Engineering Commons^™

Design And Control Of Next-Generation Uavs For Effectively Interacting With Environments, Caiwu Ding

Dissertations

In this dissertation, the design and control of a novel multirotor for aerial manipulation is studied, with the aim of endowing the aerial vehicle with more degrees of freedom of motion and stability when interacting with the environments. Firstly, it presents an energy-efficient adaptive robust tracking control method for a class of fully actuated, thrust vectoring unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) with parametric uncertainties including unknown moment of inertia, mass and center of mass, which would occur in aerial maneuvering and manipulation. The effectiveness of this method is demonstrated through simulation. Secondly, a humanoid robot arm is adopted to serve as …

Atmospheric Mercury Chemistry: Detection, Kinetics, And Mechanism, Na Mao

Dissertations

The presence of mercury in the environment is of global concern due to its toxicity. The atmosphere is an important transient reservoir for mercury released by human activities and natural sources. The knowledge of atmospheric mercury chemistry is critical for understanding the global biogeochemical cycle. In the atmosphere, mercury primarily exists in three forms: gaseous elemental mercury (GEM), gaseous oxidized mercury (GOM), and particulate-bound mercury (PBM). Over the last decade, the existing knowledge of mercury cycle has dramatically changed: (1) There has been increasing evidence that current detection methods do not accurately quantify gaseous oxidized mercury and a technique which …

Towards A Cross-Layer Coupled Design Framework For Big Data Workflows, Qianwen Ye

Dissertations

The processing and analysis of big data increasingly rely on workflow technologies for knowledge discovery and scientific innovation. The execution of such workflows goes far beyond the capability and capacity of single computers and is now commonly supported on reliable and scalable data storage and analysis platforms in distributed environments, such as the Hadoop ecosystem. Workflow performance largely depends on how big data systems are configured and used. For example, the makespan of a big data workflow is affected by multiple layers of big data systems, including the parallel computing engine it runs on, the resource manager that orchestrates various …

Assessing Structural And Functional Brain Alterations And Work-Related Fatigue In Non-Hyposmic And Hyposmic Covid-19 Survivors, Rakibul Hafiz

Dissertations

In the year 2019, life began to change at the advent of a global pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus. Mask mandates and mass vaccinations have mitigated the effects significantly, yet cases keep rising with new variants, especially, in densely populated countries, like India. Recent neuroimaging evidence shows the virus can attack the central nervous system (CNS). However, exactly which brain regions undergo structural and functional changes remain largely unknown. Many patients experience 'loss of/reduced sense of smell' (i.e., hyposmic) and an alarming number of survivors develop persistent symptoms ('long-COVID') for several months after initial infection. Fatigue is the most …

Reactive Iron Mineral Coatings In Redox Transition Zones Of A Site With Historical Contamination: Abiotic Attenuation, Xin Yin

Dissertations

Reactive iron mineral coatings are found throughout reduction-oxidation (redox) transition zones and play a significant role in contaminant transformation processes. In this study, an 18.3-meter core is collected, subsampled, and preserved under anoxic conditions to maintain its original redox state. Screening analyses are conducted at sampling increments of 5.08 cm in depth for the following: elemental concentrations with X-ray fluorescence (XRF), sediment pH, sediment oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), total volatile organic carbon (TVOC) in the sample headspace, and abundant bacteria (16S rRNA sequencing). Using the Fe and S gradients correlated with microbial data, five RTZs are delineated. To characterize iron mineral …

Private Information Retrieval And Function Computation For Noncolluding Coded Databases, Sarah A. Obead

Dissertations

The rapid development of information and communication technologies has motivated many data-centric paradigms such as big data and cloud computing. The resulting paradigmatic shift to cloud/network-centric applications and the accessibility of information over public networking platforms has brought information privacy to the focal point of current research challenges. Motivated by the emerging privacy concerns, the problem of private information retrieval (PIR), a standard problem of information privacy that originated in theoretical computer science, has recently attracted much attention in the information theory and coding communities. The goal of PIR is to allow a user to download a message from a …

The Impact Of Material And Environmental Properties On The Ettringite - Metaettringite Thermochemical Reaction, Aaron Strand

Dissertations

The use of energy is an essential need for people, with demand constantly increasing due to an increasing population and an increase in living and comfort standards. Since 1965, world energy consumption has quadrupled. During peak utilization, the strain on the grid infrastructure can be immense. As energy demand fluctuates during different times of the day and year, the energy production needs to scale accordingly This creates inefficiencies within the system such as over building generation capacity or losses from start up or ramping up production. This can be alleviated through load leveling where excess energy generated during low demand …

Design Of Self-Assembled Peptides For Wound Healing, Ka-Kyung Kim

Dissertations

According to the CDC, 15% of diabetic patients develop diabetic foot ulcers (DFU) and approximately 170,000 patients undergo non-traumatic amputation annually. DFU is a major complication of diabetes caused by non-healing full-thickness wounds through the dermis. The current treatments include blood sugar control, frequent debridement, offloading, moist wound care, infection treatment, and amputation. To achieve wound closure of DFU, appropriate wound care and antibiotic therapy are essential. Topical regimens include hydrocolloids, alginates, foam, silver-impregnated dressings, and hydrogels. Wound healing is a complex and dynamic interplay between the immune system, keratinocytes, and dermal cells (in case of cutaneous wound). Angiogenesis has …

Un-Fair Trojan: Targeted Backdoor Attacks Against Model Fairness, Nicholas Furth

Theses

Machine learning models have been shown to be vulnerable against various backdoor and data poisoning attacks that adversely affect model behavior. Additionally, these attacks have been shown to make unfair predictions with respect to certain protected features. In federated learning, multiple local models contribute to a single global model communicating only using local gradients, the issue of attacks become more prevalent and complex. Previously published works revolve around solving these issues both individually and jointly. However, there has been little study on the effects of attacks against model fairness. Demonstrated in this work, a flexible attack, which we call Un-Fair …

Quantitative Dynamic Cellular Imaging Based On 3d Unwrapped Optical Coherence Phase Microscopy, Arunkumar Gunasekar

Theses

Phase wrapping artifacts are frequently encountered in phase resolved imaging and sensing techniques based on interferometry. When the value of the actual phase (φ) ranges beyond (-π, π], the extracted phase value (wrapped phase Ψ) is artificially increased or decreased by a multiple of 2π.

In this study, we develop a 3D phase unwrapping method that exploits the correlation of 3D phase data (φ(x,y,t)) over the other dimension (t). We validate our 3D unwrapping method using simulated data, as well as experimental data obtained by optically computed phase microscopy (OCPM) recently developed in our lab. Our results show that the …

A Detailed Parameter Study Into The Dermal Absorption Of Chemical Warfare Agents And The Effects Of Pharmacokinetics, Koko Lear

Theses

Chemical warfare agents (CWAs) are substances of varying toxicity profiles. These chemicals exhibit complex dynamics and pose a serious health risk when released into the environment. A mathematical model based on Fick’s second law of diffusion was developed to comprehend how these compounds were absorbed into the skin. The analysis applied to both small and large doses and, successfully, predicted experimental results. This work also includes the effects of CWA physicochemical properties on evaporation and dermal absorption through the stratum corneum. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to assess the impacts of small variations in the initial dose, environmental conditions, and …

The Interconnection Of The Vestibular And Oculomotor Systems Analyzed In Healthy Young Adults By Examining Postural Sway, Cassandra Martin

Theses

In order to study the human brain in a non-invasive way, the vestibular and oculomotor systems have been analyzed simultaneously. To achieve this, an eye movement and balance assessment was conducted for 29 (23 male; 21.6 ± 3.8 years) healthy participants with no history of concussions, brain injuries, vertigo, migraines, brain surgeries, eye surgeries, or amblyopia. The tasks consisted of eyes open, eyes closed, horizontal saccades, vertical saccades, vergence jumps, horizontal vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), and vertical VOR. Each task was completed in two stances: feet shoulder width apart and feet together. Distance, velocity, sway area, center of pressure (COP) frequency, …

Steam Explores Project Based Assessments, Erica Luvone, Loretta Radulic, Joe Mondanaro, Nicole Acevedo, Erika Dent, Ann Rhodes

STEM Month

This year, our approach to STEAM explores project based assessments in the disciplines of science and social studies. Students work in groups to produce projects that showcase work and proficiency. These projects are presented, displayed, discussed, and revisited or revised at student discretion.

Steam Report By Siri Ojamaa, Jacqueline Docampo

STEM Month

My name is Siri Ojamaa I am in 5th grade at Theadore Roosevelt school. I live in Weehawken, NJ. I really love Steam and I wanted to tell you about my experience with Steam

Steam Report By Summer Diaz, Summer Diaz

STEM Month

Hi, my name is Summer Diaz. I am 10 years old and a student at Theodore Roosevelt School (TRS) in Weehawken. I am here to talk to you about my process through STEAM. STEAM is a very important and difficult task to do because I have done many projects involving STEAM like my Umbrella Holder that I made when I was 8 in 3rd grade. Which prevents having so much groceries in your hand when it’s raining so you only have to hold one thing. Then my most recent project is Finder which prevents you from losing your lost devices.

3 Stem Projects By Fares Soliman, Fares Soliman

STEM Month

My name is Fares Soliman. I am a fourth grade student from John Hill School Boonton NJ. I created a 3 STEM project. The first project that I made was a doll. I used pink yarn for the dress and brown yarn for the hair. I also used a round wooden ball for the face. The second project that I created was a diorama of a farm. I put some grass, trees, a barn, hay sticks, some animals, a bridge, a fence, some plastic food and corn for the crop. My third project was a diorama of a park. It …

Students Interest And Thoughts On Stem, Chrisitine Girtain

STEM Month

I am Juan Sebastian Bohorquez Mora, I am a sophomore student at Toms River High School North. I am interested in biofuels because I believe they are a good option to replace fossil fuels. I am also interested in duckweed because biofuels are made out of crops, and people need to eat those crops. That’s when duckweed comes in and it can be used as a feedstock for ethanol production which is a biofuel. Bioethanol is a type of biofuel and it is derived from the corn’s starch. Instead of making ethanol from the corn’s starch, we can use duckweed …

Learning's In Stem, Victoria Arms

STEM Month

Can you share something you have learned related to a STEM topic you feel is important?

Answer: A stem topic I feel is important is math because you can learn many equation’s.

Can you explain why that topic is important to you, their families and communities? Answer: The topic that is important to our families and community is important because you can grow smarter and can learn a lot of things.

Mrs.Arms class.

School's Approach To Science, Technology, Engineering, And Math (Stem), Alissa Schonmann, Mark Maire, C. Lionbailey, A. Kramar, Lindsay Vieira

STEM Month

We have a huge emphasis on STEAM in our school district. Our curriculum focuses on student-led hands-on challenges. Students are given problems to solve and they use the Engineering Design Process to come up with creative solutions. Although we like the solutions that students come up with, we emphasize the journey through the entire process. Students understand that even though they have a solution, they can still reflect on how they could improve their work further. We are fortunate enough to have an abundance of technologies in our beautiful STEAM Lab. The STEAM Lab is equipped with VR stations, 3D …

Design And Implementation Of Photovoltaic Energy Harvesting Automaton, Iskandar Askarov

Theses

Global domestic electricity consumption has been rapidly increasing in the past three decades. In fact, from 1990 to 2020, consumption has more than doubled from 10,120 TWh to 23,177 TWh [1]. Moreover, consumers have been turning more towards clean, renewable energy sources such as Photovoltaic. According to International Energy Agency, global Solar power generation alone in 2019 has reached almost 3% [4] of the electricity supply. Even though the efficiency of photovoltaic panels has been growing, presently, the highest efficiency solar panels available to an average consumer range only from 20%-22% [14]. Many research papers have been published to increase …

Crash Injury Severity Prediction With Artificial Neural Networks, Rima Abisaad

Dissertations

Motor vehicle crashes are one of our nation's most serious social, economic and health issues. They are the leading cause of death among children and young adults, killing approximately 1.35 million people each year. Providing a safe and efficient transportation system is the primary goal of transportation engineering and planning. To help reduce traffic fatalities and injuries on roadways, crash prediction models are used to forecast the injury severity of potential crashes and apply precautionary countermeasures accordingly. Most of these models are reactive as they use historical crash data to categorize crash-related factors. Recently, advancements have been made in developing …

Statistics-Based Anomaly Detection And Correction Method For Amazon Customer Reviews, Ishani Chatterjee

Dissertations

People nowadays use the Internet to project their assessments, impressions, ideas, and observations about various subjects or products on numerous social networking sites. These sites serve as a great source of gathering information for data analytics, sentiment analysis, natural language processing, etc. The most critical challenge is interpreting this data and capturing the sentiment behind these expressions. Sentiment analysis is analyzing, processing, concluding, and inferencing subjective texts with the views. Companies use sentiment analysis to understand public opinions, perform market research, analyze brand reputation, recognize customer experiences, and study social media influence. According to the different needs for aspect granularity, …

Machine Learning Techniques For Network Analysis, Irfan Lateef

Dissertations

The network's size and the traffic on it are both increasing exponentially, making it difficult to look at its behavior holistically and address challenges by looking at link level behavior. It is possible that there are casual relationships between links of a network that are not directly connected and which may not be obvious to observe. The goal of this dissertation is to study and characterize the behavior of the entire network by using eigensubspace based techniques and apply them to network traffic engineering applications.

A new method that uses the joint time-frequency interpretation of eigensubspace representation for network statistics …

Coherent Control Of Dispersive Waves, Jimmie Adriazola

Dissertations

This dissertation addresses some of the various issues which can arise when posing and solving optimization problems constrained by dispersive physics. Considered here are four technologically relevant experiments, each having their own unique challenges and physical settings including ultra-cold quantum fluids trapped by an external field, paraxial light propagation through a gradient index of refraction, light propagation in periodic photonic crystals, and surface gravity water waves over shallow and variable seabeds. In each of these settings, the physics can be modeled by dispersive wave equations, and the technological objective is to design the external trapping fields or propagation media such …

Iii-Nitride Nanostructures: Photonics And Memory Device Applications, Barsha Jain

Dissertations

III-nitride materials are extensively studied for various applications. Particularly, III-nitride-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have become the major component of the current solid-state lighting (SSL) technology. Current III-nitride-based phosphor-free white color LEDs (White LEDs) require an electron blocking layer (EBL) between the device active region and p-GaN to control the electron overflow from the active region, which has been identified as one of the primary reasons to adversely affect the hole injection process. In this dissertation, the effect of electronically coupled quantum well (QW) is investigated to reduce electron overflow in the InGaN/GaN dot-in-a-wire phosphor-free white LEDs and to improve the …

Hydrophobically Modified Isosorbide Dimethacrylates As Biomaterials For Bisphenol A Free Dental Fillings, Bilal Marie

Dissertations

Amalgam and Bisphenol A glycerolate dimethacrylate (BisGMA) are the main dental filling materials in use today. Because of the negative perception of amalgam and its lower esthetic appeal, as well as the desire to replace the endocrine disruptor Bisphenol A, which is the building block of BisGMA, there has been a critical need to search for safer alternatives to these dental filling materials.

Isosorbide is a sugar-based molecule generally recognized as safe. It has been extensively studied as a replacement to the Bisphenol A core in various materials. However, isosorbide is extremely hygroscopic, and water uptake in dental fillings causes …

A Vacuum-Driven Distillation Technology Of Aqueous Solutions And Mixtures, Guo Guangyu

Dissertations

Distillation of aqueous solutions and aqueous mixtures has vast industrial applications, including desalination, wastewater treatment, and fruit juice concentration. Currently, two major distillation technologies are adopted in the industry, membrane separation and thermal distillation. However, both of them face certain inevitable drawbacks. Membrane separation has disadvantages as relying on high-grade energy, requiring membrane, fouling problem, narrow treatment range, limited scalability, and vibrating and noisy operating conditions. Traditional thermal distillation technologies can avoid above concerns but has other shortcomings, such as relatively low energy efficiency and yield rate, complicated and bulky system structure, and scaling problem.

This project proposes an innovative …

On Resource-Efficiency And Performance Optimization In Big Data Computing And Networking Using Machine Learning, Wuji Liu

Dissertations

Due to the rapid transition from traditional experiment-based approaches to large-scale, computational intensive simulations, next-generation scientific applications typically involve complex numerical modeling and extreme-scale simulations. Such model-based simulations oftentimes generate colossal amounts of data, which must be transferred over high-performance network (HPN) infrastructures to remote sites and analyzed against experimental or observation data on high-performance computing (HPC) facility. Optimizing the performance of both data transfer in HPN and simulation-based model development on HPC is critical to enabling and accelerating knowledge discovery and scientific innovation. However, such processes generally involve an enormous set of attributes including domain-specific model parameters, network transport …

Electro-Chemo-Mechanics Of The Interfaces In 2d-3d Heterostructure Electrodes, Vidushi Sharma

Dissertations

Unique heterostructure electrodes comprising two-dimensional (2D) materials and bulk three dimensional (3D) high-performance active electrodes are recently synthesized and experimentally tested for their electrochemical performance in metal-ion batteries. Such electrodes exhibit long cycle life while they also retain high-capacity inherent to the active electrode. The role of 2D material is to provide a supportive mesh that allows buffer space for volume expansions upon ion intercalation in the active material and establishes a continuous electronic contact. Therefore, the binding strength between both materials is crucial for the success of such electrodes. Furthermore, battery cycles may bring about phase transformations in the …

Experimental And Computational Studies Of Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes For Use In Energy Storage Devices And Membranes, Emine S. Karaman

Dissertations

Electrolytes with good interfacial stability are a crucial component of any electrochemical device. The development of novel gel polymer electrolytes (GEs) with good interface stability and better manufacturability is important for the development of the next generation electrochemical devices. Gel electrolytes are hybrid electrolyte materials, combining benefits of both liquid and solid systems. Compared with liquid and solid electrolytes, GEs open new design opportunities and do not require rigorous encapsulation methods. In this dissertation, studies on functionalized carbon nanotubes (fCNTs) and graphene oxide (GO) doped polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) based gel electrolytes (GEs) are reported. The ionic conductivity and mechanical strength …