Engineering Commons^™

Dc: Small: Energy-Aware Coordinated Caching In Cluster-Based Storage Systems, Yifeng Zhu

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

The main goal of this project is to improve the performance and energy efficiency of I/O (Input/Output) operations of large-scale cluster computing platforms.

The major activities include:

1) characterize the memory access workloads;
2) investigate the new and emerging new storage and memory devices, such as SSD and PCM, on I/O performance.
(3) study energy-efficient buffer and cache replacement algorithms,
(4) leveraging SSD as a new caching device to improve the energy efficiency and performance of I/O performance

Dc:Small: Energy-Aware Coordinated Caching In Cluster-Based Storage Systems, Yifeng Zhu

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

As the computing capacity increases rapidly in large-scale cluster computing platforms, power management becomes an increasingly important concern. This project focuses on the research of reducing disk and memory power consumption through energy-aware cooperative caching in cluster-based storage systems. The project leverages I/O characteristics of scientific applications and dynamic power management features of disk drives and memory chips to reduce I/O energy consumption. This project involves three components: (1) investigate program context based pattern detection to predict I/O activities in the operating systems, (2) investigate disk energy aware cooperative cache management schemes, and (3) prototype the management schemes and incorporate …

Wiscasset Municipal Airport Master Plan Update, Stantec

Maine Town Documents

Airport Master Plan Update. AIP No. 3-23-0049-15-2010. October 2014.

Part I: Section 1 - Section 7
Part II: Appendix 1 Glossary - Appendix 3 Obstruction Analysis
Part III: Appendix 4 Alternative Plans

Mri: Acquisition Of A Squid Magnetometer For Analysis Of Advanced Materials, Robert W. Meulenberg, Robert J. Lad, David J. Frankel, Michael D. Mason, Samuel T. Hess

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Technical Summary: Superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometry is a non-destructive technique that reveals detailed information about the electron spin interactions in many types of materials. This project will involve a state-of-the-art SQUID magnetometer and Magnetic Property Measurement System (MPMS), which is a critical tool for characterizing several types of materials currently being investigated by researchers within the Laboratory for Surface Science & Technology (LASST) and other University of Maine (UMaine) laboratories. Specific measurement capabilities include DC and AC magnetic susceptibility, magnetoresistivity, van der Paaw conductivity, and Hall mobility. State-of-the-art MPMS capabilities will be especially valuable to several research programs …

Collaborative Research: North East Cyberinfrastructure Consortium, Michael Eckardt, Vicki Nemeth, Carolyn Mattingly

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

The North East Cyberinfrastructure Consortium has finished its third year of Track-2 funding. In this report we summarize our overall progress and progress for Year 3.

In 2006, we began to organize as the five North Eastern EPSCoR states (ME, NH, VT, Rl, DE) around cyberinfrastructure. The box below describes the state of cyberinfrastructure in 2008 by which time we had developed the North East Cyberinfrastructure Consortium to position ourselves for grant opportunities that would help us to address our cyber deficits.

The Track-2 collaborative proposal submitted in January 2009 was designed to address these barriers in order enable our …

Modeling The Costs Of Cellulosic Biofuel, Maxwell Berube

Honors College

This thesis seeks to establish the private and external costs of the production of cellulosic biofuel from woody biomass. A model is presented which explores the economic feasibility of a firm producing this biofuel using a particular process. Specifically, it examines the input costs including the external costs of transportation, the external cost of pollutants produced by the firm, and potential cost reductions that may be applied as a result of learning from accumulated experience. In order to evaluate the feasibility of the plant, a spreadsheet model is built and a Monte Carlo simulation is run in order to evaluate …

Avoiding Aggregation During Drying And Rehydration Of Nanocellulose, Evelyn Fairman

Honors College

Nanocellulose has attracted attention from academic researchers and industrial corporations worldwide. It is a sustainable raw material with remarkable strength and rheological properties. The industrial production of nanocellulose is an aqueous process; however, many of its valuableproperties are lost upon water removal. Indeed, once dried, nanocellulose irreversibly assembles into a plastic-like material. Currently it can betoo expensive to transport the aqueous suspensions. In order to mitigate high transportation costs, a methodmust be developed to dry and rehydrate nanocellulose whilst maintaining its nano-morphology. The current work demonstrates that the introduction of a cationic surfactant into the aqueous nanocellulose suspensionyields a chemical …

The Finite Element Analysis And Optimization Of A Circumcision Device For Hiv Prevention In Sub-Saharan Africa, Abraham W. Hamilton

Honors College

Millions of people around the world are affected by HIV. Studies have demonstrated that the circumcision of heterosexual males leads to an approximate 60% reduction in the potential for the contraction of the virus from a female partner. Current surgical circumcision techniques are not feasible on the required scale in remote settings. An innovative solution is needed. The goal of this project is to develop a safe and effective device for large-scale circumcision efforts in remote regions of sub-Saharan Africa. This thesis will focus specifically on the analysis and optimization of the device. A full scale finite element analysis of …

Surface Acoustic Wave-Based Manipulation Of Intracellular Structures In Adherent Cultured Cells, Jeffrey Servetas

Honors College

A method for manipulating constituents of cells through the use of surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices is investigated. Cells are allowed to adhere to the gold surface of a SAW device, and the device is then operated at low power, with the intention of altering the distribution or activity of intracellular structures or organelles, while avoiding damage, or cell death. The method is compared to alternatives, such as optical tweezers, and pulsatile electrical stimulation.

Synthesis And Accelerated Testing Of Oxynitride Films For High Temperature Applications, Robert J. Lad, Rosemary Smith

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

NON-TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION:
There is a critical need for new protective ceramic coatings that can operate in harsh environments with service temperatures in the 1000-1500oC range. These ceramic coatings must exhibit excellent heat resistance, chemical stability, fracture toughness and wear durability so they can be reliably be used in applications such high performance engines, shrouds, rotors, seals, slides, and bearings. A major problem is that conventional ceramic coatings crack and delaminate during thermal cycling in reactive gases at extreme temperatures. This project focuses on developing and testing Si-Al-O-N and Si-Zr-O-N thin film coatings and tailoring their properties to achieve high performance …

Maine Tidal Power Initiative: Environmental Impact Protocols For Tidal Power, Michael Peterson, Gayle Zydlewski, Huijie Xue, Teresa R. Johnson

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

As a result of ongoing climate change, the pressure for the development of new sources of renewable energy has increased. It is extremely likely that climate change is caused by anthropogenic activities. Thus even if dramatic gains are made in energy efficiency; the addition of novel renewable energy sources is critical to reducing fossil fuel emissions. Even current goals for a reduction in the growth of greenhouse gas emissions mean that all possible low-carbon or non-carbon emitting energy sources be considered. In the marine environment, energy in tidal currents, waves, and thermal structure may be extracted to produce electricity. These …

Maine Epscor End-To-End Connectivity For Sustainability Science Collaboration, Michael Eckardt, Vicki Nemeth, Jeffrey Letourneau, Bruce E. Segee

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

This NSF EPSCoR C2 project allowed Maine EPSCoR to continue the state’s momentum to enhance the connectivity of the state’s research, higher education, and K-12 institutions through Maine’s Research and Education Network (MaineREN). Over the last few years, multi-million dollar investments have built networking and computing power at the state level, including: 1) the installation of 1,100 miles of middle-mile fiber optic cable; 2) investments in shared computing resources for high performance computing and cloud computing; 3) the Maine School and Library Network; 4) the Maine Learning Technology Initiative (grade 6-12 laptops); and 5) investments in high-performance visualization and videoconferencing. …

Big Broadband: One Component Of A Complex System, Gemma Scott

STEM Student Scholarship

Within the context of analyzing a trend in educational computer networking, this paper identifies the history of the Maine School and Library Network (MSLN) as well as the cause and funding for infrastructure upgrades that produced a state-wide dark fiber network. Whereas the physical media backbone is well designed and in place, and policy makers have been sold on the potential to harness the large amounts of bandwidth it is capable of carrying, the infrastructure to bring this bandwidth in and around many school Local Area Networks (LANs) is still lacking on multiple levels. This paper also discuses additional upgrades …