Engineering Commons^™

Computational Modeling For Transportation Network Security, Sherif A. Tolba

Master's Theses

No abstract provided.

Data Exploration Interface For Digital Forensics, Varun Dontula

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The fast capacity growth of cheap storage devices presents an ever-growing problem of scale for digital forensic investigations. One aspect of scale problem in the forensic process is the need for new approaches to visually presenting and analyzing large amounts of data. Current generation of tools universally employ three basic GUI components—trees, tables, and viewers—to present all relevant information. This approach is not scalable as increasing the size of the input data leads to a proportional increase in the amount of data presented to the analyst.

We present an alternative approach, which leverages data visualization techniques to provide a more …

Cplop - Cal Poly's Library Of Pyroprints, Kevin Webb

Computer Engineering

California Polytechnic Library of Pyroprints, CPLOP, is a web driven data-base application that stores data from the biology’s departments E. coli Pyrosequencing project. Some of this data was stored in Excel datasheets, while data from the pyrosequencing machines was stored as just a list of random .xml files. There was no useful way to organize and store the massive amounts of data from multiple file sources in one location, nor to perform the complicated searches and comparisons that the project requires. CPLOP’s primary goal is to store such data in three organized tables that relate to one another. It was …

Wireless Solar-Powered Thermal Imaging Camera, Andy Bonk, Billy Mcvicker, Jacob Richardson

Mechanical Engineering

Creation of a mounted wireless self-powered thermal imaging camera system.

Historic Calculator Project, Will Harris, Dan Marioni, Kevin Webb, Chad Williams

Mechanical Engineering

The Deutsches Museum of Munich, Germany requested add-on components to their mechanical calculator exhibit. The end-goal is to produce an interactive 3D model in software to demonstrate the functions of the Braun-Vayringe Machine (BVM). There will be four students working on this project at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo: two mechanical engineers (Dan Marioni and Will Harris) and two computer engineers (Chad Williams and Kevin Webb).This project involves the coordination of three facilities; the Deutsches Museum, and the Mechanical and Computer Science Departments of Cal Poly. The name of the project is known as the Historic Calculator Project …

Requirements Specification For Dsic: Distribution System For Information And Collaboration, Alex Abrahamian

Computer Science and Software Engineering

There seems to exist an invisible barrier between people that should be connected but for whatever reasons (don't hang out in the same circles, don't go to the same meetings, or are geographically separated) haven't met each other yet.

Normally these people will only meet when others bring them together or they are thrown together on a project. DSIC aims to preempt the person discovery process by allowing a way for people to post ideas, events, and other collaborations in a single place that can then be searched by other users.

The system utilizes postings, user profiles, and a tagging …

Robotic Turret, Daniel Romero, Matthew (Matt) Martelle, Scott Mullens, Rachel Diamant

Mechanical Engineering

No abstract provided.

State-Based Techniques For Designing, Verifying And Debugging Message Passing Systems, Rajaa Khaled Alqudah

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science - Dissertations

Message passing systems support the applications of concurrent events, where independent or semi-independent events occur simultaneously in a nondeterministic fashion. The nature of independence, random interactions and concurrency made the code development of such applications complicated and error-prone. Conventional code development environments or IDEs, such as Microsoft Visual Studio, provide little programming support in this regard. Furthermore, ensuring the correctness of a message passing system is a challenge. Typically, it is important to guarantee that a system meets its desired specifications along its construction process. Model checking is one of the techniques used in software verification which has proven to …

Context-Driven Agents In Computer Supported Cooperative Works, Brian D. Lichtman

HIM 1990-2015

This thesis describes a research project that investigates the level of contextualization needed to successfully build context-driven agents that can manage a cooperative project. Many times in industry, collaborators in a large project may be located vast distances from each other. It is for this reason that management of such projects can often be difficult. The purpose of this research is to design an agent that can take on the role of a project manager (PM) to assist the human project manager. Specifically, this thesis looks to give such project management agents full situational awareness. It is hypothesized that only …

Accelerating Pattern Recognition Algorithms On Parallel Computing Architectures, Kenneth Rice

All Dissertations

The move to more parallel computing architectures places more responsibility on the programmer to achieve greater performance. The programmer must now have a greater understanding of the underlying architecture and the inherent algorithmic parallelism. Using parallel computing architectures for exploiting algorithmic parallelism can be a complex task. This dissertation demonstrates various techniques for using parallel computing architectures to exploit algorithmic parallelism. Specifically, three pattern recognition (PR) approaches are examined for acceleration across multiple parallel computing architectures, namely field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and general purpose graphical processing units (GPGPUs).
Phase-only filter correlation for fingerprint identification was studied as the first …

Analysis And Implementation Of Room Assignment Problem And Cannon's Algorithm On General Purpose Programmable Graphical Processing Units With Cuda, Harsh Vardhan Dwivedi

All Theses

General-purpose Graphics Processing Units (GP-GPU) has emerged as a popular computing paradigm for high-performance computing over the last few years. The increased interest in GP-GPUs for parallel computing mirrors the trend in general computing with the rise of multi-core processors as an alternative approach to increase processor performance. Many applications that were previously accelerated on distributed processing platforms with MPI or multithreaded techniques such as OpenMP are now being investigated to assess their performance on GP-GPU platforms. Since the GP-GPU platform is designed to give higher performance for parallel problems, applications on other parallel architectures are good candidates for performance …

Measuring Digital System Latency From Sensing To Actuation At Continuous 1 Millisecond Resolution, Weixin Wu

All Theses

This thesis describes a new method for measuring the end-to-end latency between sensing and actuation in a digital computing system. Compared to previous work, which generally measures the latency at 16-33 ms intervals or at discrete events separated by hundreds of ms, our new method measures the latency continuously at 1 millisecond resolution. This allows for the observation of variations in latency over sub 1 s periods, instead of relying upon averages of measurements. We have applied our method to two systems, the ?rst using a camera for sensing and an LCD monitor for actuation, and the second using an …

The Design Of A Haptic Device For Training And Evaluating Surgeon And Novice Laparoscopic Movement Skills, Ryan Bontreger

All Theses

As proper levels of force application are necessary to ensure patient safety, and training hours with an expert on live subjects are difficult, enhanced computer-based training is needed to teach the next generation of surgeons. Considering the role of touch in surgery, there is a need for a device capable of discerning the haptic ability of surgical trainees. This need is amplified by minimally invasive surgical techniques where a surgeon's sense of tissue properties comes not directly through their own hands but indirectly through the tools. A haptic device capable of producing a realistic range of forces and motions that …

Parallel Implementation Of The Singular Value Decomposition Using Opencl, Bhushan Rayrikar

All Theses

General-Purpose Graphics Processing Units (GPGPUs) have massively parallel computational capabilities. Low cost and ease of programming make them a popular choice over other parallel architectures such as large clusters and accelerators such as Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). Mature programming frameworks for GPGPUs, such as CUDA from Nvidia and OpenCL from the Khronos Group, reduce the learning curve and development time for programming GPGPU architectures. OpenCL, a relatively new industry standard for parallel computing makes it possible to write a single program for heterogeneous platforms that is portable across multiple platforms including GPGPUs and multi-core processors with minimal coding modifications.
GPGPU …

Location-Aware Traffic Management On Mobile Phones, Sarath Krishna Mandava

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The growing number of mobile phone users is a primary cause of congestion in cellular networks. Therefore, cellular network providers have turned to expensive and differentiated data plans. Unfortunately, as the number of smartphone users keeps increasing, changing data plans only provides a temporary solution. A more permanent solution is offloading 3G traffic to networks in orthogonal frequency bands. One such plausible network is open Wi-Fi, which is free by definition. As Wi-Fi networks become ubiquitous, there are several areas where there is simultaneous Wi-Fi and 3G coverage. In this thesis, we study the feasibility of offloading 3G traffic to …

A New Approach To Dynamic Modeling Of Continuum Robots, Nivedhitha Giri

All Theses

ABSTRACT
In this thesis, a new approach for developing practically realizable dynamic models for continuum robots is proposed. Based on the new dynamic models developed, a novel technique for analyzing the capabilities of continuum manipulators to be employed in various real world applications has also been proposed and developed.
A section of a continuum arm is modeled using lumped model elements (masses, springs and dampers). It is shown that this model, although an approximation to a continuum structure, can be used to conveniently analyze the dynamics of the arm with suitable tradeoff in accuracy of modeling. This relatively simple model …

A Comparison Of The Performance Of Neural Q-Learning And Soar-Rl On A Derivative Of The Block Design (Bd)/Block Design Multiple Choice (Bdmc) Subtests On The Wisc-Iv Intelligence Test, Charreau Bell

All Theses

Teaching an autonomous agent to perform tasks that are simple to humans can be complex, especially when the task requires successive steps, has a low likelihood of successful completion with a brute force approach, and when the solution space is too large or too complex to be explicitly encoded. Reinforcement learning algorithms are particularly suited to such situations, and are based on rewards that help the agent to find the optimal action to execute given a certain state. The task investigated in this thesis is a modified form of the Block Design (BD) and Block Design Multiple Choice (BDMC) subtests, …

Performance Analysis And Fitness Of Gpgpu And Multicore Architectures For Scientific Applications, Mohammad Bhuiyan

All Dissertations

Recent trends in computing architecture development have focused on exploiting task- and data-level parallelism from applications. Major hardware vendors are experimenting with novel parallel architectures, such as the Many Integrated Core (MIC) from Intel that integrates 50 or more x86 processors on a single chip, the Accelerated Processing Unit from AMD that integrates a multicore x86 processor with a graphical processing unit (GPU), and many other initiatives from other hardware vendors that are underway.
Therefore, various types of architectures are available to developers for accelerating an application. A performance model that predicts the suitability of the architecture for accelerating an …

Application Of The Empirical Mode Decomposition On The Characterization And Forecasting Of The Arrival Data Of An Enterprise Cluster, Linh Bao Ngo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Characterization and forecasting are two important processes in capacity planning. While they are closely related, their approaches have been different. In this research, a decomposition method called Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) has been applied as a preprocessing tool in order to bridge the input of both characterization and forecasting processes of the job arrivals of an enterprise cluster. Based on the facts that an enterprise cluster follows a standard preset working schedule and that EMD has the capability to extract hidden patterns within a data stream, we have developed a set of procedures that can preprocess the data for characterization …

Mapping Device With Wireless Communication, Xiangyu Liu

Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Wireless communication is one of the most powerful communication methods that people use nowadays. The key advantage of wireless communications is that it can cover large distances without having to run any cables from one end to the other. Based on this advantage, wireless communication has many important applications, such as remote controls, cell phones, and global positioning system (GPS). This senior design project is developed to use wireless communication technology to map the geographic characteristics of an unknown place. It contains two wireless communication modules with Atmega1281 microprocessor, two robots with the 8051 microcontroller, six pairs of infrared transmitters …

Distributed Data Aggregation For Sparse Recovery In Wireless Sensor Networks, Shuangjiang Li

Masters Theses

We consider the approximate sparse recovery problem in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) using Compressed Sensing/Compressive Sampling (CS). The goal is to recover the $n \mbox{-}$dimensional data values by querying only $m \ll n$ sensors based on some linear projection of sensor readings. To solve this problem, a two-tiered sampling model is considered and a novel distributed compressive sparse sampling (DCSS) algorithm is proposed based on sparse binary CS measurement matrix. In the two-tiered sampling model, each sensor first samples the environment independently. Then the fusion center (FC), acting as a pseudo-sensor, samples the sensor network to select a subset of …

Automated Visual Monitoring Of Machining Equipment, Timothy Wayne Ragland

Masters Theses

Metalworking equipment is designed to modify a sheet, rod, or block of metal material in order to shape it for a specific application. This equipment can operate on the metal by bending it, drilling through it, or by cutting it. For small-scale operations, many tools require a significant amount of manual input. Unless the operator has extensive training and experience, the manual input may not be precise enough for fine details that may be needed in some applications. For example, with a bending brake, obtaining an accurate angle for the bend may be quite difficult. For a particular application, an …

State Estimation For Tracking Of Tagged Sharks With An Auv, Christina Forney

Master's Theses

Presented is a method for estimating the planar position, velocity, and orientation states of a tagged shark. The method is designed for implementation on an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) equipped with a stereo-hydrophone and receiver system that detects acoustic signals transmitted by a tag. The particular hydrophone system used here provides a measurement of relative bearing angle to the tag, but does not provide the sign (+ or -) of the bearing angle. A particle filter was used for fusing measurements over time to produce a state estimate of the tag location. The particle filter combined with an active control …

Power Management For Gpu-Cpu Heterogeneous Systems, Xue Li

Masters Theses

In recent years, GPU-CPU heterogeneous architectures have been increasingly adopted in high performance computing, because of their capabilities of providing high computational throughput. However, current research focuses mainly on the performance aspects of GPU-CPU architectures, while improving the energy efficiency of such systems receives much less attention. There are few existing efforts that try to lower the energy consumption of GPU-CPU architectures, but they address either GPU or CPU in an isolated manner and thus cannot achieve maximized energy savings. In this paper, we propose GreenGPU, a holistic energy management framework for GPU-CPU heterogeneous architectures. Our solution features a two-tier …

Determining The Validity Of The Nintendo Wii Balance Board As An Assessment Tool For Balance, Sabrina Mae Deans

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Context. Application of the Nintendo Wii-fit balance board and its games have been used in Physical Therapy clinics, showing success in individuals with neurological disorders, and has been recommended as a minimum baseline assessment of a symptoms checklist and standardized cognitive and balance assessments for concussion management by the NCAA. However, it still faces challenges of being considered a reliable and consistent tool for producing normative data in the allied healthcare. Because there is little to no evidence for the Wii-fit balance board as a valid balance assessment tool for clinical and/or research usage, the significance of this study is …

A Study Of A Novel Modular Variable Geometry Frame Arranged As A Robotic Surface, Christopher James Salisbury

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The novel concept of a "variable geometry frame" is introduced and explored through a three-dimensional robotic surface which is devised and implemented using triangular modules. The link design is optimized using surplus motor dimensions as firm constraints, and round numbers for further arbitrary constraints. Each module is connected by a passive six-bar mechanism that mimics the constraints of a spherical joint at each triangle intersection. A three dimensional inkjet printer is used to create a six-module prototype designed around surplus stepper motors powered by an old computer power supply as a proof-of-concept example.

The finite element method is applied to …

Powersearch: Augmenting Mobile Phone Search Through Personalization, Xiangyu Liu

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Cell phone has become a fundamental element of people's life. People use it to call each other, browse websites, send text messages, etc. Among all the functionalities, the most important and frequently used is the search functionality. Based on ComScore, in July 2008, Google was estimated to host 235 millions searches per day. However, unlike the search on desktop, the search on cell phone has one critical constrain: battery. Cell phone performing a normal Google search, the battery drains very fast. The reason is that when sending a query to and fetching the results from Google, cell phone keeps communicating …

Energy Efficient Reduced Complexity Multi-Service, Multi-Channel Scheduling Techniques, Dan J. Dechene

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The need for energy efficient communications is essential in current and next-generation wireless communications systems. A large component of energy expenditure in mobile devices is in the mobile radio interface. Proper scheduling and resource allocation techniques that exploit instantaneous and long-term average knowledge of the channel, queue state and quality of service parameters can be used to improve the energy efficiency of communication.

This thesis focuses on exploiting queue and channel state information as well as quality of service parameters in order to design energy efficient scheduling techniques. The proposed designs are for multi-stream, multi-channel systems and in general have …

Detecting Suspicious Behavior With Low-Cost Sensors, Ahren Alexander Reed

Master's Theses

A proof of concept is created that demonstrates how low-cost sensors and a simple software solution can be used to proactively detect IED placement. The main goal is to detect suspicious behavior; Specifically we derive requirements that loitering, meandering, improper location and object placement shall be detected. Current methods being used to detect Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) are costly in terms of equipment and risk to life, and many are retroactive; IED detection occurs long after explosives are placed. A prototype system is explored with the quality attributes of being low-cost, proactive and using simple software methods. A wireless sensor …

Accurate Estimation Of Isoform And Gene Expression Levels From Next Generation Sequencing Data, Marius Nicolae

Master's Theses

Massively parallel transcriptome sequencing is quickly replacing microarrays as the technology of choice for performing gene expression profiling due to its wider dynamic range and digital quantitation capabilities. However, accurate estimation of expression levels from sequencing data remains challenging due to the short read length delivered by current sequencing technologies and still poorly understood protocol- and technology-specific biases.

To date, two main transcriptome sequencing protocols have been proposed in the literature. The most commonly used one, referred to as RNA-Seq, generates short (single or paired) sequencing tags from the ends of randomly generated cDNA fragments. An alternative protocol, referred to …