Engineering Commons^™

Thematic Synthesis: Rethinking Generative Music With Compositional Understanding In Game And Software Development, Jasper Moore Tucker

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Generative music, first introduced by composers like Brian Eno and David Cope in the mid-to-late 20th century, has evolved through many stages, with diverse applications across music and technology companies as well as the game industry. However, despite this widespread interest, there remains a notable lack of the foundational understanding of composition and individual expressiveness in current generative systems that was apparent in the work of early composers. This paper advocates for a shift towards prioritizing compositional thought in system design to foster greater diversity and innovation within generative music. To demonstrate this approach, a novel system synthesizing two distinct …

Adaptive Solutions For Improving The Quality Of Mobile User Experiences, Meena V

Theses and Dissertations

Nowadays, mobile applications have drawn a lot of attention as they bring computational and storage resources close to consumers globally through high-speed networks. Applications such as the medical microscope, 2D barcode reader, environmental sensor(s), mobile security and authenticator, vehicle remote controller, and IoT-based synchronizer come pre- applications are resource-intensive, as it performs computation(s) by utilizing diverse services like location, app-tracking, networking, camera, calendar, contacts, Bluetooth, etc. for each user activity. Parallel execution of such intense services might utilize the utmost memory and CPU of the mobile device which in turn degrades the overall Quality of Experience (QoE). This ultimately ends …

Signal Processing Algorithms For Doppler Lidar Sensors, Samantha Grubb

Physics and Astronomy Honors Papers

Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) is a remote sensing technology that obtains relative distance and velocity measurements between a sensor and a defined target by using light transmitted and received from the target. FMCW Doppler LiDAR, a particular variant of LiDAR, functions by analyzing the frequency shift in the reflected light to determine the target's range and velocity. This technology plays a crucial role across various sectors including defense, aerospace, and automotive. This paper presents signal processing algorithms designed to optimize data obtained from Doppler LiDAR sensors. By applying various window functions to time domain data, the Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) …

Patterned Magnetic And Plasmonic Nanostructures In Microfluidics For Extracellular Vesicle Screening And Drug Loading, John H. Molinski

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), once dismissed as shuttles for cellular waste, have emerged as vital nanoscale biomolecules, facilitating intercellular communication through transfer of host-cell specific molecular cargo. Tumor-derived EVs, released by cancer cells, hold potential as diagnostic biomolecules due to their links to cancer cells, abundance within biofluids, and potential for direct extraction and detection. More broadly, EVs from a wide array of cellular origins have been explored as therapeutic carriers, stemming from their innate function as cargo carriers, high biocompatibility, and their ability to evade immune detection. However, harnessing EVs for diagnostic or therapeutic applications necessitates efficient isolation, purification, and …

Emotional Experiences Of Black U.S. Computer Science And Engineering Students Amid Faculty-Student Interactions, Kyle Shanachilubwa

Honors Theses

Black students encounter unique challenges in computer science and engineering education. Chief among these is a disconnect with faculty due to a lack of mentorship and difficulties in interactions with faculty. Despite these challenges, Black students bring many engineering and computer science assets. This study aims to understand the emotional experiences of Black students in computer science and engineering education. We present an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) to answer the questions: (1) How do Black students experience faculty-student interactions in computer science and engineering education? (2) How do Black students experience professional shame in these interactions? To answer these research …

Development And Simulation Of A Damage Assessment And Recovery Method For Critical Database Systems, Anthony Pham

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

With how much the world relies on technology and the critical database infrastructure that supports it, the infrastructures require efficient methods to detect and resolve suspicious database transactions, whether malicious or not. This paper focuses on an algorithm that detects and resolves malicious transactions in a database. The process begins with identifying suspicious transactions based on common patterns. When a transaction is flagged, the algorithm segments groups of suspicious transactions in separate log files, separating them for easy access. Within these segments, any dependent transactions that use data affected by the suspicious transactions will be stored there. After the transaction …

Manufacturing Silicone In-House For The Creation Of Customized Neurovascular Blood Vessel Mimics, Jacob Wilbert Perisho

Master's Theses

The Tissue Engineering Lab at California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo focuses on creating tissue-engineered Blood Vessel Mimics (BVMs) designed for the preclinical testing of neurovascular devices. These BVMs are composed of silicone models, representing anatomically accurate neurovasculatures, that are sodded with vascular cell types and then cultivated in bioreactors (which maintain physiologic conditions). These silicone models are currently sourced externally from industry partners, so the primary goal of this thesis was to develop the means and methods for the Tissue Engineering Lab to manufacture silicone models in-house.

The first aim of this thesis was to develop and explore …

Evaluating Tissue Morphology In The Context Of Varied Initial Fabrication Conditions, Cassidy Caffin

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Cardiovascular diseases have been the leading cause of death for years. This includes myocardial infarctions (MI) where blood flow to the myocardium is restricted. This causes damage to cardiac muscle due to insufficient oxygen. There are multiple ways to treat patients following an MI with the most common involving assorted medication. However, there are limited medications that can be used for treating patients following MIs, and the FDA’s decreasing approval rate for new cardiac drugs will not dramatically improve the range of options. The lead-up to drug candidate rejection by the FDA can involve drugs exhibiting promising preliminary research that …

Enhancing Cybersecurity In Wireless Sensor Networks: Machine Learning, Blockchain And Future Perspectives, Ilemona Solomon Atawodi

Dissertations

Security in the Industrial Internet of Things encounters various security issues but the main issues can be broken down into three core issues: Availability, Integrity, and Confidentiality. Security challenges generally tend to be caused by a failure of the system in one of these areas or cause a failure in one of these areas. Therefore researching scalable solutions to these security issues is prudent to explore methods that could be applied to large-scale industrial IIoT with tens to hundreds of devices as well as small-scale systems on a tiny factory floor comprising of just a few devices. In our research, …

Machine Learning And Geostatistical Approaches For Discovery Of Weather And Climate Events Related To El Niño Phenomena, Sachi Perera

Computational and Data Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

El Nino and La Nina are worldwide environmental phenomena brought about by repetitive changes in the water temperature of the Pacific Ocean. Even though the El-Nino impact focuses on a smaller area in the Pacific Ocean near the Equator, these developments have global repercussions, where temperature and precipitation are influenced across the globe, causing droughts and floods simultaneously. In this dissertation, we first derived a drought vulnerability index for the Nile basin, identifying regions with high and low drought risk under ENSO conditions. Next, we evaluated the coherence and periodicity of the ENSO signal to detect its implications on MENA …

A Comprehensive Investigation Of The Influence Of Geometric Structure On The Shape Memory Performance Of Nafion, Jade Thomas

Physics Undergraduate Honors Theses

While perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membranes have primarily been used in fuel cells due to their chemical, thermal, and mechanical stability, one PFSA, Nafion, boasts two unique characteristics: a broad glass transition (~55 °C to 130 °C) and a temperature-persistent electrostatic network. The combination of these two characteristics endows Nafion with exceptional shape memory properties – the ability of a material to morph and transform into pre-programmed shapes when exposed to an external stimulus – with enhanced permanent shape memorization, and a potentially near-infinite number of temporary shape memorization. This study focused on expanding the base of knowledge surrounding Nafion’s shape …

Sequential Optimization For Stressor-Informed Test Planning Through Integration Of Experimental And Simulated Data, Jacob Brecheisen

Data Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This technical report details an innovative approach in reliability engineering aimed at maximizing system durability through a synergistic use of physical experimentation and computer-based modeling. Our methodology explores the efficient design and analysis of computer experiments and physical tests to facilitate accelerated reliability growth, while leveraging a sequential integration of data from these two distinct sources: costly physical experiments, characterized by random errors, and inexpensive computer simulations, marked by inherent systematic errors. The key innovation lies in the adoption of a closed-loop design and analysis method. This method begins by identifying a viable subset of important environmental stressors—such as temperature, …

Enabling High-Rate Thermoplastic Composite Manufacturing Through Structure-Processing-Property Relationships Of Polyphenylene Sulfide, Lina Ghanbari

Dissertations

In this dissertation, relationships between polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) chain structure and melt processing parameters are linked to thermoplastic composite (TPC) properties and mechanical performance. Deviations from linear PPS structure and the formation of branching/crosslinked moieties upon exposure to TPC manufacturing steps presents an opportunity to systematically uncover the interdependencies of melt-state thermal history on polymer rheology, crystallization, crystal structure, and translate these properties to the continuum level. This work first explores unreinforced PPS and how the formation of non-linear chain architectures yield altered rheological states when held at melt processing temperatures. These hindered chains exhibit unconventional crystallization behavior and non-uniform …

The Analysis Of Mechanical Exfoliation Of Graphene For Various Fabrication And Automation Techniques, Lance Yarbrough

Physics Undergraduate Honors Theses

Mechanical Exfoliation

Micro-Mechanical Characterization Of Uhpc Stiffness Mechanisms: Towards A Better Understanding Of Concrete Elastic Modulus, Charissa N. Puttbach

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Current design code equations for estimating the elastic modulus of specialty concretes like ultra-high performance concrete are not all suitable. Developing empirical curves from exhaustive experimental testing is challenging for concretes that may have high levels of cement replacement with mineral admixtures and fibers at varying volume contents. As such, an alternative approach is taken that seeks to understand the constituent microscale stiffness mechanisms and relate the results to the macroscale. Micropillars are fabricated on several cement paste phases using a focused ion beam. A modified pico-indenter is used to determine the linear and non-linear behavior under micro-compression loading. Micropillar …

Providing A Statistical Analysis Framework For Agencies To Analyze The Parameters Influencing The Rutting And Cracking Performance Of Asphalt Mixtures, Mohammad Tahir Ansari

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Many state agencies recognize that their current asphalt mixtures are susceptible to cracking and poor durability. Some agencies are adjusting their mix design procedures to increase the asphalt binder content, while others are moving toward a balanced mix design (BMD) to try and address both cracking and rutting. However, there is uncertainty on what asphalt mixture properties can impact cracking and rutting. This research explores the IDEAL-CT and APA data from two years of mix designs collected by ARDOT. To understand which asphalt mixture properties impact cracking and rutting in the field, Pearson correlation (PCM), Spearman rank correlation (SCM) and …

Proctor And Harvard Miniature Compaction Energy Comparison, Julia Loshelder

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Compaction with the Harvard Miniature Compaction Apparatus (HMCA) was investigated to develop a method that can be used in place of typical Proctor compaction. Advantages for compaction with the HMCA include the need for less soil for testing and less preparation time. To investigate the potential for HMCA as a replacement, soil specimens were compacted with both the Proctor and HMCA methodologies at equivalent energies. For this testing, the testing included modified energy (56,250 ft-lbf/ft³ [2693 kN-m/m³]), standard energy (12,375 ft-lbf/ft³ [593 kN-m/m³]), and reduced energy (6188 ft-lbf/ft³ [296 kN-m/m³]). Because …

Addressing Data Limitations Of Commercial Waterways Via Machine Learning And Stochastic Optimization, Sanjeev Bhurtyal

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Freight transportation is a crucial component of the US economy, with truck, rail, and water contributing significantly to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). However, challenges arise in maintaining infrastructure capacity to accommodate the growing tonnage and value of freight transportation. Waterways offer high efficiency and environmental friendliness, with the capacity to transport substantial cargo volumes. Utilizing waterways can alleviate bottlenecks in landside transportation, accommodating the rising tonnage of commodity flow in the US. Despite the advantages of waterway transportation, the data limitations hinder informed decision-making regarding port operation and infrastructure investment. The lack of granularity and timeliness in available data …

Cyclic Testing Of A Skewed Special Moment Frame Rbs Connection Having A Composite Concrete Slab, Adam Neil Kirchner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Special moment frames (SMFs) having reduced beam section (RBS) connections are commonly used in high seismic areas as they resist lateral forces while preserving critical welded connection regions. RBS SMFs provide brace-free, unobstructed frame options which can be favorable for architectural purposes. However, when building designs require non-rectangular framing, laterally skewed connections may be needed. Current design provisions for SMF connections provide only limited commentary on such non-orthogonal connections as limited research exists documenting skewed frame behavior. This study experimentally evaluates the cyclic behavior of a full-scale double-sided skewed SMF RBS specimen having a composite concrete slab. During the imposed …

Dna/Carbon Nanotube Hybrid Structure And Their Translocation Through A Nanochannel, Daniel Christoffel Viljoen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

DNA sequencing is of major importance as it is used in fields such as species differentiation, personalized medicine and food safety. Currently sequencing by synthesis is the most popular commercial method of sequencing DNA while Oxford nanopore’s protein based nanopores are the only portable commercial method. Current nanopore based devices have three main issues: Spacial resolution, translocation rate versus sensor strength and dealing with the persistence length of ssDNA. This thesis contributes to ongoing research that aims to create a nanochannel with integrated sensor based sequencing device. The project has two main objectives. The first objective is to improve the …

Use Of Bcsa Cement In Soil-Cement Mixtures As A Rapid Flood Repair Technique, Mariel Mayori Rivero

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The research discusses the vulnerable condition of hydraulic structures, specially dams and levees located in the United States, structures that are often times made of earthfill material and that have been greatly impacted by recent flood events. The need for a rapid setting material for active flood fighting efforts is inarguable, in order to mitigate collateral expenses caused by the often long closure times when repair is taking place, especially when dewatering is necessary. Therefore, this research tested different proportions of cement in soil-cement mixtures at varying moisture contents with the interest of evaluating the performance of the soil-cement when …

Investigating The Presence Of Patented In Vitro Models For Cancer-Nerve Crosstalk Methods, Christoff Hauptmann

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this research project is to investigate the presence of patented in vitro models for perineural invasion (PNI) and tumor innervation, the two most prominent modes of cancer-nerve crosstalk that play an active role in cancer initiation and progression. PNI occurs through a positive feedback loop in which cancer cells invade passive nerves to metastasize. Tumor innervation is the process where tumor cells attract nearby nerves to the tumor microenvironment (TME) for tumor growth and metastasis. These crosstalk paths have been established for many types of cancer and result in poor patient prognosis. Recently, in vitro models have …

Evaluation Of The Efficiency Of Muscle-Specific Promoters To Express Non-Endogenous Proteins In Skeletal Muscle, Gabrielle Bulliard, Made Harumi Padmaswari, Christopher E. Nelson

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Gene therapies are emerging as powerful tools for treating genetic diseases and cancers, offering the potential for a permanent cure. Hemophilia B, affecting approximately 6,000 men in the U.S., results from a deficiency in coagulation factor IX protein (FIX), which is crucial for blood clotting. A substantial portion of patients, over 40%, suffer from severe hemophilia B, experiencing spontaneous, prolonged bleeding. Current prophylactic treatments involve frequent coagulation factor infusions, yet a curative approach would alleviate this burden. Gene editing technologies like CRISPR-Cas systems show promise for correcting genetic mutations, but the diverse nature of factor IX gene (F9) …

Open-Source Optimization For Green Last Mile Delivery And Other Applications, John Sooter

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Solving combinatorial optimization problems at scale and of sufficiently interesting context has historically required commercial solvers and access to proprietary company data. The development of performant open-source mathematical programming software and crowdsourced datasets has created an opportunity for individuals and enterprises alike to consider alternative solutions to problems with social and personal implications. This honors thesis represents a summary of my undergraduate research work, an application of optimization to three distinct problems connected to these developments. First, we present an optimization study of a last mile delivery system that shows optimization for energy consumption can generate vehicleindependent fuel savings at …

Investigating The Integration Of Demand Distribution Modeling In Supply Chain Simulation, Marshal Ray

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research presents a methodology for modeling the amount of demand and the time intervals between demands within a complex supply chain simulation program. The research outlines the approach, incorporating factor analysis and consolidation techniques, with a focus on using Random Forest modeling for factor importance identification. The results section covers demand quantity modeling utilizing both continuous and discrete empirical approaches, accompanied by considerations for outlier and overall distributions. While using these modeling techniques, P-P plots and KS-Statistics were employed to assess the goodness of fit, as a way to make recommendations for these models. The time between demand modeling …

A Comprehensive Investigation Of The Influence Of Geometric Structure On The Shape Memory Performance Of Nafion, Jade Thomas

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

While perfluorosulfonic acid (PFSA) membranes have primarily been used in fuel cells due to their chemical, thermal, and mechanical stability, one PFSA, Nafion, boasts two unique characteristics: a broad glass transition (~55 °C to 130 °C) and a temperature-persistent electrostatic network. The combination of these two characteristics endows Nafion with exceptional shape memory properties – the ability of a material to morph and transform into pre-programmed shapes when exposed to an external stimulus – with enhanced permanent shape memorization, and a potentially near-infinite number of temporary shape memorization. This study focused on expanding the base of knowledge surrounding Nafion’s shape …

Cam And Design For Manufacturing: Developing A Project-Based Learning Course, Stephen Pierson

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

To effectively serve student career success, mechanical engineering programs must teach students how to account for manufacturing considerations in design. Despite this, manufacturing education is a glaring area of need in current engineering curricula. In fact, basic manufacturing knowledge is one of the only hard skills consistently ranked as one of the greatest weaknesses of mechanical engineering hires in surveys of industrial employers over the last few decades. Without radically changing departmental curriculum to include more emphasis on design-build projects, one solution to combat this is to incubate a lab course in mechanical engineering programs in which undergraduates would practice …

What Is Biological Engineering? – A Magazine, Morgan Christensen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Biological Engineering is one of the less commonly known fields of engineering and can be challenging to describe to someone outside the discipline. The most common question I've been asked during my undergraduate career is "What is biological engineering?". My answer has changed throughout my time at Utah State University as I've had more experiences within the discipline. This project focuses on answering this question in the format of a magazine to help bridge the gap between those in the discipline and a general audience. By using a magazine as the format, the content must be organized and written in …

Testing Resilience Of Microalgae Biofilms When Exposed To Hydrothermal Liquefaction Aqueous Phase, Davis Riley Haag

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

There are a multitude of experimental and processing techniques in the bioenergy field that produce sustainable and carbon negative to carbon neutral methods of converting renewable resources into biologically based hydrocarbons. One example of a process is hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL) which specializes in converting wet biomass into biocrude oil. One reason that these processes are not used outside experimental testing is due to the high cost of performing these processes. There is potential to move these processes to larger scale testing and eventually industrial adaptation if breakthroughs are made to offset the process expenses. There is a waste product produced …

Pedestrian Crossing Environmental Impact Statement, Alyssa Gaither

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Logan, Utah is divided by US Highway 89/91, which bisects much of the city. This makes it difficult to pass to the other side without a vehicle. A pedestrian crossing has been proposed to connect the eastern and western sides of Logan without impacting traffic flow. The Environmental Impact Statement aims to look at reasonable alternatives and identify many resources that will be affected by its implementation. Four main alternatives were considered: an underpass, an overpass with an elevator, an overpass with a ramp, and the no-change alternative to be used as a baseline alternative. The underpass is the preferred …