Engineering Commons^™

Subject And Group Level Changes And Comparison In Functional Connectivity Under Low Vs. High Cognitively Demanding Naturalistic Viewing Conditions Using Fmri, Rakibul Hafiz

Theses

Resting State fMRI is used extensively for analysing brain regions. fMRI is also used to determine task induced activations from cerebral networks. This study involves both rest and task activation data and implements statistical methods applied on Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) signals. The conventional task based designs are very specific and may not reflect day to day activities. The two task conditions in this study are watching a movie called INSCAPE with low cognitive load and segments of contextual Hollywood movies under continuous and natural conditions.

The aim is to investigate individual and group level Functional Connectivity changes between …

Iterative Learning Control For Improved Tracking Of Fluid Percussion Injury Device, Steve Susanibar

Theses

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) afflicts over 10 million people around the world. Injury to the brain can occur from a variety of physical insults and the degree of disability can greatly vary from person to person. It is likely that the wide range of TBI outcomes may be due to the magnitude, direction, and forces of biomechanical insult acting on the head during such TBI events. Lateral Fluid Percussion (FPI) brain injury is one of the most commonly used and well-characterized experimental models of TBI. A Fluid Percussion Injury (FPI) device in the laboratory is used to replicate the injury …

Optimization Of The Hot Embossing Parameters And Sintering Characterization For Alumina/Berea Sandstone Sintering, Justin F. Robbins

LSU Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to investigate the process of hot embossing on alumina based ceramics as a cost-efficient procedure for manufacturing microfluidic testing components. Alumina ceramics were used as an exploratory phase for the final objective of the project, manufacturing of Berea sandstone based ceramic samples. Previous research has shown potential in using hot embossing on Alumina based ceramics; however, complications with extrusion and micro-structure quality were observed. For this reason, the research performed aimed to produce Berea Sandstone based components by first improving upon the embossing quality of alumina ceramics.

The thesis first investigates changes in the …

Simplex Solutions For Optimal Control Flight Paths In Urban Environments, Michael D. Zollars, Richard G. Cobb, David J. Grymin

Faculty Publications

This paper identifies feasible fight paths for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems in a highly constrained environment. Optimal control software has long been used for vehicle path planning and has proven most successful when an adequate initial guess is presented flight to an optimal control solver. Leveraging fast geometric planning techniques, a large search space is discretized into a set of simplexes where a Dubins path solution is generated and contained in a polygonal search corridor free of path constraints. Direct optimal control methods are then used to determine the optimal flight path through the newly defined search corridor. Two scenarios …

Improving The Thermal Stability Of Cellobiohydrolase Cel7a From Hypocrea Jecorina By Directed Evolution, Frits Goedegebuur, Lydia Dankmeyer, Peter Gualfetti, Saeid Karkehabadi, Henrik Hansson, Suvamay Jana, Vicky Huynh, Bradley R. Kelemen, Paulien Kruithof, Edmund A. Larenas, Pauline J. M. Teunissen, Jerry Ståhlberg, Christina M. Payne, Colin Mitchinson, Mats Sandgren

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Secreted mixtures of Hypocrea jecorina cellulases are able to efficiently degrade cellulosic biomass to fermentable sugars at large, commercially relevant scales. H. jecorina Cel7A, cellobiohydrolase I, from glycoside hydrolase family 7, is the workhorse enzyme of the process. However, the thermal stability of Cel7A limits its use to processes where temperatures are no higher than 50 °C. Enhanced thermal stability is desirable to enable the use of higher processing temperatures and to improve the economic feasibility of industrial biomass conversion. Here, we enhanced the thermal stability of Cel7A through directed evolution. Sites with increased thermal stability properties were combined, and …

Numerical Simulation For Identification Of Insects Using A Cw Lidar System, Christo Videlov

Theses

Mosquitos are the most common vector of disease in the world, causing millions of deaths a year. While curing the diseases they cause is one approach to this problem, another could be to avoid the mosquitos in the first place. Knowing their flight patterns, location, and population in one area could aid in this. Additionally, classifying the mosquitos in an area would be helpful. The age and sex of the mosquito is important to find as they affect the chances of the insect carrying diseases such as malaria or yellow fever.

Many current methodologies to monitor insects are based on …

Interaction Of Voluntary Activity And Functional Electrical Stimulation In The Upper Extremity As A Method For Short-Term Alteration Of Corticospinal Excitability And Force Control, Katherine Maia Gerton

Theses

Repetitive movement training (RMT) is a well-established method for rehabilitating functional movement. However, many stroke survivors are not able to participate in RMT for the necessary duration to produce results due to rapid muscle fatigue or inability to perform the desired movement at all. Often, functional electrical stimulation (FES) is applied passively, as a rehabilitative therapy, to stroke subjects who are unable to participate in RMT. The effects of voluntary contraction and FES are not well understood for the upper extremity following a stroke. This experiment was designed to elucidate the mechanisms of functional and neurophysiological changes associated with combining …

Internet Of Vehicles: Architecture, Applications, And Security Requirements Of Cognitive Radio Adhoc Vehicular Network, Sachin Sharma

Theses and Dissertations

In recent years, the demand for spectrum has increased exponentially. Cognitive radio (CR) technology provides the capability to dynamically sense the spectrum for available channels, estimate them and select a good channel. This thesis introduces the concept of dynamic spectrum leasing methodology (DSLM), a paradigm based on game theoretic concepts. DSLM takes into account the demand for spectrum by secondary users and the willingness of primary users to relinquish spectrum in a restricted manner, making possible spectrum leasing as a long-term commercially viable concept. This thesis also introduces the notion of a Cognitive Radio Network Service Provider (CRNSP) and the …

Designing And Implementing A Network For Sensing Water Quality And Hydrology Across Mountain To Urban Transitions, Amber Spackman Jones, Zachary T. Aanderud, Jeffery S. Horsburgh, David P. Eiriksson, Dylan Dastrup, Christopher Cox, Scott B. Jones, David R. Bowling, Jonathan Carlisle, Gregory T. Carling, Michelle A. Baker

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Water resources are increasingly impacted by growing human populations, land use, and climate changes, and complex interactions among biophysical processes. In an effort to better understand these factors in semiarid northern Utah, United States, we created a real-time observatory consisting of sensors deployed at aquatic and terrestrial stations to monitor water quality, water inputs, and outputs along mountain to urban gradients. The Gradients Along Mountain to Urban Transitions (GAMUT) monitoring network spans three watersheds with similar climates and streams fed by mountain winter-derived precipitation, but that differ in urbanization level, land use, and biophysical characteristics. The aquatic monitoring stations in …

Nuclear Fusion As A Primary Energy Production Method, Joshua Eiswirth

Missouri S&T’s Peer to Peer

In this paper, the possibility of using nuclear fusion as a primary energy producer will be analyzed. A brief overview of nuclear fusion is given as well as the drawbacks of nuclear fusion today. The human species, need to find a more abundant and renewable means to produce energy, because the non-renewable resources relied on today will be completely used up in as little a 100 years. Nuclear fusion, if perfected, offers a reliable and extremely abundant energy source. With commercial nuclear fusion plants more energy would be available than ever before. While no efficient fusion reactor design exists today, …

Assessment On Food And Water Collection On Mars Vs. Human Survival, Michael Todd Herman Jr.

Missouri S&T’s Peer to Peer

This research focuses on the possibility of farming and water collection on Mars to determine if enough food and water can be gathered to support sustained human life. The inspiration for this comes from the plans to put a human on Mars and create a sustained colony, such as Mars One. This colony can become the basis for a multi-planetary civilization that will substantially reduce future overcrowding problems (the population in 2050 is projected to be 11 billion and is expected to continue to grow exponentially) and promote additional research on space travel that can aid in the reduction of …

Efficiency Of Solar Cell Design And Materials, Grant Vonderhaar

Missouri S&T’s Peer to Peer

Fossil fuels have dominated the energy world ever since their introduction in the Industrial Revolution, and the world has grown more dependent on them in the Postmodern Era. However, the limited amount of fossil fuels in the world poses a problem for future generations; solar energy is the solution to this potential future energy crisis. The purpose of this study is to provide a comprehensive review of solar panel materials so that solar panels can be refined until they can replace fossil fuels entirely. In this study, I have researched designs for solar cells and determined the most efficient design …

Augmented Approaches To Engineering, Matthew Gary Booth

Missouri S&T’s Peer to Peer

This paper presents the results of research into the integration and application of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) systems into the fields of engineering and engineering education. The research discusses the current iterations of these systems, and the programs that are being developed to run on them. Also being discussed is the potential benefits that implementing these systems can give to engineering education by improving spatial skills for use in engineering education and engineering design. This paper also touches on the current state of the AR and VR markets, and their current focus on entertainment based consumer electronics. …

An Analysis Of The Environmental Impact Of Electric Vehicles, Ashley Schmid

Missouri S&T’s Peer to Peer

Electric cars have the reputation as a possible solution to many modern environmental and economic issues. Electric motors have been an interest of many inventors since the 1830s, but fully electric vehicles were not prevalent until 2008 when Tesla Motors released the Roadster. The looming energy crisis is one of the main motivations for the advancement in renewable and alternative fuel technologies, but since the early 60s, it has been the environmental lobby that has been pushing for this change. The environment suffers from industrialized nations as the amount of greenhouse gas emissions reach new heights every year. Filtration systems …

High Resolution Imaging Of The Mitral Valve In The Natural State With 7 Tesla Mri, Sam E. Stephens, Serguei Liachenko, Neil B. Ingels, Jonathan F. Wenk, Morten O. Jensen

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Imaging techniques of the mitral valve have improved tremendously during the last decade, but challenges persist. The delicate changes in annulus shape and papillary muscle position throughout the cardiac cycle have significant impact on the stress distribution in the leaflets and chords, thus preservation of anatomically accurate positioning is critical. The aim of this study was to develop an in vitro method and apparatus for obtaining high-resolution 3D MRI images of porcine mitral valves in both the diastolic and systolic configurations with physiologically appropriate annular shape, papillary muscle positions and orientations, specific to the heart from which the valve was …

Advancement Of Oxygen Biosensor In Escherichia Coli, Caitlyn Meiser

Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Research Publications

Microbial biosensors can be used to provide information about the cells’ environment in large-scale fermentations. In this project an oxygen sensitive biosensor is being developed in Escherichia coli to determine what kind of conditions cells are growing in: aerobic or anaerobic. This project specifically studies expression from the fumarate and nitrate reductase (FNR) promoter (P_FNR) under aerobic and anaerobic conditions. In fluorescence experiments, the expression levels of green fluorescent protein (GFP) were used to quantify the effectiveness of the P_FNR in the DH5α, MG1655 and BL21 strains of E. coli. The negative control of the experiments, …

15-11 Assessing Transit Oriented Development Strategies With A New Combined Modal Split And Traffic Assignment Model, Guangchao Wang, Anthony Chen, Ziqi Song, Songyot Kitthamkesorn

Transportation Research Center Reports

Transit oriented development (TOD) has emerged in recent years as a promising paradigm to promote public transportation, increase active transportation usage, mitigate congestion, and alleviate air pollution. However, there is a lack of analytic studies investigating the benefits of TOD quantitatively. Two major challenges of modeling a multimodal transportation network with TOD areas are: (1) failing to consider differences in feasible travel options available to different households in TOD areas may lead to inaccurate representations of travelers’ mode choice behavior, and (2) route overlapping is one of the major concerns in the route choice models used in the traffic assignment …

A10 – Human Factors Considerations Of Uas Procedures And Control Stations: Tasks Pc-1 Through Pc-3 Pilot And Crew (Pc) Subtask, Recommended Requirements And Operational Procedures, Joseph Cerreta, Paul Snyder, Zachary P. Waller, Amanda Brandt, Timothy Bruner, Scott Kroeber, Andrea Meyer, Richard S. Standbury, Ronald Storm, Gary M. Ullrich, William Watson

Aviation Faculty Publications

The Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) conducted research focused on minimum pilot procedures and operational practices used by unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) operators today for the purpose of developing recommendations. This research recommends four pilot and 46 operational minimum procedures to operate a civil single-engine, fixed-wing, single-pilot-configured UAS flying in beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) conditions. These recommendations are anticipated to support potential future aircrew procedure requirements for UAS larger than 55 lbs. operating in the National Airspace System (NAS). These procedures were validated using representative Control Stations in simulated environments.

Biological Engineering Undergrad Wins International Video Contest | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Utah State University undergraduate student Nathan Guymon won a second-place award in an international video contest aimed at educating the public about solid waste.

Long-Term Assessment Of Climate Change Impacts On Tennessee Valley Authority Reservoir Operations: Norris Dam, Joseph Rungee, Ungtae Kim

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Norris Reservoir is the oldest and largest reservoir maintained and operated by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). Norris Dam received a new operating guide in 2004; however, this new guide did not consider projected climate change. In an aging infrastructure, the necessity to assess the potential impacts of climate change on water resources planning and management is increasing. This study used a combined monthly hydrologic model and a general circulation model’s (GCM) outcome to project inflows for three future time spans: 2030s, 2050s, and 2070s. The current operating guide was then assessed and optimized using penalty-function-driven genetic algorithms to gain …

Software For Extracting Deformation Gradient And Stress From Md Simulations: Simulations Using The Charmm Force Field, Mehrdad Negahban, Lili Zhang, Zesheng Zhang, John Jasa, Antoine Jérusalem

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Software was developed, and is provided under a general use license, to calculate continuum level deformation gradient and stress for any group of atoms in an MD simulation that uses the Charmm force fields. This software can also calculate the interaction stress applied by one group of atoms on any other group. To obtain deformation gradient and stress, the user needs to provide the selected group(s) of atoms in an atom group identification file, and provide the associated LAMMPS format files and force field parameter file. An example is included to demonstrate the use of the software.

The Subject Librarian Newsletter, Engineering And Computer Science, Fall 2017, Buenaventura "Ven" Basco

Libraries' Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Forensic State Acquisition From Internet Of Things (Fsaiot): A General Framework And Practical Approach For Iot Forensics Through Iot Device State Acquisition, Christopher S. Meffert, Devon R. Clark, Ibrahim Baggili, Frank Breitinger

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

IoT device forensics is a difficult problem given that manufactured IoT devices are not standardized, many store little to no historical data, and are always connected; making them extremely volatile. The goal of this paper was to address these challenges by presenting a primary account for a general framework and practical approach we term Forensic State Acquisition from Internet of Things (FSAIoT). We argue that by leveraging the acquisition of the state of IoT devices (e.g. if an IoT lock is open or locked), it becomes possible to paint a clear picture of events that have occurred. To this end, …

Macrodamage Accumulation Model For A Human Femur, Farah Hamandi, Tarun Goswami

Biomedical, Industrial & Human Factors Engineering Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to more fully understand the mechanical behavior of bone tissue that is important to find an alternative material to be used as an implant and to develop an accurate model to predict the fracture of the bone. Predicting and preventing bone failure is an important area in orthopaedics. In this paper, the macrodamage accumulation models in the bone tissue have been investigated. Phenomenological models for bone damage have been discussed in detail. In addition, 3D finite element model of the femur prepared from imaging data with both cortical and trabecular structures is delineated using …

Conditions For Barrel And Clam-Shell Liquid Drops To Move On Bio-Inspired Conical Wires, Cheng Luo, Xiang Wang

Mechanical and Aerospace Faculty Publications - Archive

It has been reported that, in a foggy environment, water drops with either barrel or clam-shell shapes are capable of self-running on conical wire-like structures, such as cactus spines, spider silk, and water striders’ legs. On the other hand, the corresponding moving mechanisms are still not quite understood. For instance, it is unclear under what conditions clam-shell drops would move from the tip towards the root on a conical wire. In this work, based on the balance of forces, we derive conditions for a drop to self-transport towards or away from the root. We find that, although barrel and clam-shell …

Empirical Study: Exploring Medication Adherence For Medicaid Insured Asthma Patients In Louisiana, Archana Nittala

LSU Master's Theses

Asthma is a chronic disease whose effects are controlled/ prevented using appropriate medication. Although benefits of asthma medication is well known, poor medication adherence among asthma patients has been reported. Medication non-adherence is associated to increased healthcare costs, unnecessary hospital utilization, readmission and even death in few cases. The overarching goal of this research was to evaluate the impact of medication non-adherence on hospital admissions, and identify key factors that result in medication non-adherence for Medicaid insured asthma patients.

To achieve these objectives, Correlation analysis, T-tests, Multivariate logistic analysis and odds ratios were performed. Based on results of the study, …

Enhancing The Performance Of Anaerobic Bioreactors For The Biological Degradation Of Volatiles Organic Compounds In Groundwater Using Alternate Electron Acceptors, Leslie Michele Pipkin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Engineered anaerobic bioreactors (ABR) constructed from mixed media and sand can biodegrade high concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Sustainable treatment of benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes (BTEX), chlorinated ethenes and ethanes were used to investigate the use of engineered ABRs, while also analyzing the system performance of a full-scale ABR system. Experimentations conducted on environmental and biological factors that affect ABR system performance was conducted through serum bottles, columns, and reactor studies.

Column and reactor ABR systems were designed to treat VOCs via biodegradation in groundwater with varying terminal electron acceptors (TEAs). Laboratory-scale column ABRs were constructed to treat …

A Novel Applications Of Photogrammetry For Retaining Wall Assessment, Renee Oats, Rudiger Escobar-Wolf, Thomas Oommen

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Retaining walls are critical geotechnical assets and their performance needs to be monitored in accordance to transportation asset management principles. Current practices for retaining wall monitoring consist mostly of qualitative approaches that provide limited engineering information or the methods include traditional geodetic surveying, which may provide high accuracy and reliability, but is costly and time-consuming. This study focuses on evaluating failure modes of a 2.43 m × 2.43 m retaining wall model using three-dimensional (3D) photogrammetry as a cost-effective quantitative alternative for retaining wall monitoring. As a remote sensing technique, photogrammetry integrates images collected from a camera and creates a …

Guide To The Richard C. Heyser Collection, College Archives & Special Collections

Collection Guides / Finding Aids

This guide describes the organization and scope of the Richard C. Heyser archival collection, housed within the College Archives & Special Collections at Columbia College Chicago. Richard C. Heyser (1931-1987) was a pioneer in research relating to audio and acoustic measurement techniques.

Analysis Of Traffic Collisions In Dublin Using Gis Based System, Jagteshwar Singh, Niamh O' Reilly

Conference papers

This study aims to analyse traffic collisions in the Greater Dublin Region between the period 2006-2012, using GIS to identify hotspots and examine the relationship between collisions and a range of contributory factors including vehicular speeds, traffic volume, road curvature, road category and distance from intersection that could enable prediction of traffic collisions. To this end, Road Safety Authority (RSA) collision data for Dublin Region geocoded as point events, road profiles, traffic flow characteristics on which these occur are spatially merged using ArcGIS and FME software to establish if a significant relationship exists between collision frequencies on road links and …