Engineering Commons^™

Reconstructing 42 Years (1979–2020) Of Great Lakes Surface Temperature Through A Deep Learning Approach, Miraj Kayastha, Tao Liu, Daniel Titze, Timothy C. Havens, Chenfu Huang, Pengfei Xue

Michigan Tech Publications

Accurate estimates for the lake surface temperature (LST) of the Great Lakes are critical to understanding the regional climate. Dedicated lake models of various complexity have been used to simulate LST but they suffer from noticeable biases and can be computationally expensive. Additionally, the available historical LST datasets are limited by either short temporal coverage (<30 >years) or lower spatial resolution (0.25° × 0.25°). Therefore, in this study, we employed a deep learning model based on Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) neural networks to produce a daily LST dataset for the Great Lakes that spans an unparalleled 42 years (1979–2020) at …

Scale Model Experiments Of Toxic Gas Production From The Combustion Of Polymers When Applied With Different Droplet Sizes Of Water Mist, Nicharee Thinnakornsutubutr, Masayuki Mizuno, Kazunori Kuwana

Progress in Scale Modeling, an International Journal

This research experimentally investigated the combustion of polymeric materials with water mist application in an enclosure, with an emphasis on the production of toxic gases. Two different diameters, ~100 and ~260 μm, were tested. The experimental conditions were determined based on Froude similarity laws for low drop Reynolds number conditions. Droplets and polymers’ physical and chemical properties influence the burning/extinguishing behavior and toxic-gas evolution. In general, larger droplets can extinguish a fire in a shorter time, and toxic gas concentrations in a test chamber decreased more rapidly. However, the large droplets tended to cause the flame expansion phenomenon for thermoplastics …

Unlocking Insights Into Crop Growth And Nutrient Distribution: A Geospatial Analysis Approach Using Satellite Imagery And Soil Data, Olatunde D. Akanbi, Brian Gonzalez Hernandez, Erika I. Barcelos, Arafath Nihar, Laura S. Bruckman, Yinghui Wu, Jeffrey Yarus, Roger H. French

Student Scholarship

Accurate monitoring of crop growth and nutrient distribution is crucial for optimizing agricultural practices, promoting a sustainable environment, and ensuring long-term food production. In this study, we propose a novel and comprehensive approach to monitor crop growth and nutrient distribution in large-scale agricultural landscapes. Our methodology combines advanced geospatial and temporal analysis techniques, providing valuable insights into the intricate relationships between crop health, soil nutrients, and other essential soil properties.

To monitor vegetation dynamics, we obtained data from the IBM EIS (Environment Intelligence Suite) and processed it using our HPC (High-Performance Computing) infrastructure. This is ingested into our CRADLE (Common …

Improving Peripheral Nerve Regeneration Through Rehabilitation And Biomaterial-Based Drug Delivery Strategies, Yunfan Kong

Theses & Dissertations

Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is a common problem worldwide, with trauma being a common cause. PNI can lead to loss of sensory and motor functions, chronic neuropathic pain, and mental health issues, significantly impacting patients' family life, work, and social situation. Recent studies revealed that beyond the topical injury site at peripheral nerves, PNIs can also induce dysfunctions in the central nervous system (CNS) by causing maladaptive plasticity, which will result in exaggeration and exacerbation of the pathological condition caused by primary injuries. The common therapy strategies for PNI treatment are using sutures, nerve autografts or conduits in cases requiring …

Development Of Preservative-Treated Cross-Laminated Timber And Lignin-Reinforced Polyurethane-Adhesive For Glued Laminated Timber, Samuel Oluwafemi Ayanleye

Theses and Dissertations

Interest in the use of mass timber in building and construction is growing worldwide, this is due to the structural integrity and reduced environmental footprint of timber-based structures. Concerns associated with the biological and environmental degradation of mass timber necessitate the development of adequate protection strategies to ensure the durability of these products. Preservative treatment is a proven technique that increases the durability and performance of wood in-service and can also be applied to large-sized timber panels such as cross-laminated timber (CLT). Therefore, this study focused on investigating the feasibility of treating prefabricated 3- and 5-layer CLT panels with Copper-azole …

Nanoscale Modeling Of Membrane Systems Under Mechanical Deformation In Traumatic Brain Injury Using Molecular Dynamics, Anh Thi Ngoc Vo

Theses and Dissertations

Neuronal membrane disruption and mechanoporation are nanoscale damage mechanisms that critically affect brain cell viability during traumatic brain injury (TBI). These nanoscale cellular impairments are elusive in experiments and necessitate in silico approaches such as molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Implementing MD, this research aims to investigate the effects of different key factors related to membrane deformation and damage, including force field resolutions, lipid compositions, and loading conditions.

To examine the impact of force field resolution, MD deformation simulations were conducted on 1-palmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphatidylcholine (POPC) lipid bilayer membranes, using all-atom (AA), united-atom (UA), and coarse-grained Martini (CG-M) force fields. The mechanical responses …

Non-Destructive Evaluation Of White Striping And Microbial Spoilage Of Broiler Breast Meat Using Structured-Illumination Reflectance Imaging, Ebenezer O. Olaniyi

Theses and Dissertations

Manual inspection is a prevailing practice for quality assessment of poultry meat, but it is labor-intensive, tedious, and subjective. This thesis aims to assess the efficacy of an emerging structured illumination reflectance imaging (SIRI) technique with machine learning approaches for assessing WS and microbial spoilage in broiler breast meat. Broiler breast meat samples were imaged by an in house-assembled SIRI platform under sinusoidal illumination. In first experiment, handcrafted texture features were extracted from direct component (DC, corresponding to conventional uniform illumination) and amplitude component (AC, unique to the use of sinusoidal illumination) images retrieved from raw SIRI pattern images build …

A Comparison Of Ground Reaction Forces And Muscle Activity Of The Tsunami Bar® Against A Rigid Barbell During Back Squat Phases, John Carver Middleton

Theses and Dissertations

An Institutional Review Board (IRB)-approved study was conducted to investigate the effects of the Tsunami Bar® (TB), a flexible barbell, on ground reaction force (GRF) production and muscle activity in the quadricep, hamstring, and gluteal muscle groups during phases of the squat exercise and compare the effects to the effects to using a rigid barbell (RB). A two-by-two repeated measures Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test was used to compare the results. Descriptive statistics showed significantly higher GRFs for the TB during the unweighting phase, significant differences in GRFs between speeds for each phase, significantly higher forces on average with the …

Analyzing Pseudomonas Aeruginosa With Bacteriophage Tags Using Photoacoustic Flow Cytometry, Jennifer C. Schinke

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The number of daily bacterial infections is climbing and the CDC explains that this is due to the antibiotic-resistant threat in the United States. Finding a faster way of bacterial identification is necessary as it currently takes 1-4 days for a medical lab to culture and identify bacteria. Photoacoustic flow cytometry (PAFC) can be used as an alternative method resulting in swift identification within an hour (Edgar, 2019). Pseudomonas aeruginosa, cell line PA01, will be coated in up to a few hundred red dyed phages making it detectible by the photoacoustic flow cytometry system. Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that …

Activation Of The Renin–Angiotensin–Aldosterone System Is Attenuated In Hypertensive Compared With Normotensive Pregnancy, Robin C. Shoemaker, Marko Poglitsch, Hong Huang, Katherine Vignes, Aarthi Srinivasan, Cynthia Cockerham-Morris, Aric Schadler, John Anthony Bauer, John O'Brien

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Hypertension during pregnancy increases the risk of adverse maternal and fetal outcomes, but the mechanisms of pregnancy hypertension are not precisely understood. Elevated plasma renin activity and aldosterone concentrations play an important role in the normal physiologic adaptation to pregnancy. These effectors are reduced in patients with pregnancy hypertension, creating an opportunity to define the features of the renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) that are characteristic of this disorder. In the current study, we used a novel LC-MS/MS-based methodology to develop comprehensive profiles of RAAS peptides and effectors over gestation in a cohort of 74 pregnant women followed prospectively for the development …

Proceedings Of The 2023 Berry Summer Thesis Institute, University Of Dayton. University Honors Program

Proceedings of the Berry Summer Thesis Institute (2013-Present)

Thanks to a gift from the Berry Family Foundation and the Berry family, the University Honors Program launched the Berry Summer Thesis Institute in 2012. The institute introduces students in the University Honors Program to intensive research, scholarship opportunities and professional development. Each student pursues a 12-week summer thesis research project under the guidance of a UD faculty mentor. This contains the product of the students' research.

Contents:

• “How Porous Materials Affect the Boundary-Layer Transition of Hypersonic Flight Vehicles” (Megan C. Sieve)
• “Ultra-Stretchable, Self-Healing, DLP 3D-Printed Elastomers for Damage-Resistant Soft Robots: A Review” (Robert M. A. Drexler)
• “Extrapolation of Scalar …

Visual Complexity Of The Time-Frequency Image Pinpoints The Epileptogenic Zone: An Unsupervised Deep-Learning Tool To Analyze Interictal Intracranial Eeg, Sarvagya Gupta

Graduate Masters Theses

Epilepsy, a prevalent neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures, continues to pose significant challenges in diagnosis and treatment, particularly among children. Despite substantial advancements in medical technology and treatment modalities, localization of the part of brain that causes seizures (Epileptogenic Zone) remains a difficult task. Intracranial EEG (iEEG) is often used to estimate the epileptogenic zone (EZ) in children with drugresistant epilepsy (DRE) and target it during surgery. Conventionally, iEEG signals are inspected in the time domain by human experts aiming to locate epileptiform activity.

Visual scrutiny of the iEEG time-frequency (TF) images can be an alternative way to review …

Investigation Into The Load Transfer Mechanism Of Trees To Develop An Innovative Foundation Configuration Using 3d Finite Element Modeling, Kaleb Boland

All Theses

This study was inspired by a tree’s reliance on its root system that enables it to withstand a natural disaster, such as an extreme hydroclimatic event or hurricane. This curiosity has led to an investigation into what makes this possible, developing a new and innovative foundation configuration for infrastructure systems, and a new possible construction material and method. This study provides results on a material that does not have conventional testing procedures or standards: a tree root. The trees studied are common to the upstate of South Carolina, which are Pine, Sweetgum, and White Oak. According to the results, on …

Investigating The Potential Of A Cell-Based Gene Editing Therapy For Inherited Metabolic Liver Disease, Ilayda Ates

All Dissertations

Inherited metabolic diseases (IMDs) affecting the liver are relatively rare but collectively have a prevalence of 1 in 800 live births. These diseases result from autosomal recessive single-gene mutations, leading to organ dysfunction and potentially fatal consequences if left untreated. One potential therapeutic strategy for IMDs of the liver involves using CRISPR-Cas9-induced loss of function mutations. However, translating this approach into the clinic is limited by the need for safe and effective CRISPR delivery methods. Adeno-associated viral vectors (AAVs), commonly used for CRISPR delivery, are associated with significant safety and efficacy concerns, including risks for immunogenicity, off-target mutagenesis, and genotoxicity …

Measurement Of Conduction, Radiation, And Convection Thermal Energy To Assess Baking Performance In Residential Ovens., Sean Simpson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Residential ovens are complicated thermal environments capable of delivering convection, conduction, and radiation heat transfer to food. The amount and mode of heat transfer can change based on the design of the oven cavity, cooling systems, and oven cycle algorithms. Studies have shown that the changes in one heat transfer mode can have an impact on the quality of baked goods. The many variables involved make designing residential ovens a time consuming and costly process. The goal of this study is to adapt thermal energy sensing technology to collect energy data from a residential oven and develop correlations to quality …

Assessment Of Integrated Nutrient Management Practices On Soil Health And Nitrogen Efficiency In Cropping Systems, María José Oviedo Ventura

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Groundwater quality in Nebraska is threatened by non-point source contributions of nitrate-nitrogen, primarily by agricultural systems. Intensive crop and livestock production that neglects the value of manure in crop fertility plans can contribute to soil degradation and natural resource impairment. The purpose of this study is to evaluate opportunities to improve agricultural nutrient management throughout Nebraska by quantifying opportunities for manure distribution, evaluating soil health implications of organic and inorganic soil amendments, and assessing nutrient management practices focused on reducing nitrate leaching in agricultural soils.

This study described in Chapter 2 provides a spatial illustration of nitrogen and phosphorus balances …

Integrating Sensor Development, Risk Assessment, And Community Engagement To Support Environmental Justice In The Rural Community Of El Tiple, Colombia, David Bahamon Pinzon

All Dissertations

In Colombia, ethnic communities have traditionally been responsible stewards of natural resources. They recognize the importance of these resources for their livelihood, as well as their ancestral and cultural heritage. El Tiple, a rural Afro-Colombian community, has been affected by the incursion of private corporations that promoted the expansion of sugarcane monocrops in their territory. Since the introduction of the monoculture industry, local freshwater sources have been depleted due to intensive water use for irrigation of the sugarcane crops. Additionally, the intensive usage of agrochemicals has been linked with loss of native flora, damages to family farms, and pollution of …

Structures Of The Insecticidal Toxin Complex Subunit Xpta2 Highlight Roles For Flexible Domains, Cole L. Martin, David W. Chester, Christopher D. Radka, Lurong Pan, Zhengrong Yang, Rachel C. Hart, Elad M. Binshtein, Zhao Wang, Lisa Nagy, Lawrence J. Delucas, Stephen G. Aller

Markey Cancer Center Faculty Publications

The Toxin Complex (Tc) superfamily consists of toxin translocases that contribute to the targeting, delivery, and cytotoxicity of certain pathogenic Gram-negative bacteria. Membrane receptor targeting is driven by the A-subunit (TcA), which comprises IgG-like receptor binding domains (RBDs) at the surface. To better understand XptA2, an insect specific TcA secreted by the symbiont X. nematophilus from the intestine of entomopathogenic nematodes, we determined structures by X-ray crystallography and cryo-EM. Contrary to a previous report, XptA2 is pentameric. RBD-B exhibits an indentation from crystal packing that indicates loose association with the shell and a hotspot for possible receptor binding or a …

Protein L Functionalized Microparticles For Early Detection Of Surface Markers In Heterogeneous Colorectal Lesions, Saleh Ramezani

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths among both men and women worldwide, a statistic that can be improved with early detection. Increased understanding of the tumor landscape has identified surface antigens that can be utilized to distinguish normal and cancerous tissue lining the colonic lumen. Use of antibodies conjugated to nano/micromaterials offers a means to detect these antigens, however, the heterogeneous nature of tumors makes it unlikely that antibodies against a single antigen will have sufficient sensitivity and specificity to detect all tumors. A versatile micromaterial able to be functionalized with more than one targeting …

Photodynamic Therapy To Treat Triple Negative Breast Cancer In Vitro, Hunter S. Warren

All Theses

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most resilient form of breast cancer, being one of the leading causes of death for women and making up 7% of all cancer deaths. Photodynamic therapy (PDT) offers a minimally invasive solution to TNBC as a passive-targeting treatment that reduces the need for other well established yet harsh treatments that can be taxing on the patient. PDT involves the use of a high-energy red light on the area of a tumor injected with photosensitizers (PS) that generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the tumor, triggering cell death. The PS tetra(hydroxyphenyl)chlorin (m-THPC) was used …

The Effect Of Package Types On Fresh Peaches In The Direct-To-Consumer Distribution Environment, Brennan Lytle

All Theses

The direct-to-consumer (DTC) shipping mode presents new opportunity for fresh peach sales in North America where demand over the past four decades has steadily declined. The hazards in this distribution mode are severe, and fresh peaches are fragile emphasizing the need for proper protection. A full analysis that not only encompasses the effects of the direct-to-consumer distribution environment, but also incorporates analyses of the environmental and economic impact of the packages utilized for transit of peaches is necessary. In this study, we use the metrics of peach grade, firmness, soluble solids concentration, and percent softness before and after the distribution …

Survey Of How Irregularities In The Electrical System Of The Human Heart Link To Different Heart Arrhythmias, Jazmine Boloor

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis explores the circuital pathway that a signal takes within the heart throughout a full heartbeat and provides a timing analysis. It then surveys the different pathways that could arise in the electrical system of the heart, and the associated heart diseases linked to the location of each pathway. Common heart arrhythmias such as atrioventricular nodal reentrant tachycardia, atrioventricular reentrant tachycardia, atrial flutter, and atrial fibrillation are surveyed, and their pathways are analyzed. Electrocardiograms are presented to aid in understanding of the timing analysis associated with irregularity in heart function. Finally, this thesis explores an avenue of the heartbeat …

Methods To Study Activity Dependent Protein Synthesis In Autism Spectrum Disorder, Megan Webb, Karin F K Ejendal, Tamara L. Kinzer-Ursem

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

It is estimated by the World Health Organization that 1 in 100 children have autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a condition characterized by neurological differences that may impact a person’s learning or behavior. Clinically, ASD symptoms are alleviated with behavioral or pharmacological therapies, however, not all patients respond to these interventions. Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is a promising treatment of Parkinson’s disease that could also be effective in treating ASD. SynGAP1 is a protein involved in neuronal action that is crucial for regulating synaptic plasticity. Mutations in the SYNGAP1 gene causing haploinsufficiency can result in the manifestation of ASD symptoms. This …

Missing Value Imputation For Single Omics And Multi-Omics Data, Meng Song

Dissertations

The integration analyses of multi-omics data have the advantages of extending our understanding of biological system across multiple omics layers, unraveling the functional mechanism of complex disease development, and refining the discovery of novel drug targets. However, multi-omics studies often face challenges such as data heterogeneity, missing values problem, interpretability, and imbalance classes. Among these challenges, the missing values problem is a critical issue for large cohort studies as not all samples will get a complete measurement for all the omics layers. To address the problem of missing values in multi-omics data, I focused on the imputation of completely missing …

Serum Metabolomic Profiling For Colorectal Cancer Using Machine Learning, Ria Nur Puspa Sari, Diah Balqis Ikfi Hidayati, Arleni Bustami

Indonesian Journal of Medical Chemistry and Bioinformatics

Background: Colorectal cancer is one of the deadliest diseases with a high prevalence worldwide and is characterized by the appearance of adenomatous polyps in the colon mucosa which are at high risk of developing into colorectal cancer. This study aims to use serum metabolites as promising non-invasive biomarkers for colorectal cancer detection and prognostication. Differences in serum metabolites in patients with adenomatous polyps, colorectal cancer, and healthy controls are considered to be able to support the prognosis of colorectal cancer. Methods: Metabolite dataset is taken from the Metabolomic Workbench. Analysis and validation are carried out in silico using machine learning …

Coastal Environments: Mine Discharges And Infringements On Indigenous Peoples’ Rights, Charles Kerfoot, Gary Swain, Luis M. Verissimo, Erin Johnston, Carol Maclennan, Daniel Schneider, Noel Urban

Michigan Tech Publications

Over a century ago, copper mills on the Keweenaw Peninsula of Lake Superior sluiced 64 million metric tonnes (MMT) of tailings into coastal waters, creating a metal-rich “halo”. Here we show that relatively small discharges can spread widely in time and space. Mass Mill (2.9 MMT) dumping into Lake Superior also illustrates the complexity of interactions with Indigenous Peoples. A combination of aerial photos, LiDAR, and a microscope technique for distinguishing end-member particles traces the migration of tailings. The clay fraction spread rapidly across Keweenaw Bay and curled into terminal L’Anse Bay, within tribal Reservation boundaries. The coarse stamp sand …

Estudio Termoquímico Asistido Por Computadora De Los Polifenoles Presentes En La Fresa [Thermochemical Computer Assisted Study Of Polyphenols Presented In Strawberry], Federico Lopez, Jeimmy Rocio Bonilla Méndez, Luis Ricárdez Sandoval, Hiram Moya, Daniela Mainardi, Arturo González Quiroga, Jeffrey Leon-Pulido

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Las fresas son un alimento importante en Latinoamérica debido a sus componentes químicos, puesto que son una considerable fuente de calorías y polifenoles. Estos elementos son útiles por su capacidad antioxidante y otras propiedades beneficiosas para la salud. Sin embargo, la presión y la temperatura pueden llegar a afectar la integridad molecular de estos componentes, por lo tanto, en el proceso de producción de diferentes productos basados en fresas, se requiere estudiar las propiedades termoquímicas de los diferentes polifenoles presentes en esta fruta. Para ello, se extrajeron datos de las principales familias de polifenoles, antocianinas, flavanoles, flavonoles, ácidos hidroxibenzoicos y …

Wave Attenuation Through Mangrove Forest Using Lidar Representation, Elizabeth Bogan

LSU Master's Theses

Mangrove forests can be found along the world’s intertidal tropical and sub-tropical coastlines. These forested wetlands provide many ecosystem services, including supporting coastal food chains, trapping sediment, and shoreline stabilization. Mangroves are also known for flood damage mitigation by dissipating waves and surge during flooding events. Thus, coastal communities declare a vested interest in the performance of the forest to mitigate flood damage. Physical models using artificial mangrove structures have shown that red mangrove-dominated fringe forests can protect built infrastructure by reducing wave height due to increased drag. One way to estimate the contribution of red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) prop …

Multiple Ways To Implement And Infer Sentience, Nicolas Rouleau, Michael Levin

Animal Sentience

Segundo-Ortin & Calvo’s (S&C’s) thorough review of “plant neurobiology” presents evidence supporting the possibility of plant sentience. They make a compelling case that plants anticipate, assess risk, cooperate, mimic, and pursue goals, as do their animal counterparts. S&C point out that there is a double standard: behavioural patterns associated with subjective experiences in humans are considered valid for inferring cognition in non-human animals but not in diverse other systems including plants. We argue that cognitive functions, including sentience, can potentially be achieved by very different systems and their disparate substrates. We offer some context from the basal cognition literature and …

Biomat (Biomechanics Multiactivity Transformer) Model, Mohsen Sharifi Renani

BioMAT (Biomechanics Multiactivity Transformer)

No abstract provided.