Engineering Commons^™

Development Of Multi Criteria Decision-Making Model To Evaluate The Adoption Effectiveness Of Electronic Ticketing (E-Ticketing) In Highway Construction Projects, Karthik Subramanya

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Highway and bridge construction projects are subject to cost and schedule overruns, as well as workforce shortages in remote locations, both of which can result in disputes over the quality of the end product. State departments of transportation (DOTs) are constructing and managing more highway projects than ever before despite limited funds and a shortage of inspectors. The construction of highway infrastructure has devoted significant resources towards e-Construction to reduce the paperwork and automate the tasks in daily operations. Electronic Ticketing (e-Ticketing) is one such component of e-Construction that aids in the digital transfer of material tickets such as asphalt …

Ultra-Compact Hybrid Silicon: Chalcogenide Waveguide Temperature Sensor, Bahareh Badamchi, Wei-Che Hsu, Al-Amin Ahmed Simon, Zong Yin Chi, Jacob Manzi, Maria Mitkova, Alan X. Wang, Harish Subbaraman

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We demonstrate a real-time, reusable, and reversible integrated optical sensor for temperature monitoring within harsh environments. The sensor architecture combines the phase change property of chalcogenide glasses (ChG) with the high-density integration advantages of high index silicon waveguides. To demonstrate sensor feasibility, ChG composition Ge₄₀S₆₀, which is characterized by a sharp phase transition from amorphous to crystalline phase around 415 °C, is deposited over a 50 µm section of a single mode optical waveguide. The phase transition changes the behavior of Ge₄₀S₆₀ from a low loss to high loss material, thus significantly …

Enhanced Supervised Descent Learning Technique For Electromagnetic Inverse Scattering Problems By The Deep Convolutional Neural Networks, He Ming Yao, Rui Guo, Maokun Li, Lijun Jiang, Michael Kwok Po Ng

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This work proposes a novel deep learning (DL) framework to solve the electromagnetic inverse scattering (EMIS) problems. The proposed framework integrates the complex-valued deep convolutional neural network (DConvNet) into the supervised descent method (SDM) to realize both off-line training and on-line 'imaging' prediction for EMIS. The offline training consists of two parts: 1) DConvNet training: the training dataset is created, and the proposed DConvNet is trained to realize the EM forward process and 2) SDM training: the trained DConvNet is integrated into the SDM framework, and the average descent directions between the initial prediction and the true label of SDM …

Huber Kalman Filter For Wi-Fi Based Vehicle Driver's Respiration Detection, Yang Yang, Yunlong Luo, Alex Qi, Ge Shi, Miao Miao, Jun Fan, Jianhua Ma, Yihong Qi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The use of breath detection in vehicles can reduce the number of vehicular accidents caused by drivers in poor physical condition. Prior studies of contactless respiration detection mainly targeted a static person. However, there are emerging applications to sense a driver, with emphasis on contactless methods. For example, being able to detect a driver's respiration while driving by using a vehicular Wi-Fi system can significantly enhance driving safety. The sensing system can be mounted on the back of the driver's seat, and it can sense the tiny chest displacement of the driver via Wi-Fi signals. The body displacement and car …

An Integrated Engineering Model For Advising, Rebecca Bates, Catherine Mcgough Spence, Darcie Christensen, Robert Sleezer, Jodi Nelson, Ryan Walerius, Rachael Johnson

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

This evidence-based practice paper describes the theoretical foundations of the supportive advising practices used by the Integrated Engineering Department (IE) at Minnesota State University, Mankato. The driving motivation for the advising model is to support the development of student engineers as whole people. Generally in academia, faculty in traditional professor roles serve as formal advisors, mentors, facilitators, evaluators, and coaches and are joined by full-time staff that serve in roles to support student development. Integrated Engineers at Minnesota State University, Mankato are supported to become the engineer they want to be. This paper describes the unique model employed by IE …

The Influence Of Disciplinary Background On Peer Reviewers’ Evaluations Of Engineering Education Journal Manuscripts, Kelsey Watts, Gary Lichtenstein, Karin Jensen, Evan Ko, Rebecca Bates, Lisa Benson

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

This is the first of a series of studies that explore the relationship between disciplinary background and the weighting of various elements of a manuscript in peer reviewers’ determination of publication recommendations. Research questions include: (1) To what extent are tacit criteria for determining quality or value of EER manuscripts influenced by reviewers’ varied disciplinary backgrounds and levels of expertise? and (2) To what extent does mentored peer review professional development influence reviewers’ EER manuscript evaluations? Data were collected from 27 mentors and mentees in a peer review professional development program. Participants reviewed the same two manuscripts, using a form …

Modeling Hierarchical Porous Electrodes With Tailored Anisotropic Structure, Debanjan Sarker

All Theses

Modern electric vehicles and consumer electronics applications demand high specific energy from Li-ion batteries, which can be charged and discharged faster. In the search for high specific energy, researchers have tried to make thicker battery electrodes which contain a greater proportion of active material. While chemical and structural modification of electrodes can help to increase the electronic conductivity of active material, the microstructure of porous electrodes can be engineered to enhance ion transport for fast charge and discharge. Previous research has shown that macropores introduced by directional freeze tape casting can enhance the performance of thick porous electrodes. For instance, …

Experimental Study Of Flow Characteristics And Geometry Of Scour Hole Around Cylindrical Piers Subject To Wave And Current, Qazi Ashique E Mowla

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

This thesis concerns the unique flow structure around bridge piers under the wave and current conditions. The flow characteristics around piers may change depending on the flow conditions and geometry of the pier. These flow structures imprint themselves on the streambed as scour holes. Laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the changes that occur in the flow pattern and in the geometric pattern of scour holes around piers in waterbodies subject to waves and currents. Physical models of two piers with different diameters (19 mm and 50 mm) were built and installed in a sediment bed. A total of 19 …

Reactive Motion Planning Of Autonomous Vehicles In 3-Dimensional Environments Using Collision And Rendezvous Cones, Kashish Dhal

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This dissertation presents a collision cone/rendezvous cone-based approach for reactive motion planning in three-dimensional dynamic environments. Collision avoidance is fundamental to robot motion planning. In dynamic environments, the path and velocities of obstacles are not known a-priori, and hence it is a common practice to use reactive planners. Reactive planners should be computationally inexpensive because they need to act fast to avoid potential collisions. To reduce the computational load, a majority of motion planning algorithms model the shapes of the robots and obstacles as a circle/sphere. However, when the objects are elongated more in one direction than another, the spherical …

Towards On-Chip Integrated Sensors: Photonic Crystal Optical Sensors And Lasers, Zhonghe Liu

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Supervising Professor: Weidong Zhou The field of compact integrated optical platform has developed into a new era in the past two decades. On one hand, the semiconductor optoelectronic devices are becoming smaller and cheaper thanks to the development of complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) fabrication technologies; on the other hand, the applications of optoelectronics have been deeply coupled to other fields to realize more complicated implementations. Photonic crystal slab (PCS) structure has been playing an increasingly important role in these optical devices, active or passive, by enabling a variety of light-matter interaction mechanisms. The objective of this dissertation is to investigate …

Lasso Based State Transition Modeling With Interactions In Adaptive Interdisciplinary Pain Management, Amith Viswanatha

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The Eugene McDermott Center for Pain Management at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center has an interdisciplinary pain management program for chronic pain. This program treats patients with a holistic view of reducing chronic pain and improving their physical, mental, and social well-being through treatment interventions. The development of an adaptive treatment decision tool is main goal of the research project. This program is modeled as a two-stage adaptive treatment decision problem, with state transition models representing the transition of patient state, treatment, and outcome variables from stage 1 to stage 2. Interactions between the patient state and treatments …

Sustainable And Inclusive Engineering: The Use Of Mentors And Sustainable Remediation To Increase The Presence Of Underrepresented Groups In Engineering, Nathaniel L. Steadman

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

The recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups in engineering, such as women, has been a priority for many decades to diversify the profession to meet the current demand for engineers. Unfortunately, barriers continue to inhibit the recruitment and retention of underrepresented students in engineering, thus reducing the impact of these efforts. A potential barrier is a lack of social connection to the technical problem definition, design, and decision-making that engineers utilize, prioritizing technical knowledge over social. Previous research has theorized that the incorporation of social considerations in technical engineering design increases interest in engineering for underrepresented groups. The purpose of …

An Experimental Investigation Of Icephobicity And Hydrophobicity Of Concrete Surface Treated With Pavix, Hussein Hashemi Senejani

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

High ice adhesion is a significant problem in several industries. The majority of practical issues brought on by ice adhesion are still not fully resolved, and the ice-adhesion mechanism is still poorly understood. Ice adhesion is a complex phenomenon that becomes more intricate when salt is involved, as in many marine cases. Reducing ice adhesion by generating hydrophobic surfaces might be advantageous in many applications as a passive ice removal strategy. Lowering adhesion may reduce friction, abrasion, and damage to structures in a maritime environment, as well as any surface prone to ice development. This process may also be utilized …

Replication Data For: A Closer Look At Underground Natural Gas Pipeline Leaks Across The United States, Younki Cho, Kathleen M. Smits, Nathaniel L. Steadman, Bridget A. Ulrich, Clay S. Bell, Daniel J. Zimmerle

Earth & Environmental Sciences Datasets - Archive

Underground natural gas (NG) pipeline leakage can result in methane (CH₄) buildup and migration through the soil. What is not well understood in such scenarios is how the soil conditions affect the gas migration behavior, particularly in regard to the relative contributions of specific soil properties such as soil moisture content. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of soil properties on CH₄ concentration and migration from leaking underground NG pipelines. Site characteristics such as surface cover and spatial dimensions, soil samples, and gas concentration data were collected from over 70 gas leakage sites …

Optimal Scheduling Of Connected And Autonomous Vehicles At A Reservation-Based Intersection., Muting Ma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reservation-based intersection control has been evaluated with better performance over traditional signal controls in terms of intersection safety, efficiency, and emission. Controlling connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) at a reservation-based intersection in terms of improving intersection efficiency is performed via two factors: trajectory (speed profile) and arrival time of CAVs at the intersection. In an early stage of the reservation-based intersection control, an intersection controller at the intersection may fail to find a feasible solution for both the trajectory and arrival time for a CAV at a certain planning horizon. Leveraging a deeper understanding of the control problem, reservation-based intersection …

Effect Of Dorsal Quadrant Or Ventral Quadrant Spinal Cord Injury On Gait Features During Locomotion., Anya Nicole Trell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the Unites States, approximately 1.5 million people currently have a spinal cord injury and suffer permanent sensory and motor loss due to the disruption of the spinal cord. Due to the significant morbidity, it is vital to understand the functional impact of disrupting neural descending pathways that modulate spinal neurons involved in intermuscular coordination critical for gait behaviors. Tasks that are more difficult require additional input from these neural pathways; therefore, fourteen feline subjects were familiarized with level overground locomotion and stair descent gait tasks. After collection of baseline kinematic data, the subjects received either a dorsal or ventral …

Experimental Evaluation Of Heat Leak From Anti-Sweat Components Into Fresh Food And Freezer Compartments Of A Household Refrigerator., Delva Felissaint

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Condensation beads forming on outside surfaces around a refrigerator is an undesirable byproduct driven by the cold temperature exhibited throughout the unit. To combat this issue, anti-sweat components usually in the form of electrical heaters or tubes carrying hot refrigerant, bring heat to the cold surfaces to ensure their temperatures do not drop below the dew point. Some heat produced by the anti-sweat components may transfer to the interior refrigerated compartment. The purpose of this study is to quantify how much heat from the anti-sweat components are entering the fresh food and freezer compartments and what impact that has on …

Development And Applications Of A Sensor For Measurement Of Different Modes Of Heat Transfer On Foods In A Residential Oven., Kervins Petit-Bois

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Thermal characterization of an oven is an important part of designing an oven. Understanding how changes in cooking algorithm, oven construction, and oven materials affect cooking performance is critical in ensuring that an oven is properly designed. Often temperature data is used to characterize oven behavior, but this neglects the mode of heat transfer used to achieve these temperatures. Several studies have compared the different modes of heat transfer and cooking performance and have shown that cooking performance in radiation dominated modes are different than in convection dominated modes. The goal of this study is to develop a heat flux …

Computer Aided Diagnosis System For Breast Cancer Using Deep Learning., Asma Baccouche

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The recent rise of big data technology surrounding the electronic systems and developed toolkits gave birth to new promises for Artificial Intelligence (AI). With the continuous use of data-centric systems and machines in our lives, such as social media, surveys, emails, reports, etc., there is no doubt that data has gained the center of attention by scientists and motivated them to provide more decision-making and operational support systems across multiple domains. With the recent breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, the use of machine learning and deep learning models have achieved remarkable advances in computer vision, ecommerce, cybersecurity, and healthcare. Particularly, numerous …

Role Of Deep Learning Techniques In Non-Invasive Diagnosis Of Human Diseases., Hisham Abouelseoud Elsayem Abdeltawab

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning, a sub-discipline in the domain of artificial intelligence, concentrates on algorithms able to learn and/or adapt their structure (e.g., parameters) based on a set of observed data. The adaptation is performed by optimizing over a cost function. Machine learning obtained a great attention in the biomedical community because it offers a promise for improving sensitivity and/or specificity of detection and diagnosis of diseases. It also can increase objectivity of the decision making, decrease the time and effort on health care professionals during the process of disease detection and diagnosis. The potential impact of machine learning is greater than …

Role Of Machine Learning In Early Diagnosis Of Kidney Diseases., Mohamed Nazih Mohamed Ibrahim Shehata

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Machine learning (ML) and deep learning (DL) approaches have been used as indispensable tools in modern artificial intelligence-based computer-aided diagnostic (AIbased CAD) systems that can provide non-invasive, early, and accurate diagnosis of a given medical condition. These AI-based CAD systems have proven themselves to be reproducible and have the generalization ability to diagnose new unseen cases with several diseases and medical conditions in different organs (e.g., kidneys, prostate, brain, liver, lung, breast, and bladder). In this dissertation, we will focus on the role of such AI-based CAD systems in early diagnosis of two kidney diseases, namely: acute rejection (AR) post …

Spacecraft Formation Flying Control Switching Surface Based On Relative Orbital Elements, Tyson K. Smith, John Akagi, Greg Droge

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

The development of a switching surface constraint based on the D’Amico relative orbital elements (ROE) is presented in this paper. Relative orbital elements give a more intuitive understanding of how the relative motion of a cluster of satellites changes with time and allows the control algorithm to take advantage of the natural dynamic motion. This work models each vehicle using a model predictive control (MPC) approach, based on the Hill-Clohessey-Whiltshire (HCW) equations, to plan maneuvers which are simulated using a high-fidelity motion model. An ROE based convex polytope switching surface is added to the MPC formulation to force the states …

Application Of A 14c-Assay To Assess Methanotrophic Biodegradation Of Tce In Low Ph Groundwater, Evan Groome

All Theses

Current biological strategies for remediating trichloroethylene (TCE) in low pH aquifers (i.e., pH14C-TCE assay was developed to determine pseudo first-order rate constants for the degradation of TCE in microcosms containing soil and groundwater from the Boeing Michigan Aeronautical Research Center (BOMARC) superfund site, where the pH ranges from 4.1 to 4.9. The ¹⁴C-TCE assay was also adapted to calculate soil-normalized rate constants for data from this site, as well as data that Szwast²¹ collected from the Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC). In addition to natural attenuation, biostimulation through amendments of methane and nutrients were also assessed. This treatment …

Building A Community Of Mentors In Engineering Education Research Through Peer Review Training, Karin Jensen, Lisa Benson, Kelsey Watts, Gary Lichtenstein, Evan Ko, Rebecca Bates

Integrated Engineering Department Publications

Peer review of scholarship is critical to the advancement of knowledge in a scholarly discipline. Despite this, scholars receive little or no training in effective and constructive peer review. The process of peer review has been routinely criticized in higher education for lack of quality reviews and reviewers, and reviews that are personal and not constructive. As a discipline, engineering education research (EER) benefits from diverse disciplinary backgrounds and perspectives of scholars, and as such relies on peer review of scholarship to generate, interpret, and translate knowledge. Supported by funding through the National Science Foundation, this project is developing, implementing, …

Data-Driven Distributed Modeling, Operation, And Control Of Electric Power Distribution Systems, Hasala Dharmawardena

All Dissertations

The power distribution system is disorderly in design and implementation, chaotic in operation, large in scale, and complex in every way possible. Therefore, modeling, operating, and controlling the distribution system is incredibly challenging. It is required to find solutions to the multitude of challenges facing the distribution grid to transition towards a just and sustainable energy future for our society. The key to addressing distribution system challenges lies in unlocking the full potential of the distribution grid. The work in this dissertation is focused on finding methods to operate the distribution system in a reliable, cost-effective, and just manner.

In …

Impact Of Spray Coating On The Performance Of Hydrophobic Membranes, Dominick J. Maiorano, Hamid Fattahijuybari, David Warsinger

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

Membrane distillation (MD) is a rapidly emerging water treatment technology used to combat the global water crisis. Membrane pore wetting is a primary barrier to widespread industrial use of MD. The primary causes of membrane wetting are membrane fouling and an exceedance of liquid entry pressure. The development of different types of polymer membranes and the use of pretreatment have led to significant movement towards the prevention of wetting in MD. We sought to take a new approach to combat membrane wetting that involves coating these membranes with hydrophilic chemical compounds, which consequently would decrease their air permeability. Pulling data …

Restoring An Iso:5840-Compliant Pulse Duplicator Device For Hydrodynamic Performance Characterization Of Artificial Cardiac Valves, Denver Eagar

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

During the summer of 2021, I was employed as an intern at Dynatek Labs, an implantable prosthetics testing company located in southern Missouri. My primary project was to modernize an abandoned pulse duplicator device and protocol to allow the company to re-enter a market area which they left nearly 15 years prior: heart valve testing. The company halted this initiative due to changes in international testing standards in previous years. The International Standards Organization Cardiac Valves Working Group released the latest version of standards concerning artificial heart valve testing (ISO 5840) in January of 2021. Accordingly, my project required that …

A Hybrid Systems Model For Emergency Department Boarding Management, Eniola Oluwasola Suley

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The purpose of this research is to examine methods for minimizing the influence of boarding on emergency department (ED) crowding outcomes. To accomplish this purpose, this research uses a hybrid systems model framework by combining agent-based simulation, predictive and optimization models to improve ED outcomes such as length-of-stay and left-without-being-seen rates. For the research, different types of simulation models were examined (discrete event and agent-based/discrete event combination) to identify the most parsimonious for studying ED boarding. Predictive models using simulation output were developed to understand the factors that influence future boarding levels as well as generate predictions. Research has previously …

System Identification Of Linear And Non-Linear Dynamical Systems Using Semi-Definite Programming Via Penalized Parabolic Relaxation Method, Adnan Nasir

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This document is prepared to highlight the difference between two very important fields in the realm of Convex Optimization, Machine Learning, Artificial Intelligence and many such sprouting advance fields currently impacting the whole world. The main aim of the recent SDP algorithms is to relax the NP-Hard Convex optimization problems and transform them into amenable jobs without strong theoretical guarantees, but these algorithms tends to approximate the practical in demand applications in many of the aforementioned fields. Moreover, The lack of theoretical guarantee makes the SDP relaxation in-exact and unoptimizable in finite duration. The actual world applications most of the …

Coupled Effect Of Fiber And Granular Skeleton Characteristics On Packing Density Of Fiber-Aggregate Mixtures, Naimeh Nouri, Masoud Hosseinpoor, Ammar Yahia, Kamal Khayat

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The addition of fiber to cementitious materials enhances mechanical performance but can reduce workability of the fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) mixtures. This can be due to the negative effect of fibers on packing density (PD) of the fiber-coarse aggregate (F-A) combination. The performance of FRC, as a diphasic suspension, is dependent on the characteristics of both F-A (suspended-solid skeleton) and mortar (suspending liquid) phases. PD can reflect the voids within the F-A skeleton to be filled with mortar. An adequate optimization of the characteristics of the F-A skeleton can modify the performance of FRC in fresh and hardened states. The F-A …