Digital Commons Network^™

Geometric Properties And A Combinatorial Analysis Of Convex Polygons Constructed Of Tridrafters, Trevor Nelson

Theses

The aim of this thesis is to show how the use of parity in tandem with the triangular grid as well as a newly introduced and similar method are insufficient to provide proof for why convex regions composed using the full set of shapes known as "proper tridrafters" have a portion shifted in a fashion known as against-the-grain. These two methods are applied in a combinatorial fashion.

Microfluidic Study Of Hydrogen Peroxide (H2o2) Transport Modeled On The Msn-Da Neuron Pathway, Carrie A. Phillips

Theses

Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) are produced throughout the body and can cause damage, lead to neurodegenerative disorders, and deactivate neurons involved in the release of essential neurotransmitters. However, the underlying mechanisms affecting neuronal dysfunction are controversial and are not yet well understood. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), a common ROS, has been shown to inhibit evoked dopamine (DA) in the Nigrostriatal region of the brain. Although unconfirmed, one theory claims that the DA-modulating H2O2 is produced in medium spiny neurons (MSN), based on close proximity. However, most literature cites H2O2 as a very small molecule which can travel far, diffuse readily, and …

Market Transformation For Value-Retention Processes As A Strategy For Circular Economy, Jennifer D. Russell

Theses

There is increasing global interest in the application of circular economy as a tool for enabling the decoupling of economic growth from environmental degradation. Despite this growing interest, there is a lack of in-depth insight about the quantified potential benefits that value-retention processes (VRPs) – direct reuse, repair, refurbishment and remanufacturing – can contribute to circular economy and improved resource efficiency. In this assessment, product-level production impacts are bridged with economy-level insights about market, regulatory, technological and infrastructure conditions, to demonstrate and quantify the essential role of value-retention processes within circular economies. Three representative products were selected from each of …

Identifying The Main Effects That Cause Spatial Variation In A Stereolithographic 3d-Printer With A Test Target And Graphical Analysis, Joseph V. Kain

Theses

This thesis investigates a stereolithography printers’ ability to resolve converging features within its build volume. This experiment employs the use of a Formlab Form 2 stereolithography device to create Geometric Element Test Target (GETT) artifacts designed in Solidworks. The sample will consist of a global arrangement of test artifacts in predetermined positions from a fractional factorial design of experiments. Each local sample will be a slanted ray GETT with designed wedge heights of 1 and 2mm. The finished array of samples are photographed and cataloged for graphical analysis. The ray step heights will be measured using a caliper and graphical …

Design And Verification Of A Dual Port Ram Using Uvm Methodology, Manikandan Sriram Mohan Dass

Theses

Data-intensive applications such as Deep Learning, Big Data, and Computer Vision have resulted in more demand for on-chip memory storage. Hence, state of the art Systems on Chips (SOCs) have a memory that occupies somewhere between 50% to 90 % of the die space. Extensive Research is being done in the field of memory technology to improve the efficiency of memory packaging. This effort has not always been successful because densely packed memory structures can experience defects during the fabrication process. Thus, it is critical to test the embedded memory modules once they are taped out. Along with testing, functional …

Design And Verification Of A Pipelined Advanced Encryption Standard (Aes) Encryption Algorithm With A 256-Bit Cipher Key Using The Uvm Methodology, Devyani Madhukar Mirajkar

Theses

Encryption is the process of altering information to make it unreadable by anyone except those having the key that allows them to change information back to the original readable form. Encryption is important because it allows you to securely protect the data that you don’t want anyone else to have access to. Today, the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) is the most widely adopted encryption method. Till date there are no cryptanalytic attacks discovered against AES. Hence the verification of the hardware implementation of the AES Core is of utmost importance. In this research paper, the design and verification of a …

Electrical Demand Modeling Of A Household At An Appliance/Occupant Level, Sanjairaj Gnanasundaram

Theses

Ever increasing demand for electricity in the residential sector has made providers implement demand management strategies to curtail residential electricity consumption during peak demand events. With time, customer satisfaction of such programs dropped, resulting in high dropout rates making utilities rethink about the success of such strategies. The future success of how well these strategies could be implemented is highly dependent on how well the providers understand the effect the strategies have on the customers. This in turn, requires them to study occupant and appliance behavior of each household to have a much better understanding of the problem and this …

Machine-Insect Interface: Spatial Navigation Of A Mobile Robot By A Drosophila, Suddarsun Shivakumar

Theses

Machine-insect interfaces have been studied in detail in the past few decades. Animal-machine interfaces have been developed in various ways. In our study, we develop a machine-insect interface wherein an untethered fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) is tracked to remotely control a mobile robot. We develop the Active Omni-directional Treadmill (AOT) model, and integrate into the mobile robot to create the interface between the robot and the fruit fly. In this system, a fruit fly is allowed to walk on top of a transparent ball. As the fly tries to walk on the ball, we track the position of the fly …

Contractive Autoencoding For Hierarchical Temporal Memory And Sparse Distributed Representation Binding, Luke G. Boudreau

Theses

Hierarchical Temporal Memory is a brain inspired memory prediction framework modeled after the uniform structure and connectivity of pyramidal neurons found in the human neocortex. Similar to the neocortex, Hierarchical Temporal Memory processes spatiotemporal information for anomaly detection and prediction. A critical component in the Hierarchical Temporal Memory algorithm is the Spatial Pooler, which is responsible for processing feedforward data into sparse distributed representations.

This study addresses three fundamental research questions for Hierarchical Temporal Memory algorithms. What are the metrics for understanding the semantic content of sparse distributed representations? The semantic content and relationships between representations was visualized with uniqueness …

Eye Diagram Assessment Platform For Fiber-Optic Communications, Anurag Dattu Gaikwad

Theses

The basic idea of this thesis is to provide a simple, easy to use and cost-effective eye-diagram analysis kit for educational lab environment. Mostly eye-diagram analysis is done on high-end oscilloscopes or with LabView as a source-code; this research uses Flashy board (Pluto 3 and ADC) a small FPGA kit from a company called KNJN, for acquiring signals and then gives those signals to python for analysis. The main reason for considering Flashy board was because it was cost-effective, and it operates in our frequency range of operation i.e. between 10MHz to 100MHz. This thesis is developed with python as …

The Influence Of Tooth Surface Modifications On The Sensitivity Of Involute Cylindrical Gears To Manufacturing Errors, Scott Eisele

Theses

Gear drives, like all mechanical devices, are subject to manufacturing errors and defects. Higher levels of precision in manufacturing to increase the quality of the gears are costly, but sometimes required to attain sufficient performance from a gear drive. However, certain intentional microgeometry modifications to the gear tooth surfaces can be used to reduce the sensitivity of the gear drive to manufacturing errors. These changes in tooth surface design can be simple and cheap to implement, and result in a more robust gear drive which is more indifferent to manufacturing errors. In this thesis, the influence on intentional micro-geometry modifications …

A Conferralist Account Of Individuality, Zachary Auwerda

Theses

The individual is at the center of liberal political theory. Despite this, oppressed groups that are members of liberal societies are not respected as individuals. This paper attempts to explain one way in which this happens. I argue that some people are not treated as individuals, because they are in fact not individuals. In some cases, to be an individual requires recognition as an individual. I attempt to show that certain uses of the term “individual” refer to conferred properties. A conferred property is a property that is given to an object by a subject. Thus, conferred properties are not …

Constraints And Explanation, Alexander Bolano

Theses

For the past 40 years, causal-mechanical approaches to explanation in science have been the received view. In this paper, I will argue that causal-mechanical approaches to explanation are not the whole story; there is a notable class of explanations that I call constraining explanation. Constraining explanation do not work by describing some causal structure; rather they work by highlighting mathematical constraints on what kinds of structure there can be. Constraining explanations are different that causal explanations because they give a kind of modal knowledge that causal-mechanical explanation alone cannot give.

Share Food With Love, Bowen Liu

Theses

The home experience of serving food for friends and family, and sharing food is a significant event in my life. Furnishings play a prominent role in this circumstance. For my thesis, I created works that enhance the conditions and ambiance of the residential dining and living experience.

When sharing with friends, happiness is my primary objective. I love to create works containing peacefulness and coziness that could help people calm down and relax. For my thesis body of work, I incorporated gentle curvilinear lines and symmetric shapes to suggest peaceful and harmonious feelings. My material choice was wood as the …

Efficient Reduced Bias Genetic Algorithm For Generic Community Detection Objectives, Aditya Karnam Gururaj Rao

Theses

The problem of community structure identification has been an extensively investigated area for biology, physics, social sciences, and computer science in recent years for studying the properties of networks representing complex relationships. Most traditional methods, such as K-means and hierarchical clustering, are based on the assumption that communities have spherical configurations. Lately, Genetic Algorithms (GA) are being utilized for efficient community detection without imposing sphericity. GAs are machine learning methods which mimic natural selection and scale with the complexity of the network. However, traditional GA approaches employ a representation method that dramatically increases the solution space to be searched by …

Social Media: On Tech-Caves, Virtual Panopticism, And The Science Fiction-Like State In Which We Unwittingly Find Ourselves, Michael Major

Theses

Making use of three historic philosophical thought experiments, this paper blends psychological perspectives with philosophical reasoning to show how social media is corrupting our perception of reality, the result of which is ultimately detrimental to society as a whole. This is accomplished by first using Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” to analyze and discuss the ways in which social media is limiting humanity’s access to real knowledge. Next, Michel Foucault’s analysis of punishment in its social context, Discipline and Punish, is used to discuss the ways in which social media is adversely affecting our behavior. Finally, Robert Nozick’s “Experience …

Evaluation Of Vaporization Enthalpies And Vapor Pressures Of Various Aroma And Pharmacologically Active Compounds By Correlation Gas Chromatography, Daniel Simmons

Theses

Scientists in the pharmaceutical, food, and aroma industries can benefit from reliable thermochemical data. Vaporization enthalpy and vapor pressure data are not available for all compounds. Furthermore, some literature data is conflicting. The goal of this work was to use a method called correlation gas chromatography (CGC) to generate reliable vaporization enthalpy data in instances where other experimental methods are not applicable. Vapor pressures of the targets were also calculated in cases where the required literature data on the standards used in this technique were available.

CGC involves making a standard cocktail that includes a mixture of standards and one …

An Investigation Of Low Frequency Noise In Server Rooms, Ahmed Al Naami

Theses

Noise in a server room can have a major impact on the performance and well-being of the occupants. Sound level and low frequency noise are considered factors that influence the hearing ability of workers. This thesis is an investigation of low-frequency noise in server rooms. We conducted the field study in a server room for a large financial institution. Some employees in this study indicated that they experienced headaches from the noise and requested an analysis of the sound to determine if there were any potential adverse health effects. Attributes of the noise were investigated by evaluating the sound pressure …

Application Of Convolutional Neural Network Framework On Generalized Spatial Modulation For Next Generation Wireless Networks, Akram Marseet

Theses

A novel custom auto-encoder Complex Valued Convolutional Neural Network (AE-CVCNN) model is proposed and implemented using MATLAB for multiple-input-multiple output (MIMO) wireless networks. The proposed model is applied on two dierent generalized spatial modulation (GSM) schemes: the single symbol generalized spatial modulation SS - GSM and the multiple symbol generalized spatial modulation (MS-GSM). GSM schemes are used with Massive-MIMO to increase both the spectrum eciency and the energy eciency. On the other hand, GSM schemes are subjected to high computational complexity at the receiver to detect the transmitted information. High computational complexity slows down the throughput and increases the power …

Adjustment Of Parametric Dynamic Scheduling Heuristics For Heterogeneous Systems To Account For Heterogeneity, Thomas G. Guerin

Theses

Modern computing applications are becoming increasingly data-hungry and computationally expensive. This trend continues even as hardware performance constraints loom with the impending death of Moore's law. Hence, systems have become increasingly heterogeneous in the pursuits of improving performance and reducing power consumption. Such a heterogeneous system relies on a variety of different specialized processors with differing architectures, rather than processing units of a single type. Given their architectural differences, any given computation will not perform equally on all processors. As such, efficient scheduling of computations to processors is an essential design consideration.

In this thesis work, a simulation of an …

Control Of Pv Connected Power Grid Using Lqr And Fuzzy Logic Control, Samar Emara

Theses

As the contribution of renewable energy to the current power grid is becoming an essential part of the global energy system, it is of critical importance to study the effects of this increased penetration of the renewable sources on the power system. Focusing on solar energy, its intermittent nature makes it difficult to predict the output when connecting to the power grid. Therefore, well-structured control methods should be used to assure a continuous and steady system performance with regard to the system frequency variation.

In this thesis, a PV system is modelled and connected to a grid served by a …

Automating The Crowd-Mapping Workflow With Deep Learning, Lasith Niroshan

Theses

Maintaining updated maps in an ever-changing built environment is important for supporting modern society in many ways. The usage of online crowdsourced maps in particular has gained importance in a wide range of recent location-based applications (route planning/navigation, urban planning, real estate, tourism, etc). However, both traditional map production methods and updating today’s online maps suffer from early obsolescence due to their largely manual map production/update workflows. Significant research efforts have focused on refining techniques to identify changes in raster satellite images, aiming to improve and streamline map production processes. Concurrently, the surge in Internet usage has led to a …

The Design, Test And Evaluation Of A Sensing System For Process Analytical Technology (Pat), Trevor Murphy

Theses

Increased globalisation and competitiveness has given rise to a more dynamic and diverse global market that has begun to place incredible strain on manufacturing supply chains. Conventional manufacturing methods such as the batch manufacturing methods employed largely by the materials processing industries i.e. pharmaceuticals, polymers and magnesium processing plants are ill-suited to cope with the demands of today. As products evolve with technological advancements they become more complex to produce and require alternative approaches to manufacturing to ensure product quality while reducing costs and increasing manufacturing efficiencies.

A potential solution to the growing demands on today's supply chain is process …

A Novel Technique To Tilt Radiation Beams In Bowtie Antennas, William D. Ake

Theses

A novel geometrical change is introduced to a broadband bowtie antenna to allow radiation beam tilting without the use of an engineered material. This is done by halving a standard triangular/elliptical bowtie antenna along the horizontal axis of symmetry. This causes an asymmetric current distribution to form, tilting the antenna’s equi-phase line. The location of this equi-phase line determines the amount of tilt provided by the antenna structure, and the line is controlled using the geometrical parameters that form the antenna. This technique may be applied to various antenna structures to achieve a tilted beam. Further bandwidth improvements are realized …

Solid Rocket Motor Static Fire Test Stand Optimization : Load Cell Effects And Other Uncertainties, Charles W. Freeman Ii

Theses

US military legacy missile systems must be periodically tested to ensure they will perform as designed during training and in times of armed conflict. The objective of this work was to assess the overall thrust measurement uncertainty of a tactical-sized solid rocket motor static thrust stand. Motor alignment, load cell / test stand dynamics, signal conditioning, data acquisition, and calibration procedures were examined as potential sources of uncertainty. The uncertainty analysis revealed that a 5,000 lbf thrust measurement can be made to within ±0.26% of full scale with 95% confidence. The load cell / test stand / motor structural resonance …

Solid-Liquid Phase Equilibria Near A Critical Point Of Solution, Xingjian Wang

Theses

Three experiments, including the dissolution of barium chromate in the isobutyric acid (IBA) + water and the dissolution of lead sulfate and lead iodide in the IBA + water, were performed to test the Griffiths and Wheeler postulate which predicts that when one density is held fixed, there should be a critical effect. The same critical effects on the solubility of both physical and chemical solid-liquid equilibria is predicted by the critical point universality. The existence and the strength of critical divergences can also be predicted by to the Griffiths and Wheeler postulates and the Gibbs phase rule analysis. The …

A Dialogue Of Traditions On The Reality Of Mind: Thomas Nagel And Bernard Lonergan, Robert Van Gend

Theses

The scientific picture of the world is one of invisible particles and empty space, but this is not the world of our everyday experience. How can we reconcile the scientific view of the world with the view from our ordinary perspective? This thesis puts Thomas Nagel and Bernard Lonergan into dialogue on the question of the mind’s place in the world. Coming from different philosophical traditions, both thinkers provide a bigger picture in which to place materialism and to assess its errors. Thomas Nagel criticises modern forms of materialism because they try to explain away the reality of our perspective …

Western Australian Teachers’ Perceptions Of Effective Secondary Mathematics Teaching Through The Lens Of The ‘Actions’ Of Mathematics: The Proficiency Strands., James O'Neill

Theses

This research examined how 14 Western Australian (WA) secondary mathematics teachers perceived effective mathematics teaching through the actions of teaching mathematics, described as Proficiency Strands. The research examined a variety of insights into what constituted effective teaching. Comparisons were made using an interpretive theoretical perspective of an instrumental case study and data were reviewed using a structured inductive framework with thematic analysis. Key findings of the research found that participants’ beliefs and practices did help determine their perceptions of effective teaching but that understanding, and interpretation of mathematical proficiencies were less influential and inconsistently understood. The study found evidence that …

The Use Of Machine Learning To Detect Suckling In Pre-Weaned Calves, Sukumar Katamreddy

Theses

The weaning of cattle is a process which is known to be labour intensive and to have stressful effects on both cow and calf Common methods used in the weaning process include the temporary removal of a mother from the calf and manual observation and intervention. Early and speedy weaning is known to have a number of benefits, including health benefits for both cow and calf, additional weight gains for the calves as well as reduced labour and feed requirements. The process known as Two-Stage Weaning is recognised to be an effective low-stress approach to weaning in which the calf …

Quantifying The Offset Of Greenhouse Gas Emissions At The University Of North Alabama, Paul Dunn Graham

Theses

No abstract provided.