Engineering Commons^™

Thermal Effects And Analysis Of High Frequency Devices In Analog Integrated Circuit Design, Ardasheir Sayek Rahman

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Heterojunction Bipolar Junction Transistors (HBTs) are used in various high frequency applications in modern day technology. These devices produce high trans-conductance which is need for high frequency application. Their gain is significantly larger than complimentary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) devices which also imply there is high current within the devices. Since HBTs are very compact structure, the thermal heating generated within the devices needs to be characterized. This thesis explores the thermal effects from self heating in the static and time domains of the devices using 3D dimensional simulation and mathematical modeling using heat flow equation. The study concentrates on the thermal …

The Art Of Microchannel Molding In Microscope Glass Slides, Sree Bhupathiraju

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This research is an effort to develop a new process by combining engineering principles with the history of glass art molding to develop clear micro-level test features in glass, for bio-medical and drug experiments dealing with cells, tissue, and micro-level organisms. Most of the present research in the bio-medical field involving micro-level cell and brain tissue testing is done using expensive glass or developed using Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) as the main material. Disadvantages of PDMS is that, over time the cell or blood tissue reacts with polymers causing a reduction in clarity making it difficult for a research scientist to observe …

Nanomembrane Surface Emitting Light Sources, Santhad Chuwongin

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Crystalline semiconductor nanomembranes (NM), which are transferable, stackable, bondable and manufacturable, offer unprecedented opportunities for unique electronic and photonic devices for vertically stacked high density photonic/electronic integration, high performance flexible electronics and flexible photonics. High quality single crystalline silicon NMs (Si NM) have been transferred onto various foreign substrates, such as glass and flexiblePolyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastics, based on low temperature transfer and stacking processes, developed by various groups. In the last few years, significant progress has been made by Ma's group on record high-speed flexible electronics, and high performance flexible Germanium (Ge) photodetectors, based on transferable Si/SiGe NMs. Many …

Optimization And Reinforcement Learning Techniques In Multi-Agent Graphical Games And Economic Dispatch, Mohammed Abouheaf

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This work discusses optimization and reinforcement learning techniques in power system Economic Dispatch and Multi-Agent graphical games. Power System Economic Dispatch (ED) is one of the power system energy management tools that is used to allocate required power generation to a number of generating units to meet the active load demand [109]. The operation cost of the power utilities depends on the fuel cost of the generating units. By optimizing the objective functions that depend on the fuel cost, the Economic Dispatch results in fuel cost savings, [25]. The generation cost functions are either smooth or non-smooth based on the …

Solid-State Devices For Detection Of Dna, Protein Biomarkers And Cells, Waseem Asghar

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Nanobiotechnology and BioMEMS have had tremendous impact on biosensing in the areas of cancer cell detection and therapeutics, disease diagnostics, proteomics and DNA analysis. Diseases are expressed on all levels including DNA, protein, cell and tissue. Therefore it is very critical to develop biosensors at each level. The power of the nanotechnology lies in the fact that we can fabricate devices on all scales from micro to nano. This dissertation focuses on four areas: 1) Development of nanopore sensors for DNA analysis; 2) Development of micropore sensors for early detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from whole blood; 3) Synthesis …

Precision And Mobility Analysis For Microrobot Design And Control, Muhammed Rasid Pac

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The emerging field of microrobotics extends from manipulation of nanostructures to 3D assembly of micromachines, and to control of motile bacteria as manipulation tools. Microrobots are not necessarily small themselves but the smallest scale in which they operate is measured in micrometers. Microrobots have to be precise, fast, and flexible to be useful as top-down manufacturing tools. As the relative magnitudes of uncertainties and errors with respect to the operational precision of robots grow towards smaller scales, the requirement for better precision increases. Hence, the concepts of precision analysis and precision-based design are important steps in microrobotic system development. In …

Reducing The Encoding Time For H.264 Baseline Profile Using Parallel Programming Techniques., Tushar Ashok Saxena

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

This thesis is aimed at reducing the encoding time for a group of pictures (GOP) for h.264 baseline profile on a general purpose CPU. This thesis also aims at drawing a comparison between task based parallelism and data based parallelism. The reduction is achieved by encoding the frames in parallel rather than serially. Task based parallelism is achieved by equally dividing the GOP's in two different threads and running them on the underlying hardware at the same time using Open MP software. Data based parallelism is achieved by finding the hot spots in the software and then parallelizing it using …

Optimizing A Neural Network Over Size And Iteration Number, Jignesh K. Patel

Electrical Engineering Theses - Archive

A unique algorithm has been developed for training multilayer perceptron neural networks. First the training algorithm has been used with hidden weight optimization (HWO) and multiple optimal learning factors (MOLF) to get the best performance. In each training iteration, this method first optimally orders the inputs and then optimally orders the hidden basis functions. At the end of each training iteration, the method calculates the validation error versus number of basis function curve in one pass through the validation data. Since, pruning is done at each iteration, we optimize validation error over number of basis functions and number of iterations …

Salinity Gradient Power (Sgp): A Developmental Roadmap Covering Existing Generation Technologies And Recent Investigative Results Into The Feasibility Of Bipolar Membrane-Based Salinity Gradient Power Generation, Clifford R. Merz, Wilfrido A. Moreno, Marilyn Barger, Stephen M. Lipka

Marine Science Faculty Publications

Besides wind and solar-based renewable energy technologies, marine sources are being actively discussed. Sources of marine renewable energy traditionally have included ocean currents, ocean waves, tides, thermal gradients, and salinity gradients. Salinity gradient power (SGP) is an attractive marine renewable resource because it possesses not only the largest energy potential but likely the largest total available resource as well. SGP is instantly available when diluted and concentrated ionic solutions are mixed; is renewable, sustainable, and produces no CO₂ emissions or other significant effluents that may interfere with global climate. The ultimate challenge is in the economics of the recovery …

Visualizing And Modeling Interior Spaces Of Dangerous Structures Using Lidar, Norbert H. Maerz, T. K. Assebaum, Dustin J. Williams, K. Shea, Yongjian Xi, Xiaoling Li, Ye Duan

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

LIght Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) scanning can be used to safely and remotely provide intelligence on the interior of dangerous structures for use by first responders that need to enter these structures. By scanning into structures through windows and other openings or moving the LIDAR scanning into the structure, in both cases carried by a remote controlled robotic crawler, the presence of dangerous items or personnel can be confi rmed or denied. Entry and egress pathways can be determined in advance, and potential hiding/ambush locations identifi ed. This paper describes an integrated system of a robotic crawler and LIDAR scanner. …

Monte Carlo Simulation Of Extreme Traffic Loading On Short And Medium Span Bridges, Bernard Enright, Eugene J. Obrien

Articles

The accurate estimation of site-specific lifetime extreme traffic load effects is an important element in the cost-effective assessment of bridges. A common approach is to use statistical distributions derived from weigh-in-motion measurements as the basis for Monte Carlo simulation of traffic loading. However, results are highly sensitive to the assumptions made, not just with regard to vehicle weights but also to axle configurations and gaps between vehicles. This paper presents a comprehensive model for Monte Carlo simulation of bridge loading for free-flowing traffic, and shows how the model matches results from measurements on five European highways. The model has been …

Rq-Tech, A Strategic-Level Approach For Conceptualizing Enterprise Architectures, Christine A. Hoyland

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to present a system-theoretic based methodology and corresponding model for Enterprise Architecture development. Enterprise Architecture models can assist managers by illustrating the systemic relationships of their business and the impact their decisions can make. Unfortunately, today's modeling practices are proprietary, time-consuming, and generally ineffective as tools for communicating strategic-level planning across and down all levels of the enterprise. This research explored the most significant factors that must be considered when translating authoritative text and rich pictures of business doctrine into semantic models. An ontology, namely RQ-Tech, was used to parse and tag representative samples …

An Analysis Of Factors Affecting The Effective Use Of Knowledge Management In Counter Improvised Explosive Device (C-Ied) Operations, Umit Gencer, Rafael E. Landaeta, Resit Unal, C. Ariel Pinto, Gokay Sursal

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Improvised Explosive Device (IED) is a weapon of choice and is likely to remain a major component of the Global War on Terrorism. It is critical that gaps in knowledge transfer are quickly addressed in order to more effectively equip personnel to counter IED (C-IED) threat. Therefore, the military must analyze the current Knowledge Management (KM) programs in C-IED arena in order to maximize transfer of knowledge derived from experience and skill to staffs and finally to commanders. This study investigates the factors that influence effective use of KM in C-IED operations in the military. The study suggests that effective …

Simulation Visualization Rhetoric And It's Practical Implications, D'An Knowles Ball, Andrew J. Collins

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Modeling and simulation has moved far beyond simple data representation into the world of visual communication over the past 15 years; ultimately, the acceptance of M&S within mainstream science and society will depend on the results that are produced visually. A simulation’s function is of primary importance to its end result, but it cannot be denied that the discipline of M&S now prizes fancy graphics to communicate. Rhetorical methodological decisions have the greatest impact on the end user, and considerations that bring visual rhetoric to modeling and simulation should be examined as a necessity to application. This paper will expose …

Effectiveness In Executive Decision-Making Bodies: The Role Of Conflict, Chris L. Day, Pilar Pazos

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The theory and practice related to team processes such as communication, coordination, conflict, and their impact on team performance and effectiveness has been focused on principles applied to teams in general and to specific subsets of teams/situations. Executive decision-making bodies are a specialized subset of teams charged with managing strategic and enterprise-wide change typically consisting of talented team members who make decisions having a broad impact on the organizations they lead. Executive decision-making bodies have been largely unexplored in the team research literature. This study presents an in-depth review of prior research exploring the role of input factors and conflict …

A Case Study Of Key Factors Driving Global Virtual Team Effectiveness, Pilar Pazos, Ana María Canto, Nina C. Magpili

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study is to increase our understanding of the factors contributing to global virtual team effectiveness. We report on a case study on global virtual teams whose members differed in location and nationalities, worked on common collaborative projects, and used media to communicate and coordinate their work. This paper examines the relationships between input factors such as goal commitment, planning and resource availability and team outcomes. Data were collected from 14 teams in an international Master's program in Quality Management, Safety and Environmental Impact hosted in Bolivia and Chile. Students were from nine different countries in South …

Research Week 2012, Linda Gardiner

Office of Research Institutional Research and Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Kinect And 3d Gis In Archaeology, Heather Richards-Rissetto, Fabio Remondino, Jim Robersson, Jennifer Von Schwerin, Giorgio Agugiaro, Gabrio Girardi

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

This paper explores the potential of using Microsoft's Kinect to create a low-cost and portable system to virtually navigate, through a prototype 3D GIS, the digitally reconstructed ancient Maya city and UNESCO World Heritage Site of Copan in Honduras. The 3D GIS, named QueryArch3D, was developed as part of the MayaArch3D project (http://mayaarch3d.unm.edu), which explores the possibilities of integrating databases and 3D digital tools for research and teaching on ancient architectures and landscapes. The developed system, based on the Flexible Action and Articulated Skeleton Toolkit (FAAST), controls in a remote and touchless mode the movements in the 3D environment in …

Acuta Enews January 2012 Vol. 41, No. 1

ACUTA Newsletters

ln This lssue...

1 Board Approves Slate of Nominees

2 From the President: New Building Network Designs at BC............ .--.Joseph Harrington, Boston College

3 Nominate a Colleague for the ACUTA Ruth A Michalecki Leadership Award

4 Member Benefit of the Month: Monthly Newsletter Subscriptions

4 Today's ACUTA for Today's CIO ................. Keith Fowlkes, UVA Wise

5 ACUTA Webinar: The Challenges of Mobile Connectivity

5 Board Report............... Riny Ledgerwood, SDSU

6 Info Links.............. .....Randy Hayes, Univ. of Northern Iowa

7 How Transdisciplinarity Will Help Workers Thrive ...................James Fraleigh, Apollo Research Institute

8 Committee Corner

8 Thanks to Event Sponsors in 2011 …

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A Directionally Tunable But Frequency-Invariant Beamformer On An Acoustic Velocity-Sensor Triad To Enhance Speech Perception, Yue Ivan Wu, Kainam Thomas Wong, Xin Yuan, Siu-Kit Lau, Shiu-Keung Tang

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Herein investigated are computationally simple microphone-array beamformers that are independent of the frequency-spectra of all signals, all interference, and all noises. These beamformers allow the listener to tune the desired azimuth-elevation “look direction.” No prior information is needed of the interference. These beamformers deploy a physically compact triad of three collocated but orthogonally oriented velocity sensors. These proposed schemes’ efficacy is verified by a jury test, using simulated data constructed with Mandarin Chinese (a.k.a. Putonghua) speech samples. For example, a desired speech signal, originally at a very adverse signal-to-interference-and-noise power ratio (SINR) of -30 dB, may be processed to become …

Dynamic Reconfigurable Multi-Cell Battery: A Novel Approach To Improve Battery Performance, Song Ci, Jiucai Zhang, Hamid Sharif, Mahmoud Alahmad

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications (to 2015)

Many electronic systems such as robotics, battery powered electric vehicles, and mobile computing devices are powered by multi-cell battery with limited energy capacity. Therefore, maximizing the battery performance such as operating time, available capacity, and lifetime is one of the major battery design challenges. Traditional approaches such as dynamic power management to maximize the battery discharge performance have treated multi-cell battery as a pure passive component with a fixed configuration. Thus, the multi-cell battery performance is determined by the weakest battery cell, leading to a low utilization of battery energy. In this paper, we propose a novel multi-cell battery design …

Low-Complexity Soft-Decision Feedback Turbo Equalization For Multilevel Modulations, Huang Lou

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation proposes two new decision feedback equalization schemes suitable for multilevel modulation systems employing turbo equalization. One is soft-decision feedback equalization (SDFE) that takes into account the reliability of both soft a priori information and soft decisions of the data symbols. The proposed SDFE exhibits lower signal to noise ratio (SNR) threshold that is required for "water fall" bit error rate (BER) and much faster convergence than the near-optimal exact minimum mean square error linear equalizer (Exact-MMSE-LE) for high-order constellation modulations. The proposed SDFE also offers a low computational complexity compared to the Exact-MMSE-LE. The drawback of the SDFE …

The Pricing Of Multiple Exercisable American-Style Real Options, Yu Meng

Doctoral Dissertations

"Real options embedded in a project provide management with the flexibility to alter initial investment decisions, thus making them a practical tool for project planning and budgeting. Additional values are contributed to the underlying project due to the flexibilities that are provided by real options. This dissertation presents two models for pricing multiple exercisable American real options, one that employs the binomial tree method and the other one that employs the finite difference method. Different examples of multiple exercisable real options are discussed to demonstrate the two pricing models. Interactions between options and reality constraints are also considered. These two …

Data Fusion By Using Machine Learning And Computational Intelligence Techniques For Medical Image Analysis And Classification, Beibei Cheng

Doctoral Dissertations

"Data fusion is the process of integrating information from multiple sources to produce specific, comprehensive, unified data about an entity. Data fusion is categorized as low level, feature level and decision level. This research is focused on both investigating and developing feature- and decision-level data fusion for automated image analysis and classification. The common procedure for solving these problems can be described as: 1) process image for region of interest' detection, 2) extract features from the region of interest and 3) create learning model based on the feature data. Image processing techniques were performed using edge detection, a histogram threshold …

Stochastic Optimal Adaptive Controller And Communication Protocol Design For Networked Control Systems, Hao Xu

Doctoral Dissertations

"Networked Control System (NCS) is a recent topic of research wherein the feedback control loops are closed through a real-time communication network. Many design challenges surface in such systems due to network imperfections such as random delays, packet losses, quantization effects and so on. Since existing control techniques are unsuitable for such systems, in this dissertation, a suite of novel stochastic optimal adaptive design methodologies is undertaken for both linear and nonlinear NCS in presence of uncertain system dynamics and unknown network imperfections such as network-induced delays and packet losses. The design is introduced in five papers.

In Paper 1, …

Two Essays On The Domain Translation From Financial Options To Real Options, Hongyan Chen

Doctoral Dissertations

"Real options (ROs) extend the financial option pricing theory to the valuation of real asset investment and managerial flexibility under uncertainty. However, differences between financial and non-financial markets, and the complex real world environment of applications, build obstacles for the domain translation from financial options to ROs.

This dissertation is motivated by the challenges of domain translation and developed in two essays. The first essay studies the incentive function of ROs (named the RO incentive). The essay develops an option-game framework to model the RO incentive, examines the change of investment behavior caused by the RO incentive, and values the …

Fractal Oxidation Kinetics And Risk Evaluation Of Spontaneous Combustion In Coal Mines, Yutao Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

"The spontaneous combustion of coal occurs when air supply is sufficient for the oxidation of coal and air velocity is insufficient for the dissipation of generated heat. Spontaneous combustion, if not eradicated immediately, may lead to coal ignition and even a full-blown fire. The fire may engulf a large area and spread further if they are not immediately attended to. This will not only endanger miners and mining operations, but also result in possible mine closures and even fatalities.

Porous structure has a significant effect on coal adsorption and spontaneous combustion. In this research, fractal theory was utilized to quantitatively …

Investigation Of Different Approaches To Combine Cable Information And Near-Field Scan Data For Radiated-Field Estimation, Keong W. Kam

Doctoral Dissertations

"Near-field scanning is often used to solve EMC problems. Aside from the purpose of visualization of near-fields, measured near-field data can be used to estimate far-field. One of many challenges associated with using near-field to far-field transform (NFFFT) technique for EMC application is the handling of attached cables. The objective of this investigation is to evaluate different methods to add cable information to the near-field data for far-field estimation. The investigation is carried out using numerical experiments in EMCoS EMC studio, which is a commercial MoM (Method of Moment) tool for EM simulation. Measurement results from a test structure are …

Measuring The Orientations Of Hidden Subvertical Joints In Highways Rock Cuts Using Ground Penetrating Radar In Combination With Lidar, Adnan Mohammed Aqeel

Doctoral Dissertations

"Mapping discontinuities in rock cuts and measuring their orientations is crucial in assessing the stability of rock masses. This can be done usually using manual methods such as scanline or advanced techniques such as LIDAR. However, these methods are used only to map exposed discontinuities which may cause underestimation for slope stability. Accordingly, ground penetrating radar (GPR) has been recently used to detect such hidden discontinuities.

The used 400 MHz monostatic GPR antenna was significantly able to detect and map hidden subvertical joints within 4 m depths in five sandstone highways rock cuts and within 3 m depths in two …