Engineering Commons^™

Context Dependent Spectral Unmixing., Hamdi Jenzri

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A hyperspectral unmixing algorithm that finds multiple sets of endmembers is proposed. The algorithm, called Context Dependent Spectral Unmixing (CDSU), is a local approach that adapts the unmixing to different regions of the spectral space. It is based on a novel function that combines context identification and unmixing. This joint objective function models contexts as compact clusters and uses the linear mixing model as the basis for unmixing. Several variations of the CDSU, that provide additional desirable features, are also proposed. First, the Context Dependent Spectral unmixing using the Mahalanobis Distance (CDSUM) offers the advantage of identifying non-spherical clusters in …

Studies On Efficient Spectrum Sharing In Coexisting Wireless Networks., Guanying Ru

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Wireless communication is facing serious challenges worldwide: the severe spectrum shortage along with the explosive increase of the wireless communication demands. Moreover, different communication networks may coexist in the same geographical area. By allowing multiple communication networks cooperatively or opportunistically sharing the same frequency will potentially enhance the spectrum efficiency. This dissertation aims to investigate important spectrum sharing schemes for coexisting networks. For coexisting networks operating in interweave cognitive radio mode, most existing works focus on the secondary network’s spectrum sensing and accessing schemes. However, the primary network can be selfish and tends to use up all the frequency resource. …

One-Sided Transparency : A Revolution In Visualization., Robert Curtin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Colonoscopy, the traditional procedure for detecting colorectal cancer, is very effective. It does have downsides, however - it is invasive, uncomfortable for the patient, and not available to some patients with certain conditions. Virtual colonoscopy has been developed in order to address these issues. A virtual colonoscopy (VC) is a non-invasive method for performing a colonoscopy by using medical imaging data to create a virtual representation of the colon. Previous virtual colonoscopy methods include fly-through, fly-over, flattening, and the unfolded cube method. Fly-through moves the camera through …

Design Of The High-Speed Stereo Radiography System, John C. Ivester Iv

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Orthopaedic pathologies often involve disruption of the mechanical environment of a joint at/below the mm scale. The ability to measure biomechanical kinematics at the sub-mm scale is essential for obtaining valuable insight into pathologies, but small motions of the joints are difficult to quantify. Estimates of skeletal kinematics are commonly made from optical motion capture systems and markers placed on the skin. The error caused by external marker movement is largely avoided with x-ray motion capture. Dynamic radiography uses a series of x-ray images recorded at high-speed and captures in-vivo joint motion. Uncovering the mechanical foundation of orthopaedic pathologies requires …

Study Of Bidirectional Broadband Passive Optical Network (Bpon) Using Edfa, Yasser Almalaq

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Optical line terminals (OLTs) and number of optical network units (ONUs) are two main parts of passive optical network (PON). OLT is placed at the central office of the service providers, the ONUs are located near to the end subscribers. When compared with point-to-point design, a PON decreases the number of fiber used and central office components required.

Broadband PON (BPON), which is one type of PON, can support high-speed voice, data and video services to subscribers' residential homes and small businesses. In this research, by using erbium doped fiber amplifier (EDFA), the performance of bi-directional BPON is experimented and …

Semi-Blind Robust Indentification And Robust Control Approach To Personalized Anemia Management., Elom Akabua

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The homeostatic blood hemoglobin (Hb) content of a healthy individual varies between the range of 14-18 g/dL for a male and 12-16 g/dL for a female. This quantity provides an estimate of red blood cell (RBC) count in circulation at any given moment. RBC is a protein carrying substance that transports oxygen from the lungs to other tissues in the body and is synthesized by the kidney through a process known as erythropoiesis where erythropoietin is secreted in response to hypoxia. In this regard, the kidneys act not only as a controller but also as a sensor in regulating RBC …

Fast And Robust Hybrid Framework For Infant Brain Classification From Structural Mri : A Case Study For Early Diagnosis Of Autism., Amir Alansary

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The ultimate goal of this work is to develop a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system for early autism diagnosis from infant structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The vital step to achieve this goal is to get accurate segmentation of the different brain structures: whitematter, graymatter, and cerebrospinal fluid, which will be the main focus of this thesis. The proposed brain classification approach consists of two major steps. First, the brain is extracted based on the integration of a stochastic model that serves to learn the visual appearance of the brain texture, and a geometric model that preserves the brain geometry during …

Analysis Of Contrast-Enhanced Medical Images., Fahmi Abdallah Fahmi Mohammed Khalifa

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Early detection of human organ diseases is of great importance for the accurate diagnosis and institution of appropriate therapies. This can potentially prevent progression to end-stage disease by detecting precursors that evaluate organ functionality. In addition, it also assists the clinicians for therapy evaluation, tracking diseases progression, and surgery operations. Advances in functional and contrast-enhanced (CE) medical images enabled accurate noninvasive evaluation of organ functionality due to their ability to provide superior anatomical and functional information about the tissue-of-interest. The main objective of this dissertation is to develop a computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) system for analyzing complex data from CE magnetic …

Utilizing Radiation For Smart Robotic Applications Using Visible, Thermal, And Polarization Images., Ali H. Mahmoud

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The domain of this research is the use of computer vision methodologies in utilizing radiation for smart robotic applications for driving assistance. Radiation can be emitted by an object, reflected or transmitted. Understanding the nature and the properties of the radiation forming an image is essential in interpreting the information in that image which can then be used by a machine e.g. a smart vehicle to make a decision and perform an action. Throughout this work, different types of images are used to help a robotic vehicle make a decision and perform a certain action. This work presents three smart …

A Novel Nmf-Based Dwi Cad Framework For Prostate Cancer., Patrick Mcclure

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this thesis, a computer aided diagnostic (CAD) framework for detecting prostate cancer in DWI data is proposed. The proposed CAD method consists of two frameworks that use nonnegative matrix factorization (NMF) to learn meaningful features from sets of high-dimensional data. The first technique, is a three dimensional (3D) level-set DWI prostate segmentation algorithm guided by a novel probabilistic speed function. This speed function is driven by the features learned by NMF from 3D appearance, shape, and spatial data. The second technique, is a probabilistic classifier that seeks to label a prostate segmented from DWI data as either alignat, contain …

An Investigation Of Heat Transfer Enhancement In Nanofluids Containing Core And Shell Nanoparticles., Cory Adam Milligan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to determine the differences in heat transfer enhancement of poly alpha olefin oil after the addition of two types of carbon coated nanoparticles, specifically carbon coated cobalt and carbon coated copper nanoparticles. The carbon shell allows for the nanoparticles to be homogenously dispersed in the oil and remain stable throughout the experimental procedure. The nanofluids were prepared in concentrations of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 wt%. A constant surface heat flux testing rig is used to determine the heat transfer coefficients of the base fluids and the nanofluids. Inlet temperatures to the heat transfer section …

A Novel Diffusion Tensor Imaging-Based Computer-Aided Diagnostic System For Early Diagnosis Of Autism., Mahmoud Mostapha

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) denote a significant growing public health concern. Currently, one in 68 children has been diagnosed with ASDs in the United States, and most children are diagnosed after the age of four, despite the fact that ASDs can be identified as early as age two. The ultimate goal of this thesis is to develop a computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) system for the accurate and early diagnosis of ASDs using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This CAD system consists of three main steps. First, the brain tissues are segmented based on three image descriptors: a visual appearance model that has …

The Second Generation Of The Cccm System For In-Vitro Cardiac Tissue Engineering., Mai-Dung Thi Nguyen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide. When a myocardial infarction occurs, scar tissue compensates the damaged myocardial tissue. This scar tissue increases the stiffness of the heart tissue, reduces the heart’s function, and finally leads to the heart failure (HF) disease. To have the tissue engraftment, in-vitro cardiac tissue should have the same properties as the native mature cardiac tissue. However, current in-vitro cell culture technologies fail to accurately recreate the in-vivo like mechanically physiological environment for in-vitro cardiac tissue culture, and therefore, fail to regenerate the in-vivo like mature cardiac tissue. Hence, a microfluidic cardiac cell …

Photomechanical Actuation Of Liquid Crystal Nanotube Elastomers., Xiaoming Fan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Elastomeric composites based on nanotube liquid crystals (LCs) that preserve the internal orientation of nanotubes could lead to anisotropic physical properties and flexible energy conversion. Using simple vacuum filtration technique of fabricating nanotube LCs films and utilizing a transfer process to poly (dimethyl) siloxane wherein the LCs arrangement is preserved, in this thesis we demonstrate unique and reversible photomechanical response of this layered composite to excitation by near infra-red (NIR) light at ultra-low nanotube mass fractions. Schlieren textures were noted in these LCs composites confirming long range macroscopic nematic order of nanotubes within the composites. Maximum photomechanical stress of ~23kPa, …

Classification System Of The Physical Streambed Habitat., Abolfazl Shafaie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A streambed is the channel bottom of a stream, river, or creek; the physical confine of the normal water flow. It provides necessities for fish and microinvertebrate including shelter, food, and breeding spots. Therefore, it is an essential part of aquatic animal habitats and often seen as an index of stream health. There is no generally accepted method to quantify streambed physical components and depending upon state and organization a variety of methods are used. The procedure provided in the rapid bioassessment protocol (RBP) (Kaufmann et al., 1999; Sylte and Fischenich, 2002) is probably the most widely used method to …

Numerical Investigation Of Hydrodynamic Focusing And Coulter Principle In A Microfluidic Device, Muheng Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Particle information such as particle size and amount is significant to many fields such as chemical engineering, biological research, medical analysis, and environment detection. Microfluidic Coulter counter is suitable for this task because it can get fast and accurate analysis. However, the fundamental principle and several design strategies details are still needed to be analyzed and modeled in order to improve its performance. This dissertation focused on several challenges from the numerical simulation aspects. First one is the analysis for the hydrodynamic focusing in microfluidic Coulter Counter. In recent years, many microfluidic Coulter Counter designs have utilized a technique termed …

Hydraulic Switch For Dishwashers With Bottle Blaster System., Lazaro Galban

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A dishwasher works by using water pressure to operate the Spray Arms. There are different types of wash systems with the most common being two spray arms, a lower and middle arm. These two spray arms operate independently from each other and can be powered individually. In this particular wash system, the subsystem of interest is the Mid Spray Arm which is connected with the Bottle Blaster where both operate simultaneously. The Mid Spray Arm is used to clean the upper dishwasher rack while the Bottle Blaster is used to clean bottles, also in the upper rack. In order to …

Investigation Of Stabilization Mechanisms For Colloidal Suspension Using Nanoparticles., Qingwen He

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past decade, charged nanoparticles have been found to enhance the stability of colloidal suspensions. One promising explanation of this stabilization mechanism is “Nanoparticle Haloing”- the formation of a non-adsorbing nanoparticle layer surrounding neutral colloids that would induce an effective electrostatic repulsion between them. The objective of this work was to investigate the effect of additional charged nanoparticles on the interaction between neural colloids in nanoparticle-regulated complex fluids. Firstly, colloidal probe Atomic Force Microscopy (CP-AFM) is used to directly measure the interaction force in such system with nanoparticle volume fractions varying from 10-6 to 10-2. It is found that …

Numerical Study Of Leading Edge Vortex Circulation Development On Finite Aspect Ratio Perching Wings., Kyle Hord

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The perching maneuver of natural fliers is a complex motion involving fast change of angle of attack, complicated wing kinematics, large wing deformation and agile body motion control, but the prominent aerodynamic features can be revealed using a simple pitch-up wing motion coupled with a stream wise deceleration. In this dissertation the aerodynamic forces, the leading edge vorterx (LEV) development, and LEV circulation of pitch-up and perching wings are extensively studied at low Reynolds number conditions. 2D and 3D wings of different aspect ratios were linearly pitched up from 0 to 90 at three reduced pitch rates. The numerical investigation …

Experimental Investigation On The Shear Characteristics Of Gfrp Reinforcement Systems Embedded In Concrete., Austin Beau Connor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To mitigate the deterioration of steel-reinforced concrete members, a fiber-reinforced polymers (FRPs) system has been introduced and has increasingly been used to replace the conventional steel reinforcing bar. However, questions remain about the performance of the Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) reinforcing bar in concrete with varied stress orientation and shape. The GFRP reinforcement is an anisotropic material that possesses low strength for the transverse direction. This paper presents the results of the shear performance of GFRP reinforcement crossing varied crack angles. Fifteen push-off specimens were tested to investigate the shear characteristics of the GFRP and steel reinforcement. Tests were …

Stress Corrosion Cracking In Polymer Matrix Glass Fiber Composites, Jonathan Kosak

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With the use of Polymer Matrix Glass Fiber Composites ever expanding, understanding conditions that lead to failure before expected service life is of increasing importance. Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) has proven to be one such example of conditions found in use in high voltage transmission line applications that leads to brittle fracture of polymer matrix composites.

SCC has been proven to be the result of acid buildup on the lines due to corona discharges and water buildup. This acid leaches minerals from the fibers, leading to fracture at low loads and service life. In order to combat this problem, efforts …

Application Of Energy Storage In Power Systems, Khalid M. Alqunun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to determine the advantages of using energy storage systems. This study presents a model for energy storage in electric power systems. The model involves methods of reducing the operation cost of a power network and the calculation of capital cost of energy storage systems. Two test systems have been considered, the IEEE six-bus system and the IEEE 118-bus system, to analyze the impact of energy storage on power system economic operation. Properties of energy storage have been considered such as rated power investment cost and rated energy investment cost. Mixed integer programming has been …

Impact Of Net Metering On Customers Saving, Abdullah F. Albaker

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of net metering on customers engagement. Brief discussions about net metering, its purpose, its challenges and benefits, and the history of net metering in the United States are included within the thesis. The thesis illustrates the net-metering rules, regulations and policies in the United States, and it shows that they are applied in 43 states plus the District of Columbia. Nevertheless, It has clearly seen that they are not similar in all states.

The thesis then identifies the impacts of net metering on utilities and solar power owners in particular. …

Two-Stage Network Design In Humanitarian Logistics., Seyed Soroush Moeini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes can cause multiple deaths, injuries, and severe damage to properties. In order to minimize the impact of such disasters, emergency response plans should be developed well in advance of such events. Moreover, because different organizations such as non-governmental organizations (NGOs), governments, and militaries are involved in emergency response, the development of a coordination scheme is necessary to efficiently organize all the activities and minimize the impact of disasters. The logistics network design component of emergency management includes determining where to store emergency relief materials, the corresponding quantities and distribution to the affected areas …

Predictions Of Nox Emissions In Pulverized Coal Combustion., Niko Hachenberg 1981-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research work was to develop a transferable mathematically simple model which gives the possibility to make fast and easy predictions regarding the NOx emission behavior of a broad–spectrum of coals within a certain combustion environment. In this context, this thesis is a further step of a common ongoing investigation focused on predicting NOx emissions from self–sustaining, pulverized coal combustion in dry bottom firing systems. A comprehensive literature research focused on already published NOx prediction approaches from scientific publications based on fundamental quantitative relationships or empirical algorithms and statistical relationships was also carried out in this context. …

Implications Of Additive Manufacturing On Complexity Management Within Supply Chains In A Production Environment., Andre Kieviet

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on developing a generic framework for using additive manufacturing as an appropriate production method to address the management of complexity in supply chains. While several drivers such as changing customer demand patterns and intensifying global competition increase product complexity, the available number of product variants and related processes within the supply chain itself increase costs and dilute scale effects. Several concepts and tools like mass customization, modularization, and product platforms have been developed in the past decades, but most of them focus on the product structure. Currently, there is no comprehensive tool set developed in the field …

Supply Chain Flexibility In The Special Purpose Vehicle Industry., Florian J. Loderbauer 1982-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Supply chains of the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) industry are complex and with many constraints. Since the SPV industry is a special field of operation, there is no classical supply chain strategy which is appropriate. It is possible to apply concepts of industries with similar requirements but there is a high loss of time and money because these classical concepts do not fit to the SPV industry. Even strategies of the conventional automobile industry cannot be transferred. Therefore, there is the need to develop a supply chain concept for companies of the SPV industry. As a first step, basic knowledge …

A Mathematical Programming Approach For Dispatching And Relocating Ems Vehicles., Farshad Majzoubi 1983-

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We consider the problem of dispatching and relocating EMS vehicles during a pandemic outbreak. In such a situation, the demand for EMS vehicles increases and in order to better utilize their capacity, the idea of serving more than one patient by an ambulance is introduced. Vehicles transporting high priority patients cannot serve any other patient, but those transporting low priority patients are allowed to be rerouted to serve a second patient. We have considered three separate problems in this research. In the first problem, an integrated model is developed for dispatching and relocating EMS vehicles, where dispatchers determine hospitals for …

Advancements In Alternative Energy Applications For Space Conditioning., Brian S. Robinson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation documents advancements made in passive, renewable energy applications for building space conditioning (heating and cooling). Since, for most climates across the US, space heating requires a much larger annual energy demand than space cooling, the majority of this dissertation is focused on the heating season. The dissertation is divided into five chapters, primarily covering computer simulations and experimental studies pertaining to specific space conditioning technologies. Chapter One discusses the significance of supplanting fossil fuel based energy production with clean, renewable sources, and provides further detail on the organization of this dissertation. Chapter Two provides background on the heat …

Three-Dimensional Modeling Of The Human Jaw/Teeth Using Optics And Statistics., Aly Saber Abdelrahim

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Object modeling is a fundamental problem in engineering, involving talents from computer-aided design, computational geometry, computer vision and advanced manufacturing. The process of object modeling takes three stages: sensing, representation, and analysis. Various sensors may be used to capture information about objects; optical cameras and laser scanners are common with rigid objects, while X-ray, CT and MRI are common with biological organs. These sensors may provide a direct or an indirect inference about the object, requiring a geometric representation in the computer that is suitable for subsequent usage. Geometric representations that are compact, i.e., capture the main features of the …