Browsing by Subject "Integration"
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Item A Comparative Multi-Case Study of Agricultural Education Teachers in Reference to the Implementation of Academic Integration(2011-08-08) Gill, Bart EugeneMany agricultural educators fail to integrate core subject concepts into their classrooms. Current research addresses the perceptions of agricultural educators regarding core subject integration, but little research notes the barriers that are identified in the perception studies and the action of agricultural educators needed to overcome those barriers. The purpose of this study was to identify the path progressive agricultural educators, who are successful in integrating core subject concepts, particularly STEM, in their classroom followed. Additionally, to determine the tools and resources the progressive agricultural educators believe other agricultural educators need in order to follow a similar path. Overall the participants in the study all followed similar paths to become progressive in academic integration. All participants appeared to be highly self-motivated individuals because they seek out professional development opportunities in order to continuously improve the teaching in their classrooms and increase rigor within their curriculum. Collaboration between agricultural educators and core subject educators is crucial to increasing rigor in the agricultural education classroom (Myers & Thompson, 2008). Administrators at the participating schools were supportive of the idea of academic integration in the agricultural science classroom. According to the participants, longer professional development workshops are needed for teachers to successfully advance in the area of academic integration along with resource sharing opportunities between other agricultural educators and potentially core subject teachers. The participants all possess adequate facilities to conduct academic integration and believe available facilities and budgets affect the success of academic integration, because without proper facilities and supplies it is difficult for teachers to incorporate inquiry based instruction. According to the participants budgets also are a constraint for teachers when attempting to advance. If the teacher?s budget does not allow for extra purchases, then the teacher should take it upon themselves to seek out additional fiscal support to assist in classroom instruction, by writing grants or asking the local community for support.Item An assessment of the integration level of computer technology in communication studies at Baptist colleges and universities(Texas Tech University, 2005-05) Chandler, Timothy B.; Butner, Bonita K.; Murray, John P.; Cejda, Brent D.Baptist institutions of higher learning were established originally as schools for training ministers, missionaries, and church musicians. Inclusion in the American way of life revealed to Baptists that colleges could not only cater to the middle-class but could lend an air of respectability to churches and denominations (Rudolph, 1990). As more and more Baptist schools have reached university classification they have transitioned into the 21st century education market and face the same technology issues confronting public institutions. For teachers and administrators in Baptist colleges and universities the subject of computer technology integration will become an increasingly important issue. As these schools seek to place students in graduate programs and in a marketplace where emphasis on technology skills is at a premium it will become incumbent upon undergraduate programs to prepare students for such a future. The purpose of this study is to discover the existing level of technology integration within communication departments in Baptist colleges and universities in relation to communication studies curriculum. The results of this study are intended to provide recommendations for creating guidelines and procedural policies for implementing computer technology into a communication department for the purposes of instruction, administration, and assessment. Faculty and administrators from 53 member institutions of the Association of Baptist Schools and Colleges were the sample respondents and the data collected from their responses were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The dependent variable measured in this study is the level of computer technology integration in Baptist colleges and universities and how that is affected by the independent variables of faculty and administrator proficiency, the level of access by faculty and administrator, motivation level of faculty and administrator, confidence level of faculty and administrator, and the professional goals of faculty and administrator. This study has contributed to the research about the integration of computer technology in communication studies in Baptist colleges and universities in particular and about private liberal arts colleges in general. The findings conclude that faculty in Baptist institutions of higher learning involved in communication studies are in the process of integrating computer technology within their discipline. At this time there are no significant differences related to gender, age, rank, or years teaching which affect faculty in Baptist colleges and universities integration level of computer technology. It was found that there is a need for more time for development and training and more equipment if the process of integration is going to continue to evolve at these schools. While faculty perceive themselves to be generally proficient at using computer technology they did note a lack of confidence in troubleshooting problems and with developing higher-order integrated curriculum.Item An integrated approach to modeling vehicular movement networks : Trip assignment and space syntax(Texas Tech University, 2009-08) Paul, AbhijitThe equilibrium analysis of trip assignment, the contemporary approach, requires individual level origin-destination (O-D) trip surveys that are cost intensive and time consuming. On the other hand, the axial analysis of space syntax, an alternative approach, is less cost intensive and time efficient, but it does not estimate vehicular travel demands with accuracy for a grid-type road layout. This dissertation research integrates both approaches and proposes a new vehicular travel demand model: unit segment analysis. Using the road layouts of a small residential neighborhood and then a typical North American urban settlement, this research shows that unit segment analysis estimates vehicular travel demands with higher accuracy than both equilibrium analysis and axial analysis for the city of Lubbock where road layout is gridded. The findings of this research suggest that along with travel times of O-D routes, flow characteristics of routes also influence the trip makers’ decision of route choice and consequently impact vehicular travel demands of settlement roads. This study discusses several other factors, like land-use influence and edge effect that influence an area's traffic flow, and it delineates a methodology to address these parameters into the proposed unit segment analysis. This research contributes to the planning field by developing a robust planning tool that will guide planners in justifying their planning decisions with data-based evidence in designing transportation policies for infrastructure developments of urban settlements, including development of evacuation plans for emergencies.Item Analysis of the real line(2011-08) Sugarek, Darlene Joann; Armendáriz, Efraim P.; Daniels, MarkThe purpose of this report is to describe the course, Analysis of the Real Line, taught at The University of Texas at Austin. Course materials are presented using the inquiry based learning method. Students work a series of warm up problems before being presented rigorous problems in calculus, including topics on integration, exponential functions, and real number line analysis. Additionally, students consider aspects of these problems that could be incorporated into a high school curriculum. Typical problems in several major areas are summarized along with warm up problems that introduce or extend the topics.Item Aquaponics as a senior capstone design project(2014-08) Buono, Edward Michael; Crawford, Richard H.This report is an exploration of using aquaponics as a means to create a senior capstone design project in a K-12 setting. The relevant world issues related to food production and resource scarcity, as well as the need to integrate STEM subjects in a more interconnected way, justify this project as robust in a high school setting. The report gives details on the design and construction of a backyard aquaponic system, along with a discussion of the performance of this actual system. This experience informs the design of a curriculum for a high school engineering classroom which is presented in outline form.Item Bringing lIfe to life : cultivating authenticity, freedom, and holistic integration in the art and practice of acting(2013-05) Kimball, Elizabeth Lee; Abraham, Lee E.This MFA thesis document explores the development of my acting craft and artistic development over a three-year period of intensive graduate training. The document includes an in-depth discussion of the preparation, rehearsal, and performance process of my culminating graduate production – Suzan Zeder’s The Edge of Peace – as it relates to my approaches to acting. The document also includes a discussion of various other areas of my acting process, including the importance of bringing my authentic self to every role, letting go of results, and the integration of body, voice, heart, and mind as well as the productions and experiences in my graduate work that proved essential to the development of these practices.Item Costly citizenship : the supply and demand of political membership in Europe, 1970-2014(2016-08) Graeber, John David; Moser, Robert G., 1966-; Givens, Terri E., 1964-; Freeman, Gary P; Chapman, Terrence; Maxwell, Rahsaan DAs Europe has struggled to adapt to the modern reality of mass migration in recent decades, the question of citizenship has emerged as an increasingly salient political topic across the continent. Numerous scholars have begun to analyze the evolution of citizenship regimes in Europe, the politics of citizenship policymaking, and the consequences of such policies for citizenship acquisition and immigrant integration. This dissertation advances a new theoretical understanding of citizenship policymaking and citizenship acquisition together within a framework of supply and demand. According to the theory, naturalization rates, and the corresponding level of integration required to naturalize, are the equilibrium result of the interaction between the political forces supplying citizenship and the varying determinants of immigrant demand for citizenship. This dissertation examines both in turn. On the supply side, I first argue that citizenship policy in Europe results not simply from the influence of radical right parties, but from broader modes of party competition that provide electoral incentives to either liberalize or restrict access to citizenship. Using a new quantitative measurement of citizenship policies across sixteen European countries from 1970 to 2014, I reveal how left party competition is associated with more liberal citizenship policy change, while right party competition and radical right electoral threats engender more restrictive policies. I then utilize my citizenship policy index alongside other political, economic, and social variables on the demand side to examine the aggregate level structure under which citizenship acquisition occurs across European countries and across time. Finally, through a combination of quantitative and qualitative evidence gathered on two federal countries in Europe, Germany and Austria, I show that these same aggregate level variables operating at the national level may also operate within them.Item Design matters : the relationship between policy design, context, and implementation in integration plans based on voluntary choice and socioeconomic status(2010-05) Diem, Sarah Lauren; Holme, Jennifer Jellison; Reyes, Pedro; Young, Michelle D.; Cantu, Norma; Ferguson, MiguelThe recent decision handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court in Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1 (2007) has forced school districts to begin thinking of new ways to integrate their schools without relying on race as the single factor in their assignment plans. While some school districts already have begun to implement race-neutral student assignments, others are just beginning the process and are looking to plans that have been able to maintain diversity despite the new limitations being placed on them. In order to learn more about what factors are most critical in shaping racial and socioeconomic diversity in school districts, I examined the interaction between the design and implementation of 3 different integration plans that rely on voluntary choice and socioeconomic status (SES). I wanted to determine whether these factors had any effect on the way such integration plans are employed and ultimately on school-level diversity outcomes. I was also interested in learning how the local sociopolitical context influenced outcomes. I used qualitative case methodology, which allowed me to focus on the processes and meanings behind the plans. I conducted a historical analysis of desegregation on each of the school districts and used data collected from documents and interviews to analyze how design interacted with context to produce particular outcomes. I situated my analysis in the education policy implementation literature as it tells us that people and places play integral roles in how a policy is designed, adopted, and implemented. The ultimate success of a policy is heavily influenced by the actors involved in the creation of the policy as well as the context in which the policy is implemented. I found that the success of these plans depends heavily on their context. Urban school districts that have high poverty levels and few White students have a difficult time maintaining diversity, whereas school districts that incorporate the city and surrounding suburbs are more likely to maintain diversity because White, middle-class families do not have the same opportunity to flee the district. Furthermore, school districts that use geographic zoning and regulated choice are able to maintain higher levels of diversity. Support from the community and local policymakers also can play a role in the success of integration plans. The findings suggest that geographic and political contexts matter in the shaping and adoption of integration plans based on voluntary choice and SES. I offer suggestions to maintain integration given the local sociopolitical context of the school districts.Item Development and evaluation of operational strategies for providing an integrated diamond interchange ramp-metering control system(Texas A&M University, 2004-09-30) Tian, ZongzhongDiamond interchanges and their associated ramps are where the surface street arterial system and the freeway system interface. Historically, these two elements of the system have been operated with little or no coordination between the two. Therefore, there is a lack of both analysis tools and operational strategies for considering them as an integrated system. One drawback of operating the ramp-metering system and the diamond interchange system in isolation is that traffic from the ramp, particularly if it is metered, can spill back into the diamond interchange, causing both congestion and safety concerns at the diamond interchange. While flushing the ramp queues by temporarily suspending ramp metering has been the primary strategy for preventing queue spillback, it can result in freeway system breakdown, which would affect the entire system's efficiency. The aim of this research was to develop operational strategies for managing an integrated diamond interchange ramp-metering system (IDIRMS). Enhanced modeling methodologies were developed for an IDIRMS. A computer model named DRIVE (Diamond Interchange and Ramp Metering Integration Via Evaluation) was developed, which was characterized as a mesoscopic simulation and analysis model. DRIVE incorporated the enhanced modeling methodologies developed in this study and could be used to perform system analysis for an IDIRMS given a set of system input parameters and variables. DRIVE was validated against a VISSIM microscopic simulation model, and general agreement was found between the two models. System operational characteristics were investigated using DRIVE to gain a better understanding of the system features. Integrated control strategies (ICS) were developed based on the two commonly used diamond interchange phasing schemes, basic three-phase and TTI four-phase. The ICS were evaluated using VISSIM microscopic simulation under three general traffic demand scenarios: low, medium, and high, as characterized by the volume-to-capacity ratios at the metered ramps. The results of the evaluation indicate that the integrated operations through an adaptive signal control system were most effective under the medium traffic demand scenario by preventing or delaying the onset of ramp-metering queue flush, thereby minimizing freeway breakdown and system delays.Item Essays on the effective integration of risk management with operations management decisions(2009-08) Tanriseve, Fehmi; Morrice, Douglas J. (Douglas John), 1962-In today's marketplace, firms' exposure to business uncertainties and risks are continuously increasing as they strive to meet dynamically changing customer needs under intensifying competitive pressures. Consequently, modern supply chains are continuously evolving to effectively manage these uncertainties and the allied risks through both operational and financial hedging strategies. In practice, firms extensively use operational hedging strategies such as operational flexibility, capacity flexibility, postponement, multi-sourcing, supplier diversification, component commonality, substitutability, transshipments and holding excess stocks as operational means for risk management. On the other hand, financial hedging which involves buying and selling financial instruments, carrying large cash reserves or adopting conservative financial policies, changes the cash flow stream of the firms and may help to reduce the firms exposure to business risks and uncertainties. Overall, in this dissertation we explore how risk management can be integrated with operating decisions so as to improve the firm value creating more wealth for the shareholders. In the first essay, we focus on capacity flexibility as a means of operational hedging for risk management in an MTO production environment under demand uncertainty. We demonstrate that capacity flexibility may not only be used to hedge against the demand uncertainty, but may also be employed to effectively protect against possible suboptimal operating decisions in the future. In the second essay, we focus on operational hedging in financially constrained startup firms when making short-term production and long-term investment decisions. We provide an analytical characterization of the optimal investment and operating decisions and analyze the impact of market parameters on the operations of the firm. Our findings highlight an interesting operational hedging behavior between the process investment decisions and the short-term production commitments of the firm when they are faced with financial constraints. Our third essay focuses on the value of integrated financial risk management activities by publicly traded established firms under the risk of incurring financial distress cost. Different from the existing operations management literature, we study the risk management by a public corporation within the value framework of finance; hence our findings do not require any specific assumptions about the investors' utility functions. Moreover, we contribute to the operations management research by examining the impact of the costs of financial distress on hedging and operating plans of the firm. Overall, in this dissertation, we examine the effective integration of operational and financial risk management so as to improve the firm value creating more wealth for the shareholders.Item Evaluating the effectiveness on integrating agricultural science and technology with algebra I on the Texas assessment of knowledge and skills mathematics test(2007-12) Bednarz, Aaron; Burris, Scott; Baker, Matt; Fraze, StevenThe No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 requires states to develop and implement a statewide yearly assessment measuring student’s progress and understanding of the state curriculum (United States Department of Education, 2003). As a result of this act, Texas has developed and implemented the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) as the statewide assessment. Upon the implementation of the TAKS test students are expected to reach proficiency level of achievement in the areas of reading/language arts, mathematics, and science before graduating from high school. Even with the proper instruction in course work, students are struggling to reach levels of proficiency in these subject areas resulting in their ineligibility to graduate from high school. The A2E2 course is designed for ninth grade students who unsuccessfully completed the eighth grade TAKS test and are enrolled in Algebra I. A2E2 is designed to assist students who are struggling in understanding concepts by creating the opportunity for the application of algebra concepts to real world settings. The course creates the opportunity through a block scheduling that allows for students to spend the first half of the class learning algebra concepts and the second half of the class applying those concepts to real-world, agricultural topics. Students in the state of Texas must pass the TAKS test for reading/language arts, mathematics, and science before graduating from high school. Students are struggling to reach acceptable achievement scores on the mathematics portion of the test. The A2E2 course is designed to help increase student achievement in algebra. The primary purpose of this research project is to explain the elationship that the A2E2 course has on tudent achievement as measured by the TAKS Test. The research project incorporated the use of an ex post facto research design to investigate the effectiveness of the A2E2 course. Although there were not any significant differences found between A2E2 and other forms of math remediation the researcher found evidence supporting the A2E2 course and its use as a form of math remediation.Item The gospel of justice : community, faith, and the integration of St. Andrew's Episcopal School(2014-05) Pinkston, Caroline Booth; Mickenberg, Julia L.This study focuses on the struggle to integrate St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, a small private school in Austin, Texas. A close examination of the history of this community sheds light on how privileged whites navigated questions of integration, especially in Christian communities. Pro-integration whites in these communities utilized their faith, understanding of community, and a rhetoric of respectability to move the school towards desegregation, forging a “middle way” through Civil Rights that achieved the goal of integration without damaging white interests in the community. Following St. Andrew’s through the 1970’s and 1980’s, this study moves beyond the implementation of official integration policies to trace how the school wrestled with questions of minority enrollment, white flight, and the relationship between private communities and the public sphere. Over the course of three decades, St. Andrew’s increased minority enrollment but adopted a narrower and more inward-focused understanding of community, becoming a more diverse space but not fundamentally questioning the nature of a private school in times of public crisis.Item Integration and quantification of uncertainty of volumetric and material balance analyses using a Bayesian framework(Texas A&M University, 2005-11-01) Ogele, ChileEstimating original hydrocarbons in place (OHIP) in a reservoir is fundamentally important to estimating reserves and potential profitability. Quantifying the uncertainties in OHIP estimates can improve reservoir development and investment decision-making for individual reservoirs and can lead to improved portfolio performance. Two traditional methods for estimating OHIP are volumetric and material balance methods. Probabilistic estimates of OHIP are commonly generated prior to significant production from a reservoir by combining volumetric analysis with Monte Carlo methods. Material balance is routinely used to analyze reservoir performance and estimate OHIP. Although material balance has uncertainties due to errors in pressure and other parameters, probabilistic estimates are seldom done. In this thesis I use a Bayesian formulation to integrate volumetric and material balance analyses and to quantify uncertainty in the combined OHIP estimates. Specifically, I apply Bayes?? rule to the Havlena and Odeh material balance equation to estimate original oil in place, N, and relative gas-cap size, m, for a gas-cap drive oil reservoir. The paper considers uncertainty and correlation in the volumetric estimates of N and m (reflected in the prior probability distribution), as well as uncertainty in the pressure data (reflected in the likelihood distribution). Approximation of the covariance of the posterior distribution allows quantification of uncertainty in the estimates of N and m resulting from the combined volumetric and material balance analyses. Several example applications to illustrate the value of this integrated approach are presented. Material balance data reduce the uncertainty in the volumetric estimate, and the volumetric data reduce the considerable non-uniqueness of the material balance solution, resulting in more accurate OHIP estimates than from the separate analyses. One of the advantages over reservoir simulation is that, with the smaller number of parameters in this approach, we can easily sample the entire posterior distribution, resulting in more complete quantification of uncertainty. The approach can also detect underestimation of uncertainty in either volumetric data or material balance data, indicated by insufficient overlap of the prior and likelihood distributions. When this occurs, the volumetric and material balance analyses should be revisited and the uncertainties of each reevaluated.Item Investigating cotranslational protein integration into the endoplasmic reticulum membrane(Texas A&M University, 2005-02-17) McCormick, Peter JosephDuring co-translational integration, the transmembrane (TM) sequence of a nascent membrane protein moves laterally into the ER lipid bilayer upon reaching the translocon. Our lab has previously shown that this movement is a multistep process, but it was not clear whether the observed photocrosslinking of the TM segment to translocon proteins resulted from specific interactions or simply from TM-translocon proximity. If the latter, the TM α-helix will be oriented randomly with respect to translocon proteins, whereas, if the former, a specific TM helix surface would face TRAM and/or Sec61α. Integration intermediates were prepared by in vitro translation of truncated mRNAs in the presence of a Lys-tRNA analog with a photoreactive moiety attached to the lysine side-chain. When photoadduct formation was monitored as a function of probe location within the TM α-helix, we found that the extent of photocrosslinking to TRAM and Sec61α was non-random. Thus, the TM sequence occupies a distinct location within the translocon, a result that can only be achieved through protein-protein interactions that mediate the lateral movement, positioning, and integration of the TM sequence. In the case of multi-spanning membrane proteins, it was unknown how multiple hydrophobic regions integrated into the ER membrane. By placing photoprobes within each of several TM domains of a multi-spanning membrane protein, we were able to determine at what stage of integration each TM segment was no longer adjacent to translocon proteins. Using this approach we were able to establish a mechanism of integration for multi-spanning membrane proteins co-translationally inserted into the ER membrane.Item Mass media use and political integration in Nigeria(Texas Tech University, 1989-05) Osaghae, Moses Osaretin FrancisNot availableItem Navigating networks of opportunity : understanding how social networks connect students to postsecondary resources in integrated and segregated high schools(2011-05) Welton, Anjalé DeVawn; Holme, Jennifer Jellison; Young, MIchelle D.; Reddick, Richard J.; Rhodes, Lodis; O'Dohert, AnnLow-income students of color have the difficult task of navigating their educational pathways in an era of resegregation, where they have higher chances of being tracked to lower academic courses (Mickleson & Heath, 1999) and are more likely to attend low-performing, racially and socioeconomically isolated high schools (Orfield & Lee, 2005). Research promotes the positive educational outcomes of integrated school settings (Wells, 1995), but limited research contextualizes (Wells, 2001) the experiences of low-income students of color in these settings. In light of research on the impact of the racial and socioeconomic composition of a high school on students’ educational outcomes, this dissertation used social capital and network theory to examine how networks of opportunity in accessing postsecondary resources differed between one integrated and one high poverty, high minority high school. Interviews of students and faculty identified by students as institutional agents (Stanton-Salazar, 1997)—individuals who connect students to postsecondary resources—helped frame the two high school portraits (see Lawrence-Lightfoot & Davis, 1997). Without systematic supports in both the integrated and segregated high school settings, only a select group of students were tied to resources that would lead them to their postsecondary aspirations. Students connected to postsecondary resources were at a structural advantage due to opportunities, such as enrollment in advanced placement (AP) courses, which would help broaden their networks of opportunity. In contrast, most students without the same structural advantages as high achieving students often felt lost navigating high school, disconnected from academics, and misdirected in navigating their postsecondary trajectories. Consequently, although the integrated high school was perceived as the gateway to accessing better educational opportunities, stratification occurred, tracking low-income and students of color to non-college preparatory courses. Therefore, low-income and students of color who transferred to the integrated high school in search of better educational opportunities received limited academic preparation similar to what was offered to them in their former low-performing, high poverty, high minority high school. The findings suggest that without both institutional and structural transformations and systematic supports, school integration alone is not the single element to offering greater educational opportunities to low-income and students of color.Item New media communication in education(2012-06) Livingston, Kat; Bichard, Shannon; Baake, Ken; Stoker, KevinResearch and teaching are the crossroads at which higher education exists. Great scholar-researchers in the field understand that new media communication in education is a very fluid area of study, rich with opportunities to glean context and insight in every interaction. This project evaluates the learning processes and experiences that took place in my pursuit of a Master of Science in the interdisciplinary studies of new media communication in education. The research included in this portfolio is a reflection of my growth and development as a professional scholar. The content provides an assessment of the academic work I completed, and a means for self-examination and exploration. The papers within this portfolio draw attention to research and literature related to different elements within the realm of Mass Communications, Educational Instructional Technology, Technical Communication and Rhetoric, and Educational Psychology. The content, research, and subject matter seek to explore various concepts and challenges within these four areas of study. Additionally, this research provides a bridge of understanding in regards to the role of new media communication in education, and analyzes the relationship and connectedness of new media and instructional learning. In the study and exploration of these areas of interest, I was able to gain great focus on a research agenda that concentrates on generating research pertaining to the psychological effects of new media on teachers and students, and how these areas work together to better pedagogy and instruction in education. In analyzing the various issues surrounding Mass Communications, Educational Instructional Technology, Technical Communication and Rhetoric, and Educational Psychology, I was able to develop a greater understanding of the world and a foundation upon which my interest in higher education is built.Item Process Optimization and Integration Strategies for Material Reclamation and Recovery(2012-07-16) Kheireddine, HousseinIndustrial facilities are characterized by the significant usage of natural resources and the massive discharge of waste materials. An effective strategy towards the sustainability of industrial processes is the conservation of natural resources through waste reclamation and recycles. Because of the numerous number of design alternatives, systematic procedures must be developed for the effective synthesis and screening of reclamation and recycle options. The objective of this work is to develop systematic and generally applicable procedures for the synthesis, design, and optimization of resource conservation networks. Focus is given to two important applications: material utilities (with water as an example) and spent products (with lube oil as an example). Traditionally, most of the previous research efforts in the area of designing direct-recycle water networks have considered the chemical composition as the basis for process constraints. However, there are many design problems that are not component-based; instead, they are property-based (e.g., pH, density, viscosity, chemical oxygen demand (COD), basic oxygen demand (BOD), toxicity). Additionally, thermal constraints (e.g., stream temperature) may be required to identify acceptable recycles. In this work, a novel approach is introduced to design material-utility (e.g., water) recycle networks that allows the simultaneous consideration of mass, thermal, and property constraints. Furthermore, the devised approach accounts for the heat of mixing and for the interdependence of properties. An optimization formulation is developed to embed all potential configurations of interest and to model the mass, thermal, and property characteristics of the targeted streams and units. Solution strategies are developed to identify stream allocation and targets for minimum fresh usage and waste discharge. A case study on water management is solved to illustrate the concept of the proposed approach and its computational aspects. Next, a systematic approach is developed for the selection of solvents, solvent blends, and system design in in extraction-based reclamation processes of spent lube oil Property-integration tools are employed for the systematic screening of solvents and solvent blends. The proposed approach identifies the main physical properties that influence solvent(s) performance in extracting additives and contaminants from used lubricating oils (i.e. solubility parameter (delta), viscosity (v), and vapor pressure (p)). The results of the theoretical approach are validated through comparison with experimental data for single solvents and for solvent blends. Next, an optimization formulation is developed and solved to identify system design and extraction solvent(s) by including techno-economic criteria. Two case studies are solved for identification of feasible blends and for the cost optimization of the system.Item Simulation and integration of liquefied natural gas (lng) processes(2009-05-15) Al-Sobhi, Saad AliThe global use of natural gas is growing quickly. This is primarily attributed to its favorable characteristics and to the environmental advantages it enjoys over other fossil fuels such as oil and coal. One of the key challenges in supplying natural gas is the form (phase) at which it should be delivered. Natural gas may be supplied to the consumers as a compressed gas through pipelines. Another common form is to be compressed, refrigerated and supplied as a liquid known as liquefied natural gas (LNG). When there is a considerable distance involved in transporting natural gas, LNG is becoming the preferred method of supply because of technical, economic, and political reasons. Thus, LNG is expected to play a major role in meeting the global energy demands. This work addresses the simulation and optimization of an LNG plant. First, the process flowsheet is constructed based on a common process configuration. Then, the key units are simulated using ASPEN Plus to determine the characteristics of the various pieces of equipment and streams in the plant. Next, process integration techniques are used to optimize the process. Particular emphasis is given to energy objectives through three activities. First, the synthesis and retrofitting of a heat-exchange network are considered to reduce heating and cooling utilities. Second, the turbo-expander system is analyzed to reduce the refrigeration consumption in the process. Third, the process cogeneration is introduced to optimize the combined heat and power of the plant. These activities are carried out using a combination of graphical, computeraided, and mathematical programming techniques. A case study on typical LNG facilities is solved to examine the benefits of simulation and integration of the process. The technical, economic, and environmental impact of the process modifications are also discussed.Item “Starting from below zero” : Iraqi refugee resettlement and integration in the United States and Austin, Texas(2013-12) Ulack, Christopher Joseph; Butzer, Karl W.This dissertation explores the resettlement and integration of Iraqi refugees coming to the United States, and particularly to Austin, TX, from 2008-2012. On a broad level, it seeks to understand how peoples, organizations, and government actors combine to negotiate the controversial practice of third-country refugee resettlement. Data is drawn from 16 months of participant observation at a local refugee resettlement agency in Austin with Iraqi refugees and from one-on-one interviews with many of those refugees and with local agency service providers. The research seeks to explore what (and how) federal, state, and local policies shape the everyday resettlement and integration experiences of Iraqi refugees in Austin. In addition to policy and other structural obstacles in place in the current American resettlement paradigm, the dissertation also seeks to understand aspects of agency utilized by Iraqi refugees and how, if at all, cultural, social, and political factors contextualize and impact their experiences upon arrival to the United States and throughout their first few months in this country. The study finds that Iraqi refugees are highly impacted both by political and social structural issues already in place within the receiving society but also by cultural and social factors and frameworks which they “bring with them” from Iraq. The study also illustrates that the current literature on refugees underemphasizes refugees’ voices. These voices depict the experience of resettlement and integration in the United States as one where many feel a sense of being caught “between here and there” and constantly trying to “catch up with life” but without enough help, support, or guidance. The voices underscore the human experience and struggle of forced migration generally and specifically that of third country resettlement of Iraqi refugees to the United States.