Engineering Commons^™

Experimental And Numerical Structural Assessment Of Transparent And Tinted Glass During Fire Exposure, A Vedrtnam, C Bedon, Maged A. Youssef, M Wamiq, Amer Sabsabi, S Chaturvedi

Civil and Environmental Engineering Publications

Transparency, illumination, aesthetic and energy requirements have considerably increased the use of glass in modern high-rise buildings. During fire exposure, fracture and shattering of windows and facades accelerate the spread and severity of fire, which increases the risk for the occupants and the amount of structural damage. This paper aims at analyzing the effect of non-uniform thermal gradients on the flexural capacity of ordinary glass panels. Both transparent and tinted glass panels are considered to account for widely-used glass compositions. The bending response of fire-damaged glass panels is experimentally explored considering different durations of thermal exposure. The thermal breakage due …

Seismic Performance Of Modular Steel-Braced Frames Utilizing Superelastic Shape Memory Alloy Bolts In The Vertical Module Connections, Papia Sultana, Maged A. Youssef

Civil and Environmental Engineering Publications

In modular construction, individual modules are constructed at a controlled industrial environment before being transported to site. They are then connected horizontally and vertically to form a structure. The vertical connections can be achieved by welding or bolting the columns of stacked modules. This study investigates the seismic performance of modular steel-braced frames (MSBFs) connected vertically using superelastic shape memory alloy (SMA) bolts. The study also identifies the required locations of SMA connections, in a typical MSBF, to optimize its seismic performance in terms of maximum inter-story drift (MID), maximum residual inter-story residual drift (MRID), and damage scheme.

Exact Solutions To The Three-Dimensional Navier-Stokes Equations Using The Extended Beltrami Method, Nolan J. Dyck, Anthony G. Straatman

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Publications

No abstract provided.

Edge-Cloud Computing For Iot Data Analytics: Embedding Intelligence In The Edge With Deep Learning, Ananda Mohon M. Ghosh, Katarina Grolinger

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

Rapid growth in numbers of connected devices including sensors, mobile, wearable, and other Internet of Things (IoT) devices, is creating an explosion of data that are moving across the network. To carry out machine learning (ML), IoT data are typically transferred to the cloud or another centralized system for storage and processing; however, this causes latencies and increases network traffic. Edge computing has the potential to remedy those issues by moving computation closer to the network edge and data sources. On the other hand, edge computing is limited in terms of computational power and thus is not well suited for …

Deep Learning For Load Forecasting With Smart Meter Data: Online Adaptive Recurrent Neural Network, Mohammad Navid Fekri, Harsh Patel, Katarina Grolinger, Vinay Sharma

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

No abstract provided.

Pwd-3dnet: A Deep Learning-Based Fully-Automated Segmentation Of Multiple Structures On Temporal Bone Ct Scans, Western University, London Health Science Centre

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

The temporal bone is a part of the lateral skull surface that contains organs responsible for hearing and balance. Mastering surgery of the temporal bone is challenging because of this complex and microscopic three-dimensional anatomy. Segmentation of intra-temporal anatomy based on computed tomography (CT) images is necessary for applications such as surgical training and rehearsal, amongst others. However, temporal bone segmentation is challenging due to the similar intensities and complicated anatomical relationships among crit- ical structures, undetectable small structures on standard clinical CT, and the amount of time required for manual segmentation. This paper describes a single multi-class deep learning-based …

Intrinsic Measures And Shape Analysis Of The Intratemporal Facial Nerve, Thomas Hudson, Bradley Gare, Daniel Allen, Hanif Ladak, Sumit Agrawal

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

Hypothesis: To characterize anatomical measurements and shape variation of the facial nerve within the temporal bone, and to create statistical shape models (SSMs) to enhance knowledge of temporal bone anatomy and aid in automated segmentation.

Background: The facial nerve is a fundamental structure in otologic surgery, and detailed anatomic knowledge with surgical experience are needed to avoid its iatrogenic injury. Trainees can use simulators to practice surgical techniques, however manual segmentation required to develop simulations can be time consuming. Consequently, automated segmentation algorithms have been developed that use atlas registration, SSMs, and deep learning.

Methods: Forty cadaveric temporal bones were …

Water Conservation Potential Of Self-Funded Foam-Based Flexible Surface-Mounted Floatovoltaics, Koami Soulemane Hayibo, Pierce Mayville, Ravneet Kaur Kailey, Joshua M. Pearce

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

A potential solution to the coupled water–energy–food challenges in land use is the concept of floating photovoltaics or floatovoltaics (FPV). In this study, a new approach to FPV is investigated using a flexible crystalline silicon-based photovoltaic (PV) module backed with foam, which is less expensive than conventional pontoon-based FPV. This novel form of FPV is tested experimentally for operating temperature and performance and is analyzed for water-savings using an evaporation calculation adapted from the Penman–Monteith model. The results show that the foam-backed FPV had a lower operating temperature than conventional pontoon-based FPV, and thus a 3.5% higher energy output per …

Perception Of Water Quality In Communities Along Rivers In Mining Areas - The Case Of Birim Basin In Ghana, Adwoa Boadua Yirenkyi-Fianko, Ernest Kwesi Yanful

Africa Western Collaborations Day 2020 Abstracts

No abstract provided.

Fuzzy Controller Algorithm For Automated Hvac Control, M. Chae, K. Kang, D. Koo, S. Oh, Jae Youl Chun

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This research presents the design framework of the artificial intelligent algorithm for an automated building management system. The AI system uses wireless sensor data or IoT (Internet of Things) and user's feedback together. The wireless sensors collect data such as temperature (indoor and outdoor), humidity, light, user occupancy of the facility, and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) which is known as the source of the Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) or New Building Syndrome because VOC are often found in new buildings or old buildings with new interior improvement and they can be controlled and reduced by appropriate ventilation efforts. The collected …

Mac Protocols For Terahertz Communication: A Comprehensive Survey, Saim Ghafoor, Noureddine Boujnah, Mubashir Husain Rehmani, Alan Davy

Publications

Terahertz communication is emerging as a future technology to support Terabits per second link with highlighting features as high throughput and negligible latency. However, the unique features of the Terahertz band such as high path loss, scattering, and reflection pose new challenges and results in short communication distance. The antenna directionality, in turn, is required to enhance the communication distance and to overcome the high path loss. However, these features in combine negate the use of traditional medium access protocols (MAC). Therefore, novel MAC protocol designs are required to fully exploit their potential benefits including efficient channel access, control message …

Developing A Multifunctional Thermo-Responsive Viral Like Particle (Vlp) Platform With New Physicochemical Characteristics, Sepehr Dejdar

ETD Archive

Smart materials are a class of material whose physical characteristics change significantly in a controllable fashion once exposed to an external stimulus such as stress, pH, light, temperature, etc. If the temperature is the external stimuli (control variable) the material is termed thermo-responsive. Out of numerous thermo-responsive materials, elastin-like polypeptide (ELP) is a well-known protein-based biopolymer. Protein cages are well-defined biological nanostructures which are highly symmetrical and monodisperse. This class of proteins are both chemically and genetically tunable, making them a suitable recipient of new properties. Protein re-engineering is the basis of developing a hybrid platform (e.g. polymer-protein) to deliver …

Achieving Practical Functional Electrical Stimulation-Driven Reaching Motions In An Individual With Tetraplegia, Derek Nathaniel Wolf

ETD Archive

Functional electrical stimulation (FES) is a promising technique for restoring the ability to complete reaching motions to individuals with tetraplegia due to a spinal cord injury (SCI). FES has proven to be a successful technique for controlling many functional tasks such as grasping, standing, and even limited walking. However, translating these successes to reaching motions has proven difficult due to the complexity of the arm and the goaldirected nature of reaching motions. The state-of-the-art systems either use robots to assist the FES-driven reaching motions or control the arm of healthy subjects to complete planar motions. These controllers do not directly …

Hierarchical Mechanisms Of Lateral Interactions In High- Performance Fibers, Taylor A, Stockdale, Daniel P. Cole, Jeffrey M. Staniszewski, Michael R. Roenbeck, Dimitry Papkov, Steve R. Lustig, Youris A. Dzenis, Kenneth E. Strawhecker

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

The processing conditions used in the production of advanced polymer fibers facilitate the formation of an oriented fibrillar network that consists of structures spanning multiple length scales. The irregular nature of fiber tensile fracture surfaces suggests that their structural integrity is defined by the degree of lateral (interfacial) interactions that exist within the fiber microstructure. To date, experimental studies have quantified interfacial adhesion between nanoscale fibrils measuring 10−50 nm in width, and the global fracture energy through applying peel loads to fiber halves. However, a more in-depth evaluation of tensile fracture indicates that fiber failure typically occurs at an intermediate …

Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Balance And Walking Improvements In An Adolescent With Cerebral Palsy (Gmfcs Ii) And Autism After Motor-Assisted Elliptical Training, Guilherme Manna Cesar, Thad W. Buster, Judith M. Burnfield

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Purpose: To quantify the impact of motor-assisted elliptical (ICARE) training on cardiorespiratory fitness, balance and walking function of an adolescent with walking limitations due to cerebral palsy.

Materials and methods: A thirteen-year-old boy with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (Gross Motor Function Classification System II) and autism participated. Peak oxygen consumption (peak VO₂, primary outcome measure), oxygen cost of walking, Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS), modified Timed Up and Go (mTUG), 2-Minute Walk Test (2MWT), and gait characteristics (speed, cadence, step length, single support time) were assessed prior to and after completion of 24 sessions of moderate- to vigorous- intensity ICARE …

Lake Volume Data Analyses: A Deep Look Into The Shrinking And Expansion Patterns Of Lakes Azuei And Enriquillo, Hispaniola, Mahrokh Moknatian, Michael Piasecki

Publications and Research

This paper presents the development of an evenly spaced volume time series for Lakes Azuei and Enriquillo both located on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. The time series is derived from an unevenly spaced Landsat imagery data set which is then exposed to several imputation methods to construct the gap filled uniformly‐spaced time series so it can be subjected to statistical analyses methods. The volume time series features both gradual and sudden changes the latter of which is attributed to North Atlantic cyclone activity. Relevant cyclone activity is defined as an event passing within 80 km and having regional monthly …

Customer Choice Modeling For Retail Category Assortment Planning And Product-Line Extension, Elham Nosratmirshekarlou

Wayne State University Dissertations

Growing competitiveness and increasing availability of data is generating great interest in data-driven analytics across industries. One of the areas that has gained a lot of attention is Customer choice modeling, which aims to explain the choices individual customers make in choosing from a set of products based on their preferences. While effective customer choice modeling is essential to a wide variety of application domains, including retail, it is challenging in practice due to limitations around the quality of the data available for modeling and potentially complex choice behaviors. This dissertation presents a hybrid modeling approach that relies on both …

Durability Performance Of Geopolymer Concrete Beams And Columns Exposed To Hygrothermal Environment, Najeb Hasen Sh Sawsi

Wayne State University Dissertations

Among the most important advances of research and technological development for viable applications of coal-fired fly ash, the development of new inorganic polymeric materials, named alkali activated cement or “Geopolymers”, seems to gain increasing attention during the last twenty years. The present investigation intends to study the effect of hot weather environments (either by changing relative humidity and temperature is kept constant, or by changing temperature but relative humidity is maintained same) on the durability performance of geopolymer concrete beams and columns. The study include the long term influence of moisture, high temperature, and combined hygrothermal conditions on the mechanical …

Stochastic Programming Models For Electric Vehicles’ Operation: Network Design And Routing Strategies, Seyed Sajjad Fazeli

Wayne State University Dissertations

Logistic and transportation (L&T) activities become a significant contributor to social and economic advances throughout the modern world Road L&T activities are responsible for a large percentage of CO2 emissions, with more than 24% of the total emission, which mostly caused by fossil fuel vehicles. Researchers, governments, and automotive companies put extensive effort to incorporate new solutions and innovations into the L&T system. As a result, Electric Vehicles (EVs) are introduced and universally accepted as one of the solutions to environmental issues. Subsequently, L&T companies are encouraged to adopt fleets of EVs. Integrating the EVs into the logistic and transportation …

Development Of Photoacoustic Tomographic Systems For Brain Hemorrhage Detection, Karl Kratkiewicz

Wayne State University Dissertations

Preterm neonates (age) and/or with low birth weight (

Photoacoustic imaging (PAI) is an imaging modality which derives its contrast from differences in optical absorption coefficients of tissue through laser irradiation and acoustic detection. Therefore, PAI derives its signal directly from optical absorbers such as blood; the critical component in a hemorrhage. We discuss operation and processing methods of our Verasonics Vantage system. We then investigate thermal safety of PAI in mouse model for various laser pulse repetitions rates and illumination duration. We then develop two photoacoustic tomographic systems for eventual translation to clinic for hemorrhage detection. One system being …

Spatiotemporal Release Of Growth Factors In A Biomaterial-Focused Organotypic Spinal Cord Injury Model, Elizabeth Mays

Wayne State University Dissertations

Over 17,000 people per year in the United States sustain a spinal cord injury (SCI) for which there is no gold standard of care and life-long complications. SCI is a complex wound environment with various growth factors (GFs), cellular activity, and scar formation at various timepoints. For example, basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) is released immediately to protect local support cells, namely oligodendrocytes (OLs). Brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has peak expression at 2-3 days in mice and 5-7 days in humans, and aids axonal growth across the injury site. Incidentally this is around the same time as M1 macrophage …

In Vitro Atherosclerosis Disease Model Via The Ring Stacking Method, Cameron Brandon Pinnock

Wayne State University Dissertations

Creation of an in vitro atherosclerotic disease model using the novel Ring Stacking Method. Singular self-assembling tissue rings made up smooth muscle cells and fibrin hydrogel are stacked on one another to create a tissue engineered vessel. These biologically engineered blood vessels are then seeded with endothelial cells via combined static rotational and dynamic bioreactor in order to create a functional intima layer. Early stage atherosclerosis was induced via the addition of oxidized low-density lipoproteins (ox-LDL) to the fibrin hydrogel that creates the media layer of the engineered vessel. After the creation of the intima layer the engineered vessel was …

Dynamic Resource Allocation For Coordination Of Inpatient Operations In Hospitals, Najibesadat Sadatijafarkalaei

Wayne State University Dissertations

Healthcare systems face difficult challenges such as increasing complexity of processes, inefficient utilization of resources, high pressure to enhance the quality of care and services, and the need to balance and coordinate the staff workload. Therefore, the need for effective and efficient processes of delivering healthcare services increases. Data-driven approaches, including operations research and predictive modeling, can help overcome these challenges and improve the performance of health systems in terms of quality, cost, patient health outcomes and satisfaction.

Hospitals are a key component of healthcare systems with many scarce resources such as caregivers (nurses, physicians) and expensive facilities/equipment. Most hospital …

Development Of A Novel Cardiac Ischemia-Reperfusion Model In The Axolotl, Jeremy Tolentino Llaniguez

Wayne State University Dissertations

The Center for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics data for mortality from diseases of the heart show the age-adjusted death rate has fallen from almost 600 deaths in the 1950s to just over 190 deaths per 100,000 U.S. residents today. With the recognized limitations of pharmacotherapy of myocardial infarction (MI), cell-based therapies have been undergoing rapid development and clinical testing. However, there is still no consensus about cell types, delivery routes, dosing and treatment schedules and pretreatment conditioning of cells prior to administration. Furthermore, a fundamental question remains unanswered about the reasons for the poor capacity for myocardial …

Electrochemical Detection Of Reactive Oxygen Species Via A Platinum Microelectrode Array, Victor M. Carriere Jr.

Master's Theses

Oxidative stress, an excess of endogenous or exogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the body, is closely aligned with inflammatory responses. ROS such as hydrogen peroxide, superoxide, and radical hydroxyl ion serve essential functions in fighting infection, but chronic elevation of these species irreversibly damages cellular components. Given the central role of inflammation in a variety of diseases, including Alzheimer’s Disease, atherosclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis, a low-cost, extracellular, non-invasive assay of ROS is needed.

This work reports the use of a platinum microelectrode array (Pt MEA)-based ceramic probe to detect time- and concentration-dependent variations in hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production by …

Dispersion Of Spherical Silicon Dioxide Nanoparticles In Poly(Styrene-B-Methyl Methacrylate) Diblock Copolymer Domains, Joshua C. Obinwa

Master's Theses

Polymer-nanoparticle hybrids are nanomaterials in which the unique properties of the nanosized structures can be precisely tuned by choosing an appropriate combination of the polymer and the nanoparticle. However, nanoparticle dispersion in a polymer is challenging due to the aggregation tendency of nanoparticles. To improve nanoparticle dispersion and control the location of nanoparticles in block copolymer assemblies, the nanoparticle surface is modified with surface ligands compatible with the block copolymer. In this thesis, hydroxyl-terminated poly(styrene-b-methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA) was utilized to functionalize the nanoparticle surface, covalently anchoring the hydroxylterminated end of the polymer onto the silicon dioxide nanoparticles. The silicon dioxide …

Molecular Weight And Heating Value Of Lignin Extracted Using Deep Eutectic Solvent., Ekugbere Owen Owhe

Master's Theses

The molecular weight of lignin helps us to determine how lignin can be applied accurately in industry. The molecular weight can predict the behavior of lignin, and how it will function when combined with other materials. This thesis discusses how the molecular weight of lignin can be found with gel permeation chromatography (GPC) after acetylation with acetic anhydride and pyridine. Different lignins gave different number average molecular weight and weight average molecular weight values, which were likely due to the biomass source, type of extraction and solubility in the solvent of choice. How the structure of lignin changed after derivatization …

An Integrated Computational And Experimental Study To Investigate Staphylococcus Aureus Metabolism, Mohammad Mazharul Islam, Vinai C. Thomas, Matthew Van Beek, Jong-Sam Ahn, Abdulelah A. Alqarzaee, Chunyi Zhou, Paul D. Fey, Kenneth W. Bayles, Rajib Saha

Mid-America Transportation Center: Final Reports and Technical Briefs

Staphylococcus aureus is a metabolically versatile pathogen that colonizes nearly all organs of the human body. A detailed and comprehensive knowledge of staphylococcal metabolism is essential to understand its pathogenesis. To this end, we have reconstructed and experimentally validated an updated and enhanced genome-scale metabolic model of S. aureus USA300_FPR3757. The model combined genome annotation data, reaction stoichiometry, and regulation information from biochemical databases and previous strain-specific models. Reactions in the model were checked and fixed to ensure chemical balance and thermodynamic consistency. To further refine the model, growth assessment of 1920 nonessential mutants from the Nebraska Transposon Mutant Library …

Biotech Connector Brochure

Biotech Connector

The Biotech Connector represents an important opportunity to serve the economic needs of the people of Nebraska through further diversification of Nebraska's economy, and by helping forge and illuminate a pathway to jobs in the biotechnology space for Nebraska students.

The Biotech Connector is 7,700 sq. ft. of well-equipped wet-lab space located on Nebraska Innovation Campus. We provide incubation space and services to bioscience startups and high-growth biotech and research-based businesses.

Wet lab space provides aspiring startups and technology businesses with access to very expensive laboratory equipment that would be outside of the budget of most startups. Lack of access …

Medical Education And Assisted Surgery By Ar, Sadan Suneesh Menon, Thomas Wischgoll, Sharon Farra, Cindra Holland

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.