Engineering Commons^™

“These Different Ideas, Traditions, And Values Make My Thinking Unique And Creative”: Bringing Native Hawaiian Ways Of Knowing To Engineering Education, Austin Morgan Kainoa Peters, Susan M. Lord

School of Engineering: Faculty Scholarship

Contribution: This article focuses on the study of Native Hawaiian student experiences in engineering education. Telling these stories illustrates the importance of legitimizing and appreciating different knowledge types in engineering as we move toward a more inclusive and sustainable field. Background: Native Hawaiian engineering students live oppressive realities due to the history of settler colonialism and occupation that attempted to erase their culture and ways of knowing, including in engineering education. This study shows how students overcome these realities to enact their ways of knowing in a field where it is not always respected. Informing the field of ways to …

Small Modular Reactors, Joshua P. Schlegel, P. K. Bhowmik

Nuclear Engineering and Radiation Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) have been a very promising development in nuclear power over the last two decades. SMRs are defined as nuclear reactors with a power output of less than 300MWe. This is in comparison to gigawatt-size reactors, which can have electrical output of 1000–1500MWe or more. This chapter will consist of two major sections. the first will be a detailed summary of the small modular reactor designs being proposed around the world. This section will focus on those that are the furthest along in their development but will also include some information about the wide variety of proposed …

Merit Study Of Battery Or Hydrogen Energy Storage For Large Scale, Combined Wind And Solar Electricity Generation, Ashley K. Moore

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

In the past several years, the energy sector has experienced a rapid increase in renewable energy installations due to declining capital costs for wind turbines, solar panels, and batteries. Wind and solar electricity generation are intermittent in nature which must be considered in an economic analysis if a fair comparison is to be made between electricity supplied from renewables and electricity purchased from the grid. Energy storage reduces curtailment of wind and solar and minimizes electricity purchases from the grid by storing excess electricity and deploying the energy at times when demand exceeds the renewable energy supply. The objective of …

Practical Imaging Applications Of Wettability Contact Angles On Kuwaiti Tight Carbonate Reservoir With Different Rock Types, Saleh Al-Sayegh, Ralph E. Flori, Waleed Al-Bazzaz, Sohaib Kholosy, Hasan Al-Saedi, Abdulaziz Abbas, Ali Qubian

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study focuses on a tight carbonate reservoir which is located in Northern Kuwait and is classified as an unconventional reservoir. A practical imaging technique of wettability contact angle (θ°) presents "big data" as well as relative-permeability (Krw and Kro) measurements. Also, modeling, through rock image technology, the vast well-documented grain/pore boundary morphology available inside fresh rock fragments have achieved good results. Conventional laboratory relative-permeability experiments are expensive and time-consuming. This study introduces a novel method to measure/calculate relative permeability through fast, less expensive, non-destructive, and environmentally friendly techniques of imaging technology. One tight carbonate reservoir is selected, imaged, processed, …

Tolle Lege Works Published In 2023, Mcquade Library

Bibliographies

Compiled Tolle Lege bibliography of works published by members of the Merrimack College Community in 2023. Works include journal articles, books, book chapters, conference presentations and posters, and more.

Towards Explainable Ai Using Attribution Methods And Image Segmentation, Garrett J. Rocks

Honors Undergraduate Theses

With artificial intelligence (AI) becoming ubiquitous in a broad range of application domains, the opacity of deep learning models remains an obstacle to adaptation within safety-critical systems. Explainable AI (XAI) aims to build trust in AI systems by revealing important inner mechanisms of what has been treated as a black box by human users. This thesis specifically aims to improve the transparency and trustworthiness of deep learning algorithms by combining attribution methods with image segmentation methods. This thesis has the potential to improve the trust and acceptance of AI systems, leading to more responsible and ethical AI applications. An exploratory …

Effects Of Exciting And Relaxing Music On Heart Rate Variability, Pratik S. Mahajan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Heart rate variability (HRV) and music have been demonstrated to have a relationship in previous literature. The primary objective of this study is to further investigate that relationship by observing HRV during periods of listening to relaxing and exciting music and comparing the results to a baseline as well as the other condition. The secondary objective of this study is to investigate the efficacy and potential usage of the Polar H10 chest strap monitor in measuring HRV parameters. The results of the Polar H10 will be compared to the iWorx TA-220 and iWorx-ECG12, the existing gold standard in HRV and …

Data-Driven Biomedicine Investigation Of Genetic And Infectious-Based Diseases Using Omics Data And Data Science Methodologies., Diing Agany

Dissertations and Theses

The binary model of existence consists of health and disease, with health being complete physical, mental, and social well-being and disease being a pathological process. Humanity has been plagued by genetic and infectious diseases since civilization's dawn. These diseases cause changes in this model at the system biology level. Omics technologies, data science methodologies, and big data are being used to study these changes at the molecular level, leveraging biological processes' interconnectedness. Also, advanced computational methodologies are essential for efficient analytics and actionable discovery. In this dissertation, genetic and infectious-based diseases are investigated using omics data and data science methods …

"I Haven’T Really Made Those Connections That Maybe Most Would Their First Year": A Qualitative Study Of The Covid-19 Pandemic And Student Social Capital Among 3 Cohorts Of First-Year Engineering Majors, Patricia Wonch Hill, Lance C. Pérez, Sohrab Asgarpoor, David Jones, Zachary George Short, Jennifer N. Rutt

UNL Office of Research and Innovation, Social/Behavioral Sciences Research Consortium

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the education of students of all ages and challenged teachers and academic support services to make major adaptations to continue to support student learning while also limiting the spread of the virus. Our team received an NSF grant in the Fall of 2018 to broaden participation in engineering by recruiting and retaining students who have been historically marginalized in engineering. We focused our research on first-year students who participated in pathway programs which provided peer and formal mentoring, success coaching, shared classes, and social activities, that would provide a sense of community and shared engineering identity …

Sustainable Energy-Efficient Living – A First-Year Project-Based Workshop For Energy Engineers, Melanie Kitzig, Martin Lang, Alexandra Dorschu

Practice Papers

For many engineering students a lack of study motivation plays a significant role in their drop-out process (Heublein 2014). Therefore, students’ motivation to study should be encouraged as early as possible. A proven strategy for increasing the study motivation is the integration of project-based learning (PjBL) in the course of studies (Kokotsaki et al. 2016).

This paper introduces a PjBL-workshop concept which was developed for first-year energy engineering students at a university of applied sciences in Germany. During this one-semester workshop, the students are working weekly as student trainees in a fictitious engineering office. Guided by the teacher as the …

How Does Involvement In Student Associations Contribute To The Development Of An Engineer's Skills? Example Of Magiepoly: Raising Awareness Of Gender Equality Through Games., Vinciane Lamy, Sarah El Addouli, Cathel Zitzmann

Practice Papers

Some engineering students get involved in student associations during their studies. They develop multiple skills such as: leadership and management, communication, project management, supervision and transmission of knowledge, service to others, etc. However, they are not always aware of it. Helphi, a student association of EPF Engineering School, was responsible for organising an afterwork event to be held on International Women's Rights Day. As student members were brainstorming, the idea of a board game, both informative and entertaining came up: MagiePoly was born. MagiePoly is a game, inspired by a wellknown board game, which aims to raise awareness of gender …

Blockchain-Enabled Authenticated Key Agreement Scheme For Mobile Vehicles-Assisted Precision Agricultural Iot Networks, Anusha Vangala, Ashok Kumar Das, Ankush Mitra, Sajal K. Das, Youngho Park

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

Precision Farming Has a Positive Potential in the Agricultural Industry Regarding Water Conservation, Increased Productivity, Better Development of Rural Areas, and Increased Income. Blockchain Technology is a Better Alternative for Storing and Sharing Farm Data as It is Reliable, Transparent, Immutable, and Decentralized. Remote Monitoring of an Agricultural Field Requires Security Systems to Ensure that Any Sensitive Information is Exchanged Only among Authenticated Entities in the Network. to This End, We Design an Efficient Blockchain-Enabled Authenticated Key Agreement Scheme for Mobile Vehicles-Assisted Precision Agricultural Internet of Things (IoT) Networks Called AgroMobiBlock. the Limited Existing Work on Authentication in Agricultural Networks …

Monitoring Blood Flow In Animal Models Using A Camera-Based Technique, Dharminder Singh Langri

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Blood flow dynamics plays a critical role in maintaining tissue health, as it delivers nutrients and oxygen while removing waste products. It is especially important when there is a disruption in cerebral autoregulation due to trauma, which can induce ischemia or hyperemia and can lead to secondary brain injury. Thus, there is a need for noninvasive techniques that can allow continuous monitoring of blood flow during intervention. Optical techniques have become increasingly practical for measuring blood flow due to their non-invasive, continuous, and relatively lower-cost nature. This research focused on developing a low-cost, scalable optical technique for measuring blood flow …

Direct Ink Write Processing Of Signal Crossovers Using Aerosol Jet Printing Method, Lucas A. Clark

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Electronics in different applications, such as in medical imaging devices, radar systems, communication transmitters, and optical drives, often require various power and signal lines to be integrated at board level. In such cases, different lines may cross over one another in three-dimensional space for efficient electronic integration. Crossovers are usually achieved by adding additional layers to a PCB. However, these additional layers increase the cost, weight, and complexity of the component. By creating a process and structure to offer board-level heterogenous integration, these factors may be reduced. RF-DC crossovers were designed and additively manufactured using an aerosol jet printer. Benzocyclobutene …

Achieving Strong Chemical Interface And Superior Energy-Saving Capability At The Crosslinks Of Rubber Composites Containing Graphene Oxide Using Thiol-Vinyl Click Chemistry, Rui Zhang, Jiaye Li, Zongchao Xu, Stephen Jerrams, Shui Hu, Li Lui, Shipeng Wen, Liqun Zhang

Articles

Rapidly developments in international transportation inevitably lead to an increase in the consumption of energy and resources. Minimizing the rolling resistance of tires in this scenario is a pressing challenge. To lower the rolling resistance of tires, enhancing the interaction between fillers and rubber molecules while improving the dispersion of fillers are required to reduce the internal mutual friction and viscous loss of rubber composites. In this study, graphene oxide (GO) was modified using γ-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMS) with thiol groups. A modified GO/natural rubber (MGO/NR) masterbatch with a fine dispersion of MGO was then introduced into solution-polymerized styrene butadiene rubber (SSBR) …

Radiation Therapy Of Glioblastoma: Experience Of A Moroccan Center, Hassani Wissal, El Ayachi Zineb, Farhane Fatim-Zahra, Alami Zenab, Bouhafa Touria

Health Sciences

Background: Glioblastomas are the most frequent and aggressive primary brain tumors. Their prognosis remains bleak, despite progress in management and understanding of the different biological mechanisms. Our objective is to highlight the impact of radiotherapy in improving the management of glioblastoma through the experience of the radiotherapy department at Hassan II University Hospital. Materials and Methods: This was a retrospective study analyzing the medical records of patients with glioblastoma over the period from August 2012 to January 2020. The data was analyzed using the epi-info software, therapeutic toxicities evaluated according to CTCAE V.4 scale, and overall survival estimated by the …

Key Factors Affecting Labor Productivity In Offsite Construction Projects, Rayan H. Assaad, Islam H. El-Adaway, Makarand Hastak, Kim Lascola Needy

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Offsite construction has been shown to possess many advantages and benefits in dealing with the construction industry's challenges, which include poor labor productivity. Nevertheless, all previous productivity-related research studies have focused mainly on factors impacting labor productivity in traditional stick-built construction methods. This paper filled this knowledge gap by following a multistep interrelated research methodology. First, a research team of 19 construction professionals and academics developed and distributed an industry survey to (1) quantify the likelihood of occurrence and relative impact of risk factors that adversely impact labor productivity in offsite construction projects; (2) identify and prioritize key risk factors …

To Publish Or Not To Publish Phd Parts Before Its Completion Is Also An Ethical Question, Christos Melidis

Health Sciences

No Abstract for this article type.

Helminth Parasites Of Northern Cottonmouth, Agkistrodon Piscivorus (Ophidia: Viperidae), From Arkansas, C.T. Mcallister, C.R. Bursey, H.W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Northern cottonmouth, Agkistrodon piscivorus is a large, semiaquatic viperid snake found statewide in Arkansas. Although a great deal has been published on helminth parasites of A. piscivorus from other parts of its range, little (outside of its cestodes) is known about those other helminths occurring in cottonmouths of the state. In our survey, we examined seven adult A. piscivorus from Polk County and a single specimen from Calhoun County. Several helminth parasites were found, including three trematodes, Styphlodora magna, Renifer ellipticus, and Paralechriorchis syntomentera, two nematodes, an unknown larval ascarid and Physaloptera abjecta, an oligacanthorhynchid acanthocephalan cystacanth, and a …

Actividad 4: Reduzca La Velocidad, Se Aproximan Curvas, Patrick Young

Tema 2: Por la ciudad

Diseñar una carretera conlleva tomar muchas decisiones. En un mundo ideal, todas las carreteras tendrían una superficie plana y recta. Lamentablemente, no es así porque las carreteras tienen muchos desvíos, intersecciones, numerosos automóviles transitando y semáforos. Los ingenieros eligen la velocidad máxima de la carretera en función de las características de equilibrio del terreno, el tráfico, los obstáculos existentes y, lo que es más importante, la seguridad.

El objetivo principal de una carretera es asegurarse de que los vehículos puedan maniobrar a una velocidad determinada de forma segura. Por ejemplo, no verá un límite de velocidad de 60 millas por …

Actividad 2: Solo De Paso, Patrick Young

Tema 5: ¿Por qué la gallina cruzó la calle?

Los pasos para animales para la fauna silvestre son cada vez más frecuentes. Su objetivo es proporcionar un camino seguro para que los animales crucen las barreras hechas por el hombre, en este caso las carreteras. Las escaleras para peces, patentadas en 1837, son un ejemplo temprano de este tipo de intervención. Además, los pasos proporcionan a los animales el acceso a los recursos del otro lado de la barrera. Los pasos ayudan a conectar los hábitats para evitar la fragmentación de los mismos, lo que puede restringir el acervo genético y dar lugar a poblaciones más bajas y en …

Activity 5: Slow Down, Curves Ahead, David Hernandez, Peg Steffen

Theme 2: Around Town

Highway curves are banked so the outside edge of the roadway is elevated above the inside edge. This provides additional centripetal force to keep the car on the road and following the proper path. The faster a car is moving, the more banking it will need.

Activity 3: Warning!, Elizabeth Martinez

Theme 5: Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

More factors than previously mentioned must be considered in the design of an animal crossing structure, such as temperature, precipitation, vehicle traffic, noise, and vehicle exhaust. Consideration of these environmental factors and events will require modifications to the original design. This is a common practice in engineering. The original design might go through several revisions as modeling, testing, and experience reveal the need for modifications.

Winona State University News Blog: 2015-February 2023, Winona State University

Winona State University Blogs

This PDF document includes Winona State University (WSU) News Blog articles and entries for the university from 2015-May 2023.

Efficient And Accurate Coded Target Decoding For 3d Reconstruction Of Soil Specimens In Triaxial Test, Xiaolong Xia, Xiong Zhang

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Coded Targets Have Been Widely Used for Solving the Corresponding Problem in Photogrammetry for High-Accuracy Three-Dimensional Measurements. Accurate and Efficient Recognition and Identification of Coded Targets Are of Great Importance in Coded Target-Based Photogrammetry. in This Paper, an Efficient and Accurate Method for Coded Target Decoding Was Developed. in This Method, Blob Analysis Was Performed to Recognize the Coded Targets. Then, Image Processing, the RANSAC Algorithm, and the Interpolation Technique Were Applied Respectively to Decode the Coded Targets, Identify Falsely Identified Coded Targets, and Recover Missing Coded Targets. Interpolation Was Also Performed on the Membrane, Which Can Significantly Increase the …

A Multi-Year Study Of Engineering Self-Efficacy In The Us: Exploring Gender Differences In A Small Engineering Program. International Journal Of Gender, Lillian C. Jeznach, Maija A. Benitz, Selby M. Conrad

Engineering, Computing & Construction Management Faculty Publications

This study presents the baseline results of an ongoing study at a small liberal arts university in the US and explores the gender differences in engineering selfefficacy, preparedness, and engagement in undergraduate engineering students. Data from the first timepoint of the survey was used to identify factors such as high school grade point average (GPA), math preparedness, high school mentoring, and college extracurricular involvement, and their correlations with engineering selfefficacy, as measured by the Longitudinal Assessment of Engineering Self-Efficacy (LAESE) scale. Investigation of LAESE subscales revealed that students (regardless of gender) who entered college having previously studied calculus reported greater …

Investigating The Application And Sustained Effects Of Stochastic Resonance On Haptic Feedback Sensitivity In A Laparoscopic Task, Kara Liane Wilcox

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Stochastic resonance (SR) is a phenomenon that can enhance the detection or transmission of weak signals by adding random noise to a non-linear system. SR introduced into the human motor control system as a subthreshold mechanical vibration has shown promise to improve sensitivity to haptic feedback. SR can be valuable in a laparoscopic surgery application, where haptic feedback is critical. This research sought to find if applying SR to the human motor control system improves performance in a laparoscopic probing task, if the performance differs based on the location of stochastic resonance application, and if there are sustained effects from …

Scheduling Electric Vehicle Charging For Grid Load Balancing, Zhixin Han, Katarina Grolinger, Miriam Capretz, Syed Mir

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

In recent years, electric vehicles (EVs) have been widely adopted because of their environmental benefits. However, the increasing volume of EVs poses capacity issues for grid operators as simultaneously charging many EVs may result in grid instabilities. Scheduling EV charging for grid load balancing has a potential to prevent load peaks caused by simultaneous EV charging and contribute to balance of supply and demand. This paper proposes a user-preference-based scheduling approach to minimize costs for the user while balancing grid loads. The EV owners benefit by charging when the electricity cost is lower, but still within the user-defined preferred charging …

Handheld Concentric Tube Robot For Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy, Filipe Pedrosa, Ruisi Zhang, Navid Feizi, Dianne Sacco, Rajni V. Patel, Jagadeesan Jayender

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

The field of continuum robotics continues to advance rapidly, giving these manipulators potential to change the paradigm of minimally invasive medical surgery (MIS) in a near future. As MIS techniques are refined to improve recovery and cosmesis and reduce invasiveness and co-morbidity, continuum robot requirements in MIS applications have become ever stricter. One such application is Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy (PCNL), a first-choice minimally invasive urological procedure for the extraction of large renal calculi (kidney stones) > 2 cm. The standard of care in PCNL entails the percutaneous insertion of a nephroscope via a small incision in the lumbar or lateral abdominal wall …

Design And Calibration Of A Robot-Driven Catheter Actuation System, Navid Feizi, Filipe C. Pedrosa, Elaheh Arefinia, Jagadeesan Jayender, Rajni V. Patel

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

Flexible steerable tendon-driven systems are crucial in medical interventions, due to their ease of access to narrow spaces and safe operation [1]. Two examples of these systems are ablation and intra-cardiac echocardiog- raphy (ICE) catheters, used for non-invasive ultrasound imaging and ablation in cardiac procedures inside the heart. However, precise positioning of these devices to obtain optimal anatomical views is challenging for the cardiologist and requires specialized training [2]. Custom-made tendon-driven robots have been developed and modeled using Cosserat rod theory [3], [4]. How- ever, most of these efforts have been directed towards creating new flexible robots with known parameters …