Engineering Commons^™

Analysis Of Bfsa Based Anti-Collision Protocol In Lf, Hf, And Uhf Rfid Environments, Varun Bhogal

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over the years, RFID (radio frequency identification) technology has gained popularity in a number of applications. The decreased cost of hardware components along with the recognition and implementation of international RFID standards have led to the rise of this technology.

One of the major factors associated with the implementation of RFID infrastructure is the cost of tags. Low frequency (LF) RFID tags are widely used because they are the least expensive. The drawbacks of LF RFID tags include low data rate and low range. Most studies that have been carried out focus on one frequency band only. This thesis presents …

Educational Programmes For Spatial Information Sciences In The Technological University Of Dublin, William Prendergast, Eamonn Murphy, Audrey Martin, Avril Behan

Conference papers

The ever increasing spatial information needs of society, the rapid development of new surveying technologies, and the global demand for appropriately qualified surveyors, have triggered a radical re-evaluation of geomatics education worldwide. Significant enhancements have been made to the educational programmes in the spatial information science discipline in the Technological University of Dublin’s (DIT) during the last decade including the provision of a BSc in Geomatics and various masters’ programmes to cater for the increasingly specialised needs of the Geographic Information sector in Ireland.

Differential Spectral Imaging Of The Cn Violet Band In Laser-Induced Plasmas On Tnt Simulant Molecules, J. Merten, M. Jones, S. Hoke, S. Allen

Publications

Dual channel emission imaging of m-nitrobenzoic acid and benzoic acid was performed in order to visualize the morphology of the CN violet band emission of a TNT analogue. The CN channel was corrected for continuum emission using a simultaneously imaged background channel. Simultaneous dual channel imaging alleviated problems with shot to shot variation in the plasma morphology due to the friable substrates and showed differences between plasmas formed on the two targets.

Standoff Methods For The Detection Of Threat Agents: A Review Of Several Promising Laser-Based Techniques, J. Bruce Johnson, Susan D. Allen, Jonathan Merten, Lewis Johnson, Daniel Pinkham, Scott W. Reeve

Publications

Detection of explosives, explosive precursors, or other threat agents presents a number of technological challenges for optical sensing methods. Certainly detecting trace levels of threat agents against a complex background is chief among these challenges; however, the related issues of multiple target distances (from standoff to proximity) and sampling time scales (from passive mines to rapid rate of march convoy protection) for different applications make it unlikely that a single technique will be ideal for all sensing situations. A number of methods for spanning the range of optical sensor technologies exist which, when integrated, could produce a fused sensor system …

Measuring The Educational Benefits Of Diversity In Engineering Education: A Multi-Institutional Survey Analysis Of Women And Underrepresented Minorities, Terrell Lamont Strayhorn, Leroy L. Long Iii, Michael Steven Williams, Marjorie Luce Dorime-Williams, Derrick L. Tillman-Kelly

Publications

Changing demographics of the U.S. population drive growing emphases on diversity in engineering education. Still, questions persist about the educational benefits of race and gender diversity within the student population, despite decades of supportive research. The present study sought to estimate the educational benefits that accrue to undergraduate engineering students who interact with diverse peers and perspectives. Furthermore, differences across gender and race were explored. Multi-institutional survey data were analyzed for over 100 undergraduate engineering students using a 2007 administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE). Findings show that encouraging contact among students from different economic, social, or …

African American And Hispanic Stem Students' Engagement At Predominantly White Institutions, Terrell Lamont Strayhorn, Fei Bie, Leroy L. Long Iii, Blossom A. Barrett

Publications

Although research has shown that involvement is a helpful predictor of students’ future success, underrepresented minorities (i.e., African Americans and Hispanics) face unique obstacles at predominantly White institutions, which limit their engagement in educationally purposeful activities. Survey data from a 2007 administration of the National Survey of Student Engagement (NSSE) were analyzed to measure African American and Hispanic students’ engagement in educationally purposeful activities. Results from the present study found that student satisfaction in college is positively related to time spent preparing for class and frequency of interactions with faculty members about careers. Furthermore, African American and Hispanic science, technology, …

Examining The Relationship Between Familiarity And Reliability Of Automation In The Cockpit, Rian Mehta, Steven Rice, Scott Winter

Publications

This study sought to determine the correlation between familiarity and perceptions of reliability, as associated to specific aviation-related automated devices. Participants’ experience levels ranged from non-pilots to novice pilots to certified flight instructors. It was hypothesized that familiarity has a direct correlation with ratings of reliability for various aviation-related automated devices and that the correlation across devices for each participant would be positive. The researchers expected to find a difference in the familiarity-reliability relationship as a function of experience. Findings showed that there was a significant positive correlation between familiarity and reliability for every single automated device. A positive correlation …

Which Design And Biomaterial Factors Affect Clinical Wear Performance Of Total Disc Replacements? A Systematic Review, Sai Y. Veruva, Marla J. Steinbeck, Jeffrey M. Toth, Dominik D. Alexander, Steven M. Kurtz

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Total disc replacement was clinically introduced to reduce pain and preserve segmental motion of the lumbar and cervical spine. Previous case studies have reported on the wear and adverse local tissue reactions around artificial prostheses, but it is unclear how design and biomaterials affect clinical outcomes.

Questions/purposes

Which design and material factors are associated with differences in clinical wear performance (implant wear and periprosthetic tissue response) of (1) lumbar and (2) cervical total disc replacements?

Methods

We performed a systematic review on the topics of implant wear and periprosthetic tissue response using an advanced search in MEDLINE and Scopus …

Testing And Strengthening Bridge Connections, Christopher Higgins, Peter Dusicka, Michael Scott

TREC Project Briefs

Researchers evaluate and improve the strength of gusset plate connections, essential pieces in bridge design that can fail due to buckling.

Making Concrete From Recycled Materials, Jason Ideker

TREC Project Briefs

Making concrete out of recycled concrete aggregate, or RCA, can be a sustainable and cost-saving alternative to other aggregates. However, the quality of concrete made with RCA is dependent on the quality of the recycled material used. OTREC researchers Jason Ideker of Oregon State University and Jennifer Tanner of the University of Wyoming, with graduate student researchers Matthew P. Adams and Angela Jones, sought to determine some of the primary concerns involved with the use of RCA and to arrive at methods of assessing its durability for use in new concrete.

Alkali-silica reaction occurs in concrete over time, causing it …

High Fidelity Chemistry And Radiation Modeling For Oxy-Combustion Scenarios, Hassan A. Abdul Sater

Theses and Dissertations

To account for the thermal and chemical effects associated with the high CO₂ concentrations in an oxy-combustion atmosphere, several refined gas-phase chemistry and radiative property models have been formulated for laminar to highly turbulent systems. This thesis examines the accuracies of several chemistry and radiative property models employed in computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations of laminar to transitional oxy-methane diffusion flames by comparing their predictions against experimental data. Literature review about chemistry and radiation modeling in oxy-combustion atmospheres considered turbulent systems where the predictions are impacted by the interplay and accuracies of the turbulence, radiation and chemistry models. Thus, …

Lightweight Data Compression In Wireless Sensor Networks Using Huffman Coding, Henry P. Medeiros, Marcos C. Maciel, Richard D. Souza, Marcelo E. Pellenz

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This paper presents a lightweight data compression method for wireless sensor networks monitoring environmental parameters with low resolution sensors. Instead of attempting to devise novel ad hoc algorithms, we show that, given general knowledge of the parameters that must be monitored, it is possible to efficiently employ conventional Huffman coding to represent the same parameter when measured at different locations and time periods. When the data collected by the sensor nodes consists of integer measurements, the Huffman dictionary computed using statistics inferred from public datasets often approaches the entropy of the data. Results using temperature and relative humidity measurements show …

Evaluation Of Upper Extremity Movement Characteristics During Standardized Pediatric Functional Assessment With A Kinect®-Based Markerless Motion Analysis System, Jacob R. Rammer, Joseph J. Krzak, Susan A. Riedel, Gerald F. Harris

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

A recently developed and evaluated upper extremity (UE) markerless motion analysis system based on the Microsoft® Kinect® has potential for improving functional assessment of patients with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. 12 typically-developing adolescents ages 12-17 were evaluated using both the Kinect-based system and the Shriners Hospitals for Children Upper Extremity Evaluation (SHUEE), a validated measure of UE motion. The study established population means of UE kinematic parameters for each activity. Statistical correlation analysis was used to identify key kinematic metrics used to develop automatic scoring algorithms. The Kinect motion analysis platform is technically sound and can be applied to standardized task-based …

Age-Related Differentiation Of Sensorimotor Control Strategies During Pursuit And Compensatory Tracking, Megan L. Heenan, Robert A. Scheidt, Scott A. Beardsley

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Motor control deficits during aging have been well-documented. Various causes of neuromotor decline, including both peripheral and central neurological deficits, have been hypothesized. Here, we use a model of closed-loop sensorimotor control to examine the functional causes of motor control deficits during aging. We recruited 14 subjects aged 19-61 years old to participate in a study in which they performed single-joint compensatory and pursuit tracking tasks with their dominant hand. We found that visual response delay and visual noise increased with age, while reliance on visual feedback, especially during compensatory tracking decreased. Increases in visual noise were also positively correlated …

Submovements During Reaching Movements After Stroke, Lucia S. Simo, Davide Piovesan, Jozsef Laczko, Claude Ghez, Robert A. Scheidt

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Neurological deficits after cerebrovascular accidents very frequently disrupt the kinematics of voluntary movements with the consequent impact in daily life activities. Robotic methodologies enable the quantitative characterization of specific control deficits needed to understand the basis of functional impairments and to design effective rehabilitation therapies. In a group of right handed chronic stroke survivors (SS) with right side hemiparesis, intact proprioception, and differing levels of motor impairment, we used a robotic manipulandum to study right arm function during discrete point-to-point reaching movements and reciprocal out-and-back movements to visual targets. We compared these movements with those of neurologically intact individuals (NI). …

A Modular Low-Clearance Wrist Orthosis For Improving Wrist Motion In Children With Cerebral Palsy, Devon Holley, Michelle Johnson, Gerald F. Harris, Scott A. Beardsley

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) often exhibit impairments in the coordination of the grip and lift phases of arm movements that directly impact their ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs). The application of assistive robotic therapy to children with spastic hemiplegic CP has shown that augmented movement training can lead to improved functional outcomes and improved arm kinematics. Assistive robotic therapy of the wrist has been shown to help improve motor skills in stroke patients, but the devices employed are often large and obtrusive, focusing on a repeated motion rather than a task-based itinerary. Here, we propose a …

Diffusion Tensor Imaging Of The Spinal Cord: Insights From Animal And Human Studies, Aditya Vedantam, Michael B. Jirjis, Brian D. Schmit, Marjorie C. Wang, John L. Ulmer, Shekar N. Kurpad

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) provides a measure of the directional diffusion of water molecules in tissues. The measurement of DTI indexes within the spinal cord provides a quantitative assessment of neural damage in various spinal cord pathologies. DTI studies in animal models of spinal cord injury indicate that DTI is a reliable imaging technique with important histological and functional correlates. These studies demonstrate that DTI is a noninvasive marker of microstructural change within the spinal cord. In human studies, spinal cord DTI shows definite changes in subjects with acute and chronic spinal cord injury, as well as cervical spondylotic myelopathy. …

Benefits Of Industry Involvement In Multidisciplinary Capstone Design Courses, Jay R. Goldberg, Vikram Cariapa, George Corliss, Kate Kaiser

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Opportunities for industry involvement in capstone design courses go beyond industry sponsorship of capstone design projects. Representatives from industry can serve as guest lecturers, curriculum advisors, and design project sponsors and team mentors. Since 2000, industry participation has been a core part of the capstone design course at Marquette University. Practicing engineers provide a relevant, practical real-world perspective of their topic, reinforcing its importance to professional engineering practice. Students and faculty benefit from the up-to-date treatment of the topic provided by guest speakers from industry who have expertise in the topic and are willing to share their experiences with students. …

Simultaneous Robotic Manipulation And Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Feasibility In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Nicole M.G. Salowitz, Bridget Dolan, Rheanna Remmel, Amy V. Van Hecke, Kristine M. Mosier, Lucia Simo, Robert A. Scheidt

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

An unanswered question concerning the neural basis of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is how sensorimotor deficits in individuals with ASD are related to abnormalities of brain function. We previously described a robotic joystick and video game system that allows us to record functional magnetic resonance images (FMRI) while adult humans make goal-directed wrist motions. We anticipated several challenges in extending this approach to studying goal-directed behaviors in children with ASD and in typically developing (TYP) children. In particular we were concerned that children with autism may express increased levels of anxiety as compared to typically developing children due to the …

Simultaneous Monitoring Of Singlet And Triplet Exciton Variations In Solid Organic Semiconductors Driven By An External Static Magnetic Field, Baofu Ding, Kamal Alameh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The research field of organic spintronics has remarkably and rapidly become a promising research area for delivering a range of high-performance devices, such as magnetic-field sensors, spin valves, and magnetically modulated organic light emitting devices (OLEDs). Plenty of microscopic physical and chemical models based on exciton or charge interactions have been proposed to explain organic magneto-optoelectronic phenomena. However, the simultaneous observation of singlet- and triplet-exciton variations in an external magnetic field is still unfeasible, preventing a thorough theoretical description of the spin dynamics in organic semiconductors. Here, we show that we can simultaneously observe variations of singlet excitons and triplet …

Room-Temperature Spin-Polarized Organic Light-Emitting Diodes With A Single Ferromagnetic Electrode, Baofu Ding, Qunliang Song, Kamal Alameh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In this paper, we demonstrate the concept of a room-temperature spin-polarized organic light-emitting diode (Spin-OLED) structure based on (i) the deposition of an ultra-thin p-type organic buffer layer on the surface of the ferromagnetic electrode of the Spin-OLED and (ii) the use of oxygen plasma treatment to modify the surface of that electrode. Experimental results demonstrate that the brightness of the developed Spin-OLED can be increased by 110% and that a magneto-electroluminescence of 12% can be attained for a 150 mT in-plane magnetic field, at room temperature. This is attributed to enhanced hole and room-temperature spin-polarized injection from the ferromagnetic …

Constant-Stress Accelerated Life Test Of White Organic Light-Emitting Diode Based On Least Square Method Under Weibull Distribution, J Zhang, C Liu, G Cheng, X Chen, J Wu, Q Zhu, Laichang Zhang

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

It is currently hard to estimate the reliability parameters of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) when conducting a life test at normal stress, due to the remarkably improved life of OLEDs to thousands hours. This work adopted three constant-stress accelerated life tests (CSALTs) to predict the life of white OLEDs in a short time. The Weibull function was applied to describe the life distribution, and the shape and scale parameters were estimated using the least square method. The experimental test data were statistically analyzed using a self-developed software. The life of white OLEDs predicted via this software is in good agreement …

Recent Developments In Magneto-Optic Garnet-Type Thin-Film Materials Synthesis, Mohammad Nur-E-Alam, Mikhail Vasiliev, Viacheslav Kotov, Kamal Alameh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Magneto-optic (MO) garnets are used in a range of applications in nanophotonics, integrated optics, communications and imaging. Bi-substituted iron garnets of different compositions are the most useful class of materials in applied magnetooptics due to their excellent MO properties (large Faraday effect) and record-high MO figure of merit among all semitransparent dielectrics. It is highly desirable to synthesise garnets which possess simultaneously a high MO figure of merit and large uniaxial magnetic anisotropy. However, the simultaneous optimization of several material properties and parameters can be difficult in single-layer garnet thin films, and it is also challenging to prepare films with …

Magnetophotonic Intensity Effects In Hybrid Metal-Dielectric Structures, V I. Belotelov, L E. Kreilkamp, A N. Kalish, I A. Akimov, D A. Bykov, S Kasture, V J. Yallapragada, A V. Gopal, A M. Grishin, S I. Khartsev, Mohammad Nurealam, Mikhail Vasiliev, L L. Doskolovich, D R. Yakovlev, Kamal Alameh, A K. Zvezdin, M Bayer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

The magneto-optical properties of a hybrid metal-dielectric structure consisting of a one-dimensional gold grating on top of a magnetic waveguide layer are studied experimentally and theoretically. It is demonstrated that a magnetic field applied in the longitudinal configuration (in the plane of the magnetic film and perpendicular to the slits in the gold grating) to the metal-dielectric structure modifies the field distribution of the optical modes and thus changes the mode excitation conditions. In the optical far field, this manifests in the alteration of the optical transmittance or reflectance when the structure becomes magnetized. This magneto-optical effect is shown to …

Synergistic Toughening Of Hard, Nacre-Mimetic Mosi2 Coatings By Self-Assembled Hierarchical Structure, Jiang Xu, Xiaoli Zhao, Paul Munroe, Zonghan Xie

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Like many other intermetallic materials, MoSi2 coatings are typically hard, but prone to catastrophic failure due to their low toughness at ambient temperature. In this paper, a self-assembled hierarchical structure that closely resembles that of nacre (i.e., mother of pearl) was developed in a MoSi2 -based coating through a simple, yet cost-effective, depostion technique. The newly formed coating is tough and can withstand multiple indentations at high loads. Key design features responsible for this remarkable outcome were identified. They include a functionally graded multilayer featuring elastic modulus oscillation, varying sublayer thickness and a columnar structure that are able to attenuate …

Bimetallic Non-Alloyed Nps For Improving The Broadband Optical Absorption Of Thin Amorphous Silicon Substrates, Chee L. Tan, Sung J. Jang, Young M. Song, Kamal Alameh, Yong T. Lee

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

We propose the use of bimetallic non-alloyed nanoparticles (BNNPs) to improve the broadband optical absorption of thin amorphous silicon substrates. Isolated bimetallic NPs with uniform size distribution on glass and silicon are obtained by depositing a 10-nm Au film and annealing it at 600°C; this is followed by an 8-nm Ag film annealed at 400°C. We experimentally demonstrate that the deposition of gold (Au)-silver (Ag) bimetallic non-alloyed NPs (BNNPs) on a thin amorphous silicon (a-Si) film increases the film's average absorption and forward scattering over a broad spectrum, thus significantly reducing its total reflection performance. Experimental results show that Au-Ag …

Solar Energy Harvesting Clear Glass For Building-Integrated Photovoltaics, Kamal Alameh, Mikhail Vasiliev, Ramzy Alghamedi, Mohammad Alam, V. Rosenberg

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

We propose and demonstrate the concept of an energy-harvesting clear glass panel based on the use of all-inorganic luminophores embedded into a lamination layer in conjunction with low-emissivity coatings and CIS solar cells. Most of the visible solar radiation is transmitted through the laminated glass panel while UV radiation is down-converted and guided together with a part of infrared radiation to the edges for conversion to electricity by solar cells integrated at the edges of the glass panel. Experimental results demonstrate that a 10cmx10cm energy-harvesting clear glass can pass about 70% of the visible solar radiation, block 90% of UV …

Spectrally-Selective All-Inorganic Scattering Luminophores For Solar Energy-Harvesting Clear Glass Windows, Ramzy Alghamedi, Mikhail Vasiliev, Mohammad Alam, Kamal Alameh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

All-inorganic visibly-transparent energy-harvesting clear laminated glass windows are the most practical solution to boosting building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) energy outputs significantly while reducing cooling- and heating-related energy consumption in buildings. By incorporating luminophore materials into lamination interlayers and using spectrally-selective thin-film coatings in conjunction with CuInSe₂ solar cells, most of the visible solar radiation can be transmitted through the glass window with minimum attenuation while ultraviolet (UV) radiation is down-converted and routed together with a significant part of infrared radiation to the edges for collection by solar cells. Experimental results demonstrate a 10 cm × 10 cm vertically-placed energy-harvesting clear …

Application Of A Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage Unit For Power Systems Stability Improvement, Embaiya Salih, Stefan Lachowicz, Octavian Bass, Daryoush Habibi

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

A superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) includes a high inductance coil that can act as a constant source of direct current. A SMES unit connected to a power system is able to absorb and store both active and reactive power from this system and to inject these powers into this system when they are needed. The injected power can be controlled by changing both the duty cycle of the dc-dc chopper switches and its operation modes. A SMES is always associated with a power conversion system consisting of two identical converters connected by a de link capacitor. This paper presents …

Investigating Strain Transfer In Polymer Coated Structures For The Health Monitoring Of Aerospace Vehicles Using Polymer Photonic Waveguides, Graham Wild, Bronwyn Fox, Kevin Magniez, Steven Hinckley, Scott Wade, G Carman

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

In this work, we present the concept of planar polymer photonic waveguides for the health monitoring of aerospace structures. Here a polymer layer is deposited onto the material/structure to be monitored. Within the polymer layer, waveguides are created after deposition. These waveguides can then be used as 'optical fibres' for optical fibre sensing methodologies. In investigating the use of polymer photonic waveguides the question to be answered is: does the strain in the test material transfer to the polymer layer, such that the value to be measured optically is reliable and indicative of the true strain in the test structure? …