Engineering Commons^™

Ordered Mesoporous Carbon/Graphene/Nickel Foam For Flexible Dopamine Detection With Ultrahigh Sensitivity And Selectivity, Lai-Yu Wang, Xin Xi, Dong-Qing Wu, Xiong-Yu Liu, Wei Ji, Rui-Li Liu

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electro-catalytic reduction is an efficient way to achieve resourcable transformation of CO₂, which is one of the important techniques to solve the global environmental problems originated from excessive CO₂ emission. In this study, a membrane electrode assembly(MEA) type CO₂ electro-reduction electrolytic cell was constucted, which enables CO₂ feeding and real-time KHCO₃ aqueous updating on both sides of the cathode gas diffusion electrode (GDE). By means of the electrolytic cell, effects of KHCO₃ concentration and updating inside the liquid electrolytic chamber on CO₂ electro-reduction activity, production distribution and stability were investigated. The experimental …

The Effects Of Surface-Water Flow On The Quality Of Groundwater And Surface-Water Systems, Quanghee Yi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

My research has focused on the effects of surface-water flow on the quality of groundwater and surfacewater systems. For the first part of my research (Chapter 2 ), I s tudied the effects of s urface flow system changes in the water-conservation areas and canals in southeast Florida on the quality of groundwater in the surficial aquifer system.

For the second part of my research, by developing analytical models using the superposition method, I investigated the effects of bidirectional surface-water flow on the conservative contaminant concentrations (Chapter 4) and mean residence time (Chapter 5) in streams and rivers as well …

Open-Source Digitally Replicable Lab-Grade Scales, Benjamin R. Hubbard, Joshua M. Pearce

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

This study provides designs for a low-cost, easily replicable open-source lab-grade digital scale that can be used as a precision balance. The design is such that it can be manufactured for use in most labs throughout the world with open-source RepRap-class material extrusion-based 3-D printers for the mechanical components and readily available open-source electronics including the Arduino Nano. Several versions of the design were fabricated and tested for precision and accuracy for a range of load cells. The results showed the open-source scale was found to be repeatable within 0.05 g with multiple load cells, with even better precision (0.005 …

Evolution Strategies For Learning Sparse Matrix Representations Of Gene Regulatory Networks, Youchuan Wang

Theses - ALL

Currently, a massive amount of temporal gene expression data is available to researchers, which makes it possible to infer Gene Regulatory Networks (GRNs). Gene regulatory networks are theoretical models to represent excitatory and inhibitory interactions between genes. GRNs are useful in understanding how genes function, and hence they are also useful in pharmaceutical and other applications in biology and medicine. However, despite the importance of GRNs, the process of inferring GRNs from observational data is very difficult.

This thesis applies evolutionary algorithms to the problem of GRN inference. We propose a novel evolutionary algorithm: hierarchical evolution strategy (HES) to target …

The Effects Of Shrinkage Reducing Admixtures On Shrinkage And Strength Properties Of Cement Mortar Lining Mixes, Raed Ashour

Theses - ALL

Cement mortar lining plays an essential role in protecting water supply networks. It protects the internal surface of water pipelines from corrosion and prevents the development of red-water problems in water supply networks. While several factors can cause damage to cement mortar lining, shrinkage cracks are considered one of the main sources of lining failure. Shrinkage cracks are hard to control and can significantly shorten the service life of cement mortar lining applications. Thereafter, the service life of steel pipes can be shortened due to corrosion, which in turn affects the quality of the supplied water.

This thesis describes the …

Analysis Of The Flow Structure And Reattachment Over Accelerating Non-Slender Delta-Wing Planforms, Han Tu

Dissertations - ALL

Delta wings are triangular-shaped lifting surfaces, and in past decades, they have been found to have important applications in maneuvering combat aircraft and supersonic aircraft. Slender, or high swept, delta wings have been widely studied in early investigations since they suffer less wave drag in supersonic environments. Recently, however, with more and more low-aspect ratio wing applications on UCAVs (Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles) and MAVs (Micro Air Vehicles), non-slender delta wing configurations (low-sweep angle) begin to raise interest. The collaborative investigation of flow coherent structure, suction side surface pressure, and aerodynamic forces of non-slender delta wings presented here provides critical …

On Sequence Clustering And Supervised Dimensionality Reduction, Tiexing Wang

Dissertations - ALL

This dissertation studies two machine learning problems: 1) clustering of independent and identically generated random sequences, and 2) dimensionality reduction for classification problems.

For sequence clustering, the focus is on large sample performance of classical clustering algorithms, including the k-medoids algorithm and hierarchical agglomerative clustering (HAC) algorithms. Data sequences are generated from unknown continuous distributions that are assumed to form clusters according to some well-defined distance metrics. The goal is to group data sequences according to their underlying distributions with little or no prior knowledge of both the underlying distributions as well as the number of clusters. Upper bounds on …

From Salt In Solution To Solely Ions: Solvation Of Methyl Viologen In Deep Eutectic Solvents And Ionic Liquids, Jeffrey M. Klein, Henry Squire, William Dean, Burcu E. Gurkan

Faculty Scholarship

Solvation and transport properties of methly viologen dichloride (MVCl2) in 1:2, 1:4, and 1:6 molar mixtures of choline chloride (ChCl) and ethylene glycol (EG), including the deep eutectic solvent (DES) ethaline (1:2 mixture), were studied through the application of the hole theory to measured physical properties, cyclic voltammetry, and Raman spectroscopy. The ChCl:EG mixtures were compared to the ionic liquid (IL) 1-methyl-1-propylpyrrolidinium bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl) imide ([PYR13][TFSI]) and choline bis(trifluoromethylsulfonyl)imide (ChTFSI) EG mixtures with the same molar ratios in order to understand the impact of the anion and hydrogen bond donor on solvation. Exchanging the chloride anion with TFSI is found to …

Molecular Investigation Of Tight Junction Proteins Related To The Small Intestines, Santita Etohnya Ebangwese

Theses - ALL

The intestines are an integral part of homeostasis and vital functions that occur throughout the body via the mechanisms of the epithelial barrier. Deficiencies in the intestinal epithelial barrier corresponds with intestinal pathologies and mental disorders. Interestingly, the effectiveness of the barrier function is correlated with a family of transmembrane proteins known as claudin. Alterations of expression of claudin-3 and -23, which are known barrier-forming proteins, occur during the presentation of intestinal pathologies. Investigating how these proteins act using experimental methods presents many difficulties. Therefore, we will be using advances in computational modeling to study the assembly of claudin-3 and …

Mechanical Properties And Cyclic Behavior Of High Strength Steel After Fire Exposure, Fang Wang

Dissertations - ALL

Behavior of High Strength Steels (HSS) after exposure to high temperature has become an important research topic in recent years. A number of studies have demonstrated that different grades of HSS can exhibit noticeable differences in their mechanical properties under and after fire exposure, and different cooling methods may have an effect on the post-fire mechanical properties of HSS. In this research, the post-fire mechanical properties of Q690 steel and the post-fire residual stress distributions of Q690 welded I-sections heated to various temperatures using different heating rates and cooled using two cooling methods are determined experimentally and simple empirical equations …

Biogas Upgrading Via Solid Resin-Based Amine Sorbents, Olusola Johnson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biogas is a valuable renewable energy generated from anaerobic digestion of biodegradable organic matter. It is applicable as fuel in vehicles, for the generation of electricity, industrial heating, or as raw material to produce chemicals, liquid fuels, syngas, and compressed natural gas (CNG). Carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) are the major components in biogas, with a trace amount of contaminants, including hydrogen sulfide (H2S), water vapor (H2O), nitrogen (N2), ammonia (NH3), oxygen (O2), carbon monoxide (CO), halides, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), siloxanes, and hydrocarbons.

The source of biogas, which is anaerobic digestion of different organic matter or landfill decomposition, …

Bio-Electrochemical Denitrification Systems And Applications For Nitrogen Removal In On-Site Wastewater Treatment, Kamal Ziad Taha

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Denitrification experiments using biological cathodes (biocathodes) were conducted in three separate experiments. The first experiment was to observe whether the rate of denitrification in biocathodes could be increased with added ammonium at mass (mg/L) ratios of 0.100 (2.5/25), 0.05 (1.25/25), 0.0250 (0.625/25), and 0.0125 (0.3125/25) (parts ammonium to nitrate (NH4+-N/ NO3--N). The purpose of the ammonium present was to provide the microorganisms a starting nitrogen source for assimilation to biomass which, in theory, would encourage the removal of nitrate through dissimilatory denitrification. As mixed cultures were used, ratios tested were based on simplifying future operation of scaled-up biocathodes applied to …

Structural And Agricultural Value At Risk In Florida From Flooding During Hurricane Irma, Alexander J. Miller

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Flooding is the most costly type of natural disaster, as well as the most frequent. To provide risk-based flood insurance, providers such as FEMA must be able to accurately determine an asset’s risk of flooding. Additionally, after a flooding event, providers need to quickly determine the direct damages that occurred to verify insurance claims and provide assistance to the affected communities. Many current approaches to flood risk and flood damage estimation involve the use of data or statistical extrapolation that can add various sources of uncertainty into the final damage estimate. In order to reduce uncertainties in flood risk analyses, …

The Resilience Of K-Cores In Graphs, Ricky Laishram

Dissertations - ALL

A k-core of a graph is defined as the maximal subgraph such that all the nodes in the subgraph has at least k neighbors within the subgraph. k-core have been used in a number of applications ranging from anomaly detection and finding influential spreaders in social networks, to studying the robustness of financial and ecological networks.

In our work, we study the effect of missing data (edges or nodes) to the k-core of a graph. In particular, we study three different type of changes. The first type of change is the core structural change, in which the rank order of …

Large-Scale Unmanned Aerial Systems Traffic Density Prediction And Management, Ziyi Zhao

Dissertations - ALL

In recent years, the applications of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) has become more and more popular. We envision that in the near future, the complicated and high density UAS traffic will impose significant burden to air traffic management. Lot of works focus on the application development of individual Small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS) or sUAS management Policy, however, the study of the UAS cluster behaviors such as forecasting and managing of the UAS traffic has generally not been addressed. In order to address the above issue, there is an urgent need to investigate three research directions. The first direction is …

Existing Empirical Kinetic Models In Biochemical Methane Potential (Bmp) Testing, Their Selection And Numerical Solution, Yehor Pererva, Charles D. Miller, Ronald C. Sims

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Biochemical Methane Potential (BMP) tests are a crucial part of feasibility studies to estimate energy recovery opportunities from organic wastes and wastewater. Despite the large number of publications dedicated to BMP testing and numerous attempts to standardize procedures, there is no “one size fits all” mathematical model to describe biomethane formation kinetic precisely. Importantly, the kinetics models are utilized for treatability estimation and modeling processes for the purpose of scale-up. A numerical computation approach is a widely used method to determine model coefficients, as a replacement for the previously used linearization approach. However, it requires more information for each model …

Reprapable Automated Open Source Bag Valve Mask-Based Ventilator, Aliaksei Petsiuk, Nagendra Gautam Tanikella, Samantha C. Dertinger, Adam Pringle, Shane Oberloier, Joshua M. Pearce

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

This study describes the development of an automated bag valve mask (BVM) compression system, which, during acute shortages and supply chain disruptions can serve as a temporary emergency ventilator. The resuscitation system is based on the Arduino controller with a real-time operating system installed on a largely RepRap 3-D printable parametric component-based structure. The cost of the system is under $170, which makes it affordable for replication by makers around the world. The device provides a controlled breathing mode with tidal volumes from 100 to 800 milliliters, breathing rates from 5 to 40 breaths/minute, and inspiratory-to-expiratory ratio from 1:1 to …

Simulation-Based An Exploratory Analysis Of Drone Air Strike On Saudi Oilfields, Jiajun Zhang, Xiaochao Qian, Jinpeng Zhou, Xuanling Wang, Zhifeng Lu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: The incident of air strike in Sandi Arabia in September 2019 is taken as an example，A rapid analysis method for crisis events based on simulation is proposed. Combining the simulation with the exploratory analysis, the uncertainty of crisis events is comprehensively analyzed and dealt with. According to the public information of the incidents details from Sandi Arabia, Yemen, the combat situation of the air strike is replayed based on the wargaming. The rationality and authenticity of the details in the event statement is verified and can also provide reference to the development and combat research of the “Low, Small …

Multi-Tank Adaptive Scheduling Algorithm And Simulation For Ship Stability Realization, Xiong Yong, Xuanzhuo Liang, Zhang Jia

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Aiming at the influence of the oil tank on the floating state and stability of the ship, the multi-tank adaptive dispatching control algorithm to maintain the stability of the ship is studied. The automatic floating state adjustment simulation system of the ship is realized by the WinCC (Windows Control Center) configuration software. For the system architecture, the Boolean logic table is used to construct the connection relationships of the oil tanks, pumps and pipelines, and the amount of oil exchange between the cabins is calculated according to the floating equation, and the balance of the floating state in the …

Simulation-Based Effectiveness Evaluation For System-Of-System Under Multi-Equipment Collaboration, Ma Ning, Shenglin Lin

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Complex coordination exists among the various equipment in the system-of-system (SoS) operational process. The influence relationship among the various indexes is ignored in the traditional effectiveness evaluation methods. Aiming at this, a new effectiveness evaluation approach for the SoS is proposed. Numerous evaluation data is analyzed, based on the association rules mining, to obtain the influence among the effectiveness indexes. The networked evaluation index system is constructed, and the effectiveness integration evaluation is realized based on the analytic network process. The feasibility and validity of the proposed method are verified by evaluating the effectiveness of an air defense SoS.

Identification Method For Fractional-Order Systems Based On Haar Wavelet Operational Matrix, Yuanlu Li, Li Teng, Baoying Liu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Studies have shown that the dynamical systems can be more accurately described by the fractional-order systems because its order can be any number. That’s why the fractional-order systems are being paid more and more attention. However, how to create a fractional-order system is still in the exploratory stage. Considering the nonlocal features of the fractional differentiation, a method for the fractional-order system identification is proposed by taking the Haar wavelet operational matrix. The proposed method can reduce the dimension of the operational matrix by abandoning the high frequency coefficients of the input and output signals so that the buffer …

Virtual-Point-Light Sampling Algorithm Based On Indirect Illumination Clustering Of Visible Scene Region, Chen Sheng, Chunyi Chen, Qiwei Xing, Chaozhi Yang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Focusing on the accuracy of indirect illumination calculation, an improved view-sensitive virtual point light (VPL) sampling method is proposed. The visible shading points are clustered according to the positions and normal vectors. The product of the contribution of VPLs on the representative visible shading points and the number of VPLs belonging to the same class is calculated, and the sum of the products is treated as the estimation of the indirect illumination which constructs the cumulative distribution function (CDF). On the basis of the CDF, the VPLs of calculating the indirect illumination on every visible shading point are selected. …

Augmented Reality Interactive Media System For Ancient Buildings Based On Servomotor, Xingquan Cai, Zhe Yang, He Xin, Chen Chao

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Augmented reality is usually limited to the screen devices, and is difficult to realize the stereoscopic dynamic interaction of multiplayer. A large screen interactive display method based on the servo motor is prsented. The serial communication program to control the scanning reciprocating mode of the servo is designed. By using the edge detection methods and deep normal texture processing, the line draft of the ancient buildings is rendered. By combining the hardware and presentation application modules, the user interaction capabilities and seasonal effects is added to the showcase application modules. The experimental results show that the interactive media system …

Adaptive Differential Crisscross Optimization Algorithm For Dynamic Economic Emission Dispatch Considering Wind Power, Panpan Mei, Lianghong Wu, Hongqiang Zhang, Huiying Wang

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: Because of the randomness and fluctuation of the wind power, the large scale wind power integration makes the economic emission dispatch of power systems more complicated. By fusing the advantages of the differential evolution algorithm with the parameter self-adaption and crisscross optimization, a hybrid intelligent optimization algorithm called ADE-CSO is proposed to solve the dynamic economic emission dispatch considering wind power integration. A constraint handling technology is introduced to satisfy the feasibility of the power balance and ramp limits. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, a typical test case of five generator bus system is conducted and …

Classification Of Chest X-Ray Disease Based On Convolutional Neural Network, Huang Xin, Fang Yu, Mengdan Gu

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: The artificial intelligence technology can effectively assist the chest X-ray diagnosis. On the basis of the analysis of Chinese reports of chest X-rays, a labeling method of the thoracic disease classification for the chest abnormal parts is proposed and a dataset of the thoracic disease classification labels is complied. The thoracic disease classification is evaluated through four kinds of convolutional neural networks, AlexNet, VGGNet, ResNet and DenseNet and through three kinds of training methods, direct training, ImageNet pre-training and Chest X-14 pre-training. The result shows that the more complicated convolutional neural network with the more parameters, the better performance …

Simultaneous Effects Of Rice Husk Silica And Silicon Carbide Whiskers On The Mechanical Properties And Morphology Of Sodium Geopolymer, Akm Rahman, Chirag Shah, Nihkil Gupta

Publications and Research

The current research is focused on developing a geopolymer binder using rice husk ash–derived silica nanoparticles. Four types of rice husks were collected directly from various rice fields of Bangladesh in order to evaluate the pozzolanic activity and compatibility of the derived rice husk ashes with precursors of sodium-based geopolymers. Silicon carbide whiskers were introduced into sodium-based geopolymers in order to evaluate the response of silicon carbide whiskers to the interfacial bonding and strength of sodium-based geopolymers along with rice husk ashes. Compression, flexural and short beam shear tests were performed to investigate the synergistic effect of rice husk ashes–derived …

Water Environment Comprehensive Forewarning For Waterlogged Area In Huainan Based On Weber-Fechner Law, Pei Wenming, Zhang Hui, Ju Changhua, Yao Suping, Ren Yongle, Ma Mengxiao, Qiu Kuanbiao

Coal Geology & Exploration

In area with high groundwater level in the east of China, long-time underground coal mining results in a large subsidence water area on the surface. The risk of water environment pollution in subsidence waters is increasing gradually with the influence of human activities. According to Weber-Fisher law, this paper took Panji waterlogged area of Huainan as the research object, selected the water quality evaluation indexes closely related to the water environment of the waterlogged area, analyzed the water environmental conditions of the waterlogged area in different periods, and quantitatively reflected the time and the area of the water environment quality …

Performance Test And Proportioning Optimization Of Loess-Based Grouting Materials In Coal Mining Subsidence Area Of Northern Shaanxi, Cao Xiaoyi, Wang Yutao, Liu Xiaoping, Cao Zubao, Wu Boqiang

Coal Geology & Exploration

Grouting is the main treatment method of mining subsidence area, and the grouting materials have great influence on the grouting effect and cost. Taking the grout mix composed of loess and cement used in northern Shaanxi as the research object, the viscosity, the gelation time, the stone rate and 28 d uniaxial unconfined compressive strength of loess grout were studied by single factor and orthogonal tests. The influencing factors and changing rule of each index were analyzed. Meanwhile, the GA-BPNN prediction model of loess-based grout was established, and the multi-objective global optimization was carried out through GA. The grout ratio …

Stacking Angle Of Slurry-Aeolian Sand Dual-Phase Medium Filling Material, Bai Zhongrong

Coal Geology & Exploration

Stacking angle is an important parameter to describe the spatial accumulation pattern of filling material in the goaf. It has important guiding significance for determining the drilling distance, optimizing the slurry configuration and adjusting the grouting process parameters. In order to grasp the variation law of stacking angle of slurry-aeolian sand dual-phase medium filling material, using self-flow stacking model experiment of tailings and rheological properties experiment, the mixing ratio of aeolian sand was taken as a variable to determine the slurry accumulation parameters and rheological parameters on different conditions of sand ratio. Based on this, Sofra & Boger formula was …

Regional Distribution And Geotectonic Control Of Late Permian Tectonically Deformed Coal In Zhina Coalfield, Zhou Peiming, Gao Wei, Deng Lan, Fu Wei

Coal Geology & Exploration

In order to find out the tectonically deformed coal distribution law of Zhina coalfield, by sorting out and analyzing the data of more than 200 coal-bearing structural units including Bide syncline, Santang syncline, Zhuzang syncline, Arcong syncline and Guanzhai syncline in Zhina coalfield, Guizhou Province, combined with logging curve analysis, the regional distribution characteristics of coal body structure and structural control factors of No.6, No.16 and No.27 main coal seams are comprehensively analyzed. The study shows that from the west to the east, the proportion of tectonically deformed coal in Zhina coalfield increases gradually. The coal in the western part …