2018 MU theses - Freely available online
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Item Fractal Analysis of Seafloor Textures for Target Detection in Synthetic Aperture Sonar Imagery(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2018) Nabelek, Thomas R.; Keller, James M.Fractal analysis of an image is a mathematical approach to generate surface related features from an image or image tile that can be applied to image segmentation and to object recognition. In undersea target countermeasures, the targets of interest can appear as anomalies in a variety of contexts, visually different textures on the seafloor. In this thesis, we evaluate the use of fractal dimension as a primary feature and related characteristics as secondary features to be extracted from synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) imagery for the purpose of target detection. We develop three separate methods for computing fractal dimension and produce both primary “slope” and secondary “intercept” and “lacunarity” features as candidates for classification application. Tiles with targets are compared to others from the same background textures without targets. The different features produced are tested with respect to how well they can be used to detect targets vs. false alarms within the same contexts. These features are evaluated for utility using sets of image tiles extracted from a SAS data set generated by the U.S. Navy in conjunction with the Office of Naval Research. We find that almost all features produced have potential to perform well in real-world classification tasks, with the slope and intercept features from a fractional Brownian motion model performing the best among those from the three individual methods. We also find that the secondary intercept features are just as useful, if not more so, in classifying false alarms vs. targets when compared to the primary slope features. The secondary lacunarity features, however, dominate as the most useful features produced. We also do experiments to address the high amount of compute time required to produce the features and to discover how the features change with distance from the image sensor.Item Smartphone-based molecular sensing for advanced characterization of asphalt concrete materials(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2018) Davami, Sayedomidreza; Alavi, Amir H.Pavement systems deteriorate with time due to the aging of materials, excessive use, overloading, climatic conditions, inadequate maintenance, and deficiencies in inspection methods. Proper evaluation of pavement conditions provides important decision-support to implement preventative rehabilitation. This study presents an innovative smartphone-based monitoring method for advanced characterization of asphalt concrete materials. The proposed method is based on deploying a pocket-sized near-infrared (NIR) molecular sensor that is fully integrated with smartphones. The NIR spectrometer illuminates a sample with a broad-spectrum of near-infrared light, which can be absorbed, transmitted, reflected, or scattered by the sample. The light intensity is measured as a function of wavelength before and after interacting with the sample. Thereafter, the diffuse reflectance, a combination of absorbance and scattering, caused by the sample is calculated. This portable smartphone-based NIR method is used to detect asphalt binders with various performance grading (PG) and aging levels. To this end, a number of binder samples are tested in a wavelength range of 740 to 1070 nm. The results indicate that asphalt binders with different grades and aging levels yield significantly different spectrums. These distinctive spectrums can be attributed to the variations of binder components such as saturate, asphaltenic, resin, and aromatic. Furthermore, the molecular sensor is successfully deployed to detect and classify asphalt mixtures fabricated with a various binder and recycled material types such as styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS), ground tire rubber (SBS), engineered crumbed rubber (ECR), reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP), and recycled asphalt shingles (RAS). The proposed monitoring technology is not only a viable tool for asphalt material characterization but also a cost-effective platform capable of transforming the current physical and chemical methods for civil engineering material characterization.Item A study of Monteverdi's three genera from the preface to Book VIII of Madrigals in relation to operatic characters in Il Ritorno d'Ulisse in patria and L'incoronazione di Poppea(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2018) Coelho, Julia; Mabary, JudithThe construction of character on the early operatic stage by means of musical gestures is an indisputable achievement of Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643). Such an accomplishment was the result of a continuing development of musical ideas over many decades that encompassed additional modes of inquiry from philosophy to rhetoric. The merging of these fields is evidenced in the Preface to Book VIII, in which Monteverdi laid out a concate-nation of threefold divisions: three genera--concitato, temperato, and molle--in association with a high, medium, and low voice and with three emotions / virtues: anger, temperance, and humility / supplication. A detailed inquiry into the Preface terminology reveals its roots in a series of theoretical, rhetorical, and philosophical sources. An indepth musical analysis of Monteverdi's Venetian operas Ulisse and Poppea and their main roles--Penelope and Ulisse in the former, and Nerone, Poppea, Seneca, and the betrayed spouses in the latter--demonstrates that the application of the three genera went beyond Book VIII. The primary emphasis of this research is devoted to how Monteverdi extended this system, along with all his musico-rhetorical devices, to the construction of character and depiction of emotion in his operas. Such an analysis illustrates the development of the composer's musical aesthetic and his search for verisimilitude conveyed in his human operatic characters, a quest that he pursued for many years.Item Lean and mean : determining how hiring multimedia journalists transforms communications teams(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2018) Yesenosky, Daniel George; Flink, JamesThe purpose of this research was to determine if MMJs who previously worked in local TV news are adding efficiency and value to communications departments of non-publicly traded, non-Fortune 500 organizations located in TV news markets 1-50. The study used literature to examine the skills of a MMJ and analyze how transferable they are to the content creation roles on communications teams. Using a quantitative survey of communications managers who hire content creators, this survey gathered insights on how efficient and valuable MMJs are to the companies they work for. With this data, this research attempts to unveil the reasons that MMJs may or may not add efficiency and value to their organizations. The survey worked to compare communications teams that have hired MMJs with those that have not. With this collection of quantitative data, the goal was to determine if companies who have hired MMJs onto their communications staffs have improved efficiency and value. Through the transformative theory, this research could lead more companies to hire MMJs, impacting their career opportunities. Long-term, this data collection may call for change in the way companies hire for content creation openings by creating a mindset among communications managers that MMJs could be valuable additions.Item Simulation of spiral-shaped mems human energy harvester using piezoelectric transduction(University of Missouri--Columbia, 2018) Srivastava, Tanya; Islam, Naz E.Energy harvesters are one of the focus areas in the field of research. The complex smart devices and miniaturized electronic design limit the use of traditional wired power source. The need for an efficient human energy harvester for such devices is growing exponentially every year due to an increase in the demand of energy sources and power requirement for the electronics. In the recent years, the trend of research is leading us to come up with a better solution of replacing the use of non-renewable energy with the renewable sources. Human energy harvesting technique has evolved as an efficient substitute to these. But there are few challenges in designing such energy harvesters. Firstly, obtaining higher efficiency. Moreover, since the efficiency is lower it is difficult to obtain enough energy considered to size. The goal is to model and simulate small scale energy harvester which harvests the ambient energy efficiently. There are several advantages of human energy harvester which make it beneficial, cost-effective and has grabbed the attention of researchers since past several years. In this thesis report, a human energy harvester has been designed in a 2-loop spiral design and simulated to obtain an efficient design using piezoelectric materials.