Engineering Commons^™

Characterization Of An Amine-Thiol Cosolvent System : Ethylenediamine And Mercaptoethanol, Fernanda Giongo Fernandes

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Since its introduction, the amine-thiol cosolvent system has been successfully utilized for the deposition of various thin-film devices, but its mechanism of action is still uncertain. Herein, we have attempted to dissect some of the chemical characteristics of amine-thiol cosolvents, with a special interest taken towards a mixture of ethylenediamine (en) and mercaptoethanol (ME). Conductivity was measured for multiple amine-thiol combinations at different ratios to determine extent of ionization in solution, with en-ME having one of the highest solution conductivities. Exposing the solution to air for several days was found to decrease the conductivity of en-ME, indicating the formation of …

Improving Detection And Classification Of Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials In Brain-Computer Interfaces, Hadi Habibzadeh

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) provide an alternative communication channel to send computer commands without requiring any voluntary muscle control. They benefit people with limited communication capabilities due to motor function deficits, spinal cord injuries, and neurological disorders. They may also have applications for healthy individuals.

Development Of Nucleic Acid Diagnostics For Targeted And Non-Targeted Biosensing, Christopher William Smith

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

The field of nucleic acid technology is rapidly expanding with new impactful discoveriesbeing made each year. Starting from the discovery of the double-helix structure, cloning, gene editing, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), CRISPR technology, and even the late mRNA vaccines; nucleic acid technology is at the forefront of improving medicine. Nucleic acid technology is extremely versatile due to its easy programmability, automated cheap synthesis, and even its catalog for numerous chemical modifications that can be used to alter structure stability. For example, the number of permutations that can be made with DNA just by altering the code for adenine (A), cytosine …

Domain Aware Deep Learning For Wireless Physical Layer, Shuvam Chakraborty

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Wireless receiver design for OFDM systems is well investigated with classical signal processing tools, which lack the capacity to extract intrinsic channel effects in received signal and lead to high decoding error in receiver. Current deep learning techniques have shown improvement in such cases. But these models are mostly being developed as black box without any anchor to the theory of wireless signal propagation, which leads to surface level information gain and lacks generalizability. We propose deep learning models where the hyperparameters and learning objectives are derived from domain knowledge of wireless signal propagation. These models not only increase the …

Optogenetic Heart Pacing And Heart Arrest In Drosophila Melanogaster Using Integrated Ocm Imaging And Light Stimulation System, Yuxuan Wang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Optogenetics has been widely applied to cardiovascular research using different models. Among them, Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) outstands for its similarity of human genes for disease modeling and short life cycle for rapid screening to analyze genetic mechanisms of heart disease. However, most of the current models only allow either activation or inhibition of the heartbeat, which is not sufficient to model complex arrhythmia. Our lab developed a novel Drosophila transgenic model based on a double transgenic line containing two light-sensitive genes, Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) and Halorhodopsin2.0 (NpHR2.0), that enable dual-directional control of the heartbeat rhythm. Real-time optical control of the …

Multiple Objective Function Optimization And Trade Space Analysis, Yifan Xu

All Theses

Optimization can assist in obtaining the best possible solution to a design problem by varying related variables under given constraints. It can be applied in many practical applications, including engineering, during the design process. The design time can be further reduced by the application of automated optimization methods. Since the required resource and desired benefit can be translated to a function of variables, optimization can be viewed as the process of finding the variable values to reach the function maxima or minima. A Multiple Objective Optimization (MOO) problem is when there is more than one desired function that needs to …

Effects Of Surface Noise On Printing Artifacts: An Artistic Approach To Hiding Print Artifacts, Samuel New

All Theses

This research focuses on improving the quality of Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) 3D printing by using fractal noise to mask certain print artifacts (e.g. layer lines and stair-stepping). The use of textures is quite common in digital sculpting for aesthetic reasons. This study focuses on finding specific textures that minimize visible 3D print artifacts.

Building Structures From Mycelium, Noah M. Brown

Physics

The purpose of this project was to develop a method for creating bricks from mycelium and agricultural waste. The bulk of the research happened in two parts, the first part being a period in which different substrates, strains, and methods were used build the bricks. This research took place in San Luis Obispo and was aided by a group of students in PSC392 under Dr. Pete Schwartz in early 2022. After developing a method for constructing these bricks, the research was moved to St. Thomas, Jamaica, in collaboration with an ecovillage called The Source Farm from July to September. The …

Fiber-Based Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting As A Method For Investigating Metabolism During Tetanic Contraction Of Skeletal Muscle, Kathryn Miller Priest

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a cofactor that serves to shuttle electrons during metabolic processes such as glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) [1-5]. The reduced form of NAD, NADH, is autofluorescent, making it a measurable characteristic in the investigation of metabolic changes. The fluorescence lifetime of NADH is dependent on the state of protein binding, specifically free or bound NADH, allowing for detection of metabolic shifts between glycolysis (free NADH) and OXPHOS (bound NADH) [6-16]. Fiber-coupled time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) equipped with an implantable needle probe can be used to measure NADH lifetime in vivo …

Wireless Smart Electric Meter Operation Under Data Security Attacks, Patrick Nnaji, Harsh Kumar, Sanjeev Kumar

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Wireless Smart meters are increasingly being deployed by the utility companies to remotely collect power consumption data from customer premise periodically in real time. It gives utility companies the information needed to efficiently administer their customers for their electricity usage. Knowing how critical these data are, it is important to ensure that data recorded locally at the smart meters or communicated remotely or wirelessly are both confidential and reliable. Despite the efforts being made to secure the smart meter data, security threats on smart meters continue to evolve at the same time, with an increasing number of security breaches happening …

Framework For The Utilization Of The Agile Methodology In Engineering Consulting Services, Cristian Daniel Nuñez

Theses and Dissertations

The guidelines that form the Agile methodology framework are developed and adapted to the engineering consulting services industry. Four tools recommended by the literature are developed and adapted for the specific case of this industry. The implementation of the use of these tools is intended to help adopt the Agile methodology more effectively. A company that performs consulting services for airports is taken as a case study. This company did not officially implement the Agile methodology at the time this research has been done. The data is obtained through a survey designed to associate the company's activities with the guides …

Sequential Frame-Interpolation And Dct-Based Video Compression Framework, Yeganeh Jalalpour, Wu-Chi Feng, Feng Liu

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Video data is ubiquitous; capturing, transferring, and storing even compressed video data is challenging because it requires substantial resources. With the large amount of video traffic being transmitted on the internet, any improvement in compressing such data, even small, can drastically impact resource consumption. In this paper, we present a hybrid video compression framework that unites the advantages of both DCT-based and interpolation-based video compression methods in a single framework. We show that our work can deliver the same visual quality or, in some cases, improve visual quality while reducing the bandwidth by 10--20%.

Autonomous Teaming Of Multileader System - Robust Cluster Formation Approach, Maryam N. Naleini

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The cluster consensus problem of Multileader MAS Is considered and the clustering problem of interconnected multileader systems is formulated as a disturbance attenuation problem. For the first time, it's proved that the multileader MAS can reach cluster consensus without limiting the communication between the clusters. The combination of Small Gain Theorem and H8 optimization has been designed in the graphical differential game platform to prove the stability for the system. At the end, an online off-policy reinforcement learning algorithm is developed to find the solution to the H8 optimal problem of multileader MAS with completely unknown systems.

Machine Learning For Target Detection Using Uwb Radar Sensor Networks, Dheeral Naresh Bhole

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Machine learning (ML) has recently been used to solve critical problems. This dissertation focuses on developing systems using Ultra-Wideband (UWB) wireless sensor networks and machine learning to solve critical tasks such as target detection in various challenging scenarios. These tasks have been researched for several years and efforts have been made to achieve universal solutions. In the first part of this dissertation, we have proposed a system to detect metallic targets in foliage environment. Mission critical systems need to be ready for the harsh working environment such as dense foliage, water bodies, rain, heavy winds and other natural challenges. Extreme …

Evaluation Of Relationship Between Sulfate Content And Electrical Resistivity, Zobair Ahmed

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

Texas soils typically have sulfate content due to certain geologic formation types. Soil sulfate needs to be identified and quantified to minimize damage to infrastructure caused by sulfate-induced heave. Electrical Resistivity Imaging can identify the presence of sulfate content in the soil. Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI) is a non-destructive and fast way of obtaining continuous soil substructure profiles. Moisture fluctuations and soil heterogeneities can be found using an ERI approach. As a result, ERI is growing in popularity as a tool in geotechnical engineering, yet at the moment, it only offers qualitative data. It can be challenging to determine quantitative …

Evaluating The Influence Of A Droplet Spraying/Misting System To Enhance Ammonia Volatilization From A Leachate Storage Pond: A Case Study At The Three Rivers Solid Waste Authority, Kaitlen Drafts, Suzie Boxman, Scott Ribes, Mike Terry, Bryan Staley, Joseph Flora, Nicole Berge

Faculty Publications

The Three Rivers Solid Waste Authority (TRSWA) operates a MSW landfill outside Jackson, South Carolina (USA) at which leachate ammonia concentrations are of concern. The landfill operates a droplet spraying/misting system (known as the Lilypad system) in their pond to enhance both leachate evaporation and, possibly, ammonia volatilization. The overall goals of this study were to determine the fate of nitrogen in the pond and to ultimately quantify the role the Lilypad system plays in enhancing ammonia removal. To accomplish the study goals, an empirical model based on collected leachate and mist samples, climatological data, and pond hy-draulic data was …

Scalable Data-Driven Predictive Modeling And Analytics For Cho Process Development Optimization, Sarah Mbiki

All Dissertations

In 1982, the FDA approved the first recombinant therapeutic protein, and since then, the biopharmaceutical industry has continued to develop innovative and highly effective biological drugs for various illnesses¹. These drugs are produced using host organisms that are modified to hold the genetic encoding of the targeted protein¹. Of the many host organisms, Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are often used due to capability to perform posttranslational modification (PTM): which allows human-like synthesis of proteins unlikely to invoke immunogenicity in humans ^1,2.

Despite all the positive attributes, many challenges are associated with CHO cell cultures, …

Non-Destructive Terrain Evaluation And Modeling For Off-Road Autonomy, Howard Brand

All Dissertations

In recent years, there has been an increased interest in implementing intelligent robotic systems in outdoor environments. Paramount to accomplishing this objective is being able to conduct successful robotic navigation in unprepared outdoor environments. This presents unique challenges in that there is a risk of catastrophic immobilization in terrain regions which, though unoccupied, cannot provide traction support for vehicle mobility. Methods for providing prior knowledge and perception of traction support is therefore an interest and focus of research.

In the advent of ever advancing machine learning models, “learn-as-you-go” approaches have emerged as topics of interest for mobility prediction. These approaches, …

Sam's Story, Anna Michelle Reid, Jennifer Vazquez

Computer Science and Software Engineering

We are exploring presenting mental health topics in video games through the eyes of an axolotl named Sam. Sam goes about his day to day life facing many difficult challenges regarding their mental health. This is an educational game to inform about different mental health symptoms and what they may look like.

Imagineering Engineering Education: Learnings From The Case Of Disney And Applications To Industry 5.0, King Harold A. Recto, Juan Jeffrey Consignado, Romano Q. Neyra

Electronics, Computer, and Communications Engineering Faculty Publications

With a market valuation of $238.9 billion, Walt Disney is among the most prosperous and influential entertainment corporations in the world. Being a company that puts high premium on creativity, it pioneered the concept of Imagineering and technology-based projects such as the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow (EPCOT). As Industry 5.0 transforms the society, the demand for Imagineering is felt but Imagineers are just produced on-the-job and may not be very efficient. To understand Imagineering better, the authors embarked on a case study of where it began, in the Walt Disney Company. This technique was also used to identify Disney's …

Improvement For Mimo Systems By Increasing Antenna Isolation And Shaping Radiation Pattern Using Hybrid Network, Min Li, Yujie Zhang, Fan Jiang, Di Wu, Kwan Lawrence Yeung, Lijun Jiang, Ross Murch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this article, a novel method is proposed to design a hybrid network (HN) to increase isolation and shape radiation patterns for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna systems. The HN is a combination of a decoupling feeding network and a defected ground network, which are populated by several surface-mounted reactive components whose reactances are determined by the N-ary optimization algorithm. Two decoupling examples are presented to validate the design methodology and elaborate on the design procedure. Measurement results show that the HN helps to realize impedance matching with reflection coefficients below -10 dB, isolation improvement from -5.4/-8.9 dB to below -20 …

Erosion And Resuspension Of Cohesive Sediments In Coastal Louisiana, Laith Qasem Shamaileh

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The research presented in this study is motivated by the need to improve the predictions of cohesive sediment erosion and subsequent transport. In addition, the knowledge of the geotechnical engineering soil properties related to the erosion of sediments in coastal Louisiana has broad implications as these properties are used in transport models guiding the current restoration efforts. The erosion measuring device used in the study is the Cheng-Han Tasi and Wilbert Lick Shaker. Previous studies have been conducted before using the Shaker, but challenges with the calibration of the shear stress hampered the resuspension results produced by the Shaker. Therefore, …

Digital Forensics For Investigating Control-Logic Attacks In Industrial Control Systems, Nauman Zubair

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Programmable logic controllers (PLC) are required to handle physical processes and thus crucial in critical infrastructures like power grids, nuclear facilities, and gas pipelines. Attacks on PLCs can have disastrous consequences, considering attacks like Stuxnet and TRISIS. Those attacks are examples of exploits where the attacker aims to inject into a target PLC malicious control logic, which engineering software compiles as a reliable code. When investigating a security incident, acquiring memory can provide valuable insight such as runtime system activities and memory-based artifacts which may contain the attacker's footprints. The existing memory acquisition tools for PLCs require a hardware-level debugging …

Experimental Tests And Numerical Study Of Trajectories Of Different Types Of Dropped Objects, Yi Li

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

In marine and offshore engineering, dropped objects, such as drill pipes, anchor chains, containers and some small parts, can accidentally fall into the water from ships or offshore platforms, causing casualties on deck or damage to underwater equipment. Damaged equipment can further harm the environment, such as oil spills from damaged wellheads. Therefore, for safe engineering and environmental protection reasons, we need to develop methods and tools that can predict the trajectory of dropped objects.

In this dissertation, we first study containers dropped from ships. More and more containers are falling into the sea due to bad weather. Containers lost …

Denoising And Deconvolving Sperm Whale Data In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico Using Fourier And Wavelet Techniques, Kendal Mccain Leftwich

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The use of underwater acoustics can be an important component in obtaining information from the oceans of the world. It is desirable (but difficult) to compile an acoustic catalog of sounds emitted by various underwater objects to complement optical catalogs. For example, the current visual catalog for whale tail flukes of large marine mammals (whales) can identify even individual whales from their individual fluke characteristics. However, since sperm whales, Physeter microcephalus, do not fluke up when they dive, they cannot be identified in this manner. A corresponding acoustic catalog for sperm whale clicks could be compiled to identify individual …

Artificial Neural Network For Predicting Heat Transfer Rates In Supercritical Carbon Dioxide, Vinusha Dasarla Giri Babu

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Supercritical carbon dioxide as a working fluid in a closed Brayton cycle is proving to be more efficient than a conventional steam-based Rankine engine. Understanding the heat transfer properties of supercritical fluids is important for the design of a working engine cycle. The thermophysical properties of supercritical fluids tend to vary non-linearly near the pseudo-critical region. Traditionally, empirical correlations are used to calculate the heat transfer coefficient. It has been shown in the literature and within our own studies that these correlations provide inaccurate predictions near the pseudo-critical line, where heat transfer may be deteriorated or enhanced, resulting from strong …

Examining The Effects Of Payload Type And Framing On Weather-Related Decision-Making In A Simulated Urban Air Mobility (Uam) Environment, Maria Chaparro Osman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the current research study was two-fold. First, the study examined the effect of payload type on the riskiness of weather-related decision-making in a simulated urban air mobility (UAM) environment. Second, the current study examined whether framing information using prospect theory (Kahneman & Tversky, 1979) could influence the riskiness of weather-related decision-making in a simulated UAM environment. In the context of the current study, riskiness referred to the risk associated with the decision outcome, specifically whether participants selected a risk-averse decision outcome (return to the departure site) or risk-seeking decision outcome (continue to the destination site) based on …

Callaway Measurement Device, Andre S. Fisher, Roman Hays, Blake Sousa, Grant Gabrielson

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this document is to illustrate the Callaway Measurement Device senior project from start to finish. The challenge given to the team was to update and improve a gauge used by Callaway employees to measure the loft, lie, and face angle of their full spectrum of golf clubs. Once the team understood how the pre-existing gauge operates, the team conducted background research into other technologies that could improve the gauge. The team decided to digitalize the device amongst other tweaks to reduce error. Because the CAD files were not available for the pre-existing device, the team began reverse …

Gasifier Wall Wash Manifold, Ashley Sieu Che, Gintaras Julius Baipsys, Peyton Joseph Archibald, Michael Thomas Kieran

Mechanical Engineering

The objective of our Gasifier Wall Wash Manifold Project is to design three different manifolds that will uniformly distribute water on the inner diameter of a pressure vessel. Also, the distributed water should completely cover the circumference of the inner walls. From extensive research of current solutions as well as the conduction of technical analyses, we were able to produce three designs that would be able to meet our engineering specifications. Time constraints led to the fabrication of one manifold design along with a test rig. With a fully functional test rig, we saw positive results from our design verification …

Locking Solar Tracking Bushing, Benjamin James Reed, Andrew Donald Maas, Angel Navarro-Iniguez, John Vincent Bruner

Mechanical Engineering

The contents of this final design review (FDR) outline the progress made by a team of four mechanical engineering students at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo to solve the problem of torsional galloping in solar tracker panels since the preliminary design review. The project proposed by the sponsor, Christian Friedrich, on behalf of ARaymond is a design for a friction based braking system integrated into a redesigned bushing.

The CDR contains details about the system design, the design justification, the manufacturing plan, and design verification plan. In the system design section, the four manufacturing subsystems (bushing mount, actuation, …