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Articles 2851 - 2880 of 4850

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Water Fat Separation With Multiple-Acquisition Balanced Steady-State Free Precession Mri, Michael A. Mendoza Dec 2013

Water Fat Separation With Multiple-Acquisition Balanced Steady-State Free Precession Mri, Michael A. Mendoza

Theses and Dissertations

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important medical imaging technique for visualizing soft tissue structures in the body. It has the advantages of being noninvasive and, unlike x-ray, does not rely on ionizing radiation for imaging. In traditional hydrogen-based MRI, the strongest measured signals are generated from the hydrogen nuclei contained in water and fat molecules.Reliable and uniform water fat separation can be used to improve medical diagnosis. In many applications the water component is the primary signal of interest, while the fat component represents a signal which can obscure the underlying pathology or other features of interest. In other …

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Characterization And Processing Evaluation Of Starch/High-Density Polyethylene Materials In Extrusion Blow Molding, Bradley Dale Bacigalupi Dec 2013

Characterization And Processing Evaluation Of Starch/High-Density Polyethylene Materials In Extrusion Blow Molding, Bradley Dale Bacigalupi

Theses and Dissertations

The growing negative impacts of non-biodegradable plastics derived from non-renewable materials have created increasing interest throughout the world for new materials that are both biodegradable and renewable, that can be combined with or replace traditional plastics. Plant-based thermoplastic starch (TPS), a promising alternative material to traditional petroleum based resin, is both biodegradable and renewable and has great potential for use in plastic manufacturing processes. Two major obstacles that prevent more widespread use of TPS include; TPS base material, which is typically manufactured in a flake or powder, is incompatible with standard plastics production equipment that require pelletized resin, the second …

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Interface Design And Synthesis For Structural Hybrid Microarchitectural Simulators, Zhuo Ruan Dec 2013

Interface Design And Synthesis For Structural Hybrid Microarchitectural Simulators, Zhuo Ruan

Theses and Dissertations

Computer architects have discovered the potential of using FPGAs to accelerate software microarchitectural simulators. One type of FPGA-accelerated microarchitectural simulator, namedthe hybrid structural microarchitectural simulator, is very promising. This is because a hybrid structural microarchitectural simulator combines structural software and hardware, and this particular organization provides both modeling flexibility and fast simulation speed. The performance of a hybrid simulator is significantly affected by how the interface between software and hardware is constructed. The work of this thesis creates an infrastructure, named Simulator Partitioning Research Infrastructure (SPRI), to implement the synthesis of hybrid structural microarchitectural simulators which includes simulator partitioning, simulator-to-hardware …

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Proteins In High Electric Fields, David Michael Landry Dec 2013

Proteins In High Electric Fields, David Michael Landry

Theses and Dissertations

Being able to control protein function directly and in real time is attractive. In this thesis, I discuss controlling protein activity using alternating current electric fields on the order of 1 MV/m. Since protein structures result in localized and/or protein-wide charge gradients, it is expected that a sufficiently high electric field applied across a protein should result in structural distortions which can temporarily alter or halt protein function. The field is set to oscillate above the influences of the electrochemical double layer effects (1 kHz) and below the level needed for hydrodynamic rotation of proteins (10 MHz). A device is …

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An Investigation Of The Asit Problem-Solving Method On Middle School Technology Education Student's Ability To Produce Creative Solutions, Jared Aaron Merrill Dec 2013

An Investigation Of The Asit Problem-Solving Method On Middle School Technology Education Student's Ability To Produce Creative Solutions, Jared Aaron Merrill

Theses and Dissertations

This study compared two groups of students being instructed in various methods of problem solving over a two-week period. The control group was instructed using the standard Career and Technology Education (CTE) Introduction curriculum on using brainstorming to solve problems. The treatment group was instructed using a structured problem solving method developed to help focus problem solving on finding a solution that satisfies the conditions. Students were selected from 7th grade students at a suburban middle school in Utah. The independent variable in this study was the type of problem solving instruction received. The dependent variables of interest were the …

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Hot Spot Identification And Analysis Methodology, Jacob S. Farnsworth Nov 2013

Hot Spot Identification And Analysis Methodology, Jacob S. Farnsworth

Theses and Dissertations

The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) Traffic and Safety Division continues to advance the safety of roadway sections throughout the state. To aid UDOT in meeting their goal the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Brigham Young University (BYU) has worked with the Statistics Department in developing analysis tools for safety. The most recent of these tools has been the development of a hierarchical Bayesian Poisson Mixture Model (PMM) statistical model of traffic crashes and safety on UDOT roadways statewide and the integration of the results of this model in a Geographic Information System (GIS) framework. This research focuses …

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Wax Pattern Shrinkage Project Summary, David Bishop, Perry Carter Nov 2013

Wax Pattern Shrinkage Project Summary, David Bishop, Perry Carter

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Purpose: The purpose of this project was to better understand the sources of variation that influence the shrinkage of wax patterns in investment casting. With a better understanding of the variation, manufacturers will be able to produce parts that have more precise dimensions.

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The Dam Truths Of Glen Canyon, Jeffrey D. Bennion, Dr. M. Brett Borup Nov 2013

The Dam Truths Of Glen Canyon, Jeffrey D. Bennion, Dr. M. Brett Borup

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The Glen Canyon Dam was completed by the Bureau of Reclamation in 1963 as the main feature of the Colorado River Storage Project. The purposes of the dam were to regulate the flow of the Colorado River, store water for consumptive use, provide for the reclamation of arid and semi-arid land, control floods, and generate hydroelectric power (U.S. Department of the Interior, 1995). Since the dam was completed prior to enactment of the National Environmental Act, no environmental impact statement was filed regarding its construction and operation. Many environmentalist groups, most recently the Sierra Club, have lobbied for the removal …

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Synchronous Data Link Control Communication Chip, C. Alva Barney, Dr. Doran K. Wilde Nov 2013

Synchronous Data Link Control Communication Chip, C. Alva Barney, Dr. Doran K. Wilde

Journal of Undergraduate Research

In conjunction with the ORCA research grant I was able to design, layout and simulate an integrated Synchronous Data Link Control (SDLC) communication chip. SDLC communication chips are commonly used to transfer data between computers in serial bit-wise transmission. Extensions of the SDLC are used in high speed data links and satellite communication. In addition, this project was accompanied with full web documentation such that the VLSI Design Class (ECEn 451) can leverage my research and design as a class project.

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Cad Tools For Thermal Growth Research, C. Porter Bassett, Dr. C. Greg Jensen Nov 2013

Cad Tools For Thermal Growth Research, C. Porter Bassett, Dr. C. Greg Jensen

Journal of Undergraduate Research

For my project I developed two tools to aid in manufacturing research that is currently being conducted in the Mechanical Engineering Department. This research is about milling, a type of manufacturing where metal is machined bye a spinning cutting tool, very similar to a drill bit, that cuts away the metal. This process generates a lot of heat and causes the cutting tool to heat up. When it heats up, it also expands and changes shape. The change in size of the cutting tool effects how much metal it removes. In precision work, this change in shape can be enough …

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Strain In Polysilicon Microbeams: The Relationship Between Beam Geometry And The Nominal Strain At Failure, Susan Norma, Candland Bromley, Dr. Larry L. Howell Nov 2013

Strain In Polysilicon Microbeams: The Relationship Between Beam Geometry And The Nominal Strain At Failure, Susan Norma, Candland Bromley, Dr. Larry L. Howell

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The objective of this research was to investigate the stress and strain behavior of microscopic cantilevered polycrystallin silicon (polysilicon) beams. A knowledge of this behavior is necessary to accomplish reliable mechanical design of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS).

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Novel Liposomes For Targeted Delivery Of Drugs And Plasmids, Marjan Javadi Nov 2013

Novel Liposomes For Targeted Delivery Of Drugs And Plasmids, Marjan Javadi

Theses and Dissertations

People receiving chemotherapy not only suffer from side effects of therapeutics but also must buy expensive drugs. Targeted drug and gene delivery directed to specific tumor-cells is one way to reduce the side effect of drugs and use less amount of therapeutics. In this research, two novel liposomal nanocarriers were developed. This nanocarrier, called an eLiposome, is basically one or more emulsion droplets inside a liposome. Emulsion droplets are made of perfluorocarbons which usually have a high vapor pressure. Calcein (as a model drug) and Paclitaxel were used to demonstrate drug delivery, and plasmids and siRNA were used to exemplify …

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Developing An Architecture Framework For Cloud-Based, Multi-User, Finite Element Pre-Processing, Jared Calvin Briggs Nov 2013

Developing An Architecture Framework For Cloud-Based, Multi-User, Finite Element Pre-Processing, Jared Calvin Briggs

Theses and Dissertations

This research proposes an architecture for a cloud-based, multi-user FEA pre-processing system, where multiple engineers can access and operate on the same model in a parallel environment. A prototype is discussed and tested, the results of which show that a multi-user preprocessor, where all computing is done on a central server that is hosted on a high performance system, provides significant benefits to the analysis team. These benefits include a shortened preprocessing time, and potentially higher-quality models.

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An Investigation Into The Mechanisms Of Formation Of The Hard Zone In Fsw X65, Jacob D. Allred Nov 2013

An Investigation Into The Mechanisms Of Formation Of The Hard Zone In Fsw X65, Jacob D. Allred

Theses and Dissertations

Friction stir welding (FSW) of HSLA steel commonly produces a hard zone (HZ) on the advancing side (AS) of the weld. Despite its detrimental effects on weld toughness, the mechanisms of its formation have not been thoroughly investigated and are not well understood. This paper investigates the various mechanisms in FSW believed to affect the weld HZ, namely: strain, strain-rate, peak temperature and cooling rate. Gleeble tests indicate that strain and strain rate have negligible effects on weld HZ with cooling rate and peak temperature as dominant effects. Jominy tests resulted in cooling rate having 270% greater influence than peak …

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Trajectory Generation And Optimization For Experimental Investigation Of Flapping Flight, Michael Schnebly Wilcox Nov 2013

Trajectory Generation And Optimization For Experimental Investigation Of Flapping Flight, Michael Schnebly Wilcox

Theses and Dissertations

Though still in relative infancy, the field of flapping flight has potential to have a far-reaching impact on human life. Nature presents a myriad of examples of successful uses of this locomotion. Human efforts in flapping flight have seen substantial improvement in recent times. Wing kinematics are a key aspect of this study. This study summarizes previous wing trajectory generators and presents a new trajectory generation method built upon previous methods. This includes a novel means of commanding unequal half-stroke durations subject to robotic trajectory continuity requirements. Additionally, previous optimization methods are improved upon. Experimental optimization is performed using the …

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An Incremental Trace-Based Debug System For Field-Programmable Gate-Arrays, Jared Matthew Keeley Nov 2013

An Incremental Trace-Based Debug System For Field-Programmable Gate-Arrays, Jared Matthew Keeley

Theses and Dissertations

Modern society increasingly relies upon integrated circuits (ICs). It can be very costly if ICs do not function properly, and large portions of designer effort are spent on their verification. The use of field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) for verification and debug of ICs is increasing. FPGAs are faster than simulation and cost less than fabricating an ASIC prototype. However, the major challenge of using FPGAs for verification and debug is observability. Designers must use special techniques to observe the values of FPGA's internal signals. This thesis proposes a new method for increasing the observability of FPGAs and demonstrates its feasibility. …

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Simulating The Performance Of Tracking A Spinning Missile At C-Band, Darren Robert Kartchner Nov 2013

Simulating The Performance Of Tracking A Spinning Missile At C-Band, Darren Robert Kartchner

Theses and Dissertations

The amplitude fluctuation induced by a spinning missile acts as a disturbance on tracking schemes that use sequential lobing (e.g., conscan). In addition, if a tracking system converts from S-band to C-band, the beamwidth is narrower and the wrap-around antenna on the missile requires more patches, and so the margin of error for tracking decreases. Tracking performance is simulated with a spinning missile with ballistic and fly-by trajectories while running at C-band. The spinning missile causes a periodic component in the pointing error, and when the scan frequency is an integer multiple of the roll rate, several tracking schemes lose …

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Dynamic Nanochannels For Biosensing Applications, Joseph B. Oxborrow Nov 2013

Dynamic Nanochannels For Biosensing Applications, Joseph B. Oxborrow

Theses and Dissertations

Inexpensive label-free detection of biomarker panels in serum could revolutionize earlycancer diagnosis and treatment. Such detection capabilities may be possible with dynamicnanochannels in conjunction with electrical impedance measurement. In Dr. Greg Nordin's lab I designed, fabricated and tested several iterations of these sensors with polydimethyl-siloxane microfluidics. The final design yielded a dynamic nanochannel array sensor thatshowed a 140% impedance change when exposed to 14µM bovine serum albumin in phos-phate buffered saline. For the geometry and noise limits of the tested device, simulationsindicated that a minimum detectable concentration of 20pM with specifically bound strep-tavidin should be possible. However, the polydimethylsiloxane approach …

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Cost Of Housing Regulation In Utah Valley-Impact Fees, Rhett M. Turner, Dr. Howard Bashford Oct 2013

Cost Of Housing Regulation In Utah Valley-Impact Fees, Rhett M. Turner, Dr. Howard Bashford

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The purpose of impact fees is to help fund infrastructure needs brought on by new growth. The State of Utah has recently passed legislation which allows cities to charge impact fees for the construction of new homes. These impact fees can be substantial, amounting to thousands of dollars for each home.

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Modeling The Relaxation Time Of Dna Confined In A Nanochannel, Douglas R. Tree, Yanwei Wang, Kevin D. Dorfman Oct 2013

Modeling The Relaxation Time Of Dna Confined In A Nanochannel, Douglas R. Tree, Yanwei Wang, Kevin D. Dorfman

Faculty Publications

Using a mapping between a Rouse dumbbell model and fine-grained Monte Carlo simulations, we have computed the relaxation time of λ-DNA in a high ionic strength buffer confined in a nanochannel. The relaxation time thus obtained agrees quantitatively with experimental data [Reisner et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 94, 196101 (2005)] using only a single O(1) fitting parameter to account for the uncertainty in model parameters. In addition to validating our mapping, this agreement supports our previous estimates of the friction coefficient of DNA confined in a nanochannel [Tree et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 228105 …

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Design And Preparation Of A Ni Steam Reforming Catalyst, Phillip R. Smith, Dr. Calvin H. Bartholomew Oct 2013

Design And Preparation Of A Ni Steam Reforming Catalyst, Phillip R. Smith, Dr. Calvin H. Bartholomew

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Steam reforming catalysts play an essential role in the production of hydrogen, which is an essential fuel, feedstock, and reactant in the worldwide chemical industry. These steam reforming catalysts use a finely dispersed metal, supported on a porous ceramic material, to produce hydrogen from hydrocarbon sources. This is shown in reaction 1, where HC denotes hydrocarbon, H2O denotes water, H2 denotes dihydrogen, CO denotes carbon monoxide, CO2 denotes carbon dioxide, and CH4 denotes methane.

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Low-Power Reference String Design For Cmos Flash Analog-To- Digital Converters, Daniel W. Pulsipher, Dr. Criag Petrie Oct 2013

Low-Power Reference String Design For Cmos Flash Analog-To- Digital Converters, Daniel W. Pulsipher, Dr. Criag Petrie

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) play a prominent role in modern electrical systems. The environment in which we live consists primarily of analog signals, information-carrying waveforms continuous in time and value. Because of this continuous characteristic, analog signals are difficult to store and manipulate. Digital signals are sampled in time and quantized (rounded) in value. Processing of a digital signal can be done more efficiently and flexibly than processing of an analog signal. ADCs are universally needed to construct high-performance digital electronic systems such as cellular phones, satellite equipment, medical instruments, and electronic sensors.

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Multi-Agent Communication Framework, Ryan R. Falke, Dr. James Archibald Oct 2013

Multi-Agent Communication Framework, Ryan R. Falke, Dr. James Archibald

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Multi-agent systems consisting of large numbers of autonomous robots are ideal candidates for tasks that could threaten human lives. However, the complexity and quantity of work required for precise coordination within such systems can be considerable. Our team developed a powerful but lightweight communication framework that significantly reduces the laborious efforts of coordination control. This program offers the ability to pass messages between robotic agents, and maintain knowledge of all robotic interactions. In addition, all the processes and communication nodes are location-independent – a complex task can be distributed amongst various agents. This paper briefly describes the framework designed and …

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Determining Biomass Particle Properties Via Digital Imaging, Justin Scott, Dr. Larry Baxter Oct 2013

Determining Biomass Particle Properties Via Digital Imaging, Justin Scott, Dr. Larry Baxter

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Understanding the devolatilization and combustion of biomass (sawdust, agricultural waste, etc.) will lead to better use of this renewable fuel source. The overall goal of the project is to write a computer model that can accurately predict what will occur during biomass combustion. The research conducted over the past year has focused on developing an apparatus capable of determining the needed data for model development. The apparatus, once completed, will consist of an entrained flow reactor, an optical measurement system, and a computer algorithm to process the needed data from the images.

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Polymers Functioning As Artificial Muscles, Nicholas Stanonis, William Pitt Oct 2013

Polymers Functioning As Artificial Muscles, Nicholas Stanonis, William Pitt

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Current research in the field of polymers has led to the development of synthetic muscles that function similar to biological muscles. Scientists have engineered polymers to contract up to one thousand times their original volume when exposed to changes in light, temperature, voltage, or pH. The ability to contract and relax makes these polymers ideal artificial muscles. Currently, artificial muscles are being applied in the field of robotics. NASA is in the process of developing a dust wiper for their planetary rovers that operates with an artificial muscle. A common goal that many scientists are working towards is the implementation …

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Alignment Of Metal Electrodes With Optical Fibers, Benjamin Ipson, Dr. Stephen Schultz Oct 2013

Alignment Of Metal Electrodes With Optical Fibers, Benjamin Ipson, Dr. Stephen Schultz

Journal of Undergraduate Research

The field of fiber optics is becoming an increasingly important field to the world of communications. With increased use of optical fibers for communication comes the need for devices to use with the fibers. I have been working on the creation of an in-fiber electro-optic modulator. Earlier I worked on a process of creating a waveguide in the fiber that will allow for modulation. This process involves removing a section of the core of a D-shaped fiber and replacing it with a non-linear polymer. I used a chemical etch to remove the core and then used a method of spinning …

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Characterization Of Silicon Oxide And Silicon Nitride Deposition Using Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (Pecvd), Stephen Markham, Dr. Aaron Hawkins Oct 2013

Characterization Of Silicon Oxide And Silicon Nitride Deposition Using Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (Pecvd), Stephen Markham, Dr. Aaron Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Abstract: Waveguides will become more important as optical networks replace traditional wire networks for data transfer. This research explores one method of creating multimode waveguide that uses Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition to grow oxide and nitride layers on Silicon.

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A Configurable Electro-Anesthesia Device, Preston Manwaring, Dr. Mark Manwaring Oct 2013

A Configurable Electro-Anesthesia Device, Preston Manwaring, Dr. Mark Manwaring

Journal of Undergraduate Research

Electro-anesthesia devices offer the ability to alleviate pain and maintain drug-induced anesthesia without re-administering drugs by passing a specially designed electrical current through the brain to sustain naturally or chemically produced endorphins. This potential extends the clinicians armementarium for pain management, drug-addiction rehabilitation, and general anesthesia. This research focuses on the development of one such device which can be configured to use various waveforms for future electro-anesthesia studies.

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Reproducible, Low-Temperature Growth Of Nanocrystals In An Amorphous Silicon Film, Spencer Kellis, Dr. Aaron Hawkins Oct 2013

Reproducible, Low-Temperature Growth Of Nanocrystals In An Amorphous Silicon Film, Spencer Kellis, Dr. Aaron Hawkins

Journal of Undergraduate Research

During Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) crystal growth, an electric field between two charged plates dissociates a gas into a cloud of positive and negative ions called a plasma. The silicon ions descend to the silicon wafer and bond to the surface. Temperature is controlled and usually in the range of several hundred degrees celsius. Dispersed throughout the amorphous thin film are patches of crystalline structure that are nanometers in diameter. The goal of this project was to vary temperature, gas flow, gas mixture, gas pressure, and power settings on the PECVD system at BYU so as to consistently produce …

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Co-Validation Of Jason-1 And Quikscat Wind Speeds Within The Context Of Trmm Rain Data, Ryan Halterman, Dr. David Long Oct 2013

Co-Validation Of Jason-1 And Quikscat Wind Speeds Within The Context Of Trmm Rain Data, Ryan Halterman, Dr. David Long

Journal of Undergraduate Research

SeaWinds on QuikSCAT is a satellite-based scatterometer designed to measure near-surface winds over the earth’s oceans. Ocean surface wind speed is an important parameter in many short-term and long-term climate and weather analyses. QuikSCAT is a rapidly developed replacement for the successful, although prematurely terminated, NSCAT mission of similar objectives. Spaceborne scatterometers find raison d’etre in their facilitation of near-global daily coverage. Planetary scale wind vector measurement has proven impractical using only in situ methods.

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