Engineering Commons^™

Enhanced Privacy-Enabled Face Recognition Using Κ-Identity Optimization, Ryan Karl

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Facial recognition is becoming more and more prevalent in the daily lives of the common person. Law enforcement utilizes facial recognition to find and track suspects. The newest smartphones have the ability to unlock using the user's face. Some door locks utilize facial recognition to allow correct users to enter restricted spaces. The list of applications that use facial recognition will only increase as hardware becomes more cost-effective and more computationally powerful. As this technology becomes more prevalent in our lives, it is important to understand and protect the data provided to these companies. Any data transmitted should be encrypted …

An Investigation Of Match For Lossless Video Compression, Brittany Sullivan-Reicks

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A new lossless video compression technique, Match, is investigated. Match uses the similarity between the frames of a video or the slices of medical images to find a prediction for the current pixel. A portion of the previous frame is searched to find a matching context, which is the pixels surrounding the current pixel, within some distance centered on the current location. The best distance to use for each dataset is found experimentally. The matching context refers to the neighborhood of w, nw, n, and ne, where the pixel in the previous frame with the closest matching context becomes the …

Low-Power, Event-Driven System On A Chip For Charge Pulse Processing Applications, Joseph A. Schmitz

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation presents an electronic architecture and methodology capable of processing charge pulses generated by a range of sensors, including radiation detectors and tactile synthetic skin. These sensors output a charge signal proportional to the input stimulus, which is processed electronically in both the analog and digital domains. The presented work implements this functionality using an event-driven methodology, which greatly reduces power consumption compared to standard implementations. This enables new application areas that require a long operating time or compact physical dimensions, which would not otherwise be possible. The architecture is designed, fabricated, and tested in the aforementioned applications to …

Amorphous Boron Carbide-Amorphous Silicon Heterojunction Devices, Vojislav Medic

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation will show successful development and characterization of amorphous boron carbide-amorphous silicon heterojunction device with potential for neutron detection. The amorphous hydrogenated boron carbide (a-BC:H) has been extensively researched as a semiconductor for neutron voltaic device fabrication. Naturally occurring boron contains 19.8% of boron isotope B¹⁰ that has a high absorption cross section of thermal neutrons at lower energies, and boron carbide contains 14.7% of that B¹⁰ isotope. Therefore, as a semiconductor compound of boron a-BC:H has the ability to absorb radiation, generate charge carriers, and collect those carriers. Previous work on a-BC:H devices investigated the fabrication …

Renovating The Ipmu Via Internet Of Things For Pollutant Emission Estimations In Poultry Facilities, Joshua Dotto

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The emissions of ammonia (NH₃), particulate matter (PM_2.5), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) are major concerns in poultry facilities. They can pose environmental concerns and nuances. Robust and affordable measurement systems are needed to accurately measure in-barn concentrations and quantify the emissions.

The Intelligent Portable Monitoring Unit (iPMU or PMU3) developed in 2016 was reconstructed into PMU4 to include upgraded NH₃ and PM_2.5 sensors and wireless connectivity for a low-cost, robust, and accurate air quality monitoring device with contactless data transfer using the concept of Internet of Things (IoT). In addition, a user-friendly …

Room Temperature Two-Dimensional Electron Gas Scattering Time, Effective Mass, And Mobility Parameters In AlXGa1−XN/Gan Heterostructures (0.07 ≤ X ≤ 0.42), Sean Knight, Steffen Richter, Alexis Papamichail, Philipp Kühne, Nerijus Armakavicius, Shiqi Guo, Axel R. Persson, Vallery Stanishev, Viktor Rindert, Per O. Å. Persson, Plamen P. Paskov, Mathias Schubert, Vanya Darakchieva

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Al_xGa_1-xN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) structures are key components in electronic devices operating at gigahertz or higher frequencies. In order to optimize such HEMT structures, understanding their electronic response at high frequencies and room temperature is required. Here, we present a study of the room temperature free charge carrier properties of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) in HEMT structures with varying Al content in the Al_xGa_1-xN barrier layers between x = 0:07 and x = 0:42. We discuss and compare 2DEG sheet density, mobility, effective mass, sheet resistance, and scattering times, …

Study On Debinding And Sintering Conditions In Extrusion-Based Additive Manufacturing Of 316l And 316l + Cu, Jean-François Silvain, Daniel Lincoln Gifford, Sébastien Fourcade, Laurent Cuzacq, Jean-Luc Grosseau-Poussard, Catherine Debiemme-Chouvy, Nicolas Tessier Doyen, Yongfeng Lu

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

This study investigates the use of a methylcellulose binder in extrusion additive manufacturing of 316L as an alternative to common wax-based binders. Various quantities of copper (Cu) powder were also added in the paste composition to attempt to reduce the sintering temperature by promoting persistent liquid phase sintering. Debinding experiments were conducted under different temperatures and dwell times using argon (Ar), Ar/5%H₂, and Ar/1%O₂ atmospheres. Debinding reduced carbon (C) content to 0.032 wt.% by using a two-step debinding process of Ar/5%H₂ and Ar/1%O₂ thermal treatments. Using this debinding process, sintering was conducted at 1200 ^{o …}

Motif-Cluster: A Spatial Clustering Package For Repetitive Motif Binding Patterns, Mengyuan Zhou

Department of Computer Science and Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Previous efforts in using genome-wide analysis of transcription factor binding sites (TFBSs) have overlooked the importance of ranking potential significant regulatory regions, especially those with repetitive binding within a local region. Identifying these homogenous binding sites is critical because they have the potential to amplify the binding affinity and regulation activity of transcription factors, impacting gene expression and cellular functions. To address this issue, we developed an open-source tool Motif-Cluster that prioritizes and visualizes transcription factor regulatory regions by incorporating the idea of local motif clusters. Motif-Cluster can rank the significant transcription factor regulatory regions without the need for experimental …

Nitrogen Radiofrequency Plasma Treatment Of Graphene, Antoine Bident, Nathalie Caillault, Florence Delange, Christine Labrugere, Guillaume Aubert, Cyril Aymonier, Etienne Durand, Alain Demourgues, Yongfeng Lu, Jean-François Silvain

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

The incorporation of nitrogen (N) atoms into a graphitic network such as graphene (Gr) remains a major challenge. However, even if the insertion mechanisms are not yet fully understood, it is certain that the modification of the electrical properties of Gr is possible according to the configuration adopted. Several simulations work, notably using DFT, have shown that the incorporation of N in Gr can induce an increase in the electrical conductivity and N acts as an electron donor; this increase is linked to the amount of N, the sp²/sp³ carbon configuration, and the nature of C-N bonding. …

Creating An Automatic Lowering Function For Quarter-Scale Tractor Pulling Sled, Sam Wilkins

Honors Theses

As the agricultural industry works to continuously integrate innovative technology and improve production efficiency, improved on-board data acquisition and transmission will be necessary for all agricultural machines. To make this a reality, the utilization of controller area network (CAN) technology will be crucial. Therefore, it is important for all agricultural engineers to have foundational knowledge of CAN bus systems and the standards that govern their use in industry. The UNL quarter-scale tractor team regularly utilizes CAN buses on their tractors and testing equipment. One such testing machine is the team’s pulling sled, which uses CAN messages to transport important information …

Detection Of Cancer-Associated Gene Mutations In Urinary Cell-Free Dna Among Prostate Cancer Patients In South Africa, Dada Oluwaseyi Temilola, Martha Wium, Juliano Paccez, Azola Samkele Salukazana, Solomon O. Rotimi, Hasan H. Otu, Giuseppina M. Carbone, Lisa Kaestner, Stefano Cacciatore, Luiz Fernando Zerbini

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cause of cancer death among African men. The presence of tumor-specific variations in cell-free DNA (cfDNA), such as mutations, microsatellite instability, and DNA methylation, has been explored as a source of biomarkers for cancer diagnosis. In this study, we investigated the diagnostic role of cfDNA among South African PCa patients. We performed whole exome sequencing (WES) of urinary cfDNA. We identified a novel panel of 31 significantly deregulated somatic mutated genes between PCa and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Additionally, we performed whole-genome sequencing (WGS) on matching PCa and normal prostate tissue in an …

Laser-Direct-Drive Fusion Target Design With A High-Z Gradient-Density Pusher Shell, S. S. Hu, L. Ceurvorst, J. L. Peebles, A. Mao, P. Li, Yongfeng Lu, A. Shvydky, V. N. Goncharov, R. Epstein, K. A. Nichols, R. M. N. Goshadze, M. Ghosh, J. Hinz, V. V. Karasiev, S. Zhang, N. R. Shaffer, D. I. Mihaylov, J. Cappelletti, D. R. Harding, C. K. Li, E. M. Campbell, R. C. Shah, T. J. B. Collins, S. P. Regan, C. Deeney

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Laser-direct-drive fusion target designs with solid deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel, a high-Z gradient-density pusher shell (GDPS), and a Au-coated foam layer have been investigated through both 1D and 2D radiationhydrodynamic simulations. Compared with conventional low-Z ablators and DT-push-on-DT targets, these GDPS targets possess certain advantages of being instability-resistant implosions that can be high adiabat (α ≽ 8) and low hot-spot and pusher-shell convergence (CR_hs ≈22 and CR_PS ≈17), and have a low implosion velocity (v_imp < 3 × 10⁷ cm/s). Using symmetric drive with laser energies of 1.9 to 2.5 MJ, 1D LILAC simulations of these GDPS implosions can result …

Aptamer-Based Proteomics Measuring Preoperative Cerebrospinal Fluid Protein Alterations Associated With Postoperative Delirium, Simon T. Dillon, Sarinnapha M. Vasunilashorn, Hasan H. Otu, Long Ngo, Tamara Fong, Xuesong Gu, Michele Cavallari, Alexandra Touroutoglou, Mouhsin Shafi, Sharon K. Inouye, Zhongcong Xie, Edward R. Marcantonio, Towia A. Libermann

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Delirium is a common postoperative complication among older patients with many adverse outcomes. Due to a lack of validated biomarkers, prediction and monitoring of delirium by biological testing is not currently feasible. Circulating proteins in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) may reflect biological processes causing delirium. Our goal was to discover and investigate candidate protein biomarkers in preoperative CSF that were associated with the development of postoperative delirium in older surgical patients. We employed a nested case–control study design coupled with high multiplex affinity proteomics analysis to measure 1305 proteins in preoperative CSF. Twenty-four matched delirium cases and non-delirium controls were selected …

Integrating Glycolysis, Citric Acid Cycle, Pentose Phosphate Pathway, And Fatty Acid Beta‑Oxidation Into A Single Computational Model, Sylwester M. Kloska, Krzysztof Pałczyński, Tomasz Marciniak, Tomasz Talaśka, Beata J. Wysocki, Paul H. Davis, Tadeusz A. Wysocki

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

The metabolic network of a living cell is highly intricate and involves complex interactions between various pathways. In this study, we propose a computational model that integrates glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway (PPP), the fatty acids beta-oxidation, and the tricarboxylic acid cycle (TCA cycle) using queueing theory. The model utilizes literature data on metabolite concentrations and enzyme kinetic constants to calculate the probabilities of individual reactions occurring on a microscopic scale, which can be viewed as the reaction rates on a macroscopic scale. However, it should be noted that the model has some limitations, including not accounting for all the …

Potential Of Mirnas In Plasma Extracellular Vesicle For The Stratification Of Prostate Cancer In A South African Population, Dada Oluwaseyi Temilola, Martha Wium, Juliano Paccez, Azola Samkele Salukazana, Hasan H. Otu, Giuseppina M. Carbone, Lisa Kaestner, Stefano Cacciatore, Luiz Fernando Zerbini

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Prostate cancer (PCa) is the most common cause of cancer death among African men. The analysis of microRNAs (miRNAs) in plasma extracellular vesicles (EVs) can be utilized as a non-invasive tool for the diagnosis of PCa. In this study, we used small RNA sequencing to profile miRNAs cargo in plasma EVs from South African PCa patients. We evaluated the differential expression of miRNAs between low and high Gleason scores in the plasma EVs of South African patients and in the prostatic tissue from data available in the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) Data Portal. We identified 7 miRNAs differently expressed in …

Integration Of Meta-Multi-Omics Data Using Probabilistic Graphs And External Knowledge, Handan Can, Sree K. Chanumolu, Barbara D. D., Sophie Alvarez, Michael J. Naldrett, Gülhan Ünlü, Hasan H. Otu

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Multi-omics has the promise to provide a detailed molecular picture of biological systems. Although obtaining multi-omics data is relatively easy, methods that analyze such data have been lagging. In this paper, we present an algorithm that uses probabilistic graph representations and external knowledge to perform optimal structure learning and deduce a multifarious interaction network for multi-omics data from a bacterial community. Kefir grain, a microbial community that ferments milk and creates kefir, represents a self-renewing, stable, natural microbial community. Kefir has been shown to have a wide range of health benefits. We obtained a controlled bacterial community using the two …

A Portable, Low Power Radiation Detection And Identification System For High Count Rate, Long Term Monitoring, Samuel J. Murray

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This dissertation presents the design of a novel radiation detection and identification system that can operate continuously over a period of 8 days while detecting at 30,000 counts per second, consuming a total of 11 mW. The entire system is highly integrated, containing a gamma ray detector, a high voltage detector power supply, and a multichannel analyzer (MCA) system-on-a-chip (SoC), which are all combined into a compact form using a multi-level, configurable printed circuit board design. The MCA SoC, fabricated using a 65 nm CMOS technology, features two enabling resources to allow low power detections at high count rates for …

A Unified Switched Nonlinear Dynamic Model Of An Electric Vehicle For Performance Evaluation, Dibyendu Khan, Kuntal Mandal, Anjan Kumar Ray, Abdelali El Aroudi

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

The advanced modeling and estimation of overall system dynamics play a vital role in electric vehicles (EVs), as the selection of components in the powertrain and prediction of performance are the key market qualifiers. The state-space averaged model and small-signal transfer function model are useful for assessing long-term behavior in system-level analysis and for designing the controller parameters, respectively. Both models take less computation time but ignore the high-frequency switching dynamics. Therefore, these two models could be impractical for the development and testing of EV prototypes. On the other hand, the multi-domain model in available simulation tools gives in-depth information …

An Ai-Based Intervention For Improving Undergraduate Stem Learning, Mohammad Rashedul Hasan, Bilal Khan

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

We present results from a small-scale randomized controlled trial that evaluates the impact of just-in-time interventions on the academic outcomes of N = 65 undergraduate students in a STEM course. Intervention messaging content was based on machine learning forecasting models of data collected from 537 students in the same course over the preceding 3 years. Trial results show that the intervention produced a statistically significant increase in the proportion of students that achieved a passing grade. The outcomes point to the potential and promise of just-in-time interventions for STEM learning and the need for larger fully-powered randomized controlled trials.

Generation Of Vector Vortex Wave Modes In Cylindrical Waveguides, Md Khadimul Islam, Pawan Gaire, Arjuna Madanayake, Shubhendu Bhardwaj

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

In this paper, we propose a method to generate Vector Vortex Modes (VVM) inside a metallic cylindrical waveguide at microwave frequencies and demonstrate the experimental validation of the concept. Vector vortex modes of EM waves can carry both spin and orbital angular momentum as they propagate within a tubular medium. The existence of such waves in tubular media can be beneficial to wireless communication in such structures. These waves can carry different orbital angular momentum and spin angular momentum, and therefore, they feature the ability to carry multiple orthogonal modes at the same frequency due to spatial structure of the …

Asset Cueing Nuclear Radiation Anomaly Detection Using An Embedded Neural Network Resource, April Inamura

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Nuclear radiation detection is inherently a challenging task, coupled with a high background variation or increase in anomalies, the accuracy for detection can plummet. A key factor in the success of nuclear detection hinges on the sensor’s ability to generalize its model and directly leads to the model’s robustness. The goal of this project is to develop algorithms suitable for use on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Pingora chip, a low-power, system-on-chip device with an active neural processing unit (NPU) made for nuclear radiation detection. The thesis aims to improve Pingora’s overall generalization ability in nuclear radiation source detection. A multiphase …

A Flexible Ot Testbed For Evaluating On-Device Implementations Of Iec-61850 Goose, Matthew Boeding, Michael Hempel, Hamid Sharif, Juan Lopez Jr., Kalyan Perumalla

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

The growing convergence of Information Technology and Operational Technology has enhanced communication and visibility across power grids. This, coupled with the growing use of Distributed Energy Resources in power grids, has enhanced the grid capabilities while also creating a larger attack surface for malicious actors. A common protocol vulnerable to these attacks is the IEC-61850 GOOSE protocol due to its low-latency requirements, multicast packet delivery method, and lack of encryption. In this paper, we evaluate the security implications of different hardware implementations of this protocol by contrasting device response and recovery of two commercial off-the-shelf Intelligent Electronic Devices from separate …

Cometrics: A New Software Tool For Behavior‑Analytic Clinicians And Machine Learning Researchers, Walker S. Arce, Seth G. Walker, Morgan L. Hurtz

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Cometrics is a Microsoft Windows compatible clinical tool for the collection and recording of frequency- and duration-based target behaviors, physiological signals, and video data. This software package is designed to record in-vivo observational and physiological data. In addition, we have included features that allow observers to capture video from real-time camera feeds and import saved video for retroactive data collection. By using Microsoft Excel-based spreadsheets, also called keystroke files, assessment and treatment sessions are exported into a single document using the click of a button. Integrated interobserver agreement metrics allow comparisons across primary and reliability observers, with the output exported …

Guest Editorial: Special Issue On Green Iot For Future Space–Air–Ground–Ocean-Integrated Networks And Applications, Bo Rong, Mohamed Cheriet, Jon Montalban, Lei Shu, Yi Qian

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

The Internet of Things (IoT) plays a critical role in enabling the seamless integration of disparate devices. Future IoT will rapidly expand its coverage to offer future worldwide omnipresent applications and services by merging communications in diverse spatial domains to build the space–air–ground–ocean-integrated network (SAGOI-Net). SAGOI-Net will include a significant number of battery-powered network nodes, such as satellites, unmanned vehicles, and underwater devices, due to the extremely vast geographic reach and dynamics in free space. Given the battery limitations, high-energy-efficiency communications and networking will be critical to the future system. Green SAGOI-Net seeks to not only bring ubiquitous connectivity to …

A Novel Graph Neural Network-Based Framework For Automatic Modulation Classification In Mobile Environments, Pejman Ghasemzadeh

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Automatic modulation classification (AMC) refers to a signal processing procedure through which the modulation type and order of an observed signal are identified without any prior information about the communications setup. AMC has been recognized as one of the essential measures in various communications research fields such as intelligent modem design, spectrum sensing and management, and threat detection. The research literature in AMC is limited to accounting only for the noise that affects the received signal, which makes their models applicable for stationary environments. However, a more practical and real-world application of AMC can be found in mobile environments where …

Unobtrusive Data Collection In Clinical Settings For Advanced Patient Monitoring And Machine Learning, Walker Arce

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

When applying machine learning to clinical practice, a major hurdle that will be encountered is the lack of available data. While the data collected in clinical therapies is suitable for the types of analysis that are needed to measure and track clinical outcomes, it may not be suitable for other types of analysis. For instance, video data may have poor alignment with behavioral data, making it impossible to extract the videos frames that directly correlate with the observed behavior. Alternatively, clinicians may be exploring new data modalities, such as physiological signal collection, to research methods of improving clinical outcomes that …

Anticancer Activities Of Tetra-, Penta-, And Hexacyclic Phenothiazines Modified With Quinoline Moiety., Małgorzata Jel, Beata Morak-Młodawska, Rafał Korlacki

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

The quinoline molecule is a chemical motif showing a highly promising pharmacological potential. Its numerous derivatives introduced into medicine revolutionized in the treatment of many entities of disease. The presence of the quinoline system in the structure of phenothiazines made it possible to obtain new aza- and diazaphenothiazine derivatives that show promising anticancer potential. The aza-analogs of the phenothiazines are structurally modified phenothiazines by the substitution of one or both benzene rings in the phenothiazine ring system with various azine rings. This approach to the strategy of obtaining new substances with biological potential can be classified as molecular hybridization methods …

Modeling And Visualization Of Competing Escalation Dynamics: A Multilayer Multiagent Network Approach, Josh Allen

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Recent advances in military technology, such as hypersonic missiles, which can travel at more than five times the speed of sound and descend quickly into the atmosphere, give world nuclear superpowers a new edge. These advances up the game for nuclear superpowers with an extremely rapid, intense burst of military striking capability to secure upfront gains before encountering potentially overwhelming military confrontation. However, this so-called fait accompli has not been systematically studied by the United States in the perspective of the escalation philosophies of nuclear power competitors, or the mathematical modeling and visualization of multi-modal escalation dynamics. This gap may …

Study Of Lipophilicity And Adme Properties Of 1,9-Diazaphenothiazines With Anticancer Action, Beata Morak-Młodawska, Małgorzata Jeleń, Emilia Martula, Rafał Korlacki

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Lipophilicity is one of the key properties of a potential drug that determines the solubility, the ability to penetrate through cell barriers, and transport to the molecular target. It affects pharmacokinetic processes such as adsorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME). The 10-substituted 1,9-diazaphenothiazines show promising if not impressive in vitro anticancer potential, which is associated with the activation of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway connected with to induction BAX, forming a channel in MOMP and releasing cytochrome c for the activation of caspases 9 and 3. In this publication, the lipophilicity of previously obtained 1,9-diazaphenothiazines was determined theoretically using various computer programs …

Study Of Lipophilicity And Adme Properties Of 1,9-Diazaphenothiazines With Anticancer Action, Beata Morak-Młodawska, Małgorzata Jeleń, Emilia Martula, Rafał Korlacki

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Lipophilicity is one of the key properties of a potential drug that determines the solubility, the ability to penetrate through cell barriers, and transport to the molecular target. It affects pharmacokinetic processes such as adsorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME). The 10-substituted 1,9-diazaphenothiazines show promising if not impressive in vitro anticancer potential, which is associated with the activation of the mitochondrial apoptosis pathway connected with to induction BAX, forming a channel in MOMP and releasing cytochrome c for the activation of caspases 9 and 3. In this publication, the lipophilicity of previously obtained 1,9-diazaphenothiazines was determined theoretically using various computer programs …