Engineering Commons^™

An Efficient Solution To The Mixed Shop Scheduling Problem Using A Modified Genetic Algorithm, V. Nguyen, H. P. Bao

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The mixed job shop scheduling problem is one in which some jobs have fixed machine orders and other jobs may be processed in arbitrary orders. In past literature, optimal solutions have been proposed based on adaptations of classical solutions such as by Johnson, Thompson and Giffler among many others, by pseudopolynomial algorithms, by simulation, and by Genetic Algorithms (GA). GA based solutions have been proposed for flexible Job shops. This paper proposes a GA algorithm for the mixed job shop scheduling problem. The paper starts with an analysis of the characteristics of the so-called mixed shop problem. Based on those …

Rdg: Remote Door Gunner, Space Dynamics Laboratory

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

Leveraging decades of experience in precision optical and spacecraft pointing systems, SDL developed the Remote Door Gunner (RDG) system, a M240/M134 door gunner station. RDG was designed for operation inside a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter.

Biolabeling Through The Use Of Water-Soluble Colloidal Quantum Dots, Cody Stombaugh

Honors Projects

Nanomaterials continues to be a growing field of study due to their wide range of potential applications. Quantum dots are artificially synthesized crystalline clusters of atoms able to confine electron motion as a result of their incredibly small size. Recently, medical applications of nanomaterials have expanded greatly. Quantum dots are ideal for biolabeling due to their rather narrow photoluminescence emission peaks. By synthesizing quantum dots of a specific diameter, it is possible to predetermine the peak photoluminescence wavelength of a sample. Through ligand exchange and immunoconjugation of the quantum dots with proteins, it is possible to use the quantum dots …

Effect Of Poisson’S Ratio On Material Properties Characterization By Nanoindentation With A Cylindrical Flat Tip Indenter, Md Mehadi Hassan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nano indentation technology is commonly used to determine the mechanical properties of different kinds of engineering materials. The young’s modulus of the materials can be calculated with the load depth data obtained from an indentation test with a known Poisson’s ratio. In this investigation the NANOVEA micro/nanoindentation tester with a cylindrical flat-tip indenter will be used to find the elastic modulus, hardness and Pile up. Low carbon steel AISI1018, alloy steel AISI 4340 and aluminum alloy 6061 were selected for the case study. Finite element (FE) analysis using axisymmetric 3-D models used to establish the relationship between Poisson’s ratio and …

Biological Activity Of Garcinia Kola On Hepatitis C, Madeline Dwyer

Honors Theses

Hepatitis C is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). According to the World Health Organization, hepatitis C infections affect between 130-150 million people worldwide. It is a major cause of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer, and approximately 500,000 people die from hepatitis C infections or related complications each year. Although new treatments are 90% effective at curing chronic hepatitis C infections, they cost tens of thousands of dollars. Available treatments are incredibly cost prohibitive, especially considering that the regions most affected by hepatitis C are Africa and central and eastern Asia (Hepatitis C). This creates a …

New Approach Of Modifying The Anatase To Rutile Transition Temperature In Tio2 Photocatalysts, Ciara Byrne, Rachel Fagan, Steven Hinder, Declan Mccormack, Suresh Pillai

Articles

In pure synthetic titanium dioxide, the anatase to rutile phase transition usually occurs between the temperatures of 600 °C and 700 °C. The phase transition temperature can be altered by various methods, including modifying the precursor or by adding dopant or modifier to the TiO2 sample. In an attempt to investigate the phase transition using aromatic carboxylic acids, the current study examines the impact of increasing concentrations of benzoic acid (1 : 0, 1 : 1, 1 : 4 and 1 : 8 molar ratio TiO2 : benzoic acid) on anatase to rutile transition. The samples were characterised using Raman …

Real-Time Monitoring Of Personal Exposures To Carbon Dioxide, Elliott T. Gall, Toby Cheung, Irvan Luhung, Stefano Schiavon, William W. Nazaroff

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Elevated indoor CO₂ levels are indicative of insufficient ventilation in occupied spaces and correlate with elevated concentrations of pollutants of indoor origin. Adverse health and well-being outcomes associated with elevated indoor CO₂ levels are based on CO₂ as a proxy, although some emerging evidence suggests CO₂ itself may impact human cognition. Using portable monitors, we conducted an exposure study with 16 subjects in Singapore to understand the levels, dynamics and influencing factors of personal exposure to CO₂. Participants carried a CO₂ monitor continuously for 7-day periods recording their exposure levels at 1-min intervals. …

Remote Sensing Of Neutron And Gamma Radiation Using Aerial Unmanned Autonomous System, Alex Barzilov, Jessica Hartman, Ivan Novikov

Graduate & Professional Student Association Research Forum

With the continuing advancement of nuclear technologies, the detection and identification of radioactive material is a necessary part of commercial and government applications. There is a wide array of options available for detection and identification of material, but most rely on compact devices which are manually positioned. The deployment of robots equipped with detection equipment is not always feasible, especially in locations where there is considerable debris on the ground, or where there are low clearance areas. To solve this, the goal of this research was to design a remote sensing system for radiation using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). A …

Feature Coverage Indexes For Dual Homography Estimation In Constructing Panorama Image, Kyungkoo Jun, Si Kim

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Enlarged images can be obtained by various methods. Stitching is one of the efficient methods. It can produce panoramic images by stitching adjacent images which contain overlapping regions even though they are obtained through separate image sensors. Images that contain multiple different planes are hard to be stitched together because each plane has a different homography matrix for perspective warping. For this, a dual homography was proposed. However its performance varies depending on feature detectors which are used to find matching feature points between images. In this paper, we propose three feature coverage indexes which evaluate the stitching performance of …

Risks Involved In Using Alternative Project Delivery (Apd) Methods In Water And Wastewater Projects, Pramen Shrestha, J Batista, R Maharajan

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

There are risks involved in the design and construction of projects, and several studies have been conducted in identifying the risks involved in using traditional delivery method (Design Bid Build) in the design and construction of the projects. However, little research has been done in identifying the risks involved in using Alternative Project Delivery (APD) methods in the design and construction of water and wastewater projects. The identification of these risks could assist in improving project performance of future projects that use APD methods. A survey was conducted to identify the risks involved in using APD methods for the design …

The Effects Of Carbon Fiber Misalignment On Composite Material Strength, Luke Stangler

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE) is an effective way for determining material properties. More specifically, ultrasonic waves along with visual measurements from a microscope can be used to systematically determine the elastic modulus of single ply composites that are subject to an altered manufacturing process. In this approach, the magnitude of specific ultrasonic wave velocities is applied through Chirstoffel's equations to determine the necessary five elastic constants that describe the elastic modulus of transversely isotropic composites. On the other hand, fiber misalignment measurements are taken through via digital microscopy to satisfy a statistical approach for the determination of the same elastic modulus. …

Understanding The Impact Of Non-Thermal Processing And Co2 Assisted Extrusion On Antioxidant, Textural And Functional Properties Of Corn, Sorghum And Apple Pomace Based Extrudates, Umesh Chandra Lohani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Currently, there is a worldwide demand for antioxidant rich foods in diet, especially ready to eat foods, i.e. cereals and snacks. In recent years, the research has got momentum to valorize the underutilized crops, i.e. millet, sorghum and industrial food by-products, i.e. fruit pomace to incorporate into main stream of human diet due to their enrichment in nutritional as well as bioactive compounds like phenolic and flavonoid antioxidants. However, most of the phenolic compounds in plant are present in the bound form with the carbohydrates, lignin, pectin and proteins which reduces their ability to function as good antioxidants. Therefore, in …

Distributed Rule-Based Ontology Reasoning, Raghava Mutharaju

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The vision of the Semantic Web is to provide structure and meaning to the data on the Web. Knowledge representation and reasoning play a crucial role in accomplishing this vision. OWL (Web Ontology Language), a W3C standard, is used for representing knowledge. Reasoning over the ontologies is used to derive logical consequences. A fixed set of rules are run on an ontology iteratively until no new logical consequences can be derived. All existing reasoners run on a single machine, possibly using multiple cores. Ontologies (sometimes loosely referred to as knowledge bases) that are automatically constructed can be very large. Single …

Customizable 3-D Virtual Gi Tract Systems For Locating, Mapping, And Navigation Inside Human Gastrointestinal Tract, Megha Dattatrey Dalvi

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

One of the critical challenges of wireless capsule endoscopy examination is to find the exact position of the capsule in the Gastrointestinal Tract (GI) tract so as to correctly and accurately spot the position of the intestinal diseases. Creating a 3D virtual GI tract system could significantly improve the capsule endoscopy operations. The virtual human model, such as the BioDigital Human, has been credited as Google Earth for the human body, which provides us medically accurate virtual body and organ structures. However, it only assembles a “Standard” human body. The problem is: there is only one earth, but billions of …

Augment Hololens’ Body Recognition And Tracking Capabilities Using Kinect, Krishna Chaithanya Mathi

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we are primarily interested in exploring the HoloLens technologies for medical practices. Particularly, we will address the limitation of HoloLens’ capability in human body sensing, recognition and tracking. We will then introduce and demonstrate the use of Kinect to augment HoloLens’ sensory and processing capabilities in order to produce time and space-synchronized immersive environment with both virtual body and real body of the same patient for supporting distributed medical collaborations. Specifically, we are looking at a distributed solution in which we are collecting the patient body data from Kinect, followed by body recognition and position/motion tracking processing …

Novel Cost And Space Efficient Range Of Motion And Gait Analysis Systems, Rutvik Bharatkumar Patel

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, we have explored the use of the latest motion tracking technologies, as evident by Microsoft Xbox Kinect’s motion tracking capabilities, in combination with 3D digital human modeling and animation, multi-modality image capturing and processing, and fusion, to design a new generation of low-cost range of motion and gait analysis solutions that overcome the limitation of existing tools. The proposed solutions and our prototype systems have demonstrated accurate measurements and reliable analysis outcome compared to current clinic practices, with significantly reduced complexity and cost. Furthermore, it eliminates the need for expensive effort for pre- and post- processing of …

Adaptive Power Analog-To-Digital Interface For Digital Systems, Todd S. Grimes

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Today many consumer, industrial, and military electronic systems are digital in nature and are utilized for multiple applications. Many of these systems were designed to be portable and generally have limited capabilities because of size, weight, and power requirements. The last several decades have seen the push for more power efficient electronics. Thus, researchers and scientists investigated advanced process technologies and more power efficient circuit implementations. This research is concerned with classes of applications intended to operate over long periods of time with a low duty cycle, but are subject to bursts of information, requiring high processing capabilities. Specifically, this …

Triclocarban Influences Antibiotic Resistance And Alters Anaerobic Digester Microbial Community Structure, Daniel Elliott Carey, Daniel Zitomer, Krassimira R. Hristova, Anthony D. Kappell, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Triclocarban (TCC) is one of the most abundant organic micropollutants detected in biosolids. Lab-scale anaerobic digesters were amended with TCC at concentrations ranging from the background concentration of seed biosolids (30 mg/kg) to toxic concentrations of 850 mg/kg to determine the effect on methane production, relative abundance of antibiotic resistance genes, and microbial community structure. Additionally, the TCC addition rate was varied to determine the impacts of acclimation time. At environmentally relevant TCC concentrations (max detect = 440 mg/kg), digesters maintained function. Digesters receiving 450 mg/kg of TCC maintained function under gradual TCC addition, but volatile fatty acid concentrations increased, …

Triclosan Adsorption Using Wastewater Biosolids-Derived Biochar, Yiran Tong, Brooke K. Mayer, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Organic micropollutants are ubiquitous in the environment and stem from municipal wastewater treatment plant discharges. Adsorption can be used as a tertiary treatment to complement the conventional activated sludge process to remove micropollutants prior to discharge. This research evaluated the performance of wastewater biosolids-derived biochar as an adsorbent to remove triclosan from water. Pre-conditioning of the biochar using hydrochloric acid (HCl) was an essential step for triclosan adsorption. Using acid-conditioned biochar, maximum adsorption of 872 μg triclosan per g biochar was achieved with biochar produced at 800 °C. Biochar produced at higher pyrolysis temperatures tended to have higher triclosan sorption …

Assessing Leanness Level With Demand Dynamics In A Multi-Stage Production System, Rehab M. Ali, Ahmed Deif

Industrial Technology and Packaging

Purpose

Design/methodology/approach

Sol-Gel Silica Coated Optical Fiber Sensor For Ammonia Gas Detection, Dejun Liu, Arun Mallik, Wei Han, Qiang Wu

Conference papers

A high sensitivity ammonia gas sensor based on a tapered small core single-mode fiber (SCSMF) structure for measurement of ammonia gas concentration is reported. The proposed tapered SCSMF fiber structure has a waist diameter of 13.5 μm and it is fabricated using a customized microheater brushing technique. The silica based material prepared by sol-gel method is used as a coating applied to the surface of tapered fiber structures. Experimental results show that sensor is very sensitive to ammonia. The best measurement resolution of the ammonia concentration is estimated to be 16 ppb for gas concentrations of 0.5 ppm to 2.5 …

Fluoroscopic System For Assessment Of In Vivo Hindfoot Kinematics During Gait: Control Data And Applications In Osteogenesis Imperfecta, Ben Mchenry, Jason Long, Peter Smith, Haluk Altiok, Gerald F. Harris

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Nih Visible Human Project Humerus Numerical And Physical Models: Characterization For Osteogenesis Imperfecta Fracture Study, Prateek Grover, Gerald F. Harris

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

A Feasibility Report On Rooftop Photovoltaic Solar Arrays At The University Of Mississippi, Anne Marie Delee

Honors Theses

The following project is a feasibility report for rooftop photovoltaic (PV) solar panel installations on select building across the University of Mississippi's campus. The purpose of this report is to determine the value of the energy that a rooftop solar system is capable of producing and the effect this generated energy will have on the energy needs of the building. As an entity with a stated commitment to sustainability and good stewardship of its resources, the University of Mississippi is on its way to become the state's leader in sustainability, boasting the state's largest roof-mount solar system. The analysis utilizes …

Exploration Of Compound Viability As An Organ-Selective Anti-Metastatic Therapeutic Treatment For Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Ashley E. Noblin

Honors Theses

Phenformin and metformin are compounds that are currently used to treat Type II Diabetes and have been shown to suppress breast cancer metastasis. These compounds were tested, after extensive research and screening of current approved oncology drugs, in various experiments with the cell lines MDA-MB-231, LM, and BoM, with MDA-MB-231 being the parental cell line, LM being the lung metastatic line, and BoM being the bone metastatic line. The cells were treated with compound addition at various concentrations and subject to a two-day concentration response viability study in order to determine any inhibitory effects, followed by a five-day assay in …

An Experimental Investigation Of A Reinforced Steel Frame Via Structural Dynamics, Ethan Baker

Honors Theses

With the current decaying condition of America's infrastructure, a need for a more efficient inspection method is evident. The combination of Structural Health Monitoring data and data analysis tools could be a solution. In this study, laboratory data was captured for both a baseline bare-frame and a wooden wall reinforced steel structure. A MATLAB®-based computer program, the in-house SHE™ accomplishes an array of tasks, including signal processing and modal decomposition among others. A SAP2000® model contextualized the experimental data by producing trend behaviors, such as mode order or common mode shapes. Both sequential and cumulative reinforcement detection was performed on …

Preparation And Evaluation Of Aripiprazole-Loaded Ph-Modulated Solid Dispersion Via Hot-Melt Extrusion Technology, Haley Mcfall

Honors Theses

The objective of this study was to prepare aripiprazole (ARI)-loaded solid dispersions (SDs) to enhance solubility and dissolution via hot-melt extrusion (HME) technology. ARI was chosen due to its poorly water-soluble properties. Solubility screenings of various polymers and acidifiers were performed to select appropriate excipients for the SD. Succinic acid (SA) and Kollidon 12 PF (PVP) were selected as the acidifier and the polymer, respectively. Differential scanning calorimetry and thermogravimetric analysis were used to determine the miscibility, interactions, and thermal stability of the drug and selected excipients. MODDE 8.0 is a design of experiment software that was implemented to produce …

Concussion In Women's Soccer: A Prescriptive Analysis Of Force Loading During Heading, James Michael Robinson

Honors Theses

Women's soccer has the highest incidence of concussion among female sports. However, there has been relatively little research investigating the immediate and cumulative effects of soccer heading on brain injury, especially among youth. In an effort to better understand concussion in the often-underserved population of women high school soccer players, we investigated, both quantitatively and qualitatively, the nature of force loading during heading of a soccer ball. Data was collected from the Oxford High School Women's Varsity Soccer Team using X2 Biosystems' xPatch, which measures force loading magnitude and direction with six degrees of linear and rotational freedom using a …

An Evaluation Of The Relationship Between Sigma-1 And Sigma-2 Receptors And The Endocannabinoid System, Jenn Miller

Honors Theses

Within the past two decades, sigma receptors have become a popular area for research. Although much has been learned about their structure, subtypes, and functions; there is still much to be learned. Consisting of two receptor subtypes (sigma-1 and sigma-2), it has been discovered that sigma receptor ligands potentiate the analgesic effects of both opiates and cannabinoids, though the exact mechanism and sigma subtype on which this occurs is still unknown. The purpose of this study is to determine if potentiation of opiates and cannabinoids occurs through sigma-1 or sigma-2 receptor signaling. Tetrad assays were performed for: 1. Morphine, an …

The Creation Of Instructional Video Tutorials For Chemical Engineering Process Simulation Software, Nishal Bhikha

Honors Theses

Process simulation software is rapidly becoming a necessity in today's world. Often, learning how to use such a complex tool can be difficult and can take a significant period of time. This thesis outlines efforts to aid in the instruction of this type of software at the University of Mississippi.