Engineering Commons^™

Are We Ready To Live In An Uberveillance Society?, Uow Media Unit, Alexander Hayes, Katina Michael

Alexander Hayes Mr.

When Google Glass hits stores later this year, not only will it transform sunglasses from fashion accessory to wearable technology, it will cause a social revolution, says IEEE Technology & Society Magazine editor in chief, Associate Professor Katina Michael.

The Sci-Fi-looking, internet-connected eyewear can do everything a mobile phone can do (and more) with a simple voice command.

Beyond the obvious functions – snapping photos, recording video, send text messages and searching the internet – some of the most exciting uses include biofeedback (monitor your heart rate on your morning run), instruction (stream step-by-step video tutorials) and navigation (map out …

Enhanced Optical Bistability With Film-Coupled Plasmonic Nanocubes, Christos Argyropoulos, Cristian Ciraci, David R. Smith

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Colloidally synthesized nanocubes strongly coupled to conducting films hold great promise for enhancing different nonlinear optical processes. They exhibit a robust and sensitive scattering response that can be easily controlled by their geometrical and material parameters. Strong local field enhancement is generated at the gap regions between the nanocubes and the metallic film. We show that strong optical bistability and all-optical switching behavior can be obtained by loading these nanogaps with Kerr nonlinear materials. Relatively low input intensities are required to obtain these nonlinear effects. The proposed design can lead to efficient, low-power, and ultrafast all-optical memories and scattering nanoswitches.

Using Software-Based Decision Procedures To Control Instruction-Level Execution, William B. Kimball

AFIT Patents

An apparatus, method and program product are provided for securing a computer system. A digital signature of an application is checked, which is loaded into a memory of the computer system configured to contain memory pages. In response to finding a valid digital signature, memory pages containing instructions of the application are set as executable and memory pages other than those containing instructions of the application are set as non-executable. Instructions in executable memory pages are executed. Instructions in non-executable memory pages are prevented from being executed. A page fault is generated in response to an attempt to execute an …

Cmk-3/Sulfur Composite (CXSY) And Room-Temperature Na/S Battery, Qing Zhao, Yu-Xiang Hu, Kai Zhang, Li-Jiang Wang, Zhan-Liang Tao, Jun Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

A series of ordered mesoporous carbon (CMK-3)/sulfur composite (C_xS_y) with different sulfur contents were synthesized via a melt-diffusion method. XRD, Raman, BET, SEM, and TEM techniques were used to characterize the structure and morphology of the as-prepared composite. The electrochemical performance of CMK-3/sulfur composite as the electrode of Na/S battery was tested at room temperature. Cyclic voltammograms show that one obvious reduction peak was located at about 1.61V, which is corresponding to the formation of Na₂S_x (x=2~5), while two oxidation peaks were displayed at about 1.82V and 1.95V, which are belonging to the …

Surface Composition Structure And Electrochemical Performance Of Aluminum Doped Lifepo4, Huai-Fang Shang, Wei-Feng Huang, Wang-Sheng Hu, Ding-Guo Xia, Zi-Yu Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Despite there are many successful reports about the preparation of electrode materials with surface coating for lithium ion batteries, the study in surface self-coating of cathode materials using segregation of doping elements and their electrochemical properties is still very rare. The LiFePO₄ particles with rich-Al on the surface were synthesized by one step solvothermal route. TEM results demonstrated that the surface of the obtained LiFePO₄ particles was well-covered by the amorphous coating. The soft X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) component analyses revealed that the amorphous coating was composed of LiFe_1-xAl_xPO …

Controllable Synthesis Of Dispersed Spherical Fe3O4 Nanoparticles As Lithium-Inserted Materials, Hong-Li Zou, Wei-Shan Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Dispersed spherical Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles were synthesized by a hydrothermal method. The influences of odecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB) concentration on the morphology and particle size of the as-prepared Fe₃O₄ were studied. Electrochemical performance of the as-prepared sample as anode materials of lithium ion battery was investigated. It is found that the as-prepared sample exhibits superior rate performance and cycle performance. The nano-sized materials provide structural stability and favor the transfer of lithium ions.

Electrochemical Na-Storage Materials And Their Applications For Na-Ion Batteries, Jiang-Feng Qian, Xue-Ping Gao, Han-Xi Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Oncoming large scale electric energy storage (EES) requires battery systems not only to have sufficient storage capacity but also to be cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Li-ion batteries for widespread EES applications may be limited due to the constraint of global lithium resource. From the considerations of available resources and environmental impact, Na-ion batteries have potential advantages as next generation secondary batteries and an alternative to Li-ion batteries. However, in the present state of the art, the Na-storage cathodes reported so far are still deficient both in energy density and power capability, while the carbon and alloy anodes for Na-ion batteries …

Application Of Synchrotron Radiation Based Electrochemical In-Situ Techniques To Study Of Electrode Materials For Lithium-Ion Batteries, Zheng-Liang Gong, Wei Zhang, Dong-Ping Lv, Xiao-Gang Hao, Wen Wen, Zheng Jiang, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Due to its merits of high brightness and high intensity, high level of polarization and wide tunability in energy, etc., synchrotron radiation technique provides an unique platform for analysis of the relationship among composition–structure–performance of materials for lithium ion batteries, especially for in-situ, real time dynamic investigation of the electrochemical reaction mechanism, aging process and failure mechanism during charge-discharge cycling. In this paper, we review the latest developments in application of synchrotron based electrochemical in-situ experimental methods to studies of lithium ion batteries. The paper mainly focuses on the application of electrochemical in-siu XRD and XAFS techniques to the investigations …

Preparation And Electrochemical Properties Of Amorphous Znsno3/C By Hydrothermally Carbonization Method, Guo-Qing Fang, Rui-Xue Zhang, Wei-Wei Liu, Bing-Bo Xia, Hong-Dan Sun, Hai-Bo Wang, Jing-Jing Wu, Shinko Kaneko, De-Cheng Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

The amorphous ZnSnO₃@C composite was synthesized via a simple glucose hydrothermal and subsequent carbonization approach. The structure, morphology and electrochemical property of the composite were characterized by XRD, TEM and electrochemical measurements. Compared to bare ZnSnO₃, the ZnSnO₃/C composite exhibited markedly enhanced lithium storage property and cycle performance, delivering a reversible capacity of 659 mAh·g^-1 after 100 cycles at a current density of 100 mA·g^-1.

An Investigation On The Solid Electrolyte Interphase Of Silicon Anode For Li-Ion Batteries Through Force Curve Method, Jie-Yun Zheng, Hao Zheng, Rui Wang, Hong Li, Li-Quan Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Non-aqueous electrolyte has been widely used in commercial Li-ion batteries. Optimized choices are proceeding among the various types of salts and solvents in an effort to achieve higher performance of electrolyte. However, the electrolyte will be reduced in low potential and the reductive product will be deposited on the surface of anode to form a passivating layer, solid electrolyte interphase (SEI). Herein an atomic force microscopy (AFM) based method was introduced to study the structure and mechanical property of SEI on silicon thin film anode during the first cycle. Silicon has been known as the most potential candidate anode for …

Aqueous Solution-Evaporation Route Synthesis And Phase Structural Research Of The Li-Rich Cathode Li1.23Ni0.09Co0.12Mn0.56O2 By In-Situ Xrd, Chong-Heng Shen, Shou-Yu Shen, Zhou Lin, Xiao-Mei Zheng, Hang Su, Ling Huang, Jun-Tao Li, Shi-Gang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

The Li-rich Li_1.23Ni_0.09Co_0.12Mn_0.56O₂ material was synthesized via aqueous solution-evaporation route. The structure and morphology of the material were characterized by means of XRD and SEM. The results indicated that the single particle of the product was polygonal with the size of 330 nm and the structure was layered solid solution with a certain amount of Li₂MnO₃. Electrochemical tests showed that the first discharge capacity of the Li-rich layered material was 250.8 mAh·g^-1 at 0.1C，the capacity retention was 86.5% after 40 cycles. Through in-situ XRD study a …

Synthesis And Electrochemical Property Of Li2Fesio4/C Cathode Material By Solid State Method, Jiao-Li Sun, Zhi-Jiao Chen, Yi-Xiao Li, Hu Cheng

Journal of Electrochemistry

Li2FeSiO4/C cathode material was synthesized using Li₂SiO₃ and FeC₂O₄ as raw materials by solid state method. The structure and morphology of the material were characterized by XRD and SEM. The electrochemical properties of the material were studied by constant-current cyclic testing. The results show that Li₂FeSiO₄/C has a good electrochemical performance. The first discharge capacity of Li₂FeSiO₄/C cathode material at 30oC reached 167 mAhg^-1 when cycled at 10 mAg^-1 between 1.5 and 4.8 V.

Preparation And Electrochemical Properties Of Flake-Like Liv3O8 By Soft Template Assisted Sol-Gel Method As Anode Material For Aqueous Li-Ion Battery, Shuai Tan, Dan Sun, Hai-Yan Wang, Tian-Li Hou, Zhong-Xing Xiao, You-Gen Tang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Anode material has become the key issue for restricting the development of aqueous lithium ion battery (ALIB). Flake-like LiV3O8 materials were synthesized by sol-gel method using sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) as a template. The XRD and SEM results showed that as-prepared flake-like LiV₃O₈ was of high purity with monoclinic system and P21/m space group. LiMn₂O₄//Li₂SO₄//LiV₃O₈ ALIB was assembled and tested. As observed, the flake-like LiV3O8 here exhibited good high-rate performance and cycling stability. A high discharge capacity of 154 mAh.g^-1 (based on the mass …

Synthesis And Electrochemical Performance Of Nano Licopo4 By Polyol Method, Fei Wang, Yang Jun

Journal of Electrochemistry

High potential LiCoPO₄ cathode material was synthesized by polyol method. Carbon layer of ca. 3 nm thick was coated on the LiCoPO4 surfaces by chemical vapor deposition from methylbenzene. Crystalline structure, morphology and electrochemical performance of the sample were studied by XRD, SEM, TEM, CV and galvanostatic charge/discharge curve. The synthesized material via polyol method showed a pure phase of LiCoPO₄. The LiCoPO₄/C electrode delivered a high discharge capacity of 132 mAh·g^-1 and maintained 78% of the initial capacity after 50 cycles at 0.1C rate. The two-step extraction/insertion behavior of Li⁺ in LiCoPO4/C …

Preparation Of The Particle Size Controllable Lifepo4/C And Its Electrochemical Profile Characterization, Ming-E Wang, Jing-Yuan Liu, Meng-Yan Hou, Yong-Yao Xia

Journal of Electrochemistry

We adopted an effective route to prepare the particle size controllable core-shell structure carbon-coated LiFePO4 from different sized FePO4 precursors, varying from 80 nm, 200 nm and 1 μm by an in situ polymerization method integrated with a surface modification technology. The discharge capacities of the three sized LiFePO₄/C are, respectively, 162 mAh·g^-1, 142 mAh·g^-1 and 92 mAh·g^-1 at 0.1C rate. The nano-sized LiFePO₄-a/C (80 nm) delivers a discharge capacity as large as 100 mAh·g^-1 even at 30C, while the macroscopic LiFePO₄-c/C (1 μm) exhibits a much poorer discharge …

Mems Cantilever Sensor For Thz Photoacoustic Chemical Sensing And Spectroscopy, Nathan E. Glauvitz

Theses and Dissertations

Sensitive Microelectromechanical System (MEMS) cantilever designs were modeled, fabricated, and tested to measure the photoacoustic (PA) response of gasses to terahertz (THz) radiation. Surface and bulk micromachining technologies were employed to create the extremely sensitive devices that could detect very small changes in pressure. Fabricated devices were then tested in a custom made THz PA vacuum test chamber where the cantilever deflections caused by the photoacoustic effect were measured with a laser interferometer and iris beam clipped methods. The sensitive cantilever designs achieved a normalized noise equivalent absorption coefficient of 2.83x10^-10 cm^-1 W Hz^-1/2 using a 25 …

Recent Development Of Surface Integral Equation Solvers For Multiscale Interconnects And Circuits, Sheng Sun, Lijun Jiang, Weng Cho Chew

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a brief review and recent development of surface integral equation solvers for multiscale interconnects and circuits modeling. As the future production processes down to 5 nm and the operating frequency increases, both multi-scale and large-scale natures should be taken into account in the electromagnetic simulations. Fast, efficient, stable, and broadband integral equation based solvers become indispensable when millions or ten s of millions of unknowns might be involved in the simulation of the integrated circuit. Recent progress and our latest researches in the development of broadband fast electromagnetic solvers will be demonstrated. © 2013 IEEE.

Full-Quantum Simulation Of P-Type Junctionless Transistors With Multi-Band K · P Model, Jun Z. Huang, Weng Cho Chew, Li (Lijun) Jun Jiang, Jie Peng, Chi Yung Yam, Guan Hua Chen

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

By adopting a model order reduction technique, we have successfully constructed a program for efficient simulation of nanowire transistors based on the multi-band k · p model and non-equilibrium Green's function (NEGF) approach. We then study for the first time the influences of various device parameters on the performances of p-type junctionless (JL) transistors and compare them to traditional inversion mode (IM) devices. © 2013 IEEE.

Predicting Voltage Abnormality Using Power System Dynamics, Nagendrakumar Beeravolu

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to analyze dynamic behavior of a stressed power system and to correlate the dynamic responses to a near future system voltage abnormality. It is postulated that the dynamic response of a stressed power system in a short period of time-in seconds-contains sufficient information that will allow prediction of voltage abnormality in future time-in minutes. The PSSE dynamics simulator is used to study the dynamics of the IEEE 39 Bus equivalent test system. To correlate dynamic behavior to system voltage abnormality, this research utilizes two different pattern recognition methods one being algorithmic method known as …

Estimation, Decision And Applications To Target Tracking, Yu Liu

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation mainly consists of three parts. The first part proposes generalized linear minimum mean-square error (GLMMSE) estimation for nonlinear point estimation. The second part proposes a recursive joint decision and estimation (RJDE) algorithm for joint decision and estimation (JDE). The third part analyzes the performance of sequential probability ratio test (SPRT) when the log-likelihood ratios (LLR) are independent but not identically distributed.

The linear minimum mean-square error (LMMSE) estimation plays an important role in nonlinear estimation. It searches for the best estimator in the set of all estimators that are linear in the measurement. A GLMMSE estimation framework is …

Under-Sampled Reconstruction Techniques For Accelerated Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Mohammad H. Kayvanrad

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Due to physical and biological constraints and requirements on the minimum resolution and SNR, the acquisition time is relatively long in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Consequently, a limited number of pulse sequences can be run in a clinical MRI session because of constraints on the total acquisition time due to patient comfort and cost considerations. Therefore, it is strongly desired to reduce the acquisition time without compromising the reconstruction quality. This thesis concerns under-sampled reconstruction techniques for acceleration of MRI acquisitions, i.e., parallel imaging and compressed sensing.

While compressed sensing MRI reconstructions are commonly regularized by penalizing the decimated wavelet …

Beluga Whale Vocalizations, Michael T. Johnson

Dr. Dolittle Project: A Framework for Classification and Understanding of Animal Vocalizations

Sound files:

A Chirp; A Whistle ; B Chirp; B Whistle: Buzz; C Whistle; CH6 A Chirp; D Whistle; Down Warble; Down Whistle; E Whistle; Voca

Battery Energy Storage Systems To Mitigate The Variability Of Photovoltaic Power Generation, Heath Alan Gurganus

Dissertations and Theses

Methods of generating renewable energy such as through solar photovoltaic (PV) cells and wind turbines offer great promise in terms of a reduced carbon footprint and overall impact on the environment. However, these methods also share the attribute of being highly stochastic, meaning they are variable in such a way that is difficult to forecast with sufficient accuracy. While solar power currently constitutes a small amount of generating potential in most regions, the cost of photovoltaics continues to decline and a trend has emerged to build larger PV plants than was once feasible. This has brought the matter of increased …

Performance Assessment Of Wireless Two Way Relay Channel Systems, Siramack Ghadimi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The objective of this thesis is theoretical investigations and numerical simulations of Two Way Relay Channel (TWRC) systems, particularly in an impulsive noise environment. Special attention is given to investigation of a TWRC system based on polarized antennas. The first part of the thesis focuses on modelling of impulsive noise and the effect of impulsive noise on TWRC systems. The study was conducted by simulating the wireless TWRC models in the presence of impulsive noise. The bit error probability performance of the channel data was compared and at last their results are shown by graphs. The study has been further …

Multiplexed Fiber-Ring Laser Sensors For Ultrasonic Detection, Tongqing Liu, Lingling Hu, Ming Han

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

We propose and demonstrate a multiplexing method for ultrasonic sensors based on fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) that are included inside the laser cavity of a fiber-ring laser. The multiplexing is achieved using add-drop filters to route the light signals, according to their wavelengths, into different optical paths, each of which contains a separate span of erbium-doped fiber (EDF) as the gain medium. Because a specific span of EDF only addresses a single wavelength channel, mode completion is avoided and the FBG ultrasonic sensors can be simultaneously demodulated. The proposed method is experimentally demonstrated using a two-channel system with two sensing …

Liquid Core Waveguide Sensors With Single And Multi-Spot Excitation, Lynnell Uilani Wai Yee Zempoaltecatl

Theses and Dissertations

Using silicon based microfabrication and materials, a photonic platform, capable of single bioparticle analysis, has been developed. This platform combines liquid and hollow core waveguides on the micron-scale (5 µm x 12 µm) to isolate femtoliter sized sample volumes. Fluorescence excitation and signals in the visible range are directed into and out of the sample volume at an orthogonal angle to maximize signal-to-noise. In order to guide light in a low-index material antiresonant reflecting optical waveguides (ARROWs) were incorporated into the platform. This thesis reveals the development path of these structures over several device generations including innovations in material, geometries, …

An Effective Illumination Compensation Method For Face Recognition, Yea-Shuan Huang, Chu-Yung Li

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Face recognition is very useful in many applications, such as safety and surveillance, intelligent robot, and computer login. The reliability and accuracy of such systems will be influenced by the variation of background illumination. Therefore, how to accomplish an effective illumination compensation method for human face image is a key technology for face recognition. Our study uses several computer vision techniques to develop an illumination compensation algorithm to processing the single channel (such as grey level or illumination intensity) face image. The proposed method mainly consists of three processing modules: (1) Homomorphic Filtering, (2) Ratio Image Generation, and (3) Anisotropic …

Automatic Location For Multi-Symbology And Multiple 1d And 2d Barcodes, Daw-Tung Lin, Chin-Lin Lin

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Multi-symbology barcode location is a practical and challenging issue. Image-based barcode recognition techniques are robust and extendable approaches for reading versatile one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) barcodes. Most methods may work for a single 1D or 2D barcode or rely on a unique pattern to locate a single 1D or 2D barcode. This work proposes a general localization framework for extraction of real barcodes under complex backgrounds when multiple symbology types exist in the same snapshot for 1D barcodes, 2D barcodes, or both. There are five steps of the proposed algorithm: image grayscale conversion, adaptive thresholding, application of a modified …

Vehicle Counting Without Background Modeling, Cheng-Chang Lien, Cheng-Ta Hsieh, Ming-Hsiu Tsai

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

In general, the vision-based methods for vehicle detection/tracking may face the problems of illumination variation, shadows, or swaying trees. In this study, we propose a novel vehicle detection method without background modeling to overcome the aforementioned problems. First, a modified block-based frame differential method is established to quickly detect the moving vehicles without the influences of rapid illumination variations. Second, the precise vehicles’ regions are extracted with the dual foregrounds fusion method. Third, a texture-based object segmentation method is proposed to segment each vehicle from the merged foreground image blob and remove the shadows. Fourth, based on the concept of …

Traffic Monitoring And Event Analysis Based On Integrated Multivideo And Petri Net Process, Chang-Lung Tsai

Journal of Marine Science and Technology

Decreasing traffic accidents and events are one of the most important responsibilities for all of the governments in the world. However, it is difficult to exactly measuring the traffic condition. To find out the root cause of traffic accidents and restore the occurrence of traffic events, a traffic monitor and event analysis mechanism based on multi-videos processing and Petri net analysis techniques is proposed. In which, the traffic information is collected through the deployment of cameras at intersection of heavy traffic area. After then, all of the collected information is provided for constructing multiviewpoint traffic model. The significant features are …