Digital Commons Network^™

Drying Reduces The Total Pfas Concentration In Biosolids And Alters The Pfas Profile, Patrick J. Mcnamara, Jessica Calteux, Eric Redman, Taryn Mcknight, Lynne Moss, Webster Hoener, Scott Carr, Zhongzhe Liu

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

While per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are not actually generated at water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs), utilities are being forced to consider PFAS in biosolids management plans due to mounting political pressure and pending regulations. Emerging thermal technologies including pyrolysis, gasification, and super critical water oxidation have garnered recent attention for PFAS destruction. Drying, however, is a conventional technology that might also be a tool for utilities to manage PFAS in biosolids, but research on the impacts of drying on PFAS in biosolids is scarce. The objective of this research was to determine how drying affected the fate of PFAS …

Valorization Of Industrial Wastes To Low-Carbon Minerals, Nandan Nag

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This study concentrates on developing methods for utilizing industrial waste materials such as red mud and phosphate slag. In this study, an electrochemical process was developed for recovering iron metal powder from red mud. Red mud is a waste material from aluminum refineries. Although red mud can be utilized as a construction and building material, its use is becoming controversial due to its high metal content, which contributes to its toxicity. However, the high iron oxide content in red mud makes it a good feedstock for producing iron. In this project, we employed an electrochemical technique for extracting iron powder …

Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Field And Plasma Jets For Cancer Therapy, Edwin Ayobami Oshin

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) employs nanosecond-duration, high voltage pulses to induce oxidative stress, leading to temporary or permanent damage to cells or tissue (also known as reversible and irreversible electroporation), and has been considered a promising approach for cancer therapy. In parallel to this, nanosecond pulsed atmospheric pressure plasma jets (ns-APPJs) have also shown to be effective in inactivating cancer cells or increasing sensitivity of cells to electric fields. ns-APPJs are known to generate reactive chemical agents, including reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) which induces oxidative stress resulting in cell proliferation, apoptosis, and necrosis. In this dissertation, a …

Every Relevant Detail, Salomé Viljoen

Michigan Law Review

A review of The Ordinal Society. By Marion Fourcade and Kieran Healy.

Unveiling The Transformative Power Of Unsupervised Machine Learning Through Clustering, Vishnu S. Pendyala

Open Educational Resources

Clustering methods demonstrated their transformative potential across various industries through image segmentation, anomaly detection, bioinformatics, and customer segmentation. The presentation explores these techniques in unsupervised machine learning, focusing on foundational clustering algorithms such as K-means, Hierarchical Clustering, and DBSCAN. Through an in-depth analysis of their underlying principles and computational intricacies, the presentation highlights how these methods have evolved to address complex, high-dimensional data problems. The presentation provides insights into how K-means remains a versatile tool for partitioning data in linear spaces. It delves into Hierarchical Clustering's unique approach to building dendrograms and capturing multi-scale data relationships, and how DBSCAN's density-based …

Evaluation Of Gfap And Ptau Protein Expression In Male And Female Cci Mouse Models, Sara Wallace

Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a serious public health concern that leads to the death or disability of thousands of individuals in the US annually. Progression of TBI involves primary damage from the initial, mechanical injury and secondary damage, from nonmechanical, pathological dysfunction. The secondary damage mechanisms can be better understood, diagnosed, and treated through the quantification of TBI biomarkers. The two biomarkers of interest in this study are pTau and GFAP. The male and female mouse models showed similar significant increase in GFAP following injury, as well as a general lack of increase in pTau expression following the injury. …

Evaluating And Improving U.S. National Water Model Evapotranspiration Estimates Through Eddy-Covariance Flux Tower Observations And Machine Learning Post-Processing, Abin Raj Chapagain

Theses and Dissertations

Despite ET's critical importance in the hydrological cycle, very little has been done to provide ET forecasts at a national level. This study comprises two research chapters examining the National Water Model's (NWM) evapotranspiration (ET) simulations. In Chapter II, we conducted the first comprehensive NWM ET model performance assessment by comparing simulations to eddy-covariance flux tower measurements across the Continental United States (CONUS) on a high-resolution, 1 KM square grid. We clustered results by National Weather Service (NWS) River Forecast Centers (RFCs), land cover classifications, elevation bands, and Köppen-Geiger Climate Zones. The NWM performs best in the Northeast and Ohio …

The Influence Of Dispersed Fillers On The Mechanical Properties Of Sulfur Polymer Heterocomposites, Erkin Abdukhafizovich Rakhmatov, Durdiymurad Gurbanovich Gadamov, Umida Alijonovna Ziyamukhamedova, Jasurbek Himmat Ugli Nafasov, Elbek Tukhtanazar Ugli Turgunaliev, Shokhjakhon Uktam Ugli Abdurakhimov

Technical science and innovation

This article discusses improving the physical, mechanical, and operational properties of composite materials modified with sulfur-containing plasticizers used in the modern construction industry. Furthermore, based on an in-depth analysis of the literature, the types and sizes of fillers and the significance of their mixing technology in the formation of a structure with low porosity of a composite material with a sulfur binder have been studied. The article thoroughly describes a method for obtaining a composite material with a stable sulfur-containing binder, the processes of preparing a solid filler, impregnating the filler with an organic modifier, humidifying and heating the filler …

Occupational Safety Culture In Modern Aviation Maintenance, Sang-A Lee

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Aviation maintenance is paramount to the safety and efficiency of global air travel. Disturbingly, 2022 data revealed an unprecedented surge in severe injuries among aircraft maintenance technicians in the United States, prompting renewed scrutiny of the aviation maintenance occupational safety culture. In light of these developments, a systematic literature review was conducted to discern the influential factors shaping this safety culture, especially considering the industry’s rapid technological advancements. The review process involved meticulous key word searches, stringent article selection criteria, and qualitative data analysis software to interpret findings. From the synthesis of 35 peerreviewed articles, nine pivotal constructs emerged: (1) …

Exploring The Impact Of Multiwall Carbon Nanotubes On Enhancing Water-Based Mud Performance, Attia Attia, Mohamed Saad Elhossieny Dr., Hesham Abuseda Dr., Ahmed Gouish Prof., Adel Salem Prof.

Petroleum Engineering and Gas

Drilling fluids are critical components in hydrocarbon and geothermal well construction, particularly in extreme downhole environments such as deep reservoirs and high-temperature geothermal systems. Key challenges in designing water-based drilling muds (WBDM) for these applications include effective thermal management, maintenance of rheological stability, and enhancement of thermal conductivity under high-temperature, high-pressure (HTHP) conditions. Recent advances in nanotechnology suggest that nanoscale additives, such as uniformly dispersed carbon nanotubes (CNTs), can significantly improve the thermorheological performance of drilling fluids compared to conventional formulations. However, stabilizing critical fluid properties—including viscosity, filtration efficiency, mud cake integrity, and gel strength—remains a persistent challenge in WBDM …

Accurate And Scalable Control-Flow Differential Analysis On System Traces, Yuta Nakamura

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

Debugging and understanding system behavior pose technical challenges, often necessitating the comparison of two audited execution traces. Although provenance systems execution traces, the audited traces at most enable causal analysis within a single known execution. As a result, utilizing provenance systems differential analysis thus for debugging and reasoning is a challenging task. This thesis addresses the challenge of using provenance in debugging by developing accurate and scalable methods for differential analysis of system provenance. Our approach emphasizes the importance of knowing the application’s provenance graph structure and embedding this graph structure information within traces to conduct a precise differential analysis …

Recent Advances In Non-Enzymatic Electrochemical Sensors For Theophylline Detection, Gustria Ernis, Yulia M T A Putri, Muhammad Iqbal Syauqi, Prastika Krisma Jiwanti, Yeni Wahyuni Hartati, Takeshi Kondo, Qonita Kurnia Anjani, Jarnuzi Gunlazuardi

Journal of Electrochemistry

Detection of target analytes at low concentrations is significant in various fields, including pharmaceuticals, healthcare, and environmental protection. Theophylline (TP), a natural alkaloid used as a bronchodilator to treat respiratory disorders such as asthma, bronchitis, and emphysema, has a narrow therapeutic window with a safe plasma concentration ranging from 55.5–111.0 μmol·L^–1 in adults. Accurate monitoring of TP levels is essential because too low or too high can cause serious side effects. In this regard, non-enzymatic electrochemical sensors offer a practical solution with rapidity, portability, and high sensitivity. This article aims to provide a comprehensive review of the recent developments …

Quantitative Risk Analysis For Elections, George A. Buras

LSU Master's Theses

This paper examines risk analysis and risk management in the field of election security. The purpose of this paper is not to enumerate risks to election security or explain how they might be mitigated, but rather to understand and improve how we measure and communicate those risks.

First, I contextualize election security risks by establishing what it means for an election to be secure and I give an overview of the types of events that might threaten election security. Then, I explore different methods that we can use to model electoral risks. Existing resources for managing electoral risks use qualitative …

In-Situ Electrodeposition Of Feco-Mof On Au Ultramicroelectrode For Highly Sensitive Detection Of Epinephrine, Yan Chen, Shang Jian, Si-Yu Wan, Xiao-Tong Cui, Zhong-Gang Liu, Zheng Guo

Journal of Electrochemistry

Metal-organic framework (MOF) nanostructures have emerged as a prominent class of materials in the advancement of electrochemical sensors. The rational design of bimetallic MOF-functionalized microelectrode is of importance for improving the electrochemical performance but still in great challenge. In this work, the bimetallic FeCo-MOF nanostructures were assembled onto a gold disk ultramicroelectrode (Au UME, 5.2 μm in diameter) via an in-situ electrodeposition method, which enhanced the sensitive detection of epinephrine (EP). The in-situ electrodeposited FeCo-MOF exhibited a characteristic nanoflower-like morphology and was uniformly dispersed on the Au UME. The FeCo-MOF/Au UME demonstrated excellent electrochemical performance on the detection of EP …

Study On Dopamine Electrochemical Sensing Based On Au@Mos2, Ning An, Ni Su, Xin-Ran Li, Jian-Yu Liu, Qi-Yan Wang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Dopamine (DA) is a vital neurotransmitter, and accurate detection of its concentration is critical for both clinical diagnostics and neuroscience research. Due to its electrochemical activity, DA is commonly detected using electrochemical methods, which are favored for their simplicity, fast response time, and suitability for in vivo analysis. In this work, a highly sensitive DA electrochemical sensor was developed using an Au@MoS₂ composite, created by modifying molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) nanosheets with gold nanoparticles through HAuCl₄ reduction, and it was aimed at enhancing DA adsorption and improving detection performance. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), …

War Strategy Algorithm- Based Hybrid Optimization For Accurate And Rapid Speech Recognition, Shahad Thamear Abd Al-Latief, Salman Yussof, Azhana Ahmad, Saif Mohanad Khadim, Ahmed Alkhayyat

Iraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics

Speech recognition-based applications increased and developed as a result of artificial intelligence's rapid growth, particularly Machine Learning, which play a crucial role in many aspects of daily life, such as applications related to human-computer interaction, and natural language processing. The complexity and diversity of speech signals provides challenges in maximizing the rate of accuracy and efficiency of speech recognition systems. Hyperparameter tuning is a crucial step in machine learning that has a significant role in optimizing the performance and generalization by determining the optimal values for the model's hyperparameters. This paper employed the recently developed WAR Strategy optimization algorithm for …

Hybrid Methods For Detecting Face Morphing Attacks, Essa M. Namis, Khalid Shaker, Sufyan Al-Janabi

Iraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics

The face morphing process blends two or more facial images to produce a singular morphed facial image that shows the vulnerabilities of Face Recognition Systems (FRS). The widespread use of facial recognition algorithms, especially in Automatic Border Control (ABC) systems, has elicited concerns about potential attacks, as modified passports pose a significant risk to national security. This research presents a hybrid approach for feature extraction from facial images. The suggested approach involves three stages: The initial phase involves preprocessing the image through resizing and face identification, using the Viola-Jones algorithm to detect and locate the human face in the image, …

Water And Journalism Panel, Heather May, Anastasia Hufham, Ben Winslow, Sheri Quinn

Spring Runoff Conference

Respondents’ sources of information on Great Salt Lake issues

A Beginner’S Guide To Artificial Intelligence (Ai) And Generative Ai (Gen Ai) For Small Businesses, Stanley Mierzwa, Iassen Christov

Center for Cybersecurity

Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) guide for small businesses.

Support and funding for this effort was received from the United States Small Business Administration (Contract 73351023C0016) for this activity and research. Formulated and ultimately created as a result of this grant was the New Jersey Cybersecurity Regional Cluster (NJCRC), which included the partners of NTouch-BCT Strategies, Covenant Business Concepts, and the Kean University Center for Cybersecurity. As part of the free cybersecurity risk assessments offered to small businesses in the community, organizations were introduced to GenAI through a demonstration, with the key information provided in this booklet.

Abundance And Prevalence Of Antibiotic-Resistant Escherichia Coli In Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana Water Bodies Impacted By On-Site Wastewater Treatment System Effluent, Katherine Weise

LSU Master's Theses

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing public health concern, especially with the spread of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli. This study examined the prevalence and abundance of antibiotic-resistant E. coli in Yellow Water (YW) and Natalbany River (NR) in Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana, which receive effluent from decentralized wastewater treatment systems. Monthly surface water grab samples were collected at four sites on each river from February 2023 to July 2024 and screened for generic and antibiotic-resistant E. coli using membrane filtration with ceftriaxone and cefotaxime as screening agents per the WHO Tricycle Protocol. We evaluated resistance patterns of the …

Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substance (Pfas) Degradation In Water And Soil Using Cold Atmospheric Plasma (Cap): A Review, Victor Somtochukwu Mbanugo, Boluwatife Stephen Ojo, Ta Chun Lin, Yue-Wern Huang, Marek Locmelis, Daoru Han

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are persistent organic chemicals found in numerous industrial applications and everyday products. The excessive amounts of PFASs in water and soil, together with their link to severe health issues, have prompted substantial public concerns, making their removal from the environment a necessity. Existing degradation techniques are frequently lacking due to their low efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and potential for secondary contamination. Cold Atmospheric Plasma (CAP) technology has emerged as a promising alternative, utilizing energized reactive species to break down PFASs under ambient conditions. Therefore, this review examines the efficacy and effectiveness of CAP in degrading PFASs by …

Using Sheet Piles To Control Contaminant Transport From Different Sources Through The Soil, Eslam Kashef Elgmmal Eslam K. Elgmmal, Ibrahim Mohamed Rashwan, H. Omara

Journal of Engineering Research

Contaminants can reach the excavation site and lead to groundwater contamination. The present research investigates the effect of using sheet piles for controlling the migration of contaminants to excavation sites that require high-quality groundwater, taking into consideration changing concentrations of contaminants and changing soil surface depth downstream of the sheet piles. The arrival time of contamination to reach under the sheet piles and the time for reaching contamination to the excavation site were studied. Additionally, the effect of using two different sources of contaminants with different concentrations on the mixing time between them through groundwater was investigated. Two modules, SEEP/W …

Water Quality Assessment Of Irrigation Streams Within Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt, Mahy Adel Elbialy, Ibrahim Mohamed Rashwan, Saleh Shalaby, Ahmed Shalby

Journal of Engineering Research

Water quality degradation is a major global concern and a significant threat to human health. In Egypt, extensive agricultural runoff enriched with fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides endangers the aquatic ecosystems. Accordingly, a reliable water quality monitoring and assessment program is crucial for formulating a management strategy aimed at water resource protection. Indeed, water quality assessment implies a challenge in identifying sampling locations, frequencies and monitored parameters. This paper aims to report on the water quality state of some irrigation streams in the Dakahlia governorate, Egypt. A systematic monitoring program was implemented through three field campaigns conducted in November 2023, February …

Imu-Mechanized Discrete Error-State Kalman Filtering With Lie-Group Pose Representations, Daniel P. Koch

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates methodologies for consistent Kalman filtering with Lie-group based representations of the vehicle pose. Early results are centered around the relative navigation framework, which maintains filter observability and consistency by only tracking the state relative to the latest keyframe of an odometry system such as visual odometry or laser scan matching. A detailed derivation of a relative multiplicative extended Kalman filter, using a quaternion parameterization of the attitude state, is presented for application to multirotor vehicles. The remainder of the dissertation focuses on Kalman filtering using a Lie-group SE(3) pose representation, which improves filter consistency by correctly modeling …

Modeling The Pollution From Latrines In A Low- And Middle-Income Country Setting, Christopher Nenninger

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Latrines are an important sanitation infrastructure that are critical to the United Nations’ effort to end open defecation and achieve the target regarding safely managed sanitation outlined in Sustainable Development Goal #6. This global effort has led to 40,000,000 new users being introduced to improved latrines each year, and this number is expected to increase as the world’s population grows. One of the drawbacks related to these new latrine additions is the potential increase in pollution from hydraulically connected latrine pits to shallow groundwater. This is especially problematic in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where communities are more likely to …

Assessment Indicator System For Siting Of Geologic Co2 Sequestration In Low-Porosity And Low-Permeability Saline Aquifers: A Case Study Of The Ordos Basin, Mou Yu, Wang Haofan, Shaanxi Key Laboratory For Carbon Neutral Technology, Carbon Neutrality College (Yulin), Northwest University, Xi’An 710069, China Xuejun, Ma Jinfeng, Luo Shaocheng, Li Lin, Ding Zhao

Coal Geology & Exploration

Objective CO₂ injection and geologic sequestration in deep saline aquifers as underground spatial resources represents an important means of achieving the targets of greenhouse gas emission reduction and carbon neutrality. Current assessments of the siting and potential for geologic CO₂ sequestration in saline aquifers focus primarily on the macroscopic basin and regional scales, with the assessment indicator system scarcely accounting for the suitability of low-porosity and low-permeability strata. Methods Using data from 192 wells in the Yusheng area, Ordos Basin, this study conducted the division and correlation of intervals bearing no hydrocarbon, carried out lithologic and physical interpretations …

Developing Students' Sociotechnical Thinking In The Humanities-Engineering Classroom: A Treatment Versus Control Study Using A Scenario-Based Assessment, Lori Czerwionka, Siddhant S. Joshi, Gabriel O. Rios-Rojas, Kirsten A. Davis

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

Background

Engineering problems are open-ended and complex, involving technical and social aspects, yet engineering education focuses on technical training and closed-ended problems. To prepare engineering students, curricula should foster sociotechnical thinking—the ability to consider the interplay of technical and social factors during problem solving. Although educational interventions in this area show promise, further insight into the benefits of interdisciplinary interventions is warranted, particularly with treatment and control group designs.

Purpose

We examine the effect of a Humanities-Informed Engineering Projects (HIEP) course on students' sociotechnical thinking development.

Method

We compared the sociotechnical thinking development of engineering students who took the HIEP …

Analysis Of An Ultra-Broadband Terahertz Metamaterial Absorber, Md Ariful Islam, Md Rezwan Ahmed, Oishi Jyoti, Pritu Sarkar, Md. Samiul Habib

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper introduces a metamaterial absorber (MA) based on vanadium dioxide (VO2) that achieves over 90% absorption of incident terahertz (THz) waves in between 4.50 THz to 11.90 THz with an average absorption of 94.64% and a relative absorption bandwidth (RAB) of 90.18% — the highest reported absorption bandwidth for VO2-based absorbers to our knowledge. The proposed metamaterial absorber features a design with a central square surrounded by four ’T’-shaped elements on each side, symmetrically arranged on a TOPAS dielectric substrate. We perform all numerical analyses keeping the phase-changing material VO2 in the metallic state, and our simulation results show …

Increasing Electric Vehicle Charger Availability With A Mobile, Self-Contained Charging Station, Robert Serrano, Arifa Sultana, Declan Kavanaugh, Hongjie Wang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Student Research

As the transition to sustainable transportation has accelerated with the rise of electric vehicles (EVs), ensuring drivers have access to charging to maximize the electric miles driven is critical to lowering carbon emissions in the transportation sector. Limited charging station capacity and poor reliability, especially during peak travel times, long distance travels, holidays, and events, have hindered the adoption of EVs and threaten the progress toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Adaptive, flexible deployment strategies combined with innovative approaches integrating mobility and renewable energy are essential to address these systemic challenges and bridge the current infrastructure gap. To address these challenges, …

Louisville Viasmart Over-Height And Flood Driver Prevention And Protection Systems, William R. Lyon, Dana Spratt, Terri Combs, Chris Seidt

Purdue Road School

This exciting project is a federal grant project that deploys and uses the latest advancements on transportation technology to prevent over-height truck from striking tunnel/bridge overpasses and viaducts and to prevent all drivers from entering dangerous flooded roadways. These systems use the latest cyber-security and connected/automated vehicle (CAV V2X & X2V), Artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Language solutions. The system also deploys new experimental technology assured to enhance all existing traveler notification systems currently in use. This project was specifically called out by then acting transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg at the 2024 ITS America Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. He called …