Transmission line construction is one of the most complex engineering projects. Routing a transmission line is much more difficult than routing any other public infrastructure. The present system used by utilities is time consuming and does not produce satisfactory results. Actual construction of a large transmission line can be completed in a year or two, but due to complexities involved in the approval procedure, and opposition from various groups it can take years to build a line, and in some cases projects are stopped altogether. The Geographic Information System is used in several ways by transmission line designers but its use in routing is limited. A new method, analytical minimum impedance surface (AMIS), developed by the University of Kentucky Transportation Research Center for routing highways is being adapted to routing transmission lines. This method will enhance the public involvement in the routing process, reduce opposition from stakeholders, and increase the probability of acceptance of the project. This thesis contains the preliminary work required to apply AMIS to transmission line routing. Landscape features that affect the route of the line are the most significant part of this research. These features are incorporated into raster based GIS, and using information gathered from stakeholders, the route with minimum opposition is developed between two substations. Routing a line is also affected by the rules and regulations in a particular state. In this thesis a brief introduction is given to the main legal requirements involved in line routing. Non-point impacts that are independent of terrain are also given in detail. Potential stakeholders and there importance in the routing process is also explained in this thesis. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering. / "December 2005."

This study examines the influence family structure (two parent or single parent) has on academic achievement as measured through student test scores. In addition, an alternative model comprised of student role performance, school, and other family factors is used to examine various influences on academic achievement. This study employs a secondary data analysis of the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002. Two hypotheses from each model segment are presented to test the relationship of each segment to academic achievement. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses are used to determine the relationship between the independent variables and the dependent variable by family structure. Analysis reveals that although family factors, including family structure, contribute more toward test scores than school factors, it is student role performance factors that influence test score outcomes the most, when controlling for other factors. Student Role Performance factors account for 18.3% of the variance in test scores while Family factors, including family structure account for 6.8%. / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Sociology. / "December 2005."

Recent flight test experience and simulator studies have shown that the traditional test for static lateral stability, the steady heading sideslip, in some cases may be overly conservative and place unnecessary restrictions on the aircraft operation or design. In addition, effective dihedral need not be positive in all areas of the flight envelope to provide acceptable handling qualities. Positive static lateral stability is desired so that the aircraft will be safe and that the airplane handling characteristics will be "pleasant." The safety requirement stems from a desire for redundancy in the primary control system. However, safety analysis of modern aircraft often show this redundancy without effective dihedral through other means such as aileron trim, roll spoilers, etc. In terms of handling characteristics, positive static lateral stability usually provides for a more favorable rating of flying qualities by pilots. However, tests have shown that acceptable handling qualities are obtained in most areas of the flight envelope even with negative effective dihedral. Development flight testing on recent business jet aircraft have shown that the aircraft can be operated safely without use of the primary roll control system, even though the basic aircraft did not pass the traditional steady heading sideslip test in all configurations. Furthermore, the handling qualities of the aircraft were considered excellent. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Aerospace Engineering. / "December 2005."

This research utilizes data from the 2000 Displaced Worker Survey to analyze the role of individual-, structural- and gender-level factors in reemployment after displacement. The literature review samples literature from the human capital, dual economy, segmented labor market, and feminist models. Drawn from the previous literature, an alternative model has been formulated. The hypotheses from the alternative model include the effect of educational attainment, age, labor markets, minority status, and gender. Support for all of the hypotheses is observed from bivariate and multivariate analysis. Key findings from the individual-level indicate that greater educational attainment increase the likelihood of post-displacement employment. Age and receiving unemployment benefits decreases the likelihood of post-displacement employment. Key findings for the structural-level indicate increased likelihoods of post-displacement employment for respondents relocating for work and respondents displaced from positions with higher occupational prestige. Key findings for the gender-level indicate increased likelihoods of post-displacement employment for female respondents, minorities, married and unmarried respondents. Policy implications as a result of key findings are also suggested / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Sociology. / "December 2005."

A number of approaches have been proposed for applying statistical process control in short production runs. However little has been done to provide a methodology to compare and select from various statistical process control schemes or address setup approval, which is one of the most critical aspects of short production run. This research proposes a joint monitoring scheme that includes application of a combination of setup approval and self-starting scheme in short production run. The research also provides a methodology for selecting between setup approval and self-starting schemes based on robustness of these schemes to different levels of process shifts and capabilities. The scope of this research is limited to two setup approval schemes; Wheeler and Precontrol and two self starting schemes Q charts and Dynamic Exponentially weighted moving average charts. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. / "December 2005."

The focus of this research project is on the relationship of student role performance and deviant behavior in adolescents. I use the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 to analyze the relationship of the given alternative model across student role performance factors, school factors, and family factors. The first two hypotheses deal with the student role performance level, stating that males are more likely to be deviant than females, and students who are held back a grade are more likely to be deviant. The next two hypotheses deal with the school level, stating that students in schools with increased rules will more likely be deviant and higher teacher-student ratios will increase deviance. The final two hypotheses deal with the family level and state that as family SES increases, deviance decreases, and students in two-parent families will have less deviance than students in single-parent families. The results of the analyses revealed that the first set of hypotheses was supported. In the second set of hypotheses, the first hypothesis was supported, but the second hypothesis was not supported. The final set of hypotheses was supported. It was concluded that student role performance had a significant effect on deviance. / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Sociology. / "December 2005."

This thesis is concerned with developing a procedure for stabilizing a linear time-invariant plant of an arbitrary order with time delay utilizing proportional-integral (PI), proportional-derivative (PD) and proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controllers. The method presented here is based on computing the stability boundary in terms of the proportional ( K p ) and integral gain ( K i ) for the PI case, and similarly, proportional and derivative gain ( K d ) for the PD case. The two variables are then plotted on the same coordinate system, thus obtaining the stability region for each controller used. For the PID case, the stability bounds are derived by observing the three planes ( K p , K i ), ( K p ,K d )and( K i ,K d ). The advantage of this procedure is the fact that it does not require the knowledge of the plant transfer function parameters, but only its frequency response. If the plant function is known, the procedure may also be used to analytically obtain the stabilizing controllers. We also present the tuning rules for user specified gain and phase margins. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Electrical and Computer Engineering. / "December 2005."

An increased use of adhesively bonded joints in industrial applications has renewed the interest of mixed mode fracture research in adhesive joints. Most practical plane fracture problems are mixed mode, and most advanced materials and joints are shown to fail through mixed mode fracture. It is widely accepted that a useful method for characterizing the toughness of bonded joints is to measure the fracture toughness, G C ; energy per unit area needed to produce failure. Mode mixity has a strong dependency toward fracture toughness, and fracture toughness is directly associated with load. FRANC2D is used to model and analyze single-lap joint specimens to determine the mode mixity at failure initiation. Virtual loads are applied to the single-lap joint model to generate load vs. strain energy release rate curves. Failure loads obtained experimentally are then compared with predictions made by the mode-mixity fracture toughness curves for the two adhesive types considered. It is concluded that failure loads predicted by mixed-mode fracture toughness curves are in good agreement with those obtained experimentally. Recommendations are made for future work in mixed-mode fracture toughness characterization, ranging from process stage to testing methods and analytical tools. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Aerospace Engineering. / "December 2005."

Many different boundary layer control techniques are used in ground vehicle aerodynamic testing including suction, blowing, ground-boards, and rolling roads. In this paper an alternative boundary layer control method is discussed. Low momentum flow in the boundary layer can be energized using circulation from a rotating cylinder protruding through the floor. A comparison study shows that this application, if effective, may be a more cost-efficient solution than current road vehicle boundary layer control techniques. A pilot tunnel test was performed in the WSU Boundary Layer Tunnel with the results showing a boundary layer profile with an initial momentum thickness of 0.098 in. could be reduced by 40-45% with rotational velocities of approximately 5000rpm. Following this successful test, a full scale test performed in the WSU Walter H. Beech Memorial Wind Tunnel demonstrated the feasibility of the concept. An initial momentum thickness of 0.1445 in. was reduced 29% with a rotational velocity of 3900rpm. The results found seem to indicate this technique would be a very viable option provided certain aspects including cylinder balance, sizing, and rotational velocity could be optimized in future testing. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Aerospace Engineering. / "December 2005."

During the past few years, the disparity in the structural design of light trucks and vans (LTVs) and passenger cars and the number of fatalities involved in these vehicles has become a growing concern among automobile manufacturers. In order to characterize the problem of compatibility, the National Highway Transport Safety Authority (NHTSA) has defined an aggresivity metric (AM) as the ratio of driver fatalities in the collision partner to the number of crashes of the subject vehicle. The aggresivity metric did prove that the sport utility vehicle (SUV) and LTV class of vehicles were substantially more aggressive than the rest of the class of vehicles but failed to highlight the main factor(s) responsible for it. Current research has established that the aggresivity of vehicles involved in frontal crashes is mainly affected by geometric interaction, vehicle stiffness, and vehicle mass. The present study describes a methodology to reduce the aggresivity of pickup trucks using a Computer-Aided Engineering (CAE) combined with a Design of Experiments (DOE) approach. Computer-aided crash simulations using finite element models of an average pickup truck and a small car using LS-DYNA (an explicit finite element program) and MAthematical DYnamic MOdelling (MADYMO, a multi-body occupant simulation program) are used to study the vehicle structural deformation and the occupant’s injury responses. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. / "December 2005."