Engineering Commons^™

High Shear Stress Reduces Erg Causing Endothelial-Mesenchymal Transition And Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension, Tsutomu Shinohara, Jan-Renier Moonen, Yoon Hong Chun, Yannick C. Lee-Yow, Kenichi Okamura, Jason M. Szafron, Jordan Kaplan, Aiqin Cao, Lingli Wang, Weiguang Yang

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: Computational modeling indicated that pathological high shear stress (HSS; 100 dyn/cm2) is generated in pulmonary arteries (PAs; 100-500 µm) in congenital heart defects causing PA hypertension (PAH) and in idiopathic PAH with occlusive vascular remodeling. Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) is a feature of PAH. We hypothesize that HSS induces EndMT, contributing to the initiation and progression of PAH.

Methods: We used the Ibidi perfusion system to determine whether HSS applied to human PA endothelial cells (ECs) induces EndMT when compared with physiological laminar shear stress (15 dyn/cm2). The mechanism was investigated and targeted to prevent PAH in a mouse with …

Effect Of Mg–Nb Oxides On Hydrogen Sorption Kinetics Of Ball-Milled Mgh2, Md. Wasikur Rahman, Muhammad Nurunnabi Siddiquee, Mohammad M. Hossain, M. Jasim Uddin

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Addition of Mg–Nb oxides (e.g. MgNb₂O₆, Mg₄Nb₂O₉, and Mg₃Nb₆O₁₁) ameliorates H₂ absorption/desorption kinetics of MgH₂ as demonstrated in the current article. H₂ desorption and absorption rates of the ball-milled MgH₂ are evidently temperature-dependent, which points out that the prior rate increases with increasing temperature (593–673 K) and vice versa. Among the tested samples, MgH₂ with Mg₃Nb₆O₁₁ nanoparticles showed superior performance. The Johnson–Mehl–Avrami equation was employed to construct H₂ desorption curves as well as …

Phase Of The Seabed Frequency-Domain Reflection Coefficient: Measurements And Modeling, Charles W. Holland

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The phase of the seabed frequency-domain reflection coefficient potentially contains valuable information on the geoacoustic properties in a layered/refracting seabed. However, heretofore, the phase has not been exploited. Measurements of phase are presented in an area of thick mud at the New England Mud Patch. In addition, a model is presented along with the modeling results. While this is only a first step towards understanding the potential value of exploiting the phase, it seems clear that in some instances, the phase not only contains valuable geoacoustic information, but carries a higher information content than the magnitude.

Introduction To The Special Issue On Verification And Validation Of Source And Propagation Models For Underwater Sounda), Kathleen J. Vigness-Raposa, Klaus Lucke, Michael A. Ainslie, Michele B. Halvorsen, Christ A. F. De Jong, Stanley J. Labak, Martin Siderius

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This joint Special Issue of JASA and JASA Express Letters focuses on underwater sound source and propagation modelling, both of ambient sound as well as sources of relevance to possible effects of sound on aquatic life, and corresponding acoustical metrics. Combining information on the sound field with information on a dose-effect relationship enables estimation of the potential effects. The Special Issue presents a collection of eighteen articles on the following topics: (1) verification of source and propagation models, (2) validation of source and propagation models, and (3) bioacoustical metrics for assessment of the risk of environmental effects. This special issue …

Construction Of Electrically Heated Pavement Using Recycled Waste Rubber Tires, Islam M. Radwan, Mohamed Abdel-Raheem

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications

Accumulated snow on roads presents a dual risk of accidents and financial losses. Conventional de-icing methods, which rely on chemicals, salt, and heavy machinery, are unsustainable and detrimental to both the environment and infrastructure. Furthermore, they demand significant labor and pose hazards in densely populated areas. In response, heated pavement systems such as hydronic and electrically conductive concrete (ECON) have gained traction for mitigating snow accumulation on roads. However, the use of carbon fiber and carbon black in ECON raises costs and depletes valuable resources. This research introduces an inventive and sustainable approach to address snow accumulation on rigid pavements …

Construction Change Order Data As Inputs For A Programmatic Risk Model, Eric C. Klein

Theses and Dissertations

Hurricane Michael struck Tyndall Air Force Base as a Category 5 storm with 160 mph winds, damaging or destroying 90% of its infrastructure (484 buildings). This devastation prompted the Department of Defense to rebuild Tyndall as the “Installation of the Future,” encompassing 44 Military Construction (MILCON) projects and 260 Facility Restoration, Sustainment, and Modernization (FRSM) projects. Since reconstruction began, over 630 Change Request Forms (CRFs) have been closed, adding $67.8 million in costs and 4,880 construction days. The Air Force Civil Engineer Center's Natural Disaster Recovery (NDR) Division developed a programmatic risk model to predict future costs and delays. However, …

Pancreatic Cancer Extracellular Vesicles Stimulate Schwann Cell Activation And Perineural Invasion In Vitro Via Il-8/Ccl2, Emory Gregory, Isabel Powers, Azemat Jamshidi-Parsian, Robert J. Griffin, Younghye Song

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Purpose Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) remains a leading cause of cancer-related deaths, and perineural invasion (PNI), in which cancer cells infiltrate nerves, enables metastasis in most patients. PNI is largely attributed to Schwann cells (SC) that, when activated, accelerate cancer cell migration towards nerves. However, this cancer-associated reprogramming is generally under-appreciated. Additionally, tumor extracellular vesicle (EV) facilitation of cancer aggravation is well documented, but more investigation is required to better understand their role in PNI. Here, we assessed whether PDAC EVs mediate PNI via SC activation using tissue-engineered in vitro platforms and PANC-1 and HPNE human cell lines as models. …

Economic Impact Of Energy Accounting Schemes For Commercial Systems On A Broiler Farm With Power Demand And Generation, Yi Liang, Michael Popp

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The aim of this study was to assess the impact of the on-farm solar photovoltaic (PV) generation to offset grid electricity consumption on a commercial poultry farm in the US. Hourly electricity production by PV systems was estimated using the System Advisor Model (SAM) of the National Renewable Energy Lab (NREL) and compared with the estimated electric load demand of a broiler house. We analyzed the economic benefits of installing solar systems of three capacities under net energy metering and net energy billing pricing scenarios. Results suggested that a smaller PV installation of 35 kWp, while substantially short of meeting …

Unlocking The Phosphorus Circularity Potential Of Corn Belt Watersheds With Biorefinery Phosphorus Recovery Incentives, Kenneth Ruffatto, Arghajeet Saha, Rebecca L. Muenich, Andrew J. Margenot, Roland D. Cusick

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

As global phosphorus (P) stores rapidly decline, P fed algal blooms continue to threaten critical freshwater resources across the globe. In the Midwestern United States (US), particularly the Corn Belt, biorefineries could play a key role in addressing this issue. By recovering P from the byproducts of ethanol production these facilities could reduce the P content of distillers grain feed, thereby reducing P excreted in manures. This process could potentially divert P away from concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) and toward renewable P (rP) fertilizer production utilizing the recovered P. To foster the inclusion of P recovery incentives in state …

Environmental-Health Convergence: A Deep Learning-Oriented Decision Support System For Catalyzing Sustainable Healthy Food Systems, Prince Agyemang, Ebenezer M. Kwofie, Jamie I. Baum, Dongyi Wang, Emmanuel A. Kwofie

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

To generate evidence to address food system challenges, we developed an adaptable framework for multimodel assessment of the convergence effect of health and environmental drivers in food systems. We achieved this goal by developing a modeling framework that facilitates testing and applying four deep-learning algorithms using a case study of the United States's food system. Among the models tested, the bidirectional and single-layer long short-term memory models outperformed the others with α_E(2.75) and α_H(3.51) when predicting environmental drivers and health drivers, respectively. All the models tested performed better at predicting environmental than health drivers. The best-performing …

Impact Of A Kinesthetic Learning Model On Architecture, Engineering, And Construction (Aec) Knowledge In African American Middle School Girls, Mercy F. Fash, Andrea A.N Ofori-Boadu

Journal of Research Initiatives

This study examines the impact of a femalized Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Kinesthetic Learning Model (fAEC-KLM) intervention on the AEC knowledge of African American middle school girls. Fourteen (14) middle school girls completed both pre- and post-surveys and tests that assessed their knowledge of AEC concepts, including roles and responsibilities, gender and racial diversity, and salary benefits. Paired-sample t-tests were utilized to evaluate statistically significant differences in knowledge before and after fAEC-KLM intervention. Results showed notable improvements in students' knowledge of AEC salary and benefits, as well as the underrepresentation of females, particularly African American females, and AEC roles and …

Connecting Developed Pressure – Preload Relationship In Ex-Vivo Beating Heart With Cellular Sarcomere Length – Tension Relationship, Lei Fan, Vahid Ziaei-Rad, Jason Bazil, Lik Chuan Lee

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The heart’s developed pressure (DP) in Langendorff heart experiments increases with preload via the Frank-Starling mechanism up to a critical transition point at which DP starts to decrease with preload. A similar behavior is found at the cellular level, where the tension developed by skinned cardiac fibers or myocytes in isometric tension test increases with sarcomere length up to a transition point beyond which, the tension decreases. This cellular-level behavior is termed myofilament length dependent activation. While these two behaviors are similar, they occur at vastly different scales. Specifically, the DP – preload and sarcomere length – tension relationships occur, …

Evaluating Flue Gas Geo-Sequestration And Eor In Fractured Reservoirs Through Simulated Synergistic Reservoir Characteristics And Injection Kinetics, Mehdi Nassabeh, Zhenjiang You, Alireza Keshavarz, Stefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The global reliance on hydrocarbon resources and fossil fuels has resulted in a significant surge in carbon dioxide emissions, necessitating urgent measures to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. Integrating CO2 storage with enhanced oil recovery (EOR) presents a promising solution for reducing emissions and enhancing oil recovery by sequestering CO2 within oil reservoirs, especially in fractured carbonate reservoirs. The research utilized the Eclipse simulator to model different gas injection scenarios in a crude oil reservoir, focusing on assessing the effectiveness of CO2 and flue gas geo-sequestration and EOR, performing sensitivity analyses on reservoir characteristics, and evaluating the impact of varying injection …

Application Of Digital Core Analysis To Improve Reservoir Characterisation And Modelling: The Otway Formation As A Case Study, Masoud Aslannezhad, Mohammad Sayyafzadeh, David Tang, Stefan Iglauer, Alireza Keshavarz

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Conventional reservoir models of heterogeneous reservoirs do not include micro-scale heterogeneity due to the resolution limitations of widely used well logs and core plug data. This leads to a lack of precision in the characterization of the reservoir. The reservoir quality of the thin sandstone layers in heterogeneous reservoir are critical factors for CO2 sequestration. The integration of micro-CT images from rock samples and upscaling algorithms, enables a comprehensive understanding of reservoir properties and facilitates accurate reservoir modelling. This research aims to enhance reservoir characterization and modelling by upscaling digital core data from micro scale to field scale. By focusing …

Meso-Damage Characterization Of Chemically Corroded Rocks Under Unloading Confinement Conditions, Hao Li, Leo Pel, Zhenjiang You, David Smeulders

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Characterizing meso-damage and understanding its correlation with macroscopic mechanical responses of rocks under coupled chemical-mechanical (C-M) conditions are crucial for the stability analysis and safety design of underground constructions in chemically corrosive environments. This research proposes a model to quantify coupled C-M meso-damage of rocks, utilizing geochemical surface reaction theory, statistical mechanics, thermodynamic principles, and novel principals proposed in this study, termed Random Energy Release Rate (RERR) and Effective Chemical Damage (ECD). To achieve this goal, a multiscale experimental investigation, including Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), pH and ion chromatography analysis, triaxial compression and …

Why Are Fairness Concerns So Important? Lessons From A Last-Mile Transportation System, Yiwei Chen, Hai Wang

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

The Last-Mile Problem refers to the provision of travel service for passengers from the nearest public transportation node to the final destination. The Last-Mile Transportation System (LMTS), which has recently emerged, provides on-demand last-mile transportation service for passengers. We consider an LMTS that consists of two types of passengers, regular-type passengers and special-type passengers (e.g., seniors, disabled people). The valuation of the last-mile service for special-type passengers is statistically higher than the one for regular-type passengers. Passengers incur disutility from waiting for the last-mile service. In this paper, we explore two fairness constraints on special-type passengers: (1) the fare for …

Near-Peer Student-Run Virtual Stem Summer Camp: Lessons Learned, Andrew Lee, Jeremy Reynolds, Margaret Reynolds, Freda Li, Lubjana Beshaj

Journal of Humanistic Mathematics

The United States Military Academy is uniquely positioned to contribute to our nation’s Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) outreach initiatives. As one of the country’s most highly regarded undergraduate engineering schools, the institution receives a steady influx of Cadet near-peer mentors who volunteer to lead STEM modules. When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person STEM workshops for the better part of 2020-2021, the Center for Leadership and Diversity in STEM adeptly transitioned to a virtual platform. Informed by research on STEM education and delivery, the Center successfully executed its signature summer camp event in a virtual format for two …

Pilot Study: Initial Investigation Suggests Differences In Emt-Associated Gene Expression In Breast Tumor Regions, Kylie L. King, Hamed Abdollahi, Zoe Dinkel, Alannah Akins, Homayoun Valafar, Heather Dunn

Faculty Publications

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive subtype and disproportionately affects African American women. The development of breast cancer is highly associated with interactions between tumor cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM), and recent research suggests that cellular components of the ECM vary between racial groups. This pilot study aimed to evaluate gene expression in TNBC samples from patients who identified as African American and Caucasian using traditional statistical methods and emerging Machine Learning (ML) approaches. ML enables the analysis of complex datasets and the extraction of useful information from small datasets. We selected four regions of interest …

Spark Plasma Sintering Of (Zr,Nb)C Ceramics, Jacob Stacy, Greg Hilmas, Jeremy Watts, Brian Taylor, Jhonathan Rosales

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A range of (Zr,Nb)C ceramics containing 20–50 vol% NbC were spark plasma sintered at 2000°C. The ceramics had relative densities greater than 97 %, and all compositions formed a complete solid solution. The average grain size was ∼7.1 µm over all compositions. Elastic moduli values ranged from 436 to 445 GPa, and the fracture toughness ranged from 0.8 to 2.8 MPa·m1/2 over the compositional range, both increasing with increasing NbC content. The hardnesses of the (Zr,Nb)C ceramics ranged from 19.1 to 20.2 GPa at a load of 9.81 N. The flexural strength increased from 352 to 395 MPa as the …

Metaheuristic Techniques To Optimize Trajectory Planning Of Uav Swarms: Enhancing Data Acquisition In Wireless Sensor Networks, Nada Ali Mohamed Ahmed Ahmed

Theses and Dissertations

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have become increasingly integrated into various applications due to their cost-efficiency, rapid deployment, flexible maneuvers, and enhanced performance. This has led to the development of a new field called UAV-assisted Wireless Sensor Networks (U-WSNs), which focus on data routing, network performance optimization, and planning UAV trajectories between sensor nodes in wireless sensor networks. In this thesis, a new framework has been proposed to manage a swarm of UAVs cooperatively serving large-scale wireless sensor networks. The framework consists of three optimization problems: distributing sensor nodes among UAVs, finding optimal trajectories in the presence of obstacles, and performing …

Operation And Maintenance Costs In Reverse Osmosis Desalination Projects Adopting Public-Private Partnerships: A Comprehensive Investigation And Analysis, Mayar Mohamed Khairy

Theses and Dissertations

Water Desalination projects, specifically ones adopting reverse osmosis (RO) technology, play a pivotal role in addressing the scarcity of water globally. Since these projects require huge investments, there is an imperative need to focus on the role of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in their developments. This research tries to provide a comprehensive investigation into the factors affecting O&M costs in PPP desalination projects due to their importance.

A comprehensive research approach, including a literature review, expert interviews, survey analysis, and statistical tools, is adopted in this research aiming to identify key factors and recommendations based on best practices in O&M costs …

Sustainability Transformation For Healthcare Facilities Following Net Zero Model, Esraa Elmitainy

Theses and Dissertations

The healthcare industry is a field undergoing huge development. Focused on SDG 3 “Good Health and Well-being”, the healthcare industry, as the main health service provider, was marked by experts as a sector that should lead sustainable development by example. The current work aims to formulate a sustainability rating system for new and existing healthcare facilities to encourage the Egyptian healthcare industry to move towards sustainability according to net zero concepts. Additionally, the transition to net zero waste is investigated though experimental work to test the possibility of utilizing sterilized medical waste in cement-based bricks.

The rating system starts with …

Design And Implementation Of Uvm-Based Verification Framework For Deep Learning Accelerators, Randa Ahmed Hussein Aboudeif

Theses and Dissertations

Recent advancements in deep learning (DL) have made hardware accelerators, known as deep learning accelerators (DLAs), a preferred solution for numerous high-performance computing (HPC) applications, including speech recognition, computer vision, and image classification. DLAs are composed of hundreds of parallel processing engines to speed up computations and can gain access to pre-trained networks from the cloud or through on-chip memory to implement the DNN inference process. DLA verification is becoming an important and challenging phase. The verification process is required to handle the complex DLA design. Moreover, the reliability of DLAs is critical for assessment as they are involved in …

Navigating The Future Advancing Autonomous Vehicles Through Robust Target Recognition And Real-Time Avoidance, Mohammed Ahmed Mohammed Hussein

Theses and Dissertations

The problem being tackled by this thesis is a very important one and very relevant to our days and times: it is about making improved target recognition and enhanced real-time response skills in AVs under simulated conditions. Our plan is to put some enhanced sensory capabilities into these vehicles and see if that makes them safer and more reliable. We are using as our base a particular object recognition algorithm (YOLOv7) and a particular simulation environment (CARLA). We utilized the CARLA 0.9.14 simulator on Ubuntu 20.04 as a more stable option than the initially used CARLA 0.9.15 on Ubuntu 22.04, …

A Framework To Harmonize Legal Provisions In Infrastructure Ppp Projects In Egypt Funded By Multilateral Development Banks, Menna Elkadi

Theses and Dissertations

Over the last decade, Egypt has witnessed an increase in the number of Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects, specifically in infrastructure, as a result of the growing interest and popularity of various entities participating in such projects. Public infrastructure systems are no longer thought to be exclusively provided by the government; instead, the private sector’s contribution in the provision of such services is increasing. However, not every PPP program has been equally effective or has made the optimum use of planning and decision-making. The possibility of a project failure as a result of poor risk allocation is increased, if the potential …

Advanced Construction Scheduling: Capturing Conditional And Stochastic Relationships, Amr Elsabagh

Theses and Dissertations

Proper planning is a key factor in all business endeavors. This is especially important in the construction industry as a project is sensitive to countless factors that affect the project's time and cost. This created the need for agile and flexible schedules for close monitoring and dynamic planning for construction projects. The currently prevailing scheduling techniques are CPM and PERT, which professionals in the field widely use. These methods create static schedules that are vulnerable to any changes in the schedule logic, which often happens during construction projects. In addition, these Scheduling techniques do not capture the uncertainties and complex …

Organizational Change Management In Egypt; Contractors’ Perspective, Karim Ayoub

Theses and Dissertations

Organizational change management in the construction industry is a vital process for companies to consider in their operations. Successful implementation of the process allows the companies to go a step further in the market due to their competitiveness derived from better performance and efficiency. However, applying change to the organization and introducing new structure is a challenge for any company seeking better performance, but worth it if it is implemented properly. In general, this research sheds light on the organizational change management implementation in construction contractors in Egypt. Where, this study aims to demonstrate the organizational change management initiatives and …

Designing An Interactive Application To Prevent Runway Incursion: A Systems Engineering Approach, Yixuan Cheng, Dahai Liu, Dennis Vincenzi, Donald S. Metscher

Journal of Aviation Technology and Engineering

Runway incursion is a leading cause of serious incidents and accidents at airports. A common cause of runway incursions is unfamiliarity with the airport layout. To address this, we designed an electronically interactive application intended as a practice tool for pilots during flight preparation. The aim of this application is to improve pilots’ familiarity with airports, ultimately helping to reduce runway incursions, with the goals of being interactive, affordable, easily accessible, and designed for use on mobile devices. We applied a systems engineering approach that adheres to human factors engineering principles to ensure user-friendly design and optimization of the interaction …

Reinforcing Polymer Flooding System With Dendritic Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles For Improved Oil Recovery, Di Li, Yanling Wang, Baojun Bai, Ning Xu, Wenjing Shi, Yu Zhang, Wenhui Ding, Peixu Ma, Zan Gao

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DMSNs), characterized by a high specific surface area and abundant hydroxyl groups, offer a promising approach to enhancing the performance of amphiphilic polymers in challenging enhanced oil recovery (EOR) conditions. In this study, DMSNs were successfully synthesized, and systematically evaluated for their impact on the solution properties of a betaine amphiphilic polymer (PADC). The unique "flower-like" mesoporous structure of DMSNs provided approximately 7-fold higher surface area than conventional SiO2, facilitating enhanced polymer-nanoparticle interactions. The DMSN/PADC composite system exhibited significantly improved viscosity, salt resistance, thermal tolerance, and shear resistance compared to PADC and SiO2/PADC systems. Quantum chemical …

Development Of A Basilar Membrane-Inspired Mechanical Spectrum Analyzer Using Metastructures For Enhanced Frequency Selectivity, Shantanu H. Chavan, Vijaya Venkata Narasimha Sriram Malladi

Michigan Tech Publications

This study introduces a mechanical spectrum analyzer (MSA) inspired by the tonotopic organization of the basilar membrane (BM), designed to achieve two critical features. First, it replicates the traveling-wave behavior of the BM, characterized by energy dissipation without reflections at the boundaries. Second, it enables the physical encoding of the wave energy into distinct spectral components. Moving beyond the conventional focus on metamaterial design, this research investigates wave propagation behavior and energy dissipation within metastructures, with particular attention to how individual unit cells absorb energy. To achieve these objectives, a metastructural design methodology is employed. Experimental characterization of metastructure samples …