Digital Commons Network^™

The Reactivation Of Moucharaby As Light Ornaments Through Digital Design, Noha Gamal Said, Amal Abu Daya

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Ornaments are considered essential part of architecture, contributing to the atmosphere and sense of place through its diverse visual effects. The Moucharaby is one of the traditional architectural elements that requires technical, professional, and artisanal knowledge to exist. It is closely related to light, affecting the privacy of the space and controlling the movement of the eye. Despite the disappearance of both elements: ornaments and Moucharaby from the modern architectural scene, the recent sustainability trends, parametric design, and modern technologies offer an opportunity to revive these elements. The article describes the experiential methodology of an intensive workshop that took place …

Fresh And Mechanical Properties Of Self-Compacting Concrete Using Kaolin Limestone Blend And Hybrid Slag Blend, Selesca Devi S

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the consequences of mono and hybrid natural fibers on the mechanical and fresh properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC), in response to the growing demand for environmentally friendly building materials. In mono fiber, Abaca fiber (AF) at 0.25% and 0.5% dosage, basalt fiber (BF) from 0.25% to 2% at 0.25% increments, and sisal fiber (SiF) from 0.25% to 1.5% at 0.25% increments were evaluated through slump flow diameter, T500, compressive and tensile strength. AF at 0.25% ensured good flow with 6.6% and 4.16% higher compressive and tensile strength over 0.5% AF. SiF up to 1% improved strength but …

Enhancing Winter Climate Simulations Of The Great Lakes: Insights From A New Coupled Lake–Ice–Atmosphere (Cliav1) System On The Importance Of Integrating 3d Hydrodynamics With A Regional Climate Model, Pengfei Xue, Chenfu Huang, Yafang Zhong, Michael Notaro, Miraj Kayastha, Xing Zhou, Chuyan Zhao, Christa Peters-Lidard, Carlos Cruz, Eric Kemp

Michigan Tech Publications

The Laurentian Great Lakes significantly influence the climate of the Midwest and Northeast United States due to their vast thermal inertia, moisture source potential, and complex heat and moisture flux dynamics. This study presents a newly developed coupled lake–ice–atmosphere (CLIAv1) modeling system for the Great Lakes by coupling the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Unified Weather Research and Forecasting (NU-WRF) regional climate model (RCM) with the three-dimensional (3D) Finite Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM) and investigates the impact of coupled dynamics on simulations of the Great Lakes’ winter climate. By integrating 3D lake hydrodynamics, CLIAv1 demonstrates superior performance in …

Mode Engineering And Functional Enhancement In Piezoelectric-On-Silicon Mems Resonators With Magnetic Field Sensing Applications, Ugur Guneroglu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation significantly advances the field of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) resonators by exploring novel post-fabrication tuning techniques, electrode configuration effects, and innovative sensor applications for thin-film piezoelectric-on-silicon (TPoS) resonator devices. Driven by the increasing demand for tunable, high-precision and robust MEMS resonators in radio frequency (RF) applications such as sensing, timing, and filtering, this research aim to provide foundational knowledge and practical solutions for overcoming existing technological limitations. The dissertation is organized into three main research thrusts, each addressing critical challenges and opportunities in the design, fabrication, and application of TPoS MEMS resonators.

The first research thrust investigates an innovative …

Bonding Ss316l And In625 Through Laser Powder Bed Fusion And Directed Energy Deposition: A Comparative Tensile Analysis, Christopher J. Bettencourt, Nadia Kouraytem

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

Directed Energy Deposition (DED) was used to deposit Inconel 625 (IN625) onto 316L stainless steel (SS316L) substrates fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion. Tensile properties of the resulting multi-material specimens were compared to those of the individual alloys. Two bonding approaches were evaluated: a direct transition and a 50/50 intermediate layer formed by blending equal parts of each alloy during deposition. The multi-material specimens demonstrated higher yield strength than the single alloys. However, samples with the 50/50 transition exhibited brittle failure at the joint, whereas the direct transition behaved more ductile. Scanning Electron Microscopy revealed microcracks at the interface of …

Security Analysis Of Encrypted Mempool, Prabal Das

Master’s Dissertations

With the rapid growth of Decentralized Finance (DeFi), the challenge of Maximum Extractable Value (MEV) has become increasingly significant-particularly on Ethereum. MEV allows malicious actors to manipulate transaction order within blocks, enabling exploitative strategies such as frontrunning and sandwich attacks. In response, recent research has proposed encrypted mempools, which conceal trans- action content until after ordering is finalized, thereby reducing the exploitable surface for MEV. This thesis investigates encrypted mempool, specifically the Shutter protocol, a threshold encryption-based approach designed to mitigate MEV by hiding transac- tion contents during the mempool phase. We analyze its core architecture, under- lying cryptographic mechanisms, …

Towards The Wearable Cardiorespiratory Sensors For Aerospace Applications, Chandan Sheikder

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

In safety-critical aviation operations, adaptive Human-Machine Interfaces (HMI) rely on accurate physiological monitoring to mitigate cognitive overload. While cardiorespiratory sensors are promising for real-time cognitive workload assessment, existing studies lack rigorous validation of consumer-grade devices in high-stress aviation contexts and fail to address measurement uncertainty propagation. This study evaluates the Zephyr BioHarness, a commercial wearable sensor, against clinical-grade equipment during arithmetic tasks simulating aviation cognitive demands. By integrating a neuro-fuzzy system with uncertainty propagation methods, we quantify the reliability of heart rate (HR) and breathing rate (BR) metrics for workload estimation. Results demonstrate moderate HR accuracy (RMSE: 4.85 bpm, CC: …

Empowering Precision Forecasting: Self-Supervised Lstm For Hourly Pressure And Temperature Prediction, Anand Shankar, Deepak K. Singh, Mantosh Kumar, Pankaj Kumar, Pradhan Parth Sarthi

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

The most important parts of any flight are landing and takeoff, and an aircraft's takeoff configuration must balance the regulated takeoff weight, runway length, and weather conditions to ensure a safe departure and arrival. In addition to runway length, wind, temperature, pressure, and visibility determine the total allowed takeoff weight and the economic viability of any trip. Thus, any meteorological office involved in flight planning and operation at any airport must accurately assess these factors, known as takeoff data. This research paper suggests multivariate self-supervised LSTM-based models to accurately predict the temperature and pressure (MSLP) of the takeoff data. The …

Identifying Individual Factors Which Impact Student Learning In A Desktop Flight Training Simulator, Tim Ryley, Guido Carim Junior, James Mcbroom, Elvira Marques, Chris Campbell, Nnenna Ike

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

With expected global growth in air transport demand and forecasted shortage of pilots, there is a need for faster and cheaper flight training. A range of protocols was used to assess factors such as student’s emotional state, adaptive performance, and situational awareness as possible predictors of flight performance based on the influence of these factors on student flight performance conducted using a Personal Computer-based Aviation Training Devices (PCATD). Factor analysis and regression models were used to identify how these factors related to student performance during a visual flight conducted using a desktop simulator and our findings demonstrated some influence of …

The State Of Uas Operations At Airports, A Perspective From Airport Managers, Damon Lercel, Sarah M. Hubbard

Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research

As the number of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) operating in our National Airspace System (NAS) increases, so do UAS operations near or at an airport. The accelerating technology in Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) and related business opportunities will only further increase UAS operations at airports. This continued growth in new UAS technologies and applications introduces new hazards and risks to the airport environment. This proliferation of UAS highlights the importance of airports developing a robust Safety Management System (SMS) that includes specific UAS risk mitigations. There is currently little empirical data regarding UAS traffic around airports and there is no …

Vibration-Based Detection For The Monitoring Of Neonatal Bcpap Respiratory Support To Minimize Duration Of Disconnections, Kaitlyn G. Calabresi, Meera R. Bhat, Lavinia L. Kong, Eli J. Foster, Jonathan Wang, Sangeeta Koilada, Angela Mak, Aastha Kapadia, Niam Mohseni, W. Keith Leung, Suneetha Desiraju, Constanza Miranda

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Bubble continuous positive airway pressure (bCPAP) is a minimally invasive respiratory support for neonates experiencing respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). It exerts continuous, oscillatory air pressure to encourage lung function and development. Neonates’ movement may cause disconnections at the nasal interface. These disconnections are characterized by the cessation of bubbling at the bCPAP respiratory circuit output and frequently go unnoticed until hypoxia develops. Common Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) bCPAP systems lack a built-in alarm or accessory device to monitor for disconnections. As a result, nursing personnel must exercise extreme caution utilizing current bCPAP procedure. If a neonate is disconnected, it …

Advancing Eye-Gaze Writing Systems With Computer Vision, And Dynamic Text Suggestions, Walid Abdallah Shobaki

Theses and Dissertations

Eye gaze writing, a novel interaction modality, has the potential to revolutionize communication for individuals with limited mobility. In our research, we investigated the deep learning algorithms efficiency for real-time eye gaze writing. We have compared many algorithms' performance in many computer vision areas, such as object detection in which we used first YOLOv8, the second algorithm SSD, and the third algorithm is Faster R-CNN, the second computer vision area is the image segmentation in which we used DeepLab and U-Net, and the last computer vision area is self-supervised learning we have used SimCLR algorithm. By evaluating these models on …

Digital Twins For Circular Economy Optimization: A Framework For Sustainable Engineering Systems, Shubham Gupta

Harrisburg University Other Works

This paper introduces sustainable engineering systems built using digital twin technology and circular economy principles. This research presents a framework for monitoring, modeling, and making decisions in real timusing virtual replicas of physical products, processes, and systems in product lifecycles. A digital twin was used to show that through a digital twin, waste was reduced by 27%, energy consumption was reduced by 32%, and the resource recovery rate increased to 45%. The proposed approach under the framework employs various machine learning algorithms, IoT sensor networks, and advanced data analytics to support closed-loop flows of materials. The results show how digital …

Retrospective Study And Predictive Modeling Of The Impact Of Social Determinants Of Health On Sepsis Outcomes, Mwembezi Aaron Nyelele

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Sepsis, a life-threatening organ failure caused by the body’s abnormal and harmful response to an infection, remains a major global and national health challenge. In the United States, it contributes significantly to hospital mortality and imposes a substantial economic burden, with billions spent annually on treatment. Early diagnosis is difficult due to the nonspecific nature of sepsis symptoms, often leading to delays in care and poorer outcomes. As the incidence and severity of sepsis rise, identifying factors that influence outcomes is increasingly critical. Emerging research has shown that Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), including economic stability, education, neighborhood and built …

Towards Leveraging Social Media Data For Fostering Collaborations Among Non-Profits, Monazil Chowdhury

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Nonprofit organizations serve a crucial role in tackling a wide range of significant social, environmental, and economic issues. But it is often hard to get a clear picture of their work because their information is spread out and it is difficult to see how they are collaborating. To address this issue we developed a web-based tool to collect scattered data—from a variety of sources, such as the IRS, social media, and the Census, into one easy-to-use resource. The tool begins by taking IRS records and geocoding each nonprofit’s physical address With its coordinates. It then retrieves census tract information from …

Aeroponic System Optimization For Butterhead Lettuce Growth And Future Sustainability Using Flow Blurring Atomization: An Overview, Taylor J. Johnson

Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal

The global population has grown by 6 billion people over the last century and is trending toward 9.7 billion people by the year 2050. Agriculture accounts for 70% of global fresh water usage. Technology must be developed to accommodate the increase of food production demanded by the growing global population and the subsequent increase in water usage. Aeroponic technology is a water-efficient vertical farming technology that can reduce water usage by 90% by suspending plant roots in air within a controlled chamber and supplying atomized droplets of a water-nutrient solution directly to the roots.

This study simultaneously tests six droplet …

Design & Development Of Efficient Biometric Authentication And Key Agreement Schemes For Wireless Body Area Network, Aarthi S

Theses and Dissertations

Wireless Body Area Networks (WBANs) play a vital role in continuous health monitoring, where sensitive biometric and physiological data must be protected from privacy breaches and emerging quantum-based threats. Conventional security mechanisms are often inadequate due to resource constraints, scalability issues, and vulnerability to advanced attacks. To address these challenges, this research proposes a lightweight, scalable, and future-proof security framework tailored for WBAN applications, focusing on secure communication, privacy preservation, and quantum resilience.

An anonymous Certificate-Based Signcryption–Mutual Authentication and Key Agreement (CBS-MAKE) protocol is introduced to secure extra-body communications while ensuring patient anonymity. The protocol integrates Elliptic Curve Cryptography with …

Isolation Enhancement Based On Tm010 And Te30 Mode Characteristics In A Patch Antennas Using Genetic Algorithm Optimization For Ku-Band Applications, Muddineni Raveendra, U. Saravanakumar, P. Padmaloshani, P. Saam Prasanth Dheeraj, Anand Anbalagan, R. Sreelakshmy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper proposes a novel technique to enhance isolation in rectangular patch antennas by leveraging the mode characteristics of TM010 and TE30 to achieve better than −40 dB between the transmitter and receiver with dual‐polarization features. The primary innovation of this work lies in achieving significant isolation enhancement solely by combining two resonant modes with orthogonal polarizations, without incorporating any additional design elements such as parasitic components or decoupling structures. To validate the isolation enhancement based on these mode characteristics, a pair of rectangular transmitter and receiver patch antennas was designed to operate in the frequency range from 14 to …

H2-Rich Biogas Production From Fixed Bed Wheat Straw Pyrolysis And The Potential Of Produced Biochar As H2 Storage Material, Tawanda Matamba, Hussein Rasool Abid, Alireza Keshavarz, Stefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

H2 is a clean energy source, and is targeted as one of the ways to transition from fossil fuels. However, there are drawbacks in production and storage of hydrogen. To cover the supply, we need H2 from many resources and because of its low density we need materials that can store bulky quantities of H2. Here we investigated the potential of a renewable source (waste wheat straw) to produce and store H2 through pyrolysis and adsorption. The impact of pressure and temperature (500–900 °C, and 1.01–30 bar range) on the selectivity of H2 rich gas production was systematically investigated; and …

Research On Node-Improved Energy Dissipation Wear Model For Fretting Fatigue Prediction In Railway Press-Fit Shaft, Hang Wang, Lijun Zhang, Weijian Zhang, Hongtao Li, Hong Chi, Kai Yang, Jixu Zhou, Li Ai

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

As a key component of the traveling system of high-speed trains, the axle is crucial for its safe operation. The current research on the fretting wear and fatigue development of shafts suffers from the problems of low local simulation accuracy of the wear model and the lack of detection and validation methods for the dynamic expansion of wear and fatigue. To this end, this study firstly proposes a new node-improved form of energy dissipation wear model, which is more sensitive to the contact behavior of the asperity body in the overfilled region and the energy transfer process; it exhibits wear …

Wind Tunnel Model Of The Jack Rabbit Ii Field Experiments In The Mock Urban Array: Part 2. Approach Wind Conditions And Particle Image Velocimetry Measurements Of Simulated Chlorine Releases, Paulo V. Lopez, Thomas O. Spicer, Chad T. Smith

Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The Jack Rabbit II (JR-II) Mock Urban Environment field test was reproduced in a 1:50 scale physical model in the wind tunnel at the Chemical Hazards Research Center of the University of Arkansas. The agreement of the approaching wind characteristics between field test and model was verified using 3D Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV). 2D Particle Image Velocimetry (PIV) tests were conducted in the model to obtain velocity measurements in the MUE. Velocity measurements taken before and during a simulated chlorine release were compared. PIV results show the general flow complexity in the last rows of the MUE and the impact …

Theoretical And Experimental Investigation Of Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation: Characterizing Elastin-Like-Polypeptides, Adam D. Quintana

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

This dissertation develops and validates a semi-empirical Flory–Huggins-based interaction model, combined with Cahn–Hilliard simulations, for predicting multi-component liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) in elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) systems. Equilibrium droplet compositions, measured using a PDMS-based microfluidic device, enabled direct parameterization of interaction coefficients. The model was applied to generate phase diagrams and assess composition dependence in ternary mixtures. Cahn–Hilliard simulations were conducted to explore potential phase morphologies under different interfacial conditions. Multi-component Lattice Boltzmann simulations were implemented to model droplet morphology evolution under varying interfacial and diffusive parameters, reproducing experimentally relevant morphologies. A three-phase wetting study revealed conditions for selective wetting and …

The Design And Effect Of Continuum Robot Compliance On Locomotion, Parsa Molaei

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Continuum robots, due to their compliant structures and ability to navigate through constrained environments, offer significant advantages in applications requiring safe physical interaction and dexterous motion. However, challenges related to limited structural stiffness, payload capacity, and precise control remain open problems in the field. This dissertation presents novel contributions aimed at addressing these limitations through two main actuation units of continuum robots: tendon-driven continuum robots (TDCRs) and concentric tube robots (CTRs). In the first part, we focus on methods to improve the stability and modify the stiffness of the TDCR. A tendon decoupling strategy is introduced for planar TDCRs. The …

Anion Exchange Membrane Transport And Accelerated Testing Methods For Co2 Electrolyzers With Cu-Based Electrocatalyst, John C. Hendershot

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Electrocatalytic carbon dioxide (CO₂) reduction to C₂₊ products holds promise for low carbon intensity fuels, chemicals, and food; however, durability challenges, particularly bicarbonate (HCO₃^-)and carbonate (CO₃^2-) salt precipitation, hinder their commercialization. This report considers water (H₂O) and ion transport properties of conventional anion exchange membranes (AEMs) in zero-gap membrane electrode assembly (MEA) configurations using Cu electrocatalysts. Transport characterization includes H₂O diffusion, permeability, potassium (K⁺) diffusion, and transference numbers using three commercial AEMs, including piperidinium-based (Versogen), quaternary ammonium-based (Fumasep), and imidazolium-based (Dioxide Materials) membranes. Accelerated lifetime …

Conceptualizing The Research Cycle For The Field Of Materials Science And Engineering, Jennifer L.W. Carter

Faculty Scholarship

Abstract: Early-career materials researchers often receive guidance from their individual advisors on best practices for conducting research, but the materials science community lacks an explicit model of the research process. As a result, the lived experience of an individual researcher can be quite different from their peers since they may be exposed to a different unique set of implicit research steps. In this article, we translate an existing research heuristic from other fields and make explicit the steps, methodologies, and strategies materials science engineering researchers utilize to advance our collective materials science knowledge. This newly proposed research cycle can improve …

Conceptualizing The Research Cycle For The Field Of Materials Science And Engineering, Jennifer Carter

Faculty Scholarship

Early-career materials researchers often receive guidance from their individual advisors on best practices for conducting research, but the materials science community lacks an explicit model of the research process. As a result, the lived experience of an individual researcher can be quite different from their peers since they may be exposed to a different unique set of implicit research steps. In this article, we translate an existing research heuristic from other fields and make explicit the steps, methodologies, and strategies materials science engineering researchers utilize to advance our collective materials science knowledge. This newly proposed research cycle can improve the …

The Potential Of Microbial Fuel Cells As A Dual Solution For Sustainable Wastewater Treatment And Energy Generation: A Case Study, Shajjadur Rahman Shajid, Monjur Mourshed, Md. Golam Kibria, Bahman Shabani

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Student Publications and Presentations

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) are bio-electrochemical systems that harness microorganisms to convert organic pollutants in wastewater directly into electricity, offering a dual solution for sustainable wastewater treatment and renewable energy generation. This paper presents a holistic techno-economic and environmental feasibility assessment of largescale MFC deployment in Dhaka’s industrial zone, Bangladesh, as a relevant case study. Here, treating 100,000 cubic meters of wastewater daily would require a capital investment of approximately USD 500 million, with a total project cost ranging between USD 307.38 million and 1.711 billion, depending on system configurations. This setup has an estimated theoretical energy recovery of 478.4 …

Impactor Displacement As A Predictor Of Thoraco-Abdominal Organ Injury: Comparison Of Isolated Organ To Whole Body Tests, Jack Seifert, Jared Michael Koser, Alok Shah, Lance Frazer, Frank A. Pintar, Narayan Yoganandan, Dan Nicolella, Timothy B. Bentley, Brian D. Stemper

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

Body armor is used to protect the wearer from penetrating injuries. However, when the armor defeats the projectile, it deforms at high rates into the wearer, referred to as back face deformation (BFD). This deformation can cause a variety of superficial and internal injuries and consequently should be considered when designing body armor. However, current design standards do not adequately consider the effects of BFD, and new data are necessary to inform future design thresholds for BFD. The objective of this study was to develop blunt impact injury risk curves for in vitro thoraco-abdominal organs and determine their applicability …

The Relative Importance Of Wind And Hydroclimate Drivers In Modulating Wind-Blown Dust Emissions In Earth System Models, Xinzhu Li, Longlei Li, Yan Feng, Xin Xi

Michigan Tech Publications

Windblown dust emissions are subject to large uncertainties in Earth system models (ESMs), yet model discrepancies in dust variability and its physical drivers remain poorly understood. This study evaluates the consistency of 21 ESMs in simulating the climatological distribution and interannual variability of global dust emissions and applies dominance analysis to quantify the relative influence of near-surface wind speed and five hydroclimate variables (precipitation, soil moisture, specific humidity, air temperature, leaf area index) across different climate zones. In hyperarid regions, the models exhibit poor agreement in dust variability, with only 10 % of pairwise comparisons showing significant positive correlations. Most …

Exploring The Effect Of Led-To-Photodetector Spacing On Subcutaneous Photoplethysmography For Continuous Blood Pressure Measurement, Dario Cabal, Brian Nguyen, David B. Green, Kevin Kilgore, Varun Thakkar, Michael J. Fu, Steve J. Majerus

Student Scholarship

Photoplethysmography (PPG) is widely used to measure heart rate, blood oxygenation, and more recently, blood pressure. Implanted PPG systems offer the possibility to measure similar real-time measures of cardiovascular health, however, the detection method may vary due to a lack of capillary vessels for PPG sensors to observe in muscle tissue. To improve volumetric blood detection in large muscles, without relying on the capillary density of skin, a flexible PPG sensor was developed. The sensor included multiple spacing of illuminating infrared (IR) light emitting diodes (LEDs) and a single IR photodetector. This arrangement was expected to enable detection of blood …