Engineering Commons^™

A Framework For Modeling Material Handling With Decentralized Control, Kai Furmans, Kevin R. Gue

15th IMHRC Proceedings (Savannah, Georgia. USA – 2018)

Despite decades of research in material handling, the academic community still has no accepted way of describing material handling requirements in a way that machines and algorithms can process them. Such a “way of describing” requires a language with which to describe requirements, objects, relationships between objects, and so on. We propose a modeling framework that differs from existing research in two ways: First, we address material handling modeling from the bottom up rather than from the top down, meaning we define a set of elementary functions and then combine them into processes and more complex relationships that allow us …

Pull-Driven Order Fulfillment In Distribution Centers, Dima Nazzal, Shankar Shanmugasundaram, Sung Kim, Russell D. Meller

15th IMHRC Proceedings (Savannah, Georgia. USA – 2018)

One of the challenges facing e-commerce fulfillment is the rigidity of the wave management system that often dictates a fixed batch size that must be processed before the next wave of orders is released. As a result, operation managers usually push multiple waves, which lead to accumulation at bottleneck resources, and poor synchronization at sortation engines. We demonstrate the power of operating an order fulfillment engine using the “pull” paradigm. We hypothesize that a pull-driven order fulfillment can meet the same throughput requirements achieved by the push-driven wave-based order fulfillment, but with higher speed, higher service levels, more level resource …

A Motion Capture System Framework For The Study Of Human Manufacturing Repetitive Motions, Francis Mendez, David Wierschem, Jesus Jimenez

15th IMHRC Proceedings (Savannah, Georgia. USA – 2018)

Our research proposes a framework to obtain and analyze real time data concerning the dynamic and natural motion of individuals in manufacturing-like processes that involve human labor. The framework that we propose consists of five main components: a tracking system, a system of sensors, a processor that collects time series data, data processing and discovery module, and an alert or reporting component. Using motion capture cameras, data is collected on a variety of human subjects performing simulated labor-intensive manufacturing operations. This data is analyzed for identification of actual and optimal activity motions. This project has significant potential impact for contribution …

Digital Design Of Intralogistics Systems: Flexible And Agile Solution To Short-Cyclic Fluctuations, Anike Murrenhoff, Christoph Pott, Moritz Wernecke, Philipp-Akira Burger

15th IMHRC Proceedings (Savannah, Georgia. USA – 2018)

In times of fast-paced, fluctuating and individual markets, intralogistics systems, such as warehouses, have to adapt to the resulting volatile performance demands dynamically. Hybrid systems, in which humans and machines work together efficiently and communicate in socio-technical networks, can be the answer to manage these high-frequency markets. Hybrid systems of the future need to adapt frequently and permanent change becomes the “new normal”. A one-time planning of warehousing systems upon first installation becomes obsolete. This results in the question of how to design and implement processes for future logistics systems in an agile way in order to exploit the flexibility …

Home Inventory Management And Last-Mile Logistics, Bhagyalakshmi V. Shrikrishna, Bharat Kulkarni, Michael G. Kay

15th IMHRC Proceedings (Savannah, Georgia. USA – 2018)

A study of the functioning of last-mile logistics in home inventory management is described. Different patterns of the household consumptions are studied and assumed in the interim. These consumption patterns then form the automatic grocery ordering system leading to what we would refer as a “home inventory management system.” In the futuristic world. This paper focuses on the impact of driverless delivery vehicles and drone delivery to satisfy the demand of the customers in a future scenario where orders are placed automatically by a home inventory management system.

Influence Of Mix Design Parameters On Performance Of Balanced Asphalt Mixtures, Luiza Helena Barros

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

With the popularity of the Balanced Mix Design (BMD) concept, the need for performance tests that can reliably evaluate the cracking and rutting potentials of asphalt concrete (AC) mixes has become more critical. A great deal of effort has been focused on incorporating test methods that can potentially improve the current AC mix-design processes and consequently screen underperforming AC mixes. However, the influence of mix design parameters on the performanceof BMD mixes that provide pavement engineers and designers with thorough guidelines and a reliable and consistent test protocol has not been extensively documented.

This Thesis presents an experimental evaluation of …

Implementation Of Magnesium Alloy Az91d On Wire And Arc Additive Manufacturing, David Adrian Martinez Holguin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As progress on Additive Manufacturing (AM) techniques focusing on ceramics and polymers evolve, metals continue to be a challenging material to manipulate when fabricating products. Current methods, such as Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Electron Beam Melting (EBM) face many intrinsic limitations due to the nature of their processes. Material selection, elevated cost and low deposition rates are some of the barriers to consider when one of these methods is to be used for the fabrication of engineering products. The research here presented demonstrates the use of a Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) system for the creation of metallic …

Optimization For The Allocation Of Funds For Pavement Maintenance In Pavement Management Systems, Armando Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Pavement maintenance and rehabilitation are critical and costly elements for highway agencies. A challenge for transportation agencies is to preserve roadways in an appropriate condition and extend the pavement service life while maintaining the safety and satisfaction of its users, and maximize the benefits obtained by the repair investments. Pavement maintenance programming is increasing in complexity due to limited resources and increments in traffic and population. Management decisions are usually based on personal judgment by pavement managers and sometimes those decisions are not even supported by previous experience. Research shows that optimization methods can produce significant benefits when transportation agencies …

A Comparative Study Characterizing Traffic Related Air Pollutant Concentrations At Near-Road Communities In El Paso, Texas, Adan Rangel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Numerous scientific studies have demonstrated the influence of traffic related air pollution at near-road communities and the associated health risks for these populations. This study uses on-site air quality monitors to characterize air pollutants at near-road schools in El Paso, TX to understand children's exposure to traffic-related air pollutants. Ambient air monitoring stations were installed at Coldwell Elementary, Bliss Elementary, and a residential house located in close proximity to major inter-state roadways. In this study, air quality data for PM2.5, PM10, NO2, and O3 was collected over a period of nine weeks in Fall 2018. The spatial and temporal variability …

People Detection From Time-Of-Flight Imagery With Inpainting-Based Preprocessing, Basavarajaiah Totada

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Thesis describes a method of detection and tracking of people using depth images captured by a Time-of-Flight (ToF) camera, such as those obtained with a Microsoft Kinect V2. Key advantages of this approach are that the identity of people is not disclosed, and the system can operate in low-light conditions. The automated approach developed here is inspired by cell-tracking methods as implemented in the well-known biomedical imaging software called CellProfiler. Our approach involves significant preprocessing of the depth images by a combination of adaptive center weighted median filtering and iterative inpainting. The next step is detection of each person's …

An Efficient Method For Online Identification Of Steady State For Multivariate System, Honglun None Xu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Most of the existing steady state detection approaches are designed for univariate signals. For multivariate signals, the univariate approach is often applied to each process variable and the system is claimed to be steady once all signals are steady, which is computationally inefficient and also not accurate. The article proposes an efficient online method for multivariate steady state detection. It estimates the covariance matrices using two different approaches, namely, the mean-squared-deviation and mean-squared-successive-difference. To avoid the usage of a moving window, the process means and the two covariance matrices are calculated recursively through exponentially weighted moving average. A likelihood ratio …

การประมาณค่าในช่วงเชิงพหุนามลากรานจ์ร่วมกับตัวประกอบถ่วงน้ำหนักนอกช่วงแบบใหม่เพื่อแก้ปัญหาการไหลภายในช่องว่างสี่เหลี่ยมผืนผ้า, อุทัย ประสพชิงชนะ

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อนำเสนอแผนแบบใหม่ที่มีชื่อว่าแผนแบบ LIP (Lagrange Interpolating Polynomial scheme) และการประมาณค่านอกช่วงแบบใหม่ที่มีชื่อว่าการประมาณค่านอกช่วงแบบ WF-LIP (Weighting Factors with Lagrange Interpolating Polynomial extrapolation) โดยแผนแบบ LIP ถูกใช้สำหรับการประมาณค่าของตัวแปรและอนุพันธ์ของตัวแปรทั้งเทียบกับระยะและเวลาในระเบียบวิธีไฟไนต์วอลู่ม ข้อดีของแผนแบบ LIP คือ เป็นแผนที่มีความแม่นยำลำดับสี่ เป็นแผนที่ง่ายต่อการพัฒนาโปรแกรมที่ใช้การแก้ปัญหาด้วยเม็สซ์ที่ไม่สม่ำเสมอ และเป็นทั้งแผนทางระยะและแผนทางเวลา สำหรับการประมาณค่านอกช่วงแบบ WF-LIP ถูกนำมาใช้ในการหาค่าคาดเดาเริ่มต้นของตัวแปรในแต่ละช่วงเวลาย่อยของปัญหาที่สภาวะไม่คงตัว ซึ่งใช้วิธีการหาคำตอบของแต่ละช่วงเวลาย่อยด้วยวิธีการทำซ้ำ จากผลการตรวจสอบความถูกต้องของคำตอบที่คำนวณจากแผนแบบ LIP และการทดสอบประสิทธิภาพของการประมาณค่านอกช่วงแบบ WF-LIP พบว่า คำตอบที่คำนวณจากแผนแบบ LIP มีความถูกต้องและมีความสอดคล้องกับคำตอบที่นำมาใช้ในการเปรียบเทียบความถูกต้อง ขณะที่การประมาณค่านอกช่วงแบบ WF-LIP สามารถช่วยลดระยะเวลาที่ใช้ในการคำนวณเพื่อหาคำตอบของปัญหาได้สูงสุดถึงร้อยละ 49.69 เมื่อเทียบกับกรณีที่การคำนวณหาคำตอบ โดยไม่ได้ใช้การประมาณค่านอกช่วงแบบ WF-LIP

Knowing When Not To Answer: Positional Peptide Sequencing With Encoder-Decoder Networks, Korrawe Karunratanakul

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การถอดรหัสเปปไทด์นั้นเป็นองค์ประกอบสำคัญสำหรับการศึกษาโปรตีน โดยทั่วไปแล้วการวิเคราะห์ข้อมูล mass spectrum นั้นจะศึกษาเพียงสายของกรดอะมิโนที่ปรากฏอยู่ในฐานข้อมูลเท่านั้น ทำให้การค้นหาสายเปปไทด์แบบใหม่ที่อาจเกิดจากการกลายพันธุ์นั้นทำได้ยาก วิถีการถอดรหัสด้วยดีโนโวแก้ไขข้อจำกัดนี้ด้วยการถอดรหัสสายเปปไทด์โดยตรงจากข้อมูล mass spectrum โดยใช้ความรู้เกี่ยวกับกระบวนการแตกตัวของไอออน ทำให้ไม่จำเป็นต้องใช้ฐานข้อมูลโปรตีนช่วย อย่างไรก็ดี วิธีดังกล่าวยังมีข้อจำกัดด้านความแม่นยำและต้องการการตรวจทานโดยผู้เชี่ยวชาญ วิทยานิพนธ์ฉบับนี้นำเสนอวิธีการถอดรหัสเปปไทด์ด้วยวิธีการดีโนโวแบบใหม่ชื่อ SMSNet โดยใช้โมเดล deep learning เข้าช่วย โดยยังสามารถทำนายกรดอะมิโนได้อย่างครอบคลุมในระดับความแม่นยำของกรดอะมิโนที่ 95% งานฉบับนี้เสนอขั้นตอน ถอดรหัส ตัดออก และสืบค้น เพื่อตัดผลทำนายในตำแหน่งที่มีความกำกวมออกและใช้ข้อมูลจากฐานข้อมูลโปรตีนช่วยเพื่อให้ทำนายสายเปปไทด์ได้ถูกต้องทั้งเส้น นอกจากนี้ งานนี้ได้นำเสนอการใช้ rescorer ในการแก้ไขคะแนนความมั่นใจสำหรับผลทำนายในแต่ละตำแหน่ง ซึ่งส่งผลให้สามารถแยกกลุ่มคะแนนความมั่นใจสำหรับคำตอบที่ถูกต้องและคำตอบที่ผิดได้ดียิ่งขึ้น เมื่อประกอบทุกขั้นตอนวิธีในงานวิจัยฉบับนี้เข้าด้วยกันพบว่า SMSNet สามารถทำนายสายเปปไทด์ได้ในประสิทธิภาพที่ใกล้เคียงกับการทำนายด้วยฐานข้อมูลในการทดลองจริง

Home Network Protector - Iot Device, Rodrick Rogers, Kranthi Kadaru

Honors Theses

The Internet of Things (IoT) market is projected to grow to more than 80 billion connected devices by the year 2025 [1]. This surge in relevance opens numerous avenues to those with malicious intent to prey on the uninitiated. With the projected growth of IoT devices, this implies a more connected lifestyle for your everyday consumer. As more devices integrate into our daily lives, security of those devices becomes substantially more important. It all starts with the home network. Just as people feel secure from outside dangers from within their home, they should also have the same peace of mind …

Targeting Ovarian Cancer And Endothelium With An Allosteric Ptp4a3 Phosphatase Inhibitor, Kelley E. Mcqueeney, Joseph M. Salamoun, James C. Burnett, Nektarios Barabutis, Paula Pekic, Sophie L. Lewandowski, Danielle C. Llaneza, Robert Cornelison, Yunpeng Bai, Zhong-Yin Zhang, John D. Catravas

Bioelectrics Publications

Overexpression of protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP4A oncoproteins is common in many human cancers and is associated with poor patient prognosis and survival. We observed elevated levels of PTP4A3 phosphatase in 79% of human ovarian tumor samples, with significant overexpression in tumor endothelium and pericytes. Furthermore, PTP4A phosphatases appear to regulate several key malignant processes, such as invasion, migration, and angiogenesis, suggesting a pivotal regulatory role in cancer and endothelial signaling pathways. While phosphatases are attractive therapeutic targets, they have been poorly investigated because of a lack of potent and selective chemical probes. In this study, we disclose that a potent, …

Transport Of Charged Small Molecules After Electropermeabilization - Drift And Diffusion, Esin B. Sözer, C. Florencia Pocetti, P. Thomas Vernier

Bioelectrics Publications

Background: Applications of electric-field-induced permeabilization of cells range from cancer therapy to wastewater treatment. A unified understanding of the underlying mechanisms of membrane electropermeabilization, however, has not been achieved. Protocols are empirical, and models are descriptive rather than predictive, which hampers the optimization and expansion of electroporation-based technologies. A common feature of existing models is the assumption that the permeabilized membrane is passive, and that transport through it is entirely diffusive. To demonstrate the necessity to go beyond that assumption, we present here a quantitative analysis of the post-permeabilization transport of three small molecules commonly used in electroporation research-YO-PRO-1, propidium, …

O-Glcnac Post Translational Modification Of Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (Hif) Proteins, Hailey Elisabeth Grisham

Honors Theses

O-linked β-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc) post-translational modification (O- GlcNAcylation), plays a vital role in many metabolic pathways, including those of numerous diseases. New research methods and basic functional roles of O-GlcNAc post- translational modification on metabolism, human health, and cancer are quickly developing, but a vast amount of research remains on the specificity of this pathway towards specific proteins. In this study, T47D breast cancer cells were used as an in vitro model to investigate the effects of O-GlcNAc modification on hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) proteins.

Process Design And Optimization: Analysis Of An Ethylbenzene Production Plant, Jonathan Butler Vanveckhoven

Honors Theses

This thesis will cover the steps I took to evaluate an ethylbenzene production plant. I, along with my senior design team, was first tasked with optimizing a vapor-phase ethylbenzene production plant based off of a given base case. Our team was able to improve the net present value of the plant from -$4.8 million to $70.4 million through discrete optimization. After the vapor-phase plant was evaluated, I was tasked with creating a base case, liquid-phase ethylbenzene production plant. I explain the theory behind process flow diagram development, then explain how I produced the process flow diagram and stream table for …

Soybeans To Chemicals: A Case Study For Undergraduate Chemical Engineering Education, Kaitlyn Myers

Honors Theses

The aim of this thesis is to develop a case study to reinforce the concepts that are required knowledge for chemical engineers in their sophomore year of curriculum, continuing through all of their education. The process that will be examined is the production of soybean oil, protein powder, and succinic acid from the harvest of soybeans. Further, this process will be used to align with the objectives of the chapters from the required textbook for the material balances class. The soybean industry is one of the largest in the United States agricultural sector, so it is an important real-world example …

Perceptions Regarding Concussions In Collegiate Football At The University Of Mississippi, Madison Frerker

Honors Theses

Concussions are a form of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) that can occur from any force to the head or body that causes the brain to move within the skull. Concussions are common in the sport of football due to the highly physical nature of the sport, and injured athletes can experience a wide array of symptoms. Like other players participating with powerhouse football programs, those at the University of Mississippi are at risk of concussion throughout their collegiate career. Whether players and fans perceive the risks of concussion equally has not been previously studied. Considering the passionate history of …

Development Of A Scn1a Null Zebrafish Model For Screening Potential Anti-Epileptic Natural Products, Patricia Ann Lipson

Honors Theses

Epilepsy affects around 50 million people in the world. Thus, it is imperative that new more effective and safe treatments be found. This study was designed to use zebrafish to screen potential anti-epileptic natural products. We utilized two scn1Lab null zebrafish models (morpholino-injected fish where scn1Lab was transiently knocked down and a transgenic scn1Lab -/- fish line). Alternatively, we used AB wildtype fish to test compounds in a chemically-induced seizure model. Natural compounds including cannabidiol, CBD, and Tapinanthus globiferous, TG, extracts were screened for their anti-seizure activity. When scn1Lab -/- fish were treated with CBD (0.075 and 0.3 mg/L) from …

Financial Optimization Of An Ethylbenzene Production Process, Philip B. Thomas

Honors Theses

A crucial step in chemical engineering design is process optimization. This paper describes the steps in the design process with special emphasis placed on process optimization and the preceding step, creation of a base case for the process. The paper also describes what is meant by financial optimization in chemical engineering and explains some of its imperfections. An example of financial optimization of a gas-phase ethylbenzene production process is given. The example provides a summary of one cycle of both topological and parametric single variable discrete optimization to find a local optimum. Net present value was used as the objective …

One-Step Synthesis Of Co@C Composite As High-Performance Anode Material For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Mingjun Xiao, Fuliang Zhu, Gongrui Wang, Chaoyu Duan, Yanshuang Meng, Yue Zhang

Manufacturing Engineering: Faculty Publications (2015-2023)

A carbon-coated cobalt (Co@C) composite was synthesized by a one-step method using ionic liquid as carbon source and reducing agent. The Co@C composite exhibited a core-shell structure, in which the cobalt nanoparticles uniformly embedded in the carbon matrix. When used as the anode material for lithium ion batteries, the cobalt nanoparticles enhanced the kinetics of Li+ and electronic transport during the charge/discharge process. The Co@C composite material delivered a reversible capacity of 657.3 mAh g-1 after 60 cycles at a current density of 0.1C and exhibits improved rate performance when compared with pure carbon.

The Effect Of Tackling Training On Head Accelerations In Youth American Football, Eric Schussler, Richard J. Jagacinski, Susan E. White, Ajit M. Chaudhari, John A. Buford, James A. Onate

Rehabilitation Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Many organizations have introduced frameworks to reduce the incidence of football related concussions through proper equipment fitting, coach education, and alteration of tackling technique.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of training in a vertical, head up tackling style on the number of head accelerations experienced while tackling in a controlled laboratory situation. The authors hypothesized that training in a head up tackling technique would reduce the severity of head acceleration experienced by participants.

Design: Controlled Laboratory Study.

Methods: Twenty-four participants (11.5 ± 0.6 years old, 60.5 ± 2.2 in, 110 ± 18.4 lbs.) …

Effect Of Curing Rate On The Microstructure And Macroscopic Properties Of Epoxy Fiberglass Composites, Ammar Patel, Olesksandr Kravchenko, Ica Manas-Zloczower

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Curing rates of an epoxy amine system were varied via different curing cycles, and glass-fiber epoxy composites were prepared using the same protocol, with the aim of investigating the correlation between microstructure and composite properties. It was found that the fast curing cycle resulted in a non-homogenous network, with a larger percentage of a softer phase. Homogenized composite properties, namely storage modulus and quasi-static intra-laminar shear strength, remained unaffected by the change in resin microstructure. However, fatigue tests revealed a significant reduction in fatigue life for composites cured at fast curing rates, while composites with curing cycles that allowed a …

Fpga-Based On-Board Geometric Calibration For Linear Ccd Array Sensors, Guoqing Zhou, Linjun Jiang, Jingjin Huang, Rongting Zhang, Dequan Liu, Xiang Zhou, Oktay Baysal

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

With increasing demands in real-time or near real-time remotely sensed imagery applications in such as military deployments, quick response to terrorist attacks and disaster rescue, the on-board geometric calibration problem has attracted the attention of many scientists in recent years. This paper presents an on-board geometric calibration method for linear CCD sensor arrays using FPGA chips. The proposed method mainly consists of four modules—Input Data, Coefficient Calculation, Adjustment Computation and Comparison—in which the parallel computations for building the observation equations and least squares adjustment, are implemented using FPGA chips, for which a decomposed matrix inversion method is presented. A Xilinx …

Human Performance Modelling For Adaptive Automation, Maria Chiara Leva, M. Wilkins, F. Coster

Conference papers

The relentless march of technology is increasingly opening new possibilities for the application of automation and new horizons for human machine interaction. However there is insufficient scientific evidence on human factors for modern socio-technical systems supporting the guidelines currently used to design Human Machine Interfaces (HMI) (ISA 2014). This dearth of knowledge presents a particular risk in safety critical industries. The continuing 60–90% of accidents currently that are rooted in Human Factors (HF) and the rapid developments in the Internet of Things (IoT) and its novel automation archetypes means that the requirements for new interfaces are becoming more demanding, and …

Application Of A Multi-Hybrid Planter For Geospatial Assessment Of Zone-Based Corn Hybrid And Soybean Seed Treatment Performance For Optimized Crop Production, Rachel Stevens

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The ability to variably plant multiple hybrids or treatments during field operation has been identified as one option for mitigating in-field variation caused by soil, disease pressures, environmental and water conditions. While the system performance has been validated, producers still have questions concerning development of management zones, hybrid and treatment assignment, and economic advantage from implementation. Assessment of a multi-hybrid planting platform was conducted during the 2016 and 2017 growing seasons. On-farm trials were performed on ten corn fields and five soybean fields in eastern Nebraska. Corn trials focused on placement of two contrasting hybrids for soil type and water …

Emerging Computing Based Novel Solutions For Design Of Low Power Circuits, Azhar Mohammad

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

The growing applications for IoT devices have caused an increase in the study of low power consuming circuit design to meet the requirement of devices to operate for various months without external power supply. Scaling down the conventional CMOS causes various complications to design due to CMOS properties, therefore various non-conventional CMOS design techniques are being proposed that overcome the limitations. This thesis focuses on some of those emerging and novel low power design technique namely Adiabatic logic and low power devices like Magnetic Tunnel Junction (MTJ) and Carbon Nanotube Field Effect transistor (CNFET). Circuits that are used for large …

Energy-Efficient And Secure Hardware For Internet Of Things (Iot) Devices, Dinesh Kumar Selvakumaran

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Internet of Things (IoT) is a network of devices that are connected through the Internet to exchange the data for intelligent applications. Though IoT devices provide several advantages to improve the quality of life, they also present challenges related to security. The security issues related to IoT devices include leakage of information through Differential Power Analysis (DPA) based side channel attacks, authentication, piracy, etc. DPA is a type of side-channel attack where the attacker monitors the power consumption of the device to guess the secret key stored in it. There are several countermeasures to overcome DPA attacks. However, most of …