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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

The Performance Analysis And Optimization Of Wave Energy Converters From Modeling To Basin Testing, Lauren Dickson Aug 2023

The Performance Analysis And Optimization Of Wave Energy Converters From Modeling To Basin Testing, Lauren Dickson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The successful development and optimization of wave energy converters (WECs) are pivotal to the pursuit of sustainable and renewable energy sources. This thesis explores the elements in a workflow that develops and demonstrates the protocols for the optimization of WECs using a rapid design\build\test procedure. This thesis establishes the characterization of scaled ocean test sites, develops the performance metrics, generates the performance modeling techniques to predict the optimum design geometries which will be produced for final testing, and finally, establishes the basin test plan which will be used to conduct the testing on the optimum design. The findings of this …


Engineering The Development Of Neuromuscular Circuitry On-Chip, Inès Khiyara Dec 2022

Engineering The Development Of Neuromuscular Circuitry On-Chip, Inès Khiyara

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neuromuscular development happens in a complex interconnected network of biochemical pathways. This complicated embryonic development follows a strong, functional, and precise neuromuscular network that has interested both scientists and engineers who seek to better understand neuromuscular diseases. These disorders can be inherited or acquired, and their severity and mortality can vary. Researchers first studied the neuromuscular network from an organismal perspective, and more recently from an embryological, cellular, molecular, biochemical, and genetic perspective. From these studies, the fundamental principles of motor neuron pathfinding to muscles are widely understood, but the molecular drivers of specific nerve-muscle pairing remain unknown. Although in …


Understanding Latina Undergraduate Engineering Student Persistence, Yarissa I. Ortiz-Vidal May 2020

Understanding Latina Undergraduate Engineering Student Persistence, Yarissa I. Ortiz-Vidal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In summary, this study focused on understanding the persistence of 20 Latina undergraduate engineering students enrolled at two public four-year Hispanic Serving Institutions. Key findings in this study showed that in order to contribute to their own persistence in engineering majors these Latina students activated their community cultural wealth: (a) not only to resist different forms of oppression, but also to thrive and excel in academic settings, (b) to take control of difficult and challenging experiences, (c) to take/receive knowledge from others, but also to give/share their knowledge (cyclical tendencies of CCW), (d) as well as revealing that helping others …


Design, Construction And Application Of A Home-Built, Two-Photon Microscope, William P. Breeding Aug 2019

Design, Construction And Application Of A Home-Built, Two-Photon Microscope, William P. Breeding

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two-photon microscopy (TPM) is a powerful, versatile imaging modality for the study of biological systems. This thesis overviews the relevant physics involved in TPM, design considerations and process of constructing a home-built, two-photon microscope, and provides a set of procedures to operate the system. Furthermore, this work explores several applications of TPM through the study of single-cell metabolism and imaging the cellular-material interface. Explored in particular depth was the imaging of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) materials, with the goal of understanding the three-dimensional nature of fibroblast cell growth when embedded within the materials. This work uncovered several optical properties of CNF, …