Computer Engineering Commons^™

Laser Beam Optical Trapping Of A Nanoparticle, Rufaro Musvosvi

Posters, Presentations, and Papers

Optical trapping is the use of a laser beam, to trap small particles, similarly to using tweezers. A straight beam of light, focused correctly, can provide a force strong enough to control a nanoparticle. The objective of this project is to set up a Modular Optical Trapping Kit for the purposes of research and teaching. The project is split into two main parts. Part one is assembling the Trapping Kit, which includes building a Printed Circuit Board (PCB). Part two is measuring the necessary laser-force for different particles. This is an on-going project.

Microstructural Evaluation Of Deap Material After Stress Relaxation, Cody Rieger, Gunnar Lovhoiden, James Magbanua, Boon-Chai Ng Ph.D.

Posters, Presentations, and Papers

Dielectric Electro Active Polymers (DEAP) has the potential of converting mechanical energy into useful electrical energy. This material consists of a silicone dielectric film material with a special corrugated surface and a very thin layer of metallic electrodes on both sides of the surface. As these materials allow large mechanical deformations with low operating forces, potential applications include using this material to convert the energy from the ocean waves, and wind. This work examined the capacitance to provide useful information in optimizing the electrical properties for specific applications, and to investigate how the electrical properties are affected by electrical and/or …

The Social Life Of Big Data - Pawsey Resources, Luke Edwards

The Social Life of Big Data Symposium

The presentation covers the supercomputing facilities and services available at the Pawsey Supercomputing Centre, Western Australia.
The Pawsey Supercomputing Centre is an unincorporated joint venture between CSIRO, Curtin University, Edith Cowan University, Murdoch University and the University of Western Australia and is supported by the Western Australian Government.

Roborodentia Robot, Jordan Dykstra, Anibal Hernandez, Robert Prosser

Computer Engineering

This report provides details on the design and implementation of a robot for the Spring 2015 Roborodentia competition. The system is described from a software perspective, a hardware perspective, and a mechanical design perspective.

Understanding The Relationships Of User-Selected Music In Video Games, Memphis Wong

Liberal Arts and Engineering Studies

Music has been an integral part of video games in its contribution to users' gameplay experiences. Varying from simple sound effects to elaborate scores, music helps shape the reactive environment of each video game. In particular, video games that generate unique levels and scenarios based on music has become more popular as its own genre. Games such as Audiosurf take this further, with having the game revolve entirely around levels generated to custom tracks. The aim of this study is to analyze the impact of such games, when it allows a user to select his or her own music.

Code Girl, Tracey Acosta, Amanda Holl, Paige Rogalski

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

Despite the growing importance of technology and computing, fewer than 1% of women in college today choose to major in computer science.[1] Educational programs and games created to interest girls in computing, such as Girls Who Code and Made With Code, have been successful in engaging girls with interactive and creative learning environments, but they are too advanced for young girls to bene t from. To address the lack of educational, computer science games designed speci cally for young girls, we developed a web-based application called Code Girl for girls age ve to eight to customize their own avatar using …

Gpu-Accelerated Lip-Tracking Library, Alex Deboui, Jesse Harder

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

A major part of having correct pronunciation when learning a new language is moving your lips in the correct way. This is a difficult thing to learn and to teach. One solution to this is software which tracks a student's lip movements and provides feedback. This paper describes how we have created a C++ library to accurately track lips in provided images. Further, this library attempts to use a CUDA-enabled GPU implementation to improve the algorithm's performance. It will fall back on a CPU implementation if such a GPU is not found. As a result, the lip tracking library runs …

The Palantíri Stones In J.R.R. Tolkien’S The Lord Of The Rings As Sauron’S Social Media: How To Avoid Getting Poked By The Dark Lord, Phillip Fitzsimmons

Faculty Books & Book Chapters

No abstract provided.

Big Data: Big Value And Big Concerns, Singapore Management University

Perspectives@SMU

Digital information can serve lots of purposes, but timeliness, relevance and privacy issues abound

A Transfer Function Based Frequency Model For Propagation Of A Chaos Wave Through Modified Von Karman Turbulence Under Various Chaos And Turbulence Conditions, Monish Ranjan Chatterjee, Fathi H.A. Mohamed

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Complex phasor fields for electromagnetic wave propagation through von Karman turbulence and acousto-optic RF chaos are derived en route to the effective transfer function between chaos and narrow turbulence. Results are tested for several turbulence and chaos conditions.

Fuzzy Xor Classes From Quantum Computing, Anderson Ávila, Murilo Schmalfuss, Renata Reiser, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

By making use of quantum parallelism, quantum processes provide parallel modelling for fuzzy connectives and the corresponding computations of quantum states can be simultaneously performed, based on the superposition of membership degrees of an element with respect to the different fuzzy sets. Such description and modelling is mainly focussed on representable fuzzy Xor connectives and their dual constructions. So, via quantum computing not only the interpretation based on traditional quantum circuit is considered, but also the notion of quantum process in the qGM model is applied, proving an evaluation of a corresponding simulation by considering graphical interfaces of the VPE-qGM …

On The Viability Of Quantitative Assessment Methods In Software Engineering And Software Services, Joseph D. Lucente

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

IT help desk operations are expensive. Costs associated with IT operations present challenges to profit goals. Help desk managers need a way to plan staffing levels so that labor costs are minimized while problems are resolved efficiently. An incident prediction method is needed for planning staffing levels. The potential value of a solution to this problem is important to an IT service provider since software failures are inevitable and their timing is difficult to predict. In this research, a cost model for help desk operations is developed. The cost model relates predicted incidents to labor costs using real help desk …

Printed Circuit Board For Introductory Animatronics Course, Preston Brown

Computer Engineering

For many years, freshmen Computer Engineering students at California Polytechnic State University have taken a course that introduces them to the “processes of electronics manufacturing. They are lectured on concepts such as CAD/CAM design, Design for Manufacture (DFM), documentation requirements, prototyping and production planning”. The laboratory portion of the course allows students to “use hands-on techniques to solidify knowledge of project planning, soldering, automation, hand tool usage and production methods” by manufacturing their own power supply, starting with aluminum sheets, a bag of components, and and an unassembled printed circuit board (PCB).

While the project is popular among students, department …

Alternative Models Of Connectivity: Reclaiming Networked Spaces, Philip M. Bain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Alternative networking is a growing field of study and practice due to advancements in computer networking hardware, and software protocols. Methods of integrating alternative networking configurations into infrastructure present enhanced forms of empowerment and embodiment for participants. Through an analysis of multiple hardware and software examples, this research suggests that practices of sharing and collaboration, which are embedded in the history of computer networking, have the potential to reinvigorate the notion of a virtual public sphere, and support the ideals of digital democracy.

Roborodentia Robot 2015, Travis Stuever

Computer Engineering

The Roborodentia 2015 competition was a ring based challenge that had participants move PVC rings from one side of a course to another all within 3 minutes. In order to succeed in this competition there needs to be a good robotic design, thought out use cases, and good solid software.

Emergence Of Negative Index In A Lossy Chiral Metamaterial Under First-Order Material Dispersion, Monish Ranjan Chatterjee, Tarig A. Algadey

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

For a lossless dispersive chiral material, negative index (NIM) occurred only by use of parametric analysis (and not via practical models) to first-order. These findings are re-visited for the lossy problem and the results are compared.

Comparisons Of Measurement Results As Constraints On Accuracies Of Measuring Instruments: When Can We Determine The Accuracies From These Constraints?, Christian Servin, Vladik Kreinovich

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

For a measuring instrument, a usual way to find the probability distribution of its measurement errors is to compare its results with the results of measuring the same quantity with a much more accurate instrument. But what if we are interested in estimating the measurement accuracy of a state-of-the-art measuring instrument, for which no more accurate instrument is possible? In this paper, we show that while in general, such estimation is not possible; however, can uniquely determine the corresponding probability distributions if we have several state-of-the-art measuring instruments, and for one of them, the corresponding probability distribution is symmetric.

Custom Keys: Numeric Keypad Server-Client Android App, Cameron Hom

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Custom Keys is an app that consists of a server and an app which communicate through the network. This project explored a way to improve numeric keystroke input for users who do not have numeric keypads on their laptops or computers. I discuss many features and designs I used in Custom Keys to create the app and server. I also discuss some of the drawbacks to the design. Custom Keys was successfully created but more testing and research is needed to determine if it improves individual numeric keystroke's per minute.

Exploration Of Stimulus Current Energy Reduction And Bifurcation Dynamics In Conductance-Based Neuron Models Using Optimal Control Theory, Michael E. Ellinger

Dissertations

Hodgkin-Huxley type conductance-based models can simulate the effect of time-varying injected stimulus currents on the neuron membrane voltage. The dynamics simulated by these model types enables investigation of the biophysical basis of neuronal activity which is fundamental to higher level function. Broadened understanding the basis of nervous system function could lead to development of effective treatment for related diseases, disorders, and the effects of trauma. In this dissertation, optimal control is used with conductance-based neuron models to develop a "Reduced Energy Input Stimulus Discovery Method." Within the method, an objective function balances two competing criteria: tracking a reference membrane voltage …

Customer Tracking Through An Affordable Consumer Device Array, Daniel Nishi

Computer Science and Software Engineering

Commercial person tracking systems that use wifi packet analysis is currently very costly. In order to reduce the barrier of entry and allow small businesses to reap the benefits of indoor trilateration systems and monitor consumer traffic patterns, I am building out a system that will run on low-cost hardware and be deployable without a monthly service fee. By using consumer hardware, we are able to collect and analyze wifi management packets from smartphone sources and use it to extract actionable business information.