Engineering Commons^™

Image Based Approach For Early Assessment Of Heart Failure., Hisham Z. Sliman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In diagnosing heart diseases, the estimation of cardiac performance indices requires accurate segmentation of the left ventricle (LV) wall from cine cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) images. MR imaging is noninvasive and generates clear images; however, it is impractical to manually process the huge number of images generated to calculate the performance indices. In this dissertation, we introduce a novel, fast, robust, bi-directional coupled parametric deformable models that are capable of segmenting the LV wall borders using first- and second-order visual appearance features. These features are embedded in a new stochastic external force that preserves the topology of the LV wall …

Development Of A Light-Powered Microstructure : Enhancing Thermal Actuation With Near-Infrared Absorbent Gold Nanoparticles., Thomas Matthew Lucas

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Development of microscale actuating technologies has considerably added to the toolset for interacting with natural components at the cellular level. Small-scale actuators and switches have potential in areas such as microscale pumping and particle manipulation. Thermal actuation has been used with asymmetric geometry to create large deflections with high force relative to electrostatically driven systems. However, many thermally based techniques require a physical connection for power and operate outside the temperature range conducive for biological studies and medical applications. The work presented here describes the design of an out-of-plane bistable switch that responds to near-infrared light with wavelength-specific response. In …

After Sales Supply Chain Risk Management., Steffen Luksch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lean supply chains with cost optimized production and logistics processes in the automotive industry have become a benchmark for other industries. Short delivery times, low inventories and high availability are parameters which assume a robust supply chain. In industrial practice we see, however, that in the After Sales business particularly related to the supply of automotive spare parts, that there are always unforeseen delays in delivery. In order to avoid service level losses on the focal firm level due to missing parts it is necessary to understand the risk structure on the supplier side. For this reason, a risk model …

Pavement Deterioration Modeling And Design Of A Composite Pavement Distress Index For Kentucky Interstate Highways And Parkways., Chenglong Luo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pavement deterioration is one of the most important driver for prioritizing pavement management and preservation (PMP) projects. The primary goal of this thesis is to provide reasonable predictive functions from multiple linear regression (MLR) models and artificial neural networks (ANN) that can be adopted by Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC). Furthermore, we use analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to design a composite pavement distress index in order to help Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) prioritizing PMP projects based on 11 different distress indices. Numerical results show that the MLR models provide relatively high R square values of approximately 0.8. Both MLR and ANN …

Two-Stage Network Design In Humanitarian Logistics., Seyed Soroush Moeini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes can cause multiple deaths, injuries, and severe damage to properties. In order to minimize the impact of such disasters, emergency response plans should be developed well in advance of such events. Moreover, because different organizations such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), governments, and militaries are involved in emergency response, the development of a coordination scheme is necessary to efficiently organize all the activities and minimize the impact of disasters. The logistics network design component of emergency management includes determining where to store emergency relief materials, the corresponding quantities and distribution to the affected areas …

Privacy Protection In Context Aware Systems., Anala Aniruddha Pandit

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Smartphones, loaded with users’ personal information, are a primary computing device for many. Advent of 4G networks, IPV6 and increased number of subscribers to these has triggered a host of application developers to develop softwares that are easy to install on the mobile devices. During the application download process, users accept the terms and conditions that permit revelation of private information. The free application markets are sustainable as the revenue model for most of these service providers is through profiling of users and pushing advertisements to the users. This creates a serious threat to users privacy and hence it is …

A Novel Numerical Framework For Simulation Of Multiscale Spatio-Temporally Non-Linear Systems In Additive Manufacturing Processes., Nachiket Patil

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

New computationally efficient numerical techniques have been formulated for multi-scale analysis in order to bridge mesoscopic and macroscopic scales of thermal and mechanical responses of a material. These numerical techniques will reduce computational efforts required to simulate metal based Additive Manufacturing (AM) processes. Considering the availability of physics based constitutive models for response at mesoscopic scales, these techniques will help in the evaluation of the thermal response and mechanical properties during layer-by-layer processing in AM. Two classes of numerical techniques have been explored. The first class of numerical techniques has been developed for evaluating the periodic spatiotemporal thermal response involving …

Three-Dimensional Modeling Of The Human Jaw/Teeth Using Optics And Statistics., Aly Saber Abdelrahim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Object modeling is a fundamental problem in engineering, involving talents from computer-aided design, computational geometry, computer vision and advanced manufacturing. The process of object modeling takes three stages: sensing, representation, and analysis. Various sensors may be used to capture information about objects; optical cameras and laser scanners are common with rigid objects, while X-ray, CT and MRI are common with biological organs. These sensors may provide a direct or an indirect inference about the object, requiring a geometric representation in the computer that is suitable for subsequent usage. Geometric representations that are compact, i.e., capture the main features of the …

Text Stylometry For Chat Bot Identification And Intelligence Estimation., Nawaf Ali

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Authorship identification is a technique used to identify the author of an unclaimed document, by attempting to find traits that will match those of the original author. Authorship identification has a great potential for applications in forensics. It can also be used in identifying chat bots, a form of intelligent software created to mimic the human conversations, by their unique style. The online criminal community is utilizing chat bots as a new way to steal private information and commit fraud and identity theft. The need for identifying chat bots by their style is becoming essential to overcome the danger of …

Next Generation Rfid Telemetry Design For Biomedical Implants., Andre Johan Faul

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The design and development of a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based pressure-sensing system to increase the range of current Intra-Ocular Pressure (IOP) sensing systems is described in this dissertation. A large number of current systems use near-field inductive coupling for the transfer of energy and data, which limits the operational range to only a few centimeters and does not allow for continuous monitoring of pressure. Increasing the powering range of the telemetry system will offer the possibility of continuous monitoring since the reader can be attached to a waist belt or put on a night stand when sleeping. The system …

Enhancement Of Anaerobic Digestion Of Actual Industrial Wastewaters : Reactor Stability And Kinetic Modeling., Mahyar Ghorbanian

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Industrial plants pay disposal costs for discharging their wastewater that can contain pollutants, toxic organics and inorganics, to the sewer based on the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) or Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) of the streams. It has become increasingly expensive for industry to meet stringent regulatory standards. One solution to reduce this cost is to anaerobically degrade the COD content, which in turn generates useful methane gas that can be used to generate useful energy or heat. Anaerobic Digestion (AD) is one of the most suitable renewable resources of conversion of industrial wastewaters to bioenergy, but it is not widely …

Forecasting Seasonal Hydrologic Response In Major River Basins., A. M. Tanvir Hossain Bhuiyan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Seasonal precipitation variation due to natural climate variation influences stream flow and the apparent frequency and severity of extreme hydrological conditions such as flood and drought. To study hydrologic response and understand the occurrence of extreme hydrological events, the relevant forcing variables must be identified. This study attempts to assess and quantify the historical occurrence and context of extreme hydrologic flow events and quantify the relation between relevant climate variables. Once identified, the flow data and climate variables are evaluated to identify the primary relationship indicators of hydrologic extreme event occurrence. Existing studies focus on developing basin-scale forecasting techniques based …

Predictions Of Nox Emissions In Pulverized Coal Combustion., Niko Hachenberg 1981-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research work was to develop a transferable mathematically simple model which gives the possibility to make fast and easy predictions regarding the NOx emission behavior of a broad–spectrum of coals within a certain combustion environment. In this context, this thesis is a further step of a common ongoing investigation focused on predicting NOx emissions from self–sustaining, pulverized coal combustion in dry bottom firing systems. A comprehensive literature research focused on already published NOx prediction approaches from scientific publications based on fundamental quantitative relationships or empirical algorithms and statistical relationships was also carried out in this context. …

Early Detection And Control Of Potential Pandemics., Shengpeng Jin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the centuries, human beings have been inflicted with a variety of contagious diseases, resulting in tens of millions of respiratory illnesses and deaths worldwide. Early detection of disease spread facilitates timely responses that can greatly reduce its impact on a population. Therefore, this early information is a major public health objective and is crucial for policy makers and public health officials responsible for protecting the public from the spread of contagious diseases. Current indicators of the spread of contagious outbreaks lag behind its actual spread, leaving no time for a planned response. The studies of Christakis et al. in …

Implications Of Additive Manufacturing On Complexity Management Within Supply Chains In A Production Environment., Andre Kieviet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on developing a generic framework for using additive manufacturing as an appropriate production method to address the management of complexity in supply chains. While several drivers such as changing customer demand patterns and intensifying global competition increase product complexity, the available number of product variants and related processes within the supply chain itself increase costs and dilute scale effects. Several concepts and tools like mass customization, modularization, and product platforms have been developed in the past decades, but most of them focus on the product structure. Currently, there is no comprehensive tool set developed in the field …

A Heuristic Algorithm For Determining The Part Set In A Powder-Bed Additive Manufacturing Machine., Sonja Dieder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this research is to develop a procedure for the placement of a priority part into a planned build in a powder-bed additive manufacturing machine. Toward that goal, a heuristic procedure was developed that seeks to maximize the revenue in a scheduled build, subject to due-date constraints; i.e., all parts with the closest due date will not only be included in the build, but will be placed near the bottom of the build. Likewise, any part in the scheduled build that does not have an immediate due date is a candidate for removal in order to accommodate a …

Simulation Model For Optimization Of A Landside Harbor Logistic Chain Of Container Terminals., Klaus Striegel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The world wide transportation of all kind of goods with containers is a fast growing business. The challenge is to transport in the shortest time to the lowest cost. The vessels therefore become bigger and bigger. The biggest vessel with 16000 TEU is since December 2012 in service. But the next generation with 18000-22000 TEU is already being built. This raises questions in acceleration of loading and unloading process, the handling in the yards of the harbors and the transportation of the containers to Hinterland. The most common way is still to transport the container from the yard by truck, …

4d Reduced Te (Rte) Spiral Phase Contrast Nri For Rapid Quantification And Visualization Of Blood Flow And Hemodynamics., Mohammadjavad Negahdar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

4D flow Phase Contrast MRI is a relatively new technique in MRI which is capable of deriving time-resolved three-dimensional velocity fields in a 3D volume noninvasively. 4D flow imaging is a 3D k-space acquisition where for the third dimension, an additional phase-encoding step is required. The velocity field can then be used to obtain flow waveform, wall shear stress, vascular compliance, blood pressure, and other hemodynamic information. A significant limitation of 4D flow methods has been the requisite long scan times, requiring the patient to remain motionless at times on the order of 10-20 minutes, depending on scan parameters. The …

Parameter Identification Of Micro-Grid Control System, Ning Gao

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Micro-grid provides an effective means of integrating distributed energy resource (DER) units into the power systems. A micro-grid is defined as an independent low- or medium-voltage distribution network comprising various DER units, power-electronic interfaces, controllable loads, and monitoring and protection devices. Following the development of the renewable energy, micro-grid has attracted much attention.

This thesis emphasizes on the parameter identification of the control system of the micro-grid. The control system plays an important role in the stable operation of the micro-grid. The micro-grid has two operation modes, which are grid-connected operation mode and islanded operation mode. The transition between two …

A Mobile Self-Leveling Landing Platform For Small-Scale Uavs, Stephen Austin Conyers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a semi-autonomous mobile self-leveling landing platform designed to launch, recover and re-launch VTOL UAVs without the need for human intervention. The landing platform is rugged, lightweight and inexpensive, making it ideal for civilian applications that require a base station from which a rotorcraft UAV can be launched and recovered on terrain that is normally unsuitable for UAV operations. This landing platform is capable of self-leveling on rough terrain and inclined slopes, and can autonomously operate in remote locations for extended periods of time using large onboard lithium batteries and wireless communication. This thesis discusses the unique design …

Dynamic Materials And Devices For Controlling Solar Heat Gain In Buildings, David Alie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Modern technology and materials science, coupled with an understanding of our energy consumption patterns, allows for the opportunity to realize large-scale energy savings through the implementation of more efficient, adaptive technologies. More efficient heating and cooling of both commercial and residential buildings is a strong candidate for such advancements. Indeed, a significant portion of the annual US energy budget is devoted to the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) of commercial and residential buildings in order to maintain safe, comfortable internal environments.

Dynamic tint windows, both traditional electrochromic devices and reflective devices, are promising candidates to help in the effort …

Short-Term Load Forecasting Using Neural Network For Future Smart Grid Application, Jixuan Zheng

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Short-term load forecasting of power system has been a classic problem for a long time. Not merely it has been researched extensively and intensively, but also a variety of forecasting methods has been raised.

This thesis outlines some aspects and functions of smart meter. It also presents different policies and current statuses as well as future projects and objectives of SG development in several countries.

Then the thesis compares main aspects about latest products of smart meter from different companies.

Lastly, three types of prediction models are established in MATLAB to emulate the functions of smart grid in the short-term …

Aging Of A Polymer Core Composite Conductor Under Combined Ozone And Temperature Conditions, James M. Middleton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The next generation High Temperature Low Sag Polymer Core Composite Conductors (HTLS PCCC) can experience harsh in-service environments including high temperature and highly concentrated ozone. In some extreme cases, it is possible that the conductors will experience temperatures of up to 180°C and ozone concentrations as high as 1% (10,000 ppm). Therefore, the primary goal of this research was to determine the most damaging aging conditions which could negatively affect the in-service life of the conductors. This included characterizing the aging in ozone and at high temperature of the HTLS PCCC hybrid composite rods and neat resin. It was found …

Secure Map Generation For Multiplayer, Turn-Based Strategy Games, Stephen L. Rice

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In strategy games, players compete against each other on randomly generated maps in an attempt to prove their superior skill. Traditionally, these games rely on a client/server architecture with one player fulfilling the role of server and holding responsibility for the map generation process. We propose, analyze and evaluate a method that allows these maps to be created in a peer-to-peer fashion and thus reduce the potential for cheating. We provide an example map generation program that puts these concepts into action and demonstrate how it can be extended and customized for any game. Finally, we analyze the performance of …

Wireless Sensor Localization: Error Modeling And Analysis For Evaluation And Precision, Omar Ali Zargelin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have shown promise in a broad range of applications. One of the primary challenges in leveraging WSNs lies in gathering accurate position information for the deployed sensors while minimizing power cost. In this research, detailed background research is discussed regarding existing methods and assumptions of modeling methods and processes for estimating sensor positions. Several novel localization methods are developed by applying rigorous mathematical and statistical principles, which exploit constraining properties of the physical problem in order to produce improved location estimates. These methods are suitable for one-, two-, and three-dimensional position estimation in ascending order of …

Degradation Of High Voltage Glass Fiber-Reinforced Polymer Matrix Composites By Aggressive Environmental Conditions, Tianyi Lu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Polymer matrix composites reinforced with either E glass or ECR glass fibers-reinforced are used in a variety of high voltage electrical applications because of their advantages like lower weight and cost. However, they can be damaged by aggressive in-service conditions such as high temperature, ultraviolet radiation, moisture, ozone and corrosive environments. Different degradation mechanisms can develop in high voltage PMCs under those extreme environments, which, in turn, can affect the long term structural durability of the composites. A set of PMCs reinforced with ECR-glass and E-glass fibers embedded in four different resins has been investigated in this study. In addition, …

Design And Evaluation Of A Propulsion System For Small, Compact, Low-Speed Maneuvering Underwater Vehicles, Florence M. Mbithi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Underwater vehicles used to perform precision inspection and non-destructive evaluation in tightly constrained or delicate underwater environments must be small, have low-speed maneuverability and a smooth streamlined outer shape with no appendages. In this thesis, the design and analysis of a new propulsion system for such underwater vehicles is presented. It consists primarily of a syringe and a plunger driven by a linear actuator and uses different inflow and outflow nozzles to provide continuous propulsive force. A prototype of the proposed propulsion mechanism is built and tested. The practical utility and potential efficacy of the system is demonstrated and assessed …

Building Temperature Control With Intelligent Methods, Feng Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Temperature control is important for both human comfort and the need in industry. In the thesis, two good intelligent control methods are compared to find their advantages and disadvantages. Matlab is used as the tool to make models and process calculations. The building model is one simple room in Akwesasne in New York State and the target is to keep the temperature indoor around 22 degree Centigrade from 12/29/2013 to 12/31/2013. Heat pump is used to provide or absorb heat. All data in the experiments is from JRibal Environmental eXchange network and PJM. The first method is fuzzy neural network …

Fabrication And Application Of A Polymer Neuromorphic Circuitry Based On Polymer Memristive Devices And Polymer Transistors, Robert A. Nawrocki

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neuromorphic engineering is a discipline that aims to address the shortcomings of today's serial computers, namely large power consumption, susceptibility to physical damage, as well as the need for explicit programming, by applying biologically-inspired principles to develop neural systems with applications such as machine learning and perception, autonomous robotics and generic artificial intelligence.

This doctoral dissertation presents work performed fabricating a previously developed type of polymer neuromorphic architecture, termed Polymer Neuromorphic Circuitry (PNC), inspired by the McCulloch-Pitts model of an artificial neuron. The major contribution of this dissertation is a development of processing techniques necessary to realize the Polymer Neuromorphic …

A Framework For The Development Of A Model For Successful, Sustained Lean Implementation And Improvement, Julie Sisson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lean is a business philosophy focused on shortening lead times by removing waste and concentrating on value-added processes. When implemented successfully, it not only allows for cost reduction while improving quality, but it can also position a company to achieve tremendous growth. The problem is that though many companies are attempting to implement lean, it is estimated that only 2-3% are achieving the desired level of success. The purpose of this research is to identify the key interrelated components of successful lean transformation. To this end, a thorough literature review was conducted and the findings indicate six key constructs that …