Engineering Commons^™

Earthmoving Productivity In Urban Bridge Construction, Seonghoon Kim, Yong Bai

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Earthmoving operations in urban bridge reconstruction projects are analyzed to identify significant factors that impact relatively low productivity. The research project was conducted in the urban interchange reconstruction of Interstate Highway 235 (I-235) in Des Moines, Iowa. By using observational studies and a statistical analysis method, the factors were identified, including match factor, number of passes, and loading cycle time per bucket. Number of truck, match factor, travel time, and hauling distance were identified as the unique factors for the off-site earthmoving project, while the start time and travel time were significant factors for the on-site project. This research also …

Development Of An Android Based Game Interfaced With Qr Codes For A Gamified Power Management System, Mariano Jesus M. Cayabyab, Maria Rosa T. Santiago, Samuel Matthew G. Dumlao, Rosula Sj Reyes

Electronics, Computer, and Communications Engineering Faculty Publications

- Filipinos are under the threat of an energy shortage. While efforts are being done both in the public and private sectors in developing alternative solutions to ease the shortage, it will take several years before this will come to full implementation. Conservation of energy through power management is the simplest and closest to implement at this time. Filipino households need to be motivated to use smart energy conservation. The introduction of Gamification as a method of motivations has found its use in many applications. In this study the possibility of Gamification to encourage the use of smart energy conservation …

3d-Printed Hand Controlled By Arm Gestures To Verify The Robustness And Reliability Of A Low Cost Surface Electromyography System, Ma. Erika Manlapaz, Marie Perrot, Gabrielle Villavicencio, Bryan Lao, Rosula Sj Reyes

Electronics, Computer, and Communications Engineering Faculty Publications

The study focuses on the development of a low-cost surface electromyography and 3D-printed hand gesture-recognition system. The complete system captures four (4) channels of EMG data through sEMG amplifier circuits interfaced to an Arduino prototyping board. This data is sent to a workstation wherein the graphical user interface shows the pre-processed signal. The gestures are used as control for the movements of the 3D-printed arm.

Girder Load Distribution For Seismic Design Of Integral Bridges, Justin Vander Werff, Sri Sritharan

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Current seismic design practice related to integral bridge girder-to-cap beam connections allows little or no lateral seismic load to be distributed beyond the girders immediately adjacent to the column. However, distribution results from several large-scale tests have shown that the distribution of column seismic moment typically engages all the girders. An approach utilizing simple stiffness models to predict distribution in integral bridge structures is presented in detail; distribution predictions based on grillage analyses also are compared. The experimental results and the analytical results from the stiffness and grillage models show that current design methods related to vertical load distribution are …

A Review Of Locomotion Systems For Capsule Endoscopy, Lejie Liu,, Shahrzad Towfighian, Amine Hila

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Scholarship

Wireless capsule endoscopy for gastrointestinal (GI) tract is a modern technology that has the potential to replace conventional endoscopy techniques. Capsule endoscopy is a pill-shaped device embedded with a camera, a coin battery, and a data transfer. Without a locomotion system, this capsule endoscopy can only passively travel inside the GI tract via natural peristalsis, thus causing several disadvantages such as inability to control and stop, and risk of capsule retention. Therefore, a locomotion system needs to be added to optimize the current capsule endoscopy. This review summarizes the state-of-the-art locomotion methods along with the desired locomotion features such as …

A Cylindrical Triboelectric Energy Harvester For Capsule Endoscopes, Lejie Liu, Shahrzad Towfighian, Zhanpeng Jin

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Scholarship

Capsule endoscopy is a new technology that has the potential to replace conventional endoscopy in the near future due to its non-invasive nature. A major limitation for their functionality is the limited battery life. We have investigated a triboelectric energyharvester inside a capsule endoscope that can generate power from natural contractions of gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The periodic contacts and separations of two triboelectric materials inside the capsule endoscope create an alternating current that can be used to charge the capsule endoscope battery, which is used for imaging the GI tract. This study presents an analytical closed form solution for the …

Interactive Markov Models Of Evolutionary Algorithms, Haiping Ma, Daniel J. Simon, Minrui Fei, Hongwei Mo

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper introduces a Markov model for evolutionary algorithms (EAs) that is based on interactions among individuals in the population. This interactive Markov model has the potential to provide tractable models for optimization problems of realistic size. We propose two simple discrete optimization search strategies with population-proportion-based selection and a modified mutation operator. The probability of selection is linearly proportional to the number of individuals at each point of the search space. The mutation operator randomly modifies an entire individual rather than a single decision variable. We exactly model these optimization search strategies with interactive Markov models. We present simulation …

Evaluation Of Tcp Header Fields For Data Overhead Efficiency, Justin K. Yirka

Undergraduate Research Posters

Bandwidth across the internet is constricted by monetary factors and hardware development, so researchers are left to improve the efficiency of data transmitted in order to improve internet speeds. The transmission control protocol (TCP) is the primary transport protocol on the modern internet, ensuring reliable delivery of the majority of data transmitted. I evaluated the TCP header fields for efficient use of data overhead so as to determine current waste and to suggest possible areas for revision. I examined original specifications for TCP mechanisms, comparing them to modern implementations as determined by updated standards and modern practices in the networking …

Creation Of An Annotated Library On Fda Approved Nanomedicines, Marley R. Hodson, Tanin Izadi, Nastassja Lewinski Ph.D, Bridget T. Mcinnes Ph.D

Undergraduate Research Posters

Nanomedicine is a type of nanotechnology used in the medical field to limit the dosage amount and target drug delivery to specific cells. Nanomedicines that are approved and used tend to be extremely successful; however despite over a decade of research, only a limited number of nanomedicines have advanced for clinical use. A possible reason for the numerous nanomedicine failures is lack of easily accessible information and research on previous nanomedicines. In this project, we have compiled nanomedicine labeling information from the Drugs@FDA website. We have extracted phrases/sentences from labels relating to keywords on nanomaterial properties and drug profile characteristics. …

Proactive Conversation, 3d Printing, And An Old Nintendo, Tesha C. Ellis

Undergraduate Research Posters

Abstract

One hundred years from now, it would be a true historical treat to be able to showcase 20th and 21st century digital entertainment by presenting video game consoles in mint condition for interactive, educational, play. Arguably, it would be more enlightening and informative for future audiences to be able to physically engage with the electronic artifacts instead of simply observing them behind glass. With the use of 3D technology, components of video game systems can be preserved, and then printed as needed for repairs. It will help keep them functional for future researchers, educators, and enthusiasts.

High Efficiency And Wide Color Gamut Liquid Crystal Displays, Zhenyue Luo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Liquid crystal display (LCD) has become ubiquitous and indispensable in our daily life. Recently, it faces strong competition from organic light emitting diode (OLED). In order to maintain a strong leader position, LCD camp has an urgent need to enrich the color performance and reduce the power consumption. This dissertation focuses on solving these two emerging and important challenges. In the first part of the dissertation we investigate the quantum dot (QD) technology to improve the both the color gamut and the light efficiency of LCD. QD emits saturated color and grants LCD the capability to reproduce color vivid images. …

Entanglement And Coherence In Classical And Quantum Optics, Kumel Kagalwala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We explore the concepts of coherence and entanglement as they apply to both the classical and quantum natures of light. In the classical domain, we take inspiration from the tools and concepts developed in foundational quantum mechanics and quantum information science to gain a better understanding of classical coherence theory of light with multiple degrees of freedom (DoFs). First, we use polarization and spatial parity DoFs to demonstrate the notion of classical entanglement, and show that Bell's measure can serve as a useful tool in distinguishing between classical optical coherence theory. Second, we establish a methodical yet versatile approach called …

Autonomous Quadcopter Videographer, Quiquia Rey Coaguila

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the interest in quadcopters as a robotics platform for autonomous photography has increased. This is due to their small size and mobility, which allow them to reach places that are difficult or even impossible for humans. This thesis focuses on the design of an autonomous quadcopter videographer, i.e. a quadcopter capable of capturing good footage of a specific subject. In order to obtain this footage, the system needs to choose appropriate vantage points and control the quadcopter. Skilled human videographers can easily spot good filming locations where the subject and its actions can be seen clearly in …

Modeling User Transportation Patterns Using Mobile Devices, Erfan Davami

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Participatory sensing frameworks use humans and their computing devices as a large mobile sensing network. Dramatic accessibility and affordability have turned mobile devices (smartphone and tablet computers) into the most popular computational machines in the world, exceeding laptops. By the end of 2013, more than 1.5 billion people on earth will have a smartphone. Increased coverage and higher speeds of cellular networks have given these devices the power to constantly stream large amounts of data. Most mobile devices are equipped with advanced sensors such as GPS, cameras, and microphones. This expansion of smartphone numbers and power has created a sensing …

Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition Of Functional Oxide Materials For Crystalline Silicon Solar Cells, Kristopher Davis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Functional oxides are versatile materials that can simultaneously enable efficiency gains and cost reductions in crystalline silicon (c-Si) solar cells. In this work, the deposition of functional oxide materials using atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) and the integration of these materials into c-Si solar cells are explored. Specifically, thin oxide films and multi-layer film stacks are utilized for the following purposes: (1) to minimize front surface reflectance without increasing parasitic absorption within the anti-reflection coating(s); (2) to maximize internal back reflectance of rear passivated cells, thereby increasing optical absorption of weakly absorbed long wavelength photons (? > 900 nm); (3) …

Assessing Biofiltration Pretreatment For Ultrafiltration Membrane Processes, Andrea Cumming

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An engineered biological filtration (biofiltration) process treating a nutrient-enriched, low-alkalinity, organic-laden surface water downstream of conventional coagulation-clarification and upstream of an ultrafiltration (UF) membrane process was assessed for its treatment effectiveness. The impact of biofiltration pretreatment on UF membrane performance was evaluated holistically by investigating the native source water chemistry and extending the analysis into the drinking water distribution system. The biofiltration process was also compared in treatment performance to two alternative pretreatment technologies, including magnetic ion exchange (MIEX®) and granular activated carbon (GAC) adsorption. The MIEX®, GAC adsorption, and biologically active carbon (BAC) filtration pretreatments were integrated with conventional …

Modeling And Analysis Of Automated Storage And Retrievals System With Multiple In-The-Aisle Pick Positions, Faraz Ramtin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on developing analytical models for automated storage and retrieval system with multiple in-the-aisle pick positions (MIAPP-AS/RS). Specifically, our first contribution develops an expected travel time model for different pick positions and different physical configurations for a random storage policy. This contribution has been accepted for publication in IIE Transactions (Ramtin & Pazour, 2014) and was the featured article in the IE Magazine (Askin & Nussbaum, 2014). The second contribution addresses an important design question associated with MIAPP-AS/RS, which is the assignment of items to pick positions in an MIAPP-AS/RS. This contribution has been accepted for publication in …

White Light Continuum For Broadband Nonlinear Spectroscopy, Trenton Ensley

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Supercontinuum (SC) generation, oftentimes referred to as white-light continuum (WLC), has been a subject of interest for more than 40 years. From the first observation of WLC in condensed media in the early 1970s to the first observation of WLC in gases in the mid-1980s, much work has been devoted to developing a framework for understanding the complex nature of this phenomenon as well as discovering its utility in various applications. The main effort of this dissertation is to develop a WLC for the purpose of broadband nonlinear spectroscopy and use it in spectroscopic measurements. The ability to generate a …

Quantitative Spatial Frequency Fluorescence Imaging In The Sub-Diffusive Domain For Image-Guided Glioma Resection, Mira Sibai, Israel Veilleux, Jonathan T. Elliott, Frederic Leblond, Brian Wilson

Dartmouth Scholarship

Intraoperative 5- aminolevulinic acid induced-Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) fluorescence guidance enables maximum safe resection of glioblastomas by providing surgeons with real-time tumor optical contrast. However, visual assessment of PpIX fluorescence is subjective and limited by the distorting effects of light attenuation and tissue autofluorescence. We have previously shown that non-invasive point measurements of absolute PpIX concentration identifies residual tumor that is otherwise non-detectable. Here, we extend this approach to wide-field quantitative fluorescence imaging by implementing spatial frequency domain imaging to recover tissue optical properties across the field-of-view in phantoms and ex vivo tissue.

A Cost-Effective Haptic Device For Assistive And Rehabilitation Purposes, Archana Pradeep

Masters Theses

With the growing population of elderly, the need for assistance has also increased considerably especially for the tasks such as cleaning, reaching and grasping objects among others. There are numerous assistive devices in the market for this group of people. However, they are either too expensive or require overwhelming user effort for manipulation. Therefore, the presented research is primarily concerned with developing a low-cost, easy to use assistive device for elderly to reach and grasp objects through intuitive interface for the control of a slave anthropomorphic robotic arm (tele operator). The system also implements haptic feedback technology that enables the …

Using Robots As Therapeutic Agents To Teach Children With Autism Recognize Facial Expression, Seyedmohammad Mavadati, Huanghao Feng, Peyten B. Sanger, S. Silver, Anibal Gutierrez, Mohammad H. Mahoor

Electrical and Computer Engineering: Graduate Student Scholarship

Background: Recognizing and mimicking facial expressions are important cues for building great rapport and relationship in human-human communication. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have often deficits in recognizing and mimicking social cues, such as facial expressions. In the last decade several studies have shown that individuals with ASD have superior engagement toward objects and particularly robots (i.e. humanoid and non-humanoid). However, majority of the studies have focused on investigating robot’s appearances and the engineering design concepts and very few research have been done on the effectiveness of robots in therapeutic and treatment applications. In fact, the critical question that …

Two-Photon Absorption In Bulk Semiconductors And Quantum Well Structures And Its Applications, Himansu Pattanaik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to provide a study and possible applications of two-photon absorption (2PA), in direct-gap semiconductors and quantum-well (QW) semiconductor structures. One application uses extremely nondegenerate (END) 2PA, for mid-infrared (mid-IR) detection in uncooled semiconductors. The use of END, where the two photons have very different energies gives strong enhancement comapared to degenerate 2PA. This END-2PA enhanced detection is also applied to mid-IR imaging and light detection and ranging (LIDAR) in uncooled direct-gap photodiodes. A theoretical study of degenerate 2PA (D-2PA) in quantum wells, QWs, is presented, along with a new theory of ND 2PA in …

Conservation Laws And Electromagnetic Interactions, Veerachart Kajorndejnukul

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aside from energy, light carries linear and angular momenta that can be transferred to matter. The interaction between light and matter is governed by conservation laws that can manifest themselves as mechanical effects acting on both matter and light waves. This interaction permits remote, precise, and noninvasive manipulation and sensing at microscopic levels. In this dissertation, we demonstrated for the first time a complete set of opto-mechanical effects that are based on nonconservative forces and act at the interface between dielectric media. Without structuring the light field, forward action is provided by the conventional radiation pressure while a backward movement …

Photon Statistics In Disordered Lattices, Hasan Kondakci

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Propagation of coherent waves through disordered media, whether optical, acoustic, or radio waves, results in a spatially redistributed random intensity pattern known as speckle -- a statistical phenomenon. The subject of this dissertation is the statistics of monochromatic coherent light traversing disordered photonic lattices and its dependence on the disorder class, the level of disorder and the excitation configuration at the input. Throughout the dissertation, two disorder classes are considered, namely, diagonal and off-diagonal disorders. The latter exhibits disorder-immune chiral symmetry -- the appearance of the eigenmodes in skew-symmetric pairs and the corresponding eigenvalues in opposite signs. When a disordered …

Remediation Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In Soil Using Hemoglobin-Catalytic Mechanism, Guyoung Kang, Kapsung Park, Jaechang Cho, David King Stevens, Namhyun Chung

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

It is suggested in this paper that recalcitrant organopollutants can be degraded efficiently by a hemoglobin-catalytic reaction in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (i.e., H2O2). The catalytic mechanism was studied with 5-aminosalicylic acid (5-ASA) as a compound for oxidation. Various evidence suggests that the catalytic mechanism is very similar to those of horseradish peroxidase and lignin peroxidase. The catalytic intermediates are known to oxidize various chemicals, indicating that the intermediates of hemoglobin can nonspecifically degrade many different types of organopollutants. To prove the hypothesis, an attempt was made to remediate polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH)-contaminated field soil. The results showed that …

Can Suspended Fine Sediment Transport In Shallow Lakes Be Predicted Using Mvrvm With Limited Observations?, H. A. Batt Ph.D., David King Stevens

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

The study of sediment transport in water natural bodies is a challenging task. There have been several attempts to describe sediment mathematically using hydraulic characteristics of water bodies. Most researchers who developed empirical formulas to describe sediment transport performed laboratory experiments with assumptions that did not take into account variations of hydraulic parameters and the fine sediment sizes that are part of this phenomenon. Recently, new approaches for studying sediment transport have been developed involving the use of machine-learning algorithms that have proven accuracy and efficiency in predicting sediment transport. A novel machinelearning method, the Multivariate Relevance Vector Machine (MVRVM), …

Buckling Instability Of Crown Sealing, J. O. Marston, Mohammad M. Mansoor, Tadd T. Truscott, S. T. Thoroddsen

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Despite the scholarly fascination with water entry of spheres for well over a century,¹ we present a new observation, namely, the crown-buckling instability. This instability is characterized by striations appearing near the top of the crown walls just prior to the surface seal, as shown in Fig. 1(a). The crown wall collapses inward due to the pressure differential across the wall created by the moving air in the wake of the sphere and surface tension within the crown. Since the rate of collapse is faster than that at which fluid drains out from the neck region, fluid collects into …

High Regression Rate Hybrid Rocket Fuel Grains With Helical Port Structures, Stephen A. Whitmore, Sean D. Walker, Daniel P. Merkley, Mansour Sobbi

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Results froma development campaign, where modern additive manufacturing methods are used to fabricate hybrid rocket fuel grains with embedded helical ports, are presented. The fuel grains were constructed from acrlyonitrile butadiene styrene using commercially available three-dimensional printer feedstockmaterial.Gaseous oxygen is used as the oxidizer for this test campaign.When compared to cylindrical fuel ports, significant increases in fuel regression rates were observed, and these increases in regression rate diminished with time as the helical fuel port burns to become progressivelymore cylindrical. Comparisons to the helical pipe flow skin friction correlation developed by Mishra and Gupta indicate that increased skin friction only …

Matryoshka Cavity, Randy Craig Hurd, T. Fanning, Zhao Pan, C. Maybey, Kyle G. Bodily, Kip Schafer Hacking, Nathan B. Spiers, Tadd T. Truscott

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

When a water droplet impacts a free surface with sufficient velocity, the momentum transfer results in the formation of a hemispherical cavity expanding radially from the point of impact.¹ This cavity continues to expand until the kinetic energy is completely converted to potential energy (Fig. 1(a)).² Pumphrey and Elmore equated the potential energy of this subsurface cavity with the kinetic energy of the impacting droplet, concluding that the magnitude of the cavity radius is proportional to impact velocity and droplet diameter.³

Experimental Validation Data For Cfd Of Mixed Convection On A Vertical Flat Plate, Blake W. Lance, Jeff R. Harris, Barton L. Smith

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Model validation for Computational Fluid Dynamics(CFD), where experimental data and model outputs are com-pared, is a key tool for assessing model uncertainty. In this work, mixed convection is studied experimentally for the purpose of providing validation data for CFD models with a high level of completeness. Experiments are performed in a facility built specifically for validation with a vertical, flat,heated wall. Data were acquired for both buoyancy-aided and buoyancy-opposed flows. Measured boundary conditions include as-built geometry, inflow mean and fluctuating velocity profiles, and inflow and wall temperatures. Additionally, room air temperature, pressure, and relative humidity are measured to provide fluid …