Engineering Commons^™

A Realistic Technology And Engineering Assessment Of Algae Biofuel Production, T. J. Lundquist, I. C. Woertz, N. W. T. Quinn, J. R. Benemann

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This report assesses the economics of microalgae biofuels production through an analysis of five production scenarios. These scenarios, or cases, are based on technologies that currently exist or are expected to become available in the near-term, including raceway ponds for microalgae cultivation, bioflocculation for algae harvesting, and hexane for extraction of algae oil. Process flow diagrams, facility site layouts, and estimates for the capital and operations costs of each case were developed de novo. This report also reviews current and developing microalgae biofuel technologies for both oil and biogas production, provides an initial assessment of the US and California …

A Classification Tree Based Modeling Approach For Segment Related Crashes On Multilane Highways, Anurag Pande, Mohamed Abdel-Aty, Abhishek Das

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Introduction: This study presents a classification tree based alternative to crash frequency analysis for analyzing crashes on mid-block segments of multilane arterials.

Method: The traditional approach of modeling counts of crashes that occur over a period of time works well for intersection crashes where each intersection itself provides a well-defined unit over which to aggregate the crash data. However, in the case of mid-block segments the crash frequency based approach requires segmentation of the arterial corridor into segments of arbitrary lengths. In this study we have used random samples of time, day of week, and location (i.e., milepost) …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 52 Number 2, Fall 2010, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

16 - JUSTICE, EDUCATION, AND THE CATHOLIC IMAGINATION By Keith Warner, O.F.M. A religious vision of a sustainable future is less about politics than ethics. It means drawing on deep spiritual currents in the Catholic tradition-and environmental concern as if people mattered.

22 - WRITING THE ISLAND An essay in the words and images by John Seibert Farnsworth and Charles Barry. A journey to the Sea of Cortez-to paddle and dive, to hear the island speak, to look carefully, to write, to come home sunburned and transformed.

30 - INTERNET, WE HAVE A PROBLEM. By Sam Scott '96. One fine …

Towards Simpler Description Of Properties Like Commutativity And Associativity: Using Expression Fragments, Shubhra Datta, Valeria Fierro, Krasen Petrov, Jessica Romo, Gesuri Ramirez, Cesar Valenzuela

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Properties like commutativity and associativity are very important in many applications. To make detecting these properties easier, it is desirable to reformulate them in the simplest possible way. A known way to simplify these descriptions is to use postfix notations, in which there is no need to use parentheses. We show that some of these properties can be further simplified if we represent them as equalities not between well-defined expressions, but as equalities between expression fragments.

A Hybrid Highly Birefringent Fiber Optic Sensing System For Simultaneous Strain And Temperature Measurement, Piotr Lesiak, Ginu Rajan, Yuliya Semenova, Gerald Farrell, Anna Boczkowska, Andrzej Domanski, Tomasz Wolinkski

Articles

A novel hybrid fiber optic sensor based on integration of polarimetric fiber sensors for simultaneous strain and temperature measurement is presented in this paper. Two types of polarimetric fibers are used: a side-hole fiber and a polarization maintaining photonic crystal fiber. The disadvantage of each sensor type can be overcome by using the sensors in a complementary manner to measure temperature independently from average strain.

An Improved Layer-By-Layer Self-Assembly Technique To Generate Biointerfaces For Platelet Adhesion Studies: Dynamic Lbl, Juan Manuel Lopez

Doctoral Dissertations

Layer-by-layer self-assembly (LbL) is a technique that generates engineered nano-scale films, coatings, and particles. These nanoscale films have recently been used in multiple biomedical applications. Concurrently, microfabrication methods and advances in microfluidics are being developed and combined to create "Lab-on-a-Chip" technologies. The potential to perform complex biological assays in vitro as a first-line screening technique before moving on to animal models has made the concept of lab on a chip a valuable research tool.

Prior studies in the Biofluids Laboratory at Louisiana Tech have used layer-by-layer and in vitro biological assays to study thrombogenesis in a controlled, repeatable, engineered environment. …

Equivalence Of Gian-Carlo Rota Poset Approach And Taylor Series Approach Extended To Variant Ligands, Jaime Nava, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In many practical situations, molecules can be obtained from a "template" molecule like benzene by replacing some of its hydrogen atoms with ligands (other atoms or atom groups). There can be many possible replacements of this type. To avoid time-consuming testing of all possible replacements, it is desirable to test some of the replacements and then extrapolate to others -- so that only the promising molecules, for which the extrapolated values are desirable, will have to be synthesized and tested.

Towards A Fast, Practical Alternative To Joint Inversion Of Multiple Datasets: Model Fusion, Omar Ochoa, Aaron A. Velasco, Christian Servin

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In many areas of science and engineering, we have different sources of data. For example, in geophysics, there are many sources of data for Earth models: first-arrival passive seismic data (from the actual earthquakes), first-arrival controlled-source seismic data (from the seismic experiments), gravity data, etc.

A Use Case-Guided Comparison Of Opm And Pml, Paulo Pinheiro Da Silva, Steve Roach

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Provenance Incubator Group has the goal of providing "a state-of-the art understanding ... in the area of provenance for Semantic Web technologies." To enhance the mutual understanding of language capabilities, the group is attempting to map several of the existing provenance languages such as Provenir, PREMIS, and the Proof Markup Language (PML) into the provenance language the Open Provenance Model (OPM). OPM is intended to be a precise inter-lingua for exchanging provenance information. This article contributes to the understanding of the capabilities of OPM and PML by establishing a set of six common and …

Halloysite Clay Nanotubes For Controlled Delivery Of Chemically Active Agents, Elshard Abdullayev

Doctoral Dissertations

In this work we explored the capabilities of halloysite nanotubes as capsules for encapsulation and controlled delivery of the chemically and biologically active substances. Halloysite is a two-layered aluminosilicate which has a predominantly hollow tubular structure in the submicron range and is chemically similar to kaolinite [1, 2].

In the first section of this work, we analyzed the structure of the halloysite nanotubes as well as its capability to encapsulate and deliver biologically and chemically active agents, similarities and differences between release characteristics of different agents and how these differences relate with their chemical structure. Models were used to describe …

P2pstm: A Peer-To-Peer Software Transactional Memory, Phil Pratt-Szeliga, Jim Fawcett

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - All Scholarship

Peer-to-Peer network topologies are such that there is no centralized server in a distributed system but rather each peer is part server and part client. This idea was originally popularized with peer-to-peer file sharing. If one were to distribute computation on a peer-to-peer network topology, consistency of shared data among peers is a problem. Software Transactional Memory (STM) is a lock free mechanism of assuring consistency of memory among threads of execution that has favorable performance over locked methods when the number of threads is large. This paper presents a method to use STM methods with a peer-to-peer network architecture …

Intelligent Coordinated Control Of A Wind Farm And Distributed Smartparks, Pinaki Mitra, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Energy storage is generally recommended in presence of an intermittent source like wind farm for a better control over the power generation from the wind turbine with the variation of the wind speed. In this paper, the potential of plug-in electric vehicle parking lot (SmartPark) as an energy storage in a power system with a large wind farm has been investigated. Also, a fuzzy logic based coordination controller of the wind farm and the distributed SmartParks has been proposed in this paper. The fuzzy controller uses the total state-of-charge of the SmartParks and the difference between instantaneous demand and the …

Neural Network Burst Pressure Prediction In Composite Overwrapped Pressure Vessels Using Mathematically Modeled Acoustic Emission Data, Junya Iizuka

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The purpose of this research was to predict burst pressures in composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPV) using mathematically modeled acoustic emission (AE) data. The AE data were collected during hydrostatic burst (hydroburst) testing often 15-inch (380 mm) diameter COP Vs. The data gathered during these tests were filtered in order to remove long duration hits, multiple hit data, and obvious outliers. Based on the duration, energy, and amplitude of the AE hits, the filtered data were classified into the various failure mechanisms of composites using a MATLAB based self-organizing map (SOM) neural network. Previous research has demonstrated that the parameters …

Investigation Of Scaling Effects For A Synthetic Jet Actuator Using High And Low Fidelity Analyses, Amandine Bourlier

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

This research presents an investigation on the scaling effects for synthetic jet actuators using Ansys-CFX and a Lumped Element Model (LEM). Synthetic jets or zero net mass-flux devices use a vibrating diaphragm to generate an oscillatory flow through a small orifice. A synthetic jet actuator can be used on MAVs as thrust generator or fixed on an airfoil for flow separation control. A Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model was created, using Ansys-CFX, to be validated against referred publications. The use of mesh adaption is discussed. This baseline model was then used to complete a scaling analysis using a set of …

Modeling And Simulation On Signatures Of Mars Minerals, Widad Elmahboub, Edward Yankey, Olivia Kerwin

Virginia Journal of Science

The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of identifying minerals on Mars using remotely sensed data. In the process we also investigated the effect of noise of Aerosol and dust particles on the spectra of Mars minerals. The remotely sensed data was obtained through modeling and simulation and compared to the lab spectroscopy of the specific minerals in order to make an accurate identification. A linear model was developed using MATLAB Random Number Generator to obtain a simulated image. Part of the information we needed for the linear model was pure pixel information of Mars which was …

An Analytical Model For Rotator Cuff Repairs, A. Aurora, Jorge E. Gatica, A.J. Van Den Bogert, J. A. Mccarron, Kathleen A. Derwin

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: Currently, natural and synthetic scaffolds are being explored as augmentation devices for rotator cuff repair. When used in this manner, these devices are believed to offer some degree of load sharing; however, no studies have quantified this effect. Furthermore, the manner in which loads on an augmented rotator cuff repair are distributed among the various components of the repair is not known, nor is the relative biomechanical importance of each component. The objectives of this study are to (1) develop quasi-static analytical models of simplified rotator cuff repairs, (2) validate the models, and (3) predict the degree of …

Analysis Of The Detection Of Organophosphate Pesticides In Aqueous Solutions Using Polymer-Coated Sh-Saw Devices, Arnold Kweku Mensah-Brown

Dissertations (1934 -)

Organophosphate pesticides (OPs) have been found as contaminants in surface and ground waters, soil, and agricultural products. Because OPs are toxic compounds, rapid detection/monitoring of OPs in groundwater is necessary to allow for real-time remediation. Detection of OPs in water has already been demonstrated using poly(epichlorohydrin) [PECH] and polyurethane as the sensing layers. However, the response times were relatively long, hindering real-time monitoring. In this work, a hybrid organic/inorganic chemically sensitive layer [bisphenol A-hexamethyltrisiloxane (BPA-HMTS)] that shows a high degree of partial selectivity for OPs is synthesized, characterized (in terms of the glass transition temperature, T_g, water stability, …

Longitudinal Sex Differences During Landing In Knee Abduction In Young Athletes, Kevin R. Ford, Robert Shapiro, Gregory D. Meyer, Antonie J. Van Den Bogert, Timothy E. Hewett

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Purpose—

The objective of this study was to determine if biomechanical and neuromuscular risk factors related to abnormal movement patterns increased in females, but not males, during the adolescent growth spurt.

Methods—

315 subjects participated in two testing sessions approximately one year apart. Male and female subjects were classified based on their maturation status as pubertal or post-pubertal.Three trials of a drop vertical jump (DVJ) were collected. Maximum knee abduction angle and external moments were calculated during the DVJ deceleration phase using a 3D motion analysis system. Changes in knee abduction from the first to second year were compared among …

Microstrip-Fed Wideband Circularly Polarized Printed Antenna, Xiulong Bao, Max Ammann, Patrick Mcevoy

Articles

A wideband circularly-polarized printed antenna is proposed, which employs an asymmetrical dipole and a slit in the ground plane which are fed by an L-shaped microstrip feedline using a via. The proposed antenna geometry is arranged so that the orthogonal surface currents, which are generated in the dipole, feedline and ground plane, have the appropriate phase to provide circular polarization. A parametric study of the key parameters is made and the mechanism for circular polarization is described. The measured results show that the impedance bandwidth is approximately 1.34 GHz (2.45 GHz to 3.79 GHz) and the 3 dB axial ratio …

Estimation Of Air Flow Angles Derived From An Inertial Navigation System, Brett Douglas Mather

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The purpose of this study is to explore the use of an Inertial Navigation System as a primary method for measuring aircraft air flow angles in flight testing. The traditional methods used to measure air flow angles consist of sensors external to the aircraft, such as an air data boom or an angle of attack probe. The advantage of using INS to measure air flow angles would be in the simplicity of the instrumentation. All components could be fixed internally, leaving minimal external modifications to the aircraft necessary for instrumentation. This would reduce costs and instrumentation time and enable air …

Motorcycle Data Acquisition System, Jonathan Luke Harmse

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Acuta Enews October 2010, Vol 39, No. 10

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

Nominate Now for 2011-2012 Board of Directors

From the President........... Matt Arthur, Washington Univ. in St. Louis, ACUTA President

Nominate Now for ACUTA Institutional Excellence Award

Tech Talk: The Land of Lync'in............... Kevin Tanzillo, Dux PR

That Smarts!

FYI: Useful Information from the Campus......... Student Monitor

ACUTA Surveys Voice and Emergency Systems........... Ray Horak, The Context Corporation

Learn More about UC, WiFi, FMC, Green IT and More from Your Desktop

Visit the ACUTA Community Often!

Board Report........... George Denbow, Univ. of Texas, ACUTA Secretary/Treasurer

Washington Update Newsletter

Overheard on the Listserv: It's All about Access

In Memory: …

Classification Of Emg Signals To Control A Prosthetic Hand Using Time-Frequesncy Representations And Support Vector Machines, Juan Manuel Fontana

Doctoral Dissertations

Myoelectric signals (MES) are viable control signals for externally-powered prosthetic devices. They may improve both the functionality and the cosmetic appearance of these devices. Conventional controllers, based on the signal's amplitude features in the control strategy, lack a large number of controllable states because signals from independent muscles are required for each degree of freedom (DoF) of the device. Myoelectric pattern recognition systems can overcome this problem by discriminating different residual muscle movements instead of contraction levels of individual muscles. However, the lack of long-term robustness in these systems and the design of counter-intuitive control/command interfaces have resulted in low …

Nonlinear Control Strategy For A Cost Effective Myoelectric Prosthetic Hand, Cristian Federico Pasluosta

Doctoral Dissertations

The loss of a limb tremendously impacts the life of the affected individual. In the past decades, researchers have been developing artificial limbs that may return some of the missing functions and cosmetics. However, the development of dexterous mechanisms capable of mimicking the function of the human hand is a complex venture. Even though myoelectric prostheses have advanced, several issues remain to be solved before an artificial limb may be comparable to its human counterpart. Moreover, the high cost of advanced limbs prevents their widespread use among the low-income population.

This dissertation presents a strategy for the low-level of control …

Predicting Panel Ratings For Semantic Characteristics Of Lung Nodules, Dmitriy Zinovev, Jonathan Feigenbaum, Daniela Raicu, Jacob Furst

Technical Reports

In reading CT scans with potentially malignant lung nodules, radiologists make use of high level information (semantic characteristics) in their analysis. CAD systems can assist radiologists by offering a “second opinion” - predicting these semantic characteristics for lung nodules. In our previous work, we developed such a CAD system, training and testing it on the publicly available Lung Image Database Consortium (LIDC) dataset, which includes semantic annotations by up to four human radiologists for every nodule. However, due to the lack of ground truth and the uncertainty in the dataset, each nodule was viewed as four distinct instances when training …

Synthesis And Analytical Evaluation Of Folate Conjugates For Use In Cancer Cell Detection, Sneha Reddy Kuthuru

All Capstone Projects

Recent clinical studies have shown the importance of folate receptor in drug delivery system as they increase the potency and reduce toxicity of many cancer therapies. The folate receptor alpha ( FR-a) binds with high affinity for folic acid and serves for receptor mediated transport of folate into cells. Folate is necessary for DNA metabolism and thus it is speculated that rapidly dividing cancer cells have an increased requirement for folic acid. It is known that FR-a levels are elevated in specific malignant diseases (solid tumors, leukemia) and thus the FR receptor serves as useful targeting moiety for the diagnosis …

Optimized Waveform Relaxation Solution Of Electromagnetic And Circuit Problems, Martin J. Gander, Albert E. Ruehli

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

New algorithms are needed to solve electromagnetic problems using today's widely available parallel processors. In this paper, we show that applying the optimized waveform relaxation approach to a partial element equivalent circuit will yield a powerful technique for solving electromagnetic problems with the potential for a large number of parallel processor nodes.

Effect Of Friction Stir Processing On Microstructure And Tensile Properties Of An Investment Cast Al-7si-0.6mg Alloy, Saumyadeep Jana, Rajiv S. Mishra, John A. Baumann, Glenn J. Grant

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Friction stir processing (FSP) is emerging as a promising tool for microstructural modification. the current study assesses the effects of FSP on the microstructure and mechanical properties of an investment cast Al-7Si-Mg alloy. FSP eliminates porosity and significantly refines eutectic Si particles. the extent of particle refinement varied with changes in processing conditions. a high tool rotation rate and a low-to-intermediate tool traverse speed generated a higher volume fraction of finer particles. Tensile ductility changed significantly as a result of FSP, whereas ultimate tensile strength improved only marginally. Yield strength was similar in both cast and FSP samples under various …

Comparison Of Antibacterial Properties Of Commercial Bone Cements And Fillers With A Zinc-Based Glass Polyalkenoate Cement, A. W. Wren, N. M. Cummins, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Postoperative infection following invasive surgical procedures is a significant cause for concern, particularly in spinal reconstructive surgery. The objective of this study is to compare the antibacterial efficacy of a novel zinc-based glass polyalkenoate cement (Zn-GPC) based on 0.04SrO-0.12CaO-0.36ZnO- 0.48SiO₂ glass, to a number of commercially available bone cements and fillers including Simplex P + Tobramycin (S_Tob), Spineplex (S_pine) and Novabone Putty (N_Put). The agar diffusion test was performed on each material against Escherichia coli, Staphlococcus epidermidis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphlococcus Aureus. S_Tob was found to produce large inhibition zones in each …

Distributed Power Balancing For The Freedm System, Rav Akella, Fanjun Meng, Derek Ditch, Bruce M. Mcmillin, Mariesa Crow

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

The FREEDM microgrid is a test bed for a smart grid integrated with Distributed Grid Intelligence (DGI) to efficiently manage the distribution and storage of renewable energy. Within the FREEDM system, DGI applies distributed algorithms in a unique way to achieve economically feasible utilization and storage of alternative energy sources in a distributed fashion. The FREEDM microgrid consists of residential or industrial nodes with each node running a portion of the DGI process called Intelligent Energy Management (IEM). Such IEM nodes within FREEDM coordinate among themselves to efficiently and economically manage their power generation, utility and storage. Among a variety …