Engineering Commons^™

Designing A Microcontroller Training Platform For Active Distance Learning Engineering And Technology Students, Steve C. Hsiung, James E. Eiland, John R. Hackworth, John Ritz

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

This is an active distance-learning project that addresses the hands-on microprocessor/ mi-crocontroller-related courses. A research team designed a low-cost training system with supporting instructional materials to assist the teaching of these concepts. Individual laboratory activities are being developed to reinforce student learning and skill development in programming concepts. This basic system format eventually will support an array of engineering and technology courses. This project involves two community colleges, Blue Ridge Community College (BRCC) and Olympic College (OC), and a four-year university, Old Dominion University (ODU), in a collaborative research team to design and develop a specific PIC microcontroller training system …

Ternary Quantum Logic, Normen Giesecke

Dissertations and Theses

The application of Moore's Law would not be feasible by using the computing systems fabrication principles that are prevalent today. Fundamental changes in the field of computing are needed to keep Moore's Law operational. Different quantum technologies are available to take the advancement of computing into the future. Logic in quantum technology uses gates that are very different from those used in contemporary technology. Limiting itself to reversible operations, this thesis presents different methods to realize these logic gates. Two methods using Generalized Ternary Gates and Muthukrishnan Stroud Gates are presented for synthesis of ternary logic gates. Realizations of well-known …

Integrated Circuit Metrology By Multilevel Patterning Technology, Li Jiang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A low cost, high accuracy method is described in detail for measuring image placement in integrated circuit manufacture. The method measures both the overlay between levels and the absolute placement of features in a single level. The overlay is measured by a technique which views multiple levels separately. The absolute distances between features on a test wafer are measured by comparing the features to precision gratings. Optical imaging techniques are described for viewing and analyzing the grating images, as well as for measuring distortions in the observing microscope and a video camera. These techniques permit image placement measurements to be …

Optical Control Plane: Theory And Algorithms, Stefan Alexandru Pascu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In this thesis we propose a novel way to achieve global network information dissemination in which some wavelengths are reserved exclusively for global control information exchange. We study the routing and wavelength assignment problem for the special communication pattern of non-blocking all-to-all broadcast in WDM optical networks. We provide efficient solutions to reduce the number of wavelengths needed for non-blocking all-to-all broadcast, in the absence of wavelength converters, for network information dissemination. We adopt an approach in which we consider all nodes to be tap-and-continue capable thus studying lighttrees rather than lightpaths. To the best of our knowledge, this thesis …

Database Anonymization Services, Chad B. Meador

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports

The progress of technology and the development of powerful databases have made it possible to store and easily access continually increasing amounts of sensitive data about people. Since personal information is becoming common in many different databases, it is vital that this data be hidden to ensure privacy of the individuals whose records are stored in these repositories. Database anonymization is the key to securing these databases by ensuring that database users will be unable to reveal sensitive personal information by intelligently structuring their queries.

We analyzed the structure of the BiomData database which contains images and sound recordings of …

Instantaneously Trained Neural Networks With Complex And Quaternion Inputs, Adityan V. Rishiyur

LSU Master's Theses

Neural network architectures such as backpropagation networks, perceptrons or generalized Hopfield networks can handle complex inputs but they require a large amount of time and resources for the training process. This thesis investigates instantaneously trained feedforward neural networks that can handle complex and quaternion inputs. The performance of the basic algorithm has been analyzed and shown how it provides a plausible model of human perception and understanding of images. The motivation for studying quaternion inputs is their use in representing spatial rotations that find applications in computer graphics, robotics, global navigation, computer vision and the spatial orientation of instruments. The …

Silicon Oxynitride: A Field Emission Suppression Coating, Nimel D. Theodore

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

We have studied coatings deposited using our inductively-coupled RF plasma ion implantation and desposition system to suppress field emission from large, 3-D electrode structures used in high voltage applications, like those used by Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility in their DC-field photoelectron gun. Currently time and labor-intensive hand-polishing procedures are used to minimize field emission from these structures. Previous work had shown that the field emission from polished stainless steel (27 muA of field-emitted current at 15 MV/m) could be drastically reduced with simultaneous deposition of sputtered silicon dioxide during nitrogen implantation (167 pA of field-emitted current at 30 MV/m). …

Compiler Optimization Techniques For Scheduling And Reducing Overhead, Tong-Chai Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Exploiting parallelism in loops in programs is an important factor in realizing the potential performance of processors today. This dissertation develops and evaluates several compiler optimizations aimed at improving the performance of loops on processors. An important feature of a class of scientific computing problems is the regularity exhibited by their access patterns. Chapter 2 presents an approach of optimizing the address generation of these problems that results in the following: (i) elimination of redundant arithmetic computation by recognizing and exploiting the presence of common sub-expressions across different iterations in stencil codes; and (ii) conversion of as many array references …

Use Of Thermally Induced Higher Order Modes Of A Microcantilever For Mercury Vapor Detection, Gregory P. Nordin, Michael A. George, Ashwini R. Kadam

Faculty Publications

We demonstrate the use of thermally induced higher order modes of a microcantilever as an alternate detection technique by studying Au-Hg interactions. The first four thermally induced flexural modes - i.e., the fundamental and first three higher order modes - have been examined for two different Au coatings. In the first case, 50 nm thick Au is sputter deposited along the entire length of a rectangular Si microcantilever. In the second case the Au is confined to a 30 µm length at the tip of the Si microcantilever. In both cases the microcantilever spectral response and deflection has been studied …

Cooperative Forest Fire Surveillance Using A Team Of Small Unmanned Air Vehicles, Randal Beard, David Casbeer, Derek Kingston, Timothy W. Mclain, Sai-Ming Li, Raman Mehra

Faculty Publications

This research was supported by NASA under STTR contract No. NNA04AA19C to Scientific Systems Company, Inc (SSCI) and Brigham Young University (BYU), and by AFOSR grants F49620-01-1-0091 and F49620-02-C- 0094. The objective of this paper is to explore the feasibility of using multiple low-altitude, short endurance (LASE) unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) to cooperatively monitor and track the propagation of large forest fires. A real-time algorithm for tracking the perimeter of a fire with an on-board infrared sensor is developed. Using this algorithm, we develop a decentralized multiple-UAV approach to monitoring the perimeter of the fire. The UAVs are assumed to …

Intelligent Tool For Determining The True Harmonic Current Contribution Of A Customer In A Power Distribution Network, Joy Mazumdar, Frank C. Lambert, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Marty L. Page, Ronald G. Harley

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Customer loads connected to electricity supply systems may be broadly categorized as either linear or nonlinear. Nonlinear loads inject harmonics into the power network. Harmonics in a power system are classified as either load harmonics or as supply harmonics depending on their origin. The source impedance also impacts the harmonic current flowing in the network. Hence any change in the source impedance is reflected in the harmonic spectrum of the current. This paper proposes a novel method based on Artificial Neural Networks to isolate and evaluate the impact of the source impedance change without disrupting the operation of any load, …

Optical Characterization Of Electrochemically Self-Assembled Compound Semiconductor Nanowires, Sivakumar Ramanathan

Theses and Dissertations

Semiconductor nanowires have attracted considerable attention as possible source for lasers and optical storage media. We report the fabrication and optical characterization of ZnO and CdS nanowires. The former are produced by electrochemical deposition of Zn inside nanoporous alumina films containing regimented arrays of 10nm, 25nm and 50 nm diameter pores, followed by room temperature chemical oxidization. Fluorescence spectroscopy shows different characteristics associated with different sample diameter. The 50 nm ZnO nanowires show an exciton recombination peak and an additional peak related to the deep trap levels. 25 nm ZnO nanowires show a only the exciton recombination peak, which is …

Spin-Polarized Electronic Structure, Arti Kashyap, Renat F. Sabirianov, Sitaram S, Jaswal

Physics Faculty Publications

This chapter is devoted to the electronic structure of nanoscale metallic magnets. After an introduction to methods of electronic structure calculations, we review how recent trends translate into the description of magnetic nanostructures. Among the considered structures are nanowires, small particles, surfaces and interfaces, and multilayers, and emphasis is on magnetic properties such as moment and magnetization, interatomic exchange, and anisotropy. One of the goals of computational nanoscience is to calculate physical and chemical properties from first principles. This requires the knowledge of the electronic structures of the materials system in question. The density-functional theory (DFT) makes a huge step …

Extended Operation Of Flying Capacitor Multilevel Inverters, Jing Huang, Keith Corzine

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Recent research in flying capacitor multilevel inverters (FCMIs) has shown that the number of voltage levels can be extended by changing the ratio of the capacitor voltages. For the three-cell FCMI, four levels of operation are expected if the traditional ratio of the capacitor voltages is 1:2:3. However, by altering the ratio, the inverter can operate as a five-, six-, seven-, or eight-level inverter. According to previous research, the eight-level case is referred to as maximally distended (or full binary combination schema) since it utilizes all possible transistor switching states. However, this case does not have enough per-phase redundancy to …

Optimal Design Of Power System Stabilizers Using A Small Population Based Pso, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Tridib Kumar Das

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Power system stabilizers (PSSs) are used to generate supplementary control signals to excitation systems in order to damp out local and inter-area oscillations. In this paper, a modified particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm with a small population is presented for the design of optimal PSSs. The small population based PSO (SPPSO) is used to determine the optimal parameters of several PSSs simultaneously in a multi-machine power system. In order to maintain a dynamic search process, the idea of particle regeneration in the population is also proposed. Optimal PSS parameters are determined for the power system subjected to small and large …

A Comparison Of Diode-Clamped And Cascaded Multilevel Converters For A Statcom With Energy Storage, Ying Cheng, Chang Qian, Mariesa Crow, Steven Pekarek, Stan Atcitty

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The progression of distributed generation within a bulk power system will lead to the need for greater control of transmission-line power flows. Static synchronous compensators (STATCOMs) provide a power-electronics-based means of embedded control of transmission-line voltage and power flows. The integration of energy storage with a STATCOM can extend traditional STATCOM capabilities to four-quadrant power flow control and transient stability improvement. This paper discusses energy storage systems (ESSs) integrated with conventional and multilevel bidirectional power converters for a hybrid STATCOM/ESS. Conventional, diode-clamped, and cascaded multilevel converter-based STATCOM/ESSs are developed, and their performances for a variety of power system applications are …

Surface Modification Of Su-8 By Photografting Of Functional Polymers For Lab-On-A-Chip Applications, Zhan Gao, David Henthorn, Chang-Soo Kim

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Due to the high flexibility and versatility in the process development of microfluidic devices, an epoxybased, high-aspect ratio photoresist SU-8 is now attracting attention as the main structuring material of the fluidic channels. Manipulation of the surface properties of SU-8 channel wall is critical to attach functional films such as enzyme-immobilized layers or biocompatible layers. We describe a new in situ patterning method to form a hydrogel film on SU-8 by a photografted polymerization procedure. The hydrophobic surface of SU-8 is modified using a surface bound initiator HCPK (1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone). A p-HEMA (poly-2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) hydrogel film is grafted by photopolymerization …

Gene Expression Data For Dlbcl Cancer Survival Prediction With A Combination Of Machine Learning Technologies, Rui Xu, Xindi Cai, Donald C. Wunsch

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Gene expression profiles have become an important and promising way for cancer prognosis and treatment. In addition to their application in cancer class prediction and discovery, gene expression data can be used for the prediction of patient survival. Here, we use particle swarm optimization (PSO) to address one of the major challenges in gene expression data analysis, the curse of dimensionality, in order to discriminate high risk patients from low risk patients. A discrete binary version of PSO is used for gene selection and dimensionality reduction, and a probabilistic neural network (PNN) is implemented as the classifier. The experimental results …

Ac/Dc Power Systems With Applications In Future Human Habitat On Lunar And Mars Bases, Badrul H. Chowdhury, Sabbir A. Hossain, James T. Lawrence, Sushant Barave

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

As NASA readies itself for new space exploration initiatives starting with a human return to the Moon by the year 2020 eventually leading to human exploration of Mars, the requirements for a safe, efficient and comprehensive power system to support the exploration missions as well human habitat will become important issues to consider. Certain issues dealing with electric power generation and distribution on board Mars-bound vehicles and those on Lunar and Martian surfaces are described. The requirements for lightweight power generation dictates the use of a high frequency ac machine. Preliminary results of investigating the design of a permanent magnet …

Adaptive Distributed Fair Scheduling And Its Implementation In Wireless Sensor Networks, Maciej Jan Zawodniok, Jagannathan Sarangapani, Steve Eugene Watkins, James W. Fonda

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A novel adaptive and distributed fair scheduling (ADFS) scheme for wireless sensor networks is shown through hardware implementation. In contrast to simulation, hardware evaluation provides valuable feedback to protocol and hardware development process. The proposed protocol focuses on quality-of-service (QoS) issues to address flow prioritization. Thus, when nodes access a shared channel, the proposed ADFS allocates the channel bandwidth proportionally to the weight, or priority, of the packet flows. Moreover, ADFS allows for dynamic allocation of network resources with little added overhead. Weights are initially assigned using user specified QoS criteria. These weights are subsequently updated as a function of …

An Interval Type-Ii Robust Fuzzy Logic Controller For A Static Compensator In A Multimachine Power System, Salman Mohagheghi, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Ronald G. Harley

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a novel fuzzy logic based controller for a Static Compensator (STATCOM) connected to a power system. Type-II fuzzy systems are selected that enable the controller to deal with design uncertainties and the noise associated with the measurements in the power system. Interval type-II fuzzy is computationally more effective than the ordinary type-II fuzzy systems and is more suitable for the power network with fast changing dynamics. Using a proportional-integrator approach the proposed controller is capable of dealing with actual rather than deviation signals. The STATCOM is connected to a multimachine power system in order to provide extra …

Bacteria Foraging: A New Tool For Simultaneous Robust Design Of Upfc Controllers, M. Tripathy, S. Mishra, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Robust tuning of lead-lag type controller used for regulating FACTS control signal to improve dynamic stability has been an area of interest in research. This paper presents a new approach based on the foraging behavior of E. coli Bacteria in the human intestine, to optimize simultaneously three constants each of four lead-lag type UPFC controller present in a Single Machine Infinite Bus (SMIB) power system. For the tuning purpose, a multi-objective cost function is formulated that accounts for damping factors and ratios of various system modes for a wide range of operating conditions. Robustness of the proposed tuning method is …

Simulation Model For Assessing Transient Performance Of Capacitive Voltage Transformers, I. Sule, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, U. O. Aliyu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In determining the correct operation of relays of a protection scheme, proper representation of instrument transformers and their behavior in conditions where there can be transient is very critical. This paper presents a simulation model for assessing the transient performance of capacitive voltage transformers (CVTs). In order to test the validity of the developed model, four CVT operational conditions are considered using field data collected from one of the Nigerian electric utility 330/132/33 kV substations. The model simulation results revealed various configuration performance responses that could affect relay protection schemes to different degrees. As expected, the CVT responses showed that …

Design And Implementation Of A Storage Management Method For Content Distribution, Chang-Soo Kim, Yu-Hyeon Bak, Sang-Min Woo, Won-Jae Lee, Nunm-Ok Gee, Hag-Young Kim

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The SMART system is a special purpose server developed by ETRI and designed for efficient streaming services over high speed networks. The SMART server has one or more special purpose NS (Network-Storage) card. The NS card has several disks that store multimedia contents. However all of the multimedia contents to be serviced cannot be stored at the server. In this paper, we will describe the storage management mechanism in design and implementation aspects. With this storage management mechanism, the SMART server can provide effectiveness in managing storage and distributing some contents from a source station to streaming service servers.

Development And Implementation Of Optimized Energy-Delay Sub-Network Routing Protocol For Wireless Sensor Networks, Maciej Jan Zawodniok, Jagannathan Sarangapani, Steve Eugene Watkins, James W. Fonda

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The development and implementation of the optimized energy-delay sub-network routing (OEDSR) protocol for wireless sensor networks (WSN) is presented. This ondemand routing protocol minimizes a novel link cost factor which is defined using available energy, end-to-end (E2E) delay and distance from a node to the base station (BS), along with clustering, to effectively route information to the BS. Initially, the nodes are either in idle or sleep mode, but once an event is detected, the nodes near the event become active and start forming sub-networks. Formation of the inactive network into a sub-network saves energy because only a portion of …

Neural Network-Based Output Feedback Controller For Lean Operation Of Spark Ignition Engines, Brian C. Kaul, Jagannathan Sarangapani, J. A. Drallmeier, Jonathan B. Vance, Pingan He

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Spark ignition (SI) engines running at very lean conditions demonstrate significant nonlinear behavior by exhibiting cycle-to-cycle dispersion of heat release even though such operation can significantly reduce NOx emissions and improve fuel efficiency by as much as 5-10%. A suite of neural network (NN) controller without and with reinforcement learning employing output feedback has shown ability to reduce the nonlinear cyclic dispersion observed under lean operating conditions. The neural network controllers consists of three NN: a) A NN observer to estimate the states of the engine such as total fuel and air; b) a second NN for generating virtual input; …

Neuro Control Of Nonlinear Discrete Time Systems With Deadzone And Input Constraints, Pingan He, Wenzhi Gao, Jagannathan Sarangapani

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A neural network (NN) controller in discrete time is designed to deliver a desired tracking performance for a class of uncertain nonlinear systems with unknown deadzones and magnitude constraints on the input. The NN controller consists of two NNs: the first NN for compensating the unknown deadzones; and the second NN for compensating the uncertain nonlinear system dynamics. The magnitude constraints on the input are modeled as saturation nonlinearities and they are dealt with in the Lyapunov-based controller design. The uniformly ultimate boundedness (UUB) of the closed-loop tracking errors and the neural network weights estimation errors is demonstrated via Lyapunov …

A Closed-Form Expression For Estimating Radiated Emissions From The Power Planes In A Populated Printed Circuit Board, Todd H. Hubing, Hwan-Woo Shim

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An expression for the maximum intensity of radiated emissions from a rectangular power bus structure has been derived based on an analytical cavity-resonator model. The effect of components mounted on the board is modeled by modifying the propagation constant of the waves within the power bus structure. The radiated field intensity is calculated using the equivalent magnetic current around the edges of the power bus structure together with the modified propagation constant. Measurements of a populated test board show that the derived closed-form expression estimates the level of the maximum radiation intensity with reasonable accuracy.

International Working Group On Assurance Cases (For Security), S. Guerra, M. Masera, Ann K. Miller, C. B. Weinstock, R. E. Bloomfield

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Critical systems are aptly named - from electric power to water and gas to the telephone system and the Internet, they're all critical to some aspect of our daily lives. We''re a networked society and as such, it's important to both know whether critical systems are trustworthy and be able to communicate, review, and debate the level of trust achieved in them. In the safety domain, explicit safety cases are increasingly required by law, regulations, and standards. In this article, we outline what a small, international group of experts, spanning various disciplines in safety, security, reliability, and critical infrastructure, been …

Intelligent Optimal Control Of Excitation And Turbine Systems In Power Networks, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Ronald G. Harley

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The increasing complexity of the modern power grid highlights the need for advanced modeling and control techniques for effective control of excitation and turbine systems. The crucial factors affecting the modern power systems today is voltage control and system stabilization during small and large disturbances. Simulation studies and real-time laboratory experimental studies carried out are described and the results show the successful control of the power system excitation and turbine systems with adaptive and optimal neurocontrol approaches. Performances of the neurocontrollers are compared with the conventional PI controllers for damping under different operating conditions for small and large disturbances.