Engineering Commons^™

A Data‐Driven Framework To Characterize State‐Level Water Use In The U.S., E Wongso, Roshanak Nateghi, Benjamin Zaitchik, Steven Quiring, Rohini Kumar

School of Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Access to credible estimates of water-use are critical for making optimal operational de-15 cisions and investment plans to ensure reliable and affordable provisioning of water. Fur-16 thermore, identifying the key predictors of water use is important for regulators to pro-17 mote sustainable development policies to reduce water use. In this paper, we propose18 a data-driven framework, grounded in statistical learning theory, to develop a rigorously19 evaluated predictive model of state-level, per capita water use in the US as a function20 of various geographic, climatic and socioeconomic variables. Specifically, we compare the21 accuracy of various statistical methods in predicting the state-level, …

Enhanced Water Electrolysis: Effect Of Temperature On The Oxygen Evolution Reaction At Cobalt Oxide Nanoparticles Modified Glassy Carbon Electrodes, Aya Akl, Hany A. Elazab, Mohamed A. Sadek, Mohamed S. El-Deab

Chemical Engineering

Water splitting producing hydrogen and oxygen gases appears promising in view of the increasing need of renewable energy sources and storage strategies. Investigation of stable and highly efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is targeted in this study at cobalt oxide nanoparticle modified glassy carbon (nano-CoOx/GC) electrodes. The effect of the preparation (Tp) and measuring temperature (Tm) on the electrocatalytic activity of nano-CoOx/GC towards the OER is investigated under various operating conditions. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV), cyclic voltammetry (CV) as well as SEM and XRD techniques were used to probe the electrocatalytic and morphological characteristics of nano-CoOx prepared under …

Legacy And Current Pesticide Residues In Syr Darya, Kazakhstan: Contamination Status, Seasonal Variation And Preliminary Ecological Risk Assessment, Daniel D. Snow, P. Chakraborty, B. Uralbekov, B. Satybaldiev, J. Brett Sallach, L. M. Thornton Hampton, M. Jeffries, A. S. Kolok, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

The Syr Darya is one of two major rivers in Central Asia supplying critical fresh water to the Aral Sea. In spite of the river’s importance and agriculturally-intensive history, few studies have provided a modern evaluation of and the occurrence of pesticide residues potential effects to aquatic life. The primary goal of this investigation was to determine seasonal variations in ambient concentrations of modern and legacy pesticides in bottom sediment and water of the Syr Darya in Kazakhstan (KZ) downstream from an agriculturally-intensive watershed in Uzbekistan. Grab samples and passive samplers were used at five remote sampling stations during June …

Method And Apparatus For Increasing Mass Transfer In Aqueous Gas Adsorption Processes, Kunlei Liu, Leland R. Widger, Zhen Fan, Joshuah Stolaroff

Center for Applied Energy Research Faculty Patents

A method of removing and capturing an acid gas from a fluid stream includes exposing the fluid stream to an aqueous scrubbing solution in the presence of a packing element including alternating hydrophobic and hydrophilic features or zones. A related apparatus is also disclosed.

Generation Of Correlated Dual Frequency Combs With Pm Fiber Lasers For High-Precision Metrology, Hanieh Afkhamiardakani

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

Intracavity Phase Interferometry (IPI) using two correlated, counter-propagating frequency combs (pulse trains) in mode-locked lasers has evolved into a powerful technique for high-precision metrology. In this method a physical parameter to be measured imparts a phase shift onto a pulse circulating in the laser cavity. Inside a laser cavity, that phase shift becomes a frequency shift (phase shift/round-trip time) applied to the whole frequency comb created by this pulse as it exits the cavity at each round-trip. This frequency shift is measured by interfering this comb with a reference comb created by a reference pulse circulating in the same mode-locked …

Discovery Of A Novel Analogue Of Fr901533 And The Corresponding Biosynthetic Gene Cluster From Streptosporangium Roseum No. 79089, Fuchao Xu, Yonghong Liang, Jie Ren, Siyuan Wang, Jixun Zhan

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

FR901533 (1, also known as WS79089B), WS79089A (2), and WS79089C (3) are polycyclic aromatic natural products with promising inhibitory activity to endothelin-converting enzymes. In this work, we isolated five tridecaketide products from Streptosporangium roseum No. 79089, including 1-3, benaphthamycin (4) and a novel FR901533 analogue (5). The structure of 5 was characterized based on spectroscopic data. Compared to the major product 2, the new compound 5 has an additional hydroxyl group at C-12 and an extra methyl group at the 13-OH. The configuration of C-19 of these compounds …

Compiler-Based Tools To Aid In Data Transfer Optimization And On-Chip Debug Of Heterogeneous Compute Systems, Matthew B. Ashcraft

Theses and Dissertations

First, we present techniques to efficiently schedule data transfers through compiler analyses. Compared to transferring data immediately before and after the kernel executes, our scheduling results in orders of magnitude improvements in execution time, number of data transfers, and number of bytes transferred. Second, we demonstrate techniques to provide on-chip debugging for heterogeneous systems through recording execution on the software in addition to debugging circuitry in the hardware, and provide a temporal correlation between the hardware and software traces through synchronization. This allows us to follow debug data between the hardware and software trace buffers. Due to the added cost …

Automated 3d Reconstruction Using Optimized View-Planning Algorithms For Iterative Development Of Structure-From-Motion Models, Samuel Arce, Cory Vernon, Joshua Hammond, Valerie Newell, Joseph Janson, Kevin Franke, John Hedengren

Faculty Publications

Unsupervised machine learning algorithms (clustering, genetic, and principal component analysis) automate Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) missions as well as the creation and refinement of iterative 3D photogrammetric models with a next best view (NBV) approach. The novel approach uses Structure-from-Motion (SfM) to achieve convergence to a specified orthomosaic resolution by identifying edges in the point cloud and planning cameras that “view” the holes identified by edges without requiring an initial model. This iterative UAV photogrammetric method successfully runs in various Microsoft AirSim environments. Simulated ground sampling distance (GSD) of models reaches as low as 3.4 cm per pixel, and generally, …

High‐Tensile Strength, Composite Bijels Through Microfluidic Twisting, S. P. Kharal, Robert P. Hesketh, Martin F. Haase

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

Rope making is a millennia old technique to collectively assemble numerous weak filaments into flexible and high tensile strength bundles. However, delicate soft matter fibers lack the robustness to be twisted into bundles by means of mechanical rope making tools. Here, weak microfibers with tensile strengths of a few kilopascals are combined into ropes via microfluidic twisting. This is demonstrated for recently introduced fibers made of bicontinuous interfacially jammed emulsion gels (bijels). Bijels show promising applications in use as membranes, microreactors, energy and healthcare materials, but their low tensile strength make reinforcement strategies imperative. Hydrodynamic twisting allows to produce continuous …

Comparison Of Plantar Pressure Profile Of Young Adults During Training On Elliptical Devices And Overground Walking: A Pilot Study, Guilherme Manna Cesar, Thad W. Buster, Judith M. Burnfield

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background: Elliptical training may offer advantages over other cardiorespiratory exercises for those requiring podiatric care, since its constant double-limb support diminishes recurring high-impact plantar forces while allowing exercise in a functional, upright posture. Unknown is the impact of distinct elliptical models, that can alter user’s body mechanics, on potential variations in plantar pressure patterns.

Purpose: To compare plantar pressure variables while exercising on four ellipticals and walking.

Methods: For this cross-sectional pilot study, plantar pressure data were recorded from ten young adults while exercising on four ellipticals (True, Octane, Life Fitness, SportsArt) and walking overground. One-way repeated measures ANOVA identified …

Plasmon-Phonon Coupling Between Mid-Infrared Chiral Metasurfaces And Molecular Vibrations, Md Shamim Mahmud, Daniel Rosenmann, David A. Czaplewski, Jie Gao, Xiaodong Yang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Plasmon-phonon coupling between metamaterials and molecular vibrations provides a new path for studying mid-infrared light-matter interactions and molecular detection. So far, the coupling between the plasmonic resonances of metamaterials and the phonon vibrational modes of molecules has been realized under linearly polarized light. Here, mid-infrared chiral plasmonic metasurfaces with high circular dichroism (CD) in absorption over 0.65 in the frequency range of 50 to 60 THz are demonstrated to strongly interact with the phonon vibrational resonance of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) molecules at 52 THz, under both left-handed and right-handed circularly polarized (LCP and RCP) light. The mode splitting features in …

Determination Of Effective Parameters Of Fishnet Metamaterials With Vortex Based Interferometry, Wei Cao, Jie Gao, Xiaodong Yang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Metamaterials are artificially engineered structures that have unique properties not usually found in natural materials, such as negative refractive index. Conventional interferometry or ellipsometry is generally used for characterizing the optical properties of metamaterials. Here, we report an alternative optical vortex based interferometric approach for the characterization of the effective parameters of optical metamaterials by directly measuring the transmission and reflection phase shifts from metamaterials according to the rotation of vortex spiral interference pattern. The fishnet metamaterials possessing positive, zero and negative refractive indices are characterized with the vortex based interferometry to precisely determine the complex values of effective permittivity, …

A Comparison Of Two Techniques For Center Of Pressure Measurements, Jessica Deberardinis, Conner Neilsen, Daniel E. Lidstone, Janet S. Dufek, Mohamed B. Trabia

Integrated Health Sciences Faculty Research

Introduction: Force platforms and pressure-measuring insoles are the most common tools used for measuring center of pressure. Earlier studies to assess these instruments suffered from limited sample sizes or an inadequate range of participant foot sizes. The purpose of this study was to propose new methods to extract and calculate comparably accurate center of pressure for the Kistler (R) force platform and Medilogic (R) insoles. Methods: Center of pressure data were collected from 65 participants wearing pressure-measuring insoles (six different sizes). Participants walked over consecutive force platforms for three trials while wearing pressure-measuring insoles within socks. Onset force thresholds and …

Techno-Economic Comparative Analysis Of Renewable Energy Systems: Case Study In Zimbabwe, Loiy Al-Ghussain, Remember Samu, Onur Taylan, Murat Fahrioglu

Mechanical Engineering Graduate Research

Fluctuations in fossil fuel prices significantly affect the economies of countries, especially oil-importing countries, hence these countries are thoroughly investigating the increase in the utilization of renewable energy resources as it is abundant and locally available in all the countries despite challenges. Renewable energy systems (RES) such as solar and wind systems offer suitable alternatives for fossil fuels and could ensure the energy security of countries in a feasible way. Zimbabwe is one of the African countries that import a significant portion of its energy needs which endanger the energy security of the country. Several studies in the literature discussed …

Parking Garage Measurements Indicating A Gamma Spectrometer-Neutron Counter Background Correlation, Jackson N. Wagner, Craig Marianno, Thomas Mccullough

International Journal of Nuclear Security

Gamma spectroscopy and gross neutron counting systems are commonly employed together during nuclear security operations, particularly mobile searches. The data from these systems are typically analyzed independently; however, operational data suggest a relationship between the background signals from both systems. This relationship appears to occur between the neutron count rate and the high energy (greater than 3 MeV) gamma spectrometer count rate for background conditions. To verify the presence of this correlation, high energy gamma ray and neutron count rates were measured in five parking garages on the Texas A&M University campus. These measurements employed one 4” x 4” x …

Consideration Of Administrative Monetary Penalties In Nuclear Safety And Security, Jelena Vucicevic, Edward Waller

International Journal of Nuclear Security

An Administrative Monetary Penalty (AMP) is a penalty imposed by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), without court involvement for a violation of a regulatory requirement. An AMP can be applied against any individual or corporation subject to the Nuclear Safety Control Act, which regulates the development, production and use of nuclear energy and the production, possession and use of nuclear and radioactive material. However, AMPs are not the same as criminal offences. They are civil sanctions which try to secure compliance through the application of monetary penalties for non-compliance with regulatory requirements. The AMP program was introduced in 2013 …

Β-Amyloid And Tau Drive Early Alzheimer's Disease Decline While Glucose Hypometabolism Drives Late Decline, Tyler C. Hammond, Xin Xing, Chris Wang, David Ma, Kwangsik Nho, Paul K. Crane, Fanny Elahi, David A. Ziegler, Gongbo Liang, Qiang Cheng, Lucille M. Yanckello, Nathan Jacobs, Ai-Ling Lin

Sanders-Brown Center on Aging Faculty Publications

Clinical trials focusing on therapeutic candidates that modify β-amyloid (Aβ) have repeatedly failed to treat Alzheimer’s disease (AD), suggesting that Aβ may not be the optimal target for treating AD. The evaluation of Aβ, tau, and neurodegenerative (A/T/N) biomarkers has been proposed for classifying AD. However, it remains unclear whether disturbances in each arm of the A/T/N framework contribute equally throughout the progression of AD. Here, using the random forest machine learning method to analyze participants in the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative dataset, we show that A/T/N biomarkers show varying importance in predicting AD development, with elevated biomarkers of Aβ …

0.03 V Electrolysis Voltage Driven Hydrazine Assisted Hydrogen Generation On Nico Phosphide Nanowires Supported Nicohydroxide Nanosheets, Mujie Li, Zhongyi Zhang, Hailang Xiong, Linan Wang, Shuxian Zhuang, Morris D. Argyle, Yang Tang, Xiaojin Yang, Yongmei Chen, Pingyu Wan, Maohong Fan

Faculty Publications

In order to decrease the electricity consumption of hydrogen generation, hydrazine-assisted water electrolysis is intensively investigated recently. Herein, hierarchical nanostructure of ultrathin NiCo(OH)_x nanosheets (NSs) that in-situ grown on the NiCoP nanowires (NWs) was deposited on nickel foam (NF) to construct NiCo(OH)_x@NiCoP/NF electrode. NiCoP NWs extend the surface area, spatial utilization of NF and enhance the electron conduction to the outmost NiCo(OH)_x NSs. NiCo(OH)_x NSs interlace to form regular mesoporous channels, which improve the structural stability and mass transfer rate. Moreover, NiCoP NWs enhance the adsorption of protons and the transfer of electrons, while NiCo(OH) …

The Optimization Of Machining Parameters For Milling Operations By Using The Nelder–Mead Simplex Method, Yubin Lee, Alin Resiga, Sung Yi, Chien Wern

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of machining operations is to make specific shapes or surface characteristics for a product. Conditions for machining operations were traditionally selected based on geometry and surface finish requirements. However, nowadays, many researchers are optimizing machining parameters since high-quality products can be produced using more expensive and advanced machines and tools. There are a few methods to optimize the machining process, such as minimizing unit production time or cost or maximizing profit. This research focused on maximizing the profit of computer numerical control (CNC) milling operations by optimizing machining parameters. Cutting speeds and feed are considered as the main …

Occ Future And Obstacles Under 5g Requirements, Noor Jihad, Sinan Abdul Satar

Emirates Journal for Engineering Research

Telecommunications specifications of the fifth-generation (5 G) are being established to satisfy the rising demands of high-speed broadband networks (i.e., a few tens of Gigabits every second). The 5 G standard derives primarily from a rising number of subscribers and a multitude of various apps, commonly referred to as smart devices, communicating as part of Internet-of-Things (IoT) network For 5 G, a few possible developments such as millimeter waves, large multiple-input multiple-output, and small cell connectivity have appeared. While such technologies will meet 5 G specifications, attention is being given to a complementary potential wireless optical wireless communication (OWC) system. …

A Novel Self-Restrained Decoupling Technique For Two Antennas, Min Li, Muhammad Yasir Jamal, Lijun Jiang, Kwan Lawrence Yeung

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, a novel self-restrained (SR) decoupling technique (DT) is presented to increase the isolation between two antennas. The 'self-restrained' feature means that the decoupling structure is only attached to the individual antenna itself without demanding any connection to other being coupled ones. The design parameters of the resultant decoupling structure can be precisely derived to achieve high isolations. A two-element monopole array is employed as a benchmark. Results show that good matching and high isolation are achieved simultaneously.

A Novel Planar Dual Cp Mimo Antenna With Polarization Diversity And High Isolation, Muhammad Yasir Jamal, Min Li, Lijun Jiang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, a low cost planar two-port circularly polarized MIMO patch antenna with the polarization diversity is presented. Three grounded stubs and a mirrored F defected ground slot are used to achieve simultaneous matching and isolation between the two patch and offset feeding for circular polarization. The proposed antenna covering 2.5-2.55 GHz is fabricated and measured. Its measured performance show that \mathbf{\mathrm{S}_{11} < -10\ \mathrm{dB},\ \mathrm{S}_{12} < -20\ \mathrm{dB}} and axial ratio \mathbf{< 3\mathrm{dB}} for the whole band. Its radiation patterns and gain are also measured and an agreement with the simulation result has been achieved.

A Novel Wideband Decoupling Network For Two Antennas, Min Li, Muhammad Yasir Jamal, Lijun Jiang, Kwan Lawrence Yeung

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this paper, a novel wideband decoupling network (DN) is presented, which consists of two 2-way Wilkinson power dividers (WPDs), three transmission lines, and two reactive components. Rigorous design formulas are presented along with systematic design procedures. The transmission-line lengths and component reactances are precisely calculated to achieve high antenna isolation. Measurement results show that a very wide isolation bandwidth of 23.7% can be achieved after using the proposed DN.

Automatic Detection Of Dynamic And Static Activities Of The Older Adults Using A Wearable Sensor And Support Vector Machines, Jian Zhang, Rahul Soangra, Thurmon E. Lockhart

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Although Support Vector Machines (SVM) are widely used for classifying human motion patterns, their application in the automatic recognition of dynamic and static activities of daily life in the healthy older adults is limited. Using a body mounted wireless inertial measurement unit (IMU), this paper explores the use of an SVM approach for classifying dynamic (walking) and static (sitting, standing and lying) activities of the older adults. Specifically, data formatting and feature extraction methods associated with IMU signals are discussed. To evaluate the performance of the SVM algorithm, the effects of two parameters involved in SVM algorithm—the soft margin constant …

University Startup Accelerators: Startup Launchpads Or Vehicles For Entrepreneurial Learning?, Lynn E. Metcalf, Thomas M. Katona, Jonathan L. York

Industrial Technology and Packaging

Over the past decade, universities have invested heavily in startup accelerator programs; however, their role in the university entrepreneurial ecosystem is ambiguous. Are university startup accelerators intended to educate or are they created to facilitate business starts and to contribute to regional economic development? In contrast, most private-sector startup accelerators serve a consistent and differentiated role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem—they provide programming and resources to startups to increase the probability of a return on investment. Understanding the role of university startup accelerators is an important precursor to evaluating their impact and whether or not the return is worth the considerable …

Thermoresponsive Nanogels Based On Different Polymeric Moieties For Biomedical Applications, Sobhan Ghaeini-Hesaroeiye, Hossein Razmi Bagtash, Soheil Boddohi, Ebrahim Vasheghani-Farahani, Esmaiel Jabbari

Faculty Publications

Nanogels, or nanostructured hydrogels, are one of the most interesting materials in biomedical engineering. Nanogels are widely used in medical applications, such as in cancer therapy, targeted delivery of proteins, genes and DNAs, and scaffolds in tissue regeneration. One salient feature of nanogels is their tunable responsiveness to external stimuli. In this review, thermosensitive nanogels are discussed, with a focus on moieties in their chemical structure which are responsible for thermosensitivity. These thermosensitive moieties can be classified into four groups, namely, polymers bearing amide groups, ether groups, vinyl ether groups and hydrophilic polymers bearing hydrophobic groups. These novel thermoresponsive nanogels …

Study Of Rheological Properties Of Solutions And Pulp During Dicalcium Phosphate Formation Process, Navruzbek Ibraimovich Khurramov, Tulkin Isamurodovich Nurmurodov, Nilufar Negboevna Bozorova, Zarifa Umarovna Karimova

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

This article presents the rheological properties of suspensions obtained on the basis of nitric acid decomposition of unfired phosphorites of the Central Kyzylkum, as well as the chemical compositions of dicalcium phosphate and solid residues after the filtration process. The mass-spectral analysis of the pure dicalcium phosphate salt obtained by ammonization of the liquid part separated from the solid residue and subjected to filtration was studied.

Procedure Formalization For Constructing An Adaptive Control System With A Reference Model Based On The Lyapunov Function, Tulkin Vafoqulovich Botirov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

Discusses the formalization of the procedure for constructing an adaptive control system with a reference model based on the Lyapunov function. It is shown that the asymptotic stability of the extended system of differential equations guarantees accurate tracking of the desired output signal of the model. At the same time, the expediency of analyzing the asymptotic stability of the system in extended space using the Lyapunov function is shown. The above algorithms help to stabilize the computational matrix inversion procedure and thereby increase the accuracy of estimating the adjustable parameter in an adaptive control system.

Improving The Electrochemical Method Of Wastewater Treatment, Dilrabo Akramovna Muhammadieva, Diyor Asadullaevich Hadjibaev, Furkat Ilyasovich Erkabaev

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

With an electrochemical method of wastewater treatment, the preliminary isolation of iron, calcium and magnesium compounds from them contributes to a more intensive recovery process. The purpose of this work is to improve the efficiency of electrochemical treatment of industrial wastewater contaminated with chromium(III) and chromium(VI) ions. The research has determined the optimal conditions for increasing the yield of chromium in the Park during electrochemical treatment of chromate-containing wastewater by using modified bentonite for pre - treatment of wastewater. Pre-softening of wastewater with modified bentonite before electrochemical treatment made it possible to increase the current yield of chromium from 17% …

Modeling Of Monitoring Systems Of Solar Power Stations For Telecommunication Facilities Based On Wireless Nets, Ilkhomjon Xakimovich Siddikov, Khalimjon Ergashevich Khujamatov, Doston Turayevich Khasanov, Ernazar Nurjamiyevich Reypnazarov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

In this paper described of modelling processes of the real-time remote monitoring system of solar power sources, modelled and investigated by wireless sensor nets of telecommunications devices. As a modelling environment was obtained Proteus software. In processes of modelling of the system, structure and a block diagram of the system were developed, each of elements is deleted to parts of the system and separately described. Specially created software for the research system. The structure of the system developed and software tested by modelling processes. The results of modelling of monitoring system presented in a virtual terminal, an oscillography, and a …