Engineering Commons^™

Dango (Doings And Goings On) - Vol. 22 | Issue 5, Cecily Towell, Haley Stien, Matthew Kimball, Rusty Towell, Vicente Rojas, Zhaojia Xi, Caleb Hicks, Joshua Daniel Martinez, Paul Carstens, Reuben Byrd, Shon Watson, Donald Isenhower, Mike Daugherity

DANGO: Doings and Goings On: Summer Research Newsletter, Department of Engineering and Physics

Weekly Summer Newsletter for Engineering and Physics

Experimental And Computational Study Of Gas Bubble Removal In A Microfluidic System Using Nanofibrous Membranes, Hamed Gholami Derami, Ravindra Vundavilli, Jeff Darabi

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

This paper presents a simple and efficient method for removing gas bubbles from a microfluidic system. This bubble removal system uses a T-junction configuration to generate gas bubbles within a water-filled microchannel. The generated bubbles are then transported to a bubble removal region and vented through a hydrophobic nanofibrous membrane. Four different hydrophobic Polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) membranes with different pore sizes ranging from 0.45 to 3 μm are tested to study the effect of membrane structure on the system performance. The fluidic channel width is 500 μm and channel height ranges from 100 to 300 μm. Additionally, a 3D computational fluid …

Modeling Of Soybean Under Present And Future Climates In Mozambique, Manuel António Dina Talacuece, Flávio Barbosa Justino, Rafael De Ávila Rodrigues, Milton Edgar Pereira Flores, Jéssica Garcia Nascimento, Eduardo Eduardo Santos

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

This study aims to calibrate and validate the generic crop model (CROPGRO-Soybean) and estimate the soybean yield, considering simulations with different sowing times for the current period (1990–2013) and future climate scenario (2014–2030). The database used came from observed data, nine climate models of CORDEX (Coordinated Regional climate Downscaling Experiment)-Africa framework and MERRA (Modern Era Retrospective-Analysis for Research and Applications) reanalysis. The calibration and validation data for the model were acquired in field experiments, carried out in the 2009/2010 and 2010/2011 growing seasons in the experimental area of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Angónia, Mozambique. The yield …

Metrics, Software Engineering, Small Systems – The Future Of Systems Development, William L. Honig

Computer Science: Faculty Publications and Other Works

In this talk I will introduce the importance of metrics, or measures, and the role they play in the development of high quality computer systems. I will review some key mega trends in computer science over the last three decades and then explain why I believe the trend to small networked systems, along with metrics and software engineering will define the future of high technology computer based systems.

I first learned about metrics at the Bell System where everything was measured. Metrics can be understood easily if you think of them as measures, for example of calories or salt in …

Fiction As A Resource In Participatory Design, Eva Knutz, Tau U. Lenskjold, Thomas Markussen

DRS Biennial Conference Series

In recent years, co-design research has moved into the heart of business and organisational matters of concern. As a consequence of that fact, the idea of what design is capable of evolves into something that does not only encompass product and service design, but also at the same time changes organisations’ way of doing things – or in other words, it challenges the organisational culture and the mindset of the decision-makers as a way towards the successful embedding of a project within the organisation. This paper investigates how the development of a new service design project together with integrated co-design …

Perception, Meaning And Transmodal Design, Mathias Nordvall, Mattias Arvola

DRS Biennial Conference Series

Our perceptual system allows us to experience and make meaning of the world through different modalities. We can move between feeling, seeing and hearing things and still makes sense of our world. Our cognitive activities are transmodal. In interaction design this means that both our design processes and our users’ interactions are transmodal. We have gained insights into how transitions between modalities, both in the design context and in the users’ interaction context, modulate meaning and experience, by analysing three interactive systems: SimProv, VibEd, and Sightlence. We propose that a transmodal design approach facilitate designers to realize the communicative potential …

Design For Resourceful Ageing: Intervening In The Ethics Of Gerontechnology, Elisa Giaccardi, Lenneke Kuijer, Louis Neven

DRS Biennial Conference Series

This paper discusses an innovative approach to the design of technologies for older people. The approach contains a critique of “gerontechnology” as taking decisions out of the hands of older people and materializing what it means to live healthily and well into “foolproof” designs that easily become inappropriate in the variety of situations in which older people end up using them. The proposed design approach focuses on re-delegating such ethical decisions to the point at which technology is used. It does so by considering technologies as resources that can complement the ageing competences of older people and adapt in a …

Floquet Topological Insulators For Sound, Romain Fleury, Alexander B. Khanikaev, Andrea Alu

Publications and Research

The unique conduction properties of condensed matter systems with topological order have recently inspired a quest for the similar effects in classical wave phenomena. Acoustic topological insulators, in particular, hold the promise to revolutionize our ability to control sound, allowing for large isolation in the bulk and broadband one-way transport along their edges, with topological immunity against structural defects and disorder. So far, these fascinating properties have been obtained relying on moving media, which may introduce noise and absorption losses, hindering the practical potential of topological acoustics. Here we overcome these limitations by modulating in time the acoustic properties of …

Identification Of Streamflow Changes Across The Continental United States Using Variable Record Lengths, Kazi Tamaddun, Ajay Kalra, Sajjad Ahmad

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

The study focused on investigating the presence of change patterns in 600 unimpaired streamflow stations across the continental U.S. at different time intervals to understand the change patterns that can provide significant insight regarding climate variability and change. Each station had continuous streamflow data of at least 30 years (the entire dataset covered a range of 109 years). Presence of trends and shifts were detected in water year and the four seasons (fall, winter, spring, and summer) analyzing the water year and seasonal mean flows. Two non-parametric tests, namely, the Mann-Kendall test and the Pettitt’s test were used to identify …

Vaccination As A Tool To Reduce Antimicrobial Resistance Worldwide, Bernard Vallat, Elisabeth Erlacher

Vaccine Technology VI

Antimicrobial resistance is a global human and animal health concern that is influenced by the non-appropriate use of antimicrobial agents in both human and veterinary medicine, as well as in the plant sector. To combat antimicrobial resistance, the World Organisation for Animal health (OIE) has developed science-based intergovernmental standards and guidelines covering terrestrial animals and aquaculture.

The OIE also contributed to the development of the WHO Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance, adopted in 2015 by the World Health Assembly. The 180 Member Countries of the OIE expressed their support to this plan of action through a Resolution, …

Explorable 3d Model Of Scu Campus, Benjamin Giglione

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

My project is an interactive 3D model of SCU campus, which prospective students and their parents can explore without actually having to make the journey to campus. The architecture of the university is made traversable by running under Unreal Engine 4 which is a 3D game development framework that supports the Oculus Rift. The Oculus Rift is a virtual reality headset, which enhances the immersive experience for users of the SCU campus application. It accomplishes this by displaying the rendered images in immersive 3D right in front of their faces, and tracking their head motion and moving the viewpoint in …

Plant-Based Technologies To Enable Rapid Response To Ebola Outbreak, Jerzy Karczewski, Vidadi Yusibov

Vaccine Technology VI

Ebola is a rare and deadly disease caused by infection with a strain of Ebola virus (Zaire, Sudan or Marburg). Ebola is spread through a direct contact with body fluids of infected patients. The recent Ebola outbreak affected multiple countries in West Africa and clearly demonstrated a need for development of technologies enabling production of adequate supply of vaccines and therapeutics to treat infected patients. We have undertaken efforts to develop methods and produce plant-based recombinant vaccine as well as a series of monoclonal antibodies to fight Ebola infection.

Several approaches were carried out to develop vaccines based on recombinant …

How To Deliver New Vaccines Under Very Short Timelines: The Zapi Project, Jean-Christophe Audonnet

Vaccine Technology VI

The ZAPI project is the first One Health project in the European Innovative Medicine Initiative (IMI) program. Its objective is to define and validate unique methodologies that can be applied when new zoonotic infectious diseases will occur in Europe or other regions of the world. The project is supporting an entirely new approach for “anticipating the unexpected”, and is defining new ways to alleviate the technical constraints which are typically encountered with the classical vaccine development processes.

The ZAPI project involves a total of 20 partners, from academic, biotech, and industry origin. One important feature of ZAPI is that it …

Usu Engineering Faculty Receive $5.8m In Nuclear Energy Research Grants | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

NEWS RELEASE – June 16, 2016 – Two professors of mechanical engineering at Utah State University will receive grants from the U.S. Department of Energy totaling $5.8 million for nuclear energy research. The news came in a Tuesday announcement from DOE officials who awarded more than $35 million to 48 university-led nuclear research and development projects around the country through the Nuclear Energy University Program, or NEUP.

Hydrothermally Processed 1d Hydroxyapatite: Mechanism Of Formation And Biocompatibility Studies, Zoran Stojanović, Nenad Ignjatović, Victoria M. Wu, Vojca Žunič, Ljiljana Veselinović, Srečo D. Škapin, Miroslav Miljković, Vuk Uskoković, Dragab Uskoković

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

Recent developments in bone tissue engineering have led to an increased interest in one-dimensional (1D) hydroxyapatite (HA) nano- and micro-structures such as wires, ribbons and tubes. They have been proposed for use as cell substrates, reinforcing phases in composites and carriers for biologically active substances. Here we demonstrate the synthesis of 1D HA structures using an optimized, urea-assisted, high-yield hydrothermal batch process. The one-pot process, yielding HA structures composed of bundles of ribbons and wires, was typified by the simultaneous occurrence of a multitude of intermediate reactions, failing to meet the uniformity criteria over particle morphology and size. To overcome …

An Investigation In Construction Cost Estimation Using A Monte Carlo Simulation, Jeffrey D. Buchholtz

Theses and Dissertations

The Air Force estimates military construction (MILCON) costs early in a project’s development as a part of the funding approval process. However, many of the initial cost estimates deviate significantly more than expected from the actual project costs, hindering funding allocation efforts. There is a need for improved estimation techniques. This research examines a cost estimation model for the initial programming stages of a project when only general scope information is available.

This study develops a Monte Carlo simulation based on historical construction cost data to predict project costs base on facility type. For a given facility type, the research …

The Effects Of Ionizing Radiation And Oxidizing Species On Strains Of Deinococcus Radiodurans Lacking Endogenous Oxidative Protection Methods, Dylan L. Klawuhn

Theses and Dissertations

Multiple strains of Deinococcus radiodurans were transformed, creating knockout mutations in genes responsible for manganese ion transport, manganese and copper/zinc super-oxide dismutase, and bacillithiol synthesis. These mutated strains were then irradiated with ~20,000 Gys. The results showed that the mutated strains had a higher sensitivity to ionizing radiation, those responsible for bacillithiol synthesis having an increase in sensitivity 3000 times more than wild type Deinococcus radiodurans. In addition to radiation the mutated strains were also exposed to paraquat, an oxidizing herbicide. Strains missing manganese super-oxide dismutase showed increased sensitivity.

Using Approximate Dynamic Programming To Solve The Stochastic Demand Military Inventory Routing Problem With Direct Delivery, Ethan L. Salgado

Theses and Dissertations

A brigade combat team must resupply forward operating bases (FOBs) within its area of operations from a central location, mainly via ground convoy operations, in a way that closely resembles vendor managed inventory practices. Military logisticians routinely decide when and how much inventory to distribute to each FOB. Technology currently exists that makes utilizing cargo unmanned aerial vehicles (CUAVs) for resupply an attractive alternative due to the dangers of utilizing convoy operations. However, enemy actions, austere conditions, and inclement weather pose a significant risk to a CUAV's ability to safely deliver supplies to a FOB. We develop a Markov decision …

Preprocessing Techniques To Support Event Detection Data Fusion On Social Media Data, Brandon T. Davis

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on collection and preprocessing of streaming social media feeds for metadata as well as the visual and textual information. Today, news media has been the main source of immediate news events, large and small. However, the information conveyed on these news sources is delayed due to the lack of proximity and general knowledge of the event. Such news have started relying on social media sources for initial knowledge of these events. Previous works focused on captured textual data from social media as a data source to detect events. This preprocessing framework postures to facilitate the data fusion …

Meeting The Dod’S Tactical Weather Needs Using Cubesats, Shayna K. Mckenney

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates a CubeSat design that uses Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components to capture, store, process, and downlink collected terrestrial weather data at resolutions near stat-of-the-art. The weather phenomena to be detected and transmitted in a timely manner are cloud formations, wind profiles, ocean currents, sea state, lightning, temperature profiles, and precipitation. It is hypothesized and shown that the proposed design will provide an improvement on the current U.S. tactical weather collection satellites because of the anticipated increased reliability and lowered cost to build and maintain the proposed CubeSat constellation. The methodology employed a multi-phase approach through the collective research of …

Test And Verification Of A Cubesat Attitude Determination And Control System In Variable Magnetic Fields, Eric A. Bassett

Theses and Dissertations

The Center for Space Research and Assurance (CSRA) at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) continues to explore CubeSat initiatives for solving many current space security issues. Regardless of the mission requirements, the success of the Cube- Sat on orbit frequently depends on the Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS) functioning correctly. Previous research at AFIT has demonstrated single axis control on a spherical air bearing test bed incorporated within a Helmholtz cage utilizing artificially strong magnetic fields for better signal to noise ratios which are not experienced on orbit. This research explores the process of redesigning, testing, and …

Design And Experimentation Of A Premixed Rotating Detonation Engine, Ionio Q. Andrus

Theses and Dissertations

Desire for a more efficient air breathing engine has shifted research attention to the Rotating Detonation Engine (RDE). Detonation is a more efficient combustion process than deflagration and provides a pressure gain. The RDE detonation cycle occurs in a compact volume to produce a high specific impulse engine. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models have predicted higher specific impulse and detonation wave speeds than has been seen in experimental RDE. The CFD models frequently assume premixed reactants and ignore inlet geometries to facilitate rapid computation. An experimental premixed RDE was sought to test if the premixed assumption in CFD was the …

Efficient Employment Of Large Format Sensor Data Transfer Architectures, Jeffrey R. Oltmanns

Theses and Dissertations

Due to the increasing quantity of data collected by Air Force intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) assets and the focus on timely access to the data collected by these systems, operational data transfer network architectures have become a critical component of their employment in the intelligence production process. Efficient utilization of the provided long-haul communications component of the ISR system improves the value of the single asset to the warfighter and enables connectivity of additional assets via the data transfer network architecture. This research effort focused on the creation and implementation of a structured test design methodology based on the …

Microfacet Wavelength Scaling Of The Brdf, Samuel E. Freda

Theses and Dissertations

The bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) describes realistic scattering of light off materials by relating incident irradiance to outbound radiance. One popular class of BRDF models assumes a surface is comprised of tiny microfacets. The drawback of microfacet BRDFs is that they often no not contain specific material parameters and neglect wavelength effects. Wave optics BRDF expressions, however, can describe wavelength effects at the expense of being more computationally cumbersome. Previous work of following a Beckmann-Kirchhoff derivation of BRDF, then relating wave optics BRDF coordinates to microfacet coordinates led to a complicated, but versatile, BRDF. In this work, the infinite …

Design, Manufacturing, And Testing Of A Small Through-Flow Wave For Use Within The Brayton Cycle, Micahel J. Mcclearn

Theses and Dissertations

With the ever growing popularity of drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles for military, commercial, and private usage, there is a desire to improve performance in terms of range, altitude, and flight speed. Current technology uses either electric motors or internal combustion engines: both piston and jet engine types. These sorts of engines undergo significant efficiency degradation as their size decreases. While some efficiency may be recovered via intensive design studies, the cycles are approaching the limit to their operating physics. A possible solution to this is to change the operating physics to something more immune to scaling losses; a …

An Investigation Of Motor Vehicle Driver Inattention And Its Effects At Highway–Rail Grade Crossings, Shanshan Zhao

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The relationship between accident injury severity and drivers’ inattentive behavior requires an in-depth investigation – this is especially needed in the case of motor vehicle drivers at highway-rail grade crossings (HRGCs). The relationship between drivers’ personality/ socioeconomic characteristics and inattentive behavior at HRGCs is another topic requiring research. Past educational programs about safe driving at HRGCs have often not been designed to target people who may be in urgent need of such information, which may limit the effectiveness of those programs.

This dissertation thus focuses on the following four objectives: to investigate the association between motor vehicle inattentive driving and …

Development, Manufacturing, And Supply Of Msd’S Ebola Vaccine, Jeffrey T. Blue

Vaccine Technology VI

Ebola was first discovered in 1976 and is a member of the filoviridae family of viruses. There are multiple strains of Ebola and infection can lead to hemorrhagic fever and death. In March 2014, a historic Ebola outbreak occurred in three Western African countries, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. Over 28,000 cases were reported and led to more than 11,000 deaths, more than ten times the amount of cases compared to all past outbreaks combined. On August 8^th 2014, the World Health Organization declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) partnering with …

Improving Global Human Health Through Norovirus Virus-Like Particle Manufacturing, Scot Shepard

Vaccine Technology VI

Norovirus infection is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis in the U.S., estimated to afflict 21 million people per year. For scale-up manufacturing of a norovirus vaccine candidate, the baculovirus expression system has been used in 1000 L working volume stirred-tank bioreactors for production of two distinct norovirus virus-like particles (VLP). Downstream processing using methods for enveloped virus inactivation and a series of orthogonal chromatography steps results in norovirus VLP that contain low residual levels of host-cell protein, host cell and baculovirus DNA, and are free of replicating baculovirus. Emphasis has been placed on employing single-use technologies including disposable …

Session V: Getting Vaccines To The Market: Case Studies, Rebecca Sheets, Grimalkin Partners, Danilo Casimiro

Vaccine Technology VI

This is a presentation of Session V.

(No Abstract)

Determining Whether Adsorption State Is A Critical Attribute In Aluminum Adjuvanted Vaccines, Garry Morefield

Vaccine Technology VI

Aluminum based adjuvants have a long history of safe and effective use in vaccine products. When developing vaccine formulations incorporating aluminum adjuvants it is important to understand whether adsorption state is a critical attribute of the vaccine. Investigations initiate with obtaining an understanding of how the antigen of interest interacts with aluminum adjuvant surfaces. The balance of attractive versus repulsive interaction forces (including electrostatic, ligand exchange, and hydrophobic interactions) determines the resulting adsorption state of the antigen. Once the interaction of aluminum adjuvant and antigen is understood, formulations can be prepared along the spectrum of aluminum adjuvant surfaces to obtain …