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Life Cycle Assessment Approach For Trenchless Cured-In-Place Pipe Sewer Renewal Method, Shiva Mandari

Civil Engineering Theses - Archive

The advancement of underground infrastructure is vital to the development of modern society and continues to inspire technological progress. As environmental concerns grow, innovative approaches to pipeline rehabilitation are increasingly emphasizing sustainability. Assessing and contrasting the environmental effects of renewing existing pipelines versus complete replacement is key to fostering eco-conscious improvements in subsurface utility systems. Cured-in-Place Pipe (CIPP) is a commonly used trenchless method for rehabilitating pipelines. It involves inserting a flexible liner, saturated with resin, into the existing pipe. This insertion can be achieved through inversion using air or water pressure, or by mechanically pulling and inflating the liner. …

Characterization Of Dc Arc Flash Events Generated By Electrochemical Energy Storage, Nicolaus E. Jennings

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The increasing rise in the use of electrochemical energy storage (ECES) like in the form of valve regulated lead acid (VRLA) batteries, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries, electric double layer capacitors (EDLC), and metalized film, oil filled capacitors prompt new challenges concerning electric worker safety. The primary safety hazards associated with ECES are electric shock and arc flash. The electric shock hazard is well understood to the extent where it is known what potential and exposure duration will cause levels of pain and ultimately fatality. Various personal protective equipment (PPE) like insulating gloves allow electric workers to perform maintenance with sufficient protection …

Enhanced Load Detection With Data-Driven Appliance Signatures Using Mixed Integer Linear Programming In Non-Intrusive Load Monitoring, Marina Materikina

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Despite the numerous research studies and interest in the non-intrusive load monitoring (NILM) area to improve energy efficiency, the problem of accurate and precise disaggregation of electrical devices has not been solved yet. The goal of our research is to build a method with a focus on higher accuracy on complex state-based appliances, which most approaches struggle to detect due to their power signal complexity and low consumption. Our approach is NILM with data-driven signatures (DS), with the ability to potentially predict power usage over time that would work great for suitable applications such as demand response, anomaly detection, and …

Fast Demodulation Of Ofdr-Based Distributed Sensing Based On Enhanced Buneman Frequency Estimation, Zhaopeng Zhang, Bo Liu, Xiao Liu, Caiyun Li, Osamah Alsalman, Chen Zhu

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Aiming at realizing high-efficiency distributed strain sensing through optical frequency domain reflectometry (OFDR), this paper introduces a fast demodulation algorithm to determine strain-induced spectral shifts from coarse Rayleigh backscattering (RBS) cross-correlation spectra. The proposed approach employs an enhanced Buneman frequency estimation (BFE) algorithm, enabling direct spectral shift analysis across coarse signals. By applying this algorithm, the need for dense interpolation in the conventional cross-correlation demodulation process - typically required for a finer spectral sampling interval but at the cost of demodulation efficiency - can be eliminated. Both theoretical analysis and experimental investigation reveal the equivalence of the BFE and conventional …

Drone Medical Package Delivery For Improved Transportation And Better Patient Outcomes Final Implementation Report, Amro El-Adle, Madeline Alden, Yin-Hsuen Chen, Melissa Davidson

Information Technology & Decision Sciences Faculty Publications

The Drone Medical Package Delivery for Improved Transportation and Better Patient Outcomes planning and prototyping grant involves five partners, including Accomack-Northampton Planning District Commission (A-NPDC), Riverside Health System, Old Dominion University (ODU), Virginia Institute for Spaceflight & Autonomy (VISA), Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC), and DroneUp. The partners worked together to address access, safety, reliability and sustainability for medical and emergency response package delivery via drone, specifically, where the use of aerial drones could lead to better patient outcomes and improved safety and emergency response.

The goal of the project was to develop an operational prototype that woul evolve into …

Development Of Self-Healing Polymer From Bio-Based Benzoxazine Blend With Poly(Ethylene Glycol) For Anti-Biofouling Applications, Pharaporn Yodkum

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Biofouling remains a significant challenge in marine industries, as conventional coatings often lose their antifouling efficacy once they become damaged. Incorporating self-healing capabilities into antifouling coatings has therefore emerged as a promising strategy to extend service life and maintain long-term performance. In this study, self-healing polymers were developed based on a bio-derived benzoxazine resin (E-fa), synthesized from renewable precursors including eugenol (a phenol source), furfurylamine (an amine source), and paraformaldehyde, and subsequently blended with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The blends were formulated with varying weight ratios (95/5, 90/10, 85/15, and 80/20 wt/wt%) and PEG molecular weights (PEG-600, PEG-1500, and PEG-4000). This …

Comparing Funders' Altruism Versus Self-Interest: Leveraging The Context Of Crisis, Dan Liu, Guangzhi Shang, Cynthia Fan Yang

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

While reward-based crowdfunding has widespread popularity, the motivations driving funders, balancing self-interest and altruism, have remained puzzling. Prior research has been constrained by examination methods and produced mixed findings regarding the weight of altruism versus self-interest among funders. Our study takes a fresh perspective, delving into funder behavior amid a major crisis—the tumultuous backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings reveal that funders not only display an increased willingness to contribute but also significantly amplify their contributions, particularly to projects in crisis-affected regions, irrespective of external incentives like rewards. This underscores the prevalence of altruistic motives among funders in challenging …

Understanding The Determinants Of Blockchain Adoption: An Empirical Study, Amarpreet Kohli, Nihar Kumthekar, Piyush Shah, Rebecca Jauch

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Blockchain technology (BT) has the potential to enhance security and robustness of transactions through a distributed ledger bookkeeping process. This study employs technology-organization-environment (TOE) framework and threat-rigidity theory (TRT) to examine whether perceived disruption caused by COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the adoption of BT, and inclination to adopt BT in the US. The COVID-19 pandemic provided a unique backdrop, as it affected businesses across all industries, sizes, and geographies. Results show a non-significant effect of perceived pandemic disruption on the current stage of BT adoption and intention to adopt BT. However, disruption readiness positively influences the current stage of BT …

The Effect Of Liquid Conductivity On A Helium Plasma Jet And The Hydrogen Peroxide Production, Edwin A. Oshin, M. Ziaur Rahman, Chunqi Jiang

Bioelectrics Publications

Understanding plasma-liquid interactions and the impact of the electrical conductivity (σ) of liquid on plasma is important for plasma applications in water treatment and medicine. Ultrapure water, phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution, biological media, and sodium chloride (NaCl) solutions at various concentrations were used in this study to provide a broad range of conductivity values ranging from 0.055 μS cm⁻¹ to 222 mS cm⁻¹. A helium atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) impinging on liquid was generated in ambient air using a hollow-needle electrode that was powered by 200 ns, 7 kV pulses at a pulse repetition frequency of …

Food Waste Crisis In The United States Of America: The Known, The Overlooked And The Undisclosed, Sagarika Srivastava, David J. Tonjes

Technology & Society Faculty Publications

With a loss of 1,250 calories per day per person or 140 kg/p/yr, the United States (U.S.) has a large problem with food waste. The later a product is wasted in the supply chain, the greater its environmental cost. Many food waste mitigation efforts focus on the retail and consumer stages, but there is also considerable food waste in the production phase, which includes growing, harvesting, transportation, storage and processing. The study is conducted in two steps: a bibliometric analysis of 218 articles on food waste in the U.S., followed by an investigation of options to meet food waste recovery …

Shifting Students’ Perceptions About Homelessness: Quantitative Assessment Of A Project-Based Approach, Diana A. Chen, Mark A. Chapman, Joel Alejandro Mejia

School of Engineering: Faculty Scholarship

Although engineering institutional bodies uphold public welfare and the impact of engineering on people and society, engineering curricula rarely scaffold students to connect their technical learning with sociotechnical perspectives. This paper describes a project-based learning approach where engineering students engaged with issues faced by people experiencing homelessness to better understand the sociotechnical nature of effective, user-centered, engineering design. We conducted a quantitative assessment to de- termine how well and in what ways the project-based learning curriculum shifted students’ perceptions about homelessness. We collected pre-/post-survey data from students on 21 statements about their perceptions and attitudes about homelessness prior to and …

Salinity Effects On Cu(Ii) Bioremediation By Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Microalgae, Jennifer Hughes

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Microalgae offer a sustainable approach to wastewater treatment by removing pollutants such as excess nutrients, CO₂, and heavy metals. Among various species, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii shows strong potential in removing Cu(II) ions from wastewater. In addition, salinity stress in C. reinhardtii has been linked to morphological and metabolic changes that enhance lipid and phytochemical production. While salinity stress has been studied for enhancing biofuel production, its impact on microalgal removal of heavy metals, particularly Cu(II), remains largely unexplored. Understanding how varying salinity conditions affect both algal growth and the efficiency of Cu(II) remediation could provide critical insights for improving integrated wastewater …

Revealing Spatiotemporal Neural Activation Patterns In Electrocorticography Recordings Of Human Speech Production By Mutual Information, Julio Kovacs, Dean Krusienski, Minu Maninder, Willy Wriggers

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Background

Spatiotemporal mapping of neural activity during continuous speech production has been traditionally approached using correlation coefficient (CC) analysis between cortical signals and speech recordings. A prior study employed this approach using electrocorticography (ECoG) data from participants who underwent invasive intracranial monitoring for epilepsy. However, CC cannot detect nonlinear relationships and is dominated by the correspondence between periods of silence and of non-silence.

New Method

We introduce the mutual information (MI) measure, which can capture both linear and nonlinear dependencies. We validated CC and MI on the sub-second spatiotemporal brain activity recorded during continuous speech tasks. To refine the results, …

Traction Force Microscopy Using An Epifluorescence Microscope: Experimental Considerations And Caveats, Zaria Booth, Mazen Mezher, Rudra Patel, Venkat Maruthamuthu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Forces exerted by cells due to their internal contractility play fundamental roles in a host of processes, including adhesion, migration, survival and differentiation. Traction force microscopy (TFM) enables the determination of forces exerted by cells or cell collectives on their environment, which is typically taken to be an extra-cellular matrix (ECM)-coated substrate. Sample preparation for TFM involves the plating of cells onto an environment embedded with fiducial markers. The imaging of these fiducial markers in the presence and absence of the cells then enables calculation of the displacement of localized regions of the environment, and, consequently, the spatial distribution of …

Scaffolds With Spatiotemporally Controlled Growth Factor Delivery And Cyclodextrin-Enabled Antagonism Of Growth Factor Receptor Sequestration Promote Cutaneous Wound Healing, Jelena Marjanovic, Veronica Jurczuk, Lilian Valadares Tose, Yarixa Cintron Diaz, Francisco Fernandez Lima, Beatriz Abdo Abujamra, Sara Danker, Sinan Jabori, Devinder Singh, Jamie L. Burgess, Joshua Tam, Mohamadmahdi Samandari, Rivka C. Stone, Stephen C. Davis, Robert S. Kirsner, Marjana Tomic-Canic, Fotis M. Andreopoulos, Ivan Jozic

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Chronic wounds present a major burden to patients, health care professionals, and health care systems worldwide, yet treatment options remain limited and often ineffective. Although initially promising, growth factor-based therapies displayed limited and underwhelming effectiveness largely due to poor bioavailabilbioity and impaired receptor function within the chronic wound microenvironment. Here we demonstrate that chronic wounds exhibit elevated cholesterol synthesis, which disrupts growth factor signaling by sequestering receptors within lipid rafts. To address this, we developed a novel therapy combining growth factors with cyclodextrin in an ECM-mimetic scaffold, enabling localized cholesterol modulation and improved receptor accessibility. We demonstrate that this approach …

Insights In Cybersecurity Of A Smart Campus - A Review, Mircea Ţălu

Journal of Cybersecurity Education, Research and Practice

The profound impact of the Internet of Things (IoT) on various fronts, is driven by technological advancements, the ubiquitous spread of information, and the emergence of transformative events. IoT presents a diverse array of possibilities within university environments, fostering a more connected and enhanced educational experience. This research undertakes a comprehensive review of existing literature to provide context to the IoT and underscore its crucial significance in the realm of smart campuses. Additionally, the paper explores the intricate connections between IoT and key concepts such as cybersecurity and wireless sensor networks to present a holistic perspective. It delves into the …

Flexural Strength Of (Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)B2–(Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)C High-Entropy Dual-Phase Ceramics, Rubia Hassan, William G. Fahrenholtz, Gregory E. Hilmas, Jeremy Watts

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The room and elevated temperature flexural strengths were measured for (Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)B2–(Hf,Nb,Ta,Ti,Zr)C high-entropy dual-phase ceramics. The fracture of ceramics originated from two distinct flaw populations that were either surface defects introduced during specimen preparation or volume defects introduced during processing. The average strength at room temperature was 638 ± 94 MPa with individual bars strengths as high as ∼800 MPa. At 1800°C, average strength increased to 786 ± 265 MPa with individual bar strengths as high as ∼1050 MPa. Above 1800°C, creep dominated resulting in deformation of the bars without fracture. The fracture mode changed from completely trans granular at room …

Optimization Of Persulfate Activation System Using Ferrous Sulfate For Toc Removal From Real Domestic Wastewater, Mohamed Fouad, Mohamed Mossad, Mohamed Gar Alalm, Mahmoud Samy

Mansoura Engineering Journal

The reuse of treated wastewater is increasingly recognized as a sustainable solution to address global water shortage. This study investigates the effectiveness of a persulfate-based advanced oxidation process (AOP) using sodium persulfate (Na2S2O8) activated by ferrous sulfate (FeSO4) as a tertiary treatment for secondary effluents. Real municipal wastewater was collected from Agouzain Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) in Kafr El-Sheikh, Egypt. A Box Benkhen design (BBD) was employed to optimize three key variables: FeSO4 dose (0.5–2.0 g/L), Na2S2O8 dose (0.5–2.0 g/L), and pH (3.0–9.0), with total organic carbon (TOC) removal as the main response. Under optimized conditions (0.50 g/L FeSO4, 2.00 …

Introducing Sustainable Development Goals In College Curricula: A Way Forward, Christy Ashley, Jason D. Oliver, Hillary Leonard

Markets, Globalization & Development Review

The commentary proposes a blueprint to help guide curriculum innovations, partnerships, and teaching interventions that incorporate the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs) into the curriculum. It suggests the utilization of AACSB’s Societal Impact Canvas with Ancona et al.’s (2007) Leadership Capabilities (Sensemaking, Relating, Visioning, Inventing) to provide a blueprint for mission-aligned SDG integration at a local level. It provides an illustrative example from the University of Rhode Island (USA), where the focus is on the Blue Economy. It aims to provide practical guidance for how a college or university can efficiently organize to gain stakeholder input that helps enhance …

A Large Electroencephalogram Database Of Freewill Reaching And Grasping Tasks For Brain Machine Interfaces, Bhoj Raj Thapa, John Boggess, Jihye Bae

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Brain machine interfaces (BMIs) offer great potential to improve the quality of life for individuals with neurological disorders or severe motor impairments. Among various neural recording modalities, electroencephalogram (EEG) is particularly favorable for BMIs due to its noninvasive nature, portability, and high temporal resolution. Existing EEG datasets for BMIs are often limited to experimental settings that fail to address subjects’ freewill in decision making. We present a large EEG dataset, containing a total of 6808 trials, recorded from 23 healthy young adults (eight females and 15 males with an age range from 18 to 24 years) while performing reaching and …

Burnout At University: Cross-Sectional Study Among Dental Students, Manal Elhijazi, Hajar Nafia, Ihsane Benyahya

Health Sciences

Context: The university constitutes a demanding and competitive learning environment which can impact the well-being of students. The objective of this survey is to assess the burnout of students at the faculty of dentistry.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted via an anonymous questionnaire with 3 sections: socio-demographic data, lifestyle and habit, and burnout through the Maslach burnout inventory-student survey (MBI-SS) . Continuous variables were presented as means and standard deviations,categorical variables as numbers and percentages. The variables were tested in univariate analysis to assess predictive factors related to burnout using the Khi-2 test. The significance level was …

Effective Management Of Disused Sealed Radioactive Sources In Uganda, Susan Nalumansi

International Journal of Nuclear Security

Sealed radioactive sources are used in a wide range of applications in Uganda, such as medicine, agriculture, geology, industry, and other fields. After a given useful period, the sealed sources can no longer perform their intended purpose and are thus regarded as disused. However, depending on the activity of the source, the disused sources are highly active and can cause significant damage to human health and the environment when mismanaged. A regulatory body was established with the mandate to regulate peaceful applications of ionizing radiation in Uganda. Given the vulnerability of sealed sources at the end of their life cycle …

Applying Machine Learning Methods To Generate Understandings Of Differential Item Functioning In A Flu Knowledge Assessment, William L. Romine, Tanvi Banerjee, Derrick Cox

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

Current influenza trends, including the severity of the 2025 flu season and the prevalence of H5 bird flu in livestock, necessitate efforts to better understand how to educate students about its transmission. Although validated assessments of influenza knowledge exist, these have not been evaluated for affective and demographic biases. We explore differential item functioning (DIF) effects in four items focused on specific aspects of flu transmission derived from a validated influenza knowledge assessment. In doing so, we introduce and utilize a machine learning framework for exploration of DIF which offers greater flexibility than traditional statistical approaches in terms of studying …

Smart: Semantic Mapping And Analysis For Regional Terrain Using Multi-Scale U-Net And Topsis, Rashmi Sonth

Master's Projects

Accurate land use classification is the backbone for urban planning. But with poor quality satellite images, varied landscapes and structures which are changing faster than ever, it becomes a challenge to define clear boundaries and hence to urban planning. This research explores the application of deep-learning model for land use classification and asses the suitability of the land. The proposed model combines a multi-scale U-Net architecture with Transformer blocks applied on a multi-spectral satellite images that improves the semantic segmentation greatly across the urban and rural regions. Additionally, a patch-wise segmentation is applied to overcome the common problem of feature …

Florida Statewide Coastal Restoration Guide, Melinda J. Donnelly, Matthew Martin, Christen Fleming, Kelly Kibler, Linda Walters, Patrick Shearer, Lauren Jennison, Erika Lin, George Zaragoza

Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The Statewide Coastal Restoration Guide (SCRG) is a comprehensive planning resource developed through a collaboration between Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), University of Central Florida (UCF), and Resource Environmental Solutions (RES) to strengthen and unify shoreline restoration efforts across Florida. With over 4,500 miles of estuarine shoreline, Florida’s coasts are vital to the state’s ecological health, economic prosperity, and community resilience. However, they face increasing threats from sea level rise, stronger storms, erosion, habitat degradation, and development. The SCRG responds to these challenges by providing science-based, non-regulatory guidance for implementing resilient, nature-based restoration strategies that protect both ecosystems and …

A Framework For Fair And Trustworthy Multimodal Video Anomaly Detection: Fusion, Dataset Quality Auditing, Explainability, And Fairness, Omeshamisu Judith Anigala

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Adaptation For Whom? Understanding The Impacts Of Dyke Policies On Small-Scale Farmers In Ca Mau Province Of Vietnam, Nguyen Minh Quang, Nguyen Van Minh, Nguyen Vo Chau Ngan, Martha B. Lerski

Publications and Research

Low-lying deltas worldwide are extremely vulnerable to sea-level rise. As the risks of climate-induced flooding become increasingly clear, the thirst for infrastructure-driven adaptation increases. This highlights a patent need to understand the impacts of engineering adaptation solutions, especially those targeting built structures such as dykes and sluices, on farmers from a bottom-up, farmer-centred perspective. The study addresses this call by examining cases where dyke policies, while successful in some dimensions, have undermined small-scale farmer livelihoods in Ca Mau ― Vietnam’s southernmost rural province. It identifies areas in need of attention and adds empirical data related to this group of farmers. …

Every Publication Needs An Author Verified Tl;Dr Statement, Sarah Oerther, Daniel B. Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Investigating The Role Of Knee Damping In Reducing Joint Forces During Walking And Its Implications For Osteoarthritis Patients, Samantha Briggs

Wayne State University Theses

Arthritis is a leading cause of activity limitation and chronic pain worldwide. Particularly in cases of knee osteoarthritis, mobility impairments are largely due to pain at the arthritic joint. During normal gait, forces across the knee joint peak during the weight acceptance and early midstance phases. Hence, providing damping at the knee joint during this period of the gait cycle may be effective in decreasing the joint forces and pain experienced by osteoarthritis patients while walking. To examine the role of knee damping in reducing joint forces, an eddy current braking device was automated to provide targeted resistance at the …

Lead Bioaccessibility And Commonly Measured Soil Characteristics (Detroit, Mi, Usa) Phase Ii, Conor T. Gowan, Sabrina R. Good, Allison R. Harris, Patrick Crouch, Shawn P. Mcelmurry

Open Data at Wayne State

Urban soil contaminated with anthropogenic sources of Pb is a major contributor to child Pb exposure. To assess the Pb risk in urban areas, composite samples were collected from 142 voluntary privately owned 142 residential parcels in Detroit, Hamtramck, and Highland Park, Michigan. Samples were collected at two time periods, before and after treatment applied for those denoted as treatment sites. Samples were collected from areas covered with turf grass on the parcels from the front, middle and rear sections. Soils were collected with a bulb planter at approximately 10cm depth and were cleaned with a tap water-Liquinox detergent solution …