Engineering Commons^™

Usu Electrical Engineer Receives Major Grant For 'Smart’ Antenna Design | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

A professor of electrical engineering at Utah State University received a $750,000 grant to further develop an antenna technology that could revolutionize the mobile communications industry.

Efficiency Of Solid Inclusion Removal From The Steel Melt By Ceramic Foam Filter: Design And Experimental Validation, Soumava Chakraborty, Ronald J. O'Malley, Laura Bartlett, Mingzhi Xu

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An investigation was performed to measure the efficiency of solid alumina inclusion removal by filtration during casting. A mold design was developed using modeling software to produce two castings that fill simultaneously, one with a filter and the other without a filter. The design avoided vortex formation and thus air entrainment, which helped to avoid reoxidation inside the mold cavity. Samples from these castings were analyzed utilizing an SEM/EDS system with automated feature analysis (AFA) to measure the efficiency of inclusion removal using a 20 ppi zirconia foam filter. This study also documents the occurrence of inclusion flotation and agglomeration …

Resampling Methods And Visualization Tools For Computer Performance Comparisons In The Presence Of Performance Variation, Samuel Oridge Irving

LSU Master's Theses

Performance variability, stemming from non-deterministic hardware and software behaviors or deterministic behaviors such as measurement bias, is a well-known phenomenon of computer systems which increases the difficulty of comparing computer performance metrics and is slated to become even more of a concern as interest in Big Data Analytics increases. Conventional methods use various measures (such as geometric mean) to quantify the performance of different benchmarks to compare computers without considering this variability which may lead to wrong conclusions. In this paper, we propose three resampling methods for performance evaluation and comparison: a randomization test for a general performance comparison between …

Management Of An Urban Stormwater System Using Projected Future Scenarios Of Climate Models: A Watershed-Based Modeling Approach, Ranjeet Thakali, Ajay Kalra, Sajjad Ahmad, Kamal Qaiser

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

Anticipating a proper management needs for urban stormwater due to climate change is becoming a critical concern to water resources managers. In an effort to identify best management practices and understand the probable future climate scenarios, this study used high-resolution climate model data in conjunction with advanced statistical methods and computer simulation. Climate model data from the North American Regional Climate Change Assessment Program (NARCCAP) were used to calculate the design storm depths for the Gowan Watershed of Las Vegas Valley, Nevada. The Storm Water Management Model (SWMM), developed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), was used for hydrological modeling. …

Characterization Of Computed Tomography Radiomic Features Using Texture Phantoms, Muhammad Shafiq Ul Hassan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Radiomics treats images as quantitative data and promises to improve cancer prediction in radiology and therapy response assessment in radiation oncology. However, there are a number of fundamental problems that need to be solved in order to potentially apply radiomic features in clinic. The first basic step in computed tomography (CT) radiomic analysis is the acquisition of images using selectable image acquisition and reconstruction parameters. Radiomic features have shown large variability due to variation of these parameters. Therefore, it is important to develop methods to address these variability issues in radiomic features due to each CT parameter. To this end, …

Likelihood And Cost Impact Of Engineering Change Requirements For Dod Contracts, James C. Ellis, Edward D. White, Jonathan D. Ritschel, Shawn M. Valentine, Brandon Lucas, Ian S. Cordell

Faculty Publications

Purpose: There appears to be no empirical-based method in the literature for estimating if an engineering change proposal (ECP) will occur or the dollar amount incurred. This paper aims to present an empirically based approach to address this shortfall.
Design/Methodology/Approach: Using the cost assessment data enterprise database, 533 contracts were randomly selected via a stratified sampling plan to build two regression models: one to predict the likelihood of a contract experiencing an ECP and the other to determine the expected median per cent increase in baseline contract cost if an ECP was likely. Both models adopted a stepwise approach. A …

Characterization Of Magnetic Thin Films Using The Magneto Optic Kerr Effect, Nicholas J. Savino

Student Scholar Showcase

Understanding magnetic properties of materials allows for advances in applications such as data storage. The Magneto-Optic Kerr Effect (MOKE) displays the reflective response a magnetic material has to a magnetic field. When polarized light reflects off of a magnetic material, the polarization orientation can change. The application of an external magnetic field can affect how much this polarization changes in a non-linear manner. Hysteresis loops are created when examining the relationship between intensity of the reflected light to the applied magnetic field provide information about magnetic properties of that material, such as the coercive field and field retention. Preliminary measurements …

Introducing Hpc To Local High School Curriculums, Madison Matli, Devin Smoot, Jeremy Evert

Student Research

High Performance Computing is a topic that hasn’t been introduced or discussed in most Oklahoma high school curriculums. While students are being pushed to take more general electives, they are missing out on important knowledge pertaining to their field of study. This process usually occurs because students lack access to educational materials or because the school simply does not offer certain specialty courses. Learning high level information at a young age can help students excel in future college courses and research projects. My research is focused on providing Oklahoma high schools with a simplistic High-Performance Computing guide that walks through …

Usu Soapbox Derby Returns For A Second Year | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

The 2nd Annual USU Soapbox Derby is coming back to Cache Valley on April 21.

Development And Realization On The Ecm Of A Mathematicalmodel Of A Friction Mechanism With A Controlled Connection Inthe Contact Zone, K.A. Karimov, A.Kh. Akhmedov

Technical science and innovation

In article results of realization оn the COMPUTER of mathematical model of the developed design of the frictional mechanism of the converter of the movement with the operated communication in a zone of contact with use of external physical fields (in particular, electrorheological effect) which is one of the effective principles of precision vibromechanics are considered. For engineering applications, with use of the Maple 13 software product regularities of change of key parameters of mechanical system are defined, studied and analyzed.

Development Of Algorithm Of Optimum Control Bymultidimen-Sional Discrete Dynamic Objects By Quick Criteria, I.H. Siddikov, M.O. Atajonov

Technical science and innovation

The article deals with the development of a synthesis algorithm in the sense of the optimal control of multidimensional dynamic objects by the criterion of speed. To solve this problem, we propose a modified method based on the representation of a discrete system in the form of a space of state variables and using the theorem on N-intervals. When determining the values of control actions, it is proposed to use the values of predicted errors that allow improving the quality of the control process and will provide high accuracy of calculation of control actions.

On The Computation Of The Rate-Equivocation Region For Wyner's Wire-Tap Channels, Meena Gangula

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In a wire tap channel, the transmitter Alice communicates with the legitimate receiver, Bob, in the presence of another receiver, Eve. The goal is to keep the wiretapper, Eve, as ignorant as possible about the information sent to Bob. For communication channels where the adversary, Eve, eavesdrops on the information sent between the legitimate users by wiretapping at the Bob's end, Wyner introduced secure encoding schemes and showed that non zero reliable transmission rate is possible in perfect secrecy. Wyner also obtained the information theoretic achievable rate equivocation region (Rb, DeltaK) for discrete memoryless wire tap channels. The rate equivocation …

Multi-Point Vibration Measurement And Mode Magnification Of Civil Structures Using Video-Based Motion Processing, Zhexiong Shang, Zhigang Shen

Department of Construction Engineering and Management: Faculty Publications

Image-based vibration measurement has gained increased attentions in civil and construction communities. A recent video-based motion magnification method was developed to measure and visualize small structure motions. This new approach presents a potential for low-cost vibration measurement and mode shape identification. Pilot studies using this approach on simple rigid body structures were reported. Its validity on complex outdoor structures has not been investigated. In this study, a non-contact video-based approach for multi-point vibration measurement and mode magnification is introduced. The proposed approach can output a full-field vibration map that increases the efficiency of the current structural health monitoring (SHM) practice. …

Considerations On Direct Balancing Of Ultra-High Power Ac Arc Furnaces In Uneasy State, Ikenna Louis Ezeonwumelu

LSU Master's Theses

During the operation of ultra-high-power ac arc furnace the negative effects of unbalance mostly occur in the secondary terminals of the transformer connected to the load. Hence balancing and compensating the furnace at this terminal will not only improve the transformer efficiency but also reduce energy losses that do occur. In this thesis a computer modeling of a reference ac arc furnace in both balanced and unbalanced states were simulated, and the effects of a reactive balancing compensator installed on the secondary side of the furnace transformer was evaluated to see how much delivered energy improvement can be obtained. The …

Advanced Modeling, Design, And Control Of Ac-Dc Microgrids, Hossein Saberi Khorzoughi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

An interconnected dc grid that comprises resistive and constant-power loads (CPLs) that is fed by Photovoltaic (PV) units is studied first. All the sources and CPLs are connected to the grid via dc-dc buck converters. Nonlinear behavior of PV units in addition to the effect of the negative-resistance CPLs can destabilize the dc grid. A decentralized nonlinear model and control are proposed where an adaptive output-feedback controller is employed to stabilize the dc grid with assured stability through Lyapunov stability method while each converter employs only local measurements. Adaptive Neural Networks (NNs) are utilized to overcome the unknown dynamics of …

Formation Control Of Multi-Agent Systems By Using Rigid Graphs, Pengpeng Zhang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research is devoted to the decentralized formation control of multi-agent systems in two- and three-dimensional space. Rigid graph theory is used to describe the interactions between the agents, and Lyapunov theory and input-to-state stability are the main tools for designing and analyzing the stability of the proposed formation controllers. Two formation problems are addressed in this work: formation acquisition, where the goal is for the agents to form and maintain a pre-defined geometric shape; and formation maneuvering, where the agents need to acquire a formation and move cohesively as a virtual rigid body.

In the first problem, we tackle …

Elastin-Like Polypeptide Fusion Tag As A Protein-Dependent Solubility Enhancer Of Cysteine-Knot Growth Factors, Tamina L. Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Elastin-like peptide (ELP) fusions promote therapeutic delivery and efficacy. Recombinant proteins, like neurotrophins, lack bioavailability, have short in vivo half-lives, and require high manufacturing costs. Fusing recombinant proteins with genetically encodable ELPs will increase bioavailability, enhance in vivo solubilization, as well as provide a cost-effective method for purification without the need for chromatography. During expression of neurotrophin-ELP (N-ELP) fusions, dense water-insoluble aggregates known as inclusion bodies (IBs) are formed. Inclusion bodies are partially and misfolded proteins that usually require denaturants like Urea for solubilization. Strong denaturants arrest ELPs stimuli-responsive property and increase unwanted aggregation, making purification difficult, yet possible. The …

Metabolism-Driven High-Throughput Cancer Identification With Glut5-Specific Molecular Probes, Srinivas Kannan, Vagarshak Begoyan, Joseph Fedie, Shuai Xia, Łukasz J. Weseliński, Marina Tanasova, Smitha Rao

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Point-of-care applications rely on biomedical sensors to enable rapid detection with high sensitivity and selectivity. Despite advances in sensor development, there are challenges in cancer diagnostics. Detection of biomarkers, cell receptors, circulating tumor cells, gene identification, and fluorescent tagging are time-consuming due to the sample preparation and response time involved. Here, we present a novel approach to target the enhanced metabolism in breast cancers for rapid detection using fluorescent imaging. Fluorescent analogs of fructose target the fructose-specific transporter GLUT5 in breast cancers and have limited to no response from normal cells. These analogs demonstrate a marked difference in adenocarcinoma and …

Crawling Tor's Hidden Services And Depicting Their Interconnectivity, John-Luke N. Navarro

Honors Theses

The Tor network is a popular online privacy platform that enables anonymous browsing, but is also notorious for the vast number of illicit marketplaces, goods and services available to users. Tor's protocols also secure hosted websites, known as hidden services, against unwanted tracking and location. Tor has attracted the attention of law enforcement agencies, who are interested in hidden service data analysis. However, little large-scale analysis is currently performed. To help address this issue, I constructed two tools. A specialized web crawler downloads bulk page-content from Tor's hidden services. This program crawls the Tor Network broadly, securely, and with more …

Effect Of Fe Substitution On Structural, Magnetic And Electron-Transport Properties Of Half-Metallic Co2tisi, Juliana Herran, Parashu Kharel, Pavel Lukashev

Research in the Capitol

In recent years, research on magnetic materials has been one of the most technologically appealing developments in materials science. Among other applications, magnetic materials are essential components of data storage and information processing in computer hardware elements, such as hard drives and random access memories. Here, we present a theoretical study of structural, magnetic and electronic properties of ferrimagnetic Co₂Ti_1−xFe_xSi (x = 0, 0.25, 0.5), using density functional calculations. We show that the magnetic moment of Co₂Ti_1−xFe_xSi increases when Ti is substituted with Fe, consistent with experimental findings. …

A Low-Cost Arduino-Based Home Security System, Qi Lu

Annual Graduate Student Symposium

Home security is important for every family, especially for the family which lives in a big house. Because the house is much bigger than apartment or dorm, it is hard for the owner to notice if someone is intruding into their house. On the other hand, the home security systems sell in in the market are usually expensive. To address this problem, a low-cost home security system is designed and implemented. When the system is armed, infrared sensors are used to detect intruders. When a person is detected, sensors will send the signal to the user wirelessly, and indoor alarm …

1975 - Sea-Water Intrusion In California, Inventory Of Coastal Ground Water Basins

Water Statutes

The primary purpose of this 1975 bulletin was to show, as completely as available information permitted the status of sea-water intrusion, to the end that local agencies could decide where they had to take steps to reverse the condition. A corollary purpose was to show the need for more information on intrusion in certain areas where the situation was particularly critical. The study was undertaken solely to determine the extent and location of sea-water intrusion into coastal basins and to compile an inventory that would assist local agencies in assessing the water supply conditions in their areas. The effort was …

A Novel Framework To Determine Physiological Signals From Blood Flow Dynamics, Prashanth Chetlur Adithya

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that more than 11.2 million people require critical and emergency care in the United States per year. Optimizing and improving patient morbidity and mortality outcomes are the primary objectives of monitoring in critical and emergency care. Patients in need of critical or emergency care in general are at a risk of single or multiple organ failures occurring due to a traumatic injury, a surgical event, or an underlying pathology that results in severe patient hemodynamic instability. Hence, continuous monitoring of fundamental cardiovascular hemodynamic parameters, such as heart rate, respiratory rate, blood pressure, …

Over-Height Vehicle Impact Reduction On Bridges: A Case Study, Marc Alexander Hoffmann

LSU Master's Theses

Over-height vehicle collisions are a growing concern as commercial vehicles, as well as their cargo, become taller. Engineers recognize the dangers of over-weight vehicles traveling on our bridges and are able to adequately predict the behavior of a bridge subjected to increased live loads. However, bridges are becoming more vulnerable to collisions from over-height vehicles. Not only are the time and place of over-height vehicle collisions difficult to predict, but also the exact response of the bridge subjected to the lateral impact force is difficult to predict.

Most states use early warning detection systems to alert over-height vehicles and/or crash …

1975 - Sea-Water Intrusion In California, Inventory Of Coastal Ground Water Basins

State and Federal Documents Relating to Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties

The primary purpose of this 1975 bulletin was to show, as completely as available information permitted, the status of sea-water intrusion, to the end that local agencies could decide where they had to take steps to reverse the condition. A corollary purpose was to show the need for more information on intrusion in certain areas where the situation was particularly critical. The study was undertaken solely to determine the extent and location of sea-water intrusion into coastal basins and to compile an inventory that would assist local agencies in assessing the water supply conditions in their areas. The effort was …

Multitarget Joint Delay And Doppler Shift Estimation In Bistatic Passive Radar, Mohammed Rashid

LSU Master's Theses

Bistatic passive radar (BPR) system does not transmit any electromagnetic signal unlike the active radar, but employs an existing Illuminator of opportunity (IO) in the environment, for instance, a broadcast station, to detect and track the targets of interest. Therefore, a BPR system is comprised of two channels. One is the reference channel that collects only the IO signal, and the other is the surveillance channel which is used to capture the targets' reflected signals. When the IO signal reflected from multiple targets is captured in the surveillance channel (SC) then estimating the delays and Doppler shifts of all the …

1965 - Dwr Bulletin No. 130-63, Hydrologic Data, Volume Iii, Central Coastal Area

State and Federal Documents Relating to Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties

This bulletin is a report on surface water, groundwater and climate in the Central Coast Area of California for the period October 1, 1962 through September 30, 1963. It includes a text that summarizes hydrologic conditions in this region and contains five appendices: Appendix A, Climate; Appendix B, Surface Water Flow; Appendix C, Ground Water Measurement; Appendix D, Surface Water Quality; and Appendix E, Ground Water Quality.

1970 - Geology Of Southern Monterey Bay And Its Relationship To The Groundwater Basin And Salt Water Intrusion

State and Federal Documents Relating to Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties

This report discussed the preliminary results of a U.S. Geological Survey and the State of California joint investigation of Monterey Bay. The objective of the survey was to delineate the groundwater basin offshore, to determine the distribution and locations of fresh water aquifers by locating areas in the Monterey Submarine Canyon and the ocean bottom in Monterey Bay where aquifers might outcrop and thus be areas of entrance for seawater. The report noted that since the early 1940s continuous heavy pumping along the coastal area of the Salinas Valley had depleted the groundwater storage and lowered the piezometric levels to …

1958 - Dwr Bulletin No. 18, San Luis Obispo County Investigation, Volume Ii, Appendixes

State and Federal Documents Relating to Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties

This 1958 document contains the agreement and supplements between California State Water Resources Board, San Luis Obispo County and the California Department of Public Works; a discussion concerning the geology and groundwater in San Luis Obispo County; as well as records of precipitation, daily runoff and miscellaneous stream flow measurements, depths of groundwater, mineral analyses of surface and groundwater supplies, applications to appropriate water, soil moisture depletion, plans for the protection and development of recreational resources, and alternative plan of development of Nacimiento and San Antonio Rivers.

1971 - Dwr Bulletin 176, Land Use In California, An Index To Surveys Conducted By The California Department Of Water Resources 1950-1970

Miscellaneous Documents and Reports

The purpose of the 1971 California Department of Water Resources (DWR) Bulletin No. 176 was to bring the wealth of land information assembled by the DWR over a 20-year period to the attention of public and private planning groups. The DWR and it's predecessor agencies had conducted surveys to monitor the development of California's lands in order to determine the changing needs for water management. In the preceding 20 years, population in California had doubled, resulting in an average annual increase in urban land of more than 50,000 ares and an increase in total irrigated acreage of 20 percent. The …