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Implementation Of Fuzzy Logic Control Into An Equivalent Minimization Strategy For Adaptive Energy Management Of A Parallel Hybrid Electric Vehicle, Jared Alexander Diethorn

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

As government agencies continue to tighten emissions regulations due to the continued increase in greenhouse gas production, automotive industries are seeking to produce increasingly efficient vehicle technology. Electric vehicles have been introduced by the industry, showing promising signs of reducing emissions production in the automotive sector. However, many consumers may be hesitant to purchase fully electric vehicles due to several uncertainty variables including available charging stations. Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs) have been introduced to reduce problems while improving fuel economy. HEVs have led to the demand of creating more advanced controls software to consider multiple components for propulsive power in …

A Deep Learning Approach To Lncrna Subcellular Localization Using Inexact Q-Mer, Weijun Yi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Long non coding Ribonucleic Acids (lncRNAs) can be localized to different cellular components, such as the nucleus, exosome, cytoplasm, ribosome, etc. Their biological functions can be influenced by the region of the cell they are located. Many of these lncRNAs are associated with different challenging diseases. Thus, it is crucial to study their subcellular localization. However, compared to the vast number of lncRNAs, only relatively few have annotations in terms of their subcellular localization. Conventional computational methods use q-mer profiles from lncRNA sequences and then train machine learning models, such as support vector machines and logistic regression with the profiles. …

Aerosol Sampling Strategy: Effect Of Particle Transfer To Sampler Covers And Estimation Of Conversion Factors Between The United States And German Methods For Quartz Sampling, Godwin Akpevwe Erekaife

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

AEROSOL SAMPLING STRATEGY: Effect of Particle Transfer to Sampler Covers and Estimation of Conversion Factors between the United States and German Methods for Quartz sampling

GODWIN A. EREKAIFE

In many countries, communities of experts, including industrial hygienists, have developed unique sampling strategies to determine workers’ exposure to aerosolized particles (e.g., metals, wood dust etc.). However, using different sampling and analytical methods for the same chemical often results in different exposure levels for a similar exposure group (SEG). The exposure discrepancies among different countries that are caused by using different measurement strategies are not always systematically defined. Therefore, this study …

Comparative Analysis Of Different Classes Of On-Line State Estimators For Aerodynamics Angles And True Airspeed Sensors For Applications To The Sensor Failure Problem, Alexandra Anne Augsberger

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Throughout aviation history, there have been numerous incidents due to sensor failure that have caused a range of issues from loss of control of the aircraft to crashes resulting in loss of human life. Although there are many hardware-based solutions to this problem, the threat of control hardware failure still exists. This work investigates the efficacy of implementing neural networks (NN) and Kalman filters (KF) to solve the accommodation portion of the sensor failure detection, identification, and accommodation (SFDIA) problem through on-line real-time estimation of specific aircraft dynamic parameters. The implementation of on-line estimation architectures into the aircraft flight control …

Improving Performance And Durability Of Intermediate Temperature Proton‐Conducting Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells Via Materials Design And Catalyst Surface Engineering, Hanchen Tian

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Solid oxide steam electrolysis cell, a promising electrical-chemical conversion device for the next generation efficient hydrogen production and energy storage, has been actively studied because of their high energy conversion efficiencies and prospective applications as electrochemical reactors. After decades of research on protonic ceramic materials, remarkable advances have been made in the protonic ceramic electrochemical cells (PCECs) air electrode and electrolyte. However, the existing air electrodes are far from satisfying the requirements of practical applications, a series of issues, including the lack of active and durable electrodes, greatly limit the commercialization. To date, the systematic development of triple conducting catalysts …

Mitigating Insider Threats In A Cooperative Adaptive Cruise Control System Using Local Intra-Vehicle Data, Alexander Francis Colon

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With the rise of Connected-and-Automated-Vehicle (CAV) technologies on roadways, transportation networks have become increasingly connected through Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) systems. With access to the additional data from V2X, modern cruise control systems like Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) are further improved upon to develop systems like Cooperative ACC (CACC) which reduces traffic congestion and increases driver safety and energy efficiency. With that increased connectivity, previously closed vehicle systems are now vulnerable to new security threats which pose new technical challenges. Significant research has been done to strengthen the network against external threats such as denial-of-service attacks (DoS) or passive eavesdropping attacks using …

Dynamic Data-Driven Smart Proxy Modeling For Numerical Reservoir Simulation, Maher Jasim Alabboodi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A successful Geologic Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) Storage (GCS) operation requires the ability to make quick and reliable subsurface modeling decisions; such decisions must be made based on an accurate and realistic modeling of the reservoir. Numerical reservoir simulation is the most common tool used for predicting fluid flow behavior and analyzing uncertainties in the subsurface reservoirs.

In general, a numerical reservoir simulation model has tens of millions of grid blocks and requires intensive computations to be performed at each time-step of the simulation, therefore, they are computationally expensive and time-consuming. As a result, studies (such as uncertainty analysis …

Terrestrial Salamander And Ant Community Responses To Imidacloprid Application In Central Appalachian Eastern Hemlock Forests, Lenza E. Paul

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Imidacloprid is the most widely used insecticide in the world and has been found to impact non-target taxa in systems in which it is applied. It is used as the primary treatment method in the protection of eastern hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis) from impacts of hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA; Adelges tsugae), an invasive insect in the U.S. that is causing widespread mortality of hemlock trees. In this study, we investigated whether imidacloprid applied in eastern hemlock forests is impacting woodland salamander and ant communities.

In Chapter 1, I provide an overview of the ecological importance of eastern hemlocks …

Maternal Engineered Nanomaterial Inhalation Exposure: Cardiac Molecular Reprogramming In Progeny Through Epigenetic And Epitranscriptomic Mechanisms, Amina Kunovac

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Introduction: Nano-titanium dioxide (TiO₂), a prominently utilized engineered nanomaterial (ENM), is being employed for its physiochemical properties in several fields including the food industry, manufacturing, and biomedicine. As the prevalence of this ENM, and other particulate matter grows, so does the concern for antagonistic consequences on long-term heart function in vulnerable populations, which until now have not been investigated. Due to the reliance of the heart on the ATP generating capacity of mitochondria for contraction, understanding the role of mitochondrial bioenergetics and structure is pivotal in understanding the repercussions of particulate matter exposure during gestation. As the mass …

Re-Design Of Precision Signal Conditioning Circuit For Detecting Schumann Resonance, Rohith Bikkina

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Extremely low frequencies signals are waves between 3 to 30Hz and corresponding wavelengths between 10,000 to 100,000 kilometers. The specific signals used here are generated from lightning and are excited at frequencies around 8Hz, 14Hz, 20Hz. These are often called Schumann Resonance frequencies. Several stations have been built around the world for identifying ELF waves. All of those required a sparsely populated area that was far away from electric power lines because of interference from electric noise at 50 Hz and 60Hz. This project develops and tests an amplifier and filter circuit that should assist in identifying the Schumann Resonance …

Consensus Based Control Strategy For Virtual Synchronous Generators In Microgrids, Anusha Kandula

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Renewable energy sources such as photo-voltaic and wind energy are integrating very rapidly in power systems. These energy-based systems typically adopt power-electronic interfaced inverters to connect to the grid. However, unlike traditional generators, these sources have low inertia, resulting in system stability issues, especially in microgrids where they are the primary sources. To mitigate the low-inertia effect, the inverters are modeled as virtual synchronous generators (VSG), and their control is designed. The VSG emulates the inertia effect of the synchronous generator and maintains the stability of the system. Even though the droop control provides the primary control, it is insufficient …

Simultaneous Activation Of Stable Molecules- Methane And Nitrogen- Using Microwave Reactor With And Without Plasma- To Produce Ethylene And Ammonia, Sarojini Tiwari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The discovery of stranded natural gas around the world has made shale gas cheaper and widely accessible. This has driven the relevant research towards the direct utilization of Methane (CH4), a major component of natural gas. CH4 is a highly stable molecule, hence its activation and consequent formation of value-added chemicals in a direct and efficient manner is a relevant problem of the 21st century. All the commercial processes convert natural gas to chemicals indirectly, via the formation of syngas followed by several reactions. The conventional systems are energy intensive and one of the major contributors to green-house gas emissions. …

Validation Of Shoulder Strain Index, Fabiha Islam

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) of shoulder are one of the most frequent and major causes of morbidity and pain among full-time workers in the USA. In 2018, shoulder disorders were the most severe type of MSDs in terms of lost workdays. Recent epidemiological studies have identified several biomechanical, organizational, and psychological factors that increase the risk of shoulder MSDs. Though multiple biomechanical studies have evaluated physical causal factors of shoulder MSDs with a goal of risk mitigation, literature lacks a standardized risk assessment tool. The main objective of this study was to validate a previously developed shoulder strain index. The strain …

Planning Algorithms Under Uncertainty For A Team Of A Uav And A Ugv For Underground Exploration, Matteo De Petrillo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Robots’ autonomy has been studied for decades in different environments, but only recently, thanks to the advance in technology and interests, robots for underground exploration gained more attention. Due to the many challenges that any robot must face in such harsh environments, this remains an challenging and complex problem to solve.

As technology became cheaper and more accessible, the use of robots for underground ex- ploration increased. One of the main challenges is concerned with robot localization, which is not easily provided by any Global Navigation Services System (GNSS). Many developments have been achieved for indoor mobile ground robots, making …

Identical Twins As A Facial Similarity Benchmark For Human Facial Recognition, John Andrew Mccauley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The problem of distinguishing identical twins and non-twin look-alikes in automated facial recognition (FR) applications has become increasingly important with the widespread adoption of facial biometrics. Due to the high facial similarity of both identical twins and look-alikes, these face pairs represent the hardest cases presented to facial recognition tools. This work presents an application of one of the largest twin datasets compiled to date to address two FR challenges: 1) determining a baseline measure of facial similarity between identical twins and 2) applying this similarity measure to determine the impact of doppelgangers, or look-alikes, on FR performance for large …

Single And Differential Morph Attack Detection, Baaria Chaudhary

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Face recognition systems operate on the assumption that a person's face serves as the unique link to their identity. In this thesis, we explore the problem of morph attacks, which have become a viable threat to face verification scenarios precisely because of their inherent ability to break this unique link. A morph attack occurs when two people who share similar facial features morph their faces together such that the resulting face image is recognized as either of two contributing individuals. Morphs inherit enough visual features from both individuals that both humans and automatic algorithms confuse them. The contributions of this …

Assessing Synthetic Aperture Radar (Sar)-Derived Temporal Patterns And Digital Terrain Data For Palustrine Wetland Mapping, Jaimee L. Pyron

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Palustrine wetland systems are important ecosystems and provide numerous ecosystems services to support society. Unfortunately, they remain under constant threat of devastation due to land use practices and global climate change, which underscores the need to identify, map, and monitor these landscape features. This study explores harmonic coefficients and seasonal median values derived from Sentinel-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data, as well as digital elevation model (DEM)-derived terrain variables, to predict palustrine wetland locations in the Vermont counties of Bennington, Chittenden, and Essex. Support vector machine (SVM) and random forest (RF) machine learning models were used with various combinations of …

Optimization Of Operating Conditions And Design Parameters On Coal Ultra-Fine Grinding Through Kinetic Stirred Mill Tests And Numerical Modeling, Francisco Patino

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This study investigated the ultra-fine coal grinding performance of four low- to moderate-cost grinding media: ceramic balls, granular sand, alumina beads, and silica beads. The kinetic grinding tests were conducted using a stirred mill, while different operating conditions, including the media size, solids concentration, and the addition of viscosity modifiers, were examined. Characterization studies in terms of particle size, shape, and surface morphology were further performed to support the experimental findings. Moreover, using population balance modeling, grinding simulation was performed in Matlab to forecast the particle size distribution based on the specific energy input and experimental size-related data. The results …

Using Distributed Ledger Technologies In Vanets To Achieve Trusted Intelligent Transportation Systems, Fares Nabil Elamine

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

With the recent advancements in the networking realm of computers as well as achieving real-time communication between devices over the Internet, IoT (Internet of Things) devices have been on the rise; collecting, sharing, and exchanging data with other connected devices or databases online, enabling all sorts of communications and operations without the need for human intervention, oversight, or control. This has caused more computer-based systems to get integrated into the physical world, inching us closer towards developing smart cities.

The automotive industry, alongside other software developers and technology companies have been at the forefront of this advancement towards achieving smart …

Identification And Classification Of Radio Pulsar Signals Using Machine Learning, Di Pang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Automated single-pulse search approaches are necessary as ever-increasing amount of observed data makes the manual inspection impractical. Detecting radio pulsars using single-pulse searches, however, is a challenging problem for machine learning because pul- sar signals often vary significantly in brightness, width, and shape and are only detected in a small fraction of observed data.

The research work presented in this dissertation is focused on development of ma- chine learning algorithms and approaches for single-pulse searches in the time domain. Specifically, (1) We developed a two-stage single-pulse search approach, named Single- Pulse Event Group IDentification (SPEGID), which automatically identifies and clas- …

Geology Oriented Loading Approach For Underground Coal Mines, Deniz Tuncay

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Mining-induced stresses in underground coal mines play a significant role in pillar and support design, hence in the safety of mining operations. Adequate design of pillars and roof control plans rely on the accurate assessment of the mining-induced loads, as well as the load-bearing capacities of the supports. In pillar design tools frequently used by the underground coal mining industry and Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA), overburden loading is estimated by geometric concepts such as the tributary area and the abutment angle method. These methods do not explicitly consider important mechanical responses such as specific overall ground behavior. The …

Modeling, Optimization And Uncertainty Quantification Of Solids-Based Co2 Capture Technologies, Anca Ostace

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Solids-based carbon dioxide (CO₂)adsorption, where CO₂ is adsorbed under high pressure/low temperature and desorbed at low pressure/high temperature, is a low energy consumption capture technology with high carbon uptake efficiency. Chemical looping combustion (CLC), where a solid oxygen carrier (OC) transports oxygen between two high-temperature reactors – a fuel and an air reactor –, is a low energy penalty, fuel-flexible technology with inherent CO₂ capture for power/heat and syngas production.

In this work, state-of-the-art equation-oriented (EO) mathematical models of a fixed-bed (FxB) contactor for CO₂ adsorption and moving-bed (MB) reactors for gas-, and solid-fueled CLC …

Microwave-Assisted Natural Gas Conversion To Value-Added Chemicals, Xinwei Bai

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Stranded gas is a raw gas mixture of volatile hydrocarbons where the main composition is methane. The producers flare the stranded gas at the site because the cost of collecting and transporting the gas is higher than the value of the gas itself. To reduce the waste of this natural resource, it is worthwhile to utilize the on-site stranded natural gas as feedstock to produce value-added chemicals without emitting greenhouse gas. Direct natural gas conversion process is more desirable because of lower capital investment. Methane and ethane, the two major components of natural gas, are very stable molecules that usually …

Modeling Gas Migration During A Gas Kick, Ali Zankawi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Gas kick is an undesirable problem in the oil and gas industry, which can potentially interfere with the production process and damage drilling equipment. The primary intent of this study is to highlight gas migration and its effect on gas kick mitigation approaches that would benefit the petroleum industry. The integrated analysis provides valuable insight regarding parameters promoting efficient drilling and production processes, Minimizing the risk of gas kicks. This study aimed to investigate the impact of critical parameters on gas migration during the gas kick in both water- and oil-based mud and promote the understanding of the dynamics of …

Improving Broiler Performance And Digestibility Through Feed Enzymes And Production Rate Aids Utilized In Pelleting., Kristina Marie Bowen

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Enzymes are commonly added to poultry diets to improve performance parameters that may in turn decrease costs to the producer. Pellet mill production rate aids are also utilized to reduce feed manufacture costs and may have additional benefits when fed to poultry that are associated with the increase in production rate. Past research has shown that Azomite (AZM) can increase pellet mill production rate in diets that include inorganic phosphate sources (IPS) of dicalcium phosphate (DCP) or tricalcium phosphate (TCP). In the first experiment the authors hypothesized that if production rate were held constant then pellet mill energy consumption would …

Analysis Of Millimeter-Wave Networks: Blockage, Antenna Directivity, Macrodiversity, And Interference, Enass Hriba

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Due to its potential to support high data rates at low latency with reasonable interference isolation because of signal blockage at these frequencies, millimeter-wave (mmWave) communications has emerged as a promising solution for next-generation wireless networks. MmWave systems are characterized by the use of highly directional antennas and susceptibility to signal blockage by buildings and other obstructions, which significantly alter the propagation environment. The received power of each transmission depends on the direction the corresponding antennas point and whether the signal’s path is line-of-sight (LOS), non-LOS (i.e., partially blocked), or completely blocked. A key challenge in modeling blocking in mmWave …

Biomechanically Inspired Assistive Technology To Restore Movement Of The Upper Limbs After Stroke, Ariel Thomas

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

A stroke often damages the neural structures responsible for movement. Stroke is a heterogeneous disease, affecting each survivor differently. There are common motor features of a stroke, but even these features vary across time as an individual proceeds through different stages of recovery. The different ways in which stroke motor impairment can present itself are often overlooked, but these differences are fundamental to the understanding of the disease and its recovery. When motor assessments are capable of acquiring information necessary to parse out a detailed profile of each stroke case, this will lead to an improved neuromechanical understanding of the …

Well Performance Analysis Of Mseel1 And Mseel2 Wellpads, Mohammad Faiq Adenan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

MSEEL1 and MSEEL2 are wellpads that were developed as a means of conducting research into how a gas well being developed in the Marcellus shale can be optimized from the reservoir identification stage to the completions and operational stage. This thesis provides a report of the workflow performed to use the generated data from different sources and analyze them for optimization.

MIP-3H and Boggess 17H were designated as science wells, for which the majority of the well logging and coring experiments were conducted on. The data obtained from the experiments were used as a basis for petrophysical analysis, the results …

A Road Grade Based Weighting System For Calculating On-Road Distance-Specific Oxides Of Nitrogen Emissions Of Light-Duty Diesel Vehicles, Jason D. Bolyard

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Light-duty diesel vehicles have received significant public and governmental scrutiny recently for violating emissions regulations. Similar to the heavy-duty diesel manufacturers during the late 1990’s, some light-duty manufacturers were implementing different control strategies between laboratory certification tests and customer on-road operation. These devices allowed the vehicle to pass certification tests but then use alternative operation on the road during normal use. The alternative operation would allow for better fuel economy but higher oxides of nitrogen (NOx) emissions. Light-duty vehicles are currently certified in the US using chassis dynamometer testing. The effects of all on-road driving conditions are not mimicked in …

Improving Deep Learning Models In Weakly Supervised Learning Paradigms, Fariborz Taherkhani

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) have provided promising achievements for image classification problems. However, training a CNN model relies on a large number of labeled data. Considering the vast amount of unlabeled data available on the web, it is important to make use of these data in conjunction with a small set of labeled data to train a deep learning model. In this thesis, we aim to develop some methods that can make use of unlabeled data along with partially labeled data to obtain a better generalization performance for CNN models. Moreover, it is also often easier to collect labels that …