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Electronic Theses and Dissertations

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Adversarial Attacks On Vision Algorithms Using Deep Learning Features, Andy Michel Jan 2017

Adversarial Attacks On Vision Algorithms Using Deep Learning Features, Andy Michel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computer vision algorithms, such as those implementing object detection, are known to be susceptible to adversarial attacks. Small barely perceptible perturbations to the input can cause vision algorithms to incorrectly classify inputs that they would have otherwise classified correctly. A number of approaches have been recently investigated to generate such adversarial examples for deep neural networks. Many of these approaches either require grey-box access to the deep neural net being attacked or rely on adversarial transfer and grey-box access to a surrogate neural network. In this thesis, we present an approach to the synthesis of adversarial examples for computer vision …

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Assessing Interactions Between Estuary Water Quality And Terrestrial Land Cover In Hurricane Events With Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing, Chandan Mostafiz Jan 2017

Assessing Interactions Between Estuary Water Quality And Terrestrial Land Cover In Hurricane Events With Multi-Sensor Remote Sensing, Chandan Mostafiz

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Estuaries are environmentally, ecologically and environmentally important places as they act as a meeting place for land, freshwater and marine ecosystems. They are also called nurseries of the sea as they often provide nesting and feeding habitats for many aquatic plants and animals. These estuaries also withstand the worst of some natural disasters, especially hurricanes. The estuaries as well as the harbored ecosystems undergo significant changes in terms of water quality, vegetation cover etc. and these components are interrelated. When hurricane makes landfall it is necessary to assess the damages as quickly as possible as restoration and recovery processes are …

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Ldmos Power Transistor Design And Evaluation Using 2d And 3d Device Simulation, Aiman Salih Jan 2017

Ldmos Power Transistor Design And Evaluation Using 2d And 3d Device Simulation, Aiman Salih

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The benefit of the super-junction (SJ) technique and the use of a floating P layer for low voltage (30 V) laterally double-diffused metal oxide semiconductor (LDMOS) transistors are investigated in this thesis using Sentaurus TCAD simulation software. Optimizations to the SJ LDMOS were attempted such as adding a buffer layer to the device, but simulation and theoretical evidence point out that the benefits of the SJ technique are marginal at the 30 V application. A replacement for the SJ technique was sought, the floating P structure proved to be a good solution at the low voltage range due to its …

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An All-Against-One Game Approach For The Multi-Player Pursuit-Evasion Problem, Shahriar Talebi Jan 2017

An All-Against-One Game Approach For The Multi-Player Pursuit-Evasion Problem, Shahriar Talebi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The traditional pursuit-evasion game considers a situation where one pursuer tries to capture an evader, while the evader is trying to escape. A more general formulation of this problem is to consider multiple pursuers trying to capture one evader. This general multi-pursuer one-evader problem can also be used to model a system of systems in which one of the subsystems decides to dissent (evade) from the others while the others (the pursuer subsystems) try to pursue a strategy to prevent it from doing so. An important challenge in analyzing these types of problems is to develop strategies for the pursuers …

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Development And Application Of Microelectrodes To Study In Situ Disinfectant Loss And Corrosion On Metal Surface, Xiangmeng Ma Jan 2017

Development And Application Of Microelectrodes To Study In Situ Disinfectant Loss And Corrosion On Metal Surface, Xiangmeng Ma

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of this research was to develop, fabricate, evaluate and utilize microelectrodes to metal coupons in artificial water system. In the brass experiment, it presented profiles of direct measurements of free chlorine/monochloramine, oxygen and pH to brass and cement based coupons. In monochloraminated water, brass showed a much faster corrosion process under observation. Profiles showed a less monochloramine consumption with as high as 7% greater oxygen utilization comparing to the brass in free chlorine solution, reflecting oxygen could be a major part of the corrosion initiation process. While cement showed less reactive characteristics to disinfectants and oxygen compared …

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Effect Of Load Path And Failure Modes On Seismic Response Of Regular Bridges., Haider Darwash Jan 2017

Effect Of Load Path And Failure Modes On Seismic Response Of Regular Bridges., Haider Darwash

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bridges are essential infrastructure constituents that have been studied for centuries. Typically, seismic bridge design and assessment utilize simplified modeling and analysis techniques based on one-dimensional spine elements and zero-length springs/hinges. The geometry of the elements and calibration of parameters are based on assumptions for the lateral load path and failure modes, e.g., sacrificial backwall and shear keys, neglecting wing walls, and strength based on backfill alone. These assumptions have led to observations of underestimated resistance, overestimated displacement demands, and unpredicted damage and failure mode. The focus of the study is on ordinary standard bridges with continuous reinforced concrete box …

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Optimization Approaches For Electricity Generation Expansion Planning Under Uncertainty, Yiduo Zhan Jan 2017

Optimization Approaches For Electricity Generation Expansion Planning Under Uncertainty, Yiduo Zhan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, we study the long-term electricity infrastructure investment planning problems in the electrical power system. These long-term capacity expansion planning problems aim at making the most effective and efficient investment decisions on both thermal and wind power generation units. One of our research focuses are uncertainty modeling in these long-term decision-making problems in power systems, because power systems' infrastructures require a large amount of investments, and need to stay in operation for a long time and accommodate many different scenarios in the future. The uncertainties we are addressing in this dissertation mainly include demands, electricity prices, investment and …

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A Framework For Measuring Return On Investment For Healthcare Simulation-Based Training, Hatim Bukhari Jan 2017

A Framework For Measuring Return On Investment For Healthcare Simulation-Based Training, Hatim Bukhari

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the healthcare sector, providing high-quality service in a safe environment for both patient and staff is an obvious and ultimate major objective. Training is an essential component for achieving this important objective. Most organizations acknowledge that employee simulation-based training programs are an important part of the human capital strategy, yet few have effectively succeeded in quantifying the real and precise ROI of this type of investment. Therefore, if the training is perceived as a waste of resources and its ROI is not clearly recognized, it will be the first option to cut when the budget cut is needed. The …

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From Tunnel Vision To Bird's-Eye View: The Development Of A Broad Harassment Construct, Lindsay Dhanani Jan 2017

From Tunnel Vision To Bird's-Eye View: The Development Of A Broad Harassment Construct, Lindsay Dhanani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research on workplace harassment has increased in recent years, resulting in a large body of evidence suggesting that perceiving harassment at work leads to a host of negative outcomes (Jones, Peddie, Gilrane, King, & Gray, 2016; Pascoe & Richman, 2009; Triana, Jayasinghe, & Pieper, 2015; Willness, Steel, & Lee, 2007). However, despite calls to broaden the conceptualization of workplace harassment, the dominant approach in the literature has been to study a single, discrete form of harassment in isolation. The current paper addresses this limitation by simultaneously assessing multiple forms of harassment (i.e., ethnic harassment, sexual harassment, age harassment, heterosexist harassment, …

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Getting The Work Out Of Workouts: Evaluating The Effectiveness And Outcomes Of A Physical Exercise Motivational Intervention For Older Workers, Brandon Sholar Jan 2017

Getting The Work Out Of Workouts: Evaluating The Effectiveness And Outcomes Of A Physical Exercise Motivational Intervention For Older Workers, Brandon Sholar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

To mitigate their estimated $300 billion in annual health-related losses, many companies have instituted workplace wellness initiatives designed to promote physical activity among their employees, improving the overall health of their workforce. Though middle-aged and older workers may potentially enjoy the greatest physical, stress and cognitive benefits from regular exercise, workplace wellness programs have been less successful in attracting such employees. This study developed and tested a 6-week exercise motivation intervention designed to meet the needs of sedentary, older working adults and to determine what non-physical benefits might result from increased levels of physical exercise. The intervention, based primarily on …

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Not Woman Enough Harassment: Scale Development And An Integrated Model From Antecedent To Outcome, Amanda Wolcott Jan 2017

Not Woman Enough Harassment: Scale Development And An Integrated Model From Antecedent To Outcome, Amanda Wolcott

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rise of research on workplace mistreatment in the past twenty years can be attributed to the realization that workplace mistreatment is associated with a host of deleterious outcomes for both the individual targets of the mistreatment and the organizations in which they work. However, the extant literature is failing to capture the full range of sex-based mistreatment that people may experience through a tendency to focus solely on sexual harassment and sex discrimination, which are very specific types of behavior based on one's sex and gender stereotypes. In this dissertation, I introduce the construct of Not Woman Enough Harassment, …

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Resource Allocation And Pricing In Secondary Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks, Enas Khairullah Jan 2017

Resource Allocation And Pricing In Secondary Dynamic Spectrum Access Networks, Enas Khairullah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The paradigm shift from static spectrum allocation to a dynamic one has opened many challenges that need to be addressed for the true vision of Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) to materialize. This dissertation proposes novel solutions that include: spectrum allocation, routing, and scheduling in DSA networks. First, we propose an auction-based spectrum allocation scheme in a multi-channel environment where secondary users (SUs) bid to buy channels from primary users (PUs) based on the signal to interference and noise ratio (SINR). The channels are allocated such that i) the SUs get their preferred channels, ii) channels are re-used, and iii) there …

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Improving The Performance Of Data-Intensive Computing On Cloud Platforms, Wei Dai Jan 2017

Improving The Performance Of Data-Intensive Computing On Cloud Platforms, Wei Dai

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Big Data such as Terabyte and Petabyte datasets are rapidly becoming the new norm for various organizations across a wide range of industries. The widespread data-intensive computing needs have inspired innovations in parallel and distributed computing, which has been the effective way to tackle massive computing workload for decades. One significant example is MapReduce, which is a programming model for expressing distributed computations on huge datasets, and an execution framework for data-intensive computing on commodity clusters as well. Since it was originally proposed by Google, MapReduce has become the most popular technology for data-intensive computing. While Google owns its proprietary …

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An Analytical Investigation Of Prestressed Beam Bridge Performance Before And After Widening, Chris Oriordan Adjah Jan 2017

An Analytical Investigation Of Prestressed Beam Bridge Performance Before And After Widening, Chris Oriordan Adjah

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As traffic and congestion increase, so does the likelihood of collisions. The solution to this problem is usually through a rehabilitation process with two primary options: (1) widening/expansion of existing roadway and bridges and (2) complete replacement (new construction) of roadway and bridges. The first option is the most feasible and cost-effective. While roadway widening/expansion pose minimal issues, the same cannot be said of bridge widening. An existing bridge presents a multitude of challenges during the planning and design phases, during construction, and throughout the structure's service life. Special attention is required in both the design and detailing of the …

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Chaotification As A Means Of Broadband Vibration Energy Harvesting With Piezoelectric Materials, Daniel Geiyer Jan 2017

Chaotification As A Means Of Broadband Vibration Energy Harvesting With Piezoelectric Materials, Daniel Geiyer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computing advances and component miniaturization in circuits coupled with stagnating battery technology have fueled growth in the development of high efficiency energy harvesters. Vibration-to-electricity energy harvesting techniques have been investigated extensively for use in sensors embedded in structures or in hard-to-reach locations like turbomachinery, surgical implants, and GPS animal trackers. Piezoelectric materials are commonly used in harvesters as they possess the ability to convert strain energy directly into electrical energy and can work concurrently as actuators for damping applications. The prototypical harvesting system places two piezoelectric patches on both sides of the location of maximum strain on a cantilever beam. …

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The Study Of Physiochemical Properties Of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles And Its Application In Biosensors, Swetha Barkam Jan 2017

The Study Of Physiochemical Properties Of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles And Its Application In Biosensors, Swetha Barkam

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biosensors continue to get smaller and faster with the advancement in nanotechnology through the use of nanomaterials to achieve high sensitivity and selectivity. However, the continued reliance on biomolecules or enzymes in the biosensor assembly poses the problem of reproducibility, storage and complexity. This dissertation research address some of the challenges by investigating the physiochemical properties of nanoparticles to understand its interaction with biological systems and develop enzyme free biosensors. In this study, we have demonstrated a novel strategy to integrate cerium oxide nanoparticles (CNPs) as an efficient transducer through rigorous screening for developing enzyme/label free biosensors for detecting analytes …

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Investigating Novel Water Treatment Methods And Monitoring Techniques For Sulfide-Laden Groundwater Supplies, Benjamin Yoakum Jan 2017

Investigating Novel Water Treatment Methods And Monitoring Techniques For Sulfide-Laden Groundwater Supplies, Benjamin Yoakum

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation reports on research related to novel water treatment and monitoring techniques for sulfide-laden groundwater supplies. The dissertation is divided into several chapters with four core chapters focused on investigations studying a novel water treatment method or monitoring technique. The first investigation assessed the efficacy of multi-pass spray aeration treatment to remove trihalomethanes (THMs) and to reduce the total THM formation potential (TTHMFP) of an aerated water column post-aeration. A recirculating spray aeration pilot unit was constructed to make this assessment. To assess the effect of multi-pass spray aeration on the TTHMFP, water was recirculated through a fabricated spray …

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A Training Effectiveness Evaluation Of Uh-60a/L Simulated Environments: An Interdisciplinary Approach, Martin Goodwin Jan 2017

A Training Effectiveness Evaluation Of Uh-60a/L Simulated Environments: An Interdisciplinary Approach, Martin Goodwin

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The U.S. military continues to develop and expand its use of simulation-based aviation training. While traditional simulation-based training continues to be a proven training method, game-based simulation has become more sophisticated and may provide viable training options in some applications. The use of game-based simulation with traditional simulation-based training can potentially reduce costs, enhance return on investment, advance training objectives, and inform future training environment designs. Current fiscal limitations are driving the need for more efficient training methods, while operational requirements are dictating training protocols that produce optimum levels of readiness. The gap between fiscal constraints and desired training outcomes …

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Effects Of Surfactant Concentrations On Perovskite Emitters Embedded In Polystyrene, Eric Calkins Jan 2017

Effects Of Surfactant Concentrations On Perovskite Emitters Embedded In Polystyrene, Eric Calkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

With their simple fabrication, narrow light spectrum, and color tunability, a class of materials known as perovskites are emerging as promising candidates for light emission applications. These materials, when exposed to normal atmospheric conditions show significant degradation. Improved protection has been demonstrated by embedding perovskites in polymers. Furthermore, the addition of a surfactant into the precursor solution has been shown to increase stability and allow for color tuning by exploiting quantum confinement effects. However, the effects of surfactants typically used to stabilize perovskites in solution have not been explored in this polymer embedding strategy. Here we determine the physical and …

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The Spaces Between Us: A Queer<=>Intersectional Analysis Of The Narratives Of Black Gay International Students, Bryan S. Hubain Jan 2017

The Spaces Between Us: A Queer<=>Intersectional Analysis Of The Narratives Of Black Gay International Students, Bryan S. Hubain

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The experiences of international students along the lines of race and ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and nationality are virtually unknown. This study utilizes experience-centered narrative inquiry to explore the experiences of Black gay international students, and how they are racialized and sexualized in American higher education. Using a Queer and Intersectional framework, this study highlighted power structures and processes that continue to marginalize Black gay international students in the U.S. and in their home countries. Their narratives reflected significant moments or events that were important to them and how they understand their identities and realities. This study provides a strong foundation …

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Indivim-Kara: An Exploration Of Ego And The Archetypes In Art, Jared Justice Jan 2017

Indivim-Kara: An Exploration Of Ego And The Archetypes In Art, Jared Justice

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this document is to demonstrate how I use my art making as an active meditation in order to temporarily subvert ego and create a new subjective reality in visual form. The results of my research will provide the reader with the ability to connect existing philosophies of the Yoga Sutras and Jungian Theory with new art works that explore active meditation, neurosis, and the archetypes of the collective psyche. My goal is to reconstruct these concepts into a visual medium that reshapes facts and theories into images of my own truth, giving free play to fantasy akin …

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Pioneer Of Self: An Intimate Retrospective, Juliet Diienno Jan 2017

Pioneer Of Self: An Intimate Retrospective, Juliet Diienno

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reality is ever changing, and as we gain experience, our perceptions of it transform. Plato's allegory of the cave addresses the way one person's journey from darkness into daylight transforms his reality. My own body of work can be described through this extended metaphor, similarly benefiting from effects of education, self-reflection, and experience dramatically altering my perceptions of myself and my artwork. As projected by Plato, I was forced through an arduous confrontation with my lack of understanding of the human condition, reshaping my ideas to comprehend and adapt to the metaphorical daylight. With new understanding, I return to give …

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On Digital Doctrine: The Mediatization Of Religious Culture, Celina Yebba Jan 2017

On Digital Doctrine: The Mediatization Of Religious Culture, Celina Yebba

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Media is a constant feature in our modern lives, transforming and influencing society and culture. This study examined how increased participation in digital media has changed the nature of religious representation, culture, and practice. Data was collected from both secular websites and religious media spaces where people post information about religion. This discussion is a necessary step in determining how media has not only become embedded in religious culture but has influenced the transformation of American religious culture. The first part of this analysis concentrated on uncovering rhetorical strategies in religious digital spaces. I assumed that organizational identification would be …

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The Communicative Value Of Emr Education: Medical Students' Perceptions Of Introductions To Emrs, Justiss Burry Jan 2017

The Communicative Value Of Emr Education: Medical Students' Perceptions Of Introductions To Emrs, Justiss Burry

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Research in medical education includes a number of studies that describe the complexities (Tierney et al., 2013; Gagon et al., 2009; Pippitt, Stevenson, & Samuelson, 2013), benefits (Milano et al., 2014; Hammoud et al., 2012; Silverman et al., 2014), and limitations (Peled, Sagher, Morrow, & Dobbie, 2009; Wald, George, Reis, & Taylor, 2014; Pelletier, 2016) of helping medical students understand and achieve fluency with electronic medical records (EMRs). In addition, studies in the rhetoric of health and medicine (RHM) have been calling to attention the effectiveness of rhetorical studies within medical contexts (Scott, Segal, & Keranen, 2013; Segal, 2005; Rausch, …

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Medieval Ingenuity In Fourteenth Century English Milling In Middlesex, Norfolk, And Northumberland Counties, Brett Pelham Jan 2017

Medieval Ingenuity In Fourteenth Century English Milling In Middlesex, Norfolk, And Northumberland Counties, Brett Pelham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the effect of population losses from outbreaks of the Bubonic Plague on capital investment for labor saving technology in England. The cities in Middlesex and Norfolk advance the economy in their surrounding areas. Northumberland's access to Newcastle-Upon-Tyne did not house as much wealth for Coquetdale and Glendale. However, Edward I's constant investment in the recently acquired Scottish territory provided the area with income from the crown. While the decrease in population was catastrophic and presented social turmoil, the surviving population continued to make economic adjustments. The economic adaptations provided relief to a strained population. Trade should have …

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Creating A Digital Exhibit On The Colonial Fur Trade In Florida: A Public History / Digital History Project, Benjamin Dibiase Jan 2017

Creating A Digital Exhibit On The Colonial Fur Trade In Florida: A Public History / Digital History Project, Benjamin Dibiase

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This thesis project incorporates podcasts and high resolution digital imagery visualizations into a single online exhibit to democratize archival material on the web. It employs contemporary new museology and digital history methodological frameworks, and utilizes the burgeoning medium of podcasting to increase public understanding and interaction with an historical period. For this project I have partnered with the Florida Historical Society and have utilized original materials from their collection relating to the colonial fur trade in Florida. The study of the North American fur trade has recently expanded to include more information about the indigenous societies engaged in the trade …

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A Place In The Sunshine State : Community, Preservation, And The Parliament House, Erin Montgomery Jan 2017

A Place In The Sunshine State : Community, Preservation, And The Parliament House, Erin Montgomery

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A Place in the Sunshine State, is a thesis project focused on the Parliament House Motor Inn in Orlando, Florida. This project nominated the Parliament House Motor Inn for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places. This nomination was completed using both oral histories and more traditional historical source material. The Parliament House Motor Inn was evaluated using National Register Bulletins and the Secretary of the Interior's Standards for Preservation. This nomination was presented to give voice to a long-underrepresented community within the national narrative of the United States, along with giving the Parliament House the recognition it deserves …

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Beyond Panels Interactive Storytelling: Developing A Framework For Highly Emotive Narrative Experiences On Mobile Devices, Michael Joseph Eakins Jan 2017

Beyond Panels Interactive Storytelling: Developing A Framework For Highly Emotive Narrative Experiences On Mobile Devices, Michael Joseph Eakins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Balancing passive and interactive experiences within a narrative experience is an area of research that has broad applicability to the video game, cinematic, and comic book industries. Each of these media formats has attempted various experiments in interactive experience. The goal of this research was to better understand how to construct an interactive narrative experience that preserves the integrity of the author's story, but allows for inspired interaction by a willing audience. A study was designed to test three different conditions. The two control conditions were examples of passive narrative storytelling: the Comic Book Condition and the Cinematic Condition. The …

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Weighting Policies For Robust Unsupervised Ensemble Learning, Ramazan Unlu Jan 2017

Weighting Policies For Robust Unsupervised Ensemble Learning, Ramazan Unlu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The unsupervised ensemble learning, or consensus clustering, consists of finding the optimal com- bination strategy of individual partitions that is robust in comparison to the selection of an algorithmic clustering pool. Despite its strong properties, this approach assigns the same weight to the contribution of each clustering to the final solution. We propose a weighting policy for this problem that is based on internal clustering quality measures and compare against other modern approaches. Results on publicly available datasets show that weights can significantly improve the accuracy performance while retaining the robust properties. Since the issue of determining an appropriate number …

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Spatial And Temporal Compressive Sensing For Vibration-Based Monitoring: Fundamental Studies With Beam Vibrations, Vaahini Ganesan Jan 2017

Spatial And Temporal Compressive Sensing For Vibration-Based Monitoring: Fundamental Studies With Beam Vibrations, Vaahini Ganesan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Vibration data from mechanical systems carry important information that is useful for characterization and diagnosis. Standard approaches rely on continually streaming data at a fixed sampling frequency. For applications involving continuous monitoring, such as Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), such approaches result in high data volume and require powering sensors for prolonged duration. Furthermore, adequate spatial resolution, typically involves instrumenting structures with a large array of sensors. This research shows that applying Compressive Sensing (CS) can significantly reduce both the volume of data and number of sensors in vibration monitoring applications. Random sampling and the inherent sparsity of vibration signals in …

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