Digital Commons Network^™

Accumulator Volume Sensor Final Project Report, Chris Naughton, Kinwei Yu, Michael George

Mechanical Engineering

Accumulator Volume Sensing Team has developed two sensor designs aimed at detecting the position of the piston within a 4024 accumulator. The two designs include the use of a Renishaw LMA10 magnetic encoder and a SpectraSymbol HotPot linear potentiometer. The magnetic encoder solution drastically increases the accuracy of sensing the piston position compared to the current solutions of both a string-pot and linear variable differential transformer while costing slightly less. The linear potentiometer seeks to provide a solution that drastically decreases the cost compared to the present sensing methods. Both designs call for a modification to one half of the …

Automated Machine Tender, Ryan A. Canfield, Samuel N. Adler, Louis S. Roseguo

Mechanical Engineering

The use of CNC (Computerized Numerical Control) machines automate production in factories through programs controlling manual operations such as milling or lathing. The manufacturing process can be automated beyond the use of CNC machines through the addition of a robotic tender capable of carrying out the same tasks as a human operator. A tender can be integrated into the CNC machine itself, or purchased separately and configured to autonomously operate a particular machine. Smaller companies making limited production runs may not find it economically feasible to purchase large scale integrated machine tenders, but would benefit from a versatile autonomous machine …

Photovoltaic Cooking In The Developing World, Tyler Watkins, Christopher O'Day, Omar Arriaga

Mechanical Engineering

The challenge of clean cooking is faced by hundreds of millions of people worldwide. We present a cooking technology consisting of a solar panel directly connected to an electric heater in a well-insulated chamber. Assuming continued decrease in solar panel prices, we anticipate that in a few decades Solar Electric Cooking technologies will be the most common cooking technology for the poor. Appropriate use of insulation reduces the power demand making low-power Insulated Solar Electric Cooking systems already cost competitive.

Non-Destructive Testing Of Carbon Fiber Crank Arms, Timothy Hoekstra, Grant Pocklington, Johnathan Simeroth

Mechanical Engineering

Carbon fiber components present unique challenges for detecting defects, damage, and fatigue. Nondestructive methods exist for testing and locating defects. However, most of these methods are expensive, not versatile enough for practical use on non-idealized parts, or both. Vibrothermography can be an affordable option and has shown promising results with thin rectangular panels. The goal of this senior project was to assess the feasibility of using vibrothermography to find defects in SRAM carbon fiber crank arms. Our team found vibrothermography to be a feasible method of non-destructive testing for carbon fiber crank arms, and this report discusses the development and …

Final Design Report: Polymer Fatigue Characterization Test Method, Wyatt Ayling, Tyler Price, Brandon Stell, Michela Upson

Mechanical Engineering

Polylogix is a team dedicated to the design, build, and testing of a fatigue machine to simulate cyclic loading on a biomedical polymer. This project is sponsored by Endologix, Inc. to provide test data characterizing mechanical material properties of various formulations of polymer used in abdominal aortic aneurysm surgeries. With this project goal, the machine must be able to test the polymer at body conditions; these include a testing temperature of 37°C and a cycling frequency ranging from 1 Hz to 10 Hz. This report proposes the following solution to this design challenge: an AC motor-driven mechanism utilizing a planetary …

Small Community Oil Spill Preparedness Research Project, Christopher Covert

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

As transportation through the Arctic becomes more prevalent with tourism and oil exploration, small communities within the Arctic are susceptible to oil spills from fuel barges, passing ships, tank farms, and oily discharges. Oil spills threaten both humans and animals that co-habitat these Arctic regions. Little has been done to prepare these small communities in preparation for an oil spill and as a result they are not well protected. As the notion of globalization is incorporated into the Arctic it will be imperative to protect these small communities. To better understand this topic, the researcher took an analytical approach to …

Reducing Recidivism In Alaska Throough Access To Extended-Release Injectable Naltrexone, Jyll K. Green

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

The goal of this evidence-based project was to provide access to extended-release injectable naltrexone (XR-NTX) upon release from incarceration for individuals who had a self-identified substance or alcohol abuse history, and evaluate whether or not XR-NTX reduced recidivism in comparison with those who declined to use XR-NTX. This project was completed in collaboration with Partners Reentry Center, located in Anchorage, Alaska, who collected and offered retrospective de-identified data for this project. A total of 98 individuals with a self-identified history of substance or alcohol abuse were offered XR-NTX through Partners Reentry Center from September 15, 2015 to September 15, 2016. …

General Communication, Inc. Project Management Office Reporting For Results Project, Donna Neill

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

General Communication Incorporated (GCI) is a project-driven company. As the PMO is established there is a need to document current reporting practices and improve the organizations project management maturity level by standardizing the reporting process and methodology, and determining the foundation to practice continuous improvement within the program management group. Research is needed to document an effective reporting system and implement improvements to the current reporting system with input from GCI team members. The goal of this project is to develop an effective reporting guide that documents current reporting templates and practices, and considers best practices and project management maturity …

Establishing Reasons And Recommendation On How To Increase Biomedical Technical Training In Alaska, Julianna Fuqua

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

There is an acknowledgement in literature about the increasing healthcare needs, and the disparity among rural area healthcare needs. This project explores and establishes that there is a need for increased biomedical technical training in the State of Alaska. The need and recommendations are discovered through research of current methods within the State and in other locations and analyzes different ways they are currently obtained in Alaska, and suggest hiring locally as a way to increase the number of trained biomedical technicians in Alaska.

Application Of Revolving Door Technology In Reducing Energy Loss In Anchorage, Alaska, Raymond A. Ballard

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

Arctic entryways (vestibules) are an important building feature in Alaska for energy savings. Vestibules and revolving doors are often designed to reduce air infiltration rates and ultimately reduce building energy costs. In Anchorage, most buildings utilize vestibule technology for building entrances but revolving door technology is also a viable option to consider. In Anchorage, Alaska, reduction of energy consumption is necessary for long-term sustainability of most buildings and businesses. The project included a review of relevant literature publications to select methods to predict air infiltration rate due to vestibules versus revolving doors; calculations for energy usage of various Anchorage public …

A Prototype Construction Of Adjustable Bicycle Handlebars, W. Anthony Bryant

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

The riding position of a bicycle is determined by the type of handlebars used. The higher the relationship of the handlebars are to the saddle, the more the rider sits erect and has less stress on the neck, arms and hands. Conversely, the lower the handlebars the more stress forces are felt on those same areas. To manage discomfort and fatigue, the cyclist may stop to rest or sit erect without holding onto the handlebars while still riding. By not holding the handlebars, the rider has little control over steering and no control over braking or changing gears. A solution …

The Effect Of Cultural Beliefs And Customs On Nutritional Attitudes And Food Choices Of Alaska Natives Living With Chronic Diseases In The Anchorage Metropolitan Area, Sadie Anderson

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

Alaska Native and American Indian people are heavily affected by chronic diseases such obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease (Redwood, Lanier, Johnston, Asay, & Slattery, 2010). The presence or severity of many chronic diseases is directly correlated with the type of diet people consume. This study explored how culture influences the understanding of nutritional status and food choices of Alaska native people living in Anchorage, Alaska. Focus groups were held with Alaska Native adults who were living with a chronic disease. Open-ended questions were asked about the participants’ culture and food choices. Themes and subthemes emerged through data analysis using the …

Decision Management Process Improvement Project, Alina Dahl

Student Projects for Graduate Degrees

It has become all too common that questions are raised during the execution of a project pertaining to the decisions that were made early on. Without having maintained a concise, accessible record of project decisions, the project manager and team members would find it difficult to provide hard evidence as to how they got to this point and what impacts specific decisions had on the project’s trajectory. This paper introduces the Decision Management Process Improvement Project (DMPIP), which focuses on improving decision management process throughout the lifecycle of a project with the aim of adding value to project performance and …

Teaching The Internet Of Things: Bridging A Path From Cpe329, Steven Han, Rafael Lopez

Computer Engineering

“The ability to connect, communicate with, and remotely manage an incalculable number of networked, automated devices via the Internet is becoming pervasive, from the commercial kitchen to the residential basement room to the arm of the fitness buff.” - WSO2

In this report, we will investigate procedures and technologies used in IoT. A variety of cloud platforms will be described to demonstrate its strengths and usage on IoT applications. Furthermore, demonstrate the most popular hardware being used in several of these applications. This report is aimed to give a good understanding on what it takes to put together an IoT …

Robostock: Autonomous Inventory Tracking, Drew Christian Balthazor

Computer Engineering

No abstract provided.

Android Drone: Remote Quadcopter Control With A Phone, Aubrey John Russell

Computer Engineering

The purpose of the “Android Drone” project was to create a quadcopter that can be controlled by user input sent over the phone’s Wi-Fi connection or 4G internet connection. Furthermore, the purpose was also to be able to receive live video feedback over the internet connection, thus making the drone an inexpensive option compared to other, equivalent drones that might cost thousands of dollars. Not only that, but the Android phone also has a host of other useful features that could be utilized by the drone: this includes GPS, pathing, picture taking, data storage, networking and TCP/IP, a Java software …

Design Collaboration In Industry: When, Why, And How, Steven Thomas O'Shields

All Theses

This research compares how practicing engineers and designers collaborate inindustry work on design projects as compared to how academic textbooks teach design.Information from design literature textbooks was compared with in-person and over-the-phone interviews from practicing engineers and designers in industry. A case study wasconducted through interviews, which allow for live interactions between the researcherand the interviewees to retrieve targeted information specific to the collaborative designresearch that may be more difficult to attain in written documents. A total of teninterviewees volunteered from three companies to participate in an interview related todesign projects, processes, tools, and meetings. Interviews were then deconstructed toquantify …

Seasonal Habitat Use And Activity Of Bats In Relation To Prescribed Fire And Environmental Conditions, Leanne Katherine Leala Burns

All Theses

North American bats are becoming increasingly threatened due to stressors such as wind energy development and the emerging infectious disease white-nose syndrome. A better understanding of the seasonal behavior and habitat associations of temperate bat species can inform conservation strategies in the face of current threats, aiding effective management of remaining populations. To this end, we used acoustic bat detectors to examine summer occupancy and winter activity of bats in Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area on the Cumberland Plateau. Our specific objectives were 1) investigate the effects of post-fire landscape conditions on the summer occurrence of commuting …

Uniform Micro-Patterning Of An Arbitrary Surface, Viraj Rajendra Kulkarni

All Theses

According to the literature, creating specific micro-level patterns on some surfaces can significantly reduce friction. To this effect, a method is presented to create a regular pattern of micro-level indentations on any irregular surface. Creating a uniform pattern on a regular surface is possible using commercial CAD software, where regular surface is the surface obtained by extrusion or revolution of a 2D sketch along any curve. But, it is complicated and often incorrect for irregular surfaces. The thesis presents the approach followed to create parameterized regular patterns on arbitrary surfaces. Three different algorithms are presented, each achieving a progressively increased …

Solastalgia, Deighton Abrams

All Theses

My work explores the empathic connections between humans and the physical landscape and investigates the phenomenon of psychological distress associated withclimate change. I use memories of my itinerant shifts between landscapes to createabstracted ceramic sculptures; for these I reference mountain and glacial forms, anextension of my own experience growing up in Alaska. Ceramics is a medium whichreadily records the hand of the maker while making forms permanent through the firingprocess. I use this aspect of the material to freeze moments in time where the clay splitsand cracks, implying a slow collapse. This reflection of time’s effect on materials elicitscorrelations between …

Black Americans And The South African Anti-Apartheid Campaign In Portland, Oregon, Ethan Johnson

Black Studies Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper argues that in order to understand the anti-Apartheid campaign in Portland, Oregon it must be located within the particular socio-historical context of race and racism in the city and state. Thus, Black people living in Portland had good reason to compare the Apartheid system in South Africa to their own experience. Therefore, the confluence of national and local issues that move the local anti-Apartheid campaign forward is examined; the paper documents the rise and development of critical organizations in the anti-Apartheid campaign in Portland; the paper focus on the closure of the Honorary South Africa Consulate in downtown …

Krikorian, S. (2013). 'A La Table Des Élites. Les Repas Privés En France De La Régence À La Revolution'., Elaine Mahon

Articles

Book review / Compte rendu of Sandrine Krikorian, 'A la table des élites. Les repas privés en France de la Régence à la Revolution' (2013).

https://www.brepolsonline.net/toc/food/13/1-3

12-01-2016 Evans & Davis Makes Gift To Swosu Bulldog Angels Fund, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

THE BARK ARCHIVE 2016

Evans & Davis, PLLC, of Edmond has made a generous contribution to the Southwestern Oklahoma State University Bulldog Angels Fund in Weatherford.

12-01-2016 Swosu Single Parent's Network Hosting Elevate Through Education In Elk City, Southwestern Oklahoma State University

THE BARK ARCHIVE 2016

Southwestern Oklahoma State University and the SWOSU Single Parent’s Network (SPN) is hosting an “Elevate Through Education” night for single residents in the Elk City area.

Cardiac Left Ventricle Segmentation Using Convolutional Neural Network Regression / Li Kuo Tan, Yih Miin Liew And Einly Lim, L.K. Tan, Y.M. Liew, E. Lim

Research Publications (2016 to 2020)

No abstract provided.

Enhancing The Use Of Teaching And Learning Materials To Promote Numeracy In Preschools In Rural Areas In Uganda., Alice Namutamba

Master of Education

Many studies have been carried out and established that there is limited use of teaching and learning materials (TLMs) that promote numeracy in preschools but little has been done to overcome this problem. Their findings have attributed this to the lack of funds and incompetence of the ECD teachers in the utilizing TLMs. Different of its kind, this study intended to crack the inadequate utilization of TLMs for numeracy development using low or no cost raw materials. Additionally, this study took the qualitative approach with an action research design. It used observation, interviews as well as a focus group discussion …

Exploring The Effectiveness Of Teachers’ Use Of Descriptive Feedback In The Teaching And Learning Of English Language: A Case Of A Selected Secondary School In Luwero District, Central Uganda, Akwang John Robert

Master of Education

This study investigated the effectiveness of teachers’ use of descriptive feedback in the teaching and learning of English language. Effective descriptive feedback is an invaluable means of helping students understand what they need to achieve their learning goals. Three research questions examined the nature of the teachers’ descriptive feedback practices, its importance and the factors that determined teachers’ use of descriptive feedback in their classrooms. A qualitative approach with a case study design for the study. The sample consisted of seven secondary school teachers of English language and six Senior Three students in from one secondary school in Luwero District, …

The Use Of Information And Communication Technologies (Icts) In Teaching And Learning Advanced Mathematics In Southern Tanzanian Secondary Schools: A Case Of One Secondary School, Noel Ponera

Master of Education

The ICTs policy in Tanzania was introduced in order to accelerate educational developments by the application of Information and Communication Technologies and so increase the quality of education in all levels of education. Some efforts were done to provide Information and Communication Technologies facilities to different schools so that they were exploited in academics. The aim of this study therefore was to explore the use of Information and Communication Technologies in advanced mathematics instructions in southern Tanzanian secondary schools specifically in Ruvuma region. The study looked at Calculating Devices, that is, the use of scientific calculators, computers and computer packages …

The Influence Of Head Teachers’ Predominant Leadership Styles On Students’ Learning In Public Primary Schools In Sianda Zone Kisumu Kenya: A Case Of Kasigu Primary School, Okongo Stephen Lugare

Master of Education

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of the HTs’ predominant leadership styles on students’ learning in public primary schools in Sianda zone of Kisumu West Sub-county, Kisumu County. The study’s research questions were formulated to find out if there was any link between HTs’ predominant leadership styles and the students’ learning. The study adopted a mixed methods design and used interviews for the HT, teachers and parents; questionnaires for both teachers and the HT; focused group discussions (FDG) for the students’ leaders and documents analysis of the major school documents such as Board of Management …

Investigating The Impact Of Sesemat Program On Teaching Of Biology At O-Level In Uganda: A Case Of Two Secondary Schools In Arua District, Anziku Debo Phanuel

Master of Education

SESEMAT is an in-service training program for teachers of science and mathematics in secondary schools in Uganda. It was introduced following the persistent poor performance of learners in the science and mathematics subjects in national examinations in the last two decades. Poor teaching methodologies were identified as one of the contributing factors leading to the poor performance. Therefore, the main objective of the program is to build the capacity of science (biology) and mathematics teachers so as to improve the teaching and learning of these subjects thereby resulting in an improved performance of learners in national examinations managed by Uganda …