measuring evaporation. Lake evaporation along with meteorological data are measured directly from a floating pan. The floating pan is specifically designed to account for one of the most sensitive parameters of evaporation, the water surface temperature, which the design achieves. However, other design factors such as air movement, solar radiation, stability, heat transfer, wave action, water level range, and site location were also taken into consideration. The evaporation measured from the …

Impact Of Wastewater Reuse In Burlington County On Surface Water Quality And Adjacent Wetlands, Crystal L. Mattson

Theses and Dissertations

This study was conducted to assess potential ecological impacts from application of treated wastewater effluent. Indian Springs Golf Course is currently irrigated with reclaimed wastewater. Grab water samples were collected from three (3) ponds located on the golf course over the course of a year and were analyzed for nitrate-nitrogen, total phosphorus, organics, and bacteria. A second golf course, Medford Lakes Country Club is currently irrigated with groundwater. Grab water samples were collected from both locations and analyzed for nutrients and bacteria for comparison purposes.

Results of sample analyses indicate that detriment to the quality of surface water at the …

An Airline Ab Initio Flight Training Program In The United Arab Emirates (Uae): An Analytical Approach Toward Emiratization, Shareef A. K. Al-Romaithi

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The continuous establishment and expansion of UAE airlines has led to a demand for qualified pilots in the region of the Persian Gulf. The shortage of UAE national pilots has compelled the local airlines to employ pilots with foreign nationalities. Though the UAE government has implemented a program within the Emirates to increase the number of nationals in the work force (referred to as Emiratization), there has been little headway within the aviation sector. As a result, this thesis was undertaken to develop an ab initio training program that would increase the percentage of UAE nationals among the UAE airline …

Humidification Factors From Laboratory Studies Of Fresh Smoke From Biomass Fuels, D. E. Day, J. L. Hand, C. M. Carrico, Guenter Engling, W. C. Malm

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Measurements of smoke aerosol humidification factors were performed in a laboratory for different biomass fuel types and burn conditions. Two nephelometers simultaneously measured dry and humidified light scattering coefficients (bsp(dry) and bsp(RH), respectively), providing the first observations of the temporal evolution of the humidification factor (f(RH) = bsp(RH)/bsp(dry)) for fresh (minutes-old) smoke. Hygroscopic characteristics of the smoke aerosols varied with fuel type and fire conditions, with the mean f(RH) ranging from 1.01 to 1.95 for fresh minutes-old smoke for the relative humidity (RH) range of 70-94%. These f(RH) values exhibited temporal variability, with some fuels alternating from hygroscopic to nonhygroscopic …

2006 Scholars And Artists Bibliography, Daniel J. Simon, Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University, Friends Of The Michael Schwartz Library

Scholars and Artists Bibliographies

This bibliography was created for the annual Friends of the Michael Schwartz Library Scholars and Artists Reception, recognizing scholarly and creative achievements of Cleveland State University faculty, staff and emeriti. Dr. Dan Simon was the guest speaker.

Lagrangian Mixing In Decaying Stably Stratified Turbulence, Subhas K. Venayagamoorthy, Derek D. Stretch

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Direct numerical simulations are used to study mixing and dispersion in decaying stably stratified turbulence from a Lagrangian perspective. The change in density of fluid particles owing to small-scale mixing is extracted from the simulations to provide insight into the mixing process. These changes are driven by temporally and spatially intermittent events that are strongly suppressed as the stratification increases and overturning motions disappear. This occurs for times Nt > 2π i.e. after one buoyancy period, where N is the buoyancy frequency. The role of small-scale mixing processes in the density (or buoyancy) flux is analyzed. After an initial transient, we …

Engineering@Nebraska - Fall 2006

Engineering@Nebraska (Alumni Magazine)

Table of Contents:

From the Dean
Faculty Profile—It’s Easy Being Green (and Red): Roger Hoy, new director of the Tractor Test Lab, is making sure the 87-year-old operation still meets the needs of today’s industry.
Front and Center
We’ve Got Your Back: Sixty members of the Class of 2010 begin their college careers at a two-day camp just for engineers.
COVER STORY: Where Are The Rest?: Despite increased recruitment efforts, women still comprise only 12 percent of the college’s student body. What has gone wrong, and how can we improve?
Leading By Example: Engineering and architecture students lobby for environmentally …

Determining The Repair Ranking Of Existing Rc Bridges Using Least Squares Technique Associated With Comparison Matrix Method, Ming-Te Liang, Chin-Ming Lin, Wen-Hu Tsao, Chi-Jang Yeh

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The principal objective of this paper is employed the least squares technique associated with comparison matrix method to determine the repair ranking of existing reinforced concrete (RC) bridges with bestridden or non-bestridden river. Six existing RC bridges in Taiwan are given as an illustrative example. For verifying the feasibility and reliability of the proposed method, the D (Degree) E (Extent) R (Relevancy) evaluation method, which is only considered the RC bridges built on river bed and is now widely used to evaluate the damage grade for existing RC bridges in Taiwan, is also adopted to assessing the same six existing …

Determining The Repair Ranking Of Existing Rc Bridges Using Least Squares Technique Associated With Comparison Matrix Method, Ming-Te Liang, Chin-Ming Lin, Wen-Hu Tsao, Chi-Jang Yeh

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The principal objective of this paper is employed the least squares technique associated with comparison matrix method to determine the repair ranking of existing reinforced concrete (RC) bridges with bestridden or non-bestridden river. Six existing RC bridges in Taiwan are given as an illustrative example. For verifying the feasibility and reliability of the proposed method, the D (Degree) E (Extent) R (Relevancy) evaluation method, which is only considered the RC bridges built on river bed and is now widely used to evaluate the damage grade for existing RC bridges in Taiwan, is also adopted to assessing the same six existing …

Flow Regime Identification In A Bubble Column Based On Both Statistical And Chaotic Parameters Applied To Computed Tomography Data, Stoyan Nedeltchev, Ashfaq Shaikh, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Kolmogorov Entropy (KE) Algorithm Was Applied Successfully to Single Source Γ-Ray Computed Tomography (CT) Data Measured in a 0.162 M ID Bubble Column Equipped with a Perforated Plate Distributor (163 Holes · Ø 1.32 Mm). Dried Air Was Used as the Gas Phase and Therminol LT (ΡL = 886 Kg M-3, ΜL = 0.88 · 10-3 Pa S, Σ = 17 · 10-3 N M-1) Was Used as a Liquid Phase. Three Different Pressures, P, of 0.1, 0.4, and 1.0 MPa Were Examined. at Each Pressure the Superficial Gas Velocity, UG, Was Increased Stepwise by Steps of 0.01 Ms-1 …

Volumetric Water Pricing, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This document discusses the concept of volumetric pricing for irrigation water, including:

1. The justification for paying volumetrically

2. The challenge of charging volumetrically

3. Characteristics of volumetric charges and influencing factors

4. Examples of irrigation projects with volumetric charges

5. A summary of necessary conditions for volumetric billing

Optimal Statcom Sizing And Placement Using Particle Swarm Optimization, J. C. Hernandez, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Yamille Del Valle, Ronald G. Harley

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Heuristic approaches are traditionally applied to find the size and location of Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) devices in a small power system. Nevertheless, more sophisticated methods are required for placing them in a large power network. Recently, the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) technique has been applied to solve power engineering optimization problems giving better results than classical methods. This paper shows the application of PSO for optimal sizing and allocation of a Static Compensator (STATCOM) in a power system. A 45 bus system (part of the Brazilian power network) is used as an example to illustrate the technique. Results …

Microwave Remote Sensing Of Saharan Ergs And Amazon Vegetation, Haroon Stephen

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on relating spaceborne microwave data to the geophysical characteristics of the Sahara desert and the Amazon vegetation. Radar and radiometric responses of the Saharan ergs are related to geophysical properties of sand formations and near surface winds. The spatial and temporal variability of the Amazon vegetation is studied using multi-frequency and multi-polarization data. The Sahara desert includes large expanses of sand dunes called ergs that are constantly reshaped by prevailing winds. Radar backscatter measurements observed at various incidence and azimuth angles from the NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT), the ERS scatterometer (ESCAT), the SeaWinds scatterometer aboard QuikScat (QSCAT), and …

Relationships Between Pacific And Atlantic Ocean Sea Surface Temperatures And U.S. Streamflow Variability, Glenn A. Tootle, Thomas C. Piechota

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

An evaluation of Pacific and Atlantic Ocean sea surface temperatures (SSTs) and continental U.S. streamflow was performed to identify coupled regions of SST and continental U.S. streamflow variability. Both SSTs and streamflow displayed temporal variability when applying the singular value decomposition (SVD) statistical method. Initially, an extended temporal evaluation was performed using the entire period of record (i.e., all years from 1951 to 2002). This was followed by an interdecadal-temporal evaluation for the Pacific (Atlantic) Ocean based on the phase of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) (Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO)). Finally, an extended temporal evaluation was performed using detrended SST …

Integrated Natural Disaster Risk Assessment: The Socio-Economic Dimension Of Earthquake Risk In The Urban Area, Sibel Kalaycioglu, Helga Rittersberger-Tilic, Kezban Celik, Fatime Günes

Geohazards

Understanding and formulation of risk of a natural disaster requires consideration of every aspect of risk, which can be handled by development of integrated approaches. In such integrated approaches, several discipline’s views are incorporated into risk assessment to see the whole picture. Hence, the risk which can be experienced before and / or after a natural disaster should be a common concern for both natural and social disciplines and should be handled through a interdisciplinary approach. A field research was conducted with 1500 households, selected through stratified random sampling, using the database obtained from the Eskisehir Greater Metropolitan Municipality. Interviews …

Warning System For Natural Threats, Herbert Einstein, R. Sousa

Geohazards

Warning systems are an essential component of risk management for natural threats. They trigger active and/or passive countermeasures. This paper introduces the need for and use of warning systems through the review of recent major natural disasters (the Sumatra Tsunami, the 2005 Alpine Flood, the 2005 Hurricanes, Katrina and Rita) but also the potential flu pandemic. Positive and negative lessons are drawn from these cases. This is followed by a review of two specific warning systems which together with the preceding cases leads to a list of requirements for warning systems.

These reviews also show that it is desirable to …

A Hydrodynamics Perspective For The 2004 Megatsunami, Costas E. Synolakis

Geohazards

The megatsunami of 26 December 2004 was the first tsunami with transoceanic impact since the 1960 Great Chilean and 1964 Great Alaskan tsunamis. Because of the distribution of deaths among a large portion of the nations of the world, the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami is the first universal natural disaster of modern times. For the purpose of adequate mitigation of future tsunamis, it is important to understand which factors control most critically the final characteristics of the flooding, namely runup and inundation. Their successful modeling requires not only a credible database of inundation parameters, against which models can be tested …

First Impressions : A Study Of The Relationship Between Presenting Problems And Clinical Perception, Holly Elizabeth Fussell

Dissertations and Theses

Processes involved in clinical perception typically result in tangible outcomes of interest to clients and practitioners (e.g., diagnoses). In developing an overall impression of clients, practitioners integrate information related to target problems clients present. Substance abuse counselors, in particular, are increasingly being asked to assess clients for co-occurring problems. Domestic violence has been identified as a particularly salient co-occurring problem associated with substance abuse.

This dissertation draws on theory by Solomon Asch (1946, 1952) to examine how presenting problems such as domestic violence shape clinical outcomes and processes in substance abuse assessment interviews. Most clinical interactions occur, however, under confidential …

Rapid Bridge Replacement Under Emergency Situation: Case Study, Yong Bai, William R. Burkett, Phillip T. Nash

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, and subsequent potential threats to the United States transportation systems have presented an urgent need to elevate the security of the transportation infrastructure and to develop emergency response plans to quickly react to the possible consequences of an extreme event. Highway bridges, as critical components of the nation’s transportation network, have been brought to closer attention by government agencies. A research project was conducted to identify strategies and technologies to restore the use of a damaged bridge quickly. One of the tasks associated with the research was to perform several case studies of …

Optimal Allocation Of A Statcom In A 45 Bus Section Of The Brazilian Power System Using Particle Swarm Optimization, J. C. Hernandez, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Yamille Del Valle, Ronald G. Harley

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper introduces the application of Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) to solve the optimal allocation of a STATCOM in a 45 bus system which is part of the Brazilian power network. The criterion used in finding the optimal location is based on the voltage profile of the system, i.e. the voltage deviation at each bus, with respect to its optimum value, is minimized. In order to test the performance of the PSO algorithm in this particular application, different approaches for inertia weight are investigated; also different values of acceleration constants, number of iterations and maximum velocity are considered. A sensitivity …

Time-Delay Neural Network Based Predictions Of Elephant Distribution In A South African Game Reserve, Parviz Palangpour, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Kevin Duffy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A large portion of South Africa's elephant population can be found on small wildlife reserves. When confined to enclosed reserves the elephant densities are much higher than observed in the wild. The large nutritional demands and destructive foraging behavior of elephants threaten rare species of vegetation. If conservation management is to protect threatened species of vegetation, knowing how long elephants will stay in one area of the reserve as well as which area they will move to next is essential. The goal of this study is to train an artificial neural network to predict an elephant herd's next position in …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 47 Number 4, Spring 2006, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

8 - A DREAM OPPORTUNITY by Monte Lorenzet. Santa Clara University's sleep lab is one of just a handful of similar research facilities at undergraduate institutions. Students, alumni, faculty, and the research community are all benefiting from the fledgling lab.

10 - SCIENCE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE by Kim Kooyers. Social entrepreneurs use technology to address some of the world's urgent needs. Last November, some of these innovators were honored at the Tech Museum Awards, an international awards program.

14 - GIGANTES Y CABEZUDOS by Elizabeth Kelley Gillogly '93. In an intensive workshop featuring seasoned artists from Spain, SCU students explored …

A Quantitative Model Of Error Accumulation During Pcr Amplification, Elsje Pienaar, M. Theron, M. Nelson, Hendrik J. Viljoen

Hendrik J. Viljoen Publications

The amplification of target DNA by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) produces copies which may contain errors. Two sources of errors are associated with the PCR process: (1) editing errors that occur during DNA polymerase-catalyzed enzymatic copying and (2) errors due to DNA thermal damage. In this study a quantitative model of error frequencies is proposed and the role of reaction conditions is investigated. The errors which are ascribed to the polymerase depend on the efficiency of its editing function as well as the reaction conditions; specifically the temperature and the dNTP pool composition. Thermally induced errors stem mostly from …

A Damage Assessment And Wind Loading Analysis Of Residential Structures Built Post-1996 In Punta Gorda In The Wake Of Hurricane Charley, James Newberry

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the communities in the path of Hurricane Charley as it came ashore

August 13, 2004, was Punta Gorda, recording gusts up to 145 mph. This project

utilizes aerial photos taken approximately 10 days after the storm battered the

area, using a digital photography program. Focusing on the one-story residential

structures (houses) of the Punta Gorda area, a damage assessment could be

made of the area’s homes, and how they stood up to the storm. This study

focused further on homes built after major changes to the local/state building

codes went into effect (starting in 1996) after the devastation …

Threading And Autodocumenting News Videos: A Promising Solution To Rapidly Browse News Topics, Xiao Wu, Chong-Wah Ngo, Qing Li

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This paper describes the techniques in threading and autodocumenting news stories according to topic themes. Initially, we perform story clustering by exploiting the duality between stories and textual-visual concepts through a co-clustering algorithm. The dependency among stories of a topic is tracked by exploring the textual-visual novelty and redundancy of stories. A novel topic structure that chains the dependencies of stories is then presented to facilitate the fast navigation of the news topic. By pruning the peripheral and redundant news stories in the topic structure, a main thread is extracted for autodocumentary

An Epidemiological Approach To Terrorism, Kjirstin A. Bentson

Theses and Dissertations

There are many types of models for counterterrorism, explaining different problems that the military faces in the fight against terrorism. This thesis proposes that one of the fundamental assumptions underlying existing models of counterterrorism is that the struggle with terrorists can be understood as a war in the traditional sense of the term. We propose to rethink the struggle against terrorism as a fight against an infection. The epidemic of terrorist ideology within part of the world is a result, from this perspective, of the infectiousness of that ideology. Using the insights of the field of the epidemiology of ideas, …

Strategic Airlift En Route Analysis To Support The Global War On Terrorism Using A Value Focused Thinking Approach, Marykathryn W. Tharaldson

Theses and Dissertations

The Global War on Terrorism (GWOT) has yielded new challenges to the United States' strategic airlift infrastructure. The network of en-route airfields that serve as refueling and maintenance stops were designed primarily to service relatively static Cold War requirements. However, the GWOT has resulted in the need for an infrastructure that is responsive to a highly dynamic environment. This research uses a "value focused" methodology to identify en-route airfield locations that simultaneously maximize cargo throughput capability while possessing a high degree of adaptability to volatile cargo delivery requirements.