Computer Engineering Commons^™

An Empirical Study Of Open Source Software Usability: The Industrial Perspective, Arif Raza, Luiz Fernando Capretz, Faheem Ahmed

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

Recent years have seen a sharp increase in the use of open source projects by common novice users; Open Source Software (OSS) is thus no longer a reserved arena for software developers and computer gurus. Although user-centered designs are gaining popularity in OSS, usability is still not considered as one of the prime objectives in many design scenarios. In this paper, we analyze industry users’ perception of usability factors, including understandability, learnability, operability and attractiveness, on OSS usability. The research model of this empirical study establishes the relationship between the key usability factors and OSS usability from industrial perspective. In …

A Midsummer Night’S Dream (With Flying Robots), Robin Murphy, Dylan Shell, Amy Guerin, Brittany Duncan, Benjamin Fine, Kevin Pratt, Takis Zourntos

School of Computing: Faculty Publications

Seven flying robot “fairies” joined human actors in the Texas A&M production of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. The production was a collaboration between the departments of Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Theater Arts. The collaboration was motivated by two assertions. First, that the performing arts have principles for creating believable agents that will transfer to robots. Second, the theater is a natural testbed for evaluating the response of untrained human groups (both actors and the audience) to robots interacting with humans in shared spaces, i.e., were believable agents created? The production used two types …

Performance Analysis Of Mimo-Sess With Alamouti Scheme Over Rayleigh Fading Channels, Shichuan Ma, Lim Nguyen, Yaoqing Lamar Yang, Won Mee Jang

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Self-encoded spread spectrum (SESS) is a novel modulation technique that acquires its spreading sequence from the random input data stream rather than through the use of the traditional pseudo-noise code generator. It has been incorporated with multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) systems as a means to combat fading in wireless channels. In this paper, we present the analytical study of the bit-error rate (BER) performance of MIMO-SESS systems under Rayleigh fading. The BER expressions are derived in closed form, and the veracity of the analysis is confirmed by numerical calculations that demonstrate excellent agreement with simulation results. The performance analysis shows that …

All-Dielectric Invisibility Cloaks Made Of Batio3-Loaded Polyurethane Foam, Di Bao, Khalid Z. Rajab, Yang Hao, Efthymios Kallos, Wenxuan Tang, Christos Argyropoulos, Yongzhe Piao, Shoufeng Yang

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Transformation optics has led the way in the development of electromagnetic invisibility cloaks from science fiction to engineering practice. Invisibility cloaks have been demonstrated over a wide range of the electromagnetic spectrum, and with a variety of different fabrication techniques. However, all previous schemes have relied on the use of metamaterials consisting of arrays of sub-wavelength inclusions. We report on the first cloaking structure made of a high-k dielectric-loaded foam mixture. A polyurethane foam mixed with different ratios of barium titanate is used to produce the required range of permittivities, and the invisibility cloak is demonstrated to work for all …

Transparent Interconnections Formed By Rapid Single-Step Fabrication Of Graphene Patterns, J. B. Park, W. Xiong, Z. Q. Xie, Y. Gao, M. Qian, M. Mitchell, M. Mahjouri-Samani, Y. S. Zhou, L. Jiang, Yongfeng Lu

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

We developed a process to form transparent interconnections using graphene patterns that were synthesized by laser chemical vapor deposition. The number of graphene layers was tightly controlled by laser scan speed. Graphene patterns were fabricated at a high scan speed of up to 200 µm/s with a single-step process. The process time is about a million times faster than the conventional chemical vapor deposition method. The fabricated graphene patterns on nickel foils were directly transferred to desired positions on patterned electrodes. The position-controlled transfer with rapid single-step fabrication of graphene patterns provides an innovative pathway for graphene-based interconnections.

Fast Growth Of Graphene Patterns By Laser Direct Writing, J. B. Park, W. Xiong, Y. Gao, M. Qian, Z. Q. Xie, M. Mitchell, Y. S. Zhou, G. H. Han, L. Jiang, Yongfeng Lu

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Rapid single-step fabrication of graphene patterns was developed using laser-induced chemical vapor deposition (LCVD). A laser beam irradiates a thin nickel foil in a CH₄ and H₂ environment to induce a local temperature rise, thereby allowing the direct writing of graphene patterns in precisely controlled positions at room temperature. Line patterns can be achieved with a single scan without pre- or post-processes. Surprisingly, the growth rate is several thousand times faster than that of general CVD methods. The discovery and development of the LCVD growth process provide a route for the rapid fabrication of graphene patterns for various …

Small Molecule Inhibitors Of Staphylococcus Aureus Rnpa Alter Cellular Mrna Turnover, Exhibit Antimicrobial Activity, And Attenuate Pathogenesis, Patrick D. Olson, Lisa J. Kuechenmeister, Kelsi L. Anderson, Sonja Daily, Karen E. Beenken, Christelle M. Roux, Michelle L. Reniere, Tami L. Lewis, William J, Weiss, Mark Pulse, Phung Nguyen, Jerry W. Simecka, John M. Morrison, Khalid Sayood, Oluwatoyin A. Asojo, Mark S. Smeltzer, Eric P. Skaar, Paul M. Dunman

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is estimated to cause more U.S. deaths annually than HIV/AIDS. The emergence of hypervirulent and multidrug-resistant strains has further amplified public health concern and accentuated the need for new classes of antibiotics. RNA degradation is a required cellular process that could be exploited for novel antimicrobial drug development. However, such discovery efforts have been hindered because components of the Gram-positive RNA turnover machinery are incompletely defined. In the current study we found that the essential S. aureus protein, RnpA, catalyzes rRNA and mRNA digestion in vitro. Exploiting this activity, high through-put and secondary screening assays identified …

A High-Quality Mach-Zehnder Interferometer Fiber Sensor By Femtosecond Laser One-Step Processing, Longjiang Zhao, Lan Jiang, Sumei Wang, Hai Xiao, Yongfeng Lu, Hai-Lung Tsai

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

During new fiber sensor development experiments, an easy-to-fabricate simple sensing structure with a trench and partially ablated fiber core is fabricated by using an 800 nm 35 fs 1 kHz laser. It is demonstrated that the structure forms a Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) with the interference between the laser light passing through the air in the trench cavity and that in the remained fiber core. The fringe visibilities are all more than 25 dB. The transmission spectra vary with the femtosecond (fs) laser ablation scanning cycle. The free spectral range (FSR) decreases as the trench length increases. The MZI structure is …

Kindle Forensics: Acquisition & Analysis, Peter Hannay

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The Amazon Kindle eBook reader supports a wide range of capabilities beyond reading books. This functionality includes an inbuilt cellular data connection known as Whispernet. The Kindle provides web browsing, an application framework, eBook delivery and other services over this connection. The historic data left by user interaction with this device may be of forensic interest. Analysis of the Amazon Kindle device has resulted in a method to reliably extract and interpret data from these devices in a forensically complete manner.

Column: The Consortium Of Digital Forensics Specialists (Cdfs), Christopher Kelly

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Digital forensic practitioners are faced with an extraordinary opportunity. In fact, we may never again be faced with such an opportunity, and this opportunity will challenge us in ways we may never again be challenged. At this point in the history of the Digital Forensics profession, digital forensic specialists have the unique opportunity to help this profession emerge from its infancy. But for this profession to mature -- and to flourish -- individuals and organizations integral to the practice must assemble and shape its future. This is our opportunity. In fact, this is our mandate.

Judges’ Awareness, Understanding, And Application Of Digital Evidence, Gary C. Kessler

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

As digital evidence grows in both volume and importance in criminal and civil courts, judges need to fairly and justly evaluate the merits of the offered evidence. To do so, judges need a general understanding of the underlying technologies and applications from which digital evidence is derived. Due to the relative newness of the computer forensics field, there have been few studies on the use of digital forensic evidence and none about judges’ relationship with digital evidence. This paper describes a recent study, using grounded theory methods, into judges’ awareness, knowledge, and perceptions of digital evidence. This study is the …

Technology Corner: Analysing E-Mail Headers For Forensic Investigation, M. T. Banday

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Electronic Mail (E-Mail), which is one of the most widely used applications of Internet, has become a global communication infrastructure service. However, security loopholes in it enable cybercriminals to misuse it by forging its headers or by sending it anonymously for illegitimate purposes, leading to e-mail forgeries. E-mail messages include transit handling envelope and trace information in the form of structured fields which are not stripped after messages are delivered, leaving a detailed record of e-mail transactions. A detailed header analysis can be used to map the networks traversed by messages, including information on the messaging software and patching policies …

Survey On Cloud Forensics And Critical Criteria For Cloud Forensic Capability: A Preliminary Analysis, Keyun Ruan, Ibrahim Baggili, Joe Carthy, Tahar Kechadi

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

In this paper we present the current results and analysis of the survey “Cloud forensics and critical criteria for cloud forensic capability” carried out towards digital forensic experts and practitioners. This survey was created in order to gain a better understanding on some of the key questions of the new field - cloud forensics - before further research and development. We aim to understand concepts such as its definition, the most challenging issues, most valuable research directions, and the critical criteria for cloud forensic capability.

Cat Detect (Computer Activity Timeline Detection): A Tool For Detecting Inconsistency In Computer Activity Timelines, Andrew Marrington, Ibrahim Baggili, George Mohay, Andrew Clark

Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

The construction of timelines of computer activity is a part of many digital investigations. These timelines of events are composed of traces of historical activity drawn from system logs and potentially from evidence of events found in the computer file system. A potential problem with the use of such information is that some of it may be inconsistent and contradictory thus compromising its value. This work introduces a software tool (CAT Detect) for the detection of inconsistency within timelines of computer activity. We examine the impact of deliberate tampering through experiments conducted with our prototype software tool. Based on the …

Multi-Pose Face Recognition And Tracking System, Binu Muraleedharan Nair, Jacob Foytik, Richard Tompkins, Yakov Diskin, Theus Aspiras, Vijayan K. Asari

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

We propose a real time system for person detection, recognition and tracking using frontal and profile faces. The system integrates face detection, face recognition and tracking techniques. The face detection algorithm uses both frontal face and profile face detectors by extracting the 'Haar' features and uses them in a cascade of boosted classifiers. The pose is determined from the face detection algorithm which uses a combination of profile and frontal face cascades and, depending on the pose, the face is compared with a particular set of faces having the same range for classification. The detected faces are recognized by projecting …

Fluorinated Templates For Energy-Related Nanomaterials And Applications, Mohammed J. Meziani, Fushen Lu, Li Cao, Christopher E. Bunker, Elena A. Guliants, Ya-Ping Sun

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Fluorinated ionomer membranes, as represented by the commercially available Nafion films, are macroscopically homogeneous and optically transparent but microscopically inhomogeneous with the presence of nanoscale hydrophilic cavities. These cavities serve as nanoscale reactors for the synthesis of nanoparticles from a variety of materials. The membranes with embedded nanoscale semiconductors, still optically transparent, have been used as sheet-photocatalysts for energy conversion applications, while those with embedded reactive metals used as nano-energetic materials for hydrogen generation and beyond. This chapter provides an overview on the templated synthesis of nanomaterials in fluorinated ionomer membranes and the various energy-related applications of this unique class …

Comparison Of Turbulence-Induced Scintillations For Multi-Wavelength Laser Beacons Over Tactical (7 Km) And Long (149 Km) Atmospheric Propagation Paths, Mikhail Vorontsov, Venkata S. Rao Gudimetla, Gary W. Carhart, Thomas Weyrauch, Svetlana Lachinova, Ernst Polnau, Joseph Rierson, Leonid A. Beresnev, Jony Jiang Liu, Jim F. Riker

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

We report results of the experimental analysis of atmospheric effects on laser beam propagation over two distinctive propagation paths: a long-range (149 km) propagation path between Mauna Loa (Island of Hawaii) and Haleakala (Island of Maui) mountains, and a tactical-range (7 km) propagation path between the roof of the Dayton Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC) and the Intelligent Optics Laboratory (IOL/UD) located on the 5th floor of the University of Dayton College Park Center building. Both testbeds include three laser beacons operating at wavelengths 532 nm, 1064 nm, and 1550 nm and a set of identical optical receiver systems with …

On Improving Electrooculogram-Based Computer Mouse Systems: The Accelerometer Trigger, Johnalan Keegan, Edward Burke, James Condron, Eugene Coyle

Conference Papers

Eye tracking is a well-established method of computer control for profoundly paralysed people (Anson et al., 2002). Cameras are commonly used to track eye movements (Morimoto et al., 2005) but one alternative is the bioelectrical signal known as the electrooculogram (EOG). There are some EOG mouse control systems that facilitate the use of GUI applications, but certain actions, which are straightforward using a conventional mouse, remain impossible. Unless the eyes are tracking a target, they move in saccades (jumps), making it impossible to voluntarily trace out smooth trajectories with one's gaze, as would be required to draw a smooth curve. …

Obtaining The Secondary Impedance Of Single-Sided Linear Induction Motor With A Double Layer Reaction Rail: A New Approach, Ali̇ Suat Gerçek, Vedat Mehmet Karsli

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

In the performance calculations of single-sided linear induction motor (SLIM),the equivalent circuit technique (ECT) is used. In this paper, a new approach is proposed for obtaining the secondary impedance of single-sided linear induction motor (SLIM) with a double layer reaction rail by using the layered secondary model. The proposed method improves the ECT technique by considering the saturation effect and the non-linear complex equivalent relative permeability. This study also examines the contributions of other electromagnetic effects, such as longitudinal end effect and transverse edge effect as well. Our method is applied to the SLIM and computed results of the method …

A Logic Method For Efficient Reduction Of The Space Complexity Of The Attribute Reduction Problem, Mehmet Hacibeyoğlu, Fati̇h Başçi̇ftçi̇, Şi̇rzat Kahramanli

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

The goal of attribute reduction is to find a minimal subset (MS) R of the condition attribute set C of a dataset such that R has the same classification power as C. It was proved that the number of MSs for a dataset with n attributes may be as large as (_{n/2}^n) and the generation of all of them is an NP-hard problem. The main reason for this is the intractable space complexity of the conversion of the discernibility function (DF) of a dataset to the disjunctive normal form (DNF). Our analysis of many DF-to-DNF conversion processes showed that approximately …

Performance Evaluation Of Nonparametric Ica Algorithm For Fetal Ecg Extraction, Yusuf Sevi̇m, Ayten Atasoy

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Fetal electrocardiograms (FECG) contain important indications about the health and condition of the fetus. In this respect, it is crucial to apply a robust algorithm to ECG data for extraction of the FECG signal. Most of the independent component analysis (ICA) algorithms used for this purpose rely on simple statistical models. Such algorithms can fail to separate desired signals when the assumed statistical model is inaccurate. Statistical models can be estimated accurately using kernel density estimation methods. Therefore, the kernel density estimation method was used in this paper for building an ICA algorithm (nonparametric ICA: NpICA) and the algorithm was …

A Vision Based Feedback Mechanism For 6-Dof Stewart Platform, Utku Büyükşahi̇n

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Eyes are the most ubiquitous sensors of humankind. However, ``Vision Based Sensors" are not as common as what this fact would suggest. A survey of the previous work on image processing would reveal that the bulk of the research in this area have been conducted since the year 2000. These facts clearly show that image processing is the technology of our century, and is very open to further development. In this work, a system that combines a classical mechanism of the 20th century with the recent technology of the 21st century is presented and the design, theoretical background, the software …

Experimental Analysis Of An Alternator Excited With Photovoltaic Cells For Small Power Plants, Kami̇l Ri̇fat İrfan Güney, Nevzat Onat

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

In this study, an automatic voltage regulator fed by photovoltaic (PV) cells was designed for use in small power alternators. The design aimed to increase the energy output of the alternator and to ensure necessary current output from the PV cells to support the synchronous generator excitation system. For energy transformation from small renewable energy sources, designers have favored the use of alternators that produce higher quality electric power, rather than asynchronous generators. We also address the designed system's suitability for real-life application, examining the steady-state performance of the photovoltaic cell excited alternator (PVCEA) with various loads and its behavior …

Diagnosis Of Multiple Scan-Chain Faults In The Presence Of System Logic Defects, Zhen Chen, Sharad C. Seth, Dong Xiang, Bhargab B. Bhattacharya

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

We present a combined hardware-software based approach to scan-chain diagnosis, when the outcome of a test may be affected by system faults occurring in the logic outside of the scan chain. For the hardware component we adopt the double-tree scan (DTS) chain architecture, which has previously been shown to be effective in reducing power, volume, and application time of tests for stuck-at and delay faults. We develop a version of flush test which can resolve a multiple fault in a DTS chain to a small number of suspect candidates. Further resolution to a unique multiple fault is enabled by the …

Development And Human Performance Evaluation Of A Ground Vehicle Robotic Force-Feedback Tele-Operation System, Ankur Saraf

Wayne State University Theses

ABSTRACT

DEVELOPMENT AND HUMAN PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A GROUND VEHICLE ROBOTIC FORCE-FEEDBACK TELE-OPERATION SYSTEM

by

ANKUR SARAF

May 2011

Advisor: Dr. Abhilash K. Pandya.

Major: Electrical Engineering.

Degree: Master of Science.

Modern tele-operation systems are trying to take into account haptic and audio information in addition to visual data to provide as feedback to the tele-operator.This research emphasizes on the development of hardware and software architecture to enhance the tele-operation capabilities of omni-directional inspection robot (ODIS). The system enhances the tele-operation capabilities by introducing force-feedback to the tele-operators. The conventional joystick is replaced with Novint Falcon haptic joystick which gets …

Column: File Cabinet Forensics, Simson Garfinkel

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Researchers can spend their time reverse engineering, performing reverse analysis, or making substantive contributions to digital forensics science. Although work in all of these areas is important, it is the scientific breakthroughs that are the most critical for addressing the challenges that we face. Reverse Engineering is the traditional bread-and-butter of digital forensics research. Companies like Microsoft and Apple deliver computational artifacts (operating systems, applications and phones) to the commercial market. These artifacts are bought and used by billions. Some have evil intent, and (if society is lucky), the computers end up in the hands of law enforcement. Unfortunately the …

Column: Putting The Science In Digital Forensics, Fred Cohen

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

In a recent study, digital forensics was found to lack a consensus around even the most basis notions and terminology of the field. To quote: “These two preliminary studies individually suggest that (1) scientific consensus in the area of digital forensic evidence examination is lacking in the broad sense, but that different groups within that overall community may have limited consensus around areas in which they have special expertise, and (2) that the current peerreviewed publication process is not acting to bring about the sorts of elements typically found in the advancement of a science toward such a consensus. ... …

Technology Corner: Internet Packet Sniffers, Nick V. Flor, Kenneth Guillory

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The best way to understand an internet packet sniffer, hereafter “packet sniffer”, is by analogy with a wiretap. A wiretap is a piece of hardware that allows a person to eavesdrop on phone conversations over a telephone network. Similarly, a packet sniffer is a piece of software that allows a person to eavesdrop on computer communications over the internet. A packet sniffer can be used as a diagnostic tool by network administrators or as a spying tool by hackers who can use it to steal passwords and other private information from computer users. Whether you are a network administrator or …

Sampling: Making Electronic Discovery More Cost Effective, Milton Luoma, Vicki Luoma

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

With the huge volumes of electronic data subject to discovery in virtually every instance of litigation, time and costs of conducting discovery have become exceedingly important when litigants plan their discovery strategies. Rather than incurring the costs of having lawyers review every document produced in response to a discovery request in search of relevant evidence, a cost effective strategy for document review planning is to use statistical sampling of the database of documents to determine the likelihood of finding relevant evidence by reviewing additional documents. This paper reviews and discusses how sampling can be used to make document review more …

Column: The Physics Of Digital Information, Fred Cohen

Journal of Digital Forensics, Security and Law

No abstract provided.