Engineering Commons^™

Exploring Trade-Offs In Auv Controller Design For Shark Tracking, Louis James Bertsch Iv

Master's Theses

This thesis explores the use of an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) to track and pursue a tagged shark through the water. A controller was designed to take bearing and range to the shark tag and then control the AUV to pursue it.

First, the ability of a particle filter to provide an accurate estimation of the location of the shark relative to the AUV is explored. Second, the ability of the AUV to follow the shark's path through the water is shown. This ability allows for localized environmental sampling of the shark's preferred path. Third, various path weightings are used …

Department Of Biological Systems Engineering Newsletter, Volume 7, Number 1, March 2011

BSE Department Magazine

No abstract provided.

The End-To-End Argument And Application Design: The Role Of Trust, David D. Clark, Marjory S. Blumenthal

Federal Communications Law Journal

Symposium: Rough Consensus and Running Code: Integrating Engineering Principles into Internet Policy Debates, held at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Technology Innovation and Competition on May 6-7, 2010.

Policy debates about the evolution of the Internet show varying degrees of understanding about the underlying technology. A fundamental principle of the design of the Internet, from the early 1980s, is the so-called "end-to-end argument" articulated in a seminal technical paper. Intended to provide guidance for what kind of capability is built into a network as opposed to the devices that use the network, the end-to-end argument has been invoked in …

Thermodynamic, Sulfide, Redox Potential, And Ph Effects On Syngas Fermentation, Peng Hu

Theses and Dissertations

Recently, work in ethanol production is exploring the fermentation of syngas (primarily CO, CO2, and H2) following gasification of cellulosic biomass. The syngas fermentation by clostridium microbes utilizes the Wood-Ljungdahl metabolic pathway. Along this pathway, the intermediate Acetyl-CoA typically diverges to produce ethanol, acetic acid, and/or cell mass. To develop strategies for process optimization, a thermodynamic analysis was conducted that provided a detailed understanding of the favorability of the reactions along the metabolic pathway. Thermodynamic analysis provided identification of potentially limiting steps. Once these limiting reactions were identified, further thermodynamic analysis provided additional insights into the ways in which reaction …

Aerosol Synthesis And Electrochemical Analysis Of Niobium Mixed-Metal Oxides For The Ethanol Oxidation Reaction In Acid And Alkaline Electrolyte, Daniel Konopka

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Direct ethanol fuel cells are especially important among emerging electrochemical power systems with the potential to offset a great deal of the energy demand currently met through the use of fossil fuels. Ethanol can be refined from petroleum sources or attained from renewable biomass, and is more easily and safely stored and transported than hydrogen, methanol or gasoline. The full energy potential of ethanol in fuel cells can only be realized if the reaction follows a total oxidation pathway to produce CO2. This must be achieved by the development of advanced catalysts that are electrically conductive, stable in corrosive environments, …

Race- And Sex-Related Differences In Retinal Thickness And Foveal Pit Morphology, Melissa Wagner-Schuman, Adam M. Dubis, Rick Nordgren, Yuming Lei, Daniel Odell, Hellen Chiao, Eric Weh, William Fischer, Yusufu N. Sulai, Alfredo Dubra, Joseph Carroll

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose.

To examine sex- and race-associated differences in macular thickness and foveal pit morphology by using spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT).

Methods.

One hundred eighty eyes of 90 healthy patients (43 women, 47 men) underwent retinal imaging with spectral-domain OCT. The lateral scale of each macular volume scan was corrected for individual differences in axial length by ocular biometry. From these corrected volumes, Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study (ETDRS) grids of retinal thickness were generated and compared between the groups. Foveal morphology was measured with previously described algorithms.

Results.

Compared with the Caucasians, the Africans and African Americans had reduced …

Flow Regime Identification In A Bubble Column Via Nuclear Gauge Densitometry And Chaos Analysis, S. Nedeltchev, A. Shaikh, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Bubble Column Performance Can Change Significantly as a Result of Flow Regime Change. Since Reactor Volume Productivity, Mass and Heat Transfer as Well as Mixing Are Affected by the Prevailing Flow Regime, It is Very Important to Know How to Identify It. in This Work, Flow Regime Identification Was Performed on the Basis of the Kolmogorov Entropy (KE) Algorithm Applied to Nuclear Gauge Densitometry Data. in Addition, the Average Cycle Time Was Used for Validation of the Results. Three Transition Velocities Were Identified that Delineated the Boundaries of the Three Main Hydrodynamic Regimes. the First Two Transition Points Were …

Risk Based Models For The Optimization Of Oil And Gas Supply Chain Critical Infrastructure, Kingsley Oseloka Achebe

Dissertations

The oil and gas sector faces a broad array of risks and uncertainties, affecting short- and long-term planning, and causing adverse effects in the energy sector. To predict and minimize them, risk based supply chain models were developed for the oil and gas supply chain critical infrastructure.

First, the events and activities were categorized as short term and long term, and their risk ratings derived, by analyzing data from past events and site visits. The result showed that events like the Israel – Arab war, successful hurricane, and production increase or decrease, had a risk rating of approximately 7.

Second, …

Orbits Design For Leo Space Based Solar Power Satellite System, Neelima Krishna Murthy Addanki

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

Space Based Solar Power satellites use solar arrays to generate clean, green, and renewable electricity in space and transmit it to earth via microwave, radiowave or laser beams to corresponding receivers (ground stations). These traditionally are large structures orbiting around earth at the geo-synchronous altitude.

This thesis introduces a new architecture for a Space Based Solar Power satellite constellation. The proposed concept reduces the high cost involved in the construction of the space satellite and in the multiple launches to the geo-synchronous altitude. The proposed concept is a constellation of Low Earth Orbit satellites that are smaller in size than …

Conference Program, Ted Knowlton

10th International Conference on Circulating Fluidized Beds and Fluidization Technology - CFB-10

No abstract provided.

A Critical Review On Recent Methods Used For Economically Viable And Eco-Friendly Development Of Microalgae As A Potential Feedstock For Synthesis Of Biodiesel, Yogesh C. Sharma, Bhaskar Singh, John Korstad

College of Science and Engineering Faculty Research and Scholarship

Microalgae are being considered as a viable feedstock for large-scale production of biodiesel. However, though it may look simpler to obtain lipids from microalgae, the overall process of choosing an algal strain, cultivation, harvesting, dewatering, and extraction of oil is quite complicated and not economically prudent at this time. A thorough understanding of algae and the overall biodiesel production process discussed in this paper is vital so that focused research might lower the costs involved. Various diverse species of microalgae are currently being used as feedstocks for biofuel. Heterotrophic culture may be preferred over photoautotrophic cultivation. For cultivation, specially fabricated …

Solar Power System Modeling And Performance Analysis, Jiaqi Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

At present the main source of our power and energy needs are from fossil fuel; almost all transportation tools and nearly 70% of electrical power are produced by fossil fuel. But unfortunately these materials are limited in our planet, with obvious drawback such as pollution. So looking for new kinds of energy supply is an urgent matter. Solar-powered photovoltaic system provides a clean energy solution to this problem. It is developing fast all over the world in terms of both research work and actual applications. It is estimated that the power supplied by solar energy can provide 10 percent of …

Protective Immunity To Pre-Erythrocytic Stage Malaria, Robert J. Schwenk, Thomas L. Richie

United States Army: Publications

The development of a vaccine against malaria is a major research priority given the burden of disease, death and economic loss inflicted upon the tropical world by this parasite. Despite decades of effort, however, a vaccine remains elusive. The best candidate is a subunit vaccine termed RTS,S but this provides only partial protection against clinical disease. This review examines what is known about protective immunity against pre-erythrocytic stage malaria by considering the humoral and T cell-mediated immune responses that are induced by attenuated sporozoites and by the RTS,S vaccine. On the basis of these observations a set of research priorities …

The Rock 2011, School Of Engineering And Computer Science

The Rock

No abstract provided.

Performance Analysis Of Mimo-Sess With Alamouti Scheme Over Rayleigh Fading Channels, Shichuan Ma, Lim Nguyen, Yaoqing Lamar Yang, Won Mee Jang

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Self-encoded spread spectrum (SESS) is a novel modulation technique that acquires its spreading sequence from the random input data stream rather than through the use of the traditional pseudo-noise code generator. It has been incorporated with multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems as a means to combat fading in wireless channels. In this paper, we present the analytical study of the bit-error rate (BER) performance of MIMO-SESS systems under Rayleigh fading. The BER expressions are derived in closed form, and the veracity of the analysis is confirmed by numerical calculations that demonstrate excellent agreement with simulation results. The performance analysis shows that …

Effectiveness Of Public Private Partnership For Infrastructure Projects, Pius Francis Kwaku Agyemang

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Public Private Partnership (PPP) has over the years proven to be a good procurement method for Infrastructure projects. The partnership combines the efficiency, expertise, and innovation etc. of the private sector as well as appropriate risk allocation between both public and private sectors. The method also provides an alternate avenue for capital needed for engineering projects. The financing options provided through PPP makes the method increasingly popular due to the current global financial crisis. The method is employed in both developed and developing countries. The United States of America has been using the method since the 1980's. Most governments currently …

The Sensitivity Of Land Emissivity Estimates From Amsr-E As C And X Bands To Surface Properties, Hamid Norouzi, Marouane Temimi, William B. Rossow, Cindy Pearl, M. Azarderakhsh, Reza Khanbilvardi

Publications and Research

Microwave observations at low frequencies exhibit more sensitivity to surface and subsurface properties with little interference from the atmosphere. The objective of this study is to develop a global land emissivity product using passive microwave observations from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer – Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) and to investigate its sensitivity to land surface properties. The developed product complements existing land emissivity products from SSM/I and AMSU by adding land emissivity estimates at two lower frequencies, 6.9 and 10.65 GHz (C- and X-band, respectively). Observations at these low frequencies penetrate deeper into the soil layer. Ancillary data used in …

Durability Performance Of Frp Strenghtened Concrete Beams And Columns Exposed To Hygrothermal Environment, Abulgasem Mohamed Elarbi

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

DURABILITY PERFORMANCE OF FRP STRENGHTENED CONCRETE BEAMS AND COLUMNS EXPOSED TO HYGROTHERMAL ENVIRONMENT

by

ABULGASEM M. ELARBI

August 2011

Advisor: Dr. Hwai-Chaung Wu

Major: Civil and Environmental Engineering (Structural Engineering)

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Concrete structures deteriorate over time due to exposure to various environments, including hot and humid weather. High temperature, wind, and air humidity in many hot climates can all have a negative impact on the performance of concrete structures. The most important factors are temperature and humidity - often times these effects are not immediately evident and develop years later - making determination of responsibility difficult …

Co-Disposal Of Dry Fgd By-Product With Coal Gasification Ash And Inorganic Brines, Jabulani S. Mahlaba, P.C. Pretorius, Subal Maharajh, M.P. Augustyn

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

There is a growing pressure from the environmental authorities and public bodies to reduce anthropogenic pollution. Stringent environmental legislation is being implemented for industries around the world, even more so for coal consuming industries. Control of gaseous emissions is one of the areas that are receiving considerable attention towards sustainable development. Coal combustion in coal-fired power utilities emits SO~x~ to the atmosphere. Dry flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) is a well known technology often used to mitigate sulphur emissions in coal-fired power utilities. It traditionally uses lime to neutralise SO~x~, and forms a mixture of anhydrite (CaSO~4~), and calcium sulphite (CaSO~3~). …

A Multi-Analytical Approach To Understand The Chemistry Of Fe-Minerals In Feed Coals And Ashes, Marcos L.S. Oliveira, Frans Waanders, Luis F.O. Silva, Andre Jasper, Carlos H. Sampaio, Dursman Mchabe, Rachel S. Hatch, James C. Hower

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Seven feed coals used in the Brazilian power generation industry were obtained and subsequently analysed together with fly ash and bottom ash from a major Brazilian power plant. The samples were investigated by means of room temperature FeMo¨ssbauer analyses, X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope and petrographic analysis. In addition, nanometer-sized crystalline phases in coals and ashes were characterised using an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer and a high-resolution transmission electron microscope. The major identified Fe-bearing minerals in the coals were found to be actinolite, ankerite, chalcopyrite, chlorite, goethite, illite, ilmenite, magnesioferrite, natrojarosite, pyrite, pyrrhotite, and siderite; whilst in the fly …

The Leachability Of Major Elements At Different Stages Of Weathering In Dry Disposed Coal Fly Ash, S.A. Akinyemi, A. Akinlua, W.M. Gitari, R.O. Akinyeye, L.F. Petrik

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Large quantities of solid residue are generated by coal-fired power stations in many parts of the World. The disposal and management of the unused fly ash remains a major problem to the environment. The weathered dry disposed ash cores comprise of major element constituents such as Al, Si, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Na+ and K+. The mobility patterns and mineralogical associations of major elements in weathered dry disposed ash dumps aged 1-year-old, 8-year-old and 20-year-old from a coalfired power station in South Africa were investigated using a modified sequential extraction scheme. The extraction sequence was as follows: (1) water soluble, …

Effect Of Fullerene Nano-Spheres On Evaporation Kinetics Of Fluids, Wenhu Wang

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

As the interest in fluid evaporation kinetics keeps increasing, it's inevitably noticed that fullerene nanospheres play an important role on it. In this study, we investigate the C60 nanospheres' effect on the evaporation kinetics and thermal transitions of different solvents (water, chlorobenzene) over the entire range of solubility. According to distinct polarity of different solvent, fullerene solution would behave differently, the trend of increasing in evaporation rate as the concentration increased was observed in aromatic solvents while the rate kept decreasing in water. The result of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Raman spectroscopy provided an evidence about structuring in water …

Asphaltene As Light Harvesting Material In Dye Sensitized Solar Cell, Rajab Emhemed Abujnah

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This Dissertation characterizes the first asphaltene DSSC (dye-sensitized solar cell), in which light to electricity conversion efficiency has improved from 0 % to 1.8 %. Four natural organic asphaltene factions, namely, un-fractionated asphaltene, Fr. 1 Asphaltene, Fr.2 asphaltene, Fr.3 and Fr.4 were extracted and tested for various solar cell parameters of TiO2 based dye-sensitized solar cell DSSC. DSSCs were fabricated using the four individual asphaltene dyes. The photovoltaic performance of the cells was examined by determining the various parameters such as open-circuit voltage, short-circuit current, fill factor, and series resistance. The overall energy conversion efficiency was also measured to correlate …

A Catholic And Marianist Engineering Education, Kevin P. Hallinan, Margaret Pinnell

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The School of Engineering at the University of Dayton (UD), a Catholic and Marianist University, boasts large enrollments of 1,300 undergraduate and 350 graduate students out of a total of 7,000 undergraduates and 3,000 graduate students. It also boasts a faculty very active in research, which, under the umbrella of the University of Dayton Research Institute, is funded at a level of $100 million per year.

In the past decade, the University of Dayton has sought to better articulate the impact of its Catholic and Marianist traditions, and faculty have been challenged to embody these traditions. University mission statements and …

Solubility Of Fe2(Oh)3cl (Pure-Iron End-Member Of Hibbingite) In Nacl And Na2so4 Brines, Martin Nemer, Yongliang Xiong, Ahmed Ismail, Je-Hun Jang

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Pure-iron end-member hibbingite, Fe₂(OH)₃Cl(s), may be important to geological repositories in salt formations, as it may be a dominant corrosion product of steel waste canisters in an anoxic environment in Na–Cl- and Na–Mg–Cl-dominated brines. In this study, the solubility of Fe₂(OH)₃Cl(s), the pure-iron endmember of hibbingite (Fe^II, Mg)₂(OH)₃Cl(s), and Fe(OH)₂(s) in 0.04 m to 6 m NaCl brines has been determined. For the reaction

Fe₂ (OH)₃Cl(s) + 3H⁺↔ 3H₂O + 2Fe²⁺ + Cl⁻,

the …

Hydro-Electric Generation System For The Dc House Project, Dennis Kwan, Mitchell Krug

Electrical Engineering

This paper focuses on the design, integration, and construction of a system that harnesses energy from flowing water. The system will be used in conjunction with the DC House Project. The proposed system employs a DC generator and DC-DC Boost-converter to provide electricity to the DC House at approximately 200-300W. Results of the testing and measurement show that the goal of the system is feasible, but currently limited. The generator could not output the specified power. Details of the design, along with ideas for further improvement, are presented in this report.

Weak Gradient Inverse Scattering Solutions, Jonathan Blackledge

Conference papers

The paper briefly reviews formal methods and associated conditions for solving the forward and inverse Schrodinger ¨ scattering problem for a three-dimensional elastic scattering potential. These methods are based on an application of the Green’s function and are conditional upon the properties of the scattering potential, e.g. that the scattering potential is a ‘weak scatterer’. In this paper, we explore an alternative route to solving the problem which depends on properties imposed on the scattered wavefield rather than the scattering potential. In particular, we explore the case when the gradient of the scattered wavefield is weak relative to its frequency. …

Modeling The Response Of A Beach Restoration Project In Louisiana To Two Consecutive Hurricanes, Naveen Khammampati

LSU Master's Theses

The current study is concentrated in modeling the cross-shore beach profile evolution and severe erosion of the dune (overwash) of a restored barrier island due to Hurricanes Gustav (2008) and Ike (2008) in coastal Louisiana. Pre-storm and post-storm survey data sets of Chaland Headland located in Plaquemines Parish, LA, were analyzed and categorized based on the overwash processes, and numerically modeled using SBEACH (Storm-induced BEAch CHange). The model results were compared with the measured topographic data. A total of 10 survey profiles were used in this study. SBEACH simulates cross-shore beach, berm and dune erosion produced by storm waves and …

An Investigation On Fast And Frugal Model For New Project Screening, Antonie J. Jetter, Fatima M. Albar

Engineering and Technology Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Research in psychology is increasingly interested in decision-makers' use of heuristics or rules of thumb because they have accuracies close to more complex decision rules and seem particularly useful in difficult decision-making contexts when uncertainty is high and speed is of the essence. One particularly difficult decision setting is the fuzzy front-end of new product development because a large number of product ideas need to be screened to identify the few that should be developed further. This process is currently poorly supported through decision tools and mainly occurs on the basis of managerial “gut-feel”. This study explores managerial “gut-feel” by …

Feasibility Of Wastewater Reuse For Fish Production In Small Communities In A Developing World Setting, Joshua James Girard

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Eradicating poverty, malnutrition, and the burden of disease have been included as three of the major issues facing the world. The United Nation member countries, having set forth the Millennium Development Goals, have committed themselves to solving these problems. Two major factors which affect solutions to these problems are increasing water stress and implementing improved sanitation. Integration of tilapia aquaculture and reuse of wastewater has been suggested as a solution which addresses both of these factors. The objective of this study is to examine the feasibility, and explore the benefits and drawbacks, to implementing small community wastewater fed (WWF) aquaculture …