bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Framework for Open Policy Analysis
Authors: Hoces de la Guardia Fernando , Grant Sean , Miguel Edward
Published: July 2018

AbstractThe evidence-based policy movement promotes the use of empirical evidence to inform policy decision-making. While several social science disciplines are undergoing a “credibility revolution” focused on openness and replication, policy analysis has yet to systematically embrace transparency and reproducibility. We argue that policy analysis should adopt the open research practices increasingly espoused in related disciplines to advance the credibility of evidence-based policymaking. We first discuss the importance of evidence-based policy in an era of increasing disagreement about facts, analysis, and expertise. We present a novel framework for “open” policy analysis (OPA) and how to achieve it, focusing on examples of recent policy analyses that have incorporated open research practices such as transparent reporting, open data, and code sharing. We conclude with recommendations on how key stakeholders in evidence-based policy can make OPA the norm and thus safeguard trust in using empirical evidence to inform important public policy decisions.
Climatic influences on the offset between d18O of cave drip waters and precipitation inferred from global monitoring data
Authors: Baker Andy , Duan Wuhui , Cuthbert Mark , Treble Pauline , Banner Jay , Hankin Stuart
Published: July 2018

We present a meta-analysis of data from 22 caves and 96 drip sites from 4 continents where both the cave drip water d18O and the weighted mean d18O of precipitation have been measured. Drip water d18O is similar to the weighted mean d18O of precipitation (within ± 0.3 ‰) for sites where mean annual temperature (MAT) is less than 15 °C (85% of drips where MAT < 15 °C) and an aridity index (annual precipitation (P) / annual potential evapotranspiration (PET)) is greater than 0.65 (74% of drips at sites where P/PET > 0.65). In contrast, at warmer locations with increased water deficit, drip water d18O deviates from the weighed mean precipitation d18O by +3 ‰ and -1.5 ‰. We argue that this is due to evaporation in the soil and shallow vadose zone (thereby increasing drip water d18O) and lower water storage in the vadose zone, leading to relatively less mixing (thereby increasing the range in drip water d18O to more closely reflect recharge water d18O). Speleothems that have formed close to isotopic equilibrium are likely to have an oxygen isotope composition that contains a mixed signal of cave air temperature and precipitation d18O only in cool and temperate regions (T < 15 °C), or very wet climates where P/PET >> 0.65. In contrast, in warmer and drier environments, speleothems which have formed close to equilibrium will have d18O that reflects cave air temperature and a seasonal bias toward the d18O composition of rain in periods of high recharge, as well as the extent of evaporative fractionation of stored karst water.
Sustainable remediation of antibacterials, metals and DNA
Authors: Islas-Espinoza Marina
Published: July 2018

The global antibacterial crisis requires urgent attention from environmental engineering and bioengineering. Here, unit operation efficiencies are assessed, in a novel water treatment train capable of remediating antibacterials, metals and DNA. This technological cycle relies on bioremediation, high temperature and pressure. The analyses used 14C-respirometry, spectrometry, and a set of molecular analyses. Multiresistant bacteria hold antibacterial resistance genes (ARGs); they were harnessed for bioremediation of pollutant mixtures. Treatment efficiencies were 25-71% for 8-days aerobic metal reduction and removal (CrVI: 255, Cd: 0.65, and Pb: 0.65 mg L-1 initial concentrations); 34.8% erythromycin (ERY) 20-days biodegradation (from 750 mg L-1). The anaerobic digestion (AD) bioremediated mixed antibacterials (65-73% in 60 days from initial 100 mg L-1). However, high concentrations of mixed antibacterials (SMX+ERY) induced stronger inhibition of enzymatic activity, higher sensitivity of bacteria and acetoclastic methanogens, and higher diversity of ARGs. ARGs justified complete DNA degradation (60°C at 5.8 kPa for 10 min). The suggested coupling sequence of operations was metal then antibacterial aerobic bioremediation (as pre-treatments to anaerobic digestion), anaerobic bioremediation (also yielding biomethane as heat source), recirculation of ARGs in situ, and thermal-barometric DNA degradation.
Twitter in the engineering classroom
Authors: Berg Devin R.
Published: July 2018

The micro-blogging platform, Twitter, has been employed by some in higher education as a tool for enhanced student engagement. This platform has shown promise as an educational tool for the promotion of critical reading and writing and concise expression of ideas. However, it is unclear in what settings and under what circumstances Twitter can be effectively employed in the engineering classroom. These questions were explored over a multi-semester study of student participation in directed social media discussions within the engineering classroom. The various cohorts of students included in this study were drawn from engineering courses. Comparisons were made between these multiple cohorts on the basis of active engagement in the assigned tasks, performance on homework and examinations, and overall course performance. Through the process of using this practice in the classroom, it was found that there was difficulty encouraging engineering students to participate in Twitter discussions regardless of the incentive provided. Limited evidence was found of greater course achievement correlating with greater participation in Twitter based tasks. It is expected that greater effort is required in familiarizing students with the Twitter platform and increasing their comfort level with asking questions and carrying out discussions in a public forum.
Verified type-checker for Jolie
Authors: Akentev Evgenii , Tchitchigin Alexander , Safina Larisa , Mazzara Manuel
Published: July 2018

Jolie is a service-oriented programming language which comes with the formal speci cation of its type system. However, there is no tool to ensure that programs in Jolie are well-typed. In this paper we provide the results of building a type checker for Jolie as a part of its syntax and semantics formal model. We ex- press the type checker as a program with dependent types in Agda proof assistant which helps to ascertain that the type checker is correct.
Experimental Analysis of Surgical Tool Force Requirements
Authors: Berg Devin R.
Published: July 2018

Through the use of a cadaveric porcine model, forces necessary for manipulation of the abdominal organs were evaluated using an instrumented probe. Additionally, forces for tissue puncture, knot tightening, and suture breakage have been measured in order to determine the requirements placed upon the design of novel robotic surgical tools. The break forces for a variety of suture sizes and types were evaluated including sizes 3-0 through 7-0 polypropylene, size 1 polybutestor, size 4-0 chromic gut, and size 6-0 braided polyester. Tests of the tissue puncture force and knot tightening forces were carried out using the same instrumented probe, while the suture break forces were measured using a tension testing machine. The measured forces were found to compare well against the literature and provide a good basis from which to design robotic surgical tools with the appropriate capabilities.
Etech 100 Final Semester Project
Authors: Julson Landon
Published: July 2018

Mechanical Design and assisting of those who need it most. Our design is for an individual who either has a prosthetic hand/arm or who has lost nerve feeling in their fingers. Resulting prototype, an RGB LED grip pressure feedback glove.
Toward 3D printed hydrogen storage materials made with ABS-MOF composites
Authors: Channell Megan N. , Sefa Makfir , Fedchak James A. , Scherschligt Julia , Miller Abigail E. , Ahmed Zeeshan , Hartings Matthew R
Published: July 2018

The push to advance efficient, renewable, and clean energy sources has brought with it an effort to generate materials that are capable of storing hydrogen. Metal-organic framework materials (MOFs) have been the focus of many such studies as they are categorized for their large internal surface areas. We have addressed one of the major shortcomings of MOFs (their processibility) by creating and 3D printing a composite of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and MOF-5, a prototypical MOF, which is often used to benchmark H2 uptake capacity of other MOFs. The ABS-MOF-5 composites can be printed at MOF-5 compositions of 10% and below. Other physical and mechanical properties of the polymer (glass transition temperature, stress and strain at the breaking point, and Young’s modulus) either remain unchanged or show some degree of hardening due to the interaction between the polymer and the MOF. We do observe some MOF-5 degradation through the blending process, likely due to the ambient humidity through the purification and solvent casting steps. Even with this degradation, the MOF still retains some of its ability to uptake H2, seen in the ability of the composite to uptake more H2 than the pure polymer. The experiments and results described here represent a significant first step toward 3D printing MOF-5-based materials for H2 storage.
Investigation of Durability Pozzolanic Efficiency Factor by Means of Surface Resistivity Measurement
Authors: Ramezanianpour Ali A. , Vosoughi Payam , Moodi Faramarz
Published: July 2018

Supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs) are used in concrete due to their properties such as reduction of cement consumption, reducing cost, enhancing concrete compressive strength, and boost durability of concrete against aggressive environment. In this paper, durability pozzolanic efficiency factor of four types of raw natural pozzolans (natural Zeolite, Trass, Tuff, and Pumice) and a type of artificial pozzolans (Rice Husk Ash) with respect to durability of concrete against corrosion of the reinforcement are determined and compared with each other. For this purpose, surface electrical resistivity of 17 kinds of diverse concrete mixture design are measured at two ages (28 and 90 days) using the Wenner four probes apparatus. The results show that natural Zeolite has the highest durability pozzolanic efficiency factor; Trass and Rice Husk Ash are in the second rate, also Tuff and Pumice are in the last place.
Earthmoving through the Lens of Geotechnical Engineering
Authors: Hambleton James
Published: July 2018

Earthmoving machines of varying sophistication, ranging from the simple garden spade to the hydraulic excavator, have evolved considerably over the centuries, but the scientific understanding of earthmoving processes lags considerably behind the technology. Historically much effort has been directed towards aspects of the machine, whereas relatively little attention has been given to the soil. For this reason, the problem has primarily engaged the interest of mechanical engineers. This paper provides a brief overview of the state of the art in analytical and numerical modeling, as well as some of the significant challenges that have yet to be overcome. It concludes with a description of the research program at Northwestern University, which includes analytical and numerical modeling of earthmoving processes and experiments completed using a new experimental facility. The preliminary results shown in the paper highlight key features of earthmoving processes and the potential for contributions from geotechnical engineers.
An experimental and signal analysis workflow for detecting cold-induced noise emissions (cold squealing) from porous journal bearings
Authors: Eder Stefan J , Bianchi Davide , Neacsu Ioana Adina , Vorlaufer Georg
Published: July 2018

We employ a variant of the joint time-frequency analysis (JTFA) for identifying transient, temperature-dependent noise emitted from porous journal bearings operated at temperatures between -40°C and 0°C. This phenomenon, called "cold squealing", is difficult to reproduce in laboratory environments, as it requires a suitable (and typically system-specific) resonator to occur. We systematically tested real-world bearings impregnated with various oils on a custom-designed experimental rig, fitted with a coolable sample holder and a vibration sensor, over a range of rotational speeds. By analyzing temperature-differential JTFA signal maps, we succeeded in detecting transient cold-squealing as well as ranking the bearing lubricants according to their low-temperature quiet running properties.
Spectral Unmixing With Perturbed Endmembers
Authors: Arablouei Reza
Published: July 2018

We consider the problem of supervised spectral unmixing with a fully-perturbed linear mixture model where the given endmembers, as well as the observations of the spectral image, are subject to perturbation due to noise, error, mismatch, etc. We calculate the Fisher information matrix and the Cramer-Rao lower bound associated with the estimation of the abundance matrix in the considered fully-perturbed linear spectral unmixing problem. We develop an algorithm for estimating the abundance matrix by minimizing a constrained and regularized maximum-loglikelihood objective function using the block coordinate-descend iterations and the alternating direction method of multipliers. We analyze the convergence of the proposed algorithm theoretically and perform simulations with real hyperspectral image datasets to evaluate its performance. The simulation results corroborate the efficacy of the proposed algorithm in mitigating the adverse effects of perturbation in the endmembers.
Design Practica as Authentic Assessments in First-year Engineering Design Courses
Authors: McComb Christopher , Berdanier Catherine , Menold Jessica
Published: July 2018

This paper describes the design and evaluation of a novel assessment for first-year engineering design courses that is rooted in an authentic design challenge. This approach modifies the traditional written-exam approach typically found in engineering courses, which is inherently inauthentic and cannot easily capture the exploratory nature of engineering design. Our assessment improves alignment with common learning objectives found in first-year engineering design courses and additionally prepares students for the type of case study interviews that are increasingly common for entry-level engineering jobs. To evaluate our assessment, 50 first-year students completed the engineering design self-efficacy instrument once before beginning the assessment and a second time approximately 48 hours later upon completion of a reflection assignment. In addition, students retrospectively reported their perceived change in self-efficacy during the assessment. Analysis shows that students perceived a large retrospective increase in skill level, despite only a small increase in directly measured self-efficacy. These results are analyzed in light of the Dunning-Kruger effect and we posit that the assessment helps to align students’ self-efficacy with their actual skill level. Increased alignment of self-efficacy with skill level may minimize student frustration when encountering challenging tasks in the future, potentially increasing retention of engineering students as well as facilitating the development of lifelong learning attitudes.
PIll Dispenser Alert System
Authors: arambula marco
Published: July 2018

A pill dispensing system that has an annoying alarm to make sure the user has to get up to take their pills
Rancangan Aplikasi Manajemen User untuk Mendukung Aplikasi Sistem Informasi
Authors: Sutedi Sutedi
Published: July 2018

Today many institutions are increasingly aware of the benefits and positive effects of theexistence of information systems are built, and implemented as an optimization effort ofinformation technology to support existing business processes. Information system is built in aninstitution/agency should be able to apply the rules that apply correct management. In somecases the application of information systems, users management problem often neglected and notwell-designed so that potential deviations that can be harmful the institution. User managementand sharing permissions within the system should be limited and well handled to minimize theoccurrence of irregularities, in addition to data security needs to be done also periodic backupand continuous data.
The Effects of Cold Rolling Process and Annealing Treatment on Damping Properties of 3105 Aluminium Alloy
Authors: BIN ZAKARIA MUHAMMAD SYAFIQ
Published: July 2018

The aluminium alloy have deformed by cold rolling process to 50 percent, 60 percent, and 70 percent rolling reduction. In order to reduce the strain hardening of the samples, an annealing treatment was performed after cold worked process. The lower the rolling reduction, the higher the damping capacity of the samples. The sample for 50 percent rolling reduction before annealed has increase in damping capacity from 0.0361 to 0.1318. When the samples undergo two different annealing temperatures and soaking hours, the damping properties such as loss modulus, storage modulus, and damping capacity show some changes in trend curves and experimental value. The damping capacity for sample 50 percent rolling reduction and after annealed at temperature 300 °C for one hour was increased from 0.0193 to 0.1405 at temperature 50 °C to 380 °C. The hardness measurement showed that, the value of Vickers hardness were decrease after annealed due to the decreasing in strain hardening.
Automatic localization of Deep Stimulation Electrodes using trajectory-based segmentation approach
Authors: Nieto Roger Gomez
Published: July 2018

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a degenerative condition of thenervous system, which manifests itself primarily as muscle stiness, hypokinesia,bradykinesia, and tremor. In patients suering from advancedstages of PD, Deep Brain Stimulation neurosurgery (DBS) is the bestalternative to medical treatment, especially when they become tolerantto the drugs. This surgery produces a neuronal activity, a result of electricalstimulation, whose quantication is known as Volume of TissueActivated (VTA). To locate the VTA correctly in the cerebral volumespace, one should be aware of exactly the location on the tip of the DBSelectrodes, as well as their spatial projection.In this paper, we automatically locate DBS electrodes using a thresholdbasedmedical imaging segmentation methodology, determining the optimalvalue of this threshold adaptively. The proposed method allows thelocalization of DBS electrodes in Computed Tomography (CT) images,with high noise tolerance, using automatic threshold detection methods.
Matching Media Contents with User Profiles by means of the Dempster-Shafer Theory
Authors: Troiano Luigi , Diaz Irene , Gaglione Ciro
Published: July 2018

The media industry is increasingly personalizing the offering of contents in attempt to better target the audience. This requires to analyze the relationships that goes established between users and content they enjoy, looking at one side to the content characteristics and on the other to the user profile, in order to find the best match between the two. In this paper we suggest to build that relationship using the Dempster-Shafer's Theory of Evidence, proposing a reference model and illustrating its properties by means of a toy example. Finally we suggest possible applications of the model for tasks that are common in the modern media industry.
Cabinet Door Opener
Authors: Block Andrew
Published: July 2018

People who are to short or are physically disabled and are not able to reach and open a cabinet door in either a kitchen or shop.
Comparative dynamic mechanical properties of non-superheated and superheated A357 alloys
Authors: Noor Mazlee Mohd
Published: July 2018

The influence of superheat treatment on the microstructure and dynamic mechanical properties of A357 alloys has been investigated. The study of microstructure was performed by the optical microscope. Dynamic mechanical properties (storage modulus, loss modulus, and damping capacity) were measured by the dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA). Microstructure showed coarser and angular eutectic Si particles with larger α-Al dendrites in the non-superheated A357 alloy. In contrast, finer and rounded eutectic Si particles together with smaller and preferred oriented α-Al dendrites have been observed in the superheated A357 alloy. Dynamic mechanical properties showed an increasing trend of loss modulus and damping capacity meanwhile a decreasing trend of storage modulus at elevated temperatures for superheated and non-superheated A357 alloys. The high damping capacity of superheated A357 has been ascribed to the grain boundary damping at elevated temperatures.
Development of a Constant Volume Combustion Chamber for Material Synthesis
Authors: Morovatiyan Mohammadrasool , Shahsavan Martia , Mack John Hunter
Published: July 2018

A constant volume combustion chamber (CVCC) was constructed to enable material synthesis procedures that are sensitive to temperature, pressure, and ambient species concentrations. Material synthesis processes require specific operating conditions in order to carry out the desired chemical reactions and property transformations, including the creation of paper-templated metals and nanoparticles. The 1.13 liter combustion chamber includes a test stand for conducting the material synthesis experiments. A premixed fuel-air mixture is ignited at a desired equivalence ratio in order to produce the required synthesis conditions. In comparison to furnaces and ovens, this approach provides greater flexibility for materials synthesis procedures. Computational modeling using adaptive mesh refinement, alongside preliminary experimental testing results, confirms that the CVCC can provide the appropriate conditions to synthesize paper-templated metals. The approach demonstrates that the CVCC can be a viable alternative to a furnace for use in materials synthesis applications.
Design, simulation, and testing of a novel micro-channel heat exchanger for natural gas cooling in automotive applications
Authors: Deng Yibin , Menon Shyam , Lavrich Zoe , Wang Hailei , Hagen Christopher
Published: July 2018

Micro-channel heat exchangers offer potential for a highly compact solution in heat transfer applications that have space limitations. Mobile applications such as automotive vehicles are one such area. This work presents the design, modeling, simulation and testing of a two-region micro-channel heat exchanger, employing both engine coolant and R134a, for use in an engine that compresses natural gas for on-board refueling at pressures up to 250 bar. The novel design of the micro-channel heat exchanger is presented. Numerical simulations were performed using ANSYS Fluent utilizing extrapolation techniques to estimate the pressure drop as a function of flow rate and symmetry methods to investigate heat transfer. Pressure drop was determined experimentally, and heat transfer was investigated through system tests employing the novel engine. Experimental results showed good comparison with corresponding numerical simulations which demonstrated the validity of the applied extrapolation and symmetry methods, enabling considerable reduction in computational cost. The pressure drop, flow distribution, and heat transfer characteristics of the heat exchanger are discussed.
Designing Improved Teams for Crowdsourced Competitions
Authors: McComb Christopher , Maier Torsten
Published: July 2018

Teams are ubiquitous, woven into the fabric of engineering and design. Often, it is assumed that teams are better at solving problems than individuals working independently. Recent work in engineering, design, and psychology has indicated that teams may not be the problem-solving panacea that they were once thought to be. Crowdsourcing has seen increased interest in engineering design recently, and platforms often encourage teamwork between participants. This work undertakes an analysis of the performance of different team styles and sizes in crowdsourced competitions. This work demonstrates that groups of individuals working independently may outperform interacting teams on average, but that small interacting teams are more likely to win competitions. These results are discussed in the context of motivation for crowdsourcing participants.
Impossible by design? Fairness, strategy, and Arrow’s impossibility theorem
Authors: McComb Christopher , Cagan Jonathan , Goucher-Lambert Kosa
Published: July 2018

The design process often requires work by teams, rather than individuals. During team based design it is likely that situations will arise in which individual members of the team have different opinions, yet a group decision must still be made. Unfortunately, Arrow’s impossibility theorem indicates that there is no method for aggregating group preferences that will always satisfy a small number of ‘fair’ conditions. This work seeks to identify methods of combining individual preferences that can come close to satisfying Arrow’s conditions, enabling decisions that are fairer in practice. First, experiential conjoint analysis was used to obtain individual empirical utility functions for drinking mug designs. Each empirical utility function represented individual members who were part of a design team. Then, a number of functions for constructing group preference were analysed using both randomly generated preferences and empirical preferences derived from the experiential conjoint survey. The analysis involved checking each of Arrow’s conditions, as well as assessing the potential impact of strategic voting. Based on the results, methods that should be used to aggregate group preference within a design team in practice were identified and recommended.
A methodology for exploring, documenting, and improving humanitarian service learning in the university
Authors: Berg Devin R.
Published: July 2018

Through the use of service learning in higher education, universities hope to both provide real benefit to the partnering community and allow students to develop a greater understanding of course curriculum, their discipline, and their personal positioning within society. Through these educational activities, service learning seeks to engage students in critical thinking processes while simultaneously achieving a greater sense of civic and social responsibility through targeted participation in meaningful community service activities. However, in practice, service learning can take a variety of forms predicated on technical, cultural, societal, and political constraints. Thus, while some work shows positive effects on students' attitudes, social behaviour, and academic performance, less research has demonstrated long-term community impact. Nor has much research shown that participation in service learning has a long-term impact on students' ethical perspectives and frameworks, and whether those ethical frames carry on to their professional careers. Moreover, as institutions partner with such humanitarian service groups as Engineers Without Borders USA, we know considerably less about the institutional cultures and climates that are developed through such partnerships and how sustainable they are, given those inherent technical, political and cultural limitations. As a first step towards these goals, this paper proposes a methodology for investigating the impacts of service learning activities on both the students and communities involved.
Design of a Low-Cost Open-Source Underwater Glider
Authors: Williams Alexander
Published: July 2018

Typical buoyancy engine-based Underwater Gliders are highly-complex and cost-prohibitive, generally ranging in price-point from 50,000USD to 250,000USD. A low-cost, Open-Source Underwater Glider (OSUG) was thus developed as a low-cost data-collection and research tool. This glider, OSUG, is a sub-1000USD, 1.2m long, 12kg, and capable of 50-hours of continuous operation. Its efficiency, and use-case feasibility were evaluated. The buoyancy engine is constructed of medical grade syringes that pull in water from the environment to simplify the system and lower costs. Direction of locomotion is controlled by altering pitch and roll via changing the center-of-mass. The system was designed to be primarily three-dimensionally (3D) printed and fully-modular to limit cost and ensure reproducibility.
Relay Channel with Non-causal State Information at the Source and Relay
Authors: Ramachandran Viswanathan
Published: July 2018

A state-dependent discrete memoryless relay channel is considered, with non-causal side informationavailable at both the sender and the relay. The capacity of thisrelay model is an open problem. We improve upon the knownachievable regions for this setting, in addition to proving an outerbound. The key idea in the proof of achievable region is to employa modified decode-forward scheme. The characterization is thenextended to a relay broadcast setting, where an improved innerbound over existing schemes and an outer bound are exhibited.
Etech final paper
Authors: Pierce Nicolas A
Published: July 2018

Summary of what we did as a group for our project
A Novel 3D Ring-Based Flapper Valve for Soft Robotic Applications
Authors: Low Kelly , Berg Devin R. , Li Perry Y.
Published: July 2018

This paper describes the design and testing of a novel hydraulic control valve for use in the minimally invasive surgical robotic manipulator. The use of hydraulics for surgical robotics opens new possibilities for miniaturization and robustness. However, to enable this, there exists a need for hydraulic components which bridge the size gap between traditional fluidics and microfluidics. This paper provides motivation for the development of a miniature hydraulic valve designed specifically to enable a serpentine style hydraulic surgical manipulator. Included are a description of the various considerations relevant to the valve and its specific application, such as the method of manipulation for the valve, as well as a theoretical valve design and a mathematical description of the operating principles. Two possible methods of valve activation, piezoelectric and electromagnetic, are discussed along with two physical realizations of the valve design are presented which demonstrate the theoretical design. Finally, the results of experimental testing performed on valve prototypes is described to evaluate the design options and help inform the selection of the final configuration.
Pyrolytic kinetics of coconut shell waste using Ramped PyrOx
Authors: Ali Imtiaz , Bahaitham Haitham , Naebulharam Raed
Published: July 2018

Biomass pyrolysis is an efficient and economical conversion process. The kinetics of biomass conversion is still not fully understood mainly because this complex material is composed of numerous compounds with very different reactivities. In this work an inverse model is used to determine the nonparametric probability density function p(Ea) of activation energy (Ea) for coconut shell waste (CSW) pyrolysis via the Ramped PyrOx (RPO) method from the time-series and temperature-series mass conversion data. In this method, the degradation rates are described by inverting distributed activation energy model (DAEM). This method does not require p(Ea) to follow any particular parametric form furthermore the modelling results are independent of experimental conditions such as heating rates. The pyrolytic kinetics is modelled considering first-order degradation mechanism.
Mechatronics Workshop for Elementary School Outreach
Authors: Berg Devin R. , Donahue Meghan , Wigdahl Matthew , Collins Charis
Published: July 2018

In an attempt to engage a classroom of fifth-grade students in an engineering design experience, we took advantage of the prior experiences of a larger collaboration which demonstrated that these students gravitate towards projects which involve electronics while also providing an opportunity to help people. The field of assistive technology, which provides a means of achieving greater independence and standard of living through the integration of technology with the tasks of everyday life and work, served as a suitable application for the student's natural inclinations towards helping others. Supporting evidence was also found in the literature where it is argued that assistive technology is a field that provides a rich opportunity for students to engage with their peers, their community, and the world at large in a meaningful way. Further, the use of project-based design experiences has been shown to improve student engagement, use of divergent thinking, and teamwork skills.This paper reports on the outcomes of this workshop, constructed to introduce the students to the design process from an engineering context, mechatronics, and assistive technology. The workshop focused on design of a mechatronic device using an Arduino inventor kit. The workshop introduced fundamentals of connecting the Arduino to a laptop, wiring simple circuits, and coding in the C++ programming language. Students were also briefed on the background of the field of assistive technology and were presented with a design challenge which would require them to design and prototype an assistive technology device to improve the daily life for a particular client.
Aziznejad, S. and Esmaieli, K. 2015. Effects of joint intensity on rock fragmentation by impact, 11th International Symposium on Rock Fragmentation by Blasting, 24-26 August, Sydney, Australia
Authors: Esmaieli Kamran
Published: July 2018

Impact-induced rock fragmentation is a mechanism that is commonly used for rock breakage in drilling andcrushing. Additionally, rock fragmentation by blasting is frequently used in rock excavation operations.Experience shows that presence of discontinuities in rock can significantly influence the impact-induceddamage and fragmentation of rock. Quantification of the response of jointed rock masses to impact loads iscomplicated by the fact that the available laboratory tests are mainly designed for aggregates or intact rocks.It can be argued that neither of these tests adequately represent a jointed rock mass. This paper presentsthe results of a series of numerical simulations used to investigate the influence of pre-existingdiscontinuities on the impact-induced fragmentation of rock masses. The methodology includesdetermination of the static and dynamic mechanical properties of a rock unit by conducting a series oflaboratory tests on intact rock samples collected from a quarry in Canada. A 2D distinct element code,Particle Flow Code (PFC2D), was used to generate a bonded particle model in order to simulate both staticmechanical properties (Uniaxial Compressive Strength, Elastic Modulus, Poisson’s Ratio and indirect TensileStrength) and dynamic mechanical property (drop weight tensile strength) of the intact rock. The calibratednumerical model was then used to construct large-scale synthetic rock mass samples by incorporatingdiscontinuity networks of different intensity into the bonded particle model. Finally, the impact-inducedfragmentation inflicted by a rigid projectile particle on the jointed rock mass samples, simulated by asynthetic rock mass model, was determined. More fragmentation was observed for the rock mass sampleswith higher joint intensity.
Controlled three-dimensional polystyrene nano- and micro-structures fabricated by three-dimensional electrospinning
Authors: Vong Michel , Speirs Ewan , Klomkliang Chanakan , Akinwumi Ibukun , Nuansing Wiwat , Radacsi Norbert
Published: July 2018

The combination of electrospinning with 3D printing technology opens new pathways for nano- and microfabrication, which can be applied in a wide range of application. This simple and inexpensive method was proven to fabricate 3D fibrous polystyrene structures with controlled morphology and micro to nano-fibre diameter. The controllable movement of the nozzle allows precise positioning of the deposition area of the fibres during electrospinning. A programmed circular nozzle pattern results in the formation of 3D polystyrene cylinder shapes with fibre diameters down to 560 nm. The assembly of the fibrous structures starts instantaneously, and a 4 cm tall and 5 cm wide sample can be produced within a 10-minute electrospinning process. The product exhibits high stability at ambient conditions. The shape, size, and thickness of fibrous polystyrene structures can be easily controlled by tuning the process parameters. It is assumed that the build-up of 3D fibrous polystyrene structure strongly depends on charge induction and polarization of the electrospun fibres.
Design of an Optoelectronic State Machine with integrated BDD based Optical logic
Authors: Coggins Macauley
Published: July 2018

In this paper I demonstrate a novel design for an optoelectronic State Machine which replaces input/output forming logic found in conventional state machines with BDD based optical logic while still using solid state memory in the form of flip-flops in order to store states. This type of logic makes use of waveguides and ring resonators to create binary switches. These switches in turn can be used to create combinational logic which can be used as input/output forming logic for a state machine. Replacing conventional combinational logic with BDD based optical logic allows for a faster range of state machines that can certainly outperform conventional state machines as propagation delays within the logic described are in the order of picoseconds as opposed to nanoseconds in digital logic.
Autonomy: Science and Systems, TEAM-B, Final Project Report
Authors: Raman Adhiti , Guo Longxiang , Gelven Dylan , Powar Vishwas
Published: July 2018

The interest and need for autonomy in vehicles in growing. A larger number of automobile manufacturers are looking for people with a different set of skills than was traditionally expected from an Automotive engineer. Through the course of this project, we gained a basic introduction into what it takes to make an autonomous car and successfully built an autonomous mobile robot of our own.
Analysis of an approach for detecting arc positions during vacuum arc remelting based on magnetic flux density measurements
Authors: Soler Miguel , Niemeyer Kyle Evan
Published: July 2018

Vacuum arc remelting (VAR) is a melting process for the production of homogeneous ingots, achieved by applying a direct current to create electrical arcs between the input electrode and the resultant ingot. Arc behavior drives quality of the end product, but no methodology is currently used in VAR furnaces at large scale to track arcs in real time. An arc position sensing (APS) technology was recently developed as a methodology to predict arc locations using magnetic field values measured by sensors. This system couples finite element analysis of VAR furnace magnetostatics with direct magnetic field measurements to predict arc locations. However, the published APS approach did not consider the effect of various practical issues that could affect the magnetic field distribution and thus arc location predictions. In this paper, we studied how altering assumptions made in the finite element model affect arc location predictions. These include the vertical position of the sensor relative to the electrode-ingot gap, a varying electrode-ingot gap size, ingot shrinkage, and the use of multiple sensors rather than a single sensor. Among the parameters studied, only vertical distance between arc and sensor locations causes large sources of error, and should be considered further when applying an APS system. However, averaging the predicted locations from four evenly spaced sensors helps reduce this error to no more than 16 % for a sensor position varying from 0.508 m below and above the electrode-ingot gap height.
Final Report
Authors: Krumenauer Carl
Published: July 2018

Final Report for Impacts 100
Effect of hydrogen peroxide addition to methane fueled homogeneous charge compression ignition engines through numerical simulations
Authors: Hammond Zachary M. , Mack John Hunter , Dibble Robert W.
Published: July 2018

The effect of the direct injection of hydrogen peroxide into a port-injected methane fueled homogeneous charge compression ignition engine was investigated numerically. The injection of aqueous hydrogen peroxide was implemented as a means of combustion phasing control. A single cylinder homogeneous charge compression ignition engine (2.43 L Caterpillar) was modeled using the Cantera 2.0 flame code toolkit, the GRI-Mech 3.0 chemical reaction mechanism, and a single-zone slider-crank engine model. Start of injection timing and the amount of injected hydrogen peroxide were manipulated to achieve desired combustion phasing under a wide range of intake temperatures. As the concentration of hydrogen peroxide is increased, the combustion phasing is advanced up to 22 degrees for the conditions investigated in this study. This advancing effect is most pronounced at small concentrations (< 10 g H2O2 / kg CH4) and early injection timings (SOI < 25 degrees BTDC). The model suggests hydrogen peroxide can be introduced as a means of combustion phasing control while maintaining the low emissions and peak in-cylinder pressures inherent in homogeneous charge compression ignition engines.
Uniaxial and Biaxial Mechanical Properties of Porcine Linea Alba
Authors: Cooney Gerard , Moerman Kevin Mattheus
Published: July 2018

Trocar site hernia (or incisional hernia) is a severe complication postlaparoscopic surgery that is commonly associated with the linea alba.However, the few studies on the mechanical properties of the linea alba inthe literature appear contradictory, possible due to challenges with thephysical dimensions of samples and variations in protocol. This studyfocuses on the tensile mechanical characterisation of the porcine lineaalba, as determined by uniaxial and equi-load biaxial testing usingimage-based strain measurement methods. Results show that the linea albademonstrated a non-linear elastic, anisotropic behaviour which is oftenobserved in biological soft tissues. The transverse direction (parallel tofibres) was found to be approximately 8 times stiffer than the longitudinal(cross-fibre) direction under both uniaxial and equi-load biaxial loading.The equi-load biaxial tensile tests revealed that contraction could occurin the transverse direction despite increasing load, probably due to theanisotropy of the tissue. Optical surface marker tracking and digital imagecorrelation methods were found to greatly improve the accuracy of stretchmeasurement, resulting in a 75% change in the apparent stiffness comparedto using strain derived from machine cross-head displacement. Additionally,a finite element model of the experiments using a combination of an Ogdenand fibre exponential power law model for the linea alba was implemented toquantify the effect of clamping and tissue dimensions (which are suboptimalfor tensile testing) on the results. The preliminary model results wereused to apply a correction factor to the uniaxial experimental data priorto inverse optimisation to derive best fit material parameters for thefibre reinforced Ogden model. Application of the model to the equi-loadbiaxial case showed some differences compared to the experimental data,suggesting a more complex anisotropic model may be necessary to capturebiaxial behaviour. These results provide an improved assessment of themechanical properties of the porcine linea alba for wound closure and otherstudies.
The Influence of Mixedness on Ignition for Hydrogen Direct Injection in a Constant Volume Combustion Chamber
Authors: Shahsavan Martia , Morovatiyan Mohammadrasool , Mack John Hunter
Published: July 2018

The ignition behavior of the fuel in non-premixed turbulent combustion applications such as diesel engines and gas turbines is dependent on the mixing rate of the injected fuel and the working fluid. In this study, three-dimensional modeling of hydrogen injection into a constant volume combustion chamber (CVCC) is used to investigate the correlation between the mixing rate and important parameters of non-premixed combustion, such as ignition delay. Mixedness is quantified using mean spatial variation, which reflects the homogeneity of the mixture, and mean scalar dissipation, which represents the local gradients of the scalar. The case studies include nitrogen and argon as working fluids; injection velocities and nozzle diameters are varied for comparison. For consistency, the injected mass is kept constant and the injection duration is adjusted accordingly. The results indicate that a strong correlation exists between ignition delay and the defined mixedness parameters. The cases with higher mixedness values lead to a shorter ignition delay and a higher maximum flame temperature. Changing the working fluid and injection parameters can effectively modify the mixedness, and consequently affect the ignition onset and flame properties.
An efficient multiscale modeling framework for nonlinear analyses of composite structures
Authors: Pham DC
Published: July 2018

Traditional multiscale modeling methods of composite structures are based on the global-local approach whereby the global analysis of structures are first performed to determine potential damage regions, followed by local analyses at those regions to identify detailed damage patterns and failure modes. Such an approach does not take into account the localized effects of critical regions on the global analysis and may become less accurate in general. To address better the behavior of local regions on multiscale analyses, homogenization-based multiscale methods are applied. For each load increment, the global problem is solved simultaneously with one Representative Volume Element (RVE) equilibrium problem for each Gauss point of the global mesh. This approach is successful to capture the local behavior at each material point; however, it is computationally expensive since the RVE is called at all the Gauss points in the global model for each load increment. We develop an efficient multiscale modeling method whereby the RVE analyses are only called at specialized locations by multiscale elements and run parallel with the global analysis. The constitutive models of multiscale elements are defined in a user-defined element subroutine (UEL) where stiffnesses of the multiscale elements are unknown at the beginning of the analysis. They can only be obtained by performing a series of RVE analyses for each set of loads received from the global analysis. The advantage of the proposed method is that the stiffnesses of the multiscale elements are directly computed from the RVE analyses and keep updated for each global load increment. The nested multiscale modeling is implemented by Python script and highly capable for nonlinear analysis of composite structures.
An Adaptive Genetic Algorithm for Solving N-Queens Problem
Authors: Nag Sayan , Sarkar Uddalok
Published: July 2018

In this paper a Meta-heuristic approach for solving the N-Queens Problem is introduced to find the best possible solution in a reasonable amount of time. Genetic Algorithm is used with a novel fitness function as the Meta-heuristic. The aim of N-Queens Problem is to place N queens on an N x N chessboard, in a way so that no queen is in conflict with the others. Chromosome representation and genetic operations like Mutation and Crossover are described in detail. Results show that this approach yields promising and satisfactory results in less time compared to that obtained from the previous approaches for several large values of N.