Engineering Commons^™

Determination Of Root Length Of Evapotranspiration Cover Using Electrical Resistivity Imaging Technique, Fouzia Hossain Oyshi

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Evapotranspiration (ET) covers are receiving an increasing amount of attention for use at waste disposal sites. Instead of using barrier layers like conventional covers, percolation in ET cover system is minimized by water balance components which store the water prior to its transpiration through vegetation or evaporation from the soil surface. Vegetation for an ET cover must be suitable for its particular locality and have well-developed root systems, since they promote transpiration and contribute to the long-term performance of the cover. They pull water out of the cover soil and release it into the environment, thereby decreasing the percolation of …

Creep Response And Adhesion Dynamics Of Glioblastoma Multiforme Cells During Migration In Confined Environment, Ishan Kamal Khan

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and malignant form of primary brain tumor. One of the major challenges facing the treatment of GBM tumors is the detachment and subsequent migration of peripheral cells. Migration of GBM cells take place in mechanically distinct confined microenvironment along the borders of white matter tracts. Studies using microfluidic devices mimicking the in-vivo microenvironment have shown that the migration characteristics are significantly altered with the change in kinematic state of the migrating cell. Several studies on different types of cells have consistently shown that a cancerous cell is more compliant than a normal cell …

Concrete Breakout Strength Of Post-Installed Anchors Within Fiber Reinforced Concrete, Travis Michael Pechacek

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

This study investigates the effects of Polypropylene fibers on the concrete breakout of post-installed screw anchor bolts. Concrete anchors were installed within concrete specimens of differing amounts of Polypropylene fibers. Four differing mixtures were produced using, 0, 0.5, 1, and 1.5% fibers by volume of the mixture. Their physical properties were calculated through testing at the Civil Engineering Laboratory Building (CELB). In total, 16 cylindrical specimens, 4” in diameter and 8” in height, and 6 beam specimens, 6”x6”x20” were produced and tested. After 28 days of curing, the specimens were tested for their compressive and tensile strengths, as well as …

Evaluation Of The Seasonal Variation In Hydraulic Conductivity For An Evapotranspiration Cover System, Lucas Hoyos Cadavid

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

The purpose of landfill cover systems is to minimize, and if possible prevent the interaction of the environment with the buried waste mass. In this effort, one of the most prevalent parameters to control is the percolation of rainfall through the cover system into the waste mass. In addition to this, if the cover system utilizes an evapotranspiration or water balance cover, understanding this parameter becomes especially important. This type of system relies on the ability of the soil to retain moisture and the natural process through which vegetation transports water from its roots to the atmosphere. Consequently, the percolation …

Impacts Of Geotechnical Aspects In Tunneling Design And Construction, Mohammad Haadi Sadaghiani

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

In tunneling project, different type of methods is conducted to do the project. Knowing geotechnical aspects of tunnel project is unavoidable and crucial in early stage of project especially before contract to have efficient and more accurate design and prevent cost overruns, reduce bid price and reduce project risks. However, all that geotechnical information should be based on standard guidelines such as Geotechnical Baseline Report (GBR) to help owner how to provide those geotechnical data in bid contract and use it as a guideline in contract to prevent future claim or disputes. The main objective of this thesis is about …

Effect Of Fine Grained Soil In The Strength Of Cement Treated Flex-Base Materials, Sita Timsina

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

The recycled materials such as, Recycled Crushed Concrete Aggregates (RCCA) and Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) treated with cement has been widely used as the alternative granular base in pavement construction in different states in USA due to the depletion of natural resources of virgin aggregates. While a number of factors drive the use of these recycled materials, the two primary factors are economic savings and environmental benefits. In the flexible pavement systems, the base layer contributes to the structural capacity of the pavement systems, so, the quality performance of this layer is essential. However, presence of fine particles in the …

Diagnosis And Quantification Of Post-Disaster Construction Material Cost Fluctuations, Niloufar Khodahemmati

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

The post-disaster survival of cities and communities depend on their capabilities to rapidly reconstruct damages. Temporary increase in construction costs following natural disasters, also known as “demand surge,” impedes the rapid post-disaster reconstruction process. The existing methods for quantifying the post-disaster construction cost escalations do not consider seasonal patterns and inflation of costs under normal condition. Therefore, it is not clear whether the quantified construction cost increases are due to a disaster or merely associated with seasonal patterns and inflation. The objective of this study is to (1) create an approach to statistically quantify the post-disaster construction material cost fluctuations …

Evaluation Of Beams And Columns Strengthening With Pre-Saturated And Regular Cfrp, Preeti Pandey

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Structural members such as columns and beams are often subjected to reduced capacity due to errors in design or construction or often due to deterioration with time. The effect of reduction in capacity due to environmental and loading conditions are often the causes for deterioration or complete failure of structures. The main objective of this study is to deliver the effect of using Pre-Saturated Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer (CFRP) over regular CFRP Laminates, as an external strengthening material for strength and confinement of these deteriorated structures. The hypothesis was the use of Pre-Saturated CFRP over conventional regular CFRP Wet layup …

Accelerated Creative Problem Solving And Product Improvement Applied To Experimental Devices In A Bloodstain Pattern Interpretation Class--Improving The Role Of Insight Development Tools As A Generator Of New Ideas In Novel Situations, Douglas Ridolfi

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

This project uses an action research centered study protocol to examine the effects of a problem-based learning exercise related to bloodstain pattern interpretation in a crime scene processing and general criminalistics class taught as part of an upper division forensic chemistry major in a four year college. The goal is to apply design principles and creative problem solving methods directly adapted to a project involving interpreting a set of crime scene photographs depicting blood spatter and with the aid of guided exercises in ideation and design, lead students into the development of alternate theories of how the bloodstains were created …

Wifi Gate Guard: A Captive Portal Implementation For Home Networks, Ben Blumenberg

Computer Science and Software Engineering

WiFi Gate Guard aims to improve the user experience for authentication on home wireless networks, by alleviating some of the hardships causes by passwords and by offering a platform on which further security enhancements could be built. It accomplishes this by using captive portal technology, making it extremely easy for guests to authenticate without needing to ask for a password. Home network administrators can approve or deny access using a simple iOS app. WiFi Gate Guard is built to run on basic home routers, with minimal other hardware requirements. Once it’s up and running, passwords never need to be used …

Qualitative Evaluation Of Cfrp-Concrete Bond Using Non-Destructive And Destructive Testing Methods, Ankita Anil Lad

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Polymer) laminates have been used as externally bonded reinforcements for retrofitting and structural strengthening of concrete structures. The adequacy of the CFRP bonding highly depends on the bond integrity between the concrete and CFRP laminates. Considering the reliability of this bonding technique, premature debonding of laminates from the concrete substrate is a major concern. The bond performance may be influenced directly by various parameters; some of the parameters like surface wetness, surface preparation, presence of voids in concrete substrate and overhead versus on the top installation of CFRP laminate have been discussed in this study. During …

Sustainable Waste Management Through Operating Landfill As Biocell, Naima Rahman

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Solid waste is being generated at a record pace, and disposal of it requires advanced waste management services at a reasonable cost. Landfilling is the most suitable waste disposal and management technique currently available, and it is being used throughout the world. It is, however, the largest anthropogenic source of atmospheric methane, and it requires a lot of space. The primary objective of this study was to investigate an alternative sustainable solution to waste management by operating landfills as biocells. Biocells are cost effective, produce methane more rapidly, and accelerate space recovery. A laboratory scale study was conducted to investigate …

Investigation Of 1064-Nm Laser Fluence Within Tissue Phantoms And Its In Vivo Effects On Human Brain Networks, Hasan Parvez

Bioengineering Theses - Archive

For the past few decades there has been an increasing interest in the usage of near infrared (NIR) laser in the medical optics field. This is due to a number of studies conducted on different animal models utilizing NIR laser, which was reported to provide improvement in such cognitive functions as memory, decision making, and executive functions. The NIR laser produces no adverse effects in the human tissue, having a potential for treating different neurological disorders. However, there is limited knowledge related to the underlying mechanism of photon interaction with the human tissue. In this thesis, I tried to address …

Design And Optimization Of Mixed Ionic-Electronic Conductive Material For Use In Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Utilizing Carbon Nanotubes, Shiuan Duo Chiang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Triple phase boundary (TPB) is considered to be an important limiting factor of the fuel cell performance. Triple phase boundary is a geometrical line where the ionic, electronic and gaseous fuel phase of the fuel cell comes in contact. Electrochemical reactions of the fuel cell occur at the TPB sites. The TPB length greatly impacts the efficiency of the fuel cells. Carbon nanotubes have recently been shown to enhance oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) of the fuel cell and transfer electrons with its conductive properties. CNT also provides porosity in the electrode and could facilitate mass transport. CNT allows for oxygen …

Finite Element Analysis And Design Improvement Of Aerospace Composite Hinges, Gaurang Girish Sonpal

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Hinges are the most commonly used mechanical bearings to connect 2 objects for relative rotational motion. Modern day aerospace hinges are generally made using either Aluminum, Steel or bronze. The study analyzes the use of composite material as an alternative to traditional materials for manufacturing these hinges. The research is focused on the Finite element Analysis of a composite hinge as well as an aluminum hinge. The load capacity of both the types of hinges are compared. To improve the design of the composite hinge, a combination of composite material and aluminum is used to model a hybrid hinge design. …

General Methods For The Thermal Design Of Data Centers Based On Evaporative Cooling, Raghvendra Parinam

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

With the increasing load on the servers, the cost and energy required to cool a data center has been on the rise. This has kept the researchers to explore more efficient and economical cooling technologies for data centers. One such technology is evaporative cooling. The evaporative cooling systems are one of the most effective methods available for cooling the data centers. So, developing the generic methods for the thermal design of data centers is of utmost importance. This research aims to identify, develop and validate the thermal model for Direct Evaporative Cooling and Indirect Evaporative Cooling. By taking the environmental …

Psychrometric Bin Analysis For Data Center Cooling Modes Using Artificial Neural Networks, Abhishek Uday Walekar

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

With an increase in the need for energy efficient data centers, a lot of research is being done to increase the use of Air Side Economizers (ASEs), Direct Evaporative Cooling (DEC), Indirect Evaporative Cooling (IEC) and multistage I/DEC cooling. The cooling strategies used to control these systems is based on typical meteorological year (TMY) weather data and thermodynamic principles. But the main drawback of these control strategies is that they do not account for the nonlinearities developed by the conditions inside the data center. So, the primary objective of this study is to use Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) for predicting …

Comparison Of Cross-Sectional Profiles For Side Impact Crash Structure In Passenger Vehicle, Nitish Sharma

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

Car’s safety is most important structural criteria while designing an automotive chassis. To protect the occupants from a direct impact, the passenger cabin and the structure of the vehicle should have an appropriate stiffness so that the it absorbs any kind of impact and keeps the passenger safe. Design standards are set by various vehicle safety association around the world based on different crash situations i.e. front crash, side impact, roll over etc. Among these standards, side impact crash account for over all 40% crashes all around the world and is one of the most fatal crash scenarios. This research …

Influence Of Impact Conditions On Feedstock Deposition Behavior Of Cold-Sprayed Fe-Based Metallic Glass, Constance Ziemian, Wendelin Wright, David E. Cipoletti

Faculty Journal Articles

Cold spray is a promising method by which to deposit dense Fe-based metallic glass coatings on conventional metal substrates. Relatively low process temperatures offer the potential to prevent the crystallization of amorphous feedstock powders while still providing adequate particle softening for bonding and coating formation. In this study, Fe48 Mo14 Cr15 Y2 C15 B6 powder was sprayed onto a mild steel substrate, using a variety of process conditions, to investigate the feasibility of forming well-bonded amorphous Fe-based coatings. Particle splat adhesion was examined relative to impact conditions, and the limiting values of temperature and velocity associated with successful softening and …

Understanding The Decision-Making Process Of Local Level Emergency Managers And Future Impacts Of Social Data, Justin Taylor

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

During the course of a natural disaster, affected populations turn to different avenues to attempt to communicate their needs and locations while emergency managers are faced with the task of making quick decisions to aid in the response effort. The decisions that emergency managers face are affected by factors such as available resources, responder safety, and source of information. In this research, we interview emergency managers about the 2009 North American Ice Storm and a flooding event in late April of 2017 to understand the decisions made and the factors that affected these decisions. Using these interviews, a list of …

Developing An Hpv Infection Risk Prediction Model For Adult Females, Rachel Holmer

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly one in four people are currently infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) in the United States. Although most people with HPV never experience symptoms, there is a risk of developing different types of HPV-related cancers after infection. These cancers and other related diseases result in almost $8 billion spent annually for treatment. Currently, all boys and girls ages 11 or 12 years are recommended to receive HPV vaccination. Catch-up vaccines are recommended for males and females through the age of 21 and 26, respectively, if they did not get vaccinated …

Increasing Food Sharing In A Prek-8 School Cafeteria With Six Sigma, Sanukta Mylandla

Graduate Theses - Engineering Management

Six Sigma, a statistics-based methodology developed by Motorola in the mid-1980’s to help reduce defects, is a tool commonly applied across various industries to improve their processes by reducing variation. The statistical nature of Six Sigma makes process improvement a quantitative study garnering potential real savings to an organization. This project’s goal was to apply Six Sigma methodology to a PreK-8 school cafeteria in order to measure the daily levels of food waste and convert it into meaningful data to be used to promote food rescue and reuse at local elementary schools.

Impact Of Antenna Mutual Coupling, Propagation, And Nonreciprocity On Propagation-Based Key Establishment, Attiya Mahmood

Theses and Dissertations

Propagation-based key establishment is a physical layer method for generating encryption keys based on two radios observing a reciprocal propagation channel. This work explores the impact of mutual coupling when communicating nodes are equipped with multiple antennas, multipath richness in the propagation environment, and practical limitations caused by the nonreciprocal nature of RF circuits on key establishment. First, network theory is used to formulate a model of a realistic communication system which incorporates transmit sources and receive loads, impedance matching networks, low-noise amplifiers (LNAs), mutually coupled antenna arrays, and a passive eavesdropper. Afterwards, a detailed analysis is performed to quantify …

Method Of Increasing Mass Transfer Rate Of Acid Gas Scrubbing Solvents, Cameron Anthony Lippert, Kunlei Liu, Christine Marie Brandewie, Joseph Eugene Remias, Moushumi Sarma

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty Patents

A method and catalysts for increasing the overall mass transfer rate of acid gas scrubbing solids is disclosed. Various catalyst compounds for that purpose are also disclosed.

Quantification Of Tumor-Associated Macrophages Following Immunomodulation Therapy In A Murine Allograft Model Of Colorectal Carcinoma, Caroline Spainhour

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Colorectal Carcinoma (CRC) is one of the deadliest cancers in the world, with 150,000 new cases annually in the United States. Traditional treatments include chemotherapy and invasive surgery; however, research has shown that only 25% of patients that undergo traditional treatment have a positive result. Immunotherapy is an emerging form of cancer treatment that utilizes the patients’immune system to fight cancer cells by targeting inflammation, which plays a large role in the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are immune cells that affect the inflammatory microenvironment of tumors. TAMs are M1 in the early stages of tumors, …

On The Development Of A Human Thumb Tracking Device For Telemanipulation, Abdul Hafiz Abdul Rahaman

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

The human thumb is the first digit of the hand and influences the grasping capability of the human hand. Based on literature, most sensor gloves available capture the motion of the fingers, however, they lack the ability to capture the motion of the thumb. This research focuses on developing a methodology and associated hardware to capture the complex joint motion of the thumb and map it to an in-house developed multi-degree of freedom robotic thumb. A sensor device was developed to measure four joint angles of the human thumb, namely three flexion/extension (flex/ext) joint angles of carpometacarpal (CMC), metacarpophalangeal (MCP), …

Sparse Representation And Learning For Discriminative Eeg Source Imaging, Feng Liu

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

As a direct measurement modality of neural electrical firing patterns, electroencephalogram (EEG) has a much higher temporal resolution up to millisecond compared to positron emission topography (PET) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and it has become one of the popular neuroimaging tools to find signatures of brain diseases and to understand how the brain works. Other advantages of EEG include low cost, easy portability, and non-invasive. However, a limitation of EEG is its low spatial resolution since the measurement is on the scalp rather than inside the brain. Given the recorded scalp EEG data, to reconstruct the activated brain …

Application Of The Research Process For The Development Of A Microgrid Modular Design For Tribal Healthcare Facilities In The Navajo Nation: Kayenta Health Center Used As A Subject Study For Experimental Data, Samuel Vega-Cotto

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

There exist significant challenges and opportunities for improvement the power system of healthcare facilities for American Indian and Alaska natives. This Dissertation establishes plans and methodology to include the research process in the power system design utilizing Kayenta health center, which is located in the Navajo nation, as a subject study. Information about the solar irradiance on site, the PV system performance, the power quality and the power system load demand at the facility as well as observation of the related equipment is gathered. The Dissertation describes a seasonal experimental process related to a 100KW PV system case study at …

Improved Initialization For The Multi Layer Perceptron, Abhishek Vinay Mainkar

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

A Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) neural network is used for solving nonlinear functional problems like function approximation, classification, data processing etc. MLP neural networks are usually trained using back propagation, which is a non-convex optimization problem for most of the loss functions. As there are multiple local minima, non-convex optimization curves generally converge to different optimal points for different initial conditions. So it not only affects the speed of the convergence but optimality as well. Initial parameters of neural networks are as important as the network architecture and initialization has been thoroughly studied in the past. This report discusses the fusion …

Aquaponic System Design And Modeling Ammonia Production: An Overview Of Aquaponics, Spencer Davis Wright

Graduate Theses - Mechanical Engineering

The study of aquaponics in academia has been slowly gaining momentum, but the majority of the research and testing performed is done in an informal, backyard setting. This publication seeks to collate the widespread information into a singular location, as well as to outline various methods by which the necessary tasks can be accomplished. The ammonia production rate of the aquatic life in the system, whether living or deceased, was also explored in order that a more accurate model of the ammonia and nitrate levels of the system may be created. It was found that 20 tilapia produced approximately 3,300 …