PUSH Buffalo\u27s Net Zero House at 10 Winter St.

PUSH Buffalo acquired the property at 10 Winter Street for $2200 at the City tax foreclosure auction, free and clear of all liens. The house is a single family home that is approximately 1198 sq. ft., with three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a partial basement and a crawl space. The house was originally built in 1920. The farm house style is unusual in this neighborhood. Previous owners never altered the original floor plan and had not made any significant investment in the house since the 1960’s, when an owner added asbestos siding. The house was severely rundown, and the previous owner was a “pack rat”, which made the initial phase of the Net Zero project difficult

Parameterized Machine Learning for High-Energy Physics

We investigate a new structure for machine learning classifiers applied to problems in high-energy physics by expanding the inputs to include not only measured features but also physics parameters. The physics parameters represent a smoothly varying learning task, and the resulting parameterized classifier can smoothly interpolate between them and replace sets of classifiers trained at individual values. This simplifies the training process and gives improved performance at intermediate values, even for complex problems requiring deep learning. Applications include tools parameterized in terms of theoretical model parameters, such as the mass of a particle, which allow for a single network to provide improved discrimination across a range of masses. This concept is simple to implement and allows for optimized interpolatable results.Comment: For submission to PR

Bifurcation Type Change of AC Electrostatically Actuated MEMS Resonators due to DC Bias

This paper investigates the nonlinear response of microelectromechanical system (MEMS) cantilever resonator electrostatically actuated by applying a soft alternating current (AC) voltage and an even softer direct current (DC) voltage between the resonators and a parallel fixed ground plate. The AC frequency is near natural frequency. This drives the resonator into nonlinear parametric resonance. The method ofmultiple scales (MMS) is used to solve the dimensionless differential equation of motion of the resonator and find the steady-state solutions.The reduced order model (ROM) method is used to validate the results obtained using MMS. The effect of the soft DC voltage (bias) component on the frequency response is reported. It is shown that the DC bias changes the subcritical Hopf bifurcation into a cyclic fold bifurcation and shifts the bifurcation point (where the system loses stability) to lower frequencies and larger amplitudes

Conservative Estimation of Inertial Sensor Errors Using Allan Variance Data

To understand the error sources present in inertial sensors, both the white (time-invariant) and correlated noise sources must be properly characterized. To understand both sources, the standard approach (IEEE standards 647-2006, 952-2020) is to compute the Allan variance of the noise and then use human-based interpretation of linear trends to estimate the separate noise sources present in a sensor. Recent work has sought to overcome the graphical nature and visual-inspection basis of this approach leading to more accurate noise estimates. However, when using noise characterization in a filter, it is important that the noise estimates be not only accurate but also conservative, i.e., that the estimated noise parameters overbound truth. In this paper, we propose a novel method for automatically estimating conservative noise parameters using the Allan variance. Results of using this method to characterize a low-cost MEMS IMU (Analog Devices ADIS16470) are presented, demonstrating the efficacy of the proposed approach

Horned Lark Management for the Protection of Lettuce Sprouts

The following document is the Final Project Report. Following the Critical Design Report, the top idea was taken and modified once again to suit the needs of the sponsor. Details regarding the changes are outlined throughout Chapter 3. The provided background section explains why there is a need for a new device at Tanimura and Antle that will suit the customer\u27s needs better than current methods and existing products. The top ideas picked for the Conceptual Design Review are the presented to reiterate the problems that were depicted in them and why they were not selected as part of the final design. The final design selected is presented with the new modifications made after the Critical Design Report and includes all the material acquisition, building time, costs, and final production. The testing plan will help provide new or updated information on the performance of the prototype and how to reiterate the design to achieve better results. New engineering requirements/specifications were also updated or added in order to correlate with the new design. An updated management plan also lays out the timeline for the rest of the project as well. The last section of this report contains information on how well the device works, how its design may be improved, and recommendations on actual use of the device at the Tanimura & Antle farm. The Appendices contain detailed information about the final design, its components and related costs, the timeline for goals, and any extra analysis that needed to be done for the actual construction of the final design