Engineering Commons^™

Optimal Schedules In Multitask Motor Learning, Jeong Yoon Lee, Youngmin Oh, Sung Shin Kim, Robert A. Scheidt, Nicolas Schweighofer

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Although scheduling multiple tasks in motor learning to maximize long-term retention of performance is of great practical importance in sports training and motor rehabilitation after brain injury, it is unclear how to do so. We propose here a novel theoretical approach that uses optimal control theory and computational models of motor adaptation to determine schedules that maximize long-term retention predictively. Using Pontryagin’s maximum principle, we derived a control law that determines the trial-by-trial task choice that maximizes overall delayed retention for all tasks, as predicted by the state-space model. Simulations of a single session of adaptation with two tasks show …

Investigation Of The Use Of A Plasticizer-Polymer Sensor Coating With Improved Long-Term Stability In The Liquid Phase, Laura Jeanne Alderson

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Benzene is one of the volatile organic compounds present in crude oil and gasoline. Leakage from underground storage tanks or hazardous waste sites can introduce benzene contamination into nearby groundwater. Benzene is a known carcinogen and its exposure is limited by the Environmental Protection Agency to 5 parts per billion (ppb) in drinking water. Early, accurate detection of the presence of benzene contamination in groundwater supplies is extremely important. Shear horizontal surface acoustic wave (SH-SAW) devices with a chemically sensitive coating can be used for the detection of volatile organic compounds in liquid, such as BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and …

Ramifications Of Projectile Velocity On The Ballistic Dart Penetration Of Sand, Peter Anthony Sable

Master's Theses (2009 -)

With the advent of novel in-situ experimental measurement techniques, highly resolved quantitative observations of dynamic events within granular media can now be made. In particular, high speed imagery and digital analysis now allow for the ballistic behaviors of sand to be examined not only across a range of event velocities but across multiple length scales. In an attempt to further understand the dynamic behavior of granular media, these new experimental developments were implemented utilizing high speed photography coupled with piezo-electric stress gauges to observe visually accessible ballistic events of a dart penetrating Ottawa sand. Projectile velocities ranged from 100 to …

Application Of A Multi-Zone Model For The Prediction Of Species Concentrations In Rapid Compression Machine Experiments, David Wilson

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Accurate chemical kinetic models, which predict species evolution and heat release rates in chemically reactive systems, are essential for further advancements in fuel and combustion technology. An experimental facility that is widely used for evaluating the accuracy of kinetic models is a rapid compression machine (RCM), which creates a well-defined reaction environment by compressing a reactive mixture inside a chamber. Generally, RCM experiments are conducted in order to obtain ignition delay data. However, chemical speciation data provides greater insight into reaction pathways, and is therefore a more rigorous benchmark for validating kinetic models. In order for a chemical kinetic model …

Modeling And Investigation Of Refrigeration System Performance With Two-Phase Fluid Injection In A Scroll Compressor, Rui Gu

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Vapor compression cycles are widely used in heating, refrigerating and air-conditioning. A slight performance improvement in the components of a vapor compression cycle, such as the compressor, can play a significant role in saving energy use. However, the complexity and cost of these improvements can block their application in the market. Modifying the conventional cycle configuration can offer a less complex and less costly alternative approach. Economizing is a common modification for improving the performance of the refrigeration cycle, resulting in decreasing the work required to compress the gas per unit mass. Traditionally, economizing requires multi-stage compressors, the cost of …

A Principal Component Analysis Investigation Of Drop Landings For Defining Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury Risk Factors, Emily Schaefer

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Injury to the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) has been widely investigated through observational video analysis and laboratory based cadaveric, motion capture and computer simulation models. With the greater incidence of injury in the female population, recent emphasis has been placed on understanding ACL injury mechanisms in females. By using our understanding of injury mechanisms and prospective studies, injury prediction methods can be created. Once injury can be reliably predicted, training methods can be implemented to reduce likelihood of injury and avoid devastating consequences. There is a need for a reliable way to reduce motion capture data obtained in a laboratory …

Least-Squares Mapping From Kinematic Data To Acoustic Synthesis Parameters For Rehabilitative Acoustic Learning, Xiangyu Zhou

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Thousands of people suffer from dysarthria resulting from neurological injury of the motor component of the motor-speech system, and need to rely on alternative methods to communicate in daily life, such as body language or text-to-speech [1] . However, there are currently very few effective rehabilitative therapies for helping these patients improve their speech. Because of this, research is needed to develop better rehabilitative therapies. One such area of research is the use of involuntary acoustic learning. The Speech and Swallowing lab at Marquette University has an Electromagnetic Articulography (EMA) system to collect kinematic data and a software system called …

Cyclic Behavior Of A Hybrid Light Gauge And Hss Mezzanine Structural System, Michael John Kren

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Cold-formed steel is emerging as an alternative material in the building industry to hot-rolled steel for smaller buildings and indoor structures also called mezzanines. Cyclic testing of a full-scale mezzanine structures composed of cold-formed structural channel beams connected to hollow structural steel (HSS) columns cap plates using wedge expansion anchors at the base plate to generate rotation restraint, is performed in this research. The characteristics of the structure will be explained by displaying full experimental results of structural testing. Unfortunately, limited experimental data outlining the behavior of these structures is available and design criteria is very limited. Thus, there is …

Mitigating Transients And Azeotropes During Natural Gas Processing, Edris Ebrahimzadeh

Theses and Dissertations

Cryogenic carbon capture process can be used to efficiently eliminate CO2 emissions from fossil-fueled power plants. The energy-storing embodiment of cryogenic carbon capture (ES-CCC) integrates energy storage with cryogenic carbon capture and uses natural gas as a refrigerant. ES-CCC captures CO2 from slowly varying or steady-state sources even as it absorbs and replaces large amounts of energy on the grid for energy storage. These large transients occur in the LNG generation as the process moves through energy storing to energy recovery operations. Additionally, raw natural gas often includes CO2 that forms an azeotrope with ethane. Breaking this azeotrope and separating …

The Anisotropy Of Hexagonal Close-Packed And Liquid Interface Free Energy Using Molecular Dynamics Simulations Based On Modified Embedded-Atom Method, Ebrahim Asadi, Mohsen Asle Zaeem

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This work aims to comprehensively study the anisotropy of the hexagonal close-packed (HCP)-liquid interface free energy using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations based on the modified-embedded atom method (MEAM). As a case study, all the simulations are performed for Magnesium (Mg). The solid-liquid coexisting approach is used to accurately calculate the melting point and melting properties. Then, the capillary fluctuation method (CFM) is used to determine the HCP-liquid interface free energy (γ) and anisotropy parameters. In CFM, a continuous order parameter is employed to accurately locate the HCP-liquid interface location, and the HCP symmetry-adapted spherical harmonics are used to expand γ …

Synthesis Of Large-Scale 2-D Mos2 Atomic Layers By Hydrogen-Free And Promoter-Free Chemical Vapor Deposition, Hung Nguyen, Chih Fang Huang, Weijun Luo, Guangrui Xia, Zhiqiang Chen, Zhiqiang Li, Christopher Raymond, David Doyle, Feng Zhao

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

As one of the two-dimensional (2-D) transition metal dichalcogenides, atomically thin molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) has attracted significant attention and research interests for micro and nano electronic applications. Significant efforts have been made to develop different approaches in order to obtain atomic layer MoS2, such as exfoliation, chemical synthesis, and physical or chemical vapor deposition (CVD) processes. In this paper, we report a hydrogen-free and promoter-free CVD growth to synthesize large-area MoS2 atomic layers. A variety of techniques including optical microscopy (OM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), photoluminescence (PL) mapping, Raman and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high resolution electron microscopy (HREM) and …

2016 Directory Of Indiana State, County, City And Town Officials Responsible For Road And Street Work, Indiana Ltap

Indiana Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Directory

Contact information for local agency officials and employees responsible for Indiana’s local road infrastructure.

Improving Structure Mcmc For Bayesian Networks Through Markov Blanket Resampling, Chengwei Su, Mark E. Borsuk

Dartmouth Scholarship

Algorithms for inferring the structure of Bayesian networks from data have become an increasingly popular method for uncovering the direct and indirect influences among variables in complex systems. A Bayesian approach to structure learning uses posterior probabilities to quantify the strength with which the data and prior knowledge jointly support each possible graph feature. Existing Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) algorithms for estimating these posterior probabilities are slow in mixing and convergence, especially for large networks. We present a novel Markov blanket resampling (MBR) scheme that intermittently reconstructs the Markov blanket of nodes, thus allowing the sampler to more effectively …

Design And Testing Of Robotic Capsule Biosensors In The Small Intestine, Zachary Bram

Robotics and Mechanical Systems Design

Biosensors are a tool that is growing in usage and is sought out by doctors and patients alike for being a non-invasive method to monitor health. The data that can be collected from these sensors can be analyzed by doctors that are away from patients, or even by patients that do not have the ability to see a doctor. The purpose of this work is to design and test a biosensor capsule that can attach itself to the inner wall of the small intestine for a short period of time before exiting the body. This research project was a continuation …

Estimating River Discharge Using Multiple-Tide Gauges Distributed Along A Channel, Hamed R. Moftakhari, David A. Jay, Stefan Talke

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reliable estimation of freshwater inflow to the ocean from large tidal rivers is vital for water resources management and climate analyses. Discharge gauging stations are typically located beyond the tidal intrusion reach, such that inputs and losses occurring closer to the ocean are not included. Here, we develop a method of estimating river discharge using multiple gauges and time-dependent tidal statistics determined via wavelet analysis. The Multiple-gauge Tidal Discharge Estimate (MTDE) method is developed using data from the Columbia River and Fraser River estuaries and calibrated against river discharge. Next, we evaluate the general applicability of MTDE by testing an …

Smokey: Ubiquitous Smoking Detection With Commercial Wifi Infrastructures, Xiaolong Zheng, Jiliang Wang, Longfei Shangguan, Zimu Zhou, Yunhao Liu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Even though indoor smoking ban is being put into practice in civilized countries, existing vision or sensor-based smoking detection methods cannot provide ubiquitous smoking detection. In this paper, we take the first attempt to build a ubiquitous passive smoking detection system, which leverages the patterns smoking leaves on WiFi signals to identify the smoking activity even in the non-line-of-sight and through-wall environments. We study the behaviors of smokers and leverage the common features to recognize the series of motions during smoking, avoiding the target-dependent training set to achieve the high accuracy. We design a foreground detection based motion acquisition method …

Tuning By Turning: Enabling Phased Array Signal Processing For Wifi With Inertial Sensors, Kun Qian, Chenshu Wu, Zheng Yang, Zimu Zhou, Xu Wang, Yunhao Liu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Modern mobile devices are equipped with multiple antennas, which brings various wireless sensing applications such as accurate localization, contactless human detection and wireless human-device interaction. A key enabler for these applications is phased array signal processing, especially Angle of Arrival (AoA) estimation. However, accurate AoA estimation on commodity devices is non-trivial due to limited number of antennas and uncertain phase offsets. Previous works either rely on elaborate calibration or involve contrived human interactions. In this paper, we aim to enable practical AoA measurements on commodity off-the-shelf (COTS) mobile devices. The key insight is to involve users’ natural rotation to formulate …

Dual-Server Public-Key Encryption With Keyword Search For Secure Cloud Storage, Rongmao Chen, Yi Mu, Guomin Yang, Fuchun Guo, Xiaofen Wang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Searchable encryption is of increasing interest for protecting the data privacy in secure searchable cloud storage. In this paper, we investigate the security of a well-known cryptographic primitive, namely, public key encryption with keyword search (PEKS) which is very useful in many applications of cloud storage. Unfortunately, it has been shown that the traditional PEKS framework suffers from an inherent insecurity called inside keyword guessing attack (KGA) launched by the malicious server. To address this security vulnerability, we propose a new PEKS framework named dual-server PEKS (DS-PEKS). As another main contribution, we define a new variant of the smooth projective …

A Hybrid Strategy In Selecting Diverse Combinations Of Innovative Sustainable Materials For Asphalt Pavements, Baron Colbert, Mohd Rosli Mohd Hasan, Zhanping You

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

This project integrates recent innovations of recycled materials used in designing and building sustainable pavements. An increasing environmental awareness and the demand for improving economic and construction efficiencies, through measures such as construction warrantees and goals to reduce air pollution under the Kyoto Protocol, have increased the efforts to implement sustainable materials in roadways. The objective of this research is to develop a systematic approach toward selecting optimum combinations of sustainable materials for the construction of asphalt pavements. The selected materials, warm mix asphalt (WMA), recycled asphalt shingles (RAS), and reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) were incorporated in this study. The …

Numerical Analysis For The Hemodynamics In Unruptured Cerebral Aneurysms, Hashem Mhd Hicham Alargha

Theses

A cerebral aneurysm is a vascular disorder characterized by abnormal focal dilation of a brain artery which is considered as a serious and potentially life-threatening condition. Cerebral aneurysms affect around 2%-5% of adults and they are fatal and can rupture with an overall mortality rate of more than 50%. Through computational fluid dynamics investigation, this study is offering a closer look into the initiation growth and rupture of cerebral aneurysms. Four focus points are studied in this thesis which are sensitivity analysis of blood viscosity in aneurysms, the effect of cerebral aneurysm size on wall stresses and strain, hazard effects …

Thermal Analysis For The Purpose Of Fault Diagnosis Of Commercial Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (Pemfc), Reem Izzeldin Elsadig Salim

Theses

The world's awareness towards the amount of destruction that our extensive and ignorant lifestyles in the past few decades have imposed on the environment is growing day after day. This resulted in an increased governmental and research interest towards the development and use of green technology. Fuel Cells are one of the green technologies that received a major share of research interest in the past decade.

However, despite their promising features, Fuel Cell systems still lack a solid fault diagnosis and predictive maintenance study. There are numerous faults that have to be detected and diagnosed on a fuel cell power …

Hardware Acceleration For Real Time Atmospheric Turbulence Compensation, Nikhileswar Badri

Theses and Dissertations

Atmospheric turbulence compensation techniques are used to apply filters and to remove noise from the information, such as images. In mission control applications, the processing is required in real time. This thesis focuses on understanding the process and developing architecture for hardware acceleration on the FPGA. Error calculation is a computational extensive component and is a continuous research area to correctly and efficiently measure it in real-time for data processing. The Error is used as a metric to compute the corrected data, such as an image pixel representing the phase, color and intensity to perform image processing. The thesis discusses …

Ethanol Based Foamed Asphalt As Potential Alternative For Low Emission Asphalt Technology, Mohd Rosli Mohd Hasan, Zhanping You

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Foamed asphalt typically relies on water as a foaming agent because water becomes gaseous at elevated temperatures, generating numerous tiny bubbles in the asphalt and causing spontaneous foaming. In this study, ethanol was used as a potential alternative to water as a foaming agent. Ethanol is expected to be a physical blowing agent in the same manner as water, except it requires less energy to foam due to its 78 °C boiling point. This study compares the performance of water and ethanol as foaming agents through the measurements of rotational viscosity, the reduction in temperature during foaming, and volatile loss. …

Changes In The Eeg Spectrum Of A Child With Severe Disabilities In Response To Power Mobility Training, Nadina Zweifel

Masters Theses

Literature suggests that self-generated locomotion in infancy and early childhood enhances the development of various cognitive processes such as spatial awareness, social interaction, language development and differential attentiveness. Thus, having access to a power mobility device may play a crucial role for the overall development, mental health, and quality of life of children with multiple, severe disabilities who have limited motor control. This study investigates the feasibility of using electroencephalography (EEG) as an objective measure to detect changes in brain activity in a child due to power mobility training. EEG data was collected with a modified wireless neuroheadset using a …

Aerodynamics Of Race Car Wings: A Cfd Study, Simon Durrer

Masters Theses

Formula 1 racing is one of the most advanced technological sports. The aerodynamic on open wheel race cars is essential for the performance during a race. The front wing on a race car produces about 30 percent of the entire downforce of a race car. Several studies on front wings for open wheel race cars are conducted by various authors. A number of research studies include single element airfoils in ground effect and undisturbed flow. Numerical and experimental studies show that by decreasing the ground clearance, the downforce increases. The most efficient ground clearance is reported to be approximately 10 …

Utilizing Brain-Computer Interfacing To Control Neuroprosthetic Devices, Cheyne J. Angy

Senior Honors Theses

Advances in neuroprosthetics in recent years have made an enormous impact on the quality of life for many people with disabilities, helping them regain the functionality of damaged or impaired abilities. One of the main hurdles to regaining full functionality regarding neuroprosthetics is the integration between the neural prosthetic device and the method in which the neural prosthetic device is controlled or manipulated to function correctly and efficiently. One of the most promising methods for integrating neural prosthetics to an efficient method of control is through Brian-computer Interfacing (BCI). With this method, the neuroprosthetic device is integrated into the human …

“My Logic Is Undeniable”: Replicating The Brain For Ideal Artificial Intelligence, Samuel C. Adams

Senior Honors Theses

Alan Turing asked if machines can think, but intelligence is more than logic and reason. I ask if a machine can feel pain or joy, have visions and dreams, or paint a masterpiece. The human brain sets the bar high, and despite our progress, artificial intelligence has a long way to go. Studying neurology from a software engineer’s perspective reveals numerous uncanny similarities between the functionality of the brain and that of a computer. If the brain is a biological computer, then it is the embodiment of artificial intelligence beyond anything we have yet achieved, and its architecture is advanced …

Thermal Properties, Crystallinity, And Oxygen Permeability Of Na-Montmorillonite Reinforced Plasticized Poly(Lactic Acid) Film, Kurniawan Yuniarto, Yohanes Aris Purwanto, Setyo Purwanto, Bruce A. Welt, Hadi Karia Purwadaria, Titi Candra Sunarti

Makara Journal of Technology

Introducing unmodified organically clay/Na-montmorillonite (Na-MMT) was applied into plasticized poly(lactic acid) PLA to produce film composites by direct casting. Film composite structure, the crystallinity degree and form, and thermal properties were carried out using X-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry. The effect of Na- MMT to the tortuous path and the crystallinity degree in the plasticized film composites were calculated in oxygen barrier properties. Chromatogram film composites resulted in an intercalated structure that showed peak diffraction angle shift at about 0.2o. Then, a peak diffraction pattern was indicated in α-form crystal structure. Plasticized PLA has a crystallinity degree at 34%, …

Residual Strength Analysisof Asymmetrically Damaged Ship Hull Girderusing Beam Finite Element Method, Muhammad Zubair Muis Alie

Makara Journal of Technology

The objective of the present study is to analyze the residual strength of asymmetrically damaged ship hull girder under longitudinal bending. Beam Finite Element Method is used for the assessment of the residual strength of two single hull bulk carriers (Ship B1 and Ship B4) and a three-cargo-hold model of a single-side Panamax Bulk Carrier in hogging and sagging conditions. The Smith’s method is adopted and implemented into Beam Finite Element Method. An efficient solution procedure is applied; i.e. by assuming the cross section remains plane, the vertical bending moment is applied to the cross section and three-cargo-hold model. As …

Maneuverability Of Ships With Small Draught In Steady Wind, Daeng Paroka, Andi Haris Muhammad, Syamsul Asri

Makara Journal of Technology

Wind force and moment may force a ship to drastically decrease its speed and use a large drift angle as well as a large rudder angle in order to maintain its course. Ships with a small draught might have more risk in maneuvering to its point of view compared with a ship with a larger draught. This paper discusses maneuverability of a ship with a small draught in steady wind. The effect of wind on ship speed, drift angle, and rudder angle are investigated in a steady state condition. Five different ratios of wind velocity to ship speed from 1.0 …