Engineering Commons^™

Co-Designing Situated Displays For Family Co-Regulation With Adhd Children, Lucas M. Silva, Franceli L. Cibrian, Clarisse Bonang, Arpita Bhattacharya, Aehong Min, Elissa M. Monteiro, Jesus A. Beltran, Sabrina E. B. Schuck, Kimberley D. Lakes, Gillian R. Hayes, Daniel A. Epstein

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Family informatics often uses shared data dashboards to promote awareness of each other’s health-related behaviors. However, these interfaces often stop short of providing families with needed guidance around how to improve family functioning and health behaviors. We consider the needs of family co-regulation with ADHD children to understand how in-home displays can support family well-being. We conducted three co-design sessions with each of eight families with ADHD children who had used a smartwatch for self-tracking. Results indicate that situated displays could nudge families to jointly use their data for learning and skill-building. Accommodating individual needs and preferences when family members …

Engineering Composite Gridlines For Improved Solar Module Reliability, Andre Chavez

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Renewable energy sources, such as solar power, are rapidly expanding worldwide to meet increased energy demands. However, these sources are exposed to challenging environmental stressors, such as extreme wind, heavy snow loads, and hailstorms that can cause irreversible damage to the crystalline semiconductor solar cells. Today, single crystalline silicon solar cells dominate the market, and our work is focused on improving their reliability against environmental stressors. One of the main degradation mechanisms caused by environmental stressors is cell cracks. These microcracks can go virtually undetected and lead to reduced power output from solar modules over time. To solve this engineering …

Securing The Skies: Safety-Constrained Decentralized Multi-Uav Coordination With Deep Reinforcement Learning, Jean-Elie Pierre

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

In the dynamic landscape of autonomous aerial systems, the integration of uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) has sparked a paradigm shift, offering unprecedented opportunities and challenges in collaborative decision-making and navigation. This thesis explores the application of multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) for the planning and coordination of UAVs in complex environments.

The first part of this thesis provides an introduction to single-agent reinforcement learning and MARL. We provide examples of the use of MARL for countering uncrewed aerial systems (C-UAS). We formulate the Counter-UAS problem as a multiagent partially observable Markov decision process (MAPOMDP), and we propose Multi-AGent partial observable deep …

Process Optimization Of An Ethylbenzene Production Facility Through Integrated Process Simulation And Economic Analysis Methods, Veronica Cunitz

Honors Theses

The following thesis consists of an investigation into the optimization of an ethylbenzene production facility. Aspen Plus software was used to model the production facility and Excel was used to price the facility using Aspen simulation data. This integrated technique was used to optimize the facility based on the Net Present Value (NPV) of the project. The NPV was improved from a base case value of -$23.5 million to a final value of $51.5 million. After this optimization based on NPV, the potential of operating the reactors as isothermal packed bed reactors was investigated. The reactor inlet feed pressure, inlet …

The Effects Of Additive Manufacturing On Canine Hind Limb Repairment Surgery, Annabel Keers

Honors Theses

The intention of this project is to explore some of the ways that additive manufacturing is affecting veterinary medicine. I will specifically be delving into canine hind limb repairment surgeries, such as cranial cruciate ligament reconstruction. 3D printed prototypes have been utilized in the human medical field for quite a while, and it has inspired such technology to expand into the world of veterinary medicine. Such emerging research is expected to take-off as the pet market grows in size and level of care for the health of our animals.

I took special interest in this field as I will be …

The Santa Clara, 2024-05-10, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Print Process Parameters On Droplet-Powder Interaction In Binder Jet Additive Manufacturing, Jacob Lawrence

Theses and Dissertations

Binder jet additive manufacturing (BJ) offers unique advantages, including the ability to produce complex geometries and utilize a wide range of materials, but faces challenges related to part quality and defect formation. This thesis investigates the effects of process parameters on droplet-powder interaction, powder relocation, and line formation in BJ printing. A custom BJ test platform was developed to enable precise control over key process parameters and in-situ monitoring. High-speed synchrotron X-ray imaging revealed modes of powder relocation above and below the powder bed surface. Testing revealed that parameters that increase moisture in the powder bed, such as lower droplet …

Silver Assisted Pani-Rgo: A Cutting-Edge Approach To Supercapacitor Applications, Iman El-Mahallawi, Ayat Abdelsalam, Ahmed Selim, Mahmoud Tash, Waleed Khalifa

Mechanical Engineering

In this research, highly efficient and low cost synthesis approach was applied to produce three distinct electrode materials: reduced graphene oxide (RGO), silver nanoparticles incorporated with RGO, and polyaniline (PANI) in conjunction with RGO decorated with silver nanostructures (RGO.Ag). These materials were subsequently integrated into a composite electrode material as PANI RGO.Ag, designed specifically for deployment in symmetric supercapacitor applications. A comprehensive characterization process was executed employing a range of material analysis techniques, including X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX).

Nhrl Competition Combat Robot, Cale Holan

Honors College Theses

The overall objective of this senior design project is for a group of 5 engineers to design and build a National Havoc Robot League (NHRL) qualified combat robot. The design was split into five core systems: chassis, weapon, drivetrain, armor, and electronics. This research will specifically focus on the structural design and fabrication of the robot’s chassis, which is the frame of the robot that houses all systems and internals. The research will also work closely with each branch of the robot to establish the internal bot infrastructure and how each design facet comes together and is secured. Additionally, some …

Development Of A Rapid Bacterial Quantification Method Based On Droplet Microfluidics, Shawn Bliss

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The capacity to identify bacteria quickly and accurately is critical for applications such as medical diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and food safety. For instance, sepsis diagnosis requires blood cultures that take as long as 1-5 days, preventing timely intervention and increasing mortality rate. Here, we propose the joint use of microfluidics and a machine learning algorithm for rapid bacterial cell capture and quantification. The combination of high-throughput droplet microfluidics and a support vector machine (SVM) enables analysis and quantification of bacterial samples within as short as 4 hours. We have performed successful encapsulation of pathogenic bacteria such as E. coli, …

Generalized Model To Enable Zero-Shot Imitation Learning For Versatile Robots, Yongshuai Wu

Master's Theses

The rapid advancement in Deep Learning (DL), especially in Reinforcement Learning (RL) and Imitation Learning (IL), has positioned it as a promising approach for a multitude of autonomous robotic systems. However, the current methodologies are predominantly constrained to singular setups, necessitating substantial data and extensive training periods. Moreover, these methods have exhibited suboptimal performance in tasks requiring long-horizontal maneuvers, such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) inventory, where a robot requires thousands of steps to complete.

In this thesis, we address the aforementioned challenges by presenting the Cross-modal Reasoning Model (CMRM), a novel zero-shot Imitation Learning policy, to tackle long-horizontal robotic …

Imaging Of Structural Timber Based On In Situ Radar And Ultrasonic Wave Measurements: A Review Of The State-Of-The-Art, Narges Pahnabi, Thomas Schumacher, Arijit Sinha

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

With the rapidly growing interest in using structural timber, a need exists to inspect and assess these structures using non-destructive testing (NDT). This review article summarizes NDT methods for wood inspection. After an overview of the most important NDT methods currently used, a detailed review of Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and Ultrasonic Testing (UST) is presented. These two techniques can be applied in situ and produce useful visual representations for quantitative assessments and damage detection. With its commercial availability and portability, GPR can help rapidly identify critical features such as moisture, voids, and metal connectors in wood structures. UST, which …

Pre-Incisional And Multiple Intradermal Injection Of N-Acetylcysteine Slightly Improves Incisional Wound Healing In An Animal Model, Wictor Pascal, Antoni Smolinski, Mateuz Gotowiec, Marta Wojtkiewicz, Albert Stachura, Kaspar Pelka, Michal Kopka, Kyle P. Quinn, Alan E. Woessner, Dariusz Grzelecki, Pavel Wlodarski

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The objective of this study was to investigate if delivering multiple doses of N-acetylcysteine (NAC) post-surgery in addition to pre-incisional administration significantly impacts the wound healing process in a rat model. Full-thickness skin incisions were carried out on the dorsum of 24 Sprague-Dawley rats in six locations. Fifteen minutes prior to the incision, half of the sites were treated with a control solution, with the wounds on the contralateral side treated with solutions containing 0.015%, 0.03% and 0.045% of NAC. In the case of the NAC treated group, further injections were given every 8 h for three days. On days …

The Design And Optimization Of An Ethylbenzene Production Process, Alexander Koons

Honors Theses

Ethylbenzene is a foundational organic compound used as a reactant in styrene production. The objective of this thesis is to present the optimization of the in-house production process of ethylbenzene, aiming to avoid external procurement for the downstream styrene manufacturing facility. The process underlines a strategic approach to enhance the yield and cost efficiency of the production of ethylbenzene. An economic analysis revealed a promising net present value of approximately $57.6 million. This thesis not only proposes a viable route for internal ethylbenzene generation but also discusses optimizing the chemical production processes for enhanced efficiency and sustainability.

Latent Auto-Recursive Composition Engine, Yenkai Huang

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

This thesis investigates the shifting boundaries of art in the era of Generative AI, critically examining the essence of art and the legitimacy of AI-generated works. Despite significant advancements in the quality and accessibility of art through generative AI, such creations frequently encounter skepticism regarding their status as authentic art. To address this skepticism, the study explores the role of creative agency in various generative AI workflows and introduces an "artist-in-the-loop" system tailored for image generation models like Stable Diffusion. This system aims to deepen the artist's engagement and understanding of the creative process. Additionally, a novel tool, the Latent …

Acoustofluidic Scanning Fluorescence Nanoscopy With A Large Field Of View, Geonsoo Jin, Neil Upreti, Joseph Rich, Jianping Xia, Chenglong Zhao, Tony Jun Huang

Faculty Publications

Large-field nanoscale fluorescence imaging is invaluable for many applications, such as imaging subcellular structures, visualizing protein interactions, and high-resolution tissue imaging. Unfortunately, conventional fluorescence microscopy requires a trade-off between resolution and field of view due to the nature of the optics used to form the image. To overcome this barrier, we developed an acoustofluidic scanning fluorescence nanoscope that simultaneously achieves superior resolution, a large field of view, and strong fluorescent signals. The acoustofluidic scanning fluorescence nanoscope utilizes the superresolution capabilities of microspheres that are controlled by a programmable acoustofluidic device for rapid fluorescence enhancement and imaging. The acoustofluidic scanning fluorescence …

Calcium Analysis Of Intercellular Communications Between Alpha Cells And Delta Cells Across The Pancreatic Islet, Shichao Gao

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

The intricate communication between different cell types within pancreatic islets plays a crucial role in regulating glucose homeostasis. Among these cellular interactions, the interplay between α cells (responsible for glucagon secretion) and δ cells (secreting somatostatin) is particularly intriguing due to the inhibitory effects of somatostatin on glucagon release. Understanding the intercellular interactions between α and δ cells may provide insights into the mechanisms underlying the coordinated regulation of blood glucose levels. In this study, we employed a multi-modal approach combining confocal imaging, image analysis, and correlation network analysis to investigate the spatial relationships and potential functional connections between α …

Chloride Binding Mechanism In Seawater-Mixed Uhpc, Wei Zhang, Dawei Ding, Mengmeng Li, Tiao Wang, Hongyan Ma, Binmeng Chen, Hongxing Hu, Jizhou Chen, Xiaomin Liu, Dongshuai Hou

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The rapid development of marine concrete structures and the sharp shortage of freshwater resources contribute to the wide investigation of seawater-mixed ultra-high-performance concrete (swuhpc). However, few studies have investigated the chloride ions (cl-) binding mechanism of swuhpc. Herein, the chloride binding experiments and molecular dynamics (md) simulation were carried out to reveal the physically and chemically bound cl- mechanisms of swuhpc. The results of the experiments clearly demonstrate that the addition of silica fume (sf) led to a significant decrease in the capacity of cl- binding. Conversely, the incorporation of metakaolin (mk) resulted in a marked increase in the content …

Valorisation Of Water Hyacinth For Different Engineering Applications, Nessren Farrag, Zeinab Elbhnsawi, Omar Aboelazayem

Chemical Engineering

Nature has many elements that can be beneficial or harmful. One of these elements is water hyacinth (WH) which is an aquatic weed found in water bodies such as rivers and lakes and it has an invasive nature due to its rapid growth rate. On the contrary, water hyacinth, despite its classification as an invasive plant species, possesses a multitude of industrial and engineering applications, demonstrating substantial potential for valorisation into various products. Its versatile attributes and widespread availability render water hyacinth a viable resource for deployment across several sectors, including wastewater treatment, bioenergy generation, bioremediation, and sustainable agriculture. The …

Analysis Of Modeled 3d Solar Magnetic Field During 30 X/M-Class Solar Flares, Seth H. Garland, Vasyl B. Yurchyshyn, Robert D. Loper, Benjamin F. Akers, Daniel J. Emmons Ii

Faculty Publications

Using non-linear force free field (NLFFF) extrapolation, 3D magnetic fields were modeled from the 12-min cadence Solar Dynamics Observatory Helioseismic and Magnetic Imager (HMI) photospheric vector magnetograms, spanning a time period of 1 hour before through 1 hour after the start of 18 X-class and 12 M-class solar flares. Several magnetic field parameters were calculated from the modeled fields directly, as well as from the power spectrum of surface maps generated by summing the fields along the vertical axis, for two different regions: areas with photospheric |B_z|≥ 300 G (active region—AR) and areas above the photosphere with the …

Heat Sink Integrating Phase Change Materials For Cooling High Power Electronic Devices, Mohammad Sameer Qasem

Thesis/ Dissertation Defenses

This research explores the numerical analysis of phase change materials (PCMs) heat sinks, focusing on high heat flux dissipation applications, e.g. electronics cooling. Both 2D and 3D numerical models using gallium and paraffin RT31 as PCMs are considered within a heat sink design framework featuring a rectangular cavity and dual opposing vertical copper walls serving as fins to dissipate heat from the hot sink base that receives heat from the heat source. The inclusion of a Triply Periodic Minimal Surface (TPMS) ‘Primitive’ structure as an in-fill thermal conductivity enhancer (TCE) in the case of the gallium heat sink, and a …

Brain Computer Interface-Based Drone Control Using Gyroscopic Data From Head Movements, Ikaia Cacha Melton

Honors College Theses

This research explores the potential of using gyroscopic data from a person’s head movement to control a DJI Tello quadcopter via a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI). In this study, over 100 gyroscopic recordings capturing the X, Y and Z columns (formally known as GyroX, GyroY, GyroZ) between 4 volunteers with the Emotiv Epoc X headset were collected. The Emotiv Epoc X data captured (left, right, still, and forward) head movements of each participant associated with the DJI Tello quadcopter navigation. The data underwent thorough processing and analysis, revealing distinctive patterns in charts using Microsoft Excel. A Python condition algorithm was then …

Autonomous Bottling And Packaging System - Mechanical Bottling Portion, Kathryn Gray

Honors College Theses

This report details the complete mechanical design of an autonomous bottling automation system. This system is fully integrated with a bottling and packaging system. The scope of the full project is to successfully bottle and cap twelve small bottles (approximately 68 cm3) in under three minutes and thirty seconds. The bottles shall be filled with an “electrolyte” and water mixture, and the mixture should be fully mixed. To complete this task, two tanks will dispense liquid (one electrolyte, and one water) into the bottles. Each tank shall have a measuring chamber, that will fill with the correct amount of volume …

Variable Design Stent To Prevent Stent Failure In Areas Of High Mobility In Peripheral Artery Disease Patients, Emmie Stevens, Brennan Toepfer, Lexi Graves

Honors Theses

As senior biomedical engineering students at the University of Mississippi, we were tasked with a senior project to find an unmet clinical need in the healthcare industry and design a way to solve it. Our team, consisting of Hannah Dunn, Lexi Graves, Emmie Stevens, and Brennan Toepfer, decided to improve upon current stents to create a stent more suited to treating Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), especially in high-impact areas, such as the back of the knee joint. Stents placed in the back of the knee have a high level of stent failure due to the high movement of the knee …

Minimizing Patient Migration: Enhancing Safety And Comfort For Patients And Caregivers In Bedridden Care, Danielle Pasquini

Honors Theses

Biomedical engineering seniors at the University of Mississippi embark on a senior project aimed at addressing an unmet clinical need. Our team, consisting of Kelsie Hand, Christian Miller, and Danielle Pasquini, identified a prevalent issue of bedridden patients slipping down in bed, leading to increased repositioning by caregivers. This not only impacts patient comfort but also poses risks of complications such as pressure ulcers and caregiver injuries. In our efforts to tackle the issue of patient slippage among bedridden individuals, our team introduced a novel solution comprising a non-slip vest for patients and a corresponding non-slip sheet attachment. This integrated …

Population At Risk: The Design And Production Of The Pollinator Plaza, Shane Houston Stephens

Honors Theses

This report focuses on the development and manufacturing of the Pollinator Plaza, a high-quality bug house created to combat pollinator population loss. According to countless studies, pollinator populations have seen a dramatic decrease in recent years, and this product was developed to address these alarming statistics by providing a suitable habitat for pollinators. A market analysis was used to identify our potential clientele and cost point. This research played an integral part in the design of the Pollinator Plaza, which was developed using AutoCAD software. This design became a reality through the construction of a physical prototype.

The Pollinator Plaza’s …

Practical Static Binary Instrumentation Attacks Against Binary Stylometry, Justin Lee Carpenter

Masters Theses, 2020-current

Binary stylometry aims to find the features in a binary computer program and use them to identify the developers of the corresponding source code. Despite the noises in the code compilation process from the compiler, assembler, linker, and library functions, two existing studies based on machine learning for binary stylometry have reported high success rates (Alrabaee, Shirani, Wang, Debbabi, and Hanna 2018; Caliskan, Yamaguchi, Dauber, Harang, Rieck, Greenstadt, and Narayanan 2018). In this thesis, we first observe that both existing studies are based on a largely benign security model and assume that the binaries used in testing and prediction are …

The Conceptual Design, Analysis And Optimization Of A Hydrogen Combustion And A Hydrogen Fuel-Cell Powered Aircraft, Michael Kiely

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

In the effort to combat climate change worldwide, the aviation industry faces particularly complex design challenges in designing new, emission free vehicles. One potential solution to this problem is the use of hydrogen fuel as a means of propulsion. Hydrogen fuel has many benefits over traditional jet fuel such as a higher gravimetric energy density; however, it requires the aircraft to carry large, pressurized, cryogenic fuel tanks. This thesis examines the design challenges, potential solutions, and the analysis methods for the design of a short to medium range hydrogen powered commercial airliner. To accomplish this goal, a comprehensive conceptual design …

The Use Of Repurposed Whole Textiles To Modify The Mechanical And Hydrogeological Properties Of Green Roof Media And Granular Soils, Angelis Almanzar-Chevalie, Yehya Elfgeeh, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

This study investigates using repurposed whole textiles to modify the mechanical and hydrogeological properties of lightweight Green Roof media and granular pavement soils.

Green Roof Media Green roofs aim to bring the advantages of suburban agriculture to urban environments while improving energy efficiency and enhancing stormwater management in public, commercial, and residential buildings. Previous studies by City Tech undergraduate research assistants demonstrated significant modification in hydrogeological properties when incorporating textile fabric up to 3% textile by weight (%Tex) at an aspect ratio of 1:1. The effects of mixing repurposed whole textile fiber with Green Roof media is evaluated with regards …

Climate Change Impacts On Bridge Scour Risk In New York State, Alexis Torres

Publications and Research

Bridge scour, the erosion of sediment around bridge foundations, is the leading cause of bridge failure in the United States. This problem is exacerbated by severe storms and the impacts of climate change, which can increase the risk of scour-related bridge failures. Effective prioritization and mitigation of scour risks is crucial for enhancing the resilience of transportation networks. Addressing the level of Scour to abutments that are submerged in large bodies of water caused by climate is a monumental task and operation to facilitate.