The demand for electric energy increases every year. However, due to recent changes in the U.S. energy supplies, a growing gas shortage forced suppliers to curtail deliveries of natural gas for power generation. Many utilities anticipating supply problems switched to burning more costly light distillate oil. Unfortunately the Arab boycott of 1973 and the following price increases for oil forced again utilities to seek a cheaper source of fuel, namely coal, as a substitute for oil. Even though the U.S. has abundant supply in coal, the use of coal in power generation was limited in the past because of a higher capital cost associated with installing air pollution control devices. Therefore, current utilities primary concerns are "does the lower fuel price of the coal power plant really outweigh its disadvantage of higher construction costs as compared to the oil-burning power plant?". Thus, the purpose of this paper is to evaluate the economic preference of the coal burning power plant compared to the oil-burning power plant in suppling base load power. An extensive analytical model accounting for the effects of escalating fuel prices was examined and a computer simulation model was developed to handle risk associated with various input parameters using the SLAM as a simulation language.

A modern power system is composed of many individual entities collaborating with each other to operate the entire system in a secure and economic manner. These entities may have different owners and operators with their own operating rules and policies, and it complicates the decision-making process in the system. In this work, a system of systems (SoS) engineering framework is presented for optimally operating the modern power systems. The proposed SoS framework defines each entity as an independent system with its own regulations, and the communication and process of information exchange between the systems are discussed. Since the independent systems are working in an interconnected system, the operating condition of one may impact the operating condition of others. According to the independent systems’ characteristics and connection between them, an optimization problem is formulated for each independent system. In order to solve the optimization problem of each system and to optimally operate the entire SoS-based power system, a decentralized decision-making algorithm is developed. Using this algorithm, only a limited amount of information is exchanged among different systems, and the operators of independent systems do not need to exchange all the information, which may be commercially sensitive, with each other. In addition, applying chance-constrained stochastic programming, the impact of uncertain variables, such as renewable generation and load demands, is modeled in the proposed SoS-based decision-making algorithm. The proposed SoS-based decision-making algorithm is applied to find the optimal and secure operating point of an active distribution grid (ADG). This SoS framework models the distribution company (DISCO) and microgrids (MGs) as independent systems having the right to work based on their own operating rules and policies, and it coordinates the DISCO and MGs operating condition. The proposed decision-making algorithm is also performed to solve the security-constrained unit commitment incorporating distributed generations (DGs) located in ADGs. The independent system operator (ISO) and DISCO are modeled as self-governing systems, and competition and collaboration between them are explained according to the SoS framework.

This thesis provides a comprehensive look at water hammer with an emphasis on home plumbing systems. The mathematics of water hammer are explained, including the momentum and continuity equations for conduits, system construction, and the four-point implicit finite difference scheme to numerically solve the problem. This paper also shows how the unsteady momentum and continuity equations can be used to solve water distribution problems instead of the steady-state energy and continuity equations, along with the examples problems which show that an unsteady approach is more suitable than the standard Hardy-Cross method. Residential plumbing systems are examined in this paper, household fixtures are modeled for their hydraulic functions, and several water hammer simulations are run using the Water Hammer and Mass Oscillation program (WHAMO). It is determined from these simulations that the amount of air volume in the system is a key factor in controlling water hammer. Abnormal pump operation is clearly explained including a description of the four quadrants and eight zones of operation as well as the mathematics and a numerical scheme for computation. Low pressures caused by transients can lead to intrusion and contamination of the drinking water supply. Several scenarios are simulated using the WHAMO program and cases are provided in which intrusion occurs. From the intrusion scenarios, key factors for intrusion to occur during transients include the starting energy in the system, the magnitude of the transient, the hydraulics of the intrusion opening, and the external energy on the pipe (the level of the groundwater table). A primer for using WHAMO is provided as an appendix as well. / Master of Science

As a material handler, the crane plays a vital role within the operations of the manufacturing, construction, and shipping industries. Objects of all shapes and sizes are conveyed with the crane to improve productivity and reduce worker fatigue. The crane's capacity to operate efficiently and safely however, suffers from payload pendulations. This cyclic motion of crane cable and payload produces schedule delays, property damage, and high risk to personnel. Current pendulation reduction systems have typically been applied to overhead cranes within the manufacturing and shipping industries. The construction industry in contrast, has failed to innovate tower and mobile cranes. This can be traced to the complexity of the construction operation and the conditions under which the construction crane performs. This thesis aims to improve productivity and safety within the construction industry through the application of damping systems on construction cranes. To achieve this goaL an experimental model will be developed and tested. The design process will include an analysis of operational constraints, theoretical design, and physical testing. Tuned mass damping will be investigated as the basis for the damping control method. Theory will be detailed and incorporated in a mathematical simulation. The tuned mass damper, a cantilevered rod, will be designed and tested for application. The system will then be coupled to a scaled crane model for testing. Data analysis will be used to define the models effectiveness. From the theoretical analysis and physical testing, a conceptual model will be defined. Subjects for future research will also be presented. / Master of Science

Die Gesellschaft altert und es erhalten vermehrt geriatrische Patienten radikale urologische Eingriffe. Alte Patienten haben im Rahmen derartiger Operationen ein erhöhtes Risiko sowohl für Komplikation, verschlechtertes funktionelles Outcome und Mortalität. Da alte Patienten dennoch von den Operationen profitieren können und diese auch weitgehend sicher bei diesen durchgeführt werden können, gilt es das geriatrische Patientenklientel in Bezug auf ihre Konstitution präoperativ genauer zu evaluieren. Die Erlanger Pilotstudie, an die sich vorliegende Arbeit anlehnt, hat dazu einen Index für Patienten ≥ 70 Jahre mit geplanter Prostatektomie, Nephrektomie und Zystektomie entwickelt, der sowohl das postoperative funktionelle Outcome nach 30 bzw. 180 Tagen, wie auch die Mortalität, nicht aber Komplikationen signifikant korrekt vorhersagen konnte. Ziel vorliegender Arbeit war es, die Prädiktivität des Erlangen Index hinsichtlich dieser vier Endpunkte in einer prospektiv angelegten Studie mit n=46 Patienten ≥ 65 Jahre am Universitätsklinikum Würzburg zu validieren. Es sollte dabei im Speziellen die in der Erlanger Pilotstudie erfasste gute Prädiktivität des Erlangen Index für das funktionelle Outcome nach 180 Tagen überprüft werden. In dieser Arbeit zeigte sich der Erlangen Index prädiktiv für das funktionelle Outcome nach 180 Tagen. Für die anderen Endpunkte konnte keine Prädiktivität des Erlangen Index festgestellt werden. Durch vorliegende Studie konnte die schlechte Prädiktion der Komplikationen durch den EI bestätigt werden. Anders als in der Pilotstudie war der Erlangen Index in vorliegender Studie zur Vorhersage des funktionellen Outcome nach 30 Tagen und der Mortalität nicht geeignet. Bei Betrachtung der Untergruppen nach Art der Operation zeigte der EI starke Korrelationen für die Prädiktion des funktionellen Outcome nach 180 Tagen in den Gruppen der Patienten nach Prostata- und Harnblasenoperation. Die Ergebnisse decken sich somit nur teilweise mit den Ergebnissen aus der Pilotstudie in Erlangen, in der der Erlangen Index bzgl. des funktionellen Outcome nach 180 Tagen die größte Korrelation in der Untergruppe der Patienten nach Nephrektomie zeigte. Der Index erwies sich als schnell durchführbares Assessment, das wenig Personal erfordert. Es ist weiter zu prüfen, ob sich durch Anwendung dieses Assessment tatsächlich Änderungen im klinischen Therapieregime ergeben bzw. ob sich die Modifizierungen der Therapie auch in einem verbesserten Outcome der Patienten auswirken. / The society is aging steadily and there is a rising number of geriatric patients receiving major urologic surgery. Older patients tend to be more in danger of postoperative complications, deteriorated functional outcome and mortality undergoing these major surgical interventions. Since some older patients still may benefit from radical treatments and since these surgical treatments can potentially be performed safely also in older people, their functional constitution should be assessed prior to surgery. In order to tackle this goal the Erlangen pilot trial, which our trial refers to, developed an index for people older than 70 years undergoing prostatectomy, nephrectomy and cystectomy. This Index proved to be suitable to predict the functional outcome atfer 30 and 180 days, as well as the mortality significantly, whereas complications couldn`t be predicted properly. In this prospective trial, comprising n=46 patients ≥ 65 Jahre, we aimed to validate the predictivity of the Erlangen Index according to these 4 endpoints, especially focussing on the functional outcome after 180 days, for which Erlangen Index was shown to be predictive in the pilot trial. In our validation trial the Erlangen Index was shown to be predicitve for the functional outcome after 180 days. However, for the other three endpoints there were no significant findings. Hence in this trial we were able to confirm the low predictivity of Erlangen Index for complications. In contrast to the pilot trial, in this very trial the Erlangen Index was shown not to be predicitve for functional outcome after 30 days, as well as mortality. Taking a look at the subgroups the Erlangen Index showed strongest correlation in predicting the functional outcome after 180 days in the subgroup of patients undergoing prostatectomy and cystectomy. According to that our findings only seem to match partially with the findings of the pilot trial, where Erlangen Index showed strongest correlation in predicting the functional outcome after 180 days in the subgroup of patients with nephrectomy. The Erlangen Index showed to be a quick and feasible tool, requiring only little staff. It still has to be investigated, whether the use of geriatric assessments will eventually lead to changes in therapeutic regimen and whether therapeutical modifications will finally end up in an improved functional outcome of patients.

Between December 1960 and the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962, 14,048 Cuban children were sent by their families out of the country to the United States through a program known as Operacion Pedro Pan. The children's memories of their homeland, their adopted country, and the program itself were formed by such factors as their age at the time of their expatriation, the length time that they spent apart from their families, and the communities that they were exposed to in the United States. While several novels and scholarly works have been written about Operation Pedro Pan, many authors have debated its purpose- whether or not the Central Intelligence Agency was trying to destabilize Fidel Castro's government- and its effectiveness because, having been a part of the exodus, their experiences influence how they report the stories of others. This paper analyzes newspaper articles, surveys, interviews, and literature written by Pedro Pans such as Carlos Eire's Waiting/or Snow in Havana, to determine how the widely accepted narrative of the United States saving Cuban children from "communist indoctrination" was formed in the United States and how this compares to the experiences of the Pedro Pan Children.

No / PURPOSE. Potential vision testing attempts to predict the visual outcome that might be expected as a result of a cataract operation. This report details the clinical utility of critical flicker frequency (CFF) as a potential vision test (PVT). METHODS. CFF thresholds were determined in 31 subjects with age-related idiopathic cataract and no other eye disease, 19 subjects with macular disease (MD) and clear ocular media, and 24 age-matched control subjects. In addition, the CFF technique was administered before cataract surgery in 52 patients and compared with the information provided by presurgical case history and ocular examination alone (ophthalmological judgment [OJ]) and results from two commonly used PVTs (the retroilluminated pinhole and the potential acuity meter). RESULTS. CFF thresholds obtained in the nonsurgical cataract group were unrelated to cataract severity and were similar to those in the control group. In contrast, CFF scores were significantly related to visual acuity (VA) in the MD group. In the pre- and postsurgical studies, OJ predicted postoperative VA very well in patients with moderate cataract and normal fundi and better than all the PVTs. OJ performed less well in patients with comorbid eye disease and dense cataracts, when information from the PVTs would probably have been useful. CFF provided the most accurate predictions of postoperative VA in the small sample of patients with dense cataracts. CONCLUSIONS. CFF was unaffected by cataract, yet sensitive to MD, and provided useful information about the postoperative visual outcome beyond that obtained through history and ocular examination in patients with dense cataracts.

The computer program WHEEL is a mathematical model which predicts off-road vehicle performance characteristics. The program was developed using empirical relationships resulting from mobility tests on conventional-sized trucks and tires. The model was subsequently validated by comparing the model's predicted values of vehicle performance parameters, such as net drawbar pull, slip, sinkage and torque, with field test results for conventional-sized vehicles. However, validity of the model for predicting the off-road mobility of vehicles with large diameter tires was not established. The purpose of this study was to provide this validation. Values of net drawbar pull and slip for a Case 2390 tractor with 70.2" diameter driven wheels predicted by computer program WHEEL compare favorably with traction data obtained from tractor performance tests conducted by the University of Arizona Department of Agricultural Engineering. Therefore, the model may be used confidently to analyze performance of vehicles with large diameter wheels.

Através da análise de estudos de otimização e simulação, considerando a operação energética das usinas existentes na cascata do rio Paranapanema, situada na região sudoeste do estado de São Paulo, mostrou-se que a operação do sistema, baseada em regras de operação obtidas através da otimização da cascata, resulta em ganhos significativos de geração e de energia armazenada, proporcionando, desse modo, uma melhor utilização de recursos hidrológicos, bem como uma condição final de armazenamento mais favorável, implicando uma operação mais eficiente e confiável de todo o sistema. / Through the analysis of optimization and simulation studies regarding the energy operation of the existing plants in the Paranapanema river, situated in the southwestern region of the state of São Paulo, Brazil, it was shown that the system operation, based on operation rules achieved considering the cascate optimization, yields significant gains of generation and stored energy in the system, therefore providing a better use of the available hydrologic resources, as well as a more favorable final storage level for each plant, which implies in a more efficient and reliable operation of the whole set.

As mudanças nos posicionamentos políticos e econômicos mundiais transformaram as configurações de mercado. A concorrência tornou-se mais acirrada, e aliada ao desenvolvimento tecnológico, passaram a exigir das empresas uma reestruturação organizacional e nos modos de gestão. O intuito foi torná-las mais ágeis, flexíveis e dinâmicas para compatibilizar sua organização aos padrões internacionais de produtividade, competitividade e qualidade. Neste contexto, surgiram as redes de cooperação entre firmas. Como definição elas são organizações virtuais e horizontais, com firmas dispostas em posições simétricas ou assimétricas. Normalmente, elas estão instaladas em diversas localidades e dispõem seus processos de produção interligados. O interesse comum a estas firmas é atuarem de forma cooperada, numa parceria. Ao atuarem como cooperadas, elas obtêm vantagens competitivas e partilham informações, conhecimento e tecnologia. Essa parceria pode ser, muitas vezes, composta por uma relação frágil existindo a possibilidade de se desfazer a qualquer momento. Essa instabilidade expõe as firmas a um dilema, que consiste em agirem como cooperadas ou competidoras. A instauração do paradigma cooperação/competição, numa rede de cooperação entre firmas, ocorre pela natureza da ligação que une os componentes dessa rede. Assim, ao identificar as variáveis endógenas (comportamentais) e exógenas (custos de transação e ambientes institucionais) que compõem o paradigma cooperação/competição o processo de formação de redes de cooperação entre firmas pode ser compreendido. Além de um estudo teórico sobre o assunto, haverá uma identificação empírica das variáveis, através de um estudo de caso referente aos minidistritos industriais e de serviços, da cidade de São José do Rio Preto. / The changes in the world political and economic positioning have transformed the market configurations. Competition has became tougher and, along with the technological development, started to demand organizational restructuring of the businesses and the managerial modes. The goal was to make them more agile, flexible and dynamic to make the organization compatible to the international standards of productivity, competition and quality. In this context came the intra-firm cooperation networks. As a definition, they are virtual and horizontal organizations, being displayed in symmetric or asymmetric positions. Normally they are installed in different places and have their production processes interconnected. The common interest of these firms is to work on a cooperated basis, in a partnership. By working on a cooperated basis they obtain cooperative advantages and share information, knowledge and technology. Many times this partnership can be made up of a frail relationship having the possibility of dissolving at any moment. This instability exposes the firms to a dilemma which consists in acting as either cooperated or competitors. The instauration of the paradigm cooperation/competition, inside an intrafirm cooperation network, occurs upon the nature of the connection which binds the components to this net. Thus, in identifying the endogenous (behavioral) and exogenous (transaction costs and institutional environment) which make up the paradigm cooperation/competition, the intra-firm cooperation network formation process can be understood. Aside from a theoretical study about the issue, there will be an empiric identification of the variables through a case study referent to the mini-districts industrial and of services from the city of São José do Rio Preto.