Engineering Commons^™

Contactless Measurement Of Angular Velocity Using Circularly Polarized Antennas, Vit Sipal, Adam Narbudowicz, Max Ammann

Articles

An innovative method to measure the angular velocity using circularly polarized antennas is proposed. Due to the properties of circular polarization, the angular velocity is frequency modulated (FM) on a wireless carrier. This enables a low-cost precise continuous measurement of angular velocity using a standard FM demodulator. The hardware can be easily adapted for both high and low angular velocity values. The precise alignment angle between the antennas can be determined if the initial antenna orientation is known. The angular error is shown to be

On Demand Cell Sectoring Based Fractional Frequency Reuse In Wireless Networks, Shakil Ahmed, Mohammad Arif Hossain, Mostafa Zaman Chowdhury

Electrical and Computer Engineering Student Research

In this paper, a dynamic channel assigning along with dynamic cell sectoring model has been proposed that focuses on the Fractional Frequency Reuse (FFR) not only for interference mitigation but also for enhancement of overall system capacity in wireless networks. We partition the cells in a cluster into two part named centre user part (CUP) and edge user part (EUP). Instead of huge traffic, there may be unoccupied channels in the EUPs of the cells. These unoccupied channels of the EUPs can assist the excessive number of users if these channels are assigned with proper interference management. If the number …

Impact Of Hub Location On The Performance Of Wireless Body Area Networks For Fitness Applications, Vit Sipal, Domenico Gaetano, Patrick Mcevoy, Max Ammann

Articles

This letter compares the propagation properties of Wireless Body Area Networks for three different locations (head, foot and waist) of the hub/internet gateway on the human body. The wireless channels between the hubs and four nodes (chest, back, and upper arms) are measured on a female and a male subject performing push-ups and squats. A framework using spider plots is used for cumulative performance description. The results show that the best overall performance is for hub located on the left temple and the worst overall performance is achieved for a hub on the waist. These results are expected to stimulate …

Two-Dimensional Layered Mos2 Biosensors Enable Highly Sensitive Detection Of Biomolecules, Joonhyung Lee, Piyush Dak, Yeonsung Lee, Heekyeong Park, Woong Choi, Muhammad Ashraful Alam, Sunkook Kim

Birck and NCN Publications

We present a MoS₂ biosensor to electrically detect prostate specific antigen (PSA) in a highly sensitive and label-free manner. Unlike previous MoS₂-FET-based biosensors, the device configuration of our biosensors does not require a dielectric layer such as HfO₂ due to the hydrophobicity of MoS₂. Such an oxide-free operation improves sensitivity and simplifies sensor design. For a quantitative and selective detection of PSA antigen, anti-PSA antibody was immobilized on the sensor surface. Then, introduction of PSA antigen, into the anti-PSA immobilized sensor surface resulted in a lable-free immunoassary format. Measured off-state current of the device …

Class-Based Interference Management In Wireless Networks, Mohammad Arif Hossain, Mostafa Zaman Chowdhury, Shakil Ahmed, Yeong Min Jang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Student Research

Technological advancement has brought revolutionary change in the converged wireless networks. Due to the existence of different types of traffic, provisioning of Quality of Service (QoS) becomes a challenge in the wireless networks. In case of a congested network, resource allocation has emerged as an effective way to provide the excessive users with desirable QoS. Since QoS for non-real-time traffic are not as strict as for real-time traffic, the unoccupied channels of the adjacent cells can be assigned to the non-real-time traffic to retain QoS for real-time traffic. This results in the intensified bandwidth utilization as well as less interference …

Coordinated Control And Estimation Of Multiagent Systems With Engineering Applications, Housheng Su, Michael Z.Q. Chen, Qing Hui, Wei Zhang, Fanglai Zhu

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Recently, coordinated control and estimation problems have attracted a great deal of attention in different fields especially in biology, physics, computer science, and control engineering. Coordinated control and estimation problems have prominent characteristics of distributed control, local interaction, and self-organization. Research on multiagent coordinated control and estimation problems not only helps better understand the mechanisms of natural collective phenomena but also benefits the applications of cyberphysical systems.

This special issue focuses on theoretical and technological achievements in cooperative multiagent Systems. It contains twenty-six papers, the contents of which are summarized below.

Development Of A Lab-On-A-Chip Device For Rapid Nanotoxicity Assessment In Vitro, Pratikkumar Shah

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing useof nanomaterials in consumer products and biomedical applications creates the possibilities of intentional/unintentional exposure to humans and the environment. Beyond the physiological limit, the nanomaterialexposure to humans can induce toxicity. It is difficult to define toxicity of nanoparticles on humans as it varies by nanomaterialcomposition, size, surface properties and the target organ/cell line. Traditional tests for nanomaterialtoxicity assessment are mostly based on bulk-colorimetric assays. In many studies, nanomaterials have found to interfere with assay-dye to produce false results and usually require several hours or days to collect results. Therefore, there is a clear need for alternative tools that can …

Nanopulse Generators: Their Design And Application To Cancer Therapy Studies, Daniel P. Wernig

Senior Honors Theses

Effective nanopulse generators have become critical in recent decades concerning the study of subcellular affects in response to nanosecond pulsed electric fields. It has been observed that nanosecond duration electric pulses can target intracellular organelles, ultimately leading to cell apoptosis, suggesting the possibility of a new, minimally invasive, low risk cancer therapy methodology. The standard topology for developing a medical nanopulser is the Blumlein “transmission line” approach. This approach relies on the nearly infinitesimal, yet finite amount of time required for an electromagnetic field to propagate down a short transmission line. Prior to design, requirements and constraints must be defined …

Media Usage Survey: Overall Comparison Of Faculty And Students, Gerd Gidion, Michael Grosch, Luiz Fernando Capretz, Ken Meadows Dr.

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

Recent developments in the use of technologies in education have provided unique opportunities for teaching and learning. This paper describes the results of a survey conducted at Western University (Canada) in 2013, regarding the use of media by students and instructors. The results of this study support the assumption that the media usage of students and instructors include a mixture of traditional and new media. The main traditional media continue to be important, and some new media have emerged as seemingly on equal footing or even more important than the traditional forms of media. Some new media that have recently …

College Of Engineering Senior Design Competition Fall 2014, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Fred and Harriet Cox Senior Design Competition Projects

Part of every UNLV engineering student’s academic experience, the senior design project stimulates engineering innovation and entrepreneurship. Each student in their senior year chooses, plans, designs, and prototypes a product in this required element of the curriculum. A capstone to the student’s educational career, the senior design project encourages the student to use everything learned in the engineering program to create a practical, real world solution to an engineering challenge. The senior design competition helps focus the senior students in increasing the quality and potential for commercial application for their design projects. Judges from local industry evaluate the projects on …

Generalized Framework For Similarity Measure Of Time Series, Hongsheng Yin, Honggang Qi, Jingwen Xu, William N. N. Hung, Xiaoyu Song

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Currently, there is no definitive and uniform description for the similarity of time series, which results in difficulties for relevant research on this topic. In this paper, we propose a generalized framework to measure the similarity of time series. In this generalized framework, whether the time series is univariable or multivariable, and linear transformed or nonlinear transformed, the similarity of time series is uniformly defined using norms of vectors or matrices.The definitions of the similarity of time series in the original space and the transformed space are proved to be equivalent. Furthermore, we also extend the theory on similarity of …

Media Usage In Post-Secondary Education And Implications For Teaching And Learning, Gerd Gidion, Luiz Fernando Capretz, Ken Mead Dr., Michael Grosch Dr.

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

The Web 2.0 has permeated academic life. The use of online information services in post-secondary education has led to dramatic changes in faculty teaching methods as well as in the learning and study behavior of students. At the same time, traditional information media, such as textbooks and printed handouts, still form the basic pillars of teaching and learning. This paper reports the results of a survey about media usage in teaching and learning conducted with Western University students and instructors, highlighting trends in the usage of new and traditional media in higher education by instructors and students. In addition, the …

Vehicle Base Station, Emad William Saad, John L. Vian, Matthew A. Vavrina, Jared A. Nisbett, Donald C. Wunsch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A system to load and unload material from a vehicle comprises a vehicle base station and an assembly to autonomously load and unload material from the vehicle.

Security Issues In Data Warehouse, Saiqa Aleem, Luiz Fernando Capretz, Faheem Ahmed Dr.

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

Data Warehouse (DWH) provides storage for huge amounts of historical data from heterogeneous operational sources in the form of multidimensional views, thus supplying sensitive and useful information which help decision-makers to improve the organization’s business processes. A data warehouse environment must ensure that data collected and stored in one big repository are not vulnerable. A review of security approaches specifically for data warehouse environment and issues concerning each type of security approach have been provided in this paper.

A Practical Guideline For Intracranial Volume Estimation In Patients With Alzheimer’S Disease, Saman Sargolzaei, Arman Sargolzaei, Mercedes Cabrerizo, Gang Chen, Mohammed Goryawala, Shirin Noei, Qi Zhou, Ranjan Duara, Warren Barker, Malek Adjouadi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Background

Intracranial volume (ICV) is an important normalization measure used in morphometric analyses to correct for head size in studies of Alzheimer Disease (AD). Inaccurate ICV estimation could introduce bias in the outcome. The current study provides a decision aid in defining protocols for ICV estimation in patients with Alzheimer disease in terms of sampling frequencies that can be optimally used on the volumetric MRI data, and the type of software most suitable for use in estimating the ICV measure.

Methods

Two groups of 22 subjects are considered, including adult controls (AC) and patients with Alzheimer Disease (AD). Reference measurements …

A Probabilistic Approach For Pediatric Epilepsy Diagnosis Using Brain Functional Connectivity Networks, Saman Sargolzaei, Mercedes Cabrerizo, Arman Sargolzaei, Shirin Noei, Anas Salah Eddin, Hoda Rajaei, Alberto Pinzon-Ardila, Sergio M. Gonzalez-Arias, Prasanna Jayakar, Malek Adjouadi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Background

The lives of half a million children in the United States are severely affected due to the alterations in their functional and mental abilities which epilepsy causes. This study aims to introduce a novel decision support system for the diagnosis of pediatric epilepsy based on scalp EEG data in a clinical environment.

Methods

A new time varying approach for constructing functional connectivity networks (FCNs) of 18 subjects (7 subjects from pediatric control (PC) group and 11 subjects from pediatric epilepsy (PE) group) is implemented by moving a window with overlap to split the EEG signals into a total of …

Mega: An Energy Aware Algorithm For Self-Powered Wireless Sensor Networks In Sustainable Smart Infrastructure, Dong Qi, Yu Chen, Shahrzad Towfighian

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Scholarship

Smart infrastructure is attractive for possessing many desirable features, such as uninterrupted monitoring of health conditions, timely response to damages, and human-infrastructure interactions. Embedded sensors that collectinformation are critical for decision making. However, the lifetime of electronic sensors is a constraint to infrastructure lifetime if sensors are physically embedded in the infrastructure at construction time. In this paper, we studied a self-powered wireless sensor network that harvests energy from mechan-ical vibration in the environment. A dynamic, hierarchical algorithm called MEGA is proposed that constructs clusters and elects the cluster head based on residue energy and energy harvest rate. Taking a …

Split-Step Approach To Electromagnetic Propagation Through Atmospheric Turbulence Using The Modified Von Karman Spectrum And Planar Apertures, Monish Ranjan Chatterjee, Fathi H.A. Mohamed

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

The impact of atmospheric phase turbulence on Gaussian beam propagation along propagation paths of varying lengths is examined using multiple random phase screens. The work is motivated by research involving generation and encryption of acousto-optic chaos, and the interest in examining propagation of such chaotic waves through atmospheric turbulence. A phase screen technique is used to simulate perturbations to the refractive index of the medium through the propagation path. A power spectral density based on the modified von Karman spectrum model for turbulence is used to describe the random phase behavior of the medium.

In recent work, results for the …

A Further Look At Capacitors In Complex Arrangements, Kenneth V. Cartwright, Patrick Russell, Edit J. Kaminsky

Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications

Recently, a previous contributor showed how the delta-wye conversion may be applied to find the equivalent capacitance of five capacitors arranged in a bridge configuration. In fact, that contributor gave an algorithm for this purpose which showed that the equivalent capacitance depends upon all five capacitors. However, in this paper, we point out that there is a special case where the equivalent capacitance does not depend upon one of the five capacitors.

Finding The Minimum Input Impedance Of A Second-Order Twofold-Gain Sallen-Key Low-Pass Filter Without Calculus, Kenneth V. Cartwright, Edit J. Kaminsky

Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications

We derive an expression for the input complex impedance of a Sallen-Key second-order low-pass filter of twofold gain as a function of the natural frequency ωo and the quality factor Q. From this expression, it is shown that the filter behaves like a Frequency Dependent Negative Resistance (FDNR) element for low frequencies and as a single resistor at high frequencies. Furthermore, the minimum input impedance magnitude is found without using calculus. We discovered that the minimum input impedance magnitude is inversely proportional to Q and can be substantially less than its high-frequency value. Approximations to the minimum input impedance and …

Performance Analysis Of A Hybrid Raman Optical Parametric Amplifier In The O- And E-Bands For Cwdm Pons, Sasanthi Peiris, Nicolas Madamopoulos, Neophytos A. Antoniades, Dwight Richards, Roger Dorsinville

Publications and Research

We describe a hybrid Raman-optical parametric amplifier (HROPA) operating at the O- and E-bands and designed for coarse wavelength division multiplexed (CWDM) passive optical networks (PONs). We present the mathematical model and simulation results for the optimization of this HROPA design. Our analysis shows that separating the two amplification processes allows for optimization of each one separately, e.g., proper selection of pump optical powers and wavelengths to achieve maximum gain bandwidth and low gain ripple. Furthermore, we show that the proper design of optical filters incorporated in the HROPA architecture can suppress idlers generated during the OPA process, as well …

The Progressive Development Of Turbulence Statistics And Its Impact On Wind Power Predictability, Thomas Woolmington, Keith Sunderland, Jonathan Blackledge, Michael Conlon

Articles

Wind resource assessment is a critical parameter in a diverse range of considerations within the built environment. Engineers and scientists, engaging in building design, energy conservation/application and air-quality/air-pollution control measures, need to be cognisant of how the associated wind resource imposes increased complexities in their design and modelling processes. In this regard, the morphological heterogeneities within these environments, present significant challenges to quantifying the resource and its turbulent characteristics.

This paper presents three aspects of turbulence assessment within the built environment. Firstly, an analysis of how turbulence is currently quantified is considered. The industry standard, Turbulent Intensity (TI) is compared …

Improved Performance Of Analog And Digital Acousto-Optic Modulation With Feedback Under Profiled Beam Propagation For Secure Communication Using Chaos, Fares S. Almehmadi, Monish Ranjan Chatterjee

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Using intensity feedback, the closed-loop behavior of an acousto-optic hybrid device under profiled beam propagation has been recently shown to exhibit wider chaotic bands potentially leading to an increase in both the dynamic range and sensitivity to key parameters that characterize the encryption. In this work, a detailed examination is carried out vis-à-vis the robustness of the encryption/decryption process relative to parameter mismatch for both analog and pulse code modulation signals, and bit error rate (BER) curves are used to examine the impact of additive white noise.

The simulations with profiled input beams are shown to produce a stronger encryption …

Homogenous Ensemble Phonotactic Language Recognition Based On Svm Supervector Reconstruction, Wei-Wei Liu, Wei-Qiang Zhang, Michael T. Johnson, Jia Liu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Currently, acoustic spoken language recognition (SLR) and phonotactic SLR systems are widely used language recognition systems. To achieve better performance, researchers combine multiple subsystems with the results often much better than a single SLR system. Phonotactic SLR subsystems may vary in the acoustic features vectors or include multiple language-specific phone recognizers and different acoustic models. These methods achieve good performance but usually compute at high computational cost. In this paper, a new diversification for phonotactic language recognition systems is proposed using vector space models by support vector machine (SVM) supervector reconstruction (SSR). In this architecture, the subsystems share the same …

A Study On Resource Efficient Digital Multimedia Security Measures In Mobile Devices, Prabhat Dahal

Computer and Electronics Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Advanced image and video processing abilities in smart phones and digital cameras make them popular means to capture multimedia. In addition, the integration of internet into such devices users seek to capture and easily share multimedia right from their smartphone while most steganography techniques are computer based. Hence, it is of utmost importance that the multimedia be processed for steganography right within the devices for multimedia authentication.

In this thesis, we first implement steganography into mobile smart devices that can capture multimedia. For devices such as smart phones, we propose a method to hide payload bits within video frames. The …

Application Of Femtosecond Laser Surface Processed Electrodes In Electrolysis Of Water, Christopher K. Wilson

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Femtosecond laser surface processing (FLSP) is a machining technique used to develop functionalized surfaces consisting of micro and nano-scale features. Metal electrodes processed using this technique can be used in water electrolysis to facilitate more efficient hydrogen and oxygen gas production. This thesis explores the electrochemical behavior of femtosecond laser processed 316SS electrodes in water electrolysis. The multi-scale surface structure size and separation were controlled through laser fluence and incident laser pulse count. The electrodes were studied in a three electrode electrolysis cell containing a 3M KOH(aq) electrolyte, FLSP 316SS working electrode, 316SS counter electrode, and Hg/HgO reference electrode. Through …

Pmsm Sensorless Speed Control Drive, Youakim Kalaani, Rami J. Haddad, Adel El-Shahat

Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Publications

Permanent magnet synchronous machines (PMSM) are very popular in many industrial applications such as in mechatronics, automotive, energy storage flywheels, centrifugal compressors, vacuum pumps, and robotics. This paper proposes Sensorless control for a PMSM speed drive which is based on a closed loop control system using a proportional and integral (PI) controller that is designed to operate in flux weakening regions under a constant torque angle. This Sensorless element was adopted for best estimating the PMSM rotor position based on its performance characteristics eliminating the need for speed sensors which are usually required in such control applications. To achieve this …

Low-Power Analog Processing, Daniel J. White

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation presents the analog harmonic transform (AHT) and a first implementation in an integrated circuit. The transform is designed for a regular and simple hardware structure. It provides coefficients relating to an input signal's spectrum. These coefficients also have a simple relationship to the signal's Fouri\'er series coefficients.

The AHT is defined in its ideal form and evaluated for two example signal classification applications. Both military vehicle and bearing fault classification tasks are presented which validate the ability of a neural network to use the AHT coefficients to correctly classify the input signals. Because any real use of the …

A Combined Method For Segmentation And Registration For An Advanced And Progressive Evaluation Of Thermal Images, Emilio Z. Barcelos, Walmir Matos Caminhas, Eraldo Ribeiro, Eduardo Mendonça Pimenta, Reinaldo Martinez Palhares

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

In this paper, a method that combines image analysis techniques, such as segmentation and registration, is proposed for an advanced and progressive evaluation of thermograms. The method is applied for the prevention of muscle injury in high-performance athletes, in collaboration with a Brazilian professional soccer club. The goal is to produce information on spatio-temporal variations of thermograms favoring the investigation of the athletes’ conditions along the competition. The proposed method improves on current practice by providing a means for automatically detecting adaptive body-shaped regions of interest, instead of the manual selection of simple shapes. Specifically, our approach combines the optimization …

Stable And Metastable Nanowires Displaying Locally Controllable Properties, Eli A. Sutter, Peter Werner Sutter

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

(57) ABSTRACT Vapor-liquid-solid growth of nanowires is tailored to achieve complex one-dimensional material geometries using phase diagrams determined for nanoscale materials. Segmented one-dimensional nanowires having constant composition dis play locally variable electronic band structures that are deter mined by the diameter of the nanowires. The unique electrical and optical properties of the segmented nanowires are exploited to form electronic and optoelectronic devices. Using gold-germanium as a model system, in situ transmis sion electron microscopy establishes, for nanometer-sized Au Ge alloy drops at the tips of Ge nanowires (NWs), the parts of the phase diagram that determine their temperature dependent equilibrium …