Digital Commons Network^™

Voltage-Sensor–Targeting Modulators Of Iks: Identifying Critical Functional Groups Of C28 Via Electrophysiology And Sar Modeling, Jiacheng Huang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

I_Ks (KCNQ1/KCNE1) channels are essential for cardiac repolarization, and their dysfunction contributes to arrhythmogenic disorders such as Long QT Syndrome type 1 (LQT1). Pharmacological activation of I_Ks has therefore emerged as a promising therapeutic strategy. C28, a recently identified voltage-sensor–targeting activator, has been shown to markedly shift KCNQ1/KCNE1 voltage dependence and enhance current amplitude, validating the voltage-sensing domain (VSD) as a druggable site. However, the structural determinants that underlie C28’s activity remain incompletely understood. In this study, we aimed to identify critical functional groups of C28 by screening a structurally diverse set of C28-like analogs and evaluating their …

Interaction-Aware Safe Planning For Human-Robot And Multi-Robot Systems, Haoyi Wang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Robots operating in shared environments must interact safely not only with static obstacles but also with other decision-making agents, including humans and other robots. In such settings, both safety and task completion depend on the ability to reason about interaction. Two major challenges arise. In human-robot interaction, future human behavior depends on latent internal factors, such as attentiveness and behavioral style, that are not directly observable to the robot. In multi-robot systems, decentralized reactive navigation can fail in cluttered environments when reciprocal interactions create deadlocks that prevent progress through narrow passages or bottlenecks. This thesis investigates these two challenges from …

Improving Semantic Precision In Text-To-Image Diffusion Models Via Latent-Space Optimization And Semantically-Parsed Evaluation, Mohammad Rouie Miab

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Text-to-image diffusion models can produce visually impressive images from natural-language prompts, but they often fail to satisfy the detailed semantic constraints expressed in compositional prompts. Typical failure modes include omitted objects, merged entities, incorrect quantities, incorrect attribute binding, and leakage of one entity's attributes onto another. This thesis studies the problem of semantic precision in text-to-image generation: how faithfully a generated image satisfies the structured meaning of its prompt.   The thesis makes two linked contributions. First, it presents a training-free inference-time refinement method for diffusion-based image generation. The method operates directly in latent space during denoising and uses noun-phrase-aware cross-attention …

Revolutionizing Closure Systems: The Performance Advantages Of Structured Geomembranes, Scott Perugia

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Coal combustion residual (CCR) containment facilities have traditionally been closed using methods that have changed little over several decades, but structured geomembranes are now reshaping closure design by improving slope stability, increasing interface friction, enhancing drainage, and providing long-term durability. Two systems are emerging as leading solutions: a structured geomembrane paired with a geotextile and vegetative cover, and a structured geomembrane paired with engineered turf. This presentation compares these approaches using field performance data, laboratory testing, and lessons learned, with emphasis on key factors such as infiltration control, drainage efficiency, slope stability, constructability, and regulatory compliance. The engineered turf system …

From Clogs To Compliance: Overcoming Persistent Leachate Head Issues In Ccr Landfills, Breanne Kahnk, Zachary Bauman

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

State and federal regulations require that landfills, including coal combustion residual (CCR) landfills, be designed and operated to maintain leachate head levels of less than 30 centimeters (approximately 1 foot). While proper leachate collection system design and routine maintenance are critical for meeting this requirement, challenges such as clogging of drainage media, pipes, fittings and/or pipeline perforations, settlement of collection pipes, and breaks in the piping system can lead to elevated leachate levels, posing risks to compliance and long-term system performance. TRC will provide an overview of leachate collection system regulatory requirements along with design, operation, and maintenance strategies that …

Standardization Of Coal Ash Testing, Classification, And Harvesting, Benjamin Gallagher, Chris Frishcosy, Eric Hageman

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Standards such as product specifications, test methods, practices and guides play a crucial role in supporting both commerce and science. Standardization helps build consistency and reliability whether it pertains to the performance of an ingredient in a product or in the measurement of a material characteristic. Coal combustion products, such as coal ash and synthetic gypsum, exhibit unique characteristics and many standard have been developed to characterize these materials and support their beneficial use. ASTM is a voluntary, consensus-based organization, and publishes many standards related to coal combustion products. Currently, there are seven ASTM standards related to chemical analysis of …

Impacts Of Updating Background Groundwater Statistics For Ccr Compliance, May Raad, Molly Reeves

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

In 2017, many power utilities adopted statistical methods to comply with the EPA’s Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR) Rule under the Hazardous and Solid Waste Management System. By 2017–2018, most owners completed initial statistical evaluations for detection and assessment monitoring to meet CCR deadlines. Groundwater sampling and analysis requirements in Parts 257.95, 257.98, and 257.102 are critical for compliance, yet implementation is complex. Subsections 257.93(f) and (g) lack clarity on which statistical tests to apply or how to address distributions and outliers. Additionally, the Rule does not specify when or how to update background threshold values (BTVs), though EPA’s Unified Guidance …

Investigation Of A Historical Coal Combustion Residuals Management Unit (Ccrmu), Todd Stong, Shane Stockdill, Erin Hunter

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Rainbow Energy Center’s (REC’s) Coal Creek Station has managed coal combustion residuals (CCR) in various engineered impoundments and landfills since plant operation began in 1978. Since then, waste containment methods have evolved resulting in significant changes to their CCR management practice. In the late 1980s and early 1990s REC closed several existing CCR units with natural soil liners and constructed several new CCR units with composite liner systems. One of the closed units was an area now referred to as North Section 16, an impoundment that received CCR including bottom ash, fly ash, and flue gas desulfurization material. North Section …

Optimization Of Remedial Strategies For Ccr Site Corrective Action Through Advanced Geochemical Modeling, Cole Mayer, Pj Nolan

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

The power industry is actively designing and implementing corrective measures for Coal Combustion Residuals (CCR). In many cases, these measures include active remedies such as pump and treat, in-situ injection, or reactive barriers, all of which demand a thorough understanding of the underlying geochemical system. Depending on the geochemical characteristics of an aquifer, different chemical reagents can achieve varying degrees of success or even be detrimental to the remediation of the site. Advanced geochemical modeling is an invaluable tool for developing a remedy that is optimized to the site-specific geological, hydrological, and geochemical environment. In the case study presented here, …

Alternative Cover Permitting And The Ccr Rule, Evan Andrews, Victor Damasceno

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Federal rules (40 CFR Parts 9, 257 and 261) that regulate coal combustion residuals (CCR) created a significant demand associated with closure of coal ash management and storage facilities using liner systems. Timelines associated with these facility closures combined with substantial project scale and potential for future mining /reuse has driven the need for closure systems that perform beyond the prescriptive soil / geomembrane caps outlined in the federal regulations. As outlined in section 257.102 (d)(3)(i) of the CCR Rule, the standard cover system must include an infiltration layer of at least 18 inches of earthen material and an erosion …

Demystifying Large Language Models: How Ai Is Transforming Data, Compliance, And Decision-Making In Coal Ash And Environmental Management, Scott Pfeiffer

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

The environmental and coal combustion residuals (CCR) industries generate vast amounts of information—from groundwater monitoring reports and RCRA documentation to closure plans and analytical data. Managing, interpreting, and communicating this information is a growing challenge for utilities, regulators, and consultants alike. Large Language Models (LLMs), such as OpenAI’s GPT architecture, represent a breakthrough in how organizations can interact with their technical data. These models use deep neural networks trained on billions of words to understand, summarize, and generate language with human-like accuracy. When securely adapted for enterprise use, LLMs can automate routine reporting, extract data from technical documents, generate regulatory …

Comparing Llm Architectures In Street Fighter Iii, Andrew Hinh, Hyemin Doo, Jack Wu

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

We built a browser-based Street Fighter III benchmark for comparing large language models (LLMs) and visionlanguage models (VLMs) under real-time constraints. The game runs through a Gymnasium-like control loop that exposes both frames and structured state while the agent emits button actions. We deploy the system on Modal and stream matches overWebRTC, which lets us compare ability, latency, and cost in one setting instead of spreading them across unrelated benchmarks. Because the benchmark is narrow, architectural tradeoffs that are easy to blur in offline evaluation show up quickly during live play.

Digital Lean Transformation Through Mes–Scada Intergration: Reducing Transactional And Cognitive Waste In High-Volume Electronics Manufacturing, Kamal Alalul

Graduate Dissertations and Theses

This research addresses inefficiencies in Manufacturing Execution System (MES)-driven workflows, where excessive user interactions and fragmented access to work instructions introduce transactional and cognitive waste. To address these limitations, an integrated architecture was developed using Ignition as a SCADA-based operator interface connected to the MES through API-based communication. The system replaces direct MES interaction with a unified interface that embeds work instructions and automates transaction execution within the production workflow. The approach was implemented and evaluated through an industrial case study on a 15 station electronics manufacturing line. Results show a 51% reduction in total cycle time, decreasing from 2,996 …

Rgfc: Registry Grounded Function Calling With Stage-Decomposed Evaluation, Ritvik Garimella, Vedant Khandelwal, Anvi Kohli, Amit Sheth

Publications

Tool-calling evaluations often report whether the final call matches a reference answer, but this single outcome merges different failures: choosing a function outside the available registry, violating the selected schema, or filling arguments with values not supported by the user request. These failures matter more when models must choose from larger tool registries. We introduce RFCD, a registry-scaled function-calling benchmark built from BFCL, Glaive Function Calling v2, and Tool-Call-Data, with standardized JSON-schema registries ranging from 5 to 3,000 functions. We also introduce TAAG, a deterministic stage-decomposed evaluator for registry conformance, structural completeness, and argument grounding. Across six locally served sub-4B …

Analysis Of Approximations In Flash Thermal Diffusivity Measurements Using High‑Fidelity Simulations, Tage T. Burnett, Jakob G. Bates, Matthew R. Jones, Christopher R. Dillon, John Tencer

Faculty Publications

Thermal diffusivity is an important material property for understanding and characterizing transient behavior in many heat transfer applications. This study investigates the accuracy and approximations of inverse mathematical models for measuring thermal diffusivity of materials via the widely used Flash Method. High-fidelity simulations of the Flash Method in copper, silicon carbide, silicon, and glass were performed as numerical experiments and included physics such as in-depth absorption, radial conduction, and surface convection. Data from those numerical experiments were used to estimate material thermal diffusivity using seven traditional and new inverse models. Parker’s original model had relative errors 𝜖< 5% when the approximations it makes were enforced in numerical experiments. Newer models performed well even when experimental restrictions were relaxed. Models that include radial heat conduction were capable of accurately measuring thermal diffusivity (𝜖< 1%) when a Gaussian energy source was used. Models with radial conduction and in-depth material absorption of the laser source could calculate thermal diffusivity for semi-transparent materials such as silicon (𝜖< 1%) and even transparent materials like glass (𝜖< 10%). Convective losses from the material’s front surface had a negligible impact on measurements except for very low thermal diffusivity materials. Using temperatures from many locations of the test material’s surface increased resilience to noise, reducing the distribution of thermal diffusivity measurements by more than an order of magnitude. The models developed in this study could enable a more relaxed Flash Method experimental setup that maintains thermal diffusivity accuracy and extend the utility of the Flash Method to semitransparent materials.

Aerodynamic Performance Of Grid Fins As High Lift Devices, Luke Jeffrey Krick

Senior Honors Theses

Flaps are used in almost all aircraft to increase the amount of lift the wings can produce at low speeds. However, the flaps also increase the amount of drag experienced by the aircraft. The drag induced by the flaps causes energy loss and is unfavorable for aircraft effectiveness. In recent years, grid fins have become a popular choice for aircraft and armaments to control their orientation. First developed for launch escape towers, grid fins are made up of lines that cut the fin into many quadrants, leaving the fin with multiple rectangular shaped open areas. The aim of this study …

The Value Of Difficulty In Engineering Education To Professional Work Experience Of Early Career Engineers: A Multiple Case Study, Nosakhare Iyobosa Idiaghe

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Engineering education has long been characterized by rigor, intensity, and selective sorting, conditions often justified as necessary for producing capable engineers. Yet, despite the widespread assumption that academic hardship prepares students for professional practice, relatively little empirical work has examined how graduates themselves interpret the value of these difficult experiences once they enter the workforce. This dissertation addresses that gap by investigating how early-career engineers make sense of the difficulty encountered in their undergraduate education and how those experiences compare to the challenges of engineering practice.

Using a qualitative multiple‑case study design, the research draws on semi‑structured interviews with eight …

Aerodynamic And Acoustic Modeling For Evtol Rotor Noise Prediction, Daniella Bezuidenhout, Anastasios S. Lyrintzis, Vladimir V. Golubev

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This thesis presents the development and validation of a methodology for predicting total acoustic emissions from a one-fifth scale electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) rotor in both hover and edgewise flight conditions. The approach couples sectional two-dimensional Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes (2D-RANS) airfoil simulations with rotor loading predictions from the Comprehensive Hierarchical Aeromechanics Rotorcraft Model (CHARM), tonal noise calculations using the acoustic solver PSU-WOPWOP, and broadband noise predictions from the UCD-QuietFly framework. Boundary-layer inputs traditionally obtained from the viscous-inviscid solver, XFOIL, were replaced with higher-fidelity 2D-RANS results from OpenFOAM to better capture low-Reynolds-number flow physics, including laminar-turbulent transition and laminar separation …

Adaptive Control Combined With Integral Concurrent Learning For Trajectory Tracking Near Asteroids, Alvaro Diaz Rodrigo

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Close-proximity operations in the vicinity of Near-Earth Asteroids (NEAs) are essential for scientific studies and possible future planetary-defense missions. Unlike motion around large celestial bodies, spacecraft dynamics near small, rotating asteroids are dominated by weak, highly irregular gravity fields. While full characterization of an asteroid’s shape enables high-fidelity gravitational modeling, such information is typically unavailable in realistic mission scenarios, and in-situ exploration is often required. As a result, the forces acting on the spacecraft cannot be modeled accurately in advance, leading to significant uncertainty in the equations of motion and challenging guidance and control strategies. To address these challenges, the …

Engineering Design And Analysis Using Creo® Cad, Cae, And Manufacturing Applications, Swapnil Moon

Open and Affordable Textbooks

This textbook presents a structured approach to computer-aided design using Creo, integrating CAD, CAE, and CAM workflows within a unified engineering framework. The material emphasizes parametric modeling, design intent, and feature-based modeling as foundations for creating robust and adaptable engineering models. Through progressively structured tutorials, students develop skills in part modeling, assemblies, engineering drawings, mechanism design, simulation, and manufacturing. The text incorporates real-world engineering components and workflows, including structural and thermal analysis, motion simulation, and toolpath generation, reflecting modern engineering practice. Designed for upper-division undergraduate and graduate students, this open educational resource supports hands-on learning and prepares students for industry-relevant …

Introduction To Computer-Aided Design Using Solidworks® : A Structured Approach To Parametric Modeling And Design Intent, Swapnil Moon

Open and Affordable Textbooks

This textbook introduces computer-aided design (CAD) using SOLIDWORKS® through a structured, design-centered approach that emphasizes parametric modeling and engineering reasoning. Rather than focusing solely on software commands, the material develops foundational skills in design intent, constraint-based modeling, and feature relationships to create robust, adaptable models.

The content is organized progressively, beginning with basic sketching and feature creation and advancing to complex part modeling, assemblies, motion studies, and engineering drawings. Each chapter builds upon prior concepts, reinforcing systematic modeling practices and promoting the development of system-level thinking required in real-world engineering design workflows.

Designed for undergraduate students with little or no …

Aquaculture Ecosystem Modeling Aeration Efficiency Optimization Using Cfd, Gabriela Reyes Gomez

Electronic Theses and Dissertations 2020 - Present

The Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute (HBOI) is developing the Intelligent and Resource Efficient Pond Aquaculture (IREPA) project, which aims to improve aquaculture management through the integration of predictive models and automated technologies. This approach seeks to transition traditional practices toward data-driven systems capable of supporting informed decision-making for aeration management.

This study investigates the effectiveness of different aerator configurations on hydrodynamic circulation and dissolved oxygen (DO) distribution in aquaculture ponds using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). A model was developed in ANSYS Fluent, where the aerator was represented using a power-based formulation and implemented as a moving wall boundary condition. Dissolved …

Performance Evaluation Of Recycled Aged Rubber Modified Asphalt Mixtures With Soybean Oil Rejuvenator, Kwadwo Ampadu Boateng, Meng Wu, Dongzhao Jin, Dayo Sunkami Olatunde, Zhanping You

Michigan Tech Publications

This study evaluates the performance of recycled, long-term-aged rubber-modified asphalt (RMA) mixtures rejuvenated with soybean oil. Crumb rubber is widely used in asphalt mixtures for its ability to enhance elasticity, crack resistance, and durability. However, long-term aging leads to oxidative hardening, increased stiffness, and reduced cracking resistance, creating a need for effective rejuvenation strategies. To simulate extended field aging, plant-produced RMA mixtures were conditioned at 85 °C for five and ten days and subsequently treated with 10% soybean oil by binder weight. Mechanical performance was assessed using the Disc-Shaped Compact Tension test, Indirect Tensile Asphalt Cracking Test, Hamburg Wheel Tracking …

Ais26s: Ai In Biomedicine, Shiqian Shen

Paul English Applied Artificial Intelligence (AI) Institute Publications

This presentation explores the role of artificial intelligence in advancing biomedical research and clinical practice from the perspective of a physician-scientist. Dr. Shiqian Shen discusses current challenges in neuroscience and medicine, including limitations in human observation, data analysis, and decision-making across complex biological systems. The talk highlights how AI-driven approaches such as computer vision, neural signal processing, and large-scale data modeling can improve the understanding of disease mechanisms, enhance experimental workflows, and enable more precise, patient-centered care. Specific applications include automated classification of neural activity, behavioral analysis in animal models, and multimodal data integration. A key concept introduced is “shadow …

Portable Humidity Chamber, Calvin Wright, Ian Heilers, Sam Taylor

Honors Capstones

This engineering project, sponsored by Crandall Stats and Sensors, focuses on improving the ability to test product performance under controlled environmental conditions by designing a portable humidity chamber capable of maintaining a stable relative humidity between 20 and 80 percent with a tolerance of ±0.5 percent. Consistent humidity is crucial for evaluating how moisture influences material properties, product reliability, and long-term durability in real production environments. Because Crandall conducts testing across multiple facility locations, the chamber must also be lightweight, transportable, and easy for operators to use without specialized training. Developing such a system provides the company with a valuable …

Woodward Cuk Converter, Aditi Venkatesh, Jennifer Pereira

Honors Capstones

The purpose of this senior design project is to design and build a Cuk converter, a type of buck–boost converter. The project involves developing an analytical model and validating it through hardware testing. Cuk converters are important because they are widely used in everyday electronics, particularly in renewable energy systems such as solar power, power supplies, and electric vehicles. Their ability to increase, decrease, and reverse the polarity of voltage makes them flexible. The continuous input and output currents result in low ripple, reducing component stress and improving efficiency. To achieve these goals, simulations will be conducted using LTspice to …

Multi-City Travel Routing Tool: Reducing Travel Costs And Time Spent Planning Using Apis, Trey R. Merreighn

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Travel planning is a time-consuming and ever-changing problem that can diminish the travel experience and greatly increase expenditure, if not done correctly. It is important to have an easy travel planning experience so you can enjoy the travel experience more and not waste time where it is not needed. This thesis aims to minimize the costs and time spent on travel planning using APIs and simple optimization models, creating a travel planning tool. This travel planning tool was developed in Java with the main API being Amadeus, this was combined with a greedy best-permutation heuristic to create the main route …

Turbulent Plenum Jet-Crossflow Validation Via Subgrid Scale Model Variation And Upstream Forcing Under Dynamic Hybrid Rans-Les, Cole W. Mccallum

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

In modern gas turbine design, film cooling has become ubiquitous as a method for limiting heat transfer between high temperature gases post-combustion and the surface of downstream blades. This paper validates the use of various computational fluid dynamics techniques in recreating an experiment measuring adiabatic effectiveness over a surface downstream of a compound-angle N2 plenum jet incident on a turbulent-air boundary layer [1]. To do this, both RANS and Dynamic Hybrid RANS-LES (DHRL) methods are implemented and compared to previous research [2]. The latter method is then modified through implementation of a different subgrid scale (SGS) model and through addition …

Pilot Age And Accident Rates In General Aviation: Analysis And Recommendations, Jackson E. Jolley

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

General aviation accounts for approximately 94% of all civil aviation accidents in the United States, highlighting the need to examine how pilot characteristics and operational factors influence accident risk. With the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) projecting continued growth in the general aviation pilot population, this study examines the relationship between pilot age, flight experience, and accident risk to inform training and safety interventions. Using the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) accident records from 2008–2024, along with FAA pilot registration data, we analyze age-related trends in accident likelihood, risk, and phase-of-flight distributions in general aviation operations.

Results show an approximately exponential …

Enhancing Control Charting Schemes And Exploring New Assessment Metrics To Advance Quality Control And Cyber-Attack Detection In Manufacturing, Ahmad Al Majali

Dissertations

The increasing integration of digital technologies and industrial control systems in modern manufacturing has introduced new cybersecurity vulnerabilities within cyber–physical production environments. Malicious actors can exploit these vulnerabilities to induce subtle process deviations that degrade product quality while remaining undetected by conventional statistical monitoring tools. Such attacks can be deliberately engineered to manipulate process behavior through transient shifts that vary in magnitude, duration, and frequency. Despite extensive research on transient shifts caused by assignable causes in Statistical Process Control (SPC), limited attention has been given to intelligently designed cyber–physical attacks that exploit the structural characteristics and limitations of control charting …