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John Bickham field notebook: AK21001-AK21500.pdf
No full textBound book, each page corresponds to a karyotype slide data.Data pages for AK21501-AK22000 corresponding to unique identifiers of specimens/samples examined for biological research. Specimens are primarily housed at Texas A&M University; Biodiverstiy Research and Teaching Collection
Becoming the (Invisible) Sixth Resident: Cultural Myths and Parasocial Engagement in the Medical Drama Grey's Anatomy
No full textGrey���s Anatomy is one of the longest-running and most successful television medical dramas of all time. Some scholars have investigated the show���s representations of gender, depictions of medical professionalism, and reception of viewers. However, it is still unclear why Grey���s Anatomy resonates with so many viewers, and what cultural messages it may convey.
To address these gaps, I explored the sociohistorical context, cinematic crafting, narrative content, and audience reception of Grey���s Anatomy. Methods include textual and interpretive analysis along with thematic content analysis, structuralist film analysis, narrative discourse analysis, and audience reception analysis of 20 semi-structured interviews.
My results suggest that Grey���s Anatomy is especially immersive when compared to other American medical dramas, partly due to cinematic crafting that encourages viewers to feel immersed within the daily lives of flawed yet glamorous medical professionals. Patient-doctor interactions may effectively portray positive interpersonal communication skills for medical professionals, particularly when navigating patient experiences with suffering and trauma. Complicated and nuanced representations of gender roles and sexual orientation appear to resonate with many viewers. Some dedicated viewers also appear to form parasocial bonds with main characters who function as peer role models for navigating gender identity and sexual orientation.
Overall, I conclude that Grey���s Anatomy encourages parasocial bonds that may provide educational and vicarious emotional support to viewers as they adopt new cultural models related to constructing new personal and professional identities. This research adds to the body of anthropological knowledge by highlighting that parasocial interactions with mass media texts may reflect or reinforce cultural gender values while conveying feelings of friendship, familiarity, and belonging
Developing the Texas A&M Smart and Connected Homes Testbed
No full textThe Texas A&M Smart and Connected Homes Testbed has been developed to support residential HVAC research. The flexible testbed enables the windows and walls to be replaced, the floorplan to be reconfigured, provides two separate duct networks, and incorporates on-site renewable energy. Heavy instrumentation is done at the testbed to capture information on local weather conditions, building envelope performance, occupant comfort, HVAC equipment performance, and the power consumption of all household end-uses. A smart thermostat is also incorporated to provide HVAC control capabilities. Occupants are simulated inside the home to mimic actual operation and internal loads. A Modelica model has been created for the building envelope and split system HVAC at the testbed. Using data from the experimental testbed, the model is tuned to ensure accurate implementation. Researchers can use these models to bridge the gap between simulation-based studies and their real-world application
The White Atlantic: Finding South Africa in the American South, 1954-1966
No full textThe Citizens��� Council of America advanced what some historians call a ���segregationist foreign policy.��� ���Massive resistance��� to domestic desegregation during the 1950s and '60s pushed the Council to concern itself with foreign affairs, particularly the United Nations' criticism of South African apartheid. Council publications and television broadcasts show that the Council opportunistically reframed its rhetoric to match South Africa���s defense of apartheid as a system dedicated to local self-determination and combating communism. The Citizens��� Council mirrored this strategy, promoting segregation to stave off communist inroads and reinforce states��� rights, meaning self-determination
Combustion Solutions for Reduced Methane Emissions from Large Bore Natural Gas Engines
No full textLegacy large bore, natural gas two-stroke engines form a vital component of the pipeline industry, but with increasing stringent pushes to reduce emissions, the necessity of improving performance of an ageing engine fleet grows more critical than ever. Precombustion chambers are frequently implemented on these engines to improve ignition stability and extend the lean limit of operation, a process which brings an additional benefit of reducing harmful emissions such as oxides of nitrogen (NOx) and hydrocarbons (HC). While prechambers reduce the carbon footprint from pipeline compressor stations, the pathway to zero emissions of the future still contains a plethora of research avenues to explore.
This study sought to explore two potential combustion solutions for reducing methane emissions from large bore natural gas engines. First, the Cooper-Bessemer GMV4 engine was fully simulated using Converge CFD and validated using experimental data. Before igniting the primary prechamber, radical and intermediate species were seeded throughout the main combustion chamber by use of a second, deliberately quenched prechamber. This served to boost reactivity and promote flame propagation throughout unburned regions of the chamber. Multiple temperature levels, injection timings, and chemical species compositions were investigated, for which each was then examined for early ignition limits, surviving concentration of seeded species, and overall impact on residual methane and the combustion process.
Second, the Cooper Ajax E-565 engine in open-chambered configuration was fully simulated using Converge CFD software and validated using experimental data. The open-chambered configuration was then modified to a prechambered configuration, and input parameters, such as fuel delivery and spark timing, were adjusted using best real-world design practices. This model was then used as a foundation upon which to evaluate the sensitivity of in-cylinder mixing between prechamber and main chamber gases to changes in intake manifold and port design. Eight different manifolds designs were created and analyzed for overall air flow, mixing quality, and general combustion performance. The results were then examined for an extensive investigation of factors preventing oxidation of residual methane as well as the production mechanisms of NOx emissions
John Bickham field notebook: AK8001-AK8500.pdf
No full textBound book, each page corresponds to a karyotype slide data.Data pages for AK8501-AK9000 corresponding to unique identifiers of specimens/samples examined for biological research. Specimens are primarily housed at Texas A&M University; Biodiverstiy Research and Teaching Collection
Reliability and Economics of Distribution Systems with Edge-Level Distributed Energy Resources
No full textElectrical power distribution systems are experiencing a pivotal transformation due to the increasing integration of edge-level behind-the-meter (BTM) distributed energy resources (DERs). This transformation introduces challenges in the planning and operation of distribution systems. Primary challenges include reliable delivery of electricity to the end user while maintaining the utility���s financial viability. This dissertation introduces a multi-level hierarchical framework that bridges the gap in the current distribution system reliability assessment by incorporating the complexities and stochastic nature of end-user DERs. This framework is adaptable to distribution systems with varying levels of DER penetration and addresses the technological diversity and unpredictability inherent in DERs, making it a significant advancement over existing methodologies. This work developed a modular general-purpose end-user reliability model that forms the basis for developing reliability assessment methods and revenue impact analysis. A bottom-up probabilistic approach is presented that integrates the end-user with BTM DER into the reliability assessment. A notable innovation in this work is the application of probabilistic distributions to quantify the end-user BTM DER penetration and integrate them into the probabilistic approach to assess distribution system reliability in various DER penetration scenarios. Economic impact assessment forms another crucial dimension of this dissertation, encompassing a comprehensive exploration of the implications of end-user BTM DER integration for utility revenue, customer costs, and overall system economics. The dissertation examines the cost-benefit dynamics of DERs and the influence of regulatory policies such as Net Energy Metering (NEM), quantifying the economic impacts under various DER adoption scenarios. The dissertation employs reliability test cases and simulation analyses to study the effectiveness of the developed framework and assessment methodologies. This dissertation contributes to the field of power systems by providing methods and tools for managing the challenges and opportunities presented by end-user BTM DER in system planning and integration
Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers for Convex Optimization Problems with Tensorflow Using GPU Computing
No full textIn aerospace engineering, there are many high-dimensional optimization problems, including sensor optimization, control variable calculation, structure analysis, and more. Solving these high-dimension optimization problems demands substantial computational resources, leading to high computational costs. Mathematical optimization algorithms and computation methods have long been a focal point of study, aiming to reduce the complexity of high-dimensional problems and minimize computation costs. This research applies the optimization algorithm, alternating direction method of multipliers (ADMM), to multiple convex problems and provides an implementation of these algorithms in Python using TensorFlow for accelerated graphics processing unit (GPU) computing. While an existing public domain implementation of ADMM is available in MATLAB, this research strives to handle high-dimensional problems more effectively than this MATLAB implementation, which relies on central processing unit (CPU) computing. The TensorFlow implementation for GPU computing is then compared to the CPU computing implementation and the performance of the interior point method (IPM) when solving the same problem
From Remote Work to Virtual Collaboration: Toward the Design of Collaborative Virtual Reality Environments
No full textRecently the world was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, during this time mandatory social distancing went into effect to stop the spread of the virus. Due to the social distancing mandates many schools and businesses were forced to close their doors for an undisclosed amount of time, opening the door for online and remote work. Individuals who worked on collaborative teams during this time were forced to adopt new methods of collaboration. Although teleconferencing applications such as Zoom, Google Hangouts and Microsoft Teams provided online support for collaboration the human-human social interaction was lacking. Like these teleconferencing applications Virtual Reality (VR) has taken off during these unprecedented times. Recent developments into VR have created immersive applications that allow users to meet socially and professionally in virtual environments, bringing back the human-human social interaction. This research seeks to understand how and to what extent collaborative VR environments can support interdisciplinary team collaboration. A series of five studies was conducted to first explore how collaborative teams work with each other in different environments (face-to-face vs virtual). The following studies will investigate user preferences of Virtual Characters (VCs) in immersive VR environments. A final study will observe an interdisciplinary team to compare team collaboration face-to-face, virtually and in a commercially available collaborative VR application. From these five studies this body of work will contribute a set of design guidelines to be used in the development of collaborative VR environments
Modeling and Design Optimization of Thermal Hydraulic Systems for Advanced Reactor Applications
No full textThis study presents the thermal���hydraulic phenomena within advanced reactor applications for design and modeling. It is organized into three main sections, each tackling distinct yet interconnected aspects of thermal���hydraulic applications in advanced nuclear reactors.
In the second main section of this dissertation, artificial neural networks (ANNs) and advanced machine learning algorithms are used to predict the friction factors and flow regimes that change from laminar���to���transition and transition���to���turbulent in wire-wrapped fuel assemblies. The ensemble methods showed superior performance for classification of the flow regimes, with accuracies exceeding 95%. The ANN model for friction factor outperformed traditional correlations, with a mean error of 0.10%. This study represents a significant advance in understanding and predicting hydrodynamics in wire-wrapped fuel assemblies.
The third main section identifies the most promising phase change materials for latent heat thermal energy storage in high-temperature applications for heat pipe���cooled microreactors. Twenty-one eutectic salts were studied based on their thermophysical properties and performance metrics. The most promising candidates were MgCl2���NaCl and CaCl2���NaCl. In addition, copper and aluminum foams were investigated for compatibility and durability under extreme conditions. The mixture of copper foam and CaCl2���NaCl exhibited the least corrosion. After a 300-hour melting/solidification cycle, the melting temperature of CaCl2���NaCl remained stable, confirming its reliability for high-temperature thermal energy storage (TES) applications.
The fourth main section of the research delves into a new concept of a tree-shaped fin design for a latent heat thermal energy storage system. The research has made significant progress by utilizing a novel approach that goes beyond the traditional focus on (i) multi���objective considering both power density and energy density, (ii) investigating all variables freely varying using global searching optimization, and (iii) the constraint of the evenly distributed last branch. The study used surrogate���based multi���objective optimization, specifically the Random Forest model, to explore energy density in volume fractions ranging from 9% to 44%. The study achieved a 33% optimal volume fraction for the fin design, resulting in a 61.6% increase in power density and a 38.18% reduction in melting time compared to conventional plate fin designs.
In essence, the overall objective of this dissertation is to contribute valuable insights and methodologies to the ongoing research targeted at enhancing thermal efficiency, safety, and cost��� effectiveness in advanced reactor designs using computational techniques