Engineering Commons^™

Production Of Genetically Engineered Golden Syrian Hamsters By Pronuclear Injection Of The Crispr/Cas9 Complex, Rong Li, Jinxin Miao, Seokhwan Song, Il-Keun Kong, Yaohe Wang, Zhongde Wang

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

The pronuclear (PN) injection technique was first established in mice to introduce foreign genetic materials into the pronuclei of one-cell stage embryos. The introduced genetic material may integrate into the embryonic genome and generate transgenic animals with foreign genetic information following transfer of the injected embryos to foster mothers. Following the success in mice, PN injection has been applied successfully in many other animal species. Recently, PN injection has been successfully employed to introduce reagents with gene-modifying activities, such as the CRISPR/Cas9 system, to achieve site-specific genetic modifications in several laboratory and farm animal species. In addition to mastering the …

Numerical Algorithm For Wing-Structure Design, Jeffrey D. Taylor, Douglas F. Hunsaker, James J. Joo

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

Low-fidelity aerostructural optimization routines have often focused on determining the optimal spanloads for a given wing configuration. Several analytical approaches have been developed that can predict optimal lift distributions on rectangular wings with a specific payload distribution. However, when applied to wings of arbitrary geometry and payload distribution, these approaches fail. Increasing the utility and accuracy of these analytical methods can result in important benefits during later design phases. In this paper, an iterative algorithm is developed that uses numerical integration to predict the distribution of structural weight required to support the bending moments on a wing with arbitrary geometry …

Value Of Water - Economic And Full Value - Michigan Tech University, Rabi Gyawali, Ali Mirchi, David Watkins

All ECSTATIC Materials

Lecture module on Economic and Full Value of water developed by Michigan Tech University (slides).

Lecture draws on two readings:

1. Brett Walton. (2010). The Price of Water: A Comparison of Water Rates, Usage in 30 U.S. Cities. April 26. Circle of Blue WaterNews. Available at: https://www.circleofblue.org/2010/world/the-price-of-water-a-comparison-of-water-rates-usage-in-30-u-s-cities/.
2. Peter Rogers, Radhika de Silva, Ramesh Bhatia. (2002) Water is an economic good: How to use prices to promote equity, efficiency, and sustainability, Water Policy, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2002, Pages 1-17, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1366-7017(02)00004-1.

Find a companion Jeopardy game -- test your knowledge about the readings, prices, economic values, full values, and more -- under …

An Analysis Of Student Experiences With Concept Mapping In A Foundational Undergraduate Engineering Course, Ning Fang

Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Concept mapping is a powerful graphical technique for helping learners organize knowledge and visualize connections and relationships between relevant concepts. The present study is an investigation of student experiences with concept mapping in a foundational undergraduate engineering course titled Engineering Dynamics. A total of 165 undergraduate engineering students from two recent semesters participated in the present study. This paper provides representative examples of student-generated concept maps. Student comments collected at the end of each semester were analyzed using content analysis. Students provided positive feedback, for example, concept mapping helped students make connections between concepts; reviewed what students had learned; visualized, …

Dynamic Choke Sensing For Timing Error Resilience In Ntc Systems, Aatreyi Bal, Shamik Saha, Sanghamitra Roy, Koushik Chakraborty

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Process variation (PV) is a conspicuous predicament for submicrometer VLSI circuits. In this paper, we illustrate "choke points" as a vital consequence of PV in the near-threshold computing domain. Choke points are PV affected sensitized logic gates with increased delay deviation. They dominate the choice of critical paths postfabrication. To mitigate the timing errors induced thereby, we propose dynamic choke sensing (DCS). This technique senses the timing error causing opcode sequences, and uses the knowledge to prevent similar sequences from causing errors in the future. We propose two variants of our scheme. Our techniques provide ~55% improvement in performance and …

Cee 433: Water Technology & Policy Syllabus, University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Ashlynn Stillwell

All ECSTATIC Materials

This document is the syllabus for CEE 433: Water Technology & Policy, by instructor Ashlynn S. Stillwell at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The course is an elective class, open to upper-level undergraduate and graduate students.

Jeopardy - Water Price, Ecnomic Cost, Economic Value, Rabi Gyawali, Ali Mirchi, David Watkins, Jr.

All ECSTATIC Materials

It's Jeopardy! Test your knowledge of water prices, water cost, it's economic value, full value, and more. Information developed from a companion lecture and two readings:

1. Brett Walton. (2010). The Price of Water: A Comparison of Water Rates, Usage in 30 U.S. Cities. April 26. Circle of Blue WaterNews. Available at: https://www.circleofblue.org/2010/world/the-price-of-water-a-comparison-of-water-rates-usage-in-30-u-s-cities/.
2. Peter Rogers, Radhika de Silva, Ramesh Bhatia. (2002) Water is an economic good: How to use prices to promote equity, efficiency, and sustainability, Water Policy, Volume 4, Issue 1, 2002, Pages 1-17, https://doi.org/10.1016/S1366-7017(02)00004-1.

How many Jeopardy points can you earn?

Milwaukee Wet Weather Flow Management System Planning, David Watkins

All ECSTATIC Materials

Many older cities across the United States rely on combined sewers to convey both stormwater runoff and sanitary sewage. Combined sewer overflows (CSOs), containing untreated sewage, occur during extreme wet weather, when the capacity of these combined sewer systems is exceeded. Across the U.S., CSOs pose a serious threat to water quality in thousands of lake, river, and coastal ecosystems. In addition to harming the natural environment, they may be a threat to human health and have adverse economic consequences (e.g., beach closings, reduced aesthetics, tourism impacts).

In this assignment, students role-play engineering consultants tasked with developing a cost-effective plan …

Affordable Small System Calibration & Tvac Testing, Space Dynamics Laboratory

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Ensure that your sensor will perform correctly during operation by validating image quality, radiometric performance, and operation temperature performance!

The Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) has been calibrating electro-optical sensors for over 50 years. During this time, SDL has designed and developed a collection of specialized equipment that is available for calibrating smaller optical systems, which can be very affordable.

Neowise: Near Earth Object Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer, Space Dynamics Laboratory

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

NEOWISE began as the Wide-field Survey Explorer (WISE), a highly sensitive astronomical telescope that surveyed the entire sky in four mid‐infrared bands spanning from 2.6 to 26 microns. Launched in December 2009, WISE scanned the entire sky one and a half times and cataloged hundreds of millions of astronomical objects, including many asteroids, brown dwarf stars, and ultra‐ luminous infrared galaxies.

Gr: Geospatial Reality, Space Dynamics Laboratory

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

The Space Dynamics Laboratory developed Geospatial Reality (GR), a Government-owned, open software architecture that enhances military/DoD system capability by visually presenting warfighters with tactically relevant, geospatial situational awareness information in real time. GR is designed to facilitate both real-time Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) applications on a variety of systems. Most of the underlying software methods are typically the same for both AR and VR and often the location of the operator is the only difference between the two.

Bioproducts From Bacteria: A Synthetic Biology Approach, Andrew Walters, Ron Sims, Charles Miller

Research on Capitol Hill

What can synthetic biology do?

Synthetic biology can solve many of Utah's problems:

1. Health: generate better medicines and treatments

- Insulin, Artemisinin (anti-malaria drug), Cancer

2. Fuel: augment petroleum with biofuels and biogas

3. Electricity: directly generate electricity from waste

4. Food: engineer more nutritious food with higher yields

- Golden rice, Arctic Apples, Corn, Soybeans, Cotton

5. Products: generate necessary products renewably

- Bioplastics, Spider silk, Adhesives, Pigments, Perfumes

Mathematically Predicting The Aleut Tribe Population Using Archaeological Data, Jack Conrad Kiefer Ii, Paden Allen Thompson

Research on Capitol Hill

Sanak Island, located off the southern Alaska Peninsula, was home to the native Aleut peoples for thousands of years. Their hunter-gatherer society depended heavily on the arctic and marine ecosystem for food resources.

In 2015, a team of archaeologists from Idaho State and Utah State universities went to the island and collected data about the Aleut population size and their diet.

This study constructed a dynamical model to mathematically predict the Aleut population over time in order to gain insights into how food resources affected the Aleut people’s ability to survive.

A Collaborative Solution To Harmful Algal Blooms In Utah, Kyle Hillman, Bethany Jensen, Ammon Balle

Research on Capitol Hill

Harmful algal blooms (HABs)…

• affect Utah Lake, Scofield Reservoir, Jordanelle Reservoir, Mantua Lake, and other water bodies throughout Utah
• are toxic to public health, the environment, and the economy

Thermal Straps: High-Performance Thermal Management, Space Dynamics Laboratory

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Thermal straps efficiently transfer heat from a heat source to a temperature sink while minimizing the transfer of mechanical loads. SDL has been pioneering solderless flexible thermal straps (a.k.a. thermal links) since 1994.

Optimal Maneuvers For Safe Rpo Using Relative Orbital Elements And Sequential Convex Programming, Nicholas G. Ortolano, David K. Geller, Aaron Avery

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Passive safety of flight constraints for orbital rendezvous and proximity operations trajectory design are imposed as a means for ensuring zero probability of collision in the event of a passive failure on the chaser satellite. For a chaser satellite near a target satellite in a near circular reference orbit, relative orbital elements are used to develop safety of flight constraints. Using relative orbital elements, the problem is formulated as a minimum ∆v convex optimization problem in which the optimal transfer trajectories are guaranteed to not pass within a prescribed distance of the target satellite in the event of a …

Monolith: Spacecraft, Space Dynamics Laboratory

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

SDL’s Pearl spacecraft architecture delivers the performance, reliability, and mission flexibility needed for demanding small satellite missions. The Pearl architecture draws from common sets of components to build 3U, 6U, 12U, and custom sizes with variations in mission capability, parts quality, and radiation tolerance. This flexibility enables our professional staff to develop systems specific to each mission while drawing on a common design to maintain reliability and costs.

Snpp Cris Noise Characterization And Relative Response After 5 Years In Space, Kori Moore, Mark Esplin, Deron Scott

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

CrIS Background

Satellite-based, infrared, Fourier transform spectrometer

• Provides Earth surface, atmospheric, and weather observations
• Global coverage twice daily

Launched and operational CrIS instruments

• Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership (SNPP) spacecraft, launched Oct. 2011, operational since Apr. 2012
• SNPP follow-on system (J1) launched Nov. 2017, expected operational spring 2018

Slanted-Edge Mtf Focus Test Verification With Prf Testing To Establish Best Focus Position Of Infinite Conjugate Space Optical Systems, Lennon Reinhart, Trent Newswander, Duane Miles, David W. Riesland, Deron Scott

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

For earth-viewing, fixed-focus, space optical systems, carefully finding the best focus position of the instrument is critical to achieving the best possible image performance and mission success. For such space optical systems, modulation transfer function (MTF) test data is directly applicable to system optical resolution. Furthermore, MTF test products can be combined to predict overall imaging performance. The infinite conjugate slanted-edge MTF test can be used in ground testing to identify best focus of the optical system while taking into account the entire imaging system, operational parameters, and simulated operational environment. The point-response function (PRF) test can be used to …

A Performance Analysis Of On-Board Numerical Propagators, Simon Shuster, David Geller, Tyson Smith

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

On-board targeting, guidance, and navigation relies on orbit propagation algorithms that must strike a balance between accuracy and computational efficiency. To better understand this balance, the performance of numerical propagation methods is analyzed for LEO, GEO, and Molniya orbits. A numerical propagator consists of a set of differential equations describing perturbed orbital motion whose solution is approximated using a numerical integration method. This paper compares Cowell, Encke-time, Encke-beta, and Equinoctial Elements formulations over a range of integration function evaluations for a given set of perturbations and integrators. Function evaluations are shown to be a reasonable approximation of normalized computation time. …

The Utah Snow Load Study, Brennan Bean, Marc Maguire, Yan Sun

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Recent reports of snow related building collapses across the western United States in early 2017 highlight the importance of snow load considerations in building design. Specifying such design snow loads requires a proper balance between safety and economy. As articulated by Nowak and Collins (2012): "Conceptually, we can design [a] structure to reduce the probability of failure, but increasing the safety...beyond a certain optimum level is not always economical." It is the search for this optimum level of safety that has motivated the development of design ground snow loads at state and local levels.

Modeling The Effect Of Gi Implementation In The Red Butte Creek Area: The Case For "Not All Gi Is Created Equal", Rosa A. Fernández Valasquez, Ryan Dupont

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

• Background on the Project
• Review of Work Evaluating Organic Matter Impacts from Stormwater Discharges to Jordan Using High Frequency Data
• Modeling Approach for Stormwater Runoff and Pollutant Loading in Intermountain Region
• Model Flow & Pollutant Load Calibration
• GI Implementation Results
• Implications

In Vivo Raman Spectroscopy For Biochemical Monitoring Of The Human Cervix Throughout Pregnancy, Christine M. O'Brien, Elizabeth Vargis, Amy Rudin, James C. Slaughter, Giju Thomas, J. Michael Newton, Jeff Reese, Kelly A. Bennett, Anita Mahadevan-Jansen

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Background

The cervix must undergo significant biochemical remodeling to allow for successful parturition. This process is not fully understood, especially in instances of spontaneous preterm birth. In vivo Raman spectroscopy is an optical technique that can be used to investigate the biochemical composition of tissue longitudinally and noninvasively in human beings, and has been utilized to measure physiology and disease states in a variety of medical applications.

Objective

The purpose of this study is to measure in vivo Raman spectra of the cervix throughout pregnancy in women, and to identify biochemical markers that change with the preparation for delivery and …

The Automated Beehive, Lighten The Load Of Beekeeping, Usu Department Of Electrical And Computer Engineering

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Our system will be useful to new and experienced beekeepers alike. Our project will provide consistent information about the beehive to the beekeepers. The system will monitor the state of the beehive by examining each frame in the hive. If the system detects invasive species such as spiders or wax moths, the system will inform the beekeeper through email letting them know what actions need to be taken.

Automatic Guitar Tuner, Trent Smith, Courtney Adams

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Automatic Guitar Tuner is a mobile, compact device that mounts onto the head of a guitar and automatically tunes the guitar by rotating each peg. This device is designed to operate quickly and accurately, providing a convenient method of tuning for guitarists. Implemented as a real-time embedded system, the device processes the sound generated by a plucked guitar string and tunes it by using a mechanical arm to rotate the peg. Due to its efficiency, this device could especially benefit beginning guitarists who haven't built up the necessary ear training to tune their instrument correctly.

Acs: Autonomous Camera Slider, Jim Jowers

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Autonomous Camera Slider (ACS) is a system that gives amateur videographers a low-cost solution for shooting video pans. This system allows users to attach a camera to the platform and control it via an app on their Android/iOS device. The app includes two modes, Manual and Autonomous, which give the user the ability to control side-to-side movement of the camera across the rails.

Blind Aide, Joshua Smith

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Blind Aide is a hardware and software package designed to leverage advanced computer vision technologies to help those with visual impairments with a variety of tasks. It is built to be an economic, open source, and practical solution that can be easily distributed and expanded upon. The modular software design is structured to allow new functionality to be easily incorporated. It is controlled purely by voice commands and communicates all information back to the user through speech.

Cnc Plasma Machine, Joshua Benson, Andrew Sharratt, Gary Mitchell

Electrical and Computer Engineering

Our project is a 3-Axis CNC Plasma Cutter. This project provides a smaller more cost effective CNC Plasma Cutter machine for those with limited space and funds. Our project incorporates a hand-held plasma torch with a 3-axis CNC gantry to produce a precise and efficient method of cutting designs.

Custom Electric Accordion, William Balling

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The custom Electronic Accordion is a portable synthesizer with an interface similar to accordions. Electric Accordions do exist, but they only provide a way for accordions to send electrical signals and not an option to change the accordion sounds or behavior. The Custom Electric Accordion provides this option.

Electric Go Kart, Usu Department Of Electrical And Computer Engineering

Electrical and Computer Engineering

The Electric Go Kart is a system design to create a small scale unit of transportation without a internal combustion engine. This system is intended to create a efficient and fun experience for those who use this product.

The go kart is designed using two DC-Brushless motors that use a 60V battery. Each motor moves it’s own drive socket to provide faster acceleration. Each motors torque is monitored and constantly adjusted by a controller and an acceleration pedal.

The Electric Go Kart is designed to be a fun, inexpensive mode of transportation.