Engineering Commons^™

Understanding Roles And Evaluating Reactivity Of Fly Ashes In Calcium Aluminate Binders, Sai Akshay Ponduru, Taihao Han, Jie Huang, Narayanan Neithalath, Gaurav Sant, Aditya Kumar

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Calcium aluminate cement (CAC) is an alternative to Portland cement, valued for its superior early strength and thermal resistance. Partially replacing CAC with Fly ash (FA) can reduce carbon footprint and production costs of CAC, producing sustainable cementitious binders. This research investigates on various properties (i.e., hydration kinetics; phase assemblage evolution; compressive strength) of [CAC + FA] binders. Using 13 distinct FAs, up to 50% of CAC was substituted. The study measures hydration kinetics, compressive strength, and employs the number of constraints to estimate FA reactivity. Advanced quantitative analysis draws links between hydration kinetics and compressive strength and elucidate the …

Left Ventricle Function And Post-Transcriptional Events With Exercise Training In Pigs, Stephanie L. Samani, Shayne C. Barlow, Lisa A. Freeburg, Traci L. Jones, Marlee Poole, Mark A. Sarzynski Facsm, Michael R. Zile, Tarek Shazly, Francis G. Spinale

Faculty Publications

Background

Standardized exercise protocols have been shown to improve overall cardiovascular fitness, but direct effects on left ventricular (LV) function, particularly diastolic function and relation to post-transcriptional molecular pathways (microRNAs (miRs)) are poorly understood. This project tested the central hypothesis that adaptive LV remodeling resulting from a large animal exercise training protocol, would be directly associated with specific miRs responsible for regulating pathways relevant to LV myocardial stiffness and geometry.

Methods and results

Pigs (n = 9; 25 Kg) underwent a 4 week exercise training protocol (10 degrees elevation, 2.5 mph, 10 min, 5 days/week) whereby LV chamber stiffness (KC) …

Analysis Of The Impact Of Water Treatment By Liming Sedimentation And Dredging On The Content Of Heavy Metals In Fish Intended For Consumption, Asfie Maidie, Ismail Fahmy Almadi, Muchlis Efendi, Rekha Yusdha Nilawardhani, Komsanah Sukarti, Henny Pagoray

Journal of Sustainable Mining

The present study sought to determine the presence of metals and arsenic, a metalloid, among the fish of a coal mine reservoir, where the water was treated regularly through liming sedimentation combined with dredging, and the fish living in an adjoining river. The potential hazard of metals in fish as human food was analyzed. Except for selenium (an important metal to the human body), which was higher among the river fish than in the reservoir fish (P < 0.01), there were no particular patterns of other studied metals found in either habitat (P > 0.05), and apparently not related to the fish family that consumed by local people. Measurements of bioaccumulation factor (BAF) yielded scattered values from …

Geodetic Strain Rates For The 2022 Update Of The New Zealand National Seismic Hazard Model, Jeremy Maurer, Kaj Johnson, Laura M. Wallace, Ian Hamling, Charles A. Williams, Chris Rollins, Matt Gerstenberger, Russ Van Dissen

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Geodetic data in plate boundary zones reflect the accrual of tectonic strain and stress, which will ultimately be released in earthquakes, and so they can provide valuable insights into future seismic hazards. To incorporate geodetic measurements of contemporary deformation into the 2022 revision of the New Zealand National Seismic Hazard Model 2022 (NZ NSHM 2022), we derive a range of strain-rate models from published interseismic Global Navigation Satellite Systems velocities for New Zealand. We calculate the uncertainty in strain rate excluding strain from the Taupō rift–Havre trough and Hikurangi subduction zone, which are handled separately, and the corresponding moment rates. …

Computational Discovery Of Microstructured Composites With Optimal Stiffness-Toughness Trade-Offs, Beichen Li, Bolei Deng, Wan Shou, Tae-Hyun Oh, Yuanming Hu, Yiyue Luo, Liang Shi, Wojciech Matusik

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The conflict between stiffness and toughness is a fundamental problem in engineering materials design. However, the systematic discovery of microstructured composites with optimal stiffness-toughness trade-offs has never been demonstrated, hindered by the discrepancies between simulation and reality and the lack of data-efficient exploration of the entire Pareto front. We introduce a generalizable pipeline that integrates physical experiments, numerical simulations, and artificial neural networks to address both challenges. Without any prescribed expert knowledge of material design, our approach implements a nested-loop proposal-validation workflow to bridge the simulation-to-reality gap and find microstructured composites that are stiff and tough with high sample efficiency. …

Reliability-Based Analysis Of Horizontal Curve Design By Evaluating The Impact Of Vehicle Automation On Roadway Departure Crashes And Safety Performance, Omar Al-Sheikh, Seyed Hooman Ghasemi, Mohammad Jalayer

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

Roadway departure (RwD) crashes are significant safety concerns, especially at horizontal curves. The design of these curves plays a crucial role in mitigating RwD crashes. Thus, a thorough understanding of the interaction between driver behavior, vehicle automation, and geometric design is vital. Substantive safety, which emphasizes the inherent safety in a road's design and function, serves as the foundation of our approach. Building on this, the study employs a safe system approach to investigate the performance of horizontal curves under both non-automated and partially automated conditions, using a reliability-based analysis focusing on Stopping Sight Distance as the primary driver demand. …

Upper Plate And Subduction Interface Deformation Models In The 2022 Revision Of The Aotearoa New Zealand National Seismic Hazard Model, Russ J. Van Dissen, Kaj M. Johnson, Hannu Seebeck, Laura M. Wallace, Chris Rollins, Jeremy Maurer, Matthew C. Gerstenberger, Charles A. Williams, Ian J. Hamling, Andrew Howell, Christopher J. Dicaprio

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

As part of the 2022 revision of the Aotearoa New Zealand National Seismic Hazard Model (NZ NSHM 2022), deformation models were constructed for the upper plate faults and subduction interfaces that impact ground-shaking hazard in New Zealand. These models provide the locations, geometries, and slip rates of the earthquake-producing faults in the NZ NSHM 2022. For upper plate faults, two deformation models were developed: a geologic model derived directly from the fault geometries and geologic slip rates in the NZ Community Fault Model version 1.0 (NZ CFM v.1.0); and a geodetic model that uses the same faults and fault geometries …

Simple Sars-Cov-2 Concentration Methods For Wastewater Surveillance In Low Resource Settings, Mohammad Dehghan Banadaki, Soroosh Torabi, Alexus Lori Rockward, William Strike, Ann Noble, James W. Keck, Scott M. Berry

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) measures pathogens in wastewater to monitor infectious disease prevalence in communities. Due to the high dilution of pathogens in sewage, a concentration method is often required to achieve reliable biomarker signals. However, most of the current concentration methods rely on expensive equipment and labor-intensive processes, which limits the application of WBE in low-resource settings. Here, we compared the performance of four inexpensive and simple concentration methods to detect SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater samples: Solid Fraction, Porcine Gastric Mucin-conjugated Magnetic Beads, Calcium Flocculation- Citrate Dissolution (CFCD), and Nanotrap® Magnetic Beads (NMBs). The NMBs and CFCD methods yielded the highest …

Ion Irradiation And Examination Of Additive Friction Stir Deposited 316 Stainless Steel, Priyanka Agrawa, Ching-Heng Shiau, Aishani Sharma, Zhihan Hu, Megha Dubey, Yu Lu, Lin Shao, Ramprashad Prabhakaran, Yaqiao Wu, Rajiv S. Mishra

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study explored solid-state additive friction stir deposition (AFSD) as a modular manufacturing technology, with the aim of enabling a more rapid and streamlined on-site fabrication process for large meter-scale nuclear structural components with fully dense parts. Austenitic 316 stainless steel (SS) is an excellent candidate to demonstrate AFSD, as it is a commonly-used structural material for nuclear applications. The microstructural evolution and concomitant changes in mechanical properties after 5 MeV Fe⁺⁺ ion irradiation were studied comprehensively via transmission electron microscopy and nanoindentation. AFSD-processed 316 SS led to a fine-grained and ultrafine-grained microstructure that resulted in a simultaneous increase …

Interdependencies Between Wildfire-Induced Alterations In Soil Properties, Near-Surface Processes, And Geohazards, Farshid Vahedifard, Masood Abdollahi, Ben A. Leshchinsky, Timothy D. Stark, Mojtaba Sadegh, Amir Aghakouchak

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The frequency, severity, and spatial extent of destructive wildfires have increased in several regions globally over the past decades. While direct impacts from wildfires are devastating, the hazardous legacy of wildfires affects nearby communities long after the flames have been extinguished. Post-wildfire soil conditions control the persistence, severity, and timing of cascading geohazards in burned landscapes. The interplay and feedback between geohazards and wildfire-induced changes to soil properties, land cover conditions, and near-surface and surface processes are still poorly understood. Here, we synthesize wildfire-induced processes that can affect the critical attributes of burned soils and their conditioning of subsequent geohazards. …

Cfd Analysis Of Multi-Stage Phase Change Material For Latent Thermal Energy Storage In Solar Power Plants, Ahmad Wahbi Omari

Theses

The integration of latent thermal energy storage into concentrated solar power plants represents a promising solution for efficiently harnessing excessive solar energy during daylight hours and subsequently utilizing it during the nighttime when solar energy generation is limited or non-existent, all while catering to consistent energy demands. The core objective of enhancing latent thermal energy storage revolves around elevating its thermal capacity and minimizing the melting time, thus making it a more effective energy storage solution. This is achieved by employing three distinct organic phase change materials: Octadecanoic (PCM1), RT58 (PCM2) and Dodecanoic (PCM3), each characterized by variations in their …

Low Shear In Short-Term Impacts Endothelial Cell Traction And Alignment In Long-Term, Mohanish K. Chandurkar, Nikhil Mittal, Shaina P. Royer-Weeden, Steven D. Lehmann, Yeonwoo Rho, Sangyoon J. Han

Michigan Tech Publications

Within the vascular system, endothelial cells (ECs) are exposed to fluid shear stress (FSS), a mechanical force exerted by blood flow that is critical for regulating cellular tension and maintaining vascular homeostasis. The way ECs react to FSS varies significantly; while high, laminar FSS supports vasodilation and suppresses inflammation, low or disturbed FSS can lead to endothelial dysfunction and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Yet, the adaptation of ECs to dynamically varying FSS remains poorly understood. This study focuses on the dynamic responses of ECs to brief periods of low FSS, examining its impact on endothelial traction—a measure of …

Estimation Of Co2 Absorption By A Hybrid Aqueous Solution Of Amino Acid Salt With Amine, Farid Amirkhani, Amir Dashti, Hossein Abedsoltan, Amir H. Mohammadi

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Four developed machine learning algorithms are proposed to prognosticate the CO₂ solubility in amino acid salt solutions, blended with amine solutions as additives, in broad ranges of temperature and pressure. From literature 375 experimental data points for CO₂ solubility were collected. The results from the applied algorithms indicated that the CO₂ solubility is estimated acceptably close to the experimental values. In the best case, the developed network estimates CO₂ solubility in the stated solutions with an average relative deviation of 6.53 % and a correlation coefficient of 0.9892.

In Vitro Assessment Of Protamine Toxicity With Neural Cells, Its Therapeutic Potential To Counter Chondroitin Sulfate Mediated Neuron Inhibition, And Its Effects On Reactive Astrocytes, Derek W. Nelson, Jessica L. Funnell, Conrad H. Cheung, Geraldine B. Quinones, Christina S. Mendoza, Marvin Bentley, Ryan J. Gilbert

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Multiple therapies have been studied to ameliorate the neuroinhibitory cues present after traumatic injury to the central nervous system. Two previous in vitro studies have demonstrated the efficacy of the Food and Drug Administration-approved cardiovascular therapeutic, protamine (PRM), to overcome neuroinhibitory cues presented by chondroitin sulfates; however, the effect of a wide range of PRM concentrations on neuronal and glial cells has not been evaluated. In this study, we investigate the therapeutic efficacy of PRM with primary cortical neurons, hippocampal neurons, mixed glial cultures, and astrocytes. The threshold for PRM toxicity is shown to be at or above 10 µg …

Quaternary Ammonia Compounds In Disinfectant Products: Evaluating The Potential For Promoting Antibiotic Resistance And Disrupting Wastewater Treatment Plant Performance, Zihao Lu, Anna K. Mahony, William A. Arnold, Christopher Marshall, Patrick J. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs) are a class of compounds that were widely used as disinfectants during the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to be used as disinfecting agents. After consumer usage, QAC concentrations are diluted in wastewater as they enter wastewater treatment plants. At sub-inhibitory concentrations, QACs may have unintended repercussions, including increased antibiotic resistance and inhibition of process performance in wastewater treatment plants. This review first summarizes how QACs inhibit bacteria and then highlights the mechanisms by which QACs can promote antibiotic resistance in general. Reported environmental concentrations of QACs are compared to concentrations that are suspected to impact antibiotic …

Is Geology Accreditation Needed? It Is Already Here!, Laurie C. Anderson, John S. Gierke, Jeffrey B. Connelly

Michigan Tech Publications

No abstract provided.

Broadening Participation Of Teachers In Computing: Examining Postsecondary Educational Experiences And Prospective Educators’ Cs Teaching Interests, Robert Schwarzhaupt, Alexsandra Galanis, Joanna Goode, Kate Blanchard, Jill Bowdon, Joseph P. Wilson

Journal of Computer Science Integration

Teacher shortages in K–12 computer science (CS) education negatively impact students’ access to CS courses, exposure to CS concepts, and interest in CS-related careers. To address CS teacher shortages, this study seeks to understand factors related to expressing a preference to teach CS among prospective teachers. The study team analyzed data from 27,700 prospective teacher applications accepted into the 2016–2020 Teach For America (TFA) corps (cohorts). The TFA corps is an alternative teacher development program that recruits and prepares participants to obtain their teaching certification while they work for at least two years in underserved communities on a temporary teaching …

A Time Synchronized Multi-Hop Mesh Network With Crystal-Free Nodes, Filip Maksimovic, Austin Patel, David C. Burnett, Thomas Watteyne, Kristofer S.J. Pister

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this work we propose and demonstrate a protocol for a time synchronized channel hopping mesh network for wireless transceivers that use exclusively imprecise and inaccurate on-chip oscillators. This protocol is built on an IEEE 802.15.4 physical layer radio that enables interoperability with protocols such as 6TiSCH or Thread. A calibration-bootstrapped multi-hop mesh network is demonstrated with a single crystal-enabled node acting as the root. The protocol is designed to create a multi-hop mesh while compensating noisy and drifting oscillators and timers. With a 4 s synchronization period, an experimental implementation of the network maintains, in the worst case, 1.8 …

Advancing Occupational Health In Mining: Investigating Low-Cost Sensors Suitability For Improved Coal Dust Exposure Monitoring, Mirza Muhammad Zaid, Nana Amoah, Ashish Kakoria, Yang Wang, Guang Xu

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Exposure to coal dust in underground coal mines poses significant health risks to workers, including the development of diseases such as coal workers' pneumoconiosis and silicosis. Current available methods for monitoring coal dust exposure are expensive and time-consuming, necessitating the exploration of alternative approaches. Low-cost light scattering particulate matter sensors offer a promising solution, and its development in recent years has demonstrated some success in air quality monitoring However, its application in sensing coal particles is limited partially due to that the operating condition in a mine is different than the atmosphere. Thus, the objective of this paper is to …

Pilot Study On Improving Crash Data Accuracy In Kentucky Through University Collaboration, Michael A. Fields, Eric Green, Robert Kluger, Xu Zhang, Kirolos Haleem

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Without high-quality crash data and robust interpretive/analytical tools to analyze these data, transportation agencies will struggle to develop evidence-based strategies for improving road safety. Crash narratives are one element of crash reports that pose especially acute interpretive challenges. These narratives supplement coded data and give an account of incidents authored by responding law enforcement officers. Despite their value, conducting manual reviews of the 150,000+ crash reports and narratives issued in Kentucky each year is not feasible. To address this challenge, reviewers examined approximately 8,000 crash narratives from calendar year 2020 using a proprietary web-based quality control tool to identify discrepancies …

Advancing Universal Id Through Demonstration Of Enabling Technologies, Joseph Crabtree, Andrew Martin, Jeeyen Koo, Brian Beaven

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The purpose of this project was to install, demonstrate, and evaluate two candidate technologies that could be used to achieve “Universal ID” (i.e., having a unique, electronically readable identifier on every commercial motor vehicle in the United States). The two technologies selected for this demonstration represent (1) a potential low-cost near-term solution (simple RFID tags and roadside readers) and (2) a potential future solution that leverages technology that is anticipated to be installed on all future vehicles to support a variety of connected-vehicle (CV) applications. For this demonstration project, both types of roadside reader technology were installed at three existing …

Automating Selective Area Electron Diffraction Phase Identification Using Machine Learning, Nathaniel Tomczak, Jennifer Carter

Faculty Scholarship

Selective area electron diffraction (SAED) patterns can provide valuable insight into the structure of a material. However, the manual identification of collected patterns can be a significant bottleneck in the overall phase classification workflow. In this work, we utilize the recent advances in computer vision and machine learning (ML) to automate the indexing of SAED patterns. The performance of six different ML algorithms is demonstrated using metallic plutonium-zirconium alloys. The most successful approach trained a neural network (NN) to make a classification of the phase and zone axis, and then utilized a second NN to synthesize multiple independent predictions of …

Effects Of Laser Defocusing On Bead Geometry In Coaxial Titanium Wire-Based Laser Metal Deposition, Remy Mathenia, Aaron Flood, Braden Mclain, Todd Sparks, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Coaxial wire-based laser metal deposition is a versatile and efficient additive process that can achieve a high deposition rate in the manufacturing of complex structures. In this paper, a three-beam coaxial wire system is studied, with particular attention to the effects of deposition height and laser defocusing on the resulting bead geometry. As the deposition standoff distance changes, so does the workpiece illumination proportion, which describes the ratio of energy going directly into the feedstock wire and into the substrate. Single titanium beads are deposited at varying defocus levels and deposition rates and the bead aspect ratio is measured and …

Life Cycle Assessment Of Hydrothermal Carbonization: A Review Of Product Valorization Pathways, Andrea Ogunleye, Joseph Flora, Nicole Berge

Faculty Publications

Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) has the potential to be a sustainable and environmentally beneficial approach for organic waste treatment. It is likely that HTC product use will dictate the viability of large-scale HTC facilities; therefore, understanding the viability and environmental implications associated with HTC product valorization pathways is critical. The overall goal of this review is to gain an understanding of how HTC product valorization is currently being modeled in life cycle assessment studies, and to use such information to assess current research and/or data needs associated with product valorization. To accomplish this, a review of existing HTC literature was conducted …

Analysis Of Wind Turbine Wake Dynamics By A Gaussian-Core Vortex Lattice Technique, Apurva Baruah, Fernando L. Ponta

Michigan Tech Publications

The development and deployment of the next generation of wind energy systems calls for simulation tools that model the entire wind farm while balancing accuracy and computational cost. A full-system wind farm simulation must consider the atmospheric inflow, the wakes and consequent response of the multiple turbines, and the implementation of the appropriate farm-collective control strategies that optimize the entire wind farm’s output. In this article, we present a novel vortex lattice model that enables the effective representation of the complex vortex wake dynamics of the turbines in a farm subject to transient inflow conditions. This work extends the capabilities …

Low Shear In Short-Term Impacts Endothelial Cell Traction And Alignment In Long-Term, Mohanish Chandurkar, Nikhil Mittal, Shaina P. Royer-Weeden, Steven D. Lehmann, Yeonwoo Rho, Sangyoon J. Han

Michigan Tech Publications

Within the vascular system, endothelial cells (ECs) are exposed to fluid shear stress (FSS), a mechanical force exerted by blood flow that is critical for regulating cellular tension and maintaining vascular homeostasis. The way ECs react to FSS varies significantly; while high, laminar FSS supports vasodilation and suppresses inflammation, low or disturbed FSS can lead to endothelial dysfunction and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Yet, the adaptation of ECs to dynamically varying FSS remains poorly understood. This study focuses on the dynamic responses of ECs to brief periods of low FSS, examining its impact on endothelial traction-a measure of …

Investigating The Effects Of Alcohol Consumption On Manual And Automated Driving: A Systematic Review, Miaomiao Dong, Yuni Lee, Jackie Cha, Gaojian Huang

Mineta Transportation Institute

There are direct correlations between drunk driving and car-related injuries, disabilities, and death. Autonomous vehicles (AVs) may provide useful driver support systems to prevent or reduce road accidents. However, AVs are not yet fully automated and require human drivers to take over the vehicle at times. Therefore, understanding how alcohol affects driving performance in both manual and automated driving is important because manual drives may offer insights into the takeover process in AVs. A systematic review of 53 articles from eight databases was conducted. Findings were categorized based on the human information processing model, which can be extended to the …

Vaccine Immunogenicity Versus Gastrointestinal Microbiome Status: Implications For Poultry Production, Chrysta N. Beck, Jiangchao Zhao, Gisela F. Erf

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

At the turn of the 21st century, the importance of maintaining a balanced microbiome was brought to the forefront of the microbiology, immunology, and physiology research fields. Exploring the complex interactions between vaccine administration, mucosal microbiome, oral tolerance, and enteric inflammation in health and disease is challenging since environmental factors (such as diet and sanitation) have major influences on gut microbiota composition. High enteric pathogen load has been shown to contribute to dampened cell-mediated and humoral immune responses to vaccines in human case studies, either through elevated enteric inflammation or increased tolerance to environmental microbes. Although antibiotic and probiotic interventions …

02.26.2024 Orsp Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

No abstract provided.

02.12.2024 Orsp Connect, Liz Williamson

ORED Newsletter

I-RED Program, Training on Python and R available, Christy White spotlight, UM Researchers Find Turmeric, Thyme Oils Repel Fire Ants