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Fabrication And Characterization Of Radio-Frequency Sensors For Liquid Material Detection, Yuxi He Aug 2013

Fabrication And Characterization Of Radio-Frequency Sensors For Liquid Material Detection, Yuxi He

All Theses

This thesis presents a series of studies on fabrication and characterization of radio-frequency (RF) sensors. In the light of Electromagnetics and Transmission Line Theory, we designed multiple RF sensors with different detection capability emphasis and used them to detect various materials, especially liquid samples and materials in solutions such as dielectric thin films, confined liquids, red blood cells, and malarial pigments (hemozoin). Most sensors were fabricated under clean room environment following the standard process protocols. Proper process developments were also made to achieve special structures and functionalities of our novel sensors. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) …


Topology Optimization Using A Level Set Penalization With Constrained Topology Features, Luis Fernandez Aug 2013

Topology Optimization Using A Level Set Penalization With Constrained Topology Features, Luis Fernandez

All Theses

Topology optimization techniques have been applied to structural design problems in order to determine the best material distribution in a given domain. The topology optimization problem is ill-posed because optimal designs tend to have infinite number of holes. In order to regularize this problem, a geometrical constraint, for instance the perimeter of the design (i.e., the measure of the boundary of the solid region, length in 2D problems or the surface area in 3D problems) is usually imposed. In this thesis, a novel methodology to solve the topology optimization problem with a constraint on the number of holes is proposed. …


Organization Of Information For Reversible Causes Of Pulseless In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Randomized Control Trial Using A Cognitive Aid, Meera Ramachandran Aug 2013

Organization Of Information For Reversible Causes Of Pulseless In-Hospital Cardiac Arrest: A Randomized Control Trial Using A Cognitive Aid, Meera Ramachandran

All Theses

More than 200,000 in-hospital cardiac arrests are treated each year in the US with 21% survival rate. According to American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines, many causes for these arrests could be successfully treated if identified early. Such causes can be generalized as 'reversible causes'. Medical doctors identify the reversible causes associated with an arrest by recalling them from memory, using a mnemonic. In this study, using a cognitive aid such as an iPad application, the mnemonic was modified and causes were displayed alphabetically, and tested along with a new method that rank-ordered the reversible causes based on the patient context, …


Design Optimization Of Geometrical Parameters And Material Properties Of Vibrating Bimorph Cantilever Beams With Solid And Honeycomb Substrates For Maximum Energy Harvested, Jasmin Adeshara Aug 2013

Design Optimization Of Geometrical Parameters And Material Properties Of Vibrating Bimorph Cantilever Beams With Solid And Honeycomb Substrates For Maximum Energy Harvested, Jasmin Adeshara

All Theses

The objective of this thesis is to maximize the energy harvested from a vibrating bimorph cantilever beam by optimizing the geometrical parameters and the material properties of the piezoelectric beam. A three-dimensional finite element (FEA) model is developed to design a vibrating bimorph cantilever beam for energy harvesting. The reference piezoelectric material used in the design is Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT-5H) and the substrate sandwiched between the two piezoelectric plates is brass. Three types of models are analyzed and compared in this work by modifying the brass substrate geometry- a solid homogenous substrate, a regular honeycomb substrate and an auxetic …


Protocol Development Of A Study Of Loading And Stability Of The Glenoid Inlay Versus Onlay Shoulder System, Breanne Przestrzelski Aug 2013

Protocol Development Of A Study Of Loading And Stability Of The Glenoid Inlay Versus Onlay Shoulder System, Breanne Przestrzelski

All Theses

The large range of pathology associated with the glenohumeral joint has motivated the development of innovative technology to improve stability of the glenohumeral joint. When considering a total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA), an additional choice may be considered: the onlay or inlay glenoid component.
The purpose of this study is to examine the contact pressures and implant stability associated with fatigue loading of these two types of glenoid components. The current standard of choice is that of the onlay design, which sits proud to the surrounding tissue and has a tendency to exhibit a rocking-horse loosening phenomenon. A newer option on …


An Optimization Model For Class Scheduling At A Dance Studio, Chirag Ojha Aug 2013

An Optimization Model For Class Scheduling At A Dance Studio, Chirag Ojha

All Theses

Scheduling has been a large area of research for decades. A substantial amount of work has been done to express, classify, and solve scheduling problems. Most of these problems are computationally difficult to solve and require complex algorithms. In this thesis, we develop a mixed-integer linear program for a real world optimization problem at a dance studio. Similar to a university, the students in this studio request a particular class and instructors teach the classes under constrained resources such as a limited number of classrooms. The priorities of instructors as well as dancers are included to further mimic reality. Experimental …


Continuum Robotic Surface: Forward Kinematic Analysis And Implementation, Jessica Merino Aug 2013

Continuum Robotic Surface: Forward Kinematic Analysis And Implementation, Jessica Merino

All Theses

This thesis presents a new class of biologically inspired robots: continuum robotic surfaces. This work is fueled by the question: can the interaction between robot and environment be advanced with “programmable surfaces in space?” The novelty of continuum robotic surfaces lies in their ability to be actively controlled and reconfigured in what we believe is the current “missing dimension” in robot movements — two–dimensional space. We believe that such surfaces will lend themselves to more complex applications. However, to effectively deploy such surfaces for these complex applications, kinematic models will be necessary to plan and control desired configurations. The forward …


The Extraction Of Acetic Acid From Thermotoga Neapolitana Fermentation Spent Medium Using Fresh/Recovered Aliquat 336 And Produce Cma, Yifan Du Aug 2013

The Extraction Of Acetic Acid From Thermotoga Neapolitana Fermentation Spent Medium Using Fresh/Recovered Aliquat 336 And Produce Cma, Yifan Du

All Theses

To offer an alternative pathway to produce calcium magnesium acetate (CMA) as an environmental friendly deicer to relieve the pressure on fossil fuels demand, a liquid-liquid extraction process was studied. This process includes using Aliquat 336 (tri-n-octylmethylammonium chloride) diluted in kerosene as an organic extractant to extract acetic acid from Thermotoga neapolitana fermentation spent medium, which contained 34 g/L of acetic acid and 10 g/L of NaCl.
The extraction efficiency of Aliquat 336 was studied under several different extraction conditions. The initial pH of the spent medium was adjusted to a pH range of 2.25 to 5.75 with a 0.5 …


An Assessment Of The Accuracy Of An Automated Bite Counting Method In A Cafeteria Setting, Ziqing Huang Aug 2013

An Assessment Of The Accuracy Of An Automated Bite Counting Method In A Cafeteria Setting, Ziqing Huang

All Theses

Advances in body-worn sensors and mobile health technology have created new opportunities for empowering people to take a more active role in managing their health. Obesity has been recognized as a target of opportunity that could particularly benefit from this approach. Self-monitoring of dietary intake is critical for weight loss/management, but currently used tools such as
food diaries require users to manually estimate and record energy intake, making them subjective, prone to error, and difficult to use for long periods of time. Our group is developing a new tool called
the 'bite counter' that automates the monitoring of caloric intake. …


Corrosion Activity In Precast Concrete Elements And Cementitious Closure Pours, Shabi Abbas Udaipurwala Aug 2013

Corrosion Activity In Precast Concrete Elements And Cementitious Closure Pours, Shabi Abbas Udaipurwala

All Theses

The use of prefabricated elements in the construction of highway bridges has been a common practice in the United States since 1950s. Precast concrete adjacent box beam girder bridges are quite popular given that the precast elements not only have structural capacity to span across the supports, but also form the bridge deck. These bridges have generally performed well during the initial years after construction, but recent failures in Pennsylvania and Indiana have aroused a nationwide alarm to investigate the causes of failure and find solutions to repair these bridges or develop design for new replacement bridges. It was found …


Development Of Stationary And Mobile Tailgating Detection Solutions For Ground Vehicles, Tyler Zellmer Aug 2013

Development Of Stationary And Mobile Tailgating Detection Solutions For Ground Vehicles, Tyler Zellmer

All Theses

Improving the safety of North American roadways is a top priority for government agencies and transportation organizations alike. Regulations on appropriate driving behavior have been developed to minimize the likelihood of crashes occurring, but law enforcement tools remain to be fully developed and applied in the field. One prominent example of this is tailgating – the dangerous act of one ground vehicle following another too closely. This activity is responsible for thousands of crashes every year, but police officers currently have few tools to accurately detect and document tailgating events. Though tailgating often occurs in a wide variety of vehicle …


Extraction Of Antioxidants From Animal Blood And Its Potential Application As A Pet Food Preservative, Chengyi Tu Aug 2013

Extraction Of Antioxidants From Animal Blood And Its Potential Application As A Pet Food Preservative, Chengyi Tu

All Theses

Nowadays, more and more people are having pets as members of their family. To the year of 2012, there are 78.2 million dogs and 86.4 million cats owned in the U.S according to the report of the Humane Society of the U.S. The pet food industry as a result has been prosperous, with an estimated market size of $21 billion in the year of 2013. However, there is a common problem for the industry - fat rancidification. Pet foods usually contain relatively high levels of fat, which, if not well protected, are prone to oxidation and generate unfavorable products including …


Post-Market Surveillance Of Total Knee Replacement Combining Clinical Outcomes And Quantitative Image Processing Techniques, Leah Nunez May 2013

Post-Market Surveillance Of Total Knee Replacement Combining Clinical Outcomes And Quantitative Image Processing Techniques, Leah Nunez

All Theses

Total knee replacement (TKR) is a successful procedure for the relief of pain, correction of deformity, and restoration of function in patients with knee arthritis.1-3 In the United States, the number of primary TKR surgeries performed in 2030 is projected to be between 2,938,000 to 4,136,000 and revision surgeries between 193,000 to 381,000.4 Osteolysis, pain, and aseptic loosening are the most common causes of revision TKR surgery.5 The purpose of this thesis is to complete assessments for post-market surveillance of total knee replacement (TKR) targeting areas for improving polymer bearings through evaluation of clinical outcomes and analysis of prosthesis retrieved …


College Level Residential Building Code Education: Current Status And Best Practice, Earl Shealy May 2013

College Level Residential Building Code Education: Current Status And Best Practice, Earl Shealy

All Theses

Community destruction and loss of life due to residential building code (RBC) violations still occur too frequently. Increasing RBC enforcement is often not possible due to lack of funds and resources. Teaching RBC to college-level construction students is another way to encourage greater code compliance and enhanced community resilience. This research assesses the current status of RBC education in accredited construction programs, identifies academic and industry perspectives of RBC education, and constructs 'best practice' RBC teaching strategies.
A mix method, exploratory approach including three distinct phases explains the current phenomenon - RBC education emphasis within university curriculums. My research found …


Quantifying Annual Bridge Cost By Overweight Trucks In South Carolina, Linbo Chen May 2013

Quantifying Annual Bridge Cost By Overweight Trucks In South Carolina, Linbo Chen

All Theses

With the economic development in recent decades, more trucks including overweight trucks are operating on the highways. As a result, many bridges are expected to carry more loads than they did in previous years. The impact of overweight trucks on existing bridges has been an urgent concern for the South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT). There is a pressing need to quantify the annual bridge cost in South Carolina caused by trucks and, in particular, overweight trucks so that the SCDOT and the state legislators can determine the appropriate fee structure for operating overweight trucks. This research focused on quantifying …


Longitudinally Graded Optical Fibers, Alexander Evert May 2013

Longitudinally Graded Optical Fibers, Alexander Evert

All Theses

Described herein, for the first time to the best of our knowledge, are optical fibers possessing significant compositional gradations along their length due to longitudinal control of the core glass composition. More specifically, MCVD-derived germanosilicate fibers were fabricated that exhibited a gradient of up to about 0.55 weight percent GeO2 per meter. These gradients are about 1900 times greater than previously reported for fibers possessing longitudinal changes in composition. The refractive index difference is shown to change by about 0.001, representing a numerical aperture change of about 10%, over a fiber length of less than 20 m. The lowest …


Identification Of And Effects On The Depth Of The Machining Affected Zone In Nickel-Based Superalloys, Boyce Richardson May 2013

Identification Of And Effects On The Depth Of The Machining Affected Zone In Nickel-Based Superalloys, Boyce Richardson

All Theses

The formation of subsurface damage during machining of nickel-based superalloys is a critical quality concern for the manufacture of gas turbine components. The identification and understanding of this zone are critical to the reduction of destructive testing and scrap costs in an ever changing manufacturing environment. This thesis seeks to provide a novel objective method for identification of the depth of this zone and an empirical model for the effects of machining parameters on this zone. This allows for optimal machining parameters to be used in manufacturing reducing the need for destructive testing, while also reducing manufacturing costs by reducing …


Influence Of Pcb-Contaminated Water Bodies On The Pcb Content Of Riparian Vegetation Through Foliar Deposition, Timothy Matthew Sattler May 2013

Influence Of Pcb-Contaminated Water Bodies On The Pcb Content Of Riparian Vegetation Through Foliar Deposition, Timothy Matthew Sattler

All Theses

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a class of persistent organic pollutants that are generally considered semi-volatile. Volatilization and transport of PCBs from contaminated water bodies can result in PCB accumulation on terrestrial plant surfaces, acting as an entry point for contaminants into terrestrial food webs. Evergreen plants can serve as biomonitors of this PCB accumulation, as they often retain foliage for several years, allowing for greater concentrations to accumulate and subsequently be measured. Rhododendron maximum plants often grow in the riparian zone adjacent to water bodies in the Appalachian region, such as near Town Creek, Pickens, South Carolina. This research aimed …


Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis Of Sound Transmission Performance Of Honeycomb Sandwich Structures, Xin Wang May 2013

Three-Dimensional Finite Element Analysis Of Sound Transmission Performance Of Honeycomb Sandwich Structures, Xin Wang

All Theses

Due to the lighter weight of honeycomb structures compared with a cuboid of similar material, honeycomb is widely used in applications requiring a high stiffness to weight ratio. One important honeycomb meta-structure is sandwich composites designed with a honeycomb core between two thin panel layers. The geometry of the honeycomb is formed from periodically spaced, non-overlapping unit cells. An important advantage of cellular materials such as honeycomb is that vibration and acoustic properties can be changed simply by changing the unit cell geometry variables such as included angle, cell wall thickness and length, while keeping the overall dimensions of the …


The Effect Of Packaging Material Properties On Consumer Food Quality Perception In Quick-Service Restaurants, Emily Thackston May 2013

The Effect Of Packaging Material Properties On Consumer Food Quality Perception In Quick-Service Restaurants, Emily Thackston

All Theses

The majority of menu items available in quick-service restaurants (QSR) are consumed directly from a container or package. The main reasons consumers choose to eat fast food are because it is convenient, prepared quickly, a good value, and inexpensive. Therefore, the packaging becomes an integral part of the food product and from a consumer perspective must be consistent with their expectations and motives for choosing to eat fast food. Prior research has directly linked characteristics of consumer food packaging experience to their perception of its contents. The purpose of this research is to determine if consumer quality perception of food …


Numerical Study Of The Structural Performance Of Large Panelized All-Wood Roof Diaphragms, Sami Pant May 2013

Numerical Study Of The Structural Performance Of Large Panelized All-Wood Roof Diaphragms, Sami Pant

All Theses

The use of flexible roof diaphragms is very common in the United States, both for multi-family residential buildings and large-scale commercial buildings. Due to its simplicity, the traditional diaphragm design method is commonly used in diaphragm design, in particular for the design of diaphragms with relatively small dimensions. The traditional diaphragm design method assumes the axial forces developed in framing members under in-plane loading carried only by the perimeter chords. The traditional diaphragm design method has always been thought to be a conservative design method, especially when applied to large diaphragms. In recent years, the engineering community began to question …


Decision Support Systems For Assembly Line Planning -Modular Subsytems For A Large Scale Production Management System, Rahul Renu May 2013

Decision Support Systems For Assembly Line Planning -Modular Subsytems For A Large Scale Production Management System, Rahul Renu

All Theses

In the domain of assembly lines, process sheets are entities that carry assembly process descriptions (work instructions), assembly time estimations, product workspaces and other configuration management and control information. These process sheets get assigned to workstations during the process of assembly line balancing. In this research two tools have been developed to aid in the assembly line planning process. In order to ensure that assembly line workers do not intrude upon each other's workspace, two assembly processes operating on the same product workspace must not be assigned to the same station. Generating and maintaining product workspace information for every process …


Development Of An Ex Vivo Tissue Testing System For Three Dimensional Biomechanical Analysis Of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Bradley Johns May 2013

Development Of An Ex Vivo Tissue Testing System For Three Dimensional Biomechanical Analysis Of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Bradley Johns

All Theses

Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) are localized, progressive dilations of the aortic wall and are the 13th most common cause of death in the United States (~15,000 per year) and surgery is usually recommended when the aneurysm is 5 cm or larger in diameter. Because of this clinical parameter, previous studies of AAA biomechanics have utilized a one-dimensional analysis that focuses solely on changes in wall diameter and have attempted to model geometric changes with mathematical formulas, generally based on the LaPlace equation. This is not sufficient however, as the mechanical behavior of the tissue at sites of aneurysm have been …


Evaluating Mechanical Performance Of Hydrogel-Based Adhesives For Soft Tissue Applications, Nitin Balakrishnan May 2013

Evaluating Mechanical Performance Of Hydrogel-Based Adhesives For Soft Tissue Applications, Nitin Balakrishnan

All Theses

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, an estimated 22 million women have undergone a hysterectomy procedure in the United States. The most common complication during hysterectomies is accidental laceration of the urinary bladder during the surgery with incidence between 0.2-8.3% with the current gold standard wound repair method being sutures. Yet, sutures come with their own limitations in that they necessitate use of a catheter and collection bag during healing due to preventing proper distention of the bladder tissue at normal pressures. The long-term goal of our study is to eliminate the need for suturing by creating a …


Noise-Insensitive Prognostic Evaluation Of Historic Masonry Structures, Ashley Haydock May 2013

Noise-Insensitive Prognostic Evaluation Of Historic Masonry Structures, Ashley Haydock

All Theses

In recent years, a significant amount of research has been directed towards the development of prognostic methodologies to forecast the future health state of an engineering system assisting condition based maintenance. These prognostic methods, having furthered the maintenance practices for mechanical systems, have yet to be applied to historic masonry structures, many of which stand in an aged and degraded state. Implementation of prognostic methodologies to historic masonry structures can advance the planning of successful conservation and restoration efforts, ultimately prolonging the life of these heritage structures. This thesis presents a review of prognostic concepts and techniques available in the …


Computational Modeling Of The Friction Stir Welding (Fsw) Process And Of The Performance Of Fsw Joints, Ajay Prasad Arakere May 2013

Computational Modeling Of The Friction Stir Welding (Fsw) Process And Of The Performance Of Fsw Joints, Ajay Prasad Arakere

All Theses

Friction Stir Welding (FSW) is a solid-state metal-joining process. Within FSW, a (typically) cylindrical tool-pin (threaded at the bottom and terminated with a circular-plate shape shoulder, at the top) is driven between two firmly-clamped plates (placed on a rigid backing support). Due to a high normal downward pressure applied to the shoulder and due to frictional sliding and plastic-deformation, substantial amount of heat is generated at the tool/work-piece interface and in the region underneath the tool shoulder. Thermally plasticized work-piece material is then extruded around the traveling tool and forged into a welding-joint behind the tool. Due to its solid-state …


Dynamic Transcriptional Response Of Escherichia Coli To Inclusion Body Formation, Faraz Baig May 2013

Dynamic Transcriptional Response Of Escherichia Coli To Inclusion Body Formation, Faraz Baig

All Theses

Escherichia coli is used intensively for recombinant protein production due to its many unique advantages, but one key challenge with the use of E. coli is the tendency of recombinant proteins to misfold and aggregate into insoluble inclusion bodies (IBs). The presence of IBs stresses cells and can hinder overall growth. Additionally, IBs contain high concentrations of recombinant protein in an inactive form and thus require recovery steps to salvage functional recombinant protein. Currently, no universally effective method exists to prevent IB formation in recombinant E. coli. Further research into the gene expression response to insoluble recombinant protein may …


Evaluation Of Angular Velocity Data From Inertial Measurement Units For Use In Clinical Settings, Chelsea Ex-Lubeskie May 2013

Evaluation Of Angular Velocity Data From Inertial Measurement Units For Use In Clinical Settings, Chelsea Ex-Lubeskie

All Theses

Evaluating the human gait cycle with inertial measurement units (IMU) may prove beneficial for applications such as diagnoses of musculoskeletal diseases and assessment of rehabilitation regimes. An IMU system is potentially applicable for diagnosing and assessing rehabilitation outcomes for a variety of neuromuscular diseases since it is small, portable, and less expensive than a camera system. IMUs directly measure angular velocity, whereas position data from a camera system must be processed twice to obtain this information. The purpose of this research is to determine repeatability of IMU angular velocity data, and agreement between angular velocity data from an IMU system …


A Regenerative Medicine Approach To Improved Tendon Healing And Repair, Grace Margaret Dion May 2013

A Regenerative Medicine Approach To Improved Tendon Healing And Repair, Grace Margaret Dion

All Theses

Surgical repair of torn tendons is a common orthopaedic procedure in the United States, with nearly 400,000 repairs occurring annually. Despite improvements in surgical techniques used to re-attach the tendon to its boney insertion, clinically successful outcomes amongst patients are variable and re-tear rates can be exceedingly high. The use of stem cells as an adjunct to surgical repair to aid in improving tendon healing and repair strength has gained much interest amongst the clinical community. Accordingly, many investigators have begun examining the ability of stem cells to differentiate into tenocytes using various methodologies including the application of growth factors …


Modal Analysis To Minimize Gearbox Induced Noise Of General Electric Wind Turbines, Matthew Evans May 2013

Modal Analysis To Minimize Gearbox Induced Noise Of General Electric Wind Turbines, Matthew Evans

All Theses

With the current global emphasis on alternative green energy sources, wind turbine technologies have seen significant growth in recent years. Today, wind turbines are being produced and constructed at unprecedented levels with their sites inching closer and closer to residential communities. With that, wind turbine companies have been receiving growing complains about the noise emitted from these turbines during operation. To resolve this issue, many of these companies are spending more resources to design and manufacture quieter wind turbines. In particular, General Electric (GE) intends to reduce the noise created by their 2.5 MW CGDT wind turbines. Previous studies showed …