Engineering Commons^™

An Enhanced Deep Reinforcement Learning Algorithm For Decoupling Capacitor Selection In Power Distribution Network Design, Ling Zhang, Wenchang Huang, Jack Juang, Hank Lin, Bin Chyi Tseng, Chulsoon Hwang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The selection of decoupling capacitors (decap) is a critical but tedious process in power distribution network (PDN) design. In this paper, an improved decap-selection algorithm based on deep reinforcement learning (DRL), which seeks the minimum number of decaps through a self-exploration training to satisfy a given target impedance, is presented. Compared with the previous relevant work: the calculation speed of PDN impedance is significantly increased by adopting an impedance matrix reduction method; also, the enhanced algorithm performs a better convergence by utilizing the techniques of double Q-learning and prioritized experience replay; furthermore, a well-designed reward is proposed to facilitate long-term …

High-Speed Channel Equalization Applying Parallel Bayesian Machine Learning, Zurab Kiguradze, Nana Dikhaminjia, Mikheil Tsiklauri, Jiayi He, Bhyrav Mutnury, Arun Chada, James L. Drewniak

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Recovering attenuated signals caused by different issues including connections between connectors and chips of the devices, channel loss, and crosstalk is a challenging problem. Equalization is the most popular way to restore distorted signals. Different optimization algorithms are used to find the best tap coefficients for each equalization that improves eye opening and decreases the bit error rate (BER). Nowadays algorithms of equalization mainly operate to reduce the difference between input and output signals. In turn, this will increase eye height indirectly, but direct maximization of the eye height will restore the signal even better. The paper proposes a new …

Rfi Estimation For Multiple Noise Sources Due To Modulation At A Digital Mic Using Diople Moment Based Reciprocity, Shengxuan Xia, Jingdong Sun, Qiaolei Huang, Yansheng Wang, Hanfeng Wang, Ken Wu, Songping Wu, Jun Fan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Non-ideal ground structures in flexible printed circuit board, such as the meshed ground or discrete ground nets, can cause severe RFI to the nearby antennas. Those RF radiators can be modeled as a set of equivalent dipole moment(s) when they are electrically small. Then, the dipole moment-based reciprocity theorem can be applied to estimate the noise coupling level. In this article, a practical methodology using the dipole moment-based reciprocity is proposed to identify multiple radiation sources of a real cellphone product. Multiple equivalent dipole moments are constructed with one-to-one correspondence to the physical structures. The reciprocity calculations can eventually provide …

Decoupling Capacitor Power Ground Via Layout Analysis For Multi-Layered Pcb Pdns, Biyao Zhao, Shuang Liang, Samuel Connor, Matteo Cocchini, Brice Achkir, Albert E. Ruehli, Bruce Archambeault, Jun Fan, James L. Drewniak

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A modeling methodology to calculate the decoupling capacitor interconnect inductance in a multi-layer PCB is proposed herein. The methodology is based on the resonant cavity model of parallel planes. The self-inductance and mutual inductance are extracted to understand the via configuration influence on the effectiveness of decoupling capacitors. A special layout of decoupling capacitor is proposed to increase the effectiveness of the decoupling capacitors by taking maximum advantage of the mutual inductance between interconnect vias with two decoupling capacitors placed in a pair, and two pairs of power and ground vias placed in alternating directions as close as possible. The …

Casimir Effect On Amplitude-Frequency Response Of Parametric Resonance Of Electrostatically Actuated Nems Cantilever Resonators, Dumitru Caruntu, Christian A. Reyes

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper deals with the effect of Casimir force on the amplitudefrequency response of parametric resonance of electrostatically actuated nanoresonators. The resonator is actuated by using an electrostatic force to include a f irst order fringe correction. Casimir force and viscous damping force are included in the model, as well. Both electrostatic and Casimir forces are nonlinear. The behavior of the resonator is investigated using two methods, the Method of Multiple Scales (MMS) for a Reduced Order Model (ROM) using one mode of vibration, and numerical integration of ROMs using up to five modes of vibration. ROM is based on …

Bs News July/August

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Implementation Of Cholesteric Liquid Crystals In Fibrous Based Membranes, Ydana Yanell Virgen Gracia

Theses and Dissertations

The project consists of an investigation of optical sensors. On this project, the main focus was to implement materials that had properties such as thermochromism, piezochromism, and be able to detect volatile organic compounds with a color change response. The materials selected for this project were Cholesteric Liquid Crystals (CLCs) in different combinations and ratios. There were also four different methods using Forcespinning © technology to apply the CLCs into a polymer matrix; these were, In-Solution, Dip Coating, Coaxial Spinning, and Emulsion. The best results were given by Dip Coating, but the method with the best viable solution was Coaxial …

Leveraging Smart Contracts For Asynchronous Group Key Agreement In Internet Of Things, Victor Youdom Kemmoe, Junggab Son

Master of Science in Computer Science Theses

Group Key Agreement (GKA) mechanism plays a crucial role in the realization of various secure applications in various networks such as, but not limited to, sensor networks, Internet of Things (IoT), vehicular networks, social networks, and so on. To be suitable for IoT, GKA must satisfy several critical requirements. First, a GKA mechanism must be robust against a compromised device attack and satisfy essential secrecy definitions without the existence of a Trusted Third Party (TTP). TTP is often used by IoT devices in the establishment of ad hoc networks and usually, these devices are resource-constrained. Second, the GKA mechanism must …

Cis-Resveratrol Upregulates Tyrosyl-Trna Synthetase And Inhibits The Proliferation Of Select Breast Cancer Cell Lines, Marion Cone Hope Iii

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is one of the most commonly occurring cancers in women. 70% of breast cancer patients express ERα and are treated with tamoxifen (Tam), a drug that is used to directly target ERα. However, 20-30% of cancer patients develop a resistance to Tam. This resistance leads to a worse prognosis and other treatments such as DNA damaging drugs or radiation to eliminate these cells. Resveratrol (RSV) is a polyphenolic- compound found in plants such as grapes and hellebore and is known to evoke anti-cancer effects. While natural resveratrol exists as a mixture of both cis- and trans- isomers, so …

17 Β-Estradiol And Phytoestrogens Attenuate Apoptotic Cell Death In Hiv-1 Tat Exposed Primary Cortical Cultures, Sheila Marie Adams

Theses and Dissertations

Despite the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), neurological disorders develop in most people infected with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1). The poor CNS delivery of anti-retrovirals allows continued virus production and renders neurons susceptible to the toxic effects of released viral proteins. The neurotoxic potential of HIV-1 viral protein Tat has been shown to include excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and mitochondrial dysfunction leading to subsequent cell death. Thus, Tat is thought to have a key role in the pathogenesis of HIV-associated neurodegeneration. Estrogens are universally considered to be neuroprotective, as such; estrogens have positive implications in the treatment …

Solid Materials Discovery For Thin Films, Oxide Catalysts, And Polymer Sealants, Benjamin Ruiz-Yi

Theses and Dissertations

Solid materials are made up of multiple classes, including metals, ceramics, and polymers. While each class can be developed for general purpose applications or highly specialized, discovery of new materials in order to improve upon desired properties is a non-trivial task for any type of material. A wide variety of materials encompass expansive design spaces, consisting of parameters such as chemical compositions, synthesis conditions, and post-processing. Due to this, narrowing down the design space to fit within a given figure-of-merit and economic viability becomes time consuming at best and infeasible at worst. High-throughput experimentation

High-throughput experimentation (HTE) is a methodology …

Rethinking The Weakness Of Stream Ciphers And Its Application To Encrypted Malware Detection, William T. Stone, Junggab Son

Master of Science in Computer Science Theses

Encryption key use is a critical component to the security of a stream cipher: because many implementations simply consist of a key scheduling algorithm and logical exclusive or (XOR), an attacker can completely break the cipher by XORing two ciphertexts encrypted under the same key, revealing the original plaintexts and the key itself. The research presented in this paper reinterprets this phenomenon, using repeated-key cryptanalysis for stream cipher identification. It has been found that a stream cipher executed under a fixed key generates patterns in each character of the ciphertexts it produces and that these patterns can be used to …

Past, Present And Future Of Irrigation On The U.S. Great Plains, Steve R. Evett, Paul D. Colaizzi, Freddie R. Lamm, Susan A. O'Shaughnessy, Derek M. Heeren, Thomas J. Trout, William L. Kranz, Xiaomao Lin

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Motivated by the need for sustainable water management and technology for next-generation crop production, the future of irrigation on the U.S. Great Plains was examined through the lenses of past changes in water supply, historical changes in irrigated area, and innovations in irrigation technology, management, and agronomy. We analyzed the history of irrigated agriculture through the 1900s to the present day. We focused particularly on the efficiency and water productivity of irrigation systems (application efficiency, crop water productivity, and irrigation water use productivity) as a connection between water resource management and agricultural production. Technology innovations have greatly increased the efficiency …

Identification Of Microscopy Cell Images By Using Convolutional Neural Network Application, Ajis Norfatin Farisya

Student Works (2020-2029)

Breast cancer has been the major factor of cancer death and the second main cause of women’s deaths in the world. The false positive results of this cancer cell detection during the screening test leads to false treatment and emotional disturbance of the patients. Thus, breast cancer cell lines (MCF7) is used as the microscopy image samples together with the Human Bone Osteosarcoma Epithelial Cells (U2OS), and Human Hepatocyte as control to study the effectiveness of convolutional neural network (CNN) as a method of image recognition. The objectives of this study are to determine the ability of convolutional neural network …

Preventing Delayed Cracks In Sus304 Deep Drawn Cups Using Extreme Blank Holding Forces Aided By Nanolubrication, Ibrahim Muhammad Shafiq

Student Works (2020-2029)

This study was to investigate the formation and reformation of delayed cracks of SUS304 cylindrical drawn cups under elevated blank holding force (BHF) from 8~32 kN with 1~3 wt% SiO2 nanolubricants concentrations. The widest crack-free BHF range i.e. from 29 ~ 31 kN was determined for 2 wt% of SiO2 in the experiment. Delayed cracks were also observed below and beyond this BHF range. There was an increment of frictional force at the cup flange region when entering the crack-free BHF range, as proven by the rebound in sidewall thickness, relative intensity of α′-martensite, elongated height and drawing force beyond …

Project Risk Management In Malaysian Oil And Gas Industry: Implementation By Epc Local Contractor, Che Rosli Zaim Aiman

Student Works (2020-2029)

The megaproject in Downstream Sector of Oil and Gas Industry only achieve 50% success rate which warrants attention by researchers. The Owners and Contractors are not fully aware on the full range of project risks and only few have demonstrated the knowledge and expertise in managing risk effectively. The common understanding had by the EPC Contractor is they are having the full flexibility and freedom in performing execution work by maximizing profit while still complying towards client’s requirement as the contract price has been fixed during award stage. However, there is a hidden risk which seldomly being placed attention by …

The Critical Success Factors Of Cloud Based Application Implementation In Construction Management, Sukiman Mohd Asfahani

Student Works (2020-2029)

Design and construction are information intensive activities, involving a great number of people collaborating to produce complex, one-off developments. Whilst historically, information may have been managed and communicated using paper-based systems and verbal instructions, the integration of the supply chain, the introduction of computer aided design (CAD) and building information modelling (BIM) and the development of cloud computing application means that information communications technology (ICT) is becoming a fundamental part, not just of the design office, but also of the construction site. Cloud computing is a relatively new phenomenon in the construction industry. It allows the delivery over the 'cloud' …

Microstructural Characteristics And Mechanical Properties Of Sn-Ag-Cu Solders With Minor Additions Of Al And Zn, Yee Mei Leong

Student Works (2020-2029)

Driven by the recent trend towards miniaturization of lead free electronic products, researchers are putting immense efforts to improve the properties and reliability of Sn based solders. Recently, much interest has been shown on low silver (Ag) content solder SAC 105 (Sn-1.0Ag-0.5Cu) solder because of economic reasons and improvement of impact resistance as compared to SAC387(Sn-3.8Ag-0.7Ag). The present work investigates the effect of minor (0.1-0.5wt.%) Aluminium (Al) and Zinc (Zn) addition to SAC105 on the bulk and interfacial structure between solder and copper substrate during reflow and after thermal aging , the mechanical properties of the solder joint and the …

Synthesis Of Polyurethane Incorporated By Calcium Oxide And Magnesium Oxide For Heavy Metal Removal From Water, Fard Mohsen Vafaei

Student Works (2020-2029)

Water contaminated by heavy metals such as copper, lead, nickel, and cadmium has significant adverse impacts on receiving water. In recent years, various methods, such as adsorption, chemical precipitation, and ion exchange, have been extensively studied for the elimination of heavy metals. Adsorption is one of the numerously and diversely reported mechanisms of removing heavy metals due to its simplicity and costeffectiveness. In this study, highly permeable rigid polyurethanes (PU) incorporating calcium oxide (CaO) (PU/CaO) composite materials were prepared via a facile and economic one-pot synthesis method and characterized for remediation of heavy metal from water. To investigate the effect …

Performance Of A New Passive Damper For Seismic Protection Of Structures, Ghaedi Khaled

Student Works (2020-2029)

Passive energy dissipation devices have been successfully implemented in buildings around the world to reduce structural responses primarily to earthquakes, wind and other dynamic loads. Unlike active and semi-active control systems, passive systems make use of control devices that serve secondary functions. They are connected to structural members to increase structural damping without the use of external forces. The aim of this research is to introduce and investigate the performance of a new passive damper device called bar damper (BD), which is made of a number of solid bars sandwiched between two plates. The concept, placement and material properties of …

An Improved Bone Age Assessment Using Advanced Image Processing And Deep Learning Approach, Kim Meng Liang

Student Works (2020-2029)

Pediatricians often apply bone age assessment to measure the skeletal maturity of children and to predict the future height. These discrepancies are good indicators for diagnosing growth disorders. Normally, left hand skeletal is employed in this assessment. The low quality of ossification sites of carpals deteriorates the pediatrician’s visibility in inspecting the pertinent radiographic manifestations. This in turn affects the bone age assessment. Therefore, we have to enhance the quality before assessing them. Histogram equalization is one of the contrast enhancement techniques that suit this type of enhancement. Existing histogram equalizations, however, are confronting with problems in preserving the brightness …

The Study On The Use Of Project Success Framework Among Project Personnel, Suring Joshua

Student Works (2020-2029)

Projects, programs and portfolios are essential for human endeavors since time immemorial. However, project success rates in various sectors are dismal and not up to expectations. This research aims to investigate the use of a multilevel project success framework among project personnel in various sectors to identify essential success levels and criteria and determine any weaknesses and gaps for enhancing the framework. This is a qualitative study during which a conceptual framework was developed and tested with data gathered using a questionnaire survey with open-ended questions which was distributed to project personnel based on snowball sampling. A total of 52 …

Suspended Carbon Nanowire Biosensor For Rapid And Label-Free Salmonella Detection, Thiha Aung

Student Works (2020-2029)

Carbon, the building block life, is rapidly becoming the building block of nextgeneration electronics and sensor materials. Of many ways to handle nanocarbon materials, Carbon Microelectromechanical Systems (C-MEMS) emerges as a unique way for top-down fabrication of three-dimensional carbon micro to nanostructures. In this work, the use of C-MEMS techniques in nanowire biosensor fabrication is explored. Two main hindrances in the use of C-MEMS carbon structures for biosensing lie in miniaturization to nanoscale sensor material and inertness of as-fabricated carbon. This dissertation presents ways to overcome these limitations. First, miniaturization to patterned sub-100 nm carbon nanowires was achieved by optimization …

A Computational Study Of Water Mobility On Smooth Surface, Cavities And Porous Structure With Hydrophilic And Hydrophobic Coatings, Kok Wee Yong

Student Works (2020-2029)

This research focus on water mobility and discovers a new phenomenon where droplet accelerates on a hydrophilic cavity surface when sliding down from a hydrophobic surface. The kinetic energy of droplet increases six (6) times higher than before sliding into the first cavity. This finding is useful for creating an effective way of filling liquids into cavities for passive microfluidics related devices. The work consists of validating cases using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software. The first part of the research reviews the literature regarding CFD modelling of a water droplet (i) sliding down on a surface, (ii) detachment in a …

Modeling Of Heavy Vehicle Braking Related To Accident Reconstruction For A Range Of Vehicle And Road Characteristics, Zamzamzadeh Mahdieh

Student Works (2020-2029)

In today's heavy-vehicle accidents, one of the major contributors is emergency braking, particularly for vehicles without an anti-lock braking system (ABS), which is dominant in developing countries like Malaysia. As the heavy vehicle driver applies emergency braking, there is a high chance of wheel lock-up, at which point the vehicle will skid along the road, creating braking marks from the tires. These braking marks are often used in crash reconstructions. Braking marks are mainly used by investigators to examine the vehicle's pre-impact velocity. There are many models and formulations based on kinetic energy that show the effect of some parameters. …

Quantum Frontiers: To Boldly Go, Michael Dixon, Cali Christensen, Rachael Leisek

Space Dynamics Laboratory Publications

We have lift off!

Cali Christensen started her summer at Quantum Frontiers (QF) at an intern lunch. Seated around her were 20 other interns from universities all over the country who had been selected from a pool of over 900 applicants to participate in high-tech, space-related research endeavors pushing the boundaries of various fields such as engineering, mathematics, computer science, machine learning, and physics. Cali quickly realized after the first presentation that she may be one of the only non-engineer or scientists in the room. Her internship was different from any others that QF had yet sponsored. Instead of making …

Upgrading The Quality Of Recycled Aggregates From Construction And Demolitionwaste By Using A Novel Brick Separation And Surface Treatment Method, Kui Hu, Yujing Chen, Caihua Yu, Dong Xu, Shihao Cao, Rui Pang

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Mixed recycled aggregates (MRA) from construction and demolition waste (CDW) with high-purity and environmental performance are required for highway construction application in base layer and precast concrete curbs. The main problematic constituents that reduce the quality level of the recycled aggregates applications are brick components, flaky particles, and attached mortar, which make up a large proportion of CDW in some countries. This paper studies the potential of brick separation technology based on shape characteristics in order to increase the recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) purity for MRA quality improvement. MRA after purification was also processed with surface treatment experiment by rotating …

Developing A New Formula For Predicting Oil Recovery Factor In Water Flooded-Heterogeneous Reservoirs, Mohamed Khaled Aljifri

Theses

In this work, two sets of empirical correlations were developed for predicting the recovery factor (RF) in water-flooded layered oil reservoirs. The first set of these correlations encompasses four key parameters believed to have a significant impact on waterflooding performance, namely, reservoir heterogeneity (permeability variation coefficient), injected water viscosity, permeability anisotropy (ratio of vertical permeability to horizontal permeability), and water injection rate. This first set consists of two expanded forms, one for predicting the RF at water breakthrough time (BT) and the other for predicting the RF at the end of the project (EOP). Out of the aforementioned four key …

Topology Optimization And Analysis Of Thermal And Mechanical Metamaterials, Lee Alacoque

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

To take advantage of multi-material additive manufacturing technology using mixtures of metal alloys, a topology optimization framework is developed to synthesize high-strength spatially periodic metamaterials possessing unique thermoelastic properties. A thermal and mechanical stress analysis formulation based on homogenization theory is developed and is used in a regional scaled aggregation stress constraint method, and a method of worst-case stress minimization is also included to efficiently address load uncertainty. It is shown that the two stress-based techniques lead to thermal expansion properties that are highly sensitive to small changes in material distribution and composition. To resolve this issue, a uniform manufacturing …

The Response Of Synechococcus Sp. Pcc 7002 To Micro-/Nano Polyethylene Particles - Investigation Of A Key Anthropogenic Stressor, Mary C. Machado, Gina V. Vimbela, Tania T. Silva-Oliveira, Arijit Bose, Anubhav Tripathi

Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Microplastics or plastic particles less than 5 mm in size are a ubiquitous and damaging pol- lutant in the marine environment. However, the interactions between these plastic particles and marine microorganisms are just starting to be understood. The objective of this study was to measure the responses of a characteristic marine organism (Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002) to an anthropogenic stressor (polyethelene nanoparticles and microparticles) using molecular techniques. This investigation showed that polyethylene microparticles and nanoparticles have genetic, enzymatic and morphological effects on Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002. An RT-PCR analysis showed increases in the expression of esterase and hydro- lase genes …