Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of The Recovery Time Of Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus Labrax Linnaeus, 1758) Juveniles From Transport And Handling Stress: Using Ammonia Nitrogen Excretion Rates As A Stress Indicator, Betül Kayali, Murat Yigit, Musa Bulut

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

A time-course study was conducted in order to evaluate the recovery time of juvenile Sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) from transport and handling stress. Among metabolite indices, ammonia nitrogen excretion rates were used as stress indicator. The measurements were carried out in water ambience of 13 ± 1ºC under natural light conditions (16L/8D photoperiod). Juveniles were transported for about 2 hours in a fish transport tank with oxygen supply. Handling stress was due to netting at the outlet site during stocking fish into the transport tank and netting at the experimental facility while transferring fish from transport tank into experimental tanks. …

Design Of A Two-Stage Electromagnetic Impulse Force Circuit For Gene Gun, Pei-Hwa Huang, Ping-Yin Chen

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

The main objective of this paper is to present a design of the power source for gene gun based on the principle of electromagnetic mechanism. The energy stored in capacitors will be discharged toward the electromagnetic device of gene gun for providing micro-projectiles with electromagnetic force to generate the desired impact force, and a specific electronic circuit is to be designed to achieve the coupling between the electromagnetic device and the energy storage capacitor. A gene gun is to be implemented for a testing purpose. In order to reduce the size and the cost of the gene gun, a two-stage …

A New Species Of Rhinogobius Gill, 1859 (Teleostei: Gobiidae) From The Bonin Islands, Japan, Toshiyuki Suzuki, I-Shiung Chen, Hiroshi Senou

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

A new freshwater goby, Rhinogobius ogasawaraensis was collected from streams of the Bonin Islands (Ogasawara Group), Japan. The species can be distinguished from all congeneric species by the following combination of characters: (1) meristic features: second dorsal fin rays I, 8-9; pectoral fin rays 18-20; predorsal scales 7-16; longitudinal scale rows usually 32-34; vertebral count 26; and (2) specific colouration: check with some red spots, nape with several longitudinal dark stripes, upper part of pectoral fin base with a horizontal deep brown bar, intermittent dark dotted rows along middle axis of body, no saddle shaped patch of dark dots on …

Safety Issues Among Hispanic Construction Workers Along The Wasatch Front In Utah, Phavel Israel Loayza Chahuayo

Theses and Dissertations

During the last few decades immigration by foreigners seeking work in the construction industry in the United States has increased dramatically. Of those seeking jobs in construction, Hispanics represent the largest and fastest growing population. The proportion of reportable accidents among Hispanic on-site construction workers in the United States is higher than that of non-Hispanics. This trend of on-site construction accidents is evident not only in states that have traditionally high populations of Hispanics, such as New York, Florida, California, Arizona, and Texas, it is also manifested in the State of Utah. This research focused on causes of accidents among …

Effect Of Thin Film Confined Between Two Dissimilar Solids On Interfacial Thermal Resistance, Zhi Liang, Hai-Lung Tsai

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A Non-Equilibrium Molecular Dynamics Model is Developed to Investigate How a Thin Film Confined between Two Dissimilar Solids Affects the Thermal Transport Across the Material Interface. for Two Highly Dissimilar (Phonon Frequency Mismatched) Solids, It is Found that the Insertion of a Thin Film between Them Can Greatly Enhance Thermal Transport Across the Material Interface by a Factor of 2.3 If the Thin Film Has One of the Following Characteristics: (1)a Multi-Atom-Thick Thin Film of Which the Phonon Density of States (DOS) Bridges the Two Different Phonon DOSs for the Solid on Each Side of the Thin Film; (2)a Single-Atom-Thick …

Chemical Templating By Afm Tip-Directed Nano-Electrochemical Patterning, Kyle A. Nelson

Theses and Dissertations

This work has examines the creation and use of chemical templates for nanocircuit and other nanodevice fabrication. Chemical templating can be useful in attachment, orientation and wiring of molecularly templated circuits. DNA origami provides a suitable method for creating molecularly templated circuits as DNA can be folded into complex shapes and functionalized with active circuit elements, such as semiconducting nanomaterials. Surface attachment of DNA origami structures can be accomplished by hybridization of dangling single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) on the origami structures with complementary surface-bound strands. Chemical templating provides a pathway for placing the patterned surface-bound attachment points needed for surface alignment …

Modeling Solid Propellant Ignition Events, Daniel A. Smyth

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation documents the building of computational propellant/ingredient models toward predicting AP/HTPB/Al cookoff events. Two computer codes were used to complete this work; a steady-state code and a transient ignition code Numerous levels of verification resulted in a robust set of codes to which several propellant/ingredient models were applied. To validate the final cookoff predictions, several levels of validation were completed, including the comparison of model predictions to experimental data for: AP steady-state combustion, fine-AP/HTPB steady-state combustion, AP laser ignition, fine-AP/HTPB laser ignition, AP/HTPB/Al ignition, and AP/HTPB/Al cookoff. A previous AP steady-state model was updated, and then a new AP …

Detail Extraction From Electron Backscatter Diffraction Patterns, John A. Basinger

Theses and Dissertations

Cross-correlation based analysis of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) patterns and the use of simulated reference patterns has opened up entirely new avenues of insight into local lattice properties within EBSD scans. The benefits of accessing new levels of orientation resolution and multiple types of previously inaccessible data measures are accompanied with new challenges in characterizing microscope geometry and other error previously ignored in EBSD systems. The foremost of these challenges, when using simulated patterns in high resolution EBSD (HR-EBSD), is the determination of pattern center (the location on the sample from which the EBSD pattern originated) with sufficient accuracy to …

A Performance-Based Model For The Computation Of Kinematic Pile Response Due To Lateral Spreading And Its Application On Select Bridges Damaged During The M7.6 Earthquake In The Limon Province, Costa Rica, Kevin W. Franke

Theses and Dissertations

Lateral spread is a seismic hazard associated with soil liquefaction in which permanent deformations are developed within the soil profile due to cyclic mobility. Lateral spread has historically been one of the largest causes of earthquake-related damage to infrastructure. One of the infrastructure components most at risk from lateral spread is that of deep foundations. Because performance-based engineering is increasingly becoming adopted in earthquake engineering practice, it would be beneficial for engineers and researchers to have a performance-based methodology for computing pile performance during a lateral spread event. This study utilizes the probabilistic performance-based framework developed by the Pacific Earthquake …

Engineering Of A Knowledge Management System For Relational Medical Diagnosis, Maria Carolina Herrera-Hernandez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The increasingly high costs of health care in the U.S. have led the general public to search for different medical approaches. Since the 1990's, the use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) has radically increased in the U.S. due to its approach to treat physical, mental, and emotional causes of illness. In 2009, the National Health Statistics reported the impact of CAM in the U.S. health care economy, with population expenditures of $14.8 billion out-of-pocket on natural Medicine and $12.4 billion out-of-pocket on visits to CAM providers as a complement to Western Medicine care.

CAM interconnects human functions to reach …

Damage Tolerance Of Unidirectional Basalt/Epoxy Composites In Co-Cured Aramid Sleeves, Devin Nelson Allen

Theses and Dissertations

Unidirectional basalt fiber rods consolidated with an aramid sleeve were measured for compression strength after impact at various energy levels and compared to undamaged control specimens. These structural elements represent local members of open three-dimensional composite lattice structures (e.g., based on isogrid or IsoTruss® technologies) that are continuously fabricated using advanced three-dimensional braiding techniques. The unidirectional core specimens, nominally 8 mm (5/16") and 11 mm (7/16") in diameter, were manufactured using bi-directional braided sleeves or unidirectional spiral sleeves with full or partial (approximately half) coverage of the core fibers. The 51 mm (2") specimens were shorter than the critical buckling …

Damage Tolerance Of Buckling-Critical Unidirectional Carbon, Glass,And Basalt Fiber Composites In Co-Cured Aramid Sleeves, Michael D. Embley

Theses and Dissertations

Compression strength after impact tests were conducted on unidirectional composite rods with sleeves. These elements represent local members of open three-dimensional composite lattice structures (e.g., based on isogrid or IsoTruss® technologies). The unidirectional cores composed of carbon, glass, or basalt fiber/epoxy composites were co-cured in aramid sleeves. Sleeve patterns included both bi-directional (unsymmetric) braids and unidirectional spiral wraps with sleeve coverage ranging from nominally half to full. The diameters were nominally 8 and 11 mm (5/16 and 7/16 in). The larger diameter had nominally twice the cross-sectional area, to quantify the effects of scaling. The specimens were long enough to …

Creativity And Innovation: A Comparative Analysis Of Assessment Measures For The Domains Of Technology, Engineering, And Business, Tyler Lewis

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this literature review is to investigate and discuss: (1) the characteristics measured by innovation assessments, and (2) the comparison of characteristics measured by creativity assessments with those of innovation assessments. This will be done by: (1) collecting creativity and innovation assessments, and (2) comparing and contrasting the characteristics measured by each assessment. This study reveals that innovation assessments do not measure the innovation process in its entirety. The findings show that creativity and innovation assessments lack in assessing the entire innovation process, assessing the innovation process on an individual level, and assessing an individual's change or growth …

Model Decomposition And Constraints To Parametrically Partition Design Space In A Collaborative Cax Environment, Felicia Diane Marshall

Theses and Dissertations

An industry survey was conducted to collect information on current collaboration methods and project management and communication structures. The results, along with other design collaboration philosophies, were used to develop a method of coordinating users in a multi-user design space. These thesis methods will regulate collaboration and avoid user collisions in the same model space, either by cooperative interaction or by spatial decomposition with regional blocking. The method partitions the design space by integrating a graphical user interface tool into the engineering application used to define and assign the necessary tasks of the project. A simple implementation of this method …

A Novel Device And Nanoparticle-Based Approach For Improving Diagnosis And Treatment Of Pelvic Inflammatory Disease, Natasha Faith Cover

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID) is one of the most common causes of morbidity in women. PID is a polymicrobial infection of the female reproductive tract, and is associated with pelvic pain, abnormal uterine bleeding, and tubal damage that can lead to ectopic pregnancies and infertility. It is curable but the effects of PID can be permanent if not properly diagnosed and treated. PID presents as a spectrum of disease and is often missed at early stages; even acute PID can be difficult to diagnose, as there is no single conclusive diagnostic test. Currently, PID is identified and treated syndromically because …

Differential Regulation Of Articular Cartilage Tensile Properties By Igf-1 And Tgf-Β1 During In Vitro Growth, M. E. Stender, N. T. Balcom, B. Berg-Johansen, K. J. Dills, D. Dyk, S. J. Hazelwood, A. C. Chen, R. L. Sah, S. M. Klisch

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Generic Strategies To Implement Material Grading In Finite Element Methods For Isotropic And Anisotropic Materials, Ke Yu

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

We look at generic strategies to transfer material grading into finite element methods. Three strategies are proposed to transfer material grading into the finite element analysis. These strategies are node-centered, element-centered, and the definition of material grading through external functions. The process to achieve each strategy is stated, and examples are used to illustrate each strategy, and to compare them. The strategies are implemented in finite-deformation nonlinear elastic analysis.

Several examples are used to illustrate the implementation of each strategy for graded isotropic materials. For these examples, the results obtained from finite element models are compared with those obtained from …

Development Of A Grond-Based High-Resolution 3d-Sar System For Studying The Microwave Scattering Characteristics Of Trees, Justin Frank Penner

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents the development of a high-resolution ground-based 3D-SAR system and investigates its application to microwave-vegetation studies. The development process of the system is detailed including an enumeration of high-level requirements, discussions on key design issues, and detailed descriptions of the system down to a component level. The system operates on a 5.4 GHz (C-band) signal, provides a synthetic aperture area of 1.7 m x 1.7 m, and offers resolution of 0.75 m x 0.3 m x 0.3 m (range x azimuth x elevation). The system is employed on several trees with varying physical characteristics. The resulting imagery demonstrates …

Risk Assessment Of Cascading Outages: Part I - Overview Of Methodologies, Marianna Vaiman, Keith Bell, Yousu Chen, Badrul H. Chowdhury, Ian Dobson, Paul Hines, Milorad Papic, Stephen S. Miller, Pei Zhang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper is a result of ongoing activity carried out by Understanding, Prediction, Mitigation and Restoration of Cascading Failures Task Force under IEEE Computer Analytical Methods Subcommittee (CAMS). the task force's previous papers are focused on general aspects of cascading outages such as understanding, prediction, prevention and restoration from cascading failures. This is the first of two new papers, which extend this previous work to summarize the state of the art in cascading failure risk analysis methodologies and modeling tools. This paper is intended to be a reference document to summarize the state of the art in the methodologies for …

Innovative Smart Grid Control Technologies, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The smart electric power grid will evolve into a very complex adaptive system under semi-autonomous distributed control. It will be spatially and temporally complex, non-convex, non-linear and non-stationary, with lots of variability and uncertainties beyond what the traditional power system experiences today. the distributed integration of intermittent sources of energy and energy storage to a power grid further adds complexity and challenges to modeling, control and optimization of the grid. Innovative control technologies are needed to handle the growing complexity of a smart grid, maximize the penetration of renewable energy, and provide maximum utilization of available energy storage, especially plug-in …

Intelligent Sense-Making For Smart Grid Stability, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The power systems of the future - smart grids - will see an increase in both renewable energy sources and load demand, thus increasing the need for fast dynamic reconfiguration of system parameters to handle energy and load dispatches. Power systems will need to be monitored continuously to maintain stability under normal and abnormal operating conditions and when facing disturbances. a combination of system state prediction, dynamic power flow, system optimization, and solution stability checking will allow for a more reliable, affordable, efficient and clean power grid. the optimization and control systems on a smart grid will require a computational …

Computational Intelligence For Control Of Wind Turbine Generators, Wei Qiao, Jiaqi Liang, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Ronald Harley

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper summarizes past and ongoing research in the area of the application of computational intelligence (CI) for control of wind turbine generators (WTGs). Several intelligent design approaches and control strategies, including optimal design of WTG controllers using particle swarm optimization (PSO) and mean-variance optimization (MVO) algorithms and adaptive critic design-Based coordinated optimal adaptive control for wind plants and shunt FACTS devices, are presented for dynamic performance and fault ride-through enhancement of WTGs and the associated power grid. the effectiveness of these intelligent design approaches and control strategies are demonstrated by nonreal- and real-time simulations in PSCAD/EMTDC and RSCAD/RTDS, respectively. …

Should Distribution Systems Engineering Be Taught At The Undergraduate Level?, Badrul Chowdhury, Anil Pahwa

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Although there are some exceptions, a distribution systems course is not part of a typical undergraduate curriculum. the course is usually taught at the graduate level. Teaching a distribution systems course requires the student to have a background in balanced three-phase power system modeling such as that obtained from a first power systems analysis course. the requirement to add breadth to an undergraduate curriculum often precludes the notion of depth in any one area unless a student takes the depth courses as technical or free electives. an argument could be made that a distribution systems course does not contain much …

On-Line Voltage Stability Load Index Estimation Based On Pmu Measurements, K. Joseph Makasa, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A new method for estimation of Voltage Stability Load Index (VSLI) for a power system using data from optimally located phasor measurement units (PMU) is presented in this paper. Optimal PMU placement was carried out considering islanding operating conditions. vs.LI is estimated using a kind of recurrent neural network known as the Echo State Network (ESN). the development ESN is computational efficient and provides accurate estimation. Results of optimal PMU placement for normal and islanded operating conditions, and ESN estimation of vs.LI on the IEEE 14 bus system is presented. © 2011 IEEE.

A Framework For Studying The Physical Degradation Characteristics Of Dvds And Their Relationship To Digital Errors, Brian K. Saville

Theses and Dissertations

The methods used to store data on DVD-R discs have been proven to work over the last 15 years. However, there has been a growing concern that these discs will be outlasted by the paper records they were meant to replace. The data on a DVD-R is stored as optical contrasts which have the potential to be misread and even damaged. This damage may occur either on the surface or internally to the disc, especially on the recording layer itself. The literature is saturated with studies attempting to determine the time period in which discs may fail and what the …

Strength Of Concrete Masonry Prisms Constructed With Non-Traditional Grout And Type-M Mortar, Scott Michael Watterson

Theses and Dissertations

The Concrete Masonry Association of California and Nevada in conjunction with Brigham Young University devised a masonry prism testing scheme to aid in the determination of whether prisms constructed with grouts possessing high levels of supplemental cementitious materials could meet minimum masonry compressive strength requirements. ASTM standards, identical to that of concrete, place restrictions on quantities, by weight, of supplemental materials that can replace ordinary Portland cement. For an all fly ash replacement, up to 40% of Portland cement can be replaced while up to 70% can be replaced by a fly ash-slag combination. Research is focused on class F …

Intelligent Methods For Smart Microgrids, Joydeep Mitra, Niannian Cai, Mo Yuen Chow, Sukumar Kamalasadan, Wenxin Liu, Wei Qiao, Sri Niwas Singh, Anurag K. Srivastava, Sanjeev K. Srivastava, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Ziang Zhang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper summarizes ongoing research in the application of intelligent methods to the design, modeling, simulation and control of microgrids including optimal design of microgrids, and centralized and decentralized control. © 2011 IEEE.

Reduction In Wick Drain Effectiveness In Typical Utah Clays, Gabriel M. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Consolidation theory states that decreasing the spacing of prefabricated vertical drains will decrease the time required to achieve primary consolidation. Previous field tests have shown that there exists a "critical" drain spacing, which is the point at which further spacing decrease does not decrease the time of primary consolidation. This "critical" spacing is thought to be due to disturbance effects from installation of the drains. Previous studies have found that the "critical" drain spacing may be dependent upon soil layering and drain and mandrel dimensions. Thin, interbedded clay layers have been found to be affected greatly due to the smear …

Range Data Segmentation Of A 3d Imaging Sensor With Applications To Mobile Robot Navigation, Guruprasad M. Hegde

Theses and Dissertations

The primary goal of this research is to develop range data segmentation method for a new class of 3D imaging sensors⎯,Flash LADARs. The imaging sensors are compact in size and provide dense range data at high frame rates which makes them suitable for autonomous navigation of small mobile robots. However, they have relatively large measurement errors in range data. This issue has hindered their applications to mobile robots. Most of the existing methods for segmenting range data are based on local features such as surface normals that are too sensitive to the noise of the range data. Therefore they are …

Investigation Of Selected Complexes And Alloys For Use In Hydrogen Storage And Related Applications, Michael Joseph Wolverton

Theses and Dissertations

The storage of hydrogen in adequate amounts limits its practical application as a fuel. This is especially important for automotive applications. Metal hydride based storage systems may yet be able to meet these storage parameters. However, no ideal hydride system has yet been identified. This work explores methods of increasing the feasibility of metal hydride based hydrogen storage by: (1) improvement of hydrogen uptake/release in known hydrides through catalysis, and (2) characterization of new hydrides and hydrogen storage materials. Catalysis work concerns primarily borohydrides due to their large hydrogen content. Catalysis and destabilization of borohydrides by addition of bulk alloy …