Engineering Commons^™

Advanced Augmented Reality Telestration Techniques With Applications In Laparoscopic And Robotic Surgery, Stephen Dworzecki

Wayne State University Dissertations

The art of teaching laparoscopic or robotic surgery currently has a primary reliance on an expert surgeon tutoring a student during a live surgery. During these operations, surgeons are viewing the inside of the body through a manipulatable camera. Due to the viewpoint translation and narrow field of view, these techniques have a substantial learning curve in order to gain the mastery necessary to operate safely. In addition to moving and rotating the camera, the surgeon must also manipulate tools inserted into the body. These tools are only visible on camera, and pass through a pivot point on the body …

A Relevance Feedback-Based System For Quickly Narrowing Biomedical Literature Search Result, Massuod Hassan Alatrash

Wayne State University Dissertations

The online literature is an important source that helps people find the information. The quick increase of online literature makes the manual search process for the most relevant information a very time-consuming task and leads to sifting through many results to find the relevant ones. The existing search engines and online databases return a list of results that satisfy the user's search criteria. The list is often too long for the user to go through every hit if he/she does not exactly know what he/she wants or/and does not have time to review them one by one. My focus is …

Opacity Of Discrete Event Systems: Analysis And Control, Majed Mohamed Ben Kalefa

Wayne State University Dissertations

The exchange of sensitive information in many systems over a network can be manipulated

by unauthorized access. Opacity is a property to investigate security and

privacy problems in such systems. Opacity characterizes whether a secret information

of a system can be inferred by an unauthorized user. One approach to verify security

and privacy properties using opacity problem is to model the system that may leak confidential

information as a discrete event system. The problem that has not investigated

intensively is the enforcement of opacity properties by supervisory control. In other

words, constructing a minimally restrictive supervisor to limit the system's …

Sediment Control In Alluvial Rivers Using Simulation-Based Optimization, Moustafa Abdelkader Elgohry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

During storm events in rivers and watersheds, the peak runoff may creates excess erosion and deposition in channels or river reaches and cause changes in flow characteristics and fluvial geomorphology. Severe sediment erosion such as in-stream sever bed and bank erosion or gullying can threaten the stability of in-stream hydraulic structures, river banks, levees, and underground utilities. On the other hand, large amounts of sediment deposition can significantly reduce the flow capacity of channel or reservoir and increases further possibility of flooding. Therefore, sediment control is generally required for rivers and watersheds conservation purposes to maintain stable flow systems in …

An Implicit Finite-Volume Depth-Integrated Model For Coastal Hydrodynamics And Multiple-Sized Sediment Transport, Alejandro Sanchez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A two-dimensional depth-integrated model is developed for simulating wave-averaged hydrodynamics and nonuniform sediment transport and morphology change in coastal waters. The hydrodynamic model includes advection, wave-enhanced turbulent mixing and bottom friction; wave-induced volume flux; wind, atmospheric pressure, wave, river, and tidal forcing; and Coriolis-Stokes force. The sediment transport model simulates nonequilibrium total-load transport, and includes flow and sediment transport lags, hiding and exposure, bed material sorting, bed slope effects, nonerodible beds, and avalanching. The flow model is coupled with an existing spectral wave model and a newly developed surface roller model. The hydrodynamic and sediment transport models use finite-volume methods …

A Gis-Based Watershed Impact Management Model, Chioma Nneamaka Udeze

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Assessment of land use changes on hydrological processes is essential for the planning and development of sustainable land management practices and water resources. Understanding how land management practices influence hydrological components is essential for the prediction of hydrological consequences of changes in land use. Given the plethora of hydrological models, digital data sources, and the limited availability of observed data, it is difficult to quantify the impacts of land use changes on hydrology. In this study, a Watershed Impact Management (WIM) model framework was conceptualized. A case study of the Yocona River basin, Mississippi, was implemented with the soil and …

Peaks In Huntsville, Darius Danner

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Efficient Compression Of Radar Data, Jesse R. Hairston

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Android Hacking And Analysis, Daun Lee

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

0804: Grand International Auxiliary To The Brotherhood Of Locomotive Engineers, Marshall University Special Collections

Guides to Manuscript Collections

This collection consists of a membership book for the Grand International Auxiliary to the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, Division 553, Huntington, West Virginia for the years 1915 to 1954. Information mentioned includes name, initials of husband, and address.

Evaluating And Training Intraoperative Analysis Of The Mitral Valve, Neil A. Tenenholtz

Link Foundation Modeling, Simulation and Training Fellowship Reports

Mitral valve repair is the recommended method of treating valve incompetency. However, the procedure is quite difficult and, as a result, underperformed due to surgeon’s need to predict the closed valve shape of the patient’s arrested heart. While the interactive process of predicting closed valve shape is achieved by physically manipulating valve tissue (known as valve analysis), surgical training consists of traditional, non-interactive pedagogy (e.g., book-based learning and lectures) followed by an apprenticeship model where the trainee is gradually given hands-on experience, resulting in post-medical school training that is often 10 years or greater. The continuing education of practicing cardiac …

Predicting Underwater Radiated Noise From Offshore Impact Pile Driving, Huikwan Kim

Link Foundation Ocean Engineering and Instrumentation Fellowship Reports

Offshore wind turbines have been installed throughout Europe and are expected to be built in the United States water shortly. Offshore wind is an attractive option because 53% of the nation’s population lives in coastal area where energy cost and demands are high. Offshore winds tend to blow harder and more uniformly than on land [1]. However, structure borne noise and vibration generated by offshore impact pile driving radiate into and propagate through the air, water, and sediment media. The objective of this project is quantitatively predicting noise level around the piling location at sea to estimate the effects of …

Application Of Self-Monitoring For Situational Awareness, Christopher Trickler

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Self-monitoring devices and services are used for physical wellness, personal tracking and self-improvement. These individual devices and services can only provide information based on what they can measure directly or historically without an intermediate system. This paper proposes a self-monitoring system to perform situational awareness which may extend into providing insight into predictable behaviors. Knowing an individual’s current state and likelihood of particular behaviors occurring is a general solution. This knowledge-based solution derived from sensory data has many applications. The proposed system could monitor current individual situational status, automatically provide personal status as it changes, aid personal improvement, contribute to …

A Matlab Primer In Four Hours With Practical Examples, Jerome Casey

Instructional Guides

No abstract provided.

Vb.Net Functions And Subs: Worked Analysis For A Mortgage Loan App., Jerome Casey

Instructional Guides

No abstract provided.

Elucidating A Role Of Btf And Trap150 In Pre-Mrna Processing And Cell Cycle Progression, Sapna N. Varia

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Transcription of protein-coding genes is coordinated with pre-mRNA processing as well as mRNP assembly and nuclear export in mammalian cells. In this dissertation, I examined the functions of two homologous non-classical serine-arginine-rich (SR) proteins, Btf (BCLAF1) and TRAP150 in these steps of gene regulation. Since Btf and TRAP150 share 39% sequence identity and 66% sequence similarity, I also examined whether Btf and TRAP150 have overlapping or distinct functions in pre-mRNA processing. Using two different reporter loci, I showed in-situ recruitment of Btf and TRAP150 at reporter transcription sites, and I identified both Btf and TRAP150 being associated with a core …

Differential Regulation Of The Hippocampal Taurine Transporter Protein In Rat Brain: Mechanisms Contributing To Neuronal Volume Regulation, Amanda Noelle Freeman

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Background. In osmotic edema, net efflux of taurine from neurons and accumulation by astrocytes contributes to neuronal volume regulation and astrocytic swelling. Taurine is accumulated in both cell types by a sodium- and chloride-dependent 72-75 kDa protein transporter, TauT. TauT functional activity decreases in osmotically swollen neurons but is unaltered in swollen astrocytes, in vitro. This swelling-induced downregulation of neuronal TauT activity is blocked with the tyrosine kinase (TK) inhibitor, genistein. In contrast, PKC activation has no effect on neuronal TauT, but inhibits astrocytic TauT. Thus, we hypothesize that during osmotic swelling, neuronal TauT activity is regulated by a TK …

A Computational Study Of Linking Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Microstructure Parameters To Cell Performance, Chao Wang

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Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) has been considered as a promising technology to replace the traditional fossil fuels due to high efficiency, low emission, and silent operation. The configuration of microstructures throughout the electrodes plays a significant role in improving cell performance. However, current research did not capture the connections of the microstructure parameters, which is vital to simulate the SOFC behavior under practical circumstances. This study explored the correlations of microstructure parameters from a micro scale level, together with mass transfer and electrochemical reactions inside the electrodes, providing a novel approach to predict the SOFC performance numerically. The results …

Reactive Oxygen Modulates B Lymphocyte Function Via The Nfκb/Rel Pathway, Eric J. Romer

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Reactive Oxygen Intermediates (ROI) can significantly affect B Lymphocyte function, but the effects on key signaling pathways and gene expression in activated and non-activated B lymphocytes are largely undefined. This study demonstrates a concentration dependent effect of exogenous hydrogen peroxide on the transcriptional regulation of a 3' regulatory region of the Immunoglobulin heavy chain gene (3'IghRR). Specifically, low μM hydrogen peroxide induces an enhancing effect while higher μM hydrogen peroxide (greater than or equal to 100 μM) is suppressive. The enhancing effects of hydrogen peroxide on 3'IghRR activity are dependent on the NFκB/Rel pathway, and appear to be most prominent …

A Comprehensive Tool And Analytical Pathway For Differential Molecular Profiling And Biomarker Discovery, Claude Curtis Grigsby

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The key requirements to any empirically based study are to: (1) accurately measure and then compare the collected results in determining the result of the hypothesis being tested; and (2) collect a sample representative of the entities being studied. To demonstrate that an informatics tool can be designed that provides spectral registration, spectral and chromatographic alignment, visualization, and comparative analysis for data generated from multiple analytical platforms, e.g., LC-MS and GC-MS, the results and data analysis of five unique sets of experiments using a suite of novel informatics tools are presented. Comprehensive and reproducible sample collection techniques were developed concomitantly …

A Semantics-Based Approach To Machine Perception, Cory Andrew Henson

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Machine perception can be formalized using semantic web technologies in order to derive abstractions from sensor data using background knowledge on the Web, and efficiently executed on resource-constrained devices. Advances in sensing technology hold the promise to revolutionize our ability to observe and understand the world around us. Yet the gap between observation and understanding is vast. As sensors are becoming more advanced and cost-effective, the result is an avalanche of data of high volume, velocity, and of varied type, leading to the problem of too much data and not enough knowledge (i.e., insights leading to actions). Current estimates predict …

Simulating Hemodynamics In In Vitro Culture Models: Implications On Nano-Biointeractions, Monita Sharma

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Gold nanoparticles (Au-NPs) have demonstrated great potential in the development of a variety of tools with applications ranging from biomedical to military fields. Consequently, there is increasing concern regarding the toxic potential of these nanomaterials. Biodistribution studies demonstrate clearance of Au-NPs from peripheral circulation and bulk localization primarily in the liver and spleen post- intravenous administration. Deposition of Au-NPs in spleen suggests the potential for direct exposure of immune cells to these foreign materials under relatively static conditions. Although much less, due to the Blood Brain Barrier (BBB), Au-NPs appear to also deposit in the brain, suggesting that the resident …

Dynamic Simulation Of Turbine Engine Used With Molten Carbonate Fuel Cell For Power Generation In The Megawatt Range, Carlos Eduardo Gutierrez

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Molten carbonate fuel cells (MCFC) have a high operating temperature of approximately 650° C (1200° F) to achieve sufficient conductivity of its carbonate electrolyte. Therefore, a gas turbine engine coupled with a MCFC is desirable since the turbine engine can be used to provide hot gas to the cathode, and the cathode gas residue can be used to raise the temperature of the natural gas and water vapor mixture (fuel) before it enters the MCFC at the anode. Dynamic models of a hybrid power plant consisting of a gas turbine engine and a MCFC with their respective components were developed …

Piezoelectric-Based, Self-Sustaining Artificial Cochlea, Jared Evans

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Hearing loss is a prevalent issue, affecting all ages in innumerable occupations. Cochlear implants are one solution to sensorineural hearing complications; and though they are commonly used, the electronic devices have limitations in power consumption and external equipment. Piezoelectric films emulate the relationship between the basilar membrane and inner hair cell structures of the human cochlear epithelium, inducing a potential difference in response to sound pressure. Through proper MEMS fabrication and material selection, an artificial cochlear can be developed utilizing piezoelectrics, which is self-sustainable and functions naturally with the mechanisms of the human ear. This research investigates the feasibility of …

The Molecular Genetics Learning Progressions: Revisions And Refinements Based On Empirical Testing In Three 10th Grade Classrooms, Amber Nicole Todd

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In the past few decades, there has been a large push for increasing scientific literacy (AAAS, 1989; AAAS, 1993; Achieve, 2013; NRC, 1996; NRC, 2012), especially in areas that are rapidly advancing, like molecular genetics. Much research has been done on student understandings of molecular genetics and the consensus is that the concepts are difficult both to learn and teach (Fisher, 1992; Horwitz, 1996; Kindfield, 1992; Lewis & Kattmann, 2004; Marbach-Ad & Stavy, 2000; Stewart et al., 2005; Venville & Treagust, 1998; etc.). Two learning progressions in molecular genetics have been produced (Duncan et al., 2009; Roseman et al. 2006), …

Distributed Sensor Fault Diagnosis For Automated Highway Systems, Hui Chen

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Fault diagnosis problems for large-scale nonlinear systems have attracted significant attentions from researchers in recent years. Most fault detection and isolation (FDI) methods have been proposed based on a centralized architecture. However, due to the complexity of the system, most of these centralized fault detection and diagnosis schemes are not able to delivery effective fault detection and isolation performance for a large-scale nonlinear system, which contains subsystems interacting with neighboring subsystems.

In this thesis, a distributed fault detection and isolation method is developed for the automated highway systems (AHS). For each subsystem of AHS, a distributed fault detection and isolation …

Computational Analysis Of Vortex Structures In Flapping Flight, Zongxian Liang

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Vortex structures and vortical formation in flapping flight are directly related to the force production. To analyze the connection between vortex structures and aerodynamic performance of flapping flight, we have developed highly efficient algorithms for large-scale flow simulations with moving and deforming bodies. To further understand the underlying mechanisms of force generation caused by the coherent structures of the vortex formation, a new analysis method has been developed to measure the influence of Proper Orthogonal Decomposition (POD) modes on aerodynamic forces.

It is challenging to finish three-dimensional Direct Numerical Simulations (DNS) of insect flight in a limited amount of time. …

A Methodology For Extracting Human Bodies From Still Images, Athanasios Tsitsoulis

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Monitoring and surveillance of humans is one of the most prominent applications of today and it is expected to be part of many future aspects of our life, for safety reasons, assisted living and many others. Many efforts have been made towards automatic and robust solutions, but the general problem is very challenging and remains still open. In this PhD dissertation we examine the problem from many perspectives. First, we study the performance of a hardware architecture designed for large-scale surveillance systems. Then, we focus on the general problem of human activity recognition, present an extensive survey of methodologies that …

Design And Fabrication Of An Eddy Current Brake Dynamometer For Efficiency Determination Of Electric Wheelchair Motors, Wesley Brin

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Electric wheelchairs have a considerable impact on improving the quality of life for the millions of disabled persons around the world. These modern pieces of technology offer freedom and mobility for disabled persons to interact with the world outside of their homes. The goal of this project is to assist in advancements of conventional electric wheelchairs. This includes replacing the heavy, bulky, and inefficient lead acid batteries and worm gear drive systems with lithium-ion batteries and wheel hub motors in order to decrease weight and size, and increase efficiency. This master thesis research is focused on designing, fabricating, and testing …

Anomalies In Sensor Network Deployments: Analysis, Modeling, And Detection, Giovani Rimon Abuaitah

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A sensor network serves as a vital source for collecting raw sensory data. Sensor data are later processed, analyzed, visualized, and reasoned over with the help of several decision making tools. A decision making process can be disastrously misled by a small portion of anomalous sensor readings. Therefore, there has been a vast demand for mechanisms that identify and then eliminate such anomalies in order to ensure the quality, integrity, and/or trustworthiness of the raw sensory data before they can even be interpreted.

Prior to identifying anomalies, it is essential to understand the various anomalous behaviors prevalent in a sensor …