Digital Commons Network^™

Air To Water Capture In Support Of Un Sustainable Development Goals, Jordan Macconnell, Michael Tiscareño, Ari Dennis, Baxter Mercy

Mechanical Engineering

This senior project explored the use of thermoelectric cooling for atmospheric water capture. The system was designed to cool aluminum condensing surfaces below the dew point using Peltier modules, with forced convection heat sinks on the hot side. The purpose of this system was to gather reliable amounts of water for various water-scarce areas around the world to help meet the UN's sixth Sustainable Development Goal.

The final design of this project consisted of a 1.5 x 1.5 x 2 foot frame made of acrylic panels and insulation. Within the frame, the thermoelectric system was constructed using Peltier modules with …

Degradation Characterization Of Nopal-Based Biopolymer Made From Opuntia Sp. Juice, Beeswax, Animal Protein, And Polyvinyl Alcohol, Logan Williams, Mary Elizabeth Holland, Spencer Williams

Materials Engineering

Since the introduction of polymers in the 1960s, there has been an exponential increase in use. Driven by rapidly growing demand, the volume of polymers in the production, application, and end-of-life stages has surged. The widespread use of these materials has led to escalating environmental pollution, which disrupts ecosystems, and contributes to global ecological degradation. While advancements in recycling technologies and infrastructure have shown promise, they have not maintained pace with polymer production and disposal. This imbalance warrants research into sustainable alternatives. Environmentally benign polymers derived from renewable sources and exhibiting minimal ecological impact at the end of their life …

Integrating High Throughput Phenotyping Approaches To Characterize Plant Traits And Support Nutrient Management Research, Katie J. Bathke

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Over the past decade, considerable research has addressed the social, economic, and agronomic challenges posed by imbalanced nutrient applications, particularly nitrogen and, more recently, sulfur. In response, high throughput plant phenotyping, as one of the latest approaches, has contributed to the development of innovative techniques for assessing key plant phenotypes under stress over time in both field and greenhouse environments. However, there is a limited number of studies applying these techniques for nutrient management, particularly in scenarios where two abiotic stressors coexist, such as the combination of water stress and nitrogen deficiency, or concurrent nitrogen and sulfur deficiencies.

In chapter …

Modeling Rice Leaf Area Index And Canopy Height In The Us Mid-South Region, Ellie J. Kuhn, Beatriz Moreno-Garcia, Michele Reba, Kusum Naithani, Benjamin R. Runkle

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Crop growth modeling plays a critical role in addressing the global challenges of food scarcity, carbon cycling, and water management. By simulating crop development from environmental factors, these models help predict harvest yield and carbon or water cycle terms and thus can inform policy and investment decisions. However, for some agricultural regions, such as the US Mid-South, there is a lack of comprehensive data specific to rice (Oryza sativa) cultivars and their growing conditions. Here, we use 30 field seasons of observational data to predict leaf area index (LAI) and canopy height (Hcan), key inputs for crop growth models, for …

Evaluation Of Schoenoplectus Californicus In An Artificial System For E. Coli Removal, Kimia Ahmadiyehyazdi

Masters Theses (Archived)

Green technologies and nature-based solutions like constructed wetlands have be come more popular due to their environmentally friendly approach to remediation, low cost of construction, and maintenance. Also, they have shown efficiency in removing a wide range of contaminants. However, choosing a suitable aquatic plant for this system is one of the questions that should be answered wisely. Schoenoplectus californicus– Giant Bulrush is an aquatic plant that was tested in this controlled constructed wetland, and the final concentration of the targeted microbial contamination, which is E. coli, was reduced remarkably. Also, for this study, soil was removed from the …

Predicting Strut Geometry Of Pcl And Dmso2 Biocomposites From Nozzle To Deposition In Bio-Scaffold 3d Printing, Jae-Won Jang, Kyung-Eun Min, Jun-Hee Park, Cheolhee Kim, Sung Yi

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The field of tissue engineering increasingly demands accurate predictive models to optimize the 3D printing process of bio-scaffolds. This study presents a unified numerical model that predicts extrusion velocity and strut diameter based on printing conditions and the material properties of polycaprolactone (PCL) and dimethyl sulfone (DMSO2) composites. The extrusion velocity was simulated using Navier–Stokes equations, while the strut diameter was calculated via a surface energy model. For PCL, the extrusion velocity showed a temperature coefficient of 23.3%/°C and a pressure coefficient of 19.1% per 100 kPa; the strut diameter exhibited a temperature coefficient of 21.6%/°C and a pressure coefficient …

Multiagent Copilot In Industrial Ai Applications, Chathurangi Shyalika, Renjith Prasad, Utkarshani Jaimini, Cory Henson, Fadi El Kalach, Amit Sheth

Publications

In the era of smart automation and digital transformation, achieving efficiency, precision, and adaptability is essential for industries to remain competitive. Sectors, including manufacturing, supply chain and logistics, healthcare, finance, and retail, face significant challenges in deploying Artificial Intelligence (AI) solutions tailored to their unique needs, particularly in critical, resource-constrained applications. According to Gartner’s 2024 Hype Cycle for Artificial Intelligence, composite AI, which integrates techniques like machine learning, knowledge graphs, and rule-based systems, is becoming foundational for industries, enhancing predictions, decisions, and scalability across complex environments.

The complexity of real-world systems requires Industrial AI solutions to be customizable to business …

Real-World Implementation Of A Noninvasive, Ai-Augmented, Anemia-Screening Smartphone App And Personalization For Hemoglobin Level Self-Monitoring, Robert G. Mannino, Julie Sullivan, Jennifer K. Frediani, Paul George, Jeremy Whitson, James Tumlin, L. Andrew Lyon, Erika A. Tyburski, Wilbur A. Lam

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Anemia, characterized by low blood hemoglobin (Hgb) levels, afflicts >2 billion individuals worldwide. Here, we report real-world data generated by a smartphone app that noninvasively screens for anemia using only “fingernail selfies.” App data for anemia screening were obtained from >1.4 million uses across the United States enabling geographic mapping of Hgb levels. Of those, 9,061 users also self-reported complete blood count Hgb levels for comparison, resulting in accuracy and performance that match gold standard laboratory testing and a sensitivity and specificity of 89% and 93%, respectively, when using an anemia cutoff of 12.5 g/dL. Geotagged data enabled construction of …

Development Of A Light-Based Platform To Assess Cervical Mucus Barrier Function And Physical Mucus Properties, Elizabeth J. Buzbee

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide, yet current clinical tools for predicting its risk lack specificity and reliability. Cervical mucus plays a crucial role in maintaining pregnancy by forming a barrier that protects the uterus against infection. This study investigates the use of laser speckle rheology as a noninvasive technique to assess cervical mucus biomechanics. Synthetic cervical mucus was fabricated at varying hydration levels and tested using a conventional rheometer that confirmed that the mechanical properties of the synthetic mucus samples were representative of physiological cervical mucus. These results were compared to the complex …

Examining The Effects Of Quercetin On Phenotypic Characteristics Of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Thomas M. Needy

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Introduction A significant obstacle to mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) potency and therapeutic utility is in vitro senescence, an irreversible cessation of replication associated with age-related complications. Senolytic drugs, such as quercetin, may be helpful in selectively culling senescent cells while leaving non-senescent cells unaffected, thereby increasing potency of high-passage MSCs.

Methods The phenotypic, genotypic, and immunomodulatory effects of quercetin were assessed using in vitro models. Senescent cells, created through repeated subculturing of MSCs in vitro, and non-senescent cells were treated with 10 μM quercetin, differentiated into osteocytes, adipocytes, and chondrocytes, and analyzed to observe the effect of quercetin.

Results Quercetin …

Implications Of Biourbanism On Sustainable Business Strategy, Samuel Walsh

Graduate Theses - Engineering Management

Recently developed for urban planners to view cities through the lens of ecosystems and other complex natural systems, the Biourbanism model is a set of metrics to numerically assess the resilience and sustainability of urban systems. This model focuses on ten factors of urban sustainability, which include categories such as energy, infrastructure, and technology, and is intended to help cities achieve more holistic measures of their ability to realize resilience and sustainability goals. The premise of this Integrated Project is that businesses can also be viewed as complex natural systems. Hence, this project examines case studies to show how implementing …

Assessing Sleep Quality In A Preclinical Model Of Low Back Pain Through Novel Noninvasive Methods, Lydia C. Saltz

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Chronic low back pain (LBP) has widespread negative impacts on quality of life. Current treatments for chronic LBP fail to provide long-term efficacy and motivate the need to understand key drivers of poor patient outcomes. Mounting evidence indicates that sleep disturbances and chronic LBP have a strong reciprocal relationship. Women may be particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of the sleep-pain axis, exhibiting greater prevalence in both conditions. However, the relationship between sleep, pain, and sex remains understudied. Preclinical models can be used to parse out characteristic sleep features that degrade with pain, which can be further broken out by …

Development And Characterization Of A Pro-Angiogenic Peptide Amphiphile For Deep Dermal Burn Healing Via Spray Delivery, Loria Dimartino

Honors Theses

Severe burns and other dermatological injuries are frequently accompanied by a range of comorbidities and aesthetic challenges that patients must contend with. The complexity of burn care is exacerbated by the lack of a standardized surgical protocol, as treatment strategies are tailored to individual patient factors, including overall health status, wound size and location, as well as the expertise and resources available to the surgical team. Most commonly, deep dermal burns are treated through grafting, which effectively covers the injury site, but requires the creation of a second wound on the body of approximately the same size. This produces a …

The Effect Of Catalyst Choice On Biodiesel Yield And Quality Using Waste Cooking Oil As A Feedstock, Neka Long

Honors Theses

Biodiesel is one current area of interest as a replacement for traditional diesel fuel. Benefits of biodiesel include that it can be derived from renewable resources, and it possesses properties similar to that of traditional diesel fuel. Biodiesel is often produced through a catalyzed transesterification process, which involves the use of a catalyst to aid in the conversion of triglycerides into alkyl esters. A method called the transesterification double step process (TDSP) was researched and used in this project due to the success seen using this method for the conversion of waste cooking oil to biodiesel. In this project, four …

A Case Study On Readiness Of Engineers In Agricultural Technology Start-Ups, Katie Marie Mowat

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

This dissertation explores the perceptions of practicing engineers regarding the skills necessary to be workforce-ready at agricultural technology (ag-tech) start-ups in the Midwestern United States. A qualitative case study methodology is leveraged, combining both interview and job description data. Given their uniqueness, the study divides the ag-tech start-up industry into two subcases: livestock and cropping systems. The Work Readiness Integrated Competence Model (WRICM) is used as the theoretical framework for this study and informs the conceptual framework and analysis processes. The study identified skills that fit into thirteen distinct categories, which are further grouped into four overarching resource groups. Skills …

Sustainable Agriculture Through Data-Driven Land And Soil Management For Rural Farming Communities, Peggy Clareece Discenza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This thesis aims to investigate sustainable farming practices by utilizing a database containing soil, weather, and water data. Additionally, it evaluates cropping strategies using a system that incorporates nutrient dynamics and environmental values. The objective is to monitor, develop predictive models, and assess the impact of both controlled and uncontrolled nutrient variables. This is achieved through the development of an algorithm that provides information on soil health based on datasets and land use, with a particular focus on residual values after harvesting for deeper analytical insights and interpretation. This study focuses on key nutrients, including pH levels, water availability, and …

Kinetic Growth Rate Analysis Of Coelastrella Sp. In Aquaculture Wastewater., Rob Skarvan

Master of Engineering Theses

The demand for sustainable food and energy production continues to rapidly rise. Utilizing aquaculture wastewater as microalgae growth medium is a potential opportunity for nutrient recycling and industrial symbiosis, but more research is required to understand how best to design and scale-up a dual-purpose facility. This study investigates the growth of Coelastrella sp. in aquaculture wastewater compared to industry-standard growth medium BG-11 and modified tap water as controls. Though cell size and pigment density varied throughout media, aquaculture wastewater performed very comparably to BG-11 as a microalgae culture broth.

The Monod equation can model Coelastrella sp. growth based …

Understanding Dimensional Stability Of Polymer Surgical Mesh, Simeon J. Mckelvey

All Dissertations

Polymer surgical mesh is a biomedical implant that has revolutionized the repair of the abdominal wall and pelvic floor. Each year, over 1.6 million Americans undergo surgical procedures using polymer surgical mesh to treat conditions where internal organs protrude through weakened tissues. This material is used in approximately 90% of hernia repairs, 80% of stress urinary incontinence procedures, and 30% of pelvic organ prolapse surgeries.

Despite this widespread use of polymer surgical mesh, post-implantation complications have prompted regulatory investigation and scrutiny. These complications stem from the mesh's behavior within the human body, including wrinkling, contraction, and loss of fixation, which …

Ceramic Membrane Evaluation Via Automated Filtration Systems For Water Treatment And Resource Recovery, Weiming Qi

All Dissertations

Membranes are an advanced and mature water and wastewater treatment technology. Membrane fouling is a key difficulty for all membrane filtration processes, leading to significant attention in the literature over the years. A common problem in laboratory-scale membrane research is that the testing methods in the laboratory are often quite different than industrial applications due to the limitations of manual experimental setups. An automated membrane filtration apparatus was built in the lab to solve this problem by allowing long-term filtration, frequent backwash and CIP, and high-accuracy operation. The filtration system achieves different cleaning strategies for both theoretical research and practical …

Uv-A Light And Heat-Activated Antimicrobial And Biodegradable Materials For Food Packaging And Preservation, Michael J. Bodily

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Current food packaging materials are often non-biodegradable and harmful for ingestion, which poses a threat to the environment and public health. Thus far, the dangers of microbial contamination of food on human health have outweighed the risks associated with using these conventional packaging plastics. A possible solution to these issues is to use a combination of innovative materials and microbial inactivation methods that can potentially both reduce plastic waste and combat harmful microorganisms. In this study, two antimicrobial, biodegradable composites were developed and tested for their ability to inactivate two types of bacterium, Escherichia coli K12 and Listeria innocua, …

Design And Performance Analysis Of Fiber Bragg Grating Temperature Sensor For Industrial Processes Sensing Applications, Paul Stone Stone Brown Macheso S.B.

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) sensor has become a widespread sensing device because of its small size, passive design, immunity to electromagnetic interference, and direct ability to measure physical properties like temperature and strain. Recently, femtosecond infrared laser processing and regeneration techniques have resulted in the development of stable high-temperature gratings, which are a powerful tool in smart factories, an aspect of the fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), and show promise for application in harsh environments like high pressure, high temperature, or ionizing radiation. The development of stable high-temperature gratings that can withstand harsh environmental factors like high temperatures, pressures, and …

Production Of Potassium-Rich Biofertilizer From Composted Banana Peels And Watermelon Rinds, Neema O. Msuya

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This study investigated the production of biofertilizer from composted banana peels and watermelon rinds, focusing on the mineral content and its impact on plant growth. The process involved characterizing raw materials, producing biofertilizer, analyzing mineral concentrations (potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus), and evaluating its quality through Spiny Amaranth seed growth. A compost bin with three compartments was designed, testing three composting ratios of banana peels to watermelon rinds (2:1, 1:2 and 1:1). Composting was monitored on moisture content, pH, organic matter, and temperature for 37 days. The 1:1 ratio had the lowest temperature (33.45°C) and highest pH (7.08), while the 2:1 …

Determination Of Optimal Parameters For Quality Drying Of Garlic Using The Vibro-Convective Method, Jasur Safarov, Shakhnoza Sultanova, Abdurakhmon Mirkomilov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

This article examines the process of drying garlic using a low-temperature vibratory-convective drying system. At the "Service Technology" department of Tashkent State Technical University, a vibratory dryer was developed to ensure high-quality drying of garlic while maximizing the preservation of its biologically active compounds. Through experimental studies, optimal drying parameters were determined, including the degree of moisture removal, process duration, airflow velocity, and vibration acceleration. The results obtained contribute to enhancing the efficiency and quality of garlic drying, which holds practical significance for agricultural producers and consumers interested in healthy nutrition.

Leveraging Hypersoft Set To Optimize Livestock In The Era Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Alaa Salem, Mona Mohamed, Nebojsa Bacanin, Mohamed Abouhawwash

Neutrosophic Systems with Applications

Due to urbanization and industrialization, rapid global change and the potential loss of arable land, agricultural output must rise in production levels and harvest, distribute, and use resources more efficiently. It is believed that using technology on livestock would help meet the expanding population's demand for food. Internet of Things (IoT) and Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) integration in conventional farming has transformed operations, providing farmers with greater productivity, improved decision-making, and sustainability. We assume that there are enough UAVs to cover the entire pasture, and our goal is to identify the best UAVs. Accordingly, determining the best type of UAVs …

Applications Of Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats In Food Security And Nutraceuticals, Rukayat Abiodun Oyegoke, Jahswill Toluwanimi Osifade, Adenike Temidayo Oladiji

Al-Bahir

The CRISPR/Cas9 system is a revolutionary genome-editing tool that enables precise and inheritable modifications, transforming plant genetic engineering. Previous literature has indicated that, in agriculture, CRISPR has improved crop yield, biofortification, and resistance to environmental stressors, fostering resilient and high-yielding crops essential for sustaining a growing global population. In nutraceuticals, CRISPR has enhanced the biosynthesis of bioactive compounds such as anthocyanins, flavonoids, and omega-3 fatty acids, improving the nutritional and therapeutic value of crops.

Despite its immense potential, CRISPR technology faces technical, ethical, and regulatory challenges, including off-target effects, accessibility concerns, and public acceptance. Addressing these issues is crucial for …

Sustainable Poultry Farming: A Concept Of Iot-Based Poultry Management System For Small-Scale Farmers, Ayodeji Akinsoji Okubanjo, Ignatius Kema Okakwu, Olufemi Peter Alao, Nurudeen Samuel. Lawal, Ayoola Abiola Babalola, Abisola Olayiwola

Al-Bahir

Conventional poultry management techniques are failing to meet increased demand for poultry products as the population continues to grow. As a result, this issue has become a major concern for small-scale farmers, particularly those in low-income areas, in terms of food security. One of the main reasons for this is that the farmers rely on intensive farming methods which are inefficient for automating daily poultry operations. However, intensive farming methods pose major environmental concerns to ecosystems and poultry health. Also, the environmental conditions, welfare, and productivity of poultry operations may be harmed by the global climate crisis and poultry waste …

Ai-Powered Health & Nutrition Dashboard: Enhancing Personalized Wellness With Ai*, Jennisha Patel

Campus Research Month

This research presents an AI-powered dashboard designed to enhance personalized wellness through customized meal and exercise planning. Leveraging Dash Plotly for interactive visualization and Google Gemini AI for dynamic recommendation generation, the dashboard integrates user inputs for fitness goals, dietary preferences, and health conditions, alongside body metrics (gender, age, weight, height, activity level). Initially developed with rule-based filtering, the system evolved to incorporate AI for improved accuracy and scalability in managing large-scale food and exercise datasets. This project demonstrates the potential of AI to democratize access to personalized wellness insights. For educational purposes only; not verified by medical professionals.

Metabolite Analysis To Understand Factors Limiting Microbial Fermentation At High Substrate Concentrations, Bishal D. Sharma

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Clostridium thermocellum, a thermophilic anaerobic bacterium, holds promise as a biocatalyst for conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels. This microbe has been subjected to various metabolic engineering strategies, including the deletion of genes encoding secondary fermentation products such as H₂, formate, acetate, and lactate, as well as the expression of heterologous genes to redirect carbon flux toward ethanol production. Despite these efforts, achieving economically viable ethanol titers remains a challenge. We hypothesized that studying how intracellular metabolite concentrations change as fermentation stops could reveal metabolic bottlenecks or regulatory mechanisms limiting ethanol production at high titers. However, metabolomics studies at …

Zooplankton Protect Viruses From Sunlight Disinfection, J. A. Wang, O. Aryal, L. N. Brownstein, H. Shwwa, A. L. Rickard, A. E. Stephens, M. Lanzarini-Lopes, Niveen S. Ismail

Engineering: Faculty Publications

Sunlight disinfection is an important inactivation process for enteric viruses in water. Understanding how dark biotic processes, such as zooplankton filter feeding, impact sunlight disinfection for viruses has important implications for public health. This research quantifies the uptake of MS2, a model for enteric viruses, by the filter feeder Branchionus plicatilis (rotifer) and the effects of such uptake on subsequent sunlight inactivation of MS2. Experiments co-incubating MS2 with rotifers showed 2.6 log viral removal over 120 hours. Viable virus was recovered from rotifer bodies after co-incubation, indicating incomplete viral inactivation via ingestion. When live rotifers were co-incubated with MS2 and …

Automated Plant Morphological Assessment And Microbial Community Monitoring In Simulated Lunar Regolith, Collin R. Topolski

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Upcoming lunar bases will need to leverage in-situ resources to ensure long-term sustainability and reduce mission costs. One key challenge is food production, which could be addressed by growing crops in lunar regolith-based substrates. However, lunar regolith lacks essential nutrients, requiring organic amendments to support continuous plant cultivation. This study examined the impact of manure-amended lunar regolith simulant on Mizuna mustard growth while assessing microbial community diversity and functionality. To support this effort, a custom software pipeline utilizing an open-source library, PlantCV, was developed to automatically track plant leaf area and height via image analysis. Results indicated that amended rhizosphere …