Engineering Commons^™

Effects Of Compression Processing Parameters And Antioxidants On Molecular Degradation Of Biodegradable Poly-L-Lactide (Plla), Thomas J. Hannan Jr.

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research was to find a combination of poly (L-lactic acid), also known as poly-L-lactide or (PLLA) and antioxidants that would, together, produce a product whose degradation rate would be advantageous for use in biodegradable medical implants. Intrinsic viscosity tests were conducted on compression molded samples of PLLA that were molded at various processing parameters in order to find optimal parameters. The optimal processing parameters were found to be time 10 minutes, temperature 220°C, and pressure 1000 psi.

The molecular weight of PLLA sample was taken while pressure, time, and temperature were varied. As pressure increased, no …

Applying E-Commerce Techniques To Public School Software, Michael Lapke

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Applying e-commerce technology to public school software is a process that involves an extensive and thorough analysis. There are typically three groups of users who would use such a system: teachers, administrators and parents. Teachers need a system that nearly duplicates the software that they are currently using to enter, store, and calculate their grades, while school administrators and parents need to student and teacher's information. This is where the use of e-commerce technology comes in very nicely.

The analysis performed for this project involved extensive interviews with the expert user set and a walk-through of the current system. The …

Forecasting With Combined Seasonal Indiaces, Al-Nasser Essam Taki El Din

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Multi -Mission Attitude Determination System For Balloon Flight, Liping Mo

Doctoral Dissertations

MADS (Multi-mission Attitude Determination System) is a new software package used to determine the attitude of instruments on a high-altitude balloon employed for scientific experiments. There is no existing system for the automated determination of the attitude of instruments in balloon experiments, so we have developed MADS to do the data analysis for balloon experiments to find the location of astrophysical sources such as gamma-ray or x-ray sources.

The two areas that required most work were modeling star trackers and modeling the motion of the balloon. Star trackers are used on satellites, but are far too expensive and sophisticated to …

Design And Implementation Of Car Rental System, Fadi Fayez Abdel-Jaber

Theses Digitization Project

When someone wants to rent a car, the customer will usually think twice about the company from which they want to rent. The decision will be based on factors such as good rates, quality and customer service. The service the company representative offers the client should be fast, clear and accurate. This goal cannot be achieved without an informative system that will enable the customer representative to answer the various questions the client might have.

A Study And Implementation Of An Electronic Commerce Website Using Active Server Pages, Soumaya Boutkhil

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of this project is to design an electronic commerce site for MarocMart company. MarocMart.com is an one-stop shopping company for a number of high quality products: carpets, jewelry, pottery, wood, leather, metals, and fashion items, etc... Each article is unique, hand-made by Moroccan craftsmen.

Presentations World Wide Systems, Sandra Marie Hengstebeck

Theses Digitization Project

The purpose of Presentations World Wide System (PWWS) is to allow students to view a live presentation through an Internet browser and allow the instructor to have control over the presentation.

Implementation Business-To-Business Electronic Commercial Website Using Coldfusion 4.5, Teerapong Euawatana

Theses Digitization Project

This project was created using ColdFusion 4.5 to build and implement a commercial web site to present a real picture of electronic commerce. This project is intended to provide enough information for other students who are looking for a guideline for further study and to improve their skills in business from an information management aspect.

World Wide Graphics, Alysha Marie Timmons

Theses Digitization Project

The scope of this project describes World Wide Graphics (WWG) a software package that provides instructors with the tools needed to present a web-based presentation to a group of students while having the ability of enhancing the prepared HTML slide with userdrawn graphics and highlighting.

Investigation Of Quantum Resistor Networks For Electron Wave Computing, Diwakar Ramamurthy

Masters Theses

A new computing methodology using electron waves has been developed with three and four terminal Quantum Resistor Networks as the basic computational structure. Transmission probability matrices for these networks were derived from first principles from which the behavior of single and simultaneously incident electron waves have been accurately evaluated. Classification and scaling laws have also been provided according to their transmission behavior. Techniques for constructing devices from these networks analogous to the logic gates used in digital computing today have been explained. Numerous examples of such devices performing functions like Inversion, OR, and AND have been provided. The operating principles …

Risk-Based Approach To Maritime Safety, Hui Xie

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Gene Expression Data Analysis Using Fuzzy Logic, Robert Reynolds

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

DNA microarray technology allows for the parallel analysis of the expression of genes in an organism. The wealth of spatio-temporal data provided by the technology allows us to attempt to reverse engineer the genetic network. Fuzzy logic has been proposed as a method of analyzing the relationships between genes as well as their corresponding proteins. Combinations of genes are entered into a fuzzy model of gene interaction and evaluated on the basis of how well the combination fits the model. Those combinations of genes that fit the model are likely to be related. However, current analysis algorithms are slow and …

Optimization Of A Multi-Aixs Electro-Mechanical Scanning System., Raul Urbina

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents efforts to enhance the system performance of an ultrasonic scanning machine. New developments in electronics are used to enhance the system performance. This work focuses on optimizing the system repeatability with a robust triggering system for the scanner. The robust triggering system applies new advances in programmable logic devices that make the replacement of complicated digital circuits possible. Modeling of wave propagation through anisotropic media is used to increase the system dynamic range. The model-based gain control compensates for variations in thickness and materials by controlling the excitation pulse amplitude. The automatic gain is implemented using integrated …

The Flexural Response Of Bolted Composite Panels At Elevated Temperature, Christopher Gary Malm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Carbon fiberlcyanate ester matrix composite panels with bolted connections to aluminum endplates were tested in four point bending at room and elevated temperatures. The specimens tested were subcomponents of the NASA X-38 Crew Return Vehicle. The X-38 is the proposed escape vehicle for the International Space Station, currently being constructed in Earth orbit. During reentry into the Earth's atmosphere, the composite aeroshell of the X-38 is expected to experience elevated temperatures, which makes accurate characterization of material properties at elevated temperature imperative to a sound design. Three varieties of specimens were tested: flat composite laminates, hat-stiffened composite laminates, and sandwich …

Current Voltage Characteristics Of A Semiconductor Metal Oxide Sensor., Huilin Ren

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The current versus voltage (IN) characteristics of undoped and gold doped W03 thin film sensors were studied both experimentally and theoretically. A simplified equivalent circuit was formulated for the W03 sensor. It includes forward and reverse biased Schottky diodes which represent the contact region between the electrodes and the film and a resistor which represent the sum of crystallite resistance and the intercrystallite resistance between the individual crystallites. According to the electron transport mechanisms through the Metal Semiconductor (MIS) boundaries and intercrystallite boundaries, two kinds of yV and corresponding ResistanceNoltage(RN)characteristics are possible, one based on thermionic emission theory and the …

Design And Implementation Of An Intranet-Solution Especially With Workflow Aspects, Robert Loew

Theses

An Intranet support a new or simply an easier information system for all the workers within a company using internet technology. On the one hand, employees can use Web technology and very simple tools to provide and navigate information. On the other hand, the costly and time-consuming business of installing and maintaining software on local PCs can be avoided by using Browser-based Intranet applications. Ideally, it would be possible to access all forms of information processing using one and the same Web browser. This is the aim of the Intranet Project upon which this thesis is based.

Various technologies for …

Uniform Random Number Generation Using Pseudorandom Binary Sequences, Susan Rea

Theses

Random numbers have conventionally been used in a range of applications such as numerical analysis, lotteries and computer simulation and as cryptographic keys. The algorithms used for the production of random numbers are termed pseudorandom, as the numbers produced are not truly random as they emanate from a deterministic periodic source that is they are predictable if a subset of the sequence is known. However, for most applications these pseudorandom number sources are entirely suitable.

For cryptographic key sources, however, the random number sequences must be statistically good and difficult to predict. Linear feedback shift registers are presented in this …

To Research, Analyse And Install An Optimised Maintenance Management System For A Medium Sized Manufacturing Company: A Textile Company Case Study, Christopher O'Donoghue

Theses

Modern manufacturing is continually striving to ensure that products are made to higher levels of quality with faster lead times and at the lowest possible costs. Manufacturing production has never been more reliant on machines and automated processes than it is today. This thesis investigates the management philosophies that are in existence, which cater specifically for maintenance and maintenance related issues. Management philosophies such as Reliability Centred Maintenance (RCM), Total Productive Maintenance (TPM), Profit Centred Maintenance (PCM), asset management (AM), Predictive Maintenance (PdM), Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) and World Class Maintenance (WCM) have increased company profits by drastically reducing maintenance …

Dynamic Performance Of Isolated Power Converters, David Badia

Theses

Isolated power converters are primarily used in applications where electrical galvanic isolation is required for safety purposes. They are also used in applications, which require various output voltages level. They have been studied from many different aspects, but in this thesis the fundamental circuits of the flyback, the forward and the half-bridge converters are studied and compared extensively, with regard to their dynamic performance.

This analysis will lead us to a better understanding of their behaviour, that is a crucial point in the selection of each topology for a particular application. Moreover, the dynamic response of each converter is different; …

Analysis And Synthesis Of Primary Side Cycle By Cycle Control Of Isolated Flyback Converters, Radoslaw Nalepa

Theses

This work presents the analysis and design of an isolated flyback converter, without feedback from the load side. The converter is controlled from the primary side using the switch voltage and innovative control circuit topologies.

A detail study of the flyback circuit is undertaken including all known parasitics. Besides the standard parasitics, for example the capacitor resistive effect, other more subtle effects are included in the model development such as inter coil couplingj source capacitance etc. Development of these models has provided information about circuit simplifications without losing accuracy of the model. As a consequence of this model development, it …

Use Of Incremental Adaptation And Habituation Regimens For Mitigating Optokinetic Side-Effects, David A. Graeber

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

The use of incremental and repeated exposures regimens have been put forth as effective means to mitigate visually induced motion sickness based on the Dual Process Theory (DPT) (Groves & Thompson, 1970) of neural plasticity. In essence, DPT suggests that by incrementing stimulus intensity the depression opponent process should be allowed to exert greater control over the net outcome than the sensitization opponent process, thereby minimizing side-effects. This conceptual model was tested by empirically validating the effectiveness of adaptation, incremental adaptation, habituation, and incremental habituation regimens to mitigate side-effects arising from exposure to an optokinetic drum. Forty college students from …

A Framework For The Implementation Of An Iso 9000 Based Certification Program For Printed Circuit Board Manufacturers, Adam Y. Maamoun

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

ISO 9000:2000 is the newest version of the ISO 9000 family of standards. Unlike the 1994 version, it does not distinguish between servicing, testing and designing standards. It emphasizes quality improvement rather than quality control and briefly explains how to implement the Plan-Do-Check- Act (PDCA) cycle for improvement and the use of statistical techniques to improve the quality of process and product instead of controlling the quality of the output. The thesis explains why companies need to be certified and how to implement quality improvement programs.

The objective of this thesis is to provide generic certification guidelines for printed circuit …

Computing A Diameter-Constrained Minimum Spanning Tree, Ayman Mahmoud Abdalla

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

In numerous practical applications, it is necessary to find the smallest possible tree with a bounded diameter. A diameter-constrained minimum spanning tree (DCMST) of a given undirected, edge-weighted graph, G, is the smallest-weight spanning tree of all spanning trees of G which contain no path with more than k edges, where k is a given positive integer. The problem of finding a DCMST is NP-complete for all values of k; 4 ≤ k ≤ (n - 2), except when all edge-weights are identical.

A DCMST is essential for the efficiency of various distributed mutual exclusion algorithms, where …

Electrodeposition Of Niw Alloys Into Deep Recesses, Lakshmikanth Namburi

LSU Master's Theses

Pulse electrodeposition has been investigated as a general technique for the electrodeposition of nickel-tungsten alloys in deep recesses for MEMS. Ni-W exhibits an induced codeposition mechanism, where the Ni reaction rate enhances the codeposition of W. Electrodeposition of this alloy has been achieved into recesses of 500 micron deep. The challenges that have been encountered are those related to gas evolving side reactions, local pH rises, diffusional limitations of the soluble species and long times required for filling the recesses. Electrodeposition on cylinder electrodes at different rotation rates was also carried out in order to obtain data on composition of …

Polyurethane Foam Based Packing Media For Biofilters Removing Volatile Organic Compounds From Contaminated Air, Felipe A. Martinez

LSU Master's Theses

In recent years, biofiltration technology has gained acceptance worldwide as an economical and reliable air pollution control technology for treating gases contaminated by low concentrations of biodegradable volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Important applications include control of odors generated by wastewater treatment plants and control of VOC emissions from industrial sources. Although there have been many successful applications, several operational problems have been reported in the literature. These include difficulty in control over bed moisture content, high head loss caused by excessive biomass production, and inability to maintain removal efficiency during transient periods of high concentration loading. Use of a superior …

A Dynamic Programming-Based Approach To Microarray Image Comparison And Registration, Sunil Bosco Rodrigues

Masters Theses

"Microarray technology is increasingly used as a means of high throughput analysis of human, non-human and plant genomes. Manual methods of array production have inherent imperfections and variations of the quality of output data derived from these arrays. A dynamic programming-based approach is presented to validate the quality of such data prior to insertion into evolving databases in order to assign reliably, genetic aberrations to bio-medical functions. Dynamic programming is used for comparing normal and tumor microarray image pairs and a cost function is developed which gives a value representing the difference between the images. Quality of the image pairs …

The Development Of A New Anemometer For Measuring High Speed Winds On Mount Washington, New Hampshire, Mark W. Thoren

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mount Washington, NH is well known as the "Home of the Worlds Worst Weather." Winds on the mountain regularly exceed 100 miles per hour, the record being 231 mph on April 12, 1934. There is a long history of weather observation on the mountain that has included various recording techniques. Until recently, the primary means of recording data has been paper strip charts. This project represents significant improvements to the Observatory's instrumentation system. Measuring windspeed on Mount Washington presents a number of design challenges. Any instruments directly exposed to the weather must be very durable. Fortunately this problem had been …

Multiple-Access Interference Suppression In Cdma Wireless Systems, Jianqiang He

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis presents techniques that suppress the multiple access interference (MAI) in CDMA wireless systems. MAI is the main factor that influences the communication quality and the capacity in CDMA wireless systems. Hence the suppression of MAI is essential to the performance of a CDMA wireless system. For conventional CDMA systems where matched filters are used as receivers, the only MAI suppression method available is the power control, which allocates each user in the system an appropriate transmitter power level such that the transmitter power is minimized to decrease the MAI, while at the same time each user maintains a …

Mathematical Modeling For Fabricating A Microstructure With A Pre-Specified Geometry Using Laser -Induced Chemical Vapor Deposition, Chaoyang Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

Laser-induced chemical vapor deposition (LCVD) is an emerging new technique with many practical applications. To optimize the system for fabricating a microstructure with a pre-specified geometry in pyrolytic LCVD, a three-dimensional mathematical model is developed for predicting temperature distributions and laser dwell times across the substrate scanned by the laser beam. A microstructure is fabricated layer by layer, and for each layer the laser beam moves from one pixel to the next. The complicated correlations among temperature distribution, deposit growth rate, and laser dwell time are investigated. A purely heterogeneous reaction is assumed and any gas-phase transport is ignored.

A …

Postural Balance And Acceleration Threshold Detection For Anterior Horizontal Translation In Diabetic And Non-Diabetic Elderly, Venkatesh Balasubramanian

Doctoral Dissertations

Slips and falls, and even the fear of failing, can represent a major medical and functional deterrent to living independently, especially among the elderly population. Various groups of elders are at known risk for falling including, but not limited to, those with vestibular dysfunction, those with low visual acuity including visual neuropathies, and those with peripheral neuropathies. The first two groups are fairly well studied, but the relationship between the level of peripheral neuropathy and extent of falling has received relatively less attention.

In this study, using sliding linear investigative platform for analyzing lower limb stability (SLIP-FALLS), the psychophysical thresholds …