Engineering Commons^™

An Initial Report On The Impact Of Multiple Technical Degree Programs On Undergraduate Recruitment, Amber Settle, Liz Friedman

Technical Reports

In this paper, we describe initial results of a survey taken by freshman and first-year transfer students at DePaul University during the 2009-2010 academic year. While DePaul is unusual in offering a large number of technically-oriented degree programs and this information is prominent in promotional literature, no study of the impact of multiple degree programs on the recruitment of first-year students had been conducted. The results of this initial study show that while a large majority of students indicate that the number of degree programs is a positive factor for application and enrollment at DePaul, more important factors include the …

Semantic Context Transfer Across Heterogeneous Sources For Domain Adaptive Video Search, Yu-Gang Jiang, Chong-Wah Ngo, Shih-Fu Chang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Automatic video search based on semantic concept detectors has recently received significant attention. Since the number of available detectors is much smaller than the size of human vocabulary, one major challenge is to select appropriate detectors to response user queries. In this paper, we propose a novel approach that leverages heterogeneous knowledge sources for domain adaptive video search. First, instead of utilizing WordNet as most existing works, we exploit the context information associated with Flickr images to estimate query-detector similarity. The resulting measurement, named Flickr context similarity (FCS), reflects the co-occurrence statistics of words in image context rather than textual …

The Effect Of Glass Synthesis Route On Mechanical And Physical Properties Of Resultant Glass Ionomer Cements, A. Wren, O. M. Clarkin, F. R. Laffir, C. Ohtsuki, I. Y. Kim, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Glass ionomer cements (GICs) have potential orthopaedic applications. Solgel processing is reported as having advantages over the traditional melt-quench route for synthesizing the glass phase of GICs, including far lower processing temperatures and higher levels of glass purity and homogeneity. This work investigates a novel glass formulation, BT 101 (0.48 SiO₂-0.36 ZnO-0.12 CaO-0.04 SrO) produced by both the melt-quench and the solgel route. The glass phase was characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD) to determine whether the material was amorphous and differential thermal analysis (DTA) to measure the glass transition temperature (T_g). Particle size analysis (PSA) was …

Focusing Electromagnetic Radiation In Dielectric Media, Mark A. Migliaccio Jr.

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Bioelectrics and microwave imaging requires an ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna to deliver intense, short electromagnetic pulses into biological targets for the purpose of therapy and imaging. Two antennas with different focal distances, predicted by a two­ dimensional model, have been designed for focusing electromagnetic radiation in the near field.

Focusing is achieved through the use of prolate spheroidal reflector antennas with a conical wave launcher submerged in water. For an ultra-wideband feed signal, with a rise time of 200 picoseconds, the maximum electric field was found to be close to the edge of the reflector, a result that differs from the …

Ekg Tracking For Augmented Standardized Patient Virtual Pathology Stethoscope Heart Auscultation, Sujith Surendran

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, a lot of research has focused on improving the clinical skills of medical students and medical practitioners using standardized patients. Standardized patients (SP's) are used by the medical students and physicians in place of mannequins for a more realistic experience. SP's are real people trained to simulate specific illnesses and conditions to a high degree of accuracy which makes it difficult for the medical students to distinguish them from real patients. This research will enhance the capabilities of the standardized patients by providing a non-invasive, natural, harmless and realistic appearing tracking method for placing virtual pathologies using …

A Job-Shop Scheduling Model Using Genetic Algorithm And Giffler Thompson Approach, Nikhil Deepak Bumb

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The major objective of this thesis topic is to study the challenging research subject of job shop scheduling with the intent of optimizing the makespan. The job - shop scheduling problem is one of the hardest combinatorial optimization problems. The main aim of scheduling is an efficient allocation of shared resources like machines, operators or both over time for competing activities.

This research focuses on developing a model for optimizing job shop scheduling problem using genetic algorithm and the Giffler Thompson (priority dispatching rule) technique. Considering different parameters, the model comes up with an appropriate way to schedule the tasks …

Development Of A Supersonic Nozzle For A Compressed Carbon Dioxide Propulsion System Intended For Mars Surface Applications, Erin K. Blass

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This work focuses on the development of a reusable rocket nozzle unit for near-term Mars surface applications, utilizing Mars atmosphere as a propellant source. Mars atmosphere is more than 95% carbon dioxide, and its low ambient temperatures facilitate the condensation of dry ice out of the atmosphere. Furthermore, the low critical temperature of carbon dioxide enables . the production of a supercritical fluid by heating dry ice at constant volume to temperatures on the order of 400 K. The goal of this research was to develop a supersonic nozzle for reusable high-thrust propulsion. Due to the complex behavior of supercritical …

Solvent Dependent Morphologies In Thiol-Ene Photopolymerization: A Facile Route To Synthesis Of Resorcinarene Nanocapsules, Zaharoula Marie Kalaitzis

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Synthesis of morphologically distinct polymeric nanostructures is vital for their wide ranging applications from nanomedicine to material science. Among various polymeric nanostructures, nanocapsules in particular have attracted a lot of attention as nanoreactors and drug delivery vehicles in nanomedicine. Often, synthesis of nanocapsules is achieved by template-based approaches. A direct, template-free method for the fabrication of nanocapsules and a variety of other morphologically distinct polymeric architectures was developed. The photopolymerization of a resorcinarene thiol-ene surfactant in various solvents lead to the formation of nanocapsules, nanoparticles, fibers, distorted honeycomb-like lattices, and sheets. The progress of the polymerization reaction and the morphology …

Indentation Creep Analysis For Self Similar Indenters, Sandeep V. Thube

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In indentation creep experiments, it is difficult to characterize the mechanical properties of small size specimens using conventional methods. This study uses finite element modeling to investigate rate-sensitive deformation of materials with different hardness and strain rate sensitivities for self similar indenter tip geometries. The simulation model is developed using commercially available finite element software Abaqus/Standard. Our study investigates the difference between strain rate sensitivity of hardness (vH) and of flow stress (vu) and their relation to the hardness/modulus ratio. It reveals that the commonly held assumption that vH = vu is violated except for materials with low hardness/modulus …

Aerodynamic Analysis Of An Urban Magnetic Levitation Vehicle, John Matthew Wells

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis will detail the aerodynamic qualities of a magnetic levitation concept vehicle designed to be installed on Old Dominion University's campus. The vehicle is representative of a class of small, low-speed Maglev systems commonly referred to as Urban Maglev. A 1:12 scale model underwent testing in Old Dominion's low speed wind tunnel. Force and moment coefficients were measured over a wide range of yaw angles. Results give insight into crosswind effects and how these forces affect vehicle dynamics. An analysis of this type is important in understanding the ride quality and safety of the system. Force Coefficients range from …

Capacity Improvement Of A Small-Scale Cryogenic System Using Exergy Analysis, Errol L. Yuksek

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

There is a demand for reliable and cost-effective small-scale helium liquefiers and refrigerators with higher capacity and efficiency in universities, government, and industry. Among the most common of these small-scale cryogenic systems is the Linde model 1600 helium liquefier and refrigerator.

The goal of this study is to increase the capacity of the model 1600. To achieve this goal, this study focuses on reducing the irreversibilities of the model 1600's fin-tube heat exchangers (FTHXs). Modification of fin-tube passes is the most practical means by which to reduce FTHX irreversibilities. Expressions relating FTHX geometry to FTHX irreversibilities identify model 1600 heat …

Rapid Prototyping Augmented Skin Pathology For Medical Simulation And Training, Annette Castelino

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The goal of this research is to study how augmented reality technology could be applied in training medical students for better clinical practice and diagnosis in the treatment of skin conditions using skin pathology prototypes. Described within this thesis is an innovative method of producing skin abscess prototypes that augment the Standardized Patient (SP) for simulation purposes.

The method adopted is a combination of the cost-effective technique of rapid prototyping (RP) — 3D inkjet printing and 3D graphics modeling. The visual and haptic realism of these developed prototypes along with the use of moulage enable the SP to exhibit realistic …

A Smart-Phone Application For Improving Communication Skills In Children With Autism, Lakshmi Padmaja Battagiri

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The prevalence of autism, a complex neurobiological disorder, has grown at a staggering rate in the recent past. Today, one out of 150 American children is diagnosed with autism. Generally, the disorder appears during an individual's first three years of life of and persists through his/her entire life span. The individual faces various social interaction, communication and behavioral problems. Developmental disabilities, extreme withdrawal, lack of social behaviour, severe language and attention deficits, repetitive behaviours and limited interests are the characteristics of this disorder. There is no verified cure yet, but several therapies and intervention systems especially focused on the early …

Accurate Extraction Of Morphological Information From Volumetric Imagery, Thomas Wischgoll

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Nonlinearity In Large Amplitude Oscillatory Shear (Laos) Of Different Viscoelastic Materials, Xin Li, Shi-Qing Wang, Xiaorong Wang

College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering

The present work investigates nonlinear behavior in large amplitude oscillatory shear (LAOS) of four different polymeric materials using simultaneous conventional rheometric measurements and particle-tracking velocimetric observations. In contrast to most studies in the literature that treat nonlinearity in LAOS in steady state, we emphasize by the present four examples that nonlinearity in LAOS often arise in complex fluids due to time-dependent rearrangement of their microstructures in response to LAOS. Consequently, no correlation is obvious between strain dependence of the steady-state stress response and the time-dependent characteristics of the steady-state response. For instance, a highly viscoelastic material made of nano-sized polybutadiene …

Meshscan: Fast And Efficient Handoff In Ieee802.11 Mesh Networks, Yin Chen, Mark Davis

Conference papers

Handoff delay is one of the major problems in Wireless Mesh Network (WMN) that needs to be solved in order to allow time-critical and real-time applications run continuously during handoff. We have developed a fast handoff scheme called MeshScan to provide a novel use of channel scanning latency by employing open system authentication. This scheme comprises two steps: firstly a client device takes advantage of the WMN architecture to maintain a list of active mesh nodes. Secondly when handoff is required, a client transmits Authentication Request frames to all mesh nodes (MNs) from the list instead of broadcasting Probe Request …

October 2009, Tractor Museum

Lester F. Larsen Tractor Museum: Planning and Development Documents

Agenda, minutes, treasurer report, director report, docent report, associate report, activities report, test lab report

Custom Design Rack Mount System For Ftp Server, Himanshu Parmar

Electrical Engineering

For a very long time now I have been quite interested in having my personal web server. Senior project gave me the perfect opportunity to explore and to custom design web server that would fit my future storage/web needs.

There are multiple aspects of the project that I worked on to custom design the web server. The list and brief description of each of these categories is given bellow.

1. Ftp Options: There are several ftp options available, so I researched these options and found the client service that would work best with my requirements.

2. Number of Users: One …

Compliance Calibration For Fracture Testing Of Anisotropic Biological Materials, J. A. Creel, S. M. Stover, R. B. Martin, D. P. Fyhrie, S. J. Hazelwood, J. C. Gibeling

Biomedical Engineering

The compliance technique has been used to monitor crack length during fracture and fatigue testing of materials. Difficulties arise when this technique is applied to anisotropic biological materials such as bone. In this tutorial, two different methods of analyzing compliance calibration data are described: the standard ASTM method and a new approach developed by the authors specifically for anisotropic materials. An example is given showing how data from equine cortical bone can be analyzed. In this example, calibration tests were conducted on thirty-six three point bend specimens machined from the middiaphysis of six pairs of equine third metacarpal bones. Cracks …

An Improved Nonlinear Statcom Control For Electric Arc Furnace Voltage Flicker Mitigation, Atousa Yazdani, Mariesa Crow, Jianjun Guo

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Electric arc furnaces (EAFs) are prevalent in the steel industry to melt iron and scrap steel. EAFs frequently cause large amplitude fluctuations of active and reactive power and are the source of significant power-quality (PQ) disturbances. Static synchronous compensators (STATCOMs) provide a power-electronic-based means of embedded control for reactive power support and PQ improvement. This paper introduces a new nonlinear control for the STATCOM that provides significant reduction in EAF-induced aperiodic oscillations on the power system. This method is compared with traditional PI controls and has shown to have improved performance.

Current Sensing For Automotive Electronics -- A Survey, Asha Patel, Mehdi Ferdowsi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Current sensing is widely used in power electronic applications such as dc-dc power converters and adjustable-speed motor drives. Such power converters are the basic building blocks of drivetrains in electric, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. The performance and control of such vehicles depend on the accuracy, bandwidth, and efficiency of its sensors. Various current-sensing techniques based on different physical effects such as Faraday's induction law, Ohm's law, Lorentz force law, the magnetoresistance effect, and the magnetic saturation effect are described in this paper. Each technique is reviewed and examined. The current measurement methods are compared and analyzed based on …

Reinforcement-Learning-Based Output-Feedback Control Of Nonstrict Nonlinear Discrete-Time Systems With Application To Engine Emission Control, Peter Shih, Brian C. Kaul, Jagannathan Sarangapani, J. A. Drallmeier

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A novel reinforcement-learning-based output adaptive neural network (NN) controller, which is also referred to as the adaptive-critic NN controller, is developed to deliver the desired tracking performance for a class of nonlinear discrete-time systems expressed in nonstrict feedback form in the presence of bounded and unknown disturbances. The adaptive-critic NN controller consists of an observer, a critic, and two action NNs. The observer estimates the states and output, and the two action NNs provide virtual and actual control inputs to the nonlinear discrete-time system. The critic approximates a certain strategic utility function, and the action NNs minimize the strategic utility …

Estimation Of Channel Transfer Function And Carrier Frequency Offset For Ofdm Systems With Phase Noise, Jun Tao, Jingxian Wu, Chengshan Xiao

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The joint estimation of carrier frequency offset (CFO) and channel transfer function (CTF) for orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems with phase noise is discussed in this paper. A CFO estimation algorithm is developed by exploring the time-frequency structure of specially designed training symbols, and it provides a very accurate estimation of the CFO in the presence of both unknown frequency-selective fading and phase noise. Based on the estimated CFO, phase noise and frequency-selective fading are jointly estimated by employing the maximum a posteriori (MAP) criterion. Specifically, the fading channel is estimated in the form of the frequency-domain CTF. The estimation …

Use Of Steel Slag In Subgrade Applications, Irem Zeynep Yildirim, Monica Prezzi

JTRP Technical Reports

Steel slag is a by-product of steelmaking and refining processes. In 2006, 10-15 million metric ton of steel slag was generated in the U.S. Out of the total steel slag produced in the U.S. every year, about 50-70% is used as aggregate for road and pavement construction and approximately 15-40% is stockpiled in steel plants and eventually landfilled at slag disposal sites. Since current levels of steel slag stockpiling and landfilling are not sustainable, alternative geotechnical engineering applications for steel slag are being explored to alleviate the slag disposal problem and to help save dwindling natural resources. The main objectives …

Cs 141: Computer Programming - I, Michael Ondrasek

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

This course provides a general introduction to the fundamentals of computer programming. Examples from and applications to a broad range of problems are given. No prior knowledge of programming is assumed. The concepts covered will be applied to the Java programming language. Students must register for both lecture and one laboratory section. 4 credit hours. Prerequisite: MTH 127 (College Algebra) or equivalent.

Cs 302-01: Introduction To Oracle Sql Databases, Karen Meyer

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Cs 475/675: Web Information Systems, Amit P. Sheth

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

This course covers advanced topics in managing W eh-based resources, with a focus on building applications involving heterogeneous data. It will expose students to the following concept, topics, architectures, techniques, and technologies:

• data, metadata, information, knowledge, and ontologies
• unstructured, semi-structured, structured, multimodal, multimedia, and sensor data syntax,
structural/representational, and semantic aspects of data
• architectures: federated databases, mediator, information brokering
• integration and analysis of Web-based information
• automatic information/metadata extraction (entity identification/recognition, disambiguation)
• Web search engines, social networks, Web 2.0
• Semantic Web and Web 3.0
• relevant Web standards and technologies
• real-world examples that …

Cs 208: Computer Programming For Business I, David M. Hutchison

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

CS 208 is the first In a sequence of two programming classes required for MIS majors. This course will introduce students to the basic concepts of programming. Examples are from business applications and display graphics and emphasis is on problem solving with the computer as a tool.

Cs 410/610: Theoretical Foundations Of Computing, Thomas Sudkamp

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

This course is an introduction to one of the fundamental topics in the theory of computer science: computability theory. Computability theory is concerned with determining whether there is an algorithmic solution to a problem. The study of computability uses the Turing machine as the basic computational model. A Turing machine is a random access, read-write, finite state automaton. Although the Turing machine provides a simple computational framework, the Church-Turing thesis asserts that any problem that can be solved in any algorithmic manner can be solved by a Turing machine.

Cs 784: Programming Languages, Krishnaprasad Thirunarayan

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

This course introduces concepts related to the specification and design of high-level programming languages. It discusses different programming paradigms, algebraic specification and implementation of data types, and develops interpreters for specifying operationally the various programming language features/constructs. It also introduces attribute grammar formalism and axiomatic semantics briefly. The programming assignments will be coded in Scheme.