One of two project reports. The other is designated PART A: McMASTER (ON-CAMPUS) PROJECT / <p> It is well known that heart rate is an important physiological parameter. In some cases, continuous monitoring of active subjects is desireable. </p> <p> The report focuses on the feasibility of a miniaturized, portable heart rate monitor. Good artifact rejections, low power consumption small size and ease of use are of primary importance in such design. In order to keep size as low as possible a single cell (1 .5 V) supply voltage is used. </p> <p> A LED - phototransistor type of transducer was chosen for its good artifact rejection and simplicity of application. The transducer clips on the subject's earlobe. Light transmitted through the earlobe is amplitude modulated by the heart (blood) pulses and detected by the phototransistor thus providing electrical signal. </p> <p> In order to keep current drain low, the LED was powered by ~ 1% duty cycle pulses. The rest of the system was designed to comply with the requirements of the transducer. The detected train of pulses were preamplified and the original modulating waveform (heart pulse) reconstructed by a "sample and hold" circuit. The reconstructed signal was amplified by a narrow-band-pass amplifier filter. </p> <p> An astable and two monostable multivibrators perform the necessary timing. Two integrated circuits were also employed: a voltage regulator, to provide stable reference voltages where needed and the output amplifier filter, providing the bulk of the gain. </p> <p> A working prototype was built and suggests that a personalized heart rate monitor is quite feasible. The whole circuit can be integrated, with the exception of few capacitors and perhaps some trimming potentiometers. </p> / Thesis / Master of Engineering (MEngr)

No description available.

Advances in simulation methodology, and the computer support systems to implement these methodologies, have led to the development of integrated simulation support environments. These environments, or collection of software tools, seek to aid the analyst in developing models, data management and analysis, and data presentation. While an integrated simulation environment provides a more organized structure for managing and performing simulation projects, and provides a database management structure for storing, manipulating, and analyzing data, they do not address the actual process of going out and obtaining the data. As a result, many of the common problems associated with poor problem and system definition, and low quality model input data, may still occur. To solve this problem, this study examines the concept of development a "support-support" system; a portable microcomputer with software tools designed to support collection of the data, both subjective and objective, required in a simulation study. This data can then be ported into the integrated support system for analysis and model development. In developing this concept, the simulation process is better defined using structured analysis diagrams. Based on this analysis the functions that a support-support system could best accomplish are identified and a conceptual specification developed. An implementation strategy is proposed which is based on the use of readily available software tools, such as BASIC. To demonstrate how this strategy can be implemented, a BASICA program was developed to support model input data collection. Using a graphic display to define input data requirements and single key inputs, this program should maximize the time an analyst can spend observing the system and minimize the time he/she has to spend entering data.

The ability to use scientific or engineering advances (new technologies) to meet market needs has become a primary business success factor. New technology is also a major factor influencing growth and productivity within a firm. However, the forces that lead to technological innovation are not always from inside the firm. Often a company receives technology (technology push) from outside sources. However, the transfer process is not always smooth. Public sector research represents an important source of technology. In the major Western industrialized countries, government and university research organizations account for over 40 percent of the national research and development (R&D) expenditures. However, many technology transfer efforts between public (federal government) and private sectors have been disappointing. Like all businesses, government organizations buy, sell, provide, and deliver ideas, services, and goods. Government organizations today face limited funding and personnel, but they must grapple with growing needs for their services. Public organizations often find it necessary to seek help from other organizations and individuals to achieve their objectives. In the case of diffusion of government-sponsored innovations, it is challenging to find parties who can facilitate them, and once the parties are identified, elicit the necessary assistance from them. Numerous research efforts have been conducted on technology transfer efforts between government-sponsored innovation and private sectors. However, when researchers attempt to gain an understanding of the efforts, they primarily look for end results and tend to neglect the information flow and communication process which lead to positive results. The Wood in Transportation Program (WIT), USDA Forest Service, has exerted considerable effort in transferring timber bridge technology to private industry. However, much of this effort has focused upon permanent bridge structures for highway or pedestrian use. Little research has been conducted on how to facilitate technology transfer via an information flow system to the target users. Another potentially large market may exist for portable timber bridges for use in forestry and logging operations. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the information flow through the entire logging system and identify intermediaries who can help the WIT Program, USDA Forest Service facilitate technology transfer. This study utilized a unique backward trace method to gain an understanding of how innovations are diffused. The research consisted of the following steps to attain the final goal of developing strategies to successfully diffuse portable timber bridge technology from public research sectors to private sectors. First, the research evaluated how the final users (loggers) receive information, why they prefer certain channel(s) over others, and how they make decisions to use or not use technology from developers (WIT). Second, intermediaries in the technology transfer process were identified by loggers and they were evaluated on how they receive information from technology developers; how they evaluate the information; how they currently promote and diffuse ideas or innovations. Finally, technology developers were evaluated on how they currently promote and diffuse ideas or innovations. Upon analysis of the network of information flow, a strategic marketing plan for successful transfer of portable timber bridge technology was developed. / Ph. D.

Knowledge of geotechnical soil properties in the upper meter of the seabed is important for challenges such as scour around submerged structures, management of unexploded ordnances, and generally issues associated with active sediment transport and deposition. Portable free fall penetrometers have been previously used to provide initial information on sediment type, strength, and stratification, but challenges with the calibration of empirical parameters such as the cone factor and strain rate factor hampered the derivation of geotechnical design parameters such as undrained shear strength. This challenge applies particularly in areas of more rare seabed soil conditions such as very soft estuarine sediments. This study aims to advance the analysis procedure of portable free fall penetrometers (PFFP) in soft subaquatic fine-grained soils with natural water contents greater than the liquid limit by estimating the undrained shear strength (su). The logarithmic and power law methods for strain rate correction were investigated at sites in the York River Estuary and yielded a match to vane shear results at a logarithmic multiplier of k=0.1-0.3 and a power law rate exponent of β=0.01-0.03, indicating minimal strain rate effects. Resulting representative cone factors based on sediment strength and profile groupings ranged from 7 to 12 for logarithmic, power law, and no strain correction, and were tested at sites in the Potomac River with similar sediment properties. The PFFP su compared well with mini-vane shear measurements with differences of less than ± 0.5 kPa. Additionally, the PFFP su showed inappreciable differences in strength with or without strain rate application. Therefore, these high water content soils that exhibit little strain rate effects within a soil behavior context, can be better understood through rheological studies. Rheological studies were conducted, and the storage and loss modulus were observed to remain constant when the soil is tested over a range of frequencies. This indicates that the sediment strength is not affected by the rate of soil testing. The outcome of this study is the advanced the use of the PFFP by quantifying the strain rate effects and defining the applicable cone factors for use in estimating the undrained shear strength of soft estuarine marine soils. Furthermore, the understanding of soil behavior of these soils has been explored from rheological context. / Master of Science / Presence of unexploded munitions (UXO) in waterways and coastal environments poses a danger to the populace. UXOs located proud on the seabed can be moved by hydrodynamic forces such as waves and currents to habited areas. This has prompted the need to understand how UXOs interact with the seabed regarding erosion, burial, as well as sinking. Current methods used to detect munitions can lack accuracy from unknown seabed soil conditions. Portable free fall penetrometers (PFFP) are rapid and economical tools that are used to obtain soil information in the seabed. However, the interpretation of the penetrometer data needs to be advanced to get more accurate results of soil strength. In this research, physical soil samples were retrieved and tested in the laboratory. The laboratory results were used to calibrate the PFFP to improve the estimation of soil strength from PFFP. The estuarine soil tested exhibited high water contents raising the question of whether to describe its behavior rather as soil or suspension. Further tests were carried out to study how this soil deforms and flows when a load is applied. The results from this research enable the measuring of strength of the seabed more accurately and improves the understanding of very soft estuarine soil behavior.

In the literature, much has been reported about skill shortages in the labor market and many solutions have been suggested but most of them do not appear to work well for developing countries. This study investigated the place of portable technical skills as an option for addressing skill shortages, particularly in developing countries. The objective of the study was to determine whether different occupations have portable technical skills, which graduates of workforce development programs can carry with them as they transfer from one occupation to another. Although in the literature the importance of portable skills has been recognized, research has tended to focus on the portability of soft skills such as communication and problem-solving. This study is unique in that in addition to soft skills, it explores the existence and usefulness of portable technical skills such as maintenance of equipment and use of hand tools. The study methodology comprised analysis of documents followed by focus group discussions with instructors and employers. The researcher examined competency lists drawn from three different occupational clusters, taking three occupations in each cluster. Analysis of correlation between pairs of occupations in each cluster revealed the existence of portable technical skills within occupational clusters. For example, within the Mechanical Engineering cluster, there were 504 technical skills that Fitting and Machining had in common. Furthermore, the study discovered 152 technical skills that were portable across all the occupations in the sample. According to an instructors' focus group, one of the pedagogical implications of the findings of this study was that training institutions could promote inter-disciplinary collaboration through joint preparation of syllabi and team-teaching. An employers' focus group confirmed that portable technical skills have long been used effectively and efficiently in the Informal Micro-Enterprise sector and training providers should, therefore, promote the teaching of portable technical skills with special emphases on entrepreneurship development to make students more flexible in their career development. In addition to policy recommendations for the promotion of portable technical skills, the study recommends that further studies should be done to determine the full extent of portable technical skills across a wider range of occupations. / Ph. D.

This thesis completes the process of making architecture. It is a small project designed and built full scale. The act of realizing this work of architecture offered opportunities and limitations that do not exist within the confines of a desk project but, I believe, ultimately produced a stronger project. This is a piece of micro-architecture. In order to create a project that is realizable for a thesis, I chose a small program: to design an exhibition structure that could be used outdoors to display and sell handmade items such as pottery. Since the use is temporary, the structure is designed to be portable, thus the assembly and disassembly of the building becomes a significant influence on the design. Beyond budget, weight and volume of the collapsed structure were significant design constraints. This thesis is not just an exploration of tectonics. A great deal of effort was spent to ensure that the inside of the structure is still perceived as an outside space even though it provides protection from the weather and the activities of the street. A membrane keeps the water out while letting the light in; it blocks vision while transmitting shadow, and, while screening large areas from view, it reveals glimpses of people, activities, and the sky beyond. The lightweight aluminum structural frame visually disappears. The fabric roof and side panels provide the main visual mass for the building and they are perceived mainly through the quality of light that they transmit and reflect. One looks at a structure but sees only its ephemerality. / Master of Architecture

The gig economy has rapidly become something of a phenomenon in the digital economy today. New firms are quickly being added to this digital market ecosphere and the business model has garnered the attention of the business and investor communities as a new organizational alternative to standard hierarchies. However this new business model also poses substantial problems for its workers, who as independent contractors are not afforded the benefits or rights of the welfare state that are granted to employees. As the gig economy continues to achieve financial success and holds a more prominent place in our labor force, the precarious state of gig labor is becoming an increasingly political problem. This thesis explores the present state of labor in the gig economy by situating it within the context of welfare state scholarship. I examine how the inner mechanics of the gig economy operate, as well as examine the structures of the American welfare state that create this dualist divide between contractors and employees. I argue that welfare state scholarship demonstrates a path by which gig laborers and gig firms can form cross class alliances that can help develop new welfare state policies to improve gig worker conditions and be supported by gig firms themselves. / Master of Arts / The gig economy has rapidly become something of a phenomenon in the digital economy today. New firms are quickly being added to this digital market ecosphere and the business model has garnered the attention of the business and investor communities as a new organizational alternative to standard hierarchies. However this new business model also poses substantial problems for its workers, who as independent contractors are not afforded the benefits or rights of the welfare state that are granted to employees. As the gig economy continues to achieve financial success and holds a more prominent place in our labor force, the precarious state of gig labor is becoming an increasingly political problem. This thesis explores the present state of labor in the gig economy by situating it within the context of welfare state scholarship. I examine how the inner mechanics of the gig economy operate, as well as examine the structures of the American welfare state that create this dualist divide between contractors and employees. I argue that welfare state scholarship demonstrates a path by which gig laborers and gig firms can form cross class alliances that can help develop new welfare state policies to improve gig worker conditions and be supported by gig firms themselves.

Vehicle modeling and simulation have fast become the easiest and cheapest method for vehicle testing. No longer do multiple, intensive, physical tests need be performed to analyze the performance parameters that one wishes to validate. One component of the vehicle simulation that is crucial to the correctness of the result is the tire. Simulations that are run by a computer can be run many times faster than a real test could be performed, so the cost and complexity of the testing is reduced. A computer simulation is also less likely to have human errors introduced with the caveat that the data input into the model and simulation is accurate, or as accurate as one would like their results to be. Simulation can lead to real tests, or back up tests already performed. The repeatability of testing is a non-issue as well. Tire models are the groundwork for vehicle simulations and accurate results cannot be conceived without an accurate model. The reason is that all of the forces transmitted to and from the vehicle to the ground must occur at the tire contact patches. This presents the problem of obtaining a tire model. Tire companies do not readily give out tire data since the tire industry is still as much "black art" as it is science. For tire data one must begin with a testing apparatus. The test rig must be accurate and must have been validated before results can be used. This thesis presents the process of the design and construction of a portable tire test rig. It then will discuss tire testing procedures and validation techniques. The resulting data shows good correlation between test data and known tire test data from flat track testing provided by a tire manufacturer. Then, a simple rollover study of a military truck will be compiled in TruckSim. Lastly, a control method for the rollover case will be designed and implemented. The results of the roll control simulation are positive. The study shows an increase in dynamic roll stability due to the implementation of the control algorithm. / Master of Science

As embedded systems continue to evolve and the number of applications they support continues to increase, so does the diversity of the hardware they employ. As a result, the Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), which have become fundamental elements in their design, have advanced in size and complexity as well. Because of this, it is now impossible to ignore the security implications that accompany such a progression. It is then not only important to prevent malicious attacks targeted at FPGAs from extracting the intellectual property contained in their configuration, but to now extend the research in this field by providing a cross-platform solution capable of securing the integrity of FPGA configurations at run-time. Today, there exist myriad attack strategies employed against FPGAs, the majority of which are seen in the form of semi-invasive attacks. These attacks manipulate the configuration of an FPGA and typically modify the state of the transistors that make up said configuration. This thesis introduces a multi-platform method for checking the integrity of an FPGA's configuration. The details of the system's design and implementation are discussed in addition to the analysis of the design trade-offs met when employing the system across multiple FPGA families. The system is implemented entirely in hardware and resides on-chip, providing an FPGA the ability to act as private entity capable of successfully detecting when it has been maliciously attacked. / Master of Science