Engineering Commons^™

Wide I/O Dram Architecture Utilizing Proximity Communication, Qawi Ibnzayd Harvard

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The bandwidth and power consumption of dynamic random access memory, used as the main memory of a computer system, impacts the computer’s execution rate even with the existence of a memory hierarchy. DRAM manufacturers focus on density increases due to the innate price per bit decline of main memory while processor manufacturers continually focus on boosting performance by increasing the number of instructions completed per second. This leads to a performance gap between the microprocessor and DRAM.

Proximity communication promises to increase the I/O density of DRAM products while reducing the power consumption of the main memory system. This thesis …

The Root Causes Of Errant Ordered Radiology Exams, Benjamin Duman

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to determine why there was a high number of errant radiology orders from requesting physicians at ATA Hospital. As the researcher, I wanted to clearly define errant orders, determine the root causes of errant orders, and further, make recommendations that would help diminish current as well as future order errors. This study answers three research questions: RQ1. Exactly what are the performance problems associated with errant orders within ATA Hospital’s radiology department that warrant further research? RQ2. What causes the increase in errant radiological orders at ATA Hospital? And, RQ3. What types of performance …

Cross Sections Used To Elucidate Differences In Wavelet Transforms Of Ground Force Reactions, Wesley John Orme

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

A study done for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) found that over 50% of sports related injuries are to the lower extremities [1] with additional studies indicating that females, adolescent through collegiate, have a higher rate of lower extremity sports related injuries than males [2-4]. Conditions surrounding non-contact injuries can be analyzed using ground reaction force (GRF) data from force plates during unanticipated single leg drops, however, the expected gender differences in GRF may not be apparent when viewing data independently in the time or frequency domains.

Graphing the results of a wavelet transform, currently used by scientific, medical, …

Computational Fluid Dynamics Modeling Of Atmospheric Flow Applied To Wind Energy Research, Alan Russell

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

High resolution atmospheric flow modeling using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has many applications in the wind energy industry. A well designed model can accurately calculate wind speed, direction, and turbulence at any point in a wind farm using data from a fixed location source. The model can extend point source data over an area of several square kilometers, or map terrain influenced microclimates using remote wind data. A local flow model is critical for wind resource site assessment, and for optimizing wind farm turbine layout for maximum power production. A CFD simulation of an operating wind farm, coupled with a …

Digitally-Tunable Surface Acoustic Wave Resonator, Robert Russell Hay

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology has been utilized in numerous research and commercial devices since the practical implementation was enabled by the availability of suitable photolithographic techniques in the 1970s. With the traditional approach to implementing these devices the frequency response is established during manufacture. This dissertation proposes a different approach to implementing a SAW device. The SAW structure is added to the top of an integrated circuit so that the frequency response can be digitally controlled and the peak resonant frequency can be varied. The approach is based on implementing a phase-controlled interface between the SAW transducer fingers and …

Biomechanical Evaluation Of Glenohumeral Joint Stabilizing Muscles During Provocative Tests Designed To Diagnose Superior Labrum Anterior-Posterior Lesions, Vanessa J. C. Wood

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Despite considerable advances in the understanding of glenohumeral (GH) biomechanics and glenoid labral pathologies, arthroscopy remains the only definitive means of Superior Labrum Anterior-Posterior (SLAP) lesion diagnosis. Unfortunately, natural GH anatomic variants limit the reliability of radiography. Accurate clinical diagnostic techniques would be advantageous due to the invasiveness, patient risk, and financial cost associated with arthroscopy. Twenty provocative tests designed to elicit labral symptoms as a diagnostic sign have shown promising accuracy by their respective original authors, but later studies generally fail to reproduce those findings. The purpose of this study was to compare the behavior of GH joint stabilizing …

A Wireless Sensor Data Fusion Framework For Contaminant Detection, Joshua Kiepert

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In the search for more effective instruments to collect data for the identification of threats to security, health, and safety, new tools must be designed to meet the challenges of a diverse set of possible applications. The extensive range of potential applications raises the need for a general purpose system capable of addressing a wide variety of deployment environments. This thesis focuses on a wireless sensor network framework for collecting environmental data in an effort to develop a sensing solution that fits within many design spaces. The framework includes reconfigurable wireless sensor node hardware, firmware, and software for interfacing sensor …

Phase Change Memory: Array Development And Sensing Circuits Using Delta-Sigma Modulation, Mahesh Balasubramanian

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Chalcogenide based non-volatile Phase Change Memory (PCM) circuits were designed to investigate new emerging non-volatile memory technologies. An overview of the operation of chalcogenide-based resistive PCM for circuit designers is presented. MOSIS fabrication service was used along with Idaho Microfabrication Lab at Boise State University to develop PCM chips. Experimental results show successful integration of two discreet processing services for developing chalcogenide based non-volatile memory circuits. Possible multi-state capabilities were observed during the testing of single memory bits.

Four Delta Sigma Modulation (DSM) based sensing techniques for resistive memory are presented. The proposed sensing techniques have the advantage over traditional …

Carbon-Free Compressed Air Energy Storage, Dustin Andrew Shively

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The inherent intermittency of the two fastest growing renewable energy sources, wind and solar, presents a significant barrier to widespread penetration and replacement of fossil-fuel sourced baseload generation. These intermittencies range from short term ramp events experienced by wind farms to the diurnal fluctuation of solar installations. Traditionally, grid operators have had very little control over demand and full control over supply. With the increase in wind and solar based generation onto an electric grid comes a decrease in control of supply. Grid operators are required to have a certain amount of spinning reserve ready to respond when wind or …