Engineering Commons^™

Modeling The Cellular Level Of Natural Sensing With The Functional Basis For The Design Of Biomimetic Sensor Technology, Jacquelyn K. Stroble, Robert B. Stone, Daniel A. Mcadams, L. H. Shu, Steve Eugene Watkins

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

After surveying biology for natural sensing solutions six main types of extraneous sensing were identified across the biological kingdoms. Natural sensing happens at the cellular level with receptor cells that respond to photo, chemo, eletro, mechano, thermo and magnetoreceptor-type stimuli. At the highest level, all natural sensing systems have the same reaction sequence to stimuli: perception, transduction, and response. This research is exploring methods for knowledge transfer between the biological and engineering domains. With the use of the Functional Basis, a well-defined modeling language, the ingenuity of natural sensing can be captured through functional models and crossed over into the …

Performance Of A Quaternary Logic Design, M. Dornajafi, B. Cooper, Steve Eugene Watkins, M. Ryan Bales

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper analyzes the performance of a quaternary logic circuit and its components. The multi-valued logic design consisting of two drivers and a transistor matrix is simulated using Mentor Graphic software. Functional operation of the circuit is shown and propagation delay and power consumption are determined. The design is dependent on the voltage values for the multi-valued logic. Three logic cases are investigated. The performance of the logic circuit as a quaternary difference calculator is described.

Secured Hardware Design - An Overview, S. Burugapalli, Waleed K. Al-Assadi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Security is a prime concern in the design of a wide variety of embedded systems and security processors. So the customer security devices such as smart cards and security processors are prone to attack and there are on going research to protect these devices from attackers who intend to extract key information from these devices. Also an active attacker can induce errors during computation and exploit the faulty result to extract the key information embedded in the processor. Due to the design time issues weakness in the design is often revealed in the manufactured chips. Also because the post- manufacture …

The Processing, Mechanical Properties And Bioactivity Of Strontium Based Glass Polyalkenoate Cements, Anthony Wren, Daniel Boyd, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The suitability of zinc-based glass polyalkenoate cements (GPCs) for use in orthopaedics can be improved by the substitution of strontium into the glass phase which should impart improved radiopacity and bone forming properties to the cements without retarding strength. The purpose of this research was to produce novel GPCs based on calcium-strontium-zinc-silicate glasses and to evaluate their mechanical properties and biocompatibility with the ultimate objective of developing a new range of cements for skeletal applications. Three glass compositions, based on incremental substitutions of strontium for calcium, were synthesized; BT100 (0.16CaO, 0.36ZnO, 0.48SiO₂), BT101 (0.04SrO, 0.12CaO, 0.36ZnO, 0.48SiO_{2 …}

Mixing Effectiveness Of Various Damper-Plenum Configurations, Harry J. Sauer, Pankaj Hande, Fathi Finaish

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Improper mixing of outside air and return air streams in building air conditioning systems has been recognized for years. The problems may lead to nuisance cycling, frequent freeze-stat trips and serious consequences of a frozen or ruptured conditioning coil. It was thought that typical solutions for the problem usually consist of preferred placement of outside air and return air duct penetrations to the mixing box, manipulation of the inlet damper angles and velocity ratio between the outside air and return air streams and the insertion of static flow mixers in the mixing box to help improve the thermal stratification. This …

Design And Implementation Of Fpga Configuration Logic Block Using Asynchronous Semi-Static Ncl Circuits, Indira P. Dugganapally, Waleed K. Al-Assadi, Vijay Pillai, Scott C. Smith

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes the design of a FPGA configurable logic block (CLB) using asynchronous semi-static NULL convention logic (NCL) Library. The proposed design uses three semi-static LLT's for implementing NCL logic functions. Each LLT can be configured to function as any one of the 27 fundamental NCL Semi-Static gates. The proposed CLB supports 10 inputs and three different outputs, each with resettable and inverting variations. The CLB has two modes: Configuration mode and Operation mode. The Static NCL FPGA CLB is simulated at the transistor level using the 1.8 V, 180 nm TSMC CMOS process.

Developing A Repeatable And Reliable Methodology To Determine Return-On-Investment, Mark Cullen Nesselrode

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The high costs of modern weapons systems, fuel, personnel, and increasing environmental awareness is forcing U.S. forces to rely on simulation for training. Further, the need to train in a robust and theater specific environment is critical to ensure operational readiness immediately upon reaching the combat theater. Finally, the rapidly changing nature of the conflicts, crises, or contingencies in which U.S. forces are involved requires a new approach to training.

The purpose of this research is to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of a methodology that can provide a reliable, consistent method for determining ROI in various forms, focusing on …

Disassembly Planning And Costing Through Petri Net Approach, Chunhsi Lei

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

In the current consumer oriented environment, many new products appear in the market almost on a daily basis. Lured by advertisements and tempted by new product features, customers are constantly purchasing newer products. Acquiring newer products for often leads to throwing out older ones, but it is a totally different story for manufacturers. They need to consider the best way to reuse a product both for economic purposes and for environmental protection. Considerations for them often include: how to minimize total disassembly cost, how to achieve the lowest total disassembly time at each processing step, and how to sort valuable …

Stochastic Calculations For Computation Of Radiation Effects And Cell Survivability Under Voltage Pulsing, Madhuri Ganapathiraju

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Statistical computations are an important tool for the analysis of stochastic phenomena and processes that are characterized by variability. Biological systems (e.g., cells, tissues etc.) are perfect examples wherein response to a given external stimulus can be varied and needs to be adequately considered. The Monte Carlo method of analysis has now been recognized as the most effective way of treating stochastic variability.

This thesis uses Monte Carlo based simulations to probe two problems that require the quantification and modeling of effects caused by energy deposition onto biological matter from external sources. One problem involves the probabilistic study of the …

Numerical Simulations Of A Nonlinear Transmission Line, Stuart Rogers

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis investigates wave propagation along a nonlinear transmission line having a voltage-dependent capacitance. The telegrapher's equations that model wave propagation along such a transmission line are derived and shown to represent a nonlinear hyperbolic system of balance laws. The Lax-Friedrichs, Lax-Wendroff, and hybrid numerical schemes for obtaining approximate solutions to nonlinear hyperbolic systems of balance laws are presented, analyzed, and applied to the nonlinear telegrapher's equations. The Lax-Wendroff and hybrid schemes are invoked to numerically simulate wave propagation along a nonlinear transmission line. Simulations obtained via the hybrid scheme are used to briefly study the potential application of a …

A Weighted Modular Principal Component Analysis Approach For Face Authentication, Chandrika Tummala

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A weighted modular approach for face authentication based on the priorities of different facial regions that change with varying poses, expressions and occlusions is presented in this thesis. This helps in verifying the identity of an individual who claims to be a subject in the database and is unaware of the presence of the face authentication system. A sequence of face images is selected from a video in a particular predefined interval and is used for verification. The face images are divided into different horizontal modules based on the regions representing facial features. A principal component analysis on these modules …

An Approach To Identifying The Biomechanical Differences Between Intercostal Cartilage In Subjects With Pectus Excavatum And Normals In Vivo: Reconstruction And Ct Registration, Zhenzhen Yan

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Pectus excavatum (PE) is a congenital chest wall deformity affecting the ribs and sternum and exhibiting a concave appearance in the anterior chest wall. In this thesis, we describe a study to investigate in vivo differences in the pectus excavatum rib cage and outline steps using normals and pectus patients data in developing models and methods to be used in carrying out the study. We propose methods to develop reconstructed models in order to enable proper registration between data collection points (DCPs) on the 3D CT rib cage model and CT skin surface model and registration between CT surrogate models …

Optimum Preventive Maintenance By Markov Processes, Wen-Chun Chung

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to carry out a maintenance cost analysis for a part that is subject to both random failure and deterioration failure. The analysis follows the guidelines of preventive maintenance and leads to a means of finding out the total cost of the maintenance procedure based on different maintenance cost data. The maintenance model developed in this thesis is based on a Markov Process, and its optimization is derived from a maximization of the availability of the part.

A case study was used to demonstrate the method for obtaining the optimal minimal preventive maintenance rate, steady …

Impact Of Airline Business Models On Fuel Efficiency Of Aircraft Operations In The National Airspace System (Nas), Trisha R. Khetia

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This is a documentation of the research that has been conducted by T. Khetia of the Batten College of Engineering and Technology at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Virginia. The report summarizes fuel efficiency studies of aircraft operations in the National Airspace System (NAS).

This research was conducted to analyze the Hub-and-Spoke (H&S) system operations in the NAS and how a change in the balance of the H&S system would affect fuel efficiency metrics in the NAS. Several fuel metrics were calculated during the research in order to find out which metric would best represent the desired operation of the …

Investigation Of A Validation Technique For The Registration Of 3d Points Directly To Subjects With Pectus Excavatum, Taryn Tacosa Cuper

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Pectus excavatum (PE) is a congenital deformity that results in a "caved in" appearance of the chest wall. The cause of this condition is unknown, but research suggests that an in vivo investigation of the biomechanical properties of the costal cartilages of subjects with PE may offer insight. Force and deflection measurements are proposed as a way to obtain this data; however, accurate location of cartilage from the skin level would be required for such an effort. Given the multiple potential sources of error with this process, a validation procedure to ensure the appropriateness of the findings must be developed; …

The Application Of Innovative High-Throughput Techniques To Serum Biomarker Discovery, Izabela Debkiewicz Karbassi

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry continues to evolve as a promising technique for serum protein expression profiling and biomarker discovery. As seen in our initial SELDI-TOF MS and MALDI-TOF MS profiling study of serum for the assessment of breast cancer risk, many profiling strategies typically employ single chemical affinity beads or surfaces to decrease sample complexity of dynamic fluids like serum. However, most proteins, captured on a particular surface or bead, are not resolved in the lower mass range where mass spectrometers are most effective. To this end we have designed an expression profiling workflow that utilizes immobilized trypsin paramagnetic beads in …

Oxygen Diffusion Through Natural Extracellular Matrices: Implications For Estimating "Critical Thickness" Values In Tendon Tissue Engineering, Caroline Androjna, Jorge E. Gatica, Joanne M. Belovich, Kathleen A. Derwin

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Oxygen is necessary for maintaining cell proliferation and viability and extracellular matrix (ECM) production in 3-dimensional tissue engineering. Typically, diffusion is the primary mode for oxygen transport in vitro; thus, ensuring an adequate oxygen supply is essential. In this study, we determined the oxygen diffusion coefficients of 3 natural ECMs that are being investigated as construct scaffolds for tendon tissue engineering: small-intestine submucosa (SIS), human dermis (Alloderm (R)), and canine fascia lata. Diffusion coefficients were determined using a standard diffusion cell system. The ranges for each matrix type were: SIS: 7 x 10(-6) - 2 x 10(-5) cm(2)/s, Alloderm (R): …

Iterative Design Of The Aeroship Through Flight Testing, Michael R. Schulte

Masters Theses

This research covers the design, construction, and testing of a hybrid flight platform called the Aeroship. The Aeroship is a combination of current aerodyne and aerostat technology that have been merged at an optimal ratio. In order to create an efficient design, flight testing was employed as a catalyst for design changes. The final design was then flight tested for performance validation using videogrammetry.

Investigative Study On An Energy Theorem For Developing Testing Functions For Numerical Simulations Of Multibody Dynamic Systems, Kulasegaram Gugaratshan

Masters Theses

Multibody dynamic systems designers utilize computer software extensively to simulate the motion of mechanical systems. The governing differential equations of motion are formulated and solved numerically. The accuracy of the numerical solutions is always a concern to the analyst. There have been many investigations done around the world to check the accuracy of these simulations, and based on these investigations, many methods have been developed. These methods are usually based on energy balance equations and can be used to test the validity or the correctness of the numerical solutions. This thesis analyzes and compares these methods based on their formulation …

Off And Running, James D. Sterling

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Design And Fpga Prototyping Of A Flood Prediction System, Sandeep Gandla, Waleed K. Al-Assadi, Sahra Sedigh, Raghu A. R. Rao

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper explains the chip design of a flood prediction system based on piezoelectric pressure sensors, and its FPGA prototyping. The sensors are placed at different water levels and can dependably predict the occurrence of a flood. The main criteria considered in design of the system are low cost, low power consumption, ease of installation, autonomy, reliability, and most importantly, provision of early alerts. Predicting the flood before its actual occurrence can buy sufficient time for residents to evacuate nearby areas, preventing loss of life and property. The design has been prototyped on Altera's Cyclone DE2 FPGA board.

Testing Of Asynchronous Null Conventional Logic (Ncl) Circuits, Sindhu Kakarla, Waleed K. Al-Assadi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Due to the absence of a global clock and presence of more state holding elements that synchronize the control and data paths, conventional automatic test pattern generation (ATPG) algorithms would fail when applied to asynchronous circuits, leading to poor fault coverage. This paper focuses on design for test (DFT) techniques aimed at making asynchronous NCL designs testable using existing DFT CAD tools with reasonable gate overhead, by enhancing controllability of feedback nets and observability for fault sites that are flagged unobservable. The proposed approach performs scan and test points insertion on NCL designs using custom ATPG library. The approach has …

A Fast And Efficient Frequency-Domain Method For Convolutive Blind Source Separation, Peng Xie, Steven L. Grant

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, the problem of blind separation of a convolutive mixture of audio signals is considered. A fast and efficient frequency-domain blind source separation (BSS) method using Independent component analysis (ICA) is investigated. The main difficulties of this approach lie in the so called permutation and amplitude problems. In order to solve the permutation ambiguity, the final value of the ICA derived separation matrix of one frequency bin, is used to initialize the ICA iterations in the next frequency bin. The amplitude problem is addressed by utilizing the elements in the inverse of the separation matrix. Experimental results demonstrate …

Dual-Function Neuron-Based External Controller For A Static Var Compensator, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy, Sandhya R. Jetti

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The use of wide-area measurements for power system stabilization has recently been given a lot of attention by researchers and the power industry to avoid cascading failures and blackouts, such as the one in North America in August 2003. This paper presents the design of a nonlinear external damping controller based on wide-area measurements as inputs to a single dual-function neuron (DFN)-based controller. This DFN controller is specifically designed to enhance the damping characteristics of a power system over a wide range of operating conditions using an existing static var compensator (SVC) installation. The major advantage of the DFN controller …

Web Based Integrated Multiple Function Customer Demand And Budget Management System, Supun Tiptipakorn

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Traditionally, most end-use residential consumers receive flat rate monthly electricity bills based on load profiling rate calculations from different utilities' consumer classes. Those flat rates do not relate and reflect the true and time-varying costs of electricity supply during actual time of consumptions. Without acknowledging the cost differences, consumers do not have any incentive to adjust their load consumption patterns, and inefficiencies of resource allocations can result. Cheaper-cost off-peak load users can end up paying to offset those expensive peak load users. Additionally, peak load users may still consume their loads without any awareness that their power networks may have …

Cs 141-01: Computer Programming - I, Jay Dejongh

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

This course provides a general introduction to the fundamentals of computer programming. Examples from and applications to a broad range of problems are given. No prior knowledge of programming is assumed. The concepts covered will be applied to the Java programming language. Students must register for both lecture and one laboratory section. 4 credit hours. Prerequisite: MTH 127 (College Algebra) or equivalent.

Cs 400/600: Data Structures And Algorithms, Eric Maston

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

This is the initial course in the understanding of data structures. This course focuses on data structures with abstract data types, such as trees, stacks, queues and graphs. The course will use projects to create a deeper understanding of data structure and their use.

Cs 712: Advanced Topics In Artificial Intelligence: Inference Graphical Models, Shaojun Wang

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Cs/Mth 316/516: Numerical Methods For Digital Computers - I, Ronald F. Taylor

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

Introduction to numerical methods used in the sciences. Methods of interpolation, data smoothing, functional approximation, numerical differentiation and integration. Solution techniques for linear and nonlinear equations. Discussion of sources of error in numerical methods. Applications to engineering, science, and applied mathematics are an integral part of the course. Special topics presented as schedule permits. 4 credit hours.

Cs 772: Advanced Natural Language Processing Concepts, Shaojun Wang

Computer Science & Engineering Syllabi

No abstract provided.