Engineering Commons^™

A Space-Variant Model For Motion Interpretation Across The Visual Field, Guido Maiello, Manuela Chessa, Peter J. Bex, Fabio Solari

MODVIS Workshop

We implement a neural model for the estimation of the focus of radial motion (FRM) at different retinal locations and we assess the model by comparing its results with respect to the precision with which human observers can estimate the FRM in naturalistic, moving dead leaves stimuli. The proposed neural model describes the deep hierarchy of the first stages of the dorsal visual pathway [Solari et al., 2014]. Such a model is space-variant, since it takes into account the retino-cortical transformation of the primate visual system through log-polar mapping that produces a cortical representation of the visual signal to the …

The Atomic Bombings Of Japan - Right Or Wrong?, William Weiss

ERAU Prescott Aviation History Program

Few Presidential actions have generated more controversy than Truman’s decision to use atomic bombs against Japan to end WW II. Local historian Bill Weiss examines the issues based on recently released information from formerly secret American and Russian archives. Learn what the last months were like in the Pacific; American preparations for a possible invasion and Japan’s mindset at this crucial time that lead to the life-saving decision.

Full-Wave Simulation Of An Imbalanced Differential Microstrip Line With Conductor Surface Roughness, Marina Koledintseva, Tracey Vincent, Sergiu Radu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study investigates the full-wave numerical electromagnetic analysis of edge-coupled differential microstrip lines on a printed circuit board (PCB), when conductor surface roughness is taken into account. Mixed mode parameters of such lines are analyzed. The imbalance in the electric lengths of the traces causes the appearance of common-mode currents, as well as mode conversion: differential mode (DM) to common-mode (CM) and CM to DM. The presence of the solder mask on top of the PCB with microstrip traces is also taken into account. The differential lines modeled in this work are of three types: straight, bent, and curved. The …

Physical Interpretation Of Radiation And Transfer Characterization Based On The Peec Method, Ying S. Cao, Li (Lijun) Jun Jiang, Albert E. Ruehli

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The characterization of power radiation and coupling has been an important research subject. The partial element equivalent circuit method (PEEC) is a powerful tool in bridging the electromagnetic modeling together with a circuit solver. Even though PEEC was a convenient tool for many quasi-static applications, in this paper, we propose a new approach for PEEC to calculate the radiated and coupled power from the distributive point of view. Formulations for both radiated and transferred powers are proposed based on a full wave PEEC model. Distributive power can be evaluated with negligible additional computational cost in PEEC implementations. The physical meaning …

Assessing Impact Of Exposure To Cyberphysical Systems On Student Interest In Information Technology Careers, Mayari I. Serrano Anazco

Purdue Polytechnic Masters Theses

The main purpose of this project is to determine if the use of Information Technology (IT) tools, specifically cyberphysical devices, in outreach sessions will promote interest of young individuals in pursuing IT careers. The Diversity office of Purdue’s College of Technology offers a number of outreach sessions to a variety of target populations throughout the year. Each department in the college has an opportunity to present a session related to a field of study offered by the department. The research was carried out thru the Spring 2015 semester during the DOiT and Vision outreach programs offered through the college’s Diversity …

Clutter Suppression Interferometry System Design And Processing, Chad Knight, Ross Deming, Jake Gunther

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Clutter suppression interferometry (CSI) has received extensive attention due to its multi-modal capability to detect slow-moving targets, and concurrently form high-resolution synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images from the same data. The ability to continuously augment SAR images with geo-located ground moving target indicators (GMTI) provides valuable real-time situational awareness that is important for many applications. CSI can be accomplished with minimal hardware and processing resources. This makes CSI a natural candidate for applications where size, weight and power (SWaP) are constrained, such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and small satellites applications.

This paper will discuss the theory for optimal CSI …

Demonstration Of Co2 Ch4 And Pm Detection Using Differentia Absorption Lidar (Dial) Development Of Advanced Air Monitoring Technology For Alberta, Michael Wojcik, Blake Crowther, Robert Lemon, Prasad Valupadas, Long Fu, Bonnie Leung, Zhang Yang, Quamrul Huda, Allan Chambers

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Rapid expansion of the oil and gas industry in Alberta, including the oil sands, has challenged the Alberta Government to keep pace in its efforts to monitor and mitigate the environmental impacts of development. The limitations of current monitoring systems has pushed the provincial government to seek out advanced sensing technologies such as satellite imagery and laser based sensors. The Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) of Utah State University, in cooperation with Alberta Environmental Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Agency (AEMERA), has developed North America’s first mobile differential absorption lidar (DIAL) system designed specifically for emissions measurement. This instrument is housed inside …

Design, Construction, And Utilization Of Physical Vapor Deposition Systems For Medical Sensor Fabrication, Nicholas Sayre, Abdul Almetairi, Alex Chally, Joe Kowalski, Erik J. Sánchez

Student Research Symposium

The development of a novel blood glucose sensor is realized through construction of a homemade plasma coating system and utilization of semiconductor manufacturing processes in a small scale cleanroom environment. Photolithography, plasma sputtering, chemical etching and thin film measurement technologies are used in the medical sensor fabrication process. General process flow will be discussed, and system design and the plasma sputtering process will be presented as it is achieved by the system currently under development.

Measuring The Effectiveness Of Photoresponsive Nanocomposite Coatings On Aircraft Windshields To Mitigate Laser Intensity, Ryan S. Phillips, Hubert K. Bilan, Zachary X. Widel, Randal J. Demik, Samantha J. Brain, Matthew Moy, Charles Crowder, Stanley L. Harriman, James T. O'Malley Iii, Joseph E. Burlas, Steven F. Emmert, Jason J. Keleher

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

In 2004, pilots reported 46 laser illumination events to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), with the number increasing to approximately 3,600 in 2011. Since that time, the number of reported laser incidents has ranged from 3,500 to 4,000. Previous studies indicate the potential for flight crewmember distraction from bright laser light being introduced to the cockpit. Compositional variations of the photoresponsive nanocomposite coatings were applied to an aircraft windscreen using a modified liquid dispersion/heating curing process. The attenuating effects of the deposited films on laser light intensity were evaluated using an optical power meter and the resultant laser intensity data …

On The Fe Enrichment During Anodic Polarization Of Mg And Its Impact On Hydrogen Evolution, D. Lysne, S. Thomas, M. F. Hurley, N. Birbilis

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Iron (Fe) is an unintentional impurity present in pure magnesium (Mg) and Mg alloys, albeit nominally in low and innocuous concentrations (< 100 ppmw). Since Fe, like most metals, is more noble than Mg, the presence of Fe impurities can serve as cathodic sites within the Mg matrix. During anodic polarization of Mg, incongruent dissolution can lead to undissolved Fe impurities accumulating upon the Mg surface, permitting an increase in the overall rate of hydrogen evolution. The experimental manifestation of the incongruent dissolution of Mg, has not yet been clarified, wherein, the extent and efficiency of Fe enrichment during anodic polarization is not known, and also the increase in the hydrogen evolution rate due to Fe enrichment has not been quantified. In this work, Mg specimens with Fe concentration between 40 to 13,000 ppmw were examined in 0.1 M NaCl to obtain a quantitative relation between the Fe concentration and the rate of cathodic hydrogen evolution. These base-line alloys were then anodically polarized to facilitate surface Fe enrichment, and subsequently again cathodically polarized to determine the impact of prior dissolution and Fe enrichment on the subsequent hydrogen evolution. A simple model to predict Fe enrichment was used to analyze the electrochemical data and predict the extent and efficiency of Fe enrichment.

Implementation Of Raman Spectroscopy At Manufacturing Scale: Overcoming Modeling Challenges While Implementing Advanced Process Control, John Smelko, Thomas Matthews, Brandon Berry, Douglas Osborne

Cell Culture Engineering XV

In order to improve glycation control in our new high intensity platform process, we investigated implementation of Raman spectroscopy to monitor and control glucose at low levels throughout the process. Using Raman allows a way to measure glucose near real time which in turn allows for a more responsive and flexible control algorithm. Prior literature has shown connections between elevated glucose levels and glycation when in presence of high protein concentrations, which was indicative of our process. Using Raman along with advanced process control (APC), allowed us the flexibility to reduce glycation back towards historical process levels.

We will share …

Eliciting Knowledge Bases With Defeasible Reasoning: A Comparative Analysis With Machine Learning, Peter Keogh

Dissertations

This thesis compares the ability of an implementation of Defeasible Reasoning (via Argumentation Theory) to model a construct (mental workload) with Machine Learning. In order to perform this comparison a defeasible reasoning system was designed and implemented in software. This software was used to elicit a knowledge base from an expert in an experiment which was then compared with machine learning. The central findings of this thesis were that the knowledge based approach was better at predicting an objective performance measure, time, than machine learning. However, machine learning was better equiped to identify another object measure task membership. The knowledge …

Three-Dimensional Printing Of Graphene-Based Composite Aerogels, Chen Zhu

Composites at Lake Louise (CALL 2015)

Graphene-based composite materials have found wide applications in nanoelectronics, sensors, catalysis, energy storage, and biomedicine areas for their unique combination of low density, exceptional mechanical properties, large surface area, and excellent electrical conductivity. Recent progress has produced bulk 3D assemblies of graphene, such as graphene aerogels, by the self-assembly or gelation of the graphene oxide (GO) suspension via hydrothermal reduction, chemical reduction, or direct crosslinking of the GO sheets. Other templating methods like chemical vapor deposition (CVD) coatings and freeze-casting have already been employed to control over the pore morphology of 3D graphene monoliths. However, the architecture of these graphene …

Maturity Of Cloud Application Interoperability Frameworks For Small To Medium Enterprises, John Warde

Dissertations

Cloud computing has many benefits and organisations have bought into the cost effective and elastic solutions provided by major players in the market. However, cloud computing and Cloud Service Providers (CSP) are still evolving, hence there are differences in how customers connect with each provider to the orchestrate application lifecycle management. A lack of standards can create vendor lock-in. This work investigates current research and possible solutions to the vendor lock-in problem through the use of Cloud Interoperability or multi-cloud frameworks. Software developers and organisations can use these frameworks which abstract the differences between CSPs and mitigate vendor lock-in. A …

Reducing Lead Times In A Two-Process Cell Using Lean And Simulation., Charles R. Standridge, Michael J. Maas

Open Access Publishing Support Funded Articles

An existing power system production process includes two operations and produces twelve different part types. The first operation fills WIP carts used by the second operation. A combined lean and discrete event simulation study supported by the analysis of order history information stored in a corporate information system is presented. The goal was to identify operations alternatives that could be used to reduce customer lead time from the current 3 to 3 days to 1 to 3 days. The application of lean methods included the examination of the order history data that showed that 80% of parts ship to a …

Feasibility Study: The Evaluation Of Polymer Coatings To Prevent Weathering Of Weak Rocks, Lauren Distler

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

The weathering and erosion of weak rocks along roadways can cause dangerous and potentially fatal rockfalls.   Various slope stabilization methods exist, but each presents a set of challenges and trade-offs.   The focus of the project is to understand the feasibility of utilizing of a polymerbased slope stabilization technique. Rock samples were collected along US Route 33 in Virginia and West Virginia, and preliminary tests were conducted to evaluate the absorption of water (% mass) and durability. The study evaluates three polymer options in regard to the following criteria: adhesion to rock, layer thickness, semi-permeability, insolubility, and non-toxicity. The polymer selection …

Customer Complaint Management Systems (Ccms) In A Food Processing Industry, Maggie A. Macleish

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Abstract

The food processing industry must meet customers’ highest quality expectations at the lowest cost. I partnered with Nestlé’s pizza facility in Little Chute, WI, to improve the current customer complaint approach of the quality department, which aimed to improve product quality. To improve the total quality of the system, this project established a defensive method of addressing customer complaints. Some strategies used to improve the current Customer Complaint Management System (CCMS) include Quality Functional Deployment (QFD), fuzzy logic, Kano’s methods, Voice of the customer (VOC) and Go-See-Think-Do (GSTD). These strategies are all related, but have not previously been used …

Chesapeake Bay Blue Crabs And Consumption Related Illness, Caitlin M. Shipman

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Currently, 72.2% of the Chesapeake Bay is impaired due to pollutants that impaired water quality. Some common pollutants in the Bay that are also toxic if consumed are: polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), mercury, and lead. Pollutants tend to settle on the Bay floor and become accumulate in the sediment. Most shellfish and small finfish live near or on the Bay floor and are may be exposed to high levels of pollutants. Therefore, bioaccumulation and biomagnification of pollutants can occur in shellfish and finfish tissues. These pollutants may cause a risk to human health by either increasing the risk of developing cancer …

Variability In The Fabrication Process Of Bivo4 Photoanodes, Lauren M. Phillips

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Hydrogen gas produced from the photoelectrochemical (PEC) decomposition of water, using sunlight as an energy source, is a promising approach for sustainable fuel production. This decomposition of water is also called artificial photosynthesis. A device that accomplished this process is sometimes call an artificial leaf, which mimics nature inasmuch as it stores solar energy as a chemical fuel (e.g., hydrogen) by splitting water, in this way imitating natural photosynthesis. In 2009, Dr. Keith Holland and Dr. David Lawrence of James Madison University (JMU) initiated a research program to investigate materials for the photoelectrochemical decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen, …

An Evaluation Of The Use Of Diversity To Improve The Accuracy Of Predicted Ratings In Recommender Systems, Gillian Browne

Dissertations

The diversity; versus accuracy trade off, has become an important area of research within recommender systems as online retailers attempt to better serve their customers and gain a competitive advantage through an improved customer experience. This dissertation attempted to evaluate the use of diversity measures in predictive models as a means of improving predicted ratings. Research literature outlines a number of influencing factors such as personality, taste, mood and social networks in addition to approaches to the diversity challenge post recommendation. A number of models were applied included DecisionStump, Linear Regression, J48 Decision Tree and Naive Bayes. Various evaluation metrics …

Waste Heat Generation: A Comprehensive Review, Nazli Yeşiller, James L. Hanson, Emma H. Yee

Civil and Environmental Engineering

A comprehensive review of heat generation in various types of wastes and of the thermal regime of waste containment facilities is provided in this paper. Municipal solid waste (MSW), MSW incineration ash, and mining wastes were included in the analysis. Spatial and temporal variations of waste temperatures, thermal gradients, thermal properties of wastes, average temperature differentials, and heat generation values are provided. Heat generation was influenced by climatic conditions, mean annual earth temperatures, waste temperatures at the time of placement, cover conditions, and inherent heat generation potential of the specific wastes. Time to onset of heat generation varied between months …

Computational Aerodynamic Analysis Of A Micro-Ct Based Bio-Realistic Fruit Fly Wing, Joshua Brandt, Graham Doig, Naomi Tsafnat

Aerospace Engineering

The aerodynamic features of a bio-realistic 3D fruit fly wing in steady state (snapshot) flight conditions were analyzed numerically. The wing geometry was created from high resolution micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) of the fruit fly Drosophila virilis. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses of the wing were conducted at ultra-low Reynolds numbers ranging from 71 to 200, and at angles of attack ranging from -10° to +30°. It was found that in the 3D bio-realistc model, the corrugations of the wing created localized circulation regions in the flow field, most notably at higher angles of attack near the wing tip. Analyses …

Inter-Laboratory Variation In The Chemical Analysis Of Acidic Forest Soil Reference Samples From Eastern North America, D. S. Ross, S. W. Bailey, R. D. Briggs, J. Curry, I. J. Fernandez, G. Fredriksen, C. L. Goodale, P. W. Hazlett, P. R. Heine, C. E. Johnson, J. T. Larson, G. B. Lawrence, R. K. Kolka, R. Ouimet, D. Paré, D. De B. Richter, C. D. Schirmer, R. A. Warby

Civil and Environmental Engineering - All Scholarship

Long-term forest soil monitoring and research often requires a comparison of laboratory data generated at different times and in different laboratories. Quantifying the uncertainty associated with these analyses is necessary to assess temporal changes in soil properties. Forest soil chemical properties, and methods to measure these properties, often differ from agronomic and horticultural soils. Soil proficiency programs do not generally include forest soil samples that are highly acidic, high in extractable Al, low in extractable Ca and often high in carbon. To determine the uncertainty associated with specific analytical methods for forest soils, we collected and distributed samples from two …

Lighten Everyone's Load: Lidar Applications To Support Engineers, Planners, Scientists And More, Michael J. Olsen

PSU Transportation Seminars

Light detection and ranging (LIDAR) technology is reshaping the civil engineering profession and offers many unique advantages. National efforts such as the 3D Elevation Plan (3DEP) are helping increase the availability of LIDAR data. LIDAR is one of the crucial technologies that is transitioning the world of civil and construction engineering from 2D paper-based design to 3D digital design. The high spatial resolution and accuracy capabilities of LIDAR have led to increased efficiencies, improved analyses, and more informed decision making.

A further advantage of this dataset is that multiple people can use the same dataset for a variety …

Thin Film Based Biocompatible Sensors For Physiological Monitoring, Yihao Zhu

Theses and Dissertations

The development and evolution of physiological sensors, from wearable to implantable, has enabled long term continuous physiological monitoring, making possible for the out-of-clinic treatment and management of many chronic illnesses, mental health issues and post-surgery recovery. This technology advance is gradually changing the definition of health care and the way it is delivered, from clinic/emergency room to patient’s own environment. In this dissertation, three general types of sensors have been proposed for physiological monitoring of blood pressure, oxygen content and electrolyte ion concentration level in human body, respectively. The study proved the device concepts and shows promising results with the …

Investigating The Relationship Between Organizational Innovation Capability And Firm Performance With Irish Smes, Maryam Bukhamsin

Dissertations

The topic of innovation capability and its relationship with performance has been examined by several previous studies. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate the relationship between innovation capability aspects proposed by the Innovation Value Institute (IVI) and firms’ overall performance. IVI is specialised in developing organizational and innovation capability in order to improve firms’ performance. In addition, this study presents the most important aspects of innovation capability that are directly and positively associated with firms’ overall financial and operational performance. This empirical study was conducted on small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Ireland; the data was collected from …

Measuring Reliability In Dynamic And Stochastic Transportation Networks, Zifeng Wu

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

As the traffic demand levels continue to grow in cities, more and more transportation systems experience instability during recurrent and non-recurrent congestion periods. Therefore, reliability has taken on increasing emphases in performance evaluation for transportation agencies, and in performance communication between agencies and the public. Existing reliability-related studies in transportation engineering focus on the long-term reliability of day-to-day travel time variations. This dissertation expands the reliability research literature with studies on the short-term reliability which is valuable for both real-time management and real-time traffic information systems.

This dissertation proposes a level of service reliability metric for system evaluation. Instead of …

Enhancing Grain Refinement Of Austenitic Steel With Ti Additions By Melt Treatment Sequence Optimization, Gun Ge, Semen Naumovich Lekakh, Ronald J. O'Malley

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Spring 2015, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge. The senior design competition helps focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects on …

Biostimulation And Bioaugmentation To Enhance Reductive Dechlorination Of Tce In A Long-Term Flow Through Column Study, Joan E. Mclean, Jared Ervin, Jing Zhou, Darwin L. Sorensen, Ryan Dupont

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Large laboratory columns (15.2 cm diameter, 183 cm long) were fed with groundwater containing trichloroethylene (TCE), were biostimulated and bioaugmented, and were monitored for over 7.5 years. The objective of the study was to observe how the selection of the carbon and energy source, i.e., whey, Newman Zone® standard surfactant emulsified oil and Newman Zone nonionic surfactant emulsified oil, affected the rate and extent of dechlorination. Column effluent was monitored for TCE and its degradation products, redox indicators (nitrate-N, Fe(II), sulfate), and changes in iron mineralogy. Total bacteria and Dehalococcoides mccartyi strains were quantified using q-PCR. Complete dechlorination was only …