Engineering Commons^™

Locating Local Extrema Under Interval Uncertainty: Multi-D Case, Karen Villaverde, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In many practical situations, we need to locate local maxima and/or local minima of a function which is only know with interval uncertainty. For example, in radioastronomy, components of a radiosource are usually identified by locations at which the observed brightness reaches a local maximum. In clustering, different clusters are usually identified with local maxima of the probability density function (describing the relative frequency of different combinations of values). In the 1-D case, a feasible (polynomial-time) algorithm is known for locating local extrema under interval (and fuzzy) uncertainty. In this paper, we extend this result to the general multi-dimensional case.

Optimizing Computer Representation And Computer Processing Of Epistemic Uncertainty For Risk-Informed Decision Making: Finances Etc., Vladik Kreinovich, Nitaya Buntao, Olga Kosheleva

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Uncertainty is usually gauged by using standard statistical characteristics: mean, variance, correlation, etc. Then, we use the known values of these characteristics (or the known bounds on these values) to select a decision. Sometimes, it becomes clear that the selected characteristics do not always describe a situation well; then other known (or new) characteristics are proposed. A good example is description of volatility in finance: it started with variance, and now many descriptions are competing, all with their own advantages and limitations.

In such situations, a natural idea is to come up with characteristics tailored to specific application areas: e.g., …

How To Describe And Propagate Uncertainty When Processing Time Series: Metrological And Computational Challenges, With Potential Applications To Environmental Studies, Christian Servin, Martine Ceberio, Aline Jaimes, Craig Tweedie, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Time series comes from measurements, and measurements are never absolutely accurate. Traditionally, when we deal with an individual measurement or with a sample of measurement results, we subdivide a measurement error into random and systematic components: systematic error does not change from measurement to measurement which random errors corresponding to different measurements are independent. In time series, when we measure the same quantity at different times, we can also have correlation between measurement errors corresponding to nearby moments of time. To capture this correlation, environmental science researchers proposed to consider the third type of measurement errors: periodic. This extended classification …

Research-Related Projects For Graduate Students As A Tool To Motivate Graduate Students In Classes Outside Their Direct Interest Areas, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In most graduate programs, students are required to take both "depth" classes -- classes in the areas of the student's direct interest -- and "breadth" classes, classes outside their direct interest areas. Naturally, the student's interest in "breadth" classes is often naturally lower than their interest in the "depth" classes. To enhance the students' interest in the "breadth" classes, a natural idea is to make research-related project an important part of the class, a project in which the student can apply the skills that he or she learns in the class to the research area of direct interest to this …

Towards Formalizing Non-Monotonic Reasoning In Physics: Logical Approach Based On Physical Induction And Its Relation To Kolmogorov Complexity, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

To formalize some types of non-monotonic reasoning in physics, researchers have proposed an approach based on Kolmogorov complexity. Inspired by Vladimir Lifschitz's belief that many features of reasoning can be described on a purely logical level, we show that an equivalent formalization can be described in purely logical terms: namely, in terms of physical induction.

One of the consequences of this formalization is that the set of not-abnormal states is (pre-)compact. We can therefore use Lifschitz's result that when there is only one state that satisfies a given equation (or system of equations), then we can algorithmically find this state. …

Negative Results Of Computable Analysis Disappear If We Restrict Ourselves To Random (Or, More Generally, Typical) Inputs, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

It is well known that many computational problems are, in general, not algorithmically solvable: e.g., it is not possible to algorithmically decide whether two computable real numbers are equal, and it is not possible to compute the roots of a computable function. We propose to constraint such operations to certain "sets of typical elements" or "sets of random elements".

In our previous papers, we proposed (and analyzed) physics-motivated definitions for these notions. In short, a set T is a set of typical elements if for every definable sequences of sets A_n for which each A_n is a subset …

Towards Optimizing Cloud Computing: An Example Of Optimization Under Uncertainty, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

One of the most efficient way to store and process data is cloud computing. In cloud computing, instead of storing the data at the user-defined location (e.g., at the user's computer or at the centralized server), the computer system ("cloud") selects the location of the data storage that speeds up computations -- by minimizing the (average) communication time. In this chapter, we provide an analytical solution to the corresponding optimization problem.

The demand for cloud computing is growing fast, and we expect that this demand -- and thus, the size of the resulting cloud -- will continue to grow. …

Do Constraints Facilitate Or Inhibit Creative Problem Solving: A Theoretical Explanation Of Two Seemingly Contradictory Experimental Studies, Karen Villaverde, Olga Kosheleva, Martine Ceberio

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Do constraints facilitate or inhibit creative problem solving? Recently, two experimental studies appeared, one showing that removing constraints may enhance creativity, another showing that adding constraints can facilitate creative problem solving. In this paper, we provide a theoretical explanation of these two seemingly contradictory experimental results.

Validated Templates For Specification Of Complex Ltl Formulas, Salamah Salamah, Ann Q. Gates, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Formal verification approaches that check software correctness against formal specifications have been shown to improve program dependability. Tools such as Specification Pattern System (SPS) and Property Specification (Prospec) support the generation of formal specifications. SPS has defined a set of patterns (common recurring properties) and scopes (system states over which a pattern must hold) that allows a user to generate formal specifications by using direct substitution of propositions into parameters of selected patterns and scopes. Prospec extended SPS to support the definition of patterns and scopes that include the ability to specify parameters with multiple propositions (referred to as composite …

Towards Symmetry-Based Explanation Of (Approximate) Shapes Of Alpha-Helices And Beta-Sheets (And Beta-Barrels) In Protein Structure, Jaime Nava, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Protein structure is invariably connected to protein function. There are two important secondary structure elements: alpha helices and beta-sheets (which sometimes come in a shape of beta-barrels). The actual shapes of these structures can be complicated, but in the first approximation, they are usually approximated by, correspondingly, cylindrical spirals and planes (and cylinders, for beta-barrels). In this paper, following the ideas pioneered by a renowned mathematician M. Gromov, we use natural symmetries to show that, under reasonable assumptions, these geometric shapes are indeed the best approximating families for secondary structures.

Estimating Statistical Characteristics Of Lognormal And Delta-Lognormal Distributions Under Interval Uncertainty: Algorithms And Computational Complexity, Nitaya Buntao, Sa-Aat Niwitpong, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Traditional statistical estimates S(x₁, ..., x_n) for different statistical characteristics S (such as mean, variance, etc.) implicitly assume that we know the sample values x₁, ..., x_n exactly. In practice, the sample values Xi come from measurements and are, therefore, in general, different from the actual (unknown) values x_i of the corresponding quantities. Sometimes, we know the probabilities of different values of the measurement error d_i = X_i - x_i, but often, the only information that we have about the measurement error is the upper bound D_{i …}

A Framework To Create Ontologies For Scientific Data Management, Leonardo Salayandia, Paulo Pinheiro Da Silva, Ann Q. Gates

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

Scientists often build and use highly customized systems to support observation and analysis efforts. Creating effective ontologies to manage and share data products created from those systems is a difficult task that requires collaboration among domain experts, e.g., scientists and knowledge representation experts. A framework is presented that scientists can use to create ontologies that describe how customized systems capture and transform data into products that support scientific findings. The framework establishes an abstraction that leverages knowledge representation expertise to describe data transformation processes in a consistent way that highlights properties relevant to data users. The intention is to create …

On The Extraction Of Volatiles From Lunar Regolith Using Solar Power, Jorge Alberto Frias

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Recent lunar missions have confirmed the presence of water and miscellaneous volatiles within the craters of the Moon's South Pole. If harvested, these resources have the potential to provide an incredible budget saving to the human space exploration program by dropping the total mass that astronauts need to carry from the Earth. The area that develops these technologies is called In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU). ISRU allows reducing the payload, and consequently reduces the energy consumption and cost of space exploration. The present thesis investigates methods for the extraction of volatiles from regolith within the shadowed craters of the Moon using …

Sustainable Water Management In The University Of Texas At El Paso, Cora Martinez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis showed how to improve water and financial savings for UTEP and El Paso by improving water conservation and sustainability of the UTEP campus. The goals of this research were successfully accomplished by focusing in three principal objectives.

1. Analyze historical data of water consumption of the UTEP campus for the past decade.

2. Evaluate water consumption to quantify water consumption by buildings and type of use, as well as provide recommendations for water and cost savings.

3. Synthesize a water management framework within the UTEP Facilities' Geographic Information System (GIS) for long-term monitoring and evaluation

Evaluation Of Ozone Trends And Distribution In The Paso Del Norte Region Using Tceq's Cams Data And Ozone Data Collected At Two Supplemental Sites, Adrian Michael Sandoval

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine whether the city of El Paso will continue to be in attainment if the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revises the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) of 8-hour average ozone concentration from 0.075 parts per million (ppm) to 0.070 ppm. For the duration of El Paso's ozone season, June-September 2012, two 2B Technology Ozone 202 monitors were deployed at proposed locations, not previously monitored. This was done in order to quantify concentration of ozone. In addition, ozone and meteorological data was downloaded from several Continuous Ambient Monitoring Stations (CAMS) in the Paso …

Carrier Collaborative Networks: Hybrid Hub Location Algorithms, Satyen Suresh Awale

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Within the context of the Logistics and supply chain and management, the Hybrid Hub and Spoke system has certain complexities regarding the selection of the hub location in the supply chain facility system. The performance and efficiency of the network route selection and hub location depends upon the percentage savings that has been made by choosing the appropriate location for the hub to maintain the efficient flow of the goods within the network. Hub location selection mostly depends on the profit margins shared by the carrier, supply and demand status of the facility and amount of flow of the goods …

Three-Dimensional Structural Electronic Integration For Small Satellite Fabrication, Cassie Gutierrez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The ability to realize truly three-dimensional electronic circuits is complicated if not impossible using traditional fabrication techniques. Such techniques are limited to the use of two dimensional printed circuit boards (PCBs), and require various dissonant processes which exhaust time, volume and cost. Due to the nature of Additive Manufacturing (AM) such problems are diminished and in some ways completely overcome. Additive Manufacturing allows for a higher range of design freedom along conformal surfaces, as well as unit level customization; it is the threshold for embedded electronics, allowing for three-dimensional circuitry in ways traditional fabrication is unfeasible. In such ways, additive …

Decision Rule Induction For Service Sector Using Data Mining- A Rough Set Theory Approach, Zhonghua Hu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Nowadays, data mining is more widely used than ever before; not only by the academic area, but also in the industry and business area. Apart from execution of business processes, the creation of knowledge base and its utilization for the benefit of the organization is becoming a strategy tool to compete. Despite of having ever growing data bases, the problem is that the finance company fails to fully capitalize the true benefits which can be gained from this great wealth of information. The data mining technology instead of classic statistical analysis is developed to help the people to discover the …

A Study Of Wo3 And W0.95ti0.05o3 Thin Films Using Comparative Spectroscopy, James Heyward Howard

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Tungsten oxide (WO3) is important and well-studied in materials science, particularly for sensor applications. In this research work, we consider the innovation of adding Ti to thin films of this material. Since the characteristics of any such material are strongly dependent on the conditions and methods used in its deposition, the main objective of this project is to provide a detailed spectroscopic characterization by Raman scattering, infrared absorption, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of WO3 and of W0.95Ti0.05O3. This characterization will be based on comparison of the morphology and composition of WO3-based thin films, grown by radio frequency magnetron reactive …

Minimizing The Retransmission Delay And Energy Expense Of Arq With The Optimal Placement Of Caching Routers In A Video Communication Network, Jesus Enrique Hernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The use of intermediary caching routers to service retransmission requests was investigated in this thesis. The main goal is to reduce the expected retransmission delay in a video communication network where the capacity for intermediate caching routers is constrained. In order to reduce the retransmission delay, the effect of the placement of routers with caching ability is investigated. Moreover, as a consequence of reducing the retransmission distance, the energy spent on retransmitting video packets is reduced as well. The average retransmission delay and the average energy consumption were modeled with mathematical programs that select the optimal placement of caching routers …

Placement Of Multiple Base Stations For Energy Efficient Communication In Wireless Sensor Networks, Nagendra Kiran Kambhampati

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In recent years, the importance of multiple base stations in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) has increased in applications such as environmental, border zone control, etc. Due to the energy constraints in individual sensor nodes, extending lifetime is an essential objective in WSNs. The physical, medium access and network layers have been targeted by a number of researchers for designing energy efficient protocols. While the proposed protocols were successful in energy savings for individual sensor nodes, they fail to solve problems related to the topology of the network. An example of such problem is that sensors nodes around the base station …

Analysis Of Isolated Traffic Signal Control Systems, Petr Malina

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are implemented for increase of efficiency and safety in transportation. This thesis focuses on the area of traffic signal timing operations which is one of ITS components. The first objective is to compare the Czech and the U.S. methods for isolated fixed time traffic signal control, using an intersection in El Paso, Texas, as the test site. The second objective of this thesis is to evaluate the U.S. actuated isolated timing plan and compare it against the Czech and U.S. fixed time controls. A microscopic traffic simulation model of the selected intersection is coded in VISSIM …

Electrical Characterization Of Microcrystalline Lifepo4 For Application In Lithium Ion Batteries, Sukhdeep Amarjeet Labana

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Electrical Characterization of Microcrystalline LiFePO4 for application in lithium ion batteries. Mainly, to study about the electrical properties of Lithium Iron Phosphate as a cathode material to increase its Electrical consumption.

High-Order Central Finite-Volume Schemes For Atmospheric Modeling, Kiran Kumar Katta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Atmospheric numerical modeling has been going through drastic changes over the past decade, mainly to utilize the massive computing capability of the petascale systems. This obliges the modelers to develop grid systems and numerical algorithms that facilitate exceptional level of scalability on these systems. The numerical algorithms that can address these challenges should have the local properties such as the high on-processor operation count and minimum parallel communication i.e., high parallel efficiency. They should also satisfy the following properties such as inherent local and global conservation, high-order accuracy, geometric flexibility, non-oscillatory advection and positivity preservation properties. The goal of this …

Cryogenic System Development For Lox/ Hydrocarbon Propulsion Research, Francisco Pineda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A propulsion research facility is being developed at the Center for Space Exploration Technology Research (cSETR) at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). These facilities were developed in order to meet new research demand for Liquid Oxygen (LOX)/Liquid methane (LCH4) experiments. The main goal of this system is to produce in-house liquid methane and supply propellants to their respective test set up in a cryogenic state. The work presented describes the design, development, and operation of a liquid methane condensation system and a cryogenic delivery feed system. The condensation system design will allow for a production of methane …

Nanoprobe I-V Characterization Of Cdte/Cds Micro And Nano-Patterned Solar Cells, Heber Prieto

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis presents a novel way to characterize micro and nano patterned cadmium telluride thin film solar cells via a nano-probe system. A historical review of CdTe-based solar cells is presented first followed by review of the technology developed to produce the patterned CdTe cells. A detailed presentation is then provided on the use of a Zyvex nanoprobing system to characterize the patterned solar cells. The I-V response of micro- and nano-patterned solar cells stimulated under different e-beam conditions is presented and analyzed. Suggestions of how to improve the technique are provided. This work documents, for the first time, the …

Identification Of Rework Station Location To Enhance Reworkability Using Design For Disassembly, Juan Alejandro Saavedra

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Rework stations are commonly established as part of each assembly stations causing the material flow of the process to be constantly interrupted. Another option is to place the rework station at the end of the production, but this is not cost effective. This breakeven point between reworkability and cost methodology has been proposed in this thesis to identify the location of a single rework station in an assembly line in order to enhance reworkability using the Design for Disassembly (DfD) principles. The methodology uses the 17 guidelines of DfD in a manufacturing scenario in order to propose a reworkability index …

Evaluation Of Non-Nuclear Devices In Measuring Moisture Content And Density Of Soils, Martin Jesus Sotelo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this report was to assess the ability of several different devices to measure moisture content and dry density of various compacted geomaterials. The experimental research involved the testing of different subgrade soils and one base material. More than a dozen specimens, 2 ft in height and 1.5 ft in diameter, were constructed to evaluate the Transtech SDG 200, Purdue TDR, and the Decagon 10 HS moisture content sensor. The Speedy Moisture Tester and DOT600 Roadbed Water Content Meter were also evaluated using individual soil samples. All materials were tested at five different moisture contents, but at their …

Control Of A Robotic Prototype Multi-Axis Synergistic System, Julio A. Torres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Balance is an ability that every person has and uses in normal daily life, to walk, run, stand, dance, etc. However, there are people who suffer a kind of balance impairment. The Computerized Dynamic Posturography (CDP) is technique in balance rehabilitation, where the patient is asked to stand on a moving platform that is equipped with sensors that measure how well you maintain your balance. In this thesis, a new CDP mechatronic system, the Multi-Axis Synergistic System (MASS), for balance assessment is being developed.

As a first stage and as the objective of this research work the transferable control algorithm …

Modeling Power Consumption Of High Performance Computer Clusters, Mario Caire

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation describes a utilization-based power modeling approach that makes use of the /proc file system and is applied to estimating power load and energy consumption of high performance computer clusters. A full cluster power model is specified that meets the following conditions: 1) provides accurate energy estimates; 2) consists of a minimal number of variables; and 3) the selected variables provide a sufficient degree of explanation of the primary OS level contributors to power consumption. The cluster power model is based on analysis at the system or compute-node level, where various models are developed and evaluated. All models described …