Engineering Commons^™

Non-Uniformity Compensation For Fiber Optic Weigh In Motion Sensor, Shinobu Doi

Theses and Dissertations

This report studies the effect on the accuracy o f weigh-in-motion (WIM) measurements due to the non-uniformity along the length o f a fiber-optic WIM sensor, and demonstrates an effective compensation method. Accurate WIM calculations require accurate input signals from the road sensors. Today’s WIM systems that use piezzo-electric sensors, electronic strain gages or load cells have errors anywhere from +/-6% to +/-50%, with -i-/-15-20% being the typical range. Fiber-optic WIM sensors have promising advantages. However, the state of the technology is still in its infancy consisting mostly of qualitative studies. This report isolates the problem of non-uniform sensitivity in …

Dynamic Element Matching Techniques For Delta-Sigma Adcs With Large Internal Quantizers, Brent C. Nordick

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents two methods that enable high internal quantizer resolution in delta-sigma analog-to-digital converters. Increasing the quantizer resolution in a delta-sigma modulator can increase SNR, improve stability and reduce integrator power consumption. However, each added bit of quantizer resolution also causes an exponential increase in the power dissipation, required area and complexity of the dynamic element matching (DEM) circuit required to attenuate digital-to-analog converter (DAC) mismatch errors. One way to overcome these drawbacks is to segment the feedback signal, creating a "coarse" signal and a "fine" signal. This reduces the DEM circuit complexity, power dissipation, and size. However, it …

Effect Of Moisture Content And Broken Kernels On The Bulk Density And Packing Of Corn, Samuel G. Mcneill, Sidney A. Thompson, Michael D. Montross

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Shelled yellow dent corn samples were conditioned to three moisture content levels (12%, 15%, and 18% w.b.) and mixed with a prescribed amount of broken corn particles of known size (geometric mean diameter of 1.0, 1.4, 2.0, 2.8, and 4.0 mm) and concentration (2.5%, 5.0%, and 7.5% by weight) levels. The initial bulk density and grain compaction under simulated overburden pressure tests were determined for each sample. Uniaxial compression tests were performed for seven vertical pressure levels (3.4, 6.9, 14, 28, 55, 110, and 165 kPa) with a minimum of three replications each. Tests were performed at two locations with …

Artificial Neural Network Modeling Of Rf Mems Resonators, Yongjae Lee, Yonghwa Park, Feng Niu, Bonnie Bachman, K. C. Gupta, Dejan Filipovic

Economics Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this article, a novel and efficient approach for modeling radio‐frequency microelectromechanical system (RF MEMS) resonators by using artificial neural network (ANN) modeling is presented. In the proposed methodology, the relationship between physical‐input parameters and corresponding electrical‐output parameters is obtained by combined circuit/full‐wave/ANN modeling. More specifically, in order to predict the electrical responses from a resonator, an analytical representation of the electrical equivalent‐network model (EENM) is developed from the well‐known electromechanical analogs. Then, the reduced‐order, nonlinear, dynamic macromodels from 3D finite‐element method (FEM) simulations are generated to provide training, validating, and testing datasets for the ANN model. The developed ANN …

Uncertainty Propagation And Robust Design In Cfd Using Sensitivity Derivatives, Michele M. Putko

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This study investigates and demonstrates a methodology for uncertainty propagation and robust design in Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). Efficient calculation of both first- and second-order sensitivity derivatives is requisite in the proposed methodology. In this study, first- and second-order sensitivity derivatives of code output with respect to code input are obtained through an efficient incremental iterative approach.

An approximate statistical moment method for uncertainty propagation is first demonstrated on a quasi one-dimensional (1-D) Euler CFD code. This method is then extended to a two-dimensional (2-D) subsonic inviscid model airfoil problem. In each application, given statistically independent, random, normally distributed input …

Genetic Algorithm-Based Model For Determination Of Efficient Management Strategies For Irrigation Canal Networks, Talaat Taher El Gamel

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

An optimization model for the determination of efficient management strategies for an irrigation canal network is developed. The objective is to minimize the total water consumed while satisfying various system constraints. An unsteady flow model is used to simulate the flow in the network. A genetic algorithm- (GA-) based framework is used to solve the model. The suitable GA parameters that should be used within the model, as well as the performance of various constraint-handling techniques, are studied. Uncertainties in crop pattern and water consumption rates are incorporated into the search procedure to identify more reliable solutions. A graphical interface …

Real-Time Measurements On The Effects Of Ultra-Short High Voltage Pulses On Hl-60 Cells, Michalis C. Artemiou

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The application of high voltage microsecond pulses that are above a critical value, to biological cells, has been shown to cause electroporation (Neumann, 1989). In addition, ultra-short pulses of several tens to hundreds of nanoseconds duration have been recently shown to affect intracellular structures without disturbing the plasma membrane (Schoenbach, 2001). However, such ultra-short intense pulses are expected to cause deformation of cells due to Maxwell stresses. This deformation was studied by means of an imaging technique with 10 ns temporal resolution on HL-60 cells. The imaging system consists of an inverted microscope where a spark light source was used …

Handbook For Temporary Traffic Control - Construction, Maintenance, And Utility Operations, Indiana Ltap

Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Publications

This handbook gives the basic principles and provides examples for the design, application, installation, and maintenance of the various types of traffic control devices used in temporary traffic control or for incident management. The guidelines presented are in accordance with the standards provided within the Indiana Manual for Uniform Traffic Control Devices (IMUTCD). This handbook is based upon one created by the Ohio Department of Transportation, Guidelines for Traffic Control in Work Zones. Indiana LTAP expresses thanks to ODOT for their permission to reprint this material.

Synergetic Control Of Power Converters For Pulse Current Charging Of Advanced Batteries From A Fuel Cell Power Source, Zhenhua Jiang, Roger A. Dougal

Faculty Publications

This paper presents a synergetic controller for pulse current charging of advanced batteries from a fuel cell power source. Pulse current charging protocol that has been shown to have many advantages over the traditional constant current/constant voltage protocol is applied in a fuel cell powered battery-charging station to reduce the total charging time. Strong nonlinearity and dynamics exist in such systems. In this paper, the synergetic control approach is applied to regulate the buck converters that control the pulse charging currents to the many batteries. A practical synergetic controller to coordinate pulse current charging of the battery is synthesized and …

A Nebraska Odor Footprint Tool For Planning Pork Facilities, Richard Koelsch

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Pork producers and rural communities are struggling to balance air quality issues (primarily odors) with the presence and growth of the industry. Currently the type of pork facility, odor control measures, prevailing wind direction, atmospheric conditions, and a community's tolerance to some degree of odor are largely ignored in the planning process because scientific tools that incorporate this information are lacking. Without such tools, decisions on setback distances and acceptable type and size of facilities are influenced by a range of arguments, often emotional in nature. In addition, pork producers lack tools to assist in evaluating impact on a rural …

Green River Ce-Qual-W2 Project: A Hydrodynamic And Water Quality Study Of The Green River King County, Washington, Tim Kraft, Robert Leslie Annear, Chris Berger, Scott A. Wells

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report describes the data processing and model calibration performed for a hydrodynamic and water quality model of the Green River, located in King County, Washington. Figure 1 shows the location of the river, and the limits of the section of river that was modeled.

The Green River flows from its headwaters in the Cascade Mountain foothills through the King County, Washington communities of Auburn, Kent, and Tukwila before discharging into the Duwamish River. Two sections of the river were modeled in this project. The Middle Green River begins in the Cascade Mountain foothills east of Tacoma, and continues downstream …

Spectroscopic And Microscopic Investigation Of The Corrosion Of 316/316l Stainless Steel By Lead-Bismuth Eutectic (Lbe) At Elevated Temperatures: Importance Of Surface Preparation, Allen L. Johnson, Denise Parsons, Julia Manzerova, Dale L. Perry, Daniel Koury, Brian D. Hosterman, John Farley

Transmutation Sciences Materials (TRP)

The corrosion of steel by lead–bismuth eutectic (LBE) is an important issue in proposed nuclear transmutation schemes. Russian scientists at the IPPE exposed steel samples to oxygen-controlled LBE at temperatures up to 823 K and exposure times up to 3000 h. We have characterized these post-exposure steel samples and unexposed controls, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray analysis (EDAX) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Previous researchers have investigated the corrosion by LBE of steel of varying composition. In the present work, we compared two samples having the same composition (standard nuclear grade 316/316L) but different surface preparation: a cold-rolled …

Inside Unlv, Holly Ivy De Vore, Carol C. Harter, Stuart Mann

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Laser Scanning Thermal Probe: A Novel Approach To Non-Destructive Evaluation, Jacob Kephart, John Chen, Hong Zhang

Mechanical Engineering

Structuraldefects such as cracks have recently been identifiable through anew nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technique know as sonic IR orthermosonics. However, these defects are depicted through thermal imagining systemas localized "hot spots" indicating a general location of adefect without an accurate portrayal of the dimensions or shapeof the defect. This paper demonstrates a new technique calledLaser Scanning Thermal Probe, LSTP, which utilizes thermography with theuse of heat application in strategic locations to observe spatialheat flow patterns. The LSTP records heat propagation across adefect area previously identified through the thermosonic technique. Thermal gradientswill occur as heat traverses the crack and provide informationto …

Measuring The Five-Parameter Grain-Boundary Distribution From Observations Of Planar Sections, Brent L. Adams, Bassem S. El-Dasher, Gregory S. Rohrer, David M. Saylor

Faculty Publications

One of the authors (DMS) thanks his colleagues at NIST, Edwin R. Fuller, Jr. and Grady S. White, for their helpful advice and criticisms, as well as Mark D. Vaudin and James A. Warren for their critical review of this manuscript. This work was supported at CMU by the MRSEC program of the National Science Foundation under Award No. DMR-0079996. A sterological method is described for estimating the distribution of grain-boundary types in poly-crystalline materials on the basis of observations from a single planar section. The grain-boundary distribution is expressed in terms of five macroscopically observable parameters that include: three …

Automatic Detection And Validity Of The Sea-Ice Edge: An Application Of Enhanced-Resolution Quikscat/Seawinds Data, David G. Long, Jorg Haarpaintner, Rasmus T. Tonboe, Michael L. Van Woert

Faculty Publications

Sea-ice edge detection is an essential task at the different national ice services to secure navigation in ice-covered seas. Comparison between the Remund and Long ice mask image from enhanced-resolution QuikScat/SeaWinds (QS) products and the analyzed ice edge from high-resolution RADARSAT synthetic aperture radar has shown that the automatically determined QS ice mask underestimates the Arctic ice extent. QS data was statistically analyzed by colocating the data with ice charts around Greenland and with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Team's Special Sensor Microwave/Imager (SSM/I) ice concentration algorithm over the whole Arctic region. All variables, i.e., the backscatter in vertical …

Unmanned Air Vehicle Testbed For Cooperative Control Experiments, Timothy W. Mclain, Randal W. Beard

Faculty Publications

This paper describes the MAGICC Lab unmanned air vehicle (UAV) testbed at Brigham Young University. Motivation for pursuing experimental research with UAVs is given as well as a historical perspective of the UAV testbed development. Lessons learned through the development and use of the testbed over the past several years are summarized.

The Development Of Web-Based Aerobic And Anaerobic And Muscle Static Work Capacity Modules Using Legacy Cycle Approach, Anant Ravindra Deshpande

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

The Legacy cycle is an instructional model that emphasizes inquiry. Learners are faced with progressively complex challenges. For each challenge, learners generate initial thoughts on how they might react to the challenges. In this thesis, a web based instructional method that evaluates interactivity and motivation is presented. The system presented in the thesis helps student to integrate the use of legacy cycle approach in the regular study of aerobic and anaerobic and muscle static work capacity modules. The thesis also focuses on developing modules which contain challenges encompassing various sections, which helps student as an asynchronous learning tool, intended for …

Energy-Landscape-Model Analysis For Irreversibility And Its Pulse-Width Dependence In Cells Subjected To A High-Intensity Ultrashort Electric Pulse, R. P. Joshi, Q. Hu, Karl H. Schoenbach, Stephen J. Beebe

Bioelectrics Publications

We provide a simple, but physical analysis for cell irreversibility and apoptosis in response to an ultrashort (nanosecond), high-intensity electric pulse. Our approach is based on an energy landscape model for determining the temporal evolution of the configurational probability function p(q). The primary focus is on obtaining qualitative predictions of a pulse width dependence to apoptotic cell irreversibility that has been observed experimentally. The analysis couples a distributed electrical model for current flow with the Smoluchowski equation to provide self-consistent, time-dependent transmembrane voltages. The model captures the essence of the experimentally observed pulse-width dependence, and provides a possible physical picture …

Teabag: A Debugger For Curry, Stephen Lee Johnson

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis describes TeaBag, which is a debugger for functional logic computations. TeaBag is an accessory of a virtual machine currently under development. A distinctive feature of this machine is its operational completeness of computations, which places novel demands on a debugger. This thesis describes the features of TeaBag, in particular the handling of non-determinism, the ability to control nondeterministic steps, to remove context information, to toggle eager evaluation, and to set breakpoints on both functions and terms. This thesis also describes TeaBag's architecture and its interaction with the associated virtual machine. Finally, some debugging sessions of defective programs are …

Assessing The Quality Of Seawinds Rain Measurements, David G. Long, David W. Draper

Faculty Publications

While SeaWinds was designed to measure ocean winds, it can also measure rain over the ocean. SeaWinds on QuikSCAT active measurements of integrated columnar rain rate obtained via simultaneous wind/rain retrieval are evaluated via Monte Carlo simulation and the Cramer-Rao lower bound on estimate accuracy. Although sufficiently accurate in many conditions, the simultaneous wind/rain retrieval method used with SeaWinds on QuikSCAT data is ill-conditioned for certain wind directions and measurement geometries, sometimes yielding spurious rain rates in zero-rain conditions. To assess the validity of SeaWinds-derived rain rates, a simple empirically based rain thresholding scheme is presented, derived from simulated data. …

Field Effect Control Of Electrokinetic Transport Phenomena In Nanofluidics, Song Xue

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Naturally nanofluidics has applications demanding the samples to be handled in exceedingly small quantities due to the small size of the fluidic channels in nanofluidic devices, such as characterization of single biomolecules. Fluids confined in channels of nanometer characteristic dimensions exhibit physical behaviors not observed in large conduits. Charge properties of the nanochannel wall in contact with an aqueous solution play essential roles in the involved electrokinetic transport phenomena occurring in nanofluidic devices. In addition to tuning the charge properties of the nanofluidic channel wall by adjusting the solution properties such as pH and background salt concentration, field effect transistor …

Notes On Equilibria In Symmetric Games, Shih-Fen Cheng, Daniel M. Reeves, Yevgeniy Vorobeychik, Michael P. Wellman

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In a symmetric game, every player is identical with respect to the game rules. We show that a symmetric 2strategy game must have a pure-strategy Nash equilibrium. We also discuss Nash’s original paper and its generalized notion of symmetry in games. As a special case of Nash’s theorem, any finite symmetric game has a symmetric Nash equilibrium. Furthermore, symmetric infinite games with compact, convex strategy spaces and continuous, quasiconcave utility functions have symmetric pure-strategy Nash equilibria. Finally, we discuss how to exploit symmetry for more efficient methods of finding Nash equilibria.

Performance Of Constraint-Handling Techniques Applied To A Genetic Algorithm-Based Watershed Management Model, Kwisun Park Yu

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Wet detention ponds are a commonly used structural best management practice to reduce nonpoint source pollutant loading into receiving water bodies. Design of these ponds is typically carried out individually to meet a target total suspended solids (TSS) removal level. An improvement to this approach is to generate cost-effective pond configurations that meet system-wide targets for removal of pollutant loadings, corresponding to a specific build-out land use plan. The cost-effectiveness can be further improved through appropriate land use allocation planning conducted simultaneously with the design of detention ponds. Harrell and Ranjithan (2003) presented an evolutionary algorithm- (EA-) based modeling approach …

Impact Of Pulmonary Arterial Endothelial Cells On Duroquinone Redox Status, Marilyn P. Merker, Robert D. Bongard, Gary S. Krenz, Hongtao Zhao, Viola S. Fernandes, Balaraman Kalyanaraman, Neil Hogg, Said H. Audi

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The study objective was to use pulmonary arterial endothelial cells to examine kinetics and mechanisms contributing to the disposition of the quinone 2,3,5,6-tetramethyl-1,4-benzoquinone (duroquinone, DQ) observed during passage through the pulmonary circulation. The approach was to add DQ, durohydroquinone (DQH₂), or DQ with the cell membrane-impermeant oxidizing agent, ferricyanide (Fe(CN)₆³⁻), to the cell medium, and to measure the medium concentrations of substrates and products over time. Studies were carried out under control conditions and with dicumarol, to inhibit NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1), or cyanide, to inhibit mitochondrial electron transport. In control cells, DQH₂ appears …

New Stereology For The Recovery Of Grain-Boundary Plane Distributions In The Crystal Frame, Brent L. Adams, Ryan J. Larsen

Faculty Publications

One of the authors (RJL) is grateful to the Office of Naval Research for fellowship support. BLA acknowledges the support of the NSF through the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, Carnegie Mellon University (Grant No. DMR-0079996). A new experimental method is given for recovering the probability-distribution function Sv(ns/g). The function Sv(na/g) is the grain-boundary area per unit volume as a function of grain-boundary plane orientation (na), given a lattice misorientation (g) between the adjoining grains. The grain-boundary normal (na) is expressed in the crystal frame in which the misorientation g originates. The proposed method recovers the three-dimensional Sv(na/g) function …

Mutual Coupling In Mimo Wireless Systems: A Rigorous Network Theory Analysis, Michael A. Jensen, Jon W. Wallace

Faculty Publications

A new framework for the analysis of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless systems is introduced to account for mutual coupling effects in the antenna arrays. The multiport interactions at transmit and receive are characterized by representing the channel using a scattering parameter matrix. A new power constraint that limits the average radiated power is also introduced. The capacity of the MIMO system with mutual coupling is defined as the maximum mutual information of the transmit and receive vectors over all possible transmit signaling and receive loading. Full-wave electromagnetic antenna simulations combined with a simple path-based channel model are used to demonstrate …

Simultaneous Wind And Rain Retrieval Using Seawinds Data, David G. Long, David W. Draper

Faculty Publications

The SeaWinds scatterometers onboard the QuikSCAT and the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite 2 measure ocean winds on a global scale via the relationship between the normalized radar backscattering cross section of the ocean and the vector wind. The current wind retrieval method ignores scattering and attenuation of ocean rain, which alter backscatter measurements and corrupt retrieved winds. Using a simple rain backscatter and attenuation model, two methods of improving wind estimation in the presence of rain are evaluated. First, if no suitable prior knowledge of the rain rate is available, a maximum-likelihood estimation technique is used to simultaneously retrieve the …

Stent Design Properties And Deployment Ratio Influence Indexes Of Wall Shear Stress: A Three-Dimensional Computational Fluid Dynamics Investigation Within A Normal Artery, John F. Ladisa, Lars E. Olson, Ismail Guler, Douglas Anthony Hettrick, Said H. Audi, Judy R. Kersten, David C. Warltier, Paul S. Pagel

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Restenosis limits the effectiveness of stents, but the mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon remain incompletely described. Stent geometry and expansion during deployment produce alterations in vascular anatomy that may adversely affect wall shear stress (WSS) and correlate with neointimal hyperplasia. These considerations have been neglected in previous computational fluid dynamics models of stent hemodynamics. Thus we tested the hypothesis that deployment diameter and stent strut properties (e.g., number, width, and thickness) influence indexes of WSS predicted with three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics. Simulations were based on canine coronary artery diameter measurements. Stent-to-artery ratios of 1.1 or 1.2:1 were modeled, and computational …

Effect Of Ventilation Rate On Instilled Surfactant Distribution In The Pulmonary Airways Of Rats, Joseph C. Anderson, Robert C. Molthen, Christopher A. Dawson, Steven Thomas Haworth, Joseph L. Bull, Matthew R. Glucksburg, James B. Grotberg

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Liquid can be instilled into the pulmonary airways during medical procedures such as surfactant replacement therapy, partial liquid ventilation, and pulmonary drug delivery. For all cases, understanding the dynamics of liquid distribution in the lung will increase the efficacy of treatment. A recently developed imaging technique for the study of real-time liquid transport dynamics in the pulmonary airways was used to investigate the effect of respiratory rate on the distribution of an instilled liquid, surfactant, in a rat lung. Twelve excised rat lungs were suspended vertically, and a single bolus (0.05 ml) of exogenous surfactant (Survanta, Ross Laboratories, Columbus, OH) …