Engineering Commons^™

Full-Scale Pavement Testing Of Aggregate Base Material Stabilized With Triaxial Geogrid, Shaun Todd Hilton

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research was to investigate the structural capacity of aggregate base materials stabilized with triaxial geogrid placed in a full-scale pavement involving control, or unstabilized, sections. Field testing was performed on a roadway in northeastern Utah that was 16 km (10 miles) long and included 10 test sections, seven stabilized sections and three control sections, each having five test locations. The pavement structure was comprised of a hot mix asphalt layer overlying an untreated aggregate base layer of varying thickness, depending on the test section. Except for the control sections, one or two layers of geogrid were …

Non-Dimensional Modeling Of The Effects Of Weld Parameters On Peak Temperature And Cooling Rate In Friction Stir Welding, Bryan Jay Stringham

Theses and Dissertations

Methods for predicting weld properties based on welding parameters are needed in friction stir welding (FSW). FSW is a joining process in which the resulting properties depend on the thermal cycle of the weld. Buckingham's Pi theorem and heat transfer analysis was used to identify dimensionless parameters relevant to the FSW process. Experimental data from Al 7075 and HSLA-65 on five different backing plate materials and a wide range of travel speeds and weld powers was used to create a dimensionless, empirical model relating critical weld parameters to the peak temperature rise and cooling rate of the weld. The models …

Selecting Surrogate Folds For Use In Origami-Based Mechanisms And Products, Jason Tyler Allen

Theses and Dissertations

Origami-based design is increasing in popularity as its benefits and advantages become better understood and explored. However, many opportunities still exist for the application of origami principles to engineered designs, especially in the use of non-paper, thick sheet materials. One specific area utilizing thick sheet materials that is especially promising is origami-based mechanisms that require electrical power transfer applications. Many of these opportunities can be met by the use of surrogate folds. This thesis provides methods and frameworks that can be used by engineers to efficiently select and design surrogate folds for use in origami-based mechanisms and products. Surrogate folds …

Strut-And-Tie Modeling Of Multistory, Partially-Grouted, Concrete Masonry Shear Walls With Openings, Jeffrey Ryan Buxton

Theses and Dissertations

Construction practices are constantly evolving in order to adapt to physical locations and economic conditions. These adaptations may result in more cost-effective designs, but may also come at a cost of strength. In masonry shear walls, it is becoming more common to reduce the amount of grouting from every cell to only those with reinforcement, a practice known as partial-grouting. Partially-grouted masonry responds differently and in a more complex matter to lateral loads as compared to fully-grouted masonry. The response is made even more complex by wall discontinuities in the form of openings. The main objective of this study is …

Estimating Short-Term Human Intent For Physical Human-Robot Co-Manipulation, Eric Christopher Townsend

Theses and Dissertations

Robots are increasingly becoming safer and more capable. In the past, the main applications for robots have been in manufacturing, where they perform repetitive, highly accurate tasks with physical barriers that separate them from people. They have also been used in space exploration where people are not around. Due to improvements in sensors, algorithms, and design, robots are beginning to be used in other applications like materials handling, healthcare, and agriculture and will one day be ubiquitous. For this to be possible, they will need to be able to function safely in unmodelled and dynamic environments. This is especially true …

The Effect Of Transit-Oriented Development Siteson Residential Home Pricing, Bradley S. Randall

Theses and Dissertations

For a number of years residential and commercial development has grown surrounding railways stations in many cities across the United States. One of the trends that has occurred in a number of cities relates to positive property value correlations between real estate values near transit stations and transit-oriented development (TOD) sites as compared to their counterparts not located near a railway station or freeway access. Many cities have noted that homeowners are willing to pay more to be near a TOD site and being near a site can represent a statistically significant factor in determining where to purchase a property. …

Structural Lightweight Grout Mixture Design, Hannah Jean Polanco

Theses and Dissertations

This research focused on designing a grout mixture using lightweight aggregate that achieves the minimum 28-day compressive strength required for normal-weight grout, 2000 psi. This research specifically studied the effects of aggregate proportion, slump, and aggregate soaking on the compressive strength of the mixture. The variable ranges investigated were 3-4.75 parts aggregate to cement volumetrically, 8-11 in. slump, and 0 and 2 cycles of soaking. The statistical model developed to analyze the significance of variable effects included a three-way interaction between the explanatory variables. All three explanatory variables had a statistically significant effect on the grout compressive strength, but the …

Seismic Analysis Of And Provisions For Dry-Stack Concrete Masonry Wall Systems With Surface Bond In Low-Rise Buildings, Joseph G. Eixenberger

Theses and Dissertations

Masonry is one of the oldest forms of construction materials that is still in use today. However, construction practices in the modern age demand faster and more economical practices. Dry-stack masonry, or masonry that doesn't use mortar to bind the blocks together, is a unique system to make masonry more economical. Though several systems of dry-stack masonry have been suggested little to no data exists as most of these systems are patented. This research used dry-stacked normal weight concrete masonry units with an eccentrically placed reinforcement. The wall system is connected through a surface bond and lacks any geometric connection. …

Decellularization And Recellularization Processes For Whole Porcine Kidneys, Nafiseh Poornejad

Theses and Dissertations

Concern over kidney disease has increased dramatically in recent years within the medical community. It is estimated that approximately one in fifteen Americans, nearly 20 million people, experience chronic kidney disease with most of those diagnosed progressing to kidney failure. The ultimate treatment available for end stage renal failure is whole kidney transplantation. However, there are very few kidneys available for patients to receive and those patients who are fortunate enough to receive an organ must remain on immunosuppressive medication for the remainder of their lives. The United States Department of Health & Human Services have reported that 18 people …

Experimental And Computational Analysis Of An Axial Turbine Driven By Pulsing Flow, Mark H. Fernelius

Theses and Dissertations

Pressure gain combustion is a form of combustion that uses pressure waves to transfer energy and generate a rise in total pressure during the combustion process. Pressure gain combustion shows potential to increase the cycle efficiency of conventional gas turbine engines if used in place of the steady combustor. However, one of the challenges of integrating pressure gain combustion into a gas turbine engine is that a turbine driven by pulsing flow experiences a decrease in efficiency. The interaction of pressure pulses with a turbine was investigated to gain physical insights and to provide guidelines for designing turbines to be …

Vibrotactile Stimulation: A Nonpharmacological Intervention For Opioid-Exposed Newborns, Ian Zuzarte, Premananda Indic, Bruce Barton, David Paydarfar, Francis Bednarek, Elisabeth Bloch-Salisbury

Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: To examine the therapeutic potential of stochastic vibrotactile stimulation (SVS) as a complementary non-pharmacological intervention for withdrawal in opioid-exposed newborns.

Study design: A prospective, within-subjects single-center study was conducted in 26 opioid-exposed newborns (>37 weeks; 16 male) hospitalized since birth and treated pharmacologically for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome. A specially-constructed mattress delivered low-level SVS (30-60Hz, 10±12μm RMS), alternated in 30-min intervals between continuous vibration (ON) and no vibration (OFF) over a 6±8 hr session. Movement activity, heart rate, respiratory rate, axillary temperature and blood-oxygen saturation were calculated separately for ON and OFF.

Results: There was a 35% reduction in …

Towards A Cost-Effective Biorefinery : Production Of Activated Carbons From Residual Biomass For Energy Storage Devices., Zachary Dean Herde

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biomass processing for industrial products and biofuels has gained an increasing presence as society looks to using sustainable resources for manufacturing and renewable fuels for energy. However, these sustainably produced materials and products cannot gain a competitive edge because of the manufacturing expenses that are a result of high process temperatures and pressures. In order to lower these costs, theoretical modeling has described a value-added co-product strategy as one of the best ways to combat high bioprocessing prices. Biomass has been shown to make effective carbons for energy storage devices such as supercapacitors and batteries. These carbons, with the right …

Cyber Security Risks In Public High Schools, Ion Goran

Student Theses

Today, just like other organizations, schools are vulnerable to cyber-attacks. This vulnerability has vividly revealed itself in recent years, with the number of attacks on public schools increasing and taking ever-changing forms. Today, the student’s grades, disciplinary notes, learning diagnoses, phone numbers, addresses, and another identifying information is all at risk of being exposed. Moreover, poor network security poses a dire threat to parents of school children whose personal records contain sensitive or dangerous information. The practical implications of these attacks require intervention or remedy to increase cyber security. Cyberattacks may take place when storage facilities or infected devices are …

Curated Exhibit Price Of War: Advances In Military Medicine, Laura J. Hall

Posters and Presentations

The Price of War: Advances in Military Medicine exhibit, curated by Laura J. Hall, MFA, explored the significant medical innovations arising from wartime, with a special focus on New Mexico's contributions. The exhibit highlighted the development of the atomic bomb at Los Alamos National Labs and the Trinity Site, the post-war work of the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, and the pioneering efforts of Dr. Randy Lovelace in space medicine. On display from April 1, 2017, to March 17, 2020, it documented key medical advancements, from field surgical installations in World War II to modern prosthetics and regenerative medicine, showing how …

Remote Measurements Of Tides And River Slope Using An Airborne Lidar Instrument, Austin S. Hudson, Stefan A. Talke, Ruth Branch, Chris Chickadel, Gordon Farquharson, Andrew Jessup

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Tides and river slope are fundamental characteristics of estuaries, but they are usually undersampled due to deficiencies in the spatial coverage of water level measurements. This study aims to address this issue by investigating the use of airborne lidar measurements to study tidal statistics and river slope in the Columbia River estuary. Eight plane transects over a 12-h period yield at least eight independent measurements of water level at 2.5-km increments over a 65-km stretch of the estuary. These data are fit to a sinusoidal curve and the results are compared to seven in situ gauges. In situ– and lidar-based …

Gradient-Enriched Finite Element Methodology For Axisymmetric Problems, C. Bagni, H. Askes, E. C. Aifantis

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Due to the axisymmetric nature of many engineering problems, bi-dimensional axisymmetric finite elements play an important role in the numerical analysis of structures, as well as advanced technology micro/nano-components and devices (nano-tubes, nano-wires, micro-/nano-pillars, micro-electrodes). In this paper, a straightforward C0-continuous gradient-enriched finite element methodology is proposed for the solution of axisymmetric geometries, including both axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric loads. Considerations about the best integration rules and an exhaustive convergence study are also provided along with guidances on optimal element size. Moreover, by applying the present methodology to cylindrical bars characterised by a circumferential sharp crack, the ability of the present …

Enabling Smart City Services For Heterogeneous Wireless Networks, Besintha Jafar Marakkarakath

Theses

A city can be transformed into a smart city if there is a resource-rich and reliable communication infrastructure available. A smart city in effect improves the quality of life of citizens by providing the means to convert the existing solutions to smart ones. Thus, there is a need for finding a suitable network structure that is capable of providing sufficient capacity and satisfactory quality-of-service in terms of latency and reliability. In this thesis, we propose a wireless network structure for smart cities. Our proposed network provides two wireless interfaces for each smart city node. One is supposed to connect to …

Performance Study For Capillary Machine-To-Machine Networks, Maisaa Othman Albaghdadi

Theses

Communication technologies witness a wide and rapid pervasiveness of wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) communications. It is emerging to apply for data transfer among devices without human intervention. Capillary M2M networks represent a candidate for providing reliable M2M connectivity. In this thesis, we propose a wireless network architecture that aims at supporting a wide range of M2M applications (either real-time or non-real-time) with an acceptable QoS level. The architecture uses capillary gateways to reduce the number of devices communicating directly with a cellular network such as LTE. Moreover, the proposed architecture reduces the traffic load on the cellular network by providing capillary …

Related-Key Secure Key Encapsulation From Extended Computational Bilinear Diffie–Hellman, Brandon Qin, Shengli Liu, Shifeng Sun, Robert H. Deng, Dawu Gu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

As a special type of fault injection attacks, Related-Key Attacks (RKAs) allow an adversary to manipulate a cryptographic key and subsequently observe the outcomes of the cryptographic scheme under these modified keys. In the real life, related-key attacks are already practical enough to be implemented on cryptographic devices. To avoid cryptographic devices suffering from related-key attacks, it is necessary to design a cryptographic scheme that resists against such attacks. This paper proposes an efficient RKA-secure Key Encapsulation Mechanism (KEM), in which the adversary can modify the secret key sk to any value f(sk), as long as, f is a polynomial …

Aspect Extraction From Product Reviews Using Category Hierarchy Information, Yifeng Yang, Chen Cen, Minghui Qiu, Forrest Sheng Bao

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Aspect extraction is a task to abstract the common properties of objects from corpora discussing them, such as reviews of products. Recent work on aspect extraction is leveraging the hierarchical relationship between products and their categories. However, such effort focuses on the aspects of child categories but ignores those from parent categories. Hence, we propose an LDA-based generative topic model inducing the two-layer categorical information (CAT-LDA), to balance the aspects of both a parent category and its child categories. Our hypothesis is that child categories inherit aspects from parent categories, controlled by the hierarchy between them. Experimental results on 5 …

Neural Collaborative Filtering, Xiangnan He, Lizi Liao, Hanwang Zhang, Liqiang Nie, Xia Hu, Tat-Seng Chua

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

In recent years, deep neural networks have yielded immense success on speech recognition, computer vision and natural language processing. However, the exploration of deep neural networks on recommender systems has received relatively less scrutiny. In this work, we strive to develop techniques based on neural networks to tackle the key problem in recommendation --- collaborative filtering --- on the basis of implicit feedback.Although some recent work has employed deep learning for recommendation, they primarily used it to model auxiliary information, such as textual descriptions of items and acoustic features of musics. When it comes to model the key factor in …

Evaluation Of Low Cost Controllers For Mobile Based Virtual Reality Headsets, Summer Lindsey

Theses and Dissertations

Virtual Reality (VR) is no longer just for training purposes. The consumer VR market has become a large part of the VR world and is growing at a rapid pace. In spite of this growth, there is no standard controller for VR. This study evaluated three different controllers: a gamepad, the Leap Motion, and a touchpad as means of interacting with a virtual environment (VE). There were 23 participants that performed a matching task while wearing a Samsung Gear VR mobile based VR headset. Measures of performance, preference, presence, and enjoyment were collected and compared across controller. Overall, it was …

Assessing The Hydrodynamic And Economic Impacts Of Biofouling On The Hull Of Surface Vessels Using Numerical Methods, Letchi Evrard Quentin Anoman

Theses and Dissertations

Marine fouling on the hull of surface vessels is a topic of increasing importance in the maritime field for its environmental and financial impacts. Recent research developments have introduced mathematical models dealing with the frictional resistance associated with fouling, thus enabling to single out their impact on ship hydrodynamics. Herein, two implementations of these models are presented. The first implementation used Computational Fluid Dynamics to assess the additional drag induced by fouling for a specific ship model. With the software STAR CCM+, Reynolds Averaged Navier-Stokes equations have been used to model turbulence, wall laws parameters have been adapted to suit …

Wave Energy Assessment In Southern Central Java Island And Control Method For Maximizing The Captured Power In Wave Energy Converters, Fatima Sultan Ghdayer Ali Alaryani

Theses

This thesis discusses the wave energy potential of the Indian Ocean on the south coast of Central Java Island, where no previous known similar study has been conducted. A control technique that involves a dynamic electrical model was established. The following objectives were achieved. The first was to determine the ideal location to implement wave energy conversion (WEC), and the second objective was to simulate the significant wave height by using the novel control method.

To achieve these goals, the following steps and procedures were implemented. Wave energy assessment was conducted for the Indian Ocean on the south coast of …

Online Growing Neural Gas For Anomaly Detection In Changing Surveillance Scenes, Qianru Sun, Hong Liu, Tatsuya Harada

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Anomaly detection is still a challenging task for video surveillance due to complex environments and unpredictable human behaviors. Most existing approaches train offline detectors using manually labeled data and predefined parameters, and are hard to model changing scenes. This paper introduces a neural network based model called online Growing Neural Gas (online GNG) to perform an unsupervised learning. Unlike a parameter-fixed GNG, our model updates learning parameters continuously, for which we propose several online neighbor-related strategies. Specific operations, namely neuron insertion, deletion, learning rate adaptation and stopping criteria selection, get upgraded to online modes. In the anomaly detection stage, the …

Correlating Strength And Stiffness Data Of The Pencel Pressuremeter And Triaxial Compression Tests In Florida Sands, Jacob William Jansen

Theses and Dissertations

The poorly graded sands found throughout Florida provide geotechnical engineers with a difficult challenge when performing testing samples in laboratory tests. These challenges have caused lab tests such as the triaxial compression test to be overlooked. Since geotechnical engineers estimate strength and stiffness parameters from basic field tests, they often produce overly conservative designs. Understanding how the automated in-situ PENCEL Pressuremeter (PPMT) test correlates with the triaxial compression test can reduce the time and costs associated with laboratory triaxial testing. Results from triaxial tests yield a Young’s Elastic Modulus, shear strength, and internal friction angle. Results from a PPMT test …

Empirical Study Of In-Plane Shrinkage And Bulging Of Circular Cylinders Fabricated With The Fused Deposition Modeling Additive Manufacturing Method, Kirill Martusevich

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a set of empirical studies, leading to three Design for Additive Manufacturing (DfAM) tools for estimating diametric shrinkage and the longitudinal variation of diameter in circular cylinders produced by the Fused-Deposition Modeling (FDM) method. First, four experiments are conducted by additively printing 50 cylinders and taking 1900 measurements in order to study the variation of diametric shrinkage along the cylinder axis and the variation of shrinkage as functions of four parameters of the cylinder: top and bottom thicknesses, diameter, height, and shell thickness. These four subjects of study are addressed as five research questions and are answered …

Urban Park Design, Level Of Enclosure And People’S Satisfaction: A Comparative Analysis Of Al Jahili And Al Selimi Parks In Al Ain, Uae, Amnah Ali S Gargoum

Theses

The purpose of this research is to understand how physical characteristics of parks with a particular focus on different levels of enclosure affect park usage level and user patterns in the city of Al-Ain, UAE. Parks in Al Ain are present in different parts of the city and provide plenty of opportunities for leisure and recreation. Despite this diversity, parks located within the inner city area remain the most popular among the residents of Al-Ain, and have expanded significantly in the last few years. Specifically, this thesis aims to understand how the levels of usage and the behavioral patterns of …

An Immersive Learning Model, Shamsa Abdulla Salem Al Mazrouei

Theses

Our overarching goal is to provide children with immersive game-based learning environments to support Arabic linguistic skills acquisition. We postulate that immersion in- creases learning. To investigate this hypothesis, we developed a model and built an implementation of an educational virtual environment (EVE) that supports immersion and thus, induces effective learning. Experimental results confirm our hypothesis.

Our model integrates learning content, learning activities, immersion and gameplay. Based on our analysis of various curricula, specifically the United Arab Emirates grade one curriculum, we identified the nature of the learning content in order to satisfy the curriculum requirements. This content is conceptually …

Encapsulation Process Of Propolis Extract By Casein Micelle Improves Sunscreen Activity, Muhamad Sahlan, Dara Dienayati, Darul Hamdi, Soraya Zahra, Heri Hermansyah, Malyn Chulasiri

Makara Journal of Technology

Propolis, a wax bee glue, have antioxidant activity and effective as broad spectrum UVB and UVA photoprotection sunscreens agent. To improve photoprotection activity in sunscreen cream, the propolis was encapsulated by casein micelle. The Indonesian propolis was extracted by ethanol and separated the wax by freeze precipitation. The extract was encapsulated by casein and reduced their size by ball mill homogenizer with the encapsulation efficiency about 80% and size of particles about 80 nm. The particles was applied in sunscreen cream, evaluate their stabillity and photoprotection activity Sun Protection Factor (SPF) spectrophotometer (Optometric 290s). The results shows that the selected …