Digital Commons Network^™

Estimating Top-Of-Atmosphere Thermal Infrared Radiance Using Merra-2 Atmospheric Data, Tania Kleynhans

Theses

Space borne thermal infrared sensors have been extensively used for environmental research as well as cross-calibration of other thermal sensing systems. Thermal infrared data from satellites such as Landsat and Terra/MODIS have limited temporal resolution

(with a repeat cycle of 1 to 2 days for Terra/MODIS, and 16 days for Landsat). Thermal instruments with finer temporal resolution on geostationary satellites have limited utility for cross-calibration due to their large view angles. Reanalysis atmospheric data is available on a global spatial grid at three hour intervals making it a potential alternative to existing satellite image data. This research explores using the …

Characterization Of Optimized Si-Mosfets For Terahertz Detection, Jack D. Horowitz

Theses

Research into components needed to utilize the THz region of the electromagnetic spectrum has recently gained more attention due to advances in semiconductor technology and materials science. These advances have led to the desire of create CMOS focal plane arrays (FPA) for THz imaging in a range of applications such as astronomy, security, earth science, industry, and communications. Si-MOSFETs are being investigated as the sensing node in THz FPAs due to their ability to detect THz and their ease of integration into the CMOS process facilitating the fabrication of large format arrays. To investigate the performance of devices fabricated at …

Adding Security To Control Area Network Of Vehicles By Using Sha-3, Aidin Ameri

Theses

The lack of security in the vehicles on the road is real and should be taken seriously. Since the lifespan of vehicles has average of eleven years, this means if we start to implement new changes to vehicles today, it would takes eleven years to make sure most vehicles on the road support our implementation. This is important as the number of lines of codes in vehicles are ever increasing and becoming more autonomous with the ability for vehicles to drive themselves. But there is no security implemented in their low level systems such as the Control Area Network which …

The Real Face Of Arabic Symbols, Leena Yahya Sonbuol

Theses

This is a brief insight into my thesis: "The Real Face of Arabic Symbols". I have examined in depth the artwork I completed for my Masters of Fine Arts degree at Rochester Institute of Technology, the work for which was exhibited in the Bevier Gallery for two weeks during March 2017.

The aim of this study is to explore differences in symbolic language between the Eastern and Western cultures in visual arts and explain the misconception of Arabic symbols in the western world. It examines Arabic cultural symbols in contemporary art, and the creation of a symbolic language for a …

Investigation Of Sequential Experimental Approaches In Logistic Regression Modeling, Darsh Thakkar

Theses

Binary responses are routinely observed in practice whether it is medicine, geology, defense or day to day life situations. Logistic regression methods can be used to capture the binary responses. Modeling becomes critical when there is sensitivity analysis involved, and the selection of the settings of variables depends on sequential design methodology. A total number of experimental runs is also an important factor since cost is directly related to it. In this research different experimental approaches for logistic regression modeling are investigated to improve the estimation of median quantile, to reduce the number of experimental runs as well as to …

Larval Rockfish Diversity Abundance Dynamics In Association With A Marine Protected Area In The Southern California Bight, Dustin Chen

Theses

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are areas aimed at protecting natural and cultural resources that are often proposed as a way to alleviate the effects of overfishing on populations of targeted species; these areas have varying degrees of fishing and recreational use restrictions. In order to assess MPA efficacy, it is important to determine the mechanisms by which the presence of MPAs affect reproductive output within and potentially even beyond their boundaries. I attempted to address this through studying the responses of rockfish (Sebastes spp.) larval abundances to the presence of the Cowcod Conservation Areas (CCAs) located within the Southern California …

Flux Guard: An Exploration Of Situational Rigidity, Nicholas Miclette

Theses

In 2014 there was an estimated 15 million snowboarders worldwide. Like many extreme sports there is always the possibility of injury. Extensive research has shown snowboarders sustain more wrist injuries than any other sport in the world. In particular beginner or novice snowboarders are the most susceptible to injury and often times wear no protective gear when first learning. Although there has been research into the efficacy of upper extremity protection in snowboarding, a universal standard has yet to be developed to judge current wrist protection. Due to this fact my thesis explores innovative ways to reinvent the wrist guard …

Symbol Synchronization Techniques In Digital Communications, Mohammed Al-Hamiri

Theses

Timing synchronization plays an important role in recovering the original transmitted signal in telecommunication systems. In order to have a communication system that operates at the correct time and in the correct order, it is necessary to synchronize to the transmitter’s symbol timing. Synchronization can be accomplished when the receiver clock tracks the periodic timing information in a transmitted signal to reproduce the original signal.

In this thesis work, we report the design, implementation and evaluation of a timing synchronization algorithm based on the technique first proposed by Gardner [1], applied to wireless communication using the Alamouti spacetime code [2] …

Multi-Domain Spectral Methods For Data Reduction In Numerical Relativity Simulations, Brian A. Caimano

Theses

Numerical relativity simulations of binary black hole inspiraling and mergers are computationally costly and storage requirements can quickly become unmanageable. By implementing a multi-domain spectral method we are able to more efficiently store metric component data when increased time resolution is desired over increased spatial metric resolution. Within the framework of a binary black hole system, multi-domain spectral methods work well using two different domain sets, one centered on each black hole, so they are able to absorb the singular behavior at each black hole's center. There is no difficulty in transferring quantities from one domain to another, or splitting …

Bayesian Hidden Topic Markov Models, Kenneth Tyler Wilcox

Theses

Recent developments in topic modeling for text corpora have incorporated Markov models in the latent space to better learn contextual content. Known as the Hidden Topic Markov Model (HTMM), this natural extension of probabilistic mixture models relaxes the "bag-of-words" assumption of the foundational latent Dirichlet allocation topic model by allowing the discrete latent variables, or topics, to follow a special first-order Markov process. Parameter estimation is performed using an expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm with fixed dimensionality of the topic space (Gruber, Rosen-Zvi, and Weiss 2007). I fully derive the state space and EM algorithm for the HTMM. I then extend the …

Scalable Digital Architecture Of A Liquid State Machine, Anvesh Polepalli

Theses

Liquid State Machine (LSM) is an adaptive neural computational model with rich dynamics to process spatio-temporal inputs. These machines are extremely fast in learning because the goal-oriented training is moved to the output layer, unlike conventional recurrent neural networks.

The capability to multiplex at the output layer for multiple tasks makes LSM a powerful intelligent engine. These properties are desirable in several machine learning applications such as speech recognition, anomaly detection, user identification etc. Scalable hardware architectures for spatio-temporal signal processing algorithms like LSMs are energy efficient compared to the software implementations. These designs can also naturally adapt to dierent …

Predicting Cholera Positive Cases In Haiti, Jessica Young

Theses

While Western countries typically run census surveys frequently, poorer countries such as Haiti do not have the money to do so; thus research into how Haitians live is severely lacking. Furthermore, studies that do exist tend to be not only old and outdated, but also lacking in depth. Using new census data recently collected from Haiti, I attempt to predict if certain behaviors and living situations can be used as indicators for determining if someone has cholera. Challenges for exploring this data center on getting the surveys into a format suitable for analysis and the severe class imbalance between the …

A Strategy Of Maximizing Profit In The Long Run Using The Concept Of Kelly’S Criterion, Binyi Xu

Theses

One of the fundamental problems of portfolio theory is how to rationally optimize the portfolio using diversification. In practice, maximizing the short term interest is not equivalent to maximizing the long term interest. Kelly’s criterion is considered to be the best strategy of maximizing profit in the long run. In this paper, we discussed the applications of Kelly’s criterion in various scenarios, including binomial cases, univariate stock, uncorrelated and correlated stocks. Different approaches were introduced to construct the model of stocks’ behavior. For the first time, we discussed the feasibility of extending Kelly’s criterion to option trading.

Taking Up One's Cross With Hope: A Christian Approach To Suffering, Linda George Debrecht

Theses

The purpose of this study is to encourage a more contemporary understanding of the traditional Christian approach to suffering — the belief that we can experience great goodness and enrich our lives as a result of taking up our cross as Jesus did. This concept of "redemptive suffering" seems to be losing its viability in contemporary life. Instead, advancing support for the Assisted Suicide movement reflects a growing sense that suffering is a "problem" that can be "solved" even if it means taking one's own life. The author contends that a more contemporary understanding of Jesus' suffering — one that …

A Model-Free Control System Based On The Sliding Mode Control Method With Applications To Multi-Input-Multi-Output Systems, Fares El Tin

Theses

In this work, a model-free sliding mode control technique for linear and nonlinear uncertain multi-input multi-output systems is proposed. The developed method does not require a mathematical model of the dynamic system. Instead, knowledge of the system’s order, state measurements, and control input gain matrix shape and bounds are assumed to develop the control law and drive the system’s states to track a desired trajectory. The control system relies on estimating the error between previous and current control inputs to stabilize the system. Lyapunov’s stability criterion is used in the derivation process to ensure closed-loop asymptotic stability. High frequency chattering …

Configurable Verification Of Risc Processors, Namratha Pashupathy Manjula Devi

Theses

The Verification methodology of modern processor designs is an enormous challenge. As processor design complexity increases, an elaborate and sophisticated verification environment has to be employed to identify, assist in debug, and document design bugs. This paper presents a configurable verification environment for RISC processors. The verification environment is developed in SystemVerilog, an IEEE standard that bridges the gap between design and verification by delivering a single language and environment for both. The verification environment will validate the performance of the RISC processors with a micro-architectural model developed in SystemC. The system also comprises of an intelligent Instruction Generator that …

Imaging Polarimetry With Polarization-Sensitive Focal Plane Arrays, Dmitry V. Vorobiev

Theses

Polarization is an intrinsic property of light, like frequency or coherence. Humans have long benefited from our ability to distinguish light of different frequency based on its color. However, our eyes are not sensitive to the polarization of light. Devices to measure polarization are relatively rare and expertise in polarimetry even more so. Polarization sensors based on micropolarizer arrays appear to be the first devices capable of bringing polarimetric capability to a wide range of applications. Whereas previous polarimeters were built to perform very specific measurements, the same micropolarizer-based camera can be used on a telescope, a microscope, or with …

Formal Verification Of Receipt Validation In Chaum’S Scheme, Kyle Savarese

Theses

In the aftermath of the United States Presidential election, more and more frequently there are calls for voters to be able to place their votes from the comfort of their own home. However, many studies have found prototype systems to be either insecure or insufficiently defined for the purposes of an election on a national scale.

In this paper I will examine the security of voting applications from a different angle: the validation and verification of compiled code. There are the obvious concerns about unverified code, that we have no guarantee the protocol described by the voting procedure is the …

Vedic Based Division Core Design, Ryan Hinkley

Theses

Processors and embedded systems perform algebraic manipulations such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division on integers in order to complete and execute programs. Unfortunately, most division cores in these devices take significantly more time to compute than other manipulations. Because of this, research has been conducted on finding a division algorithm that does not take as long to execute. This graduate paper discuses and proposes a division core design based on ancient Vedic mathematics. The design is created and simulated as a 4-bit system for completion and analyzed for timing, power consumption, and cell area usage. Estimations on larger designs …

Deep Learning For Semantic Video Understanding, Sourabh Kulhare

Theses

The field of computer vision has long strived to extract understanding from images and videos sequences. The recent flood of video data along with massive increments in computing power have provided the perfect environment to generate advanced research to extract intelligence from video data. Video data is ubiquitous, occurring in numerous everyday activities such as surveillance, traffic, movies, sports, etc. This massive amount of video needs to be analyzed and processed efficiently to extract semantic features towards video understanding. Such capabilities could benefit surveillance, video analytics and visually challenged people. While watching a long video, humans have the uncanny ability …

A Fast And Efficient Method For Power Distribution Network Reconfiguration, Aaron Jordan Ekstrand

Theses

We have proposed a method by which the topology of a network might be discovered through an algorithm like the distributed Bellman-Ford algorithm. We have explored the inner workings of two methods to automate power distribution network reconfiguration, the ILP Solver and the Heuristic Solver. We have seen how networks of different shapes can be translated into a flattened topology, which is necessary preprocessing to find a power assignment solution for a network. We have also seen some experimental results comparing the performance of the ILP Solver and the Heuristic Solver. The Heuristic Solver is a very fast, efficient algorithm …

Trade-Offs In Distinguishing Two-Qubit State Preparations Using One-Way Locc, Alvin Rafer Gonzales

Theses

Quantum state discrimination is a fundamental problem in quantum information science. We investigate the optimal distinguishability of orthogonal two-qubit (bipartite) quantum states. The scenario consists of three parties: Alice, Bob, and Charlie. Charlie prepares one of two orthogonal states and sends one qubit to Alice and the other to Bob. Their goal is to correctly identify which state Charlie sent. In most state discrimination scenarios, it is assumed that Alice and Bob can freely communicate with one another so as to collectively agree on the best guess. In this research, we consider a more restricted setting where only one-way classical …

Importance Of Concentrated Flow Paths In Agricultural Watersheds Of Southern Illinois, Prabisha Shrestha

Theses

Field scale research shows concentrated flow paths (CFPs) are prevalent in agricultural watersheds. They are an important source of soil erosion in cropland and significantly contribute to the transport and delivery of agricultural pollutants such as sediment and nutrients to nearby water resources. High resolution LiDAR data have enabled the investigation of the prevalence of concentrated flow at a large geographic extent. This study focused on identifying CFPs in 389 agricultural fields in Jackson County in southern Illinois and estimating the contribution of the CFPs to drainage of the fields. Addressing the lack of literature on factors influencing CFP characteristics, …

Algorithmic Framework And Implementation Of Spectrum Holes Detection For Cognitive Radios, Ian J. Frasch

Theses

The ability to dynamically discover portions of unused radio spectrum (spectrum holes) is an important ability of cognitive radio systems. Spectrum holes present a potential opportunity for wireless communication. Detection of holes and signals allows cognitive radios to dynamically access and share the spectrum with minimal interference. This work steps through the design, implementation, and analysis of a spectrum holes detector for cognitive radios. Energy detection and cyclostationary detection algorithms for detecting spectrum holes are compared through computer simulations. Ultimately an energy detection algorithm is proposed which performs better than the cyclostationary detection algorithm and requires no a-priori knowledge of …

Development, Implementation And Pre-Clinical Evaluation Of Medical Image Computing Tools In Support Of Computer-Aided Diagnosis: Respiratory, Orthopedic And Cardiac Applications, Yehuda K. Ben-Zikri

Theses

Over the last decade, image processing tools have become crucial components of all clinical and research efforts involving medical imaging and associated applications. The imaging data available to the radiologists continue to increase their workload, raising the need for efficient identification and visualization of the required image data necessary for clinical assessment.

Computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) in medical imaging has evolved in response to the need for techniques that can assist the radiologists to increase throughput while reducing human error and bias without compromising the outcome of the screening, diagnosis or disease assessment. More intelligent, but simple, consistent and less time-consuming …

Evaluation Of Electrocoagulation For Chloride And Ammonium Removal From The Reject Brine Effluent Pretreated By Solvay Process, Miada Abubaker Ali

Theses

Excessive use of desalination, due to the increase in freshwater demand, results in large productions of reject brine. Therefore, the development of an efficient treatment process of the reject brine becomes vital. The Solvay process is one of the main treatment technologies, wherein NH₃ is introduced to convert soluble Na⁺ into insoluble NaHCO₃. However, in this process, Cl^- is not removed and NH₄⁺ is introduced, and therefore electrocoagulation has been proposed for their removal. The experiment was designed using Minitab with different initial concentrations of chloride (7400 – 32600 mg/l), current densities (0.033 …

Optimization Of A Combined Carbon/Oxygen And Neutron Porosity Oil Well Logging Tool, Entisar Ali Al Muraikhi

Theses

Well logging technique is used to determine the physical and chemical properties of borehole formation, by using neutron porosity oil well logging tools. The present study simplifies logging tool design in order to reduce the time spent on obtaining well logging. We have combined both carbon/oxygen (C/O) tool and thermal neutron porosity tool. This has been done by adding boron lining on the detectors in C/O tool, where the boron lining acts as a thermal neutron porosity tool while maintaining C/O functions simultaneously. The Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP) Transport Code, which was originally developed in Los Alamos National Laboratory, is …

Investigating The Impact Of Spatially-Explicit Sub-Pixel Structural Variation On The Assessment Of Vegetation Structure From Imaging Spectroscopy Data, Wei Yao

Theses

Consistent and scalable estimation of vegetation structural parameters from imaging spectroscopy is essential to remote sensing for ecosystem studies, with applications to a wide range of biophysical assessments. NASA has proposed the Hyperspectral Infrared Imager (HyspIRI) imaging spectrometer, which measures the radiance between 380-2500 nm in 10 nm contiguous bands with 60 m ground sample distance (GSD), in support of global vegetation assessment. However, because of the large pixel size on the ground, there is uncertainty as to the effects of sub-pixel vegetation structure on observed radiance. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the link between vegetation structure …

Realist Nonideal Theory: The Intuition Critique, Reflective Equilibrium And The Role Of Morality In Politics, Danny R. Underwood Ii

Theses

In this paper, I explain political realist Raymond Geuss’ critique of John Rawls concerning his use of intuitions when developing a political philosophy. Rawls’ justice as fairness, due to its reliance on moral intuitions, fails to achieve the theory's purported aim and has the effect of affirming the status quo. I use Rawls’ idea of reflective equilibrium, where our theoretical principles are checked against our commitments until a satisfactory balance is reached, as an explanatory framework to discuss various forms of political philosophy. By adopting this framework, the disputes between various approaches to political philosophy are reducible to which initial …

A Parallelized Method For Solving Large Scale Integer Linear Optimization Problems Using Cut-And-Solve With Applications To Cgwas, John Brandenburg

Theses

The commercial solver CPLEX has been one of the top solvers of mixed-integer and purely integer linear problems for some time. Its method of solving, Branch-and-Cut, has been shown to be highly effective, but has its limits in terms of input sizes which are tractable, and cannot be effectively parallelized beyond a small number. Here we present a different method of solution, Cut-and-Solve, which utilizes the power of CPLEX to effectively parallelize any mixed-integer or integer linear problem. We have utilized Cut-and-Solve in a novel way to offer optimal solution guarantees more quickly. We will show comparisons of Cut-and-Solve to …