Engineering Commons^™

Microfluidic Device And Method Using Double Anodic Bonding, Diane Peters, Stephen Forest, Gregory Mcgraw, Siddharth Harikrishna Mohan

Mechanical Engineering Patents

A microfluidic device for use with a microfluidic delivery system, such as an organic vapor jet printing device, includes a glass layer that is directly bonded to a microfabricated die and a metal plate via a double anodic bond. The double anodic bond is formed by forming a first anodic bond at an interface of the microfabricated die and the glass layer, and forming a second anodic bond at an interface of the metal plate and the glass layer, where the second anodic bond is formed using a voltage that is lower than the voltage used to form the first …

Industry Colloquium Report, Robert Moore

Reports

In the ever-evolving landscape of the construction industry, digital transformation has emerged as a pivotal force reshaping the way projects are conceived, executed, and delivered. This transformation, fuelled by cutting-edge technology and innovative practices, holds the promise of greater efficiency, sustainability, and collaboration within the construction sector.

This report offers a comprehensive summary of the Build Digital Project colloquium. It provides actionable insights and recommendations for clients, supply chain partners, and for prioritisation within the Build Digital Project pillars. As the industry partners seek to build a more efficient, sustainable, and collaborative construction sector, understanding and harnessing the invaluable insights …

Laser-Direct-Drive Fusion Target Design With A High-Z Gradient-Density Pusher Shell, S. S. Hu, L. Ceurvorst, J. L. Peebles, A. Mao, P. Li, Yongfeng Lu, A. Shvydky, V. N. Goncharov, R. Epstein, K. A. Nichols, R. M. N. Goshadze, M. Ghosh, J. Hinz, V. V. Karasiev, S. Zhang, N. R. Shaffer, D. I. Mihaylov, J. Cappelletti, D. R. Harding, C. K. Li, E. M. Campbell, R. C. Shah, T. J. B. Collins, S. P. Regan, C. Deeney

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Laser-direct-drive fusion target designs with solid deuterium-tritium (DT) fuel, a high-Z gradient-density pusher shell (GDPS), and a Au-coated foam layer have been investigated through both 1D and 2D radiationhydrodynamic simulations. Compared with conventional low-Z ablators and DT-push-on-DT targets, these GDPS targets possess certain advantages of being instability-resistant implosions that can be high adiabat (α ≽ 8) and low hot-spot and pusher-shell convergence (CR_hs ≈22 and CR_PS ≈17), and have a low implosion velocity (v_imp < 3 × 10⁷ cm/s). Using symmetric drive with laser energies of 1.9 to 2.5 MJ, 1D LILAC simulations of these GDPS implosions can result …

Optimization Of Removal Of Toluene From Industrial Wastewater Using Rsm Box– Behnken Experimental Design, Dariush Jafari, Morteza Esfandyari, Mehdi Mojahed

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

The study is concerned with the adsorption of toluene from real wastewater using granular beads of activated carbon. The adsorbent was analyzed before and after the process using Scanning Electron Microscope analysis to characterize its surface characteristics. The adsorption parameters including solution pH, contact time, dosage of adsorbent, temperature and toluene initial concentration were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) Box-Behnken experimental design to maximize the toluene adsorption. The adsorption capacity of the adsorbent was 298 mg g⁻¹ and the maximum toluene removal was 99.5% which was achieved in the following optimal conditions: pH: 2, 100 min, adsorbent dosage: …

Optimization Of Removal Of Toluene From Industrial Wastewater Using Rsm Box– Behnken Experimental Design, Dariush Jafari, Morteza Esfandyari, Mehdi Mojahed

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

The study is concerned with the adsorption of toluene from real wastewater using granular beads of activated carbon. The adsorbent was analyzed before and after the process using Scanning Electron Microscope analysis to characterize its surface characteristics. The adsorption parameters including solution pH, contact time, dosage of adsorbent, temperature and toluene initial concentration were optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) Box-Behnken experimental design to maximize the toluene adsorption. The adsorption capacity of the adsorbent was 298 mg g^{− 1} and the maximum toluene removal was 99.5% which was achieved in the following optimal conditions: pH: 2, 100 min, adsorbent …

Influencing Air Force Logisticians' Information Seeking During The Covid-19 Pandemic: The Role Of Organizational Meetings In An Expanded Prism Framework, Matthew D. Roberts, Christopher T. Price, Seong-Jong Joo

Faculty Publications

Purpose: This research aims to understand how organizational workplace meetings surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic impacted logistics Airmen across the United States Air Force and how these meetings impacted their risk seeking behavior on social media.

Design/methodology/approach: This survey research tested an extended Planned Risk Information Risk Seeking Model (PRISM) with organizational meetings as an antecedent to determine if current meetings influenced an Airman's perceived behavioral control, attitude toward seeking, subjective norms, knowledge sufficiency and intention to seek information regarding COVID-19.

Findings: Results of the CFA showed that the expanded PRISM model had good model fit. Additionally, using …

A Novel Approach For Enhancing Routing In Wireless Sensor Networks Using Aco Algorithm, Sihem Goumiri, Maohamed Amine Riahla, M'Hamed Hamadouche

Emirates Journal for Engineering Research

Wireless Sensors Network (WSN) is an emergent technology that aims to offer innovative capacities. In the last decade, the use of these networks increased in various fields like military, science, and health due to their fast and inexpressive deployment and installation. However, the limited sensor battery lifetime poses many technical challenges and affects essential services like routing. This issue is a hot topic of search, many researchers have proposed various routing protocols aimed at reducing the energy consumption in WSNs. The focus of this work is to investigate the effectiveness of integrating ACO algorithm with routing protocols in WSNs. Moreover, …

Correlative Imaging Of Three-Dimensional Cell Culture On Opaque Bioscaffolds For Tissue Engineering Applications, Mone’T Sawyer, Josh Eixenberger, Olivia Nielson, Jacob Manzi, Cadré Francis, Raquel Montenegro-Brown, Harish Subbaraman, David Estrada

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Three-dimensional (3D) tissue engineering (TE) is a prospective treatment that can be used to restore or replace damaged musculoskeletal tissues, such as articular cartilage. However, current challenges in TE include identifying materials that are biocompatible and have properties that closely match the mechanical properties and cellular microenvironment of the target tissue. Visualization and analysis of potential 3D porous scaffolds as well as the associated cell growth and proliferation characteristics present additional problems. This is particularly challenging for opaque scaffolds using standard optical imaging techniques. Here, we use graphene foam (GF) as a 3D porous biocompatible substrate, which is scalable, reproducible, …

Cooperative Navigation Of Autonomous Vehicles In Challenging Environments, Brendon Peter Forsgren

Theses and Dissertations

As the capabilities of autonomous systems have increased so has interest in utilizing teams of autonomous systems to accomplish tasks more efficiently. This dissertation takes steps toward enabling the cooperation of unmanned systems in scenarios that are challenging, such as GPS-denied or perceptually aliased environments. This work begins by developing a cooperative navigation framework that is scalable in the number of agents, robust against communication latency or dropout, and requires little a priori information. Additionally, this framework is designed to be easily adopted by existing single-agent systems with minimal changes to existing software and software architectures. All systems in the …

Fatigue Behavior Of Cu-Zr Metallic Glasses Under Cyclic Loading, Nikolai Priezjev

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The effect of oscillatory shear deformation on the fatigue life, yielding transition, and flow localization in metallic glasses is investigated using molecular dynamics simulations. We study a well-annealed Cu-Zr amorphous alloy subjected to periodic shear at room temperature. We find that upon loading for hundreds of cycles at strain amplitudes just below a critical value, the potential energy at zero strain remains nearly constant and plastic events are highly localized. By contrast, at strain amplitudes above the critical point, the plastic deformation is gradually accumulated upon continued loading until the yielding transition and the formation of a shear band across …

Dynamic Skin Strain Fields In The Lumbar Region During Functional Movement, Andrew Gibbons, Anton Bowden, Ulrike H. Mitchell, David T. Fullwood

Student Works

Increasing efforts to leverage skin mounted wearables has exposed a gap in our understanding of skin strain in the lumbar region. Lumbar skin is known to be both inhomogenous and anisotropic, and experiences dramatic material strain during activities of daily living (ADLs). Previous efforts to quantify strain fields during ADLs has been limited to a few activities (primarily flexion) and have neglected inhomogeneity or anisotropy. The purpose of the present work was to address this gap by measuring large-deformation skin strain tensors in healthy volunteers during a cadre of functional movements.

36 tightly packed retro-reflective markers were mounted to the …

Methane Dynamics Of Kentucky Bottomland Hardwood Forested Systems, Marissa Miles, Jessica B. Moon, Skylar Ross, Jarred Asselta, Niklas Klauss, Rosie Carey, Kabi Raj Khatiwada, Bassil El Masri, Gary Stinchcomb, Benjamin R. K. Runkle

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

No abstract provided.

Floating Vegetation As A Driver Of Ch4 Emissions In Small Ponds Across Louisville, Ky, Mark Tierney, C. Jalink, J. H. Loughrin, S. W. Antle, Andrew S. Mehring

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

No abstract provided.

Measuring The Contribution Of Bald Cypress “Knees” To Greenhouse Gas Emissions During Climate Extremes, Skylar Ross, Jessica B. Moon, Niklas Klauss, Marissa Miles, Kabi Raj Khatiwada4, Bassil El Masri, Gary Stinchcomb, Benjamin R. K. Runkle

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

No abstract provided.

Characterizing Louisville Wetlands From Above And Below To Better Predict Wetland Carbon Sink-Source Status, Andrea E. Gaughan, Andrew S. Mehring, Mark Tierney, David Brown, Kassidy Haynes, Madison Cicha

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

No abstract provided.

Aptamer-Based Proteomics Measuring Preoperative Cerebrospinal Fluid Protein Alterations Associated With Postoperative Delirium, Simon T. Dillon, Sarinnapha M. Vasunilashorn, Hasan H. Otu, Long Ngo, Tamara Fong, Xuesong Gu, Michele Cavallari, Alexandra Touroutoglou, Mouhsin Shafi, Sharon K. Inouye, Zhongcong Xie, Edward R. Marcantonio, Towia A. Libermann

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Delirium is a common postoperative complication among older patients with many adverse outcomes. Due to a lack of validated biomarkers, prediction and monitoring of delirium by biological testing is not currently feasible. Circulating proteins in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) may reflect biological processes causing delirium. Our goal was to discover and investigate candidate protein biomarkers in preoperative CSF that were associated with the development of postoperative delirium in older surgical patients. We employed a nested case–control study design coupled with high multiplex affinity proteomics analysis to measure 1305 proteins in preoperative CSF. Twenty-four matched delirium cases and non-delirium controls were selected …

Perception Of Crisis Management, Service Quality, And Loyalty Programs On Airline Travel Intention: What Roles Do Fear Of Covid-19 And Risk Attitude Play?, Sohel M. Imroz, Tamilla Curtis, Scott C. Ambrose

Publications

This research investigates the antecedents of airline travel intention, including the effects of crisis management, service quality perceptions, and loyalty programs, along with the fear of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and risk attitude among individuals from different parts of the world during the peak of the pandemic. Its main objective is to assess how these variables impact passenger airline travel intention. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used to assess the measurement model and test the hypothesized relationships on the sample of 944 travelers. Results indicated strong positive associations between fear of COVID-19, risk-averse attitudes, and service quality with respect …

Harnessing The Power Of Metal-Organic Frameworks To Develop Microplastic Fouling Resistant Forward Osmosis Membranes, Mitra Golgoli, Javad Farahbakhsh, Abdul H. Asif, Mehdi Khiadani, Amir Razmjou, Michael L. Johns, Masoumeh Zargar

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

With the gradual increase of microplastics (MPs) in water and wastewater streams, it is imperative to investigate their removal using tertiary treatment systems to minimize and preferably prevent their entrance into aquatic environments. Forward osmosis (FO) is a non-pressurized membrane process with potential applications in MPs removal from wastewater. However, efficient application of FO systems relies on developing high-performance FO membranes with low fouling tendency. MPs are proven as emerging foulants in membrane systems, diminishing their performance and lifetime and this highlights the need to consider MP fouling in developing sustainable membranes. The current study focuses on a novel modification …

Tandem Internal Electric Fields In Intralayer/Interlayer Carbon Nitride Homojunction With A Directed Flow Of Photo-Excited Electrons For Photocatalysis, Jinqiang Zhang, Xiaojie Tan, Lei Shi, Haijun Chen, Yazi Liu, Shuaijun Wang, Xiaoguang Duan, Mingbo Wu, Hongqi Sun, Shaobin Wang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Photocatalytic hydrogen production is a green technology while significantly impeded by the sluggish and uncontrolled charge dynamics for less electron accumulation on catalyst surface. Herein, we proposed an effective strategy of epitaxial growth of a van der Waals (VDW) homojunction on an intralayer homojunction of carbon nitride for a controlled charge flow. Experimental and simulation collectively disclosed a tandem internal electric field (IEF) in the integrated hybrid, stringing a lateral IEF along the intralayer homojunction with a vertical IEF within the VDW homojunction. The planar IEF dominates laterally dispersive movement of charge carriers for their efficient separations and mobilities, meanwhile …

Internet Of Things Affordance For Open Educational Resources In A Comprehensive Open Distance E-Learning, Lancelord Mncube

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

The Internet of Things (IoT) space has dual dimensions of affordance to support open educational resources (OER). The duality of affordance has little or not been well articulated in relation to OER, particularly in a Comprehensive open distance e-learning (CODEL) institution. Such an institution is a mega open distance in South Africa and beyond the continent to accommodate students globally and rely on information and communication technology (ICT) in the provision of tuition. In the CODEL institution, there is a recognizable shift as the institution encourages the appropriation of OER and phasing out the prescription of the prescribed textbooks. The …

A Social Profile-Based E-Learning Model, Xola Ntlangula

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

Many High Education Institutions (HEIs) have migrated to blended or complete online learning to cater for less interruption with learning. As such, there is a growing demand for personalized e-learning to accommodate the diversity of students' needs. Personalization can be achieved using recommendation systems powered by artificial intelligence. Although using student data to personalize learning is not a new concept, collecting and identifying appropriate data is necessary to determine the best recommendations for students. By reviewing the existing data collection capabilities of the e-learning platforms deployed by public universities in South Africa, we were able to establish the readiness of …

Predictive Maintenance Of Base Transceiver Station Power System Using Xgboost Algorithm: A Case Study Of Econet Wireless, Zimbabwe, Tavengwa Masamha

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

Faults incurred by Base Transceiver Stations pose challenges to telecommunication organisations. Mostly the faults are due to BTS failures. BTS power system failures can have a significant impact on organizational performance in the telecommunications industry. These failures can cause disruptions in mobile network coverage, leading to dropped calls, slow data speeds, and difficulty connecting to the network. ECONET Zimbabwe has been experiencing unprecedented BTS power system failures for the past five years. Team Data Science Process was the pillar of the study methodology. The XGBoost algorithm was employed to develop a predictive model for the maintenance of Base Transceiver Station …

Experiences Of African Women In Stem Careers: A Systematic Literature Review., Kaluwa Siwale, Gwamaka Mwalemba, Ulrike Rivett

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

The discourse on women's underrepresentation in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) mainly centres on the global north, leaving a gap in understanding the perspectives of African women in STEM. To address this, a systematic literature review was conducted to explore African women's experiences in STEM careers and education. After applying inclusion and criteria, 18 published articles were analysed. 8 key issues emerge: work environment, education system, work-life balance, gender-based stereotypes, racial bias, sexual harassment, inadequate support/mentorship, and self-imposed limits. These themes intertwine, with some aspects influencing others. Grasping the complexities and interactions of these factors provides insights into challenges …

E-Wild Life Alert: Tackling The Human-Wildlife Conflict Problem, Eliel Kundai Zhuwankinyu, Sibonile Moyo, Catherine Chivasa, Smart Ncube

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

Depletion of resources meant for both human and animal survival leads to competition for these. Human-wildlife conflict (HWC) occurs when these two parties compete for resources such as space, water, and food. If not properly managed, HWC can lead to loss of livelihoods and even loss of life. This paper discusses the design and development of an E-Wildlife Alert application that uses machine learning to detect dangerous animals. Using the Design Science Research method, a convolutional neural network is trained to build an artifact that detects five dangerous animals from an African context. The artifact is mounted on a robot …

A Customized Artificial Intelligence Based Career Choice Recommender System For A Rural University, Nosipho Carol Mavuso, Nobert Jere, Darelle Vangreunen

African Conference on Information Systems and Technology

Rapid technological developments have enabled users to be supported and guided in decision-making. An example of this is the ability of tertiary students to use technology to explore different career options and make informed decisions about their future. Notwithstanding the increasing use of technology in general, the technology for career guidance and personalized career recommendations in South Africa is still limited. There are some limiting factors such as the ever-looming challenge of limited access to technology, language barriers and cultural differences that are prevalent in rural areas. With this premise, this study collected quantitative data from students at an Eastern …

Hierarchical Ni-Mn Ldhs@Cuc2O4 Nanosheet Arrays-Modified Copper Mesh: A Dual-Functional Material For Enhancing Oil/Water Separation And Supercapacitors, Yue Wu, Guangyuan Lu, Ping Xu, Tian Zhang, Huaqiang He, Shaojun Yuan

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

The pursuit of superhydrophilic materials with hierarchical structures has garnered significant attention across diverse application domains. In this study, we have successfully crafted Ni-Mn LDHs@CuC₂O₄ nanosheet arrays on a copper mesh (CM) through a synergistic process involving chemical oxidation and hydrothermal deposition. Initially, CuC₂O₄ nanosheets were synthesized on the copper mesh, closely followed by the growth of Ni-Mn LDHs nanosheets, culminating in the establishment of a multi-tiered surface architecture with exceptional superhydrophilicity and remarkable underwater superoleophobicity. The resultant Ni-Mn LDHs@CuC₂O₄ CM membrane showcased an unparalleled amalgamation of traits, including superhydrophilicity, underwater …

Hierarchical Ni-Mn Ldhs@Cuc2O4 Nanosheet Arrays-Modified Copper Mesh: A Dual-Functional Material For Enhancing Oil/Water Separation And Supercapacitors, Yue Wu, Guangyuan Lu, Ping Xu, Tian Zhang, Huaqiang He, Shaojun Yuan

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

The pursuit of superhydrophilic materials with hierarchical structures has garnered significant attention across diverse application domains. In this study, we have successfully crafted Ni-Mn LDHs@CuC₂O₄ nanosheet arrays on a copper mesh (CM) through a synergistic process involving chemical oxidation and hydrothermal deposition. Initially, CuC₂O₄ nanosheets were synthesized on the copper mesh, closely followed by the growth of Ni-Mn LDHs nanosheets, culminating in the establishment of a multi-tiered surface architecture with exceptional superhydrophilicity and remarkable underwater superoleophobicity. The resultant Ni-Mn LDHs@CuC₂O₄ CM membrane showcased an unparalleled amalgamation of traits, including superhydrophilicity, underwater …

Trumpet Directivity From A Rotating Semicircular Array, Samuel D. Bellows, Joseph E. Avila, Timothy W. Leishman

Directivity

The directivity function of a played musical instrument describes the angular dependence of its acoustic radiation and diffraction about the instrument, musician, and musician’s chair. Directivity influences sound in rehearsal, performance, and recording environments and signals in audio systems. Because high-resolution, spherically comprehensive measurements of played musical instruments have been unavailable in the past, the authors have undertaken research to produce and share such data for studies of musical instruments, simulations of acoustical environments, optimizations of microphone placements, and other applications. The authors acquired the data from repeated chromatic scales produced by a trumpet played at mezzo-forte in an anechoic …

Electric Motor And Transmission Integration For Light-Duty Electric Vehicles: A 2023 Benchmarking Perspective And Component Sizing For A Fleet Approach, Darrell Robinette

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 2

A review of past, current, and emerging electric vehicle (EV) propulsion system technologies and their integration is the focus of this paper, namely, the matching of electric motor (EM) and transmission (TRM) to meet basic requirements and performance targets. The fundaments of EM and TRM matching from a tractive effort and a vehicle dynamics perspective are provided as an introductory context to available or near-production propulsion system products available from OEM and Tier 1 suppliers. Engineering data and details regarding EM and TRM combinations are detailed with a specific focus on volumetric and mass density. Evolutionary trends in EM and …

A Low-Complexity Algorithm To Determine Spacecraft Trajectories, Sirani Perera

Math Department Colloquium Series

The growing traffic within the Cislunar region has created a need for computationally effective methods to obtain the trajectories of spacecraft in the Cislunar region. By developing algorithms with low time and arithmetic complexities, we can effectively address these needs.

In this talk, we will present a mathematical model that uses interpolation and boundary conditions to obtain trajectories for satellites based on the principles of three-body dynamics. Following the model, we propose a low- complexity algorithm to generate satellite trajectories. Once the algorithm is proposed, we will apply it to the relevant periodic orbits in the Cislunar region. Finally, we …