Engineering Commons^™

Business Meeting Report (Secretary's And Treasurer's Report), Academy Editors

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Journal Acknowledgments And Editorial Board, Academy Editors

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

A Fully-Flexible Solution-Processed Autonomous Glucose Indicator, Jonathan D. Yuen, Ankit Baingane, Qumrul Hasan, Lisa C. Shriver-Lake, Scott A. Walper, Daniel Zabetakis, Joyce C. Breger, David A. Stenger, Gymama Slaughter

Bioelectrics Publications

We present the first demonstration of a fully-flexible, self-powered glucose indicator system that synergizes two flexible electronic technologies: a flexible self-powering unit in the form of a biofuel cell, with a flexible electronic device - a circuit-board decal fabricated with biocompatible microbial nanocellulose. Our proof-of-concept device, comprising an enzymatic glucose fuel cell, glucose sensor and a LED indicator, does not require additional electronic equipment for detection or verification; and the entire structure collapses into a microns-thin, self-adhering, single-centimeter-square decal, weighing less than 40 mg. The flexible glucose indicator system continuously operates a light emitting diode (LED) through a capacitive charge/discharge …

Effect Of Cold Atmospheric Plasma Treatment On The Metabolites Of Human Leukemia Cells, Dehui Xu, Ning Ning, Yujing Xu, Bingchuan Wang, Qingjie Cui, Zhijie Liu, Xiaohua Wang, Dingxin Liu, Hailan Chen, Michael G. Kong

Bioelectrics Publications

Background

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a typically fatal malignancy and new drug and treatment need to be developed for a better survival outcome. Cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) is a novel technology, which has been widely applied in biomedicine, especially in various of cancer treatment. However, the changes in cell metabolism after CAP treatment of leukemia cells have been rarely studied.

Methods

In this study, we investigated the metabolite profiling of plasma treatment on leukemia cells based on Gas Chromatography Tandem Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (GC-TOFMS). Simultaneously, we conducted a series of bioinformatics analysis of metabolites and metabolic pathways with significant …

A Biomimetic Approach To Controlling Restorative Robotics, Matthew T. Boots

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Movement is the only way a person can interact with the world around them. When trauma to the neuromuscular systems disrupts the control of movement, quality of life suffers. To restore limb functionality, active robotic interventions and/or rehabilitation are required. Unfortunately, the primary obstacle in a person’s recovery is the limited robustness of the human-machine interfaces. Current systems rely on control approaches that rely on the person to learn how the system works instead of the system being more intuitive and working with the person naturally. My research goal is to design intuitive control mechanisms based on biological processes termed …

New Types Of Neutrosophic Set/Logic/Probability, Neutrosophic Over-/ Under-/ Off Set, Neutrosophic Refined Set, And Their Extension To Plithogenic Set/Logic/Probability, With Applications, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

This international collective massive book, edited by Florentin Smarandache, has 716 pages, and represents the special issue on neutrosophic environment at SYMMETRY international journal (Scopus, Web of Science, IF: 2.143). The book contains 37 published papers, by 73 authors and coauthors, from 13 countries from around the world, in alphabetical order: China, Cuba, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Jordan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, Romania, Saudi Arabia, United Kingdom, and United States of America.

How To Balance Intuitive And Analytical Functions Of Brain: A Neutrosophic Way Of Scientific Discovery Process, Florentin Smarandache, Victor Christianto, Robert Neil Boyd

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

Initially this article stems from our discussion on math and mysticism, inspired by an article by Ralph Abraham. But it becomes a discussion on the role of intuition and inspiration in scientific discovery process. Hopefully this article will help anyone who aspires to be good scientists or engineers.

1995-2005: A Decade Of Innovation In Low Temperature Plasma And Its Applications, Mounir Laroussi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Scientific breakthroughs tend to come in spurts when unique societal, economical, and political circumstances conspire (knowingly or unknowingly) and create an environment ripe for creativity. The field of low temperature plasma (LTP) recently experienced such an upheaval, which this paper attempts to relate in some details. There have been “roadmap” papers published before, which look towards the future of the field, but all roads start somewhere and even “new” roads are often paved over older roads that were discovered and traveled by early pioneers. With the sharp decrease in funding for fusion research in the USA in the early 1990s …

Stress State Analysis And Tensile-Shear Fracture Criterion In Combined Puncture And Cutting Of Soft Materials, Ennouri Triki, Chantal Gauvin

Études primaires

The mechanics of the combined puncture and cutting of protective materials by a pointed blade are studied theoretically and experimentally, by means of stress state analysis. Through analysis of the stresses occurring during the puncture cutting of a variety of neoprene and nitrile rubber membranes by pointed blades with different cutting-edge angles, a force state of pushing/shear-dependent loading is formulated and discussed. By considering this combined loading as an asymmetric fracture, two equations—for pushing force component and shear force component—are then derived from the stress intensity factors. From this stress analysis, a model based on fracture mechanics theory is developed …

Platelet Biology And Thrombosis: Juul E-Cigarette Exposure And 5ht2a Receptor Drug Discovery, Jean Emmanuel Montes Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

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Glioma Grading Using Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging And Molecular Data, Syed M.S. Reza, Manar D. Samad, Zeina A. Shboul, Karra A. Jones, Khan M. Iftekharuddin

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

A glioma grading method using conventional structural magnetic resonance image (MRI) and molecular data from patients is proposed. The noninvasive grading of glioma tumors is obtained using multiple radiomic texture features including dynamic texture analysis, multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis, and multiresolution fractal Brownian motion in structural MRI. The proposed method is evaluated using two multicenter MRI datasets: (1) the brain tumor segmentation (BRATS-2017) challenge for high-grade versus low-grade (LG) and (2) the cancer imaging archive (TCIA) repository for glioblastoma (GBM) versus LG glioma grading. The grading performance using MRI is compared with that of digital pathology (DP) images in the …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Nanofiber Nylon-6-Mwcnt As An Electrochemical Sensor For Sodium Ions Concentration Detection In Sweat, Kelsey Mills

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Fabrication and characterization nylon-6-MWCNT nanofiber as an electrochemical sensor to detect sodium ion concentrations specifically in sweat. Using contact angle to determine surface morphology and chronoamperometry testing to identify ideal sensor conditions, tests optimized parameters like weight percent of nylon or other polymers, carbon nanotube (CNT) isomer, and solution concentration to determine reproducibility of functional sensors. Utilizing the electric qualities of carbon nanotubes partnered with the sodium ion selectivity of calixarene treatment and polymers unique properties like flexibility and scalability create open an arena for optimizing sodium ion sensors for further development for functional prototypes. Morphology tests showed that the …

Quickcough: An Instrumentational Proximal Airway Clearance Technique (Act) For Select Patients With Neuromuscular Disease (Nmd), Sean X. Sullivan, Russell K. Catania, Madison K. Plaster, Sydney E. Kandray, Mariah Costa

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Patients with neuromuscular disease (NMD) requiring tracheostomy and mechanical ventilation secondary to respiratory failure encounter increased difficulty in removing pulmonary secretions from the airways. To combat issues associated with current treatment modalities for insufficient cough efficacy (cost, poor mobility, discomfort, lack of evidence), we have developed an instrumentational proximal airway clearance technique (ACT) which augments a manual proximal ACT developed by a client with NMD. QuickCough is a 3D-printed PLA attachment to the tracheostomy apparatus which has demonstrated its ability to facilitate pressure changes necessary to increase patient’s peak cough flow (PCF) by providing a stronger exsufflation for the patient. …

Multidimensional Mass Spectrometry Of Chemonic™ Ccg-6 Nonionic Surfactant With Separation By Polarity And Shape, Charles Johnson

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Chemonic™ CCG-6 surfactant is a water-soluble poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) conjugated alkyl glyceride emollient. This surfactant exists as a complex mixture of a glycerol cores conjugated with poly(ethylene glycol) branches (PEGylation) that were partially esterified with caprylic (C8) and capric (C10) acids. These may be esterified on one, two, or all three arms of the glyceride. The architecture of the structures in this mixture was studied using multidimensional mass spectrometry (MS). Mass spectrometry was interfaced with ultra-performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) and ion mobility (IM) separation. The mixture was separated by reversed-phase LC, oligomers of the star-branched polymer were separated according to …

Development And Exploration Of A Z-Shaped Foot And Ankle Internal Fixation Plate, Rhaz Shaghaghi Paul, Ian Hames, Sean Rich

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper will detail the design process of developing a Z-shaped foot and ankle internal fixation plating system. Group 6: Plates for the Sole was made up of 5 team members, who worked together to accommodate their client’s request to complete a biomechanical analysis of a Z-Plate design and a construct a prototype. The Z-Plate’s purpose is to provide podiatrists with a new solution that can fit nicely on the small, irregular bones of the foot, while also remaining strong enough to withstand the forces and torques of the foot.

A Game-Theoretic Approach To Share The Costs Of Cooperating Healthcare Networks, Jay M. Lightfoot

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

The growing demand for healthcare services combined with the disarray in the health insurance market in the United States has created a situation where rival health networks are aggressively competing by building duplicate health facilities and providing redundant services in localized geographic regions. Unfortunately, this strategy can reduce the quality of patient care and decrease profits (Kaissi & Charland, 2013). A solution to this problem is for health networks to cooperate and share healthcare equipment, facilities, and personnel. Toward that end, this paper presents a game-theoretic method that can share these costs in a fair, efficient, and repeatable manner.

Mobile Iot Adoption As Antecedent To Care-Service Efficiency And Improvement: Empirical Study In Healthcare-Context, Samyadip Chakraborty, Vaidik Bhatt

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Internet of things (IoT) is the buzzword and pioneering breakthrough approach highlighted in today’s industry 4.0, where the devices are seamlessly integrated with each other, sharing vital information in real-time sync. With the wearable IoT devices, the diagnostic readings and physical measurements of the patients can be shared with the physician on the go and suitable diagnosis can as well be shared with patient in the real-time on their own mobile devices through IoT applications. This study empirically examines the importance of m-IoT adoption on the information pervasiveness across the network and patient stakeholders and in turn investigating how efficiency …

Translational Modeling Of Non-Invasive Electrical Stimulation, Dennis Quangvinh Truong

Dissertations and Theses

Seminal work in the early 2000’s demonstrated the effect of low amplitude non-invasive electrical stimulation in people using neurophysiological measures (motor evoked potentials, MEPs). Clinical applications of transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS) have since proliferated, though the mechanisms are not fully understood. Efforts to refine the technique to improve results are on-going as are mechanistic studies both in vivo and in vitro. Volume conduction models are being applied to these areas of research, especially in the design and analysis of clinical montages. However, additional research on the parameterization of models remains.

In this dissertation, Finite Element Method (FEM) models of …

A Transfer Matrix Model Of The Iec 60318-4 Ear Simulator: Application To The Simulation Of Earplug Insertion Loss, Yu Luan, Franck Sgard, Simon Benacchio, Hugues Nélisse, Olivier Doutres

Études primaires

The IEC 60318-4 ear simulator is used to measure the insertion loss (IL) of earplugs in the ear canal of an acoustical test fixture (ATF) and is designed to represent an average acoustic impedance (in a reference plane) of the human ear. The ear simulator is usually modeled using a lumped parameter model (LPM) which has frequency limitations and inadequately accounts for the thermo-viscous effects in the simulator. The simulator numerical models that can better deal with the thermo-viscous phenomena often lack essential geometric details. Most related studies also suffer from the lack of experimental validation of the models. Therefore, …

Use Of Magnetic Resonance Image Registration To Estimate Displacement In The Human Earcanal Due To The Insertion Of In-Ear Devices, Simon Benacchio, Olivier Doutres, Arthur Varoquaux, Éric Wagnac, Arnaud Le Troter, Virginie Callot, Franck Sgard

Études primaires

In-ear devices are used in a wide range of applications for which the device's usability and/or efficiency is strongly related to comfort aspects that are influenced by the mechanical interaction between the device and the walls of the earcanal. Although the displacement of the earcanal walls due to the insertion of the device is an important characteristic of this interaction, existing studies on this subject are very limited. This paper proposes a method to estimate this displacement in vivo using a registration technique on magnetic resonance images. The amplitude, the location and the direction of the earcanal wall displacement are …

Let’S Face It: The Effect Of Orthognathic Surgery On Facial Recognition Algorithm Analysis, Carolyn Bradford Dragon

Theses and Dissertations

Aim: To evaluate the ability of a publicly available facial recognition application program interface (API) to calculate similarity scores for pre- and post-surgical photographs of patients undergoing orthognathic surgeries. Our primary objective was to identify which surgical procedure(s) had the greatest effect(s) on similarity score.

Methods: Standard treatment progress photographs for 25 retrospectively identified, orthodontic-orthognathic patients were analyzed using the API to calculate similarity scores between the pre- and post-surgical photographs. Photographs from two pre-surgical timepoints were compared as controls. Both relaxed and smiling photographs were included in the study to assess for the added impact of facial pose on …

Towards The Rational Design And Application Of Polymers For Gene Therapy: Internalization And Intracellular Fate, Landon Alexander Mott

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Gene therapy is an approach for the treatment of acquired cancers, infectious disease, degenerative disease, and inherited genetic indications. Developments in the fields of immunotherapies and CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing are revitalizing the efforts to move gene therapy to the forefront of modern medicine. However, slow progress and poor clinical outcomes have plagued the field due to regulatory and safety concerns associated with the flagship delivery vector, the recombinant virus. Immunogenicity and poor transduction in certain cell types severely limits the utility of viruses as a delivery agent of nucleic acids. As a result, significant efforts are being made to develop …

Nanostructured Materials For Food Applications: Spectroscopy, Microscopy And Physical Properties, Shubham Sharma, Swana Jaiswal, Brendan Duffy, Amit Jaiswal

Articles

Nanotechnology deals with the matter of atomic or molecular scale. Other factors that define the character of a nanoparticle are its physical and chemical properties, such as surface area, surface charge, hydrophobicity of the surface, the thermal stability of the nanoparticle, and its antimicrobial activity. A nanoparticle is usually characterized by using microscopic and spectroscopic techniques. Microscopic techniques are used to characterize the size, shape, and location of the nanoparticle by producing an image of the individual nanoparticle. Several techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy/high resolution transmission electron microscopy (TEM/HRTEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning …

Feature-Guided Deep Radiomics For Glioblastoma Patient Survival Prediction, Zeina A. Shboul, Mahbubul Alam, Lasitha Vidyaratne, Linmin Pei, Mohamed I. Elbakary, Khan M. Iftekharuddin

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Glioblastoma is recognized as World Health Organization (WHO) grade IV glioma with an aggressive growth pattern. The current clinical practice in diagnosis and prognosis of Glioblastoma using MRI involves multiple steps including manual tumor sizing. Accurate identification and segmentation of multiple abnormal tissues within tumor volume in MRI is essential for precise survival prediction. Manual tumor and abnormal tissue detection and sizing are tedious, and subject to inter-observer variability. Consequently, this work proposes a fully automated MRI-based glioblastoma and abnormal tissue segmentation, and survival prediction framework. The framework includes radiomics feature-guided deep neural network methods for tumor tissue segmentation; followed …

Eralpha Isoforms Modulate The Tumorigenicity Of 24r,25(Oh)2d3 In Estrogen-Responsive Cancer, Anjali Verma

Theses and Dissertations

Over 200,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed every year. Nearly 20% of these patients supplement their diets with some form of vitamin D. This high frequency of vitamin D supplement use may be due in part to research suggesting that cancer patients with higher serum vitamin D₃ levels have better prognoses than patients with low serum vitamin D_3. However, double-blind clinical trials on the efficacy of vitamin D₃ supplementation in breast cancer have been inconclusive. A recent meta-analysis showed evidence of reduced cancer recurrence in patients taking vitamin D₃ supplements who had ‘estrogen receptor positive’ …

Social Impacts Of Climate Change And Occupational Heat Stress And Adaptation Strategies Of Mining Workers In Ghana, Victor Fannam Nunfam

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Excessive heat exposure due to rising temperatures associated with climate change adversely affects workers’ health, safety, productivity, and psychosocial well-being in occupational settings. In the hot and tropical regions of developing countries, long hours of physically demanding work, coupled with inadequate adaptation policies to climate change, increases the occurrence of heat-related illnesses and injuries, and contributes to the loss of productive capacity, poor decision making, and other negative effects on the social well-being of workers.

Based on the theories of social impact assessment, risk assessment, adaptation and resilience planning, this study assesses the social impacts of climate change and occupational …

Real-Time Classification Of Multivariate Olfaction Data Using Spiking Neural Networks, Arnup Vanarse, Adam Osseiran, Alexander Rassau, Therese O'Sullivan, Jonny Lo, Amanda Devine

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Recent studies in bioinspired artificial olfaction, especially those detailing the application of spike-based neuromorphic methods, have led to promising developments towards overcoming the limitations of traditional approaches, such as complexity in handling multivariate data, computational and power requirements, poor accuracy, and substantial delay for processing and classification of odors. Rank-order-based olfactory systems provide an interesting approach for detection of target gases by encoding multi-variate data generated by artificial olfactory systems into temporal signatures. However, the utilization of traditional pattern-matching methods and unpredictable shuffling of spikes in the rank-order impedes the performance of the system. In this paper, we present an …

3d Printing In Low Resource Healthcare Settings: Analysis Of Potential Implementations, Alenna Beroza

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

3D printing has gained significant momentum in the past ten years, and its unique advantages make it especially ideal for use in low resource healthcare settings, where many designs have already been successfully implemented. Yet, little has been studied on how 3D printing can be sustainably and functionally implemented in low resource healthcare systems as a manufacturing practice. In this report, three business models are proposed for this implementation: In-House Operator, Independent Operator, and Print Farm. These models were then tested over four months in Kisumu county, Kenya, at two workshops and seven public hospitals. I worked with local medical …

Analysis Of User Preference With N95 And Powered Air-Purifying Respirators In A Healthcare Work Environment, Brittany Renee Carver

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

For those working in the healthcare field, personal protective equipment is vital. Healthcare workers are often first responders when it comes to dealing with patients who are infected or when a disease outbreak occurs. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires all healthcare operations to provide employee protection against blood borne pathogens. With the increase of life-threatening disease outbreaks, such as SARS in 2003 and Ebola in 2014, it is of the upmost importance to make sure respirators are best suited for users and acceptable for long term use. It has been shown through previous studies that due to …

Performance Study Of An Unconventional Breathresponse Papr Against A N95 Ffr And Conventional Paprs, Huihui Yang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Healthcare workers (HCWs) are the first responders when infectious pathogens occur. Powered air-purifying respirators (PAPRs) are one of the most widely used personal protective equipment for healthcare workers. Currently, few studies have been performed with HCWs in the actual healthcare work environments to assess discomforts, acceptance and protective efficiency towards wearing and use of PAPRs. The main purpose of this dissertation was to introduce and assess a brand new unconventional PAPR (Koken breath-response PAPR). The protection performance and user preferance of this unconventional PAPR were studided and compared to that of a N95 FFR and traditional PAPRs.

Firstly, a laboratory …