Engineering Commons^™

An Efficient Tracker Via Multi-Feature Adaptive Correlation Filter, Sixian Zhang, Yi Yang, Meng Zhang, Pengbo Mi

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Aiming at the low tracking effect of the correlation filters tracker based on manual features in challenging scenes of rapid deformation and background clutter, a new correlation filter tracker based on Staple tracker is proposed. An appearance model based on HOG features and color-naming features is built to enhance the robustness to the challenging scenes of rapid deformation and background clutter. A self-adjust evaluation function is designed to merge the two kinds of feature information and a more discriminative feature is obtained. The novel online update strategies to reduce the training over-fitting and model drift for different features are …

Day Ahead Thermal-Photovoltaic Economic Dispatch Considering Uncertainty Of Photovoltaic Power Generation, Xinghua Liu, Chen Geng, Shenghan Xie, Jiaqiang Tian, Hui Cao

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Aiming at the uncertainty and randomness of photovoltaic power generation affected by weather factors, a mathematical model of day ahead thermal-photovoltaic economic dispatch considering seasonal weather factors is established. The mathematical model takes the operation cost of thermal power units, the cost of photovoltaic power generation, the cost of spinning reserve and the forecast error cost of photovoltaic power generation affected by weather factors as the economic objective function, and the sulfur dioxide emission of thermal power units as the environmental objective function. In order to improve the accuracy of photovoltaic output prediction, the long short term memory neural …

Scheduling Optimization And Comparative Analysis Of Twin 40 Feet Yard Crane Based On Saga, Meng Yu, Zhenli Xu, Tianjiao Tan

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Based on the operating characteristics of twin 40 ft yard crane, the scheduling models of the single-container yard crane, twin 40 ft yard crane with single-lift structure and twin 40 ft yard crane with twin-lift structure in the mixed container area are established respectively to minimize the operating time. simulate anneal genetic algorithm(SAGA) hybrid algorithm is used in the yard crane scheduling model to optimize the yard crane equipment configuration and scheduling strategy, shorten the average loading and unloading time, and improve the operation efficiency of the automatic terminal. By comparing the operation efficiency of three kinds of cranes …

Identification Of Switching Operation Based On Lstm And Moe, Xiaoqing Zhang, Wanfang Xiao, Yingjie Guo, Bowen Liu, Xuesen Han, Jingwei Ma, Gao Gao, He Huang, Shihong Xia

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Aiming at the individual differences of different personnel in the same operation and differences of the same person in the same operation at different times, a switching operation recognition model(MoE-LSTM) based on Mixture of experts model (MOE) and long short-term memory network(LSTM) is proposed. Based on MoE, LSTM is integrated to learn the feature distribution of different sources data. The acceleration data is collected to build the switching operation dataset and the action sequence is segmented and aligned based on sliding window. The action sequence is input to MoE-LSTM, and the temporal dependencies of different actions are independently learned …

Anti-Washout Concrete: An Overview, Hao Lu, Xiao Sun, Hongyan Ma

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Anti-washout concrete (AWC) is a special cement-based material that can be directly employed in underwater environments without dispersion. It was developed around 50 years ago, and more than 150 journal articles and technical reports have been published. This paper provides a holistic review about the basic fresh-state and hardened-state properties of the AWC, such as water (washout) resistance, consistency, bleeding and segregation resistance, mechanical properties, and durability, as well as relevant testing methods. The discrepancies between AWC's characteristics and those of conventional concrete are clearly presented. The mixture compositions, supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs), and other conditions that affect AWC's performance …

Evaluating The Indoor Thermal Resilience Of Ventilative Cooling In Non-Residential Low Energy Buildings: A Review, Elahe Tavakoli, Adam O'Donovan, Maria Kolokotroni, Paul D. O’Sullivan

Publications

The quality of future working circumstances for many will be contingent on how low energy indoor spaces respond to challenges from accelerated ambient warming. Resilient cooling is increasingly relevant given the need to evaluate whether a building designed today is resilient against extreme disturbances to the thermal environment from events in the future. The most vulnerable spaces are likely to be those that adopt ventilative cooling. This study reviewed recent research relating to these buildings, discussing different definitions, metrics and approaches available to quantify indoor thermal resilience, also evaluating the extent to which existing published studies have captured each of …

Machine Learning And Scalable Informatics Methods To Predict Disease Status From Multimodal Biomedical Data, Hossein Mohammadian Foroushani

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Biological understanding of complex diseases such as stroke and obesity is critical for the advancement of medicine. Further knowledge discovery can provide effective biomarkers to improve disease diagnosis and prognosis, identify driver mutations, predict individual genetic susceptibility for early prevention and effective disease management, and facilitate development of personalized drugs. Stroke is the second leading cause of death and long-term disability in the world. Thus, stroke management is a time-sensitive emergency. The initial hours after stroke onset map the trajectory of subsequent neurologic complications. Cerebral edema develops hours to days after acute ischemic stroke and may result in midline shift …

Role Of Ligand Architecture On Collective Cell Invasion, Amrit Bagchi

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Epithelial cell collectives utilize extra-cellular matrix (ECM) fibers to undergo collective migration critical in regeneration, repair and cancer metastasis. However, very little is known about the various factors which determine the ability of cellular collectives to utilize ECM fibers to undergo these critical processes in-vivo. First part of the dissertation focusses on understanding how cell collectives exploit specific properties, like stiffness and fiber length to undergo collective streaming. It is also unclear how cellular forces, cell-cell adhesion, and velocities are coordinated within streams. To independently tune stiffness and collagen fiber length, we developed new hydrogels and discovered invasion-like streaming of …

Intrinsic Cardiac Effects Of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 In Coronavirus Disease 2019, Brittany Danielle Brumback

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Cardiac arrhythmias, particularly ventricular arrhythmias, can be life-threatening and caused by both congenital genetic mutations and acquired cardiac injury. My thesis work was originally focused on delineating the effects of genetic mutation-driven dysregulation of a protein called Hey2 in Brugada Syndrome, a complex disease characterized by a predisposition to dangerous arrhythmias originating in the right ventricular outflow tract. In response to the pandemic, my thesis work shifted toward understanding the mechanisms of cardiovascular injury in Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is associated with serious cardiovascular complications, including ventricular arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death as well as endothelial dysfunction and coagulopathies. …

Imaging Techniques For Proton Range Determination In Proton Therapy, Xinyuan Chen

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Proton therapy can achieve better sparing of normal tissues than the conventional photon radiation therapy due to proton’s Bragg Peak property. However, to unlock the full potential of protons, accurate prediction of in vivo proton stopping power ratio (SPR) is required for proton therapy treatment planning. The current standard practice is to map SPR from Hounsfield Unit (HU) values of a single-energy computed tomography (SECT) scan through a stoichiometric calibration technique. This technique is subjected to a variety of factors that congregate on the uncertainties in SPR estimation, including the calibration uncertainty (up to 0.5% to 1.8% of the total …

Measuring G Protein Activation With Spectrally Resolved Fluorescence Fluctuation Spectroscopy, Daniel Foust

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy (FFS) is comprised of a set of statistical techniques used to learn information about fluorescence particles by analyzing intensity fluctuations in signals detected from a fluorescence spectrometer or microscope. In biological contexts, FFS is commonly used to quantify the concentrations, molecular brightnesses, and transport properties (e.g. diffusion coefficients) of labeled biomolecules. In particular, the molecular brightness parameter is valuable because it can be used to quantify oligomerization of biomolecules. Therefore, FFS has emerged as an attractive tool for measuring protein-protein interactions in live cells. This dissertation describes the development of image-based, multicolor FFS techniques. Image-based FFS is …

Synthesis And Consolidation Of Metal Oxide Nanocrystals Via Nonthermal Plasma, Austin Cendejas

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Nonthermal plasmas offer a unique nonequilibrium environment that has been leveraged in a wide variety of applications in the fields of material processing, lighting, and waste management to name a few. In all of these cases, the plasma serves as a source of high energy electrons, ions, reactive gas species, and radicals that interact in several ways with surfaces brought into contact with the plasma. Specifically, nonthermal plasmas have been shown to be very successful in achieving continuous, high-throughput, monodisperse nanocrystals of a wide variety of materials. The crystallinity of nanoparticles synthesized in nonthermal plasmas can be attributed to the …

Modeling The Effects Of Mechanical Loading On Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Pathogenesis In Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Micro Heart Muscle, Jingxuan Guo

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Sudden cardiac death in the young is devastating. Advances in genetics have associated mutations in the contractile sarcomere apparatus of cardiomyocytes with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the most frequent cause of sudden cardiac death in the young. Currently, it is challenging to predict genotype-phenotype relationships in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy due to its incomplete disease penetrance. For example, different patients from the same family with identical genomic variants develop different symptoms. Non-genetic, environmental factors such as blood pressure are critical in heart function and disease. Therefore, understanding how mechanical factors contribute to phenotypes in diseases like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is critical for developing effective therapeutics. …

Plasmonic Nanomaterials-Based Point-Of-Care Biosensors, Rohit Gupta

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Point-of-care (POC) biosensors, although rapid and easy-to-use, are orders magnitude less sensitive than laboratory-based tests. Further they are plagued by poor stability of recognition element thus limiting its widespread applicability in resource-limited settings. Therefore, there is a critical need for realizing stable POC biosensors with sensitivity comparable to gold-standard laboratory-based tests. This challenge constitutes the fundamental basis of this dissertation work– to expand access to quality and accurate biodiagnostic tools. At the heart of these solutions lies plasmonic nanoparticles which exhibit unique optical properties which are attractive for label-free and labelled biosensors.Firstly, we improve the stability and applicability of label-free …

Droplet-Based Two-Phase Thermal Management, Junhui Li

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The rapid development of electronic systems with ever-higher power densities in a wide range of applications requires new advanced thermal management methods. Droplet-based two-phase thermal management technologies are considered promising solutions to conquer the cooling challenges in the electronic industries. The heat transfer behavior of droplets is based on several important fundamental processes, such as droplet evaporation, droplet impact on heated surfaces, and molten droplet impact. In this dissertation, four research projects are completed to explore the insights of these fundamental processes. For droplet evaporation, I introduce an investigation of diffusion confinement of droplets evaporating on a supported pillar structure. …

Evaluation And Clinical Implementation Of A Dual-Energy Ct Stopping-Power Ratio Mapping Technique For Proton-Therapy Treatment Planning, Maria Jose Medrano Matamoros

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Proton radiotherapy has the potential to treat tumors with better conformal dose distribution than competing modalities when the rapid dose falloff at the end of the proton-beam range is correctly aligned to the edge of the clinical target volume (CTV). However, its clinical potential is dependent on the accurate localization of the Bragg-peak position from predicted stopping-power ratio maps. The method that is most commonly used in today’s clinical practice for predicting stopping-power ratio (SPR) consists of a stoichiometric calibrationtechnique based on single-energy CT (SECT) for direct estimation of patient-specific SPR distribution from vendor-reconstructed Hounsfield Unit (HU) images. Unfortunately, this …

Fate Of Metals In Presence Of Minerals And Mineral-Organic Assemblages, Neha Sharma

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Metals can enter aquatic systems from natural and anthropogenic processes associated with weathering, sediment re-suspension, industrial activities, and atmospheric deposition. Metals pose health and environmental risks at high concentrations due to their potential toxicity and bioaccumulation, but many trace metals also serve as essential micronutrients for biogeochemical processes in natural aquatic systems. Biogeochemical processes such as methanogenesis, denitrification, and mercury methylation require transition metals such as nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), and molybdenum (Mo) for completion. These biogeochemical processes can be substantial contributors of greenhouse gases, such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O), into the atmosphere. The behavior, …

Noninvasive Neuromodulation Via Ultrasonic Activation Of Endogenous And Exogenous Ion Channels, Yaoheng Yang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Neuromodulation technology is key to understanding brain function and treating brain diseases. Conventional neuromodulation technologies, such as direct current stimulation, transcranial magnetic stimulation, and optogenetics, predominately rely on electromagnetic waves. However, the fundamental physical law  the tradeoff-relationship between penetration and spatial resolution, limits their transcranial penetration within the superficial cortex layer. To overcome this challenge, electrodes or optical fibers need to be surgically implanted into the brain to modulate specific brain regions. Different from electromagnetic waves, ultrasound, as a mechanical wave, can non-invasively penetrate through the intact skull to reach deep brain regions with millimeter spatial focus. Ultrasound has …

Design Of Multi-Principal Element Materials Using A Combination Of First-Principles Calculations And Machine Learning, Zhaohan Zhang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Multiple-principal element materials, including alloys (MPEAs), oxides and other compounds combine several elements on a sub-lattice, which increases the configurational entropy and contributes to their thermodynamic stability. The vast combinatorial design space of multi-principal element materials gives rise to diverse microstructures and unprecedent combination of properties. It also poses a challenge—how to rapidly screen MPEAs with stability and properties for targeted applications. Furthermore, fundamental composition-structure-property relationships in MPEAs are currently missing. In this dissertation, I have used MPEAs as a representative system and investigated the role of chemical composition on their phase-stability and mechanical properties. With a combination of first-principles …

Machine Learning Assisted High-Sensitivity And Large-Dynamic-Range Curvature Sensor Based On No-Core Fiber And Hollow-Core Fiber, Chen Zhu, Yiyang Zhuang, Jie Huang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Simultaneously Increasing the Sensitivity and Dynamic Range of an Optical Fiber Sensor is Desired and Yet Challenging. in This Article, We Demonstrate an Optical Fiber Curvature Sensor based on a No-Core Fiber (NCF) Cascaded with a Hollow-Core Fiber (HCF), Realizing Simultaneously High Sensitivity and a Large Dynamic Range with the Assistance of Machine Learning Analysis. the Sensor is Fabricated by Simply Fusion Splicing a Section of NCF and HCF to Two Single-Mode Fibers (SMFs), Forming the SMF-NCF-HCF-SMF Hybrid Structure. It is Shown that the Multimode Interference in the NCF Can Increase the Sensitivity of the Device for Curvature Measurements, Compared …

Advanced Nanomaterials And Module Designs For Efficient Photothermal Water Treatment, Deoukchen Ghim

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Water scarcity is one of the most serious challenges that human beings face, and the demand for clean water will continuously increase as populations grow. Creating potable water from saline water is an important way to meet global freshwater demands. However, current desalination techniques require high energy consumption and a large scale to be efficient, restricting their utilization in remote and underdeveloped areas. These constraints motivate the development of sustainable water treatment methods that can be used with less energy input, in small modular configurations, and in off-grid water treatment systems. As an abundant and renewable energy source, sunlight has …

Ligand- And Strain-Specific Control Of Microbial Communities, Austin Grant Rottinghaus

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Microbes naturally coexist in complex, multi-strain communities that are valuable assets for their host. Commensal and probiotic microbes prevent pathogen colonization, reduce the frequency and severity of various ailments, provide essential nutrients, and offer various additional benefits. Understanding the dynamics of and tailoring microbial communities to provide additional beneficial functions is a primary focus of researchers in medicine and agriculture. To date, consortia have primarily been manipulated by supplementing the communities with microbes that were engineered in vitro or by introducing stimuli that alter the metabolism or composition of the community. This method has proven successful, with numerous microbes engineered …

Droplet Dynamics And Heat Transfer During Condensation On Lubricant-Infused Surfaces, Jianxing Sun

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Inspired by pitcher plants, a micro/nano- structured solid surface infused with low-surface-tension lubricant constitutes a novel class of biomimetic surfaces—lubricant-infused surfaces (LISs). Unlike solid hydrophobic and superhydrophobic surfaces, a LIS is “hemi-solid and hemi-liquid”. The thin lubricating film can extraordinarily decrease adhesion and avoid contact line pinning between the working fluid and the underlying solid, displaying many desirable properties, such as excellent liquid repellency, suppression of fouling, and self-healing. Hence, LISs are ideal for applications where liquids or contaminants must be efficiently removed from surfaces in harsh environments. For example, LISs can promote stable dropwise condensation of water or low-surface-tension …

Modeling, Analysis, And Simulation To Reveal The Mechanisms Of Ciliary Beating, Louis Woodhams

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Cilia are microscopic cellular appendages that help us breathe by clearing our airways, maintain the health of our central nervous system by circulating cerebrospinal fluid, and allow us to reproduce by transporting eggs and propelling sperm cells. Cilia even determine the asymmetry of our internal organs during embryonic development. However, the mechanisms underlying ciliary beating are not fully understood. Questions remain as to how arrays of the motor protein dynein generate the propulsive waveforms observed in cilia and how structural elements within the cilium and its connection to the cell deform during beating. In the current work, mathematical modeling, analysis, …

Pet/Mr Imaging Biomarkers For Cerebral Small Vascular Diseases: Tissue Oxygenation Stress And Neuroinflammation, Chunwei Ying

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Fifty million people are affected by dementia worldwide. Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) often leads to vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID), the second leading cause of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease (AD), accounting for up to 45% of dementia. White matter hyperintensities (WMH) on fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) imaging and disrupted white matter microstructure on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) have been widely used as biomarkers to evaluate CSVD.

The pathogenesis underlying CSVD is not well understood. It has been postulated that exposure to risk factors, including hypertension, diabetes, and smoking over years injures small arterioles, impairs autoregulation and …

Focused Ultrasound-Enabled Blood-Based Liquid Biopsy (Sonobiopsy) For Brain Disease Diagnosis, Christopher Pham Pacia

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Brain cancer severely threatens human health due to its disruption of neurological function, poor prognosis, and substantial reduction in quality of life. Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most devastating brain cancer; not only is it the most common malignant primary tumor in adults, but also it has a median survival of 14 months with a 5-year survival rate of less than 5%. Despite advances in multidisciplinary treatment that includes surgical resection, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, almost all patients experience tumor progression and nearly universal mortality within 2 years. However, advances in patient care have suggested that the accurate diagnosis of molecular …

Fast And Radiation-Free High-Resolution Mr Cranial Bone Imaging For Pediatric Patients, Parna Eshraghi Boroojeni

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

AbstractEach year, 2.2 million pediatric head computed tomography (CT) scans are performed in the United States. Head trauma and craniosynostosis are two of the most common pediatric conditions requiring head CT scans. Head trauma is common in children and one-third of the patients that present to the emergency room undergoes head CT imaging. Craniosynostosis is a congenital disability defined by a prematurely fused cranial suture. Standard clinical care for pediatric patients with head trauma or craniosynostosis uses high-resolution head CT to identify cranial fractures or cranial sutures. Unfortunately, the ionizing radiation of CT imaging imposes a risk to patients, particularly …

Development Of The Assessment Of Clinical Prediction Model Transportability (Apt) Checklist, Sean Chonghwan Yu

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Clinical Prediction Models (CPM) have long been used for Clinical Decision Support (CDS) initially based on simple clinical scoring systems, and increasingly based on complex machine learning models relying on large-scale Electronic Health Record (EHR) data. External implementation – or the application of CPMs on sites where it was not originally developed – is valuable as it reduces the need for redundant de novo CPM development, enables CPM usage by low resource organizations, facilitates external validation studies, and encourages collaborative development of CPMs. Further, adoption of externally developed CPMs has been facilitated by ongoing interoperability efforts in standards, policy, and …

Lead(Iv) Oxide In Drinking Water Systems: Formation, Dissolution, Redox-Driven Recrystallization, And Implications For Lead Control, Weiyi Pan

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Lead (Pb) in tap water is mainly contributed by lead service lines (LSLs). The dissolved lead concentration is controlled by the solubilities of lead corrosion products that form on the inner surface of LSLs. Among these lead corrosion products, lead(IV) oxide (PbO2) has the lowest solubility and can maintain a low lead level when free chlorine is present. Current strategies to control the lead concentration include replacing the LSL, optimizing the water chemistry conditions, and using point-of-use (POU) filters. The present study investigated the effect of manganese (Mn) on the oxidation of the lead(II) carbonate solids by free chlorine, the …

The Generation And Transport Of Charged Aerosols: Fundamental Study And Applications In Medicine And Energy Conversion, Hao Zhou

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Charged aerosols have significant implications in the field of functional material synthesis, pharmaceutical coating, and drug delivery. Electrospray systems are an effective methodology for generating highly charged monodispersed droplets in the size range from nanometer to micrometer. The prediction of surface charge, size and morphology of nanoparticles resulting from charged droplets are highly required for the precise control of nanoparticle properties and their effective utilization. However, the evolution of charged droplet is not well understood due to the existence of coulombic fission and ion evaporation processes. Thus, the goal of this dissertation is to elucidate how the precursor properties and …