Digital Commons Network^™

Development Of Automated Egg Incubator With Backup Power Supply, Allen N. Maroma, Dolly P. Maroma, Bernardo A. Pangilinan

ASEAN Journal of Community Engagement

This study addresses the development of an automated egg incubator with backup power supply that could benefit farmer communities through the developmental research approach. A prototype is developed to respond to the needs for uninterrupted incubation which is affected by the frequent power outages that reduce its efficiency in egg handling. In this project, the automated egg incubator with a backup power supply is designed to hatch a capacity of 150 eggs (75 setters and 75 hatchers) every 21 days, ensuring continuous operation even in the absence of a consistent power supply. An inverter, connected to a battery, ensures a …

Increased Liver Stiffness Promotes Hepatitis B Progression By Impairing Innate Immunity In Ccl4-Induced Fibrotic Hbv+ Transgenic Mice, Grace Bybee, Youra Moeun, Weimin Wang, Kusum K. Kharbanda, Larisa Y. Poluektova, Srivatsan Kidambi, Natalia A. Osna, Murali Ganesan

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection develops as an acute or chronic liver disease, which progresses from steatosis, hepatitis, and fibrosis to end-stage liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). An increased stromal stiffness accompanies fibrosis in chronic liver diseases and is considered a strong predictor for disease progression. The goal of this study was to establish the mechanisms by which enhanced liver stiffness regulates HBV infectivity in the fibrotic liver tissue. Methods: For in vitro studies, HBV-transfected HepG2.2.15 cells were cultured on polydimethylsiloxane gels coated by polyelectrolyte multilayer films of 2 kPa (soft) or 24 kPa (stiff) …

Mesenchymal Stromal Cells And Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Have A Strong Synergy In Modulating Inflammation And Its Resolution, Li Han, Xinran Wu, Ou Wang, Xiao Luan, William Velander, Michael Aynardi, E. Scott Halstead, Anthony S. Bonavia, Rong Jin, Guohong Li, Yulong Li, Yong Wang, Cheng Dong, Yuguo Lei

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Rationale: Trauma, surgery, and infection can cause severe inflammation. Both dysregulated inflammation intensity and duration can lead to significant tissue injuries, organ dysfunction, mortality, and morbidity. Anti-inflammatory drugs such as steroids and immunosuppressants can dampen inflammation intensity, but they derail inflammation resolution, compromise normal immunity, and have significant adverse effects. The natural inflammation regulator mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) have high therapeutic potential because of their unique capabilities to mitigate inflammation intensity, enhance normal immunity, and accelerate inflammation resolution and tissue healing. Furthermore, clinical studies have shown that MSCs are safe and effective. However, they are not potent enough, alone, to …

Higher Concentrations Of Microplastics In Runoff From Biosolid-Amended Croplands Than Manure-Amended Croplands, Nasrin Naderi Beni, Shahab Karimifard, John Gilley, Tiffany Messer, Amy Schmidt, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Land-applied municipal biosolids, produced from municipal wastewater treatment sludge, contributes to microplastics contamination in agroecosystems. The impacts of biosolids on microplastic concentrations in agricultural soil have been previously investigated, however, the potential for microplastics transport from biosolid-amended croplands has not been previously quantified. In this study, manure and biosolids were applied to field plots, runoff was collected following natural precipitation events and the potential of bacterial biofilm to grow on different microplastic morphologies was investigated. Higher concentrations of microplastics were detected in runoff from plots with land-applied biosolid in comparison with manure-amended and control plots. Fibers and fragments were the …

Phosphorus Release And Recovery From Simulated Ferric Wastewater Sludge, Aseel Alnimer

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Phosphorus (P) is a fundamental element necessary for all life forms and a key component in the fertilizer industry. Meanwhile, the excessive load of P to water bodies due to human activities has the potential to promote eutrophication. Wastewater treatment plants remove P either biologically or chemically and produce P rich sludge which could be a potential renewable source for P. At present, commercial technologies exist for P recovery from biological wastewater sludge. However, P recovery from chemical sludge particularly iron(III)-phosphate (Fe-P) sludge generated in chemical P removal plants that use iron(III) salts remains a challenge.

This study explored, in …

Enhancing Driver Distraction Detection Through The Synergy Of Deep And Traditional Machine Learning, Gowtham Chandrasekaran

Master's Projects

Distracted driving is a major contributor to motor vehicle accidents, causing injury and loss of life. It is one of the major factors that affect the overall driving behavior of a person. Insurance companies take into consideration factors like gender, age, etc. to set insurance premiums for their customers. Today, machine learning and artificial intelligence can eradicate this bias. A machine learning model can analyze driving behavior, such as the frequency and severity of accidents, the speed at which they drive, and their habits such as distracted driving. Based on this information, the model can then determine the risk of …

Analyzing The Benthic Cover Of Crustose Coralline Algae Using Mask-R Cnn, Rachana Ravindra

Master's Projects

Coral reefs, supporting 25% of marine biodiversity, confront challenges from local and global impacts like overfishing, runoff, acidification, and warming. Crustose Coralline Algae (CCA), pivotal for reef structure and coral settlement, are underrepresented in research. Current methods like Coral Point Count with Excel Extensions (CPCe) have limitations, relying on image quality and being time-consuming. This paper proposes computer vision and Mask R-CNN, a supervised machine learning model, for CCA analysis in reef images, considering color, texture, and shape. Results indicate promise in clustering and classifying organisms. The innovative technology reduces manual labor, enhancing image analysis, simplifying the understanding of CCA’s …

Mild Cognitive Impairment And Alzheimer’S Disease Detection And Testing Interface (Mci-Addti) Modeller10.4 Integrating Structure-Function Prediction Modules, Grant Galileo Jacobson

Master's Projects

In the population of adult human patients who over express Beta and Tau Amyloids, it is unclear why 40% of them do not have Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), when all patients with AD have an overexpression of Beta and Tau Amyloids. The MCI-AD-DTI project’s epigenetic pipeline is an evolving computation tool that seeks epigenetic-related information related to the observed disparity. The MCI-AD-DTI’s epigenetic pipeline’s ability to identify mutations currently relies solely on PyPDB for verification of its protein functionality evaluation. The assessment process of the industry standard application, Modeller10.4, is independent from the current epigenetic pipeline’s protein evaluation algorithm. Thus, this …

Estimating Air Pollution Levels Using Machine Learning, Srujay Rao Devaraneni

Master's Projects

Air pollution has emerged as a substantial concern, especially in developing countries worldwide. An important aspect of this issue is the presence of PM2.5. Air pollutants with a diameter of 2.5 or less micrometers are known as PM2.5. Due to their size, these particles are a serious health risk and can quickly infiltrate the lungs, leading to a variety of health problems. Due to growing concerns about air pollution, technology like automatic air quality measurement can offer beneficial assistance for both personal and business decisions. This research suggests an ensemble machine learning model that can efficiently replace the standard air …

Trihalomethane Formation Potentials From Effluent Of Different Wastewater Treatment Sources And Health Risk Assessment, Kangsadal Phlaengsattra

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study aimed to investigate the levels of THMs and THM formation potentials (THMFP) in treated wastewater originating from different sources i.e., domestic, food-processing industry and hospital, and to evaluate the maximum potential carcinogenic risk through dermal exposure. The samples from each source were collected three times between June and August 2023. Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (UV254), and specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA) were evaluated from the samples prior to and after disinfection with chlorine over 7 days. The results found that the concentration of DOC was highest in hospital effluent, with an average value of …

Development And Analysis Of A Game Play In Chulalongkorn University Central Library Metaverse, Aisha Munir

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Metaverse is the next generation of the internet that allows people to interact with digital content in a more immersive and interactive way. This paradigm shift extends to the realm of education, where the concept of a smart campus is reshaping traditional educational systems. This research focuses on the integration of the metaverse in education, with a specific emphasis on smart libraries. Recognizing libraries as integral components of educational systems, this study proposes a metaverse platform for Chulalongkorn University's central library. The proposed platform enables users to explore the virtual library remotely and simulate resource classification and physical service in …

Teaching Data Acquisition Through The Arduino-Driven Home Weather Station Project, Sheryl Dutton, Kurt Galderisi, Murat Kuzlu, Otilia Popescu, Vukica Jovanovic

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

The main objective of this paper is to present one possible way to engage undergraduate students in designing a system that uses the Internet of Things (IoT) strategy for data acquisition and management. The MATLAB home weather station project presented here was developed by a team of students for the senior design course in the Electrical Engineering Technology undergraduate program at Old Dominion University (ODU). The main purpose of this project was for undergraduate students to learn how to create a localized, compact, and precise weather station. Utilizing various sensors, both homemade and sourced online, this weather station is capable …

Measurement Of Fluid Movement Throughout The Brain Via Multiple Magnetic Resonance Imaging Techniques During High-Definition Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, Jack W. Beaty Mr

Dissertations and Theses

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive method of neuromodulation with applications in neuroscience, clinical care, and biomedical engineering. tDCS has been well established as a safe method of applying low amplitude current between two or more electrodes to alter excitation thresholds and neuroplasticity. Recently, in-vitro and clinical studies have suggested that DC stimulation can induce a transient, polarity-specific, effect of increased water exchange across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The electroosmotic effect, the proposed phenomenon driving water exchange, is a biophysical response of charged ions moving across an oppositely-charged surface, i.e., the tight junction, when subjected to an electric …

Assessment Of Material Properties In Bone Surrounding Microdamage, Niovi Dollas

Dissertations and Theses

Bisphosphonates [BPs] are the mainstay for osteoporosis treatment. They suppress bone resorption/remodeling, preventing bone loss. However, BPs also suppress the beneficial bone remodeling that replaces microscopically damaged bone that occurs from normal mechanical wear-and-tear or fatigue, leading to impaired tissue material properties and in some instances atypical femoral fractures.

In these studies, we assessed the effects of acute fatigue, fatigue induced remodeling, and fatigue microdamage with remodeling suppression using the clinical BP, alendronate [ALN], on local bone material properties. Studies were performed on cortical bone sections from rat ulnae into which fatigue damage had been introduced in vivo. Rat …

Use Of Bioheat Modeling To Characterize And Optimize Implantable Medical Devices And Neuromodulation Technologies, Adantchede Louis Zannou

Dissertations and Theses

Medical device development includes prototyping, benchtop characterization, preclinical studies, and clinical trials. Understanding the limitations and potential adverse effects of medical devices prior to their administration in humans is a crucial first step. Optimizing medical devices is essential to employing technology and improving patients care. Computational modeling is widely adopted as a powerful tool to predict stimulation/recording parameter optimization, rapid electrode/device prototyping, investigating novel mechanism of action, and testing working principles of any medical devices. Many implantable neuromodulation technologies including Spinal Cord Stimulation (SCS), which provide substantial therapeutic benefit for patient population with lower back pain, produces heat via the …

Tdcs Effects On Synaptic Plasticity And Motor Skill Learning, Forouzan Vasheghani Farahani

Dissertations and Theses

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that involves the application of low-intensity constant current to the brain through electrodes placed on the scalp. Its potential to enhance brain function and treat brain-related disorders has led to its increasing popularity due to its safety, simplicity, and affordability. However, its effectiveness remains a topic of debate.

Mechanically Driven In Vivo Osteocyte Ca2+ Signaling: Aging And Pharmacologic Effects, James Padgett

Dissertations and Theses

Bone’s ability to respond and adapt to mechanical loading declines significantly with age which is a major contributor to bone fragility. It is widely accepted that osteocytes are the key cells responsible for orchestrating the development of the “ideal” skeleton. This ability is attributed to osteocyte’s role as the primary mechanosensing cell that is responsible for maintaining the skeleton’s integrity throughout life. Recent work from our laboratory has shed light into how osteocytes respond to mechanical loading in vivo. The breakthrough approaches that enabled these discoveries were development of: (1) the first ever reporter mouse model with a genetically encoded …

An Unmanned Aircraft System For Marking Live Power Lines To Prevent Bird Collisions, Mattheuns D. Pretorius, Lourens Leeuwner, Kaajial Durgapersad, Constant Hoogstad, Peter Beckedahl, Michael D. Michael, Kishaylin Chetty

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Collisions with overhead power lines represent a significant cause of mortality for a number of large bird species worldwide. Certain threatened species are severely impacted by power line collisions, particularly those for which there are no other known significant threats. In South Africa, bird collisions with overhead power line cables, including collisions with phase conductors and shield wires, contribute significantly to annual threatened bird species mortalities associated with Eskom power lines. The most practical mitigation measure is to attach bird anti-collision devices as markers on the cables. Current marking methods involve installations by hand, where linemen are hoisted up to …

Material Characterization Of Thermoplastic Polyurethane (Tpu) And Thermoplastic Elastomers (Tpe) For Development Of 3d-Printed Surrogate Organs For Medical Training, Anastasia Elizabeth Lucci

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Cadaveric specimens are a necessary, albeit limited, resource for training medical students on basic surgical skills. The availability of surrogate 3D-printed organs would readily allow access to resources that could reduce or potentially eliminate the need for cadaveric specimens or, at a minimum, provide students the opportunity to practice with 3D-printed surrogates before transitioning to those specimens. This research focuses on determining which thermoplastic material most closely mimics mechanical properties such as hardness and stiffness of human organs and allows 3D printing surrogate organs to be used as safe, educational tools. Relatively “soft” materials such as thermoplastic polyurethanes (TPU) and …

Analyzing Physiological Signals During The Menstrual Cycle: Introducing An Application Of Circular Statistics, Krystal D. Sides

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Physiological signals are used in engineering and the sciences to determine the state of functionality of certain physiological systems such as the human endometrium. Many women use the basal body temperature method to track ovulation, or their fertile window. However, temperature tracking alone is subject to environmental factors. Non-invasive wearable devices can be tools in recording cycle-related physiological features relevant to women’s health research. This research uses the Empatica E4 wristband to track changes in the physiological features during sleep across the menstrual cycle of ovulating and non-ovulating females. Due to the cyclic nature of menstrual cycles, analytic solutions to …

Renal Proximal Tubule Tissue Chips For Disease Modeling And Drug Toxicity Testing, Leslie Donoghue

All ETDs from UAB

The current pathway for drug discovery is associated with costs of $2.55 billion and between 10-15 years of development for a single drug to reach the market. The challenges in predicting drug toxicities and efficacies are attributed to inherent species differences in drug-metabolizing enzyme activities and cell-type-specific sensitivities to toxicants. Organs-on-a-chip are an emerging technology in disease modeling and screening therapeutics to address discrepancies between animal models and human clinical trials. They utilize tissue engineering, fluid mechanics, and biomaterials to replicate in vivo architectures and functions of complex organs and tissues. Herein, the effect of pressure and stretch on bioengineered …

Analytical Methods Using Cardiac Mri To Assess Systolic And Diastolic Ventricular Function, Muhammad Rifqi Aufan

All ETDs from UAB

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has proven invaluable for clinical and research investigations due to its minimal invasiveness and excellent measurement precision and reproducibility. In particular, Cardiac MRI (CMR) is a powerful tool for evaluating anatomical and functional properties of the left ventricle (LV). In this study, two aspects of CMR applications of the LV are investigated: 1) assessment of diastolic function by quantifying LV stiffness index and related properties as a representation of intrinsic myocardium properties in patients with diastolic dysfunction and 2) evaluation of systolic function by relating myocardial strain and LV geometrical configuration with ejection fraction (EF). The …

Synthesis, Characterization, And Evaluation Of A Bionanomatrix And Antibiotic-Releasing Liposomes On Osseointegration, Vascularization, Inflammation, And Antibacterial Efficacy, Benjamin Kade Estep

All ETDs from UAB

Percutaneous osseointegrated prostheses (POP) implants combat the multitude of issues and limitations of contemporary prosthetic sockets/limbs, including range of motion, comfort/fit, irritation, gait, and osseoproprioception. However, POP implants lack long-term clinical success; specifically, several risks exist at the bone-implant interface, including superficial/deep infections, inflammation, poor vascularization, and inadequate osseointegration, resulting in implant loosening over time and ultimately removal of the implant. The goal of this thesis is to evaluate a multifunctional, nitric oxide-releasing bionanomatrix incorporated with antibiotic-releasing liposomes on osseointegration, inflammation, vascularization/angiogenesis, and bacterial infection. We successfully synthesized the bionanomatrix, and the antibiotic-releasing liposomes readily encapsulated the antibiotics. The antibiotic-releasing …

Development And Evaluation Of A Nanomatrix Coated Stent Using A Vascular Sheet With Atherosclerosis Model, Xixi Zhang

All ETDs from UAB

While cardiovascular stent technology has considerable advances, there are hurdles to overcome due to the dysfunctional stented arteries which fail to maintain vascular homeostasis. Current stent designs ignored the significance of promoting functional artery healing (pro-healing). Therefore, we developed a pro-healing nanomatrix coating for stent. Previous studies investigated its effect on individual vascular cell type. In natural artery, there are multiple vascular cell types that strongly affect stent performance. Thus, an in vitro vascular double-layer (VDL) system was used to observe stent effects on different vascular cell types. And the pro-healing ability and mechanism of the nanomatrix coated stent were …

Inkjet-Printed Reseroir Computing Network For In Situ Sensor Predictions, Steven D. Gardner

All ETDs from UAB

The technological achievements made with silicon-based transistors have led to nearly all the computing seen today, complete with benefits such as maximized operating speeds, parallel/tensor processing, minimized power overhead, etc. The silicon electronics industry is foundational to scientific progression with its profound impact on modeling, simulations, and fast/reliable computing. However, silicon-based transistors have evolved to meet their physical limitations and have saturated fields of innovation. New fields in computing outside of silicon-based methods have emerged as exotic materials enter the research domain. The suite of super-performing materials like Graphene, Carbon Nanotubes, and Molybdenum Disulfide have chaotic, non-linear behaviors that make …

Identification Of Proteins Involved In Cell Membrane Permeabilization By Nanosecond Electric Pulses (Nsep), Giedre Silkuniene, Uma Mangalanathan, Alessandra Rossi, Peter A. Mollica, Andrei G. Pakhomov, Olga N. Pakhomova

Bioelectrics Publications

The study was aimed at identifying endogenous proteins which assist or impede the permeabilized state in the cell membrane disrupted by nsEP (20 or 40 pulses, 300 ns width, 7 kV/cm). We employed a LentiArray CRISPR library to generate knockouts (KOs) of 316 genes encoding for membrane proteins in U937 human monocytes stably expressing Cas9 nuclease. The extent of membrane permeabilization by nsEP was measured by the uptake of Yo-Pro-1 (YP) dye and compared to sham-exposed KOs and control cells transduced with a non-targeting (scrambled) gRNA. Only two KOs, for SCNN1A and CLCA1 genes, showed a statistically significant reduction in …

Optimal Spacecraft Guidance, Matthew W. Harris, M. Benjamin Rose

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

This book is designed for a one-semester course at Utah State University titled MAE 6570 Optimal Spacecraft Guidance. The class meets for 75 minutes, twice per week, for 14 weeks. There are no prerequisites other than graduate standing in engineering. Proficiency in calculus, differential equations, linear algebra, and computer programming is required. Students find that previous experience in space dynamics, linear multivariable control, or optimal control is helpful.

The goal of the book and course is for students to develop fundamental skills needed to do professional work in the area of spacecraft guidance. After working through the book, students should …

Investigating Collaborative Explainable Ai (Cxai)/Social Forum As An Explainable Ai (Xai) Method In Autonomous Driving (Ad), Tauseef Ibne Mamun

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Explainable AI (XAI) systems primarily focus on algorithms, integrating additional information into AI decisions and classifications to enhance user or developer comprehension of the system's behavior. These systems often incorporate untested concepts of explainability, lacking grounding in the cognitive and educational psychology literature (S. T. Mueller et al., 2021). Consequently, their effectiveness may be limited, as they may address problems that real users don't encounter or provide information that users do not seek.

In contrast, an alternative approach called Collaborative XAI (CXAI), as proposed by S. Mueller et al (2021), emphasizes generating explanations without relying solely on algorithms. CXAI centers …

Mechanisms Of Emulsion Destabilization: An Investigation Of Surfactant, Stabilizer, And Detergent Based Formulations Using Diffusing Wave Spectroscopy, Jordan N. Nowaczyk

Theses and Dissertations

Conventional approaches for studying emulsions, such as microscopy and macroscopic phase tracking, present challenges when it comes to establishing detailed mechanistic descriptions of the impact of emulsifier and stabilizer additives. Additionally, while a combination of sizing methods and macroscopic phase tracking can provide insights into droplet size changes and concentration, the use of multiple measurements can be cumbersome and error-prone. It is the focus of this work, to present a new method for studying water in oil (W/O) emulsions that involves using diffusing wave spectroscopy (DWS) to examine the impact of three different surface stabilizing additives at varying concentrations. By …

Real-Time Motion Controller For Human-Robot Teams Utilizing Artificial Potential Fields, Gabriella Graziani

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis presents a real-time robotic motion control system for human-robot teams. The framework utilizes artificial potential fields (APFs) to guide robotic agents towards a “goal” agent while navigating around “obstacle” agents; these goals and obstacles are also dynamic agents with their own set of tasks. This system is also developed for a live-programming environment, where a controlling agent updates the tasks of all agents within the system at any time during the system’s runtime. This motion controller was created and tested for a human-robot choreographic team. After the controller was fully integrated on a Trossen Robotic LoCobot Wx200 robotic …