Engineering Commons^™

Deep Neural Networks As Time Series Forecasters Of Energy Demand, Gregory Merkel

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Short-term load forecasting is important for the day-to-day operation of natural gas utilities. Traditionally, short-term load forecasting of natural gas is done using linear regression, autoregressive integrated moving average models, and artificial neural networks. Many purchasing and operating decisions are made using these forecasts, and there can be high cost to both natural gas utilities and their customers if the short-term load forecast is inaccurate. Therefore, the GasDay lab continues to explore new ways to make better forecasts. Recently, deep neural networks (DNNs) have emerged as a powerful tool in machine learning problems. DNNs have been shown to greatly outperform …

An Analysis Of Testing Variables In Rapid Compression Machine Experiments, Jenna Ezzell

Master's Theses (2009 -)

There have been discrepancies noted with regards to experimental data from rapid compression machines (RCM). When data is compared from different RCM facilities, the ignition delay times are inconsistent when inspecting any particular temperature. Currently in publications, if these datasets are compared, the discrepancy is said to be due to heat loss, however this issue has yet to be examined more thoroughly. To determine what the root cause of this discrepancy is, four different fake RCM facilities were created and simulated. There were also different sets of initial conditions used to determine how this may affect the data. They were …

Development Of An Optimal Controller And Validation Test Stand For Fuel Efficient Engine Operation, Jack G. Rehn Iii

Master's Theses (2009 -)

There are numerous motivations for improvements in automotive fuel efficiency. As concerns over the environment grow at a rate unmatched by hybrid and electric automotive technologies, the need for reductions in fuel consumed by current road vehicles has never been more present. Studies have shown that a major cause of poor fuel consumption in automobiles is improper driving behavior, which cannot be mitigated by purely technological means. The emergence of autonomous driving technologies has provided an opportunity to alleviate this inefficiency by removing the necessity of a driver. Before autonomous technology can be relied upon to reduce gasoline consumption on …

Inter-Joint Coordination Deficits Revealed In The Decomposition Of Endpoint Jerk During Goal-Directed Arm Movement After Stroke, Jozsef Laczko, Robert A. Scheidt, Lucia Simo, Davide Piovesan

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

It is well documented that neurological deficits after stroke can disrupt motor control processes that affect the smoothness of reaching movements. The smoothness of hand trajectories during multi-joint reaching depends on shoulder and elbow joint angular velocities and their successive derivatives as well as on the instantaneous arm configuration and its rate of change. Right-handed survivors of unilateral hemiparetic stroke and neurologically-intact control participants held the handle of a two-joint robot and made horizontal planar reaching movements. We decomposed endpoint jerk into components related to shoulder and elbow joint angular velocity, acceleration, and jerk. We observed an abnormal decomposition pattern …

Markerless Kinematics Of Pediatric Manual Wheelchair Mobility, Jacob Robert Rammer

Dissertations (1934 -)

Pediatric manual wheelchair users face substantial risk of orthopaedic injury to the upper extremities, particularly the shoulders, during transition to wheelchair use and during growth and development. Propulsion strategy can influence mobility efficiency, activity participation, and quality of life. The current forefront of wheelchair biomechanics research includes translating findings from adult to pediatric populations, improving the quality and efficiency of care under constrained clinical funding, and understanding injury mechanisms and risk factors. Typically, clinicians evaluate wheelchair mobility using marker-based motion capture and instrumentation systems that are precise and accurate but also time-consuming, inconvenient, and expensive for repeated assessments. There is …

Multi-View Face Recognition From Single Rgbd Models Of The Faces, Donghun Kim, Bharath Comandur, Henry P. Medeiros, Noha M. Elfiky, Avinash Kak

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This work takes important steps towards solving the following problem of current interest: Assuming that each individual in a population can be modeled by a single frontal RGBD face image, is it possible to carry out face recognition for such a population using multiple 2D images captured from arbitrary viewpoints? Although the general problem as stated above is extremely challenging, it encompasses subproblems that can be addressed today. The subproblems addressed in this work relate to: (1) Generating a large set of viewpoint dependent face images from a single RGBD frontal image for each individual; (2) using hierarchical approaches based …

Modeling Micro-Porous Surfaces For Secondary Electron Emission Control To Suppress Multipactor, J. M. Sattler, Ronald A. Coutu Jr., R. Lake, T. Laurvick, T. Back, S. Fairchild

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

This work seeks to understand how the topography of a surface can be engineered to control secondary electron emission (SEE) for multipactor suppression. Two unique, semi-empirical models for the secondary electron yield (SEY) of a micro-porous surface are derived and compared. The first model is based on a two-dimensional (2D) pore geometry. The second model is based on a three-dimensional (3D) pore geometry. The SEY of both models is shown to depend on two categories of surface parameters: chemistry and topography. An important parameter in these models is the probability of electron emissions to escape the surface pores. This probability …

Performance Resilience Analysis Of Dynamic Feedback Controllers For Both Multiplicative And Additive Gain Perturbations, Fan Feng, Susan C. Schneider, Edwin E. Yaz

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

In this work, a procedure is presented for performance resilience analysis of continuous-time systems controlled by full-order dynamic feedback compensators. The resilience property is defined in terms of defining maximum perturbations on both the controller and observer gains that will maintain controller and observer eigenvalues in disjoint regions in the complex plane so that the closed loop system will sustain certain performance characteristics. The desired performance is characterized by the response speed and magnitude bounds on the response. Therefore, the intersection of two regions are chosen, vertical strips and sector regions, to guarantee upper and lower bounds on the settling …

Quantitative Optical Measurement Of Mitochondrial Superoxide Dynamics In Pulmonary Artery Endothelial Cells, Zahra Ghanian, Girija G. Konduri, Said H. Audi, Amadou K.S. Camara, Mahsa Ranji

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

The Arm Movement Detection (Amd) Test: A Fast Robotic Test Of Proprioceptive Acuity In The Arm, Leigh A. Mrotek, Maria Bengtson, Tina M. Stoeckmann, Lior Botzer, Claude Ghez, John Mcguire, Robert A. Scheidt

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background

We examined the validity and reliability of a short robotic test of upper limb proprioception, the Arm Movement Detection (AMD) test, which yields a ratio-scaled, objective outcome measure to be used for evaluating the impact of sensory deficits on impairments of motor control, motor adaptation and functional recovery in stroke survivors.

Methods

Subjects grasped the handle of a horizontal planar robot, with their arm and the robot hidden from view. The robot applied graded force perturbations, which produced small displacements of the handle. The AMD test required subjects to respond verbally to queries regarding whether or not they detected …

Investigation Of The Scanning Microarc Oxidation Process, Linqin Xia, Jianmin Han, Joseph P. Domblesky, Zhiyong Yang, Weijing Li

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Scanning microarc oxidation (SMAO) is a coating process which is based on conventional microarc oxidation (MAO). The key difference is that deposition in SMAO is achieved by using a stainless steel nozzle to spray an electrolyte stream on the substrate surface as opposed to immersing the workpiece in an electrolyzer. In the present study, SMAO discharge characteristics, coating morphology, and properties are analyzed and compared to results obtained from MAO under similar conditions. Results show that MAO and SMAO have comparable spark and microarc lifetimes and sizes, though significant differences in incubation time and discharge distribution were evident. Results also …

Optimizing Cloud-Service Performance: Efficient Resource Provisioning Via Optimal Workload Allocation, Zhuoyao Wang, Majeed M. Hayat, Nasir Ghani, Khaled B. Shaban

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Cloud computing is being widely accepted and utilized in the business world. From the perspective of businesses utilizing the cloud, it is critical to meet their customers' requirements by achieving service-level-objectives. Hence, the ability to accurately characterize and optimize cloud-service performance is of great importance. In this paper a stochastic multi-tenant framework is proposed to model the service of customer requests in a cloud infrastructure composed of heterogeneous virtual machines. Two cloud-service performance metrics are mathematically characterized, namely the percentile and the mean of the stochastic response time of a customer request, in closed form. Based upon the proposed multi-tenant …

Identity And Function Of A Cardiac Mitochondrial Small Conductance Ca2+-Activated K+ Channel Splice Variant, Meiying Yang, Amadou K. S. Camara, Mohammed Aldakkak, Wai-Meng Kwok, David F. Stowe

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

We provide evidence for location and function of a small conductance, Ca²⁺-activated K⁺ (SK_Ca) channel isoform 3 (SK3) in mitochondria (m) of guinea pig, rat and human ventricular myocytes. SK_Ca agonists protected isolated hearts and mitochondria against ischemia/reperfusion (IR) injury; SK_Ca antagonists worsened IR injury. Intravenous infusion of a SK_Ca channel agonist/antagonist, respectively, in intact rats was effective in reducing/enhancing regional infarct size induced by coronary artery occlusion. Localization of SK3 in mitochondria was evidenced by Western blot of inner mitochondrial membrane, immunocytochemical staining of cardiomyocytes, and immunogold labeling of isolated mitochondria. …

Low-Noise Speed-Optimized Large Area Cmos Avalanche Photodetector For Visible Light Communication, Md. Mottaleb Hossain, Sagar Ray, Jeng Shiuh Cheong, Liang Qiao, Aina N.A.P. Baharuddin, Mona Mostafa Hella, John P.R. David, Majeed M. Hayat

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Mean-gain and excess-noise measurements are presented for a 350 × 350 μm ² P+/N-well/P-sub and a 270 × 270 μm ² N-well/P-sub avalanche photodetectors fabricated using 0.13-μm CMOS technology. The active area of the P+/N-well/P-sub device was divided into multiple subsections to decrease transit time and increase speed. For the P+/N-well structure, remarkably low excess-noise factors of 4.1 and 4 were measured at a mean gain of 16 corresponding to a k value of approximately 0.1, using a 542 (633) nm laser. For a variant N-well/P-sub structure, excess-noise factors of 6.5 and 6.2 were measured at a mean-gain of 16 …

A Current-Dependent Switching Strategy For Si/Sic Hybrid Switch-Based Power Converters, Jiangbiao He, Ramin Katebi, Nathan Weise

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Abstract: Hybrid switches configured by paralleling Silicon (Si) Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) Metal-Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistors (MOSFET) have been verified to be a high-efficiency cost-effective device concept. In this paper, a current-dependent switching strategy is introduced and implemented to further improve the performance of Si/SiC hybrid switches. This proposed switching strategy is based on a comprehensive consideration of reducing device losses, reliable operation, and overload capability. Based on the utilization of such Si/SiC hybrid switches and the proposed switching strategy, a 15-kW single-phase H-bridge inverter prototype was implemented and tested in the laboratory. Simulation and …

Supplemental Vibrotactile Feedback Control Of Stabilization And Reaching Actions Of The Arm Using Limb State And Position Error Encodings, Alexis Krueger, Psiche Giannoni, Valay Shah, Maura Casadio, Robert A. Scheidt

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Deficits of kinesthesia (limb position and movement sensation) commonly limit sensorimotor function and its recovery after neuromotor injury. Sensory substitution technologies providing synthetic kinesthetic feedback might re-establish or enhance closed-loop control of goal-directed behaviors in people with impaired kinesthesia.

Erratum To: Supplemental Vibrotactile Feedback Control Of Stabilization And Reaching Actions Of The Arm Using Limb State And Position Error Encodings, Alexis Krueger, Psiche Giannoni, Valay Shah, Maura Casadio, Robert A. Scheidt

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The original article contained omissions mistakenly carried forward by the Production department handling this journal; these omissions related to missing ‘λ’ symbols throughout the article body, thus inaccurately representing the meaning of the associated text.

The article has now been updated to include these symbols in the appropriate sections of text to accurately reflect the conveyed implications.

Assessment Of Kinematics And Electromyography Following Arthroscopic Single-Tendon Rotator Cuff Repair, Jessica M. Fritz, Ryan R. Inawat, Brooke A. Slavens, John R. Mcguire, Dean W. Ziegler, Sergey S. Tarima, Steven I. Grindel, Gerald F. Harris

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background

The increasing demand for rotator cuff (RC) repair patients to return to work as soon as they are physically able has led to exploration of when this is feasible. Current guidelines from our orthopedic surgery clinic recommend a return to work at 9 weeks postoperation. To more fully define capacity to return to work, the current study was conducted using a unique series of quantitative tools. To date, no study has combined 3-dimensional (3D) motion analysis with electromyography (EMG) assessment during activities of daily living (ADLs), including desk tasks, and commonly prescribed rehabilitation exercise.

Objective

To apply a quantitative, …

Segmental Kinematic Analysis Of Planovalgus Feet During Walking In Children With Cerebral Palsy, Karen M. Kruger, Katherine A. Konop, Joseph Krzak, Adam Graf, Haluk Altiok, Peter A. Smith, Gerald F. Harris

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Pes planovalgus (flatfoot) is a common deformity among children with cerebral palsy. The Milwaukee Foot Model (MFM), a multi-segmental kinematic foot model, which uses radiography to align the underlying bony anatomy with reflective surface markers, was used to evaluate 20 pediatric participants (30 feet) with planovalgus secondary to cerebral palsy prior to surgery. Three-dimensional kinematics of the tibia, hindfoot, forefoot, and hallux segments are reported and compared to an age-matched control set of typically-developing children. Most results were consistent with known characteristics of the deformity and showed decreased plantar flexion of the forefoot relative to hindfoot, increased forefoot abduction, and …

Performance Testing And Analysis Of Synchronous Reluctance Motor Utilizing Dual-Phase Magnetic Material, Patel B. Reddy, Ayman M. El-Refaie, Min Zou, Di Pan, James P. Alexander, Nidhishri Tapadia, Kevin Grace, Kum-Kang Huh, Frank Johnson

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

While interior permanent magnet (1PM) machines have been considered the state-of-the art for traction motors, synchronous reluctance (SynRel) motors with advanced materials can provide a competitive alternative. 1PM machines typically utilize Neodymium 1ron Boron (NdFeB) permanent magnets, which pose an issue in terms of price, sustainability, demagnetization at higher operating temperatures, and uncontrolled generation. On the other hand, SynRel machines do not contain any magnets and are free from these issues. However, the absence of magnets as well the presence of bridges and centerposts limit the flux-weakening capability of a SynRel machine and limit the achievable constant power speed ratio …

Biplane Fluoroscopy For Hindfoot Motion Analysis During Gait: A Model-Based Evaluation, Janelle A. Cross, Ben Mchenry, Robert C. Molthen, Emily Exten, Taly Gilat-Schmidt, Gerald F. Harris

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The purpose of this study was to quantify the accuracy and precision of a biplane fluoroscopy system for model-based tracking of in vivo hindfoot motion during over-ground gait. Gait was simulated by manually manipulating a cadaver foot specimen through a biplane fluoroscopy system attached to a walkway. Three 1.6-mm diameter steel beads were implanted into the specimen to provide marker-based tracking measurements for comparison to model-based tracking. A CT scan was acquired to define a gold standard of implanted bead positions and to create 3D models for model-based tracking. Static and dynamic trials manipulating the specimen through the capture volume …

A Novel Approach To Complex Human Activity Recognition, Md Osman Gani

Dissertations (1934 -)

Human activity recognition is a technology that offers automatic recognition of what a person is doing with respect to body motion and function. The main goal is to recognize a person's activity using different technologies such as cameras, motion sensors, location sensors, and time. Human activity recognition is important in many areas such as pervasive computing, artificial intelligence, human-computer interaction, health care, health outcomes, rehabilitation engineering, occupational science, and social sciences. There are numerous ubiquitous and pervasive computing systems where users' activities play an important role. The human activity carries a lot of information about the context and helps systems …

Inclusion Of An Introduction To Infrastructure Course In A Civil And Environmental Engineering Curriculum, Esmaeili Behzad, Philip J. Parker, Steven D. Hart, Brooke K. Mayer, Led Klosky, Michael R. Penn

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Civil infrastructure refers to the built environment (sometimes referred to as public works) and consists of roads, bridges, buildings, dams, levees, drinking water treatment facilities, wastewater treatment facilities, power generation and transmission facilities, communications, solid waste facilities, hazardous waste facilities, and other sectors. Although there is a need to train engineers who have a holistic view of infrastructure, there is evidence that civil and environmental engineering (CEE) programs have not fully addressed this increasingly recognized need. One effective approach to address this educational gap is to incorporate a course related to infrastructure into the curriculum for first-year or second-year …

Semicoupled Modeling Of Interaction Between Deformable Tires And Pavements, Jaime Hernandez, Imad L. Al-Qadi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The interaction between deformable tires and pavements was studied using finite-element modeling and a semicoupled approach. Three finite-element models were used: (1) a hyperelastic tire rolling on an infinitely rigid surface; (2) a three-dimensional pavement model; and (3) a hyperelastic tire rolling on a deformable viscoelastic body. The tire and pavement models have been successfully compared with experimental measurements. Tire interaction with a rigid surface provided contact stresses to excite the pavement model, and results of the pavement model defined the boundary conditions of the tire rolling on the deformable body. After that, the pavement loaded with the contact stresses …

Speaker-Specific Adaptation Of Maeda Synthesis Parameters For Auditory Feedback, Joseph Vonderhaar

Master's Theses (2009 -)

The Real-time Articulatory Speech Synthesizer (RASS) is a research tool in the Marquette Speech and Swallowing lab that simultaneously collects acoustic and articulatory data from human participants. The system is used to study acoustic-to-articulatory inversion, articulatory-to-acoustic synthesis mapping, and the effects of real-time acoustic feedback. Electromagnetic Articulography (EMA) is utilized to collect position data via sensors placed in a subject’s mouth. These kinematic data are then converted into a set of synthesis parameters that controls an articulatory speech synthesizer, which in turn generates an acoustic waveform matching the associated kinematics. Independently from RASS, the synthesized acoustic waveform can be further …

Network-On-Chip Based H.264 Video Decoder On A Field Programmable Gate Array, Ian Barge

Master's Theses (2009 -)

This thesis develops the first fully network-on-chip (NoC) based h.264 video decoder implemented in real hardware on a field programmable gate array (FPGA). This thesis starts with an overview of the h.264 video coding standard and an introduction to the NoC communication paradigm. Following this, a series of processing elements (PEs) are developed which implement the component algorithms making up the h.264 video decoder. These PEs, described primarily in VHDL with some Verilog and C, are then mapped to an NoC which is generated using the CONNECT NoC generation tool. To demonstrate the scalability of the proposed NoC based design, …

Developing An Imaging Biomarker To Detect Aberrant Brain Connectivity In Individual Patients, Esther Cox

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI) has been proven to be a valuable tool in clinical applications such as pre-surgical mapping, but there is not yet a functional and usable algorithm that can be used by physicians in a clinical setting to evaluate an individual patient for diseases and aberrant brain connectivity. If a physician wants to evaluate a patient in this way, the rsfMRI data must be looked at “by hand,” i.e. the physician must manually evaluate the data and identify the functional ICN’s and whether they are normal or aberrant. An algorithm that would automate this process and supplement …

Java Server Reliability In The Presence Of Failures, Rich Coe

Master's Theses (2009 -)

A design for the separation of a server interface and work processing. Numerous sources, Tanenbaum (Tanenbaum Modern Operating Systems, 493), Goscinski (Goscinski Distributed operating systems, 203), and Birman (Birman Reliable distributed systems, 265), all discuss the concept of Two-Phase Commit, where a coordinator directs one or more processes to perform a transaction. If the transaction or any of the processes fail, the coordinator can decide how to proceed by either retrying or aborting the request. The popular web browser Chrome utilizes a separate process for each tab displayed. Should the rendering and display of a web page cause a crash, …

Evaluating The Bond Behavior Between Frp And Grooved Concrete Specimens Using Single Shear Pull Out Test, John Omboko

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Surface preparation affects the bond behavior between Fiber Reinforcing Polymer (FRP) composite material and concrete. In this research, a special type of surface preparation known as grooving, which involves cutting transverse grooves, is conducted on concrete blocks (specimens) that are categorized as either Unfilled (U) or Filled (F). This idea is to ascertain how the grooves affect the strength of FRP-bonded-concrete specimen. These two categories are then benchmarked to control (C) specimens which do not have grooves on them. Category U specimens only have the epoxy applied on the concrete surface while category F specimens have epoxy applied on both …

Characterization Of The Shock Wave Structure In Water, Emilie Teitz

Master's Theses (2009 -)

The scientific community is interested in furthering the understanding of shock wave structures in water, given its implications in a wide range of applications; from researching how shock waves penetrate unwanted body tissues to studying how humans respond to blast waves. Shock wave research on water has existed for over five decades. Previous studies have investigated the shock response of water at pressures ranging from 1 to 70 GPa using flyer plate experiments. This report differs from previously published experiments in that the water was loaded to shock pressures ranging from 0.36 to 0.70 GPa. The experiment also utilized tap …