Engineering Commons^™

The Battery Energy Storage System (Bess) Design Option For On-Campus Photovoltaic Charging Station (Pv-Cs), Ayda Esfandyari, Brian Norton, Michael Conlon, Sarah Mccormack

Conference Papers

As the application of Light weight Electric Vehicles (LEVs) increase in communities, Technological University Dublin (DIT) uses these small vehicles for short distance journeys around its 78 acre campus of “Grangegorman” located in inner Dublin city, Ireland. This paper presents an introduction to the campus Photovoltaic Charging Station (PV-CS) that generates clean electricity from the sun and charges the LEVs batteries which can lead to reduction of CO2 emissions, along with fulfillment of national and international green sustainability targets. Based on the evaluation of possible options for PV-CS design, the optimal design configuration was chosen as a "Battery Energy Storage …

Block Sparse Memory Improved Proportionate Affine Projection Sign Algorithm, J. Liu, S. L. Grant

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A block sparse memory improved proportionate affine projection sign algorithm (BS-MIP-APSA) is proposed for block sparse system identification under impulsive noise. The new BS-MIP-APSA not only inherits the performance improvement for block-sparse system identification, but also achieves robustness to impulsive noise and the efficiency of the memory improved proportionate affine projection sign algorithm (MIP-APSA). Simulations indicate that it can provide both faster convergence rate and better tracking ability under impulsive interference for block sparse system identification as compared with APSA and MIP-APSA.

The Future Of Farming In Capable And Small Hands: The Young Farmer’S Movement In Waterloo Region 1907-1924, Morgan Williams

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Non-Volatile Particulate Matter Emission Characteristics Of An Aircraft Auxiliary Power Unit With Varying Alternative Jet Fuel Blend Ratios, Prem Lobo, Simon Christie, Bhupendra Khandelwal, Simon G. Blakey, David W. Raper

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The aviation industry is increasingly focused on the development of sustainable alternative fuels to augment and diversify fuel supplies while simultaneously reducing its environmental impact. The impact of airport operations on local air quality and aviation-related greenhouse gas emissions on a life cycle basis have been shown to be reduced with the use of alternative fuels. However, the evaluation of incremental variations in fuel composition of a single alternative fuel on the production of non-volatile particulate matter (nvPM) emissions has not been explored. This is critical to understanding the emission profile for aircraft engines burning alternative fuels and the impact …

Toward Higher-Order Mass Detection: Influence Of An Adsorbate’S Rotational Inertia And Eccentricity On The Resonant Response Of A Bernoulli-Euler Cantilever Beam, Stephen M. Heinrich, Isabelle Dufour

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

In this paper a new theoretical model is derived, the results of which permit a detailed examination of how the resonant characteristics of a cantilever are influenced by a particle (adsorbate) attached at an arbitrary position along the beam’s length. Unlike most previous work, the particle need not be small in mass or dimension relative to the beam, and the adsorbate’s geometric characteristics are incorporated into the model via its rotational inertia and eccentricity relative to the beam axis. For the special case in which the adsorbate’s (translational) mass is indeed small, an analytical solution is obtained for the particle-induced …

In Vacuo Fabrication And Electronic Structure Characterization Of Atomic Layer Deposition Thin Films, Michael Schaefer

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Improvement of novel electronic devices is possible by tailor-designing the electronic structure at device interfaces. Common problems observed at interfaces are related to unwanted band alignment caused by the chemical diversity of interface partners, influencing device performance negatively. One way to address this problem is by introducing ultra-thin interfacial dipole layers, steering the band alignment in a desired direction. The requirements are strict in terms of thickness, conformity and low density of defects, making sophisticated deposition techniques necessary. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) with its Ångstrom-precise thickness control can fulfill those requirements.

The work presented here encompasses the implementation of an …

Direct Solutions To Perceptual Organization Problems, Ravi Kumar Panchumarthy

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Quadratic optimization problems arise in various real world application domains including engineering design, microeconomics, genetic algorithms, integrated circuit chip design, probabilistic graphical models and computer vision. In particular, there are many problems in computer vision that require binary quadratic optimization such as motion segmentation, correspondences, figure-ground segmentation, clustering, grouping, subgraph matching, and digital matting. The objective of an optimization algorithm can be related to the state of a physical system, where the goal is to bring the initial arbitrary state of the system to a state with minimum possible energy. By recognizing that the Hamiltonian of nanomagnets can be expressed …

Towards A Framework For Modelling Multimedia Conferencing Calls In The Next Generation Network, Gavin Byrne, Declan Barber

The ITB Journal

This paper is concerned with the creation of a multiparty multimedia conferencing application which can be used in Next Generation Networks. It begins by suggesting ways in which conferencing can be modeled with a focus on separating signaling and media transfer functionality. Enabling technologies which could support the modeling framework derived and which are compatible with Next Generation Network (NGN) principles are reviewed. Finally, a design and implementation for a simple multimedia conferencing application are described.

Embedded Systems In A Mobile Distributed Ip Network, Conor Gildea, Declan Barber

The ITB Journal

This paper describes an approach to the internetworking of mobile IP sensor nodes in a converged network environment. This preliminary investigation of sensory network models is driven by a joint applied research project between ITB and Teagasc (Grange) which seeks to establish the feasibility of the real-time remote monitoring of animal welfare while in transit between Ireland, Europe and the Middle East. The paper examines traditional system architectures, messaging paradigms and protocols with a view to establishing how the trend towards convergence in telecommunications and the emergence of new Internet Protocols could support the creation of new modes of operation …

Pathfinding In Computer Games, Ross Graham, Hugh Mccabe, Stephen Sheridan

The ITB Journal

One of the greatest challenges in the design of realistic Artificial Intelligence (AI) in computer games is agent movement. Pathfinding strategies are usually employed as the core of any AI movement system. This report will highlight pathfinding algorithms used presently in games and their shortcomings especially when dealing with real-time pathfinding. With the advances being made in other components, such as physics engines, it is AI that is impeding the next generation of computer games. This report will focus on how machine learning techniques such as Artificial Neural Networks and Genetic Algorithms can be used to enhance an agents ability …

Determination Of The Frequency Response Of An End Tidal Co2 Analyser, Kabita Shakya, Catherine Deegan, Fran Hegarty

The ITB Journal

In a health care environment, mechanical ventilation is used to support patients during acute illness and surgery. Mechanical ventilation is the process by which the patient’s respiratory function is artificially supported using a respirator. During mechanical ventilation, it is necessary to ensure the adequacy of ventilation. The patient is thus monitored for several ventilatory parameters. The end-tidal CO2 (EtCO2) is one of the primary monitoring parameters. EtCO2 is the partial pressure or maximal concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) at the end of an exhaled breath, which is expressed as a percentage of CO2 or mmHg . Capnography is the technique …

Integration Of A Stereo Vision System And Gps Data For Recording The Position Of Feature Points In A Fixed World Coordinate System, S.D. Mcloughlin, C. O’Rourke, J. Mcdonald, C.E. Markham

The ITB Journal

This paper describes a laboratory system for recovering the global coordinates of feature points obtained from a moving camera. The prototype includes a stereo vision system combined with an overhead camera, which mimics a GPS receiver. The stereo vision system provides three dimensional feature point coordinates relative to the position of the cameras and the overhead camera provides three-dimensional coordinates of the camera in a “global” coordinate system. The fusion of these data provides three-dimensional feature point coordinates in a fixed origin global coordinate system.

Hardware/Software Codesign, Richard Gallery

The ITB Journal

The current state of the art technology in integrated circuits allows the incorporation of multiple processor cores and memory arrays, in addition to application specific hardware, on a single substrate. As silicon technology has become more advanced, allowing the implementation of more complex designs, systems have begun to incorporate considerable amounts of embedded software [3]. Thus it becomes increasingly necessary for the system designers to have knowledge on both hardware and software to make efficient design tradeoffs. This is where hardware/software codesign comes into existence.

Enhancing Graduate Attributes In Civil & Structural Engineering Students, Una Beagon, Brian Bowe

Other resources

How does industry and academia differ in their perception of the graduate attributes required to succeed in a career in Civil & Structural Engineering? A proposal for a research study

Meet Micro Joe | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Hydrazine is an unstable, flammable liquid that has been used as a propellant in small spacecraft for decades. But the cost of this unique fuel, its transport, storage, servicing and cleanup of accidental releases can be very high, making it difficult for the commercial space industry to expand.

How Plants Can Make Stormwater Cleaner | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Ever wondered what happens to the surge of stormwater you see racing down your street?

Teaching Computers To See Like We Do | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

Nov. 18, 2015 – Recognizing patterns might be easy for some people, but it’s a difficult skill to teach to a computer. Ask Dr. Xiaojun Qi, a faculty member in USU’s Computer Science Department, who was recently promoted to professor for her innovative research in image processing and computer vision.

Electrical & Computer Engineering News, Georgia Southern University

Electrical & Computer Engineering: News & Publications (2014-2023)

• Power Systems Research presented at GURC 2015

Dynamic Phasor Based Analysis And Control In Renewable Energy Integration, Lakshan Prageeth Piyasinghe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation is to carry out dynamic modeling, analysis and control of power systems with Renewable Energy Sources (RES) such as: Photovoltaic (PV) power sources and wind farms. The dissertation work is mainly focused on microgrid since it plays a major role in modern power systems and tend to have higher renewable power penetration. Two main theoretical concepts, dynamic phasor and impedance modeling have been adopted to model and analyze the power systems/mocrogrids with RES. The initial state calculation which is essential for small signal analysis of a system is carried out as the first step of …

College Of Engineering News, Georgia Southern University

College of Engineering & Computing: News & Publications (2010-2023)

• Mike Jackson Receives Chancellor’s Service Excellence Award
• Student Research Awards
• Undergraduate Research Symposium Organized by V. Soloiu
• Eagle Motorsports Competing in Baja 1000

Pathogen Removal In Natural Wastewater Treatment And Resource Recovery Systems: Solutions For Small Cities In An Urbanizing World, Matthew Eric Verbyla

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Sanitation, renewable energy, and food security are among the most pressing global development needs of the century, especially for small cities with rapid population growth. Currently, 53% of the world’s population either lacks access to improved sanitation or discharges fecal waste to the environment without treatment. Furthermore, 80% of food consumed in developing regions is produced by 500 million small farms, and while many of them are still rain-fed, irrigated agriculture is increasing. The post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, recently adopted by the United Nations, include targets to address the water-energy-food nexus. Wastewater reuse in agriculture can be an important solution …

Corrosion Of Steel In Submerged Concrete Structures, Michael Thomas Walsh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This investigation determined that severe corrosion of steel can occur in the submerged portions of reinforced concrete structures in marine environments. Field studies of decommissioned pilings from actual bridges revealed multiple instances of strong corrosion localization, showing appreciable local loss of steel cross-section. Quantitative understanding of the phenomenon and its causes was developed and articulated in the form of a predictive model. The predictive model output was consistent with both the corrosion rate estimates and the extent of corrosion localization observed in the field observations. The most likely explanation for the observed phenomena that emerged from the understanding and modeling …

Investigation Of Low Thermal Conductivity Materials With Potential For Thermoelectric Applications, Kaya Wei

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Thermoelectric devices make it possible for direct energy conversion between heat and electricity. In order to achieve a high energy conversion efficiency, materials with a high thermoelectric figure of merit (ZT = S²σT/κ, where S is the Seebeck coefficient, σ is the electrical conductivity, T is the absolute temperature, and κ is the thermal conductivity) are in great demand. The standard approach is to optimize charge carrier transport while at the same time scatter the heat transport, a task that is easier said than done. Improving the electrical properties in order to increase ZT is limited since electrons …

Unified Messaging Systems: An Evolutionary Overview, Declan Barber

The ITB Journal

Over the last decade, the widespread demand and use of the internet has changed the direction of the telecommunications industry as it was recognised that the internet could be used as an inexpensive way to handle not only data but also voice communications. This convergence of traditional voice and data technologies towards an IP-based open architecture has been paralleled by a convergence of the internet and mobile communications. As a result of these convergences, unified messaging has emerged as a technically viable service. Integrated messaging services that offer partial unification of different message types are already in the marketplace. This …

Hardware And Software Codesign For Multimedia Capable Portable Devices Using Systemc, Richard Gallery, Deepesh Shakya

The ITB Journal

Multimedia capable portable devices such as 3G phones will host a variety of new applications. Although the underlying push for new applications in such devices is driven by the increase in bandwidth offered by 3G, it is clear that many of the “new” applications will require the provision of new and powerful graphics/video technology within the mobile device itself. Within a computing device, high bandwidth and computational cost are associated with anything but the simplest of graphics, and as a result the graphics subsystem is generally one of the most critical elements of a system, requiring particular attention in the …

Non Deterministic Processing In Neural Networks : An Introduction To Multi-Threaded Neural Networks, Stephen Sheridan

The ITB Journal

Since McCullough and Pitts first published their work on the Binary Decision Neuron much research has been accumulated in the area of neural networks. This work has for the most part centred on network topologies and learning algorithms. The neural networks that have found their way into devices such as handheld PC’s are the fruit of NN research that has spanned 57 years. There is a simplistic beauty in the way that artificial neural networks model the biological foundations of the human thought process, but one piece of the jigsaw puzzle is still missing. We have so far been unable …

Extending Physical Simulation To The Audio Domain, Graham Mccann, Hugh Mccabe

The ITB Journal

Using physical simulation to control movement and interactions between objects in a 3D environment, such as a computer game, has become increasingly common However; this idea has not been extended in a general sense to the audio domain. The audio component of these systems usually comprises of pre-recorded WAV files that are triggered in response to events. We argue that this approach has serious limitations and propose instead that the physical information made available by physics engines provides an opportunity to carry out synthesis of appropriate sounds from scratch. We outline a framework for adding a sound synthesis module to …

Web Services Technology Infrastructure, Geraldine Gray, Kieran O’Connor

The ITB Journal

Web Services using eXtensible Markup Language (XML) based standards are becoming the new archetype for enabling business to business collaborations. This paper describes the conceptual architecture and semantics of constructing and consuming Web Services. It describes how Web Services fit into the enterprise application environment. It discusses Web Services security. Finally, it outlines the flaws of Web Services in their current state.

An Xml Framework For The Structured Data Exchange Between Medical Devices, Ulrich Neuhaus, Paul Walsh

The ITB Journal

This paper describes an XML framework for the exchange of data between medical devices and software systems. XML technologies offer an extensible data format, which is easy to both create and process and simplifies the exchange of data. Different XML standards are defined within the framework in order to provide a practical solution for both device manufacturers and software developers. The structure and benefits of XML documents are discussed and an XML framework for ophthalmology is described.

Longer Than A Telephone Wire - Voice Firewalls To Counter Ubiquitous Lie Detection, Carl Reynolds, Matt Smith, Mark Woodman

The ITB Journal

Mobile computing and communication devices are open to surreptitious privacy attacks using emotion detection techniques; largely utilising work carried out in the area of voice stress analysis (VSA). This paper extends some work in the area of removing emotion cues in the voice, specifically focusing on lie detection and presents the results of a pilot study indicating that the use of mobile phones in situations of stress is common and that awareness of VSA is low. Existing strategies for the removal or modification of emotion cues, based on models of synthesis are considered and weaknesses are identified.