Aggregation and species association of 9 species of phytophagous and
predaceous mites were studied for 6 yr in an orchard with 100, 2 m tall 'Red
Delicious' apple trees. To quantify aggregation, a method was developed that is
powerful, and easily interpreted. It relates the proportion of habitat occupied to...
Understanding the mechanical behavior of composite materials requires extensive knowledge of fracture behavior as a crack approaches an interface between the bulk material and the reinforcement structure. Overall material toughness can be greatly influenced by the propensity of an impinging crack to propagate directly through the substrate or deflect along...
An empirical statistical model is developed that relates the non-tidal motion of the ocean surface currents off the Oregon coast to forecasts of the coastal winds. The empirical statistical model is then used to produce predictions of the surface currents that are evaluated for their agreement with measured currents. Measurements...
The purpose was to gain information about the determinants of student behavior with respect to laboratory (lab) and non-laboratory (non-lab) science learning activities. Fishbein and Ajzen's (1975) theory of reasoned action was used to investigate students' salient beliefs, correlations between determinants of intention, and the relative weights of determinants of...
Heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems represent nearly half of building energy usage in the United States. Recent building regulations requiring increased air turnover within buildings will result in even greater air conditioning usage. To alleviate these concerns, membrane-based heat-and-moisture exchangers known as energy recovery ventilators have been developed to...
We consider the problem of strategic adversarial planning in a Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game. Strategic adversarial planning is the generation of a network of high-level tasks to satisfy goals while anticipating an adversary's actions. In this thesis we describe an abstract state and action space used for planning in an...
This work compares the condensation heat transfer and pressure drop for zeotropic refrigerant R-454C and its individual components, R-32 and R-1234yf, in horizontal microfin tubes. One microfin tube has a 4 mm outer diameter, 0.18 mm wall thickness, and a surface area ratio of 1.56. The second tube has a...
This thesis presents a novel microlamination architecture that enables the large scale integration of valves into low cost micro energy and chemical systems via membrane entrapment. Polycarbonate layers embossed with microfluidic channels were bonded by ultrasonic welding of raised embossed protrusions that penetrate though the PDMS membranes. The bonding pressure...
Powder Bed Fusion (PBF) techniques are additive manufacturing (AM) technologies with paradigm-shifting potential for the production industry. However, before they can become viable production solutions for quality critical industries, issues with process consistency and repeatability need to be addressed. There is a need for in-situ sensing systems that characterize process...
The purpose of this work was to explore the feasibility of using the GOTHIC thermal hydraulics software package to model a pressurized conduction cooldown event in the High Temperature Test Facility. To achieve that aim, a model of the facility was constructed in the GOTHIC software and a selection of...