Engineering Commons^™

Traffic Signal Control - A Neural Network Approach, Gerard Nivard Cadet

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) have been proven to be an important development in a variety of problem solving areas. Increasing research activity in ANN applications has been accompanied by equally rapid growth in the commercial mainstream use of ANNs. However, there is relatively little research of practical application of ANNs taking place in the field of transportation engineering. The central idea of this thesis is to use Artificial Neural Network Software Autonet in connection with Highway Capacity Software to estimate delay. Currently existing signal control system are briefly discussed and their short coming presented. As a relative new mathematical model, …

Temporal Gis Applications In Public Transit Planning And Management, Hesham R. Elbadrawi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Geographic Information Systems (GISs) provide a powerful framework for various tasks of transit management such as planning, performance evaluation, and marketing. GIS may be used to solve complex planning problems, assist in operations planning, and meet other management and operational needs. However, due to the changing nature of transit planning and operational data, transit planners and operators need to analyze the data over time, which requires a temporal GIS that is capable of storing, manipulating, and analyzing changes with respect to both time and space.

Temporal GIS will allow planners and transit operators to analyze data within a certain time …

Characterization And Modeling Of Multi-Conductor Transmission Line Using Finite-Difference Time-Domain Method, Sanjay Bajracharya

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A two-dimensional, 2D, finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method is used to analyze two different models of multi-conductor transmission lines (MTL). The first model is a two-conductor MTL and the second is a threeconductor MTL. Apart from the MTL's, a three-dimensional, 3D, FDTD method is used to analyze a three-patch microstrip parasitic array. While the MTL analysis is entirely in time-domain, the microstrip parasitic array is a study of scattering parameter Sn in the frequency-domain. The results clearly indicate that FDTD is an efficient and accurate tool to model and analyze multiconductor transmission line as well as microstrip antennas and arrays.

Developing Brownfields Ranking Models Using Decision Analytic Methods, Adjo A. Amekudzi

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The redevelopment of Brownfields has taken off in the 1990s, supported by federal and state incentives, and largely accomplished by local initiatives. Brownfields redevelopment has several associated benefits. These include the revitalization of inner-city neighborhoods, creation of jobs, stimulation of tax revenues, greater protection of public health and natural resources, the renewal and reuse existing civil infrastructure and Greenfields protection. While these benefits are numerous, the obstacles to Brownfields redevelopment are also very much alive. Redevelopment issues typically embrace a host of financial and legal liability concerns, technical and economic constraints, competing objectives, and uncertainties arising from inadequate site information. …

Intelligent Dynamic Space Management Systems, Margaret-Rose Madeleine Dabdoub

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this work is to design, simulate and synthesize a dynamic space controller system. The concept of space allocation and management can be applied to more than physical space. It may also be taken in the contexts of memory, network or bus management. The management and allocation of any space depends mostly on the twin factors of demand and availability. Time, the size and amount of space available, as well as the number of requests for the spaces, must also be considered. The proposed design has the capability to monitor multiple spaces for vacancies, length of time occupied …

Flexible Pavement Layer Moduli Determination : An Adaptive Artificial Neural Network Approach, Michael A. Adeife

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The estimation of pavement layer moduli through the use of an artificial neural network is a new concept which provides a less strenuous strategy for backcalculation procedures. Artificial Neural Networks are biologically inspired models of the human nervous system. They are specifically designed to carry out a mapping characteristic. This study demonstrates how an artificial neural network uses non-destructive pavement test data in determining flexible pavement layer moduli. The input parameters include plate loadings, corresponding sensor deflections, temperature of pavement surface, pavement layer thicknesses and independently deduced pavement layer moduli.

Development Of A Security Network (Secnet) Based On Integrated Services Digital Network (Isdn), Isidro Alvarez

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The progress in the computing and communication industries together with the fast evolution of the semiconductor industry has made possible advances in the communications field. These advances have been used by other related applications to improve the services that they bring about. On the other hand, business crimes have increased three digits orders of magnitude in one decade, making from 20% to 30% of small businesses fail. These conditions demand new solutions to make security systems more reliable and efficient.

The present work combines ISDN as a network with a security system to create a security network (SECNET). It will …

A New Microprocessor-Controlled Stimulator For Visual Evoked Potential Acquisition, Octavio Gabriel Garrastacho

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to develop two computer-controlled visual evoked potential (VEP) stimulators. The first device employs a 12 x 12 matrix of 5 mm square Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) and is housed in an 8 x 8 utility box structure. The second device employs two 8x8 matrices of 3 mm square LEDs, each housed in one eyepiece of a goggle-like structure. A quantitative comparison of the performance of these stimulators was carried out in terms of absolute and interpeak latencies, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and cross-correlation between sequential responses obtained from them. Six normal adult subjects were involved …

Tribological Study Of Ps-23 For Possible Automotive Applications, Roberto R. Carballo

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

PS-23® is a new oil conditioner developed in South Africa by Lubrioil S.A. Chemical and physical analysis, and experimental studies were conducted to investigate the possibility of using PS-23® as an engine oil additive package. Mobil 1OW-30 is used as the engine oil. The experimental results indicate that PS-230 contains unexpectedly high levels of calcium and phosphorus, and that mixing 10% PS-23® in volume decreases the lubricant viscosity and increases its volatility. The start-stop tests using small engines were used to test PS-23® in a severe operating condition. The experimental observation suggests that under such an adverse combustion environment, the …