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Browsing by Subject "Computer simulation"
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Item Automatic Modeling and Simulation of Networked Components(2011) Bruce, Nathaniel William; Koskie, Sarah; Chen, Yaobin; Li, LingxiTesting and verification are essential to safe and consistent products. Simulation is a widely accepted method used for verification and testing of distributed components. Generally, one of the major hurdles in using simulation is the development of detailed and accurate models. Since there are time constraints on projects, fast and effective methods of simulation model creation emerge as essential for testing. This thesis proposes to solve these issues by presenting a method to automatically generate a simulation model and run a random walk simulation using that model. The method is automated so that a modeler spends as little time as possible creating a simulation model and the errors normally associated with manual modeling are eliminated. The simulation is automated to allow a human to focus attention on the device that should be tested. The communications transactions between two nodes on a network are recorded as a trace file. This trace file is used to automatically generate a finite state machine model. The model can be adjusted by a designer to add missing information and then simulated in real-time using a software-in-the-loop approach. The innovations in this thesis include adaptation of a synthesis method for use in simulation, introduction of a random simulation method, and introduction of a practical evaluation method for two finite state machines. Test results indicate that nodes can be adequately replaced by models generated automatically by these methods. In addition, model construction time is reduced when comparing to the from scratch model creation method.Item Bayesian Optimization of Active Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries(SAE, 2021-04) Valladares, Homero; Li, Tianyi; Zhu, Likun; El-Mounayri, Hazim; Tovar, Andres; Hashem, Ahmed; Abdel-Ghany, Ashraf E.; Mechanical Engineering, School of Engineering and TechnologyThe design of better active materials for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) is crucial to satisfy the increasing demand of high performance batteries for portable electronics and electric vehicles. Currently, the development of new active materials is driven by physical experimentation and the designer’s intuition and expertise. During the development process, the designer interprets the experimental data to decide the next composition of the active material to be tested. After several trial-and-error iterations of data analysis and testing, promising active materials are discovered but after long development times (months or even years) and the evaluation of a large number of experiments. Bayesian global optimization (BGO) is an appealing alternative for the design of active materials for LIBs. BGO is a gradient-free optimization methodology to solve design problems that involve expensive black-box functions. An example of a black-box function is the prediction of the cycle life of LIBs. The cycle life cannot be predicted using a simple closed-form expression but only through the cycling performance test or a numerical simulation. BGO has two main components: a surrogate probabilistic model of the black-box function and an acquisition function that guides the optimization. This research employs BGO in the design of cathode active materials for LIB cells. The training data corresponds to the initial capacity and cycle life of five coin cells with different compositions of LiNixMn2 − xO4 in their cathode, where x is the content of Ni. BGO utilizes the experimental data to identify five new compositions that can produce cells with high initial capacity and\or large cycle life. The surrogate models of the initial capacity and cycle life are Gaussian Processes. The acquisition function is the constrained multi-objective expected improvement. The results show that BGO can identify high-performance active materials for LIBs. Designers can use the data generated during the optimization to decide the composition of the next batch of active materials to be tested, i.e., guide the physical experimentation.Item Computational Methods and Models in Circulatory and Reproductive Systems(Hindawi, 2016) Tian, Fang-Bao; Sui, Yi; Zhu, Luoding; Shu, Chang; Sung, Hyung J.; Department of Mathematical Sciences, School of ScienceItem A Computational Study of the Mechanism for F1-ATPase Inhibition by the Epsilon Subunit(2013) Thomson, Karen J.; Pu, Jingzhi; Ge, Haibo; Sardar, Rajesh; Long, Eric C. (Eric Charles)The multi-protein complex of F0F1 ATP synthase has been of great interest in the fields of microbiology and biochemistry, due to the ubiquitous use of ATP as a biological energy source. Efforts to better understand this complex have been made through structural determination of segments based on NMR and crystallographic data. Some experiments have provided useful data, while others have brought up more questions, especially when structures and functions are compared between bacteria and species with chloroplasts or mitochondria. The epsilon subunit is thought to play a signi cant role in the regulation of ATP synthesis and hydrolysis, yet the exact pathway is unknown due to the experimental difficulty in obtaining data along the transition pathway. Given starting and end point protein crystal structures, the transition pathway of the epsilon subunit was examined through computer simulation.The purpose of this investigation is to determine the likelihood of one such proposed mechanism for the involvement of the epsilon subunit in ATP regulation in bacterial species such as E. coli.Item Decentralized and Partially Decentralized Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning(2013-08-22) Tilak, Omkar Jayant; Mukhopadhyay, Snehasis; Si, Luo; Neville, Jennifer; Raje, Rajeev; Tuceryan, Mihran; Gorman, William J.Multi-agent systems consist of multiple agents that interact and coordinate with each other to work towards to certain goal. Multi-agent systems naturally arise in a variety of domains such as robotics, telecommunications, and economics. The dynamic and complex nature of these systems entails the agents to learn the optimal solutions on their own instead of following a pre-programmed strategy. Reinforcement learning provides a framework in which agents learn optimal behavior based on the response obtained from the environment. In this thesis, we propose various novel de- centralized, learning automaton based algorithms which can be employed by a group of interacting learning automata. We propose a completely decentralized version of the estimator algorithm. As compared to the completely centralized versions proposed before, this completely decentralized version proves to be a great improvement in terms of space complexity and convergence speed. The decentralized learning algorithm was applied; for the first time; to the domains of distributed object tracking and distributed watershed management. The results obtained by these experiments show the usefulness of the decentralized estimator algorithms to solve complex optimization problems. Taking inspiration from the completely decentralized learning algorithm, we propose the novel concept of partial decentralization. The partial decentralization bridges the gap between the completely decentralized and completely centralized algorithms and thus forms a comprehensive and continuous spectrum of multi-agent algorithms for the learning automata. To demonstrate the applicability of the partial decentralization, we employ a partially decentralized team of learning automata to control multi-agent Markov chains. More flexibility, expressiveness and flavor can be added to the partially decentralized framework by allowing different decentralized modules to engage in different types of games. We propose the novel framework of heterogeneous games of learning automata which allows the learning automata to engage in disparate games under the same formalism. We propose an algorithm to control the dynamic zero-sum games using heterogeneous games of learning automata.Item Developing a Neural Signal Processor Using the Extended Analog Computer(2013-08-21) Soliman, Muller Mark; Yoshida, Ken; Eberhart, Russell C.; Mills, Jonathan W. (Jonathan Wayne); Berbari, Edward J.Neural signal processing to decode neural activity has been an active research area in the last few decades. The next generation of advanced multi-electrode neuroprosthetic devices aim to detect a multiplicity of channels from multiple electrodes, making the relatively time-critical processing problem massively parallel and pushing the computational demands beyond the limits of current embedded digital signal processing (DSP) techniques. To overcome these limitations, a new hybrid computational technique was explored, the Extended Analog Computer (EAC). The EAC is a digitally confgurable analog computer that takes advantage of the intrinsic ability of manifolds to solve partial diferential equations (PDEs). They are extremely fast, require little power, and have great potential for mobile computing applications. In this thesis, the EAC architecture and the mechanism of the formation of potential/current manifolds was derived and analyzed to capture its theoretical mode of operation. A new mode of operation, resistance mode, was developed and a method was devised to sample temporal data and allow their use on the EAC. The method was validated by demonstration of the device solving linear diferential equations and linear functions, and implementing arbitrary finite impulse response (FIR) and infinite impulse response (IIR) linear flters. These results were compared to conventional DSP results. A practical application to the neural computing task was further demonstrated by implementing a matched filter with the EAC simulator and the physical prototype to detect single fiber action potential from multiunit data streams derived from recorded raw electroneurograms. Exclusion error (type 1 error) and inclusion error (type 2 error) were calculated to evaluate the detection rate of the matched filter implemented on the EAC. The detection rates were found to be statistically equivalent to that from DSP simulations with exclusion and inclusion errors at 0% and 1%, respectively.Item A Dynamically Configurable Discrete Event Simulation Framework for Many-Core System-on-Chips(2010) Barnes, Christopher J.; Lee, Jaehwan John; King, Brian S.; Chien, Yung Ping StanleyIndustry trends indicate that many-core heterogeneous processors will be the next-generation answer to Moore's law and reduced power consumption. Thus, both academia and industry are focused on the challenges presented by many-core heterogeneous processor designs. In many cases, researchers use discrete event simulators to research and validate new computer architecture innovations. However, there is a lack of dynamically configurable discrete event simulation environments for the testing and development of many-core heterogeneous processors. To fulfill this need we present Mhetero, a retargetable framework for cycle-accurate simulation of heterogeneous many-core processors along with the cycle-accurate simulation of their associated network-on-chip communication infrastructure. Mhetero is the result of research into dynamically configurable and highly flexible simulation tools with which users are free to produce custom instruction sets and communication methods in a highly modular design environment. In this thesis we will discuss our approach to dynamically configurable discrete event simulation and present several experiments performed using the framework to exemplify how Mhetero, and similarly constructed simulators, may be used for future innovations.Item Electromagnetic Field Stimulation Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease(Wolters Kluwer, 2024) Perez, Felipe P.; Morisaki, Jorge; Kanakri, Haitham; Rizkalla, Maher; Medicine, School of MedicineAlzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative dementia worldwide. AD is a multifactorial disease that causes a progressive decline in memory and function precipitated by toxic beta-amyloid (Aβ) proteins, a key player in AD pathology. In 2022, 6.5 million Americans lived with AD, costing the nation $321billion. The standard of care for AD treatment includes acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AchEIs), NMDA receptor antagonists, and monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). However, these methods are either: 1) ineffective in improving cognition, 2) unable to change disease progression, 3) limited in the number of therapeutic targets, 4) prone to cause severe side effects (brain swelling, microhemorrhages with mAb, and bradycardia and syncope with AchEIs), 5) unable to effectively cross the blood-brain barrier, and 6) lack of understanding of the aging process on the disease. mAbs are available to lower Aβ, but the difficulties of reducing the levels of the toxic Aβ proteins in the brain without triggering brain swelling or microhemorrhages associated with mAbs make the risk-benefit profile of mAbs unclear. A novel multitarget, effective, and safe non-invasive approach utilizing Repeated Electromagnetic Field Stimulation (REMFS) lowers Aβ levels in human neurons and memory areas, prevents neuronal death, stops disease progression, and improves memory without causing brain edema or bleeds in AD mice. This REMFS treatment has not been developed for humans because current EMF devices have poor penetration depth and inhomogeneous E-field distribution in the brain. Here, we discussed the biology of these effects in neurons and the design of optimal devices to treat AD.Item From the Dexterous Surgical Skill to the Battlefield-A Robotics Exploratory Study(Oxford University Press, 2021) Gonzalez, Glebys T.; Kaur, Upinder; Rahma, Masudur; Venkatesh, Vishnunandan; Sanchez, Natalia; Hager, Gregory; Xue, Yexiang; Voyles, Richard; Wachs, Juan; Surgery, School of MedicineIntroduction: Short response time is critical for future military medical operations in austere settings or remote areas. Such effective patient care at the point of injury can greatly benefit from the integration of semi-autonomous robotic systems. To achieve autonomy, robots would require massive libraries of maneuvers collected with the goal of training machine learning algorithms. Although this is attainable in controlled settings, obtaining surgical data in austere settings can be difficult. Hence, in this article, we present the Dexterous Surgical Skill (DESK) database for knowledge transfer between robots. The peg transfer task was selected as it is one of the six main tasks of laparoscopic training. In addition, we provide a machine learning framework to evaluate novel transfer learning methodologies on this database. Methods: A set of surgical gestures was collected for a peg transfer task, composed of seven atomic maneuvers referred to as surgemes. The collected Dexterous Surgical Skill dataset comprises a set of surgical robotic skills using the four robotic platforms: Taurus II, simulated Taurus II, YuMi, and the da Vinci Research Kit. Then, we explored two different learning scenarios: no-transfer and domain-transfer. In the no-transfer scenario, the training and testing data were obtained from the same domain; whereas in the domain-transfer scenario, the training data are a blend of simulated and real robot data, which are tested on a real robot. Results: Using simulation data to train the learning algorithms enhances the performance on the real robot where limited or no real data are available. The transfer model showed an accuracy of 81% for the YuMi robot when the ratio of real-tosimulated data were 22% to 78%. For the Taurus II and the da Vinci, the model showed an accuracy of 97.5% and 93%, respectively, training only with simulation data. Conclusions: The results indicate that simulation can be used to augment training data to enhance the performance of learned models in real scenarios. This shows potential for the future use of surgical data from the operating room in deployable surgical robots in remote areas.Item Injector Waveform Monitoring of a Diesel Engine in Real-Time on a Hardware in the Loop Bench(2011-12) Farooqi, Quazi Mohammed Rushaed; Anwar, Sohel; Wasfy, Tamer; Lee, Jaehwan (John)This thesis presents the development, experimentation and validation of a reliable and robust system to monitor the injector pulse generated by an Engine Control Module (ECM) and send the corresponding fueling quantity to the real-time computer in a closed loop Hardware In the Loop (HIL) bench. The system can be easily calibrated for different engine platforms as well. The fueling quantity that is being injected by the injectors is a crucial variable to run closed loop HIL simulation to carry out the performance testing of engine, aftertreatment and other components of the vehicle. This research utilized Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) and Direct Memory Access (DMA) transfer capability offered by National Instruments (NI) Compact Reconfigurable Input-Output (cRIO) to achieve high speed data acquisition and delivery. The research was conducted in three stages. The first stage was to develop the HIL bench for the research. The second stage was to determine the performance of the system with different threshold methods and different sampling speeds necessary to satisfy the required accuracy of the fueling quantity being monitored. The third stage was to study the error and its variability involved in the injected fueling quantity from pulse to pulse, from injector to injector, between real injector stators and cheaper inductor load cells emulating the injectors, over different operating conditions with full factorial design of experimentation and mixed model Analysis Of Variance (ANOVA). Different thresholds were experimented to find out the best thresholds, the Start of Injection (SOI) threshold and the End of Injection (EOI) threshold that captured the injector “ontime” with best reliability and accuracy. Experimentation has been carried out at various data acquisition rates to find out the optimum speed of data sampling rate, trading off the accuracy of fueling quantity. The experimentation found out the expected error with a system with cheaper solution as well, so that, if a test application is not sensitive to error in fueling quantity, a cheaper solution with lower sampling rate and inductors as load cells can be used. The statistical analysis was carried out at highest available sampling rate on both injectors and inductors with the best threshold method found in previous studies. The result clearly shows the factors that affect the error and the variability in the standard deviations in error; it also shows the relation with the fixed and random factors. The real-time application developed for the HIL bench is capable of monitoring the injector waveform, using any fueling ontime table corresponding to the platform being tested, and delivering the fueling quantity in real-time. The test bench made for this research is also capable of studying injectors of different types with the automated test sequence, without occupying the resource of fully capable closed loop test benches for testing the ECM unctionality.