Engineering Commons^™

Deep Reinforcement Learning For Collaborative Edge Computing In Vehicular Networks, Mushu Li, Jie Gao, Lian Zhao, Xuemin Shen

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Mobile edge computing (MEC) is a promising technology to support mission-critical vehicular applications, such as intelligent path planning and safety applications. In this paper, a collaborative edge computing framework is developed to reduce the computing service latency and improve service reliability for vehicular networks. First, a task partition and scheduling algorithm (TPSA) is proposed to decide the workload allocation and schedule the execution order of the tasks offloaded to the edge servers given a computation offloading strategy. Second, an artificial intelligence (AI) based collaborative computing approach is developed to determine the task offloading, computing, and result delivery policy for vehicles. …

Seismic Performance Of Chevron-Configured Special Concentrically Braced Frames With Yielding Beams, Hayato Asada, Andrew D. Sen, Tao Li, Jeffrey W. Berman, Dawn E. Lehman, Charles W. Roeder

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Current seismic design requirements for special concentrically braced frames (SCBFs) in chevron configurations require that the beams supporting the braces be designed to resist the demands resulting from the simultaneous yielding of the tension brace and degraded, post-buckling strength of the compression brace. Recent research, including large-scale experiments and detailed finite-element analyses, has demonstrated that limited beam yielding is not detrimental to chevron braced frame behavior and actually increases the story drift at which the braces fracture. These findings have resulted in new expressions for computing beam demands in chevron SCBFs that reduce the demand in the tension brace to …

Globally Optimal Passive Compliance Control For Tasks Having Multiple Homotopy Classes, Jacob J. Rice, Joseph M. Schimmels

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Redundant serial manipulators with variable stiffness actuators (VSAs) are capable of passive compliance control, in which the elastic behavior of the end-effector is controlled for robust interaction with a stiff environment. This paper addresses the problem of finding the globally optimal joint manipulation path (sequence of joint positions and compliances) that yields a desired task manipulation path (sequence of end-effector positions and compliances) when there is one degree of redundancy. The space of admissible joint paths can be very complex, with multiple bifurcations resulting in multiple homotopy classes of joint paths. Bifurcations due to singularities in the combined kinematic and …

Improved Virus Isoelectric Point Estimation By Exclusion Of Known And Predicted Genome-Binding Regions, Joe Heffron, Brooke Mayer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Knowledge of the isoelectric points (pIs) of viruses is beneficial for predicting virus behavior in environmental transport and physical/chemical treatment applications. However, the empirically measured pIs of many viruses have thus far defied simple explanation, let alone prediction, based on the ionizable amino acid composition of the virus capsid. Here, we suggest an approach for predicting the pI of nonenveloped viruses by excluding capsid regions that stabilize the virus polynucleotide via electrostatic interactions. This method was applied first to viruses with known polynucleotide-binding regions (PBRs) and/or three-dimensional (3D) structures. Then, PBRs were predicted in a group of 32 unique viral …

Real-Time Optical Monitoring Of Endotracheal Tube Displacement, Ramzan Ullah, Karl Doerfer, Pawjai Khampang, Faraneh Fathi, Wenzhou Hong, Joseph E. Kerschner, Bing Yu

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Proper ventilation of a patient with an endotracheal tube (ETT) requires proper placement of the ETT. We present a sensitive, noninvasive, operator-free, and cost-effective optical sensor, called Opt-ETT, for the real-time assessment of ETT placement and alerting of the clinical care team should the ETT become displaced. The Opt-ETT uses a side-firing optical fiber, a near-infrared light-emitting diode, two photodetectors with an integrated amplifier, an Arduino board, and a computer loaded with a custom LabVIEW program to monitor the position of the endotracheal tube inside the windpipe. The Opt-ETT generates a visual and audible warning if the tube moves over …

Determining Ground Elevations Covered By Vegetation On Construction Sites Using Drone-Based Orthoimage And Convolutional Neural Network, Yuhan Jiang, Yong Bai, Sisi Han

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Three-dimensional (3D) surveying of a construction site using an image-based method may produce incorrect ground elevation results at vegetation-covered regions, because the light rays are reflected on the surface of vegetation in front of the “truth” ground. This paper presents a convolutional neural network (CNN) method to identify and locate static vegetation using drone-based high-resolution orthoimages. The developed CNN-based image classification models are supplemented with an overlapping disassembling algorithm to generate , , , or small-patches as model inputs. The training datasets are 10 pairs of orthoimage and label-image dataset. Experimental results show that cropping a high-resolution image into 9,025 …

Comparative Transport Of Legionella And E. Coli Through Saturated Porous Media In A Two-Dimensional Tank, Indrayudh Mondal, Jazlyn Acosta, Absar Alum, Brooke Mayer, Paul Dahlen, Morteza Abbaszadegan

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This study investigated bacterial transport in a two-dimensional (2-D) tank to evaluate the bacterial behavior of Legionella pneumophila as compared to Escherichia coli under saturated flow to simulate aquifer conditions. The experiments were performed in a 2-D tank packed with 3700 in³ (60,632 cm³) of commercially available bagged play sand under saturated conditions. The tank was disinfected by backwashing with 10% chlorine solution and subsequently neutralized by backwashing with tap water containing sodium thiosulphate (Na₂S₂O₃) to ensure no chlorine residual. Bacterial transport was measured using samples collected from ports located at …

Determination Of Construction Site Elevations Using Drone Technology, Yuhan Jiang, Yong Bai

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Image-based 3D-reconstruction techniques, such as drone photogrammetry, have been adopted to various construction operations. The challenge is determining the construction site elevation, which is the vertical distance from the ground to the camera, in real-time. This paper presents the research results of using two frame drone-based ortho-images to estimate the elevation of a construction site. This idea is derived from the stereo vision model for measuring distance of indoor scenes. The spatial resolution of the stereo vision is a positive correlation with its baseline, the distance between two cameras. However, a large baseline stereo cameras system is impossible for a …

Modifying The Surface Chemistry And Nanostructure Of Carbon Nanotubes Facilitates The Detection Of Aromatic Hydrocarbon Gases, John N. Hodul, Allison K. Murray, Nikhil F. Carneiro, Joseph R. Meseke, Jacob Morris, Xinping He, Dimitry Zemlyanov, George T.-C. Chiu, James E. Braun, Jeffrey F. Rhoads, Bryan W. Boudouris

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The benzene, toluene, and xylene (BTX) compounds currently utilized in many building materials and paints have been linked to deleterious health effects, and thus, monitoring the presence of these compounds is of increasing importance with respect to public health. As such, there is a critical need for next-generation low-cost, selective, and sensitive indoor BTX sensors. Current BTX detection systems require multicomponent, complex devices or require high power input to achieve BTX detection at meaningful concentrations, but this long-standing paradigm can be altered through the introduction of tailored nanomaterials. Specifically, we demonstrate a selective BTX resonant mass sensor platform that leverages …

The Influence Of Marking Methods On Mobility, Survivorship, And Field Recovery Of Halyomorpha Halys (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Adults And Nymphs, Danielle M. Kirkpatrick, Kevin B. Rice, Aya Ibrahim, Shelby J. Fleischer, John F. Tooker, Amy Tabb, Henry Medeiros, William R. Morrison Iii, Tracy C. Leskey

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Halyomorpha halys (Stål), the brown marmorated stink bug, is an invasive and highly polyphagous insect that has caused serious economic injury to specialty and row crops in the United States and Europe. Here, we evaluated the effects of marking adult and nymphal H. halys with four different colors of fluorescent powder (Blaze Orange, Corona Pink, Horizon Blue, and Signal Green) on mobility and survivorship in laboratory bioassays. Adults and nymphs were marked using liquified fluorescent powder solutions and allowed to dry prior to bioassay. The presence of the marking solution had no significant effects on adult or nymphal mobility, adult …

Anomalous Growth Of Al8Mo3 Phase During Interdiffusion And Reaction Between Al And Mo, Abhishek Mehta, Le Zhou, Dennis D. Keiser Jr., Yongho Sohn

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Association Of Liver Tissue Optical Properties And Thermal Damage, Vivek K. Nagarajan, Jerrold M. Ward, Bing Yu

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background and Objectives

Complete thermocoagulation of tumors is vital to minimize the risk of local tumor recurrence after a thermal ablation. Histological assessments are not real-time and require experienced pathologists to grade the thermal damage (histopathology) [Correction added on 21 January, 2020 after first online publication: After thermal damage in the preceding sentence, (histopathology) was added]. Real-time assessment of thermal tissue damage during an ablation is necessary to achieve optimal tumor ablation. In our previous studies, we found that continuous monitoring of the wavelength-averaged (435–630 nm) tissue absorption coefficient (µ_a) and the reduced scattering coefficient () during …

Staying Connected – Interactive Student Learning During The Covid Transition To Remote Learning, Jeffrey A. Starke, Margaret L. Mcnamara, Richard James Povinelli, Daniela Castillo-Perez, Linda Noelle Brigham

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background.

How can we transition courses in one week, while maintaining a similar experience for students? This was probably the initial response by faculty across universities as they transitioned to remote learning, mid-semester, in response to the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Our approach is supported by the ICAP framework which posits that “as activities move from passive to active to constructive to interactive, students undergo different knowledge-change processes and, as a result, learning will increase.” (Chi and Wylie, 2014)

Purpose/Hypothesis.

How we could foster students’ interactions with course material, instructors, and their peers using collaborative technology and course activities? It was hypothesized …

Global Convergence Of Covid-19 Basic Reproduction Number And Estimation From Early-Time Sir Dynamics, Gabriel G. Katul, Asaad Mrad, Sara Bonetti, Gabriele Manolia, Anthony J. Parolari

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The SIR (‘susceptible-infectious-recovered’) formulation is used to uncover the generic spread mechanisms observed by COVID-19 dynamics globally, especially in the early phases of infectious spread. During this early period, potential controls were not effectively put in place or enforced in many countries. Hence, the early phases of COVID-19 spread in countries where controls were weak offer a unique perspective on the ensemble-behavior of COVID-19 basic reproduction number inferred from SIR formulation. The work here shows that there is global convergence (i.e., across many nations) to an uncontrolled R_o=4.5 that describes the early time spread of COVID-19. This value …

Autonomous Pev Charging Scheduling Using Dyna-Q Reinforcement Learning, Fan Wang, Jie Gao, Mushu Li, Lian Zhao

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This paper proposes a demand response method to reduce the long-term charging cost of single plug-in electric vehicles (PEV) while overcoming obstacles such as the stochastic nature of the user's driving behaviour, traffic condition, energy usage, and energy price. The problem is formulated as a Markov Decision Process (MDP) with an unknown transition probability matrix and solved using deep reinforcement learning (RL) techniques. The proposed method does not require any initial data on the PEV driver's behaviour and shows improvement on learning speed when compared to a pure model-free reinforcement learning method. A combination of model-based and model-free learning methods …

The Impact Of Metal Pipe Materials, Corrosion Products, And Corrosion Inhibitors On Antibiotic Resistance In Drinking Water Distribution Systems, Lee Kimbell, Yin Wang, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) are unique engineering environments that are important routes for the acquisition and dissemination of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in drinking water pose risks to human and environmental health. Metals are known stressors that can select for antibiotic resistance. The objective of this review was to assess the state of knowledge regarding the impact of metal pipe materials, corrosion products, and corrosion inhibitors on the prevalence of antibiotic resistance in DWDS. ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) have been detected in full-scale DWDS in concentrations ranging from ~ 10^{1 …}

Machine Learning-Based Temporary Traffic Control Cost Analysis, Yuhan Jiang, Sisi Han, Yong Bai

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

In a design-bid-build infrastructural project, the agency may use a lump-sum, or unit-price for temporary traffic control (TTC) items, while their cost is hard to estimate. This paper presents the research results of developing a machine learning model of the relationship between the TTC items’ cost with the project total cost and non-TTC items in infrastructural projects. In detail, 163 infrastructural projects’ data were collected for analyzing two research questions: first, the relationship between the TTC items with the project total cost and non-TTC items; second, the relationship between the TTC items’ payment option with the project total cost and …

Kinetics, Affinity, Thermodynamics, And Selectivity Of Phosphate Removal Using Immobilized Phosphate-Binding Proteins, Kaushik Venkiteshwaran, Erin Wells, Brooke Mayer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

A phosphate (P_i)-selective adsorption system featuring immobilized P_i-binding proteins (PBP) has recently attracted attention for ultralow P_i removal followed by recovery. This study investigated the adsorption kinetics, affinity, thermodynamics, and selectivity, as well as the effect of pH and temperature on P_i adsorption using immobilized PBP (PBP resin). Immobilizing PBP did not affect its P_i affinity. Kinetic studies at 22 °C and pH 7.1 showed that the PBP resin achieved 95% of its equilibrium capacity within 0.64 ± 0.2 min. The estimated Langmuir affinity constant (K_L) was 21 ± 5 …

Understanding The Laser Powder Bed Fusion Of Alsi10mg Alloy, Holden Hyer, Le Zhou, Sharon Park, Guilherme Gottsfritz, George Benson, Bjorn Tolentino, Brandon Mcwilliams, Kyu Cho, Yongho Sohn

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

We examine the microstructural characteristics of LPBF AlSi10Mg produced by using a wide range of LPBF processing parameters with independently varied laser power, hatch spacing, scan speed, slice thickness, and the normalized energy density. The lower energy density produced lack of fusion flaws from residual interparticle spacing, while the higher energy density produced spherical pores from trapped gas. The highest density (> 99%) samples were produced by using an energy density of 32 to 54 J/mm³. Within this energy density range, use of smaller slice thicknesses increased the processing window that would produce dense AlSi10Mg samples. A cellular …

Estimation Of Construction Site Elevations Using Drone-Based Orthoimagery And Deep Learning, Yuhan Jiang, Yong Bai

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Using deep learning to recover depth information from a single image has been studied in many situations, but there are no published articles related to the determination of construction site elevations. This paper presents the research results of developing and testing a deep learning model for estimating construction site elevations using a drone-based orthoimage. The proposed method includes an orthoimage-based convolutional neural network (CNN) encoder, an elevation map CNN decoder, and an overlapping orthoimage disassembling and elevation map assembling algorithm. In the convolutional encoder-decoder network model, the max pooling and up-sampling layers link the orthoimage pixel and elevation map pixel …

The Effect Of Discrete Visual Perturbations On Balance Control During Gait, Lara I. Riem, Brian D. Schmit, Scott A. Beardsley

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Immersive virtual reality provides a safe and costeffective approach to administrating balance disruption during ambulation. Previous research has explored the effects of applying continuous perturbations in a virtual environment to challenge balance. This pilot study investigates the ability to disrupt balance with discrete visual perturbations during ambulation in healthy young adults. During the study participants walked on a treadmill within a virtual environment. As they walked the entire visual scene was intermittently shifted to the left or right 1 meter over 1 second. The results demonstrate a significant decrease in step length (𝑝 <; 0.05) and change in center of mass excursion (𝑝 <; 0.05) across participants (𝑁=13). Changes in gait lasted up to three steps after application, suggesting a consistent challenge to dynamic balance control as a result of the discrete visual perturbation. Further, participants did not demonstrate a reduction in response to the discrete visual perturbation with repeated exposure. The results indicate that discrete visual perturbations of a virtual scene can be used to challenge gait and modulate center of mass sway. The use of visual perturbations within a virtual environment to challenge dynamic balance could provide a safer and more affordable avenue for balance rehabilitation by reducing the need for systems that physically perturb balance.

Multi-Homotopy Class Optimal Path Planning For Manipulation With One Degree Of Redundancy, Jacob J. Rice, Joseph M. Schimmels

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Redundant manipulators have an infinitely large set of joint paths that yield a desired end-effector path in the task space. A unique joint path can be obtained by minimizing a global cost function. Prior optimal control methods minimize a global cost function to find a local minimum within a homotopy class. Many possible locally optimal joint paths are in different homotopy classes. This paper presents an algorithm that effectively searches the solution space and finds many locally optimal paths in all relevant homotopy classes. The path with the lowest cost is very likely the globally optimal path. The algorithm is …

Dynamic Modeling And Optimal Design For Net Zero Energy Houses Including Hybrid Electric And Thermal Energy Storage, Huangjie Gong, Vandana Rallabandi, Dan M. Ionel, Donald Colliver, Shaun Duerr, Cristinel Ababei

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Net zero energy (NZE) houses purchase zero net metered electricity from the grid over a year. Technical challenges brought forth by NZE homes are related to the intermittent nature of solar generation, and are due to the fact that peak solar generation and load are not coincident. This leads to a large rate of change of load, and in case of high PV penetration communities, often requires the installation of gas power plants to service this variability. This article proposes a hybrid energy storage system including batteries and a variable power electric water heater which enables the NZE homes to …

The Neural Foundations Of Handedness: Insights From A Rare Case Of Deafferentation, S.A.L. Jayasinghe, F. R. Sarlegna, Robert A. Scheidt, R. L. Sainburg

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The role of proprioceptive feedback on motor lateralization remains unclear. We asked whether motor lateralization is dependent on proprioceptive feedback by examining a rare case of proprioceptive deafferentation (GL). Motor lateralization is thought to arise from asymmetries in neural organization, particularly at the cortical level. For example, we have previously provided evidence that the left hemisphere mediates optimal motor control that allows execution of smooth and efficient arm trajectories, while the right hemisphere mediates impedance control that can achieve stable and accurate final arm postures. The role of proprioception in both of these processes has previously been demonstrated empirically, bringing …

Task-Specific Versus Impairment-Based Training On Locomotor Performance In Individuals With Chronic Spinal Cord Injury: A Randomized Crossover Study, Jennifer K. Lotter, Christopher E. Henderson, Abby Plawecki, Molly E. Holthus, Emily H. Lucas, Marzieh M. Ardestani, Brian Schmit, George Hornby

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background. Many research studies attempting to improve locomotor function following motor incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) focus on providing stepping practice. However, observational studies of physical therapy strategies suggest the amount of stepping practice during clinical rehabilitation is limited; rather, many interventions focus on mitigating impairments underlying walking dysfunction. Objective. The purpose of this blinded-assessor randomized trial was to evaluate the effects of task-specific versus impairment-based interventions on walking outcomes in individuals with iSCI. Methods. Using a crossover design, ambulatory participants with iSCI >1-year duration performed either task-specific (upright stepping) or impairment-based training for up to 20 sessions over ≤6 …

Modeling And Simulation Of A 20kv Ultra-Fast Dc Circuit Breaker For Electric Shipboard Applications, Trevor Arvin, Jiangbiao He, Nathan Weise, Tiefu Zhao

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

A novel hybrid circuit breaker for medium voltage dc (MVDC) electric shipboard power systems is proposed. The breaker combines the benefits of the efficiency of a mechanical breaker and the interruption speed of a solid-state breaker. The proposed breaker utilizes a fast-ramping current source with a fast-actuating vacuum interrupter (VI) to provided ultra-fast response time and high on-state efficiency. During normal operation, nominal load current flows through the vacuum interrupter in the main conduction branch, providing a low-resistance path with negligible losses. During a fault, a current zero crossing is achieved by the use of a controllable resonant current source …

An Autoencoder And Artificial Neural Network-Based Method To Estimate Parity Status Of Wild Mosquitoes From Near-Infrared Spectra, Masabho Peter Milali, Samson S. Kiware, Nicodem J. Govella, Fredros Okumu, Naveen K. Bansal, Serdar Bozdag, Jacques D. Charlwood, Marta F. Maia, Sheila B. Ogoma, Floyd E. Dowell, George Corliss, Maggy T. Sikulu-Lord, Richard J. Povinelli

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

After mating, female mosquitoes need animal blood to develop their eggs. In the process of acquiring blood, they may acquire pathogens, which may cause different diseases in humans such as malaria, zika, dengue, and chikungunya. Therefore, knowing the parity status of mosquitoes is useful in control and evaluation of infectious diseases transmitted by mosquitoes, where parous mosquitoes are assumed to be potentially infectious. Ovary dissections, which are currently used to determine the parity status of mosquitoes, are very tedious and limited to few experts. An alternative to ovary dissections is near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), which can estimate the age in days …

Rainfall Manipulation Experiments As Simulated By Terrestrial Biosphere Models: Where Do We Stand?, Athanasios Paschalis, Simone Fatichi, Jakob Zscheischler, Philippe Ciais, Michael Bahn, Lena Boysen, Jinfeng Chang, Martin De Kauwe, Marc Estiarte, Daniel Goll, Paul J. Hanson, Anna B. Harper, Enqing Hou, Jaime Kigel, Alan K. Knapp, Klaus S. Larsen, Wei Li, Sebastian Lienert, Yiqi Luo, Patrick Meir, Julia E.M.S. Nabel, Romà Ogaya, Anthony J. Parolari, Changhui Peng, Josep Peñuelas, Julia Pongratz, Serge Rambal, Inger K. Schmidt, Hao Shi, Marcelo Sternberg, Hanqin Tian, Elisabeth Tschumi, Anna Ukkola, Sara Vicca, Nicolas Viovy, Ying-Ping Wang, Zhuonan Wang, Karina Williams, Donghai Wu, Qiuan Zhu

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Changes in rainfall amounts and patterns have been observed and are expected to continue in the near future with potentially significant ecological and societal consequences. Modelling vegetation responses to changes in rainfall is thus crucial to project water and carbon cycles in the future. In this study, we present the results of a new model‐data intercomparison project, where we tested the ability of 10 terrestrial biosphere models to reproduce the observed sensitivity of ecosystem productivity to rainfall changes at 10 sites across the globe, in nine of which, rainfall exclusion and/or irrigation experiments had been performed. The key results are …

Editorial: Water Environmental Research, Brooke Mayer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Cell Surface-Expression Of The Phosphate-Binding Protein Psts: System Development, Characterization, And Evaluation For Phosphorus Removal And Recovery, Faten Hussein, Kaushik Venkiteshwaran, Brooke Mayer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Simultaneous overabundance and scarcity of inorganic phosphate (P_i) is a critical issue driving the development of innovative water/wastewater treatment technologies that not only facilitate P_i removal to prevent eutrophication, but also recover P_i for agricultural reuse. Here, a cell-surface expressed high-affinity phosphate binding protein (PstS) system was developed, and its P_i capture and release potential was evaluated. E. coli was genetically modified to express PstS on its outer membrane using the ice nucleation protein (INP) as an anchoring motif. Verification of protein expression and localization were performed utilizing SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), western blot, and …