Digital Commons Network^™

A Self-Organizing Hybrid Sensor System With Distributed Data Fusion For Intruder Tracking And Surveillance, Ravishankar Palaniappan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A wireless sensor network is a network of distributed nodes each equipped with its own sensors, computational resources and transceivers. These sensors are designed to be able to sense specific phenomenon over a large geographic area and communicate this information to the user. Most sensor networks are designed to be stand-alone systems that can operate without user intervention for long periods of time. While the use of wireless sensor networks have been demonstrated in various military and commercial applications, their full potential has not been realized primarily due to the lack of efficient methods to self organize and cover the …

Optical Mapping Of The Interactions Between Cardiac Geometry And Electrical Activity, Elliot B. Bourgeois

All ETDs from UAB

In healthy hearts, the synchronized spread of electrical activation drives contraction. To investigate the role of cardiac geometry in modulating normal and abnormal electrical rhythms, we stained cardiac tissues with a fluorescent, voltage sensitive dye and imaged activation patterns with fast video cameras (optical mapping). This work is presented in three projects. Computer modeling has shown that conduction velocity increases when fibers are bowed toward the oncoming wavefront and decreases when fibers are bowed in the opposite direction. In the first project, cultured monolayers of cardiac myocytes were optically mapped to experimentally verify the theoretical effect of fiber curvature on …

Pre-Disaster Planning For Transportation Infrastructure Recovery, Stephanie Victoria Watson

All ETDs from UAB

The US is dependent upon a functioning transportation network for many aspects of daily life, and those aspects that become largely important during times of disaster. For example, emergency medical response is a crucial activity that relies upon a functioning transportation network during regular daily operations as well as during times of emergency. The US has experienced several natural and manmade devastating events within the past decade including the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, Hurricanes Ivan, Katrina and Rita, and record flooding in Tennessee. When disasters occur, the potential of disrupting various infrastructures either individually or simultaneously exists. During a …

Development Of A Multiscale Material Model For Brain Tissue And Its Application To The Impact Response Of The Human Head, Sandeep Kulathu

All ETDs from UAB

The development of a finite element model capable of predicting brain injury sustained as a result of an impact load to the head is of considerable importance not only for the development of adequate protection systems but also in deciding an appropriate mode of treatment for an individual. With advancements in imaging technologies, it is now possible to visualize the neuron fiber structures in the brain. In the first half of this project, an analytical micro-mechanical model was developed from the individual isotropic behaviors of the Cerebro-Spinal Fluid (CSF) and brain tissue present in the brain, such that the resultant …

Cardiovascular Endothelial Regeneration On An Electrospun Scaffold, Xing Zhang

All ETDs from UAB

A bi-layer electrospun nano-fibrous scaffold comprising synthetic polymers and natural proteins was constructed as the prototype of an arterial substitute for coronary ar-tery disease. This scaffold featured a highly porous microstructure analogous to native extracellular matrix. Uni-axial tensile test suggested that its excellent mechanical strength could restore normal blood flow immediately after implantation. Subsequent biocompati-bility study demonstrated that scaffolding materials, either traditional or degraded, were non-toxic to the regenerated human endothelium on the luminal layer. Moreover, this re-generated endothelium possessed critical functions, such as the formation of tight junc-tions, the secretion of prostacyclin, and the prevention of platelet adhesion. Thereafter, …

Characterization Of Explanted Endovascular Stents: A Study Of In-Vivo Corrosion And The Role Of Vascular Calcification In Stent Fracture, Dina Halwani

All ETDs from UAB

The electrochemical and mechanical stability of endovascular stents in-vivo is essential for their biocompatibility. Limited information is available regarding the condition of stents following interaction with vascular tissue, as a result, twenty seven stented vessels containing 45 stents (33 bare metal and 12 drug eluting) were retrieved during autopsy and vascular surgery. The stent/tissue components were carefully separated using a rigorous tissue dissolution protocol. Stent surfaces were characterized using 3D digital optical and scanning electron microscopy. Transferred metallic elements in dissolved tissue were measured using mass spectroscopy. Histopathologic assessment of stented tissue, when available, was also performed. Fifteen out of …

Component Replacement Analysis For Electricity Distribution Systems Using Evolutionary Algorithms, Vasukumar Chenna

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The main objective of the electric power grid is to supply economical and reliable electricity to industrial, commercial, household, transportation, and other end-users, including agricultural, educational institutions and hospitals. The power system is a very large and complex network consisting of generation, transmission, and distribution systems. The main focus of the present research is in the area of power distribution systems. Almost all the areas of the power grid uses simpler radial distribution systems to distribute electricity to the end consumer, it is the final and therefore vital link between the consumer and the rest of the power grid. Therefore …

Spectroscopic Study Of The Inhibition Of Calcium Oxalate Calculi By Larrea Tridentata, Luis Alonso Pinales

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The causes of urolithiasis include such influences as diet, metabolic disorders, and genetic factors which have been documented as sources that aggravate urinary calculi depositions and aggregations, and, implicitly, as causes of urolithiasis. This study endeavors to detail the scientific mechanisms involved in calcium oxalate calculi formation, and, more importantly, their inhibition under growth conditions imposed by the traditional medicinal approach using the herbal extract, Larrea tridentata. The calculi were synthesized without and with Larrea tridentata infusion by employing the single diffusion gel technique. A visible decrease in calcium oxalate crystal growth with increasing amounts of Larrea tridentata herbal infusion …

Fabrication Of Miniature Drug Screening Platform Using Low Cost Bioprinting Technology, Jorge Ivan Rodriguez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the pharmaceutical industry, new chemicals and substances are being tested to find appropriate compounds or mix for treating a specific disease. The demand for screening large compound collections against and increasing number of therapeutic targets has stimulated technology development in the areas of assay automation and miniaturization. Current methods for evaluating the reactions of cells use a volume in the range of microliters. We have developed a new and low-cost deposition method to fabricate miniature drug screening platform that can realistically and inexpensively evaluate biochemical reactions up to 4 substances per trial in a picoliter-scale volume. This paper describes …

Categorization Of Functional Impairments In Human Locomotion Using The Methods Of The Fusion Of Multiple Sensors And Computational Intelligence, Huiying Yu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The main aim of this dissertation work was to develop an intelligent system to monitor, quantify and differentiate variances in human gait with high reliability and efficiency using the fusion of multiple sensor data and the methods of fuzzy inferential logic.

Gait disorders are heterogeneous and produce disabilities that vary substantially from individual to individual. The recognition, quantification and analysis of gait dysfunction is complex and, requires the integration of large amounts of data across multiple domains (kinetic, kinematic and electromyographic). Current systems for gait analysis generally require space and complex imaging equipment, as well as prolonged processing time, rendering …

Optimization Models For The Economic And Non-Economic Level Of Repair Analysis, Carlos Marco Ituarte-Villarreal

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Every component, equipment or system will eventually fail. All failures produce a maintenance cost and, repair costs are especially hard to estimate ahead of time. Research shows that maintenance costs are the most substantial costs of development and use of equipment, reason why the cost of the product or equipment through its life is a major concern. Therefore, the main objective of this thesis is to provide a new optimization model to determine the minimum cost maintenance policy for complex systems.

Renewable Energy Integration: An Approach For Micro-Grid Optimization., Nicolas Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis explores the Renewable Energy Integration Problem beginning with a literature review on the different sources of electrical energy classified as Non-Renewable and Renewable, stating that the integration of renewable sources within the pre-existing Power-Grids is a current worldwide problem that is being addressed with different approaches.

The impossibility to exactly model the different equations relating the electric output of the renewable energy sources as they relate with meteorological factors, makes the renewable sector a stochastic component of the overall mathematical model, where it can be concluded that most of the problem is in the area of the forecast. …

Observer-Dependent Model For Analyzing Subjective Parameters In Epidemiology, Milad Zarei

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Although medical technologies for preventing the contagion and spread of infectious diseases have improved steadily throughout the last century, new infectious diseases are still emerging and spreading swiftly. The modeling of infectious disease spread is crucial in addressing the lack of predictive ability in epidemiology. Managing the spread of infectious diseases requires processing quantitative epidemiological data and the ability to capture the dynamics of the infectious disease in order to provide a measure of control.

In this thesis, I have introducing cognitive biases in diseases spread modeling. For the first time, to the author's knowledge, the human subjective experience has …

Selection Process, Modified Impact Testing And Failure Analysis Of An Electron-Beam-Melted Ti-6al-4v 3d Tessellation Based On The Eulerian Path Of The First Stellation Of The Rhombic Dodecahedron Open Unit Cell, Hugo Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Ti-6Al-4V lattice block structures manufactured through the electron beam melting (EBM) process are a promising field in design and research due to great advantages that the alloy, the process and the final product offer. Three lattice block structures were manufactured through the electron beam process using an ARCAM A2 machine. The structures were designed using the MATERIALIZE^TM software and were designed around different types of unit cells. Compression testing was performed and one unit cell was selected due to its anisotropic behavior for modified impact testing. The same unit cell was used and it was scaled up to add …

A Machine Learning Approach To Hierarchical Categorisation Of Auditory Objects, William Coleman, Sarah Jane Delany, Charlie Cullen, Ming Yan Dr.

Articles

With the advent of new audio delivery technologies comes opportunities and challenges for content creators and providers. The proliferation of consumption modes (stereo headphones, home cinema systems, ‘hearables’), media formats (mp3, CD, video and audio streaming) and content types (gaming, music, drama & current affairs broadcasting) has given rise to a complicated landscape where content must often be adapted for multiple end-use scenarios. The concept of object-based audio envisages content delivery not via a fixed mix but as a series of auditory objects which can then be controlled either by consumers or by content creators & providers via accompanying metadata. …

What Do Collaborations With The Arts Have To Say About Human-Robot Interaction?, William D. Smart, Annamaria Pileggi, Leila Takayama

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

This is a collection of papers presented at the workshop "What Do Collaborations with the Arts Have to Say About HRI", held at the 2010 Human-Robot Interaction Conference, in Osaka, Japan.

Distraction Osteogenesis In An Organ Culture Model, Bradley R. Heil

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Distraction osteogenesis (DO) is a surgical procedure in which applied strain stimulates new bone growth; however, the underlying mechanisms by which bone cells respond to load are still uncertain. An organ culture model of DO was developed and validated by using linear distraction on the femoral shafts of 5 day old Wistar rats. Two loading regimes were utilized: distracting the bones for 2 hrs on day 1 (GRP I); distracting the bones for 2 hrs on days 1, 3, and 5 (GRP II). After 1 week in culture, the bones were compared to unloaded contralateral controls and assessed for changes. …

Advancements In Transmission Line Fault Location, Ning Kang

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

In modern power transmission systems, the double-circuit line structure is increasingly adopted. However, due to the mutual coupling between the parallel lines it is quite challenging to design accurate fault location algorithms. Moreover, the widely used series compensator and its protective device introduce harmonics and non-linearities to the transmission lines, which make fault location more difficult. To tackle these problems, this dissertation is committed to developing advanced fault location methods for double-circuit and series-compensated transmission lines.

Algorithms utilizing sparse measurements for pinpointing the location of short-circuit faults on double-circuit lines are proposed. By decomposing the original network into three sequence …

Remote Controlled Hydrogel Nanocomposites: Synthesis, Characterization, And Applications, Nitin S. Satarkar

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

There is significant interest in the development of hydrogels and hydrogel nanocomposites for a variety of biomedical applications including drug delivery, sensors and actuators, and hyperthermia cancer treatment. The incorporation of nanoparticulates into a hydrogel matrix can result in unique material characteristics such as enhanced mechanical properties, swelling response, and capability of remote controlled (RC) actuation. In this dissertation, the development of hydrogel nanocomposites containing magnetic nanoparticles/carbon nanotubes, actuation with remote stimulus, and some of their applications are highlighted.

The primary hydrogel nanocomposite systems were synthesized by incorporation of magnetic nanoparticles into temperature responsive N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) matrices. Various nanocomposite properties …

Targeted Polymeric Biomaterials For The Prevention Of Post Surgical Adhesions, John M. Medley

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Despite recent advances in surgical technique and the development of numerous therapeutic agents, the formation post surgical adhesions (PSA) continues to cause complications for many patients. In this research, we have employed a rational system to develop a novel treatment to address this clinical need. Based on an understanding of the biochemical events that lead to PSA formation, a series of targeted polymeric biomaterials was designed to interrupt the fibrin gel matrix propagation and suppress PSA formation.

Using group transfer polymerization, a series of well controlled block copolymers of polyacrylic acid and poly(ethylene glycol-methacrylate) based materials was synthesized. Subsequent functionalization …

Using Virtual Reality To Enhance Electrical Safety And Design In The Built Environment, Martin Barrett, Jonathan Blackledge, Eugene Coyle

Articles

Electricity and the inherent risks associated with its use in the built environment have long since been a priority for the electrical services industry and also the general public who must live and work in this environment. By its nature virtual reality has the advantage of being safe for both the user and equipment. In addition, it offers the user an opportunity to be exposed to a range of scenarios and conditions that either occur infrequently or are hazardous to replicate. This paper presents a prototype desktop virtual reality model, to enhance electrical safety and design in the built environment. …

Borate Based Bioactive Glass Scaffolds For Hard And Soft Tissue Engineering, Steven B. Jung

Doctoral Dissertations

"The main objectives of this dissertation were to evaluate bioactive borate glass scaffolds for hard and soft tissue applications and determine the potential toxicity of the borate glasses on the adjacent and systemic tissues. Porous randomly oriented fiber scaffolds composed of bioactive borate glass were implanted in subcutaneous soft tissue sites and in calvaria defects of laboratory rats and no signs of toxicity (necrotic tissue, increase in macrophages or other immune cells) were detected in any of the adjacent tissues (hard or soft). Systemic organs (kidney and liver) of laboratory rats implanted with bioactive borate scaffolds were analyzed for possible …

Synergy Between Biology And Systems Resilience, Ashik Chandra

Masters Theses

"Resilient systems have the ability to endure and successfully recover from disturbances by identifying problems and mobilizing the available resources to cope with the disturbance. Resiliency lets a system recover from disruptions, variations, and a degradation of expected working conditions. Biological systems are resilient. Immune systems are highly adaptive and scalable, with the ability to cope with multiple data sources, fuse information together, makes decisions, have multiple interacting agents, operate in a distributed manner over a multiple scales, and have a memory structure to facilitate learning. Ecosystems are resilient since they have the capacity to absorb disturbance and are able …

Biodiesel Production Using Supercritical Methanol, Dhaval Nitin Modi

Masters Theses

"The catalyst-free transesterification of oil (triglycerides) in supercritical methanol at a temperature and pressure above 239⁰C and 8.1MPa, respectively, provides a new way of producing biodiesel. High reaction temperature and pressure help to accelerate the transesterification because the supercritical methanol becomes non-polar and has enhanced contact with oil. The supercritical transesterification of soybean oil was carried out in a 170 ml volume high-pressure batch reactor. The pressure within the batch reactor was self-generated from heating the contents since no pumps were used. Transesterification of soybean oil with supercritical methanol readily produced biodiesel. Since the supercritical transesterification is carried out without …

Design And Characterization Of An Integrate-And-Fire Neural Recording System, Sheng Feng Yen, John G. Harris

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A neuronal recording system for brain-machine interfaces (BMI) based on asynchronous biphasic pulse coding is described. A recording experiment comparing, in parallel, a commercial recording system (Tucker-Davis Technology) and the UF's custom solution (FWIRE) is set up to compare performance. The novel aspect of the UF system is that the analog signal is represented by an asynchronous pulse train, which provides a low-power, low-bandwidth, noise-resistant means for coding and transmission. Based on different front-end hardware settings, recording bandwidth and corresponding reconstruction accuracy can be varied. Taking advantage of neural firing features, the pulse-based approach requires less than 3K pulses/second to …

Imaging The Vasculature With Susceptibility Weighted Imaging: Applications And Analysis, Samuel Barnes

Wayne State University Dissertations

Modern magnetic resonance imaging sequences allow detailed non-invasive imaging of both the arteries and veins. This work is divided into four sections that examine different applications and analysis of these sequences.

Susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) typically generates excellent negative venous contrast. Techniques to generate positive arterial contrast in SWI images without degrading the venous contrast with a single echo are examined. By using high isotropic resolution and high readout bandwidth flow losses can be minimized (generating good arterial contrast) even at the long echo times required for good venous contrast. A downsampling filter is then used to restore lost venous …

Fabrication Of Polymeric Hollow Fiber Membrane For The Production Of Safe Drinking Water, Latifa Obeid Hamad Al-Nuaimi

Theses

Production of safe drinking water by using micro-filtration and ultra-filtration technologies has become more interesting. Water purification or filtration by using membrane began attracting much attention worldwide, because of its good characteristics such as: high efficiency in removing solid particles, viruses and germs and their low cost. This new technology is useful in industrial water treatment. The current studies in this field of polymer membrane manufacturing try to improve the characteristics, water flow rater and remove unwanted particles from water.

The recent project’s aim is to manufacture cellulose acetate hollow fibers. They were prepared by the Non Solvent Induced Phase …

Designing A Whey Protein Based Material As A Scaffold For Bone Regeneration, Mia Dvora

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A novel gel material was designed and optimized for use as a bone tissue regeneration scaffold. Whey protein isolate (WPI), the primary component of the material, underwent considerable testing for conformity to a set of known material characteristics required for application in bone regeneration. WPI gels of different compositions were fabricated by thermally inducing gelation of high-concentration protein suspensions, and characterized for compressive strength and modulus, hydration swelling and drying properties, mechanical behavior change due to polysaccharide additives, and intrinsic pore network structure. The gels were also tested for their compatibility with MC3T3-E1 cells, and interactions such as cell adhesion, …

Antioxidant Nanoparticles As Delivery Systems, Carlos Ernesto Astete R.

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of the study was to develop antioxidant polymeric nanoparticles as a new delivery system for food and pharmaceutical applications. Natural antioxidants like alpha-tocopherol, vitamin C, and carnosine, are responsible to protect biological systems against free radicals attack. The conjugation of vitamin C-vitamin E (EC) and alpha-tocopherol-carnosine (VECAR) were performed to obtain antioxidant surfactants which were used for polymeric nanoparticle synthesis. The surfactant made of á-tocopherol (vitamin E) and ascorbic acid (vitamin C) of antioxidant properties dubbed as EC was used to make poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) nanoparticles. Self-assembled EC nanostructures and PLGA-EC nanoparticles were made by nanoprecipitation, and the …

Forty Years Of Movie Hacking: Considering The Potential Implications Of The Popular Media Representation Of Computer Hackers From 1968 To 2008, Damian Gordon

Articles

Increasingly movies are being produced which feature plots that incorporate elements of computer security and hacking, and cumulatively these movies are creating a public perception as to the nature of computer security. This research examines movies that feature hackers (and hacking) to identify if any common themes emerge from these movies in their representation of these issues. To achieve this, first a corpus of hacking movies is created, and then using a qualitative data analysis technique, guidelines are developed which distinguish those movies that actually have the potential to create a perception with the general public. The resultant dataset is …