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Articles 1 - 30 of 51
Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics
Building Information Modeling: Beyond Design, Commissioning And Construction, Timothy Brooks
Building Information Modeling: Beyond Design, Commissioning And Construction, Timothy Brooks
All Theses
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is continuing to grow in popularity among contractors and more recently among owners as the complexity and usefulness of models are improved. Many construction firms have used BIM or adopted it in their practices to some degree. However, while it is growing in popularity, its use in facility management by the owner is still lagging. This research examines how construction processes can be better organized to supply the owner a BIM that would be useful for facility management activities. The research was conducted to identify successful post-construction BIM implementation practices and the ways in which contractors …
Computational Exploration Of Chaotic Dynamics With An Associated Biological System, Akshay Galande
Computational Exploration Of Chaotic Dynamics With An Associated Biological System, Akshay Galande
All Theses
Study of microbial populations has always been topic of interest for researchers. This is because microorganisms have been of instrumental use in the various studies related to population dynamics, artificial bio-fuels etc. Comparatively short lifespan and availability are two big advantages they have which make them suitable for aforementioned studies. Their population dynamic helps us understand evolution. A lot can be revealed about resource consumption of a system by comparing it to the similar system where bacteria play the role of different factors in the system. Also, study of population dynamics of bacteria can reveal necessary initial conditions for the …
Storm Water Damage Risk Assessment Along The South Carolina Heritage Trail, Charles Pellett
Storm Water Damage Risk Assessment Along The South Carolina Heritage Trail, Charles Pellett
All Theses
This study was conducted to better predict and assess damage to high-value small-spatial scale landscapes from storm water. Storm water damage in the form of rill formation across the South Carolina Botanic Gardens (SCBG) Natural Heritage Garden Trail has been modelled as a function of contributing area using D8 and D-infinity flow direction algorithms on a preprocessed LiDAR-derived elevation raster. D8 and D-infinity algorithms were also applied over a set of stochastic Monte Carlo simulations (n=1,000) representing elevation error. The contributing area was calculated using each of the four methods for each 5'x5' cell along the trail. The output was …
Scientific Application Acceleration Utilizing Heterogeneous Architectures, Edwin Weill
Scientific Application Acceleration Utilizing Heterogeneous Architectures, Edwin Weill
All Theses
Within the past decade, there have been substantial leaps in computer architectures to exploit the parallelism that is inherently present in many applications. The scientific community has benefited from the emergence of not only multi-core processors, but also other, less traditional architectures including general purpose graphical processing units (GPGPUs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and Intel's many integrated cores (MICs) architecture (i.e. Xeon Phi). The popularity of the GPGPU has increased rapidly because of their ability to perform massive amounts of parallel computation quickly and at low cost with an ease of programmability. Also, with the addition of high-level programming …
Fast Fission Neutron Detection Using The Cherenkov Effect, Matthew Millard
Fast Fission Neutron Detection Using The Cherenkov Effect, Matthew Millard
All Theses
The Cherenkov effect in optically clear media of varying indices of refraction and composition was investigated for quantification of fast neutrons. The ultimate application of the proposed detection system is criticality monitoring. The optically clear medium, composed of select target nuclei, was coupled to a photomultiplier tube. Neutron reaction products of the target nuclei contained within the optical medium emit beta particles and gamma rays that produce Cherenkov photons within the medium which can be detected. Assessed media include quartz (SiO2), sapphire (Al2O3), spinel (MgAl2O4), and zinc sulfide (ZnS), which were irradiated with un-moderated 252Cf. Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) code …
Underwater God Rays From A Custom Volume Renderer, Gowthaman Ilango
Underwater God Rays From A Custom Volume Renderer, Gowthaman Ilango
All Theses
Peanut Butter Jelly, directed by Alexander Beaty, is a 51 second computer-animated short film produced by Digital Production Arts. The plot focuses on a fight sequence between a pirate jelly fish and a flyboy jelly fish over a peanut butter jar. The production demanded a photo-realistic computer generated underwater environment, which lead to the need for a custom built volume renderer to render high quality god rays. This thesis illustrates the requirement for a customized volume renderer for the production, the algorithm, and the implementation of the renderer. It also describes a tool created for Maya 2012 which gives the …
Transformation Of Uranium In A Geological Environment, Derrell Hood
Transformation Of Uranium In A Geological Environment, Derrell Hood
All Theses
Incorporation of uranium into iron oxide minerals is a promising mechanism for the environmental immobilization of U(VI). In this study, synthesized hematite was doped with uranium and analyzed with SEM-EDS, TEM, XRD, and ICP-MS. The results of this analysis strongly indicate uranium incorporation into the mineral, as well as the possible presence of a co-precipitated uranium mineral clarkeite. Preliminary results also shows an increase in the amount of uranium associated with the hematite particles as a function of mineral aging. Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) was used to induce and characterize electrochemical changes of uranium in the doped hematite system; these changes …
Peanut Butter Jelly: An Animated Short Film, Alexander Beaty
Peanut Butter Jelly: An Animated Short Film, Alexander Beaty
All Theses
Peanut Butter Jelly is an animated short film based on the concept of two species of Jellyfish clashing over a jar of peanut butter. The production spanned a year and involved the artistic effort of 12 Digital Production Arts graduate students as well as a support team of 10 students from various programs within the University.
Use Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Uav) For Urban Tree Inventories, Brian Ritter
Use Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (Uav) For Urban Tree Inventories, Brian Ritter
All Theses
In contrast to standard aerial imagery, unmanned aerial systems (UAS) utilize recent technological advances to provide an affordable alternative for imagery acquisition. Increased value can be realized through clarity and detail providing higher resolution (2-5 cm) over traditional products. Many natural resource disciplines such as urban forestry will benefit from UAS. Tree inventories for risk assessment, biodiversity, planning, and design can be efficiently achieved with the UAS. Recent advances in photogrammetric processing have proved automated methods for three dimensional rendering of aerial imagery. Point clouds can be generated from images providing additional benefits. Association of spatial locational information within the …
Development And Evaluation Of An Enrichment Culture For Reductive Dechlorination Of Tetrachloroethene Under Low Ph Conditions, Rui Xiao
All Theses
Perchloroethene (PCE) is a pollutant of major environmental concern at hazardous waste sites worldwide. PCE and trichloroethene (TCE) are suspected carcinogens and are ranked 16th and 31st, respectively, on the Environmental Protection Agency's priority list for hazardous substances, developed under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act. As a consequence of the widespread use of chlorinated solvents (including PCE and TCE) for dry cleaning, chemical feedstocks, metal degreasing and other purposes, chloroethenes are widely distributed in the environment. Many soils and groundwater throughout the world are contaminated by chloroethenes. Therefore, further improvements are needed in clean-up methods. Bioaugmentation has …
Developing A Predictive Model Of Heart Wall Motion In Fluoroscopic Images, Christopher Hawkins
Developing A Predictive Model Of Heart Wall Motion In Fluoroscopic Images, Christopher Hawkins
All Theses
Image guided surgery (IGS) is an integral part of minimally invasive surgery. IGS combines pre- and perioperative images acquired from different imaging modalities to give the surgeon a more complete view of the internal organs. These modalities include computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, and fluoroscopy, to name a few. Fluoroscopy is also known as video x-ray and is becoming increasingly popular in procedures around the heart. Unfortunately, this increase in fluoroscopy use also brings an increase in exposure to ionizing radiation for the patient and the surgeon. This radiation can lead to increased cancer risk and a number of other …
Comparison Of Bacterial Inactivation Efficiency And Disinfection Byproduct Formation From Different Disinfection Processes, Binbin Li
All Theses
Formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) during Escherichia coli K12 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 inactivation under four disinfection processes, including chlorination, chloramination, photo-Fenton reaction, and TiO2/UV photocatalytic inactivation were examined. Factors of pH (5 or 8) and different disinfectant dosages were also investigated in order to balance the risks of DBP formation and bacterial cell viability in the four treatment processes. Chlorination had the fastest bacterial inactivation whereas chloramination, photo-Fenton, and TiO2/UV requiring longer contact times to achieve the same inactivation efficiency. In spite of the lag phase in the treatment processes, both photo-Fenton and TiO2/UV achieved 100% bacteria reduction after …
Responses Of Target And Non-Target Species To Algaecide Exposures, Alyssa Calomeni
Responses Of Target And Non-Target Species To Algaecide Exposures, Alyssa Calomeni
All Theses
Laboratory experiments are often used to predict the responses of target and non-target species to chemical exposures in the field. In the first two experiments of this thesis, a rigorous evaluation of six algal viability measures was conducted. A definitive evaluation of the algal response measures was conducted using heat treatment to create known live: dead cell suspensions. Results from the response measures were compared to the known viability of the cell suspensions to determine their variance and accuracy. Copper-based algaecides were then used as a more realistic exposure to test the algal viability measures. When algal viability measures had …
Computational Bases For Hdiv, Alistair Bentley
Computational Bases For Hdiv, Alistair Bentley
All Theses
The \(H_{div}\) vector space arises in a number of mixed method formulations, particularly in fluid flow through a porous medium. First we present a Lagrangian computational basis for the Raviert-Thomas (\(RT\)) and Brezzi-Douglas-Marini (\(BDM\)) approximation subspaces of \(H_{div}\) in \(\mathbb{R}^{3}\). Second, we offer three solutions to a numerical problem that arises from the Piola mapping when \(RT\) and \(BDM\) elements are used in practice.
Getting Sandy: Creating Collapsing Sand Effects For An Ode To Love, Pisut Wisessing
Getting Sandy: Creating Collapsing Sand Effects For An Ode To Love, Pisut Wisessing
All Theses
This thesis presents an artistic approach of creating collapsing sand effects in Brown Bag Films' animated short, An Ode To Love, directed by Matthew Darragh. A combination of rigid body simulation and fluid simulation tools, which are available in Houdini 3D animation software version 13, was used to successfully complete the task. A detailed design and implementation process to achieve the effects is documented in this work.
Protein Nano-Object Integrator: Generating Atomic-Style Objects For Use In Molecular Biophysics, Nicholas Smith
Protein Nano-Object Integrator: Generating Atomic-Style Objects For Use In Molecular Biophysics, Nicholas Smith
All Theses
As researchers obtain access to greater and greater amounts of computational power, focus has shifted towards modeling macroscopic objects while still maintaining atomic-level details. The Protein Nano-Object Integrator (ProNOI) presented here has been designed to provide a streamlined solution for creating and designing macro-scale objects with atomic-level details to be used in molecular simulations and tools. To accomplish this, two different interfaces were developed: a Protein Data Bank (PDB), PDB-focused interface for generating regularly-shaped three-dimensional atomic objects and a 2D image-based interface for tracing images with irregularly shaped objects and then extracting three-dimensional models from these images. Each interface is …
Anaerobic And Aerobic Biodegradation Of The Oil Dispersant Components 1,2-Propanediol And 2-Butoxyethanol In Seawater, Benjamin Rhiner
Anaerobic And Aerobic Biodegradation Of The Oil Dispersant Components 1,2-Propanediol And 2-Butoxyethanol In Seawater, Benjamin Rhiner
All Theses
Oil spills are a recurring issue associated with fossil fuel consumption. The largest accidental oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry was the Deepwater Horizon explosion and seafloor well blowout, where the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded and sank, allowing the well to gush uncontrolled from April 20, 2010, until it was capped on July 15, 2010, releasing an estimated 210,000,000 gallons of oil. Oil dispersants were used in unprecedented quantities during the cleanup response to the spill with a total of 1,840,000 gallons of the dispersant COREXIT being applied. The goal of this research was to evaluate …
Air-Regulated Siphon Spillways: Performance, Modeling, Design, And Construction, Joshua Boatwright
Air-Regulated Siphon Spillways: Performance, Modeling, Design, And Construction, Joshua Boatwright
All Theses
1:Little data exists in the literature for quantification of siphon spillway performance. Proper design of an air regulated siphon spillway requires knowledge of required flow rates and minimum vent size. A set of small siphon spillways were constructed to measure flow rate and required vent size relative to physical characteristics including pipe diameter, length of pipe, and elevation head. Vent sizing was shown to be logarithmically proportional to flow rate. Results were used to develop predictive models for flow rate and vent sizing. Models were validated and refined through testing on a siphon spillway installed on a pond at LaMaster …
An Examination Of Radionuclide Transport In The Vadose Zone Using Field Lysimeters, Michael Witmer
An Examination Of Radionuclide Transport In The Vadose Zone Using Field Lysimeters, Michael Witmer
All Theses
Understanding how radionuclides interact in the subsurface is important for the remediation of contaminated sites, assessment of risk due to radioactive waste disposal, and designing new radioactive waste management strategies. The current understanding of the geochemical behavior of radionuclides in the subsurface and more specifically the vadose zone has been developed through reactive transport modeling supplemented by laboratory experiments. Interactions between radionuclides with the mineral particles and organic matter in the vadose zone can be very complex and while laboratory experiments produce valuable data, few controlled, intermediate scale transport studies have been performed. In order to accurately predict vadose zone …
The Design And Implementation Of An Over-The-Top Cloud-Based Vertical Handover Decision Service For Heterogeneous Wireless Networks, Adam Hodges
All Theses
The widespread availability of heterogeneous wireless networks (hetnets) presents a resource allocation challenge to network operators and administrators. Overlapping network coverage should be utilized to its fullest extent, providing users with a fair share of bandwidth while maximizing the efficient use of the operator's resources. Currently, network selection occurs locally at the mobile device and does not take into account factors such as the state of other networks that might be available in the device's location. The local decision made by the device can often result in underutilization of network resources and a degraded user experience. This type of selfish …
Spatial And Temporal Analysis Of Land Cover Change, Sedimentation And Water Quality In The Lake Issaqueena Watershed, South Carolina, Cassie Pilgrim
Spatial And Temporal Analysis Of Land Cover Change, Sedimentation And Water Quality In The Lake Issaqueena Watershed, South Carolina, Cassie Pilgrim
All Theses
Soil erosion and increased sediment yields within a watershed lead to impaired water quality, decreased availability of wildlife habitat and reduced recreational opportunities. While some sedimentation occurs naturally within a water system, most erosion processes are the result of anthropogenic activities across a landscape, namely changes in land use and land cover (LULC). This study was conducted to determine temporal and spatial sedimentation trends in the Lake Issaquena watershed using sonar logging equipment, geographic information systems (GIS) and limited hydrologic data from the Soil Conservation Service (1941 and 1949). Sediment deposition was analyzed in relation to several key factors that …
Quantile Regression For Climate Data, Dilhani Marasinghe
Quantile Regression For Climate Data, Dilhani Marasinghe
All Theses
Quantile regression is a developing statistical tool which is used to explain the relationship between response and predictor variables. This thesis describes two examples of climatology using quantile regression.Our main goal is to estimate derivatives of a conditional mean and/or conditional quantile function. We introduce a method to handle autocorrelation in the framework of quantile regression and used it with the temperature data. Also we explain some properties of the tornado data which is non-normally distributed. Even though quantile regression provides a more comprehensive view, when talking about residuals with the normality and the constant variance assumption, we would prefer …
Assessing The Response Of Small Mammal Functional Guilds To A Simulated Pathogen Attack In A Deciduous Forest Ecosystem, Katie Keck
All Theses
Oak trees (Quercus species) are a foundation species that influence the population dynamics of other organisms by stabilizing ecosystem processes. Globally, oak-dominated forests have experienced widespread mortality due to the fungal pathogen, Phytophthora ramorum, which causes the disease Sudden Oak Death (SOD). I investigated the impact of a simulated pathogen attack such as SOD on the small mammal assemblage of an oak forest in Cornwall, New York. Specifically, I tested the hypothesis that specialist species are most impacted by the loss of foundation species and that they would decline in abundance because of changes in food and habitat resources. In …
Efficient Control Of Assets In A Modern Production Pipeline, Timothy Curtis
Efficient Control Of Assets In A Modern Production Pipeline, Timothy Curtis
All Theses
Managing large collections of assets created in today's CG productions is no easy task. This thesis examines basic production hierarchies and identifies problems that arise without proper workflow and asset control. The possibility of hundreds of assets being created in several workflows each week creates the potential for extraordinary time waste and user error without a system to track and manage the files being produced. It is becoming increasingly necessary to utilize methods during production that enforce naming and storage standards to prevent catastrophic data loss. This thesis presents an implementation of a customized database used to track all of …
The Intelligent Driver Model: Analysis And Application To Adaptive Cruise Control, Rachel Malinauskas
The Intelligent Driver Model: Analysis And Application To Adaptive Cruise Control, Rachel Malinauskas
All Theses
There are a large number of models that can be used to describe traffic flow. Although some were initially theoretically derived, there are many that were constructed with utility alone in mind. The Intelligent Driver Model (IDM) is a microscopic model that can be used to examine traffic behavior on an individual level with emphasis on the relation to an ahead vehicle. One application for this model is that it is easily molded to performing the operations for an Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) system. Although it is clear that the IDM holds a number of convenient properties, like easily interpreted …
Meshpotato: A C++/Python Api For Production Volumetric Rendering, Kevin Coley
Meshpotato: A C++/Python Api For Production Volumetric Rendering, Kevin Coley
All Theses
MeshPotato is a production volume rendering API written in C++. Its purpose is to simplify the creation of high quality volumetric effects such as fire, smoke, clouds and explosions. MeshPotato has been designed to be extensible and flexible for quick changes. Python bindings have been implemented with this library to allow for tools that are scripted and integrated within popular 3D modeling applications such as Maya and Houdini. The design of MeshPotato is discussed along with its plugin system, volume rendering API and some results from using the tool.
An Automated Build System For Articulated Characters, James Sledge
An Automated Build System For Articulated Characters, James Sledge
All Theses
Rigging is the process of designing and implementing the manipulation architecture for an animated three-dimensional character. Rigs that give the animator the most control tend to be the most difficult to set up and maintain. Due to the linear nature of some elements of rigging, the more complicated a rig, the more time-intensive--and therefore more expensive--to achieve a high quality rig. A solution to complex rig iterability is to automate as much of the process as possible. The topic of this thesis is a framework for modular rigging automation, with a focus on quick and efficient rig iteration. A rigger …
Persistence Of A Vulnerable Semi-Aquatic Turtle In An Intensively-Managed Forest Landscape, Christopher O'Bryan
Persistence Of A Vulnerable Semi-Aquatic Turtle In An Intensively-Managed Forest Landscape, Christopher O'Bryan
All Theses
Understanding spatial and population ecology of organisms allows land managers to predict how changes in distribution and composition of landscape features influence persistence. Our goal was to investigate body size, sex ratios, survival, individual movements, and habitat selection of a vulnerable freshwater turtle species, the spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata), in an intensively-managed forest landscape in eastern North Carolina, USA. Spotted turtles naturally occur in wetland-dominated landscapes, but this system is heavily-altered, with >222,000 hectares of pine plantations and >10,000 km of ditches managed by Weyerhaeuser Company. During 2012-2013, we captured and individually marked 280 turtles, and used radio-telemetry (n = …
The Rusterizer: An Art-Directable And Semi-Procedural Tool For Generating Rust Surfaces, Karen Stritzinger
The Rusterizer: An Art-Directable And Semi-Procedural Tool For Generating Rust Surfaces, Karen Stritzinger
All Theses
The Rusterizer is an art-directable tool designed to facilitate the creation of rust on the surfaces of 3d models. Cellular automata are combined with a procedural shader to create an animated growth effect. A workflow for using the tool is provided. The result is demonstrated with a time-lapse animation of a robot in an alley as it rusts. Future extensions and improvements to the tool are suggested.
Ear Contour Detection And Modeling Using Statistical Shape Models, Satish Ravindran
Ear Contour Detection And Modeling Using Statistical Shape Models, Satish Ravindran
All Theses
Ear detection is an actively growing area of research because of its applications in human head tracking and biometric recognition. In head tracking, it is used to augment face detectors and to perform pose estimation. In biometric systems, it is used both as an independent modality and in multi-modal biometric recognition. The ear shape is the preferred feature used to perform detection because of its unique structure in both 2D color images and 3D range images. Ear shape models have also been used in literature to perform ear detection, but at a cost of a loss in information about the …