Digital Commons Network^™

Impact Of Climate Change On Storms And Coastal Morphodynamics, Kelsey Perez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Storms have been impacting coastal morphodynamics directly due to its intensifying effects over the years. Climate change has caused an exponential impact on storms and therefore morphodynamic changes in the coasts. A specific land that has constantly been threatened is Dauphin Island, a barrier island in Alabama. Over time, it has experienced a total land loss of 100 ft of shoreline over the past of 3 decades and an overall 16% land loss of the island due to the intensifying effects of storms due to a changing climate. In this study, we use Hurricane Ivan as an example. In order …

A Model For Assessing Staff Resilience To Improve Organizational Resilience In Emergency Departments, Stefani Baz

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Organizational Resilience is defined as the ability of an organization to anticipate sudden disruptions, effectively respond, and adapt in a changing environment to deliver its objectives, as well as successfully recover. In order to increase resilience at an organizational level, it is important to understand how individuals collectively contribute to resilience capability of an organization. Emergency Departments (EDs) are considered to be particularly well suited to investigating resilience capability due to their highly unpredictable and complex operating environment. Further, the resilience capability of EDs and their staff is suggested to be essential to successful delivery of safe, high-quality, and timely …

Multifactorial Media Analysis Via Design Of Experiment For Type Ii Collagen In Primary Rabbit Chondrocytes, Javier A. Velez Toro

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Osteoarthritis is a prevalent disease that affects the articular cartilage of the joints. Millions of people suffer worldwide and it is a major cause of disability in the United States. Current research for treatments of osteoarthritis are studying tissue-engineered cartilage in vitro generated by articular chondrocytes. A challenge faced in vitro for cartilage tissue engineering is the failure of chondrocytes to produce adequate expression of type II collagen. Surprisingly, the media commonly used in vitro lacks 14 vitamins and minerals present in the physiological environment of chondrocytes. Therefore, studying the interactions between micronutrients and chondrocytes may help in potentially increasing …

Physicians And Their Patience: Redefining Healthcare Relationships Through Readability Optimization, Rachel V. Ball

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The present study takes legibility research and extends it to the medical setting. Internal Medicine Physicians from UCF developed six passages of medical text detailing a History of Present Illness (HPI) Report from an emergency department as well as comprehension questions for the purpose of our study. In our study, we first presented non-medical passages and comprehension questions in six common fonts to identify participants' individual fastest and slowest fonts. We then gave participants medical passages in both their best and worst fonts while measuring reading speed and comprehension. This study was delivered to a population of Amazon Mechanical Turk …

Fluid-Structure Interaction For A Deformable Anisotropic Cylinder: A Case Study, Jared T. Decker

Honors Undergraduate Theses

For a structure designed to interact with the surrounding fluid, structural deformation under loads induced by fluid flows is an important factor to consider, and one which is traditionally difficult to account for analytically. Coupling the finite element method for structural analysis with the finite volume method for the determination of fluid response allows for accurate simulation of the pressure and shearing loads applied by the fluid onto the fluid-structure interface, while also determining localized structural displacements that would cause changes to the geometry of the interface. This work seeks to simulate the behavior of cylinders with varying heights and …

Electromyographic And Mechanomyogrpahic Signal Changes With Fatigue In Adults, Rehana Koilpillai

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Surface electromyography (sEMG) and mechanomyography (MMG) are well-studied signals that can reveal information about the physiological behavior of muscles during contraction. The purpose of this study was to quantify, characterize, and analyze the electrical and mechanical muscle responses to submaximal, isometric contractions in the rectus femoris in adults. Previous studies have investigated the use of EMG to monitor muscle fatigue. However, more information appears to be needed about the use of MMG to measure muscle fatigue during submaximal isometric contraction in the rectus femoris. In this study, the utility of MMG as a measure of muscle fatigue or muscle state …

Heart Rate Variability In Adults During 24-Hours With A Focus On Sleep Period, Ankur Ravikanth

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The objective of this study is to investigate heart rate variability (HRV) over a period of 24 hours with special focus on patterns during the sleep period. Comparisons were made between sleep and the full 24-hour data. The Polar M430 watch was used to record heart rate (HR) data for about 24 hours, and the subject kept a journal of the activities they performed throughout the day. The data was visualized as heart rate in beats per minute (BPM) as a function of time. To check the accuracy of the Polar watch, a 7-minute recording of HR from the watch …

Flow Field Dynamics As A Result Of Perforated Plates, Hector Perez

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Detonation to Deflagration Transition (DDT) is the process of accelerating a laminar flame to supersonic speeds to cause a detonation. A method used to reach Chapman-Jouguet (CJ) detonation velocities is the induction of turbulence to increase the surface area of the flame front, increasing the consumption rate of unburned gases and the propagation speed of the flame. Perforated plates helped achieve flame acceleration in previous studies to induce turbulence when the flame front interacts with the turbulator; previous work also accomplished detonation speeds with perforated plates. This work aims to visualize the flame front and perforated plate interaction and analyze …

Targeting T Cell Glycolysis To Mitigate Graft-Versus-Host Disease, Kevin Ezhakunnel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Hematological cancers account for nearly ten percent of cancer cases diagnosed annually in the United States. Patients who fail to respond to chemotherapy or radiotherapy must often undergo a bone marrow transplant to treat their malignancy. A significant complication following this procedure is Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD), which occurs when donor T cells mount an immune response against recipient tissues. Immunological research has highlighted the role of aberrant T cell metabolism, specifically a shift toward aerobic glycolysis, as a key driver behind the occurrence of this condition. The transcription factor FoxK1 has been revealed to be a key regulator …

Molten Regolith Electrolysis Processing For Lunar Isru: Financial And Physics Analysis Of Spacex Starship Transportation, Cheyenne Harper

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of the following research is to explore molten regolith electrolysis (MRE) methodology for in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) of Highlands lunar regolith, to be explored during the initial Artemis missions. An analysis of potential commercial launch providers for MRE-equipment based on technology-readiness level (TRL), payload mass support, and $ USD/kg payload price is provided. SpaceX is ultimately proposed as a launch provider of MRE equipment following multi-factorial analysis, with the SpaceX Starship human landing system (HLS) variant proposed for supporting MRE payload. Finally, customers of regolith-derived oxygen, aluminum, and silicon are distinguished to form the business case for operating …

Motor Control System For Near-Resonance High-Cycle Fatigue Testing, Samer K. Armaly

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This research project develops a low-cost high-cycle fatigue (HCF) testing system comprised of an AC motor, variable frequency drive (VFD), eccentric cam, and feedback controller. The system acts as a forced harmonic oscillator leveraging mechanical resonance to vibrate a specimen at a frequency required to induce the testing's strain amplitudes.

This system depends highly on the material being tested. As such, the controller incorporates material characteristics. A frequency sweep measures the strain amplitude to characterize the specimen. Additionally, other measurements such as acceleration can be used as a proxy control variables for strain. A function converts the control variable to …

Investigation Of Various Jet Configurations On Jet-In Crossflow Flame Characteristics At Elevated Pressures, Max K. Fortin

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The goal of this study is to investigate how varying the configuration of an axially staged combustion test facility affects the resultant flame and its relevant characteristics. Such relevant characteristics are the jet liftoff and the centerline jet trajectory. The configurations that are primarily being investigated are varied jet configuration diameters, 4mm and 12.7mm, preheated and non-preheated fuel, and different fuels. The testing facility is located at the University of Central Florida in the PERL (Propulsion and Energy Research Lab) facility. The facility allows for modeling an industrial turbine combustor, specifically an axial staged combustor with a Jet-In-Crossflow …

The Stability Of Two-Dimensional Cylinder Wakes In The Presence Of A Wavy Ground, Matt Duran

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The following study investigates hydrodynamic stability for two-dimensional, incompressible flow past a cylinder and compares it alongside four different variations of a wave-like ground introduced within the wake region of the cylinder wake. These different variations include changing the distance of the cylinder both horizontally from the wave-like structure and vertically from the ground. The geometry and meshes were initially constructed using GMSH and imported into Nektar++. The baseflows were then obtained in Nektar++ using the Velocity Correction Scheme, continuous Galerkin method, and Unsteady Navier Stokes solver. Then, the Implicitly Restarted Arnoldi Method driver was used to retrieve the various …

Development Of Lifting Line Theory For The Fanwing Propulsion System, Christopher Kaminski

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The FanWing propulsion system is a novel propulsion system which aerodynamically behaves as a hybrid between a helicopter and a fixed wing aircraft, and if the knowledge base with regards to this novel concept can be fully explored, there could be a new class of aircraft developed. In the current research, only 2D CFD studies have been done for the FanWing, hence the 3D lift characteristics of the FanWing have been unknown thus far, at least in the theoretical domain. Therefore, it was proposed to develop a modified Prandtl's Lifting Line Theory numerical solution and a CFD solution, comparing the …

Using A Lubricin Reporter Cell To Test Current Vs. Optimized Media Compositions, Sean M. Kennedy

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Osteoarthritis is a joint disease characterized by the breakdown of articular cartilage. The field of tissue engineering is interested in developing methods to produce biological alternatives to current orthopedic procedures. Lubricin is a molecule which is important in the proper lubrication of articular cartilage. It is a challenge in the field of tissue engineering to produce cartilage with sufficient lubricin expression. Developing a reporter cell for lubricin allowed for a more efficient investigation of the conditions wh­­­ich may influence its expression. By comparing "optimized" and traditional media solutions, it was determined that the use of a previously reported type II …

Bicycle Wheel Aerodynamics Predictions Using Cfd: Efficiency Using Blade Element Method, Drew Vigne

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The cycling industry has long relied on expensive wind tunnel testing when designing aerodynamic products, particularly in the context of wheels which account for 10 to 15 percent of a cyclist's total aerodynamic drag. With the recent advent of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), the industry now has an economical tool to supplement the wheel design process; however, the complex nature of rotating spoked wheels requires high resolution meshes to model at acceptable fidelity. This research investigates an alternative CFD method that lowers the computational cost of modeling aerodynamic bicycle wheels by modeling spokes using Blade Element Method (BEM). Two CFD …

Workspace And Kinematic Modeling And Analysis Of Semi-Robotic Laparoscopic Surgery, Immanuel E. Girgis

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Laparoscopic Surgery has been revolutionized by the world of Surgical Robotics. Robot-Assisted Surgeries have been proven to have many advantages over the fundamental, traditional "by-hand" procedures previously conducted, and still currently being done for certain operations. Robot-assisted surgery may offer benefits to patients through the use of minimally invasive techniques, which may result in reduced blood loss, reduced blood transfusion, fewer complications, reduced postoperative pain, shorter hospital stays, and reduced recovery times (Ho et al., 2011). Studies have proven that robotic surgery may lead to patients recovering faster depending on the timeframe and the type of procedure (Tang et al., …

A Finite Difference Model For Induced Hypothermia During Shock, Dylan S. Lyon

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The modified Fiala model from Westin was implemented with conditions for circulatory shock and hypothermia. The purpose is to model Emergency Preservation and Resuscitation (EPR), a procedure for inducing hypothermia in patients. Cold tissue temperatures reduce metabolism exponentially, greatly extending the window of anaerobic metabolic activity before permanent deoxygenation damage. EPR in patients undergoing hypovolemic shock can preserve the patient until primary surgical care and blood transfusions are attainable., thereby increasing survival rates. The main applications of EPR are military in-situ stabilization for transit to clinical care and extending the survivability of patients requiring prolonged surgery before blood transfusion. The …

Development And Characterization Of Flow Independent Fuel Injectors, Michael W. Kwara

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Jet-in-crossflow is an interaction between a fuel jet and air crossflow commonly found in jet engines. The crossflow is used to break up or atomize the fuel jet for downstream combustion. This interaction between fluids while at low speeds, is predictable, varies greatly at higher speeds. This investigation seeks to (1) create a mechanism for jet-in-crossflow, using mechanical pintles, that is independent of velocity to help increase the predictability and reliability of jet engines and (2) identify key design parameters that will lead to flow independence. Parameters investigated in this experiment include pintle height, angle, and percent of pintle coverage …

Experimental Study Of A Liquid Fuel Bluff Body Flame At Elevated Pressures, Karam Paul

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this research was to operate a bluff body flame holder with the objective of stabilizing a flame at elevated pressures over a range of equivalence ratios. The ability to have a ground-based test rig capable of maintaining stable flames at high pressures and temperatures is critical in understanding flames present in modern jet engines and gas turbine technologies. The facility was reconfigured multiple times and the resultant flame was imaged within the optical test section. A converging nozzle was utilized to choke the flow and vary the operating pressures up to 5 atm. By regulating mass flow …