Digital Commons Network^™

Interfacial Velocity Characteristics Downstream Of A Piano Key Weir Versus A Linear Weir In A Horizontal Channel, Biruk Belay, Mario Oertel

4th International Workshop on Labyrinth and Piano Key Weirs

The downstream flow characteristics of piano key weirs (PKWs) are highly complex, manifested by significant localized self-aeration due to nape collisions and plunging jets impacting the downstream free-surface. For PKWs installed in horizontal channels, the interfacial velocity characteristics have received limited attention in previous research. In this experimental study, air-water flow measurements were conducted using a double-tip conductivity probe downstream of a PKW and a reference ogee-crested linear weir to evaluate the velocity trends under comparable hydraulic boundary conditions. The findings reveal the existence of two distinct velocity profiles downstream of piano key weirs: quasi-wall-jet and uniform profiles. The occurrence …

Effect Of Driftwood On The Hydraulic Performance Of A-Type Piano Key Weirs Situated In-Stream Or At Reservoirs, Pascal Venetz, Michael Pfister

4th International Workshop on Labyrinth and Piano Key Weirs

Driftwood is a natural part of most river ecosystems. The knowledge of its interaction with hydraulic structures, such as PKWs, is essential for two reasons: To (1) avoid uncontrolled inundations because of the level rise initiated by trapped driftwood (reducing the weir discharge coefficient), and (2) initiate the passage of the wood over the PKW, so that it remains in the river to further fulfill its environmental services. Knowledge of the conditions motivating driftwood to block at a PKW is essential. The present study accordingly focuses on the blocking probability of driftwood at PKWs and the resulting head increase – …

Floating Trees At Co-Existing Pkw & Gated Spillway, James Yang, A. Helgesson, L. Johnsson, Sc Li

4th International Workshop on Labyrinth and Piano Key Weirs

During extreme flood events, floating trees (driftwood) can pose serious risks to the safety and operation of dams. In upgrading an existing dam, a piano key weir (PKW) is introduced to replace the aging embankment dam and to increase the discharge capacity of its gated spillway. This upgrade necessitates a detailed understanding of driftwood behavior at both discharge structures, which differ significantly in design and operating conditions. To investigate this, hydraulic model tests were conducted using small, freshly cut trees—some with branches and roots—to simulate natural trees moving towards the dam. The results indicate that tree accumulation at the gated …

2021 - Appalachian Student Research Forum Program Booklet, Appalachian Student Research Forum, East Tennessee State University

Appalachian Student Research Forum

No abstract provided.

Chatrouter: A System And Method For Hierarchical Intent Classification And Dynamic Routing In Multi-Skill Ai Architectures, Hp Inc

Defensive Publications Series

ChatRouter is a system and method for processing natural language user inputs to accurately classify them into one or more predefined intents and subsequently route them for appropriate handling within a multi-skill artificial intelligence (AI) architecture. The core of the invention lies in its unique combination of a large language model (LLM) guided by a specialized few-shot learning paradigm, a multi-intent detection capability, and a hierarchical priority-based routing mechanism. This system is designed to interpret diverse user phrasings and map them to specific actionable categories, even when multiple intents are present in a single input.

Ai-Enhanced Print Interception System For Optimized Document Output, Hp Inc

Defensive Publications Series

Conventional print workflows often compromise document fidelity due to early-stage transformations performed by the operating system’s print subsystem. This results in poor layout preservation, inefficient scaling, and suboptimal formatting - particularly when printing from dynamic sources such as web applications. To address these limitations, this invention presents a novel method and system for intercepting print commands, including the Ctrl+P action, at the application level to capture the original, unprocessed content before it reaches the print driver or spooler. A lightweight monitoring module detects print initiation events and extracts raw document data, such as source HTML or structured content. This content …

Automated Root Cause Analysis For Integration Test Failures Using Consecutive Failing Run Comparisons And Phase-Aware Differencing Using A Large Language Model, Shubham Khurana, Babu Prasad Elumalai

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure describes techniques to improve automated root cause analysis (RCA) for integration test failures, especially in iterative debugging. A multi-step artificial intelligence (AI) pipeline is employed to dynamically select the appropriate baseline for log comparison—either the last passing run (LPR) for initial failures or the previous failing run (PFR) for subsequent failures—to reduce semantic noise. A large language model (LLM) performs phase-aware semantic differencing, segmenting logs into execution phases (e.g., setup, data seeding, service under test execution, assertion, teardown) and comparing corresponding phases. This targeted approach allows the LLM to identify critical differences and new errors more accurately by …

Unified Pre-Launch Causal Simulator, Joseph Jm Walker

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure presents a system that generates marketing creatives with instrumentable causal controls, predicts their heterogeneous treatment effects, simulates market and network responses, and outputs a probability-weighted decision slate with pre-launch risk constraints. Unlike prior art, the disclosed system bridges generative AI tokens with causal inference priors, integrates agent-based and macro simulators, and enforces pre-launch governance gates for fairness, brand safety, and uncertainty.

Unified, Site-Selectable Waterless Cooling Architecture For High-Density Ai Data Centers, Joseph Jm Walker

Defensive Publications Series

This disclosure describes a unified cooling architecture for AI-intensive data centers that achieves near-zero consumptive water use (WUE ≈ 0). The design modularizes heat capture into 1 MW_IT pods and provides a site-selectable rejection manifold that can simultaneously or alternatively employ (A) dry coolers, (B) closed-loop borefield geoexchange, (C) natural-water plate heat exchangers (non-consumptive intake/outfall), and (D) optional heat reuse via district heating or industrial offtake.

The novelty lies in tri-path blending + revenue-aware reuse, seasonal recharge of geothermal baselines, and permit-aware plume control in real-time supervisory logic. The system is engineered for high-density GPU loads, modular scale-out, and resilient …

Ai Backed Integrated Scan-To- Assessment Engine For Educational Printers, Hp Inc

Defensive Publications Series

Educators frequently rely on printed textbooks to manually create assessment materials such as question papers and practice tests. This process is repetitive, time-consuming, and requires significant effort to interpret content and draft questions. Meanwhile, students and tutors lack accessible tools that can automatically convert scanned educational material into usable test content.

This approach introduces a generative AI-driven workflow that transforms printed textbook chapters into structured assessment material. Integrated directly into the scanning and printing processes of enterprise printers, the system performs OCR on scanned content, interprets the extracted text using a large language model (LLM), and generates both multiple-choice and …

Non-Invasive Way For Detection Of Neonatal Jaundice Using Gbr, Priti V. Bhagat, Mukesh Raghuwanshi, Ashutosh D. Bagde

Chulalongkorn Medical Journal

Background: Neonatal jaundice is a common condition in newborns due to excess levels of bilirubin. The traditional method for bilirubin testing is invasive, i.e., through blood tests only, which is painful to infants. Therefore, this study uses machine learning algorithms to develop a non-invasive way to detect neonatal jaundice.

Objectives: Design a computer-aided support system to detect neonatal jaundice using machine learning algorithm.

Methods: The gradient-boosting regression model is used to predict the bilirubin level. Gradient Boosting is a robust boosting algorithm that combines several weak learners into strong learners, in which each new model is trained to minimize the …

9th Gsep Research Symposium - 2025

GSEP Research Symposium

The Ninth Annual GSEP Research Symposium, themed "Building Bridges to Elevate Humanity: Innovations and Insights in Education and Psychology", was hosted by the Pepperdine University Graduate School of Education and Psychology (GSEP) on June 19–20, 2025, at the historic Château d’Hauteville in Switzerland and virtually via Zoom.

This hybrid symposium convened a vibrant global community of students, alumni, faculty, and scholars to share research that addresses real-world challenges, advances scholarly inquiry, and builds pathways for inclusive collaboration and leadership. Spanning a wide array of topics—from artificial intelligence and mental health to trauma-informed practices, educational equity, social justice, and cross-cultural leadership—the …

Comment On Hurd And Moore, Richard Arneson

The Journal of Contemporary Legal Issues

In their essay on “Wrongful Student Speech and Rightful Private University Responses to It,” Professors Heidi Hurd and Michael Moore (hereafter, Hurd & Moore) deepen the discussion by situating it in a general account of moral limits on freedom of expression and by noting connections to some of their own views on moral theory. The result is an excellent primer on freedom of speech, and more than just a primer. Their general views are shown to have plausible implications for tangled questions about what private university administrators ought to do in response to problematic examples of campus protest. That this …

What Is The Point Of Free Speech?, Hrishikesh Joshi

The Journal of Contemporary Legal Issues

How might we understand the nature and importance of a right to freedom of speech? One way to go is to appeal to the rights of speakers and listeners. Individuals would then have a right against state interference in saying what they want to say. On the other hand, listeners have a right to listen to whom they please and thus also would have a right against state interference. By stopping certain things from being voiced or published, for instance, the state would also be violating individuals’ rights to hear or read these things if they so choose.

This paper …

Alumni Association Announces 2025 Award Recipients, Jim Urbanek

University of Mississippi News

OXFORD, Miss. – The Ole Miss Alumni Association will recognize eight distinguished University of Mississippi alumni with its highest annual awards as part of Homecoming activities.

Authenticating Electronic Devices Via Multi Tone Analysis, Carl Bohman Jr., Aaron Jennings, Christian Eakins, Mark B. Skouson, Richard Ott, Jamin Mccue

AFIT Patents

Methods and systems for authenticating electronic devices via multi tone analysis. A method for authenticating a device under test (DUT) of a type of DUT includes imparting voltage tones to the DUT. The voltage tones are proximate a frequency of interest that is associated with the type of DUT. Using a measurement response of the DUT to the voltage tones, an electronic signature of the DUT is determined. The DUT is determined to be authentic when the electronic signature of the DUT substantially matches an electronic signature of an authority DUT of the type of DUT.

Magnetically Recoverable And Adsorptive Alginate Hydrogel Composite Beads Reinforced With Cellulose Nanocrystals, Corbon M. Moss, Mohammad Jahid Hasan, Monishita Deb, Sarah Watzmann, Esteban Ureña-Benavides, Erick S. Vasquez-Guardado

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The World Health Organization estimates that approximately 1.9 million deaths occur annually due to the consumption of contaminated drinking water, underscoring the urgent need for sustainable, biobased materials for water purification. This study reports the synthesis and characterization of magnetically responsive, alginate-based hydrogels designed for pollutant adsorption and magnetic recovery. Magnetic cellulose nanocrystals (mCNC) were produced by coprecipitating Fe3O4 nanoparticles onto cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) and subsequently embedded into an alginate hydrogel matrix at two loading concentrations (0.1 and 1% w/v). The resulting mCNC–alginate hydrogels, along with CNC–alginate and pure alginate hydrogels as controls, were fabricated in both thin film and …

Calving As A Source Of Acute And Persistent Kinetic Energy To Enhance Submarine Melting Of Tidewater Glaciers, M. F. Shaya, J. D. Nash, E. C. Pettit, Jason M. Amundson, R. H. Jackson, D. A. Sutherland, D. Winters

Faculty, Staff, and Students

Calving icebergs at tidewater glaciers release large amounts of potential energy. This energy—in principle—could be a source for submarine melting, which scales with near‐terminus water temperature and velocity. Because near‐terminus currents are challenging to observe or predict, submarine melt remains a key uncertainty in projecting tidewater glacier retreat and sea level rise. Here, we study one submarine calving event at Xeitl Sít’ (LeConte Glacier), Alaska, to explore the effect of calving on ice melt, using a suite of autonomously deployed instruments beneath, around, and downstream of the calving iceberg. Our measurements captured flows exceeding 5 m/s and demonstrate how potential …

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (Ptsd) In Zoulfa Katouh’S As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow, Mai Hazem El Gebali

English Language and Literature

This paper aims to analyze the representation of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Zoulfa Katouh’s novel, As Long as the Lemon Trees Grow (2022). Katouh, a Canadian-Syrian author who specializes in drug sciences, sets her debut novel against the backdrop of the war in Syria in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. The protagonist, Salama, a teenage girl pursuing an undergraduate degree in pharmacy, faces the harrowing realities of war and volunteers as a surgical assistant amidst the chaos of bombings and sniper attacks. As a result of the war, Salama tragically loses almost all her family members, and in …

The Performance Of Satellite-Based Precipitation Data To Reproduce Observed Precipitation In Tanzania's Little Ruaha Catchment, Florence H. Mahay

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Satellite-based precipitation datasets have emerged as promising tools for addressing rainfall data scarcity in regions with limited ground observations, such as Sub-Saharan Africa. This study evaluates the performance of five satellite-based precipitation products CHIRPS, CPC, GPCC, MERRA-2, and ERA5 in capturing rainfall characteristics over the Little Ruaha Catchment in Tanzania. The assessment was carried out at daily, monthly, and seasonal timescales and focused on key rainfall indices including onset and cessation dates, length of the rainy season, total rainfall, and frequency of rainy days. Validation was conducted using statistical indicators such as the correlation coefficient (r), Nash–Sutcliffe Efficiency (NSE), Root …

Control Of Ferroelectric And Dielectric Properties Of Undoped, Fe, And Nb-Doped Single-Crystalline (001) Oriented Pb (Zr0.5ti0.5) O3 Thin Films, Mahamudu H. Mtebwa

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

While several factors that influence the properties of ferroelectric devices have been extensively studied in bulk ceramics and polycrystalline thin films, limited is known about the same on single crystalline thin films which have great potential in memory and energy applications. This knowledge gap is largely due to the limited availability of substrates with lattice parameters suitable for supporting high-quality epitaxial growth. In this study, undoped, Fe-doped, and Nb-doped (001)-oriented Pb(Zr₀.₅Ti₀.₅)O₃ thin films were deposited using pulsed laser deposition, each with a SrRuO₃ bottom electrode and a PrScO₃ substrate. The doping concentration used is 1% for both Fe and Nb. …

Maximum Likelihood Symbol Timing Algorithm Based On Cyclic Prefix For Ofdm Systems, Kwame S. Ibwe

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

In this paper, a blind symbol synchronization algorithm is presented for orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems, and a timing function based on the redundancy of the cyclic prefix (CP) is introduced. The existing algorithms rely on the prior knowledge of the channel energy distribution i.e. channel power profile. In practical environment the channel power profile is unknown to the receiver and its statistics are expected to be highly changing. Nevertheless, the use of pilot symbols in channel profile estimation reduces efficiency as data subcarriers are used to carry pilots instead of payload. In this paper a timing function that accounts …

Condition Optimization For The Synthesis Of Castor Oil Templated Mesoporous Silica, Godlisten Namwel Shao

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The present work provides suitable conditions for the synthesis of mesoporous materials with improved porosity using an optimization technique. The proposed preparation method involves forming final products by varying the amount of castor oil, media, and template removal. The obtained samples were examined by TGA, XRD, DRIFT and nitrogen physisorption studies. It was observed that the porosity of the obtained samples was dependent on the conditions under which the materials were synthesized. All synthesized materials showed the Type IV adsorption-desorption isotherm features of mesoporous, regardless of the conditions utilized during the synthesis. The sample synthesized using 2.5 g of a …

Techno-Economic Analysis Of Hybrid Pv-Wind-Diesel Generator Swarm Grid For Rural Electrification In Tanzania, Ibrahim Mwammenywa

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Remote, rural, and off-grid communities, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), face significant challenges in securing reliable and affordable electricity. While solutions such as solar home systems (SHSs) and diesel generators (DGs) have been adopted by some individuals, their deployment is often not optimized to meet the full load demand. This study addresses this challenge by proposing a hybrid swarm grid (HSG) design that integrates photovoltaic (PV), wind energy, and diesel generators (DGs). Utilizing MATLAB/Simulink and HOMER, the HSG is modeled and optimized for a typical SSA village, incorporating real-world variables such as load demand profiles, solar irradiance, and wind patterns. …

Adoption Of Agrivoltaics In Developing Countries: A Review On Challenges, Opportunities And Future Prospects, Abdi J. Athumani, Pater Makolo

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

This paper provides a review of agrivoltaics technology and how it has been applicable in developing countries, including African countries. Agrivoltaics, the integration of agricultural production with photovoltaic energy generation, offers promising solutions to water- energy-food nexus in developing countries. This technology offers the dual benefit of increasing agricultural productivity while generating clean energy, which is very important for regions facing frequent electricity shortages and declining agricultural yields due to climate change. However, despite its potential, the adoption of agrivoltaics in developing nations remains limited in comparison to developed countries due to financial, technical and policy constraints. This paper explores …

Cnn-Based Hybrid Model For Detecting Blight Diseases In Potato Crops With Advanced Image Processing Techniques, Farian S. Ishengoma

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Potato production plays a vital role in global agriculture as a major food source for large populations. However, potato crops are highly susceptible to diseases, particularly Early Blight and Late Blight, which result in substantial yield losses. Timely detection and effective control of these diseases are essential for maintaining stable crop output. This study explores the integration of Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and advanced image processing techniques to differentiate between diseased and healthy potato plants accurately. Two datasets comprising original and enhanced images were used to train four CNN models: InceptionV3, Xception, Densenet201, and Resnet152V2. The original images underwent background …

Optimal Location And Sizing Of Facts Devices To Improve Voltage Profiles On A 132 Kv Mwanza-Musoma-Nyamongo Transmission Line, Peter Makolo

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

Recently, utility companies have desired to supply quality, stable and reliable power to customers, and ensure they meet the demand. Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) dynamic compensator devices such as Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM), Static VAr Compensator (SVC) and Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) are an impeccable choice, however, cost is one of the limiting factors following these technologies. In addition, using FACTS devices in the system requires a detailed steady state, dynamic and optimisation analysis to effectively meet the purpose and ensure reduced cost. This paper proposes using an optimised FACTS device to improve voltage profile, power transfer, system …

October 2025 Faculty Senate Packet, University Of Nebraska At Kearney Faculty Senate

Faculty Senate Packets

No abstract provided.

Academic Senate - Minutes, 10/07/2025, Academic Senate

Academic Senate Minutes

No abstract provided.

Feasibility Study Of Flywheel Mitigation Controls Using Hamiltonian-Based Design For E3 High-Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse Events, Connor A. Lehman, Rush Robinett, David Wilson, Wayne Weaver

Michigan Tech Publications

This paper explores the feasibility of implementing a flywheel energy storage system designed to generate voltage for the purpose of mitigating current flow through the transformer neutral path to ground, which is induced by a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) event. The active flywheel system presents the advantage of employing custom optimal control laws, in contrast to the conventional approach of utilizing passive blocking capacitors. A Hamiltonian-based optimal control law for energy storage is derived and integrated into models of both the transformer and the flywheel energy storage system. This Hamiltonian-based feedback control law is subsequently compared against an energy-optimal feedforward …