Digital Commons Network^™

Predictive Structural Modeling In Ansys And Destructive Testing For Composite Structures, Dylan Matthews, Grant Abraham, Andrew Raineri

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Composite structures are central to the performance and reliability of Zips Racing’s Formula SAE vehicles, yet the team currently relies on historical data and partially unvalidated assumptions when selecting carbon fiber layups. This project aims to establish a quantitative, experimentally validated framework for designing composite components through the integration of simulation modeling, physical fabrication, and destructive mechanical testing. Analytical laminate theory models developed in MATLAB and laminate simulations created in Ansys ACP will be used to predict stiffness, strength, and failure characteristics for a range of candidate layups. These predictions will be validated through controlled testing of fabricated composite coupons …

The Development And Implementation Of A Computational Framework To Simulate Patellofemoral Joint Mechanics, Mahmood Rashedi

Master’s Theses

Anterior knee pain affects approximately 25% of adults and is associated with altered joint mechanics. Patellofemoral joint (PFJ) models vary widely in complexity, with no established gold standard. Musculoskeletal models efficiently estimate joint loading but do not capture tissue-level mechanics, whereas finite element (FE) models provide tissue-level predictions at greater computational cost. This thesis developed a workflow to evaluate relationships between musculoskeletal model-predicted PFJ loads and FE-predicted cartilage mechanics, examined the impact of altered quadriceps activation, and introduced improved computational models.

Marker trajectories and ground reaction forces were collected from four adults (2 male, 2 female) during walking and squatting. …

Proactive Safety Reasoning In Human-Robot Collaboration In Disassembly Through Llm-Augmented Stpa And Fmea, Morteza Jalali Alenjareghi, Fardin Ghorbani, Samira Keivanpour, Yuvin Adnarain Chinniah, Sabrina Jocelyn

Études primaires

Disassembly tasks in human–robot collaboration (HRC) environments present safety challenges due to hazardous materials, control system variability, and physically demanding operator tasks. To address these challenges, we propose an AI-augmented risk assessment framework integrating System-Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) and Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). This framework is implemented in four configurations: Term Frequency– Inverse Document Frequency (TF-IDF), Fine-tuned Large Language Models (LLMs), Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), and RAG with a structured Knowledge Graph (KG) built from safety standards. The system supports real-time, standards-compliant safety reasoning by generating interpretable, context-specific recommendations. We evaluate these configurations across GPT-3.5 TURBO, GPT-4o, GPT-4.1, and …

Minimizing Performance Overheads For Crash-Consistency In Disaggregated Persistent Memory, Khan Shaikhul Hadi

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Compute express link (CXL) enables persistent memory disaggregation with memory pooling and hardware managed multi-host memory sharing capability, resulting in better resource utilization, increased scalability. Persistency-aware applications need to manage crash consistency across the system which results in significant performance overhead. This dissertation systematically investigates performance overhead to achieve crash consistency in disaggregated persistent memory and proposes solutions to enable persistency-aware application scaling for distributed system. First, we study persistent parallel programming to scale computation capability beyond single processor and determine the underlying hardware limitation to adopt lock-free data structure. We propose hardware support to design durable atomic instruction (DAI) …

Nebraska Test 2305: Claas Arion 660, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Test 2308: John Deere 9r 540 Single Turbo (Chassis Serial Numbers 1rw9540xxsx090001 And Higher), Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

A Dual-Domain Face Forgery And Deepfake Detection Framework, Neha Pradyumna Bora, Pradyumna Mulchand Bora, Rushikesh Sanjay Kumavat, Raunak Manoj Gangwal, Prit Sandesh Jain, Hardik Vijay Ostwal

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Concerns about media authenticity, privacy, and information security arising from rapid advances in deepfake technology have made it increasingly important to detect manipulated facial content reliably. The primary goal of our work was to develop a deepfake detection model with high generalization across multiple datasets. To achieve this, we developed a hybrid detection approach that combines spatial visual texture analysis and frequency-domain analysis to detect manipulated facial images. Our approach includes convolutional spatial feature extraction from facial images and frequency—domain representations of the same images obtained by applying the fast Fourier transform. To help alleviate concerns about overreliance on frequency—domain …

The Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube-Incorporated Cfrp Laminates Interlaminar Fracture Toughness, Nikhil Janardan Rathod, Markala Karthik, Harshvardhan P. Ghongade, Javed Sikandar Shaikh, Rahul Soma Deshmukh

Mansoura Engineering Journal

The structural integrity of carbon fibre reinforced polymers (CFRPs) suffers from damage caused by interlaminar cracking and delamination which diminishes their performance capabilities. This study provides an experimental analysis of the impact of carboxyl-functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the Mode I interlaminar fracture toughness of CFRP laminates. The researchers created composite specimens by using epoxy systems which included MWCNT loadings of 0.1 wt% 0.2 wt% and 0.3 wt% together with an unmodified control. The researchers conducted Double Cantilever Beam (DCB) testing according to ASTM standards to ascertain the rate of critical strain energy release (G_IC) of the material. The …

High-Efficiency And Compact Virtual Reality Displays, Zhenyi Luo

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies are revolutionizing the way humans interact with digital information. However, current near-eye display systems still face critical challenges regarding optical efficiency, image quality, and device weight. This dissertation focuses on addressing these limitations through innovative liquid-crystal (LC) optics and system-level design strategies to achieve high-efficiency and compact VR displays.

First, to solve the longstanding problem of severe chromatic aberrations in ultrathin LC optics, I proposed an achromatic diffractive LC device. By stacking three LC layers with specifically designed spectral responses and polarization selectivity, I successfully reduced the chromatic aberrations. This idea enables …

Nebraska Test 2304: Claas Arion 630, Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Test 2310: John Deere 9rx 540 Single Turbo (Chassis Serial Numbers 1rw9540xxsx828001 And Higher), Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Nebraska Test 2309: John Deere 9rt 540 Single Turbo (Chassis Serial Numbers 1rw9540xxsx929001 And Higher), Nebraska Tractor Test Lab

Nebraska Tractor Tests

ABOUT THE TEST REPORT AND USE OF THE DATA The test data contained in this report are a tabulation of the results of a series of tests. Due to the restricted format of these pages, only a limited amount of data and not all of the tractor specifications are included. The full OECD report contains usually about 30 pages of data and specifications. The test data were obtained for each tractor under similar conditions and therefore, provide a means of comparison of performance based on a limited set of reported data. EXPLANATION OF THE TEST PROCEDURES Purpose The purpose of …

Responsible People Analytics For Remote-Work Decisions: A Machine-Learning Benchmark For Classifying Perceived Productivity, Ruth Menjivar, Nima Molavi, Narges Mashhadi Nejad

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

This study examines whether employee-perception survey data can support responsible people-analytics decisions about remote-work productivity. Using the public New South Wales (NSW) Remote Working Survey 2021 (N=1,512), the study benchmarks statistical and machine-learning classifiers for self-reported perceived productivity classes (same, less, or more productive when working remotely relative to onsite work), not objective output, under default, class-weighted, and resampling protocols. Main evidence comes from 5×5 repeated stratified cross-validation using macro F1 and balanced accuracy with fixed model specifications. Class-balanced separability is modest. Random Forest, CatBoost, and LightGBM form a leading cluster with overlapping confidence intervals (macro F1 ≈0.51–0.52). Affective/well-being items, …

Chronofy: A Temporal-Logical Decay Architecture For Information Validity In Time-Aware Retrieval-Augmented Generation, Muntaser Syed, Marius Silaghi, Sheikh Abujar, Sharun Akter

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Student Publications

Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) systems retrieve and integrate external knowledge to ground large language model (LLM) outputs. However, current RAG architectures treat all retrieved facts as equally valid regardless of temporal provenance, leading to temporal hallucination, where plausible but obsolete facts corrupt the output. A clinical lab reading from yesterday is actionable; the same reading from six months ago is noise. We present Chronofy, a three-layer neuro-symbolic framework implementing the Temporal-Logical Decay Architecture (TLDA) that embeds temporal validity directly into the representation, retrieval, and reasoning layers of RAG systems. Layer 1 reserves a dedicated temporal subspace within Matryoshka embeddings to make …

Epistemic Edge: Subjective Logic Guardrails For Llm-Driven Iot Actuation, Muntaser Syed, Marius Silaghi

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Student Publications

Deploying large language models (LLMs) as decision-making agents in safety-critical Internet of Things (IoT) systems introduces risks that purely behavioral guardrails, such as action whitelists, cannot fully address. This paper presents Epistemic Edge, a four-tier neuro-symbolic pipeline that augments LLM-driven actuation with subjective logic (SL) uncertainty quantification, temporal decay, and dual guardrails combining epistemic threshold checks with behavioral whitelists. We evaluate seven locally-deployed models: three PrismML Bonsai 1-bit models (1.7B, 4B, 8B), three 4-bit quantized models (Qwen3-8B, Llama 3.2-3B, Phi-3.5-mini), and the DeepSeek-R18B reasoning model, across eight ablation conditions and five IoT actuation scenarios (2,800 controlled trials). We further validate …

Underwater Image Identification Using Fuzzy Soft Planar Graph, Bhuvaneswari Natarajan Jayakar, Karthick Palanisamy

Mansoura Engineering Journal

High-attribute underwater image segmentation is fundamental to autonomous marine exploration, biodiversity monitoring, and subsea infrastructure inspection. However, underwater environments are inherently stochastic, exhibiting severe light attenuation, chromatic distortion, scattering effects, and noise, all of which significantly degrade image quality and challenge conventional computer vision techniques. Hence, Fuzzy logic which handles uncertainty and imprecision in data and Soft sets which manage parameterized information, are widely applied to underwater image analysis. Fuzzy Soft Planar Graphs (FSPGs) constitute a mathematical framework that integrates fuzzy set theory, soft set theory and planar graph structures for preserving spatial topology. The proposed methodology adopts a hybrid …

Li5feo4 As A Cathode Prelithiation Additive : Doping Engineering And First-Principles Research, Zixiang Li, Zile Zou, Jialan Li, Chennan Ma, Jiarun Li, Xiaoyu Liu, Jin Yi, Jianhui Li

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

During the initial charge-discharge cycle, irreversible loss of active lithium (~ 5% to 15%) severely affects the battery energy density and shortens cycle life of lithium‑ion batteries (LIBs). Prelithiation strategy has gradually become an effective approach to compensate for the irreversible loss of active lithium. Lithium ferrate (Li5FeO4, LFO) is considered to be a promising cathode prelithiation additive due to its high theoretical capacity (867 mAh·g‒1), suitable delithiation potential (3.5 V to 4.1 V), and competitive raw material. However, the application of LFO is limited by the its properties including poor air stability, low electronic conductivity, and incomplete delithiation. Currently, …

Effect Of Mgo On Crawling And Physical Properties In Ceramic Glazes, Thongpanchang Timclub, Pathitta Anuraksombat, Thatree Muangkaew, Niti Yongvanich

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

This study attempted to seek and verify the scientific aspects responsible for crawling in ceramic glazes. The selected additive was magnesium oxide (MgO). The glazes were applied on porcelain biscuits and fired between 1100℃ and 1300℃. The degree of crawling was enhanced with increasing amount of MgO, which was accompanied by formation of forsterite (Mg2SiO4) as a major phase. Complete island separation was achieved with 10 wt% MgO with good wettability and shiny surface. The morphology of the glaze demonstrated this phase as small crystals within the glaze layer. Addition of MgO resulted in a continuous decrease in the thermal …

Hybrid Interface Effect Of G-C3n4/Zno Nanocomposites On The Photoelectrochemical Cathodic Protection Of 304 Stainless Steel In Chloride Solution, Htet Yadanar Soe, Thanate Na Wichean, Jularpar Sunttiprapar, Parichart Chaum, Gasidit Panomsuwan, Oratai Jongprateep, Ratchatee Techapiesancharoenkij

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

The development of efficient and environmentally friendly corrosion protection systems for metals in aggressive environments has become a critical area of research, particularly for stainless steel used in marine and industrial applications. In this study, a series of graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) and zinc oxide (ZnO) composites with varying g-C3N4 weight ratios (10 wt% and 30 wt%), are integrated to form heterojunction structures with enhanced charge separation and interfacial activity. The g-C3N4/ ZnO (ZCN) composite thin films were prepared using a facile thermal mixing method and were characterized using XRD, SEM, BET, FTIR, UV-Vis, and PL to confirm their structural, …

C.A.S. Full Assessment Report: State Of Florida Government Portal, Delante Clark

Graduate Scholarship and Creative Works

The purpose of this assessment is to evaluate the cognitive overhead, transparency, and attentional integrity of

official State of Florida digital interfaces using the Cognitive Attentional Standards (C.A.S.) platform.

While the Florida Digital Bill of Rights (FDBR) establishes strict regulatory guardrails for consumer data

transparency, tracking opt-outs, and attentional safeguards, the State of Florida explicitly exempts its own

government agencies, public universities, and non-profit entities from complying with these rules.

This assessment serves to investigate the tension between legislative intent and government execution. By

analyzing public sector websites through the C.A.S. platform, this project will establish a “state-enforced vs.

state-executed” …

Towards Optimal And Resilient Ac/Dc Microgrids: Control Design, Analysis, And Implementation, Jun Zhang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Microgrids serve as a small-scale power grid for utilizing renewable energy to enhance energy reliability, sustainability, and resilience. As an autonomous system, an islanded microgrid can disconnect from the utility grid and operate independently by maintaining system voltage and frequency. However, this new feature introduces coordination problems among distributed generators (DGs), such as 1) how to make sure the voltage profile and current sharing in DC microgrid with different types of converters; 2) how to reduce the impact of cyberattack when the system coordination is performed based on communication, and 3) how to calculate the steady state under a droop …

Secure Peer-To-Peer Messaging Using Distributed Servers, Jack Stoller

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Traditional messaging systems that rely on centralized infrastructure often introduce three security vulnerabilities: single points of failure susceptible to availability attacks, metadata leakage, and man-in-the-middle attacks.

This project designs, implements, and validates a distributed peer-to-peer messaging system that addresses each of these concerns through architectural design. A consistent hash ring is used with virtual nodes to distribute user data across a mesh of connected nodes, eliminating centralized dependency on any single server. Message contents travel directly between browser clients over a WebRTC data channel secured with end-to-end DTLS encryption, bypassing the server infrastructure. Inter-node communication is protected by mutual TLS …

Brrbox, Shawn J. Myers, Lane Cline, Michael Davis, Christian Secrest

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This report details the project known as “The BRRBOX”, a reusable, insulated thermoelectric cooler developed to keep internal temperatures at refrigeration levels or cooler for at least 48 hours. The cooler will track its internal temperature during this period and be able to give the data at the end of its delivery cycle to keep up with food and pharmaceutical standards during delivery. The BRRBOX uses Peltier-based cooling alongside vacuum insulation panels and fans to achieve efficient thermal control. An onboard microcontroller will monitor temperature, record the data, and adjust the cooling output to minimize power consumption. The box will …

Automated Pill Dispenser, Ryan Oderkirk, Connor Beaven, Rachelle Labrie, Josue Panchana

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The project we propose is an automated system for dispensing dosages of medication throughout the day. It will be able to alert a user when their pills need to be taken and give them the correct dosages of up to four different medications. These dosages are configurable as well as the scheduled time they are to be taken. In addition, the pill dispenser will alert users when they are low on medications and need to refill the machine.

Adjustable Car-Camping Bed Frame, Zachary Lamonica, Mitchell Mcgrath

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project explores an innovative camping solution designed to enhance mobility, comfort, and accessibility for outdoor enthusiasts. The first is the Adjustable Car-Camping Bed Frame, engineered to be lightweight, collapsible, and adjustable to various vehicle interiors. It prioritizes ease of setup, compact storage, reliability, and affordability, enabling convenient travel without sacrificing comfort. The design aims to simplify camping while maintaining durability. As an aerospace systems engineering student, I will apply systems engineering to the Bed Frame, using aerospace software and principles. The scope includes research, design, prototyping, and testing, with a focus on real-world usability and environmental adaptability. Additionally, my …

Automatic Pet Feeder Network, Daniel J. Herttna, David A. Bechtel, Alexander Deskovich

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project will describe the design process and research behind the Automatic Pet Feeder Network, otherwise known as The Petwork. The system consists of a tank to hold the food, a latching system to drop the food at the desired time, a weight sensor to verify that the proper amount of food has been dispensed, a power supply unit that steps down 120V AC standard wall outlet power, & a microcontroller that will interpret the user's input from a mobile phone application. The networking portion is covered by having a primary and a secondary feeder. The mobile application will communicate …

Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle Safety Reporting And Analysis Of Incidents Utilizing Machine Learning, Cody Harrison

2026 Research Poster Competition

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are rapidly evolving and being integrated into a wide range of applications, from commercial deliveries to police surveillance and recreational use. As UAVs become more prevalent, the complexity of operations and potential for incidents or accidents will continue to increase. Understanding why these incidents and accidents occur is critical to ensure safe and reliable drone operations as the industry continues to grow. To combat these issues, it is invaluable to analyze UAV incidents quantifiably to identify leading causes and risks in a streamlined and efficient matter. Current manual reporting systems often struggle with the sheer volume …

Uav-Based Sensor Integration For In-Situ Lake Water Quality Monitoring, Alec Campbell

2026 Research Poster Competition

Current water quality assessment methods rely heavily on manual sampling and laboratory analysis, which are time-consuming and difficult to perform in remote or hazardous environments. In surface water monitoring, spatial and temporal resolution is often constrained by labor, access, and logistical limitations of manual sampling programs. This research aims to develop a drone-based system for real-time, in situ lake water quality monitoring. To address these challenges, the project focuses on integrating multiple water quality sensors, including oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), turbidity, and a multispectral spectrometer, into a compact, UAV-compatible design capable of collecting spatially referenced data. Methods: …

A Probabilistic Approach To Multiscale Simulation: Evaluating Machine-Learned Backmapping Models Of Diphenylalanine, Sage Paschall

2026 Research Poster Competition

Diphenylalanine (FF) has demonstrated the tendency to form several nanostructures, a subset of which are electrically conductive and have exciting potential applications in biotechnology and nanoelectronics. However, the exact mechanisms underlying this self-assembly process remain largely ambiguous. Atomistic-scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations allow for the evaluation of atomic-level interactions crucial in understanding the driving thermodynamic forces behind self-assembly, but are too computationally expensive to span the necessary timescale to observe the self-assembly process in action. Coarse-grained (CG) models allow for simulation at the appropriate timescale but come at the cost of vital atomistic detail. It is therefore important to develop …

Flair- Flow-Level Anomaly Intrustion Recognition, Joseph Dumond

2026 Research Poster Competition

Industrial control systems (ICS) and industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) networks support critical infrastructure such as power generation, water treatment, and manufacturing. As these systems become more connected, they are increasingly exposed to cyber threats. However, many existing intrusion detection approaches rely on detailed packet inspection or supervised machine learning techniques that require labeled attack data and extensive tuning, making them difficult to deploy in real industrial environments.ICS networks typically generate highly regular and predictable communication patterns due to periodic control logic and deterministic device behavior. Because of this structure, abnormal or malicious activity often appears as a disruption to …