This thesis examines the influence on range-of-motion of beetle body of changes in leg segment parameters. From beetle's leg orientation, influence of the following leg segment parameters are investigated: coxa length, coxa twist and body-coxa joint. Kinematic equations are derived for legs of the beetle. Roots of quartic polynomials obtained while solving the kinematic equations are found by using the Bairstow (1966) numerical method. Inverse kinematic solutions are obtained for each leg and used to determine whether a point is within the body range of motion or not. An algorithm developed by Mason (1957) and Cordray (1957) for tracing closed boundaries is used to find ranges of motion of the body and feet. Changes in body range of motion caused by alteration in leg segment parameters are complex and not easy to explain. Similarities between changes in body range of motion and foot range of motion are observed. A great deal more work is necessary to fully understand the importance of observed changes. / Graduation date: 1992

Graduation date: 1992

No description available.

In this dissertation, the quantitative and qualitative aspects of modeling shallow water flow driven mainly by gravitational forces and dominated by shear stress, using an effective equation often referred to in the literature as the diffusive wave approximation of the shallow water equations (DSW) are presented. These flow conditions arise for example in overland flow and water flow in vegetated areas such as wetlands. The DSWequation arises in shallow water flow models when special assumptions are used to simplify the shallow water equations and contains as particular cases: the Porous Medium equation and the time evolution of the p-Laplacian. It has been successfully applied as a suitable model to simulate overland flow and water flow in vegetated areas such as wetlands; yet, no formal mathematical analysis has been carried out addressing, for example, conditions for which weak solutions may exist, and conditions for which a numerical scheme can be successful in approximating them. This thesis represents a first step in that direction. The outline of the thesis is as follows. First, a survey of relevant results coming from the studies of doubly nonlinear diffusion equations that can be applied to the DSWequation when topographic effects are ignored, is presented. Furthermore, an original proof of existence of weak solutions using constructive techniques that directly lead to the implementation of numerical algorithms to obtain approximate solutions is shown. Some regularity results about weak solutions are presented as well. Second, a numerical approach is proposed as a means to understand some properties of solutions to the DSW equation, when topographic effects are considered, and conditions for which the continuous and discontinuous Galerkin methods will succeed in approximating these weak solutions are established. / text

In consumption goods markets, we observe both bargaining and searching. However, in this literature, very little work has been done to incorporate both features into one model. This study addresses this problem. In my first chapter, I add a bargaining parameter to a traditional sequential search model and solve for the new equilibrium in this set-up. Then, I do some comparative statics, changing the distribution of the bargaining parameter to see what happens to the equilibrium. Finally, I use the model to explain two seemingly contradicting empirical works in the literature of discrimination in the auto market. Ayres and Siegelman (1995), using data they collected from a controlled experiment, found that the initial offers for the minorities are higher. Yet Goldberg (1996), using consumer expenditure survey data (CES), reported that there is no significant difference between the final prices for minorities and non-minorities. My model reconciles these two results and shows that if minorities have a more dispersed bargaining parameter distribution and if the final transaction prices are the same at the mean level, then the initial offer distribution for the minorities first-order stochastically dominates that for the non-minorities. In my second chapter, I investigate how the bargaining process affects firms’ offer distribution and thus the final price distribution. Based on Varian (1980), I add a bargaining parameter into the model, and solve for the new equilibrium in this set up. Then, I do some comparative statics, changing the distribution of the bargaining parameter to see what would happen to the equilibrium. This model yields the same results as the first chapter. In the third chapter, I applied my theoretical model to the automobile market, and empirically test the model. I used CES data, and my findings support the theoretical model. The minority dummies are not significant in determining the mean level of consumers’ bargaining ability distribution, but are significantly positive in determining the variance of the distribution. / text

The Lagrangian formalism utilized by Ilinskii, Hamilton and Zabolotskaya [J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 121, 786-795 (2007)] to derive equations for the radial and translational motion of interacting bubbles is extended here to obtain a model for the dynamics of interacting bubbles and elastic particles. The bubbles and particles are assumed to be spherical but are otherwise free to pulsate and translate. The model is accurate to fifth order in terms of a nondimensional expansion parameter R/d, where R is a characteristic radius and d is a characteristic distance between neighboring bubbles or particles. The bubbles and particles may be of nonuniform size, the particles elastic or rigid, and external acoustic sources are included to an order consistent with the accuracy of the model. Although the liquid is assumed initially to be incompressible, corrections accounting for finite liquid compressibility are developed to first order in the acoustic Mach number for a cluster of bubbles and particles, and to second order in the acoustic Mach number for a single bubble. For a bubble-particle pair consideration is also given to truncation of the model at fifth order in R/d via automated derivation of the model equations to arbitrary order. Numerical simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effects of key parameters such as particle density and size, liquid compressibility, particle elasticity and model order on the dynamics of single bubbles, pairs of bubbles, bubble-particle pairs and clusters of bubbles and particles under both free response conditions and sinusoidal or shock wave excitation. / text

published_or_final_version / Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Economics and Finance / Master / Master of Philosophy

published_or_final_version / Community Medicine / Master / Master of Public Health

published_or_final_version / Electrical and Electronic Engineering / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy