Digital Commons Network^™

Modeling And Simulation Strategies In High Frequency Surface Wave Radars, Levent Sevgi̇

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Surface Wave High Frequency Radars (SWHFR) are taken into account in the content of modeling and simulation challenges. Examples related to multi-mixed path surface wave propagation, radar cross section (RCS) prediction, and total radar echo showing target, clutter, noise, and interference are presented.

Corrective Action Planning Considering Facts Allocation And Optimal Load Shedding Using Bacterial Foraging Oriented By Particle Swarm Optimization Algorithm, Rahmat Allah Hooshmand, Mostafa Ezatabadi

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Reactive power planning (RPP) involves optimal allocation and determination of the type and size of new reactive power (VAR) supplies to satisfy voltage constraints during normal and contingency states. The RPP issue is in fact an optimization of large scale mixed integer nonlinear programming problem, so it is proper to use an evolutionary algorithm to solve the problem. In this paper, in order to solve the RPP problem for corrective action of power systems, the bacterial foraging (BF) oriented by particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm (BF-PSO) is proposed. In the algorithm, the VAR control has been carried out by using …

Fractional Order Sliding Mode Control With Reaching Law Approach, Mehmet Önder Efe

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Fractional order sliding mode control is studied in this paper. The control objectives are achieved by adopting the reaching law approach of sliding mode control. The main contribution of this work is to show that the philosophy of integer order sliding mode control is valid also for the systems represented by fractional order operators. A sufficient condition and its implications for stability are given. Matched and unmatched uncertainties are studied. The attractor nature of the switching manifold is analyzed together with a stable sliding subspace design condition. The claims are justified through a set of simulations and the results obtained …

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 …

A Crisis Management Approach To Mission Survivability In Computational Multi-Agent Systems, Marco Carvalho, Aleksander Byrski, Marek Kisiel-Dorohinicki

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

In this paper we present a biologically-inspired approach for mission survivability (consideredas the capability of fulfilling a task such as computation) that allows the system to be aware ofthe possible threats or crises that may arise. This approach uses the notion of resources usedby living organisms to control their populations.We present the concept of energetic selectionin agent-based evolutionary systems as well as the means to manipulate the configuration ofthe computation according to the crises or user’s specific demands.

Synthesis And Characterization Of Conducting Polymer Nanostructures And Their Application In Sensors, Zhe-Fei Li

Doctoral Dissertations

"A one-step synthesis technique has been used to fabricate sensors by growing polyaniline nanofibers and polyaniline/metal nanocomposites in the active area of an interdigitated electrode array. Polyaniline nanofiber sensors can be fabricated by irradiating an aqueous precursor solution containing aniline, HCl, a metal salt, and ammonium persulfate (APS) with a high pressure Hg lamp. The sensors are ready for operation after polymerization is complete, and no additional processing steps are necessary. These sensors showed faster and more intensity response to various organic vapors than conventional bulk polyaniline sensors due to their larger surface area. A chemisorption model and a diffusion …

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 …

Spin Echo Ss-Parse: A Parse Mri Method To Estimate R2, R2' And Frequency In A Single Shot, Ningzhi Li

All ETDs from UAB

Rapid and accurate mapping of relaxation rates applies to a number of neuroimaging and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies. Previously developed relaxation rate mapping methods are based mostly on non-linear fitting of intensity images. For the first time, this study developed an ultrafast and direct transverse relaxation rate mapping technique, Spin Echo Single-Shot Parameter Assessment by Retrieval from Single Encoding (SE-SS-PARSE). Four useful imaging parameters, local transverse magnetization magnitude (Mxy0), frequency (f), reversible and irreversible transverse re-laxation rate (R2' and R2), can be estimated using an iterative searching algorithm simul-taneously and quantitatively. In addition, the SE-SS-PARSE technique is free …

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 …

Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment And Risk Control (Hirarc) In A Steel Foundry., Lee Hooi Nee

Student Works (2010-2019)

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Modeling Biological Structures Via Abstract Grammars To Solve Common Problems In Computational Biology, David J. Russell

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Grammars are generally understood to be the set of rules that define the relationships between elements of a language. However, grammars can also be used to elucidate structural relationships within sequences constructed from any finite alphabet. In this work abstract grammars are used to model the primary and secondary structures present in biological data. These grammar models are inferred and applied to efficiently solve various sequence analysis problems in computational biology, including multiple sequence alignment, fragment assembly, database redundancy removal, and structural prediction.

The primary structures, or sequential ordering of symbols, of biological data are first modeled with Lempel-Ziv (LZ) …

Resonant Mie Scattering (Rmies) Correction Of Infrared Spectra From Highly Scattering Biological Samples Analyst, Paul Bassan, Achim Kohler, Harald Martens, Joe Lee, Hugh Byrne, Paul Dumas, Ehsan Gazi, Michael Brown, Noel Clarke, Peter Gardner

Articles

Infrared spectra of single biological cells often exhibit the “dispersion artefact” observed as a sharp decrease in intensity on the high wavenumber side of absorption bands, in particular the Amide I band at ~1655 cm-1, causing a downward shift of the true peak position. The presence of this effect makes any biochemical interpretation of the spectra unreliable. Recent theory has shed light on the origins of the ‘dispersion artefact’ which has been attributed to resonant Mie scattering (RMieS). In this paper a preliminary algorithm for correcting RMieS is presented and evaluated using simulated data. Results show that the ‘dispersion artefact’ …

Quantitative Comparison And Modeling Of Urban Storm Water Mass Loadings In The City Of Lincoln, Nebraska, Patrick R. Hartman

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The main goal of this study is to monitor, and then compare results related to the water quality and mass loadings of several constituents at two sites in Lincoln, Nebraska. Differences in water quality were assessed using matched-pair t-tests. Mass loadings were examined using cumulative mass plots, and a predictive model for total suspended solids (TSS) was developed at both sites using real-time data obtained from a USGS data probe. Statistical comparison tests were conducted on the collected water quality data to detect differences based on sample type (auto vs. grab) and sample location (Taylor Park vs. Colonial Hills) for …

An Adaptive Control Strategy For Dstatcom Applications In An Electric Ship Power System, Pinaki Mitra, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Distribution static compensator (DSTATCOM) is a shunt compensation device that is generally used to solve power quality problems in distribution systems. In an all-electric ship power system, power quality issues arise due to high-energy demand loads such as pulse loads. This paper presents the application of a DSTATCOM to improve the power quality in a ship power system during and after pulse loads. The control strategy of the DSTATCOM plays an important role in maintaining the voltage at the point of common coupling. A novel adaptive control strategy for the DSTATCOM based on artificial immune system (AIS) is presented in …

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. …

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 …

Dynamic Reconfiguration And Control Of Smart Power Systems, Pinaki Mitra

Doctoral Dissertations

"To address the increasing demand and complexity, modern power systems need intelligence at almost all levels which can transform them into 'smart' power systems. The term 'smart power systems' not only refers to the terrestrial power systems with a significant penetration of distributed energy resources and energy storage such as plug-in electric vehicle parking lots (SmartParks), but also includes other isolated power systems, such as the power systems of naval electric ships. The research presented in this dissertation contributes to the dynamic reconfiguration and control of both terrestrial and ship power system with the application of computational intelligence methods.

In …

A Scalable Method For Solving High-Dimensional Continuous Pomdps Using Local Approximation, Tom Erez, William D. Smart

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

Partially-Observable Markov Decision Processes (POMDPs) are typically solved by finding an approximate global solution to a corresponding belief-MDP. In this paper, we offer a new planning algorithm for POMDPs with continuous state, action and observation spaces. Since such domains have an inherent notion of locality, we can find an approximate solution using local optimization methods. We parameterize the belief distribution as a Gaussian mixture, and use the Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) to approximate the belief update. Since the EKF is a first-order filter, we can marginalize over the observations analytically. By using feedback control and state estimation during policy execution, …

Against All Probabilities: A Modeling Paradigm For Streaming Applications That Goes Against Common Notions, Rahav Dor

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

Hardware and software design requires the right portion of skills and mental faculties. The design of a good system is an exercise in rational thinking, engineering, and art. The design process is further complicated when we aspire to build systems that exploit parallelism or are targeted to be deployed on architecturally diverse computing devices, FPGAs or GPUs to name just a few. The need to develop systems that can take advantage of computing devices beyond general purpose CPUs is real. There are several application domains and research efforts that will simply not be able to adequately perform or yield answers …

Optimal Design-Space Exploration Of Streaming Applications, Shobana Padmanabhan, Yixin Chen, Roger D. Chamberlain

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

Many embedded and scientific applications are frequently pipelined asynchronously and deployed on architecturally diverse systems to meet performance requirements and resource constraints. We call such pipelined applications streaming applications. Typically, there are several design parameters in the algorithms and architectures used that, when customized, impact the tradeoff between different metrics of application performance as well as resource utilization. Automatic exploration of this design space is the goal of this research. When using architecturally diverse systems to accelerate streaming applications, the design search space is often complex. We present a global optimization framework comprising a novel domain-specific variation of branch-and-bound that …

Evaluating Sensorineural Hearing Loss With An Auditory Nerve Model Using A Mean Structural Similarity Measure, Andrew Hines, Naomi Harte

Conference papers

Hearing loss research has traditionally been based on perceptual criteria, speech intelligibility and threshold levels. The development of computational models of the auditory-periphery has allowed experimentation via simulation to provide quantitative, repeatable results at a more granular level than would be practical with clinical research on human subjects. This work seeks to create an objective measure to automate this inspection process and ranks hearing losses based on auditory-nerve discharge patterns. A systematic way of assessing phonemic degradation using the outputs of an auditory nerve model for a range of sensorineural hearing losses would aid in rapid prototyping development of speech-processing …

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. …

Nanoscale Functionalization And Characterization Of Surfaces With Hydrogel Patterns And Biomolecules, Hariharasudhan Chirra Dinakar

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The advent of numerous tools, ease of techniques, and concepts related to nanotechnology, in combination with functionalization via simple chemistry has made gold important for various biomedical applications. In this dissertation, the development and characterization of planar gold surfaces with responsive hydrogel patterns for rapid point of care sensing and the functionalization of gold nanoparticles for drug delivery are highlighted.

Biomedical micro- and nanoscale devices that are spatially functionalized with intelligent hydrogels are typically fabricated using conventional UV-lithography. Herein, precise 3-D hydrogel patterns made up of temperature responsive crosslinked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) over gold were synthesized. The XY control of the hydrogel …

Hydraulic Geometry Relationships And Regional Curves For The Inner And Outer Bluegrass Regions Of Kentucky, Ruth Roseann Brockman

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

Hydraulic geometry relationships and regional curves are used in natural channel design to assist engineers, biologists, and fluvial geomorphologists in the efforts undertaken to ameliorate previous activities that have diminished, impaired or destroyed the structure and function of stream systems. Bankfull channel characteristics were assessed for 14 United States Geological Survey (USGS) gaged sites in the Inner Bluegrass and 15 USGS gaged sites in the Outer Bluegrass Regions of Kentucky. Hydraulic geometry relationships and regional curves were developed for the aforementioned regions.

Analysis of the regression relationships showed that bankfull discharge is a good explanatory variable for bankfull parameters such …

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 …

Effect Of Fluorination On Partitioning Behavior And Bilayer Self Assembly, Vivian Aramide Ojogun

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Fluorinated systems are defined by unique properties that offer advantages in drug delivery, material synthesis and industrial applications. In comparison to their hydrocarbon counterparts, the design of fluorinated solutes for tailored applications is limited by the inability to predict the effect of fluorination on phase behavior. This work examines and interprets the influence of fluorination on the phase behavior of fluorinated solutes and surfactants, with emphasis on their impact on vesicle bilayers.

Thermodynamic partitioning of functionalized series of fluorinated and hydrocarbon nicotinate prodrugs fashioned to promote solubility in a fluorocarbon solvent (perfluorooctyl bromide; PFOB) is measured. Predictive approaches are also …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Metal Decorated Bamboo Structured Carbon Nanotubes For Hydrogen Storage, Sean Charles Mickey

Doctoral Dissertations

"Although hydrogen has been considered as a viable alternative fuel, the storage systems used to contain the hydrogen must be improved for large scale use. A variety of conceivable storage options exist ranging from compressed gas, cryogenic liquid, chemical solid state storage, and adsorptive surfaces. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) provide a potentially viable option for hydrogen storage applications as a high surface area, lightweight media for adsorptive storage, but do not efficiently store hydrogen at ambient temperatures. Metal hydrides, on the other hand, are able to store large weight percents of hydrogen in a chemical solid state, but generally have unfavorable …

Computational Intelligence Methods In Wireless Sensor Networks, Raghavendra V. Kulkarni

Doctoral Dissertations

"Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are networks of autonomous nodes that sense, compute and communicate in order to monitor an environment collectively. Ad hoc deployment, dynamic environment and resource constraints in nodes need to be considered while addressing WSN challenges such as deployment, localization, routing and scheduling. Adaptive mechanisms that exhibit intelligent behavior in complex and dynamic environments are desirable to address these challenges. The potential of computational intelligence ( CI) based approaches for addressing WSN challenges is investigated in this study. Contributions of this dissertation are in the following three areas: critical literature analysis, new architectures and approaches, and new …