Engineering Commons^™

Carbon Nanotube Based Ion Sensitive Field Effect Transistor, Matthew Margis

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been the subject of much research in the past two decades. Due to their extraordinary mechanical and electrical properties, CNTs are ideal candidates for various sensors and electronic device applications. The purpose of this research is to overcome the difficulties in separating and aligning CNTs so that they can be implemented in an ion sensitive field effect transistor (ISFET). A solution to the alignment process has been presented that involves cutting nano channels on a microelectrode chip with an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM) in order to nanomanipulate the CNTs into the nano channels. Upon successfully cutting …

Spectral Characterization Of Venusian Surface Mineralogy, Johnathon Conley

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

While the atmospheric chemical composition of the Venusian atmosphere has been characterized at length by probes and ground-based equipment, the surface mineralogy of Venus is not yet well understood. The extremely thick atmosphere of Venus shields the surface from direct observation. While radar imaging of the surface reveals surface morphology, surface composition is difficult to characterize at a distance. Observation is also difficult due to the intense temperature (approximately 480°C) and pressure (approximately 90 atm) found on the surface. This has prompted NASA and other institutions around the world to begin planning for new missions to land on the surface …

Hydrologic Controls On Equilibrium Soil Depths, L. Nicótina, David G. Tarboton, Teklu K. Tesfa, A. Rinaldo

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper deals with modeling the mutual feedbacks between runoff production and geomorphological processes and attributes that lead to patterns of equilibrium soil depth. Our primary goal is an attempt to describe spatial patterns of soil depth resulting from long-term interactions between hydrologic forcings and soil production, erosion, and sediment transport processes under the framework of landscape dynamic equilibrium. Another goal is to set the premises for exploiting the role of soil depths in shaping the hydrologic response of a catchment. The relevance of the study stems from the massive improvement in hydrologic predictions for ungauged basins that would be …

The Missouri River, An Alliance For National Designation

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

"At one time, most people believed that the only consideration in using this extraordinary resource was technological-what could we do the harness and control the river to maximize its productivity while minimizing the danger of its flooding.  Now we all understand much more clearly that there are limits to our tampering with the river's natural state."

Senator James Abourezk of South Dakota made this observation during his remarks in June 1977 at a presentation of the Army Corps of Engineers Missouri River Umbrella study concerning possible designation of the stretch from Gavins Point Dam to Ponca State Park, Nebraska, as …

Advancements In The Solid-State Impact-Ionization Multiplier (Sim) Through Theory, Simulation And Design, Michael S. Johnson

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation outlines the study and development of a Solid-state Impact-ionization Multiplier (SIM). The SIM is a stand-alone current amplifier designed with optical detection systems in mind. The SIM amplifies signals utilizing impact ionization as a source of gain. The SIM is fabricated on silicon in order to take advantage of its favorable impact ionization coefficients. Utilizing silicon in impact ionization based gain devices makes low noise and high gains attainable. Because it is a stand-alone device, it can be wired to an arbitrary current source making it capable of receiving an input from photodiodes of any material. This makes …

Design And Implementation Of An Eye Blink Controlled Human Computer Interface, Poonam Gwalani

Theses and Dissertations

Advances in Human Computer Interface (HCI) have made this area of research important for improving the standard of living for people with disabilities. An eye blink system is presented to allow people with disabilities to control a standard computer mouse. This system is designed for people who are paralytic with no control over their arms, speech, and anyone who is restricted to only the control of eye and head movements. This system is based on infrared reflectivity to capture and analyze real time eye blink signal of the user. It uses simple economical hardware electronics to emulate the functionality of …

The Worst Case Discharge Scenario, Noah Mcgill

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Program Pathing Trust Model For Critical System Process Authorization, Robert Dahlberg

Theses and Dissertations

Since computers are relied upon to run critical infrastructures – from nuclear power plants to electronic battlefield simulations – the concept of a “trusted” or tamperproof system has become even more important. Some applications have become so critical that it is imperative that they run as intended, without interference. The consequences of these systems not running as intended could be catastrophic. This research offers a solution for a key element for protecting these critical servers – validating process invocation sequences. The purpose of this research is to increase operating system security by detecting, validating, and enforcing process invocation sequences within …

How Much Do U.S. University Students Know, And Want To Know, About Sustainability And Green Building? The Findings Of A Survey, And Possible Implications For General Elective Curriculum., Jeremy R. Farner

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

Using the survey approach, this investigation examined the attitudes and interest of college students at two universities in different geographic locations within the United States.  Approximately 24,000 students from all disciplines and majors at Weber State University (WSU) in Utah, and 4,000 at Purdue University in Indiana, were invited to participate in a study to determine current knowledge, familiarity, and interest in topics within the sustainability and Green Building educational arena. The goal of this study was to determine what students already know, would like to know, and how much interest there would be in developing …

Experimental Study Of Liquid Squeeze-Flow As It Relates To Human Voice Production, Daniel Victor Lo Forte

Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 7.5 million people suffer from voice disorders in the United States. Previous studies indicate that the quality of the fluid layer that coats the vocal folds appears to be different for people with voice disorders than for people whose voice is considered normal. These studies suggest that the composition and/or physical properties of the fluid layer may contribute to voice disorders. Despite these findings, little research has been undertaken to investigate the role of the fluid layer on voice, and in almost all cases, the fluid layer is considered to be insignificant. The purpose of this research was to …

Reconfigurable Systems: A Potential Solution To The Von Neumann Bottleneck, Damian L. Miller

Senior Honors Theses

The difficulty of overcoming the disparity between processor speeds and data access speeds, a condition known as the von Neumann bottleneck, has been a source of consternation for computer hardware developers for many years.  Although a number of temporary solutions have been proposed and implemented in modern machines, these solutions have only managed to treat the major symptoms, rather than solve the root problem.  As the number of transistors on a chip roughly doubles every two years, the von Neumann bottleneck has continued to tighten in spite of these solutions, prompting some computer hardware professionals to advocate a paradigm shift …

3d Functional Modeling Of Dbs Efficacy And Development Of Analytical Tools To Explore Functional Stn, Deepak Kumbhare

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Exploring the brain for optimal locations for deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy is a challenging task, which can be facilitated by analysis of DBS efficacy in a large number of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD). The Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) scores indicate the DBS efficacy of the corresponding stimulation location in a particular patient. The spatial distribution of these clinical scores can be used to construct a functional model which closely models the expected efficacy of stimulation in the region. Designs and Methods: In this study, different interpolation techniques were investigated that can appropriately model the DBS …

Supervisory Autonomous Control Of Homogeneous Teams Of Unmanned Ground Vehicles, With Application To The Multi-Autonomous Ground-Robotic International Challenge, Katrina L. Corley

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

There are many different proposed methods for Supervisory Control of semi-autonomous robots. There have also been numerous software simulations to determine how many robots can be successfully supervised by a single operator, a problem known as fan-out, but only a few studies have been conducted using actual robots. As evidenced by the MAGIC 2010 competition, there is increasing interest in amplifying human capacity by allowing one or a few operators to supervise a team of robotic agents. This interest provides motivation to perform a more in-depth evaluation of many autonomous/semiautonomous robots an operator can successfully supervise. The MAGIC competition allowed …

2011 - The Sixteenth Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Sixteenth Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 26, 2011. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Atomistic Approach To Alloy Scattering In Si(1-X)Ge(X), Saumitra R. Mehrotra, Abhijeet Paul, Gerhard Klimeck

Birck and NCN Publications

SiGe alloy scattering is of significant importance with the introduction of strained layers and SiGe channels into complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology. However, alloy scattering has till now been treated in an empirical fashion with a fitting parameter. We present a theoretical model within the atomistic tight-binding representation for treating alloy scattering in SiGe. This approach puts the scattering model on a solid atomistic footing with physical insights. The approach is shown to inherently capture the bulk alloy scattering potential parameters for both n-type and p-type
carriers and matches experimental mobility data.

Transverse Permeability Of Fibrous Porous Media, Ali Tamayol, Majid Bahrami

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

In this study, the transverse permeability of fibrous porous media is studied both experimentally and theoretically. A scale analysis technique is employed for determining the transverse permeability of various fibrous matrices including square, staggered, and hexagonal arrangements of unidirectionally aligned fibers, as well as simple two-directional mats and simple cubic structures. In the present approach, the permeability is related to the porosity, fiber diameter, and tortuosity of the medium. In addition, the pressure drop in several samples of tube banks of different arrangements and metal foams are measured in the creeping flow regime. The pressure-drop results are then used to …

Ceas E-News 04.25.2011, College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

College of Engineering and Applied Sciences News

Blood Drive in Honor of Gideon, Outstanding Seniors, Scenes of Senior Presentations.

Understanding User Generated Content Characteristics : A Hot-Event Perspective, Miao Wang, Guodong Li, Jie Feng, Lisong Xu, Byrav Ramamurthy, Wei Li, Xiaohong Guan

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

Nowadays, millions of Internet users watch and upload a large number of videos on User Generated Content (UGC) sites (e.g., Youtube) everyday. Moreover, online videos about hot events, such as breaking news and Olympic games, attract lots of users. In this paper, we study the characteristics of hot-event videos by collecting video traces of the largest UGC site in China for 28 days. We first empirically study statistical properties of such videos and find that hot-event videos contribute a large number of views, even though the total number of hotevent videos is relatively small. In addition, there exist extremely active …

Gpu-Based Global Illumination Using Lightcuts, Tong Zhang

Department of Computer Graphics Technology Degree Theses

Global Illumination aims to generate high quality images. But due to its high
requirements, it is usually quite slow. Research documented in this thesis was
intended to offer a hardware and software combined acceleration solution to
global illumination. The GPU (using CUDA) was the hardware part of the whole
method that applied parallelism to increase performance; the “Lightcuts”
algorithm proposed by Walter (2005) at SIGGRAPH 2005 acted as the software
method. As the results demonstrated in this thesis, this combined method offers
a satisfactory performance boost effect for relatively complex scenes.

Optical Encryption As A Function Of Polarization In Optical Fiber Communications, Syed H. Murshid, Hari Priya Muralikrishnan, Jayachandran Tamilarasan, Abhijit Chakravarty, John H. Caulfield

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

An optical encryption technique based on polarization property of light is proposed. Many techniques using polarization beam splitters to encrypt the signal have been proposed earlier. They are based on splitting and interference of two light signals, namely message and noise. Only by placing suitable mirrors and a second beam splitter in a suitable position, the two signals are reconstructed at the output. In this paper we report the fiber optic version of a polarization based encryption technique that also has the potential to double the data carrying capacity of the fiber. Using polarization dependent couplers in the fiber optic …

Structural Study Of Ag-Ge-S Solid Electrolyte Glass System For Resistive Radiation Sensing, Ping Chen, Mahesh Ailavajhala, Maria I. Mitkova, Dmitri A. Tenne, Ivan Sanchez Esqueda, Hugh Barnaby

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Solid electrolytes based on chalcogenide glasses have been one of the most promising candidates for the next generation non-volatile memories. Here we propose a new application of chalcogenide solid electrolytes for low cost, high performance microelectronic radiation sensor that reacts to γ-radiation to produce an easily measurable change in electrical resistance. The active layer material is Ag-doped GeS thin film glasses and several compositions of GeS base glasses were tested for best resistive sensing capability. Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) was used for elemental analysis and Raman scattering spectroscopy was measured to determine the structural details and radiation induced structural changes. …

Using Textual Features To Predict Popular Content On Digg, Paul H. Miller

Department of English: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Over the past few years, collaborative rating sites, such as Netflix, Digg and Stumble, have become increasingly prevalent sites for users to find trending content.  I used various data mining techniques to study Digg, a social news site, to examine the influence of content on popularity.  What influence does content have on popularity, and what influence does content have on users’ decisions?  Overwhelmingly, prior studies have consistently shown that predicting popularity based on content is difficult and maybe even inherently impossible.  The same submission can have multiple outcomes and content neither determines popularity, nor individual user decisions.  My results show …

Economic And Environmental Sustainability Of Using Bio-Fuels For Small Nebraska Greenhouses, David M. Mabie

Department of Environmental Engineering: Theses and Other Student Research

The primary goal of this paper was to increase profitability in Nebraska greenhouses by using biomass fuels for heating instead of propane. Several different fuels were tested, including whole shelled corn, dry distiller’s grains pelletized, wood pellets and blends between each biomass. The main fuel focus was on whole shelled corn. Bomb calorimetry tests were performed on biomass fuels and their respective ashes. Several furnace and heat exchanger efficiency tests were performed, with cost effectiveness analysis for each fuel type. Emissions data was also collected for each fuel on carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxides, sulfuric oxides, and particulate matter. …

Improved Rehabilitation And Exercise Machine / Machine De Reeducation Et D'Exercice Amelioree, Judith M. Burnfield, Adam Taylor, Thad W. Buster, Carla A. Nelson, Yu Shu

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

An improved rehabilitation and exercise machine is provided which allows a person with physical limitations, disabilities or chronic conditions to use the machine in order to rehabilitate their muscles, improve joint flexibility, and enhance cardiovascular fitness. An embodiment of the device includes a framework, a first and second crank arm, a first and second handle bar, a first and second foot pedal, a motor and pulley assembly, a first and second coupler link, and a motor controller with speed knob,

Characterization Of The Initial Flow Rate Of Information During Reverse Engineering, Nicole Anderson

Theses and Dissertations

The future of companies that are founded on the development of new and innovative products is threatened when competitors reverse engineer and imitate the products. If the original developers could predict how long it would take a competitor to reverse engineer a product, it may be possible for them to delay, if not prevent, that competitor's entry into the market. Metrics and measures have been developed that can estimate the time it would take an individual to reverse engineer a product. The main purpose of these metrics and measures is to help designers determine how quickly a competitor could reverse …

Three-Dimensional Numerical Simulations Of Liquid Laminar Flow Over Superhydrophobic Surfaces With Post Geometries, Abolfazl Amin

Theses and Dissertations

Frictional resistance reduction of liquid flow over surfaces has recently become a more important topic of research in the field of fluid dynamics. Scientific and technological progress and continued interest in nano and micro-technology have required new developments and approaches related to reducing frictional resistance, especially in liquid flow through nano and micro-channels. The application of superhydrophobic surfaces could be very effective in achieving the desired flow through such small channels. Superhydrophobic surfaces are created by intentionally creating roughnesses on the surface and applying a uniform hydrophobic coating to the entire surface. Liquid droplet tests have revealed that because of …

Return On Investment Analysis For Implementing Barriers To Reverse Engineering And Imitation, Darren C. Knight

Theses and Dissertations

Reverse engineering (extracting information about a product from the product itself) is a competitive strategy for many firms and is often costly to innovators. Recent research has proven metrics for estimating the reverse engineering time and barrier and has shown that products can strategically be made more difficult to reverse engineer, thus protecting the innovator. Reverse engineering, however, is only the first phase of attempting to duplicate a product. Imitating – the process of discovering how to physically reproduce the performance of the reverse engineered product in one or more of its performance areas – is the second and final …

Design And Modeling Of Infrastructure For Residential And Community Water Reuse, Shannon M. Killion

Department of Environmental Engineering: Theses and Other Student Research

Water scarcity and deteriorating water infrastructure are of growing concern in the United States. The conventional methods of treating and transporting potable water and wastewater are being challenged as new technology creates opportunities for water reuse. Instead of simply replacing the current infrastructure for centralized treatment systems, alternatives such as dual distribution and decentralized treatment systems are being investigated as more sustainable alternatives.

Implementing dual distribution systems leads to benefits such as reducing the amount of water treated to potable standards and reducing freshwater withdrawals. A dual distribution system allows the non-potable demands to be shifted from the potable water …

Some Experiences, Thoughts, Ideas And Open Questions Relating To Applied Thermodynamics, Jim Mcgovern

Articles

In this paper I present some of my thoughts and experiences relating to 'applied thermodynamics' over my career so far. I explain my interest in thermodynamics, describe some topics I have worked on, point out some questions that appear still to be open and outline some ideas for work that could be done. I describe how I was inspired to pursue the area of applied thermodynamics, with reference to a glass, opposed-piston internal combustion engine. I put my heat pump research in the late 1970s briefly into today's context. Some of my research has been in relation to compressors, which …

Impacts Of The Species Elaeagnus Umbellate On The Soil And Water Quality Of The Pierce Cedar Creek Institute Ecosystem, Yacoub Aljobeh, Kristin Engerer

Symposium on Research and Creative Expression (SORCE)

The species Elaeagnus umbellate, more commonly known as autumn olive, is a shrub that is invasive to the United States and indigenous to East Asia. Even though the autumn olive is not native to North America, it was able to thrive and adapt to the new environment by using its ability to fix nitrogen. Nitrogen-fixing is a process where plants intake molecular nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it into other forms of nitrogen that can be used by the plants. One of the nitrogen-fixing by-products is nitrate. Excessive amounts of nitrate can easily leach from the plant’s root …