Engineering Commons^™

Disentangling Cyclic Causality: An Instance-Based Framework For Causal Discovery, Chase A. Yakaboski

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Correlation does not imply causation" is one of the fundamental principles taught in science, emphasizing that associations between variables do not necessarily indicate causality. Yet, over the past three decades, extensive research has begun to challenge this perspective by developing sophisticated methods to differentiate causal from correlative relationships. This research suggests that correlations often involve a blend of confounded and causal interactions, which, given certain assumptions, can be disentangled to uncover actionable insights and deepen our understanding of physical, biological, and societal systems.

Accurately discovering causal relationships from data amidst cyclic dynamics remains a challenging open problem in causality research. …

A Memory Efficient Deep Recurrent Q-Learning Approach For Autonomous Wildfire Surveillance, Jeremy A. Cantor

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous literature demonstrates that autonomous UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) have the po- tential to be utilized for wildfire surveillance. This advanced technology empowers firefighters by providing them with critical information, thereby facilitating more informed decision-making processes. This thesis applies deep Q-learning techniques to the problem of control policy design under the objective that the UAVs collectively identify the maximum number of locations that are under fire, assuming the UAVs can share their observations. The prohibitively large state space underlying the control policy motivates a neural network approximation, but prior work used only convolutional layers to extract spatial fire information from …

Transformer-Enabled Deep Reinforcement Learning For Coverage Path Planning, Daniel B. Tiu

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coverage path planning (CPP) is the problem of covering all points in an environment and is a well-researched topic in robotics due to its sheer practical relevance. This paper investigates such an offline CPP problem where the primary objective is to minimize the path length to achieve complete coverage. Furthermore, the literature suggests that taking turns leads to a higher energy use than going straight. To this end, we design a novel objective function that aims to minimize the number of turns as well. We have proposed a deep reinforcement learning (DRL)-based framework that uses a Transformer model. Unlike state-of-the-art …

Investigation Of Space Charge Effects On Co2 Electrocatalytic Reduction On Gd-Doped Ceria Via Scanning Kelvin Probe And Model-Based Bayesian Analysis, Alejandro Mejia

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In studying novel energy conversion and storage systems, such as high-temperature electrolysis, numerous underlying fundamental physical processes remain unclear or inadequately understood. Among these, the modeling and comprehension of surface reaction mechanisms, coupled with the intricate effects of space‑charge interfaces, remains an unclear and challenging area of research.

The work of this dissertation involves the development of a 2D finite element analysis model, leveraging the robust MOOSE framework from INL. This model, featuring inhomogeneous defect thermodynamics for near-surface chemistry, formulated through Poisson‑Cahn variational theory, has been exploited for studying the electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ on gadolinia doped ceria. The …

Machine Learning Based Intrusion Detection Framework For Can Bus Vulnerabilities In Modern Vehicles, Obinna C. Agbo

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Controller Area Network (CAN) bus is a crucial communication backbone in modern vehicles, connecting various Electronic Control Units (ECUs). However, inherent design weaknesses such as the lack of encryption and authentication make CAN networks vulnerable to cyber-attacks, including spoofing, Denial of Service (DoS), and fuzzing attacks. This thesis thoroughly evaluates these vulnerabilities and the limitations of existing security frameworks like Message Authentication Codes (MACs) and encryption, advocating for the adoption of Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) as a more practical solution for CAN bus security. The proposed IDS leverages advanced machine learning techniques to accurately detect intrusions, even under complex …

Implementing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles To Collect Human Gait Data At Distance And Altitude For Identification And Re-Identification, Donn E. Bartram

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Gait patterns are a class of biometric information pertaining to the way a person moves and poses. Gait information is unique to each person and can be used to identify and reidentify people. Historically, this task has been achieved through the use of multiple ground-based imaging sensors. However, as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) advance, they present the opportunity to evolve the process of persons identification and re-identification. Collecting human gait data using UAVs at distances ranging from 20m to 500m and altitudes ranging from 0m to 120m is a challenging task. The current biometric data collection methods, primarily designed for …

Enhancing Water Safety: Exploring Recent Technological Approaches For Drowning Detection, Salman Jalalifar, Andrew Belford, Eila Erfani, Amir Razmjou, Rouzbeh Abbassi, Masoud Mohseni-Dargah, Mohsen Asadnia

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Drowning poses a significant threat, resulting in unexpected injuries and fatalities. To promote water sports activities, it is crucial to develop surveillance systems that enhance safety around pools and waterways. This paper presents an overview of recent advancements in drowning detection, with a specific focus on image processing and sensor-based methods. Furthermore, the potential of artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning algorithms (MLAs), and robotics technology in this field is explored. The review examines the technological challenges, benefits, and drawbacks associated with these approaches. The findings reveal that image processing and sensor-based technologies are the most effective approaches for drowning detection …

The Integration Of Neuromorphic Computing In Autonomous Robotic Systems, Md Abu Bakr Siddique

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) have come a long way in many cognitive tasks by training on large, labeled datasets. However, this method has problems in places with limited data and energy, like when planetary robots are used or when edge computing is used [1]. In contrast to this data-heavy approach, animals demonstrate an innate ability to learn by communicating with their environment and forming associative memories among events and entities, a process known as associative learning [2-4]. For instance, rats in a T-maze learn to associate different stimuli with outcomes through exploration without needing labeled data [5]. This learning paradigm …

Wave Energy Converter Wave Force Prediction Using A Neural Network, Morgan Kline

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Due to the unpredictable nature of large bodies of water, wave energy can be a difficult renewable resource to rely on. One way to make Wave Energy Converters (WECs) more efficient is to apply a control strategy. In many control solutions, it is assumed that the wave excitation force is known into the future. In many instances, especially with complex waveforms, this is simply not the case. Simulation studies have shown the promise of wave force prediction using neural networks. This study demonstrates this experimentally and aims to characterize the important factors when designing such a network. Several wave elevation …

Research On Digital Twin Data Modeling And Evaluation Method Of Automated Container Terminal, Guoxuan Xu, Daofang Chang, Jiaqi Li, Qiang Ling

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To make full use of the massive operation data of automated container terminals and further realize the digital and intelligent transformation of terminals driven by digital twin, a method for digital twin data modeling and effect verification and evaluation of automated container terminals is proposed. The application framework and operation mechanism based on digital twin are studied. Based on the data processing logic of digital twin framework, a method of terminal operation process evolution and dynamic data modeling based on digital twin is proposed. To verify whether the data could meet the effective operation of the digital twin, a …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Development Of Several Typical Virtual Reality Fusion Technologies, Qiqi Feng, Zhiming Dong, Wencheng Peng, Yi Dai, Bingshan Si

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Virtual reality fusion can realize the two-way interaction, mapping and linkage between virtual world and physical world, which attracts the attention of countries in the world. In order to sort out and make statistics on concept connotation, academic status and application of the related new technologies, digital twin, cyber-physical systems, metaverse and live-virtual-constructive simulation are taken as representatives. The comparison on the development process, functional characteristics, target trends, etc. is carried out.

Unrelated Parallel Machine Scheduling With Additional Resource And Learning Effect, Youlian Zheng, Deming Lei

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To solve unrelated parallel machine scheduling problem(UPMSP) with additional resource and learning effect, a dynamical artificial bee colony(DABC) algorithm is proposed to minimize the makespan. A new representation and decoding process is given and two initial bee swarms are constructed. A swarm evaluation method is applied to dynamically decide employed bee swarms and onlooker bee swarms. Employed bee phase and onlooker bee phase are implemented in different ways to increase exploration ability. The experimental results show that the new strategies of DABC are effective and reasonable, and can obtain results with better convergence, average value and stability, which d …

Research And Design Of Etc Simulation Platform For Expressway, Fumin Zou, Feng Guo, Sijie Luo, Lüchao Liao, Nan Li, Yue Xing

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: It is difficult to quantitatively calculate and display the real-time traffic situation of expressway ETC system, and there is no simulation system for ETC to optimize the operating situation. A simulation system based on ETC data in proposed, in witch there are three key algorithms. ETC data feature extraction algorithm provides the feature of generating simulation data for the simulation platform. The improved multitask scheduling algorithm has the computing ability of multitasks in simulation environment. The algorithm of expressway traffic flow control strategy provides the decision index for traffic flow control on the way. The experimental results show that …

Research And Development Of Simulation Training Platform For Multi-Agent Collaborative Decision-Making, Cheng Cheng, Zhijie Chen, Ziming Guo, Ni Li

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Reinforcement learning simulation platform can be an interactive and training environment for reinforcement learning. In order to make the simulation platform compatible with the multi-agent reinforcement learning algorithms and meet the needs of simulation in military field, the similar processes in multi-agent reinforcement learning algorithms are refined and a unified interface is designed to embed and verify different types of deep reinforcement learning algorithms on the simulation platform and to optimize the back-end service of the simulation platform to accelerate the training process of the algorithm model. The experimental results show that, by unifing the interface, the simulation platform …

Reliable Emergency Rescue Model Of Uavs Based On Blockchain, Mengyao Du, Kai Xu, Miao Zhang, Xiang Fu, Quanjun Yin

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Natural disasters may unpredictably disrupt ground communication infrastructure and transportation systems, and UAVs emergency response can deal with such uncertainties and highly dynamic scenarios. Aiming at the robustness requirements of decentralized rescue systems. UAV emergency rescue chain (UERChain) based on blockchain technology is proposed. By deploying UAV backbone nodes within a layered local network, the smart contracts for managing reputation considering UAV social relationships are designed. The blockchain is employed as a trust mechanism to realize the trustworthy interactions among distributed UAVs. Experimental results show that, UERChain has higher robustness, and within controllable resource constraints, the reputation management and …

Optimized Scheduling Of Distribution Network With Distributed Generation Based On Coronavirus Herd Immunity Optimizer Algorithm, Xiaomeng Wu, Rongze Yuan, Yingliang Li, Qi Zhu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Following the large-scale entry of distributed new energy into the network, the uncertainty factor of the distribution network increases significantly, and the difficulty of reactive power optimization scheduling increases accordingly. Traditional optimization solutions have many limitations and shortcomings, and a dynamic reactive power optimization scheme for active distribution networks based on a multi-scenario approach is proposed. The mathematical modeling is carried out separately for the uncertainty of new energy and load, and the multi-scenario method is used to transform the uncertainty problem into a deterministic problem. A mathematical model is constructed on the distribution network side to pursue the …

Data Simulation Testing Framework For Complex Process Equipment Software, Jinkun Zhang, Longfei Shi, Chi Hu, Hao Zhang, Yonghui Yang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Due to the complex task, tight coupling, strict timing, and a large amount of interchange data, the technical threshold of automated testing of bus communication equipment software is high, and the implementation is difficult. The ideas of data-driven testing and keyword-driven testing are introduced, and a data simulation testing framework is proposed. Configuration rules are formulated and implemented in the framework. Testers can simulate peripheral data for complex process equipment software and implement automated testing by only focusing on the task analysis, and configuring interchange data and keywords. There is no need to develop test scripts, which reduces the …

Urban Uav Path Planning Based On Improved Beetle Search Algorithm, Qingqing Yang, Minyi Deng, Yi Peng

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: An improved SABAS is proposed to improve the safety and path smoothing of UAV missions in urban multi-obstacle environments and to obtain the shortest path. The algorithm no longer completely depends on the difference of odor concentration between the left and the right tentacles of beetle when exploring the path for position update. Instead, it makes full use of the strong searching ability of BAS algorithm, and introduces the annealing algorithm to add the neighborhood position solution of the next position, and finally selects the next best position from the neighborhood position solution. Metropolis criterion of annealing algorithm is …

Task Scheduling For Internet Of Vehicles Based On Deep Reinforcement Learning In Edge Computing, Xiang Ju, Shengchao Su, Chaojie Xu, Beibei He

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Aiming at the offloading and execution of delay-constrained computing tasks for internet of vehicles in edge computing, a task scheduling method based on deep reinforcement learning is proposed. In multi-edge server scenario, a software-defined network-aided internet of vehicles task offloading system is built. On this basis, the task scheduling model of vehicle computation offloading is given. According to the characteristics of task scheduling, a scheduling method based on an improved pointer network is designed. Considering the complexity of task scheduling and computing resource allocation, the deep reinforcement learning algorithm is used to train the pointer network. The vehicle offloading …

Airport Operational Efficiency Evaluation Based On Combined Weighting-Topsis Model, Jie Hu, Fan Bao

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In order to improve the scientificity and comprehensiveness of the airport operational efficiency evaluation, a new method based on the combined weighting-TOPSIS model is proposed. From 4 dimensions of stand operational efficiency, passenger boarding efficiency, aircraft taxiing efficiency, and coordination efficiency, a new airport operational efficiency evaluation system consisting of 11 indicators, such as flight approach rate, corridor bridge turnover rate, stand change ratio, etc., are constructed. G1 method and entropy weight method are implemented respectively to calculate the subjective and objective weights of the evaluation indicators, and the combined weights are calculated by minimizing the deviation of subjective …

Research On Network Public Opinion Propagation Model Of Major Epidemics Under Cross-Infection Of Double Emotions, Yaming Zhang, Yanyuan Su, Guiru Zhao, Xiaoyu Guo

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Major epidemics provoke a variety of netizens' emotions. To some degree, the interaction of netizens' intense emotions determine the development direction of public opinion. Considering the complexity and dual emotional contagion, the impact of emotional factors in network public opinion is quantified to three dimensions indicators, emotional enhancement, differences and conversion rates. SIPINR public opinion propagation model is constructed. The equilibrium points and the transmission threshold are estimated and the stability is proved. The law of network public opinion propagation during major epidemics is revealed through numerical simulation. The results show that the dual emotional contagion would lead to …

Automatic Target Recognition Of Substation 3d Scene For Digital Twin, Qian Tu, Jun Li, Dongliang Fan, Qi Kong, Jie Shen

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In order to improve the accuracy of automatic target recognition and promote the effect on substation operation and maintenance, automatic target recognition of substation 3D scene for digital twin is proposed. The automatic target recognition model for the three dimensional scene of the substation is constructed. The perception module of the model is used to collect the real-time status data of substation, and the communication module is used to transmit the data to digital twin modules. This module, based on the received data information, realizes the deep fusion and panoramic mapping of substation information through the knowledge base constructed …

Simulation On High-Speed Train Carriage Evacuation Considering Passengers Moving To Adjacent Carriages, Zuoan Hu, Tian Zeng, Yidong Wei, Yi Ma

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To study the influence of passengers moving to adjacent carriages on high-speed train carriages' evacuation, a cellular automata model considering export selection is established. Taking the CR400BF second-class carriage as the research object, some analytical indexes such as evacuation efficiency, number of conflicts and the congestion degree are used to study the effect of passengers moving to adjacent carriages on carriage evacuation, and the passenger seat distribution, the number of passengers transferred from adjacent carriages and the opening door modes of adjacent carriages are discussed. The simulation results show that the discretized seat distribution reduces the times of conflicts …

Application Of Improved Path Tracking Algorithm In Robot Slam, Qian Li, Ye Tao, Hui Li

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Mapping is an important part of automated logistics. At present, SLAM is widely used. However, in large-scale scenes, errors are accumulated because robots often repeatedly measure and scan the region edge, which makes it impossible to quickly build a high-precision and complete map. An autonomous mapping method based on auxiliary path tracking is proposed, in which the given initial sketch is grid denoised and the auxiliary path is fitted and improved by multi segment cubic polynomial. The improved pure pursuit algorithm is used to guide the robot to build the map and improve the total distance and time of …

Modeling And Simulation On Production Logistics Of Intelligent Workshop Manufacturing System Based On Efsm, Liuzhen Li, Chao Jin, Tingyu Lin, Yaoqin Zhu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: The production logistics mode of manufacturing industry is developing rapidly, on which the modeling and simulation can provide the decision support for the design, analysis and transformation of manufacturing system. A description of the entity elements in intelligent workshop manufacturing system is given according to the classification of "human machine material environment rule". A production and logistics componentized EFSM model is created on the basis of EFSM and componentized modeling ideas. The modeling process for multi-job production in smart shop and the component model instantiation methodology are elaborated. The simulation running through the automatic conversion of EFSM-DEVS model and …

Research On 3d Object Detection Method With Cross-Module Attention, Renjie Xu, Xiaoming Zhang, Chen Wang, Peng Wu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: To address the issue of feature loss that occurs during the extraction and transmission of target features in 3D object detection tasks using point cloud data, this study proposes an object detection method based on cross-module attention. This method incorporates a channel attention module and a spatial attention module to enhance the crucial feature information. Through feature transformation, the features from different stages of the attention module are connected to mitigate the loss of features during the extraction and transmission process. To tackle the problem of inadequate detection performance in target detection networks for objects of different scales, a …

A Critical Computing Curriculum Design Case: Exploring Tribal Sovereignty For Middle School Students, Kristin A. Searle, Aubrey Rogowski, Colby Tofel-Grehl, Mengying Jiang

Journal of Computer Science Integration

We report on our efforts to design an integrated computing curriculum for middle school students in Montana that is in line with the Kapor Center’s focus on culturally sustaining-revitalizing pedagogies. Montana provides a unique context for doing this work because a state constitutional mandate requires all K-12 students to learn about tribal histories and cultures through Indian Education For All (IEFA). IEFA centers around seven essential understandings about Indigenous peoples in Montana that are integrated across content areas. In addition, implementation of Montana’s CS standards began in the 2021–2022 school year. In the curricular design, we sought to bring together …

Employing An Abolitionist, Critical Race Pedagogy In Cs: Centering The Voices, Experiences And Technological Innovations Of Black Youth, Tiera Tanksley

Journal of Computer Science Integration

This paper proposes a pedagogical extension of culturally responsive praxis called abolitionist, critical race pedagogy in CS. To showcase the power and potentiality of this pedagogy, this paper examines the experiences of 2 cohorts of Black high school students (n = 30) who participated in a critical race technology course that was taught during the dual pandemic of COVID-19 and anti-Black racism. The goal of this summer course was to employ an abolitionist, critical race pedagogy in CS to foster Black students’ ability to critically examine the ubiquity of anti-Black racism within the socio-technical architectures (e.g. code, data, algorithms and …

Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Computational Thinking: Enactment In Elementary Classrooms, Victoria Macann, Aman Yadav

Journal of Computer Science Integration

Technology has increasingly permeated many aspects of everyday life and this evolution raises the need for individuals to understand how the digital world works and what opportunities and risks it brings (Nouri, Zhang, Mannila & Norén, 2019). For this to be an experience for everyone, we need to rethink how we integrate computational thinking (CT) and provide teachers with tools to center their students’ identities, experiences, and cultures in the classroom. In this paper, we present two case studies of primary (elementary) teachers from a full primary (student ages 5–13) semi-rural school in the North Island of New Zealand that …