Engineering Commons^™

Effects Of Ovariectomy, Seasonal Changes, And Anatomical Position On The Compact Bone Remodeling As Seen In The Adult Ovine Model, Erica Wong

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to characterize the compact bone remodeling of the ovariectomized ewe and its effectiveness as an animal model for studies of postmenopausal osteoporosis. The use of animal models is a beneficial way to evaluate the effectiveness of medical devices and therapeutic agents for treating diseases. The ovine model is an attractive option because of its large size and similar bone remodeling to humans. However, this species, like most animals, does not undergo a natural menopause, making an ovariectomy necessary for studies of estrogen depletion. The OVX (ovariectomized) sheep has been widely accepted as a model …

Evaluation Of A Novel Axial Flux Variable Reluctance Machine, Derek Braden Hines

Master's Theses

The objective of this thesis is to determine the feasibility of a novel axial flux variable reluctance machine design. The design aims to compete with prevalent rare-earth permanent magnet machines while also implementing an innovative torque ripple minimization strategy. Given the fundamental operating principles, a selection of dimensions, materials, and excitations are prepared for the machine. Special attention is given to the rotor profile which is crucial to operation. Finite element analysis software is used to evaluate a three-dimensional model in terms of inductance and torque. The ultimate potential of the machine is discussed and recommendations for improvement are proposed.

Hybrid Course Design: Leading A New Direction In Learning Programming Languages, Lulu Sun, Matthew Kindy, Caroline Cecile Marcelle Liron, Christopher Grant, Shirley Waterhouse

Publications

“Introduction to Computing for Engineers” is a programming course emphasizing problem solving. The lack of practice time, in addition to the algorithm-centric nature of programming, results in an inadequate comprehension of course material. In the fall of 2010, three faculty members created and implemented online activities consisting of video lecture slides, and mini on-line quizzes at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to give students more “hands-on” learning (rather than expecting them to absorb content through lecture). Students do online lecture study by themselves, then come to the lab to practice on the following day with the instructor and teaching assistant. In the …

Wireless Medical Sensor Networks: Design Requirements And Enabling Technologies, Cecilia H. Vallejos De Schatz, Henry P. Medeiros, Fabio K. Schneider, Paulo J. Abatti

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This article analyzes wireless communication protocols that could be used in healthcare environments (e.g., hospitals and small clinics) to transfer real-time medical information obtained from noninvasive sensors. For this purpose the features of the three currently most widely used protocols—namely, Bluetooth^® (IEEE 802.15.1), ZigBee (IEEE 802.15.4), and Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11)—are evaluated and compared. The important features under consideration include data bandwidth, frequency band, maximum transmission distance, encryption and authentication methods, power consumption, and current applications. In addition, an overview of network requirements with respect to medical sensor features, patient safety and patient data privacy, quality of service, and interoperability …

Using Inductance As A Tuning Parameter For Rf Meta-Atoms, Derrick Langley, Ronald A. Coutu Jr., Peter J. Collins

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The resonant frequency of metamaterials structured with split ring resonator (SRR) meta-atoms is determined primarily through the capacitance and inductance of the individual meta-atoms. Two designs that vary inductance incrementally were modeled, simulated, fabricated, and tested to investigate the role inductance plays in metamaterial designs. The designs consisted of strategically adding sections to the SRR to increase the inductance, but in a manner that minimized capacitance variations. Each design showed a shift in resonant frequency that was proportional to the length of the added section. As the length of each section was increased, the resonant frequency shifted from 2.78 GHz …

Fault-Tolerant Operation Of Delta-Connected Scalar- And Vector-Controlled Ac Motor Drives, Ahmed Mohamed Sayed Ahmed, Nabeel Demerdash

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Operation and analysis of delta-connected ac motor-drive systems under fault-tolerant open-phase mode of operation is introduced in this paper for both scalar- and vector-controlled motor-drive systems. This technique enables the operation of the three-phase motor upon a failure in one of its phases without the need of a special fault-detection algorithm. It is mainly used to significantly mitigate torque pulsations, which are caused by an open-delta configuration in the stator windings. The performance of the fault-tolerant system was verified using a detailed time stepping finite element simulation as well experimental tests for a 5-hp 460-V induction motor-drive system and the …

Resource Allocation Framework: Validation Of Numerical Models Of Complex Engineering Systems Against Physical Experiments, Joshua Hegenderfer

All Dissertations

An increasing reliance on complex numerical simulations for high consequence decision making is the motivation for experiment-based validation and uncertainty quantification to assess, and when needed, to improve the predictive capabilities of numerical models. Uncertainties and biases in model predictions can be reduced by taking two distinct actions: (i) increasing the number of experiments in the model calibration process, and/or (ii) improving the physics sophistication of the numerical model. Therefore, decision makers must select between further code development and experimentation while allocating the finite amount of available resources. This dissertation presents a novel framework to assist in this selection between …

Linear Power-Efficient Rf Amplifier With Partial Positive Feedback, Matthew E. King

Master's Theses

Over the last decade, the number of mobile wireless devices on the market has increased substantially. New “multi-carrier” modulation schemes, such as OFDM, WCDMA, and WiMAX, have been developed to accommodate the increasing number of wireless subscribers and the demand for faster data rates within the limited commercial frequency spectrum. These complex modulation schemes create signals with high peak-to-average power ratios (PAPR), exhibiting rapid changes in the signal magnitude. To accommodate these high-PAPR signals, RF power amplifiers in mobile devices must operate under backed-off gain conditions, resulting in poor power efficiency. Various efficiency-enhancement solutions have been realized for backed-off devices …

Global Technology Initiative At San Jose State University: Results Of Seven Years Of An International Experience For Students, Belle Wei, Patricia Backer, Wenchiang Chung, Andrew Wood

Faculty Publications

For XXX students to thrive in the highly competitive global economy, it is critical to develop international perspectives and knowledge. The $1 million Global Technology Initiative (GTI), established in 2004, provides SJSU students with an opportunity to gain a global perspective of the world by learning about technology and business developments in the Asia Pacific region. GTI donors are high-tech business leaders with strong business ties in Silicon Valley and the Asia Pacific region. Given the current trend of engineering globalization in the global economy, particularly the trend of outsourcing Silicon Valley manufacturing, development, and design work to foreign countries, …

Impact Of Self-Efficacy On Interest And Choice In Engineering Study And Careers For Undergraduate Women Engineering Students, Patricia Backer, Rona Halualani

Faculty Publications

Self-efficacy refers to the belief in a persons’ ability to perform a specific task. Starting in middle school, girls tend to underestimate their abilities in STEM. This confidence gap among girls persists through high school into college. This gap is presumed to be partially responsible for the gender gap in engineering and other STEM fields (e.g. computer science, physics). In 2006, women only earned 19.5% of the undergraduate BS engineering degrees in the U.S. This paper investigates the motivations of women students at XXX to pursue engineering careers, including their level of self-efficacy and sources of academic support, and the …

Training Tomorrow’S Designers: A Study On The Design Fixation, Vimal Viswanathan, Nicole Esposito, Julie Linsey

Faculty Publications, Mechanical Engineering

Training Tomorrow’s Designers: A Study on the Design Fixation Training engineering students for being tomorrow’s efficient designers has been an area of concern in recent times. The ability to come up with novel and functional solutions to design problems is an essential skill for a good designer. Researchers have identified many factors that affect the generation of novel ideas. The presence of rich pictorial stimuli around designers is one such factor. Designers tend to duplicate features from the examples they encounter in their immediate surroundings or in their day-to-day activities. This adhesion to the existing features from their surroundings is …

Hydraulically Driven Mechanical Representation Of A Biological System, Andrea Argouarch, Michael Mceachern, Brandon Parham

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Blood Flow Measurement Protocol Using Particle Image Velocimetry, Jennifer Chi-Ying Go

Biomedical Engineering

Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease (PAOD) is an acquired inflammatory disease where a peripheral artery becomes occluded due to the buildup of atherosclerotic plaques. In patients that possess collateral arteries, an occlusion can lead to shear induced outward remodeling, arteriogenesis, of these collaterals, partially restoring blood flow. However, newly remodeled collaterals exhibit reduced functional vasodilation, which may impair normal activity, such as ambulation. To model chronic ischemia and arteriogenesis in collaterals, a femoral artery ligation in a murine hindlimb is commonly performed. Previous efforts by our group involved measurements of collateral artery diameter to assess the impact of arteriogenesis on functional …

Development And Characterization Of Plga And Eptfe Blood Vessel Mimics Using Gene Expression Analysis, Michael Gibbons, Sarah Ur

Biomedical Engineering

Tissue engineered blood vessels (TEBV’s) have the potential to act not only as a replacement for diseased vessels, but also as a testing platform for intravascular devices such as stents. To this end, the goal of this study was to develop protocols for the construction of TEBV’s composed of human vascular cells and either expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) or poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), as well as a protocol for gene expression in those TEBV’s. Initial experiments involved only human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC’s), but after low cell confluency and spreading in single-sodded vessels a second cell type, human umbilical vein smooth …

Rfid For Inventory Of Medical Records, Johny Wu

Biomedical Engineering

The purpose of this project is to explore the feasibility and economic viability of the implementation of a radio frequency identification (RFID) system in a large-scale, medical office setting. Practitioners in fields such as; medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers do not have a sufficient method for tracking filing forms. RFID has the potential to reduce wait time, improve checking-in time, and decrease the possibility of interchanging documents between patients.

The purpose of this RFID system is to improve upon the filing system already in place in any office setting. The major consideration behind this …

Co-Removal Of Atrazine And Nitrate From Groundwater Using A Mulch Biofilm, Allison L. Cole

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The popular broadleaf herbicide atrazine is often found in contaminated groundwater along with other agricultural chemicals, such as nitrate. Mulch biowalls, a passive treatment placed in situ, can inexpensively remediate groundwater by intercepting and treating a contaminant plume. Three types of organic mulch: cedar, cypress, and hardwood were evaluated for their ability to act as supporting materials for a biowall to simultaneously remove atrazine and nitrate from groundwater. Physical and chemical properties of the mulch were characterized. Cedar mulch had the highest organic carbon content, 996 mg/g. The adsorptive capacity of the mulch for atrazine and nitrate, in mono …

Development And Validation Of A Model For Granular Material Volume Measurements, Pourya Fasounaki

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Keeping inventory record of packed grains in silos poses challenges since the bulk material’s different segments do not discharge uniformly, leading to formation of random peaks and valleys on the surface. To facilitate obtaining accurate volume measurement of the grains by taking into account this non-linear behavior on the surface, laser or plumb-bob level-sensing devices are employed at different part of the surface to probe the level of material under those regions.

The main goals of this research is to study the behavior of granular material in silo while discharging downward and by doing so, differentiate certain flow patterns formed …

Identification Of A Maximum Guardrail Height For The Midwest Guardrail System Using Computer Simulation, Ramen D. Julin

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

W-beam guardrails are by far the most common restraint system used along both local and major roadways. Traditionally, these restraint systems have been full-scale crash tested with a rail height ranging between 27 in. and 32 in. However, the maximum rail height which allows for safe performance of guardrails, especially in impacts involving small vehicles, has never been identified.

The main concern associated with an increase of the rail height is that small vehicles, because of their low profile, may have a tendency to lift the rail and penetrate the barrier. The objective of this project was to determine the …

Modeling And Parametric Design Of Permanent-Magnet Ac Machines Using Computationally Efficient Finite-Element Analysis, Gennadi Y. Sizov, Dan M. Ionel, Nabeel Demerdash

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Computationally efficient finite-element analysis (FEA) (CE-FEA) fully exploits the symmetries of electric and magnetic circuits of sine-wave current-regulated synchronous machines and yields substantial savings of computational efforts. Motor performance is evaluated through Fourier analysis and a minimum number of magnetostatic solutions. The major steady-state performance indices (average torque, ripple and cogging torque, back-electromotive-force waveforms, and core losses) are satisfactorily estimated as compared with the results of detailed time-stepping (transient) FEA. In this paper, the CE-FEA method is presented and applied to a parametric design study for an interior-permanent-magnet machine. Significant reduction of simulation times is achieved (approximately two orders of …

Nanoenergetic Composite Based On I2o5/Al For Biological Agent Defeat, Mkhitar Hobosyan, Alexander V. Kazanksy, Karen S. Martirosyan

Physics & Astronomy Faculty Publications

The risk of bioterrorism events involving the intentional airborne release of contagious agents has led to development of new approaches for bio agent defeat technologies both indoors and outdoors. This report describes nanoenergetic gas generators (NGG) system that exhibit long term stability and superior release of biocidal substances for destruction of pathogenic bacteria. The effect of iodine vaporization on destroying of Escherichia coli (E-coli, HB101 K-12 strain) by using expressing Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) was investigated. HB101 K-12 has been genetically modified to prevent its growth unless grown on an enriched medium. To obtain quantitative data we used pGLO transformation …

Fiber Optic Monitoring Of Subsea Equipment, David Brower, John Hedengren, Cory Loegering, Alexis Brower, Karl Witherow, Karl Winter

Faculty Publications

Bass Lite deepwater field in the Gulf of Mexico, at water depths of approximately 2,050 m (6,750 feet), commenced operation in February 2008. Natural gas is produced from Bass Lite via a 90-km (56-mile) subsea tieback to the Devils Tower Spar. This project involved several innovations, one of which was the incorporation of a fiber optic sensing system that measures realtime temperature, pressure and strain along the pipeline length. This is a first of its kind innovation that is in actual operation.

Digital Evidence Education In Schools Of Law, Aaron Alva, Barbara Endicott-Popovsky

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

An examination of State of Connecticut v. Julie Amero provides insight into how a general lack of understanding of digital evidence can cause an innocent defendant to be wrongfully convicted. By contrast, the 101-page opinion in Lorraine v. Markel American Insurance Co. provides legal precedence and a detailed consideration for the admission of digital evidence. An analysis of both cases leads the authors to recommend additions to Law School curricula designed to raise the awareness of the legal community to ensure such travesties of justice, as in the Amero case, don’t occur in the future. Work underway at the University …

A Case Study Of The Challenges Of Cyber Forensics Analysis Of Digital Evidence In A Child Pornography Trial, Richard Boddington

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Perfunctory case analysis, lack of evidence validation, and an inability or unwillingness to present understandable analysis reports adversely affect the outcome course of legal trials reliant on digital evidence. These issues have serious consequences for defendants facing heavy penalties or imprisonment yet expect their defence counsel to have clear understanding of the evidence. Poorly reasoned, validated and presented digital evidence can result in conviction of the innocent as well as acquittal of the guilty. A possession of child pornography Case Study highlights the issues that appear to plague case analysis and presentation of digital evidence relied on in these odious …

After Five Years Of E-Discovery Missteps: Sanctions Or Safe Harbor?, Milton Luoma, Vicki Luoma

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

In 2003 the Zubulake case became the catalyst of change in the world of e-discovery. In that case Judge Shira Scheindlin of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York set guidelines for e-discovery that served as the basis for amending the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (FRCP) in December 2006. The amendments incorporated a number of concepts that were described by Judge Scheindlin in the Zubulake case. ( Zubulake v. UBS Warburg LLC, 2003) Since the Zubulake case and the FRCP amendments, numerous cases have interpreted these rules changes, but one of the main points …

Multi-Parameter Sensitivity Analysis Of A Bayesian Network From A Digital Forensic Investigation, Richard E. Overill, Echo P. Zhang, Kam-Pui Chow

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

A multi-parameter sensitivity analysis of a Bayesian network (BN) used in the digital forensic investigation of the Yahoo! email case has been performed using the principle of ‘steepest gradient’ in the parameter space of the conditional probabilities. This procedure delivers a more reliable result for the dependence of the posterior probability of the BN on the values used to populate the conditional probability tables (CPTs) of the BN. As such, this work extends our previous studies using singleparameter sensitivity analyses of BNs, with the overall aim of more deeply understanding the indicative use of BNs within the digital forensic and …

Facilitating Forensics In The Mobile Millennium Through Proactive Enterprise Security, Andrew R. Scholnick

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

This work explores the impact of the emerging mobile communication device paradigm on the security-conscious enterprise, with regard to providing insights for proactive Information Assurance and facilitation of eventual Forensic analysis. Attention is given to technology evolution in the areas of best practices, attack vectors, software and hardware performance, access and activity monitoring, and architectural models.

Keywords: Forensics, enterprise security, mobile communication, best practices, attack vectors.

Towards The Deployment And Adoption Of Location-Based Services For Optimal Mobile Communication Operations In Africa, Folasade Dahunsi

The African Journal of Information Systems

Africa is the world’s second largest and second most populous continent with about one billion people. Mobile phones are a major source of communication and means of taking information and technology to rural and remote areas of the continent. With low-cost and readily available mobile phones, underprivileged, low-income earners and rural dwellers can also participate in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) revolution. Services are introduced by mobile operators and vendors to enhance and optimize this mobile evolution. One of such service is location-based services (LBS); LBS make available personalized services based on the geographical location of the subscriber’s phone. …

Driver Behavior Classification And Lateral Control For Automobile Safety Systems, Jing Yang

Dissertations

Advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) have been developed to help drivers maintain stability, improve road safety, and avoid potential collision. The data acquisition equipment that can be used to measure the state and parameter information of the vehicle may not be available for a standard passenger car due to economical and technical limitations. This work focuses on developing three technologies (longitudinal tire force estimation, driver behavior classification and lateral control) using low-cost sensors that can be utilized in ADAS.

For the longitudinal tire force estimation, a low cost 1Hz positioning global system (GPS) and a steering angle sensor are used …

Advanced Intelligent Control And Optimization For Cardiac Pacemaker Systems, Wei Shi

Dissertations

Since cardiovascular diseases are major causes of morbidity and mortality in the developed countries and the number one cause of death in the United States, their accurate diagnosis and effective treatment via advanced cardiac pacemaker systems have become very important. Intelligent control and optimization of the pacemakers are significant research subjects. Serious but infrequently occurring arrhythmias are difficult to diagnose. The use of electrocardiogram (ECG) waveform only cannot exactly distinguish between deadly abnormalities and temporary arrhythmias. Thus, this work develops a new method based on frequency entrainment to analyze pole-zero characteristics of the phase error between abnormal ECG and entrained …

Investigation Of The Fracture Phenomena During The Milling Process Of Inorganic Particulates And Brittle Fracture Of Polymer Composites Using Fractal Theory, Zheng Qian

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the applicability and usefulness of applying Fractal mathematics and to the fracture of brittle particulates in Fluid Energy Mill devices, and in particular quantifying the resulting power law particle size distributions, examining the Surface Fractal Dimension of milled particulates, and relating the Izod Impact Strength values of composites of polypropylene and Calcium carbonate particulates which are large un-milled, small milled, as well as small and produced by the simultaneous milling and coating with nano-silica to the Surface Fractal Dimension of the impact fracture surfaces.

First, the dissertation examines the behavior of un-coated and micron-sized wax pre-coated particulates …