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Section 3: Dynamic Systems & Control, Asme Ectc Coordinating Committee

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Proceedings of the ASME Early Career Technical Conference, November 4-5, 2011. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia

pp. 95-136

Significance Of Mwcnt And Tio2 Nanofillers On Low-Density Polyethylene Thermal & Mechanical Properties: Applicability For Pipes Used In Water & Energy Systems, Trenicka Rolle, Ramana Pidaparti

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Proceedings of the ASME Early Career Technical Conference, November 4-5, 2011. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia

Section 1: Bio-Medical/Bioengineering; pp. 18-23

A Review Of Rehabilitation Strategies For Stroke Recovery, Daniel A. Garcia, Rodrigo Arrendondo, Melissa Morris, Sabri Tosunoglu

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Proceedings of the ASME Early Career Technical Conference, November 4-5, 2011. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia

Section 1: Bio-Medical/Bioengineering; pp. 24-31

Section 6: Fluids Engineering, Asme Ectc Coordinating Committee

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Proceedings of the ASME Early Career Technical Conference, November 4-5, 2011. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia

pp. 219-250

The Effect Of Stent Design On Hemodynamic Flow In Patient-Specific Diseased Carotid Bifurcation Arteries, Rodward L. Hewlin Jr, John P. Kizito

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Proceedings of the ASME Early Career Technical Conference, November 4-5, 2011. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia

Section 1: Bio-Medical/Bioengineering; pp. 32-39

Modeling Ventilation And Perfusion Mismatch During Acute Lung Injury, Le Yang, Ramana Pidaparti, Huan Mo

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Proceedings of the ASME Early Career Technical Conference, November 4-5, 2011. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia

Section 1: Bio-Medical/Bioengineering; pp. 40-44

Force Controlled Interaction Tasks And Intuitive Teaching Of A Pneumatic Manipulator 97, Yong Zhu, Eric J. Barth

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Proceedings of the ASME Early Career Technical Conference, November 4-5, 2011. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia

Section 3: Dynamic Systems & Control; pp. 97-104

Instantaneous Optimal Control Of A Predator-Prey Natural Resource With A Prey-Dependent Functional Response, Dale B. Mcdonald

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Proceedings of the ASME Early Career Technical Conference, November 4-5, 2011. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia

Section 3: Dynamic Systems & Control; pp. 105-112

Cloud Height Measurements In Jet Mixed Tanks, Ibraheem R. Muhammad, John P. Kizito

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Proceedings of the ASME Early Career Technical Conference, November 4-5, 2011. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia

Section 6: Fluids Engineering; pp. 236-243

Field Evaluation Of Commercial People Counter To Measure Occupancy For Hvac Applications, Trevor D. Wolf, Donald P. Alexander, Sheldon M. Jeter, Gregory M. Spiro

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Proceedings of the ASME Early Career Technical Conference, November 4-5, 2011. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia

Section 7: Design & Manufacturing; pp. 258-265

Cerium-Based Conversion Coatings On Cast Aluminum 380 And 413 Alloys, Ci Lin

Masters Theses

"This investigation focused on the deposition and characterization of cerium-based conversion coatings (CeCCs) on cast aluminum alloys. Previous research has shown that CeCCs are viable alternatives to chromate conversion on high strength alloys such as 2024-T3 and 7075-T6. For the casting alloys such as 380 and 413, the presence of Si affects the composition and stability of the native oxide, which means that pretreatment plays an important role for the coating deposition. This thesis consists of two papers that describe the results of the study.

The first paper reports the effect of the final rinsing temperature before coating deposition on …

Body Sensor Network For In-Home Personal Healthcare, Sheng Hu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

A body sensor network solution for personal healthcare under an indoor environment is developed. The system is capable of logging the physiological signals of human beings, tracking the orientations of human body, and monitoring the environmental attributes, which covers all necessary information for the personal healthcare in an indoor environment.

The major three chapters of this dissertation contain three subsystems in this work, each corresponding to one subsystem: BioLogger, PAMS and CosNet. Each chapter covers the background and motivation of the subsystem, the related theory, the hardware/software design, and the evaluation of the prototype’s performance.

Implementation Of Porous Silicon Technology For A Fluidic Flow-Through Optical Sensor For Ph Measurements, Kumar L. Vanga

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

This work presents an innovative integration of sensing and nano-scaled fluidic actuation in the combination of pH sensitive optical dye immobilization with the electro-osmotic phenomena in polar solvents like water for flow-through pH measurements. These flow-through measurements are performed in a flow-through sensing device (FTSD) configuration that is designed and fabricated at MTU.

A relatively novel and interesting material, through-wafer mesoporous silica substrates with pore diameters of 20 -200 nm and pore depths of 500 µm are fabricated and implemented for electro-osmotic pumping and flow-through fluorescence sensing for the first time. Performance characteristics of macroporous silicon (> 500 µm) implemented …

Mechanical Modeling Of Intraneural Ganglion Cyst, Puneet Soman

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Intraneural Ganglion Cyst is a 200 year old mystery related to nerve injury which is yet to be solved. Current treatments for the above problem are relatively simple procedures related to removal of cystic contents from the nerve. However, these treatments may result into neuropathic pain and recurrence of the cyst. The articular theory proposed by Spinner et al., (Spinner et al. 2003) takes into consideration the neurological deficit in Common Peroneal Nerve (CPN) branch of the sciatic nerve and affirms that in addition to the above treatments, ligation of articular branch results into foolproof eradication of the deficit. Mechanical …

Augmenting The Piezoelectric In Portland Cement Paste For Structural Health Monitoring Applications, Benjamin A. Roskoskey

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

This report details the outcomes of a study designed to investigate the piezoelectric properties of Portland cement paste for its possible applications in structural health monitoring. Specifically, this study provides insights into the effects on piezoelectric properties of hardened cement paste from the application of an electric field during the curing process. As part of the reporting of this study, the state of the art in structural health monitoring is reviewed. In this study it is demonstrated that application of an electric field using a spatially-coarse array of electrodes to cure cement paste was not effective in increasing the magnitude …

Effective Water Treatment For Rural Communities In Suriname : A Comparison Of Point-Of-Use Ceramic Filters And Centralized Treatment With Sand Filters, Ashlee K. Vincent

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

For countless communities around the world, acquiring access to safe drinking water is a daily challenge which many organizations endeavor to meet. The villages in the interior of Suriname have been the focus of many improved drinking water projects as most communities are without year-round access. Unfortunately, as many as 75% of the systems in Suriname fail within several years of implementation. These communities, scattered along the rivers and throughout the jungle, lack many of the resources required to sustain a centralized water treatment system. However, the centralized system in the village of Bendekonde on the Upper Suriname River has …

Upgrading An Intermittent & Branched Water Network To A Continuous & Looped Network: A Case Study In Coastal Peru, Jennifer A. O'Neill

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

This case study sought to determine how the potable water network of Cerro Prieto, Peru could be improved. The network as it exists now is branched and operated intermittently, exposing residents to water contamination risks and inconvenience. Using EPANET, it was found that the as-built network can support continuous water service, all points could stay over 10 psi, and the current water consumption rate could be maintained. To keep all points over 20 psi, the height of elevated water tank must be increased 6 feet, and the pump switched on whenever the tank drains. It was also found that almost …

Decorin Expression, Straw-Like Structure, And Differentiation Of Human Costal Cartilage, Michael W. Stacey, Janna Grubb, Anthony Asmar, Julie Pryor, Hani Elsayed-Ali, Ali Beskok, Diganta Dutta, Annie Fecteau, Alice Werner, Dennis A. Darby, Robert Kelly

Bioelectrics Publications

Costal cartilage is much understudied compared with the load-bearing cartilages. Abnormally grown costal cartilages are associated with the inherited chest wall deformities pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum resulting in sunken and pigeon chests, respectively. A lack of understanding of the ultrastructural and molecular biology of costal cartilage is a major confounder in predicting causes and outcomes of these disorders. This study analyzed the structure of marginal human costal cartilage (ribs 6-10) through scanning electron and atomic force microscopes and identified the presence of straw-like structures running longitudinally. We also demonstrated that chondrocytes tend to occur singly or as doublets and …

Section 7: Design & Manufacturing, Asme Ectc Coordinating Committee

Early Career Technical Journal (ECTJ)

Proceedings of the ASME Early Career Technical Conference, November 4-5, 2011. Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia

pp. 251-276

Nano-Scale Rf/Microwave Characterization Of Materials' Electromagnetic Properties, Joshua Allen Myers

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

There are two words that describe the direction of today's electronic technology, smaller and faster. With the ever decreeing size scientists and engineers must have a way to characterize materials in the nm range. In this thesis characterization of nano-materials is discussed based on scanning probe microscopy and an in-depth look at RF/microwave frequencies by scanning microwave microscopy. Recently, low-temperature spin-sprayed ferrite films (Fe3O4) with a high self-biased magnetic anisotropy field have been reported, showing FMR frequency>5 GHz. Such films hold great potential for RF/microwave devices and find immediate applications. In this study, we performed in situ scanning microwave …

Optimization Of Wsu Total Ankle Replacement Systems, Bradley Jay Elliott

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Total ankle arthroplasty (TAR) is performed in order to reduce the pain and loss of ambulation in patients with various forms of arthritis and trauma. Although replacement devices fail by a number of mechanisms, wear in the polyethylene liner constitutes one of the dominating failure modes. This leads to instability and loosening of the implant. Mechanisms that contribute to wear in the liners are high contact and subsurface stresses that break down the material over time. Therefore, it is important to understand the gait that generates these stresses. Methods to characterize and decrease wear in Ohio TARs have been performed …

Computational Investigation Of A Hinge-Connected Hovering Plate, Zachary Robert Gaston

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

A simplified conceptual flapping wing MAV design, capable of hover, is formed from the works of both biologists and engineers, studying the behavior of flying insects and the aerodynamics of flapping flight. With this new model, hovering hinged plates are used to study the effects of passive deflection on aerodynamic performance using two-dimensional Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) at low Reynolds numbers (Re). The hinge is modeled as a torsional spring at the leading edge, where prescribed motion is applied. The influence of forced-to-natural frequency ratio (hinge stiffness) and stroke-to-chord ratio (leading edge kinematics) are studied, to explore the effects that …

Predicting Success Or Failure Of Immunotherapy For Cancer: Insights From A Clinically Applicable Mathematical Model, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to create a clinically applicable mathematical model of immunotherapy for cancer and use it to explore differences between successful and unsuccessful treatment scenarios. The simplified predator-prey model includes four lumped parameters: tumor growth rate, g; immune cell killing efficiency, k; immune cell signaling factor, λ; and immune cell half-life decay, μ. The predator-prey equations as functions of time, t, for normalized tumor cell numbers, y, (the prey) and immunocyte numbers, x, (the predators) are: dy/dt = gy – kx and dx/dt = λxy – μx. A parameter estimation procedure that capitalizes on available clinical …

Optimizing Electrode Placement For Hemodynamic Benefit In Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: Research is needed to explore the relative benefits of alternative electrode placements in biventricular and left ventricular pacing for heart failure with left bundle branch block (LBBB). Methods: A fast computational model of the left ventricle, running on an ordinary laptop computer, was created to simulate the spread of electrical activation over the myocardial surface, together with the resulting electrocardiogram, segmental wall motion, stroke volume, and ejection fraction in the presence of varying degrees of mitral regurgitation. Arbitrary zones of scar and blocked electrical conduction could be modeled. Results: Simulations showed there are both sweet spots and poor spots …

Climatic Effects Of The Chicxulub Impact Ejecta, Devon Parkos, Marat Kulakhmetov, Brandon Johnson, Henry J. Melosh, Alina A. Alexeenko

School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Faculty Publications

Examining the short and long term effects of the Chicxulub impact is critical for understanding how life developed on Earth. While the aftermath of the initial impact would have produced harmful levels of radiation sufficient for eradicating a large portion of terrestrial life, this process does not explain the concurrent marine extinction. Following the primary impact, a large quantity of smaller spherules would de-orbit and re-enter the earths atmosphere, dispersed nearly uniformly across the planet. This secondary wave of debris would re-enter at high velocities, altering the chemical composition of the atmosphere. Furthermore, the combined surface area for the spherules …

Resolving Structure And Mechanical Properties At The Nanoscale Of Viruses With Frequency Modulation Atomic Force Microscopy, David Martinez-Martin, Carolina Carrasco, Mercedes Hernando-Pérez, P. J. De Pablo, Júlio Gómez-Herrero, Rebeca Pérez, Mauricio Garcia Mateu, José López Carrascosa, Daniel Roy Kiracofe, John C. Melcher, Arvind Raman

School of Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Structural Biology (SB) techniques are particularly successful in solving virus structures. Taking advantage of the symmetries, a heavy averaging on the data of a large number of specimens, results in an accurate determination of the structure of the sample. However, these techniques do not provide true single molecule information of viruses in physiological conditions. To answer many fundamental questions about the quickly expanding physical virology it is important to develop techniques with the capability to reach nanometer scale resolution on both structure and physical properties of individual molecules in physiological conditions. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) fulfills these requirements providing images …

Querying And Managing Opm-Compliant Scientific Workflow Provenance, Chunhyeok Lim

Wayne State University Dissertations

Provenance, the metadata that records the derivation history of scientific results, is important in scientific workflows to interpret, validate, and analyze the result of scientific computing. Recently,

to promote and facilitate interoperability among heterogeneous provenance systems, the Open Provenance Model (OPM) has been proposed and has played an important role in the community.

In this dissertation, to efficiently query and manage OPM-compliant provenance, we first propose a provenance collection framework that collects both prospective provenance, which captures

an abstract workflow specification as a recipe for future data derivation and retrospective provenance, which captures past workflow execution and data derivation information. …

Techniques For Sensor-Integrated Robotic Systems: Raman Spectra Analysis, Image Guidance, And Kinematic Calibration, Luke Anthony Reisner

Wayne State University Dissertations

Robotics and sensor technology have made impressive advancements over the years. There are now robotic systems that help perform surgeries or explore the surface of Mars, and there are sensors that detect trace amounts of explosives or identify diseased human tissue. The most powerful systems integrate robots and sensors, which are natural complements to each other. Sensors can provide information that might otherwise be unavailable due to indirect robotic manipulation (e.g., images of the target environment), and robots can provide suitably precise positioning of an analytical sensor.

To have an effective sensor-integrated robotic system, multiple capabilities are needed in the …

Implementation Of Multiple-Instance Learning In Drug Activity Prediction, Gang Fu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the context of drug discovery and development, much effort has been exerted to determine which conformers of a given molecule are responsible for the observed biological activity. In this work we aimed to predict bioactive conformers using a variant of supervised learning, named multiple-instance learning. A single molecule, treated as a bag of conformers, is biologically active if and only if at least one of its conformers, treated as an instance, is responsible for the observed bioactivity; and a molecule is inactive if none of its conformers is responsible for the observed bioactivity. The implementation requires instance-based embedding, and …

Preprocessing Of Biomass Using Mechanical, Chemical And Microbial Techniques, Swetha Mahalaxmi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biomass-derived fuels have acquired a lot of attention recently due to increasing emphasis on energy independence, efforts to utilize abundance of green resources and mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. Grasses, agricultural residues, animal residues and waste, used oils, etc., can be used as starting materials in the production of biofuels. Various preprocessing techniques used in the preprocessing of biomass, such as microbial preprocessing, mechanical preprocessing and chemical pretreatment, are used for enhancing the digestibility of biomass to sugars for ethanol production. In this work, studies were conducted to improve the microbial, chemical and mechanical preprocessing of switch grass by decreasing …