Engineering Commons^™

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 …

A Practical Approach To Automated Software Correctness Enhancement, Aleksandr Zakharchenko

Dissertations

To repair an incorrect program does not mean to make it correct; it only means to make it more-correct, in some sense, than it is. In the absence of a concept of relative correctness, i.e. the property of a program to be more-correct than another with respect to a specification, the discipline of program repair has resorted to various approximations of absolute (traditional) correctness, with varying degrees of success. This shortcoming is concealed by the fact that most program repair tools are tested on basic cases, whence making them absolutely correct is not clearly distinguishable from making them relatively more-correct. …

Scalable Scientific Data Management On High-Performance Computing Systems, Zhenbo Qiao

Dissertations

As high-performance computing (HPC) is being scaled up to exascale to accommodate new modeling and simulation needs, I/O has continued to be a major bottleneck in the end-to-end scientific processes. To bridge the widening gap between compute and I/O, and enable data to be more efficiently stored and analyzed, simulation outputs need to be refactored, reduced, and appropriately mapped to storage tiers. Also, a major question that the community is striving to answer is how to co-design data storage and complex physics-rich analytics in a way that the time to knowledge can be minimized in post-processing. As HPC storage systems …

Hydrodynamic Characterization Of Laboratory And Production Equipment For Pharmaceutical Testing And Manufacturing Using Experimental And Computational Approaches, Chadakarn Sirasitthichoke

Dissertations

The hydrodynamics of process units used in pharmaceutical industry, i.e., the distribution of velocity profiles and shear stresses within the vessel, often controls the process performance, significantly affecting product quality. The hydrodynamics is strongly influenced by several factors such as the vessel shape, stirrer type, presence of internals and baffles, agitation intensity, and liquid properties. Most of these parameters can be varied by the process designers and the operators to achieve the desired process outcomes. The impact of the hydrodynamics on the process outcome can be profound in both large vessels (e.g., reactors) and smaller vessels (e.g., dissolution vessels), involving …

Electric-Field-Driven Processes In Multiphase Fluid Systems, Qian Lei

Dissertations

Advantages of using electric fields in miniaturized apparatuses for a wide range of applications are revealed by numerous experimental and theoretical studies over the last several decades as it offers a simple and efficient method for manipulation of multiphase fluid systems. This approach is considered to be especially beneficial for control of boiling processes and colloidal suspensions considered in the presented work.

Boiling. Today's trends for enhancing boiling heat transfer in terrestrial and space applications focus on removal of bubbles to prevent formation of a vapor layer over the surface at a high overheat. In contrast, this dissertation presents a …

The Role Of Microorganisms In Rare Earth Elements Bioaccumulation, Maedeh Soleimanifar

Dissertations

Rare earth elements (REE) are valuable raw materials in our modern life. Extensive REE application from electronic devices to medical instruments and wind turbines, and non-uniform distribution of these resources around the world, make them strategically and economically important for countries. Current REE physical and chemical mining and recycling methods could have negative environmental consequences, and biologically-mediated techniques could be applied to overcome this issue.

In this research, the first objective is to investigate the bioextraction of cerium oxide and neodymium oxide nanoparticles (REE-NP) by a pure culture Methylobacterium extorquens AM1 (ATCC®14718™). Results show that adding up to 1,000 ppm …

Design And Learning-Based Decoding Of Low-Density-Parity-Check Codes For Multiterminal Communication, Salman Habib

Dissertations

The field of information theory was initiated by Claude Shannon in 1948. According to his most notable work, data can be transmitted reliably over a noisy communication channel with high probability, as long as a suitable coding scheme is employed to protect the data from channel noise. Since then, coding theorists have made numerous attempts to design low-complexity error correcting schemes which achieve the Shannon limit.

In the 1960s, Robert Gallager introduced sparse graph-based low-density-parity-check (LDPC) codes which are practically suitable for various coding applications, mainly due to their low encoding and decoding complexity compared to classical codes (e.g., Reed-Muller …

Bodipy Based Photodynamic Therapy And Potassium Probes, Xiangshan Liu

Dissertations

Boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) has become more and more popular in photophysical and biological applications. BODIPY based fluorescence compounds have numerous advantage properties including low toxicity, high absorption extinction coefficients, high fluorescence quantum yields, sharp fluorescence emissions, and resistance to photobleaching. All the good properties lead to the wide applications of BODIPY based compounds. In this research, two different kinds of BODIPY are synthesized. Firstly, BDBrC containing carbazole and BODIPY core is synthesized. Cellular uptake research shows BDBrC can target on lysosome and singlet oxygen generation research result indicates that BDBrC can be used in photodynamic therapy. BDBrC also shows pH-sensitive …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Glycosaminoglycan Mimetic Variants For Cartilage Tissue Engineering Applications, Richard David Vincent Jr.

Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Integration Of Art: A Multiple Case Study Of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, And Math (Steam) Schools In Three Schools In Southern California, Reyna Esther Smith

Dissertations

Purpose: The purpose of this qualitative multi-case study was to describe and analyze how schools that implement a STEAM program include the arts in their integrated program. The study focused on 3 K-12 schools in Southern California that are located in the Antelope Valley high desert region of the state. This multi-case study analyzed an elementary school, a middle school, and a high school that are in different districts in the area.

Methodology: This multi-case study used qualitative data to analyze the research questions regarding art infusion in STEAM programs and teacher and leader perspectives. Drawing from interviews of teachers …

Rheological Properties Of Recyclable Polymer Matrices For Advanced Composite Applications, Rahul Shankar

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on evaluating the rheological characteristics of a variety of recyclable polymer matrices, which can compete with thermosets in a wide range of specialized applications. Studying the fundamental solid and melt-state viscoelastic properties and establishing structure-property-processing relationships is critical for the widespread adoption of these novel recyclable polymers in commercial applications. The first chapter provides an introductory overview of the different recyclable polymer matrices and their applications including high performance thermoplastics as thermoset replacements in high energy composite manufacture, multifunctional specialty thermoplastics for additive manufacturing and next generation, reprocessable covalent adaptable networks for self-healing applications. Furthermore, the important …

Multi Stage Modified Solvay Process For Co2 Capture And Reject Brine Desalination, Ameera Fares Mohammad

Dissertations

Brine management is an environmental concern, as many desalination plants need to find suitable approaches for the treatment or disposal of the large amounts of concentrated brine that are produced. Many conventional methods are used such as disposal through deep well injection, but these methods still suffer from many drawbacks. An alternative approach is to further process the brine by extracting the salts through reactions with carbon dioxide. The chemical reactions of reject brine with high alkalinity products and carbon dioxide are postulated to constitute a new, effective, economic and environmentally friendly approach. On the other hand, a major challenge …

Connected And Automated Vehicles: Their Implication On Capacity Of A Basic Freeway Section And Impacts On Walkway Safety, Sia Macmillan Lyimo

Dissertations

Autonomous vehicles have recently gained the attention of researchers due to their expected potential benefits on highway traffic streams, such as improving roadway capacity, among others. It is imperative to investigate how these expected benefits can be leveraged in the transportation sector. Understanding the safety and operational benefits helps the concerned transportation agencies and other key stakeholders to make necessary infrastructural and policy adjustments to accommodate such future traffic operation changes. The main goal of this dissertation is to study the impact of connected and automated vehicles on freeway capacity. The simulated environment was created to emulate autonomous vehicle behaviors, …

Optimizing Vaccine Supply Chains With Drones In Less-Developed Regions: Multimodal Vaccine Distribution In Vanuatu, Deng Pan

Dissertations

In recent years, many less-developed countries (LDCs) have been exploring new opportunities provided by drones, such as the capability to deliver items with minimal infrastructure, fast speed, and relatively low cost, especially for high value-added products such as lifesaving medical products and vaccines. This dissertation optimizes the delivery network and operations for routine childhood vaccines in LDCs. It analyzes two important problems using mathematical programming, with an application in the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. The first problem is to optimize the nation-wide multi-modal vaccine supply chain with drones to deliver vaccines from the national depot to all health zones …

Simple Procedure For Calculating Parameters Of Permanent Magnet Linear Generator And Methods For Maximizing Power Absorption Using Less Dependent Mathematical Model / Low Computationally Cost Controllers In Wave Energy Converters, Bisni Fahad Mon

Dissertations

The study comprises of designing permanent magnet linear generator (PMLG) for wave energy converters (WECs) and method for maximizing power absorption using less dependent mathematical model or low computationally cost controllers. There are three proposed controller methods: the damping control using maximum power point tracking (MPPT), the reactive control using MPPT, and finite control set model predictive control (FCSMPC).

The first part of the thesis is started with the design and testing of a laboratory scale test-rig for wave energy converters (WECs). The main element of the test-rig is a double-sided permanent magnet linear generator (PMLG). In this study, detailed …

Impact Of Exposure On Thin Epoxy Overlay Performance, Abul Fazal Mazumder

Dissertations

Thin epoxy overlays are used for improving the condition and extending the service life of bridge decks. The tensile bond pull-off strength, evaluated as per the ASTM C1583, is used as the performance indicator. A failure in the substrate with a tensile strength of 250 psi or greater is considered acceptable. However, the performance evaluated on in-service bridge decks shows inconsistent results. Laboratory studies by several researchers documented a distinct performance difference when the overlays are exposed to room temperatures in comparison to elevated temperatures. However, the most influential parameters such as concrete surface profile, thermal compatibility between overlay and …

Development Of Sensor, Sensory System And Signal Processing Algorithm For Intelligent Sensing Applications, Xingzhe Zhang

Dissertations

Sensors have been receiving significant attention in the last decade and the demand for sensory systems has increased in recent years due to the rapid growth in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Sensors can improve people’s awareness by providing them with real-time information on the environment and their immediate health conditions. This dissertation presents the fulfilment of three main projects and focuses on the development of a sensor, a sensory system, and a sensor signal recognition system for AI applications by employing printed electronics, analog circuit design, and digital signal processing techniques.

In the first project, a multi-channel stethograph …

Infrastructure Risk Reduction: The Case Of Drinking Water Emergencies, Mark Paine

Dissertations

Public water systems are an integral part of community infrastructure. Drinking water contamination or service disruptions have the potential to cause economic losses, limit fire suppression capability, and result in human illnesses. Until 2016, the United States federal government had not issued a disaster declaration due to contaminated water. The first federal drinking water disaster declaration due to contaminated water serves as a sentinel event demonstrating the need to increase focus on public water systems during all phases of emergency management: mitigation, preparation, response, and recovery. Previous studies evaluating risks to vulnerable populations associated with drinking water primarily utilized qualitative …

Short-Term Crash Risk Prediction Considering Proactive, Reactive, And Driver Behavior Factors, Sina Darban Khales

Dissertations

Providing a safe and efficient transportation system is the primary goal of transportation engineering and planning. Highway crashes are among the most significant challenges to achieving this goal. They result in significant societal toll reflected in numerous fatalities, personal injuries, property damage, and traffic congestion. To that end, much attention has been given to predictive models of crash occurrence and severity. Most of these models are reactive: they use the data about crashes that have occurred in the past to identify the significant crash factors, crash hot-spots and crash-prone roadway locations, analyze and select the most effective countermeasures for reducing …

Colloidal Quantum Dot (Cqd) Based Mid-Wavelength Infrared Optoelectronics, Shihab Bin Hafiz

Dissertations

Colloidal quantum dot (CQD) photodetectors are a rapidly emerging technology with a potential to significantly impact today’s infrared sensing and imaging technologies. To date, CQD photodetector research is primarily focused on lead-chalcogenide semiconductor CQDs which have spectral response fundamentally limited by the bulk bandgap of the constituent material, confining their applications to near-infrared (NIR, 0.7-1.0 um) and short-wavelength infrared (SWIR, 1-2.5 um) spectral regions. The overall goal of this dissertation is to investigate a new generation of CQD materials and devices that advances the current CQD photodetector research toward the technologically important thermal infrared region of 3-5 ?m, known as …

Advances In Modeling Gas Adsorption In Porous Materials For The Characterization Applications, Max A. Maximov

Dissertations

The dissertation studies methods for mesoporous materials characterization using adsorption at various levels of scale and complexity. It starts with the topic introduction, necessary notations and definitions, recognized standards, and a literature review.

Synthesis of novel materials requires tailoring of the characterization methods and their thorough testing. The second chapter presents a nitrogen adsorption characterization study for silica colloidal crystals (synthetic opals). These materials have cage-like pores in the range of tens of nanometers. The adsorption model can be described within a macroscopic approach, based on the Derjaguin-Broekhoff-de Boer (DBdB) theory of capillary condensation. A kernel of theoretical isotherms is …

Gradient Free Sign Activation Zero One Loss Neural Networks For Adversarially Robust Classification, Yunzhe Xue

Dissertations

The zero-one loss function is less sensitive to outliers than convex surrogate losses such as hinge and cross-entropy. However, as a non-convex function, it has a large number of local minima, andits undifferentiable attribute makes it impossible to use backpropagation, a method widely used in training current state-of-the-art neural networks. When zero-one loss is applied to deep neural networks, the entire training process becomes challenging. On the other hand, a massive non-unique solution probably also brings different decision boundaries when optimizing zero-one loss, making it possible to fight against transferable adversarial examples, which is a common weakness in deep learning …

Multi-Stage Stochastic Optimization And Reinforcement Learning For Forestry Epidemic And Covid-19 Control Planning, Sabah Bushaj

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on developing new modeling and solution approaches based on multi-stage stochastic programming and reinforcement learning for tackling biological invasions in forests and human populations. Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is the nemesis of ash trees. This research introduces a multi-stage stochastic mixed-integer programming model to assist forest agencies in managing emerald ash borer insects throughout the U.S. and maximize the public benets of preserving healthy ash trees. This work is then extended to present the first risk-averse multi-stage stochastic mixed-integer program in the invasive species management literature to account for extreme events. Significant computational achievements are obtained using …

Towards Adversarial Robustness With 01 Lossmodels, And Novel Convolutional Neural Netsystems For Ultrasound Images, Meiyan Xie

Dissertations

This dissertation investigates adversarial robustness with 01 loss models and a novel convolutional neural net systems for vascular ultrasound images.

In the first part, the dissertation presents stochastic coordinate descent for 01 loss and its sensitivity to adversarial attacks. The study here suggests that 01 loss may be more resilient to adversarial attacks than the hinge loss and further work is required.

In the second part, this dissertation proposes sign activation network with a novel gradient-free stochastic coordinate descent algorithm and its ensembling model. The study here finds that the ensembling model gives a high minimum distortion (as measured by …

Stochastic Programming And Agent-Based Simulation Approaches For Epidemics Control And Logistics Planning, Xuecheng Yin

Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the resource allocation challenges of fighting against infectious disease outbreaks. The goal of this dissertation is to formulate multi-stage stochastic programming and agent-based models to address the limitations of former literature in optimizing resource allocation for preventing and controlling epidemics and pandemics. In the first study, a multi-stage stochastic programming compartmental model is presented to integrate the uncertain disease progression and the logistics of resource allocation to control a highly contagious infectious disease. The proposed multi-stage stochastic program, which involves various disease growth scenarios, optimizes the distribution of treatment centers and resources while minimizing the total expected …

Modeling Dewetting, Demixing, And Thermal Effects In Nanoscale Metal Films, Ryan Howard Allaire

Dissertations

Thin film dynamics, particularly on the nanoscale, is a topic of extensive interest. The process by which thin liquids evolve is far from trivial and can lead to dewetting and drop formation. Understanding this process involves not only resolving the fluid mechanical aspects of the problem, but also requires the coupling of other physical processes, including liquid-solid interactions, thermal transport, and dependence of material parameters on temperature and material composition. The focus of this dissertation is on the mathematical modeling and simulation of nanoscale liquid metal films, which are deposited on thermally conductive substrates, liquefied by laser heating, and subsequently …