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Measuring The Influence Of Ai Decision Support On Organ Procurement Coordinators’ Workflow, Amaneh Babaee Apr 2026

Measuring The Influence Of Ai Decision Support On Organ Procurement Coordinators’ Workflow, Amaneh Babaee

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Approximately 30% of deceased-donor kidneys remain unused, representing missed opportunities for transplantation. One potential solution is identifying hard-to-place kidneys earlier in the allocation process to reduce late-stage reassessment and allocation inefficiencies. Over a four-year project, our team developed an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that provides Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) coordinators with an AI score indicating the likelihood that a kidney will be transplanted. This study evaluates the impact of this AI score on kidney placement decisions. Using a pre–post experimental design, participants will first evaluate four donor kidneys without AI support. After watching a training video explaining the AI score, …


Preventive Maintenance Scheduling Using Artificial Intelligence And Decision Support Agent, Samiksha Aryal Apr 2026

Preventive Maintenance Scheduling Using Artificial Intelligence And Decision Support Agent, Samiksha Aryal

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Preventive Maintenance models have traditionally relied on a time-based maintenance model, which uses fixed statistical distribution to represent the time-to-failure (TTF). The requirement of data-driven models and automated decision-making systems have become essential for modern manufacturing systems. The use of fixed statistical distribution limits the ability of existing models in producing solutions in real-time. Our model overcomes these limitations by implementing an empirical distribution to represent TTF. The empirical distribution is generated using a neural network which eliminates noise from the raw maintenance log. Renewal Reward Theorem (RRT) is implemented to efficiently provide maintenance threshold in real time. The use …


Robustness Of Fuzzy Artmap To Adversarial Attacks And Progressive Adversarial Training For Streaming Learning, Shane Cairns Apr 2026

Robustness Of Fuzzy Artmap To Adversarial Attacks And Progressive Adversarial Training For Streaming Learning, Shane Cairns

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Incremental learners deployed on streaming data must remain robust to evolving adversarial perturbations, yet most adversarial-robustness studies assume offline multi-epoch training with repeated access to historical data. We investigate adversarial robustness in Fuzzy ARTMAP, a prototype-based Adaptive Resonance Theory model that supports single-pass learning without replay. We propose WB-Softmax, a differentiable relaxation that aggregates category-level activations into class-level scores for gradient-based attacks. WB-Softmax PGD achieves 89–100% attack success on vanilla models, exceeding transfer and query-based baselines. We then study adversarial training under true streaming constraints by comparing offline versus online adversarial example generation and standard versus selective updates. Offline adversarial …


2nd Annual Miners Solving For Tomorrow Research Conference - Graduate Schedule, Antai Dong, Connor Bell, Dennis Dadzie, Joshua Gary, Adebayo Olayinka Oke, Deeshani Mitra, Yejun Kim, Josiah Mcdermott, Samiksha Aryal, Nicholas Benner, Timothy Ennis, Maryam Sharifi Paroushi, Sujan Maharjan, Md Saiduzzaman, Hari Dhital, Manuela Isabel Arenas Alvarez, Eyuel A Getahun, Lucas Greiner, Amaneh Babaee, Shane Cairns, Nazish Khalid, Joseph Walton, Jie Shi, Ehsan Asheghianamiri, Mariam Elazhary, Makuach James Makeny Panther Athach, Rasman Mubtasim Swargo, Shiva Kumar Goud Kasani, Pablo Jara, Sara Mccauley, Hartzell Weston, Al Mojahid Afridi, Matik Heskin, Nima Mahmoudzadeh, Effat Eskandari, Amitav Sen, Rabin Pandey, Amirhossein Habibi, Nuzaer Omar, Mizanur Rahman Jewel, Nathan Tibbetts, Manoj Twarakavi, Farhana Bristy, Akhrorbek Narmatov, Mahnaz Asgari Sooran, Yafang Hei, Nathan Roberts, Khosro Ghorbani Zadeh Apr 2026

2nd Annual Miners Solving For Tomorrow Research Conference - Graduate Schedule, Antai Dong, Connor Bell, Dennis Dadzie, Joshua Gary, Adebayo Olayinka Oke, Deeshani Mitra, Yejun Kim, Josiah Mcdermott, Samiksha Aryal, Nicholas Benner, Timothy Ennis, Maryam Sharifi Paroushi, Sujan Maharjan, Md Saiduzzaman, Hari Dhital, Manuela Isabel Arenas Alvarez, Eyuel A Getahun, Lucas Greiner, Amaneh Babaee, Shane Cairns, Nazish Khalid, Joseph Walton, Jie Shi, Ehsan Asheghianamiri, Mariam Elazhary, Makuach James Makeny Panther Athach, Rasman Mubtasim Swargo, Shiva Kumar Goud Kasani, Pablo Jara, Sara Mccauley, Hartzell Weston, Al Mojahid Afridi, Matik Heskin, Nima Mahmoudzadeh, Effat Eskandari, Amitav Sen, Rabin Pandey, Amirhossein Habibi, Nuzaer Omar, Mizanur Rahman Jewel, Nathan Tibbetts, Manoj Twarakavi, Farhana Bristy, Akhrorbek Narmatov, Mahnaz Asgari Sooran, Yafang Hei, Nathan Roberts, Khosro Ghorbani Zadeh

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

No abstract provided.


Assessing The Effects Of Scale-Dependent Representation Of River Networks On Hydrologic Prediction, Hari Dhital Apr 2026

Assessing The Effects Of Scale-Dependent Representation Of River Networks On Hydrologic Prediction, Hari Dhital

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Accurate hydrologic prediction at relevant spatial scales is essential for flood risk management. This study explores how spatial scale affects model parameters and simulation outcomes in the Hillslope Link Model (HLM). This was motivated by HLM implementation within the Next Generation Water Resources Modeling (NextGen) framework for the U.S. National Water Model. Since NextGen alters HLM's spatial scale from hillslopes to catchments, we assess how this change affects runoff generation and routing. We implement HLM at both scales using identical, predetermined parameters without calibration to isolate spatial discretization effects. Using approximately ten years of precipitation and streamflow data from watersheds …


Evaluation Of National Water Model Long-Range Streamflow Forecasts In Missouri, Sujan Maharjan Apr 2026

Evaluation Of National Water Model Long-Range Streamflow Forecasts In Missouri, Sujan Maharjan

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Long-range river stage forecasts are increasingly used to support barge scheduling along the Missouri and Mississippi River navigation corridor. The reliability of these forecasts over extended lead times remains uncertain, particularly in regulated systems influenced by upstream dam operations. This study evaluates the lead-time-dependent performance of National Water Model long-range forecasts at eleven U.S. Geological Survey stations from Rulo to Thebes during 2019–2024. Results show that forecast skill does not decline smoothly with time but exhibits station-specific dips at lead times corresponding to hydraulic travel from major control structures. These periods coincide withstage bias and dispersion, indicating elevated operational uncertainty. …


Evaluation Of Channel Routing Module In The Nextgen National Water Model, Md Saiduzzaman Apr 2026

Evaluation Of Channel Routing Module In The Nextgen National Water Model, Md Saiduzzaman

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

The Next Generation Water Resources Modeling (NextGen) framework has a modular structure that enables the integration of multiple hydrologic models with channel routing processes. Within NextGen, the T-Route model performs channel routing using vector-based river networks and supports a hybrid routing approach within a single watershed. This study evaluates the hydraulic diffusive wave routing method implemented in T-Route and compares its performance with the operational Muskingum-Cunge routing used in the National Water Model. The primary objective is to assess the operational capability of streamflow data assimilation across different routing methods using an extensive network of streamflow observations. The routing models …


Controlled Gelation Of Co₂-Resistant Polymer Systems For Improved Conformance In Co₂-Eor, Maryam Sharifi Paroushi Apr 2026

Controlled Gelation Of Co₂-Resistant Polymer Systems For Improved Conformance In Co₂-Eor, Maryam Sharifi Paroushi

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

This presentation introduces a CO₂-resistant hydrogel developed to control fluid movement and improve CO₂ injection performance in subsurface reservoirs for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). Conventional polymer gels often lose strength in CO₂-rich environments, resulting in weak plugging, early breakdown, and ineffective flow control. To address this limitation, a sulfonated HPAM-based gel system crosslinked with chromium was developed. The effects of polymer concentration, molecular weight, crosslinker ratio, ionic strength, and pH were investigated to better understand gelation behavior and performance. The formulation exhibited controlled gelation, strong resistance to temperature and CO₂, and minimal shrinkage over …


Empirical Evaluation Of Policy-Based Reinforcement Learning For Dynamic Service Control In An M/M/1 Queue, Joseph Walton Apr 2026

Empirical Evaluation Of Policy-Based Reinforcement Learning For Dynamic Service Control In An M/M/1 Queue, Joseph Walton

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

While reinforcement learning has been increasingly applied to stochastic control, limited work examines policy-based methods in queuing environments modeled as semi-Markov decision processes (SMDP). This study investigates how policy-based reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms perform when applied to service rate control in an M/M/1 queue, a common queuing model for manufacturing and service systems. The problem is formulated as an SMDP in which decisions occur at each new service, allowing an agent to select different service rates from a finite set of speeds, aiming to minimize an objective function that manages system congestion and energy costs. Three policy-based reinforcement learning algorithms, …


Structural Analysis On Iron Phosphate Glasses After Dechlorination Of Mixed Chloride Waste Forms, Lucas Greiner Apr 2026

Structural Analysis On Iron Phosphate Glasses After Dechlorination Of Mixed Chloride Waste Forms, Lucas Greiner

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Molten salt reactors (MSRs) require durable waste forms for immobilizing halide-rich salts. This study examines iron phosphate glasses derived from a simple salt mixture (SSM), focusing on the effect of Fe₂O₃ additions (2.5–10 wt%) on structure and phase stability. Intermediates were processed at 300–600 °C and vitrified at 1050 °C. Raman spectroscopy and HPLC show that increasing iron content depolymerizes the phosphate network, shifting from Q² toward Q¹ species and reducing chain length. XRD confirms amorphous behavior for ≤7.5 wt% Fe₂O₃, while 10 wt% shows crystallization, with KFeP₂O₇ observed in samples processed at 400 °C. Despite reduced connectivity, iron enhances …


Direct Energy Cascade Of 2d Quantum Turbulence In Supersolids, Lukas Farthing Apr 2026

Direct Energy Cascade Of 2d Quantum Turbulence In Supersolids, Lukas Farthing

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

The non-equilibrium turbulent response of periodically driven three-dimensional ultracold dipolar gases is induced by an external time-dependent ring potential. To model this system and monitor its non-equilibrium quantum dynamics, we invoke an extended Gross-Pitaevskii framework containing the first-order quantum correction to the mean-field energy functional. The shape of the external perturbing potential is chosen to trigger angular roton excitations, driving the supersolid configuration out of equilibrium and attaining a turbulent state. Following the generation of shallow vortical defects in the bulk, a direct cascade front manifests, transporting energy from larger to smaller length scales. This leads to a non-equilibrium quasi-steady …


Triple Active Bridge Implementation And Control, Nehemiah Milton Apr 2026

Triple Active Bridge Implementation And Control, Nehemiah Milton

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

The Triple Active Bridge (TAB) is a three-port power converter that allows power flow in both directions with galvanic isolation. This has a wide range of applications, like high-frequency DC-DC conversion, electric vehicles, microgrids and renewable energy systems. To control the TAB during operation, two phase shift parameters between the bridges are adjusted. In this presentation, I will showcase the software and simulation optimizations which extend previous work by reproducing hardware results which align with simulations. I will also go over the knowledge I’ve gained and the skills acquired through this project.


Cytokinesis And Dbf2, Katharine Gray Apr 2026

Cytokinesis And Dbf2, Katharine Gray

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

The Mitotic Exit Network (MEN) is a signaling pathway that allows a dividing cell to exit cytokinesis. Dbf2 is a MEN protein kinase in yeast, which provides a simplified model for studying this pathway. By altering Dbf2’s activity through phosphorylation mutants, its effect on cytokinesis can be studied. Transformed cells with a mutant and degron Dbf2 allele are prompted to destroy the degron Dbf2 protein, leaving only mutated Dbf2 behind. This allows for clear analysis of the effect of the phosphorylation mutant on division. Fluorescence microscopy can be used to visualise this degradation, and the impact on actin ring formation …


Vortex Generation In Dipolar Supersolids, Jacob Harl Apr 2026

Vortex Generation In Dipolar Supersolids, Jacob Harl

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Ultracold atomic gases offer highly tunable platforms for exploring complex quantum many-body phenomena. In addition, dipolar quantum gases of magnetic atoms featuring long-range anisotropic interactions are exquisite systems for realizing exotic phases-of-matter in an experimentally controlled way. A prototypical example is the supersolid state which simultaneously exhibits frictionless flow of superfuids and crystalline density modulation of solids. In this realm, we investigate the dynamical generation of vortex topological defects by imprinting a suitable phase jump in quasi-two-dimensional dipolar supersolids. This protocol enables the nucleation of a dark soliton which consecutively becomes unstable via the eponymous snake instability due to its …


Elucidating Complex H Behavior In Amorphous Oxide Semiconductors By Machine Learning, Lucas Ethington Apr 2026

Elucidating Complex H Behavior In Amorphous Oxide Semiconductors By Machine Learning, Lucas Ethington

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

In this project, the disordered oxide structures will be mapped by a machine-learning algorithm (e.g., HDBSCAN) to identify characteristic behaviors of the proton across different material densities and defect types. This should help identify the under-coordinated, highly distorted, weakly-bonded, and dynamically unstable atoms to predict the most probable H locations. This fast and accurate prediction of energetically favorable H distribution will enable a reliable and fast screening of a large number of AOSs with variable cation and/or anion compositions. The approach will help find AOSs with suppressed numbers of M-OH defects (that form deep electron traps, limiting the number of …


The Structure Of Amorphous Alox And Its Role In H Distribution And Dynamics, Lana Herkenhoff Apr 2026

The Structure Of Amorphous Alox And Its Role In H Distribution And Dynamics, Lana Herkenhoff

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Hydrogen is known to be the culprit of electron decoherence in Josephson junctions, greatly affecting the performance of superconducting quantum circuits. For Al/AlOx interfaces, the challenge is two-fold: 1) similar Al-Al and Al-H bond strength promotes bond switching and, hence, facilitates vigorous H motion; whereas 2) oxygen has only a slight preference to form Al-O rather than H-O bond, implying that (meta)stable Al--O-H are likely to occur, especially in a disordered oxide. In this project, ab initio molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are employed to generate the atomistic models of Al2O3-x with oxygen vacancy defects and to quantify the H diffusion, …


Wheel-Spoke Encoding: A Product Quantization-Compatible Radial Encoding Scheme For Convex Polygonal Data, Maris Reinkemeyer Apr 2026

Wheel-Spoke Encoding: A Product Quantization-Compatible Radial Encoding Scheme For Convex Polygonal Data, Maris Reinkemeyer

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Product quantization has historically been unapplied to GIS datasets, likely due to a mismatch between quantization’s input precondition of fixed, equal length vectors and GIS data’s inherent variability in the number of data points. Therefore, any quantization-compatible encoding method must operate independently of the data points within GIS records. The challenge is to balance the guarantee of producing fixed, equal length vectors with the preservation of semantic meaning present in the raw data. Here, we develop a radial polygon encoding method that achieves this balance while providing acceptable recall in a time complexity of O(nrv), where n is the number …


Dynamical Transition From A Two-Dimensional Soliton To A Rogue Wave In Quantum Droplets, Punit Sesha Sai Turlapati Apr 2026

Dynamical Transition From A Two-Dimensional Soliton To A Rogue Wave In Quantum Droplets, Punit Sesha Sai Turlapati

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

We investigate the nonequilibrium dynamics of two-dimensional quantum droplets: ultracold self-bound many-body states stabilized by the interplay of mean-field attractive interactions and repulsive quantum fluctuations. Flat-top ground state droplets are subject to an external potential, an attractive well and a repulsive barrier. Under the influence of the attractive well, we observe signatures of a Townes soliton formation, which for increasing strength of the well transitions into a two-dimensional rogue wave structure, a time-periodic highly localized configuration with amplitude three times larger than the background. The barrier instead favors a dynamical splitting of the droplet. We have developed a parallelized simulation …


Minds At Work: A Histography Of Women’S Suffrage In The United States, Amanda Hodges Apr 2026

Minds At Work: A Histography Of Women’S Suffrage In The United States, Amanda Hodges

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

The fight for women's suffrage in the early 20th century is often pushed aside in textbooks and course catalogs in comparison to the events that came directly before and after the movement. However, when we take a look at the historiography of the movement, one can see that the fight for women's rights existed long before the suffragettes. By analyzing the approach the authors used, we can see how the perception of the Women's Rights Movement has changed throughout the 20th and into the early 21st centuries. We can then use this timeline to take a deeper look at the …


Lay Summarization For Medical Patents, Manav Raja Vinotha Apr 2026

Lay Summarization For Medical Patents, Manav Raja Vinotha

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Technical documents, such as medical patents, are often inaccessible to non-expert audiences due to specialized terminology. This paper presents a multi-agent system for automated lay summarization that optimizes both quality and computational efficiency through strategic task decomposition. The proposed pipeline utilizes four specialized stages: autonomous medical entity retrieval from the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS), context distillation into lay conceptualizations, and a structured writer-critic loop for iterative refinement. By distributing cognitive load across specialized agents, this architecture effectively leverages smaller, cost-effective language models while maintaining the performance of SOTA LLMs. Evaluated against single-agent baselines using an LLM as a Judge …


The Stability Study Of Dna-Polymer Hybrids For Nanotechnology Applications, Ethan Kuehn, Milan Jebaraj Apr 2026

The Stability Study Of Dna-Polymer Hybrids For Nanotechnology Applications, Ethan Kuehn, Milan Jebaraj

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

DNA nanostructures have garnered increasing interest in their application as drug delivery vehicles. However, DNA is susceptible to degradation under physiological conditions. To remedy this, we have devised a novel method to coat DNA nanostructures with the polysaccharide chitosan (a natural derivative of chitin). Chitosan binds to DNA electrostatically and inhibits nuclease activity that would normally degrade DNA in a physiological environment. We used both agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to determine the stability of DNA before and after immersion in a simulated biological environment. Physiological conditions were mimicked by incubating the DNA in cell culture …


Effects Of Pfas On Willow And Poplar Growth, Jamie Koester Apr 2026

Effects Of Pfas On Willow And Poplar Growth, Jamie Koester

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are being evaluated for uptake and distribution in vascular plants, with unique findings for PFAS concentrations within different plant tissue. This work investigates the effects of PFAS on willow and poplar growth in an attempt to extrapolate findings to other tree species. These findings allow for an understanding of the consequences PFAS has on agriculture and the food chain. As PFAS are persistent the need for sustainable and safe remediation techniques to protect human health and the environment are critically needed.


Analysis Of Autonomous Vehicle Survivability To 5g Communication Errors, Sydney Clark Apr 2026

Analysis Of Autonomous Vehicle Survivability To 5g Communication Errors, Sydney Clark

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Autonomous vehicles rely on low-latency, high-reliability data exchange for real-time perception and control. Disruptions such as packet loss, latency variation, protocol-level errors, and malicious interference can pose significant safety risks to both passengers and surrounding environments. This project aims to evaluate, quantify, and predict the survivability of autonomous vehicle systems to communication errors, with focus on 5G network environments. The impact of these communication impairments on vehicle stability and control will be investigated through high-fidelity cyber-physical simulation of the vehicle and its surrounding environment. Experiments designed to capture varying network conditions will be used to assess a broad range of …


A Wearable Mxene-Based Sweat Sensor For Real-Time Monitoring Of Inflammatory Biomarkers, Ariel Pilger Apr 2026

A Wearable Mxene-Based Sweat Sensor For Real-Time Monitoring Of Inflammatory Biomarkers, Ariel Pilger

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Many conventional biosensing approaches rely on invasive sampling or bulky benchtop instrumentation, limiting their use in continuous and portable applications. This project focuses on the development of wearable sweat-based biosensors that enable non-invasive, continuous, and portable monitoring of physical, chemical, and biological markers. The system will be designed to target markers present in sweat and transduce the biochemical interactions into measurable electrical signals. These signals will be processed through integrated electronics to produce clear, interpretable outputs for users and medical professionals. Supporting circuitry including filters, amplifiers, and an independent power supply will be implemented as necessary to ensure signal accuracy, …


The Effects Of Preventing Dephosphorylation Of Lqg1 On Cytokinesis, Jenna Mueller Apr 2026

The Effects Of Preventing Dephosphorylation Of Lqg1 On Cytokinesis, Jenna Mueller

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Iqg1 plays crucial roles in cytokinesis, including the assembly, contraction, and disassembly of the actomyosin ring, as well as the coordination of contraction and septation. Given that cytokinesis must occur post-mitosis, Iqg1 is regulated by the cell cycle. This study explores hypotheses regarding Iqg1 regulation: it’s binding to action is negatively influenced by the cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) Cdc28 and positively influenced by dephosphorylation via Cdc14. Newly developed yeast degron tagged strains allow for rapid depletion of specific proteins. Iqg1 mutations that alter serine to threonine, which allows phosphorylation but not dephosphorylation, in the degron strain allow testing of mutant phenotypes. …


A Speed-Adjusted Centipawn Metric For Chess Cheating Detection, Benjamin Sullins, Benjamin Biehl Apr 2026

A Speed-Adjusted Centipawn Metric For Chess Cheating Detection, Benjamin Sullins, Benjamin Biehl

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

The proliferation of chess engines has compromised the integrity of online play through both manual assistance and automated bots. This research proposes Si, a novel metric designed to quantify unnatural play by integrating move latency, the relative strength of the selected move, and the density of high-quality alternatives available in a given position. By fitting Si  values to theoretical probability distributions across specific Elo ratings and time controls, we establish a statistical baseline for human performance. Discrepancies between an individual's Si  profile and these established distributions provide a robust framework for identifying artificially inflated play, offering a potential method for …


Advancing Equitable Faculty Evaluations: Refining Behavior-Based Rubrics For Systemic Change, Celia Freed Apr 2026

Advancing Equitable Faculty Evaluations: Refining Behavior-Based Rubrics For Systemic Change, Celia Freed

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Bias in faculty evaluations continues to influence decisions about promotion, tenure, and resource allocation, disproportionately affecting women and underrepresented faculty. To address these inequities, this study develops and implements behavior- and-outcome based evaluation rubrics designed to improve fairness, clarity, and consistency. Using a case study approach, calibration data, participant feedback, and refinement are used to guide rubric development and standardization. Over one academic year, this project progressed through data analysis, rubric revision, faculty feedback, and pilot implementation, followed by evaluation of its effectiveness. The study advances research on structured evaluation systems and examines how behavior-based criteria can potentially enhance inclusivity …


Biosensors For Biomedicine, Drake O'Leary Apr 2026

Biosensors For Biomedicine, Drake O'Leary

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

This project investigated the use of engineered bacterial reporter systems to detect cellular stress responses associated with antibiotic activity. While constructs were successfully introduced and tested against known antibiotics, the reporter consistently produced a blue signal across conditions, limiting the ability to distinguish specific stress responses. This suggests issues such as leaky expression, insufficient regulatory control, or lack of specificity in the reporter design. Although results were inconclusive, this work highlights key challenges in developing reliable biosensors and provides a foundation for future optimization. Improving signal specificity and reducing background expression will be critical for enabling accurate characterization of antibiotic …


Asphalt Pavement Rejuvenation Investigated By Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Relaxometry, Catherine Skaggs Apr 2026

Asphalt Pavement Rejuvenation Investigated By Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Relaxometry, Catherine Skaggs

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

Asphalt is a relatively inexpensive material commonly used for road pavements; however, asphalt ages from exposure to oxygen and UV radiation, leading to loss of elasticity, which leads to cracks and potholes. To slow or reverse asphalt aging, pavement preservation treatments are in use. It’s unclear whether these treatments truly rejuvenate the pavement structure or merely offer a short-term benefit. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) relaxometry is an analytical technique that uses the recovery of excited nuclear magnetization as a parameter to gain insights into molecular environments. Recovery-time distributions gathered from asphalt materials show differences between regular and rejuvenated asphalt samples, …


Ballistic Trajectories From Triangular Libration Points To Moon, Collin Gentry Apr 2026

Ballistic Trajectories From Triangular Libration Points To Moon, Collin Gentry

Miners Solving for Tomorrow Research Conference

As stable points in the Earth-Moon system, the triangular libration points, L4 and L5, have many advantageous properties for space exploration. Ballistic trajectories at varying delta-Vs and impulse angles are computed and propagated from the libration points, and trajectories that arrive at the lunar surface are investigated. Preliminary conclusions are drawn about the accessibility of the lunar surface from the triangular libration points, and the implications for mission design are discussed. These trajectories present an alternative means of accessing the Moon, expanding the viability of the triangular points for missions and offering additional options for the use of cisular space.