Engineering Commons^™

Unified Point-Edgelet Feature Tracking, Kalaivani Sundararajan

All Theses

Feature tracking algorithms have conventionally tracked `corner' features or windows with high spatial frequency content. However, this conventional point feature representation of scenes would be inappropriate for poorly textured image sequences like indoor image sequences. To overcome this problem, we propose a feature tracking algorithm which tracks point features and edgelets
simultaneously. Edgelets are straight line approximations of intensity edges in an image. Hence, a combination of point features and edgelets provides a better representation of untextured sequences with the point features and edgelets complementing each other. We show that this property results in more robust tracking.
Tracking edgelets is …

Fluid Dynamics Of Cell Printing, Ping He

All Dissertations

Cell printing is an emerging technology that uses droplets to deliver cells to desired positions with resolution potentially comparable to the size of single cells. In particular, ink–jet based cell printing technique has been successfully used to build simple bio–constructs and has shown a promise in building complex bio–structures or even organs. Two important issues in ink–jet based cell printing are the moderate survival rate of delicate cells and the limited cell placement resolution. Resolving these issues is critical for the ink–jet based cell printing techniques to realize their full potential.
In this work, we use numerical simulations to reconstruct …

Elliptical Machine Dc-Dc Converter For The Energy Harvesting From Exercise Machines Project, Greg Hollister

Electrical Engineering

Designing a DC/DC Converter for the Cal Poly Energy Harvesting from Exercise Machines project requires special attention to the unique operating characteristics of the source and the load. An elliptical machine powered by a person exercising comprises the source, while an AC Inverter makes up the load. This project attempts to integrate the two devices with a custom DC/DC Converter in order to ultimately deliver power back into the power grid.

Assessing The Viability Of Sol-Gel Nimgo Films For Solar Blind Detection, Amber Scheurer

HIM 1990-2015

Wide bandgap semiconductors have been broadly investigated for their potential to detect and emit high energy ultraviolet (UV) photons. Advancements in deep UV optoelectronic materials would enable the efficient and affordable realization of many medical, industrial and consumer UV optical devices. The traditional growth method, vacuum deposition, is an extremely complicated and expensive process. Sol-gel processing dramatically simplifies facility requirements and can be scaled to industrial size. The work presented here involves a novel study of the ternary wide bandgap material Ni1-xMgxO. Films were developed by sol-gel spin coating for investigation of material and electrical properties. This method produced films …

Decolorization Of An Azo And Anthraquinone Textile Dye By A Mixture Of Living And Non-Living Trametes Versicolor Fungus, Christine M. Dykstra

HIM 1990-2015

Wastewater from the textile industry is difficult to treat effectively due to the prevalent use and wide variety of synthetic dyes that are resistant to conventional treatment methods. White-rot fungi, such as Trametes versicolor, have been found to be effective in decolorizing many of these synthetic dyes and current research is focusing on their application to wastewater treatment. Although numerous studies have been conducted on the ability of both living and nonliving Trametes versicolor to separately decolorize textile dyes, no studies were found to have investigated the use of a mixture of live and dead fungus for decolorization. This study …

An Experimental And Numerical Study Of Secondary Flows And Film Cooling Effectiveness In A Transonic Cascade, James C. Kullberg

HIM 1990-2015

Experimental tests on a transonic annular rig are time-consuming and expensive, so it is desirable to use experimental results to validate a computational model which can then be used to extract much more information. The purpose of this work is to create a numerical model that can be used to simulate many different scenarios and then to apply these results to experimental data.; In the modern world, gas turbines are widely used in aircraft propulsion and electricity generation. These applications represent a massive use of energy worldwide, so even a very small increase in efficiency would have a significant beneficial …

Computational Study Of Passive Neutron Albedo Reactivity (Pnar) Measurement With Fission Chambers, Sandra De La Cruz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Passive Neutron Albedo Reactivity technique (PNAR) was used to assay used nuclear fuel as a potential method for the measurement of fissionable material in fuel assemblies. A Monte Carlo transport code (MCNPX 2.6) was used to develop simulation models to evaluate the PNAR technique. The MCNPX simulated models consisted of two 17x17 Pressurized Water Reactor (PWR) used fuel assemblies; one with an initial 3 wt% uranium-235*, cooled for 20 years and second with an initial 4 wt% uranium-235*, cooled for 5 years. Each used fuel assembly was simulated at four different burn up rates of 15, 30, 45, and …

Canal Wave Oscillation Phenomena Due To Column Vortex Shedding, Adam M. Howes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The GARVEE Transportation Program started by the Idaho Transportation Department has improved parts of I-84 in Boise, Idaho. These desired improvements led to the widening of a bridge over the New York Canal (NYC) in 2009. To support the wider road, additional bridge columns were installed. The new bridge columns had a larger diameter than the existing columns and raised the number of columns from 28 to 60.

Construction was completed just before the irrigation season began. During the first irrigation season it was observed that waves and oscillations were occurring within the canal immediately adjacent to the bridge structure. …

Water And Energy Balance Of A Riparian And Agricultural Ecosystem Along The Lower Colorado River, Saleh Taghvaeian

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Spatially-distributed water consumption was modeled over a segment of the Lower Colorado River, which contains irrigated agricultural and Tamarisk-dominated riparian ecosystems. For the irrigation scheme, distributed evapotranspiration data were analyzed in conjunction with point measurements of precipitation and surface flow in order to close daily and annual water balance. The annual closure error was less than 1% of the total water diversion to the area. In addition, it was found that the soil water storage component of the water balance cannot be neglected if the analysis is performed over time frames shorter than annual (e.g. growing season).

Water consumption was …

Clustering Educational Digital Library Usage Data: Comparisons Of Latent Class Analysis And K-Means Algorithms, Beijie Xu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There are common pitfalls and neglected areas when using clustering approaches to solve educational problems. A clustering algorithm is often used without the choice being justified. Few comparisons between a selected algorithm and a competing algorithm are presented, and results are presented without validation. Lastly, few studies fully utilize data provided in an educational environment to evaluate their findings. In response to these problems, this thesis describes a rigorous study comparing two clustering algorithms in the context of an educational digital library service, called the Instructional Architect.

First, a detailed description of the chosen clustering algorithm, namely, latent class analysis …

A Methodology To Conduct Diagnostic Performance Assessment And Simulation Of Deliveries In Large-Scale Pressurized Irrigation Systems, Daniele S.A. Zaccaria

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A methodology was developed to conduct diagnostic performance assessment and simulation of alternative delivery scenarios in pressurized irrigation distribution networks. It consists of three components, an agro-hydrologic model able to forecast peak water demand hydrographs, a hydraulic model with capability of simulating the network behavior under different flow configurations, and a set of performance indicators for conducting assessments of performance achievements relative to specified targets.

As a preliminary work, the current delivery schedule of an existing pressurized irrigation network (system 1) and the resulting effects on crop irrigation management were analyzed by simulating soil water balance and irrigation scheduling at …

Algal Biofilm Production And Harvesting System For Wastewater Treatment With Biofuels By-Products, Logan Christenson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Excess nitrogen and phosphorus in discharged wastewaters can lead to downstream eutrophication, ecosystem damage, and impaired water quality that may affect human health. Chemical-based and physical-based technologies are available to remove these nutrients; however, they often consume significant amounts of energy and chemicals, greatly increasing treatment costs. Algae are capable of removing these pollutants through biomass assimilation, and if harvested, can be utilized as a feedstock for biomethane or biodiesel production. Currently, difficulties in harvesting, concentrating, and dewatering algae have limited the development of an economically feasible treatment and production process. When algae are grown as surface-attached biofilms, the biomass …

Coanda-Assisted Spray Manipulation Implementation To Plasma Spray, Katie E. Mabey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Co and a-assisted Spray Manipulation (CSM) is a means of modifying the direction of a jet. Previous isothermal static vectoring research is expanded to plasma spray. Two- dimensional Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) was used to determine the vectoring results for small angles between 5-10°. Suitable parameters were determined for use on a plasma spray gun for small angle vectoring. Three-dimensional PIV was used to determine the elect of high speed rotation on a vectored jet. A 2-piece CSM collar was retrofitted to a Praxair SG-100 plasma spray gun that replaced the standard faceplate. Two separate collars were tested: one designed …

Anisotropic Compressive Pressure-Dependent Effective Thermal Conductivity Of Granular Beds, R. Daniel Garrett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In situ planetary effective thermal conductivity measurements are typically made using a long needle-like probe, which measures effective thermal conductivity in the probe's radial (horizontal) direction. The desired effective vertical thermal conductivity for heat flow calculations is assumed to be the same as the measured effective horizontal thermal conductivity. However, it is known that effective thermal conductivity increases with increasing compressive pressure on granular beds and horizontal stress in a granular bed under gravity is related to the vertical stress through Jaky's at-rest earth pressure coefficient. No research has been performed previously on determining the anisotropic effective thermal conductivity of …

Revenue Recovery Through Meter Replacement, Devan J. Shields

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Previous studies have identified water meter inaccuracy at low flow rates as a significant source of non-revenue flow for water systems; however a lack of available data makes it difficult to include low flow accuracy degradation in meter replacement plans. This thesis examines results from an extensive accuracy test program carried out at the Utah Water Research Laboratory on small water meters over a wide range of flow rates and at various levels of throughput. The study compares expected apparent losses of different types of water meters based on a flow profile and expected daily use for the State of …

Effect Of Heavy Metals Found In Flue Gas On Growth And Lipid Accumulation For Green Algae Scenedesmus Obliquus, Reece Butler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In recent years there has been a growing interest within the United States to replace fossil fuels with biofuels for environmental and national security reasons. Algal feedstocks have the potential of producing significantly higher yields of oil for biofuels than any other source. It is well known that high concentrations of CO₂ can increase algal yields. Flue gas from coal fire power plants is an obvious source of CO₂. The flue gas, however, will contain other chemicals besides CO₂ that may not be beneficial to the algae. The research objectives for this study were to determine …

Relationship Between Mass And Modal Frequency Of A Concrete Girder Bridge, Michael W. Dean

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In April of 2008, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) launched the Long Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) program. The program was established to collect scientific quality data from a number of bridges across the nation over a period of 20 years. The data will be used to provide a better picture of bridge health and structural performance. Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) structure number 1F 205, located 2.4 km (1.5 mi) west of Perry, Utah, was selected as one of the LTBP pilot bridges (this bridge will also be referred to as the Cannery Street Overpass).

UDOT performs regular maintenance on …

The Transfer Of Agricultural Water To Municipal And Industrial Usages, Dallin Paul Stephens

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The water that is available for beneficial use in Utah is quickly approaching full appropriation; water that has been claimed is nearing the amount that is available for use. The Division of Water Resources of the State of Utah has organized a three-part plan to "Plan, Conserve, Develop and Protect Utah's Water Resources." One of these three elements has a focus to "provide comprehensive water planning." Such planning is best achieved when current and accurate data on the uses of the state's water are available.

The primary purpose of this thesis was to provide an evaluation, from data collected on …

Live Load Test And Finite Element Model Analysis Of A Box Girder Bridge For The Long Term Bridge Performance Program, Dereck J. Hodson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Long Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) Program is a 20-year program initiated by the Federal Highway Administration to better understand the behavior of highway bridges as they deteriorate due to environmental variables and vehicle loads. Part of this program includes the periodic testing of selected bridges.

The Lambert Road Bridge was subjected to nondestructive testing in the fall of 2009. Part of this testing included a live load test. This test involved driving two heavy trucks across the instrumented bridge on selected load paths. The bridge was instrumented with strain, displacement, and tilt sensors. This collected data was used to …

Field-Programmable Gate Array Implementation Of A Scalable Integral Image Architecture Based On Systolic Arrays, Juan Alberto De La Cruz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The integral image representation of an image is important for a large number of modern image processing algorithms. Integral image representations can reduce computation and increase the operating speed of certain algorithms, improving real-time performance. Due to increasing demand for real-time image processing performance, an integral image architecture capable of accelerating the calculation based on the amount of available resources is presented. Use of the proposed accelerator allows for subsequent stages of a design to have data sooner and execute in parallel. It is shown here how, with some additional resources used in the Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), a …

Assessing The Potential For Seepage Barrier Defects To Propagate Into Seepage Erosion Mechanisms, Ryan G. Van Leuven

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Seepage barriers have been used extensively to mitigate seepage problems in dams and levees. Although the design of many of these dams and levees has been based on intact barriers, seepage barriers have been shown to be susceptible to deformation and cracking when high differential hydraulic pressures act across the barrier. Under certain conditions, these cracks can lead to serious seepage problems, which could potentially lead to the development of a low-resistance seepage pathway. Three scenarios have been identified where there is the potential for erosion to occur adjacent to a crack in a barrier: 1) erosion at the interface …

Evaluation Of The Aerodynamic Differences Of A Balloon Shape And A Sphere Using Computational Fluid Dynamic Modeling In Fluent, Daniel Burton Scholes

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

While tracking balloons for wind characterization, there was a question about the theoretical rise rate and corresponding coefficient of drag of a balloon shape as compared to a sphere. Since there are many studies published detailing the drag on spherical shapes, the question of whether or not a balloon can be treated as a sphere begged to be answered.

In this study we apply Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) modeling to compare the aerodynamic behavior and drag of a sphere to that of a balloon as it moves through fluid at Reynolds numbers from 10,000 to 100,000.

Fluent CFD models are …

Computational Efficiency Of A Hybrid Mass Concentration And Spherical Harmonic Modeling, Nathan Piepgrass

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Through Spherical Harmonics, one can describe complex gravitational fields. However as the order and degree of the spherical harmonics increases, the computation speed rises exponentially. In addition, for onboard applications of spherical harmonics, the processors are radiation hardened in order to mitigate negative effects of the space environment on electronics. But, those processors have outdated processing speeds, resulting in a slower onboard spherical harmonic program.

This thesis examines a partial solution to the slow computation speed of spherical harmonics programs. The partial solution was to supplant the gravity models in the flight software. The spherical harmonics gravity model can be …

Sustainable Management Of Duckweed Biomass Grown For Nutrient Control In Municipal Wastewaters, Maureen Kesaano

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The use of duckweed as a nutrient removal option for municipal wastewaters can only be realized through regular plant harvesting. As a result, the nutrient-rich biomass generated needs to be effectively managed and disposed of. This study looked at three alternative options for biomass management that would make duckweed-based nutrient removal systems sustainable and attractive to small communities like Wellsville City, Utah. The options included: the use of harvested duckweed biomass as an animal feed, anaerobic digestion of duckweed for methane production, and fermentation of biomass for ethanol production.

Duckweed feed quality was determined using feed analysis reports and results …

Evaluation And Improvements On Row-Column Order Bias And Grid Orientation Bias Of The Progressive Morphological Filter Of Lidar Data, Kody Potter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis reviews algorithms that have been developed for classifying lidar data and identifies a progressive morphological filter for evaluation and improvement. Two potential weaknesses evaluated include the row-column order bias and grid orientation bias.

Four different row-column orderings were developed to test for bias associated with the order choice. Moreover, a method rotating the filter grid to a series of angles was developed for testing bias associated with grid orientation. Measures of success of the improvements include Type I and II errors, where results are compared with a hand-produced "truth" dataset. Two datasets, one urban, the other rural, were …

Signal Processing On Digitized Ladar Waveforms For Enhanced Resolution On Surface Edges, Kevin D. Neilsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Automatic target recognition (ATR) relies on images from various sensors including 3-D imaging ladar. The accuracy of recognizing a target is highly dependent on the number of points on the target. The highest spatial frequencies of a target are located on edges. Therefore, a higher sampling density is desirable at these locations. A ladar receiver captures information on edges by detecting two surfaces when the beam lands partially on one surface and partially on another if the distance between the surfaces is greater than the temporal pulse width of the laser.

In recent years, the ability to digitize the intensity …

Comparative Studies On Scale-Up Methods Of Single-Use Bioreactors, Emily B. Stoker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was performed to increase knowledge of oxygen mass transfer (kLa) and mixing times in the scale-up of disposable bioreactors.Results of oxygen mass transfer studies showed kLa to increase with increasing agitation and aeration rates. By maintaining a scale-up constant such as gassed power to volume or shear, an almost constant k_La was achieved during scale-up from 50 to 2000 L. Using the scale-up constant P_g/V resulted in statistically higher kLa values at greater reactor volumes. Mixing times were revealed to be significantly affected by agitation, but not by the aeration rates tested. No pattern …

Automatic Particle Image Velocimetry Uncertainty Quantification, Benjamin H. Timmins

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The uncertainty of any measurement is the interval in which one believes the actual error lies. Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) measurement error depends on the PIV algorithm used, a wide range of user inputs, flow characteristics, and the experimental setup. Since these factors vary in time and space, they lead to nonuniform error throughout the flow field. As such, a universal PIV uncertainty estimate is not adequate and can be misleading. This is of particular interest when PIV data are used for comparison with computational or experimental data.

A method to estimate the uncertainty due to the PIV calculation of …

Live-Load Testing And Finite-Element Analysis Of A Steel Cantilevered Deck Arched Pratt Truss Bridge For The Long-Term Bridge Performance Program, Matthew P. Laurendeau

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Long Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) program is an organization within the Federal Highway Administration that inspects, tests, analyzes, and observes, for an extended period of time, a variety of bridge types throughout the United States. Part of the program includes periodic testing of select bridges of a span of 20 years. The Kettle River Bridge located outside of Sandstone, Minnesota was selected for study due to its unique design.

The Kettle River Bridge is a historical steel cantilevered deck arched Pratt truss bridge. The bridge was instrumented with 151 strain gauges on various floor and truss members along with …

Variability Of Water Storage And Instream Temperature In Beaded Arctic Streams, Madeline F. Merck

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study is to investigate variation in water export and instream temperatures throughout the open water season in a beaded Arctic stream, consisting of small pools connected by shallow chutes. The goals are to better understand heat and mass movement through these systems, how this may impact chemical and biological processes, and the resulting shifts with changes in climate. This is accomplished by first examining the extent and variability of water storage and export through qualitative analysis of observational data. Further, heat fate and transport is examined through development of an instream temperature model. The model formulation, …