Engineering Commons^™

Simplified Thermal Runaway Model For Assisting The Design Of A Novel Safe Li-Ion Battery Pack, Paul T. Coman, Eric C. Darcy, Ralph E. White

Faculty Publications

This paper presents a simplified thermal runaway model (FEM) used to guide the design of a novel battery pack designed to resist thermal runaway propagation passively. The model is based on the heat equation for a 2D geometry with a heat generation term based on the maximum amount of energy measured using a custom-made calorimeter. The model was validated against experimental data using a 48-cell subscale of a full-scale battery pack for three different runs with three trigger cells with Internal Short Circuit Devices (ISCD) implanted in the separators. One trigger cell was placed at the edge, one placed in …

Machine Learning Based Medical Image Deepfake Detection: A Comparative Study, Siddharth Solaiyappan, Yuxin Wen

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Deep generative networks in recent years have reinforced the need for caution while consuming various modalities of digital information. One avenue of deepfake creation is aligned with injection and removal of tumors from medical scans. Failure to detect medical deepfakes can lead to large setbacks on hospital resources or even loss of life. This paper attempts to address the detection of such attacks with a structured case study. Specifically, we evaluate eight different machine learning algorithms, which include three conventional machine learning methods (Support Vector Machine, Random Forest, Decision Tree) and five deep learning models (DenseNet121, DenseNet201, ResNet50, ResNet101, VGG19) …

Beyond Profitable Shifts To Green Energies, Towards Energy Sustainability, Farboud Khatami, Erfan Goharian

Faculty Publications

The traditional carbon-based approach towards sustainability has long caused the concepts of green and sustainable energies to be used interchangeably. Recent studies have tried to advance this archaic view by considering more aspects of sustainability. However, almost all major studies have been concerned with only the economic and environmental aspects of electricity generation, whereas the concept of sustainability is beyond these two criteria. In this paper, we seek to provide a methodology for a more comprehensive definition of electricity generation sustainability based on the lessons learned from previous studies and additional metrics suggested by them. The main characteristics of select …

Materialsatlas.Org: A Materials Informatics Web App Platform For Materials Discovery And Survey Of State-Of-The-Art, Jianjun Hu, Stanislav Stefanov, Yuqi Song, Sadman Sadeed Omee, Steph-Yves Louis, Edirisuriya M.D. Siriwardane, Yong Zhao, Lai Wei

Faculty Publications

The availability and easy access of large-scale experimental and computational materials data have enabled the emergence of accelerated development of algorithms and models for materials property prediction, structure prediction, and generative design of materials. However, the lack of user-friendly materials informatics web servers has severely constrained the wide adoption of such tools in the daily practice of materials screening, tinkering, and design space exploration by materials scientists. Herein we first survey current materials informatics web apps and then propose and develop MaterialsAtlas.org, a web-based materials informatics toolbox for materials discovery, which includes a variety of routinely needed tools for exploratory …

Performing Memory Forensics For Object Recovery From Android Application Memory, Sneha Sudhakaran

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The analysis of application-specific behavior has become an increasingly important technique in cyber forensics and incident response. The ability to determine the precise actions taken by a user can be the difference between a successful analysis and one that fails to meet its goals. The precise actions includes URLs visited, files downloaded, messages sent and received, images viewed, and data accessed. Evidence extraction from application memory at runtime is an effective solution to successfully extract valuable objects allocated by each application, and it is evident that there is a need for more Android forensics analysis tools that support recovering evidence …

A Novel Composite Hybrid Energy Storage System For Hybrid And Electric Vehicles, Marium Rasheed

Student Research Symposium

This work introduces a composite hybrid energy storage system (CHESS) architecture that combines energy-dense and capacitively-coupled power-dense battery packs in a unique configuration that requires minimal energy balancing using low-power DC-DC converters. A power-dense battery is coupled to an energy-dense battery using a relatively small supercapacitor module that naturally distributes the system current between the two packs, requiring no additional contactors or full-power processing DC-DC converters. A design procedure is developed to size the system for plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles (PHEVs and BEVs). The procedure results in designs that achieve weight reduction for a PHEV/BEV battery-energy-storage system (ESS) …

Wildfire Updrafts And Downdrafts Effects Of Aerial Vehicles Flight Mechanics, Connor Flynn

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Nuclear Fusion: Powering The Future, Maxwel Head

Student Research Symposium

There has always been a concern for power generation for the world. With limited fossil fuels and the inefficiency of our current, renewable, power generation, a solution to our issue has been in the works for many years. Engineers, scientists, and civil workers are hard at work attempting to apply nuclear fusion to create massive amounts of power for the foreseeable future. Research was conducted using internet and library resources to find primary and secondary sources. For this study, interviews and news reports and case studies were reviewed to provide diverse information. To summarize what was found, engineers are hard …

Effect Of Cannabidiol On Crystallization Behavior And Physical Properties Of Cocoa Butter And Palm Oil, Isaac Hilton

Student Research Symposium

Demand for lipid-based products containing cannabidiol (CBD) is increasing following the legalization of industrial hemp production. This study investigates the impact of CBD on the crystallization behavior and physical properties of cocoa butter (CB) and palm oil (PO) for possible food applications. CB and PO samples with 0%, 1%, and 2.5% CBD were crystallized at 22°C and 26°C, respectively and the crystallization as a function of time was measured using a pulsed NMR for 165 min and 90 min, respectively. Melting behavior, crystal morphology, and viscoelasticity were measured at this time. Viscoelasticity and hardness were also measured after storing the …

Detection Of Hydrophilic Coating On Biomedical Devices Via Fluorescent Nanoparticles, Emilee Rickabaugh, Sadie Clark, Jamen Cannon, Jessop Oliver

Student Research Symposium

Coatings are an important component of many medical devices. They can change the characteristics of these medical devices including biocompatibility, lubricity, and effectiveness. Many of Merit Medical’s devices, including their transradial catheter, rely on hydrophilic coating to function properly. The hydrophilic coating found on the introducer sheath comes into direct contact with a patient’s vascular and dermal tissue to ease the insertion of the catheter. An incomplete coating on this device could lead to tissue damage, patient discomfort or pain, and device failure. These coatings are often difficult to detect since the coating is completely colorless. In current practices, the …

Meso-Biliverdin Ixα Production By Conversion Of Cyanobacteria-Derived Phycocyanobilin​, Clayton Lords, Matt Armbrust, Abby Edward, Nathan Harward, Keetch Mecham

Student Research Symposium

Meso-biliverdin IXα (MBV) is a valuable bioproduct with antioxidant and cytoprotective properties that is of great interest and importance forthe medical industry as an anti-inflammatory, agricultural industry as a livestock feed additive, and other commercial applications. MBV is aheme-derivedbilinthat can be synthesized by chemical conversion of cyanobacterial phycocyanobilin (PCB). Phycocyanin (PC) is an abundantpigment composed of protein complexed with PCB and responsible for harvesting light for photosynthesis by cyanobacteria. Logan LagoonsCyanobacteria 2 (LLC2) is a novel strain of cyanobacteria recently discovered in Logan, Utah that produces PC in appreciable amounts. LLC2 iscapable of growing with shale/oil extraction-derived produced water as …

Assessing Bacterial Adhesion To Metallic Coating On Silicone For Peritoneal Dialysis Catheters, Lexi Phillips, Trent Peterson, Mark Mortensen

Student Research Symposium

The aim of this project is to design a test to demonstrate the effectiveness of a coating applied to the lumen of peritoneal catheter extensions to reduce biofilm formation. Hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients currently struggle with infections caused by biofilm growth in the intraluminal tubing. Once established, biofilms are very difficult to get rid of and can cause reoccurring infection issues which can lead to a discontinuation of PD, poorer quality of life, and a greater risk of death. Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) has recognized similar problems with their patients and seeks to reduce infection rates. Fresenius Medical …

Bioprinting Of Hagfish Keratin Proteins, Nathan Harward

Student Research Symposium

Proteins make up most tissue scaffolding within the human body, making novel proteinaceous biomaterials highly sought-after since they can be designed to mimic the natural ECM of various tissues. Hagfish secrete a proteinaceous slime when threatened that clogs the gills of predators, and the keratin proteins found in the slime show promise as a potential tissue scaffold material. In this study, recombinant hagfish proteins were used to formulate a bioink which was crosslinked into hydrogels. Characterization of the hydrogel porosity and mechanical properties revealed a tunable nature valuable for artificial tissue scaffold engineering. The availability of in-house genetic modification of …

Investigating Factors That Predict Progress High Achieving Engineering Students Make Towards Desired Outcomes Of College, Ibukun Osunbunmi

Student Research Symposium

In an effort to increase the retention and progress undergraduate engineering students are making towards the desired outcome of college, researchers have been investigating what factors influence the academic achievement of students. The desired outcomes of college in this study include intellectual and scholarly development, workforce preparedness, advance in general knowledge, personal development, and scientific and technological skill development. While some studies have shown evidence that students’ engagement and learning skills are important predictors, others have suggested that educational policies, background, and demography of students are significantly associated with students’ academic achievement. In this study, predictive modeling of parents’ educational …

Efficacy Of Excipients Against Cytomegalovirus, Alisa Dabb, Dallin Fairbourn

Student Research Symposium

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a herpesvirus that affects most of the world’s population. Although most people infected with CMV experience only mild symptoms, it can result in death for those who are immunocompromised. It is one of the leading causes of sensorineural hearing loss in infants. Currently, the most common treatment for CMV is ganciclovir (GCV), but GCV is highly cytotoxic. It has also been shown to cause birth defects in mice. Even though GCV is cytotoxic, GCV needs to be taken frequently for it to be effective. Recent studies in our lab have found using the excipients quercetin and poloxamer …

Financial Literacy In America, John Cappelli

Student Research Symposium

After graduation most people do not have enough financial knowledge to be successful. This research project looks at how financial literacy courses impact students of different backgrounds. Research was conducted using online databases to evaluate primary and secondary sources including surveys and Add something specific about the sources you used. From this research I found that US high school graduates are lacking in financial education. In conclusion I think that all US highschools need to include mandatory financial education courses in order to ensure students have at least a basic understanding before having to make major decisions.

Rotating Algae Biofilm Reactor Design For Optimization Of Nutrient Uptake And Bioproducts, Amy Cox, Kolton Hauck, Carson Miller, Kade Fish

Student Research Symposium

This project will aim to develop a rotating algae bioreactor (RABR) design that maximizes biofilm assimilation rate (BAR) for total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) reduction from reclaimed water. The optimization variables that will be tested are photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) and duty cycle. The industry established constraints for this project are that nutrient concentration must be reduced from 500 mg/L to 200 mg/L total nitrogen (TN) and from 50 mg/L to 15 mg/L total phosphorous (TP). The reclaimed water and algae will be collected from the Central Valley Water Reclamation Facility (CVWRF) in Salt Lake City, Utah.Further, this …

A New Stefan Equation To Characterize The Evolution Of Thermokarst Lake And Talik Geometry, Noriaki Ohara, Benjamin M. Jones, Andrew D. Parsekian, Kenneth M Hinkel, Katsu Yamatani, Mikhail Kanevskiy, Rodrigo C. Rangel, Amy L. Breen, Helena Bergstedt

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Thermokarst lake dynamics, which play an essential role in carbon release due to permafrost thaw, are affected by various geomorphological processes. In this study, we derive a three-dimensional (3D) Stefan equation to characterize talik geometry under a hypothetical thermokarst lake in the continuous permafrost region. Using the Euler equation in the calculus of variations, the lower bounds of the talik were determined as an extremum of the functional describing the phase boundary area with a fixed total talik volume. We demonstrate that the semi-ellipsoid geometry of the talik is optimal for minimizing the total permafrost thaw under the lake for …

Optimization Of Endoscope Bending Section, Tyson Barnes, Jess Papenfuss, Ellie Siddoway, Emily Brotherson

Student Research Symposium

Current endoscope bending sections are unable to resist strong compressive forces. The purpose of this design is to optimize an endoscope backbone that meets the following requirements: Bending requirement of 60° articulation Size requirements of 35 mm in length and an outer diameter of 19.5 French (~6.5 mm).

Delivery Of Crispr In T Cell Therapeutics, Mckade Roberts, Brandon Pace, Kami Lay

Student Research Symposium

Millions of patients die every year from a variety of cancers, and side effects from treatments are marginally better than the disease. T-cell therapy is an emerging treatment method with promising results. The aim of this project is to improve the processes of T-cell therapy by demonstrating the effective transduction of HEK293 cells by delivering CRISPR through a viral vector. Viral backbone plasmids are grown in E.coli and used to transfect HEK293 cells along with CRISPR. CRISPR-containing viral vectors are harvested from the supernatant and used to transduce HEK293 cells. Successful induction is proven by resulting cell GFP expression. By …

Effects Of Optical Configuration And Sampling Efficiency On The Response Of Low-Cost Optical Particle Counters, Brady Scott Hales

Theses and Dissertations

Hazards associated with air pollution motivate the search for technologies capable of monitoring individual exposure to gaseous pollutants and particulate matter (PM). A Low-cost Optical Particle Counter (OPC), costing less than 50 USD, is an example of such technologies. Currently, OPCs are widely used to measure the concentration of particle matter in ambient air. While these low-cost air quality sensors are widely available, the accuracy and precision of these devices is highly uncertain. Consequently, the purpose of this thesis is to present an analytical model of two generic, low-cost OPCs based on the Laws of Conservation of Mass, Momentum, and …

Surface Urban Energy And Water Balance Scheme (V2020a) In Vegetated Areas: Parameter Derivation And Performance Evaluation Using Fluxnet2015 Dataset, Hamidreza Omidvar, Ting Sun, Sue Grimmond, Dave Bilesbach, Andrew Black, Jiquan Chen, Zexia Duan, Zhiqiu Gao, Hiroki Iwata, Joseph P. Mcfadden

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

To compare the impact of surface–atmosphere exchanges from rural and urban areas, fully vegetated areas (e.g. deciduous trees, evergreen trees and grass) commonly found adjacent to cities need to be modelled. Here we provide a general workflow to derive parameters for SUEWS (Surface Urban Energy and Water Balance Scheme), including those associated with vegetation phenology (via leaf area index, LAI), heat storage and surface conductance. As expected, attribution analysis of bias in SUEWS-modelled QE finds that surface conductance (g_s) plays the dominant role; hence there is a need for more estimates of surface conductance parameters. The workflow …

Assessment Of Wettability And Rock-Fluid Interfacial Tension Of Caprock: Implications For Hydrogen And Carbon Dioxide Geo-Storage, Muhammad Ali, Bin Pan, Nurudeen Yekeen, Sarmad Al-Anssari, Amer Al-Anazi, Alireza Keshavarz, Stefan Iglauer, Hussein Hoteit

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Underground hydrogen (H2) storage (UHS) and carbon dioxide (CO2) geo-storage (CGS) are prominent methods of meeting global energy needs and enabling a low-carbon global economy. The pore-scale distribution, reservoir-scale storage capacity, and containment security of H2 and CO2 are significantly influenced by interfacial properties, including the equilibrium contact angle (θE) and solid-liquid and solid-gas interfacial tensions (γSL and γSG). However, due to the technical constraints of experimentally determining these parameters, they are often calculated based on advancing and receding contact angle values. There is a scarcity of θE, γSL, and γSG data, particularly related to the hydrogen structural sealing potential …

Photochemistry Of Wildfire Derived Pyrogenic-Dissolved Organic Matter (Py-Dom) For Photodegradation Of Aquatic Contaminants, Monika Madhiyan

Student Research Symposium

Erosion of wildfire-affected organic matter and/or its physical disintegration in water results in the formation of pyrogenic Dissolved Organic Matter (py-DOM), which can react with ground state oxygen to produce singlet oxygen (1O2) in the presence of light. 1O2 has a high electronegativity and oxidizing potential which influences the photo-transformation and the environmental fate of organic contaminants present in the water, hence, it is essential to quantify its production from wildfire-derived py-DOM, which is absent in the past literature. In this study, py-DOM was extracted from wildfire-affected tree portions from the Colorado Grizzly Creek Fire. Time-resolved 1O2 phosphorescence was used …

Modeling Of The Engineered Production Of Curcumin In Escherichia Coli, Ellie Siddoway

Student Research Symposium

Curcumin is the major bioactive natural product in turmeric (Curcuma longa), which is commonly used as a food additive (flavor and colorant) and traditional medicine for thousands of years. This polyphenol has a variety of biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-allergic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-Alzheimer’s effects. The current production process of this promising natural product is not environmentally friendly or cost-effective. However, microbial production represents a great alternative because of the significantly reduced production time and reproducible production process. Our group has previously introduced the required enzymes into Escherichia coli to construct an artificial curcumin production pathway in the bacterium. …

Representing And Analyzing The Dynamics Of An Agent-Based Adaptive Social Network Model With Partial Integro-Differential Equations, Hiroki Sayama

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

We formulated and analyzed a set of partial integro-differential equations that capture the dynamics of our adaptive network model of social fragmentation involving behavioral diversity of agents. Previous results showed that, if the agents’ cultural tolerance levels were diversified, the social network could remain connected while maintaining cultural diversity. Here we converted the original agent-based model into a continuous equation-based one so we can gain more theoretical insight into the model dynamics. We restricted the node states to 1-D continuous values and assumed the network size was very large. As a result, we represented the whole system as a set …

Chitosan/Polyacrylamide Green Gels For Water Control In High-Temperature Reservoirs, Mohamed Shamlooh, Reem Elaf, Ibnelwaleed A. Hussein, Mohammed Saad, Baojun Bai

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The rheology of a gel system composed of polyacrylamide (PAM) and chitosan is studied under typical reservoir conditions. The impacts of the degree of chitosan deacetylation, temperature, and salinity on the gelation behavior are assessed. The said system was prepared under ambient conditions and matured for 24 h at altered temperatures ranging from 50 up to 125 °C. An optimum formulation has been identified considering the rheological response and the initial viscosity constraints. The increase in the degree of syneresis with the degree of deacetylation indicates the long-Term thermal stability of the gels. Ammonium chloride was an effective retarder for …

Paying The Pied Passer: Discussing The Appropriate Contract To Award Nfl Quarterbacks, Alex Gohr

Student Research Symposium

No NFL team has ever won the Super Bowl while simultaneously paying their starting quarterback more than 13% of the maximum budget allowed for player salaries. This paper explores the effects of quarterbacks on an NFL roster and the consequences of the size of their contracts have on the performance of the team as a whole entity. This research was derived from databases of NFL statics and expert opinions on the matter of player contracts. From the research conducted, it is concluded that quarterbacks must voluntarily take less money for the opportunity to continue to compete for championships or, alternatively, …

Applications For Nutrition Education In Developed And Developing Countries, Emma Allegrucci

Computer Science and Engineering Master's Theses

Food is vitally important for human beings. Without food, humanity would perish. Not only does food provide us with energy, but it also provides us with adequate nutrients so the systems throughout our body can function properly. Unfortunately, many people throughout the world, from top rated athletes to people living in impoverished areas, are either uninformed or do not have easy access to nutritional information or advice. There is a huge malnutrition epidemic among elite collegiate athletes and an even bigger malnutrition problem among the rural population of Uganda.

To solve the problem of malnourishment of collegiate athletes, I have …

Gradient-Based Wind Farm Layout Optimization, Jared Joseph Thomas

Theses and Dissertations

As wind energy technology continues to mature, farm sizes grow and wind farm layout design becomes more difficult, in part due to the number of design variables and constraints. Wind farm layout optimization is typically approached using gradient-free methods because of the highly multi-modal shape of the wind farm layout design space. Gradient-free method performance generally degrades with increasing problem size, making it difficult to find optimal layouts for larger wind farms. However, gradient-based optimization methods can effectively and efficiently solve large-scale problems with many variables and constraints. To pave the way for effective and efficient wind farm layout optimization …