Engineering Commons^™

Application Of Time-Scale And Frequency-Scale Modification Alogrithms To Voice-Gender Conversion, Elmar Jung

Masters

Voice conversion is an active new branch of speech processing and deals with the transformation of natural speech, focusing on changing the characteristics of the speaker’s voice. As a result of voice conversion, the speaker’s identity can be changed to make the converted speech sound as if it were uttered by a different speaker, or certain characteristics of the voice can be modified while maintaining the speaker’s identity. Voice-gender conversion (VGC) is a subset of voice conversion and focuses on the transformation of gender-specific voice characteristics. As a result of a voice-gender conversation, male speech is converted into female-sounding speech …

Effect Of Modified Clay-Zeolite Pigment On The Viscoelastic, Optical, And Printing Properties Of A Lwc Gravure Coating, Lokendra Pal

Masters Theses

This study investigates the influence of modified clay- zeolite pigment on the viscoelastic, optical, and printing properties of a LWC coating. Currently, lightweight, coated papers have experienced problems with mottle, distortion, fiber puffing and poor print quality when printed with water-based inks. However, water-based inks represent a proven solution to reducing volatile organic compound (VOCs) emissions. Poor wetting and ink spreading on the paper surface constitute the majority of print quality issues associated with the water-based printing of LWC papers.

Similar problems are encountered during the printing of ink jet papers due to high percentage of water contained in these …

Qualitative And Statistical Analysis Of The Florida Photovoltaic Rebate Program, Florida Solar Energy Center, Jennifer Szaro

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The Florida Photovoltaic (PV) Rebate Program, which began in March of 1999, has led to the installation of 52 utility interactive PV systems in seven electric utility service territories. The Program offered $4 per installed DC Watt to Florida electric consumers who installed grid-connected photovoltaic equipment in accordance with a series of quality control requirements developed and administered by the Florida Solar Energy Center. All rebated installations are currently being monitored in an effort to collect statistically significant reliability, performance and cost data on grid-connected PV systems. Funding for this program was provided through a one-time grant from the Florida …

Total Productive Maintenance (Tpm), Giuma Mohamed El Waer

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Power-Aware On Demand Routing Protocol For Mobile Wireless Ad-Hoc Networks, Mohammed Kamel Fattouh Mohammed

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Pulse Train™, A Novel Digital Control Method, Applied To A Discontinuous Conduction Mode Flyback Converter, Mark Telefus, Anatoly Shteynberg, Mehdi Ferdowsi, Ali Emadi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Pulse Train^TM, a new digital control technique for DC-DC converters is introduced and applied to a Flyback converter operating in discontinuous conduction mode (DCM). In contrast to the conventional analog control methods, the principal idea of this new algorithm is to use real time analysis. The proposed technique is appropriate for any converter operating in DCM. However, this work mainly focuses on Flyback converter. In this paper, the main mathematical concept of the new control algorithm is introduced and simulations as well as experimental results are presented.

Growth And Optical Properties Of Srbi₂Nb₂O₉ Ferroelectric Thin Films Using Pulsed Laser Deposition, Pingxiong Yang, David L. Carroll, John Ballato, Robert W. Schwartz

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High quality SrBi2Nb2O9 ferroelectric thin films were fabricated on platinized silicon using pulsed laser deposition assisted with dc glow discharge plasma. Microstructure and ferroelectric properties of the films were characterized. Optical properties of the thin films were studied by spectroscopic ellipsometry and photoluminescence from the ultraviolet to the infrared region. Optical constants, n~0.56 in the infrared region and n~2.24 in the visible spectral region, were determined through multilayer analyses on their respective pseudodielectric functions. The band-gap energy is estimated to be 3.60 eV. A photoluminescence peak at 0.78 µm, whose intensity decreases with decreasing temperature, was observed when excited with …

Shape-Controlled Synthesis Of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles, Yangchuan Xing, T. P. Kole, J. L. Katz

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A study on shape-controlled synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles was presented. a specially designed counterflow diffusion flame (CDF) reactor was used to synthesize the iron oxide nanoparticles. It was observed that the properties of surface atoms on the nanoparticles are associated with the chemical environments, leading to the preferential growth of a particular crystallographic surface.

Integrating Biological Principles In Environmental Engineering Education: Summary Results Of A Three-Year Pilot Study, Daniel B. Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Teaching biology to engineers is a challenge. For environmental engineers, biological principles are necessary to understand microorganisms that are removed from drinking water as well as microorganisms that treat waste in sewage treatment plants and bioremediation field sites. At the University of Cincinnati, we integrated state-of-the-art research in environmental microbiology within our graduate and undergraduate environmental engineering curricula. For the past three years, we taught a novel course entitled, "Molecular Biology in Environmental Engineering." Course evaluations over the past three years suggested that the course was successful for primarily two reasons, namely: (1) the course employed a problem-based learning approach …

Parallel Simulation Of Microflows By Dsmc And Burnett Equations, Yichuan Fang

Dissertations

The primary objective of this dissertation is to numerically simulate and study the heat transfer and flow characteristics in fluidic microelectromechanical system (MEMS). In typical microfluidic MEMS applications, the ratio of the gas mean-free-path to the characteristic length scale, or the Knudsen number, can be large. The traditional mathematical models of continuum fluid based on the Navier-Stokes equations may become invalid because of their constitutive relations of viscous stress and heat flux.

In this study, the direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method and the conventional Burnett equations are applied to model the microflows in microchannels from molecular and continuum point …

Investigation Of The Iced Flowfield Characteristics Related To The Stall Margin Instrumentation Used In Icing Conditions, Erik Pederson

Dissertations

The purpose of this dissertation is to investigate the relationship between the flowfield surrounding an iced airfoil and the stall margin instrumentation developed for use in icing conditions. The stall margin system indicates to the pilot the change in available lift due to ice accretions on the leading edge of an airfoil. This system displays the change in the form of a normalized lift coefficient. Four pressure ports are chosen to specifically maintain a constant calibration curve, for pressure versus normalized lift coefficient, regardless of ice shape. This allows these pressures to be used to determine the change in maximum …

Abandoned Railroad Corridors In Kentucky: An Inventory And Assessment, Lisa Rainey Brownell, Kentucky Transportation Center

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report provides an inventory of Kentucky's abandoned rail lines and a detailed assessment to highlight the lines that may be the most suitable for future trail use. A secondary purpose of the report was to inventory historic railroad structures. Over 125 different abandoned rail lines were identified, mapped using GIS technology, and assessed for their current use and condition. These abandoned rights of way exist in all regions of the state, in urban and rural areas.

Topological Features In Vector Fields, Thomas Wischgoll, Joerg Meyer

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Thermal Management Of Algan-Gan Hfets On Sapphire Using Flip-Chip Bonding With Epoxy Underfill, Jie Sun, H. Fatima, Alexei Koudymov, A. Chitnis, X. Hu, H.-M Wang, J. Zhang, Grigory Simin, J. Yang, Asif Khan

Faculty Publications

Self-heating imposes the major limitation on the output power of GaN-based HFETs on sapphire or SiC. SiC substrates allow for a simple device thermal management scheme; however, they are about a factor 20-100 higher in cost than sapphire. Sapphire substrates of diameters exceeding 4 in are easily available but the heat removal through the substrate is inefficient due to its low thermal conductivity. The authors demonstrate that the thermal impedance of GaN based HFETs over sapphire substrates can be significantly reduced by implementing flip-chip bonding with thermal conductive epoxy,underfill. They also show that in sapphire-based flip-chip mounted devices the heat …

New Degree At Au, Katie Shaw

Lake Union Herald

No abstract provided.

Rainwater Harvesting And Grey Water Recycling Systems, Liam Mccarton, Sean O'Hogain

Articles

The benefits of water efficiency measures, rainwater harvesting and greywater reuse are principally water savings and reduced volume of consumption. Cost savings can accrue to the water supplier and water user. These benefits can be felt at a local level. Only with widespread use of such technology will reduced pressure on water resources and the supply infrastructure be realised. These technologies should be considered in the context of an overall water conservation strategy and each situation evaluated separately. A water audit should be undertaken to establish existing water usage and possible demands that can be met by using these technologies. …

Development Of Procedures For Identifying High-Crash Locations And Prioritizing Safety Improvements, Kenneth R. Agent, Lenahan O'Connell, Eric R. Green, Doug Kreis, Jerry G. Pigman, Neil Tollner, Eric C. Thompson

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objectives of this study were to review and analyze the current procedures for identifying high-crash locations and evaluating and prioritizing roadway safety improvements at high-crash locations, and to recommend improved methods. Several tasks were undertaken to accomplish these objectives, including the following:

• Review of program guidelines and procedures used by other states to prioritize improvements at high-crash locations
• Review and documentation of Kentucky’s current procedures
• Update of Kentucky’s Crash Buildup Program software to be compatible with the 2000 crash report form
• Development of new software to assist in estimating the benefits and costs of potential projects for inclusion in …

Intelligent Transportation Systems Statewide Architecture, Joseph D. Crabtree, Jennifer R. Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report describes the development of Kentucky’s Statewide Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Architecture. The process began with the development of an ITS Strategic Plan in 1997-2000. A Business Plan, developed in 2000-2001, translated the goals of the Strategic Plan into specific project recommendations. To develop the Statewide Architecture, the project team first inventoried all existing and planned ITS projects in the state. A project architecture was developed for each identified project, and these project architectures were then merged to form the Statewide Architecture. This report describes the background work that set the stage for the architecture, the actual architecture development …

On-Line Signature Verification Using Global Features, Akrum Mamdouh Shawky

Archived Theses and Dissertations

The work presented in this thesis deals with the development of an on-line Handwritten Signature Verification methodology based on certain Global features that represent the entire signature as a whole. The aim of the research is to come up with an efficient "acceptance/rejection" mechanism that can be used to verify the authenticity of a certain signature. Global features are less expensive to compute than local features, they provide fast verification, and should provide accurate verification results. After identifying the entire global set of attributes that are to be investigated, Cramer's v-statistics and information-theoretic entropy measures of association were used in …

Jecp/Ed — A Computer Program For Simulation Of Selected-Area And Precession Electron Diffraction Patterns, Xingzhong Li

Nebraska Center for Materials and Nanoscience: Faculty Publications

Crystal structure determination by electron crystallography has been very successful in many fields, ranging from organic to inorganic materials. Collection of electron diffraction data is still a crucial step in electron crystallography. The curvature of the Ewald sphere limits the data available in each electron diffraction pattern. The dynamical multi-scattering effect of electron diffraction increases the complexity of the structure determination procedure.

A precession method (Vincent & Midgley, 1994) has been used to solve the crystal structure of AlmFe by Gjonnes and coworker (Berg et al., 1998; Gjonnes et al., 1998). The advantages of precession electron diffraction are (i) the …

A Software Debugger Interface For An 8051 Hardware Model, Lokesh Verma, Hardy J. Pottinger, Daryl G. Beetner

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A VHDL model of the 8051 microcontroller is a key component for a course in hardware-software codesign, in its second year of development at University of Missouri-Rolla. Our paper discusses a software-centric user interface developed for this model using Tcl/Tk. preliminary experience with using the debugger in an undergraduate laboratory is discussed.

The Influence Of Surface Treatments And Surface Finish On The Fatigue Properties Of Elastomers, Amir Tabakovic

Masters

Recent research has shown that fatigue life in non strain-crystallising rubber increases if the material is subjected to pre-loading. The central research question posed in this project is ‘whether preloading and surface treatments improve the surface finish of rubber components, reduce stress concentration and can this reduction partially account for greater fatigue resistance’. The specific objectives of the research are:- i) To assess surface finish measurements and to investigate the changes in stress concentration in preloaded rubber samples using White Light Interferometry. ii) To consider other non-contact methods of observing changes in stress concentration in preloaded samples through use of: …

Optimization Of Municipal Solid Waste Management In Port Said, Mohamed Fathy Abd El-Rahman Mohamed Badran

Archived Theses and Dissertations

This thesis is done at the American University in Cairo, and titled "Optimization of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Port Said". This thesis is presented by Mohamed Fathy Abd El-Rahman Mohamed Badran, under the supervision of Dr. Salah El-Haggar. Optimization of solid waste management systems was not applied to any Egyptian govemorate using any operational research methodologies. A new concept is arising in the collection activity of municipal solid waste management which is the use of collection stations. This concept was not used in Egypt. In this work, a proposed model for the municipal solid waste management system in Port …

Evaluation Of The Performance Of A Waste Stabilization Pond System In An Arid Region, Nadine Aly El-Aassar

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Optimization Of Receptive Fields For Mlp Networks With Ensemble Encoding, Deena Osama Hassan

Archived Theses and Dissertations

Ensemble encoding is a biologically-motivated, distributed data representation scheme for MLP networks. Multiple overlapping receptive fields are used to enhance locality of representation. The number, form, and placement of receptive fields have a great impact on performance. This thesis presents four heuristics, two based on descriptive statistics, and two based on clustering, for optimizing receptive field configuration, and compares their performance on four benchmark data sets. The two statistical approaches are based on the mean and median properties of the data set. The two clustering methods are the c-means and fuzzy c-means clustering. The four data sets used are well-known …

Assessment Of The Readiness Of Egyptian Companies To Implement Business Process Reengineering Programs, Hany Waguih Shoukry

Archived Theses and Dissertations

Business Process Reengineering (BPR) emerged as a performance improvement methodology in 1990. Its objective of radical process redesign to achieve dramatic performance improvements makes it a potential candidate to be applied in most Egyptian companies, especially in the Egyptian private sector that is struggling to upgrade its performance in the new global economy. Although the main problem of BPR is its high probability of failure, which is due to the failure of companies to fulfill all BPR prerequisites, very limited research exists on how to measure the readiness of a company to implement successful BPR programs. The current research addresses …

Chemical Treatment For Lignin Removal From Non-Wood Pulping Wastewater, Ahmed Abdel-Naby Teaama

Archived Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Environmental Sustainability Education At The University Of Michigan: Collaboration With Industry To Provide Experiential Learning Opportunities, Angela D. Lueking, Deborah A. Ross, Walter Weber Jr

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Concentrations in Environmental Sustainability (ConsEnSus) Program at the University of Michigan is a new multi-disciplinary opportunity for graduate students in the College of Engineering to pursue interests in environmental sustainability white obtaining a traditional engineering Master's degree. Students from several engineering departments complement traditional disciplinary course requirements with courses in environmental regulations, policies, and technology. A required case studies course of the ConsEnSus Program brings practicing engineers together with students to discuss real-world sustainability problems. The industrial participants interactively present relevant case studies, and provide opportunities for experiential learning through classroom activities and term projects. This paper …

Assessment Of The Performance Of Shape Memory Alloys As Implant Devices, Noura Ali Al-Khalifi

Theses

Shape memory alloys are one class of the family of smart materials. They are considered as biomaterials, since they are well accepted by the human body. One special feature of shape memory alloys (SMA) is their ability to revert to their previous shape. This material is deformed at low temperature and when it is heated, it returns (remember) to its original form. Although, the implant binary NiTi SMA is particularly successful as a biomaterial, our NiTi SMA consist of more that 50% (55.7%) of nickel. The main purpose of this thesis was to evaluate the biological response of the shape …

The Effectiveness Of Sacp In Controlling Of Concrete Steel Reinforcement In Aggressive Environments, Hassan Ali Abubaker Al Jafri

Theses

The Arabian Gulf is considered to be one of the world's most aggressive environments for reinforced concrete. Traditional methods of corrosion protection may not be enough to provide the required level of corrosion control for the design life of concrete structures in such environments.

Cathodic protection has been found as a viable technique of inhibiting chloride induced corrosion of steel in concrete structures. As an alternative to impressed current cathodic protection ICCP a remarkable developments recently have been made in the application of sacrificial anode cathodic protection as a means of enhancing the performance of patch repair.

The main objective …