A complete multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication system with orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) based on multiple excitation modes for a single circular micro strip antenna is introduced. Traditional diversity techniques such as spatial diversity by means of a linear antenna array or polarization diversity by means of a cross polarized antenna array may prove to be unsuitable in the case of severe restrictions on antenna size and spacing. A single micro strip antenna employing multiple modes is shown to be comparable to conventional antenna arrays at a much lower cost in terms of size and spacing in an urban micro-cell setting as defined by the Third-Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standards body. The throughput performance and signal detection of multimode antennas in flat and frequency-selective fading environments is examined subsequently. Mathematical expressions for the increase in capacity and diversity using an array of multimode antennas are derived thereafter. Finally, a novel space-pattern diversity array is analyzed to determine theoretical limits of capacity and diversity gain over traditional spatial MIMO diversity / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Electrical Engineering.

During the last two decades, changes in vehicle design and increase in the number of the light truck vehicles (LTVs) and vans have led to changes in pedestrian injury profile. Due to the dynamic nature of the pedestrian crashes, biomechanical aspects of collisions can be better evaluated in field studies. Thousands of pedestrians are killed or injured in road traffic accidents. The need to provide and improve pedestrian crash survival research programs in pedestrian collision environment is the subject of much interest and research. At present, the European Enhanced Vehicle-safety Committee (EEVC) test procedure for impacts of various pedestrian subsystems, which represent sections of the human body, provides a means of assessing and rating the impact sites on a vehicle. Development and evaluation of test procedures, such as “ull-body analysis” with the aid of computer simulation for optimizing vehicles on computer for compliance with the testing and evaluation methods proposed by the EEVC, which assess the injury propensity of vehicle structures for pedestrians is needed. The TNO Road Vehicle Research Institute has adopted a fully integrated approach of “ull-body analysis,” which offers a significant advantage over the EEVC method that the entire body of the pedestrian can be considered, including interactions between the individual parts of the body. The purpose of this study is to reconstruct a pedestrian-vehicle accident case by dummy model simulation to provide a way to study the kinematics and potential injuries of pedestrian in any specific impact situation. Study provides flexibility to manipulate model parameters to capture impact responses of the pedestrian. The simulations are carried out at three different dummy positions: side, front and rear. Impact speed, vehicle front shapes, stiffness of vehicle parts and pedestrian height are the key factors, which influence the pedestrian kinematics and injury severity in a pedestrian-vehicle impact. It is most important to evaluate head injury risks as it causes a serious threat to life. Pedestrian-vehicle crash simulations are studied at different impact speeds to replicate accidents involving adult and child pedestrians. These studies are done for the light pickup truck. The overall pedestrian behavior, head impact events to predict possible head impact location and injuries sustained by head, chest and pelvis are determined. There is a correlation between the pedestrian height and the head impact location. The 6-year old child is more liable to chest injury in impacts with truck. The potential injury to chest and pelvis is more for the child pedestrians in accidents. In general, the injuries sustained by head, chest and pelvis are severe for the high speed crashes since the resultant body velocities are high during post impact kinematics. The research also postulates a method for development of pedestrian compliant vehicle structure to minimize the potential injury risk / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Every interpersonal communication event is unique because the information being self disclosed within each dialogue an individual has with others is distinctive. This preliminary study explores the difference between appropriate and inappropriate interpersonal self-disclosure in a work setting. Disclosure and how it affects workplace relationships is the broad subject studied during the process of interviewing subjects. Subjects for the interviews include 12 males and 12 females from blue and white collar occupations. These subjects have worked in a job full-time for at least two consecutive years. A results section backs up the method used with quotes from participants in the study. Additionally, the conclusions present further questions and possibilities in the research on self-disclosure / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, The Elliott School of Commmunication

This study was a thematic analysis that attempted to understand what messages television commercials send to the viewing audience concerning appropriate gender roles. Specifically, this study examined the Super Bowl commercials aired on television from 2003-2007, and examined the gender roles portrayed in these commercials. This study used a triangulated methodology, as both a thematic content analysis and a descriptive textual analysis were used to better understand the “themes” present in the artifacts analyzed. The themes used in this study came from Janet Saltzman Chafetz’s work (1974) concerning gender roles. This study used the themes identified by the focus groups Chafetz conducted and looked for these themes in Super Bowl commercials. In the quantitative section, the frequency each theme was identified (overall and as a trend study), the intensity of the themes were calculated, and correlations were identified between the themes. The commercials were found to not only portray traditional gender roles (as was expected) but also to depict non-traditional gender roles. Moreover, the correlations used in this study identified that there were several significant relationships between traditional, nontraditional, and transitional gender roles. Finally, the textual analysis used in the qualitative part of this project revealed how gender roles were portrayed in more detail in selected commercials, and this allowed for a deeper insight into the meaning behind these themes. / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Elliott School of Communication

To improve the performance of a process and ensure on time delivery there are numerous different approaches available nowadays. Lean offers a unique method that helps identify possible improvement areas on a production line. Also Six-Sigma offers a unique approach that is widely used in industries in order to improve the process and thereby reduce the number of defects. The lean approach can be used to reduce or even eliminate waste and thereby ensure on time delivery of products. A Value Stream Map (VSM) is one of the main tools of lean manufacturing that can be used to represent the flow of material and information in a production line. It can be utilized to identify areas where improvements can be incorporated for a smooth flow of products. DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyze- Improve-control) is a five-step approach that utilizes different Six-Sigma tools to generate ideas, collect and measure data, analyze and come up with improvement plans to improve the process under study. Lean manufacturing concepts can be used to identify waste from the customer point of view and eliminate them. Lean cannot bring a process under statistical control. On the other hand, six-sigma cannot dramatically improve process speed or reduce cost. The integrated lean six-sigma approach maximizes shareholder value by achieving the fastest rate of improvement in customer satisfaction, cost, quality, process speed, and invested capital. In aircraft industries, the phenomenal increase in demand has pushed the manufacturers to look for new concepts to stay in business amidst strong competition. A new methodology of lean six sigma integration was proposed and tested in an aircraft industry. The study involves the assembly of the upper main entry door of a business jet. Improvement opportunities were identified from a high-level value stream map. The DMAIC approach was utilized to address the identified opportunities for improvement. The results indicate that the lead-time was reduced from 26 to 10 days. Using appropriate statistical tools and by incorporating standard engineering changes the occurrence of non-conformance was reduced by 30%. This resulted in a reduction of rework time by 3 hours per aircraft and accounted for close to $6000 of savings. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering

Cars safety became an issue almost immediately after the invention of the automobile. To protect occupants from a direct impact, the passenger compartment and the structure of the vehicle should keep its shape in a crash. Continuous developments to improve is proposed everyday, standards are set in pertinent to different crash scenarios such as the frontal crash, side impact and so on. Among these standards, side impact is one of the most fatal crash scenarios that lead to death of people in the United States and across the globe. In the contemporary world, fuel consumption also poses a serious issue that has to be considered. With these constraints in consideration, a lighter and stronger material than steel, the composite material, can be used. Using this material would help in reducing the fuel efficiency without sacrificing the safety of the vehicle. With the advance in computer simulations, finite element (FE) model of the Ford Taurus and Moving Deformable Barrier (MDB) developed by the National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC) has been used for different impact scenarios to predict the vehicle behavior and occupant response. In addition, MSC Patran has been used as the modeler and LS-Dyna as the solver to run the required simulations. MADYMO is used to predict the injury parameters. In this research, a composite B-Pillar that is the energy absorbing structure is modeled and analyzed with Finite Element Analysis. The injuries sustained by the occupant are predicted using Madymo. An attempt is made to use carbon and glass fiber composite materials in the B-Pillar modeled in this study. In addition, a parametric study is carried out on the B-Pillar to determine the maximum possible energy absorbing parameters. It is demonstrated that the new modeling with the use of carbon/glass with a pertinent orientation and thickness may present more energy absorption than the present steel pillar. Energy absorption, displacement and the acceleration of the present and the new model are also compared and discussed in detail. Occupant injuries, such as chest and head injuries are compared for the vehicle occupants with present and the new model. It is demonstrated that the new B-Pillar composite model with carbon may be more effective than the present steel pillar. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering

The issue of racial inequality in education has consistently been addressed through government policy in an attempt to solve the problem of discrimination in the American school system. The latest government attempt is the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB). In order to examine the effectiveness of the NCLB, this study examines the relationship between race and composite reading and math test scores. Secondary data analysis was used from the Educational Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) of 8,215 10th grade students with a composite model consisting of: student role performance (SRP), schools, families, and peers. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses are used to examine the independent effects on test scores. Mean composite test scores show an 82.8% gap in test scores between black (44.42) and white (53.64) non-Hispanic 10th grade students. The examination of the unique variance in test scores for each model segment shows student role performance factors and family factors explain more of the “unshared” variance in test scores than other model segments. These results suggest that discrimination based on the ability of a student to perform the roles associated with their position within the school setting as well as family factors outside the school setting contribute to the academic achievement gap between blacks and whites. / Thesis (M.A.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Sociology

This thesis evaluates solutions to the Klein-Gordon equation with scalar and vector potentials in the Symmetric and Landau gauges. The solution for the Klein-Gordon equation in the Symmetric gauge does reproduce elements of the two dimensional quantum harmonic oscillator. The Landau gauge solution is used in the velocity selector situation where particles can have acceleration free motion for a selected velocity. The Klein Paradox for spin less particles is reviewed and its application to the Klein- Gordon equation shows that the vector potential can have an effect on particle pair production without the violation of conservation of momentum or energy, that this effect is to suppress the particle pair production associated with Klein’s paradox and that the suppressive effect can, under certain conditions, become strong enough to prevent particle pair production in Klein’s paradox when the scalar potential is otherwise many times what would be necessary to create Klein’s paradox particle pairs. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Dept. of Physics

Space debris are objects in Earth’s orbit consisting of fragments of spent rocket stages, non-functional satellites, and parts like fasteners, paint chips and other waste materials in the lower earth orbits (LEO) (200 – 2000 km/s) traveling at hypervelocity with maximum speeds of 16 km/s. These objects can cause considerable damage to spacecraft structure, the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station which are orbiting around the earth at altitudes of 300 to 500 km/s in the LEO. Damage occurs when the debris traveling at hypervelocity impact (HVI) the spacecraft structure. Hence there is necessity to not only develop spacecraft with good shielding, but also develop a means of spacecraft pressure wall repair. A NASA EPSCoR grant for designing a portable friction stir welder to repair the hypervelocity impact damage caused was the driving force for this thesis topic. A detailed understanding of the extent of damage to the spacecraft shielding system was necessary to understand repair requirements expected for the design of a space-bound Friction Stir Welder. A spacecraft shielding system can consist of a double bumper shielding system placed ahead of the pressure wall. The current goal of this study was to determine the damage area of the pressure wall, using the new grid less Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) meshing techniques and the regular Lagrangian meshing technique. The approach was to model and validate the damage area due to the HVI against existing test data, and to conduct a parametric study for various impactor shapes, velocities and impact scenarios. The software tools used for modeling were PATRAN for the Lagrangian models and LS-Prepost for SPH modeling. The simulation was analyzed in LS-DYNA, a non-linear finite element dynamic analyzer. Simulations were initially conducted using a spherical projectile; later parametric studies were conducted with varied impactor shapes. The materials for the plate and impactor were alloys of Al (6061-T6, l100-O, 2024-T4). It was observed that the model developed using SPH meshing technique generated the debris cloud as in the actual impact scenario, unlike the Lagrangian meshing technique which had problems with mesh tangles. Hence the SPH technique provided a potential means of predicting pressure wall damage due to HVI. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.

Every year around the world various types of automobile accidents occur, out of which side impact vehicular collisions are the most severe. Of these, side crashes into fixed narrow objects like trees, poles account for quarter percent of total deaths and serious injuries. Moreover these side impacts present a difficult problem for improving automotive crashworthiness because of the limited crushable zone between the vehicle occupant and the intruding door structure. To improve the automotive safety in side impacts a new pole test has been proposed under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 214 to make the existing regulation more comprehensive in addressing the critical head and neck injuries in addition to thoracic and pelvis injuries. In this thesis, a finite element model of the Ford Taurus and Moving Deformable Barrier (MDB) as developed by National Crash Analysis Center (NCAC) has been used for the impact analysis. The US DOT-SID side impact dummy taken from MADYMO dummy database has been used as the vehicle occupant and the rigid pole modeled in MSC. Patran software as the narrow object. Computer Simulations have been analyzed according to the new proposed pole test and (FMVSS) 214 regulation. The critical injury values, the occupant kinematics and the structural damage have been compared justifying the need for the new pole test for improving the occupant safety. / Thesis (M.S.)--Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering.