Engineering Commons^™

Normalization Of Unconstrained Handwritten Words In Terms Of Slope And Slant Correction, Suman Kumar Bera, Akash Chakrabarti, Sagnik Lahiri, Elisa H. Barney Smith, Ram Sarkar

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In offline handwritten text slope (or skew) and slant are inevitably introduced, but to varying degrees depending on several factors, such as the writing style, speed and mood of the writers. Therefore slope and slant detection in offline handwritten text and their subsequent correction have become the critical preprocessing steps for document analysis and retrieval systems to neutralize the variability of writing styles and to improve the performance of word and character recognition systems. In this paper, we present new methods that use two novel core-region detection techniques to estimate both the slope and slant angles of offline handwritten word …

Demand-Side Load Management Using Single-Phase Residential Static Var Compensators, Muhammad Kamran Latif

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Distribution systems are going through a structural transformation from being radially-operated simple systems to becoming more complex networks to operate in the presence of the distributed energy resources (DERs) with significant levels of penetration. It is predicted that the share of electricity generation from DERs will keep increasing as the world is moving away from the power generation involving carbon-emission and towards cleaner energy sources such as solar, wind, and biofuels. However, the unstable behavior of the renewables resources presents challenges to the already existing distribution systems. One such problem is when the distribution feeder experience variable power supply due …

Kinetics Of Silver Photodiffusion Into Amorphous S-Rich Germanium Sulphide – Neutron And Optical Reflectivity, Yoshifumi Sakaguchi, Hidehito Asaoka, Maria Mitkova

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Silver photodiffusion is one of the attractive photo-induced changes observed in amorphous chalcogenides. In this research, we focus on amorphous S-rich germanium sulphide and study the kinetics of the silver photodiffusion by neutron reflectivity, as well as optical reflectivity. It was found from the neutron reflectivity profiles with 30 s time resolution that silver dissolved into the germanium sulphide layer, forming a metastable reaction layer between the Ag and the germanium sulphide layers, within 2 min of light exposure. Subsequently, silver slowly diffused from the metastable reaction layer to the germanium sulphide host layer until the Ag concentration in both …

Comparison Of The Electrical Response Of Cu And Ag Ion-Conducting Sdc Memristors Over The Temperature Range 6 K To 300 K, Kolton Drake, Tonglin Lu, Md. Kamrul H. Majumdar, Kristy A. Campbell

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Electrical performance of self-directed channel (SDC) ion-conducting memristors which use Ag and Cu as the mobile ion source are compared over the temperature range of 6 K to 300 K. The Cu-based SDC memristors operate at temperatures as low as 6 K, whereas Ag-based SDC memristors are damaged if operated below 125 K. It is also observed that Cu reversibly diffuses into the active Ge₂Se₃ layer during normal device shelf-life, thus changing the state of a Cu-based memristor over time. This was not observed for the Ag-based SDC devices. The response of each device type to sinusoidal …

Simulation Of A Time-Varying Distributed Cathode In A Linear Format Crossed-Field Amplifier, Marcus Pearlman, Jim Browning

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The effects of a temporally modulated, distributed cathode in a linear format crossed-field amplifier (CFA) are simulated in VSim and analyzed. A linear format, 150 MHz, low power (100 W), moderate gain (7 dB), meander line CFA is used as the basis for the simulation model. This paper describes simulations with different time-varying distributed cathodes in which electron injection is modulated at the RF frequency both in and out of phase with the RF input. At low RF input power the modulated electron injection dominates the operation. Injecting in phase with the RF input shows gain increases from 23 dB …

Reinforcement Learning For Self Organization And Power Control Of Two-Tier Heterogeneous Networks, Roohollah Amiri, Mojtaba Ahmadi Almasi, Jeffrey G. Andrews, Hani Mehrpouyan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Self-organizing networks (SONs) can help manage the severe interference in dense heterogeneous networks (HetNets). Given their need to automatically configure power and other settings, machine learning is a promising tool for data-driven decision making in SONs. In this paper, a HetNet is modeled as a dense two-tier network with conventional macrocells overlaid with denser small cells (e.g. femto or pico cells). First, a distributed framework based on multi-agent Markov decision process is proposed that models the power optimization problem in the network. Second, we present a systematic approach for designing a reward function based on the optimization problem. Third, we …

Design Optimization, Analysis, And Control Of Walking Robots, Wankun Sirichotiyakul

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Passive dynamic walking refers to the dynamical behavior of mechanical devices that are able to naturally walk down a shallow slope in a stable manner, without using actuation or sensing of any kind. Such devices can attain motions that are remarkably human-like by purely exploiting their natural dynamics. This suggests that passive dynamic walking machines can be used to model and study human locomotion; however, there are two major limitations: they can be difficult to design, and they cannot walk on level ground or uphill without some kind of actuation.

This thesis presents a mechanism design optimization framework that allows …

Swarm Behavior To Mitigate Rebound In Air Conditioning Demand Response Events, Jason Yasuto Kuwada

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Thermostatically Controlled Loads (TCLs) have shown great potential for Demand Response (DR) events. However, it has been commonly seen that DR events using TCLs may cause demand rebound, especially in homogeneous populations. To further explore the potential for DR events, as well as the negative effects, a stability and resilience analysis were performed on multiple populations and verified with agent based modeling simulations.

At the core of this study is an added thermostat criterion created from the combination of a proportional gain and the average compressor operating state of neighboring TCLs. Where DR events in TCLs are commonly controlled by …

Teaching The Hardware Implementation Of Cybesecurity Encryption Algorithms On Fpga Using Hands-On Projects, Nader Rafla, H. Shelton Jacinto, Luka Daoud

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cybersecurity is an important concept in today’s age of information and is of major interest to keep information secure, helping to protect sensitive information in the presence of untrusted third-parties. This has presented the need for an implemented hardware variant of secure algorithms with small footprint to help add protection while reducing processing time/overhead on a standard processor.

In this work we present two hands-on projects that are designed specifically to teach these two concepts using project-based learning techniques in an innovative cooperative learning environment. The learning environment served to combine both student-peer learning and jigsaw strategies.

The technical contents …

Easing Students’ Transitions To University Via A Summer Bridge And Outdoor Experience Program, Noah Salzman, Ann Delaney, Catherine Rose Bates, Donna C. Llewellyn

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this Complete Evidence-based Practice paper, we describe the development and evolution of a combined academic summer bridge program and outdoors experience program designed to support the academic success and development of incoming STEM majors at Boise State University. First-time, first-year students’ transitions to university can be challenging for a wide variety of reasons, including increased independence, leaving behind parents and friends while simultaneously struggling to form new peer groups, and adapting to more rigorous coursework with less externally imposed structure than prior learning experiences. These challenges, especially those related to students’ sense of belonging and connection to other students, …

Work In Progress: Mastery-Based Grading In An Introduction To Circuits Class, Noah Salzman, Kurtis D. Cantley, Gary L. Hunt

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Circuits is often the first required course in an electrical engineering curriculum that demands application of multiple concepts from prerequisite math and physics courses. This integration of knowledge can be a challenge for many students. Effective teaching methods can enhance the overall learning experience, increase program retention, and improve student understanding of foundational topics in electrical engineering. This paper outlines a mastery-based grading structure implemented in a sophomore-level circuits class. The focus is placed at this level because the course is a critical prerequisite for many other courses in the electrical and computer engineering (ECE) curriculum. The knowledge that students …

High Speed Roll-To-Roll Printable Transistor Enabled By A Pulsed Light Curable Cnt Ink, Harish Subbaraman

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper reports the first high speed roll-to-roll printable transistor using a carbon nanotube (CNT) semiconducting layer. The transistor is made possible through the development of a pulsed light curable CNT ink compatible with typical drop on demand inkjet cartridges. This CNT ink uses a xylene based solvent with methanol, glycerin, and Triton X-100 modifiers to create an evaporable solution with appropriate absorption spectra for a mercury or xenon flash lamp with strong energy transmission in the UVB to mid visible light range, allowing the solution to absorb the energy from the flash lamp and evaporate. Transistor dimensions were defined …

Impact Of Beam Misalignment On Hybrid Beamforming Noma For Mmwave Communications, Mojtaba Ahmadi Almasi, Mojtaba Vaezi, Hani Mehrpouyan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper analyzes the effect of beam misalignment on rate performance in downlink of hybrid beamforming-based non-orthogonal multiple access (HB-NOMA) systems. First an HB-NOMA framework is designed in multiuser millimeter wave (mmWave) communications. A sum-rate maximization problem is formulated for HB-NOMA, and an algorithm is introduced to design digital and analog precoders and efficient power allocation. Then, regarding perfectly aligned line-of-sight (LoS) channels, a lower bound for the achievable rate is derived. Next, when the users experience misaligned LoS or non-LoS (NLoS) channels, the impact of beam misalignment is evaluated. To this end, a misalignment factor is modeled and each …

Real-Time Fault Detection And Reconfiguration Of A Three-Phase Electric Motor Drive, Danyal Mohammadi

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Variable-frequency drives (VFDs) are widely used for control of electrical machines such as induction motors (IMs) or permanent-magnet synchronous motors (PMSMs). Similar to other electrical devices, these drives are subject to failure. Several types of faults are associated with VFDs. For instance, faults such as an open-switch fault, a short-circuit switch fault are the two common faults in VFDs. These faults can yield catastrophic consequences if proper remedial action is not taken.

A unique remedial topology for the post-fault period and a new pulse width modulation (PWM) strategy are proposed so that not only the motor drive can continue the …

Structural Transformation In GeXS100−X (10 ≤ X ≤ 40) Network Glasses: Structural Varieties In Short-Range, Medium-Range, And Nanoscopic Scale, Y. Sakaguchi, T. Hanashima, K. Ohara, Al-Amin A. Simon, M. Mitkova

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Precise x-ray diffraction measurements using high-energy x rays of synchrotron radiation and systematic Raman scattering measurements were carried out for Ge_xS_100−x (10 ⩽ x ⩽ 40) network glasses. The structural models of the network glasses were proposed based on the results. In the stoichiometric composition Ge₃₃S₆₇, GeS₄ tetrahedral units are connected forming either corner-sharing or edge-sharing structures. In the S-rich glasses, S atoms are inserted between two neighboring GeS₄ tetrahedra, resulting in a flexible floppy network. In a much more S-rich region, some S₈ ring molecules are isolated from the …

Lens-Based Millimeter Wave Reconfigurable Antenna Noma, Mojtaba Ahmadi Almasi, Roohollah Amiri, Mojtaba Vaezi, Hani Mehrpouyan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper proposes a new multiple access technique based on the millimeter wave lens-based reconfigurable antenna systems. In particular, to support a large number of groups of users with different angles of departures (AoDs), we integrate recently proposed reconfigurable antenna multiple access (RAMA) into non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA). The proposed technique, named reconfigurable antenna NOMA (RA-NOMA), divides the users with respect to their AoDs and channel gains. Users with different AoDs and comparable channel gains are served via RAMA while users with the same AoDs but different channel gains are served via NOMA. This technique results in the independence of …

Multi-Stream Ldpc Decoder On Gpu Of Mobile Devices, Roohollah Amiri, Hani Mehrpouyan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Low-density parity check (LDPC) codes have been extensively applied in mobile communication systems due to their excellent error correcting capabilities. However, their broad adoption has been hindered by the high complexity of the LDPC decoder. Although to date, dedicated hardware has been used to implement low latency LDPC decoders, recent advancements in the architecture of mobile processors have made it possible to develop software solutions. In this paper, we propose a multi-stream LDPC decoder designed for a mobile device. The proposed decoder uses graphics processing unit (GPU) of a mobile device to achieve efficient real-time decoding. The proposed solution is …

Optimization Of Advanced Encryption Standard (Aes) Using Vivado High Level Synthesis (Hls), Luka Daoud, Fady Hussein, Nader Rafla

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) represents a fundamental building module of many network security protocols to ensure data confidentiality in various applications ranging from data servers to low-power hardware embedded systems. In order to optimize such hardware implementations, High-Level Synthesis (HLS) provides exibility in designing and rapid optimization of dedicated hardware to meet the design constraints. In this paper, we present the implementation of AES encryption processor on FPGA using Xilinx Vivado HLS. The AES architecture was analyzed and designed by loop unrolling, and inner-round and outer-round pipelining techniques to achieve a maximum throughput of the AES algorithm up to 1290 …

A Compact And High Gain Dielectric-Loaded 60ghz Multi-Stepped Waveguide Antenna Array, Saeideh Shad, Hani Mehrpouyan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, a wideband high-gain 2 × 2-element subarray is presented for 60 GHz applications. The antenna is fed with waveguide-fed cavity backed configuration and designed entirely via simple rectangular apertures. To improve radiation pattern characteristics and reduce the antenna size, steppedradiating apertures loaded with a solid dielectric material. A standard WR-15 rectangular waveguide is designed to excite the antenna at the input port over the operation frequency. The most significant advantage of using this design is its efficient radiation patterns, ability to decrease complexity and cost of fabrication. Simulated results demonstrate a maximum gain of about 19.5 dB, …

Icdar 2019 Time-Quality Binarization Competition, Rafael Dueire Lins, Ergina Kavallieratou, Elisa Barney Smith, Rodrigo Barros Bernardino, Darlisson Marinho De Jesus

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The ICDAR 2019 Time-Quality Binarization Competition assessed the performance of seventeen new together with thirty previously published binarization algorithms. The quality of the resulting two-tone image and the execution time were assessed. Comparisons were on both in "real-world" and synthetic scanned images, and in documents photographed with four models of widely used portable phones. Most of the submitted algorithms employed machine learning techniques and performed best on the most complex images. Traditional algorithms provided very good results at a fraction of the time.

A Spatiotemporal Pattern Detector, Robert Ivans, Kurtis D. Cantley

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A spatiotemporal pattern detector design is presented which can identify three fundamental spatiotemporal patterns consisting of two spikes (from different neurons or from the same neuron). These fundamental cases provide the building blocks for construction of more complicated arbitrary spatiotemporal patterns. The overall design consists of three primary subcircuits, and the operation of each is described. The detection of the three cases of spatiotemporal patterns, and the detection of a more complicated pattern by a network of Spatiotemporal Pattern Detectors, is then demonstrated through simulation using the Cadence Virtuoso platform.

Feature Extraction Using Spiking Convolutional Neural Networks, Ruthvik Vaila, John Chiasson, Vishal Saxena

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Spiking neural networks are biologically plausible counterparts of the artificial neural networks, artificial neural networks are usually trained with stochastic gradient descent and spiking neural networks are trained with spike timing dependant plasticity. Training deep convolutional neural networks is a memory and power intensive job. Spiking networks could potentially help in reducing the power usage. There is a large pool of tools for one to chose to train artificial neural networks of any size, on the other hand all the available tools to simulate spiking neural networks are geared towards computational neuroscience applications and they are not suitable for real …

Learning Behavior Of Memristor-Based Neuromorphic Circuits In The Presence Of Radiation, Sumedha Gandharava Dahl, Robert C. Ivans, Kurtis D. Cantley

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, a feed-forward spiking neural network with memristive synapses is designed to learn a spatio-temporal pattern representing the 25-pixel character ‘B’ by separating correlated and uncorrelated afferents. The network uses spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) learning behavior, which is implemented using biphasic neuron spikes. A TiO₂ memristor non-linear drift model is used to simulate synaptic behavior in the neuromorphic circuit. The network uses a many-to-one topology with 25 pre-synaptic neurons (afferent) each connected to a memristive synapse and one post-synaptic neuron. The memristor model is modified to include the experimentally observed effect of state-altering radiation. During the learning process, …

Indoor And Outdoor Penetration Loss Measurements At 73 And 81 Ghz, Mahfuza Khatun, Changyu Guo, David Matolak, Hani Mehrpouyan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, we present millimeter-wave (mmWave) penetration loss measurements and analysis at E-bands—73 GHz and 81 GHz. Penetration loss was measured for common building materials such as clear glass, metal, tinted glass, wood, and drywall on the campus of Boise State University in the city of Boise. A horn antenna with a gain of 24 dBi was used at the transmitter and receiver at both bands, and both antennas were boresight-aligned with respect to the test material. A total of twelve locations were selected to test five materials. We tested two indoor materials (clear glass and wood) in at …

Performance Comparison Of Scanner And Camera-Acquired Data For Bangla Offline Handwriting Recognition, Nishatul Majid, Elisa H. Barney Smith

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper presents a comparison of offline handwriting recognition performance between two different image acquisition devices: scanner and cell-phone camera. Whereas a flat-bed scanner offers higher quality distortion free imaging, a cell-phone camera trumps on the convenience and ease of use. The aim of this research is to quantify how the extra quality obtained from a scanner impacts the offline handwriting recognition. This was evaluated with two classification framework: a segmentation-free offline Bangla handwriting transcription with sequential detection of characters/diacritics and a Bangla handwritten digit recognizer with an SVM classifier. The Boise State Bangla Handwriting dataset is used for the …

Mitigation Of Distribution Voltage Violations Using Single-Phase Residential Static Var Compensators, Andrés Valdepeña Delgado, Muhammad Kamran Latif, Said Ahmed-Zaid

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

An alternative method to support the voltage at the end of a distribution feeder using residential static VAR compensators (RSVCs) is presented. The distribution feeder and the RSVCs were modeled using OpenDSS and validated by comparing the results of measured data with the output of the model. Results show that the use of RSVCs on the low side of the service transformers is an efficient way to mitigate low- and high-voltage violations in the distribution feeder. During a onemonth evaluation of the system, the results show that the use of RSVCs was able to eliminate all voltage violations below 113 …

Waveguide-Fed Lens Based Beam-Steering Antenna For 5g Wireless Communications, Saeideh Shad, Shafaq Kausar, Hani Mehrpouyan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, a two-dimensional cylindrical Lens antenna based on the parallel plate technique is designed. It supports beam-steering capability of 58° at 28 GHz. The antenna is composed of low loss rectangular waveguide antennas, which are positioned around a homogeneous cylindrical Teflon lens in the air region of two conducting parallel plates. The Beam scanning can be achieved by switching between the antenna elements. The main advantages of our design include its relative simplicity, ease of fabrication, and high-power handling capability. Compared to previous works including a curvature optimization for the plate separation of the parallel plates, the proposed …

Hybrid Localization: A Low Cost, Low Complexity Approach Based On Wi-Fi And Odometry, Letizia Moro, Hani Mehrpouyan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Localization in indoor environments is essential to further support automation in a wide array of scenarios. Moreover, direction-of-arrival knowledge is essential to supporting high speed millimeter-wave (mmWave) links in indoor environments, since most mmWave links are of a line-of-sight nature to combat the high pathloss in this band. Accurate wireless localization in indoor environments, however, has proved a challenging task due to multi-path fading. Additionally, due to the effects of multi-path fading, methods such as trilateration alone do not result in accurate localization. As such, in this paper we propose to combine the knowledge of wireless localization methods with that …

Segmentation-Free Bangla Offline Handwriting Recognition Using Sequential Detection Of Characters And Diacritics With A Faster R-Cnn, Nishatul Majid, Elisa H. Barney Smith

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper presents an offline handwriting recognition system for Bangla script using sequential detection of characters and diacritics with a Faster R-CNN. This is an entirely segmentation-free approach where the characters and associated diacritics are detected separately with different networks named C-Net and D-Net. Both of these networks were prepared with transfer learning from VGG-16. The essay scripts from the Boise State Bangla Handwriting Dataset along with standard data augmentation techniques were used for training and testing. The F1 scores for the C-Net and D-Net networks are 89.6% and 93.2% respectively. Afterwards, both of these detection modules were fused into …