UNDERGRADUATE APPLICATION BASED RESEARCH: DESIGN AND TESTING OF WIRELESS PHONE CHARGER

Currently, there exists an abundance of handheld electronic devices, especially smart phones that require frequent charging. Traditionally, these devices were charged by using wired power adapters (chargers). However, the use of wires poses limits in terms of user convenience and distance from electrical outlets. While wireless chargers exist, commercial widespread use of the technology for consumer electronics is relatively recent. Also, the application of the underlying science and engineering principles of power transfer wirelessly are not commonly explored in Electrical Engineering Technology (EET) programs. In this paper, the authors report their findings and present the results of application- based research on the prototyping and testing of a wireless charger. This research was conducted as an independent study course by one student, who was supervised by an Electrical Engineering Technology professor. The design procedure is explained, tests results are presented, lessons learned are discussed, and ways in which the project could be incorporated into the lab component of an Electrical Engineering Technology course are suggested. Lastly, the authors suggest ways in which their design and approach could be improved

A NOVEL DUAL MODE GATEWAY FOR WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORK AND LTE-A NETWORK CONVERGENCE

In recent years, the number of machine-to-machine (M2M) networks, which do not require direct human intervention, has been increasing at a rapid pace. Meanwhile, the need for a wireless platform to control and monitor these M2M networks, one with both a vast coverage area and a low network deployment cost, continues to be unmet. Mobile cellular networks (MCNs) and wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are emerging as two heterogeneous networks that can meet the challenges of M2M communication through network convergence. In this paper, a model for network convergence between a Long Term Evolution-Advance (LTE-A) cellular network and a WSN is proposed. Qualityof- Service (QoS) issues are assessed by a comparative study of the network delay in tight coupling and loose coupling LTE-A configurations. Simulation results indicate that the network delay in this proposed converged network is acceptable for various M2M applications. Additionally, it is demonstrated through simulation that the energy consumed by the implementation of the proposed protocol is suitable for resource-constrained devices

Predictive performance modeling and simulation

The purpose of this thesis was to create and simulate a model of an existing Campus network with a view to predict future performance. This thesis also suggests ways in which such a network can be optimized. Such simulation and modeling can be referred to as Predictive Performance Modeling\u27. In this research a model of Florida International University (University Park campus) High Speed Network was created. Simulation of the model was carried out and an ATM Backbone Analysis was done. The results obtained were compared with corresponding results obtained by network performance monitoring and measurement software tools. A strong correlation between measured and simulation results were observed. A more detailed model was also created for the Engineering and Applied Science (EAS) Local Area Network. Various performance parameters results were collected and analyzed. Based on simulated results, predictions were made in regards to the scalability and optimization of this network in light of expected future requirements

I�ve Got to Play That Game - An Analysis of Embedded Persuasion in Game Design

We explore the role of persuasion in game design through a combination of cognitive biases, the roles of the individual and society in persuasive game design and game play. We examine the role of scarce player resources in the areas of monetary, temporal, spatial and cognitive spheres on the persuasive nature of a game. We argue that a persuasive game contains three distinct elements: the element of surprise and attention, the element of alignment with cultural norms and the element of tradeoff between player resources and incentives to play the game. We also present the ethical implications of persuasive game design

REDUCING THE PEAK TO AVERAGE POWER RATIO OF MIMO-OFDM SYSTEMS

ABSTRACT In this paper, we proposed a particle swarm optimization (PSO

31st Annual Meeting and Associated Programs of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC 2016) : part two

Background The immunological escape of tumors represents one of the main ob- stacles to the treatment of malignancies. The blockade of PD-1 or CTLA-4 receptors represented a milestone in the history of immunotherapy. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors seem to be effective in specific cohorts of patients. It has been proposed that their efficacy relies on the presence of an immunological response. Thus, we hypothesized that disruption of the PD-L1/PD-1 axis would synergize with our oncolytic vaccine platform PeptiCRAd. Methods We used murine B16OVA in vivo tumor models and flow cytometry analysis to investigate the immunological background. Results First, we found that high-burden B16OVA tumors were refractory to combination immunotherapy. However, with a more aggressive schedule, tumors with a lower burden were more susceptible to the combination of PeptiCRAd and PD-L1 blockade. The therapy signifi- cantly increased the median survival of mice (Fig. 7). Interestingly, the reduced growth of contralaterally injected B16F10 cells sug- gested the presence of a long lasting immunological memory also against non-targeted antigens. Concerning the functional state of tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), we found that all the immune therapies would enhance the percentage of activated (PD-1pos TIM- 3neg) T lymphocytes and reduce the amount of exhausted (PD-1pos TIM-3pos) cells compared to placebo. As expected, we found that PeptiCRAd monotherapy could increase the number of antigen spe- cific CD8+ T cells compared to other treatments. However, only the combination with PD-L1 blockade could significantly increase the ra- tio between activated and exhausted pentamer positive cells (p= 0.0058), suggesting that by disrupting the PD-1/PD-L1 axis we could decrease the amount of dysfunctional antigen specific T cells. We ob- served that the anatomical location deeply influenced the state of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes. In fact, TIM-3 expression was in- creased by 2 fold on TILs compared to splenic and lymphoid T cells. In the CD8+ compartment, the expression of PD-1 on the surface seemed to be restricted to the tumor micro-environment, while CD4 + T cells had a high expression of PD-1 also in lymphoid organs. Interestingly, we found that the levels of PD-1 were significantly higher on CD8+ T cells than on CD4+ T cells into the tumor micro- environment (p < 0.0001). Conclusions In conclusion, we demonstrated that the efficacy of immune check- point inhibitors might be strongly enhanced by their combination with cancer vaccines. PeptiCRAd was able to increase the number of antigen-specific T cells and PD-L1 blockade prevented their exhaus- tion, resulting in long-lasting immunological memory and increased median survival

Trust based security mechanisms for wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks are emerging as effective tools in the gathering and dissemination of data. They can be applied in many fields including health, environmental monitoring, home automation and the military. Like all other computing systems it is necessary to include security features, so that security sensitive data traversing the network is protected. However, traditional security techniques cannot be applied to wireless sensor networks. This is due to the constraints of battery power, memory, and the computational capacities of the miniature wireless sensor nodes. Therefore, to address this need, it becomes necessary to develop new lightweight security protocols. This dissertation focuses on designing a suite of lightweight trust-based security mechanisms and a cooperation enforcement protocol for wireless sensor networks. This dissertation presents a trust-based cluster head election mechanism used to elect new cluster heads. This solution prevents a major security breach against the routing protocol, namely, the election of malicious or compromised cluster heads. This dissertation also describes a location-aware, trust-based, compromise node detection, and isolation mechanism. Both of these mechanisms rely on the ability of a node to monitor its neighbors. Using neighbor monitoring techniques, the nodes are able to determine their neighbors’ reputation and trust level through probabilistic modeling. The mechanisms were designed to mitigate internal attacks within wireless sensor networks. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated through extensive simulations. The dissertation also addresses non-cooperation problems in multi-user wireless sensor networks. A scalable lightweight enforcement algorithm using evolutionary game theory is also designed. The effectiveness of this cooperation enforcement algorithm is validated through mathematical analysis and simulation. This research has advanced the knowledge of wireless sensor network security and cooperation by developing new techniques based on mathematical models. By doing this, we have enabled others to build on our work towards the creation of highly trusted wireless sensor networks. This would facilitate its full utilization in many fields ranging from civilian to military applications

Location-aware, Trust-based Detection and Isolation of Compromised Nodes in Wireless Sensor Networks

The detection and isolation of compromised nodes in wireless sensor networks is a difficult task. However, failure to identify and isolate compromised nodes results in significant security breaches which lowers the integrity of gathered data. Using a reputation-based trust framework for wireless sensor networks we introduce a location-aware, trust-based protocol that detects and isolates compromised nodes. We employ a secure cluster formation algorithm to facilitate the establishment of trusted clusters via pre-distributed keys. Reputation and trust is built over time through the monitoring of neighboring nodes. Our scheme provides a mechanism for developing reputation and trust so that a device can determine whether other devices have been compromised, and take corrective action, through negative information sharing and independent trust-based decision making. We also present a simple location verification algorithm that utilizes the received signal strength information in the process of verifying reported location information. The effectiveness of our approach in the detection and isolation of compromise nodes is validated through simulation. The results indicate that our scheme provides an effective mechanism for detecting and isolating compromised colluding nodes