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Gulf Coast Faculty Council Minutes - November 14, 2024, Patrick Biber

Gulf Coast Faculty Council Minutes

No abstract provided.

Improving Transportation Resiliency, Ben Blandford, Erin Lammers-Staats, Emma Gregory

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Transportation agencies are increasingly more challenged by the effects of extreme weather and national hazards on transportation assets.  Severe weather events in Kentucky have become more frequent and more costly. These extreme events damage transportation assets, increase maintenance costs and strain transportation budgets. Climate models predict changing conditions to occur over the next century that differ from historical data. In Kentucky, models predict a warmer and wetter environment. The goal of this research is to help KYTC plan for extreme weather and natural hazards events, as well as absorb, recover from, and adapt to the resulting damage.  Researchers determined where …

Combined 3d Fea And Machine Learning Design Of Inductive Polyphase Coils For Wireless Ev Charging, Lucas A. Gastineau, Donovin D. Lewis, Dan M. Ionel

Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Research

Wireless power transfer (WPT) technologies are currently researched and developed for charging the batteries of electric unmanned air and ground vehicles. This paper presents systems with special polyphase inductive coils, which generate rotating fields and achieve high power density and efficiency. The complex geometry is modeled and studied with 3D electromagnetic finite element analysis (FEA). In order to reduce the substantial computational effort, machine learning techniques are proposed for surrogate modeling. A deep learning algorithm is introduced to capture the physics-based relationships between geometry and electromagnetic properties in inductive coils for wireless charging. Parametric models are systematically generated and analyzed …

Beyond 2d: Novel Biomaterial Approaches For Modeling The Placenta, Samantha G. Zambuto, Adrienne K. Scott, Michelle L. Oyen

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

This review considers fully three-dimensional biomaterial environments of varying complexity as these pertain to research on the placenta. The developments in placental cell sources are first considered, along with the corresponding maternal cells with which the trophoblast interact. We consider biomaterial sources, including hybrid and composite biomaterials. Properties and characterization of biomaterials are discussed in the context of material design for specific placental applications. The development of increasingly complicated three-dimensional structures includes examples of advanced fabrication methods such as microfluidic device fabri- cation and 3D bioprinting, as utilized in a placenta context. The review finishes with a discussion of the …

Size And Shape Dependence Of Hydrogen-Induced Phase Transformation And Sorption Hysteresis In Palladium Nanoparticles, Xingsheng Sun, Rong Jin

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Phase transitions of metals in hydrogen (H) environments are critically import- ant for applications in energy storage, catalysis, and sensing. Nanostructured metallic particles can lead to faster charging and discharging kinetics, increased lifespan, and enhanced catalytic activities. However, establishing a direct causal link between nanoparticle structure and function remains challenging. In this work, we establish a computational framework to explore the atomic config- uration of a metal-hydrogen system when in equilibrium with a H environ- ment. This approach combines Diffusive Molecular Dynamics with an itera- tion strategy, aiming to minimize the system’s free energy and ensure uniform chemical potential across …

Understanding Limitations In Photosynthesis And Cold Tolerance In Panicoid Grasses: Maize And Sorghum, Fangyi Li

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

Sorghum and maize, both key crops within the Poaceae family (commonly known as the grass family), are staple foods in various regions and play a vital role in global food systems and economic development. These crops thrive in similar climates, particularly in warm, arid, and semi-arid regions. As subjects of extensive agricultural research, both maize and sorghum are being studied to enhance stress resistance and improve yield. Due to their botanical similarities, advances in one crop often inform practices in the other. The goal of this dissertation is to deepen our understanding of the photosynthesis process and cold tolerance in …

Book Review - Rebecca Boyle, Our Moon: How Earth's Celestial Companion Transformed The Planet, Guided Evolution, And Made Us Who We Are, Jamie Kern

Bridgewater Review

No abstract provided.

New Approximations For Monotone Submodular Maximization With Knapsack Constraint, Hongmin W. Du, Xiang Li, Guanghua Wang

Computer Science and Engineering

Given a monotone submodular set function with a knapsack constraint, its maximization problem has two types of approximation algorithms with running time 0(n²) and 0(n⁵), respectively. With running time 0(n⁵), the best performance ratio is 1-1/e. With running time 0(n²), the well-known performance ratio is (1-1/e)/2 and an improved one is claimed to be (1-1/e²)/2 recently. In this paper, we design an algorithm with running 0(n²) and performance ratio 1-1/e^2/3, and an algorithm with running time 0(n³) and performance ratio 1/2.

Effects Of Silver Nanoparticles In Pectin Polysaccharide Thin Film On Resistive Switching Characteristics, Jia Zheng Yeoh, Muhammad Awais, Feng Zhao, Kuan Yew Cheong

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study investigates the resistive switching characteristics of Ag nanoparticle (AgNP)-incorporated pectin (pectin-AgNP) as a memristive thin film, with varying concentrations of AgNP (0.0 wt.%, 0.5 wt.%, and 1.0 wt.%) and pectin (5.0 mg/L, 5.5 mg/L, 6.0 mg/L, 6.5 mg/L, and 7.0 mg/L), sandwiched between Au and indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes on glass substrate. The structural, chemical, and electrical properties of these pectin-AgNP thin films were evaluated. With AgNP concentration of 0.5 wt.% in a pectin concentration of 5.5 mg/mL, the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra indicated the highest presence of C–O bonds. This suggests the incorporation of AgNP …

Machine Vision To Provide Quantitative Analysis Of Meltpool Stability For A Coaxial Wire Directed Energy Deposition Process, Braden Mclain, Remy Mathenia, Todd Sparks, Frank Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Wire-based additive manufacturing (AM) is at the forefront of complex metal fabrication because of its scalability for large components, potential for high deposition rates, and ease of use. A common goal of wire directed energy deposition (DED) is preserving a stable process throughout deposition. If too little energy is put into the deposition, the wire will stub into the substrate and begin oscillating, creating turbulence within the melt pool. If too much energy exists, the wire will overheat, causing surface tension to take over and create liquid drips as opposed to a solid bead. This paper proposes a computer vision …

Viral Genome Delivery Across Bacterial Cell Surfaces, Stephano M. Iglesias, Fenglin Li, Federica Briani, Gino Cingolani

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

In 1952, Hershey and Chase used bacteriophage T2 genome delivery inside Escherichia coli to demonstrate that DNA, not protein, is the genetic material. Over 70 years later, our understanding of bacteriophage structure has grown dramatically, mainly thanks to the cryogenic electron microscopy revolution. In stark contrast, phage genome delivery in prokaryotes remains poorly understood, mainly due to the inherent challenge of studying such a transient and complex process. Here, we review the current literature on viral genome delivery across bacterial cell surfaces. We focus on icosahedral bacterial viruses that we arbitrarily sort into three groups based on the presence and …

Nfts At The Nexus Of Innovation And Sustainability: A Framework Aligning Nft Affordances With The Sustainable Development Goals, Kristi Yuthas

Business Faculty Publications and Presentations

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are goals associated with the most significant global issues, which include climate, health, security, and poverty. The goals are part of an agenda for making progress on environmental, social, and economic issues while ensuring peace and leaving no one behind. Meeting these goals requires effort and innovation on all fronts, including technology. Information and communication technologies have long contributed to these efforts, and more recently, blockchain for good projects have begun to bear fruit. Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which are, in essence, certificates of ownership stored on a blockchain, can also contribute to sustainable …

Blackberry Growth Monitoring And Feature Quantification With Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Uav) Remote Sensing, Akwasi Tagoe, Alexander Silva, Cengiz Koparan, Aurelie Poncet, Dongyi Wang, Donald Johnson, Margaret Worthington

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Efficiently managing agricultural systems necessitates accurate data collection from crops to examine phenotypic characteristics and improve productivity. Traditional data collection processes for specialty horticultural crops are often subjective, labor-intensive, and may not provide accurate information for precise management decisions in phenotypic studies and crop production. Reliable and standardized techniques to record and evaluate crop features using agricultural technology are essential for improving agricultural systems. The objective of the research was to develop a methodology for accurate measurement of blackberry flowers and vegetation coverage using UAV remote sensing and image analysis. The UAV captured 20,812 images in the visible spectrum, and …

Fall 2024, Georgia Library Quarterly

Georgia Library Quarterly

No abstract provided.

Salary Report, 2024 November, Eastern Michigan University

EMU Salary Reports

No abstract provided.

Diverse Pathways In Gpcr-Mediated Activation Of Ca2+ Mobilization In Hek293 Cells, Francesco De Pascali, Asuka Inoue, Jeffrey L. Benovic

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

G protein-coupled receptors transduce extracellular stimuli into intracellular signaling. Ca²⁺ is a well-known second messenger that can be induced by G protein-coupled receptor activation through the primary canonical pathways involving Gα_q- and Gβγ-mediated activation of phospholipase C-β (PLCβ). While some G_s-coupled receptors are shown to trigger Ca²⁺ mobilization, underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we evaluated whether G_s-coupled receptors including the β₂-adrenergic receptor (β₂AR) and the prostaglandin EP₂ and EP₄ receptors (EP₂R and EP₄R) that are endogenously expressed in human embryonic kidney 293 …

Digital Creative Portfolios As New Spaces For Professional Interaction, Verónica Meléndez Valoria

Artículos científicos

Since the advent of digital platforms that allowed creatives to publicly showcase their portfolios, some of these platforms have evolved beyond their original models. They have transitioned from mere exhibitions to more commercialized and interactive spaces. In these environments, any creative individual can not only display their work but also promote their brand and establish diverse connections, much like any other social network. The article aims to identify key elements and causes of this transformation. Additionally, it seeks to explain the position these platforms hold in relation to other domains. Lastly, it intends to extract implications and unresolved questions for …

Taxonomía De Animación Funcional En Diseño De Interfaces: Validación En El Ámbito Educativo, Raquel Ávila Muñoz, Jorge Clemente Mediavilla, María José Pérez-Luque

Artículos científicos

En este artículo se presentan los resultados de la etapa final del proceso de validación de la taxonomía de animación funcional (TAF). Esta clasificación recoge las funciones que puede ejercer la animación, como componente del diseño visual de una interfaz, para mejorar la usabilidad y lograr una experiencia de usuario óptima. Esta taxonomía se ha desarrollado con el objeto de proporcionar una herramienta que ayude a evitar los usos de la animación potencialmente negativos sobre los que alertan los expertos en usabilidad. Tras una primera fase de validación, llevada a cabo entre expertos, en esta segunda fase se analiza la …

An Examination Of Duplicates In The Fast Fashion Industry: Synthesizing Definitions And Comparing Original Designs To Duplicate Examples, Raquel Maranhao Braulino

University Honors Program Senior Projects

The business of fast fashion has expanded tremendously since the nineties (Ozdamar-Ertekin, 2016). This expansion is caused by the market’s demand for low-cost trendy items (Jin et al., 2012), the overproduction of merchandising (Joy et al., 2012), online shopping (Rosskamp, 2018), technology-facilitated designs (Peroni, & Vitali, 2017), and faster delivery processes (Moon et al., 2017). The effects caused by the expansion of the fast fashion industry can be detrimental to consumers' self-concept (Legere, & Kang, 2020), result in the amplification of mass production (Moretta et al., 2013) and can have negative consequences to the environment (Peters et al., 2021). In …

Novel Multi-Omics Deconfounding Variational Autoencoders Can Obtain Meaningful Disease Subtyping, Zuqi Li, Sonja Katz, Edoardo Saccenti, David W. Fardo, Peter Claes, Vitor A.P. Martins Dos Santos, Kristel Van Steen, Gennady V. Roshchupkin

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Unsupervised learning, particularly clustering, plays a pivotal role in disease subtyping and patient stratification, especially with the abundance of large-scale multi-omics data. Deep learning models, such as variational autoencoders (VAEs), can enhance clustering algorithms by leveraging inter-individual heterogeneity. However, the impact of confounders—external factors unrelated to the condition, e.g. batch effect or age—on clustering is often overlooked, introducing bias and spurious biological conclusions. In this work, we introduce four novel VAE-based deconfounding frameworks tailored for clustering multi-omics data. These frameworks effectively mitigate confounding effects while preserving genuine biological patterns. The deconfounding strategies employed include (i) removal of latent features correlated …

Seasonal Variation In Atp-Induced Retinal Damage In The Cone-Dominant 13-Lined Ground Squirrel, Owen R. Bowie, Hannahm Follett, Ching Tzu Yu, Chloe Guillaume, Phyllis M. Summerfelt, Nicole Manfredonia, Jenna Grieshop, Dana K. Merriman, Sergey Tarima, Joseph Carroll

Biostatistics Faculty Publications

Purpose: To examine whether time of year (relative to hibernation emergence) influences the retinal degenerative effects of intravitreal injection of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in the 13-lined ground squirrel (13-LGS). Methods: Eighteen (9 male, 9 female) 13-LGS in three experimental cohorts (early season, mid-season, late season) (n = 6 each) underwent baseline imaging using scanning light ophthalmoscopy (SLO) and optical coherence tomography (OCT). Animals then received a 10-μL intravitreal injection of 0.723 M ATP, followed by OCT and SLO imaging at 3, 10, and 21 days. Adaptive optics SLO (AOSLO) was performed in animals without retinal damage after the 21-day follow-up. …

La Ciudad Como Ecosistema Marino. Investigando Sistemas Metabólicos Urbanos Marinos Para Definir El Marco Conceptual De Un Urbanismo Hidráulico Post- Antropocéntrico., En Edumeet Ecotopías Iv International Conference Of Architecture And Transdisciplinarity 2024 27-28 Nov 2024, Elisa Fernández Ramos, Andrés Jaque Ovejero, Eva Hurtado Torán, Joerg Baumeister

Capítulos de libros

La línea de costa es ficticia. El mar se extiende desde las fosas abisales hasta la cima de las montañas, englobando todo lo que ocurre entre medias, y posiblemente este concepto de borde erróneamente preconcebido es la base de muchos retos a los que nos enfrentamos. La línea que delimita de manera figurada el fin de las ciudades y suele coincidir con esta línea de costa, también es ficticia; la ciudad no solo forma parte del ecosistema marino, sino que se extiende sobre él. La urbanización de los océanos está creando un urbanismo marino cada vez más "viscoso", con un …

Geosciences Affiliated Publications: Snapshot Of The Research Publications 2018-2023, Danna Jaimes-Fajardo, Jeremy J. Smith, Lutishoor Salisbury

University Libraries Faculty Publications and Presentations

This report provides a snapshot of the research publications for authors affiliated with the Geosciences department at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, for the period 2018-2023. It includes publications by material type; co-author characteristics; ranking of journals according to journal citation reports.

Perceptions Of Texas Small-Scale Producers On Success, Challenges, And The Future Of Agriculture, Katie Tritsch, Ken Mix, Michelle L. Edwards, Manuel Piña Jr.

Journal of Rural Social Sciences

The roles and survival of small farms are much debated, and their operators are not well understood. This exploratory study examines the perceptions of Texas small producers using a sample of mostly first- generation farmers who consider agriculture their primary occupation and who use sustainable practices. Semistructured interviews revealed six prominent themes related to small-farmers’ success, challenges, and visions for the future. Of these, personal fulfillment, importance of community, and adaptability and versatility were the prominent themes regarding success. In terms of challenges, small producers felt they were at a disadvantage compared to larger farms. Participants expressed a desire for …

Engineering The Coherent Phonon Transport In Polar Ferromagnetic Oxide Superlattices, In Hyeok Choi, Seung Gyo Jeong, Do-Gyeom Jeong, Ambrose Seo, Woo Seok Choi, Jong Seok Lee

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Artificial superlattices composed of perovskite oxides serves as an essential platform for engineering coherent phonon transport by redefining the lattice periodicity, which strongly influences the lattice-coupled phase transitions in charge and spin degrees of freedom. However, previous methods of manipulating phonons have been limited to controlling the periodicity of superlattice, rather than utilizing complex mutual interactions that are prominent in transition metal oxides. In this study on oxide superlattices composed of ferromagnetic metallic SrRuO3 and quantum paraelectric SrTiO3 , phonon modulation by controlling the geometry of superlattice in atomic-scale precision is realized, demonstrating the coherent phonon engineering using structural and …

Deephive: A Reinforcement Learning Approach For Automated Discovery Of Swarm-Based Optimization Policies, Eloghosa Ikponmwoba, Opeoluwa Owoyele

Faculty Publications

We present an approach for designing swarm-based optimizers for the global optimization of expensive black-box functions. In the proposed approach, the problem of finding efficient optimizers is framed as a reinforcement learning problem, where the goal is to find optimization policies that require a few function evaluations to converge to the global optimum. The state of each particle within the swarm is defined as its current position and function value within a design space, and the particles learn to take favorable actions that maximize the reward, which is based on the final value of the objective function. The proposed approach …

Research Gaps And Priorities For Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (Qmra), Kerry A. Hamilton, Joanna Ciol Harrison, Jade Mitchell, Mark Weir, Marc Verhougstraete, Charles N. Haas, A. Pouyan Nejadhashemi, Julie Libarkin, Tiong Gim Aw, Kyle Bibby, Aaron Bivins, Joe Brown, Kara Dean, Gwyneth Dunbar, Joseph N.S. Eisenberg, Monica Emelko, Daniel Gerrity, Patrick L. Gurian, Emma Hartnett, Michael Jahne, Rachael M. Jones, Timothy R. Julian, Hongwan Li, Yanbin Li, Jacqueline Mac Donald Gibson, Gertjan Medema, J. Scott Meschke, Alexis Mraz, Heather Murphy, David Oryang, Emmanuel De Graft Johnson Owusu-Ansah, Emily Pasek, Abani K. Pradhan

Faculty Publications

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic highlighted the need for more rapid and routine application of modeling approaches such as quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) for protecting public health. QMRA is a transdisciplinary science dedicated to understanding, predicting, and mitigating infectious disease risks. To better equip QMRA researchers to inform policy and public health management, an Advances in Research for QMRA workshop was held to synthesize a path forward for QMRA research. We summarize insights from 41 QMRA researchers and experts to clarify the role of QMRA in risk analysis by (1) identifying key research needs, (2) highlighting emerging applications of …

Computational Modeling Of Tool-Rock Frictional Contact With Anisotropic Damage, Yaneng Zhou, George Z. Voyiadjis

Faculty Publications

The mechanism of frictional contact is investigated between a blunt tool and quasi-brittle rocks with anisotropic damage. A recently developed anisotropic elasto-plastic-damage model is further validated using experimental results under monotonic and cyclic loadings for rocks and concrete. A finite element model of tool-rock frictional contact is validated by analytical results in the two asymptotic regimes of an elastoplastic rock. The mesh sensitivity is reduced using a fracture energy-based method for anisotropic damage. The tool-rock frictional contact is predominantly controlled by three dimensionless parameters: η, ξ, and ζ, which characterize elastoplasticity, brittleness, and anisotropic damage, respectively. The newly introduced damage …

Justice On The High Seas: Nonpecuniary Damages And The Death On The High Seas Act, Casey Rockwell, Chad Marzen

William & Mary Business Law Review

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought forth many discussions on liability issues. The Death on the High Seas Act currently prohibits recovery of “loss of society” or “loss of consortium” nonpecuniary damages. This Article contends that in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the harsh results of the application of DOHSA in COVID-19 cases, Congress has an opportunity to amend DOHSA. Allowing recovery of nonpecuniary damages in DOHSA cruise line cases, currently advocated for by a bipartisan group of lawmakers, will provide consistency and fairness to DOHSA.

Why Isn’T Formula 1 Going Electric?, Terry Van Gevelt

Asian Management Insights

Electric vehicles are not the only sustainable automotive option.

1. While electric vehicles (EVs) are marketed as ‘zero-emission’, their overall environmental impact and battery production all contribute to their lifecycle emissions. In fact, their widespread adoption needs significant infrastructural changes like installing new charging networks and upgrading power grids, which come with substantial environmental and financial costs.

2. Considering a diverse array of energy alternatives, including synthetic e-fuels, could offer Singapore a that is tailored to the specific needs and infrastructural realities of the country and region.