Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of The Human Impact Of Password Authentication Practices On Information Security, Deborah Sater Carstens, Pamela R. Mccauley-Bell, Linda C. Malone, Ronald F. Demara

Aeronautics Faculty Publications

The research objective was to develop a model for evaluating the human impact that password authentication issues are having on the security of information systems. Through distributing a survey and conducting an experiment, researchers created a model for predicting the vulnerability that a particular set of conditions will have on the likelihood of error in an information system. The survey consisted of over 250 respondents. The experiment consisted of 30 subjects and the analysis utilized a χ2 goodness of fit test. The findings indicate that human error associated with password authentication can be significantly reduced through the use of passwords …

Tractor Test 1837c: New Holland Boomer 4055, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

The Investigation Of A Wireless Medical Homecare Data Logger, Aisling Cronin

Masters

Modern, portable self-measurement devices such as hand-held glucometers and ECG instruments can provide feedback in electronic form to patients. However the information is mostly transmitted by proprietary cable and there is no agreed format for migrating this data to information systems in clinics where it can be used by clinicians. The result is a muddle of transport mechanisms and software. There is a clear need for a simple, open and agreed means of data communication to help patients to manage their condition and to support clinicians who engage in home telemonitoring. To allow patients freedom to move, the first stage …

Fpga Placement And Routing Using Particle Swarm Optimization, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Venu Gopal Gudise

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are becoming increasingly important implementation platforms for digital circuits. One of the necessary requirements to effectively utilize the FPGA's fixed resources is an efficient placement and routing mechanism. This paper presents particle swarm optimization (PSO) for FPGA placement and routing. Preliminary results for the implementation of an arithmetic logic unit on a Xilinx FPGA show that PSO is a potential technique for solving the placement and routing problem.

Comprehensive Evaluation Of Animated Instructional Software For Mechanics Of Materials, Timothy A. Philpot, Richard H. Hall

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

During the past three years, the Basic Engineering Department at the University of Missouri--Rolla has been developing a second-generation suite of instructional software called MecMovies for the mechanics of materials course. In the Fall 2003 semester, MecMovies was integrated into assignments throughout the entire semester for one of the six UMR mechanics of materials sections. This paper presents a comparison of student performance in the experimental section with student performance in five control sections along with discussion of student qualitative ratings and comments.

Analysis Of Jet-Wing Distributed Propulsion From Thick Wing Trailing Edges, Serhat Hosder, Joseph A. Schetz, Vance Dippold

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Conventional airliners use two to four engines in a Cayley-type arrangement to provide thrust, and the thrust is concentrated right behind the engine. Distributed propulsion is the idea of redistributing the thrust across most, or all, of the wingspan of an aircraft. This can be accomplished by using several large engines and using a duct to spread out the exhaust flow to form a jet-wing or by using many small engines spaced along the span of the wing. Jet-wing distributed propulsion was originally suggested as a way to improve propulsive efficiency. A previous study at Virginia Tech assessed the potential …

Electrospinning As A Processing Method For Electroactive Polymers And Composites, Kristin Joy Pawlowski

Theses and Dissertations

Electrospinning was examined for its potential to create functional materials. Three distinct electroactive materials were electrospun into fibers and fiber mats and then characterized with the intent of determining their utility in aerospace and biomedical applications such as micro-air vehicles and the cardiovascular system. Electrospun Graft Elastomers demonstrated potential as actuators, as electromechanical strain testing showed comparable response to the film form of this material. Further improvement of electroactive response was realized with high dielectric inclusions and fiber orientation. Electrospin processing imparted piezoelectric properties to the fibers of poly(vinylidene fluoride). Differential scanning calorimetry and infrared spectroscopy indicated a degree of …

Multiagent Systems With Workflows, José M. Vidal, Paul A. Buhler, Christian Stahl

Faculty Publications

Industry and researchers have two different visions for the future of Web services. Industry wants to capitalize on Web service technology to automate business processes via centralized workflow enactment. Researchers are interested in the dynamic composition of Web services. We show how these two visions are points in a continuum and discuss a possible path for bridging the gap between them.

Calibrating An Intracranial Pressure Dynamics Model With Clinical Data - A Progress Report, Wayne W. Wakeland, James Mcnames, Brahm Goldstein

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

We describe the calibration of a computer model of intracranial pressure (ICP) dynamics to correspond with annotated clinical data taken from a patient being treated for elevated ICP due to a traumatic brain injury. The research protocol employed during treatment includes adjusting the elevation of the head of the bed, adjusting the ventilator settings to induce mild hyperventilation and hypoventilation, and adjusting the height of the cerebrospinal fluid drainage system. The model behavior corresponds to the experimental data quite well in the case of the changing the head of the bed, but less well in the case of changing the …

Reconstructability Analysis: Theory And Applications [Editorial Introduction], Martin Zwick, Guangfu Shu, Yi Lin

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reconstructability analysis (RA) dates back to the pioneering work of Ashby in the mid-1960s. In the 1970s and 1980s, RA was the subject of very active research in the systems community. It receded for a time as a focus of activity, but the special issue of the International Journal of General Systems in 1996 on the General Systems Problem Solver and the special IJGS issue in 2000 on Reconstructability Analysis in China marked the renewal of interest in this area. The current volume is part of this resurgence of activity. It collects together papers from the group at Portland State …

Closed Material Cycles And Organic Solvent Recovery, Tim De Jong

Theses

A survey was conducted of the pharmaceutical sector in Ireland to establish organic solvent usage, recovery and treatment practices. The eleven companies covered by the survey, which included several of the worlds largest multinational companies, consumed in the region of 122,000 tonnes of organic solvent in 2002. Approximately 53,000 tonnes was recovered on-site while 69,000 tonnes of virgin solvent was brought on-site to replace that which was lost through wastewater treatment, incineration, fugitive emissions and off-site treatment or reuse. The total quantity of virgin solvent consumed by the eleven companies accounted for 75.4 % of organic solvent imports to Ireland. …

Morphological Evolution And Instabilities Of Solid Thin Films And Wires, Wanxi Kan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation can be divided into four parts. In part I (Chapter 2), the diffusion controlled growth of multiple compound phases is studied with the nonlinear Kirkendall effect included. This part analyzes the growth of N compound phases. The method of finding intrinsic diffusion coefficients from only the positions of interfaces is found for two layers. In addition, the asymptotic analysis valid for small concentration gradients is applied to the “multi-foil” method of measuring intrinsic diffusion coefficients and yields an analytic solution for the displacement curve. A bounded solid film on a substrate can breakup from the edge into islands …

Loss Of Sympathetic Control Of Cardiovascular Function Following Spinal Cord Injury, Charles Everett Hogancamp Ii

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Cardiovascular control in the human is significantly impaired after spinal cord injury(SCI) having a direct effect on the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) causing an inability toregulate vasoconstriction below the level of the lesion. The effects of SCI on the two majorcomponents of blood pressure regulation, control of plasma volume and neural control of theheart and peripheral vasculature are poorly understood. In particular, no index to diagnosedisorders to autonomic control of the heart and vasculature has been developed. The presentstudy primarily utilized noninvasively acquired, easily accessible variables that may havepromise as indicators of autonomic activity for assessing the level of autonomic …

Bidirectional Lao* Algorithm (A Faster Approach To Solve Goal-Directed Mdps), Venkata Deepti Kiran Bhuma

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Uncertainty is a feature of many AI applications. While there are polynomial-time algorithms for planning in stochastic systems, planning is still slow, in part because most algorithms plan for all eventualities. Algorithms such as LAO* are able to find good or optimal policies more quickly when the starting state of the system is known.

In this thesis we present an extension to LAO*, called BLAO*. BLAO* is an extension of the LAO* algorithm to a bidirectional search. We show that BLAO* finds optimal or ^_E-optimal solutions for goal-directed MDPs without necessarily evaluating the entire state space. BLAO* …

Algorithms For Autonomous Tandem Operation Of A Dual M113 System, Jared L. Dinkel

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

In mid-July 2003, the U.S. Army Tank-Automotive & Armaments Command (TACOM) performed a series of experiments at Keweenaw Research Center (KRC), with a remote operated mine roller system. This system, named Panther Lite, consists of two M113 Armored Personnel Carriers (APC’s) connected by a Tandem Vehicle Linkage Assembly (TVLA). The system has three sets of mine rollers, two of which are connected to the front of the lead vehicle with one set trailing from the trail vehicle. Currently, the system requires two joystick controllers. One regulates the braking of the tracks, throttle, and transmission of the lead vehicle and …

Dry Bulk Tanker Material Sampling Device, Warren A. Wider

All Volumes (2001-2008)

The purpose of this project is to provide an easy to manufacture solution to sampling material from dry bulk tankers. A device was developed using basic design requirements. Once a design was created a CAD design was drawn to illustrate and prototype the device. This prototype was placed under rigorous testing to determine effectiveness. The end result provides a dry bulk sampling device for plant workers and/or truck drivers to sample the material in their tankers and send to the laboratory when unloading at a facility.

The Effects Of Instruction Set Variation On A Reconfigurable Processor, Ira Harmon

All Volumes (2001-2008)

The emerging field of reconfigurable computing promises increased processing power in terms of speed and function with only a modest investment in hardware. The goal of this experiment was to test this premise. Using a FPGA, a CPU was implemented in Verilog HDL. The CPU was then tested to measure the improvement of program execution time through the use of hardwired instructions in a reconfigurable system. Secondly, the predicted gain in reconfigurable resources as function of the number of instructions was tested in a reconfigurable environment. The results of the experiment suggest reconfigurable computing can provide marginal changes in resources …

Microscale Investigation Of Thermo-Fluid Transport In The Transition Fil, Region Of An Evaporating Capillary Meniscus Using A Microgravity Environment, Kenneth D. Kihm, Jeffrey S. Allen, Kevin P. Hallinan, David M. Pratt

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

In order to enhance the fundamental understanding of thin film evaporation and thereby improve the critical design concept for two-phase heat transfer devices, microscale heat and mass transport is to be investigated for the transition film region using state-of-the-art optical diagnostic techniques. By utilizing a microgravity environment, the length scales of the transition film region can be extended sufficiently, from submicron to micron, to probe and measure the microscale transport fields which are affected by intermolecular forces. Extension of the thin film dimensions under microgravity will be achieved by using a conical evaporator made of a thin silicon substrate under …

Estimating Energy Savings In Compressed Air Systems, Chris Schmidt, J. Kelly Kissock

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Compressed air is typically one of the most expensive utilities in an industrial facility. As a result, potential savings opportunities are aggressively sought out and identified. Once identified, projected energy savings must be calculated in order to justify the cost of implementing the savings opportunity. It is important to calculate projected energy and cost savings as accurately as possible. Unfortunately, savings are frequently overestimated because the methods used to estimate savings neglect to consider important factors such as compressor control and type, storage, and multiple compressor operation.

In this paper, a methodology is presented for modeling air compressor performance and …

Architecting Design Repositories To Support Design Knowledge Storage, Reuse And Design Tool Generation, Matt R. Bohm

Masters Theses

"This collection of works describes the transformation of an existing set of heterogeneous product knowledge into a coherent design repository that supports product information archival, storage, reuse and design tool generation.

Existing product information was analyzed and compared against desired outputs to ascertain what information management structure was needed to produce design resources pertinent to the design process. Methods of incorporating non-conventional functional representations of artifacts are explored, incorporated and standardized along side conventional functional representations. A review of automatic design model generation addresses shortcomings in product representations by comparing standard hand generated design tools to computer-generated design tools. By …

The Dependence Of The Overall Drying Time And Product Quality Of A Lyophilization Process On The Relative Position Of Vials On A Tray With Tray Sides And Without Tray Sides For Different Heat Input Control Policies, Kian Hui Gan

Masters Theses

"The dynamic behavior of the primary and secondary drying stages of the lyophilization process were studied when (a) single vials located at different positions on the tray were individually being dried, and (b) the vials on the tray are arranged in clusters of square and hexagonal arrays and all the vials on the tray are simultaneously being dried. For both cases (a) and (b), fast drying times and relatively more uniform distributions of temperature and concentration of bound water at the end of the secondary drying stage are obtained by heat input control that runs the lyophilization process close to …

Discerning Attributes Which Stimulate Performance In Quality Improvement Teams, Dwan Lamar Prude

Masters Theses

"Total quality management (TQM) can be summed up as people and the way they work. One key element of the philosophies of TQM is the heavy emphasis on utilizing quality improvement teams (QITs) and quality tools to effectively create high performance organizations. Specifically, this investigation asks the following questions: 1) What are the key attributes that contribute to performance in QITs? 2) What is the relationship between team communication and QIT performance? 3) What is the relationship between the number of quality tools utilized in a team and QIT performance? Participants for this study were 101 students from the University …

Tool Management In Flexible Manufacturing Systems, Ahmet Soylemezoglu

Masters Theses

"In this study, impact of cutting tool life and tool slot size on tool management in Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) is investigated. A conceptual tool management framework, which has been proposed by Buyurgan, Saygin, and Kilic (2003), is modified and implemented in a simulation environment in order to assess its performance. This model, namely LS Model (LS stands for Life and Size), makes decisions by considering both tool life and tool slot size. An alternative tool management model that makes decisions based only on tool life, namely LO Model (LO stands for Life Only), is developed in order to make …

Transmission Line Pulser Construction And Magnetic Field Testing Of Timing Circuits, David James Carter

Masters Theses

"The ability to safely handle unexploded ordinance (UXO) is very important. The goal of the project, presented in this thesis, was to develop a test bed and testing procedures to evaluate the ability of specific UXO timing circuit to be reset through electromagnetic means. Two different platforms for testing were identified at the beginning of the research. One platform is used to expose the circuits to high electric field strengths inside of a TEM cell. The second platform will expose the circuits to high magnetic field strength inside of a Helmholtz coil. Particular specifications for the source of the electric …

A Highway Travel Information System: Forecasting And Publicizing Delays In The Indiana State Highway Network, Shu-Ling Yu, Jon D. Fricker

JTRP Technical Reports

The Highway Travel Information System (HTIS) is a long-term pre-trip information system providing information about expected events, such as road construction. The HTIS can be beneficial to both highway travelers and roadway project schedulers. Project schedulers can use the HTIS to check the forecasted traffic impacts of a proposed construction project schedule. If the schedule would cause unacceptable delays, a scheduler can try new schedules to reduce the delay. Travelers who have flexible schedules and would like to do pre-trip planning can obtain knowledge of traffic conditions in the near future from HTIS to avoid unnecessary delays. An approach called …

An Analysis Of Seismic Hazards In Indiana, Jennifer Haase, Robert Nowack, Chi Hyun Park, Alison Hunyar, John Hill, Michael Hamburger

JTRP Technical Reports

Current USGS probabilistic seismic hazard estimates (Frankel et al., 2002) show a higher seismic hazard in southwestern Indiana than for the rest of the state. This is expected based on past work documenting large pre-historic events in the Wabash Valley, and also based on isoseismal levels of shaking from the New Madrid 1811-1812 earthquakes. When assessing the hazard on a county by county basis, the local soil conditions produce amplification of shaking in regions with soft or unconsolidated sediments relative to firm-rock sites. We have reproduced the probabilistic seismic hazard calculation following the USGS methodology for the state of Indiana …

Continuation Of Research To Determine The Effectiveness Of Its On Borman Expressway, Robert Bertram Jacko, William H. Schneider, Ahmed S. Soliman, Barry K. Partridge

JTRP Technical Reports

This study is a continuation and the final phase of the SPR-2338 project that involves monitoring the ambient air quality levels adjacent to the Borman Expressway. The purpose of this phase was to classify the traffic conditions along the Borman Expressway in terms of ambient air quality levels. The duration of the phase was from April 1, 2002 to April 30, 2004. The study has shown that, in a close proximity to the Borman Expressway, air quality levels mirror the dynamic nature of traffic along the Borman, despite being surrounded by major industrial stationary sources. Therefore, a descriptive model was …

Development Of A Strategy For Preparing An Indot Storm Water Quality Management Plan, Lynn A. Corson

JTRP Technical Reports

The purpose of the study was to conduct research and prepare documents, data tables, reports and GIS maps to be included in the INDOT SWQMP that address each of the following Minimum Control Measures (MCMs) specified in the federal and state regulation: (1) public education and outreach; (2) public participation and involvement; (3) illicit discharge detection with elimination; (4) construction site runoff control; (5) post-construction runoff control and (6) pollution prevention and good housekeeping. The MCMs are minimum measures which, when implemented by INDOT, will ensure that storm water quality meets the minimum water quality standards. The research focused on …

Evaluation Of Surface (Top Down) Longitudinal Wheel Path Cracking, Terhi K. Pellinen, Geoff Rowe, Kalapi Biswas

JTRP Technical Reports

The research involved evaluating three surface cracked pavements during 2002 and 2003. A 500m section of I-65 North of Lafayette was chosen as the first site (designated as Site 1), an I-65 section in downtown Indianapolis was the second site (Site 2), and US-421 in Madison was the third site (Site 3). Site 1 had 11-year old pavement, Site 2 had 12-year old pavement and Site 3 had 4.5-year old pavement. All these sites exhibited longitudinal wheel path cracking which was later identified as top-down cracking. All sites had excellent structural capacity indicating that the top-down cracking was confined in …

Evaluation, Analysis, And Enhancement Of Indot's Utility Accommodation Policy, Carlos A. Arboleda, Hyung Seok Jeong, Dulcy M. Abraham, Sanjiv B. Gokhale

JTRP Technical Reports

The Utility Accommodation Policy (UAP) is a collection of the regulations and practices to control the utility occupancy of all public highway rights-of-way under jurisdiction of the different States. UAPs not only help to regulate the installation of new utilities and the renovation of the currently installed by construction companies, subcontractors, and utilities companies, but also provide a framework to develop and preserve a safe roadside and to minimize possible interferences and impairment to the highway, its structures, appearance, safe operation, construction and maintenance. According to FHWA (2002) “Present FHWA regulations, policies, and practices dealing with utility relocation and accommodation …