Engineering Commons^™

Analysis Of Driving Behavior At Expressway Toll Plazas Using Driving Simulator, Moatz Saad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study is to analyze the driving behavior at toll plazas by examining multiple scenarios using a driving simulator to study the effect of different options including different path decisions, various signs, arrow markings, traffic conditions, and extending auxiliary lanes before and after the toll plaza on the driving behavior. Also, this study focuses on investigating the effect of drivers' characteristics on the dangerous driving behavior (e.g. speed variation, sudden lane change, drivers' confusion). Safety and efficiency are the fundamental goals that transportation engineering is always seeking for the design of highways. Transportation agencies have a crucial …

The Effect Of Glycerol On Readily Biodegradable Chemical Oxygen Demand (Rbcod) In A Wastewater Stream, Rojina Rawut

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the short-term effects of glycerol addition on readily biodegradable (RB) chemical oxygen demand (COD) in a carbon limited wastewater influent. The presence of an RB fraction provides with a suitable substrate for microorganisms to produce volatile fatty acids (VFA). The oxygen utilization rate (OUR) has been used to evaluate the oxygen consumption for RB substrate in wastewater. Wastewater with low organic content contains limited RB substrate, and thus, additional carbon source is required to improve biological treatment capability. Acetate, propionate, methanol, and glycerol are the commonly available carbon sources for biological treatment process. However, the cost of …

High Temperature Mechanics Of Aerospace Ceramic Composites Via Synchrotron Radiation, Albert Manero Ii

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research investigates the mechanics of complex aerospace material systems designed for extreme environments. Ceramics and ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) provide highly sought-after capabilities including the potential to withstand extreme temperatures and heat fluxes, severe oxidation and mechanical stresses. Two important material systems form the basis of the scope for this effort: i) thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) on Ni-superalloys that have enabled dramatic increases in turbine inlet temperatures exceeding 1100°C; and ii) ceramic matrix composites that have shown capability and promise for hypersonic applications beyond 1300°C. Understanding the mechanical and material properties of these materials as they evolve with temperature …

Integrating Spray Aeration And Granular Activated Carbon For Disinfection By-Product Control In A Potable Water System, Angela Rodriguez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Public water systems add disinfectants in water treatment to inactivate microbial pathogens. Chlorine, when used as a disinfectant, reacts with natural organic matter in the water to form trihalomethane (THM) and haloacetic acid (HAA5) disinfection by-products (DBPs), which are suspected carcinogens. The Safe Drinking Water Act's Disinfectant and Disinfection By-Product (D/DBP) Rules were promulgated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the amount of DBPs in water systems. Regulatory compliance is based on maximum contaminant levels (MCL), measured as a locational running annual average (LRAA), for total THM (TTHM) and HAA5 of 80 µg/L and 60 µg/L, respectively. Regulated …

A Parametric Study Of Meso-Scale Patterns For Auxetic Mechanical Behavior Optimization, Matthew C. Schuler

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis focuses on the development, parameterization and optimization of a novel meso-scale pattern used to induce auxetic behavior, i.e., negative Poisson's ratio, at the bulk scale. Currently, the majority of auxetic structures are too porous to be utilized in conventional load-bearing applications. For others, manufacturing methods have yet to realize the meso-scale pattern. Consequently, new auxetic structures must be developed in order to confer superior thermo-mechanical responses to structures at high temperature. Additionally, patterns that take into account manufacturing limitations, while maintaining the properties characteristically attached to negative Poisson's Ratio materials, are ideal in order to utilize the potential …

Flame-Turbulence Interaction For Deflagration To Detonation, Jessica Chambers

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Detonation is a high energetic mode of pressure gain combustion that exploits total pressure rise to augment high flow momentum and thermodynamic cycle efficiencies. Detonation is initiated through the Deflagration-to-Detonation Transition (DDT). This process occurs when a deflagrated flame is accelerated through turbulence induction, producing shock-flame interactions that generate violent explosions and a supersonic detonation wave. There is a broad desire to unravel the physical mechanisms of turbulence induced DDT. For the implementation of efficient detonation methods in propulsion and energy applications, it is crucial to understand optimum turbulence conditions for detonation initiation. The study examines the role of turbulence-flame …

Heat Transfer And Pressure Measurements From Jet Array Impingement Onto A Large Radius Curved Surface, John Harrington

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the heat transfer and pressure drop characteristics of jet array impingement in two distinct parts. In the first part, the performance of a uniform array of jets on both a flat and a large radius curved target surface are compared. This comparison was done at average jet Reynolds number ranging from 55,000 to 125,000. In the second part, the characteristics of a non-uniform array of jets, more typical of geometries used in actual gas turbine combustors, are investigated, including the effects of the removal of downstream rows and the placement of rib features onto the target surface. …

An Experimental Investigation Of The State Of Creativity, Critical Thinking And Creativity Training In Undergraduate Engineering Students, Eric Sola

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research explores creativity and critical thinking skills in undergraduate engineering students. The study undertook two experiments in order to gather a better understanding of several factors regarding the interactions between students' creative abilities and the effects of the undergraduate engineering curriculum. Experiment 1 focused on the differences in creative and critical thinking skills in freshman versus senior undergraduate engineering students. Experiment 2 centered on the variation in the effects of long-term versus short-term creativity training on senior engineering students. Creative skill was measured using the Test for Creative Thinking – Drawing Production (TCT-DP) developed by Urban and Jellen (2010). …

The Effect Of Recycled Backwash Water Operations On Fouling In A Coagulation-Ultrafiltration Process And Impact Of Preozonation On Membrane Productivity, Paul Biscardi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation consists of research that focused on pretreatment strategies to reduce fouling of ultrafiltration (UF) membranes used for drinking water treatment, and was segmented into four key components. (1) In the first component of the work, the long-term fouling behavior of a polyethersulfone (PES) hollow-fiber UF membrane was studied at the pilot-scale for treatment of surface water over a one-year period. Pilot testing of a coagulation-flocculation-sedimentation (CFS) pretreatment system revealed that chemically irreversible fouling was poorly correlated with turbidity and total organic carbon. It was also shown that recycled backwash water may have impacted membrane process performance, and that …

A Priori Synthetic Sampling For Increasing Classification Sensitivity In Imbalanced Data Sets, William Rivera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Building accurate classifiers for predicting group membership is made difficult when data is skewed or imbalanced which is typical of real world data sets. The classifier has the tendency to be biased towards the over represented group as a result. This imbalance is considered a class imbalance problem which will induce bias into the classifier particularly when the imbalance is high. Class imbalance data usually suffers from data intrinsic properties beyond that of imbalance alone. The problem is intensified with larger levels of imbalance most commonly found in observational studies. Extreme cases of class imbalance are commonly found in many …

Rf Circuit Designs For Reliability And Process Variability Resilience, Ekavut Kritchanchai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) radio frequency (RF) circuit design has been an ever-lasting research field. It has gained so much attention since RF circuits offer high mobility and wide-band efficiency, while CMOS technology provides the advantage of low cost and high integration capability. At the same time, CMOS device size continues to scale to the nanometer regime. Reliability issues with RF circuits have become more challenging than ever before. Reliability mechanisms, such as gate oxide breakdown, hot carrier injection, negative bias temperature instability, have been amplified as the device size shrinks. In addition, process variability becomes a new design …

Anthropogenic Organic Chemical Removal From A Surficial Groundwater And Mass Transfer Modeling In A Nanofiltration Membrane Process, Samantha Black

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation reports on research related to trace organic compounds (TrOCs) in surficial groundwater supplies and their subsequent removal from nanofiltration (NF) membranes. The research was conducted along coastal South Florida in cooperation with the Town of Jupiter Water Utilities, Jupiter, FL (Town). The focus of the research was to determine the extent of reclaimed water impacts on surficial groundwater supplies and subsequent effects on the Town's NF water treatment plant. Routine monitoring of fourteen TrOCs in reclaimed water and at the water treatment facility revealed varying degrees of TrOC detection in the environment. Certain TrOCs, including caffeine and DEET, …

Advanced Metrology And Diagnostic Loss Analytics For Crystalline Silicon Photovoltaics., Eric Schneller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Characterization plays a key role in developing a comprehensive understanding of the structure and performance of photovoltaic devices. High quality characterization methods enable researchers to assess material choices and processing steps, ultimately giving way to improved device performance and reduced manufacturing costs. In this work, several aspects of advanced metrology for crystalline silicon photovoltaic are investigated including in-line applications for manufacturing, off-line applications for research and development, and module/system level applications to evaluate long-term reliability. A frame work was developed to assess the cost and potential value of metrology within a manufacturing line. This framework has been published to an …

Quantification Of The Effect Of Degassing On The Microstructure, Chemistry And Estimated Strength Of Nanocrystalline Aa5083 Powder, Clara Hofmeister

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Degassing is a critical heat treatment process in aluminum powder metallurgy, where powders are subjected to high temperature in vacuum to remove volatile gaseous species absorbed in and adsorbed on powders. For cryomilled aluminum alloy powders with nanoscale features, degassing can cause accelerated microstructural and chemical changes including removal of volatiles, grain growth, dislocation annihilation, and formation of dispersoids. These changes can significantly alter the mechanical behavior of consolidated components based on their contributions to strength. In this study, cryomilled AA5083 (0.4 wt.% Mn; 4.5 wt.% Mg; minor Si, Fe, Cu, Cr, Zn, Ti; balance Al) powders were degassed at …

An Integrated Hydrodynamic-Marsh Model With Applications In Fluvial, Marine, And Mixed Estuarine Systems, Karim Alizad

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal wetlands experience fluctuating productivity when subjected to various stressors. One of the most impactful stressors is sea level rise (SLR) associated with global warming. Research has shown that under SLR, salt marshes may not have time to establish an equilibrium with sea level and may migrate landward or become open water. Salt marsh systems play an important role in the coastal ecosystem by providing intertidal habitats and food for birds, fish, crabs, mussels, and other animals. They also protect shorelines by dissipating flow and damping wave energy through an increase in drag forces. Due to the serious consequences of …

A New Path Planning Guidance Law For Improved Impact Time Control Of Missiles And Precision Munitions, Mark Snyder

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A new missile guidance law is proposed for the control of impact time which provides an improved time-to-go calculation by removing error due to trajectory curvature and also provides a family of trajectories for trajectory planning purposes. Unlike conventional optimal guidance laws, the proposed law is non explicit in time-to-go and the linearization of the engagement kinematics in order to gain a closed form solution is not necessary.

Uncooled Infrared Detector Featuring Silicon Based Nanoscale Thermocouple, Mohammad Modarres-Zadeh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The main focus of this dissertation is to improve the performance of thermoelectric (TE) infrared (IR) detectors. TE IR detectors are part of uncooled detectors that can operate at room temperature. These detectors have been around for many years, however, their performance has been lower than their contesting technologies. A novel high-responsivity uncooled thermoelectric infrared detector is designed, fabricated, and characterized. This detector features a single standalone polysilicon-based thermocouple (without a supporting membrane) covered by an umbrellalike optical-cavity IR absorber. It is proved that the highest responsivity in the developed detectors can be achieved with only one thermocouple. Since the …

Getting To Net Zero Energy Buildings: A Holistic Techno-Ecological Modeling Approach, Mehdi Alirezaei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Buildings in the United States are responsible for more than 40% of the primary energy and 70% of electricity usage and greatly in CO2 emission by about 39%, more than any other sector including transportation and industry sectors. This energy consumption is expected to grow mainly due to increasing trends in new buildings construction. Rising energy prices alongside with energy independencies, limited resources, and climate change have made the current situation even worse. An Energy Efficient (EE) building is able to reduce the heating and cooling load significantly compared with a code compliant building. Furthermore, integrating renewable energy sources in …

Transient Cfd Analysis Of Autorotation Using Hybrid Les And Adaptive Mesh Morphing Techniques, Patricia Coronado Domenge

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) based turbulence modeling is a developing area of research in Fluid-Structure Interaction (FSI). There is considerable scope for further scientific research in this field and this dissertation aims to extend it to the study of flow-induced motion. The emphasis of this work is on autorotation, an important category of flow-induced motion that is commonly seen in energy applications such as wind turbines and in aviation applications such as the autogyro. In contrast to existing works on FSI that typically assume prescribed motion of structures in a flow field, this research develops LES based FSI studies for large-scale …

Design Of Procedures For Rare, New Or Complex Processes: Part 1 – An Iterative Risk-Based Approach And Case Study, Maria Chiara Leva, Nora Balfe, Marko Gerbek, Steve Prast

Articles

The paper describes a proposed approach for operationalizing the Common Operational Picture concept introduced in the EU FP 7 TOSCA (Total Operations Management for Safety Critical Activities) project, in order to jointly integrate and enhance safety, quality and productivity in the production environment. The approach combines different methods for the description and analysis of plant and operations, including Task Analysis, 4D process simulation, hazard analysis and Pareto optimization, and iterates through them to generate a final procedure. The proposed approach has been demonstrated on an industrial case study related to planning of infrequent cold water pressure testing of LPG storage …

Predicting Asthma Exacerbations Employing Remotely Monitored Adherence, Isabelle Killane, Imran Sulaiman, Elaine Mac Hale, Aoife Breathnach, Terrence Taylor, Martin Holmes, Richard B Reilly, Richard W Costello

Articles

This Letter investigated the efficacy of a decision-support system, designed for respiratory medicine, at predicting asthma exacerbations in a multi-site longitudinal randomised control trial. Adherence to inhaler medication was acquired over 3 months from patients with asthma employing a dose counter and a remote monitoring adherence device which recorded participant's inhaler use: n = 184 (23,656 audio files), 61% women, age (mean ± sd) 49.3 ± 16.4. Data on occurrence of exacerbations was collected at three clinical visits, 1 month apart. The relative risk of an asthma exacerbation for those with good and poor adherence was examined employing a univariate …

Biofilm Microbial Community Structure In An Urban Lake Utilizing Reclaimed Water, Tianzhi Wang, Yunkai Li, Tingwu Xu, Naiyang Wu, Mingchao Liang, Paul Hynds

Articles

Analyses of biofilm community structure may potentially be employed for aquatic ecosystem health assessment, however, to date, biofilm diversity within urban lakes using reclaimed water has not been examined. Accordingly, the microbial community diversity and structure of biofilms from the surface of multiple matrices with varying roughness (0.1, 1.0 and 10.0 μm) were characterized using a suite of molecular techniques including scanning electron microscopy, genetic fingerprinting and phospholipid-derived fatty acid analyses. Samples were largely comprised of inorganic particles, algae and numerous bacterial species; 12 phospholipid-derived fatty acid (PLFA) types were identified, significantly less than typically associated with sewage. Both growth …

Multiferroicity In Iron Vanadate, Magnetite And Polyvinylidene Fluoride Nanocomposite Films, Ehab Hamdy Abdelmonaim Abdelhamid

Wayne State University Dissertations

With the increasing demand on cheaper and better performance multifunctional materials for different applications, it is becoming more crucial to have a better understanding of the physics needed to tailor more devices and materials to fit better in every day’s technological needs. Materials which show more than one ferroic order simultaneously –namely, multiferroics– are of particular importance for their potential applications as multiple state memory elements, transducers and electrically tunable microwave devices.

In this work, we studied FeVO4 single crystals as an example on low symmetry multiferroics. We focused on the anisotropy in those crystals in an attempt to nail …

Two-Dimensional Low-Resistance Contacts For High Performance Wse2 And Mos2 Transistors, Hsun Jen Chuang

Wayne State University Dissertations

ABSTRACT

TWO-DIMENSIONAL LOW-RESISTANCE CONTACTS FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE WSe2 and MoS2, TRANSISTORS

by

Hsun-jen Chuang

May 2016

Advisor: Dr. Zhixian Zhou

Major: Physics

Degree: Doctor of Philosophy

Two-dimensional layered materials beyond graphene such as transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have attracted a lot of interests due to their superior property in many aspects. In this work, I am focusing on two TMD materials: WSe2 and MoS2. The main objective this work is to develop novel approaches to fabricating low-resistance ohmic contacts to TMDs for low power, high performance electronic applications. First, we used graphene as electrical contacts for WSe2 field-effect transistor with …

Europium(Ii)-Containing Complexes For Responsive Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Levi Alexander Ekanger

Wayne State University Dissertations

The research projects described in this dissertation are focused on studying the oxidation of EuII-containing complexes within the context of responsive MRI. Prior to this research, EuII had not been explored within the context of oxidation-responsive MRI nor had the use of this ion been reported in vivo. The results of these studies enable predictions about the oxidation-responsive behavior of EuII-containing complexes in vitro and in vivo.

The EuII-containing cryptate 1.33 was used to evaluate EuII-based positive contrast enhancement after intravenous, intraperitoneal, and subcutaneous injections. The transitory behavior of the positive contrast enhancement correlated with reported levels of oxygenation and …

Sub-Picogram, Inline Detection Of Proteins Using Microfluidic Drop Generators And Shape-Based Detection, Razieh Kebriaei

Wayne State University Dissertations

Proteomic workflows rely on sensitive and precise methods for purifying and detecting proteins, and one of the most popular methods is liquid chromatography (LC) followed by an inline detector. However, the most commonly used method, UV-Vis absorbance, provides relatively low sensitivity and requires long path lengths in the flow cell. In this thesis, we present a highly sensitive, label-free method to detect proteins in continuous flow, using a pressure-driven microfluidic droplet generator. The system consists of a cross junction or flow focusing structure where the flowing stream of proteins is combined with two coflowing streams of oil which break up …

X-Ray Beam Characteristics And Radiation Dose Deposition To Soft Tissue From Fluoroscopic X-Ray Beams Incorporating Copper Filtration, Kevin Arthur Wunderle

Wayne State University Dissertations

Purpose: This work investigated several topics related to dosimetry in soft tissue from fluoroscopic X-ray beams; first, it investigated the X-ray beam spectra and air kerma rates available for clinical use on state-of-the-art fluoroscopes using spectral (copper [Cu]) filtration; second, it investigated the fluoroscopic X-ray beam characteristics of first half-value layer (HVL), second HVL, homogeneity coefficients (HCs), and backscatter factors (BSFs) across the full range of available beam qualities; and third, it investigated the energy dependence of kerma-area-product (KAP)-meters measuring the radiation output of the fluoroscope. Materials and Methods: A state-of-the-art Siemens Artis Zee fluoroscope was operated in the service …

Protein-Targeted Corona Phase Molecular Recognition, Gili Bisker, Juyao Dong, Hoyoung D. Park, Nicole M. Iverson, Jiyoung Ahn, Justin T. Nelson, Markita P. Landry, Sebastian Kruss, Michael S. Strano

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Corona phase molecular recognition (CoPhMoRe) uses a heteropolymer adsorbed onto and templated by a nanoparticle surface to recognize a specific target analyte. This method has not yet been extended to macromolecular analytes, including proteins. Herein we develop a variant of a CoPhMoRe screening procedure of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) and use it against a panel of human blood proteins, revealing a specific corona phase that recognizes fibrinogen with high selectivity. In response to fibrinogen binding, SWCNT fluorescence decreases by >80% at saturation. Sequential binding of the three fibrinogen nodules is suggested by selective fluorescence quenching by isolated sub-domains and validated …

Calibration Procedure For Fuel Flow Meters At The Nebraska Tractor Test Lab, Michael F. Kocher, Matthew T. Wold, Roger M. Hoy, Austin Lammers, Erin E. Blankenship

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Reports in the literature indicated several factors that can influence the accuracy of Coriolis Effect mass flow meters. A Coriolis Effect mass flow meter is used to verify tractor manufacturer’s fuel consumption claims at the Nebraska Tractor Test Laboratory (NTTL). The accuracy requirement placed on the flow meter by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in the Code 2 tractor performance test procedure is not clear, but in the most conservative interpretation is ±0.5% of each flow rate measured. Results showed a dynamic weighing calibration method was not accurate enough to obtain a calibration of the flow meter …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Curcumin Polymer For Application In Radiation Induced Lung Damage, Mark C. Bailey

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Radiotherapy is used as a primary treatment for many cancers, including lung cancer. Although radiotherapy has proven to be an effective cancer treatment, its use is heavily limited due to the peripheral toxicity to healthy tissue. In this work, the antioxidant, curcumin, was tested as a radioprotectant to reduce radiation damage to healthy cells. Curcumin has been limited in use due to its poor bioavailability. In order to avoid problems associated with free curcumin delivery, curcumin poly(beta-amino ester) (CPBAE) was synthesized.

The first study investigated the in vitro radioprotection effect of curcumin in HUVEC dosed with gamma radiation. Cells treated …