Engineering Commons^™

Carbon Nanotube Prosthetic Venous Valve, Ryan Coulton Packer

Theses and Dissertations

Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI) is a disease of the lower limbs that affects millions of people in the United States. It is categorized by constant venous hypertension, which can lead to swelling of the legs, pain, skin changes and ulcers. One of the widely known symptoms that can lead to CVI is varicose veins. The main source of the problem of CVI is incompetent venous valves. The purpose of venous valves is to direct blood through the veins to the heart and prevent retrograde flow to the lower limbs. CVI can be caused by leg injury, pregnancy, genetics, age, and …

Technology Planning For Aligning Emerging Business Models And Regulatory Structures: The Case Of Electric Vehicle Charging And The Smart Grid, Kelly R. Cowan

Dissertations and Theses

Smart grid has been described as the Energy Internet: Where Energy Technology meets Information Technology. The incorporation of such technology into vast existing utility infrastructures offers many advantages, including possibilities for new smart appliances, energy management systems, better integration of renewable energy, value added services, and new business models, both for supply- and demand-side management. Smart grid also replaces aging utility technologies that are becoming increasingly unreliable, as the average ages for many critical components in utility systems now exceed their original design lives. However, while smart grid offers the promise of revolutionizing utility delivery systems, many questions remain about …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Fall 2017, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

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

Application Of Real Field Connected Vehicle Data For Aggressive Driving Identification On Horizontal Curves, Arash Jahangiri, Vincent Berardi, Sahar Ghanipoor Machiani

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

The emerging technology of connected vehicles generates a vast amount of data that could be used to enhance roadway safety. In this paper, we focused on safety applications of a real field connected vehicle data on a horizontal curve. The database contains connected vehicle data that were collected on public roads in Ann Arbor, Michigan with instrumented vehicles. Horizontal curve negotiations are associated with a great number of accidents, which are mainly attributed to driving errors. Aggressive/risky driving is a contributing factor to the high rate of crashes on horizontal curves. Using basic safety message data in connected vehicle data …

Universal Signal Conditioning Technique For Fiber Bragg Grating Sensors In Plc And Scada Applications, Gary Allwood, Graham Wild, Steven Hinkley

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Optical fibre sensors, such as Fibre Bragg Gratings (FBGs), are growing in their utilisation, although very niche in their applications. To enable a more diverse range of end users, expensive application-specific optical fibre interrogation hardware needs to be made compatible with and, ideally, easily incorporated into existing instrumentation and measurement hardware. The Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) is an ideal example of hardware used for data acquisition in many industries. As such, a module that can be connected into an existing PLC slot to collect data from electrically-neutral, EMI-immune and versatile FBG sensors is of significant advantage to the growing optical …

Utilizing High-Resolution Archived Transit Data To Study Before-And-After Travel-Speed And Travel-Time Conditions, Travis Bradley Glick

Dissertations and Theses

Travel times, operating speeds, and service reliability influence costs and service attractiveness. This paper outlines an approach to quantify how these metrics change after a modification of roadway design or transit routes using archived transit data. The Tri-County Metropolitan Transportation District of Oregon (TriMet), Portland's public transportation provider, archives automatic vehicle location (AVL) data for all buses as part of their bus dispatch system (BDS). This research combines three types of AVL data (stop event, stop disturbance, and high-resolution) to create a detailed account of transit behavior; this probe data gives insights into the behavior of transit as well as …

Multi-Hazard Performance Assessment Of High-Rise Buildings, Jad El Khoury Antoun

LSU Master's Theses

In the last few decades, there has been an important increase in building high-rise constructions in many cities around the world. Since they offer several benefits in populous areas in terms of space efficiency, economy and sustainability, tower buildings attracted practitioners and researchers to understand better their exclusive behavior and response to natural hazards (e.g., hurricanes, earthquakes). Because of their flexibility and their commonly limited damping, skyscrapers are more susceptible to wind and earthquake actions than low- and mid-rise buildings. Moreover, many locations are prone to multiple hazards; hence, it is important to understand thoroughly the structural behavior of structures …

Reducing Biomass Recalcitrance By Heterologous Expression Of A Bacterial Peroxidase In Tobacco (Nicotiana Benthamiana), Ayalew Ligaba-Osena, Bertrand Hankoua, Kay Dimarco, Robert Pace, Mark Crocker, Jesse Mcatee, Nivedita Nagachar, Ming Tien, Tom L. Richard

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty and Staff Publications

Commercial scale production of biofuels from lignocellulosic feed stocks has been hampered by the resistance of plant cell walls to enzymatic conversion, primarily owing to lignin. This study investigated whether DypB, the lignin-degrading peroxidase from Rodococcus jostii, depolymerizes lignin and reduces recalcitrance in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana benthamiana). The protein was targeted to the cytosol or the ER using ER-targeting and retention signal peptides. For each construct, five independent transgenic lines were characterized phenotypically and genotypically. Our findings reveal that expression of DypB in the cytosol and ER does not affect plant development. ER-targeting increased protein accumulation, and …

Development And Testing Of An Agricultural Nozzle Clog Detection Device Prototype, Chin Nee Vong

Student Theses and Dissertations

Nozzle clogging during spray application results in poor weed management and increased cost in re-spraying. A device that can detect nozzle clogging during the spraying operation is necessary. A novel method and device for detecting clogged nozzles that is externally attachable to each nozzle on the sprayer’s boom has been developed in the Precision Application Technology Lab at Arkansas State University. The study’s objectives include developing prototypes of this device and comparing the spray droplet size and spray pattern in controlled condition and spray coverage in field condition with and without using the device. The research demonstrated that this new …

Cloudsat-Based Assessment Of Gpm Microwave Imager Snowfall Observation Capabilities, Giulia Panegrossi, Jean-François Rysman, Daniele Casella, Anna Cinzia Marra, Mark Kulie

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

The sensitivity of Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI) high-frequency channels to snowfall at higher latitudes (around 60^◦N/S) is investigated using coincident CloudSat observations. The 166 GHz channel is highlighted throughout the study due to its ice scattering sensitivity and polarization information. The analysis of three case studies evidences the important combined role of total precipitable water (TPW), supercooled cloud water,and background surface composition on the brightness temperature (TB) behavior for different snow-producing clouds. A regression tree statistical analysis applied to the entire GMI-CloudSat snowfall dataset indicates which variables influence the 166 GHz polarization difference (166∆TB)and its …

Note From The Editorial Board

Dartmouth Undergraduate Journal of Science

No abstract provided.

Optimizing Production Schedule With Energy Consumption And Demand Charges In Parallel Machine Setting, Farnaz Ghazi Nezami, Mojtaba Heydar, Regina Berretta

Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering Presentations And Conference Materials

Environmental sustainability concerns, along with the growing need for electricity and associated costs, make energy-cost reduction an inevitable decision-making criterion in production scheduling. In this research, we study the problem of production scheduling on nonidentical parallel machines with machine-dependent processing times and known job release dates to minimize total completion time and energy costs. The energy costs in this study include demand and consumption charges. We present a mixed-integer nonlinear model to formulate the problem. The model is then linearized and its performance is tested through numerical experiments.

Metabolism And Photolysis Of 2,4-Dinitroanisole In Arabidopsis, Hunter W. Schroer, Xueshu Li, Hans Joachim Lehmler, Craig L. Just

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

New insensitive munitions explosives, including 2,4-dinitroanisole (DNAN), are replacing traditional explosive compounds to protect soldiers and simplify transport logistics. Despite the occupational safety benefits of these new explosives, feasible strategies for cleaning up DNAN from soil and water have not been developed. Here, we evaluate the metabolism of DNAN by the model plant Arabidopsis to determine whether phytoremediation can be used to clean up contaminated sites. Furthermore, we evaluate the role of photodegradation of DNAN and its plant metabolites within Arabidopsis leaves to determine the potential impact of photolysis on the phytoremediation of contaminants. When exposed to DNAN for three …

Parallel Cosine Nearest Neighbor Graph Construction, David Anastasiu, George Karypis

Faculty Publications

The nearest neighbor graph is an important structure in many data mining methods for clustering, advertising, recommender systems, and outlier detection. Constructing the graph requires computing up to n2 similarities for a set of n objects. This high complexity has led researchers to seek approximate methods, which find many but not all of the nearest neighbors. In contrast, we leverage shared memory parallelism and recent advances in similarity joins to solve the problem exactly. Our method considers all pairs of potential neighbors but quickly filters pairs that could not be a part of the nearest neighbor graph, based on similarity …

Usu Professor Elected To American Institute For Medical And Biological Engineering College Of Fellows | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Utah State University Professor of Biological Engineering Dr. Ron Sims was elected this week to the College of Fellows of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, or AIMBE.

61st Conference On Senior Engineering Design, College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

Senior Engineering Design Conference

The 61st Conference on Senior Engineering Design Projects. The conference was held from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.,Tuesday, December 5, 2017 at the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences on the Parkview Campus of Western Michigan University. The College of Engineering and Applied Sciences sponsored the conference to showcase the work of its graduating seniors, who are required to complete a capstone project that puts into practice what they have learned. Many of the projects are sponsored by business and industry.

Processes For Nanaoparticle Dispersions With Ionic Liquid-Based Stabilizers, John Texter

Patents

The disclosure generally relates to a dispersion of nanoparticles in a liquid medium. The liquid medium is suitably water-based and further includes an ionic liquid-based stabilizer in the liquid medium to stabilize the dispersion of nanoparticles therein. The stabilizer can be polymeric or monomeric and generally includes a moiety with at least one quaternary ammonium cation from a corresponding ionic liquid. The dispersion suitably can be formed by shearing or otherwise mixing a mixture/combination of its components. The dispersions can be used to form nanoparticle composite films upon drying or otherwise removing the liquid medium carrier, with the stabilizer providing …

Development Of Image Analysis Toolboxes For Biological Imaging, Samia Sanjari

Student Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of tissue engineering is to regenerate the damaged tissues by using three dimensional porous scaffolds which act as substrates for tissue regeneration. Several studies have showed that structural properties of scaffold (fiber diameter, pore size of scaffold, and fiber orientation) play a significant role in tissue regeneration. Therefore, in order to design a suitable scaffold for tissue engineering application, it is important to understand the structural properties of fibrous scaffold. To achieve this aim in this study, standalone image analysis toolboxes are generated by using the MATLAB software for finding the mean pore size of scaffolds, length, diameter …

Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (Sers) Substrates And Probes, Srismrita Basu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Raman spectroscopy is a well-known technique for complex molecular detection. In Raman spectrometry, laser beam is focused on a sample to generate a unique "fingerprint" of the molecule. The Raman signal is very weak. To overcome this problem nano rough metallic substrates are fabricated to enhance the signal strength. In clinical applications, remote contact and minimally invasive probes inside the specimen are needed.

This research work is divided in: (1) development of Surface Enhanced Raman Scattering (SERS) substrate using gold coated etched aluminum foil, (2) development of the SERS probe using the aluminum based substrate with a single optical fiber …

A Robust Synthetic Basis Feature Descriptor Implementation And Applications Pertaining To Visual Odometry, Object Detection, And Image Stitching, Lindsey Ann Raven

Theses and Dissertations

Feature detection and matching is an important step in many object tracking and detection algorithms. This paper discusses methods to improve upon previous work on the SYnthetic BAsis feature descriptor (SYBA) algorithm, which describes and compares image features in an efficient and discreet manner. SYBA utilizes synthetic basis images overlaid on a feature region of interest (FRI) to generate binary numbers that uniquely describe the feature contained within the FRI. These binary numbers are then used to compare against feature values in subsequent images for matching. However, in a non-ideal environment the accuracy of the feature matching suffers due to …

Boat-Lift Design And Analysis, Nathan Schick

Honors Theses

A current in production 6000 lb. rated boat-lift is being sold at “Great Lake Lifts”. The lift was tested experimentally and proved to hold at least 8000 lb. The design team successfully modeled the current lift on Ansys to help the customer understand where the weakest points in the design were. Following the creation of the initial lift design, the design team proposed and tested modifications that could be made in order to make the lift more structurally sound. The initial lift had a maximum deflection of 0.43846 inches, a maximum stress of 15880 psi, and a safety factor of …

Low-Cost Control Engineering Experiments, Megan Arduin

Honors Theses

The disciplines found within the area of motion and controls is a vital element of each engineer’s education. The ability to understand and then control dynamic systems is a fundamental skill required for many working engineers today. The aim of this project is to further develop the tools and methods available to teach and prepare engineering students to effectively design control system architecture, and then successfully implement their design into real world systems. The main goal is to design an apparatus that can be used to teach control system methods and has an affordable price. There are few experiments where …

Supporting Mechanistic Reasoning In Domain-Specific Contexts, Paul J. Weinberg

Journal of Pre-College Engineering Education Research (J-PEER)

Mechanistic reasoning is an epistemic practice central within science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines. Although there has been some work on mechanistic reasoning in the research literature and standards documents, much of this work targets domain-general characterizations of mechanistic reasoning; this study provides domain-specific illustrations of mechanistic reasoning. The data in this study comes from the Assessment of Mechanistic Reasoning Project (AMRP) (Weinberg, 2012), designed using item response theory modeling to diagnose individuals’ mechanistic reasoning about systems of levers. Such a characterization of mechanistic reasoning illuminates what is easy and difficult about this form of reasoning, within the subdomain of …

Physics Based Approach For Seafloor Classification, Phu Duy Nguyen

Dissertations and Theses

The seafloor properties are of high importance for many applications such as marine biology, oil and gas exploration, laying cables, dredging operations and off-shore construction. Several approaches exist to classify the properties of the seabed. These include taking direct samples of the seabed (e.g., coring), however, these methods are costly and slow. Underwater acoustic remote sensing techniques are of interest because they are lower cost and faster. The information about the seabed properties can be extracted by studying the energy of single beam echo sounders (SBES). This can be done by either phenomenological or numerical methods [1], [2]. This research …

Energy Potentials Of Briquette Produced From Tannery Solid Waste, Olatunde Ajani Oyelaran, Faralu Muhammed Sani, Olawale Monsur Sanusi, Olusegun Balogun, Adeyinka Okeowo Fagbemigun

Makara Journal of Technology

The vast quantity of waste generated from industries is one of the serious outcomes of unplanned development, resulting into quantum of hazardous organic and inorganic waste generating daily. Proper waste management is a challenging issue that must be addressed adequately. This is, therefore, carried out with a view of assessing the energy and combustion quality of tannery solid waste with a view of converting them into briquettes for cooking, heating and small home industries and reducing the menace caused by tannery waste disposal. The results of the experiments showed that the combustion rate ranged between 0.171 and 0.217 g/min, the …

Adsorption Of Cu(Ii) Ions In Aqueous Solution Onto Limonia Acidissima Shellbased Activated Carbon: Kinetic And Isotherm Studies, Abrar Muslim, Syahiddin Dahlan Said, Gita Suci Hariati, Siti Fajar Karina, Fauzi Muhammad Djuned, Rizka Mulyawan

Makara Journal of Technology

Adsorption of Cu(II) ions from aqueous solution using activated carbon prepared from Limonia acidissima fruit shell (LAFS-AC) was conducted in batch mode experiments at pH 5 (±0.15), 100 rpm and 1 atm. The effects of contact time, initial Cu(II) ions concentration, KOH concentration, and adsorption temperature on Cu(II) ions adsorption capacity were investigated. Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy analyses were performed to investigate the active site and surface morphology of the LAFS-AC, respectively. The Cu(II) ions adsorption was fitted very well (R2 = 0.94 on average) to the pseudo second-order adsorption kinetic with the adsorption capacity and …

Experimental Study On Automatic Control For Collision Avoidance Of Ships, Daeng Paroka, Muhammad Fahmi Kamil, Andi Haris Muhammad

Makara Journal of Technology

Automatic control system is widely applied to control the ship direction or heading angle in accordance with the decided trajectory. Several methods for improving performance of control system have been developed such as Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control and fuzzy logic based control. Within the last decade, application of automatic control system is not only for ship navigation but also for avoiding collision risk of ships in seaways. This paper discusses the application of automatic control system for avoiding ship collision by free running experiment. Fuzzy logic based control was developed using Mamdani Centroid method to estimate the necessary rudder angle in …

Indonesia’S Municipal Solid Waste 3r And Waste To Energy Programs, Farizal Farizal, Radityo Aji, Amar Rachman, Nasruddin Nasruddin, Teuku Meurah Indra Mahlia

Makara Journal of Technology

Like most cities in the world, population in Indonesia continues to grow every year. Problems that can arise from this are the increasing amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) production and the growing demand for electricity. To deal with the problems, Indonesian government runs 3R (Reduce, Reuse and Recycle) and WTE (Waste to Energy) Programs simultaneously. 3R program aims to reduce the number of waste, while WTE program aims to generate electricity as an alternative energy source. This study aims to find out the optimal proportion of MSW treated through the 3R and WTE programs. For the purpose, a goal …

Study On Semiconductor Properties Of Acetylide-Thiourea Fabricated Onto Interdigitated Electrodes (Ides) Platform Towards Application In Gas Sensing Technology, Adibah Izzati Daud, Wan M. Khairul, M. I. N. Isa, Khairul Anuar Abdul Wahid

Makara Journal of Technology

In the past few decades, the unique properties of acetylide and thiourea moieties individually have attracted great attention from researchers in various fields to be developed in numerous applications in advanced materials technology, especially as an active layer in gas sensing devices. The molecular systems of acetylide and thiourea provide a wide range of electronic properties as they possess rigid π-systems in their designated structures. In this study, a derivative of acetylide-thiourea featuring N-(4[4-aminophenyl] ethynyl benzonitrile)-N’-(4-ethyl benzoyl) thiourea (TCN) has been synthesised with the general formula of ArC(O)NHC(S)NHC≡C)Ar adopted the system of D-π-A for the significant development of conductive materials. …

Experimental Study Of The Chimney Height Variation Against Double Pots Biomass Stove Performance, Faisal Faisal, Adi Setiawan, Wusnah Wusnah, Khairil Khairil, Luthfi Luthfi, Mona Fajriana

Makara Journal of Technology

This research aims to get optimal chimneys height of double pots biomass stove. Optimal chimneys height needs to provide best performance of the stove. Experimental study was done by varied the chimney heights. Water boiling test as the standard method was used to obtained stove performance for each chimney height variation. The results showed that best performance stove was the one with 1.65 cm chimney height, with thermal efficiency at 37.66%.