Ray acoustics has been applied to the propagation of sound waves in a homogeneous moving medium with sheared flow bounded by the hard walls of a duct. Differential equations describing the ray trajectories and spreading losses along each ray were developed and solved numerically for a range of centerline Mach numbers and shear boundary-layers. Results were obtained which show the effects of upstream and downstream sound propagation on the ray paths. A method was also presented which allows the calculation of intensity loss profiles at specified cross-sections of the duct. / Master of Science

This thesis is a comparison of different forecasting procedures used in forecasting housing construction. The forecasting models developed are compared on the basis of error variance and the number of times the forecast falls outside "± K" limits. The author points out that what is needed is a simple forecasting technique which gives comparatively accurate forecasts. One such technique is obtained by using the simplest exponential smoothing model, that of single smoothing with a simple adaptive smoothing procedure, as described in this thesis. / Master of Science

The turmoils and character of the present-day Irish people can best be understood through a knowledge of the events which occurred and relationships that existed nearly 200 years ago. For their support of James II in 1690, the Irish Catholics were gradually placed under a system of Penal Laws. These laws were completed in 1727 and were to remain in full effect for over half a century. Although not rigidly enforced, their existence made the Irish Catholics second-class citizens and assured an Anglican Ascendancy of wealth and power. In the late 1780's and during the 1790's bad economic conditions related to overpopulation, and the outside influences of the American and French Revolutions, effected an increase in Catholic agitation for a better life. In 1791, the Society of United Irishmen was founded in order to combine these Catholic desires with the northern Irish Presbyterian political goals of a legislature representative of ill Irishmen and the end of British power and dominance in Ireland. Government opposition, followed by begrudged concession succeeded by increased opposition, caused the United Irishmen to become more and more radical until they no longer operated within the framework of the law. After 1795, Catholics and Presbyterians began to drift apart because of Government and landlord intrigue. The United Irishmen still pressed forward toward a rebellion which they trusted would be aided by republican France and accomplish the freedom of Ireland. The outbreak of rebellion in May, 1798, saw not the French nor did the termination of it see Irish freedom. The religious animosities it brought into the open, along with its spirit, continue to exist to the present day--witnessed by the existence of the troubled British province of Northern Ireland and the free Republic of Ireland to the south. / Master of Arts

Linear Programming (LP) was used to provide information about trade-offs between timber production and wildlife practices for Maryland's Pocomoke State Forest. The information was to be used as an aid by the Forest managers to find the combination of desired products which would most closely meet the overall goal for the Forest. The objective for the Forest over the rotation was maximum sawtimber production consistent with sound management practices for other products, mainly wildlife. An initial LP model of the Pocomoke Forest was developed with the objective function to maximize the sawtimber production over a 60 year rotation. Different methods of forest regulation were tried in the model to see which would give the highest volume obtainable over the rotation without undue fluctuations in periodic volume and acres cut. Thinning in feasible stands was included in the model at age 30 and 40. Solutions to the model when thinning was included were compared with solutions to the model without thinning. Wildlife management practices were then included in the model as constraints. Any wildlife management practice which the managers wished to consider, and which potentially interfered with maximum .sawtimber production, was included in the model. When each wildlife objective was added to the model, a new solution was obtained. This solution was compared to the one obtained before the constraint was included. The amount of timber given up to introduce each wildlife management practice on the Forest was determined. If the wildlife managers can estimate the increase in wildlife benefits brought about by a specific wildlife management practice, a decision can then be made, whether or not the introduction of the wildlife management practice on the Forest is justifiable. Advantages and problems of the model were discussed with some suggestions for future study. / Master of Science

In the linear calibration problem one estimates the independent variable x in a regression situation for a measured value of the dependent variable y. The Classical estimator is obtained by expressing the linear model as y_i = α + βx_i + ε_i, obtaining the least squares estimator for y for a given value of x and solving for x. The Inverse estimator is gotten by expressing the linear model as x_i = γ + δy_i + ε_i̇ and using the resulting least squares estimator to estimate x. The purpose of this dissertation is to find confidence intervals for the Inverse Method of linear calibration, then make a comparison of the Inverse and Classical estimators using the criterion of confidence intervals. First, Monte Carlo techniques are used to determine the worth of a Bayes confidence interval for the Inverse Method. Next, a confidence interval for the Inverse Method is derived which has the same length, confidence, and restriction possessed by the known confidence interval for the Classical Method. Finally, an unrestricted confidence interval for the Inverse Method is sought by making use of the density of the Inverse estimator. In an effort to accomplish this, attempts are made at both deriving a workable expression for the density and describing the density with Pearson's system of frequency curves. / Ph. D.

The derivation of the beam-column element matrices and development of the incremental step method and of the equilibrium method are abstracted from other authors. Emphasis is placed on the consistency of the assumptions and restrictions imposed upon the element and the two methods. Two algorithms are developed describing the two methods and are compatible with the element. Three example problems are solved illustrating the features of the two methods. A comparison of the solutions obtained for each method is made. / M.S.

Energy shortages in urban areas and rapidly rising energy costs will soon make building energy consumption an important element in architectural design. Previously, this factor had been given consideration only in the latter stages of design, and then by the consulting engineer. Now, the architect will have to use it as one of the criteria in evaluating alternative solutions. To aid the architect in this analysis, ENERPAC has been developed. ENERPAC is a computer program for building energy design. It is designed especially for the architect to use in the early stages of a project by using variables of the type and scale appropriate to this level of design. The program is written in conversation language, mainly in the form of questions directed to the user. After interrogating the user to obtain the necessary data, calculations are made to determine the building energy load. The user may then change the variables, as desired, to evaluate their effect on the load. In addition to its use in new building design, the program has also proven useful for obtaining a quick determination of building loads for cost estimates, such as adding air conditioning (cooling) to existing buildings. The five areas of investigation and documentation covered by this thesis were (1) existing programs, (2) program requirements, (3) methodology, (4) results, and (5) conclusions. A listing of the program and a User's Manual are included in the Appendix. / M.Arch.

The concept of status crystallization (Lenski: 1954) considers, simultaneously, the influence which status rankings on the education, occupation, and income hierarchies exert on the individual. Incongruent rankings on various status dimensions are thought to predispose an individual to a number of select reactions, most notably, the expression of political extremism and the desire for social change. In addition, past research suggests that voluntary association membership may serve as an integrative mechanism at both the social psychological and the sociological levels. The relationship between the nature of the status inconsistency experienced and the expression of liberal and/or conservative political and economic ideologies was examined, with the expectation that educational level would be the most crucial determinant of political ideology and income, of economic ideology. As well, the nature of the relationship between membership in instrumental voluntary associations and status inconsistency was investigated. Structured interviews were administered to respondents via telephone communication. The McClosky scale of conservatism (1958) and the Laumann scale of economic liberalism (1966) were employed to determine the relationship between the type of inconsistency experienced and the expression of liberal or conservative ideologies. Analysis of the data failed to reveal statistically significant results. The relationship between inconsistency and the expression of an extreme ideology was not altered when the nature of the inconsistency was examined. As well, there was no difference between status consistent and inconsistent respondents with respect to the number of instrumental voluntary association memberships reported. / M.S.

The basic objectives of this thesis were to examine selected political, personality, and socio-economic characteristics of Virginia Tech Army ROTC cadets in an attempt to acquire a better understanding of "who" will be filling the future officer ranks of the U.S. Army. Although this study focuses on a specific population, it provides a substantial data base and starting point for an in depth inquiry into the social-psychological dimensions of Army ROTC cadets in general. Specifically, the study examined selected socio-economic and service related factors in relation to the officer career intentions of the cadets. Major differences were noted between the potential careerist and non-careerist groups with respect to the following variables: academic class status, size of city, class of neighborhood, family income, father's occupation, college major, expected level of education, cadet rank, ROTC scholarship, prestige in the military, military service of father, and selection of Army branch. Significant differences were also found between the cadets and a sample of male civilian students in the areas of political orientation, party identification, attitudes toward an All-Volunteer Army and U.S. military involvement overseas, and scores achieved on the personal competence and strongmindedness scales. This thesis also examined the perceived levels of importance the cadets place on selected intrinsic and extrinsic needs using Maslow's need taxonomy as a guide. The results showed that the rank ordering of the needs from most to least important was as follows: ego/self-esteem, ego/reputation, self-fulfillment, social, and safety/security. / M.A.

It is easy for a designer to design a set of spur gears to operate properly at a standard center distance. But the problem is more complicated when a predetermined center distance is necessary that is not considered standard. When the gears are cut, the hob can he advanced into or withdrawn from the blank to give teeth of a necessary thickness so that the gears will mesh properly at the nonstandard center distance. A derivation for determining the sum of the hob offsets for the pinion and gear has been shown by several authors, but there is no mathematical expression to separate the total hob offset into the individual hob offsets needed on the pinion and the gear. Several authors describe the advantages of designing gears with a substantial length of recess and a minimal length of approach. They describe the gears as operating with lower friction, less wear, less noise, and smoother action. Accordingly, the object of this investigation was to determine the individual hob offsets of the pinion and gear based on a high ratio of recess ·action to approach action. A computer program was used to produce design charts and tables to be used by the designer so that he can easily determine the individual hob offsets necessary for particular numbers of teeth and changes in center distance. / M.S.