Engineering Commons^™

The Use Of Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein 2 (Rhbmp-2) To Promote Spinal Fusion In A Nonhuman Primate Anterior Interbody Fusion Model, Brian P. Hecht, Jeffrey S. Fischgrund, Harry N. Harkowitz, Lori Penman, Jeffrey M. Toth, Ali Shirkhoda

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Study Design. A study on the efficacy of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein 2 (rhBMP-2) in a nonhuman primate anterior interbody fusion model.

Objectives. To investigate the efficacy of rhBMP-2 with an absorbable collagen sponge carrier to promote spinal fusion in a nonhuman primate anterior interbody fusion model.

Summary of Background Data. RhBMP-2 is an osteoinductive growth factor capable of inducing new bone formation in vivo. Although dosage studies using rhBMP-2 have been performed on species of lower phylogenetic level, they cannot be extrapolated to the primate. Dosage studies on nonhuman primates are essential before proceeding with human primate application. …

Aeroelastic Load Alleviation Using Shunted Piezolectrics, Anna-Maria Rivas Mcgowan

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Several analytical and experimental studies clearly demonstrate that piezoelectric materials (piezoelectrics) can be used as actuators to actively control vibratory response including aeroelastic response. However, two important issues in using piezoelectrics as actuators for active control are: 1) the potentially large amount of power required to operate the actuators, and 2) the complexities involved with active control (added hardware, control law design and implementation). Active or passive damping augmentation using shunted piezoelectrics may provide a viable alternative. This approach requires only simple electrical circuitry and very little or no electrical power. Shunted piezoelectrics have been shown to provide an efficient …

An Experimental Investigation Into The Effect Of Clearance And Torque On Load Sharing In A Bolted Joint, Jerry B. Robertson

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The shear load experienced by each bolt in a multi-fastener bolted butt joint is a percentage of the total load applied to the joint. Joint failure can be premature when one fastener is subjected to a disproportional amount of the total load. Conversely, the ultimate load the joint can endure may be increased if the distribution of loads can be equalized by some means. In this investigation, two and four fastener butt joints were studied. An instrumented bolt was constructed that could measure the bending stresses in the bolt associated with the bearing load. That data was converted into force …

Destructive And Non-Destructive Testing Of Bridge J857 Phelps County, Missouri : Strengthening And Testing To Failure Of Bridge Decks, Tarek Alkhrdaji, Antonio Nanni, Genda Chen, Michael G. Barker

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Concrete bridges are conventionally reinforced with steel bars and/or prestressed with steel tendons. When subjected to aggressive environments, corrosion of the reinforcing and prestressing steel occurs and eventually leads to premature structural deterioration and loss of serviceability. In addition, the increasing service loads as well as seismic upgrade requirements result in a need to strengthen many of these bridges. The use of externally bonded steel plates for flexural and shear strengthening of concrete members is well established. However, corrosion related problems have limited the use of this technique for outdoor application. Fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) composites are corrosion resistant and …

Pavement Design Guide: A Short Course, Kentucky Transportation Center

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this short course is to provide information to the registered engineer (with no previous background in pavement design or pavement technology) on the structural design of pavements. Included in this course is a summary of background information on the materials used in pavement construction and on the history and evolution of pavement design. Included with this course is an updated Design Guide or catalog to be used for designing new pavements in Kentucky. The intent of the guide or catalog is to provide the road\\ a) designer with a simplified, straightforward methodology for developing structural designs of …

Truck Route Access Evaluation: Dravo Lime Company, Maysville, Site #30, Joel M. Weber, Kenneth R. Agent, Brian Aldridge, Lisa Aultman-Hall, David Cain, Nikiforos Stamatiadis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This is a study undertaken by the Kentucky Transportation Center on behalf of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet ( KYTC). There are two main objectives of the Freight Movement and Intermodal Access in Kentucky Study (SPR 98-189): evaluation of the access for trucks between intermodal or other truck generating sites and the National Highway System (NHS); and furthering the understanding of freight commodity flows throughout the state. This report summarizes the access evaluation for the Dravo Lime Company facility located in Mason County in the Buffalo Trace Area Development District (ADD) and KYTC Highway District #9. The location of the site …

Truck Route Access Evaluation: Willamette Industries, Hancock County, Site #2659, Brian Aldridge, Kenneth R. Agent, Lisa Aultman-Hall, David Cain, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Joel M. Weber

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Freight Movement and lntermodal Access in Kentucky Study (SPR 98-189), undertaken by the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) on behalf of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), has two main objectives. These objectives include 1) the evaluation of access for trucks between intermodal or other truck generating sites and the National Highway System (NHS) and 2) furthering the understanding of freight commodity flows throughout the state. This report summarizes the access evaluation for one facility located in Hancock County in the Green River Area Development District (ADD) and KYTC (Kentucky Transportation Cabinet) Highway District #2. The location of the site is …

Truck Route Access Evaluation: Westvaco Corporation, Ballard County, Site #2683, Brian Aldridge, Kenneth R. Agent, Lisa Aultman-Hall, David Cain, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Joel M. Weber

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Freight Movement and Intermodal Access in Kentucky Study (SPR 98-189), undertaken by the Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) on behalf of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC), has two main objectives. These objectives include 1) the evaluation of access for trucks between intermodal or other truck generating sites and the National Highway System (NHS) and 2) furthering the understanding of freight commodity flows throughout the state. This report summarizes the access evaluation for one facility located in Ballard County in the Purchase Area Development District (ADD) and KYTC (Kentucky Transportation Cabinet) Highway District #1. The location of the site is shown …

Information Modeling And Method Engineering: A Psychological Perspective, Keng Siau

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Information modeling is the cornerstone of information systems analysis and design. Information models, the products of information modeling, not only provide the abstractions required to facilitate communication between the analysts and end users, but they also provide a formal basis for developing tools and techniques used in information systems development. The process of designing, constructing, and adapting information modeling methods for information systems development is known as method engineering. Despite the pivotal role of modeling methods in successful information systems development, most modeling methods are designed based on common sense and intuition of the method designers with little or no …

Assessment Of A Higher Harmonic Control System For Minimizing Vibrations On A Dynamically Scaled Tiltrotor Model, David J. Piatak

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The performance of a higher harmonic control system called the Multipoint Adaptive Vibration Suppression System (MA VSS) at reducing 3/rev wing vibratory loads and fuselage vibrations on a dynamically-scaled tiltrotor model is presented. Previous wind tunnel tests on a semispan aeroelastic tiltrotor model have demonstrated the effectiveness of MAVSS for reducing wing vibratory loads using both an active flaperon and swashplate. The primary goal, however, of such a vibration suppression system is to reduce tiltrotor fuselage vibrations in order to improve passenger comfort. The present study addresses the reduction of both wing and fuselage vibrations using MA VSS active flaperons …

Mar 1999, Tractor Museum

Lester F. Larsen Tractor Museum: Planning and Development Documents

Additional Funds Donation to Camp Creek Threshers Renovation Status

Genetic Engineering Of Wood Color In Plants, Vincent Lee C. Chiang, Chung-Jui Tsai, Gopi K. Podila

Michigan Tech Patents

The invention relates to genetically engineering the wood color of woody plants by incorporation of the lignin pathway gene O-methyltransferase into the genome of the plants.

Method For Constructing Accurately Fitting Frameworks For Endosseous Implant-Supported Dental Prostheses, David R. Cagna, Robert E. Jones, Rajiv V. Nambiar

Patents

The present invention discloses a device and method of achieving a passive fit between a dental implant-supported metal bar or framework and dental implants located within a patient's mouth. The present invention comprises the steps of fabricating the dental implant-supported metal bar, contacting the metal bar and the plurality of dental implant analogs within a dental cast, and correcting the fit of the metal bar by inductively heating the dental implant-supported bar, thereby achieve the desired passive fit.

Discrimination Of Volcano Activity And Mountain-Associated Waves Using Infrasonic Data And A Backpropagation Neural Network, Fredric M. Ham, Thomas A. Leeney, Heather M. Canady, Joseph C. Wheeler

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

An integral part of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty monitoring is an international infrasonic monitoring network that is capable of detecting and verifying nuclear explosions. Reliable detection of such events must be made from data that may contain other sources of infrasonic phenomena. Infrasonic waves can also result from volcanic eruptions, mountain associated waves, auroral waves, earthquakes, meteors, avalanches, severe weather, quarry blasting, high-speed aircraft, gravity waves, and microbaroms. This paper shows that a feedforward multi-layer neural network discriminator, trained by backpropagation, is capable of distinguishing between two unique infrasonic events recorded from single station recordings with a relatively …

Cascaded Neural Networks For Sequenced Propagation Estimation, Multiuser Detection, And Adaptive Radio Resource Control Of Third-Generation Wireless Networks For Multimedia Services, William S. Hortos

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

A hybrid neural network approach is presented to estimate radio propagation characteristics and multiuser interference and to evaluate their combined impact on throughput, latency and information loss in third-generation (3G) wireless networks. The latter three performance parameters influence the quality of service (QoS) for multimedia services under consideration for 3G networks. These networks, based on a hierarchical architecture of overlaying macrocells on top of micro- and picoells, are planned to operate in mobile urban and indoor environments with service demands emanating from circuit-switched, packetswitched and satellite-based traffic sources. Candidate radio interfaces for these networks employ a form of wideband CDMA …

Spatio-Temporal Growth Of Nematic Domains In Liquid Crystal Polymer Mixtures, Hao-Wen Chiu, Thein Kyu

College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering

Dynamics of phase separation and morphology development in mixtures of a low molar mass liquid crystal (LC) and a polymer have been investigated theoretically in comparison with experimental results. In the theoretical model, the combined free-energy densities of Flory-Huggins theory for isotropic mixing and Maier-Saupe theory for nematic ordering have been incorporated into the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation (type C). The temporal evolution of the structure factor and the emergence of phase-separated liquid crystal domains have been simulated on the basis of an explicit central difference method based on a square lattice (128 x 128) with a periodic boundary condition. Of …

Energygauge Usa: A Residential Building Energy Simulation Design Tool, Florida Solar Energy Center, Danny Parker

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) is developing a new software (EnergyGauge USA) which allows simple calculation and rating of energy use of residential buildings around the United States. In the past, most residential analysis and rating software have used simplified methods for calculation of residential building energy performance due to limitations on computing speed. However, EnergyGauge USA, takes advantage of current generation personal computers that perform an hourly annual computer simulation in less than 30 seconds. A simplified user interface allows buildings to be quickly defined while bringing the computing power and accuracy of an hourly computer simulation to …

The Probability Distribution Of Nscat Measurements, Paul E. Johnson, David G. Long

Faculty Publications

NSCAT makes only indirect measurements of wind. The direct measurement is of the backscattered radar power. The signal power is contaminated by radiometric noise so a separate measurement of the noise power is subtracted from the signal-plus-noise measurement to estimate the backscattered power. Using the radar equation, sigma-0 is computed from the measured signal power. From multiple sigma-0 mesaurements made at different azimuth angles, the wind is estimated. In wind retrieval, the NSCAT sigma-0 measurements are assumed to have a Gaussian probability distribution with a variance which depends on the mean. Given this distribution model, the maximum-likelihood estimtor is formed …

Observations Of Lattice Curvature Near The Interface Of A Deformed Aluminium Bicrystal, Brent L. Adams, W. E. King, S. Sun

Faculty Publications

This work was partially supported by MRSEC Program of the National Science Foundation (DMR-9632556), and under the auspices of the US Department of Energy and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under contract W-7405- Eng-48. S. Sun gratefully acknowledges the comments of Professor E. T. Onat, Professor B. T. Chu and Professor W. Tong of the Mechanical Engineering Department at Yale University, and their valuable guidance in the process of completing this project as a doctoral dissertation. The assistance of B. El-Dasher of Carnegie-Mellon University is also gratefully acknowledged. Reported here is a study of the pattern of lattice curvature near the …

Security, Safety, And The Law: The Alpine Cable Accident, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article describes how legal Issues pertaining to fatal aviation accidents with and without significant politico-military implications can contribute to or detract from security and safety phenomena leading to yet other fatal accidents.

Hand Held Data Recorder (Hhdr), Charles M. Burt, Stuart Styles

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

A HHDR is used to collect data from the field and to download that data to a database to generate reports for meters in the districts. The data can be collected intermittently or on a daily basis since these are not route based data collectors. The data is collected by means of a hand held portable unit that scans a bar code identification label that is permanently affixed to the meter. Data is then entered by means of a keypad or a scan sheet and the operator goes to the next meter. At the end of the day the unit …

Novel Carbon-Carbon Bond Oxidative Cleavage Of Hexabenzyl-Hexaazaisowurtzitane By N-Buono And (Nh4)2ce(No3)6, Xiao-Pei Guan, Hong Yan, Jian-Guang Sun, Yong-Zhong Yu

Publications and Research

Treatment of 2,4,6,8,10,12-hexabenzyl-2,4,6,8,10,12-hexaazatetracyclo-[5.5.0.05,9.03,11]dodecane with n-butyl nitrite or ammonium cerium nitrate results in novel C(1)-C(7) oxidative cleavage to give 1,3,4,5,7,8-hexabenzyl-cis-cisoid-cis-hexahydro-1H,5H-diimidazolinium[4,5-b:4′,5′-e]pyrazine dinitrate.

Activated Carbon Produced From Agricultural Residues, Daniel W. Armstrong, V. J. Flanigan, William Joseph James, Jui-Lung Li, Kimber L. Rundlett

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

A process for producing activated carbon from agricultural residues by heating the residues to a temperature in the range of about 250° C. to about 550° C. to volatilize organic compounds in the residues and to carbonize the residues and further heating to activate the carbonized residues. Activated carbon produced from agricultural residues.

Development Of Esal Forecasting Procedures For Superpave Pavement Design, Brad W. Rister, David L. Allen

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report documents the analysis methods used to develop the Equivalent Single Axle Load (ESAL) forecasting program for Superpave projects. In addition, this report discusses the procedures used in the ESAL forecasting program to forecast ESALs in the design lane for pavement resurfacing/overlay projects which are consistent with the Superpave process of asphaltic mixture design.

Enhancements To The Scalable Coherent Interface Cache Protocol, Robert J. Safranek

Dissertations and Theses

As the number of NUMA system's cache coherency protocols based on the IEEE Std. 1596-1992, Standard for Scalable Coherent Interface (SCI) Specification increases, it is important to review this complex protocol to determine if the protocol can be enhanced in any way. This research provides two realizable extensions to the standard SCI cache protocol. Both of these extensions lie in the basic confines of the SCI architectures.

The first extension is a simplification to the SCI protocol in the area of prepending to a sharing list. Depending if the cache line is marked "Fresh" or "Gone", the flow of events …

Trends. International Trends In Space Policy: An Interview With Eligar Sadeh, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

The article is an interview with Eligar Sadeh, Interim Director, Center for Engineering Infrastructure and Sciences in Space (CIESS), Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, United States of America.

Irrigation Water Balance Fundamentals, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Water balances are essential for making wise decisions regarding water conservation and water management. The paper defines the essential ingredients of water balances, and distinguishes between farm and district-level balances. An example of a hypothetical district-level balance is provided. The importance of listing confidence intervals is highlighted. Classic errors in water balance determination are noted

Water Balance-Related Performance Indicators For International Projects, Charles M. Burt, Stuart W. Styles

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

A unique study to examine the impacts of irrigation project modernization was funded by the Research Committee of the World Bank and managed by the International Program for Technology Research in Irrigation and Drainage (IPTRID). The project examined 16 irrigation projects in 10 developing countries, 15 of which have been partially modernized in some aspects of hardware and/or management. Besides developing specific recommendations for donor agencies interested in irrigation project modernization, this project also accomplished the following: 1. A Rapid Appraisal Process (RAP) was developed to quickly (within a week) evaluate an irrigation project to assess what type of modernization …

Subsurface Flows Water Balance Components For Irrigation Districts In The San Joaquin Valley, Stuart W. Styles, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Cal Poly ITRC has conducted several water balances for regions or districts within the San Joaquin Valley. In each case, the greatest unknown component for the water balance is subsurface flows (ITRC, 1994). Water balance calculations can be confusing, especially in districts where there is groundwater pumping. This paper will discuss ITRC efforts to determine both lateral and vertical components of subsurface flow, the accuracy of the estimates, and the impact upon the accuracy of the final estimates of irrigation district or regional irrigation efficiencies.

Implant Pre-Treated For Reducing The Generation Of Wear Particulates, David A. Pienkowski, Kwon-Yong Lee

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Patents

A method is provided for reducing the amount of wear particulates generated by a total joint orthopaedic implant. The implant consists of two matched articulating components wherein at least one of the components is made of polymer or other material with similar physical properties. The method includes the steps of placing the total joint orthopaedic implant in a fluid bath and articulating the implant in the fluid bath for at least 1,000 cycles. The articulation may be performed in three stages. In the first, the implant is articulated under a load of substantially 0.1-500 Newtons with sliding speeds of substantially …