Plume Source Localization and Boundary Prediction

Plume location and prediction using mobile sensors is the main contribution of this thesis. Plume concentration values measured by chemical sensors at different locations are used to estimate the source of the plume. This is achieved by employing a stochastic approximation technique to localize the source and compare its performance to the nonlinear least squares method. The source location is then used as the initial estimate for the boundary tracking problem. Sensor measurements are used to estimate the parameters and the states of the state space model of the dynamics of the plume boundary. The predicted locations are the reference inputs for the LQR controller. Measurements at the new locations (after the correction of the prediction error) are added to the set of data to refine the next prediction process. Simulations are performed to demonstrate the viability of the methods developed. Finally, interpolation using the sensors locations is used to approximate the boundary shape

Control Oriented Nonlinear Model Reduction for Distributed Parameter Systems

The development of model reduction techniques for physical systems modeled by partial differential equations (PDEs) has been a very active research area. Large number of states is needed to accurately capture the dynamics of such systems which makes them unsuitable for control design. The order of the system must be reduced prior to control design. In this dissertation, new methods that generalize the popular proper orthogonal decomposition (POD) to nonlinear PDEs are investigated. In particular, cluster based POD algorithms are developed and applied to the one and two dimensional Burgers equations that govern a nonlinear convective ow. Each cluster contains relatively close in distance dynamic behavior within itself, and considerably far with respect to other clusters. Three different clustering schemes in time, space and space-time are proposed. A complete and detailed approach for the Orthogonal Locality Preserving Projections (OLPP) modes computation for the incompressible Navier-Stokes PDE that governs the dynamics of the NACA 0015 airfoil fluid flow is presented. Close snapshots in the full order model are forced to stay close in the reduced order model by defining an optimization problem that preserves local distances. Optimal boundary control laws are derived based on the proposed nonlinear reduced order models, and applied to various distributed parameter systems including: Nonlinear convection, temperature control in energy efficient buildings systems governed by the heat equation, power and voltage control in large electromechanical oscillations in the power grid governed by the wave equation, and ow separation control for fluid flows governed by the Navier-Stokes equations

Miniaturization of photonic waveguides by the use of left-handed materials

We propose the use of a left-handed material in an optical waveguide structure to reduce its thickness well below the wavelength of light. We demonstrate that a layer of left-handed material, added to the cladding of a planar waveguide rather than to its core, allows for good light confinement in a subwavelength thin waveguide. We attribute the observed behavior to the change in phase evolution of electromagnetic waves in the guide. This technique can be used for the miniaturization of photonic integrated circuits.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

ANN for Predicting DNA Lung Cancer

Abstract: Lung cancer is the top reason of cancer-associated deaths globally. Surgery is the typical treatment for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Advancement in the knowledge of the biology of non-small cell lung cancer has shown molecular evidence used for systemic cancer therapy aiming metastatic disease, with a significant impact on patients’ overall survival (OS) and eminence of life. Though, a biopsy of overt metastases is an invasive technique restricted to assured positions and not effortlessly satisfactory in the clinic. The examination of peripheral blood samples of cancer patients embodies a new basis of cancer-derived material, recognized as liquid biopsy, and its constituents (circulating tumour cells (CTCS), circulating free DNA (cfDNA), exosomes, and tumour-educated platelets (TEP)) may be gotten from nearly any body liquids. These constituents have shown to imitate features of the status of both the primary and metastatic diseases, aiding the clinicians to go towards a tailored medicine. In this paper, the reasons of lung cancer will be recognized and the risk elements that initiated the increase of infection, for instance Smoking, Disclosure to secondhand smoke, Disclosure to radon gas, Disclosure to asbestos and other compounds, Family past history of lung cancer, and decrease of the spread of disease and approaches of handling and prevention of lung cancer

Dietary patterns, insulin sensitivity and inflammation in older adults.

Background/objectivesSeveral studies have linked dietary patterns to insulin sensitivity and systemic inflammation, which affect risk of multiple chronic diseases. The purpose of this study was to investigate the dietary patterns of a cohort of older adults, and to examine relationships of dietary patterns with markers of insulin sensitivity and systemic inflammation.Subjects/methodsThe Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study is a prospective cohort study of 3075 older adults. In Health ABC, multiple indicators of glucose metabolism and systemic inflammation were assessed. Food intake was estimated with a modified Block food frequency questionnaire. In this study, dietary patterns of 1751 participants with complete data were derived by cluster analysis.ResultsSix clusters were identified, including a 'healthy foods' cluster, characterized by higher intake of low-fat dairy products, fruit, whole grains, poultry, fish and vegetables. In the main analysis, the 'healthy foods' cluster had significantly lower fasting insulin and homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance values than the 'breakfast cereal' and 'high-fat dairy products' clusters, and lower fasting glucose than the 'high-fat dairy products' cluster (P≤0.05). No differences were found in 2-h glucose. With respect to inflammation, the 'healthy foods' cluster had lower interleukin-6 than the 'sweets and desserts' and 'high-fat dairy products' clusters, and no differences were seen in C-reactive protein or tumor necrosis factor-α.ConclusionsA dietary pattern high in low-fat dairy products, fruit, whole grains, poultry, fish and vegetables may be associated with greater insulin sensitivity and lower systemic inflammation in older adults

Voluntary Disclosures in the Audit Committee Report

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in the voluntary disclosures in the audit committee report by different stakeholders such as corporate governance organizations and institutional investors. Based on the different requests for enhanced audit committee disclosures, the SEC issued a concept release during 2015 proposing several enhancements and requesting public comment (Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), 2015). In this dissertation, we investigate the voluntary disclosures in the audit committee report. The purpose of our study is twofold: 1) to analyze the comment letters to understand "investors' needs" in the context of the audit committee disclosures, 2) to investigate the association between voluntary disclosures in the audit committee report and earnings management, and the voluntary disclosures impact on the external environment. The first essay analyzes the comment letters by using a framing analysis. We aim to understand how each respondent category defines the current audit committee disclosure requirements in fulfilling "investors' needs." We compare and contrast the respondents’ frames and analyze their discourse. The second essay is composed of two studies and considers the top US Bank Holding Companies (BHC). We study the association between the voluntary disclosures in the audit committee reports and banks' earnings quality. Also, in this study, we analyze the impact of the voluntary disclosures in the audit committee report on the implied cost of equity and financial analysts' forecasting properties. The results reveal that there is a wide variation among respondents in defining “investors’ needs” and how they argue to convince the SEC to adopt their point of view. Also, the discourse analysis reveals several issues at the corporate governance level that require the SEC attention. As for the second essay, the results show that there is a positive association between voluntary disclosures and earnings management. In our view, it implies that audit committees are engaged in impression management. Also, the results suggest that there is a positive relationship between the voluntary disclosures and cost of equity. It implies that the investors are able to know that the voluntary disclosures do not reveal strong performance by the audit committees and as a consequence, they will require a higher rate of return. Finally, for the financial analysts’ forecasting properties, it seems that they have learned that these voluntary disclosures are impression management. They are able to make better forecasting as the results suggest a negative relationship between voluntary disclosures and forecasting errors and forecasting dispersion. Overall, our results have practical implications for the regulator and policy-makers. The framing analysis of the comment letters provides evidence about the need to have a common understanding of the “investors’ needs” in the audit committee disclosure context. The qualitative study is focusing on “investors’ needs” which is a critical concern for the SEC. Also, one of the regulator’s goal is to ensure that investors maintain confidence in financial markets. Our results show that audit committees engage in impression management. This practice can have bad consequences on investors’ confidence and require the SEC intervention

Variable Drive Vehicle

The versatility of current rovers and exploratory vehicles is limited by a single drive system. The Variable Drive Vehicle (VDV) employs a actuated systemcapable of switching between wheeled and tracked drive modes. This allows the vehicle to travel quickly and efficiently over smooth terrain and to traverse more arduous terrain by switching between these two systems. The small scale prototype built over the course of this project is equipped with two modular wheel driven track units to demonstrate the viability of the system. Electric linear actuators and servo motors allow for simple control and a smooth transition between each drive system. These devices allow the modular tracks to be rotated out from under the wheels, and stowed on the vehicle when not in use. Finite element analysis ensured that the VDV’s switchingmechanism maintains safe loading at its most critical points during a drive system transition. The VDV was tested on smooth concrete to determine its maximum wheel speed, track speed, and how fast the drive system could be switched. Experiments yielded a top speed of 11.5 mph in the wheel mode, 0.8mph in the track mode, and a switching time of 6.4 seconds. The vehicle’smaximumobstacle clearance, 1 inch in track mode and 2 inches in wheel mode, and slope, 5 degrees in track mode and 22 degrees in wheel mode, fell short of expected values. These shortcomings resulted from a poor frictional power transfer when attempting to power the tracks using the wheels. However, this prototype provides a proof of concept for a variable drive system successfully incorporating two drive systems, and future improvements may yield a promising platformfor future robotics research

One-ride human powered vehicle

This document discusses the design, analysis, manufacturing and testing of the One-Ride human powered vehicle which was entered into the 2015 ASME West Coast HPVC Competition. The goal of the vehicle is to entice people to switch from gas powered vehicles to the One-Ride for trips of up to 20 miles round trip. The One-Ride design features fully adjustable seating and steering positions and was designed to fit anyone between the heights of 5\u272 and 6\u274 comfortably. The seat is adjusted using metal sliders, manufactured in the SCU machine shop, which fit into brackets attached to the frame. The bike features telescopic steering which is adjusted by the loosening and tightening of collar clamps. To increase the strength and safety of the frame, the welding and heat treatment were contracted to industry professionals. The frame was welded by Chavez Welding and heat treated by Byington Steel Treating. Deformation in the seat frame during heat treatment prevented full adjustability of the seat, however was secured in its middle position for testing. The wheelbase of the bike is 73.33 in and has an overall height of 50.77 in. . Slop in the steering caused instability at low speeds, which prevented the bike from being ridden in the ASME HPVC Competition. Design solutions to both of these problems have been identified. At the completion of senior design, the manufacturing is still ongoing