Engineering Commons^™

Tourniquet Pressure Gradient Measurement Apparatus, Luis Enrique Perez, Elsa Elizabeth Bates

Biomedical Engineering

The goal of this project was to design a device that would measure pressure gradient data across the width of an elastic and inelastic tourniquet cuff using a human limb model. The main customer requirements that were focused on were to accurately measure the pressure from a tourniquet, keep the cost down, and be easy to use. The targeted design specifications were to read pressure values ranging from 0-400 mmHg, keep the test length under 5 minutes, and to keep the cost of materials under $400. The design of the device ended up consisting of 5 IV pouches that were …

Auto Adjustable Flow Regulator, Ethan Hemmerlin, Jack Dooley

Biomedical Engineering

The Auto-Adjustable Oxygen Flowmeter device is to be used in conjunction with an oxygen source or reservoir, as well as a low-flow nasal cannula apparatus. The device is applicable for patients requiring an oxygen flow rate of 0-6 L/min. Further, the device works to maintain a healthy blood-oxygen concentration of 90-94% for typical patients, as well as an 88-92% range for COPD patients who are chronic CO2 retainers. A reflective pulse oximeter will record the SpO2 concentration of the patient. The outputted SpO2 concentration will be transmitted to an internal processing PCB from which it will interact with the oxygen …

Soil Nitrate Prediction Using Ftir-Atr, Vis-Nir, And Raman Spectroscopy, Sabiha Ferdous

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) combined with Attenuated total reflectance (ATR), Visible-Near Infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIR), and Raman spectroscopy (RS) are non-destructive techniques for rapid determination of nitrogen compounds in soil. Leveraging FTIR-ATR and Vis-NIR spectra using partial least squares regression (PLSR) modeling, the study aims to predict soil nitrate content and explored the feasibility of Raman spectroscopy to detect nitrate (NO₃^-), nitrite (NO₂^-), and ammonium (NH₄⁺) in soil. Soil samples were collected from four different fields, dried, sieved (2mm), and then used for collecting spectra (FTIR-ATR and Vis-NIR). Laboratory analysis was …

The Janssen Effect And The Chini Ordinary Differential Equation, Adam Rogers, George Dyck, Jitendra Paliwal, Kurt Hildebrand, Michael D. Montross, Aaron P. Turner

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

The Janssen effect describes the increase in pressure with depth in granular materials. However, the original Janssen formulation treats the density as constant. In this work, we examine parametric density models that depend on both pressure and moisture content and allow for temperature dependence to be easily included. We focus on physically-motivated empirical models that are built on power-law terms. These power-law terms correspond to thermodynamic equations of state, such as the ideal gas law, and polytropic processes. When coupled with the Janssen ordinary differential equation (ODE), these power-law models have the form of a Chini ODE. We study the …

Protocol For Modeling And Simulating Lithiation-Induced Stress In Largely Deformed Spherical Nanoparticles Using Comsol, Yong Li, Yungpeng Guo, Yunhao Wu, Yin Rao, Kai Zhang, Dashun Liu, Fuqian Yang

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Here, we present a finite element method-based scheme for solving coupled par- tial differential equations (PDEs) for the analysis of lithiation-induced stress in largely deformed spherical nanoparticles via the PDE module in COMSOL. We describe steps for software installation and setting PDEs, initial/boundary condi- tions, and mesh parameters. We then detail procedures for dividing the mesh and analyzing lithium trapping during electrochemical cycling. This protocol can also be extended to analyze a wide range of problems involving diffusion-induced stress. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Li et al.

Strengthening The Deployment Of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (Uas) At Kytc, Rachel Catchings, Suzanne Smith, Gayle Marks, Candice Wallace, Christopher Van Dyke

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and transportation agencies around the United States increasingly depends on uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS — also commonly known as drones) to collect data and accelerate project development and delivery. Drones let transportation practitioners safely and efficiently perform many activities, including bridge and highway inspection, construction monitoring, surveying, emergency response, and measuring stockpiles. KYTC’s implementation of UAS has expanded rapidly over the past 10 years, however, the agency lacks well-coordinated procedures for connecting pilots with end data users, scheduling and conducting flights, developing and documenting best practices, and processing and storing data. Based on a review …

Best Practices For Recruitment And Retention Of Transportation Professionals, Chris Van Dyke, Bryan Gibson, Sarah Mccormack, Merl Hackbart, Doug Kreis

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Many public sector agencies, including state departments of transportation (DOTs), have long found recruiting and retaining staff a daunting challenge. Lured by the promise of higher salaries in the private sector, many people are reluctant to sacrifice their long-term earnings potential to pursue public service. And with the quality of fringe benefits (e.g., retirement plans, health insurance) offered by public agencies having declined gradually, it is even more difficult to persuade prospective employees to accept a lower salary. Many studies over the past 15—20 years have looked at methods for solving the problem of recruitment and retention within the context …

Pd-Modified Cuo-Zno-Al2o3 Catalysts Via Mixed-Phases-Containing Precursor For Methanol Synthesis From Co2 Hydrogenation Under Mild Conditions, Xiao Fan, Kaiying Wang, Xiaoqing He, Shiguang Li, Miao Yu, Xinhua Liang

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A series of palladium-modified (Pd-modified) CuO-ZnO-Al2O3 (CZA) catalysts with various Pd loadings (0.3 wt% to 2.4 wt%) were prepared using the wetness impregnation method, on two CZA supports with different structures that are CZA-aged precursor composed of a mixture of zincian-malachite and hydrotalcite-like phases (CZA-zH), and CuO-ZnO-Al2O3 metal oxide nanoparticles (CZA-MO). Enhancement on catalytic activity can be observed on both Pd-modified CZA catalysts in a temperature range of 180–240 °C for methanol synthesis via CO2 hydrogenation. Pd/CZA-zH catalysts exhibited a more efficient and stable production of methanol at a relatively low reaction temperature of 180 °C for 100 hrs. of …

Weakly Supervised Attention-Based Recognition Under Spectral, Turbulence, And Resource Variations, Kshitij Naresh Nikhal

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

While supervised optimization paradigms are ubiquitous across diverse recognition systems, the risk of over-fitting and increasing bias have limited their applicability.

This dissertation focuses on unsupervised learning—learning without precisely curated data—and argues that unsupervised learning methods can enable both discriminability and generalizability. Through the use of attention-based machine learning and advanced clustering, unsupervised methods are able to focus on fine-grained information in images without any explicit supervision. The dissertation introduces a domain-bridging framework for tasks like cross-spectrum matching and long-range recognition, utilizing intra-domain clustering and inter-domain matching to generate pseudo-labels. Additionally, a hash-based network is proposed to accelerate the search …

Utilization Of Caputo Fractional Derivative In Mhd Nanofluid Flow With Soret And Thermal Radiation Effects, Harshad Patel, Gopal Nanda

Applications and Applied Mathematics: An International Journal (AAM)

In existence of heat diffusion and thermal radiation, an analytical equation is found for unsteady MHD flow past an exponentially accelerating vertical plate in optically thick water based nanofluid. The governing equations are made dimensionless by similarity transformation. A definition of Caputo fractional derivative is applied to generalize governing system of partial differential equations. Laplace transform techniques are applied and obtained the analytical solutions of proposed problems. For a physical point of view, numerical results are obtained using MATLAB software and presented via graphs. From the results, it is concluded that magnetic fields tend to reduce velocity. It is also …

Spontaneous Alignment Of Myotubes Through Myogenic Progenitor Cell Migration, Lauren E. Mehanna, Adrianna R. Osborne, Charlotte A. Peterson, Brad J. Berron

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

In large-volume muscle injuries, widespread damage to muscle fibers and the surrounding connective tissue prevents myogenic progenitor cells (MPCs) from initiating repair. There is a clinical need to rapidly fabricate large muscle tissue constructs for integration at the site of large volume muscle injuries. Most strategies for myotube alignment require microfabricated structures or prolonged orientation times. We utilize the MPC’s natural propensity to close gaps across an injury site to guide alignment on collagen I. When MPCs are exposed to an open boundary free of cells, they migrate unidirectionally into the cell-free region and align perpendicular to the original boundary …

A General Materials Data Science Framework For Quantitative 2d Analysis Of Particle Growth From Image Sequences, Sameera Nalin Venkat, Thomas G. Ciardi, Mingjian Lu, Preston C. Deleo, Jube Augustino, Adam Goodman, Jayvic Cristian Jimenez, Anirban Mondal, Frank Ernst, Yinghui Wu, Roger H. French, Laura S. Bruckman

Faculty Scholarship

Phase transformations are a challenging problem in materials science, which lead to changes in properties and may impact performance of material systems in various applications. We introduce a general framework for the analysis of particle growth kinetics by utilizing concepts from machine learning and graph theory. As a model system, we use image sequences of atomic force microscopy showing the crystallization of an amorphous fluoroelastomer film. To identify crystalline particles in an amorphous matrix and track the temporal evolution of the particle dispersion, we have developed quantitative methods of 2D analysis. 700 image sequences were analyzed using a neural network …

Laboratory Evaluation Of High-Temperature Resistant Lysine-Based Polymer Gel Systems For Leakage Control, Tao Song, Xuyang Tian, Baojun Bai, Yugandhara Eriyagama, Mohamed Ahdaya, Adel Alotibi, Thomas P. Schuman

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In-situ crosslinking gel known for its cost-effectiveness, has been employed for decades to plug high-permeability features in subsurface environments. However, some commonly used crosslinkers are being phased out due to the increasingly rigorous environmental regulations. As a newly discovered environmentally friendly crosslinker, lysine can crosslink the partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide through transamidation reaction. The present work aimed to study the effect of polymer composition and concentration on the gelation behavior of lysine and high molecular weight acrylamide-based polymers. Several commercial high molecular weight polymers with different contents of 2-Acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) including AN-105/125, SAV-55/37/28, and SAV-10 were deployed in this …

Inverting Geodetic Strain Rates For Slip Deficit Rate In Complex Deforming Zones: An Application To The New Zealand Plate Boundary, Kaj M. Johnson, Laura M. Wallace, Jeremy Maurer, Ian Hamling, Charles Williams, Chris Rollins, Matt Gerstenberger, Russ Van Dissen

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The potential for future earthquakes on faults is often inferred from inversions of geodetically derived surface velocities for locking on faults using kinematic models such as block models. This can be challenging in complex deforming zones with many closely spaced faults or where deformation is not readily described with block motions. Furthermore, surface strain rates are more directly related to coupling on faults than surface velocities. We present a methodology for estimating slip deficit rate directly from strain rate and apply it to New Zealand for the purpose of incorporating geodetic data in the 2022 revision of the New Zealand …

Layered Mantle Flow Field Associated With Plate Kinematics And Slab Modulation Underneath The Horseshoe-Shaped Banda Arc-Islands, Sijia Li, Fansheng Kong, Kelly H. Liu, Stephen S. Gao

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Banda Arc-Continent Collision Zone Signifies One Of The Most Seismically Active And Tectonically Intricate Zones. The High Convergence Rate Across The Region, Coupled With The Exceptionally Arcuate Arc And Subducted Slab, Makes It An Ideal Locale For Investigating Interactions Between Plate (Slab) Kinematics And Plastic Flow In The Asthenosphere, Which Can Be Diagnosed By Seismic Anisotropy From Shear Wave Splitting Analyses. In Total, 206 Pairs Of Splitting Measurements Using Teleseismic SKS, SKKS, And PKS, Along With 43 Pairs Using Local S Phases, Are Obtained By Utilizing Broadband Seismic Data From Five Permanent Seismic Stations. To Reduce The Ambiguity In …

Analyzing Biomedical Datasets With Symbolic Tree Adaptive Resonance Theory, Sasha Petrenko, Daniel B. Hier, Mary A. Bone, Tayo Obafemi-Ajayi, Erik J. Timpson, William E. Marsh, Michael Speight, Donald C. Wunsch

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

Biomedical Datasets Distill Many Mechanisms Of Human Diseases, Linking Diseases To Genes And Phenotypes (Signs And Symptoms Of Disease), Genetic Mutations To Altered Protein Structures, And Altered Proteins To Changes In Molecular Functions And Biological Processes. It Is Desirable To Gain New Insights From These Data, Especially With Regard To The Uncovering Of Hierarchical Structures Relating Disease Variants. However, Analysis To This End Has Proven Difficult Due To The Complexity Of The Connections Between Multi-Categorical Symbolic Data. This Article Proposes Symbolic Tree Adaptive Resonance Theory (START), With Additional Supervised, Dual-Vigilance (DV-START), And Distributed Dual-Vigilance (DDV-START) Formulations, For The Clustering Of …

A Novel And Enhanced Calibration Of The Tilting Weir As A Flow Measurement Structure, Joseph E. Pugh, S. Karan Venayagamoorthy, Timothy K. Gates, Céline Berni, Marie Rastello

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A large collection of laboratory measurements of piezometric head (h) and discharge (Q) were made over hydraulic models of a tilting weir at nine different angles, ranging from 25.7° to 90° within a 0.3-m-wide flume. These measurements were corroborated with additional laboratory data taken within a 1-m-wide flume across four inclination angles. The range of both inclination angle (θ) and flow scale examined in this study elucidate the nature of the head-discharge rating equation beyond previous work. Results show that as θ decreases under a constant Q, the h over the weir decreases in a monotonic fashion due to the …

A Priori Procedure To Establish Spinodal Decomposition In Alloys, Simon Divilov, Hagen Eckert, Cormac Toher, Rico Friedrich, Adam C. Zettel, Donald W. Brenner, William G. Fahrenholtz, Douglas E. Wolfe, Eva Zurek, Jon Paul Maria, Nico Hotz, Xiomara Campilongo, Stefano Curtarolo

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Spinodal decomposition can improve a number of essential properties in materials, especially hardness. Yet, the theoretical prediction of the onset of this phenomenon (e.g., temperature) and its microstructure (e.g., wavelength) often requires input parameters coming from costly and time-consuming experimental efforts, hindering rational materials optimization. Here, we present a procedure where such parameters are not derived from experiments. First, we calculate the spinodal temperature by modeling nucleation in the solid solution while approaching the spinode boundary. Then, we compute the spinodal wavelength self-consistently using a few reasonable approximations. Our results show remarkable agreement with experiments and, for NiRh, the calculated …

Designing Explainable Ai To Improve Human-Ai Team Performance: A Medical Stakeholder-Driven Scoping Review, Harishankar V. Subramanian, Casey I. Canfield, Daniel Burton Shank

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The rise of complex AI systems in healthcare and other sectors has led to a growing area of research called Explainable AI (XAI) designed to increase transparency. In this area, quantitative and qualitative studies focus on improving user trust and task performance by providing system- and prediction-level XAI features. We analyze stakeholder engagement events (interviews and workshops) on the use of AI for kidney transplantation. From this we identify themes which we use to frame a scoping literature review on current XAI features. The stakeholder engagement process lasted over nine months covering three stakeholder group's workflows, determining where AI could …

Case Study: Diesel Powered Loaders Compared To Electric Loaders In Heavy Civil Construction, Jayson Downs

Construction Management

As the construction sector evolves, the environmental consequences of greenhouse gasses have become a significant issue. Numerous contractors are transitioning to electric-powered systems, which offer more energy-efficient methods for heavy machinery, enhanced productivity, and construction equipment that meets new and improved emission standards. This paper aims to examine the viability of heavy civil construction firms transitioning from traditional diesel-powered wheel loaders to electric wheel loaders. Given the competitive and saturated market in road construction, many contractors have already started investing in electric systems. This results in cost savings in terms of fuel efficiency and operating expenses compared to conventionally fueled …

Efficacy Of Passive Ventilation With High Exhaust Demands: A Case Study Of Cal Poly Sst, Siddarth Bokka

Construction Management

The Simpson Strong Tie Demonstration Laboratory serves as a multipurpose space allowing students at the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at California Polytechnic State University to build full scale construction projects. The building features a material storage area, a high bay for construction of full-scale projects, and a mezzanine level that houses digital fabrication equipment. However, the building was never designed to house the specific equipment currently installed on the mezzanine and ventilate the exhaust fumes from them. Rather, the building relies on passive natural ventilation that is likely ineffective at properly exhausting hazardous fumes, resulting in complaints from …

The Impact Of Culture On Construction, Vatulele Uluakiotonga Finau

Construction Management

The aim of this comprehensive exploration is to identify elements within Japanese, Islamic/Arabic, and Tongan cultures that can be implemented into construction practices in California, leveraging their unique values to enhance home design and construction. The study reveals that culture plays a pivotal role in shaping the design and construction of homes, reflecting deeply held values, traditions, and societal norms. Through qualitative research, expert interviews, and a detailed literature review, key elements defining each cultural approach to housing are elucidated. From the emphasis on privacy and natural ventilation in Japanese homes to the integration of modesty and hospitality in Islamic/Arabic …

Lemur Enclosure, Joshua Mancio, Justin Krietzberg

Construction Management

Zoo-to-You, a local wildlife conservation zoo, proposed a project to construct a new shelter for their lemurs due to the inadequacy of protection for extreme heat or cold weather of their previous enclosure. With three lemurs in residence, the zoo sought to create a spacious and insulated shelter that would provide protection from the elements while allowing connectivity to the adjacent enclosures. Situated amidst two existing circular cages with a gap in between, the project presented unique site conditions on a concrete slab. The scope of the project encompassed estimating, design, material procurement, build-out, and owner turnover, with the objective …

Effects Of The 2022 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards On New Construction In San Luis Obispo County, Christopher Hoefer

Construction Management

California released the first Building Efficiency Standards, or Energy Code, in 1976 and has updated them every three years. These standards aim at limiting the amount of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by buildings in the state. California claims that these standards have saved consumers billions on utility bills, but there is limited information on the upfront impact the Efficiency Standards have had on new construction. This study sought to evaluate the impact that the 2022 California Building Energy Efficiency Standards had on new construction in San Luis Obispo County. Interviews were conducted with local specialty contractors in order …

Creating Content For Prison Design Course: Nordic Countries Vs. United States, Calvin Steven Clauson

Construction Management

Since 2010, prisons in Nordic countries have begun to take a very progressive approach to rehabilitating prisoners, addressing prisoners more humanely than is traditionally done in the United States. This project aims to develop course content that looks at the design elements of prisons in the United States and performs a comparative analysis with more progressive Nordic prison designs. Cal Poly’s construction management department will incorporate the developed content into one module of a co-taught course with sociology. The course will examine the ways social changes impact the construction of prisons and the social impacts of design and construction on …

Sustainability Of Apparel Exporting Industry Facilities In South Asia, Sree L. Anilkuma, George H. Berghorn, M.G. Matt Syal

The Professional Constructor

The apparel industry’s contribution to the gross domestic product in South Asian countries is significant and provides livelihoods for millions of people in this region. Although this industry’s contribution towards the economy is substantial, its negative impact on the environment and the working conditions have always been critical issues of concern. The two countries of emphasis in this research, Bangladesh, and India, have experienced numerous garment factory accidents in the form of building collapses, factory fires, and boiler explosions, which have killed and injured thousands of workers. These incidents have brought attention on the need to improve poor facilities and …

Taxonomy Of Trust And Maslow’S Hierarchy Of Needsin The Construction Industry, Ann B. Lyons, Vivek Sharma, Shima Clarke

The Professional Constructor

Trust is vital in every facet of life, enabling collaborative efforts and valuing contributions from various individuals. This is particularly true in the construction industry, where teamwork is essential for success. Prior research has consistently demonstrated that heightened trust levels significantly contribute to better project outcomes and increased client satisfaction. Despite its critical role, the construction industry has yet to adopt a structured hierarchical perspective of trust that aligns with its unique demands. This study aims to fill this gap by validating a comprehensive taxonomy of trust specifically designed for the construction sector. Through literature review, this study identifies key …

Student Solutions For Leaf Drying: A Collaborative Approach To Enhance Moringa Production In Ghana, Daniel Desoto

Construction Management

This paper expands on a project that seeks to address the need for an updated mechanical leaf drying system for local farmers in Ghana, Africa. Working with the local organization, Moringa Connect, we were able to connect and identify potential areas of improvement within the current existing system. This project involved aspects of design, fundraising, and the construction of a rotating metal hopper. This hopper was identified as a solution for a crucial pinch point currently seen in the processing of the leaves from a wet stage to the final dry product. The design and construction process had a multidisciplinary …

Designing A Chicken Coop For The San Luis Obispo High School Ffa Farm, Zoe King

Construction Management

This paper covers the design process by a team of students from Cal Poly to provide a chicken coop for the San Luis Obispo High School FFA Farm. The project, initiated in Summer of 2023, aimed to replace their existing temporary chicken coops with a larger, better functioning structure that could house their 10+ chickens comfortably. The paper focuses primarily on the design phase but touches briefly on material procurement and construction. Through meetings with the client, the team developed a design that met the school’s design criteria and educational needs. The design process involved collaboration and many iterations of …

Design And Construction Of A Buddy Bench For An Elementary School Play Yard, Remy N. Hickle

Construction Management

A buddy bench was designed, constructed, and installed at the Shasta Meadows Elementary School in Redding, California. A response to loneliness and bullying in schools, the buddy bench is a physical and nonverbal way students can identify the need for companionship on a school playground. By sitting on the bench, students, teachers or school administrators will see them and can come over to spend time with them. Grounded in personal connections and a deep understanding of the school's ethos, the buddy bench aims to foster empathy, inclusion, and support within the student community. Through collaborative efforts with school staff, students, …