Engineering Commons^™

Automatic Detection Of Abnormal Behavior In Computing Systems, James Frank Roberts

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

I present RAACD, a software suite that detects misbehaving computers in large computing systems and presents information about those machines to the system administrator. I build this system using preexisting anomaly detection techniques. I evaluate my methods using simple synthesized data, real data containing coerced abnormal behavior, and real data containing naturally occurring abnormal behavior. I find that the system adequately detects abnormal behavior and significantly reduces the amount of uninteresting computer health data presented to a system administrator.

Automatic Performance Level Assessment In Minimally Invasive Surgery Using Coordinated Sensors And Composite Metrics, Sami Taha Abu Snaineh

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

Skills assessment in Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) has been a challenge for training centers for a long time. The emerging maturity of camera-based systems has the potential to transform problems into solutions in many different areas, including MIS. The current evaluation techniques for assessing the performance of surgeons and trainees are direct observation, global assessments, and checklists. These techniques are mostly subjective and can, therefore, involve a margin of bias.

The current automated approaches are all implemented using mechanical or electromagnetic sensors, which suffer limitations and influence the surgeon’s motion. Thus, evaluating the skills of the MIS surgeons and trainees …

Recovering Local Neural Tract Directions And Reconstructing Neural Pathways In High Angular Resolution Diffusion Mri, Ning Cao

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an imaging technique to visualize internal structures of the body. Diffusion MRI is an MRI modality that measures overall diffusion effect of molecules in vivo and non-invasively. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) is an extended technique of diffusion MRI. The major application of DTI is to measure the location, orientation and anisotropy of fiber tracts in white matter. It enables non-invasive investigation of major neural pathways of human brain, namely tractography. As spatial resolution of MRI is limited, it is possible that there are multiple fiber bundles within the same voxel. However, diffusion tensor model is …

Algorithms For Fault Tolerance In Distributed Systems And Routing In Ad Hoc Networks, Qiangfeng Jiang

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

Checkpointing and rollback recovery are well-known techniques for coping with failures in distributed systems. Future generation Supercomputers will be message passing distributed systems consisting of millions of processors. As the number of processors grow, failure rate also grows. Thus, designing efficient checkpointing and recovery algorithms for coping with failures in such large systems is important for these systems to be fully utilized. We presented a novel communication-induced checkpointing algorithm which helps in reducing contention for accessing stable storage to store checkpoints. Under our algorithm, a process involved in a distributed computation can independently initiate consistent global checkpointing by saving its …

Impact Of Data Resolution On Peak Hour Factor Estimation For Transportation Decisions, Jan-Mou Li, Lee D. Han, Chung-Hao Chen

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Inductance loop detection systems serve as a primary data source to contemporary traffic information systems. Measures like 20-second or 30-second average velocity, flow, and lane occupancy can be aggregated from individual loop detector actuation sampled at 60 Hz typically. Practically, these measures would sometimes be further aggregated into a much lower, e.g. 15-minute, resolution and then the raw data were lost. Valuable traffic information like flow variation may be distorted when the lower resolution aggregation is practiced. A biased conclusion could be drawn from a data integration system consisted of this kind of distortions. Three approaches estimating a peak hour …

Modeling Of Shear Strengthening Of Reinforced Concrete Beams Retrofitted With Externally Bonded Fiber Reinforced Polymers, Srinivasa Anusha Bellamkonda

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis presents a study on the shear retrofit of reinforced concrete (RC) beams with externally bonded fiber reinforced polymers (FRP), since it is very important for RC beam to have a shear strength that is higher than the flexural strength in order to ensure ductile flexural failure mode. The study proposes a new model to predict the FRP shear strength contribution for different modes of failure, i.e., bending, shear with FRP rupture, shear with FRP debonding, and mixed shear-flexure and various retrofit techniques, i.e., side-bonding, U-jacketing, and full wrapping. The proposed model is compared to other existing models for …

Design Flood Elevations Beyond Code Requirements And Current Best Practices, Frank H. Bohn

LSU Master's Theses

In the United States, nearly 9 million people, 3.0% of the population, live in areas subject to the 1% annual chance (100-yr) coastal flood hazard. New construction and substantial improvements in coastal high hazard areas require structures to be elevated above the design flood elevation (DFE), without the use of fill (Bellomo et al. 1999). Building code requirements for flood elevation are linked to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) insurance policies, and represent the minimum requirement for building elevation. Current elevation procedures are limited to the 100-year base flood elevation with minimal guidance beyond the 100-year elevation in many …

Deflection Based Condition Assessment For Rolling Wheel Deflectometer At Network Level, Karthik Venkatesh Dasari

LSU Master's Theses

The Rolling Wheel Deflectometer (RWD) is capable of measuring pavement deflection at high speeds without traffic interruption or compromising safety along tested road segments. To optimize the use of RWD at the network level, an assessment tool is needed to incorporate RWD data into current Pavement Management System (PMS) and to identify pavements in need of maintenance or rehabilitation. The objective of this study is to present the development of a screening tool, referred to as the pavement assessment triangular model, to predict pavement overall conditions based on RWD deflection, roughness measurements, and surface conditions as described by the Pavement …

Thermal, Compositional, And Salinity Effects On Wettability And Oil Recovery In A Dolomite Reservoir, Azadeh Kafili Kasmaei

LSU Master's Theses

Low salinity and composition effects in improving oil recovery in sandstone reservoirs are known. However, these effects have not been thoroughly studied for the carbonate reservoirs. Because of the lack of the clay minerals in the carbonate rocks, the mechanisms for the improved oil recovery with low salinity, brine composition, and temperature may not be the same as those for sandstones. This experimental study attempts to investigate the effects of low salinity, brine composition, and temperature on wettability and oil recovery in a dolomite reservoir. Also, it is attempted to confirm that wettability alteration is the main mechanism for improvement …

Instability Analysis And Suppression Of Instability In Low-Density Gas Jets, Sukanta Bhattacharjee

LSU Master's Theses

A numerical study is conducted to understand the global instability of very low-density jets (as encountered in thermal plasmas). The simulations have been carried out for different parameters of density ratios, S = ƒÏj /ƒÏ‡ ranging from 0.5 to 0.03, different Reynolds numbers ranging from 500 to 4000 and different momentum thickness obtained by different extension tube length ranging from 3 to 6 diameter long. The flow parameters and vortex structures has been visualized to understand the details of the evolution of the flow field. The axisymmetric shear layer rolls up in the near field of the jet forming vortex …

Erosional Resistance Of Cohesive Sediments In Coastal Saltmarshes, Hem Raj Pant

LSU Master's Theses

Louisiana’s saltmarshes, one of the most productive wetlands in the nation, are undergoing severe erosion due to hydrodynamic forces (storm surge) and sea level rise. The erosional behavior of coastal saltmarshes, which possess cohesive sediments as their integral components, are very difficult to analyze and understand. The erosional resistance of cohesive sediments determines the stability and sustainability of coastal wetlands. This erosional resistance is expressed as an erosion threshold or critical shear stress, which depends on various soil properties (e.g. water content, root content, organic matter content, and pore water salinity) affecting saltmarsh erodibility integratively. A cohesive strength meter was …

Reaction Of Green Leaf Volatiles As A Source Of Secondary Organic Aerosols In Fog Droplets, Amie Kathryn Hansel

LSU Master's Theses

Green leaf volatiles (GLVs) are a group of biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) released into the atmosphere by vegetation when plants undergo stress or mechanical damage. BVOCs produce secondary organic aerosol (SOA) in the gas phase; however, their oxidation as a source of SOA in the liquid phase has not been investigated. Once released into the atmosphere, water-soluble GLVs partition into atmospheric water phases such as fog, mist, dew or rain, where they are oxidized by hydroxyl radicals (ÿOH). Photochemical oxidation yields products that are higher in molecular weight, more polar, more oxygenated, and lower in vapor pressure. When the …

Fault Observability In Distributed Power System, Hamidreza Nazaripouya

LSU Master's Theses

Fault observability as well as fault location algorithms in distributed power system are studied in this thesis. The importance of finding the fault location in a distribution system with the purpose of increasing reliability and decreasing the maintenance time and cost is discussed. Then, different existing fault location algorithms and approaches in the literature are introduced and compared. Subsequently, a new strategy to achieve fault observability of power systems while aiming minimum required number of Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) in the network is proposed. The method exploits the nodal voltage and mesh current analyses where the impedance and admittance matrices …

The Diagnosis Of Well Control Complications During Managed Pressure Drilling, Brian Piccolo

LSU Master's Theses

The constant bottom-hole pressure method of managed pressure drilling is generally expected to reduce well control risks and apply well understood concepts when a kick is taken. Nevertheless, complications, such as operator error, leaks, plugging, equipment failures, and exceeding kick tolerance, can occur during kick circulation. By not properly interpreting the symptoms of a complication, a driller risks the consequences of additional influx, lost circulation or the simultaneous occurrence of both. To address the challenge of diagnosing complications, the implied pit gain (IPG) method is being evaluated as an enhancement to established industry practices. Traditional diagnostic methods attempt to match …

Intramural Electrical Uncoupling During Long-Duration Ventricular Fibrillation In Rabbit, Trenika A. Madden

All ETDs from UAB

Ventricular fibrillation is a lethal cardiac arrhythmia which alters electrophysiological properties of the myocardium while concurrently inducing global ischemia and is associated with high mortality rates. Studies on the organization of long-duration ventricular fibrillation (LDVF) have shown that an endocardial to epicardial (i.e. transmural) activation rate gradient exists during ventricular fibrillation in canine and human myocardium; however, the underlying mechanism is unknown. This study tested the hypothesis that the activation rate gradient reflects heterogeneous changes in tissue electrical resistivity resulting in differential transmural electrical uncoupling of the ventricular myocardium. LDVF (>5min) was electrically induced in anesthetized, open-chest rabbits using …

Effect Of The Combined Treatment Of Tra-8, An Agonistic Dr5 Antibody, And Tamoxifen On Breast Cancer Cells, Tiara Napier

All ETDs from UAB

With the exclusion of skin cancers, breast cancer is the most common malignancy among American women and is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The disease affects an estimated 1.3 million women annually worldwide. Some breast cancer cells have developed mechanisms of circumventing drug treatment. Clinical needs for breast cancer cell sensitization to anti-cancer drugs include the targeted, controlled killing of cancer cells. An agonistic death receptor 5 (DR5) antibody, TRA-8, has been proven effective in inducing cancer cell death via the intrinsic and extrinsic tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand apoptotic pathways. Combining TRA-8 treatment …

A Bioinspired Multifunctional Nanomatrix For Cardiovascular Applications, Adinarayana Andukuri

All ETDs from UAB

Bioinspired solutions for challenges faced by conventional therapies are rapidly emerging, especially as new and innovative improvements in medical devices are constantly being researched and developed. Stents are a common therapeutic device for cardiovascular diseases that have undergone incrementally developmental changes over the last two decades. However, there are concerns about in-stent restenosis with bare metal stents and incomplete endothelialization, late stent thrombosis, and late inflammatory responses with drug-eluting stents. New strategies for stents include the development of bioresorbable stents and the utilization of endothelial progenitor cell capture techniques. Despite the promise of recent developments aimed at overcoming the limitations …

A Collaborative Social Computing Model For Transdisciplinary Problem Solving, Jerry Allen Higgs

All ETDs from UAB

The capacity to address and solve today's complex problems is becoming exceedingly more difficult because of the transdisciplinary nature of our current system of knowledge. Innovative solutions are no longer the by-products of centralized offices and laboratories. In fact, crafting solutions for truly complex problems requires a collaborative sharing of knowledge that transcends the artificial boundaries of departmentalized offices and research facilities. For decades, segmented information systems built on distributed platforms have kept transdisciplinary problem solving fragmented, without the ability to effectively share knowledge or data. This segmentation has stifled the progress of research reaching beyond the traditional boundaries of …

Estimation And Forecasting Of Air Handling Condensate Recovery Using Multiple Regression Analysis And Time-Series Autoregressive Models, Atul Nandkumar Kajale

All ETDs from UAB

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor (University of Nebraska at Lincoln, 2011), the majority of the Southeastern states are classified as being in a state of moderate, severe, extreme, and or exceptional drought. The northern part of Alabama including Jefferson County falls into the "abnormal" drought category. Due to the prevailing drought conditions in the Southeastern U.S. in the recent past, it is necessary to conserve water resources by using them as efficiently and responsibly as possible. The increasing population, socioeconomic developments, and industrialization could have significant impacts on the way we consume water today. There will be an imbalance …

Degradation And Inhibition Of Chlorinated Ethanes And Ethenes In A Two Bed, Sequential Bioremediation System, Alex Boudreau

LSU Master's Theses

A continuous-flow system composed of two anaerobic bioreactor (ABR) columns (based on engineered wetland systems) connected in series was tested to observe the ability of such a system to treat multiple volatile organic compounds (VOCs) possessing suspected inhibitory effects on the dechlorination of other compounds with cis-1,2-dichloroethylene (cDCE) and 1,1-dichloroethane (1,1-DCA) as the main test chemicals. Following the establishment of cDCE and 1,1-DCA dechlorinating ability at baseline conditions, system perturbations of breakthrough and starvation were conducted to measure the response and recovery of the system dechlorination. In all column experiments, it was observed cDCE dechlorination inhibited the dechlorination of 1,1-DCA …

Development Of Watershed-Based Modeling Approach To Pollution Source Identification, Yangbin Tong

LSU Master's Theses

Identification of unknown pollution sources is essential to environmental protection and emergency response. A review of recent publications in source identification revealed that there are very limited numbers of research in modeling methods for rivers. What’s more, the majority of these attempts were to find the source strength and release time, while only a few of them discussed how to identify source locations. Comparisons of these works indicated that a combination of biological, mathematical and geographical method could effectively identify unknown source area(s), which was a more practical trial in a watershed. This thesis presents a watershed-based modeling approach to …

Study On Effects Of Supply Voltage Asymmetry And Distortion On Induction Machine, Prashanna Dev Bhattarai

LSU Master's Theses

Performance of induction motor supplied with asymmetrical and nonsinusoidal supply voltages is studied in this thesis. Theory of induction motor is first presented for sinusoidal symmetrical supply voltages. Equations for the torque, losses, currents and efficiency are derived. Appropriate changes are made to apply this theory to induction motors operating at nonsinusoidal and asymmetrical supply voltages. Single phase equivalent circuit of the induction motor is presented for both asymmetrical and nonsinusoidal supply voltages. The equations governing operating characteristics are presented. Machine torque, losses, current and efficiency for asymmetrical and nonsinusoidal supply voltages are compared with the same for sinusoidal symmetrical …

Comprehensive Study Of The Dye Sensitized Solar Cell, Gregory Lewis Vick

LSU Master's Theses

A complete electrical model of the dye-sensitized solar cell has been presented. This model relates the material parameters of the cell to the cell’s performance. The full model is reduced to an Idealized form and simulated to find an idealistic power curve or current (I) – voltage (V) curve. The operating parameters of reflectivity, temperature, reverse saturation current and ideality factor are investigated. A sensitivity analysis is completed to determine what parameters have a dominating influence on the overall cell performance. It was found, for the ideal case of the dye sensitized solar cell, that the factors of absorptivity, temperature, …

Automated Sensor Platform For Distribution Pattern Characterization Of Agricultural Equipment, Maziar Amirani

LSU Master's Theses

Design and calibration of spreading equipment for agricultural materials are critically important but is facing some limitations in time and costs. Lack of personnel and environmental constraints, as well as equipment features present challenges in the calibration process and results. The major objective of this project was to introduce and investigate the feasibility of integration of automated electrical equipment into this calibration process in order to optimize the overall procedure in terms of cost, time and precision as an ultimate goal. Specific objectives focused on optical techniques as well as novel accelerometer technology. A photo based method in detection of …

Design And Implementation Of A Very Short Retention Time Filtrate Clarifier, Santiago Alfredo Grimaldo

LSU Master's Theses

Filtrate, which accounts for almost 15 to 20% of the mixed juice produced in a raw sugar factory, is usually recirculated, which is detrimental to the process. This can lead to: increased sugar inversion and reduction in both sugar quality and clarifier performance. Previous attempts on filtrate clarification have shown limitations for its implementation due to the long residence times of the clarifiers, complex operations and low quality of clarified filtrate. A filtrate clarification pilot plant using a very short residence time clarifier (10 minutes) was designed and tested during the 2012 Louisiana sugarcane harvesting season. Louisiana Low Turbulence technology …

Parametric Optimization Of A Single-Tracked Vehicle, Darrick Jason Berner

LSU Master's Theses

ABSTRACT The purpose of a suspension system for a vehicle is to contribute to the handling and assist in isolating the occupants from vibrations due to road irregularities. Generally, these primary functions are often at odds so the goal is to design a suspension system that finds the appropriate compromise. The focus of this thesis is to develop a two degree of freedom model and use parametric analysis to demonstrate an optimization technique by varying several geometric characteristics on a single-track vehicle. Furthermore, a dynamic vibration absorber will be added to the model to demonstrate its effect on the system. …

Closed Form Solutions To The Optimality Equation Of Minimal Norm Actuation, Jorge Antonio Guerra

LSU Master's Theses

This research focused on the problem of minimal norm actuation in the context of partial natural frequency or pole assignment applied to undamped vibrating systems by state feedback control. The result of the research was the closed form solutions for the minimal norm control input and gain vectors. These closed form solutions should took open loop eigenpairs and the desired frequencies of the controlled system and outputted the optimal controller parameters. This optimization technique ensures that the system’s dynamics will be effectively controlled while keeping the controller effort minimal. The controller must then be able to shift only the desired …

Effects Of Partial Confinement And Local Heating On Healing Efficiencies Of Self-Healing Particulate Composites, Jonah Champagne

LSU Master's Theses

Shape memory polymers are smart materials that can be trained to hold a temporary shape through programming and regain their original shape upon heating. Since there discovery in the 1960s, much research has been devoted to the study of these polymers. Of particular interest in recent years is the study of self-healing shape memory polymers. In a previous study, it has been shown that in order for efficient healing to take place in self-healing shape memory polymers, confinement during healing is essential. Moreover, a two-step close-then-heal (CTH) approach to healing was suggested. It was shown that use of this CTH …

Dynamic Modeling Of Channel Formation During Fluid Injection Into Unconsolidated Sands, Sayamik Ameen

LSU Master's Theses

Water injection is widely used for sweeping hydrocarbons in waterflooding operations, and also for maintaining reservoir pressure or disposing waste water. Injection at a high rate is required to maintain the economy of waterflooding projects; however, loss of injectivity is a quite common problem in unconsolidated sand formations like deep water Gulf of Mexico. Well intervention operations, hurricanes, and other issues require frequent shut-downs during the life of offshore wells; in order to minimize deteriorating effect of these shutdowns on wellbore injectivity more accurate modeling of the injection process is needed. Injection of water into a saturated, granular, porous medium …

Aggregation Of Uncontrolled Fluids During Catastrophic System Failures In Offshore Environments, James Thomas Stiernberg

LSU Master's Theses

Safety culture relating to offshore operations has shifted since the Deepwater Horizon blowout and resulting oil spill. This incident has prompted the research of high volume spills during all stages of hydrocarbon exploration and production. This study particularly covers the interactions of wells and offshore networks as they pertain to situations where a release of reservoir fluids to the environment is occurring. Primary concerns of this investigation are stream confluences, leak modeling, and fluid behavior; the first two will be handled with various numerical software packages (OLGA®, CFD, and nodal analyses) while the later will require more rigorous treatment and …