Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of Traffic Crash Data In Kentucky 2020-2024, Paul Ross, Eric Green, Christopher Blackden, Christopher Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

No abstract provided.

Noncontact Diffuse Optical Imaging Of Blood Flow And Oxygenation Distributions In Reconstructive Rat Skin Flaps, Samaneh Rabienia Haratbar, Fatemeh Hamedi, Mehrana Mohtasebi, Faraneh Fathi, Faezeh Akbari, Dara Singh, L. I.U. Xuhui, Li Chen, Lesley Wong, Lei Chen, Guoqiang Yu

Surgery Faculty Publications

Perioperative identification of ischemic-hypoxic tissue is essential for reducing the risk of mastectomy skin flap necrosis (MSFN), a major complication following mastectomy. Implant-based breast reconstruction is jeopardized in the presence of MSFN. However, existing technologies are limited by depth insensitivity, dye-related risks, the need for contact sensors, and an inability to simultaneously assess both blood flow and oxygenation. A multi-wavelength speckle contrast diffuse correlation tomography (MW-scDCT) system was developed for noncontact, dye-free, and depth-sensitive imaging of tissue hemodynamics in a rat model incorporating four distinct flap scenarios: sham (SH), implant (IM), half necrosis (HN), and full necrosis (FN), representing varying …

Understanding The Relationship Between The Crystal Structure Elastic-Plastic Properties Of Discrete-Molecule Organic-Inorganic Halide Perovskites, Jacob L. Hempel, Michael D. Wells, Sean Parkin, Yang Tse Cheng, Aron J. Huckaba

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Discrete-molecule hybrid perovskites with different organic and inorganic molecules can provide a wide array of tunable optoelectronic and piezoelectronic properties. In this study, we report the elastic modulus and hardness, obtained from instrumented indentation measurements, of three new and three known discrete-molecule single crystal halide metalates, with an aim towards understanding the relationship between their microstructure and mechanical properties. We find a correlation in the mechanical properties and the density of the crystal structure, as well as with the number of hydrogen bonding sites available on the organic cation. These two observations suggest that denser crystal structures with more hydrogen …

Danicamtiv Reduces Myosin’S Working Stroke But Activates The Thin Filament By Accelerating Actomyosin Attachment, Brent Scott, Lina Greenberg, Caterina Squarci, Kenneth S. Campbell, Michael J. Greenberg

Physiology Faculty Publications

Heart failure is a leading cause of death worldwide, and even with current treatments, the 5-y transplant-free survival rate is only ~50 to 70%. As such, there is a need to develop new treatments for patients that improve survival and quality of life. Recently, there have been efforts to develop small molecules for heart failure that directly target components of the sarcomere, including cardiac myosin. Danicamtiv is one of these molecules; however, its direct effects on myosin’s single molecule mechanics and kinetics are not well understood. Using optical trapping techniques, stopped flow transient kinetics, and in vitro reconstitution assays, we …

Intersystem Crossing Outcompetes Triplet-Pair Separation From1(Tt) Below 270 K In Anthradithiophene Films, Eman M. Bu Ali, Arnau Bertran, Gabriel Moise, Shuangqing Wang, Rachel C. Kilbride, John E. Anthony, Claudia E. Tait, Jenny Clark

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Singlet fission (SF) and triplet–triplet annihilation (TTA) are processes which may be exploited to boost the efficiency of solar energy technology. Despite being studied since the late 1960s, the mechanism of singlet fission is still not fully understood. This is partly because the main technique used to study singlet fission, optical or visible/near-IR transient absorption spectroscopy, cannot distinguish between the strongly coupled triplet-pair state¹(TT), weakly interacting triplet pairs (T..T), and independent triplet states T₁+ T₁. To solve this problem, we combine transient optical spectroscopy performed as a function of magnetic field and transient electron …

“Literally Made Me Cry”: The Impact Of Course Material Costs On University Of Kentucky Students, Stephen Krueger

Library Reports and White Papers

The Student Course Materials Cost Survey was administered September 16 – October 6, 2024. It was open to current students at the University of Kentucky (UK). The goals were to help UK Libraries better understand how the cost of course materials affects students at UK and to provide a snapshot of student spending across the university. The questions were based on similar research done at other institutions in Virginia (Virginia Course Materials Survey, 2021) and Florida (2022 Student Textbook and Instructional Materials Survey, 2022). Other work based on those surveys includes the 2023 Illinois Course Materials Survey (CARLI, 2023) and …

Report On The First Year Of Operation Of Kentucky’S First Utility Wind Turbine, Lawrence E. Holloway, Sophia A. Hahn, Aron Patrick

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

This report examines the first year’s operational data from Kentucky’s first utility wind turbine, the 37 m hub-height 90-kilowatt NPS100C-27, operated by the PPL Corporation Research and Development at their Renewable Integration Research Facility in Mercer County, Kentucky. During that year, the turbine was available 95% of the time, spinning 85% of the time, and generating power 78% of the time, and had a net capacity factor of 11%. This report analyzes the turbine performance and uses the collected wind data to project the performance of an example turbine more typical of larger commercial turbines recently installed elsewhere in the …

Bike/Ped Data Collection And Model Calibration, Eirini Stavropoulou, Dionysios Tzamakos, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Reginald Souleyrette, Teng Wang

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Motivated by an uptick in pedestrian and bicycle traffic, as well as the inclusion of pedestrian and bicyclist weights in the Strategic Highway Investment Formula For Tomorrow, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has made significant investments in transportation facilities for nonmotorized users. Despite an intensified focus on the needs of nonmotorized users, KYTC has not yet established a formal program to track the number of people walking, biking, skateboarding, and using micromobility devices statewide. Based on a review of methods and technologies for counting nonmotorized users; analysis of counting programs established by local, state, and regional transportation agencies; and a …

Congestion And Travel Time Reliability Performance Measures For Shift 2026, Mei Chen, Eugene Antwi, Xu Zhang

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Researchers obtained and processed probe speed data from HERE Technologies and integrated them with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s highway inventory to develop congestion and travel time reliability performance metrics. This report summarizes analyses conducted using HERE speed data for 2022 – 2023. HERE data were processed using an established methodology, after which they were aligned with Kentucky’s highway inventory network. Analysis found that 2022 – 2023 HERE data offer significant improvements in coverage and quality over previous years. For locations that lacked sufficient data, researchers used HERE’s speed model to estimate hourly speeds. Data were used to calculate congestion and …

Factors Influencing The Design Of Plant Juice Presses, H D. Bruhn, R J. Straub, R G. Koegel

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Much of the suffering in the world today from protein-deficient diets could be alleviated by establishing small village-size green plant juice protein extraction system. One step in providing this protein involves pressing juice from plants. From fundamental research there is now extensive information available to the developers of juice pressing equipment. The primary objective of this paper is to bring available information together and indicate its application to the design of small presses of 100 to 500 kg/hr capacity. Satisfactory juice extraction can be accomplished in the following manner: (l)Maceration. (2) Applying a pressure of 700 to 2000 KPa. (3) …

Research On The Grassland Ecosystem In Inner Mongolia Of China And The Strategy Of Utilization, Shu Jiang

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The strategy on grassland utilization based on regional vegetation investigation and longterm ecosystem research in the middle part of Innermongolia is described. Although there are some potential capacity for increasing livestock number by the estimation of the primary productivity measurement and some investigation data, but practically, the pasture in some places has been degraded even desertified caused by unreasonable utilization of overgrazing and agricultural cultivations. Therefore on the strategy, to transform the structure both of pastoral and rural area in lnnermongolia would be necessary, i.e. to introduce some means of plantation for artificial range establishing at some limited azonal places. …

Receptor-Mediated Spion Labeling Of Cd4+ T Cells For Longitudinal Mri Tracking Of Distribution Following Systemic Injection In Mouse, Yu Ping, Songyue Han, Brock Howerton, Francesc Marti, Jake Weeks, Roberto Gedaly, Reuben Adatorwovor, Fanny Chapelin

Surgery Faculty Publications

Tracking T cells in vivo using MRI is a major challenge due to the difficulty of labeling these non-phagocytic cells with a sufficient contrast agent to generate a detectable signal change. In this study, we explored CD4-Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPION), which is commonly used in magnetic cell sorting, as a potential receptor-mediated, specific CD4+ T cell MRI labeling agent. We optimized the labeling protocol for maximal CD4+ cell labeling and viability. Cell health was confirmed with trypan blue assay, and labeling efficacy was confirmed with Prussian blue staining, transmission electron microscopy, and MRI of labeled cell pellets. Key cell …

Balancing Infrastructure Demands: Analysis Of Materials Pricing And Supply, Bethany Paris, Ying Li, Steve Waddle, Bryan Gibson

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) lets around 700 contracts year valued at over $1 billion. One of KYTC’s foremost goals is to deliver projects on time and on budget. However, over the past five years achieving these twin goals has grown in difficulty due to material shortages, widespread inflation, supply chain disruptions, and the tight labor market triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although material shortages have abated and supply chain disruptions have eased, instability is seemingly a permanent feature of the national and global economies. As such, Cabinet decision makers need reliable tools that can be used to understand historical …

Adverse Birth Outcomes Associated With Heat Stress And Wildfire Smoke Exposure During Preconception And Pregnancy, Roxana Khalili, Yisi Liu, Yan Xu, Karl O’Sharkey, Nathan Pavlovic, Crystal Mcclure, Fred Lurmann, Tingyu Yang, Xinci Chen, Mario Vigil, Brendan Grubbs, Layla Al Marayati, Deborah Lerner, Nathana Lurvey, Carmen J. Marsit, Jill Johnston, Theresa M. Bastain, Carrie V. Breton, Shohreh F. Farzan, Rima Habre

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

We investigated associations between preconception and prenatal heat stress and wildfire (WF) smoke exposures on adverse birth outcomes and whether neighborhood climate vulnerability is an effect modifier in the Maternal And Developmental Risks from Environmental and Social stressors cohort (N = 713). Generalized linear models were fit to test the association between exposures and small-for-gestational-age (SGA), low birthweight (LBW), and Fenton growth z-score outcomes, adjusting for confounders. Living in a high climate vulnerability index neighborhood was tested as an effect modifier. During preconception, increases in heat stress and WF measures were associated with higher odds of SGA. Living in the …

Enhanced Pavement Project Prioritization, Bryan Gibson, Jon Wilcoxson, Gayle Marks

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is responsible for inspecting, maintaining, and improving 27,000 centerline miles of pavement. Given the vastness of the state’s transportation network, KYTC needs a robust method for prioritizing pavement preservation projects. The Cabinet has relied on pavement condition ratings, data collected using Laser Crack Measurement Systems, and input from district-level staff to prioritize these types of projects. But this approach overlooks information that should be considered, such as factors related to safety, mobility, and geographic context. To resolve these shortcomings, Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) researchers worked with KYTC subject-matter experts to develop the Enhanced Pavement Prioritization …

Stabilizing Embankments Using Geosynthetic Reinforcement, Daryl Greer, Charlie Sun

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Reinforced soil slopes (RSSs) can be a feasible solution for embankments where there exist right of way re-strictions, environmental issues, rolling or mountainous topography, unfavorable geology, and other limiting fac-tors. They can be an alternative to retaining walls or importing select fills to construct steeper, stable embankment slopes where flatter embankment slopes may result in unwanted impacts, costs, and maintenance issues. Thisreport discusses the advantages and limitations of using geosynthetic reinforcement to construct RSSs. Researchers investigated current design, specification, and construction practices to determine which practices can be adopted by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC). Specifications were developed for using …

Robust Engineered Catalyst For The Conversion Of Brown Grease To Renewable Diesel Via Decarboxylation/Decarbonylation, Great C. Umenweke, Brian Hogston, Olivier Heintz, Gilles Caboche, Robert B. Pace, Eduardo Santillan-Jimenez

Chemistry Faculty Publications

A novel engineered Ni-Cu/Al₂O₃ decarboxylation/decarbonylation catalyst achieved quantitative conversion of brown grease, excellent yield of diesel-like hydrocarbons, effective heteroatom removal, and remarkable resistance to deactivation for hundreds of hours on stream. This offers an industrial alternative to hydrotreating for transforming waste oleaginous feedstocks into renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel.

Measurement Of Moisture Levels In Oils And Lubricants Using A Novel Moisture Sensor, Aaron Swartz, Ronak Ali

Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Research

It is very challenging to measure moisture levels in oils. There is not a good method to measure it. Using the novel moisture sensor invented by Dr. Zhi David Chen, we tried various methods to measure the moisture levels in oils. The initial trials are to immerse the sensor chip into the oils to see any sensor reading changes with the change of moisture levels in oils. It was observed that the sensor reading was unstable even after immersion into the oil for two weeks. The idea for immersion of the sensor chip into the oils failed due to the …

Wetland Treatment Systems For Municipal Wastewater At A Bourbon Distillery And Potential Value Of Incorporating Stillage For Water Treatment Enhancement, Katherine Ristola, Tiffany Messer, Czarena Crofcheck, Tyler Barzee, Wayne Sanderson

Epidemiology and Environmental Health Faculty Publications

The use of constructed treatment wetlands as a secondary treatment method for wastewater effluent from package treatment plants and distillery stillage has the potential to be an innovative, sustainable method for improving water quality. However, the use of constructed wetlands to treat bourbon whole stillage and a distillery bottling facility’s wastewater treatment plant effluent has been limited. Therefore, the objectives of this study were to (1) quantify constructed wetland water quality improvement as a secondary treatment method for a distillery’s municipal wastewater, (2) optimize treatment design to meet wastewater effluent discharge limits, and (3) quantify the potential to enhance constructed …

Development Of A Health And Wellness Assessment For Kytc Personnel, Gabriel Dadi, Farshid Taherpour, Caitlin Pope

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Highway construction workers operate in high-stress, hazardous settings where they have to perform physically taxing labor in environments where exposure to variable weather conditions, heavy equipment, high volumes of vehicle traffic, and other conditions that induce stress and anxiety are the norm. Up to 70% of workers in this industry have reported experiencing mental health issues, including secondary traumatic stress, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse disorders. Few state departments of transportation, however, offer adequate resources staff can draw on to effectively manage their psychological well-being. To help Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) roadway maintenance and construction workers develop …

Aggregator Zone Selection For Ev Smart Controls Based-On Ml Clustering Of Grid Strength, Distance, And Charging Homogeneity, Rosemary E. Alden, Sam H. Lowe Ii, Dan M. Ionel

Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Research

Smart electric vehicle (EV) charging control methods from a central utility hub often require communication infrastructure over a large service area of electric power distribution systems with a large number of nodes. Industry standards such as Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP) 2.1 have evolved to include topologies for local controllers to the individual chargers, i.e. EV aggregator zones. A machine learning (ML) application of k-means clustering is proposed to establish zones for coordination of EV charging based on grid strength and EV owner decision-making to charge per day. Very large-scale distribution networks including the IEEE 123 and 8500 benchmark feeders …

Cluster-Based Volt/Var Optimization On A Utility Distribution Feeder With Forecasted Ev Penetration, Steven B. Poore, Grant M. Fischer, Rosemary E. Alden, Evan S. Jones, Aron Patrick, Dan M. Ionel

Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Research

With significant increase in EV adoption expected in the near future and the associated impacts on power systems, the effect of volt/var optimization (VVO) as the next step to conservation voltage reduction (CVR), requires reevaluation. Implementation of a cluster-based VVO control strategy employs a novel approach with machine learning (ML) load forecasting to reduce device adjustments through k-means clustering of contiguous time steps with similar active power load in which a single adjustment would be sufficient. The cluster-based VVO method is tested on a complex real world utility distribution feeder with 2,018 nodes, 8.65MW peak load, 9 capacitor banks (CBs), …

Hybrid Fea And Meta-Modeling For De Optimization Of A Pm Stator-Excited Motor With A Reluctance Rotor, Oluwaseun A. Badewa, Dan M. Ionel

Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Research

This paper presents an innovative method for designing high-performance electric motors by integrating machine learning (ML) based meta-modeling with a differential evolution (DE) optimization algorithm. The approach utilizes finite element analysis (FEA) data to train the ML meta-model, allowing for efficient optimization of high-power-density machines, such as the reluctance rotor and permanent magnet (PM) stator combined excitation motor, which is characterized by nonlinearities. The meta-modeling process employs an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) with 3 hidden layers and uses the motor’s geometrical variables as inputs. The accuracy of the meta-model in capturing the nonlinear relationships between design parameters, core losses, and …

Three And Two Phase Rotating Field Inductive Couplers For Wireless Power Transfer With One Phase Per Layer Windings, Donovin D. Lewis, Lucas Gastineau, Omer Onar, Dan M. Ionel

Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Research

Multiphase inductive wireless charging coils have been proposed recently to improve coupler surface power density, reduce component stress and size, and provide near-constant power delivery to charge mobile electric systems. Several aspects for the fundamental characterization of multiphase coils are explored up to six phases including approximate mutual inductance with size and turn variation, induced voltage, and output power estimation. The relative component stress and size of passive components for resonant operation are compared between the multiphase variants. A combination of an experimentally validated 3D electromagnetic finite element analysis (FEA) and power electronic co-simulations are used to validate the estimated …

Cryogenic Thermal System For Coreless Axial Flux Pm Machine With Litz Wire Winding For Electric Aircraft Propulsion, Matin Vatani, Chaianan Sailabada, Philippe Masson, Juan C. Ordonez, Dan M. Ionel

Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Research

Electric machines for aviation demand ultra-efficient, compact designs with high specific power density, which can be achieved through advancements in both electromagnetic design and thermal management. This paper proposes and investigates an integrated thermal management approach for a coreless stator axial flux permanent magnet (AFPM) machine featuring a double-sided Halbach array PM rotor, two stators, and an aluminum nitride (AlN) cold plate positioned between the stators for direct cooling. The cold plate incorporates internal serpentine channels for liquid hydrogen circulation. The electromagnetic performance and efficiency of the machine at cryogenic temperatures are assessed using temperature-dependent data from the literature, indicating …

Mitigation Of Pm Eddy Current Losses Using Offset Windings In Coreless Afpm Machines, Matin Vatani, Diego A. Lopez Guerrero, John F. Eastham, Dan M. Ionel

Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Research

Permanent magnet eddy current losses can become substantial in coreless stator axial flux permanent magnet (AFPM) machines operating at high speeds and under high electric loading, potentially leading to elevated temperatures and an increased risk of demagnetization. This paper investigates the origins of these losses through a detailed harmonic analysis of the winding factor and introduces a mitigation strategy. The proposed method utilizes two-layer offset windings, effectively minimizing undesirable armature flux harmonics through harmonic interaction between the offset layers. Two cases are studied: one in which each stator layer is connected to a separate inverter and another in which both …

Research Into Job Classifications For Kentucky Department Of Vehicle Regulation Employees, Mallory Brown, Andrew Martin, Jeeyen Koo, Jennifer Walton

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Department of Vehicle Regulation (DVR) faces persistent challenges with employee recruitment, retention, and workforce alignment due to outdated job classifications and compensation structures. This study investigates if DVR’s reliance on the general Administrative Specialist job series is warranted given the duties performed by its staff. Through a job task analysis, financial modeling, and personnel data review, researchers assessed the feasibility of introducing a new DVR-specific job series based on the Vehicle Regulation Specialist (VRS) position currently being used by the Division of Motor Carriers. The proposed VRS series includes two levels — VRS I (Grade 13) and VRS …

Development And Evaluation Of A Simple Human Body Link Model Considering The Degrees-Of-Freedom Of Shoulders, Mizuki Takeda, Yuki Saito, Kaiji Sato

Progress in Scale Modeling, an International Journal

Modeling of the human body is widely utilized in the field of human–robot interaction, warranting the development of a simple model to measure and recognize the human body movements. To this end, a two-dimensional (2D) human body link model in the sagittal plane has been used to represent the human body with rotating joints and links connecting these joints. The joint positions can be determined by using the coordinates of a limited number of points on the links and estimated using a few sensor outputs when the links are of constant length. However, models with constant link lengths may result …

A Review Of Disassembly Systems For Circular Product Design, Giovanni Formentini, Joao Pj. Prioli, Junwon Ko, Buddhika M. Hapuwatte, Vincenzo Ferrero, Fazleena Badurdeen, Jeremy L. Rickli, Devarajan Ramanujan

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Circular Economy (CE) is described as a means for maintaining products and materials in circulation while regenerating nature. This shift requires considering aspects at the product design phase that were not previously prioritized. One such aspect, disassembly, is a key enabler for CE. Design for Disassembly methodologies have been deployed for several years to enhance disassembly performance. However, when CE is of interest, it is essential to consider how disassembly affects the entire product life cycle system. In this regard, this paper proposes a literature review of relevant DfD methods from a system engineering perspective to evaluate their effects on …

Earthscape Ai Dataset V1.1, Matthew Massey, Abdullah-Al-Zubaer Imran

Research Data--KGS

EarthScape v1.1 Dataset Download Links:

esv1p1_smokeset.zip (197 MB)

esv1p1_splits.zip (2.5 MB)

esv1p1_usa_ky_data.zip (1 MB)

esv1p1_usa_ky_hardin_howevalley.zip (26.3 GB)

esv1p1_usa_ky_hardin_sonora.zip (26.3 GB)

esv1p1_usa_ky_warren.zip (166 GB)

Surficial geologic mapping is essential for understanding Earth surface processes and supporting applications in engineering, hazard assessment, and resource management. However, traditional mapping approaches are labor-intensive, limiting spatial coverage and introducing subjectivity. To address these challenges, we introduce EarthScape, a multimodal, AI-ready geospatial dataset designed for surficial geologic mapping and Earth surface analysis. EarthScape integrates high-resolution aerial RGB and near-infrared (NIR) imagery, digital elevation models (DEM), multi-scale terrain features derived from DEMs, and hydrologic and infrastructure vector …