Digital Commons Network^™

A Collision Detection Chip On Reconfigurable Hardware, Nuzhet Atay, John W. Lockwood, Burchan Bayazit

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

Collision detection algorithms check the intersection between two given surfaces or volumes. They are computationally-intensive and the capabilities of conventional processors limit their performance. Hardware acceleration of these algorithms can greatly benefit the systems that need collision detection to be performed in real-time. A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is a great platform to achieve such acceleration. An FPGA is a collection of digital gates which can be reprogrammed at run time, i.e., it can be used as a CPU that reconfigures itself for a given task. In this paper, we present an FPGA based collision detection chip. The chip …

Sheep Updates 2005 - Part 2, Peter Tozer, Janette Drew, K. E. Kemper, M. L. Hebart, F. D. Brien, K. S. Jaensch, R. J. Grimson, D. H. Smith, A. M. M. Ramsay, J. S. Richards, K. D. Atkins, T. Thompson, W. K. Murray, J. R. L. Hall, Chris Carter, Peter Tozer, Mark Hyder, John Young, B. A. Mcgregor, Patricia Harper

Sheep Updates

This session covers seven papers from different authors: CONCURRENT SESSIONS - STRATEGIC MANAGEMENT 1.Finishing Pastoral Lambs, Peter Tozer, Patricia Harper, Janette Drew, Department of Agriculture Western Australia 2. Coating Improves Wool Quality under Mixed Farming Conditions, KE Kemper, ML Hebart, FD Brien, KS Grimson, DH Smith AMM Ramsay, South Australian Research and Development Institute 3. J. S. Richards, K.D. Atkins, T. Thompson, W. K. Murray, Australian Sheep Industry Co-operative Research Centre and NSW Department of Primary Industries, Orange Agricultural Institute, Forest Rd. Orange 4. Strategic Risk Management in the Sheep Industry, J.R.L. Hall, ICON Agriculture (JRL Hall & Co) 5. …

Integrating Animal Feeding Strategies Into Cnmp Processes: Role Of Updated Asae Standard D384.2, Richard K. Koelsch, W. Powers, A. L. Sutton

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

This paper introduces the new ASAE Standard D384.2, Manure Production and Characteristics. This new standard provides an equation-based approach that integrates dry matter and nutrient intake as well as animal performance into the final estimate of total solids, nitrogen, and phosphorus excretion for seven livestock and poultry species. The manure excretion estimates of the new standard are compared with the past ASAE standard as well as other commonly used reference values for three specie groups. Significant differences in excretion are common with the new standard compared to past standards. The paper also details examples of how common industry variations in …

Managing Phosphorus In Beef Feeding Operations, William F. Kissinger, Richard K. Koelsch, Galen E. Erickson, Terry J. Klopfenstein

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

A commercial feedlot study was conducted to determine manure nutrient flow in six feedlots representing 6,366 cattle. On average, cattle involved in this summary were yearlings (BW = 353 kg) and gained 183 kg over 123 d. It was calculated that 11.5% of the feed nitrogen and 16.9% of the feed phosphorus was retained by the animal with the remaining nutrients excreted. On average, 25.6 kg of N and 4.1 kg of P (DM basis) were excreted per fed beef animal. On average, 887 kg total manure (solids and water) were removed per finished animal (7.2 kg/animal/d) averaging 73% total …

A New Application For Fine Ground Rubber In The Control Of Odors From Livestock Manure Storage Structures, Lakshmi Koppolu, Richard K. Koelsch, Dennis D. Schulte, Crystal Powers, Dwaine Bundy

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

The purpose of this project was to quantify the odor and gas emission benefits of a fine ground rubber cover on laboratory scale manure storage units and to evaluate the ability of a fine ground rubber cover applied to a commercial swine manure storage unit to remain intact and functional over an extended period of time. A three-inch cover of fine ground rubber reduced odors by 77 to 99 percent from the manure storage tanks over a six-week period. However, consistent reductions of NH₃ emissions were not observed and H₂S emissions from all manure storage treatments were …

Visualizing And Interacting With Externally Coupled Engineering Analysis Results, Paul Frederick Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

Visualizing and interacting with engineering analysis results can provide valuable insights into a system's performance and aid in engineering decision-making. Currently, the majority of analysis codes are developed as isolated solutions focusing only on the most prominent physical influence to a system, such as thermal, structural, fluid, etc. Frequently, more than one of these physical influences combined to force engineers to evaluate complex, coupled systems. Coupled analysis codes are becoming more common place tools for engineers demanding high fidelity simulations of complex systems. External code coupling solutions are emerging to permit generic coupling of separate, world class CAE solvers thus …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 47 Number 1, Summer 2005, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

9 - A MOGUL IN THE MAKING By Larry Sokoloff J.D. '92 While working toward his business degree, SCU sophomore Tyler Dickman runs a multimillion-dollar business based in Florida.

10 - TOP OF THE CLASS: FOUNDATION HONORS INNOVATIVE SCU PROFESSORS By Kim Kooyers. This year's winners of the Louis and Dorina Brutocao Award for Teaching Excellence and the Brutocao Family Foundation Award for Curriculum Innovation are examples of the SCU's outstanding teaching scholars.

14 - A GLOBAL ETHIC: A CONVERSATION WITH HANS KUNG By Rita Beamish '74 Hans Kung, scholar, Roman Catholic priest, and author of some 50 books on …

Organization And Signal Processing Of The Descending Tracts In The Cervical Spinal Cord, Yanmei Tie

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the research for the development of spinal cord-computer interface (SCCI). The main objective of SCCI is to generate voluntary motor control signals for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).

In the neuroscience aspect, organization of the fibers in the descending tracts of the dorsolateral funiculus of the cervical spinal cord was investigated in cats. The spinal cord was penetrated with silicon substrate microelectrodes at 400 μm intervals in the medio-lateral direction at the C5/C6 and C6/C7 segmental borders. The stimulus consisted of a 20 ms train of charge-balanced biphasic pulses at 330 Hz. The evoked activities from …

Deformable Haptic Models For Surgical Simulation, Xiuzhong Wang

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Surgical simulation is in great need for surgical training, analysis, planing and rehearsal. The core of this simulation is the deformable models for the organs. The deformable model must provides both realistic visual effects (graphics) and high fidelity force feedback (haptics) in real time, without distractive visual artifacts and misleading tactile clues. In view of the requirement of physical accuracy, physically based deformable models are favorable for surgical simulation. Physically based deformable modeling has been a serious research topic for about twenty years in the computer graphics community. For computer animation, a great deal of work has been done so …

Modular Neural Network To Predict The Distribution Of Nitrate In Ground Water Using On-Ground Nitrogen Loading And Recharge Data, M. Almasri, Jagath J. Kaluarachchi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Artificial neural networks have proven to be an attractive mathematical tool to represent complex relationships in many branches of hydrology. Due to this attractive feature, neural networks are increasingly being applied in subsurface modeling where intricate physical processes and lack of detailed field data prevail. In this paper, a methodology using modular neural networks (MNN) is proposed to simulate the nitrate concentrations in an agriculture-dominated aquifer. The methodology relies on geographic information system (GIS) tools in the preparation and processing of the MNN input–output data. The basic premise followed in developing the MNN input–output response patterns is to designate the …

Fine-Tuning Of Mass-Spring Model Properties For Simulating Realistic Soft Body Deformation, Sylva A. Girtelschmid

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Obtaining a well behaved soft-tissue model is one of the most challenging and important tasks in the development of surgical simulation systems. Achieving both accurate and real-time deformation response from a soft-tissue model becomes more difficult as the complexity of the represented anatomy and the degree of deformation increases. One common approach to modeling deformable objects is the Mass-Spring (MS) system method. Mass-Spring systems are attractive to real-time applications due to their relatively low computational requirement and ease of implementation. However, their parameter determination is typically done manually, which becomes tedious when accurate approximation to real-world objects is desired. This …

The Effectiveness Analysis Of The Online Tools For Engineering Faculty Needs, Ismail Fidan, Jianbiao Pan, Leijun Li

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

As the use of Internet is increasing dramatically, many faculty members are using it in their teaching, research, and services. The Internet also provides faculty easy access to employee benefits and other information. Many universities are using or plan to use online teaching. Lately, many editorial and funding agencies have also started to initiate online review and decision-making system. These systems have eased the burden on both reviewers and agencies. In this study, a survey was prepared and conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the online tools for faculty needs in authors’ institutions and some other United States universities. The …

Integration Of Computer-Based Electronics Laboratory In A Control Systems Course, Julio Garcia, Patricia Backer

Faculty Publications

The goal of this project is to adapt the work of other researchers to improve the delivery of electronics lecture and laboratory content in the Electronics & Computer Technology (ECT) area of the BS in Industrial Technology at San Jose State University. There are several other demographic factors that serve to make the delivery of instruction challenging for the department. Approximately 70% of ECT students work at least 30 hours a week. SJSU also has a diverse student population with 62% of all undergraduates identified as having non-White ethnicity. A higher percentage (69%) of the undergraduate students in the BSIT …

Autologous Fibrinogen Purification And Concentration For Use In Fibrin Sealant, Steven M. Alston

Theses and Dissertations

Fibrinogen concentrates are used widely as a sealant during and after surgery to reduce blood loss. Commercially available fibrin sealants are made from pooled human blood, which carries the risk of blood-borne diseases, and are expensive. These concerns have brought to focus the need for autologous fibrinogen concentrates. This need has been addressed by utilizing a unique approach in which fibrinogen is precipitated from plasma with protamine. The physical properties of fibrin sealant prepared from fibrinogen precipitated with protamine were evaluated. The optimal precipitation conditions included a plasma protamine concentration of 10 mg/mL at room temperature. Under these conditions 96% …

Segmentation Of Thermal Images For Non-Destructive Applications, Solange Yohali

Masters Theses

Infrared Thermogarphy (IR) is used in this project to detect subsurface conditions in concrete specimen for nondestructive testing and evaluations. This thesis goal is to bridge the gap between Infrared Testing and image analysis by developing an algorithm based on the region growing approach to segment the images and identify the voids without human interference or prior knowledge of the conditions. The segmentation algorithm starts with seed points as the hottest pixels in the image, and then regions are grown based on a neighborhood comparison criterion. The algorithm was tested on images collected from concrete specimen containing various man-made defects …

Finite Element Analysis Of Covered Microstents, Linxia Gu, Swadeshmukul Santra, Robert A. Mericle, Ashok V. Kumar

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Currently available neuroendovascular devices are inadequate for effective treatment of many wide-necked or fusiform intracranial aneurysms and intracranial carotid-cavernous fistulae (CCF). Placing a covered microstent across the intracranial aneurysm neck and CCF rent could restore normal vessel morphology by preventing blood flow into the aneurysm lumen or CCF rent. To fabricate covered microstents, our research group has developed highly flexible ultra thin (~150 μm) silicone coverings and elastomerically captured them onto commercially available metal stents without stitching. Preliminary in vivo studies were conducted by placing these covered microstents in the common carotid artery of rabbits. The feasibility of using covered …

Optimization Of Sequential Purification Of Beta-Glucosidase From Tricoderma Reesei In Aqueous Two-Phase System, Shalini Gautam

Dissertations

A novel sequential technique was developed for the purification of a valuable enzyme, beta-glucosidase, from microorganism Tricoderma reesei. The fungus T. reesei produces cellulose degrading enzymes, called cellulases: beta-glucosidase, endo-glucanase and exo-glucanase and low molecular weight proteins. For specific applications, the enzyme must be separated from other contaminants. The sequential technique, that included affinity precipitation with chitosan followed by separation with an aqueous two-phase system (ATPS), was implemented for the purification of beta-glucosidase from the culture filtrate of T. reesei.

The cultivation medium (nutrient) was optimized for the production of betaglucosidase from T. reesei cell culture. Treatment of the …

Development Of Adsorption Filtration Process For Virus Removal For Drinking Water Treatment, Vishal Vijay Gawarikar

Dissertations

Recent monitoring studies have indicated that many ground water (GW) sources would benefit from the development of effective technologies for removing viruses. Although reverse osmosis can achieve high log removal it is not economical. The main objective of this study is to test and validate a novel adsorption filtration (AF) technology for removing viruses from GW sources for drinking water production in New Jersey.

The convective diffusion of viruses to adsorbent particle surfaces in flow packed beds (FPB) enhances their removal efficiency if the adsorbent particle size can be decreased to about 100 microns. The development of effective virus removal …

Stereo Vision Algorithm Using Propagation Of Correspondences Along An Array Of Cameras, Danyan Ganjali

Theses

One well known problem in stereo vision is the trade-off between precision and accuracy.

In a conventional two camera model, as the baseline separating the two cameras becomes smaller, the images that both cameras produce become more identical. This results in a more accurate set of correspondences, however at the same time causing less precise depth measurement due to the small angle used for triangulation. Similarly, in a larger baseline model, the depth measurement is more precise while the correspondences are not as accurate as of the shorter baseline model. This thesis proposes a method that promises to solve the …

Ambulatory Biopotential Measurement, Lakshmi Chitra Penugonda

Theses

Biopotential signals measure the electrical activity of different parts of the body. Conventional bedside monitors only provide information about the body under restricted conditions. Observation and documentation of biopotential signal during daily activities and the relation to patient symptoms may be important factors for clinical decision-making. Ambulatory monitoring helps to monitor the biopotential signal of a patient in the natural environment. The effective ambulatory system can help a physician to diagnose the patient's abnormality.

In this project, a low cost and flexible ambulatory biopotential system, compared to the commercially available systems, was designed and tested. Concurrently a software program was …

Difference-Expansion Based Reversible Data Hiding And Its Steganalysis, Guangsen Tian

Theses

A novel reversible data embedding method was reported in a recent IEEE journal article. The method was based on difference expansion (DE) technique. It used redundancy in digital images to achieve a high embedding capacity, while keeping visual distortion of the stego-image low. In this thesis, this technique was studied and experimentally evaluated. An effective steganalysis scheme for this DE-based reversible data embedding method was proposed, which used 12-dimensional feature vectors and a Bayes Classifier. The proposed steganalysis scheme steadily achieved a correct classification rate of 99%.

Enabling Cost Aware Routing With Auctions In Wireless Ad-Hoc Networks, Ali Yuksel

Theses

Battery power is a precious resource in wireless ad-hoc networks, and most routing protocols that have been proposed so far do not generate cost efficient routes. In this thesis, a novel auction-based cost-aware routing scheme, called CARA, is presented. CARA is designed as an extension of the MAC layer, and is shown to improve the cost efficiency of existing ad-hoc routing protocols through dynamic power control, while introducing only minimal additional overhead. The MAC layer at each node is given the capability to run local sealed-bid second-price auctions for the user data packets that need to be transmitted, and to …

Relationship Between The Autonomic Nervous System And The Recovering Heart Post Exercise Using Heart Rate Variability, Pierre Asselin

Theses

The goal of this thesis is to determine if a relationship exists between the activity of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) and the speed of heart rate recovery post maximal exercise. The parasympathetic branch of the ANS was assessed during rest by obtaining the high frequency (HF) component of the heart rate variability (HRV) frequency spectrum. The recovery time was estimated by fitting an exponential curve to the heart rate post exercise where the exponent was used to calculate the time constant to indicate recovery time. A regression was then performed on the HF and recovery time in order to …

Applications Of Using The Odor Footprint Tool, Richard R. Stowell, L. Koppolu, Dennis D. Schulte, Richard K. Koelsch

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

The Odor Footprint Tool is a science-based computer resource for use in evaluating the potential odor impact of new and expanded animal production facilities. It was developed to assist livestock producers, their service providers, and county planning and zoning officials in making reasonable decisions while limiting the negative impact of livestock operations on surrounding neighbors and rural communities. The Odor Footprint Tool utilizes an EPA regulatory model (AERMOD), weather databases, new source code, and user input to generate regional odor roses, odor footprints, and directional setback distance curves. Odor roses provide a generic picture of the directionality of …

Using Ems’S To Improve Compliance On Livestock And Poultry Operations, L. Mark Risse, Richard K. Koelsch, Bill Bland, Elizabeth A. Bird, Thomas M. Bass

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

Across the United States and abroad, innovative producers, processors, trade organizations and others in the agricultural sector are exploring the promise of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) to improve their environmental and business performance. An Environmental Management System or EMS helps farmers develop their own, personal strategies for reducing environmental risk on their operations by integrating environmental management considerations into production management decisions. It is a voluntary, flexible approach and is based on a producer's own sense of how best to manage an operation.

Partnerships for Livestock Environmental Management Systems is a 4-year project to explore the potential of livestock Environmental …

Permeability Of Corn, Soybeans, And Soft Red And White Winter Wheat As Affected By Bulk Density, Michael D. Montross, Samuel G. Mcneill

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Darcy’s law is a function of viscosity, permeability, and velocity and can be used to predict the airflow resistance in granular materials at low air velocities. Permeability also governs the magnitude of natural convection currents during periods of non-aerated grain storage. The permeability of corn, soybeans, soft white winter wheat, and soft red winter wheat were measured as a function of bulk density and moisture content. Air was passed through a column of grain and the flow rate and pressure drop measured. Bulk density and kernel density were also measured to determine the porosity of grain in the test column. …

Crop Yield Response To Precision Deep Tillage, Larry G. Wells, Timothy S. Stombaugh, Scott A. Shearer

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Experimental precision deep tillage was applied at three sites in central Kentucky with relatively well-drained silt loam soils in no-till crop production. Fields were divided into 0.4 ha (1 ac) grid cells using DGPS mapping. Assessment of soil compaction by machinery traffic was made using multiple soil cone penetrometer measurements and expressed as cone index (CI). Corn, wheat, and soybean yields were depressed in grid cells with CI_avg ≥ 1.5 MPa (218 psi) prior to application of tillage treatments at sites 1 and 3, whereas at site 2, where most of the highest average CI values ranged from 1.44 …

Effect Of Fat And Casein Particles In Milk On The Scattering Of Elliptically Polarized Light, Czarena L. Crofcheck, Jeremie Wade, Janakiraman N. Swamy, Mustafa M. Aslan, M. Pinar Mengüç

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

In this article, we present an experimental approach to determine the milk fat content using scattered light intensity profiles. The elements of the scattering (Mueller) matrix have been shown to provide valuable information about variation of the optical properties of scattering particles. The scattering behavior of fat and casein in terms of the scattering matrix elements was experimentally determined for milk with varying fat levels ranging from 0.05 wt% (skim) to 3.20 wt% (whole). Three of the scattering Mueller matrix elements, specifically S₁₁, S₁₂/S₁₁, and S₃₃/S₁₁, were found to be …

Prevention Of Atrophic Nonunion Development By Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-7, Takeshi Makino, David J. Hak, Scott Hazelwood, Shane Curtiss, A. Hari Reddi

Biomedical Engineering

Severe periosteal and soft tissue disruption at the time of fracture may result in the formation of an atrophic nonunion. We have developed a reproducible atrophic nonunion in an animal model. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the immediate application of recombinant human BMP-7 to the fracture site could rescue the healing process in this nonunion model. A total of 56 three month old Fisher 344 rats were utilized. A 1.25mm diameter K-wire was inserted into the femur in a retrograde fashion, and a mid-diaphyseal closed transverse fracture was created using a standard three point bending device. …

Context Sensitive Design – Thinking Beyond The Pavement: Documentation Of Workshop Development And Training, Jerry G. Pigman, Donald L. Hartman, Theodore Hopwood Ii, Kenneth R. Agent, Lenahan O'Connell, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Patrick Tyndall

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report documents the development and presentation of the workshop titled “Thinking Beyond the Pavement – A Workshop on Context Sensitive Design”. Work began on the workshop development in 1998 after the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet was selected as one of the pilot states to implement a training program for context sensitive design. The Kentucky Transportation Center at the University of Kentucky was selected to develop and deliver the training to state personnel and consultants who were commonly involved with project development. The training course was comprised of the following four modules:

• Facilitated Communication and Public Involvement,
• Environmental Issues,
• Liability Issues, …