Engineering Commons^™

Post-Processing And Characterization Of Additive Manufactured Carbon Fiber Reinforced Semi-Crystalline Polymers, Patricia Revolinsky

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The aim of this work is to study the effect of post-processing on additive manufactured (AM) continuous carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) performance. As-printed AM CFRPs do not perform as well as conventionally manufactured CFRPs with the same composition. Possible improvements to AM CFRP performance include annealing and applying uniaxial pressure with elevated temperature. Samples were subjected to pressure and temperature treatments and annealing at a constant temperature. Treated materials were subjected to three-point bending tests, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to characterize and assess sample performance. Results were assessed for flexural strength, …

Fractional Factorial Treatment Of Ring Spun Yarn Quality., Fawkia El-Habiby, Rizk El-Bealy

Mansoura Engineering Journal

In the present work a study was made about the effect of the following five Parameters yarn linear density , spindle speed, /traveller size, top roller pressure and cradle opening on the quality of ring spun yarn. The experiments were carried out by varying each parameter at two levels using the fractional factorial technique (9). The experimental design treatment with the help of mini-computer programming was used to determine the effect of mean parameters and two factor interactions and interactions between two parameters were carried out by the method of variance analysis.

Bioabsorbable Metal Zinc Differentially Affects Mitochondria In Vascular Endothelial And Smooth Muscle Cells, Olivia R. M. Bagshaw, Fereshteh Moradi, Christopher S. Moffatt, Hillary A. Hettwer, Ping Liang, Jeremy Goldman, Jaroslaw Drelich, Jeffrey A. Stuart

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Zinc is an essential trace element having various structural, catalytic and regulatory interactions with an estimated 3000 proteins. Zinc has drawn recent attention for its use, both as pure metal and alloyed, in arterial stents due to its biodegradability, biocompatibility, and low corrosion rates. Previous studies have demonstrated that zinc metal implants prevent the development of neointimal hyperplasia, which is a common cause of restenosis following coronary intervention. This suppression appears to be smooth muscle cell-specific, as reendothelization of the neointima is not inhibited. To better understand the basis of zinc's differential effects on rat aortic smooth muscle (RASMC) versus …

Designs And Outcomes Of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (Tms) And Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (Rtms) Circuits, Daniel Senda

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis reports the design and outcomes of several circuits intended for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) research. In simple terms, TMS circuits are composed of four main blocks: high voltage power source, energy storage bank, control switch, and coil. Each one of these blocks has characteristics that influence how well the circuit will perform for TMS procedures. A successful TMS research circuit must have the ability to emit controlled electromagnetic pulses through a coil connected to it. For the first block, voltages ranging from 50 V to 2 kV were used. In the second …

Semiflexible Oligomers Crystallize Via A Cooperative Phase Transition, Pierre Kawak, Dakota S. Banks, Douglas R. Tree

Faculty Publications

Semicrystalline polymers are ubiquitous, yet despite their fundamental and industrial importance, the theory of homogeneous nucleation from a melt remains a subject of debate. A key component of the controversy is that polymer crystallization is a non-equilibrium process, making it difficult to distinguish between effects that are purely kinetic and those that arise from the underlying thermodynamics. Due to computational cost constraints, simulations of polymer crystallization typically employ non-equilibrium molecular dynamics techniques with large degrees of undercooling that further exacerbate the coupling between thermodynamics and kinetics. In a departure from this approach, in this study, we isolate the near-equilibrium nucleation …

Machine Learning For Unmanned Aerial System (Uas) Networking, Jian Wang

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Fueled by the advancement of 5G new radio (5G NR), rapid development has occurred in many fields. Compared with the conventional approaches, beamforming and network slicing enable 5G NR to have ten times decrease in latency, connection density, and experienced throughput than 4G long term evolution (4G LTE). These advantages pave the way for the evolution of Cyber-physical Systems (CPS) on a large scale. The reduction of consumption, the advancement of control engineering, and the simplification of Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) enable the UAS networking deployment on a large scale to become feasible. The UAS networking can finish multiple complex …

Optimal Sizing And Control Of Hybrid Rocket Vehicles, Srija Ryakam

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

In the present work, a genetic algorithm is used to optimize a hybrid rocket engine in order to minimize the propellant required for a specific mission. In a hybrid rocket engine, the mass flow rate of the oxidizer can be throttled to enhance the performance of the rocket. First, an analysis of the internal ballistics and the ascent trajectory has been carried out for different mass flow rates of the oxidizer as a function of time, for a fixed amount of oxidizer, in order to study the effect of throttling. Two equivalent problems are considered: in the first problem the …

Application Of Biochar As Beneficial Additive In Concrete, Temirlan Barissov

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

Biochar is a high-carbon solid material produced via thermal decomposition of organic biomass in a low-oxygen environment. Characterized with high water retention properties and high alkalinity, biochar is generally used for soil amendment and fertilization purposes. This study is intended to explore the feasibility of using biochar as a beneficial additive of the most used manmade material, concrete. Literature review revealed several studies where biochar was successfully implemented as an additive in concrete. The beneficial influence of biochar on the mechanical characteristics of concrete is based on nucleation and densification effects. However, the internal microstructure, porosity and chemical composition of …

Modeling Watershed Sensitivity To Climate Change In Systems Affected By Discharge Of Mine Tailings, Johnette C. Shockley

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

For more than a century, a large volume of gold-mining tailings was deposited in Whitewood Creek and the Belle Fourche River, tributaries to the Cheyenne River in western South Dakota. Much of it still remains, and field and historical evidence indicates continued remobilization of tailings-containing alluvium in these bedrock-dominated channels. Both long-term, natural fluctuations in climate and anthropogenically driven changes can impact regional precipitation, temperature, hydrologic patterns, and ecosystem functions. Such changes have the potential to affect both the transport and distribution of arsenic-laden sediments and mechanical erosion that can undermine the stability of channel-bed and overbank material.

This study …

Investigating Effects Of Microenvironmental Stress On Cell Metabolism Using Multiphoton Imaging, Lisa Rebello

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Resistance to therapy in cancer is a major cause of poor prognosis in patients. Tumor hypoxia plays an active role in mediating treatment resistance and has been linked to metastases and metastatic potential in cancer. Our research focused on three objectives: i) To understand metabolic effects of chronic and intermittent hypoxia in murine breast cancer cells and its affiliation with metastatic potential ii) To identify the metabolic changes associated with radiation therapy in a panel of radiosensitive and radioresistant human head and neck cancer cells and iii) to monitor the changes in cell metabolism associated with gain of treatment resistance. …

An Evolutionary Inspired Framework For Grasp Planning Automation On Sheet-Metal Parts With Multi-Type Grippers, Jicmat Andres Ali Tribaldos

Theses and Dissertations

Industrial robot-mounted grippers are commonly used in the automotive industry to position, manipulate, and immobilize sheet-metal parts during several manufacturing and assembly operations. Nowadays, the use of grippers that use two or more different gripping principles such as magnets, suction cups, and fingers to accomplish the gripping task is common. Automation of the steps involved in the design of these multi-type grippers is essential to the timely introduction of new vehicles to the market. The main reason being that production of the vehicles cannot start before designing, testing, and building the grippers for its components, but the design of the …

Solar-Powered Automated Transportation: Feasibility And Visualization, Burford J. Furman, Laxmi Ramasubramanian, Shannon Mcdonald, Ron Swenson, Jack Fogelquist, Yu Chiao, Alex Pape, Mario Cruz

Mineta Transportation Institute

A solar-powered automated transportation network (ATN) connecting the North and South campuses of San José State University with three passenger stations was designed, visualized, and analyzed in terms of its energy usage, carbon offset, and cost. The study’s methodology included the use of tools and software such as ArcGIS, SketchUp, Infraworks, Sketchup, Rhinoceros, and Autodesk 3DS Max. ATN vehicle energy usage was estimated using data from the university’s Park & Ride shuttle bus operation and by modeling with SUMOPy, the advanced simulation suite for the micro-traffic simulator SUMO. The energy study showed that an extensive solar photovoltaic (PV) canopy over …

Life Cycle Assessment Of Pasture-Based Agrivoltaic Systems: Emissions And Energy Use Of Integrated Rabbit Production, Alexis Pascaris, Robert Handler, Chelsea Schelly, Joshua Pearce

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Agrivoltaic systems, which deliberately maximize the utility of a single parcel of land for both solar photovoltaic (PV) electricity production and agriculture, have been demonstrated as a viable technology that can ameliorate competing land uses and meet growing energy and food demands efficiently. The goal of this study is to assess the environmental impacts of a novel pasture-based agrivoltaic concept: co-farming rabbits and solar PV. A life cycle assessment (LCA) quantified the impacts of 1) the integrated agrivoltaic concept in comparison to conventional practices including 2) separate rabbit farming and PV production and 3) separate rabbit farming and conventional electricity …

New Innovations In Pavement Materials And Engineering: A Review On Pavement Engineering Research 2021, Jtte Editorial Office Chang’An Univeristy, Jiaqi Chen, Hancheng Dan, Yongjie Ding, Yangming Gao, Meng Guo, Zhanping You, Et. Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Sustainable and resilient pavement infrastructure is critical for current economic and environmental challenges. In the past 10 years, the pavement infrastructure strongly supports the rapid development of the global social economy. New theories, new methods, new technologies and new materials related to pavement engineering are emerging. Deterioration of pavement infrastructure is a typical multi-physics problem. Because of actual coupled behaviors of traffic and environmental conditions, predictions of pavement service life become more and more complicated and require a deep knowledge of pavement material analysis. In order to summarize the current and determine the future research of pavement engineering, Journal of …

A Testing And Experimenting Environment For Microscopic Traffic Simulation Utilizing Virtual Reality And Augmented Reality, Mahmud Hasan

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Microscopic traffic simulation (MTS) is the emulation of real-world traffic movements in a virtual environment with various traffic entities. Typically, the movements of the vehicles in MTS follow some predefined algorithms, e.g., car-following models, lane changing models, etc. Moreover, existing MTS models only provide a limited capability of two- and/or three-dimensional displays that often restrict the user’s viewpoint to a flat screen. Their downscaled scenes neither provide a realistic representation of the environment nor allow different users to simultaneously experience or interact with the simulation model from different perspectives. These limitations neither allow the traffic engineers to effectively disseminate their …

Data-Driven Operational And Safety Analysis Of Emerging Shared Electric Scooter Systems, Qingyu Ma

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The rapid rise of shared electric scooter (E-Scooter) systems offers many urban areas a new micro-mobility solution. The portable and flexible characteristics have made E-Scooters a competitive mode for short-distance trips. Compared to other modes such as bikes, E-Scooters allow riders to freely ride on different facilities such as streets, sidewalks, and bike lanes. However, sharing lanes with vehicles and other users tends to cause safety issues for riding E-Scooters. Conventional methods are often not applicable for analyzing such safety issues because well-archived historical crash records are not commonly available for emerging E-Scooters.

Perceiving the growth of such a micro-mobility …

Multi Stage Modified Solvay Process For Co2 Capture And Reject Brine Desalination, Ameera Fares Mohammad

Dissertations

Brine management is an environmental concern, as many desalination plants need to find suitable approaches for the treatment or disposal of the large amounts of concentrated brine that are produced. Many conventional methods are used such as disposal through deep well injection, but these methods still suffer from many drawbacks. An alternative approach is to further process the brine by extracting the salts through reactions with carbon dioxide. The chemical reactions of reject brine with high alkalinity products and carbon dioxide are postulated to constitute a new, effective, economic and environmentally friendly approach. On the other hand, a major challenge …

Generation, Analysis, And Evaluation Of Patient-Specific, Osteoligamentous, Spine Meshes, Austin R. Tapp

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Scoliosis, an abnormal curvature of the spine, is traditionally corrected with bracing treatments or by a highly invasive posterior spinal fusion (PSF) operation. These correction strategies are constrained by current imaging modalities, which fail to elucidate the soft tissue anatomy that is known to play a critical role in spinal stiffness and overall structure. Osteoligamentous segmentations of the spinal column offer a foundation for downstream finite element (FE) studies seeking to optimize bracing treatments or determine ideal surgical approaches.

This thesis presents methods for automatically and semi-automatically segmenting vertebrae and surrounding soft tissues of the spinal column using X-ray computed …

Classifying Electrocardiogram With Machine Learning Techniques, Hillal Jarrar

Master's Theses

Classifying the electrocardiogram is of clinical importance because classification can be used to diagnose patients with cardiac arrhythmias. Many industries utilize machine learning techniques that consist of feature extraction methods followed by Naive- Bayesian classification in order to detect faults within machinery. Machine learning techniques that analyze vibrational machine data in a mechanical application may be used to analyze electrical data in a physiological application. Three of the most common feature extraction methods used to prepare machine vibration data for Naive-Bayesian classification are the Fourier transform, the Hilbert transform, and the Wavelet Packet transform. Each machine learning technique consists of …

Optimizing A Virtual Human Platform For Depression/Suicide Ideation Identification For The American Soldier, Christina M. Monahan

Master's Theses

Suicide surpassed homicide to be the second leading cause of death among people 10-24 years old in the United States \cite{1}. This statistic is alarming especially when combined with the more than eight distinctly different types of clinical depression among society today \cite{2}. To further complicate this health crisis, let’s consider the current worldwide isolating pandemic often referred to as COVID-19 that has spanned 12 months. It is more important than ever to consider how we can get ahead of the crisis by identifying the symptoms as they set in and more importantly ahead of the decision to commit suicide. …

Benchmark Testing Of Gold Ribbon Bonds On Thin-Film Microchips With New Gold Ribbon Auto-Bonder, Austin Conrad

Master's Theses

The focus of this document is on the gold ribbon bond testing and creation of a bonding map for the new gold ribbon Auto-Bonder at Keysight Technologies in Santa Rosa, California. The new Auto-Bonder replaces a nearly 50-year-old machine that no longer had any documentation for the original process of thin-film microchip ribbon bonding. The original process was developed in the early 1970s to provide an electrical connection from the top to the bottom of the microchip. The electrical connection takes the place of what would be a via in a modern silicon microchip. Gold wire bonding is a common …

Wi-Fi Sensing: Device-Free In-Zone Object Movement Detection, Nicholas P. Schnorr

Master's Theses

Wi-Fi Sensing is becoming a prominent field with a wide range of potential applications. Using existing hardware on a wireless network such as access points, cell phones, and smart home devices, important information can be inferred about the current physical environment. Through the analysis of Channel State Information collected in the Neighborhood Discovery Protocol process, the wireless network can detect disturbances in Wi-Fi signals when the physical environment changes. This results in a system that can sense motion within the Wi-Fi network, allowing for movement detection without any wearable devices.

The goal of this thesis is to answer whether Wi-Fi …

On The Mobility Of Small Aperture Telescopes For Initial Orbit Determination And Apparent Magnitude Derivation Of Low Earth Satellites, Jonathan Ian Hernandez

Master's Theses

Maintaining Space Domain Awareness (SDA) of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) requires effective methods of tracking and characterization. Optical measurements of these objects are generally sparse due to limited access intervals and high angular rates. Light pollution and geographic obstructions may also preclude consistent observations. However, a mobile small aperture telescope grants the ability to minimize such environmental effects, thereby increasing capture likelihoods for objects within this regime. By enhancing LEO satellite visibility in this way, extensive orbital and visual data are obtainable.

An 8-inch Meade LX200GPS telescope equipped with a Lumenera SKYnyx2-0M CCD camera comprises the system that …

Characterizing Direction Specific Ganglion Cell Receptor Activation Using A Perturbation Based Decomposition Method, Camila Paola Monchini Moline

Master's Theses

Characterizing postsynaptic current signals in the retina by neuroreceptor activation frequency is important for studying the mechanism of action behind phototransduction of varied visual stimuli. A better understanding could in turn lead to the creation of methods for early detection and prevention of debilitating optical neuropathies, such as glaucoma, age-related macular degeneration, and retinitis pigmentosa. More recent in-vitro and in-vivo studies have aimed to differentiate the effects of various neurotransmitters, such as acetylcholine, GABA, and glutamate, on receiving and processing different types of visual stimuli from the retina into the visual cortex.

The focus of this work will be to …

Assessing The Effects Of Oxaliplatin On An In Vitro Three-Dimensional Human Colorectal Cancer Model, Sabrina Nelson

Master's Theses

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the United States with a 5-year late-stage survival rate of only 14%. Due to the lack of translation between animal models and clinical trials as well as the inefficacy of many chemotherapeutics in initial clinical trials, researchers are turning to in vitro drug screening models in an effort to mimic the conditions in vivo. This research project aimed to validate an in vitro tumor culture model within a microfluidic device using a clinically relevant chemotherapy drug. The first experiment consisted of a cell density and drug concentration study to determine …

Indoor Positioning Using Synchronized Ultrasonic Ofdma Signals, Julian Bartolone

Master's Theses

This paper proposes a method of short-range indoor localization using differential phase measurements of synchronized two-tone ultrasonic signals in an Orthogonal Frequency Multiple Access (OFDMA) scheme. This indoor positioning system (IPS) operates at an ultrasonic frequency of approximately 40kHz and synchronizes using an infrared signal. The OFDMA scheme allows for a receiver to process the signals from multiple transmitters continuously without the signals interfering with each other. The phases of the signals are measured using Goertzel Filters, allowing for low-complexity frequency content analysis. A MATLAB simulation using the proposed localization method is performed using four transmitter nodes in the corners …

Performance Loss Rate And Temperature Modeling In Predictive Energy Yield Programs For Utility-Scale Solar Power Plants, Katelynn M. Dinius

Master's Theses

The Gold Tree Solar Farm, designed by REC Solar, has a rated output power of 4.5 MW and began operation in 2018 to provide electricity to Cal Poly’s campus. Gold Tree Solar Farm site terrain consists of rolling hills and uneven slopes. The uneven typography results in interrow shading, requiring a modified tracking control algorithm to maximize power production. Predicting a utility solar field’s lifetime energy yield is a critical step in assessing project feasibility and calculating project revenue. The MATLAB-based predictive power model developed for this field overpredicted power in the middle of the day. The purpose of this …

Machine-Learning-Based Approach To Decoding Physiological And Neural Signals, Elnaz Lashgari

Computational and Data Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

In recent years, machine learning algorithms have been developing rapidly, becoming increasingly powerful tools in decoding physiological and neural signals. The aim of this dissertation is to develop computational tools, and especially machine learning techniques, to identify the most effective methods for feature extraction and classification of these signals. This is particularly challenging due to the highly non-linear, non-stationery, and artifact- and noise-prone nature of these signals.

Among basic human-control tasks, reaching and grasping are ubiquitous in everyday life. I investigated different linear and non-linear dimensionality reduction techniques for feature extraction and classification of electromyography (EMG) during a reach-grasp-lift task. …

Integration Of Blockchain Technology Into Automobiles To Prevent And Study The Causes Of Accidents, John Kim

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Automobile collisions occur daily. We now live in an information-driven world, one where technology is quickly evolving. Blockchain technology can change the automotive industry, the safety of the motoring public and its surrounding environment by incorporating this vast array of information. It can place safety and efficiency at the forefront to pedestrians, public establishments, and provide public agencies with pertinent information securely and efficiently. Other industries where Blockchain technology has been effective in are as follows: supply chain management, logistics, and banking. This paper reviews some statistical information regarding automobile collisions, Blockchain technology, Smart Contracts, Smart Cities; assesses the feasibility …

Integration Of Internet Of Things And Health Recommender Systems, Moonkyung Yang

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

The Internet of Things (IoT) has become a part of our lives and has provided many enhancements to day-to-day living. In this project, IoT in healthcare is reviewed. IoT-based healthcare is utilized in remote health monitoring, observing chronic diseases, individual fitness programs, helping the elderly, and many other healthcare fields. There are three main architectures of smart IoT healthcare: Three-Layer Architecture, Service-Oriented Based Architecture (SoA), and The Middleware-Based IoT Architecture. Depending on the required services, different IoT architecture are being used. In addition, IoT healthcare services, IoT healthcare service enablers, IoT healthcare applications, and IoT healthcare services focusing on Smartwatch …