Digital Commons Network^™

Integrated Cognitive Architectures: A Survey, Hui-Qing Chong, Ah-Hwee Tan, Gee-Wah Ng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This article aims to present an account of the state of the art research in the field of integrated cognitive architectures by providing a review of six cognitive architectures, namely Soar, ACT-R, ICARUS, BDI, the subsumption architecture and CLARION. We conduct a detailed functional comparison by looking at a wide range of cognitive components, including perception, memory, goal representation, planning, problem solving, reasoning, learning, and relevance to neurobiology. In addition, we study the range of benchmarks and applications that these architectures have been applied to. Although no single cognitive architecture has provided a full solution with the level of human …

Electro Hydrodynamic Manipulation Of The Process Of Self-Assembly Of Particles At Fluid-Fluid Interfaces, Muhammad Mansoor Janjua

Dissertations

This dissertation is divided into two parts, first deals with the numerical study of motion of dielectric particles subjected to nonuniform electric fields and second deals with the process of self-assembly of particles at fluid-fluid interfaces and subjected to uniform electric field normal to the interface. In the numerical study, the particles are moved using a direct simulation scheme (DNS) in which the fundamental equations of motion of fluid and solid particles are solved without the use of models. The motion of particles is tracked using a distributed Lagrange multiplier method (DLM) and the electric force acting on the particles …

Precipitation Of Micro/Nanoparticles In Enhanced High Energy Dissipation Mixing Systems, Giuseppe Di Benedetto

Dissertations

Crystallization is the most common unit operation used in the pharmaceutical industry to synthesize active ingredients. Rapid development of a drug candidate is dependent on the ability to produce a desired drug substance with consistent properties, These properties include stability and purity, which are directly affected by the crystallization process and which affect, in turn, bioavailability, drug dissolution rate, drug stability, and shelf life.

The objective of this work is to produce micro/nanoparticle crystals within existent glass-lined pharmaceutical stirred-tank reactors by modifying the current reactor configuration to include features that can increase the local rate of energy dissipation in the …

Experiment And Modeling : Ignition Of Aluminum Particles With A Co2 Laser, Salil Mohan

Dissertations

Aluminum is a promising ingredient for high energy density compositions used in propulsion systems, explosives, and pyrotechnics. Aluminum powder fuel additives enable one to achieve higher combustion enthalpies and reaction temperatures. Therefore, to develop aluminum based novel and customized high density energetic materials, understanding of ignition and combustion kinetics of aluminum powders is required. In most practical systems, metal ignition and combustion occur in environments with rapidly changing temperatures and gas compositions. The kinetics of exothermic reactions in related energetic materials is commonly characterized by thermal analysis, where the heating rates are very low, on the order of 1 -50 …

Phosphate And Thermal Stabilization Of Heavy Metals In Dredged Sediments, Peter Kuria Ndiba

Dissertations

Treatment and reuse of dredged harbor sediments in construction as an alternative to disposal reduces costs and conserves resources. This research focused on leachability of metal contaminants subsequent to phosphate addition and thermal treatment at 700 °C. X- ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) in combination with principal component analysis, target transformation, and linear combination revealed that in the untreated sediments Zn precipitated as the relatively soluble smithsonite (ZnCO₃) (67%) and adsorbed to hydrous iron oxides (15%) and hydrous manganese oxides (18%). Phosphate addition and calcination resulted in sparingly soluble phases, hopeite (Zn₃₍PO₄)₂.4H_{2 …}

Enhanced Fluidization Of Nanoparticle Agglomerates, Daniel Lepek

Dissertations

Gas fluidization of nanoparticle agglomerates has recently received much attention due to the excellent way in which these novel nanornaterials can be dispersed in a gaseous medium. Nanopowders have a very high surface area to volume ratio which allows them have unique chemical and physical properties especially at the surface. Fluidization is a popular technique for the continuous dispersal of solid materials in the fluidlike state.

Recently it has been found that nanoparticles exist in a highly agglomerate state which allow them to become fluidizable. The fluidization behavior of the nanopowders is dependent on the bulk and material properties of …

Characterization Of Natural Organic Matter And Precursors To Trihalomethanes Using Spectral Flourescence Signatures, Krit Punburananon

Dissertations

Disinfection is an essential process to kill pathogens (i.e., disease causing organisms) in source water during the production of drinking water. Chlorine is most widely used disinfectant because it is effective, affordable, and also provides chlorine residual to ensure that the water is safe through the distribution system. Nonetheless, chlorine reacts with Natural Organic Matter (NOM) and forms potentially carcinogenic Disinfection By-products (DBPs). The major chlorination DBPs are dominantly Trihalomethanes (THMs). However, not all organic compounds are equally reactive to THMs formation.

NOM in water samples collected from the Delaware & Raritan Canal and its tributaries (Central New Jersey) was …

Evaluation Of Medical Alarm Sounds, Elizbha Philip

Theses

Auditory alarms in medical equipments perform considerably below their optimal level. Concern has been expressed about the quality of medical alarms by a large number of researchers in recent years. A detailed literature survey on the medical alarm related problems has been carried out. Hospital visits were made to obtain real life information and data of alarm sounds in various type of monitors used in OR and ICU. A laboratory experiment has been conducted on selected melodic alarm sounds. These melodic alarm sounds are being implemented in medical equipments and the idea of design is proposed in ISO / IEC …

Aptamer-Based Nano-Scale Dielectric Sensor For Protein Detection, Teena James

Theses

The specific detection and precise quantification of protein molecules play an essential role in basic discovery research as well as in clinical practice. In this research work, a novel protein detection mechanism based on nanoscale dielectric sensor functionalized with aptamer probes is developed. This work has been done in collaboration with Rational Affinity Devices LLC. The use of aptamer based detection offers several advantages over the traditional labor intensive antibody based immunosensing. In the initial phase of the work, the binding affinities of rationally designed oligomers towards a specific protein molecule (IgG) was studied and optimized under varying conditions of …

Preparation Of Nanovehicles For Targeted Drug Delivery, Anagha Avinash Bhakay

Theses

Application of nanotechnology in pharmaceutical research has opened new frontiers for drug development and its efficient delivery. In recent years, the focus of the research has been on the engineering of nano/micro-particulate structures for efficient and targeted delivery of drugs for selective and enhanced absorption. This work throws light on the preparation of biodegradable and non-toxic nanoparticulate systems for targeted drug delivery. The drug vehicles were made by two different processes namely electrostatic interactions and desolvation process. The drug carriers made by these processes were found to be in the size range of 150-200nm which is necessary for cellular uptake …

Deciphering The Biology Of Axon Stretch-Growth, Joseph R. Loverde

Theses

Traditional nerve regeneration strategies focus on growth cone-mediated growth, a form of nerve growth that occurs primarily during embryogenesis. Early axons continue to grow from the end distal to the soma, seeking targets on which to synapse. It is believed that once the axons synapse, stretch-growth takes over and is responsible for the great lengths achieved by nerves of the central and peripheral nervous systems. Recent work has demonstrated stretch-growth in vitro resulting in dramatically increased growth rates compared to the growth cone. Here, the aim was to decipher the underlying biology associated with axon stretch-growth using two approaches. First, …

Nano-Structured Platforms As A Spectroscopic Tool, Ruiqiong Li

Theses

Nano-structured platforms have been studied for the purpose of enhancing weak fluorescence signals. Each platform was constructed as a thin oxide layer on top of a metal (aluminum) The oxide was perforated with hexagonal array of nano-holes. The pitch of the array was much smaller than the optical wavelengths used. Surface charge waves (Surface Plasmons) could be excited when the platform was oriented at specific direction with respect to the incident optical beam. At this point one can demonstrate that fluorescence signals could be amplified. Since the oxide (alumina) is bio-compatible, one can envision using such platforms in the study …

Face And Lip Tracking In Unconstrained Imagery For Improved Automatic Speech Recognition, Brandon Crow, Jane Zhang

Electrical Engineering

When combined with acoustical speech information, visual speech information (lip movement) significantly improves Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) in acoustically noisy environments. Previous research has demonstrated that visual modality is a viable tool for identifying speech. However, the visual information has yet to become utilized in mainstream ASR systems due to the difficulty in accurately tracking lips in real-world conditions. This paper presents our current progress in tracking face and lips in visually challenging environments. Findings suggest the mean shift algorithm performs poorly for small regions, in this case the lips, but it achieves near 80% accuracy for facial tracking.

Rapid-Response Urban Cfd Simulations Using A Gpu Computing Paradigm On Desktop Supercomputers, Inanc Senocak, Julien C. Thibault, Matthew Caylor

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In the event of chemical or biological (CB) agent attacks or accidents, first-responders need hazard prediction data to launch effective emergency response action. Accurate and timely knowledge of the wind fields in urban areas is critically important to identify and project the extent of CB agent dispersion to determine the hazard-zone. In their 2008 report (GAO-08-180), U.S. Government Accountability Office has reported that first responders are limited in their ability to detect and model hazardous releases in urban environments. The current set of modeling tools for contaminant dispersion in urban environments rely on empirical assumptions with diagnostic equations (Wang et …

Understanding Rubber Friction In The Presence Of Water Using Sum-Frequency Generation Spectroscopy, Kumar Nanjundiah, Ping Yuan Hsu, Ali Dhinojwala

College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering

Infrared-visible sum-frequency-generation spectroscopy (SFG) was used to study the molecular structure of water between a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and a sapphire substrate. The observation of SFG peaks associated with the dangling surface hydroxyl groups (3690 cm(-1)) and water bands (3000-3400 cm(-1)) indicates that the contact spot between the PDMS lens and the sapphire substrate is heterogeneous. Within the contact spot there are regions where the methyl groups of the PDMS chains are in direct contact with the surface hydroxyl groups on the sapphire substrate. In the other regions, a thin water layer is trapped between the two surfaces with spectral features …

The Developmental Effect Of Human Embryoid Bodies (Heb) Under Dynamic Culturing Conditions Using A Perfusion Based Slow Turning Lateral Vessel (Stlv) Bioreactor, Claiborne Collier

Theses and Dissertations

Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) can provide a unique approach for novel tissue engineering applications. Previous groups have shown that hESCs can differentiate into specialized cell types through the generation of human embryoid bodies (hEBs). These multi-cellular constructs are then subjected to suspension culture for several weeks. Traditional hESC differentiation techniques have yielded non-homogeneous EBs derived in standard static cultures providing an inefficient platform for cellular viability and embryonic modeling. Here, our study aimed at systematically comparing the formation, growth, and differentiation capabilities of hESC-derived hEBs in dynamic and static suspension cultures. We used a continuous flow perfusion slow turning …

John Mcmasters’Contributions To Aircraft Design Education, Russell M. Cummings

Aerospace Engineering

John McMasters was intensely interested in two seemingly diverse pursuits: aircraft design and technical work force development. The later pursuit often got John involved in encouraging the development and improvement of engineering education, especially aircraft design education. He spent countless hours considering the issues that contribute to good design education, and was a strong proponent of programs that would encourage students to become interested in design. An overview of John’s ideas on aircraft design education will be presented based on discussions with John, as well as papers that we co-authored. In addition, John had a long talk with me just …

Engineering Research 2009, College Of Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Michigan Tech Engineering Magazine

Table of Contents

• Health Science
• Energy
• Air & Water
• Sensing & Imaging
• Engineered Materials
• People
• Research Centers & Institutes

Can We Engineer Our Way To Good Health?, Russell T. Carr

The University Dialogue

No abstract provided.

Biodegradation Of The High Explosive Hexanitrohexaazaiso-Wurtzitane (Cl-20), Pelin Karakaya, Christos Christodoulatos, Agamemnon Koutsospyros, Wendy Balas, Steve Nicolich Nicolich, Mohammed Sidhoum

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

The aerobic biodegradability of the high explosive CL-20 by activated sludge and the white rot fungus Phanerochaete chrysosporium has been investigated. Although activated sludge is not effective in degrading CL-20 directly, it can mineralize the alkaline hydrolysis products. Phanerochaete chrysosporium degrades CL-20 in the presence of supplementary carbon and nitrogen sources. Biodegradation studies were conducted using various nutrient media under diverse conditions. Variables included the CL-20 concentration; levels of carbon (as glycerol) and ammonium sulfate and yeast extract as sources of nitrogen. Cultures that received CL-20 at the time of inoculation transformed CL-20 completely under all nutrient conditions studied. When …

Preparation And Characterization Of Protein-Nanotube Conjugates, Jonathan S. Dordick, Dhiral A. Shah, Ravindra C. Pangule, Shyam Sundhar Bale, Prashanth Asuri, Amit Joshi, Akhilesh Banerjee, David Vance, Ravi S. Kane

Bioengineering

This chapter describes methods of immobilizing proteins on carbon nanotubes, using two different routes—physical adsorption and covalent attachment. We also provide an overview on how such conjugates can be characterized with the help of various techniques, such as Raman, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR), circular dichroism (CD), and fluorescence spectroscopies, in addition to the standard enzyme kinetic analyses of activity and stability. Both the attachment routes—covalent and noncovalent—could be used to prepare protein conjugates that retained a significant fraction of their native structure and function; furthermore, the protein conjugates were operationally stable, reusable, and functional even under harsh denaturing conditions. These …

Creating Lakes From Open Pit Mines: Processes And Considerations, Emphasis On Northern Environments, Christopher H. Gammons, Les N. Harris, James M. Castro, Peter A. Cott, Bruce W. Hanna

Geological Engineering

Creating Lakes from Open Pit Mines: Processes and Considerations, Emphasis on Northern Environments. This document summarizes the literature of mining pit lakes (through 2007), with a particular focus on issues that are likely to be of special relevance to the creation and management of pit lakes in northern climates. Pit lakes are simply waterbodies formed by filling the open pit left upon the completion of mining operations with water. Like natural lakes, mining pit lakes display a huge diversity in each of these subject areas. However, pit lakes are young and therefore are typically in a non-equilibrium state with respect …

Engineering At San Jose State University, Winter 2009, San Jose State University, Charles W. Davidson College Of Engineering

Engineering at San Jose State University

No abstract provided.

C2 Domain Ontology Within Our Lifetime, Leslie Winters, Andreas Tolk

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

Agile Command and Control (C2) requires agile information sharing with an increasingly wide variety of military and non-military partners. While current net-centric approaches may improve information sharing within a particular niche of C2, they do not support information sharing across the larger C2 domain. Although not a silver bullet, the development and application of a C2 domain ontology to improve C2 data and service integration appears to be increasingly realistic. In fact, there are several examples of successful ontology applications in domains such as medicine, biology, and engineering, and the new discipline of Applied Ontology is emerging. C2 data, architecture, …

Effectiveness Of Thermal Oxidation In Relation To Anterior Cervical Plates, Katherine A. Miyashiro

Master's Theses

Ti-6Al-4V anterior cervical plates (ACP) are used in spinal fusion surgeries to fixate cervical vertebrae during graft adhesion. However, documented cases of implant failure and the potential for ACP corrosion raise concerns regarding any degradation of material resulting from extended implantation. In addition, abrasion during implantation may damage a section of the protective oxide layer, potentially exposing surrounding tissues to the harmful effects of bare titanium, aluminum, and vanadium. Thermal oxidation has been shown to improve corrosion-resistance and wear-resistance, depending on temperature and time. To quantify the attributes of the thermally grown oxide layer, Ti-6Al-4V coupons underwent thermal oxidation treatments …

A Computer Science Approach To Identify And Classify Hyperactivated Spermatozoa, Norbert Kaula

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Effective Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) relies in part upon accurate but easily conducted measurements of sperm motion parameters. Several established methods are widely used to assess possible reasons for male infertility, in human and veterinary Andrology clinics. Computer-assisted sperm analysis (CASA) devices quantitatively assess sperm motion parameters, which have been defined by the World Health Organization, and include the percentage of motile cells in a sample and the motion characteristics of individual cells, such as curvilinear velocity (VCL), average path velocity (VAP) and straight line velocity (VSL). However, CASA analyses fail to define hyperactive sperm motility or determine the prevalence …

A Computational Model Of Breast Ducts, Jordan Greenlee

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

Ductal Carcinoma represents almost 75% of breast cancer. In this specific type of cancer. malignant cells in the breast ducts invade the surrounding healthy tissue. Almost all researchers who are investigating microwave modality in the area of breast cancer detection employ oversimplified models of the internal structure of the breast. Use of engineered or biologically inaccurate models can render inaccurate results. Therefore. a mathematical biological model was implemented in this work aiming to bridge the gap between physiologists and engineers. The result show that the proposed breast duct model has the capability of modeling the breast ducts of different kinds …

Immobilizing Bacteriorhodopsin On A Single Electron Transistor, Karl A. Walczak

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

As awareness of potential human and environmental impacts from toxins has increased, so has the development of innovative sensors. Bacteriorhodopsin (bR) is a light activated proton pump contained in the purple membrane (PM) of the bacteria Halobacterium salinarum. Bacteriorhodopsin is a robust protein which can function in both wet and dry states and can withstand extreme environmental conditions. A single electron transistor(SET) is a nano-scale device that exploits the quantum mechanical properties of electrons to switch on and off. SETs have tremendous potential in practical applications due to their size, ultra low power requirements, and electrometer-like sensitivity.

The main …

Demonstrating Sustainable Farm Management Systems. Final Report For Rcg05-Ord13, Tara Slaven, Francis Bright, Jodie Hawley, Joe Sherrard

Natural resources research reports

The Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA) has a 'flow through' irrigation system. That is, irrigation water is diverted from Lake Kununurra and any waste water from the irrigation system and farms flows directly back into the river downstream. This means that any sediment, nutrient or chemicals in tailwater from farms flows straight into the river.

The Ord Land and Water Management Plan 2000 specifies goals to improve surface water quality. The goals are to reduce the load of chemical and nutrient contamination and sediment in tailwater by 40 per cent.

The aim of this project was to develop and demonstrate …

2008/2009 Research, Development, And Activities, College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

Electrical and Computer Engineering Newsletter

• Neurobiology Engineering Laboratory
• CEAS team’s sensors to monitor Parkview Bridge health
• Nonlinear Circuits and Systems Laboratory
• ECE Visting Professor
• Changing of the guard in the CEAS Dean’s Office
• Dr. Bazuin recipient of DENSO Award