Digital Commons Network^™

Biodegradation Of Styrene In A Recirculation Reactor Using Immobilized Activated Sludge, Shreyans Dilip Shah

Theses

The performance of immobilized cells in the biological treatment of hazardous waste was investigated using a recirculating flow reactor in batch mode. A mixed culture activated sludge from a municipal waste water treatment plant was immobilized in calcium alginate gel, The bio-oxidation ability of these microbes towards a model toxin (styrene) was studied under closed system using dilute H₂O₂ solution as an oxygen source.
The process parameters studied were as follows:

1. Effect of flow rate of recycle stream,
2. Effect of biomass loading,
3. Effect of spiking concentration of styrene, and
4. Flow pattern and average residence time within the …

The Application Of Adaptive Step-Size Control In The Numerical Simulation Of Calcium Release In Vascular Smooth Muscle, Michael John Sydor

Theses

An algorithm for the adaptive control of numerical integration step-size is developed and implemented for the simulation of a three compartment model for Vascular Smooth Muscle. The three compartment model accounts for the simultaneous diffusion of Ca, ⁴⁵Ca, EGTA, Ca-EGTA, and ⁴⁵Ca-EGTA, and is an extension of a two compartment model by Diecke for the simultaneous diffusion of Ca, EGTA, and Ca-EGTA. The addition of the third compartment is to account for the presence of the Sarcoplasmic Reticulum which stores the calcium needed for contraction and is the primary regulator of calcium in the VSM cell. The SR …

Analysis Of The Influence Of Natural Wear And Tear In Gates And Runners On The Filling Of A Balanced Multi-Cavity Injection Mold, Ranga Reddy V. Adavelly

Theses

Design of injection molds is outmost important in the manufacture of parts. Its components runners and gates significantly influence the mold filling. Using a simulation package for injection molding a balanced multi-cavity mold was designed. Wear in the gates of runner was simulated by varying the cross-sectional area of the components. Influence of wear of tear in gates of runners on mold filling was measured in terms of flow rate of time of fill. Detailed analysis is done on four different models using four different materials Polycarbonate, Polypropylene, Nylon6 and Polybutylene terephthalate. Graphical display of result is presented and analyzed …

The Design And Testing Of A Personal Computer Controlled Scanning Acoustic Microscope For Orthopaedic Surgical Applications, Hubert Heinrich Berndt

Theses

This thesis describes scanning acoustic microscopy and ultrasonic image processing to characterize and evaluate materials of known properties, as well as novel materials. This work describes the assembly and testing of a PC based device for nondestructive evaluation of bone materials for usage in orthopaedics research. It includes the identification of some hardware problems and their solution, and it also describes different image processing techniques that have been developed and applied in this work. In a growing number of disciplines it has been discovered that an acoustic microscope can provide new information, especially about the elastic properties of specimens and …

Development Of An Adaptive Fuzzy Shell Clustering Algorithm And Validity Measures, Kurra Bhaswan

Theses

In objective functional based fuzzy clustering algorithms the weighted sum of the distances of the feature vectors from cluster prototype are minimized. The fuzzy memberships are utilized as weighing factors. The cluster prototype can be a point or a line or a plane, etc. This work extends the recent concept of using curved prototypes by utilizing the Adaptive Norm Theorem proposed by Dave¹ to develop an algorithm for the detection of fuzzy hyper-ellipsoidal shell prototypes. The Objective functional associates a norm for each cluster in which to measure the proximity of the shell prototype adaptively. The resulting implementation necessitates …

Experiments With The Gap Variation Of Interpolation Search For Semi Uniform Distributed Alphabetic Files, Jatin M. Bhavsar

Theses

There are various techniques for searching a data from a data base. One of them is interpolation search. It works on uniformly distributed and sorted numerical tables and considered to be one of the fastest methods. On an average this method takes 'lg lg n'

Burton and Lewis [BL] shows the inefficiency of interpolation sarch for an alphabetic table whose distribution is not known or non-uniform. They introduce GAP variations of interpolation search to compare the inefficiency. However another approach to a non-uniform is to apply the cumulative distribution function F which transfer a non-uniform distribution to uniform one, for …

Electroretinogram Modeling : Parameter Identification And Intensity-Response Function Fits, Juan J. Castro

Theses

Electroretinography testing provides many useful techniques for clinical diagnosis of the visual system. However, the interpretation of the electroretinogram data involves a great amount of subjectivity. The use of mathematical models and parameter estimation techniques to fit the electroretinogram data supply a non-subjective and more standard way for analysis of the electroretinogram data. Mathematical models provide a way of summarizing the information enclosed in the raw electroretinogram response into a small set of parameters that define the response.

This thesis presents a mathematical model for the electroretinogram response due to light stimuli. It also provides a non-subjective method for obtaining …

The Performance Of Training Pattern Sets In A New Art-Based Neural Architecture For Image Enhancement, Fu-Chun Chang

Theses

Neural network can be applied on the image enhancement after adding another two layers into the Adaptive Resonance Theory architectures (ART 1). The analysis for selecting a nice training pattern set associate the appropriate vigilance values is the main concerns in this thesis. For a single training pattern ,the network can act as a mathematical morphology operators such as erosion , dilation, opening and closing. With more than one training patterns in the network, 16 experiments are tested and are compared to each other in order to find the best selection for doing the image enhancement work. With both the …

The Bandwidth Allocation Of Atm Control By Neural Networks, Jin-Syan Chou

Theses

In this thesis, we develop a neural network method based on Adaptive Resonance Theory to train and control the optimum bandwidth allocation of ATM network. In Broadband Integrated Service Digital Network (BISDN), the Asynchronous Transfer Mode (ATM) is already adopted as the transfer facility by CCITT. ATM is a high-bandwidth, low- delay, fast-packet switching and multiplexing technique. Using ATM technique, we can flexibly rearrange the network and reassign the bandwidth to meet the requirement of all types of services. As an effective optimization method, Genetic Algorithm (GA) is applied to implement the bandwidth allocation of ATM. Then, we use Adaptive …

Rule-Based Module And Object-Oriented Design For Optical Character Recognition, Min Gao

Theses

In this thesis, I present a optical character recognition technique based on the rule-based module and object-oriented design. A document image is first scanned, and then segmented into isolated characters by the use of projection profiles. The recognition procedures include three steps: contour extraction, strokes detection and rule-based classification. The contour extraction is to extract the outbound boundary and to perform the boundary linking and noise removal. The stroke detection is to detect the features or strokes of the outbound boundary, such as horizontal/vertical lines, left/right slash lines and left-/right-opened curves. The rule-based classification consists of two rules: character definition …

Automatic Infrared And Visual Inspection Of Solder Joints On Pcbs, Jiang Huang

Theses

This thesis reports the research results of automatic inspection of solder joints on printed circuit boards (PCBs). The previous work on this regard has been advanced significantly in the following three aspects. With the application of some microlens and the principle of geometric optics solder joints of real size are inspected in this work instead of larger simulation solder joints in the previous work. A new set of features is formulated and used for infrared inspection. Consequently, better results have been achieved in this work.

Reasonably good results demonstrate the capability of infrared inspection of solder joints on PCBs. Once …

Direct Recovering Of Composite Surface Using Uoff, Zhesheng Huang

Theses

The research work reported in the thesis is motivated by the problem raised in the computer vision area. It utilizes direct method to recover surface structure of objects in 3-D space from a pair of stereo images. The direct method, compared with optical flow-based approach and feature-based approach, is robust and computationally efficient. However it can only recover planar surface structure so far. A new approach to recover structure from a pair of stereo images based on unified optical flow field (UOFF) is developed recently. It can recover curved surface structure.

In this thesis, the problem of recovering surface structure …

Computer Graphic Simulation Of Sweeping Of Solid Objects, Jr-Jyun Jang

Theses

This thesis is on the computer graphic simulation of the swept volume of a solid object undergoing Euclidean motions (including translation and rotation). The study helps visualize different types of Euclidean motions and supports the previously developed swept volume theories by providing graphic realism.Included in the thesis presentation are the following :

1. Description of Euclidean motions of polyhedral objects, using ruled surfaces to represent swept volumes.
2. Representation of sweeping of solid objects, -using parametric cubic equation and sweep differential equation.
3. Simulation of motions of PUMA and IBM robots.
4. Wire-frame and shaded image displays of swept volumes.

Brushless Dc Motor Speed Control System With Saturation Nonlinearity, Khawja M. Kamal

Theses

A study of a three-phase, pulse-width modulated, velocity controlled brushless DC motor speed control system is presented. Previous works on brushless DC drive systems could not explain global instability, due to linear approximations. A complete three-phase system model is presented here, along with a simplified single-phase model, which is similar to a conventional DC motor model. The models incorporate saturation nonlinearity. The brushless DC drive system is analyzed and simulated. Special emphasis is laid on the study of the limit-cycle phenomenon, due to saturation nonlinearity. Global instability is accounted for and relevant parameter regions are established for global stability. The …

Numerical Simulation Of The Heating Of Glass Mat Thermoplastic (Gmt) By Combined Conduction And Dual Beam Microwave Source Terms, Shrenik Kasturi

Theses

Fabrication of parts from glass mat thermoplastic involves the heating of the composite to a temperature above the melting point of the matrix iesin to obtain a low viscosity and to allow sheets to be molded without fractui ing. The focus of this work is this heating stage, particularly the influence of a source term in the energy equation.

The solution to this physical situation is complicated by the nature of the GMT sheet, which has a layeied structure, with diffeient thermophysical properties in different layers. The use of source terms has not been reported yet. and is the piimary …

Expert System For Blown Film Extrusion, Jiachyi Li

Theses

Expert systems and blown film extrusion are two subjects to deal with in this thesis. Expert systems are an aspect of artificial intelligence, or a computer's ability to think. The determination of a suitable expert system for particular problem is an important factor in current societies. Blown film is extruded as a continuous tube which is air cooled, collapsed, and wound onto a roll as a double layer of film. Such film, if heat sealed and perforated, makes a roll of bags. There are many factors that affect blown film extrusion. Therefore, using expert system to evaluate blown film extrusion …

Application Of Expert System For Control Of Heating Distribution Network : A Case Study, Jun Li

Theses

The use of an expert system for the heating distribution network is an application of artificial intelligence to the domain of energy engineering.

The development of an expert system for a heating distribution network is explained. The expert system is implemented through the software Kee. The expert system is used to monitor the heating distribution network, and to complement some functions of the controls such as balancing the system pressure, stabilizing output, in addition to fault diagnosis, system process simulation. It serves also as a medium to system moniting, and operator training. Many other functions will be developed on the …

Successor Employers' Obligations Under The National Labor Relations Act, Ting-Wang Lu

Theses

A wave of business acquisitions is currently sweeping the American corporate scene. Companies are purchasing both unionized and non-unionized businesses at a dizzying pace.

Not surprisingly, after years of confrontational contract renewals, management and 10 unions at the New York Daily News are jockeying for position in talks over agreements that expire on March 30, 1990. Throughout the long negotiation process then the strike began on October 25, 1990. End with Robert Maxwell, the British press baron, signing an agreement on his purchase of the Daily News on March 14, 1991. Obviously, this question of successor employers' obligations is one …

Workstation Allocation Schemes For Response Time Improvement In A Multiserver Pc Lan, Asit V. Merchant

Theses

Microcomputer Local Area Networks have recently become quite popular. Higher demand in term of number of users who contribute a variable amount of load has led to Multiple File servers in a LAN. As a result of variable load, response time at workstations differ significantly depending not only on total load on the network but also on workstation distribution across servers. The goal of this study is to develop schemes to keep response time as low as possible and constant among workstations. This study is based on minimizing response time and containing it or keeping it constant by distributing workstations …

A Comparative Study Of Image Coding Techniques : Filter Banks Vs. Discrete Cosine Transform, Hosam Fawzi Mutlag

Theses

Subband coding of still image frames using Binomial PR-QMF has been presented in this thesis. Simulation results have shown that the performance of subband coding using a low complexity coder is practically the same as the performance of the industry standard (8 x 8) DCT based image coder.

A low bit rate adaptive video coding technique is also introduced in this thesis. The redundancy within adjacent video frames is exploited by motion compensated interframe prediction. The Motion Compensated Frame Difference (MCFD) signals are filtered by employing Binomial PR-QMF structure into four subbands. Then, the subbands are quantized using an efficient …

Analysis And Implementation Of A Navigation System Using Vanishing Points In A Generalized Environment, Rolf Schuster

Theses

The development of accurate sensors is of crucial importance in navigation of mobile autonomous robots. The following master's thesis analyzes the use of vanishing points for robot navigation. Parallel lines in the environment of the robot are used to compute vanishing points which serve as a reference for guiding a robot. To accomplish the navigation tasks, three subtasks are to be performed: detection of straight lines, computation of vanishing points, and robot navigation with vanishing points.

An edge detection algorithm is presented that combines Sobel and Laplacian of Gaussian operators. The algorithm preserves the precision of the Laplacian of Gaussian …

Linear Regulator And Singular Control In Generalised State Space System, Devesh Kumar Thodimela

Theses

The problem of unconstrained optimal control of continuous-time singular systems is considered, by straight forward extension of some well-known equations derived for ordinary state-space systems by variational calculus and by the aid of the simplest algebraic and matrix tools: In this thesis, the interest is restricted to the case where the system is to be driven from a fixed initial state to a fixed final state as well as free final state tf while minimizing a performance index of the form

J = 1/2 ∫t_f t_o <( Y - Y_i), Q ( Y - Y_i) > d_t

Subject …

Genetic Algorithm For Solving Printed Circuit Board Assembly Planning Problems, Hermean Wong

Theses

The application of the genetic algorithm for solving the planning problems for various printed circuit board assembly machines is presented. The genetic algorithm finds the sequence of component placement/insertion and arrangement of feeders simultaneously, for achieving the shortest assembly time. Three types of assembly planning problems are modeled such that they can be solved by the genetic algorithm. The algorithm uses links (parents) to represent possible solutions and applies genetic operators to generate new links (offspring) in an iterative procedure to obtain the optimal solution. Some examples are provided to illustrate the solutions generated by the genetic algorithm, and these …

A New Approach To Motion Analysis From A Sequence Of Stereo Images, Lin Zhou

Theses

A new approach to motion analysis from a sequence of stereo images is presented in this thesis. Based on a four-frame model, a new concept of unified optical flow field has been developed recently [3]. It is a generalization of the optical flow in stereo imagery. A set of fundamental equations is established to characterize the unified optical flow field. Another set of equations is then derived from which 3-D motion can be reconstructed via the use of the field quantities of the unified optical flow field. In this thesis, the implementation of the approach is conducted. The simulation and …

Bad Data Identification In Power Systems, Shichun Zou

Theses

Two classes of bad data (BD) identification methods in power system state estimation are studied.

The first class is the perturbation method. In this method, the obtained measurements are perturbed a few times. Each time a state is obtained from which measurement corrections are calculated. The statistics of the corrections corresponding to a BD are different from those corresponding to a healthy data. The method uses those differences for identification purposes.

The effectiveness of different indicators is studied. These include the normalized residual, the weighted residual, and residuals incorporating the statistics of the corrections.

The success rate of using the …

Liquid-Vapor Equilibria And Henry's Law Constants For Volatile Organics In Surfactants, Qianping Peng

Theses

We present liquid vapor equilibria data and Henry's law constants for Methyl-ethyl Ketone, Toluene, Butyl Acetate, Acetone and i-Propanol in surfactants: Octylphenyl Decaethoxylate, Sorbitan Monooleate and Sodium Sulfonate at temperatures of 20 to 70 C.

The objective of this study is to determine the effect of applying surfactant absorption technique (neat surfactants) to volatile organic compounds (VOC's) for the removal of these species as organic vapors from air emission streams.

Liquid/vapor equilibrium data are presented as curves in several different ways:

i. Each individual VOC at four temperatures between 22 C to 70 C in the respective surfactants Octylpenyl Decaethoxylate, …

Methods Development For Determination Of Trace Polar Volatile Organics In Environmental Samples, Qingchu Peng

Theses

The determination of trace levels of organic compounds in water samples is well developed for the less polar compounds, but the polar compounds are more difficult. The development of reliable and reproducible methods for such compounds as volatile alcohols and ketones is necessary if environmental monitoring is to be extended to these compounds.

The purge-and-trap method is frequently used for determination of volatiles in water samples. The method has problems when hydrophylic substances are being analyzed, since these are less easy to purge from the solution and more difficult to trap and desorb quantitatively. The high amount of water carried …

Catalytic Oxidation Of Trace Concentrations Of Chlorinated Hydrocarbons Over 1.5% Platinum On Alumina/Monolith, Yi Wang

Theses

The catalytic oxidation of chlorinated hydrocarbons CH₂Cl₂ (DCM) and C₂HCl₃ (TCE) was investigated over a 1.5% Pt on Al2O3/monolith at 150 to 450°C. The studies were conducted at space velocities from 1,000 v/v/hr to 30,000 v/v/hr. Chemical equilibrium calculations showed the potential conversion and products distribution. The reactivity and selectivity for destruction of these compounds with air over Pt catalyst were evaluated experimentally. This research was conducted in a tubular reactor system with associated feed and product flow measuring equipment. Feed and product streams were analyzed using gas chromatography (GC) with ECD, FID and …

Preparation And Testing Of Novel Dental Adhesives Based On Bis- Gma/Tegdma Monomer System, Deyun Sun

Theses

In this study, polymerizable phosphonate adhesives synthesized from Diethylchloro-phosphate and 2-Hydroxyethylmethylacrylate and formulated with G-methacryloxy-propyltrimethoxy silane is used in Bis-GMA/TEGDMA monomer system. All the raw materials and finished products are characterized with infrared spectra, vapor pressure osmometry, viscosity and gel test. The bonding strength to tooth materials is determined by Instron machine. The work emphasizes applying polymeric organic phosphonate adhesive to Bis-GMA/TEGDMA monomer system and investigates the appropriate conditions for the crosslinking of Bis-GMA/TEGDMA monomer system. Average bonding strength of 744 psi to enamel and 600 to dentine are ob¬tained in comparision to 550 psi to enamel for phosphonate/silane/MMA/PMMA and …

Adiabatic Kinetic Studies Of The Cytidine/Acetic Anhydride Reaction By Utilizing Temperature Versus Time Data, Joseph John Shatynski

Theses

It is possible to predict the kinetics of a reaction by using temperature versus time data under adiabatic conditions. This method was used for the cytidine/acetic anhydride reaction using a RC1 Mettler Reaction Calorimeter.

The authenticity of the experimental adiabatic system was verified by determining the kinetic parameters of a known reaction (hydrolysis of acetic anhydride) and comparing them to literature values.

For example, the average experimental activation energy, heat of reaction, and ln k₀ values for the hydrolysis of acetic anhydride were 11.2 ±.5 kcal/gmole, -14.4 ± .2 kcal/gmole, and 12.74 ± .94 sec^-1, respectfully, while …