Engineering Commons^™

Design Of A Modified Stewart Platform Manipulator For Misalignment Correction, Adekunle Ayoko

Master of Technology Management Plan II Graduate Projects

This thesis work is about the design of a modified Stewart platform manipulator for misalignment correction. The common version of the Stewart platform uses six actuators. The traditional Stewart platform of this kind has a moving top plate and a fixed base plate. However, in this research, the modified design of the traditional Stewart platform is studied. It is designed to be an easy connect-disconnect platform that can wrap around different structures with different cross sections and symmetrically designed. It is able to adjust position easily by using four identical but independent linear actuators populated evenly in two parts fastened …

Numerical Computation Of Transient Response Of 2d Wedge Impact, Naresh Kumar Koyyapu

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The diverse applications of advanced marine craft ascribed to their high speed and technological advancements has led to the use of stronger and lighter metals in such crafts. High speed, in effect also increases slamming loads as higher speed increases frequency of wave encounter while operating in waves. The present study is limited to wedge impact models. Fundamentally, the study is thus about two-dimensional (2D) wedge impact in water. In an attempt to predict the structural response to impact hydrodynamic force, a beam element based finite element (FE) computer program is written and the results of the code are presented …

Fault Discrimination Algorithm For Busbar Differential Protection Relaying Using Partial Operating Current Characteristics, Monir Hossain

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Differential protection is the unit protection system which is applied to protect a particular unit of power systems. Unit is known as zone in protection terminology which is equivalent to simple electrical node. In recent time, low impedance current differential protection schemes based on percentage restrained characteristics are widely used in power systems to protect busbar systems. The main application issue of these schemes is mis-operation due to current transformer (CT) saturation during close-in external faults. Researchers have suggested various solution of this problem; however, individually they are not sufficient to puzzle out all mis-operational scenarios. This thesis presents a …

Optimal Dg Placement: A Multimethod Analysis, Saiful A. Ratul

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

With Power System being restructured in the vision of Smart Grid, it is important now more than ever to find suitable locations to place Distributed Generators (DG). Distributed generators, which may be renewable, are not limited to specific locations as in the case of conventional generators. Several papers have been published that make suggestions on where the optimal location of DG should be in a system. Objectives ranging from loss minimization to total cost minimization have been the factor for such studies. In this study, a new method is introduced that hopes to improve a current system in three ways …

Factors Affecting Algal Biomass Growth And Cell Wall Destruction, Alicia E. Simosa

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Research using microalgae Chlorella vulgaris was conducted in order to determine the maximum CO₂ concentration under which algae can grow, within the emission range from oil and natural gas burning plants (0-20%).

After choosing the optimal CO₂ percentage, pH and alkalinity were determined; and finally, an electrochemical (EC) batch reactor connected to DC current was applied to achieve algae cell annihilation, and therefore, facilitate anaerobic digestion, methane production and energy recovery.

It was determined that algae can grow under 20% CO_2, being 15% CO₂ the most effective (pH of 6.64 and alkalinity of 617.5 mg/L CaCO …

Input Parameters In Discrete Element Modeling, Seyedali Yousefi

Civil Engineering ETDs

The discrete element method (DEM) is employed to study complex behaviors of particulate media. Input parameters may greatly affect the response of DEM models and should therefore be selected carefully. Scaling techniques are employed to enlarge prohibitively small time-steps. To study these techniques, dimensionless input parameters were defined. Responses of models in the dimensionless scale were invariant with choice of density, elastic modulus, and characteristic length if the dimensionless parameters were kept constant. Hence, density scaling is equivalent to use of a higher strain-rate, and stiffness scaling results in a higher strain-rate and an elevated stress state in the dimensionless …

The Mars Desert Research Station - Erau Crew 160 Expedition, Lycourgos Manolopoulos, Ashley Hollis-Bussey, Hiroki Sugimoto, Cassandra Vella, John Herman, Marc Carofano

Student Works

The Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) is a research program which is owned and operated by the Mars Society. The MDRS is located in Hanksville, Utah which hosts simulations that are typically two weeks long for professional scientists and engineers as well as college students of all levels, in training for human operations specifically on Mars. This space analog facility is in isolation, allowing for rigorous field studies regarding research that represents a true mission as if the crew members are conducting a real expedition on Mars. Participants are assigned specific roles and tasks that are typically aligned with their …

Autonomous Satellite Recovery Vehicle (Asrv) Final Report, Devonte Grantham, Francisco Pastrana, Collin R. Topolski

Student Works

In collaboration with Embry-Riddle Future Space Explorers and Developers Society (ERFSEDS), we came up with the idea to build a quad-copter/sensor system that could be deployed from a rocket. The goal is to build a new chassis for the quad-copters electronic components that will allow the quad-copters arms to fold inwards to meet the required space constraints of a rocket. In addition to the critical components of the quad-copter, our design will integrate a number of other data collecting sub-systems currently being used in a weather balloon designed by Society 4 S.P.A.C.E. club members. After being jettisoned from the rocket, …

Active Management Assistant System For Embry-Riddle Ecocar 3 Hybrid Supervisory Control System, Matthew Nelson, Blair Cutting, Michael J. Aleardi

Student Works

The Embry-Riddle EcoCAR 3 team is developing a prototype hybrid Chevrolet Camaro utilizing a customized vehicle powertrain controller. This controller is serving to ensure system safety, vehicle operation, and consumer drivability while also incorporating advanced driving aids to achieve both the desired performance levels one expects from a Camaro as well as vehicle efficiency. This vehicle must reach the team set vehicle technical specifications of a 4.9 second 0 to 60 time while maintaining a 53 miles per gallon gasoline equivalence rating.

In order to reach the efficiency goal, the team is developing an Active Management Assistance System utilizing computer …

Energy-Climate-Manufacturing Nexus: New Insights From The Regional And Global Supply Chains Of Manufacturing Industries, Murat Kucukvar, Bunyamin Canseva, Gokhan Egilmez, Nuri C. Onat, Hamidreza Samadi

Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

The main objectives of this research are to improve our understanding of energy-climate-manufacturing nexus within the context of regional and global manufacturing supply chains as well as show the significance of full coverage of entire supply chain tiers in order to prevent significant underestimations, which might lead to invalid policy conclusions. With this motivation, a multi region input–output (MRIO) sustainability assessment model is developed by using the World Input–Output Database, which is a dynamic MRIO framework on the world’s 40 largest economies covering 1440 economic sectors. The method presented in this study is the first environmentally-extended MRIO model that harmonizes …

Fuzzy Attitude Control Of Solar Sail, Joshua Baculi

Mechanical Engineering Master's Theses

This study presents various fuzzy type controllers for a solar sail. First, a Twin Parallel Distributed Compensator (TPDC) is built for a Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy model of the solarsail. The T-S fuzzy model is constructed by linearizing the existing nonlinear equations fo motion of the solar sail. The T-S fuzzy model is used to solve a set of linear matrix inequalities to derive state feedback controller gains. The TPDC controls the solar sail using a combination of reaction wheels and roll stabilizer bars for attitude control and trim masses for disturbance rejection. The TPDC tracks and stabilizes the solar sail to …

Solar Urban Planning: Addressing Barriers And Conflicts Specific To Renewable Energy Policy And The Current Field And Practice Of Urban Planning Within The Context Of A Changing Climate, Toryl P. Hanna

Capstone Collection

The world is in a period of rapid urbanization while experiencing unprecedented rise in global temperature as a result of climate change. Questions have been raised as to how strategies for urbanization will be able to address the fetish for energy, while halting carbon emissions produced by traditional energy sources for urban inhabitants around the world. First, this paper seeks to look to cities, at the intersection of solar energy and the field of urban planning, looking into the opportunities and challenges that are currently surfacing. Conflicts and barriers in traditional urban land use patterns emerge as a topic of …

Intersectionality Of Non-Normative Identities In The Cultures Of Engineering Survey, Allison Godwin, Adam Kirn, Lisa Benson, Geoff Potvin

School of Engineering Education Working Papers

This is a survey measuring students' attitudes and beliefs in engineering. The survey was distributed at four institutions across the U.S. in the fall semester of 2015. Students in first semester first-year engineering courses were surveyed on a paper-and-pencil instrument as part of a larger study. We collected 2,916 valid student responses that were digitized by the research group and audited for accuracy. Validity evidence for this survey has been document in ASEE conference proceedings.

Stability And Redispersion Of Platinum Nanoparticle Suspensions For Attachment To Dyes In Low-Cost Solar Cells, Jeffrey Rothstein

Honors Scholar Theses

The project involves optimizing the synthesis, washing, and redispersion of platinum nanoparticles. The nanoparticles are to be attached to dye molecules where they will act as nanocatalysts to reduce energy losses in low-cost dye-sensitized solar cells. The goal is to develop a process based on a pure or mixed solvent that will maintain a stable dispersion of the nanoparticles without interfering with their ability to bond with the dye molecules in the solar cell.

Focusing Light Inside Scattering Media With Optical Phase Conjugation, Yan Liu

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

In scattering media such as biological tissue, the heterogeneous refractive index distribution causes light to scatter, which makes the media look opaque and prevents us from focusing light beyond ~1 mm deep inside the media to achieve optical imaging and manipulation. Hence, the ability to focus light deep inside scattering media is highly desired, and it could revolutionize biophotonics by enabling deep-tissue non-invasive high-resolution optical microscopy, optical tweezing, optogenetics, micro-surgery, and phototherapy.

To break the optical diffusion limit and focus light deep inside scattering media, optical phase conjugation based wavefront shaping techniques, such as time-reversed ultrasonically encoded (TRUE) optical focusing, …

Understanding The Role Of Dynamics In Brain Networks: Methods, Theory And Application, Mohammadmehdi Kafashan

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The brain is inherently a dynamical system whose networks interact at multiple spatial and temporal scales. Understanding the functional role of these dynamic interactions is a fundamental question in neuroscience. In this research, we approach this question through the development of new methods for characterizing brain dynamics from real data and new theories for linking dynamics to function. We perform our study at two scales: macro (at the level of brain regions) and micro (at the level of individual neurons).

In the first part of this dissertation, we develop methods to identify the underlying dynamics at macro-scale that govern brain …

Characterizing Nonmodel Microorganisms And Reconstructing Catabolic Pathways For Bio-Productions, Whitney Hollinshead

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

In the 1970s, spikes in oil prices sparked early interests into first-generation biofuels (i.e., the production of ethanol from corn). Four decades later, biofuel manufacturing has under-performed as developed industrial strains suffer from poor performance and high costs of feedstocks. While the advancement in molecular biology has greatly benefited pathway engineering, synthetic biology hosts still cannot overcome the obstacles for profitable microbial bio-production. One approach may be to study non-model organisms and employ their metabolic features towards an improved bio-production pipeline. Here, this thesis aims to develop 13C-metabolism analysis tools to characterize novel organisms and re-program cell metabolism using novel …

Guided Medical Data Segmentation Using Structure-Aligned Planar Contours, Michelle Vaughan Holloway

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Segmentation of 3D/4D biological images is a critical step for a wide range of applications such as treatment planning, quantitative analysis, virtual simulations, and rendering visualizations. Automatic segmentation methods are becoming more reliable, but many experts still rely on manual intervention which makes segmentation a time and resource intensive bottleneck. Marking boundary contours in 3D images can be difficult when images are often noisy or the delineation of biological tissue is unclear. Non-parallel contours can be more accurate and reduce the amount of marking necessary, but require extra effort to ensure boundary consistency and maintain spatial orientation. This dissertation focuses …

Genetic Circuits For Transcriptional Regulation In Synechocystis Sp. Pcc 6803, Cheryl M. Immethun

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Microbial biosynthesis has produced a variety of complex compounds using processes that are more environmentally-friendly than many conventional methods. The most common hosts are heterotrophs, which require the addition of an organic carbon source; while cyanobacteria possess many traits that make them a more sustainable biotechnology platform. As phototrophs, cyanobacteria can employ sunlight and carbon dioxide to create many value-added compounds. A wealth of tools has been developed to engineer the commonly used heterotrophs for higher yields and titers; yet, few synthetic biology tools have been designed for cyanobacteria. Furthermore, many of the tools created for heterotrophs do not function …

Towards Clinical Photoacoustic Imaging: Developing Next-Generation Endoscopy Systems And Exploring New Contrast Agents, Chiye Li

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Photoacoustic imaging holds great clinical promise because it achieves high-resolution tomographic imaging at depths. Moreover, its strong spectroscopic imaging capability provides a wealth of molecular and functional information based on. Still, despite recent advances, existing photoacoustic systems cannot be readily applied in the clinical environment. This dissertation aims to push the frontier of clinical photoacoustic imaging from both technological and applicational perspectives.

The first part of this dissertation describes the development of photoacoustic endoscopy (PAE) systems for imaging human Barrett's esophagus and studying preterm birth. We have developed optical resolution-PAE, which significantly improved lateral resolutions, laparoscopic-PAE, which can guide minimally-invasive …

High-Throughput Exploration Of Glass Formation Via Laser Deposition And The Study Of Heterogeneous Microstructure In A Bulk Metallic Glass Alloy, Peter Te-Chuan Tsai

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Bulk metallic glasses are a relatively novel class of engineering alloys characterized by a "disordered" atomic structure devoid of long-range translational symmetry. Compared to crystalline alloys, the confluence of metallic bonding and amorphous structure imbues bulk metallic glasses with a unique set of properties that makes them particularly attractive for a wide variety of structural applications. Such properties include exceptional yield strengths, high elastic resilience, resistance to corrosion, and in particular, the unparalleled ability among metals to be thermoplastically formed across a wide range of length scales when heated above the glass transition temperature. Formation of metallic glass from a …

Novel Contrasts In Photoacoustic Tomography, Ruiying Zhang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Photoacoustic tomography (PAT) combines rich optical contrast and high ultrasonic resolution in optically scattering tissue at depths. Taking advantage of its 100% sensitivity to optical absorption, PAT has been widely applied to structural, functional and molecular imaging, with both endogenous and exogenous contrasts, at superior depths than pure optical methods. This dissertation explores novel absorption contrast mechanisms of PAT based on optical/thermal patterns, endogenous cellular chromophores, nanoparticles, small-molecule dyes and genetically-encoded proteins. With these novel contrasts, the proof-of-concept applications of PAT have been extended to include homogenous flow measurements, targeted angiogenesis imaging and therapy, label-free white blood cell imaging, 3D-whole-organ …

Applications Of Aerosol Technologies In The Silicon Industry, Miguel Vazquez Pufleau

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

In this dissertation, the focus was on two unit operations that have the potential to significantly lower the cost and energy required for refining silicon. First, the removal of carbon from silicon kerf (sawing dust from wafering) was examined to enable its recycling. Second, silane pyrolysis was studied to better understand the dynamics of the initial stages of silicon aerosol formation and growth.

Fluorescence Imaging Of Cortical Calcium Dynamics: A Tool For Visualizing Mouse Brain Functions, Connections, And Networks, Patrick William Wright

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Hemodynamic-based markers of cortical activity (e.g. functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and optical intrinsic signal imaging) are an indirect and relatively slow report of neural activity driven by electrical and metabolic activity through neurovascular coupling, which presents significant limiting factors in deducing underlying brain network dynamics. As application of resting state functional connectivity (FC) measures is extended further into topics such as brain development, aging, and disease, the importance of understanding the fundamental basis for FC will grow.

In this dissertation, we extend functional analysis from hemodynamic- to calcium-based imaging. Transgenic mice expressing a fluorescent calcium indicator (GCaMP6) driven by …

Developing High Purity Embryonic Stem Cell-Derived V2a Interneurons For In Vitro Investigation And Transplantation Following Spinal Cord Injury, Nisha Iyer

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Functional recovery following spinal cord injury has been attributed to plasticity in local interneuron populations, which are able to create novel circuits that bypass the inhibitory lesion to activate pre-existing motor pathways. Cell replacement strategies and growth factor delivery platforms often attempt to enhance these natural mechanisms of regeneration. The work of this thesis sought to overcome the major obstacle to manipulating specific interneurons for therapy: an inability to obtain large, enriched interneuron subpopulations for drug screening and transplantation. We focused on the generation of V2a interneurons, which normally coordinate a wide range of locomotor tasks in both the spinal …

Development Of A One-Equation Eddy Viscosity Turbulence Model For Application To Complex Turbulent Flows, Timothy Wray

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is routinely used in performance prediction and design of aircraft, turbomachinery, automobiles, and in many other industrial applications. Despite its wide range of use, deficiencies in its prediction accuracy still exist. One critical weakness is the accurate simulation of complex turbulent flows using the Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes equations in conjunction with a turbulence model. The goal of this research has been to develop an eddy viscosity type turbulence model to increase the accuracy of flow simulations for mildly separated flows, flows with rotation and curvature effects, and flows with surface roughness. It is accomplished by developing a …

A Transactional Model And Platform For Designing And Implementing Reactive Systems, Justin Ross Wilson

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

A reactive program is one that has "ongoing interactions with its environment." Reactive programs include those for embedded systems, operating systems, network clients and servers, databases, and smart phone apps. Reactive programs are already a core part of our computational and physical infrastructure and will continue to proliferate within our society as new form factors, e.g. wireless sensors, and inexpensive (wireless) networking are applied to new problems.

Asynchronous concurrency is a fundamental characteristic of reactive systems that makes them difficult to develop. Threads are commonly used for implementing reactive systems, but they may magnify problems associated with asynchronous concurrency, as …

Development And Characterization Of Genetic Sensors And Regulators For The Construction Of Environmentally-Responsive Genetic Circuits, Allison Hoynes-O'Connor

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Genetic circuits enable engineers to program complex logical behaviors into living organisms. Organisms can be programmed to optimize the production of fuels and chemicals, diagnose and treat diseases, or remediate environmental pollutants. A well-characterized toolbox of genetic sensors and regulators is needed to construct these circuits. Genetic sensors that respond to environmentally-relevant signals allow circuits to evaluate the cell's conditions, and versatile and designable regulators translate information about the cell's environment into the desired response. In this work, we demonstrate the de novo design of RNA thermosensors in Escherichia coli, and integrate these sensors into complex genetic circuits. Next, we …

On Control Systems Of The Brain: A Study Of Their Connections, Activations, And Interactions, Haoxin Sun

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Implementation of daily functions in humans crucially relies on both the bottom-up moment-to- moment processing of relevant input and output information as well as the top-down controls that instantiate and regulate goal-directed strategies. The current dissertation focuses on different systems of brain regions related to task control. We are interested in investigating, in detail, some of the basic activity patterns that different control systems carry during simple tasks, and how differences in activity patterns may shed new insight onto the distinctions among the systems' functional roles. In addition, carefully coordinated interactions between brain regions specialized for control-related activity and regions …

An Evaluation Of The Safety Of The Cycling In Dublin City For Dit Students, Niamh O' Reilly

Articles

Cycling as a mode of transport offers many benefits including a cheap, cost effective, healthy, fast, mainly congestion free and environmentally friendly means of getting to and from places of employment and education. Given the central location of Technological University Dublin campus buildings this would seem an ideal option for its third level students, but on the contrary, a DIT online travel survey conducted in March 2014 found that only 7% of students chose cycling as their primary mode of transport. Concerns about cyclist safety were a major factor cited by students who chose alternative modes of transport. Based on …