Digital Commons Network^™

An Underwater Channel Model And Chirp Slope Keying Modulation Scheme Performance, Brice Zoh

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Chirp-Slope Keying (CSK) is a new and innovative digital modulation scheme for underwater data transmission. The underwater environment brings up several challenges to the manufacturing and operation of communication systems. This thesis shows through analysis and simulations the effectiveness of Chirp-Slope Keying (CSK) in providing a satisfying performance in underwater communication. The experiment consists of modulating a chirp slope by binary numbers (representing our data). '0' is represented by a linear- down chirp and '1' is represented by a linear-up chirp. The received data is first processed by a correlator receiver. Then, the detection of either binary symbol is obtained …

Reliability Of A Lunar Excavator, Amanda Michelle Huff

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

Reliability Engineering is a field of engineering that studies the ability of a system (or component of a system) to function properly under specific conditions for a specific period of time; reliability analysis of such a system can take many forms. This thesis presents a quantified reliability study of a system that the author along with a team of Western Kentucky University Engineering students (designated Team ARTEMIS) designed, built, tested, and entered for competition in the Inaugural National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Lunabotics Mining Competition in May 2010. A detailed quantitative analysis has been completed using both a Failure …

Autonomous Underwater Vehicles As Tools For Deep-Submergence Archaeology, Christopher N. Roman, Ian Roderick Mather

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

Marine archaeology beyond the capabilities of scuba divers is a technologically enabled field. The tool suite includes ship-based systems such as towed side-scan sonars and remotely operated vehicles, and more recently free-swimming autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs). Each of these platforms has various imaging and mapping capabilities appropriate for specific scales and tasks. Broadly speaking, AUVs are becoming effective tools for locating, identifying, and surveying archaeological sites. This paper discusses the role of AUVs in this suite of tools, outlines some specific design criteria necessary to maximize their utility in the field, and presents directions for future developments. Results are presented …

Exploring The Human Interactivity With A Robot To Obtain The Fundamental Properties Of Materials, William L. Christian

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research studies the way in which humans and robots interact with each other. When two humans are working together through a set of robotic devices, do they tend to work together or fight with each other more? In which Cartesian direction do they have the most difficulty? Does fighting drastically affect the performance of the team? Finally, what measures can be taken to promote better cooperation between humans and robots to ultimately allow humans to work just as comfortably with a robotic partner as with a human partner? This research answers these questions and provides an analysis of human-robot …

2010 Fall Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2010 ENGR333 project focused on heating and air-conditioning in campus dormitories, which are notoriously leaky and inefficient.

I asked the students “What would it take to retrofit the Bolt-Heyns-Timmer (BHT) dormitory heating and air-conditioning systems in a manner that achieves LEED certification?”

Customer

The customer for this project was Calvin’s VP for finance Henry DeVries.

Is Competition Making A Comeback? Discovering Methods To Keep Female Adolescents Engaged In Stem: A Phenomenological Approach, Kathryn B. Notter

College of Education and Human Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The decreasing number of women who are graduating in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields continues to be a major concern. Despite national support in the form of grants provided by National Science Foundation, National Center for Information and Technology and legislation passed such as the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 that encourages women to enter the STEM fields, the number of women actually graduating in these fields is surprisingly low. This research study focuses on a robotics competition and its ability to engage female adolescents in STEM curricula. Data have been collected to help explain why young …

Enhanced Spectral Domain Optical Coherence Tomography For Pathological And Functional Studies, Zhijia Yuan

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Optical coherence tomography (OCT) is a novel technique that enables noninvasive or minimally invasive, cross-sectional imaging of biological tissue at sub-10æm spatial resolution and up to 2-3mm imaging depth. Numerous technological advances have emerged in recent years that have shown great potential to develop OCT into a powerful imaging and diagnostic tools. In particular, the implementation of Fourier-domain OCT (FDOCT) is a major step forward that leads to greatly improved imaging rate and image fidelity of OCT. This dissertation summarizes the work that focuses on enhancing the performances and functionalities of spectral radar based FDOCT (SDOCT) for pathological and functional …

Experimental Verification Of Nonlinear System Model Parameter Identification Based On Trajectory Pattern Method, Xiao Chen

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The purpose of this thesis was to verify the Trajectory Pattern Method (TPM) based nonlinear system model parameter identification method for a two degrees of freedom closed loop planar robotic manipulator. The systematic procedure and the mathematical proof of convergence of the method were introduced first. A model based feedforward control system was constructed for the control of the planar manipulator. The software of the control system was implemented. Experiments were performed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the TPM based parameter identification method.The experimental results, which can be extended to a large class of nonlinear mechanical systems whose models are …

Preventing Solidification Defects In Large Superalloy Castings Used In Advanced Electric Power Systems, Jairo Antonio Valdes Ortiz

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The need for clean and affordable power has resulted in great demand for high-efficiency gas turbine power systems. To improve energy generation efficiency, and lower CO2 emissions, the new generation of land based gas turbines needs to be larger and operated at a higher temperature. Consequently, it is required the use of Nb-containing superalloys such as Inconel 718 for the rotor disk, to avoid overaging of the microstructure during the forging process, but its applicability is being limited by difficulties in the reliable production of large Vacuum Arc Remelting (VAR) ingots (33 to ∼35 in. diameter) without macrosegregation defects such …

Observer Incorporated Neoclassical Controller Design: A Discrete Perspective, Winston Alexander Baker

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Control theory has generally been divided into two categories, modern control and classical control. Modern control uses state feedback to alter the pole locations of a given system. Classical control uses pre-compensation to alter the zeroes of the system and uses output feedback to adjust the poles to bring stability to the system. The drawback is that the application of classical control techniques can be a lengthy, complicated and iterative design process and in the end, classical control techniques still do not give information about the state of the system. Neoclassical control combines classical control techniques with the state feedback …

Fast Placement And Floorplanning Methods In Modern Reconfigurable Fpgas., Pritha Baneerjee Dr.

Doctoral Theses

FPGA Field-programmable gate-arrays (FPGA) are programmable hardware platforms with pre-fabricated logic and interconnects, which are electrically programmed by the user to realize a variety of circuits frequently required in a wide range of applications. Unlike application-specific integrated-circuits (ASICs), where realization of a circuit design takes several man-hours and enormous effort, the pre-fabricated logic and interconnects can be quickly programmed according to the design specification and made functional. Thus, in contrast to the ASICs, FPGAs can be customized and reconfigured depending on the need of the user. A basic FPGA chip consists of a set of configurable logic blocks (CLB) and …

Application Of Structured Light Imaging For High Resolution Mapping Of Underwater Archaeological Sites, Chris Roman, Gabrielle Inglis, James Rutter

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

This paper presents results from recent work using structured light laser profile imaging to create high resolution bathymetric maps of underwater archaeological sites. Documenting the texture and structure of submerged sites is a difficult task and many applicable acoustic and photographic mapping techniques have recently emerged. This effort was completed to evaluate laser profile imaging in comparison to stereo imaging and high frequency multibeam mapping. A ROV mounted camera and inclined 532 nm sheet laser were used to create profiles of the bottom that were then merged into maps using platform navigation data. These initial results show very promising resolution …

Modeling And Detection Of Uterine Contractions Using Magnetomyography, Patricio La Rosa

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

In this dissertation, we develop a novel mathematical framework for modeling and analyzing uterine contractions using biomagnetic measurements. The study of myometrium contractility during pregnancy is relevant to the field of reproductive assessment. Its clinical importance is grounded in the need for a better understanding of the bioreproduction mechanisms. For example, in the last decade the number of preterm labors has increased significantly. Preterm birth can cause health problems or even be fatal for the fetus if it happens too early, and, at the same time, it imposes significant financial burdens on health care systems. Therefore, it is critical to …

2010 Spring Engr333 Project Final Report, Eric Ledy, Rachel Jelgerhuis, Jasper Gondhi, Michael Gondhi, Steve Brink, John Mantel, Kyle Harvey, Jim Vanleeuwen, Jacob Speelman, Mitch Brummel, Tyler Van Dongen, Nathan Van Heukelum, Lynette Hromada, Jen Meneely, Matthew Brouwer, Marc Eberlein, Steve Demaagd, Tim Opperwall, Andrew Dejong, Joel Love, Alex Boelkins, Amanda Hollinger, Betsy Huyser, Jason Dornbos, Jason Handlogten, Justin Karsten, Matt Milan

ENGR 333

Calvin is developing plans for a new data center to provide business continuity and quick recovery in the event of a disaster. The new data center will not replace the existing data center; rather, it will provide redundancy for the operations of the campus. Because of the energy demands of data centers, there is a worldwide push for energy efficiency. So-called “green data centers” provide the same functionality as a normal data center with reduced energy usage and reduced energy costs. Calvin, like most organizations, must weigh the long-term economic benefits of energy efficiency projects against higher initial cost. The …

An Algorithm And Methodology For Static Response Based Damage Detection In Structural Systems, Augusto Terlaje

All Theses and Dissertations (ETDs)

A damage detection algorithm and procedure is presented in this dissertation that utilizes static response data and Optimality Criterion optimization. Static displacement measurements are used as constraints in the damage detection algorithm that identifies potential areas of damage in structural systems. The research aims to improve upon the master's level research performed by the author. First, the robustness of the algorithm is improved by use of a least squares approximation for determining the Lagrange multipliers that are necessary for optimization. Second, an active parameter selection subroutine is used to improve the accuracy of damage detection in the presence of experimental …

Production Streamlining Through Design, Implementation, And Analysis Of Lean Manufacturing Methods, Tyler Pattison

Honors Scholar Theses

Through the correct implementation of lean manufacturing methods, a company can greatly improve their business. Over a period of three months at TTM Technologies, I utilized my knowledge to fix existing problems ans streamline production. In addition, other trouble areas in their production process were discovered and proper lean methods were used to address them. TTM Technologies saw many changed in the right direction over this time period.

2010 Spring Engr333 Poster 1, Eric Ledy, Rachel Jelgerhuis, Jasper Gondhi, Michael Gondhi, Steve Brink, John Mantel, Kyle Harvey, Jim Venleeuwen, Jacob Speelman, Mitch Brummel, Tyler Van Dongen, Nathan Van Heukelum, Lynette Hromada, Jen Meneely, Matthew Brouwer, Marc Eberlein, Steve Demaagd, Tim Opperwall, Andrew Dejong, Joel Love, Alex Boelkins, Amanda Hollinger, Betsy Huyser, Jason Dornbos, Jason Handlogten, Justin Karsten, Matt Milan

ENGR 333

Calvin is developing plans for a new data center to provide business continuity and quick recovery in the event of a disaster. The new data center will not replace the existing data center; rather, it will provide redundancy for the operations of the campus. This new data center will be placed in the Spoelhof Complex. Because of the energy demands of data centers, there is a worldwide push for energy efficiency. So-called “green data centers” provide the same functionality as a normal data center with reduced energy usage and reduced energy costs. Calvin, like most organizations, must weigh the long-term …

2010 Spring Engr333 Poster 2, Eric Ledy, Rachel Jelgerhuis, Jasper Gondhi, Michael Gondhi, Steve Brink, John Mantel, Kyle Harvey, Jim Vanleeuwen, Jacob Speelman, Mitch Brummel, Tyler Van Dongen, Nathan Van Heukelum, Lynette Hromada, Jen Meneely, Matthew Brouwer, Marc Eberlein, Steve Demaagd, Tim Opperwall, Andrew Dejong, Joel Love, Alex Boelkins, Amanda Hollinger, Betsy Huyser, Jason Dornbos, Jason Handlogten, Justin Karsten, Matt Milan

ENGR 333

The new redundant data center requires that Network Operations Center personnel are able to monitor certain conditions within the data center for the safety of the server equipment. Server equipment will fail if it gets too hot or if the surrounding environment becomes too humid, therefore the baseline instrumentation design must monitor both temperature and humidity in the data center. The system must also be capable of remotely alerting NOC personnel when there is a problem.

On Microstructure Evolution In Fiber-Reinforced Elastomers And Implications For Their Mechanical Response And Stability, Zhiyun Li

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

Lopez-Pamies and Idiart [Lopez-Pamies, O. | Idiart, M.I. | 2010, Fiber-reinforced hyperelastic solids: A realizable homogenization constitutive theory. Journal of Engineering Mathematics, doi:10.1007/s10665-009-9359-y.] have recently put forward a homogenization theory with the capability to generate exact results not only for the macroscopic response and stability, but also for the evolution of the microstructure in fiber-reinforced hyperelastic solids subjected to finite deformations. In this thesis, we make use of this new theory to construct exact, closed-form solutions for the change in size, shape, and orientation undergone by the underlying fibers in a model class of fiber-reinforced hyperelastic solids along arbitrary 3D …

Dynamic Heat Transfer: Effective Heat Capacity Of Planar Thermal Mass Subject To Periodic Heating And Cooling, Peizheng Ma

Stony Brook Theses and Dissertations Collection, 2006-2020 (closed to submissions)

The design-application of thermal mass is a powerful tool for controlling temperature in buildings. Although a large volume of literature on the use of thermal masses in building applications exists, little quantitative characterization of the performance of a thermal mass under dynamic heating and cooling can be found. In this thesis, the performance of planar thermal masses (PTMs) subject to sinusoidal heating and cooling is investigated. Based on the analysis of a semi-infinite PTM under a sinusoidal thermal wave, some new definitions -- penetration depth, effective thickness, effective area specific heat and effective heat exchange coefficient are introduced. Since actual …

2010 Spring Engr333 Project Seminar Presentation, Eric Ledy, Rachel Jelgerhuis, Jasper Gondhi, Michael Gondhi, Steve Brink, John Mantel, Kyle Harvey, Jim Vanleeuwen, Jacob Speelman, Mitch Brummel, Tyler Van Dongen, Nathan Van Heukelum, Lynette Hromada, Jen Meneely, Matthew Brouwer, Marc Eberlein, Steve Demaagd, Tim Opperwall, Andrew Dejong, Joel Love, Alex Boelkins, Amanda Hollinger, Betsy Huyser, Jason Dornbos, Jason Handlogten, Justin Karsten, Matt Milan

ENGR 333

File for student presentation, given by students in the Spring 2010 class of ENGR333.

Physics Alumni Newsletter Spring 2010, Terry Goforth

Physics Alumni Newsletter

Physics Alumni Newsletter

The Physics Alumni Newsletter is produced by the SWOSU Physics Department.

Our Engineering Physics students are recruited in fields such as electronics, aerospace, mechanical engineering, petroleum engineering and software engineering. Graduates also have careers in meteorology, architecture, education and more.

2010 Spring Engr333 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Spring 2010 ENGR333 project assessed options for the design of a redundant data center for the Calvin campus.

I asked the students “What would it take to build a redundant data center at Calvin that is 30% more energy efficient than the existing data center?”

Note: Because I was on sabbatical in Fall 2009, ENGR333 was moved to Spring 2010.

Customer

The customer for this project was Calvin’s VP for finance Henry DeVries.

Idaho Robotics Opportunities For K-12 Students: A K-12 Pipeline Of Activities Promoting Careers In Science, Engineering, And Technology, Timothy G. Ewers

Journal of Extension

4-H youth development programs nationwide are responding to the 4-H National Science, Engineering, and Technology (4-H SET) Initiative to involve more youth in Science, Engineering, and Technology activities. The goal is to increase the numbers of youth choosing to pursue SET careers. This article describes a program that is having great success engaging many more youth through robotics programs that meet the National 4-H SET program criteria. In addition, the article argues that in order to keep youth focused on SET careers, we need to build programs that provide contiguous, K-12 support to nurture the development and encouragement in SET.

Stem Talent: Moving Beyond Traditional Boundaries, Stephanie Pace Marshall

Publications & Research

The future well-being, prosperity and sustainability of our nation, the global community and our planet resides in igniting and nurturing decidedly different STEM minds that can advance both the new STEM frontier and the human future.

Engineering Professional Development Design For Secondary School Teachers: A Multiple Case Study, Jenny L. Daugherty

Publications

The effectiveness of teachers has been regarded as crucial to the success of standards-based reform (Fishman, Marx, Best, & Tal, 2003). Research, particularly within science and mathematics, has underscored the need for professional development to help teachers understand (a) subject matter, (b) learners and learning, and (c) teaching methods (Loucks-Horsley, 1999). In addition to focusing on teacher professional development, national reform efforts have also emphasized science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education (i.e., Rising Above the Gathering Storm, NRC, 2006). While substantial work has been conducted in mathematics and science, the efforts in technology and engineering education are much less …

Engineering Student Outcomes For Infusion Into Technological Literacy Programs: Grades 9-12, Craig Rhodes, Vincent Childress

Publications

In 2004, the National Center for Engineering and Technology Education (NCETE) secured funding from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to infuse engineering design into the schools through technology education. In order to reach this goal the researchers, in cooperation with NCETE, conducted a two phase study to identify outcomes for high-school students studying engineering. The first study (referred to as a Phase I) focused on students who intended to enter an engineering program after high school, answering the question:

What are the engineering student outcomes that prospective engineering students in grades 9 through 12 should know and be able to …

Numerical Modeling Of Pressure Transient Behavior Of Fractured Coal Samples, Rupesh Kumar Gondle

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In the current study the pressure transient behavior of various coal samples was investigated by using the finite element approach. Finite element analyses were performed on fourteen coal samples with different physical dimensions. Two pressure transients, namely Sine-6 and A-Spike pressure pulses, were used in the research study. Fluid compressibility values of CO2 and Argon were used to perform the analyses. A fracture width of 1mm was considered for each sample to investigate the influence of fluid type on coal permeability. The influence of elastic modulus of coal sample, fracture porosity, fracture width, and fluid compressibility were investigated. The finite …

Quality Indicators For Engineering And Technology Education, Michael Dyrenfurth, Mike Murphy, Gary Bertoline

Conference papers

In recent years the development and use of university rankings, comparisons, and/or league tables has become popular and several methodologies are now frequently used to provide a comparative ranking of universities. These rankings are often based on research and publication activity and also not uncommonly focus on indicators that can be measured rather than those that should be measured. Further, the indicators are generally examined for the university as a whole rather than for university divisions, departments or programs. Implicit also is that placement in the rankings is indicative of quality. This paper provides an overview of the methodologies used …

Microstructural Evolution Of Sputtered Phase Segregated Metal Composite Thin Films, Dana I. Filoti

Doctoral Dissertations

In this thesis, we present the first comparative study of crystallographic texture development in three different types of metal thin film composites: fully miscible (Au-Ag), slightly immiscible (Cu-Ag) and immiscible (Au-SiO 2). Texture development refers to the distribution of orientations of crystallites in polycrystalline thin films, and is an important part of the microstructure that determines thin film properties. A material's crystallographic texture needs to be understood because of its sensitivity to the energetic growth conditions. By controlling the microstructure, a material can be tailored to specific applications. We investigated in comparison the texture and microstructure evolution in metal composite …