Engineering Commons^™

Nebraska Summary: S990a Massey Ferguson 8730, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Security Of Non-Volatile Memories - Attack Models, Analyses, And Counter-Measures, Jae-Won Jang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The unprecedented demand for performance in the latest technologies will ultimately require changes in the way we design cache. Emerging high density embedded memories such as Spin-Transfer Torque Random Access Memory (STTRAM) have emerged as a possible candidate for universal memory due to its high speed, low power, non-volatility, and low cost. Although attractive, STTRAM is susceptible to contactless tampering through malicious exposure to magnetic field with the intention to steal or modify the bitcell content. In this thesis, we explore various attack techniques on STTRAM and then propose a novel array-based sensor to detect the polarity and magnitude of …

Design And Comparison Of Immersive Interactive Learning And Instructional Techniques For 3d Virtual Laboratories, Shuo Ren, Frederic D. Mckenzie, Sushil K. Chaturvedi, Ramamurthy Prabhakaran, Jaewan Yoon, Petros J. Katsioloudis, Hector Garcia

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

This work presents the design, development, and testing of 3D virtual laboratories for practice, specifically in undergraduate mechanical engineering laboratories. The 3D virtual laboratories, implemented under two virtual environments3DTV and Computer Automated Virtual Environment (CAVE)serve as pre-lab sessions performed before the actual physical laboratory experiment. The current study compares the influence of two instructional methods (conventional lecture-based and inquiry-based) under two virtual environments, and the results are compared with the pre-lab sessions using a traditional paper-based lab manual. Subsequently, the evaluation is done by conducting performance and quantitative assessments from students pre-and post-laboratory performances. The research results demonstrate that students …

Big Data -- A 21st Century Science Maginot Line? No-Boundary Thinking: Shifting From The Big Data Paradigm, Xiuzhen Huang, Steven F. Jennings, Barry Bruce, Alison Buchan, Liming Cai, Pengyin Chen, Carole Cramer, Weihua Guan, Uwe Kk Hilgert, Hongmei Jiang, Zenglu Li, Gail Mcclure, Donald F. Mcmullen, Bindu Nanduri, Andy Perkins, Bhanu Rekepalli, Saeed Salem, Jennifer Specker, Karl Walker, Donald C. Wunsch, Donghai Xiong, Shuzhong Zhang, Yu Zhang, Zhongming Zhao, Jason H. Moore

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Whether your interests lie in scientific arenas, the corporate world, or in government, you have certainly heard the praises of big data: Big data will give you new insights, allow you to become more efficient, and/or will solve your problems. While big data has had some outstanding successes, many are now beginning to see that it is not the Silver Bullet that it has been touted to be. Here our main concern is the overall impact of big data; the current manifestation of big data is constructing a Maginot Line in science in the 21st century. Big data is not …

Development Of A High Performance Mosaicing And Super-Resolution Algorithm, Debabrata Ghosh

Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, a high-performance mosaicing and super-resolution algorithm is described. The scale invariant feature transform (SIFT)-based mosaicing algorithm builds an initial mosaic which is iteratively updated by the robust super resolution algorithm to achieve the final high-resolution mosaic. Two different types of datasets are used for testing: high altitude balloon data and unmanned aerial vehicle data. To evaluate our algorithm, five performance metrics are employed: mean square error, peak signal to noise ratio, singular value decomposition, slope of reciprocal singular value curve, and cumulative probability of blur detection. Extensive testing shows that the proposed algorithm is effective in improving …

Litigation Holds: Past, Present, And Future Directions, Milton Luoma, Vicki M. Luoma

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Electronically Stored Information (ESI) first became a serious litigation issue in the late 1990s, and the first attempts to determine best practices did not occur until the early 2000s. As best practices developed, the litigation hold to prevent routine destruction of documents and to preserve documents relevant to litigation came into existence. The duty to preserve ESI is triggered when litigation is reasonably anticipated. All information that relates to potential litigation must be preserved from the time it becomes reasonably apparent that litigation is possible until the expiration of the statute of limitations. If steps are not taken to properly …

To License Or Not To License Reexamined: An Updated Report On State Statutes Regarding Private Investigators And Digital Examiners, Thomas Lonardo, Alan Rea, Doug White

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

In this update to the 2012 year's study, the authors examine statutes that regulate, license, and enforce investigative functions in each US state. As before, the authors find that very few state statutes explicitly differentiate between Private Investigators and Digital Examiners. There is a small trend in which some states are changing definitions or moving to exempt DE from PI licensing requirements. However, we look at some additional information in terms of practicing attorney exemptions that may cloud the licensing waters.

As with the previous research studies (Lonardo et al., 2008, 2009, 2012) the authors contacted all state regulatory agencies …

Table Of Contents

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.

Open Forensic Devices, Lee Tobin, Pavel Gladyshev

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Cybercrime has been a growing concern for the past two decades. What used to be the responsibility of specialist national police has become routine work for regional and district police. Unfortunately, funding for law enforcement agencies is not growing as fast as the amount of digital evidence. In this paper, we present a forensic platform that is tailored for cost effectiveness, extensibility, and ease of use. The software for this platform is open source and can be deployed on practically all commercially available hardware devices such as standard desktop motherboards or embedded systems such as Raspberry Pi and Gizmosphere’s Gizmo …

The Use Of Ontologies In Forensic Analysis Of Smartphone Content, Mohammed Alzaabi, Thomas A. Martin, Kamal Taha, Andy Jones

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Digital forensics investigators face a constant challenge in keeping track with evolving technologies such as smartphones. Analyzing the contents of these devices to infer useful information is becoming more time consuming as the volume and complexity of data are increasing. Typically, such analysis is undertaken by a human, which makes it dependent on the experience of the investigator. To overcome such impediments, an automated technique can be utilized in order to aid the investigator to quickly and eciently analyze the data.In this paper, we propose F-DOS; a set of ontologies that models the smartphone content for the purpose of forensic …

Table Of Contents

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.

A Review Of Approaches For Sensing, Understanding, And Improving Occupancy-Related Energy-Use Behaviors In Commercial Buildings, Hamed Nabizadeh Rafsanjani, Changbum R. Ahn, Mahmoud Alahmad

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Buildings currently account for 30–40 percent of total global energy consumption. In particular, commercial buildings are responsible for about 12 percent of global energy use and 21 percent of the United States’ energy use, and the energy demand of this sector continues to grow faster than other sectors. This increasing rate therefore raises a critical concern about improving the energy performance of commercial buildings. Recently, researchers have investigated ways in which understanding and improving occupants’ energy-consuming behaviors could function as a cost-effective approach to decreasing commercial buildings’ energy demands. The objective of this paper is to present a detailed, up-to-date …

A 3-D Stability Analysis Of Lee Harvey Oswald In The Backyard Photo, Srivamshi Pittala, Emily Whiting, Hany Farid

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Fifty years have passed since the assassination of U.S. President Kennedy. Despite the long passage of time, it is still argued that the famous backyard photo of Oswald, holding the same type of rifle used to assassinate the President, is a fake. These claims include, among others, that Oswald’s pose in the photo is physically implausible. We describe a detailed 3-D stability analysis to determine if this claim is warranted.

Table Of Contents

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.

The Mechanisms Of Information Integration In Experimental Prediction Markets, Richard Jolly, Martin Zwick, Wayne Wakeland, James Woods, Barry Anderson

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

The desire to understand the mechanisms of market information integration motivates this study. Experimental prediction markets are used in a large sample study and the results from the markets as well as individuals' actions are analyzed. By varying the presence and type of feedback the mechanisms of information collection and information aggregation were studied. Markets without feedback demonstrated information collection by outperforming the average of their participants. When feedback was introduced the inductive process of information aggregation was observed. This process was seen to simultaneously increase the amount of information assimilated, but also introduce information mirages which tend to decrease …

On Some Recent Experimental Results Concerning Turbulent Coanda Wall Jets, Caroline P. Lubert

Department of Mathematics and Statistics - Faculty Scholarship

The Coanda effect is the tendency of a stream of fluid to stay attached to a convex surface, rather than follow a straight line in its original direction. As a result, in such jets mixing takes place between the jet and the ambient air as soon as the jet issues from its exit nozzle, causing air to be entrained. This air-jet mixture adheres to the nearby surface. Whilst devices employing the Coanda effect usually offer substantial flow deflection, and enhanced turbulence levels and entrainment compared with conventional jet flows, these prospective advantages are generally accompanied by significant disadvantages including a …

Properties Of Cu(In,Ga,Al)Se² Thin Films Fabricated By Magnetron Sputtering, Talaat A. Hameed, Wei Cao, Bahiga A. Mansour, Inas K. Elzawaway, El-Metwally M. Abdelrazek, Hani E. Elsayed-Ali

Applied Research Center Publications

Cu (In,Ga,Al)Se₂ (CIGAS) thin films were studied as an alternative absorber layer material to Cu(In_xGa_1-x)Se₂. CIGAS thin films with varying Al content were prepared by magnetron sputtering on Si(100) and soda-lime glass substrates at 350 °C, followed by postdeposition annealing at 520 °C for 5 h in vacuum. The film composition was measured by an electron probe microanalyzer while the elemental depth profiles were determined by secondary ion mass spectrometry. X-ray diffraction studies indicated that CIGAS films are single phase with chalcopyrite structure and that the (112) peak clearly shifts to higher 2θ …

Set Lister, Cyril Casapao

Honors Projects

No abstract provided.

Deposition And Characterization Of Ceramic Thin Films And A New Experimental Approach To Evaluate The Mechanical Integrity Of Film/Substrate Interfacial Layers, Yang Mu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Due to their corrosion resistance, high temperature stability, high strength, and high hardness, refractory ceramic thin films and coatings have been utilized for surface engineering of mechanical components and mechanical fabrication tools. Adhesion between ceramic thin films and coatings and the substrate is of critical concern for performance and life time of coated systems. In this dissertation, a custom designed and constructed ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) vapor phase deposition system was used for the preparation of ceramic thin films through low-pressure high-density plasma assisted physical vapor deposition (PVD) methods. Deposited thin films were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), …

Sola Gratia: Grace In The Engineering Curriculum And Profession, Ethan Brue

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Integral Christian higher education is in vogue. Most Christian institutions of higher education who take their mission seriously make the claim that the education offered to students is one where faith and learning are not separate. It is a belief that their entire educational enterprise is inexorably tied in some way, shape, or form to our new life in Christ. Most engineering programs on Christian campuses are the outgrowth of this perspective. Over the last fifty years, numerous philosophers, writers, scientists, and engineers have developed a solid foundation from which engineering can be understood as an essential calling in the …

Graphene Based Heterojunctions For Nano-Electronic And Sensing Applications, Md A. Uddin

Theses and Dissertations

Graphene, an atomically thin and semi-metallic two dimensional material, has been extensively researched over the past decade due to its superior intrinsic carrier velocity, electrical and chemically tunable work function, ability to form layered heterostructure with other materials, and relevant potential applications in electronics, sensing, optoelectronics, energy storage, etc. However, the confinement of charge carriers within one atomic layer results in an electrical transport that is extremely sensitive to the surrounding environment, which is beneficial for sensing applications, but at times unfavorable for electronic applications due to scattering from extrinsic impurities. In addition, due to its rather delicate structure, engineering …

Design, Fabrication, And Characterization Of Pseudomorphic And Quasi-Pseudomorphic Algan Based Deep Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diodes Over Sapphire, Fatima Asif

Theses and Dissertations

III-Nitride based deep ultraviolet (UV) light emitting diodes (LEDs) emitting below 280nm has the potential to replace mercury lamps currently used in the systems for water/air purification, germicidal and medical instruments sterilization applications. However, this potential has not yet been fully realized as the output power, quantum efficiency and lifetime of deep UV-LEDs have been limited by the large number of dislocations in the active region of the devices, arising from the lattice mismatched sapphire substrate, which has been the substrate of choice due to its high transparency to deep UV radiation. To reduce dislocations in the active region of …

Predictive Methods For End Of Life Prognosis In Composites, Vamsee Vadlamudi

Theses and Dissertations

The long-term properties of continuous fiber reinforced composite materials are increasingly important as applications in airplanes, cars, and other safety critical structures are growing rapidly. The mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties of composite materials are altered by the initiation and accumulation of discrete fracture events whose distribution and eventual interaction defines the limits of design, such as strength and life. There is a correlation that exists between the long term behavior of those materials under combined mechanical, thermal, and electrical fields, and the functional properties and characteristics of the composite materials that requires a fundamental understanding of the material state …

Investigation Of Modular Multilevel Converter Performance Under Non-Ideal Distribution System Conditions, Rostan Rodrigues

Theses and Dissertations

The Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) is an emerging power converter technology that has caught widespread attention mainly because of several technical and economic benefits such as modular realization, easy scalability, low total harmonic distortion, fail-safe operations etc. The MMC is comprised of a series connection of sub-modules (SM). A sub-module is made by either a half-bridge or a full-bridge IGBT device and a capacitor as a source of energy connected across the bridge. This modular structure allows for the possibility to design high-voltage converters handling hundreds of kilo-volts without direct series connection of the power semiconductor devices.

Due to its …

Adaptivity For Meshfree Point Collocation Methods In Linear Elastic Solid Mechanics, Joshua Wayne Derrick

Theses and Dissertations

This study presents the behavior of local node adaptivity for point collocation meshfree numerical methods and its application to linear elastic solid mechanics. A bisection approach to meshfree adaptivity will be presented with numerical examples showing that convergence is achieved. A threshold value is required from the user and this value is an acceptable change in gradient for the problem. If the change in gradient between 2 nodes exceed this limit, a node is added at the mid-point between the two nodes. This process applies to all nodes in the model. Once the refinement is complete, the model is processed …

Experimental Study Of Longitudinal Sorting Of Particles Differing In Size And Density, Nabila Mahjabeen

Theses and Dissertations

Transport, deposition and erosion of sediment particles differing in size, shape and density may result in particle segregation, which in geosciences applications is generally referred to as sediment sorting. A thorough understanding of sediment sorting processes is important to describe and model a wide variety of natural processes such as the decrease in particle size and/or density in a fluvial system (downstream fining and/or lightening), the formation of economic placers, concentration of heavy minerals, chemical and metal pollutants etc. Sorting of sediment grains associated with sediment transport in the streamwise direction results in the development of longitudinal sorting patterns. Vertical …

A Novel Fmri Paradigm Suggests That Pedaling-Related Brain Activation Is Altered After Stroke, Nutta-On Promjunyakul, Brian D. Schmit, Sheila M. Schindler-Ivens

Physical Therapy Faculty Research and Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine the feasibility of using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure pedaling-related brain activation in individuals with stroke and age-matched controls. We also sought to identify stroke-related changes in brain activation associated with pedaling. Fourteen stroke and 12 control subjects were asked to pedal a custom, MRI-compatible device during fMRI. Subjects also performed lower limb tapping to localize brain regions involved in lower limb movement. All stroke and control subjects were able to pedal while positioned for fMRI. Two control subjects were withdrawn due to claustrophobia, and one control data set was …

Interfacial Bond Between Reinforcing Fibers And Calcium Sulfoaluminate Cements: Fiber Pullout Characteristics, Robert B. Jewell, Kamyar C. Mahboub, Thomas L. Robl, Arne C. Bathke

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The results of an experimental investigation on the influence of the interfacial bond of reinforcing fibers embedded in a calcium sulfoaluminate matrix on the fiber-pullout peak load and energy consumption are presented. Bonding at the fiber-matrix interface plays an important role in controlling the mechanical performance of cementitious composites—in particular, composites formed from sulfate-based systems (calcium sulfoaluminate [CSA] cements), as opposed to the silicate systems found in portland cement. Various types of fibers were selected, including polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polypropylene, and copper-coated steel. The fibers were embedded in three different matrixes: two sulfate-based cements including one commercially available CSA cement …

Exploratory Study Of Seasonal Indoor Bioaerosols And The Associated Health Outcomes In Low-Income Communities In El Paso, Texas, 2014, Eric Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Introduction: Structural degradation, moisture levels, and building failures can influence poor indoor air quality and create a good environment for bioaerosols. People spend much of their time indoors and can potentially be exposed to these bioaerosols. Several studies have correlated exposures to high concentrations of bioaerosols to various health problems, severe allergies, asthma, or other respiratory illness. Objectives: The objectives of this study are to describe bioaerosol concentrations, meteorological factors, and health outcomes during the summer and fall seasons; characterize bioaerosols (bacteria and fungi) collected in low-income communities; compare bioaerosol concentrations by season; compare meteorological factors to bioaerosol concentrations by …

Simulating Energy Efficient Control Of Multiple-Compressor Compressed Air Systems, Sean Murphy, J. Kelly Kissock

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

In many industrial facilities it is common for more than one air compressor to be operating simultaneously to meet the compressed air demand. The individual compressor set-points and how these compressors interact and respond to the facility demand have a significant impact on the compressed air system total power consumption and efficiency. In the past, compressors were staged by cascading the pressure band of each compressor in the system. Modern automatic sequencers now allow more intelligent and efficient staging of air compressors.

AirSim, a compressed air simulation tool, is now able to simulate multiple-compressor systems with pressure band and automatic …