Engineering Commons^™

Using Intel Realsense Depth Data For Hand Tracking In Unreal Engine 4, Granger Lang

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

This project describes how to build a hand tracking method for VR/AR using the raw data from a depth sensing camera.

Engineering Cell-Free Protein Synthesis Technology For Codon Reassignment, Biotherapeutics Production Using Just-Add-Water System, And Biosensing Endocrine Disrupting Compounds, Sayed Mohammad Salehi

Theses and Dissertations

Cell-free protein synthesis is an emerging technology that has many applications. The open nature of this system makes it a compelling technology that can be manipulated to answer many needs that are unavailable in other systems. This dissertation reports on engineering this technology for: 1) sense codon emancipation for incorporation of multiple unnatural amino acids; 2) expressing a hard-to-express anticancer biotherapeutic and introducing a just-add-water system; 3) a biosensing ligand that interacts with nuclear hormone receptors. Emancipating sense codons toward a minimized genetic code is of significant interest to science and engineering. A promising approach to sense codon emancipation is …

Potential Crop Evapotranspiration And Surface Evaporation Estimates Via A Gridded Weather Forcing Dataset, Clayton S. Lewis, L. Niel Allen

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Absent local weather stations, a gridded weather dataset can provide information useful for water management in irrigated areas including potential crop evapotranspiration calculations. In estimating crop irrigation requirements and surface evaporation in Utah, United States of America, methodology and software were developed using the ASCE Standardized Penman-Monteith Reference Evapotranspiration equation with input climate drivers from the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS) gridded weather forcing dataset and a digital elevation model. A simple procedure was devised to correct bias in NLDAS relative humidity and air temperature data based on comparison to weather data from ground stations. Potential evapotranspiration was …

Me-Em Enewsbrief, March 2017, Department Of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering eNewsBrief

No abstract provided.

A Timed Colored Petri Net Simulation-Based Self-Adaptive Collaboration Method For Production-Logistics Systems, Zhengang Guo, Yingfeng Zhang, Xibin Zhao, Xiaoyu Song

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Complex and customized manufacturing requires a high level of collaboration between production and logistics in a flexible production system. With the widespread use of Internet of Things technology in manufacturing, a great amount of real-time and multi-source manufacturing data and logistics data is created, that can be used to perform production-logistics collaboration. To solve the aforementioned problems, this paper proposes a timed colored Petri net simulation-based self-adaptive collaboration method for Internet of Things-enabled production-logistics systems. The method combines the schedule of token sequences in the timed colored Petri net with real-time status of key production and logistics equipment. The key …

Using Percent Complete Metric To Highlight The Root Causes Of Delays In Home Building Industry, Somik Ghosh

The Professional Constructor

Based on the prediction of US Housing and Urban Development (US HUD), the demand for new homes will increase in the coming months to accompany the steady sales of existing homes. To meet the future demand, the home building industry has to continuously improve and get rid of inherent problems such as frequent delays. While delays have been a common occurrence in the residential and commercial construction alike, investigations of delays in the residential sector has not received much attention. With the goal of exploring the causes of delays in the home building industry, a multiple case study approach was …

Are We On The Same Jobsite? The Millennial Generation Vs. Construction Industry Employees, Christine Piper, Varahee Madadi

The Professional Constructor

This paper gives an overview of a study conducted in a geographical area of the US to understand the millennial generation’s perception of the workplace of the construction industry. Many organizations face the challenge of integrating diverse generations in a workplace. With the retirement of a large number of Boomers and the current intake of Millennials in the workplace, organizations are facing a challenge to attract and retain the millennial generation. Workplace expectations of the millennial generation and employees are compared with the expectations of the workplace amongst different generations in the construction industry.

Math Skills That Don’T Add Up; A Comparison Between Eighth Grade And College Students, Nathan Barry, Angela Hollman, Dale Porter

The Professional Constructor

Among 34 participating countries within the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the United States performed below average in mathematics earning a rank of 27. The World Economic Forum (2014) ranks the United States 51 out of 144 countries scoring a 4.4 out of 7 (7 = excellent) in the quality of mathematics and science education. Although the United States’ competitive advantage and economic growth is directly connected to science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) careers, only 28 percent of those students choose to major with these fields in college. In addition, 48 percent of students that choose to …

Lateral Strength And Ductile Behavior Of A Mortise-Tenon Connected Timber Frame, Alexandros Kouromenos

Master's Theses

The primary goals of this project were to examine the amount of lateral force resisted by a single-bay mortise-tenon connected timber moment frame, and to introduce ductile behavior into the mortise-tenon connections by adding a steel sleeve around a traditional wood peg. This research aimed to provide proof that traditional timber frames are capable of ductile racking while reliably complying with ASCE 7-10 building code drift speci! cations, implying an increase in the ASCE 7-10 ductility factor (R) for wood frames when used as lateral force resisting elements. A secondary goal was to promote traditional heavy timber framing as a …

Revalume: Configurable Employee Evaluations In The Cloud, Terrence Zone Li

Master's Theses

The software industry has seen a shift from annual to more frequent quarterly and even weekly employee reviews. As a result, there is a high demand for employee evaluations to be less costly and less time-consuming, while providing key insights for richer interactions between employees and their employers or managers. Tech com- panies are constantly looking for methods of producing high quality evaluations to prevent costly turnover. In an industry where software engineers are in high demand, tech companies face a challenging problem. Issues with employee evaluations typi- cally include the lack of performance transparency, unhelpful feedback, lack of metrics, …

The Collisional Evolution Of Orbital Debris In Geopotential Wells And Disposal Orbits, Benjamin Polzine

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the orbital debris evolution in the geosynchronous disposal orbit regime and within geosynchronous orbits effected by the geopotential wells. A propagator is developed for the accurate simulation of GEO specific orbits and the required perturbations are determined and described. Collisions are then simulated in the selected regimes using a low velocity breakup model derived from the NASA EVOLVE breakup model. The simulations described in this thesis consider a set of perturbations including the geopotential, solar and lunar gravity, and solar radiation pressure forces. This thesis is based on a prior paper and additionally seeks to address an …

Silent Communication Device, Christopher Wayne Schutter

Master's Theses

Oral communication has constituted as a necessary aspect of how people interact with one another, but there are always situations where this form of communication can create distractions, irritation, or even danger. Take for example, a student in a laboratory who needs to communicate effectively with a lab partner without creating a distraction to those trying to work around said student or a soldier on a battlefield who needs to relay information effectively to his or her comrades without revealing his or her position to the enemy. It becomes apparent that people need a more exclusive form of communication in …

Orbital Determination Feasibility Of Leo Nanosatellites Using Small Aperture Telescopes, Michael R. Strange

Master's Theses

This thesis is directed toward the feasibility of observing satellites on the nano scale and determining an accurate propagated orbit using a Meade LX600-ACF 14” diameter aperture telescope currently located on the California Polytechnic State University campus. The optical telescope is fitted with an f/6.3 focal reducer, SBIG ST-10XME CCD camera and Optec TCF-S Focuser. This instrumentation allowed for a 22’ X 15’ arcminute FOV in order to accurately image passing LEO satellites. Through the use of the Double-r and Gauss Initial Orbit Determination methods as well as Least Squared Differential Correction and Extended Kalman Filter Orbit Determination methods, an …

Normalizer: Augmenting Code Clone Detectors Using Source Code Normalization, Kevin Ly

Master's Theses

Code clones are duplicate fragments of code that perform the same task. As software code bases increase in size, the number of code clones also tends to increase. These code clones, possibly created through copy-and-paste methods or unintentional duplication of effort, increase maintenance cost over the lifespan of the software. Code clone detection tools exist to identify clones where a human search would prove unfeasible, however the quality of the clones found may vary. I demonstrate that the performance of such tools can be improved by normalizing the source code before usage. I developed Normalizer, a tool to transform C …

Thermal Evolution Of Moon, Arshdeep Singh Gill

Master's Theses

In August, 2014 three experiments were conducted using infrared systems deployed at White Mountain Research center, CA. The data was acquired for the whole month of August. Teams of 3-4 students from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and UC Santa Barbara were stationed at the research center for 2-3 days to operate the equipment. The three experiments were:(1) creating spatial-temporal time series of lunar surface temperatures;(2) identifying atmospheric meteor trails;(3) search for meteor impacts on the Moon surface. Out of the three this thesis focusses on experiment 1 and the results from this experiment could also help with the other …

Poster: Lessons Learned From Successful Black Male “Buoyant Believers” In Engineering And Engineering-Related Fields, Leroy L. Long Iii, Trevion S. Henderson

Publications

In high-demand fields like science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), more success strategies are needed to effectively recruit and retain college students. One-size fits-all approaches (i.e., those that are supposed to work for all students) often neglect the unique needs of underrepresented populations. Although some strategies exist for helping minority students succeed in STEM, the present investigation uncovered detailed information about how Black male students in engineering and engineering-related fields develop important academic traits such as confidence and resilience. To add to the limited body of literature on Black males in STEM, interview data from 27 Black male students majoring …

In-Plane Shear Wall Performance As Affected By Compressed Earth Block Shape, Steven Ellis Ambers

Master's Theses

This thesis investigates the in-plane shear performance of full-scale walls made from compressed earth blocks. Compressed earth blocks are a type of masonry where the blocks are composed of compressed soil and typically dry-stacked without mortar. Prior research has demonstrated that the in-plane shear strength of these blocks falls far short of capacities predicted by conventional masonry building codes, requiring new testing to develop effective and safe designs for seismic conditions. This thesis specifically studies the effects of block type and the use of grouted shear keys at the block head joints.

Three full-scale walls were constructed and tested under …

Indicators Of Assessing Vehicle Safety Status Under Platoon Conditions At Freeway, Jianan Zhou

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Issue on level freeway segment (Interstate 80) in Nebraska: • High truck percentage (higher than 25%) • Different speed profile - The speed of trucks are set to 67 mph, on average. - The speed of passenger cars are 75 mph, on average. • Result platoons - Approximately 85% of vehicles are observed in platoon. - the degree of freedom to maneuver for drivers are constrained by other in-platoon vehicles. - Vehicles in platoons may face unsafe situation. Goal: Develop indicators to assess the safety status of vehicles under platoon conditions at level freeway segment.

The data were collected at …

Formation Of Mound-Like Multiscale Surface Structures On Titanium By Femtosecond Laser Processing, Edwin Peng, Alfred Tsubaki, Craig A. Zuhlke, Ryan Bell, Meiyu Wang, Dennis R. Alexander, George Gogos, Jeffrey E. Shield

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Surface Functionalization Technique • Femtosecond Laser Surface Processing (FLSP) • Utilize high power, femtosecond (10-15 s) laser pulses • Produce self-organized, multiscale surface micro/nanostructures • Diverse range of applicable substrates: semiconductors, metals, polymers, & composites

Why? • What are the different types of FLSP structures on Ti? • Physical evidence needed for FLSP formation models • Optimize FLSP of Ti for biomedical & other applications

How? • Obtain evidence of mound growth processes by examining underlying microstructure • Utilize dual beam Scanning Electron Microscope-Focused Ion Beam instrument to cross section surface structures & fabricate transmission electron microscopy samples

Image-Based Multi-Target Tracking Through Multi-Bernoulli Filtering With Interactive Likelihoods, Anthony B. Hoak, Henry P. Medeiros, Richard J. Povinelli

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

We develop an interactive likelihood (ILH) for sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) methods for image-based multiple target tracking applications. The purpose of the ILH is to improve tracking accuracy by reducing the need for data association. In addition, we integrate a recently developed deep neural network for pedestrian detection along with the ILH with a multi-Bernoulli filter. We evaluate the performance of the multi-Bernoulli filter with the ILH and the pedestrian detector in a number of publicly available datasets (2003 PETS INMOVE, Australian Rules Football League (AFL) and TUD-Stadtmitte) using standard, well-known multi-target tracking metrics (optimal sub-pattern assignment (OSPA) and classification …

A Laboratory Evaluation Of Warm Mix Technology For Use In Asphalt Rubber - Asphaltic Concrete Friction Courses: A Case Study Of Arizona, Michael Myung Jeong, Douglas I. Hanson

The Professional Constructor

The objective of this study was to determine if warm mix additives currently used in Arizona can be added for the production of an Asphalt Rubber - Asphaltic Concrete Friction Course (AR-ACFC) without detrimental effects on performance of the pavement. Three warm mix additives (Evotherm®, Sasobit®, and Advera®) approved by Arizona Department of Transportation were investigated through a laboratory study along with statistical analysis. Three major concerns on performance of an AR-ACFC considered in this study are asphalt draindown, durability, and moisture susceptibility. The laboratory binder test results show there is no clear evidence that the use of Evotherm and …

How U.S. Universities Intend To Meet Their Carbon Neutral Goals, Dennis C. Bausman, Avinash Venugopal

The Professional Constructor

Universities have been on the leading edge for implementation of sustainable practices, green building certification, and the push to limit emission of greenhouse gases. In 2006 leadership at twelve universities was instrumental in the creation of the American College & University Presidents’ Climate Commitment (ACUPCC). The two overall goals of the ACUPCC were to gain university commitment to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from their campus operations and to promote sustainability education and research. A decade later there are over 650 that have officially pledged their support to the ACUPCC and in doing so have established a goal toward carbon neutrality …

Information Technology News, Georgia Southern University

Information Technology: News & Publications (2012-2023)

• IT Graduate and Undergraduate Students Win Best Paper Award at SEDSI

A Reconfigurable Trusted Platform Module, Matthew David James

Theses and Dissertations

A Trusted Platform Module (TPM) is a security device included in most modern desktop and laptop computers. It helps keep the computing environment secure by isolating cryptographic functions and data from the CPU. A TPM is usually implemented with a small microcontroller which is near the main processor. In addition to a microcontroller, it may employ hardware acceleration to assist in cryptographic computations. When vulnerabilities are found, or new algorithms developed, TPMs become obsolete because the hardware accelerators cannot be upgraded. This thesis presents a proof of concept implementation of a TPM on an FPGA. By using an FPGA, the …

Extension Of The Quikscat Sea Ice Extent Data Set With Oscat And Ascat Data, Jordan Curtis Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Polar sea ice measurements are an important contribution to global climate models. Passive and active microwave remote sensing instruments are used to track global trends in polar sea ice growth and retreat from day to day. A scatterometer sea ice extent data set is valuable for comparison with other radiometer data sets and ground based measurements. This scatterometer sea ice record began with the NASA Scatterometer (NSCAT) and continued with the Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT) data set. The Ku-band Oceansat-2 scatterometer (OSCAT) is very similar to the Quick Scatterometer, which operated from 1999 to 2009. OSCAT continues the Ku-band scatterometer data …

High-Sensitivity Phased Arrays For Radio Astronomy And Satellite Communications, Junming Diao

Theses and Dissertations

Radio astronomy is used to study stars, galaxies, black holes and gas clouds radiation at radio frequencies. Detecting extremely weak signals from deep space radio sources requires high sensitive feed system associated with large dish antennas. The key figure of merit is survey speed, or the time required to map a region of the sky to a given source flux density. Survey speed is proportional to the frequency bandwidth, the field of view or observable region of the sky, and the squared sensitivity, where sensitivity is related to reflector aperture efficiency and system noise temperature. Compared to the traditional single …

The Development Of A Vertical-Axis Wind Turbine Wake Model For Use In Wind Farm Layout Optimization With Noise Level Constraints, Eric Blaine Tingey

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on providing the means to use vertical-axis wind turbines (VAWTs) in wind farms as an alternative form of harnessing wind energy in offshore and urban environments where both wake and acoustic effects of turbines are important considerations. In order for VAWTs to be used in wind farm layout analysis and optimization, a reduced-order wake model is needed to calculate velocities around a turbine quickly and accurately. However, a VAWT wake model has not been available to accomplish this task. Using vorticity data from computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulations of VAWTs and cross-validated Gaussian distribution and polynomial surface …

Mapping Tools For Measuring Gross Motor Function In Conductive Education, Jara’ Nicole Templet

Theses and Dissertations

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a collection of disorders caused by disturbances in the developing brain before, during, or just after birth that affect the development of movement and posture resulting in limitations in activity. Two of the most widely employed gross motor function classification systems used to classify CP are the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) and the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). Despite the wide use of these classification systems, neither is fully sufficient in classifying the gross motor function of a patient with CP. A newer therapy program, Conductive Education (CE) seeks to help children with CP …

Design Of A 3d Printable Mechanical Time Simulating Solar System Model For Use In Stem Education, Mark Bedford Moffett

Theses and Dissertations

The use of designed tools to assist with relating abstract ideas to reality is now a possibility with the use of the modern manufacturing method of 3D printing. The inner four planets’ natural orbital periods with respect to Earth were modeled in SolidWorks and then fabricated using 3D printing. A 3D printable mechanical time simulating solar system model used in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) could assist with the user’s understanding of the history of science, planetary orbital mechanics, gearing ratios, 3D printing, and systematically constructing a project using instructions. This paper describes the design of a 3D printable …

Binder-Jet Printing Of Fine Stainless Steel Powder With Varied Final Density, Mohsen Ziaee, Eric M. Tridas, Nathan B. Crane

Faculty Publications

Binder jetting is an additive manufacturing process that produces relatively weak porous parts that are strengthened through sintering and/or infiltration. This paper reports on two different methods of preparing fine 316 stainless steel powder and their impact on the final sintered density and dimensions relative to direct printing into -22 micron powder. The first method uses agglomerates of fine powder. In the second, nylon 12 powders are mixed with the steel powder as a fugitive space holder to increase porosity. Sintered density and sintering shrinkage of agglomerate material are shown to vary with the density of the spread powder bed. …