Engineering Commons^™

Engaging Human-In-The-Loop For Autonomous Vehicle Simulation, John Di Battista, Christian Johnston, Valerie Randall, Jackson Shanahan

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

Many autonomous vehicles are still in the development phase due to limited research and testing and will take a considerable amount of time to further develop before they are ready for public release. The main objective of this study is to introduce a human-in-the-loop simulation framework for supporting autonomous vehicle research. Our proposed simulation framework aims to facilitate AV assessment by providing a safer and more efficient way. Functionally, it is focused on the understanding of AVs’ operations in the presence of pedestrian users. The developed simulation framework allows a human pedestrian avatar to be integrated into the high-fidelity 3D …

Risk-And-Resiliency-Intelligent Supply Chain (Rrisc), Ahmad A. Abdelnabi, Ahmed M. Abdelmagid, Ghaith Rabadi, Andres Sousa-Poza, C. Ariel Pinto

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

This work proposes a risk-and-resiliency-intelligent supply chain (RRiSC) tool which is an SC risk management framework that leverages cutting-edge technologies in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data Analytics (BDA), and Digital Twins (DT) to develop specific capabilities for SC risk management. RRiSC is a convergence of mature tools and techniques embedded in three modules: Modeling, Simulation, and Visualization – all together integrate the optimization, simulation, and data analytics to test the performance of the whole supply network under different scenarios through measuring the vital KPIs, identifying the vulnerabilities, and setting proactive plans to diminish risks consequences.

Deapsecure Computational Training For Cybersecurity: Third-Year Improvements And Impacts, Bahador Dodge, Jacob Strother, Rosby Asiamah, Karina Arcaute, Wirawan Purwanto, Masha Sosonkina, Hongyi Wu

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

The Data-Enabled Advanced Training Program for Cybersecurity Research and Education (DeapSECURE) was introduced in 2018 as a non-degree training consisting of six modules covering a broad range of cyberinfrastructure techniques, including high performance computing, big data, machine learning and advanced cryptography, aimed at reducing the gap between current cybersecurity curricula and requirements needed for advanced research and industrial projects. By its third year, DeapSECURE, like many other educational endeavors, experienced abrupt changes brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. The training had to be retooled to adapt to fully online delivery. Hands-on activities were reformatted to accommodate self-paced learning. In this paper, …

Putin And Putnam: Interpreting Russian Military Activity Through A Three Player, Two-Level Game, Nathan M. Colvin

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

Is Vladimir Putin a bad strategist, perhaps irrational? Previous military activity by Russia, such as the annexation of Crimea of 2014, yielded limited international gains, at a significant economic and reputational cost. Yet as the 2022 invasion of Ukraine shows, Putin is willing to commit military power, despite the cost of sanctions and other possible retaliation. This three-player simultaneous game, originally created in June, 2021, demonstrates how domestic and international considerations of President Vladimir Putin might lead to otherwise unpredictable Russian military behavior. In this extended version of Robert Putnam’s “two-level game,” President Putin rationally uses the international venue as …

Medical Manikin Augmented Reality Simulation (M2ars), Pauline Delacruz, Jacob Gibson, Daniel Howard, Jaclyn Peacock, Kendall Robbins

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

The Medical Manikin Augmented Reality Simulation (M2ARS) is an augmented reality simulation application built for the Microsoft HoloLens 2 that uses the principles of anatomy transfer to overlay human anatomical structures onto a medical manikin digitally. These structures currently consist of the skeletal, muscular, and circulatory systems. In addition, a model of the lungs and an animated heart are also available within the simulation. M2ARS allows the user to view these structures in a manner that is both visually and spatially accurate to the human body. This application contains two modes; an augmented reality mode, which uses a manikin, and …

Real-Time External Labeling For Interactive Visualization In Virtual Environments, Shan Liu, Yuzhong Shen

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

A real-time external labeling algorithm has been developed to explore the potential for applying annotation and visualization to virtual reality environments, which manages label placement in the projections of virtual 3D models on the view plane. The approach intends to place labels with visual constraints, such as no overlapping, intersections, and occlusions, close proximity to the model parts, by adjusting external annotations' positions concerning available space in the view plane. This algorithm is based on the projected model's contour and adapts to camera viewpoint changes within interactive frame rates. It solves the visibility problem of annotations and operates in real-time …

A Preliminary Comparative Study Of Molecular Visualization Software For Education, Ruoming Shen

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

Chemistry and biology are sciences vital for understanding metabolic processes, developing disease treatments, and improving environmental conditions. With extensive knowledge of biochemistry, we can take advantage of a material’s unique chemical composition and properties in various applications. Visualization software is essential for analyzing complex chemical and biological structures and predicting their interactions with each other. This paper presents a preliminary study of three open source molecular visualization software tools - Visual Molecular Dynamics (VMD), Jmol, and Mol*, and evaluates their strengths and deficiencies. This paper utilizes the March Molecule of the Month, Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor (VEGF), from the Protein …

Multi-Modality Breast Mri Segmentation Using Nn-Unet For Preoperative Planning Of Robotic Surgery Navigation, Motaz Alqaoud, John Plemmons Md, Eric Feliberti Md, Facs, Krishnanand Kaipa, Siqin Dong, Gabor Fichtinger, Yimming Xiao, Michel Audette

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

Segmentation of the chest region and breast tissues is essential for surgery planning and navigation. This paper proposes the foundation for preoperative segmentation based on two cascaded architectures of deep neural networks (DNN) based on the state-of-the-art nnU-Net. Additionally, this study introduces a polyvinyl alcohol cryogel (PVA-C) breast phantom based on the segmentation of the DNN automated approach, enabling the experiments of navigation system for robotic breast surgery. Multi-modality breast MRI datasets of T2W and STIR images were acquired from 10 patients. Segmentation evaluation utilized the Dice Similarity Coefficient (DSC), segmentation accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. First, a single class labeling …

Rapid Development Of Advanced Virtual Labs For In-Person And Online Education, Yiyang Li, Pauline Delacruz, Yuzhong Shen

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

This abstract discusses methodologies and preliminary findings on rapid development of advanced virtual labs using modeling and simulation for in-person and online education, including rapid generation of virtual environment, integration of state-of-the-art industry leading software tools, advanced software design techniques that enables large scale software reuse, and innovative user interface design that facilitate the configuration and use of virtual labs by instructors and students. The latest design and development of the virtual lab for electronic circuits is presented.

Senior Subject Gait Analysis Using Self-Supervised Method, Haben Yhdego, Michel Audette

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

There are many issues regarding the technology used for fall detection gait analysis in the geriatric center of senior patients. The fall detection system used should examine the privacy of the patients and the flexibility of the system. Several researchers have developed fall detection using wearable sensors due to their flexibility and nature of privacy. Most of those developed methods are supervised deep learning methods. However, data annotation is expensive because we use camera video recording and playback of each participant’s recorded video to label the data. Moreover, labelling using a camera recording limits the flexible and private nature of …

Implementing Virtual Reality Technology For Supporting Autonomous Vehicle-Pedestrian Behavioral And Interaction Research, Zizheng Yan

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

The deployment of autonomous vehicles (AVs) has been expected to significantly reshape traffic safety on roads. However, there is still a relatively long journey to achieve high-level autonomy and the safety level of interaction between AVs and vulnerable road users (e.g., pedestrians, cyclists, or passengers) is still unclear due to very limited data and field tests. The main objective of this paper is to propose a high-fidelity human-in-the-loop simulation that is capable of supporting AV-pedestrian interactions by coupling an advanced AV simulator with virtual reality technology. The prototype of the extended simulation framework has been developed and demonstrated with experimental …

Is Explainability Always Necessary? Discussion On Explainable Ai, Gayane Grigoryan, Andrew J. Collins

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

The explainability of a model has been a topic of debate. Some research states explainability is unnecessary, and some ”white-box” models, such as regression models or decision trees, are inherently explainable. This paper conducts a multiple regression model analysis with highly correlated features to illustrate how the model’s explainability fails when dealing with complex data. In this case, trusting the model explanations can be problematic. The Shapley net effect technique, which helps determine the marginal contribution of the features, is employed to improve the model explainability and reveal more information about the prediction. The work concludes that explainability is necessary …

Applications Of Parallel Discrete Event Simulation, Erik J. Jensen

Modeling, Simulation and Visualization Student Capstone Conference

This work presents three applications of parallel discrete event simulation (PDES), which describe the motivation for and the benefits of using PDES, the kinds of synchronization algorithms that are used, and scaling behavior with these different synchronization algorithms.

Future Wireless Networking Experiments Escaping Simulations, Sachin Sharma, Saish Urumkar, Gianluca Fontanesi, Byrav Ramamurthy, Avishek Nag

Articles

In computer networking, simulations are widely used to test and analyse new protocols and ideas. Currently, there are a number of open real testbeds available to test the new protocols. In the EU, for example, there are Fed4Fire testbeds, while in the US, there are POWDER and COSMOS testbeds. Several other countries, including Japan, Brazil, India, and China, have also developed next-generation testbeds. Compared to simulations, these testbeds offer a more realistic way to test protocols and prototypes. In this paper, we examine some available wireless testbeds from the EU and the US, which are part of an open-call EU …

Image Processing Algorithms For Detection Of Anomalies In Orthopedic Surgery Implants, Alexander William Wiese

Theses and Dissertations

Orthopedic implant procedures for hip implants are performed on 300,000 patients annually in the United States, with 22.3 million procedures worldwide. While most such operations are successfully performed to relieve pain and restore joint function for the duration of the patient's life, advances in medicine have enabled patients to outlive the life of their implant, increasing the likelihood of implant failure. There is significant advantage to the patient, the surgeon, and the medical community in early detection of implant failures.The research work presented in this thesis demonstrates a non-invasive digital image processing technique for the automated detection of specific arthroplasty …

Understanding Travel For Families With A Physically Disabled Child Through The Occupational Therapy Lens, Dinah Adams, Karen Park, Susan Macdermott

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Travel is a complex occupation that involves interactions between body function, activity participation, and the environment. For families traveling with a physically disabled child this occupation becomes even more complex. The available literature on the lived experiences of these families is significantly limited. This project aims to determine participants’ experiences of commercial airline travel with a child who has a physical disability. Through the participants experiences, barriers and needs of this population can be identified. Through identification of barriers, the needs of this population are highlighted as well as ways they can be supported and advocated for.

Dc Microgrid Fault Detection Using Multiresolution Analysis Of Traveling Waves, Rudy Montoya

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Fast detection and isolation of faults in a DC microgrid is of particular importance. Fast tripping protection (i) increases the lifetime of power electronics (PE) switches by avoiding high fault current magnitudes and (ii) enhances the controllability of PE converters. This thesis proposes a traveling wave (TW) based scheme for fast tripping protection of DC microgrids. The proposed scheme utilizes a discrete wavelet transform (DWT) to calculate the high-frequency components of DC fault currents. Multiresolution analysis (MRA) using DWT is utilized to detect TW components for different frequency ranges. The Parseval energy calculated from the MRA coefficients are then used …

Utilizing Sensitivity And Correlation Coefficients From Mcnp And Whisper To Guide Microreactor Experiment Design, Alexis Maldonado

Nuclear Engineering ETDs

When designing experiments for full-scale reactor systems, MCNP and Whisper can be used to create neutronic models and compare the similarity of two nuclear systems via correlation coefficients for 𝑘𝑒𝑓𝑓, effective multiplication factor. This thesis applies this framework to a conceptual heat-pipe, yttrium-hydride moderated microreactor system and experiments. The framework is intended as a supplement to other neutronics/thermal/multiphysics analyses and provides a concrete method to measure the neutronic similarity of two systems. By analyzing the shared nuclear data uncertainty, as well as sensitivity to nuclear data over all neutron energies, highly informative experiments can be designed to aid in the …

Literature Review On The Discrete Element Method In Asphalt Mixtures, Hui Yao, Mei Xu, Junfu Liu, Yu Liu, Jie Ji, Zhanping You

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Asphalt mixtures are commonly used in pavement engineering, especially for highway construction. The mechanism exploration and analysis of pavement distress are the main challenges for researchers and industry managers. Thereby, it is important to understand their properties and interaction mechanisms in asphalt mixtures. It is difficult to conduct some sophisticated or microscale tests in the laboratory, and numerical simulation and virtual tests can be solutions for these cases with low costs. The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is a promising tool for researchers to undertake these tasks. This paper mainly summarized and analyzed the research progress and development prospect of DEMs …

From 2d Images To 3d Virtual Reality: A Digital Application In Cultural Heritage, Garrett Ronny Hucks

Undergraduate Research Competition

The digital documentation and preservation of historic and cultural sites are urgent needs for local governments due to concerns regarding structural damage and deterioration over the long term. With new technologies like augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MxR), enabling 3D, immersive, virtual experiences become feasible. In this poster presentation, we outline a novel methodology that allows site owners to capture, digitally preserve, and then view these historic sites in the virtual environment. To this end, 2D photographs of a historic site are first taken and then generated into a 3D point cloud in Agisoft. Thereafter, we …

Distributed Control And Learning Of Connected And Autonomous Vehicles Approaching And Departing Signalized Intersections, Joshua Onyeka Ogbebor

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis outlines methods for achieving energy-optimal control policies for autonomous vehicles approaching and departing a signalized traffic intersection. Connected and autonomous vehicle technology has gained wide interest from both research institutions and government agencies because it offers immense promise in advancing efficient energy usage and abating hazards that beset the current transportation system. Energy minimization is itself crucial in reducing the greenhouse emissions from fossil-fuel-powered vehicles and extending the battery life of electric vehicles which are presently the major alternative to fossil-fuel-powered vehicles. Two major forms of fuel minimization are studied. First, the eco-driving problem is solved for a …

21st Century Leadership: Leadership In Challenging Times, Adam Morris

Operations Management Presentations

Our global society has experienced unprecedented changes in the last couple years. The COVID-19 pandemic created drastic changes to our personal and professional lives. We went to a virtual work and learning environment almost overnight. People in leadership positions had to make impossible decisions on items no one has ever experienced. With all the changes that are happing in our world, what does it take to be a leader in today’s global society? Do basic leadership principles from 30 years ago still apply? Watch the latest installment of the MSEM/MSOM Lunch & Learn Webinar Series that will discuss these leadership …

Zero-Power Ac Current Sensor, Omar Aragonez

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

In this study, a magnetic piezoelectric cantilever powered AC current and frequency sensor is proposed. This paper covers the configuration of the experimental setup, finite element modeling of the magnetic coupling, and the optimal spatial location of the magnetic proof mass in relation to the wire for smart grid applications. Solid and stranded copper wires of various gauges were used and carried current up to 30A. The magnets act as a proof mass to lower the frequency while also coupling to the magnetic field generated by the current carrying wire. The frequency of the AC current produces a sinusoidal force …

Fumarate-Based Polymers: Oligo(Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Fumarate) And Poly(Butylene Fumarate) For Tissue Engineering Heart Valve And Bone Tissue, Christian T. Denny

Biomedical Engineering ETDs

Tissue engineering is an emerging field that came from the fields of medicine, materials science, and engineering. The foundation of tissue engineering uses a paradigm that incorporates cells, biomaterials, and exogenous factors to create living tissues for medical, pharmaceutical, and research purposes. Within the last 100 years, biomaterials have been developed to solve many medical and research problems. As biomaterials have developed throughout the years new materials have been developed to have specific properties appropriate for medical applications. Fumarate is a naturally derived molecule in the body and has been found useful for developing polyesters that can be crosslinked into …

Effect Of Micro-Structural Dispersity Of Simo Ductile Iron On High Temperature Performance During Static Oxidation, Semen Naumovich Lekakh, Asebi Bofah, Larry A. Godlewski, Mei Li

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High silicon and molybdenum (SiMo) ductile iron is commonly used for car exhaust systems, and its micro-structural dispersity depends on intrinsic parameters, which include alloy composition and inoculation efficiency, as well as extrinsic factors, such as casting wall thickness and molding material, which define cooling rate during solidification. Micro-structural dispersity is referred to as the degree of heterogeneity of sizes of structural constituencies within the microstructure. A variation in the micro-structural dispersity could impact the high temperature performance of SiMo ductile iron during static oxidation and transient thermo-mechanical loading conditions. In this study, static high temperature tests were performed on …

The Effects Of Various Inlet Distortion Profiles On Transonic Fan Performance, Andrew Michael Bedke

Theses and Dissertations

An increased understanding of how inlet flow distortion affects transonic fans enables improved fan design and performance prediction. Inlet distortion refers to non-uniformities in the incoming flow properties. Complex inlet ducts in high performance aircraft result in distorted flow at the fan inlet. In this thesis, two studies were performed using Unsteady Reynolds-Averaged Navier Stokes (URANS) simulations. The first study focused on understanding how the transition abruptness between the clean and distorted sector in the inlet Pt profile as well as the circumferential extent of the distorted sector affect distortion transfer and generation through a transonic fan. Simulations on two …

Wave-Optics Investigation Of Branch-Point Density, Jeffrey R. Beck, Jeremy Bos, Terry J. Brennan, Mark F. Spencer

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

We use wave-optics simulations to investigate branch-point density (i.e., the number of branch points within the pupil-phase function) in terms of the grid sampling. The goal for these wave-optics simulations is to model plane-wave propagation through homogeneous turbulence, both with and without the effects of a finite inner scale modeled using a Hill spectrum. In practice, the grid sampling provides a gauge for the amount of branch-point resolution within the wave-optics simulations, whereas the Rytov number, Fried coherence diameter, and isoplanatic angle provide parameters to setup and explore the associated deep-turbulence conditions. Via Monte Carlo averaging, the results show that …

Sources Of Hydrothermal Fluids Inferred From Oxygen And Carbon Isotope Composition Of Calcite, Keweenaw Peninsula Native Copper District, Michigan, Usa, Thomas Bodden, Theodore J. Bornhorst, Florence Bégué, Chad Deering

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

The Mesoproterozoic North American Midcontinent Rift hosts the world’s largest accu-mulation of native copper in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. During a regional metamorpho-genic‐hydrothermal event, native copper was deposited along with spatially zoned main‐stage minerals in a thermal high. This was followed by deposition of late‐stage minerals including minor copper sulfide. Inferences from the oxygen and carbon isotopic composition of main‐stage hydrothermal fluids, as calculated from 296 new and compiled isotopic measurements on calcite, are consistent with existing models that low‐sulfur saline native copper ore‐forming fluids were domi-nantly derived by burial metamorphic processes from the very low sulfur basalt‐dominated rift fill at …

In Pursuit Of A Universal High Performance Computing Optimization Methodology, Reid Prichard

Liberty University Research Week

Doctoral

Applied

Let's Get Serious About It: Plastic-Free Campus Initiative, Geoffrey Kain, Camdyn Doucette, Regan Bossie

Sustainability Conference

On February 23, 2022, the UN agreed to start negotiating a world-first global treaty on plastic waste--since nearly 200 nations unanimously agreed to move toward a legally binding plastics treaty by 2024. In 2019 the UN Environmental Programme report highlighted that "our world is drowning in plastic." As with the climate change crisis (to which plastics production and disposal are also linked), the data resoundingly illustrate the imminent systemic threat that disposable plastics pose to the world's seas, freshwater sources, soils, food supply, air, and species. Nevertheless, plastics production is predicted to rise dramatically over the next 20 years, with …