Engineering Commons^™

Heterogeneous Anisotropy Index And Scaling In Multiphase Random Polycrystals, Muhammad Ridwan Murshed

Theses and Dissertations

Under consideration is the finite-size scaling of elastic properties in single and two-phase random polycrystals with individual grains belonging to any crystal class (from cubic to triclinic). These polycrystals are generated by Voronoi tessellations with varying grain sizes and volume fractions. By employing variational principles in elasticity, we introduce the notion of a 'Heterogeneous Anisotropy Index' and investigate its role in the scaling of elastic properties at finite mesoscales. The index turns out to be a function of 43 variables, 21 independent components for each phase and the volume fraction of either phase. Furthermore, the relationship between Heterogeneous Anisotropy Index …

Carbon Nanotube Prosthetic Venous Valve, Ryan Coulton Packer

Theses and Dissertations

Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) is a disease of the lower limbs that affects millions of people in the United States. It is categorized by constant venous hypertension, which can lead to swelling of the legs, pain, skin changes and ulcers. One of the widely known symptoms that can lead to CVI is varicose veins. The main source of the problem of CVI is incompetent venous valves. The purpose of venous valves is to direct blood through the veins to the heart and prevent retrograde flow to the lower limbs. CVI can be caused by leg injury, pregnancy, genetics, age, and …

Development Of An Algorithm For Satellite Remote Sensing Of Sea And Lake Ice, Peter Dorofy

Theses and Dissertations

Satellite remote sensing of snow and ice has a long history. The traditional method for many snow and ice detection algorithms has been the use of the Normalized Difference Snow Index (NDSI). This manuscript is composed of two parts. Chapter 1, Development of a Mid-Infrared Sea and Lake Ice Index (MISI) using the GOES Imager, discusses the desirability, development, and implementation of alternative index for an ice detection algorithm, application of the algorithm to the detection of lake ice, and qualitative validation against other ice mapping products; such as, the Ice Mapping System (IMS). Chapter 2, Application of Dynamic Threshold …

A Robust Synthetic Basis Feature Descriptor Implementation And Applications Pertaining To Visual Odometry, Object Detection, And Image Stitching, Lindsey Ann Raven

Theses and Dissertations

Feature detection and matching is an important step in many object tracking and detection algorithms. This paper discusses methods to improve upon previous work on the SYnthetic BAsis feature descriptor (SYBA) algorithm, which describes and compares image features in an efficient and discreet manner. SYBA utilizes synthetic basis images overlaid on a feature region of interest (FRI) to generate binary numbers that uniquely describe the feature contained within the FRI. These binary numbers are then used to compare against feature values in subsequent images for matching. However, in a non-ideal environment the accuracy of the feature matching suffers due to …

Synthesis, Transport, And Thermoelectric Studies Of Topological Dirac Semimetal Cd3as2 For Room Temperature Waste Heat Recovery And Energy Conversion, Tahereh A. Hosseini

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

SYNTHESIS, TRANSPORT, AND THERMOELECTRIC STUDIES OF TOPOLOGICAL DIRAC SEMIMETAL CD3AS2 FOR ROOM TEMPERATURE WASTE HEAT RECOVERY AND ENERGY CONVERSION

by

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2017

Under the Supervision of Professor Nikolai Kouklin

Rising rates of the energy consumption and growing concerns over the climate change worldwide have made energy efficiency an urgent problem to address. Nowadays, almost two-thirds of the energy produced by burning fossil fuels to generate electrical power is lost in the form of the heat. On this front, increasing electrical power generation through a waste heat recovery remains one of the highly promising venues of the …

Electrochemical Detection Of Low-Concentration Lead (Ii) Ions From Water, Mohmmad Rizwen Ur Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this study was to develop an electrochemical sensor for speedy, selective and sensitive detection of lead ion (Pb2+) using graphene oxide and pyrrole nanocomposite. Different combinations of graphene oxide and pyrrole in layers and mixtures were tested for the finest sensitive detection of lead ion (Pb2+). Reduced graphene oxide and polypyrrole (rGO-PPY as layer) nanocomposite modified screen printed electrode (SPE) showed the best signal in response to the differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV) with a limit of detection to 5 ppb. The rGO-PPY modified electrode possessed a large effective surface area because of the unique 3D …

Organizimi Për Ndërtimin E Shkollës Fillore Në Damanek, Alban Saliaga

Theses and Dissertations

Tema shtjellon metodën e organizimit sa më cilësor të një vende punishte e cila gjendët në një fshat të vogël në Kosovën perëndimore në fshatin Damanek. Dedikimi i objektit është shkolle fillore që pritet ti shërbej për rreth 530 nxënëseve te fshatit.

Pjesa e organizimit të vende punishtes ka rëndësi të madhe sepse një organizim i mirëfilltë së pari parandalon aksidentet që mundë të ndodhin në vende punishte , shmang shpenzimet e panevojshme , rritë cilësinë dhe efikasitetin në ndërtimtari.

Organizimi i ndërtimit është specifik, pasi objektet janë unikate dhe me secilin objekt duhet riorganizuar punët, organizimi i ndërtimit është …

Krahasimi I Bazës Ligjore Vendore Me Direktivat E Be-Së Për Mbrojtje Dhe Siguri Në Punë Në Sektorin E Ndërtimi, Ndriçim Ademaj

Theses and Dissertations

Sektori i ndërtimtarisë vazhdon të jetë një ndër shtyllat kryesore të ekonomisë në Kosovë. Përkundër sfidave, ky sektor ka vazhduar të zgjerohet edhe gjatë krizave ekonomike dhe politike në Kosovë. Sektori i ndërtimtarisë vazhdon të jetë një ndër punëdhënësit më të mëdhenj në Kosovë për nga sektoret private, mirëpo siguria në fushën e ndërtimtarisë vazhdon të jetë një pikë e ndjeshme. Lëndimet e madje edhe aksidentet fatale në fushën e ndërtimtarisë vazhdojnë të ndodhin në numër të konsiderueshëm. Është më se normale që kompanitë ndërtimore të jenë të fokusuara në përfitime sa më të mëdha të mëdha financiare, por assesi …

Windows Server 2012, Fisnik Gojani

Theses and Dissertations

Windows Server 2012 R2 ka mbi 300 funksione të reja dhe është sistemi i parë i Microsoft Server që ka lidhje me cloud.

Windows Server 2012 paraqet një bollëk të veçorive të reja për të adresuar nevojat e evolucionit të një infrastrukture moderne IT dhe fuqisë punëtore. Bërthama e kësaj përvoje është nevoja për të shkallëzuar, virtualizuar dhe zhvendosur ngarkesat e punës, aplikacionet dhe shërbimet për cloud. Windows Server 2012 përfshin një përvojë te ndërtimit, administrimit dhe funksionimit të cloud private dhe publike, të gjitha të bazuara në Windows Server.

Windows Server 2012 siguron sigurinë e të dhënave të gjeneratës …

A Heuristic Method For The Determination Of Assembly Network And Line Design For Discrete Manufacturing Processes, Ismael Hernan Naranjo Velez

Theses and Dissertations

This paper presents with a proposed alternative precedence algorithm which is determined by the Solid surfaces of the product design. The representation address in this paper address the manufacturing planning from all manufacturing levels of the product. Sequence is introduce to this paper in order to proof the propose precedence network alternatives. Both manufacturing level solutions are heuristic. This thesis explores the connection of the precedence and the sequence, as it introduces physical manufacturing constraints and its relationships to the station process planning. Precedence network are usually determine by the designer principal point and assembled connections. The proposed algorithm avoids …

Model Based Systems Engineering High Level Design Of A Sustainable Electric Vehicle Charging And Swapping Station Using Discrete Event Simulation, Obinna Henry Ginigeme

Theses and Dissertations

In line with the spate of technological advances, the transportation industry has also witnessed an increase in the adoption of Electric Vehicles (E.Vs). However, there has been and are still some underlying negating factors to the wide spread acceptance of these electric vehicles; one of note is the unavailability and inaccessibility of adequate charging infrastructure, long charging times, limited driving ranges, costs of the vehicles etc. These and many more characteristics lead to a trend popularly known as “range anxiety”. One of the major strengths of electric vehicles are their ability to be powered by electric energy via stored chemical …

Design And Implementation Of A True Decentralized Autonomous Control Architecture For Microgrids, Abedalsalam Ahmed Bani-Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

Microgrids can serve as an integral part of the future power distribution systems. Most microgrids are currently managed by centralized controllers. There are two major concerns associated with the centralized controllers. One is that the single controller can become performance and reliability bottleneck for the entire system and its failure can bring the entire system down. The second concern is the communication delays that can degrade the system performance. As a solution, a true decentralized control architecture for microgrids is developed and presented. Distributing the control functions to local agents decreases the possibility of network congestion, and leads to the …

Design And Modeling Of Fiber Optical Current Sensor Based On Magnetostriction, Suha Mubarak Lasassmeh

Theses and Dissertations

A novel fiber optical current sensor (FOCS) which is based on a giant magnetostrictive material, Terfenol-D (T-D) is modeled and prototyped. Several experiments have been conducted to validate the expected results. Magnetostriction is defined as the change in dimensions of a material under the influence of an external magnetic field. The cause of the change in length is due to the rotation and re-orientation of the small magnetic domains in the magnetostrictive material. The magnetostriction of Terfenol-D is modeled and investigated using several software packages. Here, a magnetostriction-based FOCS using a Terfenol-D/epoxy composite is investigated. Particularly, the FOCS is based …

Reliability Evaluation And Defense Strategy Development For Cyber-Physical Power Systems, Yingmeng Xiang

Theses and Dissertations

With the smart grid initiatives in recent years, the electric power grid is rapidly evolving into a complicated and interconnected cyber-physical system. Unfortunately, the wide deployment of cutting-edge communication, control and computer technologies in the power system, as well as the increasing terrorism activities, make the power system at great risk of attacks from both cyber and physical domains. It is pressing and meaningful to investigate the plausible attack scenarios and develop efficient methods for defending the power system against them.

To defend the power grid, it is critical to first study how the attacks could happen and affect the …

The Psychological Health Of Airline Pilots: A Flight Deck Crew’S Perceptions And Willingness To Fly, Jason Charles Herkimer

Theses and Dissertations

Pilots have an image of bravado and charisma which includes that of a hardened, unemotional professional. What happens when the inevitable hardship occurs to a pilot? In the past, physical attributes were highly sought after in the recruitment of pilots. Eventually, pilots can and will suffer from the same psychological stressors as the general population. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect stigmatizing attitudes and psychological treatment of pilots have on a flight deck crew’s willingness to fly. The current study incorporated several different methodologies including a between subjects true experimental, an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), an …

Managed Containers For Increased Cyber-Resilience, Xavier J. Merino Aguilera

Theses and Dissertations

Traditional defense mechanisms are no longer adequate in protecting critical infrastructure and mission critical systems. These systems require to be always-on-always-connected. High availability and data integrity become crucial to deliver their mission. Unable to guarantee uncompromisable security and given that systems will inevitably be attacked, we must change our goals to guarantee mission survivability, the ability of the system to fight through the attack. Previous work has been done to increase availability and integrity using virtual machines. We move away from virtual machines towards Linux containers and implement resiliency strategies to guarantee stateful system recovery after an attack. The goal …

Investigating The Influence Of Functional And Nonfunctional Requirements On Change And Change Propagation, Nathaniel Conde Voris

Theses and Dissertations

The research presented in this thesis investigates the nature of change and change propagation in requirement documents as they are influenced by requirement type, that is, “Functional” or “NonFunctional,” and how an understanding of these types may refine utilization of the Automated Requirement Change Propagation Prediction (ARCPP) tool when used by design teams. Functionality is determined by asking the question “Does the requirement prescribe something for the project to accomplish?” This question separates the requirements into their requisite types. Using the ARCPP, the relationship and propagation scores were determined for each requirement. Furthermore, the number of relationships were determined for …

Towards Green Building: Energy Efficient Roof System For Buildings, Dhruv Sangal

Theses and Dissertations

The present work focusses on investigating the thermal performance of different energy efficient roof systems for buildings for different climates. Buildings constitutes about 40 percent of total energy consumed by United States, and previous research shows that 20 percent of the building cooling load comes through ceiling of a building. Thus, it is important to analyze different energy efficient roof systems which can help in reducing building cooling and heating load. The present study focusses on three technologies – green roof, radiant barriers and photovoltaics. To analyze the performance of these systems, a detailed energy based mathematical model were developed …

Manual For Automation Of Dc-Microgrid Component Using Matlab/Simulink And Fpga's, Kavya Shree Kumar

Theses and Dissertations

Solar Energy is one of the abundantly available renewable energy source. Solar panels are semiconductor materials which capture the solar energy from every band in the visible light spectrum, infrared spectrum and ultra violet spectrum and converts it into electrical energy.

The DC community microgrid is used to supplement utility electrical power supplied to the neighbored with renewable sources such as solar panels, emergency back-up power through batteries or generators. Smart Cloud Interconnected environment increases the standard of living and facilitates ease to rectify faults, debug components and reinstate or replace obsolete components with newer ones.

Automation of the DC …

Design And Implementation Of A Multi-Port Solid State Transformer For Flexible Der Integration, Mohammad Rashidi

Theses and Dissertations

Conventional power system includes four major sections, bulk generation, transmission network, distribution network, and loads. The main converter in the conventional electric grid is the low-frequency passive transformer providing galvanic isolation and voltage regulation for various voltage zones. In this configuration, small-scale renewable energy resources are generally connected to the power system at low voltage zones or inside microgrids.

Recent developments in the design of power electronic elements with higher voltage and power ratings and medium/high frequency enable making use of solid state transformer at different voltage levels in the distribution system and microgrid design. In this work, the concept …

Enhanced Version Control For Unconventional Applications, Ahmed Saleh Shatnawi

Theses and Dissertations

The Extensible Markup Language (XML) is widely used to store, retrieve, and share digital documents. Recently, a form of Version Control System has been applied to the language, resulting in Version-Aware XML allowing for enhanced portability and scalability. While Version Control Systems are able to keep track of changes made to documents, we think that there is untapped potential in the technology. In this dissertation, we present novel ways of using Version Control System to enhance the security and performance of existing applications. We present a framework to maintain integrity in offline XML documents and provide non-repudiation security features that …

Effects Of Electrolyte Formulation On Graphite Anode For Wide Temperature Application, Jeremy Chang

Theses and Dissertations

In this study, we demonstrate that the low temperature power capability of a Li-ion battery can be substantially improved not by adding exotic additives into the electrolyte, but by rational design of the composition of the most commonly used solvents. Through the detailed analysis with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, the formation of a homogenous solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) layer on the carbon anode surface is critical to ensure the performance of a Li-ion battery in a wide temperature range. Subsequent post mortem analysis after cycling of the negative electrode by XPS revealed that all the electrolyte compositions form similar compounds in …

Threshold Free Detection Of Elliptical Landmarks Using Machine Learning, Lifan Zhang

Theses and Dissertations

Elliptical shape detection is widely used in practical applications. Nearly all classical ellipse detection algorithms require some form of threshold, which can be a major cause of detection failure, especially in the challenging case of Moire Phase Tracking (MPT) target images. To meet the challenge, a threshold free detection algorithm for elliptical landmarks is proposed in this thesis. The proposed Aligned Gradient and Unaligned Gradient (AGUG) algorithm is a Support Vector Machine (SVM)-based classification algorithm, original features are extracted from the gradient information corresponding to the sampled pixels. with proper selection of features, the proposed algorithm has a high accuracy …

Design Of Metal Oxides/Metal Sulfides For The Improvement Of Sodium Ion Batteries, David E. Flores

Theses and Dissertations

Herein, the improvement in performance for sodium ion batteries (NIBs) is discussed from available literature and work conducted in the laboratory setting to demonstrate the ability of sodium to perform in the world of energy storage. The reason that sodium is being explored as an alternative to Lithium in energy storage devices is because of the potential depletion of the lithium in the world causing lithium prices to surge. Researchers show that many Sn, Sb, Ge, and other composites perform well as anode materials within NIBs. The research conducted in the dissertation applies the Forcespinning method to produce fibers for …

Optogenetic Interrogation And Manipulation Of Vascular Blood Flow In Cortex, Farid Atry

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding blood flow regulatory mechanisms that correlate the regional blood flow with the level of local neuronal activity in brain is an ongoing research. Discerning different aspects of this coupling is of substantial importance in interpretation of functional imaging results, such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), that rely on hemodynamic recordings to detect and image brain neuronal activity. Moreover, this understanding can provide insight into blood flow disorders under different pathophysiological conditions and possible treatments for such disorders.

The blood regulatory mechanisms can be studied at two different; however, complementary levels: at the cellular level or at the vascular …

Surface Alloying Of Plain-Carbon Steels During The Casting Manufacturing Process, Michael Beining

Theses and Dissertations

At times, the surface properties of an engineered component must be improved or enhanced when compared to the bulk of the component. Thus, various methods of surface alloying, one of the most important surface engineering processes, have been studied and developed for the decades. This study is concerned with the modification of the surface of WCB plain-carbon steel to improve corrosion and wear resistance of components used in the fresh water industry. The objective is to create a corrosion and wear resistant surface on an engineered component by enriching the surfaces with nickel or nickel and chromium, while the bulk …

Pulsed Flow Jet Impingement Cooling: Evaluation Of Heat Transfer Performance, Michael Lee Hamman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents findings from an experimental and numerical investigation into merits of pulse coolant flow as an improvement to impingement cooling. A series of simulations were conducted at Re=12k and 30k for frequencies up to 20Hz and amplitude ratios up to 70% of mean mass flow and standoff and nozzle spacing equal to three diameters. Square waveforms were found to degrade at low frequencies near 1Hz, rendering the use of square waveforms as an invalid mass flow specifications for inlet boundaries in computational predictions. The Power Consumption Ratio is introduced for comparing pulse and steady flow configuration’s energy consumption. …

Clinical Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Instrumentation: Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome Studies, Parvathi Kadamati

Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

CLINICAL NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY INSTRUMENTATION: POSTURAL ORTHOSTATIC TACHYCARDIA SYNDROME STUDIES

by

Parvathi Kadamati

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 2017

Under the Supervision of Professor Mahsa Ranji

Aims: Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is a type of chronic orthostatic intolerance, annually affecting around 500,000 young Americans. Symptoms of POTS include lightheadedness and persistent increase in heart rate with upright body posture [1-3]. It requires a medical diagnosis. Impaired cerebral oxygenation of patients with POTS has been reported [4]. The pathophysiology remains unclear, and research is needed to understand the underlying conditions that lead to POTS. The aim of this research is to …

Real-Time, Selective Detection Of Heavy Metal Ions In Water Using 2d Nanomaterials-Based Field-Effect Transistors, Guihua Zhou

Theses and Dissertations

Excessive intake of heavy metals damages the central nervous system and causes brain and blood disorders in mammals. Heavy metal contamination is commonly associated with exposure to mercury, lead, arsenic, and cadmium (arsenic is a metalloid, but classified as a heavy metal). Traditional methods to detect heavy metal ions include graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GFAAS), inductively-coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES), and inductively-coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Recently, many new methods have been proposed to detect heavy metal ions, including atomic absorption spectrometry, fluorescent sensors, colorimetric sensors, electrochemical sensors, X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, ultrasensitive dynamic light scatting assays, …

Phased-Array Feed Instrumentation And Processing For Astronomical Detection, Interference Mitigation, And Transient Parameter Estimation, Richard Allen Black

Theses and Dissertations

Radio astronomy, the survey and study of naturally occurring astronomical radio signals, is a challenging field in terms of engineering requirements. The typical astronomical signal of interest is incredibly faint, resulting in very low signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) on the order of -30 dB or lower. To detect such signals, one must have an uncommonly low and stable receiver noise temperature, high gain through large aperture reflectors, and state-of-the-art signal processing algorithms. One must also be able to mitigate the effects of interference, the presence of which, even if extremely weak, can completely mask the faint astronomical signals of interest. To …