Engineering Commons^™

Comparing Multiple Turbulence Restoration Algorithms Performance On Noisy Anisoplanatic Imagery, Michael Armand Rucci, Russell C. Hardie, Alexander J. Dapore

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper, we compare the performance of multiple turbulence mitigation algorithms to restore imagery degraded by atmospheric turbulence and camera noise. In order to quantify and compare algorithm performance, imaging scenes were simulated by applying noise and varying levels of turbulence. For the simulation, a Monte-Carlo wave optics approach is used to simulate the spatially and temporally varying turbulence in an image sequence. A Poisson-Gaussian noise mixture model is then used to add noise to the observed turbulence image set. These degraded image sets are processed with three separate restoration algorithms: Lucky Look imaging, bispectral speckle imaging, and a …

Improving Automatic Content Type Identification From A Data Set, Kathy T. Dai

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Data file layout inference refers to building the structure and determining the metadata of a text file. The text files dealt within this research are personal information records that have a consistent structure. Traditionally, if the layout structure of a text file is unknown, the human user must undergo manual labor of identifying the metadata. This is inefficient and prone to error. Content-based oracles are the current state-of-the-art automation technology that attempts to solve the layout inference problem by using databases of known metadata. This paper builds upon the information and documentation of the content-based oracles, and improves the databases …

Gis Internship At Tighe And Bond, Yuanting Qu M.S.

Sustainability and Social Justice

I started working as GIS Intern at Tighe and Bond Worcester Office on May 11, 2016. I was given a multitude of civil engineering related projects to edit, verify, do analysis and process data. I was able to apply my computer programming skills to help the GIS team develop a useful script tool set that will improve efficiency work. This internship provided me insight into how GIS operate as a part of engineering project on a day-to-day basis. Working background, my responsibilities and what I have learned from this internship is discussed in this report.

Music Feature Matching Using Computer Vision Algorithms, Mason Hollis

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper seeks to establish the validity and potential benefits of using existing computer vision techniques on audio samples rather than traditional images in order to consistently and accurately identify a song of origin from a short audio clip of potentially noisy sound. To do this, the audio sample is first converted to a spectrogram image, which is used to generate SURF features. These features are compared against a database of features, which have been previously generated in a similar fashion, in order to find the best match. This algorithm has been implemented in a system that can run as …

Generation And Analysis Of A Social Network: Hamlet, Preston Evans

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper examines the generation and analysis of a social network produced from Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. An XML file of Hamlet was parsed to extract the characters within the play and also identify when the characters appeared within the same scene. After parsing the speakers and the connections between characters, a network graph was generated that displayed all the characters in Hamlet, represented by nodes, and edges that represented the connections between characters as measured by their scene co-appearance. The results of the network graph were then compared to a published social network for Hamlet created by hand. The two …

Project Pradio, Trigg T. La Tour

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This paper examines the design and manufacturing of a device that allows two or more users to share a wireless audio stream. Effectively, this allows a group of people to listen to the same audio in a synchronized manner. The product was unable to be completed in the allotted time. Regardless, significant progress was made and valuable insight into the circuit board design process was gained.

Enhancing An Extensible Interpreter With A Syntax Macro Facility, Xin Wan

Theses and Dissertations from 2017

This thesis builds a syntax macro facility for an extensible interpreter, which enables the developer to extend the base language at run time, without knowing the details of the interpreter. In the enhanced extensible interpreter, each grammar rule is represented by a distinct class that inherits from Instruction class, which contains all the information necessary for scanning, parsing, and interpreting the corresponding construct. The macro facility is implemented by a special class Macro, which also inherits from Instruction class. Each macro rule is associated with a unique Macro instance. With the new extensible interpreter strategy, the syntax macro facility does …

Improving Flow Measurement Accuracy Using A Portable Irrigation Turnout Calibration Unit, Stuart Styles, Kyle Feist, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Relatively accurate flow measurement at irrigation district water delivery points is an important component of volumetric billing and equitable service. In California, this has often occurred with conversions to pressurized irrigation systems which commonly include the installation of pipeline flow meters as part of the on-farm system. However, a large portion of irrigation turnouts in the western US continue to operate via gravity and fall into one of the following categories: (a) a metergate, or similar structure was installed without adherence to standard construction requirements or (b) the structure was never intended for flow measurement.

For these and other scenarios, …

Using Electricity Consumption To Estimate Water Volumes Pumped From Wells, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) of California has led some organizations to want access to documentation of the volumes of groundwater pumped by individual wells. Many well pumps already have flow meters installed that provide an accurate measurement of both instantaneous flow rate and the cumulative volume pumped. For wells that do not have flow meters, it has been proposed for many years that pumped volumes can be accurately estimated by simply using the total power consumption, measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

Ultrasonically Responsive Tissue Engineering Scaffolds For The Temporal Control Over Osteo-Inductive Growth Factor Delivery, Catherine Linh

Senior Honors Projects

In 2012, approximately 6.8 million people in the United States were diagnosed with orthopedic injuries or diseases. Over 500,000 people in the United States underwent bone grafting procedures, which cost 2.5 billion dollars per year and can result in complications. Polymer-based grafting scaffolds can facilitate 3D bone tissue growth in a localized, sustained manner. However, bone regeneration requires the orchestration of a sequence of events. Current scaffolds based on degradation and diffusion cannot provide sequential deliveries. We aimed to design a polymer scaffold that can release one payload diffusively at early time points, followed by ultrasonically triggered release of a …

Development Of Intermediate Band Solar Cell Through Ingan Quantum Well Structures, Kelly Mckenzie

Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the search for high-efficiency solar cells, In_xGa_1-xN has come under scrutiny as a unique material with high potential. This is due to characteristics including an easily tunable bandgap, large range of potential bandgap values, and high heat resistance. However, one factor limiting its adaptation is the high density of crystal defects. In this thesis, the qualities of InGaN are discussed and the intermediate band solar cell structure is introduced. Additionally, the growth and characterization of two sets of InGaN-based solar cell devices are reported and evaluated.

A Study Of Activation Functions For Neural Networks, Meenakshi Manavazhahan

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Artificial neural networks are function-approximating models that can improve themselves with experience. In order to work effectively, they rely on a nonlinearity, or activation function, to transform the values between each layer. One question that remains unanswered is, “Which non-linearity is optimal for learning with a particular dataset?” This thesis seeks to answer this question with the MNIST dataset, a popular dataset of handwritten digits, and vowel dataset, a dataset of vowel sounds. In order to answer this question effectively, it must simultaneously determine near-optimal values for several other meta-parameters, including the network topology, the optimization algorithm, and the number …

Peer-To-Peer Carsharing: Short-Term Effects On Travel Behavior In Portland, Or, Jennifer Dill, Nathan Mcneil, Steven Howland

TREC Final Reports

Peer-to-peer (P2P) carsharing is a relatively new concept in the U.S. Enabled by recent internet and mobile technology development, P2P carsharing generally involves a facilitating company connecting private vehicle owners to people who are interested in renting a vehicle. P2P carsharing has many things in common with business-to-consumer (B2C) carsharing services. Consumers join the service to rent vehicles on a short-term basis from locations dispersed throughout a certain area. Both services may allow households to reduce their private car ownership. However, P2P carsharing differs substantially from other models in that there are two distinct sets of consumers: those who rent …

Narratives Of Marginalized Cyclists: Understanding Obstacles To Utilitarian Cycling Among Women And Minorities In Portland, Or, Amy Lubitow

TREC Final Reports

Research has demonstrated that everyday or utilitarian forms of cycling are most likely to generate positive population-level health impacts (Garrard et al., 2012), yet significant deterrents to routine cycling remain, particularly for women and minorities. The primary aim of this project was to conduct a qualitative interview study that generated rich, narrative data regarding obstacles to routine or utilitarian cycling for women and minorities who already see biking as a viable form of transit, but who make relatively few bike trips. A secondary aim of the project was to develop a set of specific interventions that have the potential to …

Compositionally Graded Indium Gallium Nitride Solar Cells, Christopher Matthews

Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

For the past several decades, methods to harvest solar energy have been investigated intensively. A majority of the work done in this field has been on solar cells made with silicon – the most mature semiconductor material. Recent developments in material fabrication and processing techniques have enabled other semiconductor materials to attract practical interest and research effort as well. Indium gallium nitride (InGaN) is one such material. The material properties of InGaN indicate that solar cells made with it have the potential to achieve much higher power density than a standard silicon solar cell. High power density InGaN solar cells …

Simulating Foodborne Pathogens In Poultry Production And Processing To Defend Against Intentional Contamination, Silas B. Lankford

Computer Science and Computer Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

There is a lack of data in recent history of food terrorism attacks, and as such, it is difficult to predict its impact. The food supply industry is one of the most vulnerable industries for terrorist threats while the poultry industry is one of the largest food industries in the United States. A small food terrorism attack against just a single poultry processing center has the potential to affect a much larger population than its immediate consumers. In this work, the spread of foodborne pathogens is simulated in a poultry production and processing system to defend against intentional contamination. An …

Exploring The Association Between Patient Waiting Time, No-Shows And Overbooking Strategy To Improve Efficiency In Health Care, Cam Tu M. Nguyen

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Many primary care clinics are using overbooking as a strategy to mitigate the negative impacts on operations and performance caused by patient nonattendance of appointments, also known as “no-shows”. However, overbooking tends to increase patient waiting time and worker overtime. It is also acknowledged that patient waiting time is associated with no-show behavior, yet there is a lack of observational study to quantify the relationship. The overall goal of this research is to explore the relationships between patient waiting time, no-show behavior and overbooking strategy in terms of clinic performance. Arena® simulation software is used to create a discrete-event simulation …

Design Of A Folded Cascode Operational Amplifier In A 1.2 Micron Silicon-Carbide Cmos Process, Kyle Addington

Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis covers the design of a Folded Cascode CMOS Operational Amplifier (Op-Amp) in Raytheon’s 1.2-micron Silicon Carbide (SiC) process. The use of silicon-carbide as a material for integrated circuits (ICs) is gaining popularity due to its ability to function at high temperatures outside the range of typical silicon ICs. The goal of this design was to create an operational amplifier suitable for use in a high temperature analog-to-digital converter application. The amplifier has been designed to have a DC gain of 50dB, a phase margin of 50 degrees, and a bandwidth of 2 MHz. The circuit’s application includes input …

On The Simulation And Mitigation Of Anisoplanatic Optical Turbulence For Long Range Imaging, Russell C. Hardie, Daniel A. Lemaster

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

We describe a numerical wave propagation method for simulating long range imaging of an extended scene under anisoplanatic conditions. Our approach computes an array of point spread functions (PSFs) for a 2D grid on the object plane. The PSFs are then used in a spatially varying weighted sum operation, with an ideal image, to produce a simulated image with realistic optical turbulence degradation. To validate the simulation we compare simulated outputs with the theoretical anisoplanatic tilt correlation and differential tilt variance. This is in addition to comparing the long- and short-exposure PSFs, and isoplanatic angle. Our validation analysis shows an …

Inspire E-News 5 2017, College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

College of Engineering and Applied Sciences News

• WMU assistant professor receives $500,000 NSF CAREER Award
• Entrepreneurial engineer wins Brian Patrick Thomas Award
• Formula SAE team competes at Michigan International Speedway
• $318,000 grant will support research efforts of Department of Defense

Assessing The Importance Of The Root Mean Square (Rms) Value Of Different Waveforms To Determine The Strength Of A Dielectrophoresis Trapping Force, Jordan Gilmore, Monsur Islam, Josie Duncan, Rucha Nato, Rodrigo Martinez-Duarte

Publications

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Importance Of The Root Mean Square (Rms) Value Of Different Waveforms To Determine The Strength Of A Dielectrophoresis Trapping Force, Jordon Gilmore, Monsur Islam, Josie Duncan, Rucha Natu, Rodrigo Martinez-Duarte

Publications

No abstract provided.

Do Single-Use Medical Devices Containing Biopolymers Reduce The Environmental Impacts Of Surgical Procedures Compared With Their Plastic Equivalents?, Scott R. Unger, Troy A. Hottle, Shakira R. Hobbs, Cassandra L. Thiel, Nicole Campion, Melissa M. Bilec, Amy E. Landis

Publications

Background: While petroleum-based plastics are extensively used in health care, recent developments in biopolymer manufacturing have created new opportunities for increased integration of biopolymers into medical products, devices and services. This study compared the environmental impacts of single-use disposable devices with increased biopolymer content versus typically manufactured devices in hysterectomy.

Methods: A comparative life cycle assessment of single-use disposable medical products containing plastic(s) versus the same single-use medical devices with biopolymers substituted for plastic(s) at Magee-Women’s Hospital (Magee) in Pittsburgh, PA and the products used in four types of hysterectomies that contained plastics potentially suitable for biopolymer substitution. Magee is …

Wettability Tailoring Of Nanotube Carpets: Morphology-Chemistry Synergy For Hydrophobic–Hydrophilic Cycling, Lymeng He, Anil Karumuri, Sharmila M. Mukhopadhyay

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Carpet-like arrays of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) on graphitic carbon materials have been investigated in order to understand all-carbon hierarchical structures for multifunctional surface-active devices. Pure CNT carpets are seen to be super-hydrophobic as long as they are well aligned. For future applications involving aqueous environments, the ability to tailor the surface wettability and switch it on demand can be very useful, and enable unprecedented devices related to microfluidics, catalysis and sensing/detection systems. In this study, microwave plasma treatments were used to functionalize CNT carpets for a progressive increase in wettability so that they could eventually become super-hydrophilic. This change could …

Understanding N-Nitrosodimethylamine Formation In Water: Chloramine Chemistry, Kinetics, And A Proposed Reaction Pathway, Huong Thu Pham

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The formation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in drinking water systems is a concern because of its potential carcinogenicity and occurrence at toxicologically relevant levels. The postulated mechanism for NDMA formation involves a substitution between dichloramine and amine-based precursors to form an unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine (UDMH), which is then oxidized by ground-state molecular oxygen to form NDMA. However, this latter reaction is spin forbidden, thus likely occurs at a slow rate. It is hypothesized that the reaction between monochloramine and hydroxylamine (a nitrification product) may form an intermediate, which is involved in the NDMA formation pathway. This intermediate may also be generated from …

Computer Simulation Of Pore Migration Due To Temperature Gradients In Nuclear Oxide Fuel, Ian Wayne Vance

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A phase-field simulation model is being presented that captures the thermal-gradient-driven migration of pores in oxide fuel associated with fuel restructuring. The model utilizes a Cahn-Hilliard equation supplemented with an advection term to describe the vapor transport of fuel material through the pore interior due to gradients in vapor pressure. In addition, the model also captures changes in a migrating pores’ morphology. Simulations demonstrate that the model successfully predicts pore migration towards the hottest portion of the fuel, the centerline. The simulations also demonstrate changes in pore shape that are in agreement with previous experimental observations. Initially isotropic pores are …

Exploring Compaction Effects On Cold In-Place Recycling Mixtures Using Emulsified Asphalt, Erica Ann Yeung

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Cold in-place recycling (CIR) is a process that takes three to four inches of existing pavement surface and reuses 100% of it by milling and crushing it, adding asphalt emulsions and/or additives to it, before placing and re-compacting it. There is currently very little research regarding the interaction between the crushed aggregate and asphalt emulsion during the CIR process. In this study, the interactions between the combinations of crushed aggregates and asphalt emulsions were investigated along with select compaction metrics and a raveling performance test. The three types of aggregates included coated limestone, recycled asphalt pavement (RAP), and coated syenite. …

Feasibility Of Additive Manufactured Materials For Use In Geotechnical Laboratory Testing Applications, Matthew P. Watters

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The factors affecting the positive volumetric strain, or dilatancy, typically observed in response to shearing of a dense granular material have long been investigated; however, there still lacks a direct relationship between particle shapes and the resulting dilatant response. The typical Mohr-Coulomb strength parameter associated with granular material is known as the effective friction angle (φ’). For a dense granular assemblage, the peak friction angle has been described as being comprised of a dilatant friction angle (φ’d) component and a critical state friction angle (φ’cv) component. While the topic of dilatancy and factors (both inherent and extrinsic) affecting its behavior …

Characterization Of Plastic Deformation Evolution In Single Crystal And Nanocrystalline Cu During Shock By Atomistic Simulations, Mehrdad Mirzaei Sichani

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation is to characterize the evolution of plastic deformation mechanisms in single crystal and nanocrystalline Cu models during shock by atomistic simulations. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are performed for a range of particle velocities from 0.5 to 1.7 km/s and initial temperatures of 5, 300 and 600 K for single crystal models as well as particle velocities from 1.5 to 3.4 km/s for nanocrystalline models with grain diameters of 6, 11, 16 and 26 nm. For single crystal models, four different shock directions are selected, <100>, <110>, <111> and <321>, and dislocation density behind the shock wave …

Total N-Nitrosamine Precursor Adsorption With Carbon Nanotubes: Elucidating Controlling Physiochemical Properties And Developing A Size-Resolved Precursor Surrogate, Erin Needham

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As drinking water sources become increasingly impaired with nutrients and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) – such as trihalomethanes (THMs), dihaloacetonitriles (DHANs), and N-nitrosamines – during water treatment may also increase. N-nitrosamines may comprise the bulk of the chronic toxicity in treated drinking waters despite forming at low ng/L levels. This research seeks to elucidate physicochemical properties of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) for removal of DBP precursors, with an emphasis on total N-nitrosamines (TONO).

Batch experiments with CNTs were completed to assess adsorption of THM, DHAN, and TONO precursors; physiochemical properties of CNTs were quantified through …