Engineering Commons^™

To Study The Current Distributions Of An Antenna In Magnetized Collisional Plasma Via Pffdtd Simulations, Sindhuja Moravineni

Masters Theses

This thesis paper talks about the study of current distributions on dipole antenna immersed in collisional plasma. Analytical models like Balmain’s[6] one dimensional triangular current distribution, Staras[8] proposed and developed by Nikitin’s[10] threedimensional exponential current distribution and the PF-FDTD (Plasma Fluid- Finite Difference Time Domain) model[11] are compared against the Auroral Space Structure Probe (ASSP) flight data in order to show how data analysis can benefit. PF-FDTD model is used to study the antenna in weakly collisional plasma and the comparisons of the analytical and numerical solutions show that numerical model match better for data analysis of flight data sweeps …

Algorithm For Geodetic Positioning Based On Angle-Of-Arrival Of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcasts, Richard Allen Gross

Masters Theses

This paper develops a non-precision, three-dimensional, geodetic positioning algorithm for airborne vehicles. The algorithm leverages the proliferation of Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) equipped aircraft, utilizing them as airborne navigation aids to generate an RF Angle-of-Arrival (AOA) and Angle-of-Elevation (AOE) based geodetic position. The resulting geodetic position can serve as a redundant navigation system for use during locally limited Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) availability, be used to validate on-board satellite navigation systems in an effort to detect local spoofing attempts, and be used to validate ADS-B position reports.

The navigation algorithm is an implementation of an Extended Kalman …

Study Of Cooling-Drag In A Generic Passenger Car Using Cfd And Wind Tunnel, Md Maruf Hossain

Masters Theses

The focus of the study is to explore aerodynamic aspects of cooling airflow. As a result of this study, an efficient multi-domain aero-thermal model was developed to analyze the cooling drag of a generic passenger vehicle. Cooling drag is described as the additional force that the production vehicle has to overcome while moving in comparison to the force if all the openings were closed. Though this model was developed based on the sedan class vehicle, the applied methodology could be generalized for other ground vehicle types. As a part of the presented model, a unique simplified geometric model is developed …

A Fea/Cfd Study Of Heat Transfer To Semi-Trailer Disc Brake Wheel-End Components During A Braking Event, Justin P. Fisher

Masters Theses

Foundation air disc brakes bring Class 8 semi-trailers to a stop by converting kinetic energy into thermal energy. Recently, side skirts have been added to the underside of semi-trailers to improve fuel economy. The reduction in airflow under the trailer they create has potential to increase brake temperatures by reducing convection heat transfer. This will require an increase in conduction and radiation heat transfer to the surrounding wheel-end parts. Additional heat transfer to the surrounding parts could increase the temperatures in the hub and bearing to damaging levels.

CFD analyses were developed to model the airflow under the semi-trailer with …

Distributed Element Designs For A Wireless System, Nicholas Anthony Dipisa

Masters Theses

A prototype binary frequency shift keying (BFSK) RF link operating in the 2.4 GHz ISM band was identified as a need for a potential undergraduate engineering laboratory activity. This system would be used to showcase various RF circuit engineering principles and techniques such as controlled trace impedances, frequency mixing, voltage-controlled oscillators, distributed element filters, and power splitters. This investigation focused on designing a prototype system that put a priority on ease of measurement and circuit tuning to help foster a more hands on approach. Each major circuit element was broken into separate PCBs to increase the modularity of the design …

A Comparative Study Of Wireless Star Networks Implemented With Current Wireless Protocols, Sizen Neupane

Masters Theses

Wireless communication is one of the most advanced technological developments of this era. Wireless technology enables both short-range and long-range services. Today, there are several different wireless communication technologies in existence. Each has its characteristics different from another one. This thesis will implement three short-range wireless technologies in star connection and compare the performance in the wireless network.

For this thesis, the performance of three different RF protocols - a proprietary packet protocol called Enhanced ShockBurst in nRF24L01+, Bluetooth Low Energy, and a special Wi- Fi protocol ESP-Now was compared. The general concept was to establish a star network for …

Vhf Transmitter Development For Wildlife Tracking, Bryan Westra

Masters Theses

Wildlife biologists often use collars with VHF transmitters to gather wildlife data. The purpose of this project is to determine the best approach to designing a wildlife tracking VHF transmitter on a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). A variety of frequency generation methods were considered for the transmitter, including transistor-based crystal oscillators and chip based solutions from the chip manufacturers Analog Devices and Silicon Labs. Prototypes of the feasible options were built and evaluated for cost, power consumption, efficiency, size, frequency range, signal bandwidth, and frequency stability. It was found that the Silicon Labs Si4010 chip was the best solution based …

Modeling Of Optimized Neuro-Fuzzy Logic Based Active Vibration Control Method For Automotive Suspension, Mohammad Adom Safiullah

Masters Theses

In this thesis, an active vibration control system was developed. The control system was developed and tested using a quarter car model of an adaptive suspension system. For active vibration control, an actuator was implemented in addition to the commonly used passive spring damper system. Due to nature of unpredictability of force required two different fuzzy inference system (FIS) were developed for the actuator. First a sequential fuzzy set was built, that resulted lower vertical displacement compared to basic damper spring model, but system had limited effect with disturbances of higher magnitude and continuous vibrations (rough road). To improve the …

Design And Testing Of A Sheath Device To Secure Rotator Cuff Anchors In Osteoporotic Bone, Alissa Smith

Masters Theses

A rotator cuff tear is a common injury that affects many elderly people. These tears vary in severity, with moderate to severe tears requiring surgery. In rotator cuff surgery, bone anchors are used to re-attach the supraspinatus tendon to the humerus. This surgery is difficult in many older patients because aging bones become osteoporotic, or soft, and thus inadequate for securing bone anchors. Studies confirm that osteoporotic bone is a contributing factor of implant failure. A finned sheath concept was designed, developed, and tested to ensure securement of the bone anchors during and after rotator cuff repair. The sheath interacts …

Power Optimization Of Solar Powered Standalone Wireless Sensor System, Rajan Amatya

Masters Theses

Wireless sensor systems are common in applications where harsh environmental conditions or remote locations make it difficult to run wires. Having these sensor systems self-powered is essential as it is difficult for battery replacement. Using solar as an alternative source of energy can be a medium to charge the battery in such scenarios. With an increasing number of portable devices powered by battery; more and more research is focused on low-power design technique. For this thesis, a microcontroller (Texas Instruments MSP432) was used along with a digital sensor (Bosch BME280) to provide temperature, pressure and humidity information, and Wi-Fi module …

The Design, Analysis, Development, And Test Of A High-Energy Trauma Prevention Safety Device, Samuel B. Schaefer

Masters Theses

The continued development of modern-day vehicles has allowed innovators to shape their design to meet the consumer’s requirements. Vehicles have become faster and larger to accommodate more passengers and their belongings. The increased popularity of Light Trucks or Vans (LTVs) and Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) elevated their sales to approximately 50% of all vehicles sold in the United States by 1999 [1]. These advancements have created a high-energy world, which poses a serious threat to the ever-growing population. Unprotected pedestrians come in all too frequent contact with these vehicles creating the potential for high-energy blunt force trauma. This thesis aims …

Object Detection, Classification, And Tracking For Autonomous Vehicle, Milan Aryal

Masters Theses

The detection and tracking of objects around an autonomous vehicle is essential to operate safely. This paper presents an algorithm to detect, classify, and track objects. All objects are classified as moving or stationary as well as by type (e.g. vehicle, pedestrian, or other). The proposed approach uses state of the art deep-learning network YOLO (You Only Look Once) combined with data from a laser scanner to detect and classify the objects and estimate the position of objects around the car. The Oriented FAST and Rotated BRIEF (ORB) feature descriptor is used to match the same object from one image …

Mathematical Modeling And Empirical Validation Of A Conceptual Exoskeleton For Astronaut Glove Augmentation, Joseph Kissling

Masters Theses

Space presents numerous difficulties for astronauts conducting their work, not the least of which is the spacesuit that is worn to protect them from space. It has long been known that a spacesuit is difficult to work in, especially the rigid and pressurized gloves that put strain on the astronaut's hands, frequently leading to injuries. Astronaut gloves inhibit more than 50% of their strength in some cases [1]. NASA and other space agencies have been working to alleviate these problems by attempting to mechanically augment the gloves to reduce the exertions of the astronaut. To date, no augmentation systems have …

Modeling Of Cold Compressor Pump Down Process, Kyle A. Dinger

Masters Theses

The Facility for Rare Isotope Beams (FRIB) will use a sub-atmospheric helium refrigeration process operating at 2 K (31 mbar) to support the superconducting radio frequency (SRF) Niobium structures (known as cavities), which are housed within ‘cryo-modules’. The cryomodules are large containers whose exterior forms a vacuum chamber that serves as a thermal shield. The cryo-modules, and the superconducting devices contained within, are used to accelerate charged particles. The accelerator at FRIB is comprised of three separate linear segments, separately or collectively, called a linear accelerator or ‘LINAC’. The helium used as the working fluid to cool the SRF Niobium …

Modelling The Financial Effects Of Naïve Neutral Zone Limits On Energy Storage Systems Participating In Midwest Iso Energy Markets Under Frequency Regulation Prioritization Policies, Patrick J. Mccarthy

Masters Theses

Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) participating in frequency regulation services in MISO (Midcontinent Independent System Operator) energy markets do so by charging from and discharging to the bulk electrical grid to satisfy power demands. Frequency regulation can demand a high energy throughput from a BESS, causing electrochemical aging. The aging of a BESS must be controlled to within financially feasible limits. MISO has proposed new frequency regulation prioritization policies that enable a BESS to manage its own aging by setting its acceptable State of Charge (SOC) range, called its neutral zone. MISO will seek to prioritize a BESS’ regulation so …

Time Evolution Of Ecog Network Connectivity In Patients With Refractory Epilepsy, Michael J. Selesko

Masters Theses

Epilepsy is a common neurological disorder that causes recurrent, unprovoked seizures. Focal, refractory epilepsy is characterized by seizures that start in a specific area in the brain and do not respond to antiepileptic medication. This study was conducted to characterize the connectivity of the focal brain region where seizures originate, known as the epileptogenic zone. Connectivity was measured from electrocorticogram (ECoG) recordings, during seizure events, using information theoretic measures mutual information (MI) and (TE). MI is the amount of information shared between two discrete random variables. TE is the directed information transfer between two discrete random variables. MI provides information …

A Case Study On Application Of Fuzzy Logic Based Controller For Peak Load Shaving In A Typical Household's Per Day Electricity Consumption, Krishna P. Sharma

Masters Theses

The cost of electricity for consumers depends on the cost of generation, transmission, and distribution of power. The electrical load consumed by consumers per day is not constant throughout the day. The utilities must be capable of meeting the load demand, which means they must have enough electricity generation potential and necessary infrastructure. This cost is significant. However, the revenue they generate will only be for the actual use of electricity by the consumers. In general, the electrical power generation is done in stages, always generating a base load. As demand changes throughout the day, additional stages of power generation …

Identification Of The Seizure Onset Zone By Auto-Regressive Model Residual Modulation Applied To Intracranial Eeg And Its Correlation To Channels With High Preponderances Of Detected Hfos, Allison L. Rogutich

Masters Theses

The objective of this thesis was to examine the ability of the Autoregressive Model Residual Modulation (ARRm) method to identify the Seizure Onset Zone (SOZ) in intracranial electroencephalogram (iEEG) of patients with refractory epilepsy. Patients who have not become seizure free after multiple trials of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) may seek treatment through epilepsy surgery. Cortical electrodes are implanted directly on the cerebral cortex, then iEEG is collected. A specialized neurologist reviews the iEEG, then in consultation with the neurosurgeon, the SOZ is determined and areas of the brain may be chosen for resection. The success rate of epilepsy surgery varies, …

Fusion Of Audio And Visual Information For Implementing Improved Speech Recognition System, Vikrant Satish Acharya

Masters Theses

Speech recognition is a very useful technology because of its potential to develop applications, which are suitable for various needs of users. This research is an attempt to enhance the performance of a speech recognition system by combining the visual features (lip movement) with audio features. The results were calculated using utterances of numerals collected from participants inclusive of both male and female genders. Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) coefficients were used for computing visual features and Mel Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (MFCC) were used for computing audio features. The classification was then carried out using Support Vector Machine (SVM). The results …

Efficient Implementation Of Ieee 802.11i Wi-Fi Security (Wpa2-Psk) Standard Using Fpga, Atal Bajracharya

Masters Theses

The rationale behind the thesis was to design efficient implementations of cryptography algorithms used for Wi-Fi Security as per IEEE 802.11i Wi-Fi Security (WPA2-PSK) standard. The focus was on software implementation of Password-Based Key Derivation Function 2 (PBKDF2) using Keyed-Hash Message Authentication Code (HMAC)-SHA1, which is used for authentication, and, hardware implementation of AES-256 cipher, which is used for data confidentiality.

In this thesis, PBKDF2 based on HMAC-SHA1 was implemented on software using C programming language, and, AES-256 was implemented on hardware using Verilog HDL. The overall implementation was designed and tested on Nexys4 FPGA board. The performance of the …

Query Expansion Techniques For Enterprise Search, Eric M. Domke

Masters Theses

Although web search remains an active research area, interest in enterprise search has waned. This is despite the fact that the market for enterprise search applications is expected to triple within the next six years, and that knowledge workers spend an average of 1.6 to 2.5 hours each day searching for information. To improve search relevancy, and hence reduce this time, an enterprise- focused application must be able to handle the unique queries and constraints of the enterprise environment. The goal of this thesis research was to develop, implement, and study query expansion techniques that are most effective at improving …

Effect Of Arm Motion On Standing Lateral Jump Performance, Arif Ahmed Sohel

Masters Theses

Previous jumping studies have examined the role of arm swing in vertical and horizontal long jump performance, but none have been found which studied the role of arm swing in standing lateral jumps. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of arm motion on standing lateral jump performance and to examine the biomechanical mechanisms that may explain differences in jump distance.

A series of lateral jump experiments was performed for two jump cases (free and restricted arms) in which six participants jumped laterally for maximum distance from two in-ground force platforms. A motion capture system collected 3D …

A Cfd Study Of A Multi-Element Front Wing For A Formula One Racing Car, Shardul C. Kachare

Masters Theses

Presently, one of the key factors in determining a success of an open wheel racecar such as Formula One or Indy car, is its aerodynamic efficiency. A modern racecar front wing can generate about 30% of the total downforce. The present study focuses on investigating the aerodynamic characteristics of such highly efficient multi-element front wing for a Formula One racecar by conducting a three-dimensional computational analysis using Reynolds Averaged Navier-Strokes model. A three-dimensional computational study is performed investigating predictive capability of the structured trimmer and unstructured polyhedral meshing model to generate a three-dimensional volume mesh for a multi-element front wing. …

The Effect Of Good Form Running Gait Retraining On Lower Extremity Kinematics And Ground Reaction Forces, Alyssa Schaefbauer

Masters Theses

Running is a popular activity for those trying to get in shape, stay fit, and improve overall health. As running has increased in popularity over the past couple of decades, so has the number of running related injuries. (Higginson, 2009; Statistics and Research, 2016). Interest in running gait research has also increased to address and understand the running related injuries. In addition to reducing injuries, the search for an optimal running form that will improve efficiency is being pursued (Davis, 2005). Good Form Running has become an increasingly popular school of running that seeks to fulfill these needs, but its …

Visualization Of The Cardiac Excitation And Pvc Arrhythmia On A 3d Heart Model, Pranav Sreedharan Veliyara

Masters Theses

Visualization of the cardiac potential movement is important in understanding the physiology of the human heart. A 3D visualization tool will help the cardiology students and others interested in human physiology to understand the functioning of the heart. In this thesis, such a tool is proposed which helps in the visualization of the cardiac potential movement and Premature Ventricular Contraction (PVC) event on a 3D heart model. The cardiac excitation obtained from a limb lead and a precordial lead of a 12 lead electrocardiograph (ECG) is mapped on a 3D heart model with fixed conduction pathways. The 3D heart model …

Embedded Processors On Fpga: Hard-Core Vs Soft-Core, Vivek J. Vazhoth Kanhiroth

Masters Theses

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are integrated circuits (ICs) that can be reprogrammed by the consumer after manufacturing. They are based on a matrix of configurable logic blocks connected via programmable interconnects that enables the designer to quickly recreate hardware circuits. In the past, FPGAs were primarily used for prototyping and debugging purposes. However, with their increased popularity, many commercial products now incorporate FPGAs.

In the late 1990s, FPGA vendors introduced System-on-chip (SoC) devices that housed one or more hard-core processors and an FPGA fabric on a single IC to allow for more complex designs that involved hardware and software …

Information Theoretic Eeg Analysis Of Children With Severe Disabilities In Response To Power Mobility Training: A Pilot Study, Joshua O. Usoro

Masters Theses

Studies have shown that self-initiated locomotion in infants and young children is paramount to developing motor skills, social skills, and visuospatial perception. Because children with multiple, severe disabilities are often not able to produce movement on their own due to limited motor control, access to a power mobility device may be vital to their overall development. This study extends data analysis from an exploratory study, and investigates the use of information theoretics in providing objective measures to characterize changes in electroencephalograms (EEG) as a result of power mobility training, and relates these changes to observed rehabilitation outcomes. Three subjects with …

Experimental And Numerical Study Of Dysphagia, Yash G. Potdar

Masters Theses

Dysphagia, meaning difficulty in swallowing, is a symptom of disease that occurs in young children and elderly people. It occurs particularly due to two reasons, weak neural network and/or deformities in oral section/s. The Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital’s Intensive Feeding Program takes care of children suffering from Dysphagia. In order to make the swallowing process easier and in some cases safer, thickener is added to the liquids. Depending on the requirement of thickness, the amount of thickener is varied. Although the directions to prepare the mixtures are given by the thickener product company, the required thickness is not achieved when …

Design And Realization Of A Nonlinear Vibration Energy Harvester For Cost Effective Additive Manufacturing, Rodrigo Barriuso De Juan

Masters Theses

Environmental energy harvesting has always been an attractive solution to the search for sustainable energy sources. Combined with the miniaturization and power consumption reduction of sensors and portable electronic devices, the possibility of powering using environmental energy, like vibration energy, instead of conventional batteries increases exponentially. Vibrational energy harvesting can be achieved using devices based on different physical phenomena. Electromagnetic based devices seem to be among the most effective when considering the power output levels within low frequency applications. However, these devices have always had inherent challenges including size and manufacturing cost reduction as well as limitations on the range …

A Transcutaneous Data And Power Transfer System For Osteogenesis Monitoring Sensors, Deepak Dileepkumar

Masters Theses

Implant devices are widely used in health care applications such as life support systems, patient rehabilitation devices and patient monitoring devices. Medical implants have enabled physicians to obtain relevant real time information regarding an organ, or a site of interest with in the body and suggest treatment accordingly. In some cases, the position of the implant within the body or threats of infections prevents wired communication techniques to extract information from the implant. Wireless communication is the alternative in such cases. Distraction osteogenesis is one such application where wireless communication can be established with callus growth monitoring sensors to obtain …