Engineering Commons^™

Comparison Of Traditional Versus Cubesat Remote Sensing: A Model-Based Systems Engineering Approach, Daniel L. Cipera

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis compares the ability of both traditional and CubeSat remote sensing architectures to fulfill a set of mission requirements for a remote sensing scenario. Mission requirements originating from a hurricane disaster response scenario are developed to derive a set of system requirements. Using a Model-based Systems Engineering approach, these system requirements are used to develop notional traditional and CubeSat architecture models. The technical performance of these architectures is analyzed using Systems Toolkit (STK); the results are compared against Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs) derived from the disaster response scenario. Additionally, systems engineering cost estimates are obtained for each satellite architecture …

Impact Of Substrate To Inoculum Ratio On Methane Production In High Solids Anaerobic Digestion (Hs-Ad) Of Food Waste, Yard Waste, And Biosolids, Phillip James Dixon

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

High solids anaerobic digestion (HS-AD) is an alternative for managing the organic fraction of municipal solids waste (MSW), which produces mainly methane (CH4) and fertilizer as byproducts. HS-AD offers a potentially more economically and environmentally sustainable option compared with landfilling or incineration waste-to-energy facilities. However, HS-AD is a complex process requiring specific microbial communities working together symbiotically. Previous studies have found that the substrate to inoculum (S/I) ratio affects CH4 production and yield in HS-AD reactors by affecting substrate mass and energy transfer as well as microbial activity. In this thesis, biochemical methane potential (BMP) assays were used to investigate …

Field Testing Of Affordable Well Head Protection For Locally Manufactured, Self-Supply Pitcher Pumps On Manually Driven Tubewells In Madagascar, Michal Usowicz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Lack of water access is an issue of global importance. The WHO and UNICEF’s Joint Monitoring Program estimated that in 2015 71% of the world’s population used a safely managed drinking water source and 89% of the world’s population used an improved water source within a 30-minute round trip of home. Madagascar’s national statistics lags far behind these global statistics with 54% of the population using improved water sources, 31% using unimproved water sources, and 16% with no service at all.

This research studied water access in Madagascar with self-supply Pitcher Pumps attached on hand-driven tubewells. The term self-supply in …

Enhanced, Risk-Based Faa Oversight On Part 145 Maintenance Practices: A Qualitative Study, Bryan G. Sheehan, Timm J. Bliss, Chad L. Depperschmidt

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the phenomenon of enhanced, risk-based Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) oversight of Part 145 repair stations in Oklahoma that performed aircraft maintenance for Part 121 air carriers. Specifically, this research was utilized to explore the lived (personal) experiences of Part 145 repair station managers concerning operational changes in air carrier maintenance practices. The researchers’ intent was not to examine the effectiveness of changes implemented by the FAA; instead, to explore how management has experienced the enhanced changes in their Oklahoma-based Part 145 repair stations. Forty-two percent of the participants indicated a weak …

Functional Trait Differences Between Native Bunchgrasses And The Invasive Grass Bromus Tectorum, Huiqin H.E., Thomas A. Monaco, Thomas A. Jones

Forage and Range Research Laboratory Publications

We conducted 30- and 60-d greenhouse experiments to compare functional traits of Bromus tectorum (invasive annual grass) and four perennial bunchgrasses under well-watered or drought conditions. Even under drought, B. tectorum experienced significantly less stress (i.e., higher xylem pressure potential and greater shoot water content, water use per day and water-use efficiency) and biomass production than the perennial grasses after 30 d. However, after 60 d, its superiority was reduced under infrequent watering. Differences among perennial grasses were more pronounced for physiological traits under infrequent watering and for morphological traits under frequent watering. Elymus multisetus (fastgrowing species) had a higher …

Red Hot: Researchers Develop Imaging Test For Glowing Rocket Engines | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Researchers at Utah State University are learning more about how extreme temperatures affect the structural integrity of rocket engines.

A Model-Based Approach For Estimation Of Changes In Lumbar Segmental Kinematics Associated With Alterations In Trunk Muscle Forces, Iman Shojaei, Navid Arjmand, Judith R. Meakin, Babak Bazrgari

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

The kinematics information from imaging, if combined with optimization-based biomechanical models, may provide a unique platform for personalized assessment of trunk muscle forces (TMFs). Such a method, however, is feasible only if differences in lumbar spine kinematics due to differences in TMFs can be captured by the current imaging techniques. A finite element model of the spine within an optimization procedure was used to estimate segmental kinematics of lumbar spine associated with five different sets of TMFs. Each set of TMFs was associated with a hypothetical trunk neuromuscular strategy that optimized one aspect of lower back biomechanics. For each set …

Internet Of Things For A Smart Transportation System, Ahmed Yahya Awad

Theses and Dissertations

Today, school buses transport millions of students to and from schools. Therefore, the safety of school students is still a hot topic and the most imperative issue. The evolution of wireless location-based services has created consumer requests for the availability of global positioning systems (GPS) in urban and indoor environments. Nowadays, there is a requirement to improve a monitoring system for the school bus, that monitors its location and speed. This work investigates two different ways to track the vehicle through ordinary GPS or Assisted-GPS (A-GPS). A-GPS improves startup performance (time-to-first-fix (TTFF)), of a GPS satellite-based positioning system in the …

Embedded System Design Of Low-Power Wearable Bioelectronic Devices, Matthew S. Hopper

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The miniaturization of electronics in modern times has enabled the possibility of creating a “continuity of care” using small wearable bioelectronic devices. Using wearable devices, such as the Fitbit or Garmin fitness trackers, allows for the exchange of data between devices which can be used to improve the accuracy of data analysis and thus patient health.

In this thesis work, three wearable bioelectronic devices are proposed: an EOG-based eye-gaze tracking assistive technology device for the physically disabled to control a computer cursor, a battery-operated miniaturized polysomnograph that can store and transmit data wirelessly to sleep technicians and a trauma-detecting personal …

International Space Station Resupply Trip Minimization, Trent Sahinkaya

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Spatial Dispersion Of Index Components Required For Building Invisibility Cloak Medium From Photonic Crystals, Saeid Jamilan, George Semouchkin, Navid Gandji, Elena Semouchkina

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The opportunities to use dielectric photonic crystals (PhCs) as the media of cylindrical invisibility cloaks, designed using transformation optics (TO) concepts, are investigated. It is shown that TO-based prescriptions for radial index dispersion, responsible for turning waves around hidden objects, can be dropped if the PhC media support self-collimation of waves in bent crystals. Otherwise, to provide prescribed anisotropy of index dispersion, it is possible to employ PhCs with rectangular lattices. It is found, however, that at acceptable cloak thicknesses, modifications of crystal parameters do not allow for achieving the prescribed level of index anisotropy. This problem is solved by …

Walking Speed Differentially Alters Spinal Loads In Persons With Traumatic Lower Limb Amputation, Brad D. Hendershot, Iman Shojaei, Julian C. Acasio, Christopher L. Dearth, Babak Bazrgari

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Persons with lower limb amputation (LLA) perceive altered motions of the trunk/pelvis during activities of daily living as contributing factors for low back pain. When walking (at a singular speed), larger trunk motions among persons with vs. without LLA are associated with larger spinal loads; however, modulating walking speed is necessary in daily life and thus understanding the influences of walking speed on spinal loads in persons with LLA is of particular interest here. Three-dimensional trunk-pelvic kinematics, collected during level-ground walking at self-selected (SSW) and two controlled speeds (~1.0 and ~1.4 m/s), were obtained for seventy-eight participants: 26 with transfemoral …

Dynamics Of Singlet Fission And Electron Injection In Self-Assembled Acene Monolayers On Titanium Dioxide, Natalie A. Pace, Dylan H. Arias, Devin B. Granger, Steven Christensen, John E. Anthony, Justin C. Johnson

Chemistry Faculty Publications

We employ a combination of linear spectroscopy, electrochemistry, and transient absorption spectroscopy to characterize the interplay between electron transfer and singlet fission dynamics in polyacene-based dyes attached to nanostructured TiO₂. For triisopropyl silylethynyl (TIPS)-pentacene, we find that the singlet fission time constant increases to 6.5 ps on a nanostructured TiO₂ surface relative to a thin film time constant of 150 fs, and that triplets do not dissociate after they are formed. In contrast, TIPS-tetracene singlets quickly dissociate in 2 ps at the molecule/TiO₂ interface, and this dissociation outcompetes the relatively slow singlet fission process. The addition …

3d Tissue Engineering, An Emerging Technique For Pharmaceutical Research, Gregory Jensen, Christian Morrill, Yu Huang

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Tissue engineering and the tissue engineering model have shown promise in improving methods of drug delivery, drug action, and drug discovery in pharmaceutical research for the attenuation of the central nervous system inflammatory response. Such inflammation contributes to the lack of regenerative ability of neural cells, as well as the temporary and permanent loss of function associated with neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and traumatic brain injury. This review is focused specifically on the recent advances in the tissue engineering model made by altering scaffold biophysical and biochemical properties for use in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. …

Mechanical Demands On The Lower Back In Patients With Non-Chronic Low Back Pain During A Symmetric Lowering And Lifting Task, Iman Shojaei, Elizabeth G. Salt, Quenten L. Hooker, Babak Bazrgari

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

There is limited information in the literature related to the lower back loading in patients with LBP, particularly those with non-chronic LBP. Toward addressing such a research gap, a case-control study was conducted to explore the differences in lower back mechanical loads between a group of females (n=19) with non-chronic, non-specific LBP and a group of asymptomatic females (n=19). The differences in lower back mechanical loads were determined when participants completed one symmetric lowering and lifting of a 4.5 kg load at their preferred cadence. The axial, shearing, and moment components of task demand at the time of peak moment …

Design And Testing Of A Linear Compliant Mechanism With Adjustable Force Output, William Niemeier

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a novel compliant mechanism with adjustable force output. The force comes from the bending of a rectangular cross section beam within the mechanism. By rotating this beam with a stepper motor, the force output of the mechanism changes. A model was made to simulate this mechanism, and a prototype was made based off of this data. A test apparatus was constructed around this mechanism, and a series of tests were performed. These tests adjusted parameters such as beam rotation speed and weight in order to characterize the system. Adjustments were made based on this information and the …

Defect Detection In Additive Manufacturing Utilizing Long Pulse Thermography, James Pierce

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Additive Manufacturing (AM), over the years, has seen a tremendous amount of research for improving the manufacturability of materials into final products. The main advantages of additive manufacturing are the minimizing of waste material as it is an additive process. As well as the ability to create custom low-volume products without the need for creation of expensive tooling or programming before manufacturing begins. Because of these advantages, however, AM is susceptible to unique challenges in the quality side of manufacturing. These challenges include minimizing and detecting defects during the build. The focus of this research looks at the capability of …

Hydrodynamic And Water Quality Modeling Of The Tigris River System In Iraq Using Ce-Qual-W2, Muhanned Al Murib

Dissertations and Theses

The Tigris River is one of two primary rivers in Iraq and is, along with the Euphrates, the main source for drinking and irrigation water in the country. The Tigris River originates in the Taurus Mountains in Turkey, and is 1850 km long. The majority of the river lies within Iraq. The river passes through, and is the primary drinking water source for major cities such as Mosul, Baeji, Samarra, Baghdad (the capital), and Kut. The Tigris River joins the Euphrates River in Qurna city within Basra province to form the Shatt Al-Arab River which eventually discharges into the Persian …

Broadband Plasmonic-Enhanced Forward And Backward Multiplex Coherent Anti-Stokes Raman Scattering Microscopy, Baoshan Guo, Lan Jiang, Yanhong Hua, Xin Li, Tianhong Cui, Yongfeng Lu

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering (CARS) microscopy is an attractive technique for label-free biochemical-specific characterization of biological specimens. However, it has very low sensitivity in monitoring and imaging molecules present in extremely low concentrations or at fast speeds. To improve this sensitivity, especially for multiplex CARS, the intensity of the pump beam and broadband Stokes beam should be enhanced simultaneously. Therefore, the gold shell particle and gold surface are demonstrated to enhance the forward and backward CARS, respectively. Results show that a signal enhancement factor of ∼25;000 can be achieved for the gold surface and an even higher enhancement factor can …

Analysis Of Ni And Fe-Based Alloys For Turbine Seal Ring Applications, Dawei She

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Metal sealing rings have been used widely in compressors, turbines and hydraulic devices. Such rings can extend out due to elasticity, and keep close contact with the valve wall, resulting in the formation of a functional seal under pressure. In this project, the failure of metal sealing rings is considered. Sealing component failure due to stress relaxation can threaten the safety of the whole steam turbine. The object of this study was to examine the stress relaxation response and corresponding changes in microstructure of metal sealing rings used in nuclear steam turbine under high temperature and applied stress. The two …

Non-Precious Metal Catalysts For Oxygen Reduction Reaction In Alkaline Solutions, Zhewen Yin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Mesoporous WO3 powders were prepared via sol-gel processing synthesis using nonionic surfactant Pluronic (P-123) as the template. The influences of heating temperature on the pore structure and properties of WO3 powders were investigated. Three kinds of modifications were compared and evaluated after finding out the best heating condition. Different amount of lanthanum was doped into mesoporous WO3 to improve its Oxygen Reduction Reaction (ORR) activity. Several factors contributing to the increase of catalytic performance were discussed. Vulcan carbon powder was also used as a support to increase the catalysts’ electrical conductivity as well as dispersity. The component, microstructure and specific …

Development And Assessment Of Interactive Learning Supplement Tools For Engineering Mechanics, Emma Neuweiler

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Systems And Methods For Endotoxin Removal From Fluids, Sutapa Barua

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Systems and methods are provided for the removal of endotoxins from fluids. The methods can include the use of polymeric nanoparticles for binding endotoxins present in a fluid. The polymeric nanoparticles can be associated with a support member. The polymeric nanoparticles can have an endotoxin removal capacity of at least 1×10⁹ endotoxin units per gram of polymeric nanoparticle (EU/g) and/or a removal efficacy per unit surface area of the polymeric nanoparticles of at least 1×10⁶ EU/cm².

The Subject Librarian Newsletter, Engineering And Computer Science, Spring 2018, Buenaventura "Ven" Basco

Libraries' Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Radiotherapy-Induced Cherenkov Luminescence Imaging In A Human Body Phantom, Syed Rakin Ahmed, Mengyu Jia, Petr Bruza, Sergei A. Vinogradov, Shudong Jiang, David J. Gladstone, Lesley A. Jarvis, Brian W. Pogue

Dartmouth Scholarship

Radiation therapy produces Cherenkov optical emission in tissue, and this light can be utilized to activate molecular probes. The feasibility of sensing luminescence from a tissue molecular oxygen sensor from within a human body phantom was examined using the geometry of the axillary lymph node region. Detection of regions down to 30-mm deep was feasible with submillimeter spatial resolution with the total quantity of the phosphorescent sensor PtG4 near 1 nanomole. Radiation sheet scanning in an epi-illumination geometry provided optimal coverage, and maximum intensity projection images provided illustration of the concept. This work provides the preliminary information needed to attempt …

Modeling Corrosion Damage And Repair To A 3, Joseph R. Scott

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The main purpose of this study was to investigate and implement a repair design for corrosion damaged bridge bents in order to resist lateral loading, such as wind loads or ship impact. Using the results from a one-third scale bridge bent constructed and tested for a previous study, non-linear modeling was used to simulate the same corrosion damage and load response. The principle variable considered was damage, represented as a percent of effective area loss of prestressing steel within a designated damage zone along the length of piles. Other influencing variables included: prestress transfer length, localized loss in prestress due …

Foreword: Special Section On Electrical Contacts, Ronald A. Coutu Jr., Ravi Mahajan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Welcome to the Special Topics Section dedicated to the 2016 Holm Conference on Electrical Contacts. This Special Section contains six high-quality papers that comprehensively describe the state of the art and potential future directions for topics of great interest to our readers. The Editor-in-Chief (EIC), in consultation with the other EICs, Associate Editors (AEs), and domain experts, selects the topics for the Special Sections, and a Guest Editor or AE (GE/AE), who is a leading expert in the technical area, and then directs the solicitation and peer review of the papers. In cases where the GE/AE is also an author, …

Session 2c: Soils And Agriculture, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Soil Phosphorous in Urban Kentucky: Lawn and Gardening Our Way to Hell in a Vegetable Basket
• Optimizing Yield and Water Use Efficiency of Soybean Production in Kentucky- Experimental and Modeling Approach
• Variations in Soil Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Across Multiple Land Uses in Fayette County, Kentucky

Session 1c: Hydrology, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Comparing the Hydrological Function of Natural and Constructed Ridge Top Isolated Wetlands
• Streamflow Gain and Loss, Hydrograph Separation, and Water-Quality of Abandoned Mine Lands in the Daniel Boone National Forest, Eastern Kentucky, 2015-2017
• Hydrology: Old Science, New Applications for the Blanchard River in Ohio

Poster Session 2, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

1. Kentucky Lake Undergoing a “Change of State”: Trend Analyses Indicate Potential Tipping Points are Being Reached for Several Limnological Variables
2. Investigating Preferential Sewer Pathways: Geospatial Screening and Field Sampling to Reduce Inhalation Exposure Risks
3. Fate and Transport of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) in a Sewer System: Numerical Model and Field Study
4. Soil Moisture Conditions and Yield Across Fragic Soils Under Irrigated Management in Western Kentucky
5. Nutrient Contamination from an Agricultural Non-Point Source and its Mitigation: A Case Study of EKU Meadowbrook Farm, Madison County, KY
6. Characterization of Groundwater and Surface Water Geochemistry in an Agricultural Setting at EKU Meadowbrook Farm, …