Electrical and Electronics Commons^™

An Investigation Into The Effect Of Blood Glucose Level Changes On Lf/Hf Parameter Of Hrv Signal In Non-Diabetic And Diabetic Individuals, Reza M. Amanipour

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The analysis of time duration between consecutive R waves of electrocardiogram (ECG) is a standard method to evaluate the variations in heart rate. The physiological literature reveals that blood glucose levels modulate the autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity and heart rate variability (HRV) is representative of the cardiovascular autonomic function. In the research, an investigation was carried out to investigate the relationship between HRV signal measures derived from ECG and arterial blood glucose changes in five non-diabetic and five diabetic individuals during normoglycemic and mildly hyperglycemic conditions. A CleveLabs BioCapture wireless device was used to acquire ECG signals from ten …

2d Gaussian Object Motion Detection, Miguel Angel Chaidez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Dr. John Moya, and associated research assistants, have previously created an image-change recognition algorithm (JESSE) to mark changes within an image. The focus of this thesis is to present a physical application and modification of this algorithm in order to detect a surgeon's hand and verify chip placement on a printed circuit board.

There are different techniques in implementing visual recognition and motion detection with smart systems but the high cost and complicated calibration of these systems make them impractical. The goal was to create a system that is simple, inexpensive and applicable to multiple applications that will allow the …

Size Dependent Melting And Diffusion Of Silicon For Microsystem Applications, Noel Felipe Marquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The size dependent reduced melting point and hydrogen enhanced surface diffusion effect on silicon nanostructures was explored experimentally. SOI and silicon wafers were patterned using nanimprint lithography and dry etching to explore the reduced melting point effect; and patterned with photolithography and dry etching to explore the hydrogen enhanced surface diffusion. The nanotextured samples were annealed in a wide variety of furnaces with nitrogen, forming gas, and argon atmospheres. Nitrogen was found to block the reshaping effect while argon was found to cause extensive pitting damage in the setup used. Micropatterned samples were annealed in a low pressure hydrogen enabled …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Nanocrystalline Yttrium Oxide Thin Films For Electronic Device Applications, Mudavakkat Vikas Haridas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis presents the optimization of growth conditions for fabricating nanocrystalline Yttrium Oxide (Y2O3) thin films on silicon and optical grade, high quality quartz substrates in order to study its structural, optical and electrical properties for electronic device applications.

Commercially Y2O3 has proven to be difficult to fabricate at high quality due to its high temperature growth requirements and the need to alter established fabrication methods for electronic devices. A high temperature requirement for high quality poses a problem for research and analysis. This calls upon for an optimization of the growth conditions to facilitate fabrication of thin films for …

Utepcam: A Scalable Wireless Vision Sensor Architecture For Computational, Power And Bandwidth Constrained Scenarios, Ricardo Zepeda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

UTEPcam is a low cost and power vision sensor node system. UTEPcam is composed of an Atmel atmega32 8-bit microcontroller, a CY7C09099V static RAM chip, an OV6620 CMOS image sensor, a XBEE transceiver and a SD Flash memory card, and four logic gates. UTEPcam's simple yet efficiently architecture enables it to capture video at one frame per second. At its absolute highest, it is estimated that UTEPcam consumes only 1.321 Amps. When in standby, UTEPcam consumes 21 microamps. Furthermore, UTEPcam's program takes up only 1Kbyte of memory space.

UTEPcam's CPU, a simple 8-bit MCU, is unlike most vision sensor node …

Tin Dioxide Memristors On Glass And Plastic Substrates, Oscar Del Real

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

NanoMIL has studied and developed SnO2-based memristors, while the W.M Keck Center has been a research leader in printed silver inks. The focus of this thesis is to take the previous generation of memristors on glass and develop a process for creating memristors on flexible Kapton film for the first time. Moreover, collaborative work between the two UTEP laboratories produced memristors with printed silver top electrode contacts, also for the first time. These approaches may enable inexpensive flexible memory.

Maturation of the process was achieved by understanding important process parameters and subtle differences between glass and Kapton substrates. Moreover, electrical …

Preparation And Characterization Of Iron Oxide And Hydroxide Based Nanomaterials, Guillermo Carbajal Franco

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Iron (Fe) oxides and hydroxides are common and abundant materials. They exhibit diverse crystal structures, properties and phenomena by virtue of which they find a wide range of scientific and technological applications. Controlled growth and manipulation of the specific structure and electronic behavior to meet the requirements of a given application is a challenging problem in view of many possible phases and composition of the resulting materials. The preparation method and experimental conditions will, therefore, significantly affect the properties and performance of Fe oxides and hydroxides. The goal of the project is to obtain Fe-based oxide/hydroxide catalytic materials and to …

Spatio-Temporal Cardiac Pacing Sites Localization And Time Varying Pericardium Potential Maps Projection Using Ecg Precordial Leads And A Single Moving Dipole Model, Jaime R. De La Cruz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

A novel non-invasive method for the spatiotemporal localization of the sites of strongest cardiac activity, and for the creation of time varying Pericardium Potential Maps (PPM), with the use of patients' ECG precordial leads, is proposed in this Thesis study. Compared to previous studies, which analyze electrocardiograms in either time domain or spatial domain, the proposed method has the advantage of a simultaneous spatiotemporal electrocardiograph analysis and a 3-D visualization of pericardium potentials maps, as well as, the pericardium surface polarization patterns during the cardiac cycle. The spatial properties added to the electrocardiogram allow for the analysis of specific regions …

Assessment And Evaluation Of Peripheral Neuropathy From Diabetic Mellitus Using Systems Analysis Approach, Oscar Alonso Espino

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Currently in America 1 out of every 10 residents suffers from diabetes, and this tendency is likely to grow up to "1 of every 3" by the year [6]. Diabetes exhibits several complications. In 2005, the lead cause of stroke and heart disease was diabetes, 68% of the cases [1]. In 2008, 44% of kidney failure was associated with diabetes [1]. 60 to 70 % of cases of diabetes have a mild to severe nervous system damage [1]. Diabetic patients who have developed peripheral neuropathy tend to also develop foot ulceration. In an advanced stage a foot ulcer can lead …

Accelerated Simulation And Testing Of Integrated Circuits Using High Performance Computing Machines, Matthew C. Markulik

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

As Moore's Law continues to hold true and transistor density becomes exponentially larger the need to rely on computer aided design (CAD) simulators has become more relevant and necessary. As we dive into the age of electronic reliance there presents a need to constantly improve methods to reduce time-to-solution for developing technologies. The reliance on CAD simulators for electronic development leaves engineers with an ability to improve the design process by improving these simulators or improving the methods in which these simulators are being utilized. With the advancement of quality fabrication processes and the ability to operate at sub-threshold levels …

Development Of Load Balancing Algorithm Based On Analysis Of Multi-Core Architecture On Beowulf Cluster, Damian Valles

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this work, analysis, and modeling were employed to improve the Linux Scheduler for HPC use. The performance throughput of a single compute-node of the 23 node Beowulf cluster, Virgo 2.0, was analyzed to find bottlenecks and limitations that affected performance in the processing hardware where each compute-node consisted of two quad-core processors with eight gigabytes of memory. The analysis was performed using the High Performance Linpack (HPL) benchmark.

In addition, the processing hardware of the compute-node was modeled using an Instruction per Cycle (IPC) metric that was estimated using linear regression. Modeling data was obtained by using the Tuning …

Automated Detection Of Dust Clouds, Sources, And Direction From Noaa-Avhrr Satellite Imagery, Mohammed Qassim Alkhatib

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This research is mainly focused on automatically locating dust sources and estimating their transport direction in NOAA-AVHRR images. Applications of AVHRR images may include agricultural assessment, producing maps of large area, and to retrieve various geophysical parameters. The AVHRR simultaneously records five bands of data, in our research, we focused on bands four and five since these wavelengths highlight the absorption and subsequent emission of thermal radiation by the silicate particles in the dust storms.

In this research, we propose a new method to detect dust clouds on satellite images. The approach we propose involves the use of an image …

Miniature Embedded Module For Prognostic Health Monitoring (Phm) Of Electronic Systems, Liam Moore

Theses

Sensing systems for reliability prognostics are used extensively in life- and mission- critical electronics systems. They allow monitoring of reliability stresses in real time and scheduling of preventative maintenance before system failure. However, reliability prognostics systems are, in general, large and expensive and cannot be used in lower cost, small sized or portable products.

This thesis presents a sensing module for reliability prognostics which is only 1cm in volume and uses only commercial off-the-shelf components. In its 1cm package, the module combines all the necessary elements to act as an embedded prognostic sensor system for multi axial strain, vibration, humidity …

Protection Of Embedded Systems For Applications Involving High Loading Rate Mechanical Forces, Amjad Alsakarneh

Theses

This thesis describes the development of a methodology to optimise the dimensions and mechanical properties of force-absorbing layers surrounding miniaturised embedded electronic modules subject to high mechanical compressive/impact forces and vibration. While much has been published on the mechanical protection of electronic systems in larger scale applications, where traditional mechanical shock absorbers and springs can be used to protect the electronics, little has been published on the mechanical protection of miniature electronic modules embedded in smart structures and materials where traditional methods of mechanical protection are not feasible. The generalised system concept used in this thesis is of module encapsulation …

Artificial Neural Network Based Fault Location For Transmission Lines, Suhaas Bhargava Ayyagari

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on detecting, classifying and locating faults on electric power transmission lines. Fault detection, fault classification and fault location have been achieved by using artificial neural networks. Feedforward networks have been employed along with backpropagation algorithm for each of the three phases in the Fault location process. Analysis on neural networks with varying number of hidden layers and neurons per hidden layer has been provided to validate the choice of the neural networks in each step. Simulation results have been provided to demonstrate that artificial neural network based methods are efficient in locating faults on transmission lines and …

Lead Silicate Glass Microsphere Resonators With Absorption-Limited Q, Pengfei Wang, Genapathy Murugan, Timothy Lee, Xian Feng, Yuliya Semenova, Qiang Wu, Wei Loh, Gilberto Brambilla, James Wilkinson, Gerald Farrell

Articles

We report the fabrication and characterization of a lead-silicate glass microsphere resonator. We show that at the wavelengths near 1555 nm high Q modes can be efficiently excited from a 109 μm diameter lead-silicate glass microsphere via evanescent coupling using a tapered silica fiber with a waist diameter of 2 μm. Resonances with Q-factors as high as 0.9×10⁷ were observed. This is very close to the theoretical material-limited Q-factor and is the highest Q-factor reported so far from a nonlinear glass microsphere.

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. …

Evaluation Methods For Health Monitoring Of Aerospace Structure Rotary Joints, Sergio Armando Navarro

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In September 2007, the excessive vibrations played a significant role in the station operation since one of the rotary joints, which provides the station electrical energy, presented an anomaly. The replacement of its bearing components and re-lubrication were necessary to reduce the problem. To avoid a new anomaly, the inspection of the rotary joints performance continues by using the accelerometers data. This thesis presents three new approaches to monitor the vibrations at the International Space Station based on Root-Mean-Square, kurtosis, and Approximate Entropy (ApEn). MATLAB functions and codes were necessary to implement the three monitoring techniques results from the provided …

Pressure-Dependent Nanoheteroepitaxy Of Cdte On Si(100) And Soi(100) Substrates Using The Close-Spaced Sublimation Technique, Hoong Yan See Tao

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

CdTe is an ideal II-VI semiconductor compound with a direct bandgap energy of 1.53 eV used in solar cells and infrared detector applications [8]. The National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) reported that cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin films solar cells have achieved efficiency of 16.5% and with potential for improvement up to the theoretical value of 29% [14]. The close-spaced sublimation (CSS) method used for solar cell CdTe growth is being tested for selective CdTe nanoheteroepitaxial growth because the CSS method is cost efficient compared to the molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) and metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) methods. High quality films …

An Ultra Low Power Subthreshold Delta Sigma Digital To Analog Converter, Ricardo Baca

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Abstract

In the last four decades the incorporation of analog, digital and mixed-signal integrated circuits (IC) using Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) technology has been dramatically increasing and is improving almost every aspect of modern life. Furthermore, the continuous advances in CMOS Very Large System Integration (VLSI) technology allow higher integration densities and the increasing number of subsystems in a single chip results in higher speed execution and lower power consumption. Therefore, the increasing digitalization in electronic circuits across a wide range of battery-operated applications where reliability and power dissipation are critical requires Digital to Analog Converters (DACs) with higher …

Collaborative And Distributed Algorithms For Localization In Wireless Sensor Networks Based On The Solution Of Spatially Constrained Local And Sub-Local Problems, Juan De Dios Cota

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In this research we present algorithms for the distributed and collaborative localization of nodes for applications in wireless sensor networks. The algorithms are distributed in the sense that each node can estimate its own position using only range information and position estimates from neighboring nodes. The algorithms aim at achieving good accuracy with low computational complexity and low energy consumption. We consider the full localization process consisting of an initialization stage followed by a refinement stage.

For initialization, we propose a \emph{bilateration} algorithm where each node uses a set of anchors and their respective ranges to solve a set of …

Conformal Electronics Packaging Through Additive Manufacturing And Micro-Dispensing, Richard I. Olivas

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Realizing electronic systems that are conformal with curved or complex surfaces is difficult if not impossible with conventional fabrication techniques, which require rigid, two dimensional, printed circuit boards (PCB). Flexible copper based fabrication is widely available commercially providing conformance, but not simultaneously stiffness. As a result, these systems are susceptible to reliability problems if repeatedly bent or stretched. The integration of Additive Manufacturing (AM) combined with Direct Print (DP) micro-dispensing can produce shapes of arbitrary and complex form that also allows for 1) miniature cavities for insetting electronic components and 2) conductive traces for electrical interconnect between components. The fabrication …

Algorithms For Training Large-Scale Linear Programming Support Vector Regression And Classification, Pablo Rivas Perea

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The main contribution of this dissertation is the development of a method to train a Support Vector Regression (SVR) model for the large-scale case where the number of training samples supersedes the computational resources. The proposed scheme consists of posing the SVR problem entirely as a Linear Programming (LP) problem and on the development of a sequential optimization method based on variables decomposition, constraints decomposition, and the use of primal-dual interior point methods. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed approach has comparable performance with other SV-based classifiers. Particularly, experiments demonstrate that as the problem size increases, the sparser the solution …

Reduced-Order Equivalent-Circuit Models Of Thermal Systems Including Thermal Radiation, Serap Karagol

Dissertations

We established a general, automatic, and versatile procedure to derive an equivalent circuit for a thermal system using temperature data obtained from FE simulations. The EC topology was deduced from the FE mesh using a robust and general graph-partitioning algorithm. The method was shown to yield models that are independent of the boundary conditions for complicated 3D thermal systems such as an electronic chip. The results are strongly correlated with the geometry, and the EC can be extended to yield variable medium-order models. Moreover, a variety of heat sources and boundary conditions can be accommodated, and the EC models are …

A Study On Prospects For The Evolution Of Maritime Traffic Management Systems Taking Into Account E-Navigation, Kwang An

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Design Concepts Of Terahertz Quantum Cascade Lasers: Proposal For Terahertz Laser Efficiency Improvements, Tillmann Kubis, Saumitra Raj Mehrotra, Gerhard Klimeck

Birck and NCN Publications

Conceptual disadvantages of typical resonant phonon terahertz quantum cascade lasers 􏰎THz-QCLs􏰍 are analyzed. Alternative designs and their combination within a concrete device proposal are discussed to improve the QCL performance. The improvements are 􏰎1􏰍 indirect pumping of the upper laser level, 􏰎2􏰍 diagonal optical transitions, 􏰎3􏰍 complete electron thermalization, and 􏰎4􏰍 materials with low effective electron masses. The nonequilibrium Green’s function method is applied to predict stationary electron transport and optical gain. The proposed THz-QCL shows a higher optical gain, a lower threshold current, and a higher operation temperature. Alloy disorder scattering can worsen the QCL performance.

High Impedance Arc Fault Detection In A Manhole Environment., Thomas Arthur Cooke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The scope of this thesis was to develop a prototype high-impedance arc detection system that a utility worker could use as an early warning system while working in a manhole environment. As part of this system sensors and algorithms were developed to increase the sensitivity of detecting an arc while ignoring loads that can give false positive signatures for arcing. The latest technology was used to repeat measurements performed in previous research from decades ago that lacked in sampling speed and amplitude resolution. Several types of arcs were produced and analyzed so to establish a library of various waveform and …

New Handheld Emissions Detector For Pinpointing The Location Of Inadvertently Energized Objects In Urban Environments., Kermit O. Phipps

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The power distribution infrastructure in the United States is deteriorating at a rapid rate exposing infrastructure wiring and creating potential shock hazards. Periodic road and sidewalk maintenance projects can also expose wiring and create energized objects. In urban settings inadvertently energized objects include: lamp posts, bus shelters, metal street curbs, sign posts, transformer vaults, and manhole covers as well as concrete and asphalt pavement. Every year electric shocks occur when people and domestic animals (such as dogs and cats) make incidental contact with these energized objects. In very rare cases the shocks from these contacts are lethal. Through current personal …

A Linear Combination Of Heuristics Approach To Spatial Sampling Hyperspectral Data For Target Tracking, Barry R. Secrest

Theses and Dissertations

Persistent surveillance of the battlespace results in better battlespace awareness which aids in obtaining air superiority, winning battles, and saving friendly lives. Although hyperspectral imagery (HSI) data has proven useful for discriminating targets, it presents many challenges as a useful tool in persistent surveillance. A new sensor under development has the potential of overcoming these challenges and transforming our persistent surveillance capability by providing HSI data for a limited number of pixels and grayscale video for the remainder. The challenge of exploiting this new sensor is determining where the HSI data in the sensor's field of view will be the …

Embedded Radio Frequency Identification Device License Plates For Roadside Use In Nebraska, Dwight L. Mosby Jr.

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The transportation industry has many stakeholders with different needs that work with advanced technologies. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is an emerging technology that is used to track inventory and it holds promise for the transportation industry. This research identifies how to evaluate transportation stakeholder requirements for RFID technologies using a tool described as the House of Quality (HOQ). This research investigates RFID’s ability to work in license plates and may provide infrastructure to support identifying RFID enabled commercial vehicles. This research considers variables that affect the performance of a RFID License Plate System that will use a scanner located at …