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Title: Framework for incorporating rutting prediction model in the reliability-based design of flexible pavements
Creator: Kim, Hyung Bae
Date: 1999
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: Rate allocation and QoS support in wireless mesh networks
Creator: Wang, Bo
Date: 2009
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: Analysis and design of reliable and stable link-layer protocols for wireless communication
Creator: Soltani, Sohraab
Date: 2009
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: Evolutionary optimization methods for accelerator design
Creator: Poklonskiy, Alexey A.
Date: 2009
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: Examining the relationship between occupants' energy-related behaviors and spatial contextual factors using an agent-based modeling approach
Creator: Nazmy, Hebatalla
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Environmental Design focuses on the interaction among the naturally occurring environment, human-built environment, and humans themselves. Underlying environmental design is energy performance. Energy performance is one of the environmental design aspects that contributes to the sustainability of the built environment. The built environment - or building's -energy performance depends on technical and human factors. Technological factors have been exhaustively studied, not surprising given the...
Show moreEnvironmental Design focuses on the interaction among the naturally occurring environment, human-built environment, and humans themselves. Underlying environmental design is energy performance. Energy performance is one of the environmental design aspects that contributes to the sustainability of the built environment. The built environment - or building's -energy performance depends on technical and human factors. Technological factors have been exhaustively studied, not surprising given the length of time building have been around. Human factors, however, while having an impact on buildings' energy performance, have only recently received considerable attention. Human factors, such as occupant behavior, has been identified as one of the factors that contribute to the inconsistencies between predicted and measured energy consumption. And energy consumption and conservation have been concerns for decades. The effect of specific building designs, namely spatial factors, that have on occupants' behavior, have been underestimated in previous research.The purpose of this research was to examine the relationship between spatial factors and occupants' energy-related behaviors. A survey was conducted to study occupants' behaviors regarding operating windows and adjusting blinds in multifamily residential buildings. The survey was conducted during the three months of both summer and winter. The responses were statistically modeled, and then a preliminary agent-based model was used to simulate occupants' interaction with buildings' systems and predict the resultant energy consumption. The proposed agent-based model accounted for the occupants' drivers to interact with the environmental systems within a building, such as air quality, thermal, visual, and acoustical conditions. It defined occupants' needs to control indoor environmental conditions based on spatial factors such as site characteristics, building features, space type, and furniture layout. That is, a good furniture layout (as suggested in this current study) can help people perform more sustainable behaviors. Additionally, occupants would need to achieve a multi-comfort level and may prioritize indoor environmental quality criteria based on their individual preferences. The proposed model also accounted for the psychological factors through utilizing the Theory of Planned Behavior.The survey results showed that the constructs of the Theory of Planned Behavior could be used to predict occupants' behavior of operating windows and adjusting blinds. It also explained that occupants' beliefs of operating windows and adjusting blinds are consistent across living and sleeping areas. Responses showed that the furniture layout influenced their interaction with windows and blinds. Most occupants indicated that they operate windows to control the indoor temperature and air quality. Some of the occupants mentioned that they prefer to sit close to the window to enjoy natural daylight and outdoor views. However, there was no significant relationship among the occupants' beliefs of operating windows and adjusting blinds, and the site characteristics such as the orientation, and the building features such as the floor level. The results of the proposed agent-based model simulation showed that occupants' beliefs regarding operating windows and adjusting blinds affect the building's energy consumption. One of the main limitations of this study is collecting subjective data of occupants' behavior of operating windows and adjusting blinds using a survey. Suggestions for future research include incorporating monitoring studies to collect objective data to support the survey results. Future research could also incorporate the proposed agent-based model with building energy simulation software to increase the accuracy and realism of the predicted building energy performance. Designers could benefit from this tool to make informed decisions based on the simulated energy-related occupants' behavior.
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Title: On the evolution of mutation bias in digital organisms
Creator: Rupp, Matthew
Date: 2011
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Mutation is one of the primary drivers of genetic change. In this work I study mutation biases, which are sets of different genetic-state inflow probabilities. Mutation biases have the potential to change the composition of genomes over time, leading to divergent short- and long-term evolutionary outcomes. I use digital organisms, self-replicating computer programs, to explore whether or not mutation biases are capable of altering the long-term adaptive behavior of populations; whether...
Show moreMutation is one of the primary drivers of genetic change. In this work I study mutation biases, which are sets of different genetic-state inflow probabilities. Mutation biases have the potential to change the composition of genomes over time, leading to divergent short- and long-term evolutionary outcomes. I use digital organisms, self-replicating computer programs, to explore whether or not mutation biases are capable of altering the long-term adaptive behavior of populations; whether mutation biases can be competitive traits; and whether mutation biases can evolve. I find that mutation biases can alter the long-term adaptive behavior of mutation bias-obligate populations in terms of both mean fitness and complex trait evolution. I also find that mutation biases can compete against one another under a variety of conditions, meaning mutation bias can selectable over relatively-short periods of time. The competitive success of a mutation bias does not always depend upon the presence of beneficial mutations, implicating an increase in the probability of neutral mutations as a sufficient mechanism for bias selection. Finally, I demonstrate that by giving organisms a mutable mutation bias allele, populations preferentially evolve to possess specific biases over others. Overall, this work shows that mutation bias can act as a selectable trait, influencing the evolution of populations with regard to both their internal-genetic and external environments.
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Title: Integration of planning, design, and construction to train 21st century urban professionals
Creator: Dalton, Robert
Date: 2016
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: The built environment professions are struggling as budgets decrease and scope and importance increase. Attempting to save money, clients are turning to multidisciplinary offices for all-in-one service. Higher education can respond to these shifting trends by preparing the students for a growth mindset and openness to the ideas constructed by a team rather than an individual. Integrative learning may foster such minds. Integrative learning concerns the building of cognitive connections from...
Show moreThe built environment professions are struggling as budgets decrease and scope and importance increase. Attempting to save money, clients are turning to multidisciplinary offices for all-in-one service. Higher education can respond to these shifting trends by preparing the students for a growth mindset and openness to the ideas constructed by a team rather than an individual. Integrative learning may foster such minds. Integrative learning concerns the building of cognitive connections from one skill or piece of knowledge to the next. This study found cultural areas shared among professions as well as those distinct to one profession. These cultural attributes group into four categories: axiology, epistemology, methodology, and ontology. All professions rate learning (epistemology) the required skills best while they work in offices, rather than their time in higher education. Methodologies include the tasks accomplished to plan, design, and build a project and the tools used to do so. Each profession brings their own contributions to problem solving and uses varied software to accomplish their means. These contributions are highly related to the corresponding values (axiology), though mean ratings indicate a high value for a task even if it is not one’s own. The study concludes by assessing the products (ontology) that may be created by the professions most likely to work together. The teams coming together most often represent the professions of the exterior spaces, building and interior spaces, and the legal and real estate professions. Employers and educators alike may use this information to understand the differences among the professional cultures and how bridging these divides or allowing gaps to remain can impact the project delivery.
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Title: A formal approach to providing assurance to dynamically adaptive software
Creator: Zhang, Ji
Date: 2007
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: A methodology for material design applied to porous media with flow
Creator: Bandyopadhyay, Deep
Date: 2008
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: The application and evaluation of a pilot study on the effect of a self-instructional unit concerning basic design principles for selected non-art majors
Creator: Yoder, Walter Donald, 1933-
Date: 1970
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: Ring pack behavior and oil consumption modeling in ic engines
Creator: Ejakov, Mikhail Aleksandrovich
Date: 1998
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: Targeting metabolic vulnerabilities in breast cancer subtypes
Creator: Ogrodzinski, Martin Peter
Date: 2020
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Breast cancer is a highly prevalent and deadly disease. Globally, it is the most diagnosed cancer in women and is responsible for the most cancer-related deaths among women. Breast cancer is also a remarkably heterogeneous disease, with clear variability in clinical parameters including histological presentation, receptor status, and gene expression patterns that differ between patients. A significant amount of effort has been spent characterizing breast cancer into subtypes, with the main...
Show moreBreast cancer is a highly prevalent and deadly disease. Globally, it is the most diagnosed cancer in women and is responsible for the most cancer-related deaths among women. Breast cancer is also a remarkably heterogeneous disease, with clear variability in clinical parameters including histological presentation, receptor status, and gene expression patterns that differ between patients. A significant amount of effort has been spent characterizing breast cancer into subtypes, with the main goal of improving patient outcomes by: 1) designing targeted therapies, and 2) improving our ability to determine patient prognosis. While scientists have made significant strides in meeting these goals, we still lack targeted therapies for some subtypes of breast cancer, and current therapies often fail to provide a lasting cure. Thus, additional research is needed to improve patient care. One promising area in breast cancer research is cancer metabolism. Using metabolism as a therapeutic target is rapidly gaining traction, as it is now widely appreciated that cancer cells exhibit significant differences in metabolism compared to normal cells. The primary goal of this dissertation is to study the metabolism of distinct subtypes of breast cancer and identify metabolic vulnerabilities that can be used to effectively treat each subtype.This thesis will begin with a review of current classification strategies for breast cancer subtypes and knowledge regarding subtype-specific metabolism. It will also consider modern techniques for targeting breast cancer metabolism for therapeutic benefit. Breast cancer heterogeneity and metabolism are investigated using cell lines and tumors derived from the MMTV-Myc mouse model, which mimics the complexity observed in human disease. Cell lines derived from two histologically defined subtypes, epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and papillary, are used to establish clear metabolic profiles for each subtype. Metabolic vulnerabilities are identified in glutathione biosynthesis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle in the EMT subtype and nucleotide biosynthesis is determined to be a metabolic weakness in the papillary subtype. It is further shown that pharmacologically targeting each of these metabolic pathways has the greatest effect on reducing proliferation when used against the vulnerable subtype. These in vitro findings are then expanded upon by integrating genomic and metabolomic data acquired from in vivo tumors. In vivo experiments reveal that the EMT and papillary tumors prefer parallel pathways to generate nucleotides, with the EMT subtype preferring to salvage nucleotides while the papillary subtype prefers to produce nucleotides de novo. CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing is used to functionally characterize the metabolic effects of targeting nucleotide salvage and de novo biosynthesis in the EMT and papillary subtypes, and determine that targeting the preferred pathway of each subtype is most effective at slowing tumor growth.Overall, this work demonstrates the power of using metabolism as a therapeutic target of breast cancer, and further shows that metabolic vulnerabilities specific to individual subtypes can be used effectively to guide personalized medicine.
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Title: Advances in oscillometric blood pressure measurement
Creator: Chandrasekhar, Anand
Date: 2019
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: High blood pressure (BP) is a major cardiovascular risk factor that is treatable, yet hypertensionawareness and control rates are low. Ubiquitous BP monitoring technology could improve hypertensionmanagement, but existing devices require an inflatable cuff and are not compatible withsuch anytime, anywhere measurement of BP. Oscillometry is the blood pressure (BP) measurementprinciple of most automatic cuff devices. We extended the oscillometric principle, which is usedby most automatic cuff...
Show moreHigh blood pressure (BP) is a major cardiovascular risk factor that is treatable, yet hypertensionawareness and control rates are low. Ubiquitous BP monitoring technology could improve hypertensionmanagement, but existing devices require an inflatable cuff and are not compatible withsuch anytime, anywhere measurement of BP. Oscillometry is the blood pressure (BP) measurementprinciple of most automatic cuff devices. We extended the oscillometric principle, which is usedby most automatic cuff devices, to develop a couple of instruments to measure cuff-less BP usinga smartphone-based device and standalone iPhone application. As the user presses her/his fingeragainst the smartphone, the external pressure of the underlying artery is steadily increased while thephone measures the applied pressure and resulting variable amplitude blood volume oscillations.A smartphone application provides visual feedback to guide the amount of pressure applied overtime via the finger pressing and computes systolic and diastolic BP from the measurements.We prospectively tested the smartphone-based device for real-time BP monitoring in humansubjects to evaluate usability (n = 30) and accuracy against a standard automatic cuff-based device(n = 32). We likewise tested a finger cuff device, which uses the volume-clamp method of BPdetection. About 90% of the users learned the finger actuation required by the smartphone-baseddevice after one or two practice trials. The device yielded bias and precision errors of 3.3 and 8.8mmHg for systolic BP and [Special character(s) omitted]5:6 and 7:7 mmHg for diastolic BP over a 40 to 50 mmHg range of BP.These errors were comparable to the finger cuff device. Cuff-less and calibration-free monitoringof systolic and diastolic BP may be feasible via a smartphone. In addition, we tested the iPhoneapplication. The application yielded bias and precision errors of -4.0 and 11.4 mmHg for systolicBP and -9.4 and 9.7 mmHg for diastolic BP (n = 18). These errors were near the finger cuff deviceerrors. This proof-of-concept study surprisingly indicates that cuff-less and calibration-free BPmonitoring may be feasible with many existing and forthcoming smartphones.These devices use empirical algorithms, already descried in the literature, to estimate bloodpressure. Hence, the next objective was to establish formulas to explain three popular empiricalalgorithms- the maximum amplitude, derivative, and fixed ratio algorithms. A mathematicalmodel of the oscillogram was developed and analyzed to derive parametric formulas for explainingeach algorithm. Exemplary parameter values were obtained by fitting the model to measuredoscillograms. The model and formulas were validated by showing that their predictions correspondto measurements. The formula for the maximum amplitude algorithm indicates that it yields aweighted average of systolic and diastolic BP (0.45 and 0.55 weighting) instead of commonlyassumed mean BP. The formulas for the derivative algorithm indicate that it can accurately estimatesystolic and diastolic BP (<1.5 mmHg error), if oscillogram measurement noise can be obviated.The formulas for the fixed ratio algorithm indicate that it can yield inaccurate BP estimates, becausethe ratios change substantially (over a 0.5-0.6 range) with arterial compliance and pulse pressureand error in the assumed ratio translates to BP error via large amplification (>40). The establishedformulas allow for easy and complete interpretation of perhaps the three most popular oscillometricBP estimation algorithms in the literature while providing new insights. The model and formulasmay also be of some value towards improving the accuracy of automatic cuff BP measurementdevices.
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Title: Design and engineering of novel starch-based foam and film products
Creator: Nabar, Yogaraj Umesh
Date: 2004
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Title: Enhancing item pool utilization when designing multistage computerized adaptive tests
Creator: Yang, Lihong
Date: 2016
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: In recent years, the multistage adaptive test (MST) has gained increasing popularity in the field of educational measurement and operational testing. MST refers to a test in which pre-constructed sets of items are administered adaptively and are scored as a unit (Hendrickson, 2007). As a special case of Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT), a MST program needs the following components: an item response theory (IRT) model or non-IRT-based alternatives; an item pool design; module assembly;...
Show moreIn recent years, the multistage adaptive test (MST) has gained increasing popularity in the field of educational measurement and operational testing. MST refers to a test in which pre-constructed sets of items are administered adaptively and are scored as a unit (Hendrickson, 2007). As a special case of Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT), a MST program needs the following components: an item response theory (IRT) model or non-IRT-based alternatives; an item pool design; module assembly; ability estimation; routing algorithm; and scoring (Yan et al., 2014). A significant amount of research has been conducted on components like module assembly, ability estimation, routing and scoring, but few studies have addressed the component of item pool design. An item pool is defined as consisting of a maximal number of combinations of items that meet all content specifications for a test and provide sufficient item information for estimation at a series of ability levels (van der Linden et al., 2006). An item pool design is very important because any successful MST assembly is inseparable from an optimal item pool that provides sufficient and high-quality items (Luecht & Nungester, 1998). Reckase (2003, 2010) developed the p-optimality method to design optimal item pools using the unidimensional Rasch model in CAT, and it has been proved to be efficient for different item types and IRT models. The present study extended this method to MST context in supporting and developing different MST panel designs under different test configurations. The study compared the performance of the MST assembled under the most popularly studied panel designs in the literature, such as 1-2, 1-3, 1-2-2, and 1-2-3. A combination of short, medium and long tests with different routing test proportions were used to build up different tests. Using one of the most popularly investigated IRT models, the Rasch model, simulated optimal item pools were generated with and without practical constraints of exposure control. A total number of 72 optimal items pools were generated and the measurement accuracy was evaluated by an overall sample and conditional sample using various statistical measures. The p-optimality method was also applied in an operational MST licensure test to see if it is feasible in supporting test assembly and achieving sufficient measurement accuracy in practice. Results showed that the different MST panel designs achieved sufficient measurement accuracy by using the items from the optimal item pools built with the p-optimality method. The same was true with the operational item pool. Measurement accuracy was related to test length, but not so much to the routing test proportions. Exposure control affected the item pool size, but the distributions of the item parameters and item pool characteristics for all the MST panel designs were similar under the two conditions. The item pool sizes under the exposure control conditions were several times larger than those under no exposure control, depending on the types of MST panel designs and routing test proportions. The results from this study provide information for how to enhance item pool utilization when designing multistage computerized adaptive tests, facilitating the MST assembly process, and improving the scoring accuracy.
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Title: The design and organisation features of two online courses : a case study of their emergence and evolution
Creator: Richards, Kari
Date: 2017
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: This study reports the findings of a qualitative case study that examined how elements of design and organization were conceptualized and enacted in two graduate level online courses, and, how these conceptualizations and enactments evolved. Data was collected through interviews and ‘think-alouds’ with the course instructors and through screen captures of the course home pages. The Community of Inquiry Framework (CoI) (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000) was used as a lens to analyze the data...
Show moreThis study reports the findings of a qualitative case study that examined how elements of design and organization were conceptualized and enacted in two graduate level online courses, and, how these conceptualizations and enactments evolved. Data was collected through interviews and ‘think-alouds’ with the course instructors and through screen captures of the course home pages. The Community of Inquiry Framework (CoI) (Garrison, Anderson, & Archer, 2000) was used as a lens to analyze the data for the Design & Organization element of the framework’s concept of Teaching Presence. The analysis identified patterns in the five features of the Design & Organization element: Setting Curriculum, Designing Methods, Establishing Time Parameters, Utilizing the Medium, and Establishing Netiquette. The data shows variation in the way most of the features are conceptualized and enacted in the online courses, with some exceptions. These variations reflect the different experiences, expectations, and logic of the two instructors, while the exceptions reflect the influence of external norming agents such as the Learning Management System or institutional guidelines. The results indicate a wider range of possibilities in course design and organization than the CoI framework has been conceptualized to account for, which has implications for the various programs and institutions using the framework as an instrument for their evaluation of online courses.
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Title: Investigation of planar terahertz passive devices and coupling methods for on-wafer applications
Creator: Myers, Joshua Carl
Date: 2015
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: In recent years, developments have pushed the cut-off frequencies of transistors near 1 THz, enabling for the first time the design of large bandwidth transmit/receive modules. While there has been a significant interest in the research community to implement these devices, many challenges have slowed such progress. Primarily, these challenges stem from the high dielectric and metal losses many materials display in the THz spectrum. However, to implement wafer-level integrated circuits in the...
Show moreIn recent years, developments have pushed the cut-off frequencies of transistors near 1 THz, enabling for the first time the design of large bandwidth transmit/receive modules. While there has been a significant interest in the research community to implement these devices, many challenges have slowed such progress. Primarily, these challenges stem from the high dielectric and metal losses many materials display in the THz spectrum. However, to implement wafer-level integrated circuits in the THz spectrum, efficient passive devices that are integration compatible must be developed. For any integrated system, many of the most important passive building blocks of the system are reduced to efficient waveguiding, filtering, and coupling between any active components, necessary measurement systems, and input sources. In this dissertation, efficient passive terahertz components, including waveguides, filters, and input couplers, are developed. First, a method of efficiently coupling THz radiation between commercial quasi-optical THz systems and integration compatible THz components is introduced. The primary method developed is the use of high-density polyethylene focusing probes which can be easily fabricated so that they are compatible with commercial THz systems. The efficiency of the probes are then investigated when used with a simple silicon-based dielectric waveguide. Next, dielectric ridge waveguides made of silicon are investigated for low loss THz wave propagation. A theoretical effective index method is applied to determine the modal propagation properties of the waveguides as well as the attenuation of the structures. FEM simulation is also carried out to verify these results. Various ridge waveguides made on silicon wafers are investigated through measurement and determined to provide low-loss waveguiding properties in the THz spectrum. The focus is then shifted to the design of thin-film integration compatible THz filters. These filters are designed with multi-objective evolutionary algorithms coupled with FEM modeling. Bandwidth, stopband characteristics, multi-resonance, and other properties of the filters are developed and improved through optimization. The filters are measured using a commercial THz system, and shown to match well with the optimized expectations.Finally, another waveguiding structure is introduced which is built with thin-metal periodic structures on thin-film substrates. These structures efficiently guide THz waves along the surface of the textured metal structures. With these structures, other passive THz circuits, such as power splitters and sensors, are also developed. The waveguiding structures, as well as power splitter, are measured in conjunction with the dielectric focusing probes developed previously, and show to provide high transmission properties at specific design frequencies. Throughout this dissertation efficient waveguides, filters, and coupling methods are introduced. These methods are compatible with current semiconductor fabrication techniques, enabling device realization directly on-wafer. In addition, all of the passive devices that are developed are simple to fabricate, as well as low-cost. Through the work presented in this dissertation, the realization of passive building blocks for on-wafer active THz circuits are developed, which in turn provides the possible realization of active on-wafer THz circuits.
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Title: System identification and control design for internal combustion engine variable valve timing systems
Creator: Ren, Zhen
Date: 2011
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Variable Valve Timing (VVT) systems are used on internal combustion engines so that they can meet stringent emission requirements, reduce fuel consumption, and increase output. Also, VVT plays a critical role in order for the engine to smoothly transit between spark ignition (SI) and homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion modes. In order to achieve these performance benefits and SI/HCCI transition, it is required that the VVT system be controlled accurately using a model...
Show moreVariable Valve Timing (VVT) systems are used on internal combustion engines so that they can meet stringent emission requirements, reduce fuel consumption, and increase output. Also, VVT plays a critical role in order for the engine to smoothly transit between spark ignition (SI) and homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) combustion modes. In order to achieve these performance benefits and SI/HCCI transition, it is required that the VVT system be controlled accurately using a model based controller. This work studies hydraulic and electric VVT system modeling and controller design. The VVT system consists of electric, mechanical, and fluid dynamics components. Without knowledge of every component, obtaining physical-based models is not feasible. In this research, the VVT system models were obtained using system identification method. Limited by the sample rate of the crank-based camshaft position sensor, a function of engine speed, the actuator control sample rate is different from that of cam position sensor. Multi-rate system identification is a necessity for this application. On the other hand, it is also difficult to maintain the desired actuator operational condition with an open-loop control. Therefore, system identification in a closed-loop is required. In this study, Pseudo Random Binary Sequence (PRBS) q-Markov Cover identification is used to obtain the closed-loop model. The open-loop system model is calculated based on information of the closed-loop controller and identified closed-loop system model. Both open and closed-loop identifications are performed in a Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) simulation environment with a given reference model as a validation process. A hydraulic VVT actuator system test bench and an engine dynamometer (dyno) are used to conduct the proposed multi-rate system identification using PRBS as excitation signals. Output covariance constraint (OCC) controllers were designed based upon the identified models. Performance of the designed OCC controller was compared with those of the baseline proportional integral (PI) controller. Results show that the OCC controller uses less control effort and has less overshoot than those of PI ones. An electric VVT (EVVT) system with planetary gear system and local speed controller was modeled based on system dynamics. Simulation results of the EVVT system model provided a controller framework for the bench test. The EVVT system test bench was modified from the hydraulic VVT bench. Multi-rate closed-loop system identification was conducted on the EVVT system bench and a model based OCC controller was designed. The bench test results show that the OCC controller has a lower phase delay and lower overshoot than a tuned proportional controller, while having the same or faster response time. It is also observed that engine oil viscosity has a profound impact on the EVVT response time. The maximum response speed is saturated at a slow level if the viscosity is too high. From the bench and dyno tests, it is concluded that multi-rate closed-loop identification is a very effective way to retrieve controller design orientated VVT models. It is possible to use an OCC controller to achieve lower energy consumption, lower overshoot, and better tracking compared to PI and proportional controllers on both hydraulic and electric VVT systems.
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Title: The design and synthesis of novel proteasome inhibitors : studies on the synthesis of nagelamide M and analogs, the synthesis of rapamycin based proteasome inhibitors, and the synthesis of TCH based molecular probes for binding site determination
Creator: Giletto, Matthew Basil
Date: 2017
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: "The two primary physiologic mechanisms for the recycling of amino acids from no-longer needed or damaged proteins are autophagy and enzymatically via the proteasome. Inhibition of the proteasome has emerged as the preeminent means for treating cancers that constitutively overproduce proteins, particularly multiple myeloma. Two drugs currently available for the treatment of multiple myeloma, BortezomibTM and KyprolisTM, inhibit the proteasome by binding to the catalytically active sites...
Show more"The two primary physiologic mechanisms for the recycling of amino acids from no-longer needed or damaged proteins are autophagy and enzymatically via the proteasome. Inhibition of the proteasome has emerged as the preeminent means for treating cancers that constitutively overproduce proteins, particularly multiple myeloma. Two drugs currently available for the treatment of multiple myeloma, BortezomibTM and KyprolisTM, inhibit the proteasome by binding to the catalytically active sites through a competitive mechanism. While initially effective, over time the resistance that is typical of competitive binders emerges, and relapse rates are currently measured at 97 %, with the average survival time after being one year. Additionally the most common side effect is neuropathy, which typically does not abate after discontinuation of chemotherapy. The current state of the art demonstrates the need not only for new proteasome inhibitors, but inhibitors that act through a different mechanism. The Tepe group was the first to develop such a molecule, imidazolines of the TCH-series, which bind to the proteasome via a noncompetitive mechanism. The details of the interaction of these molecules with the proteasome have been extensively studied, but the location of the binding site remains elusive. In this work, several molecular probes were designed and synthesized (two diazirine photoaffinity-TCH hybrids and a biotin-TCH hybrid) to elucidate the location of the binding site. Currently biological testing is underway. Additionally, a library of analogs based on the natural product rapamycin were designed and synthesized. An analog was discovered that was equipotent to the natural product itself, which could be synthesized on a gram scale in three steps from commercially available materials. To discover the binding site of these molecules, a diazirine photoaffinity probe was designed and synthesized. Enough biological data was generated to refine the library and design and synthesize a second generation of the analogs; currently biological testing of these analogs is underway. Lastly, extensive studies on the total synthesis of the pyrrole-imidazole natural product nagelamide M were designed and performed. These studies relied mainly on the use of C-H activation to functionalize a methylene C-H bond adjacent to a heteroatom. None of the key reactions were successful, and the synthesis stalled at an early stage. Overall this thesis describes several advances in the areas of drug discovery and proteasome inhibition, and perhaps most excitingly access to molecules that could elucidate the binding site of the TCH molecules."--Pages ii-iii.
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Title: Online teaching and faculty learning : the role of hypermedia in online course design
Creator: Knott, Jessica Lucille
Date: 2015
Collection: Electronic Theses & Dissertations
Description: Using semi-structured interviews, this study set out to explore how faculty experiences in reading, teaching, and technology inform their use of hyperlinks and hypermedia in online teaching, learning, and course design. Further, an exploration of how faculty learn new technologies as they develop their online courses serves as a lens through which to view course design and its evolution. Study findings reveal that the use of hypermedia in online course design reflects the reading preferences...
Show moreUsing semi-structured interviews, this study set out to explore how faculty experiences in reading, teaching, and technology inform their use of hyperlinks and hypermedia in online teaching, learning, and course design. Further, an exploration of how faculty learn new technologies as they develop their online courses serves as a lens through which to view course design and its evolution. Study findings reveal that the use of hypermedia in online course design reflects the reading preferences and practices of the faculty developing the course. Further, findings indicate that, even when formal faculty development programs are offered, faculty learning is extremely fluid, with heavy reliance upon the resources they can find easily and immediately as a means of learning new things. New teaching philosophies were rarely adopted, but new course structure elements and technologies were adopted if the faculty felt they would assist in the content delivery process. As a result, recommendations include the development of just-in-time resources for faculty, and the development of faculty development programs that allow for individualized assistance and transfer.
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