Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of Electronic Testing Devices That Detect Peripheral Neuropathies, Peter Svendsen

Master's Theses and Capstones

There are a number of different testing devices to detect carpal tunnel syndrome and other peripheral neuropathies. Electronic tests known as nerve conduction studies assess the health of a nerve by measuring the amplitude and velocity of action potentials traveling along that nerve. The action potentials are generated by stimulating the nerve with a high voltage. The shape, duration and amplitude of the high voltage stimulus are all carefully selected in order to make the stimulus both safe and effective. Nerve conduction studies are generally considered reliable and accurate. However, they are very complex and expensive.

Over the course of …

Securing Fpga Systems With Moving Target Defense Mechanisms, Zhiming Zhang

Master's Theses and Capstones

Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) enter a rapid growth era due to their attractive flexibility and CMOS-compatible fabrication process. However, the increasing popularity and usage of FPGAs bring in some security concerns, such as intellectual property privacy, malicious stealthy design modification, and leak of confidential information. To address the security threats on FPGA systems, majority of existing efforts focus on counteracting the reverse engineering attacks on the downloaded FPGA configuration file or the retrieval of authentication code or crypto key stored on the FPGA memory. In this thesis, we extensively investigate new potential attacks originated from the untrusted computer-aided design …

Broadband Matching For Circuits With Resistive Terminations, Michael Klempa

Master's Theses and Capstones

The work presented here explores the broadband matching characteristics for repre-sentative circuits with resistive terminations for frequencies up to 40 GHz, the typical band of interest for 100 Gigabit Ethernet (100GbE) applications. A simple test circuit comprised of high-frequency connectors, microstrip transmission lines and resistive terminations was de-signed and fabricated to better understand the mechanisms affecting broadband matching.

High fidelity measurements were performed using both a vector network analyzer (VNA) and a time-domain reflectometer (TDR). The data provided by these two devices were used to isolate the broadband behavior of the individual circuit components through the time-gating process, and that …

Statistical Properties And Applications Of Empirical Mode Decomposition, Mahdi Hameed Al-Badrawi

Doctoral Dissertations

Signal analysis is key to extracting information buried in noise. The decomposition of signal is a data analysis tool for determining the underlying physical components of a processed data set. However, conventional signal decomposition approaches such as wavelet analysis, Wagner-Ville, and various short-time Fourier spectrograms are inadequate to process real world signals. Moreover, most of the given techniques require \emph{a prior} knowledge of the processed signal, to select the proper decomposition basis, which makes them improper for a wide range of practical applications. Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) is a non-parametric and adaptive basis driver that is capable of breaking-down non-linear, …

Transparent Phased Patch Antenna Array For Beamsteering Applications, Cyle Ziegler

Master's Theses and Capstones

The ever expanding demand for wireless communications faces many challenges. As the necessity for wireless communications increases, inevitably, the impact wireless communications systems have on their environment will also increase. This is important because the environmental impact a communications system has may limit the locations in which that system can be deployed. For this reason, there is a demand for unobtrusive hardware in order to grow the wireless communications infrastructure. Furthermore, performance limiting factors associated with wireless communications can be mitigated by implementing steerable antennas, making a less obtrusive steerable antenna desired. The contribution of this work is the demonstration …

Selective Detection Of Multi-Analyte Neurotransmitters Using Molecularly Imprinted Polymers, Bo Si

Master's Theses and Capstones

Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers produced in the brain that plays an important role in human’s physical, psychological and emotional conditions. The balance of neurotransmitters can affect the brain function, mood, pain response and exercise performances. In particular, dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE), and epinephrine (EP) are three well-known neurotransmitters that control various functions in the nervous system. Therefore, the detection of DA, NE and EP is extremely important for many instances of mental disease treatment and diagnosis. One of the most promising sensing techniques for neurotransmitter monitoring is the electrochemical detection method because of its high sensitivity, relatively low-cost and ease …

A Noise Estimation Scheme For Blind Spectrum Sensing Using Emd, Amr Nasr

Master's Theses and Capstones

The scarcity of spectral resources in wireless communications, due to a fixed frequency allocation policy, is a strong limitation to the increasing demand for higher data rates. One solution is to use underutilized spectrum. Cognitive Radio (CR) technologies identify transmission opportunities in unused channels and avoid interfering with primary users. The key enabling technology is the Spectrum Sensing (SS). Different SS techniques exist, but techniques that do not require knowledge of the signals (non-coherent) are preferred. Noise estimation plays an essential role in enhancing the performance of non-coherent spectrum sensors such as energy detectors. In this thesis, we present an …

Coordination Of Leader-Follower Multi-Agent System With Time-Varying Objective Function, Zalan Mark Fabian

Master's Theses and Capstones

This thesis aims to introduce a new framework for the distributed control of multi-agent systems with adjustable swarm control objectives. Our goal is twofold: 1) to provide an overview to how time-varying objectives in the control of autonomous systems may be applied to the distributed control of multi-agent systems with variable autonomy level, and 2) to introduce a framework to incorporate the proposed concept to fundamental swarm behaviors such as aggregation and leader tracking. Leader-follower multi-agent systems are considered in this study, and a general form of time-dependent artificial potential function is proposed to describe the varying objectives of the …

Investigation Of Magnitude And Phase Errors In Waveguide Samples For The Nicolson-Ross-Weir Permittivity Technique, Paul Galvin

Master's Theses and Capstones

The Nicolson-Ross-Weir (NRW) technique is a commonly-used method for measuring the electromagnetic properties of low-loss materials. The technique entails placing the material under test in a waveguide, and then inferring the electromagnetic properties of that material from the reflection and transmission coefficients measured at the ends of the guide.

While NRW technique generally provides reliable and accurate results, there are conditions where errors can arise. Some of the known errors are attributed to sample preparation, although errors have been observed even with perfectly-prepared samples. Those errors generally result in an overestimation of loss and unrealistic values for permeability, and they …

A Biological Based Model Of The Human Visual System Incorporating Lateral Subtractive Inhibition With Non-Uniform Sampling And Multiple Spatial Frequency Filters, Nisreen Hanoon Radhi

Master's Theses and Capstones

The human visual system has been an interesting topic of scientific research for decades. It is known that the cone photo-receptors are arrayed in a non-linear fashion and that a lateral subtractive inhibitory process is occurring in the visual pathway. This thesis outlines for the first time how lateral subtractive inhibition manifests itself in the context of a non-uniform sensor distribution where the distance between cone photo-receptors, and size of the receptors, are varying in a log manner when moving radially away from the foveal area. Range limits on the parameters that control the non-uniform sampling and coupling coefficients are …

Assessing And Improving The Reliability And Security Of Circuits Affected By Natural And Intentional Faults, Hoda Pahlevanzadeh

Doctoral Dissertations

The reliability and security vulnerability of modern electronic systems have emerged as concerns due to the increasing natural and intentional interferences. Radiation of high-energy charged particles generated from space environment or packaging materials on the substrate of integrated circuits results in natural faults. As the technology scales down, factors such as critical charge, voltage supply, and frequency change tremendously that increase the sensitivity of integrated circuits to natural faults even for systems operating at sea level. An attacker is able to simulate the impact of natural faults and compromise the circuit or cause denial of service. Therefore, instead of utilizing …

Stabilization Of Compressor Surge Using Gain-Scheduled Controller, Zaid A. Alsayouri

Master's Theses and Capstones

Gain scheduling is a control method that is used in nonlinear systems to optimize their controlled performance and robustness over a wide range of operating conditions. It is one of the most commonly used controller design approaches for nonlinear systems. In this control technique, the controller consists of a collection of linear controllers, each of which provides satisfactory closed-loop stability and performance for a small operating region, and combined they guarantee the stability of the system along the entire operating range. The operating region of the system is determined by a scheduling signal, also known as the scheduling variable, which …

An Automated Image Processing And Classification Scheme For Identifying Cancerous Soft-Shell Clam Hemocytes In Unstained Bright-Field Photomicrographs, William Duane Nitsch

Master's Theses and Capstones

Disseminated neoplasia is a type of cancer that is prevalent in marine bivalves. A group of biologists at the University of New Hampshire are frequently tasked with estimating the proliferation of this cancer in soft-shell clam hemocytes using unstained samples and a bright-field microscope without the use of any real means of quantization. Instead, their measurement is a purely visual analysis of confluency where varying individual experience amongst researchers, no usage of stains, cell clustering and the general nature of the microscopy environment make it exceedingly difficult to perform this task with consistent accuracy. This thesis details the application of …

Hardware Attack Detection And Prevention For Chip Security, Jaya Dofe

Master's Theses and Capstones

Hardware security is a serious emerging concern in chip designs and applications. Due to the globalization of the semiconductor design and fabrication process, integrated circuits (ICs, a.k.a. chips) are becoming increasingly vulnerable to passive and active hardware attacks. Passive attacks on chips result in secret information leaking while active attacks cause IC malfunction and catastrophic system failures. This thesis focuses on detection and prevention methods against active attacks, in particular, hardware Trojan (HT). Existing HT detection methods have limited capability to detect small-scale HTs and are further challenged by the increased process variation. We propose to use differential Cascade Voltage …

An Assessment Of Path Loss Tools And Practical Testing Of Television White Space Frequencies For Rural Broadband Deployments, Braden Scott Blanchette

Master's Theses and Capstones

Broadband internet has grown to become a major part of our daily routines. With this growth increase, those without direct access will not be afforded the same opportunities that come with it. The need for ubiquitous coverage of broadband Internet is clear to provide everyone these opportunities. Rural environments are an area of concern of falling behind the growth as the low population densities make wired broadband solutions cost prohibitive. Wireless options are often the only option for many of these areas; WiFi, cellular, and WiMAX networks are currently used around the world, but with the opening of the unused …

A Coplanar Edge-Fed Optically-Transparent Microstrip Patch Antenna Operating In The 5-6 Ghz Frequency Spectrum, Eric Escobar

Master's Theses and Capstones

As wireless communications infiltrates our daily lives, there is a growing need for unobtrusive antennas. Utilizing optically transparent and electrically conductive material for antenna fabrication satisfies this demand. Optically transparent antennas have infiltrated applications in wireless communications where it is desired to reduce an antenna's visual or spatial impact. Their use in automotive applications preserves car aesthetics, while their integration onto solar cells of small satellites reduces size and thus weight. This work presents the development of a coplanar edge-fed optically transparent microstrip patch antenna, composed of highly conductive thin mesh wires designed to operate in the 5 to 6 …

Mitigation Of Hardware Trojan Attacks On Networks-On-Chip, Jonathan Frey

Master's Theses and Capstones

The Integrated Circuit (IC) design flow follows a global business model. A global business means that the processes in the IC design flow could be outsourced, and consequently security threats have been introduced. Security threats on hardware include side channel analysis, reverse engineering, information leakage, counterfeit chips, and hardware Trojans (HTs).This work mainly focuses on HT attacks, which execute a malicious operation on the system when a trigger condition is met. Networks-on-Chip (NoCs) are a popular communications infrastructure for many-core systems, which have proved to be a more scalable option over the traditional bus interface. However, the high scalability and …

An Iot Based Service System As A Research And Education Platform, Thomas Peter Kimsey

Master's Theses and Capstones

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a rapidly expanding space for researchers, students, and professionals. Development of IoT applications is hindered by the lack of available design tools, methodologies, and interoperability. The creation of a standards-based, open source hardware and software platform paired with full documentation and educational materials greatly aids in the accelerated development of IoT applications. This thesis provides a complete example of such a platform and provides a fertile ground for Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) educational opportunities.

Investigating The Effects Of Single-Event Upsets In Static And Dynamic Registers, Patrick Nsengiyumva

Master's Theses and Capstones

Radiation-induced single-event upsets (SEUs) pose a serious threat to the reliability of registers. The existing SEU analyses for static CMOS registers focus on the circuit-level impact and may underestimate the pertinent SEU information provided through node analysis. This thesis proposes SEU node analysis to evaluate the sensitivity of static registers and apply the obtained node information to improve the robustness of the register through selective node hardening (SNH) technique. Unlike previous hardening techniques such as the Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) and the Dual Interlocked Cell (DICE) latch, the SNH method does not introduce larger area overhead. Moreover, this thesis also …

Network Interface Design For Network-On-Chip, Jiawei Zhong

Master's Theses and Capstones

In the culture of globalized integrated circuit (IC, a.k.a chip) production, the use of Intellectual Property (IP) cores, computer aided design tools (CAD) and testing services from un-trusted vendors are prevalent to reduce the time to market. Unfortunately, the globalized business model potentially creates opportunities for hardware tampering and modification from adversary, and this tampering is known as hardware Trojan (HT). Network-on-chip (NoC) has emerged as an efficient on-chip communication infrastructure. In this work, the security aspects of NoC network interface (NI), one of the most critical components in NoC will be investigated and presented. Particularly, the NI design, hardware …