Engineering Commons^™

Modeling The Impact And Accelerating The Process Of Transitioning To A Sustainable Healthy Diet Through Decision Support Systems, Prince Agyemang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food production and consumption are essential in human existence, yet they are implicated in the high occurrences of preventable chronic diseases and environmental degradation. Although healthy food may not necessarily be sustainable and vice versa, there is an opportunity to make our food both healthy and sustainable. Attempts have been made to conceptualize how sustainable healthy food may be produced and consumed; however, available data suggest a rise in the prevalence of health-related and negative environmental consequences of our food supply. Thus, the transition from conceptual frameworks to implementing these concepts has not always been effective. This paper explores the …

Thin Film Evaporation Through Engineered Copper Micropillar Arrays, Alejandro Amador

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This work explored and characterized the evaporator section of a fully engineered heat pipe, a proposed semi-passive cooling solution for the thermal management at high heat fluxes, with the use of thin film evaporation. High heat loads present a problem in electronics, circuitry, space, and defense applications which are the main target areas for this cooling solution. Conventionally manufactured flat samples made of copper micropillar arrays were tested to determine their heat removal capabilities for high heat flux applications. The samples were manufactured with 400 μm micropillar hydraulic diameter, various micropillar spacings ranging from 500-1100 μm, with 500 μm and …

Fetal Electrocardiogram Detection And Analysis From Maternal Abdominal Ecg For Diagnosis Of Fetal Heart Rhythm Abnormalities, Claudia L. Angel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Fetal cardiac arrhythmias are present in about 1–3% of pregnancies and account for about 10–20% of the referrals to fetal cardiology around the world. Most fetal arrhythmias are benign; however, some can cause fetal hydrops, preterm delivery, and higher perinatal morbidity and mortality. The evolution and treatment of fetal arrhythmia depend on a timely and complete diagnosis. However, conventional methods used in clinical practice for fetal arrhythmia diagnosis are limited since they do not reflect the primary electrophysiological conduction processes in the myocardium. Fetal electrocardiography (fECG) has the potential to better support fetal arrhythmia diagnosis through the continuous analysis of …

Oxygen Compatibility For Aerospace Materials, Jazmin Abril Arellano

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The use of oxygen for aerospace applications is bonded to the history of American rocketry. The first liquid powered rocket engine used gaseous oxygen to pressurize both gasoline as fuel and liquid oxygen as oxidizer. Research and development about oxygen compatibility with aerospace materials has been continuously performed. However, no universal test has been developed to determine the oxygen compatibility of all materials yet. A review about oxygen properties, ignition mechanisms and their unique characteristic elements in addition to metals and nonmetals commonly used in oxygen systems and materials prohibited in oxygen applications can be found in this document. The …

Land Use/ Land Cover Change Patterns And Trends In Two Dryland Regions, Omar Sulaiman Belhaj

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Development and climate change affect the environment in numerous ways and to varyingdegrees. This effect appears prominent and more influential in arid regions. Therefore, land use/ land cover in these regions experience profound changes such as plant cover decrease and extinction of some plant species. Also, land use/ land cover in these regions has critical impacts on the environment and its components, such as shrublands shrinking and losing the habitat of animal species. The degree of changes and effects reaches severe levels that become urgent to figure out the impacts and find solutions to stop or mitigate the negative consequences. …

A High Performance Software Intensive Testbed For Rapid Prototyping And Controlled Testing Of Lte And Wi-Fi Radio Frequency Signals, Mirza Mohammad Maqbule Elahi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Long Term Evolution or LTE has gained interest for new applications that can benefit society including mobile broadband services like 802.11 or Wi-Fi. Both LTE and Wi-Fi uses similar modulation technique Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing or OFDM. 6GHz sub carrier bands are crowded with LTE users. As wireless communications technology continues to develop, LTE technology in unlicensed bands (LTE-U) is a viable solution to the lack of spectrum resources. The competition between LTE-U and Wi-Fi will seriously impair their communication quality, so the friendly coexistence of both become an important research topic. This paper discusses the use of a software-defined …

Characterization Of 3d Stereolithography (Sla) Printed Polymer For Autonomous-Flow Microfluidic Devices, Michelle Gamboa

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

3D Stereolithography (SLA) printing is a high-throughput, precise and reproducible manufacturing platform which makes it a desirable technique to develop microfluidic devices for bioanalytical applications. However, limited information exists regarding the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the polymer resins used in 3D SLA printing. This project demonstrates the characterization of a commercially available 3D SLA printed resin polymer used to develop an autonomous-flow (self-driven) microfluidic device. In this investigation, time-dependent materials characterization was done on the Formlabs clear V4 resin to observe changes in mechanical and surface properties. The clear, printed polymer was analyzed with attenuated total reflectance (ATR), …

Algorithms For Exploration Of Advanced Electromagnetic Concepts, Asad Ullah Hil Gulib

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

3D printing is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry and is now being considered in the electronics industry. The creation of the worldâ??s first 3D volumetric circuit has made a way to make circuits smaller, lighter, into unconventional form factors and exploit physics like anisotropy more effectively than planar geometries can. While this is exciting, many problems must be solved to make 3D volumetric circuits more efficient. One of these problems is electromagnetic interference and mutual coupling between the circuit components that are expected to increase in high-frequency 3D circuits. Spatially variant anisotropic metamaterials (SVAMs) could be a solution to overcome this …

Characterization Of A Flex-Fuel Oxy-Combustion System Through Experimental Investigation And Computational Modeling, Md Mohieminul I. Khan

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Oxy-fuel combustion has the potential to offer high thermal efficiency and lower pollutants emission compared to other existing combustion technologies. More than 63% of the worldâ??s electricity is produced by fossil fuel combustion which also is the major reason for greenhouse gas emissions. Oxy combustion offers a solution to it. Oxy combustion uses pure oxygen as an oxidizer instead of air which eliminates the NOx and SOx products from the exhaust. In oxy-combustion flue gas mainly consists of CO2 and water vapor. Furthermore, combustion in presence of pure oxygen results in higher flame temperature and hence promises higher thermal efficiency. …

Optimization Of Lattice Structure Using Machine Learning Approach, Tanzila Bint Minhaj

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The goal line of designing any structure is to get maximum performance at minimum cost. Therefore, optimization is the only method to achieve that objective. Engineers have been practicing different formats of optimization. Topological optimization is one of the well-known long-practiced methods. But it is always desired to find the most helpful design method that considers every relevant parameter associated with the structure. In the continuation of this search to enhance the efficacy of design through optimization, a new approach was explored in the following work. The motivation was to enable a model to be capable of finding out the …

Diverse Effects Of Ev Charging Infrastructure On Electric Power Distribution Systems, Travis Michael Moore Newbolt

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The advanced technology of today has allowed for an avenue into cleaner forms of energy that will not only protect our environment but also continue to advance our society. Among the many forms of clean energy, electric vehicles (EV) have the potential to mitigate our consumption of fossil fuels in vehicle transportation industries. In the U.S. for 2021, EVs account for approximately 700,000 registrations. That number is projected to increase to 2 million by 2030. Although EVs do reduce the number of emissions when compared to an internal combustion engine, they do however shift the responsibility to utility companies to …

Characterization Of 3d Printed Parts Containing Integrated Functionality Via Ultrasonically Embedded Wires, David Abraham Sepulveda

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Material extrusion additive manufacturing has been widely adopted because it offers freedom of design, which allows complex geometry fabrication, and rapid prototyping. Interest in producing components with integrated functionality allowed forms of hybrid manufacturing to be developed such as the Multi3D system. This system produces parts with embedded components by combining additive, subtractive, soldering, dispensing, and embedding techniques. However, this involves pausing the printing process (which takes place in a controlled environment) and exposing it to ambient temperature where embedding takes places. In this research, the effect of embedding parts with 24 AWG copper for improved functionality was quantified mechanically. …

Reflectance Spectral Characterization And Taxonomy Applications Of Spacecraft Materials To Aid Space Situational Awareness, Jacqueline Andrea Reyes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The increasing number of space missions involving successfully deployed spacecraft have resulted in an augmented density of artificial objects positioned in orbital domains near Earth. With this steady accumulation of objects in space, it has become increasingly imperative to characterize spacecraft materials, which may ultimately be contributors to the orbital debris population. In an effort to identify unique material-specific spectroscopic markers, a variety of spacecraft materials frequently utilized in the aerospace industry to construct typical spacecraft were analyzed using reflectance spectroscopy as a characterization technique for assessment on material type according to optical features. This is significant in providing information …

Trade Study Analysis Of The Janus Moon Lander Vehicle, Omar Vazquez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Liquid Oxygen (LOX) and Liquid Methane (LCH4) has become a propellant combination of interest in the recent years, especially for leading aerospace companies with the sight set on mars such as SpaceX and Blue Origin in their heavy thrust engines (the Raptor and BE-4 respectively) since methane can be more stable than hydrogen, can be stored at more manageable temperatures and can be produced locally, at mars, using in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) [1].The Center for Space Exploration and Technology Research (cSETR) has developed a 500 lbf throttleable (4:1) thrust chamber (CROME) using the aforementioned propellant combination with the intention of …

A Comparable Analysis Of Civilian And Military Airfield Runway Design Procedures, Jacob Wessel

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the United States there are two primary agencies that regulate, approve, and aid in airfield runway designs. These two agencies are the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of Defense (DOD), and they both have different design procedure for design and construction of their prospective airfield runways. It is important to have a closer look at the design procedures, the reliance of software and how these compare to each other. The primary objective of this research was to conduct a sensitivity analysis of the FAA and the DOD airfield design programs used to aid in the design of …

Multi-Material/Fiber/Particulate Selective Laser Sintering System Capable Of Local Composition Control And Material Gradients, Jonathan James Slager

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Multi-material (M2) manufacturing with functional gradients and local composition control (LCC) is an emerging technology with high demand in numerous industries. This research investigated multi-material technology that has potential impact to joint implants, synthetic joints, and damage resistant parts. Novel manufacturing subsystems within established selective laser sintering (SLS) additive manufacturing processes were pioneered to enable printing M2 parts with LCC and functionally graded materials. Powder bed fusion (PBF) material blends consisting of low temperature thermoplastics, low temperature thermoplastic elastomers (TPE), carbon fibers (CF), and hydroxyapatite (HA) particulates were explored to match the designed and tested M2 SLS prototype. M2 sintering, …

Biological Interaction Of Mn-Based Nanomaterials With Capsicum Annuum L. Under Salinity Stress, Yuqing Ye

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The foliar application of nanomaterials as a method to overcome abiotic stress is relatively new compared to their use as fertilizers or pesticides in agricultural practice. It is also vital to understand the interface between leaf and nanomaterials, as nanomaterials might translocate into crop edible tissues, thus, causing potential toxicity in living beings during food consumption. In this dissertation, salt-stressed Capsicum annuum L was exposed to manganese (Mn) -based nanomaterials (Mn2O3 nanoparticles (MnNPs) and graphene quantum dots doped with Mn (GQD-Mn)) at different stages (seed germination and full life cycle). The dissertation focuses on investigating the mechanism of how Mn-based …

In-Situ Chlorine Gas Generation For Chlorination And Purification Of Rare Earth And Actinide Metals, Mark H. Schvaneveldt

Theses and Dissertations

Rare earth and actinide metals, critical to security, medicine, and the economy, have been processed through methods such as solvent extraction and electrorefining. To minimize radiological waste and improve yield, a 'chloride volatility' process--also known as the chlorination and volatilization process (CVP)--has been proposed and demonstrated for processing rare earths. The process takes advantage of the low vapor pressure of rare earth chlorides (<700 >°C), CaCl2 was added to LaCl3 to lower the melting temperature. LaCl3 electrochemical behavior has not previously been studied in CaCl2. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) were applied to LaCl3 salts in CaCl2-LiCl …

Telotristat Ethyl Reverses Myxomatous Changes In Mice Mitral Valves, Xinmei Wang, Danielle Kuban-Johnston, Pablo Lapuerta, Carla M.R. Lacerda

Jasper Department of Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Rationale: Myxomatous mitral valve degeneration is a common pathological manifestation of mitral valve regurgitation, with or without valvular prolapse. In addition to similarities between naturally occurring and serotonergic valve degeneration, an increasing body of evidence has recently suggested that serotonin signaling is a regulator of degenerative valvulopathies. Studies have found that serotonin can be synthesized locally by valvular cells and serotonin receptors in turn may be activated to promote signaling. Recently, telotristat ethyl (TE) has been introduced as a treatment for carcinoid disease, by selectively inhibiting tryptophan hydroxylase 1, the rate-limiting enzyme in peripheral serotonin synthesis. TE provides a unique …

Shape Memory Alloys Via Halide-Activated Pack Equilibration, Andrew S. King, Ryan D. Dempsey, David W. Lipke

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Fabrication of shape memory alloy (SMA) components based on NiTi is challenging due to the precision with which elemental composition and microstructure must be controlled during processing to achieve desired shape memory behavior. Herein, a method to control chemistry in an NiTi SMA via halide-activated pack equilibration (SHAPE) against a constant chemical potential reservoir is described. To demonstrate the efficacy of the SHAPE process, an initially titanium-deficient specimen (pure nickel foam) has been equilibrated against an excess of an intimately mixed two-phase pack (NiTi + Ti2Ni) in the presence of a vapor phase transport agent (iodine). The two-phase pack regulates …

Typical Demolition Waste Of Tenant Improvement Projects: A Case Study, Gregory K. Jameson

Construction Management

Sustainable approaches to the waste generated in construction demolition have been on the rise over the past two decades. In this case study research project, the demolition waste of commercial tenant improvement projects from two separate companies across multiple projects was documented and analyzed. This case study was inspired by a motivation to gain a better understanding of what waste is typical in tenant improvement remodels, what is being done to repurpose this waste and what obstacles currently stand in the way of better waste management practices. After conducting extensive research and analysis of current waste trends in the construction …

Quantification Of Wave Attentuation Of A Marsh Sill Living Shoreline And Application Of Numerical Modeling For Design Optimization And Adaptation, Maura K. Boswell

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Living shorelines integrate structural and natural features to stabilize the shoreline, through reduction of erosion from the wave climate, while keeping the connectivity between land and aquatic ecosystems. With increasing sea levels, living shorelines have the potential to adapt to changing conditions when compared to armored shorelines due to maintaining a level of interconnectivity between land and water. However, to reduce the ecological tradeoffs associated with any type of shoreline erosion protection project that alters the natural state, the design should seek to minimize structural components to those necessary to provide the protection needed for upland habitat to survive erosive …

The Effect Of Soft Tissue And Bone Morphology On The Stresses In The Foot And Ankle, Jinhyuk Kim

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The foot and ankle interface with the ground, thus they absorb reaction forces and initiate load distribution through the body. The plantar fascia (PF) is a flexible structure that absorbs reaction forces and distributes loading across the foot. It is frequently a source of foot pain especially when people have plantar fasciitis and/or diabetes mellitus. Finite element (FE) models of the foot and ankle were created to examine the function however, the plantar fascia is frequently modeled as a 1D tension only spring, which does not represent variations caused by injury and/or disease.

As models move toward being patient specific, …

Intergrader Agreement Of Foveal Cone Topography Measured Using Adaptive Optics Scanning Light Ophthalmoscopy, Niamh Wynne, Jenna A. Cava, Mina Gaffney, Heather Heitkotter, Abigail Scheidt, Jenny L. Reiniger, Jenna Grieshop, Kai Yang, Wolf M. Harmening, Robert F. Cooper, Joseph Carroll

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The foveal cone mosaic can be directly visualized using adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO). Previous studies in individuals with normal vision report wide variability in the topography of the foveal cone mosaic, especially the value of peak cone density (PCD). While these studies often involve a human grader, there have been no studies examining intergrader reproducibility of foveal cone mosaic metrics. Here we re-analyzed published AOSLO foveal cone images from 44 individuals to assess the relationship between the cone density centroid (CDC) location and the location of PCD. Across 5 graders with variable experience, we found a measurement error …

Study And Comparison Of The Performance Of Steel Frames With Brb And Sma Bracing, Mohsen Jalalvandi, Ahmad Soraghi, Seyed Mohammadreza Farooghi Mehr, Abbas Haghollahi, Ali Abasi

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Designing steel structures with Concentric Braced Frame (CBF) lateral systems has been common in recent decades. This type of bracing has a quite unstable and complicated behavior in relatively intense earthquakes. This study tries to improve the seismic behavior of steel frames with CBF braces equipped with Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) and Buckling Restrained Braces (BRBs). In this manner, a multi-story building with inverted V chevron bracing was considered. Nonlinear time-history analyses have been performed using OpenSEES software. The dynamic responses of frames with SMA and BRB braces were compared. The results showed that the SMA and BRB braces provide …

Additive Manufacturing Of Aluminum Alloy By Metal Fused Filament Fabrication (Mf3)., Luke J. Malone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research studies metal-fused filament fabrication (MF3) for manufacturing aluminum alloy parts. An aluminum alloy powder-based feedstock with a polymer-binder system was extruded via capillary rheometry to form a filament. The filament was used to print green parts that were involved in a two-step debinding process combining solvent and thermal extraction of the polymer binder, then sintered in a partial vacuum. Resulting grain structure, sintered density, and mechanical properties will be characterized and compared to metal injection molded (MIM) specimens. The main objective is to gain an understanding of the MF3 process characteristics and the ensuing material properties and microstructure …

An Unmanned Surface Vehicle: Autonomous Sensor Integration System For Bathymetric Surveys, Fernando Sotelo Torres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) have been applied to earth sciences, with only a few studies conducted in water environments, as these systems provide autonomous measurement capabilities and transferability to other environmental settings. In this thesis, a reliable, yet economical, USV has been developed for bathymetric surveying of lakes. The system combines an autonomous navigation framework, environmental sensors and a multibeam echosounder to collect submerged topography, temperature, windspeed and monitor the vehicle status during prescribed path planning missions.

The main objective of this study is to provide a methodological framework to build a USV, with independent decision-making, efficient control, and long-range …

Efficient Approaches To Steady State Detection In Multivariate Systems, Honglun Xu

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Steady state detection is critically important in many engineering fields such as fault detection and diagnosis, process monitoring and control. However, most of the existing methods are designed for univariate signals. In this dissertation, we proposed an efficient online steady state detection method for multivariate systems through a sequential Bayesian partitioning approach. The signal is modeled by a Bayesian piecewise constant mean and covariance model, and a recursive updating method is developed to calculate the posterior distributions analytically. The duration of the current segment is utilized to test the steady state. Insightful guidance is provided for hyperparameter selection. The effectiveness …

Variations In Copper Form Exposure Differentially Modulate Zea Mays (Corn) Physiological Responses, Carolina Valdes Bracamontes

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the present study, Zea mays seedlings grown under nano Cu(OH)2 (nCu), bulk Cu(OH)2 (bCu), and ionic CuSO4 (iCu) compound exposure were harvested after six days. The nutritional profile was determined to be significantly disrupted in the roots by 1000 ppm bCu treatment, resulting in a 58.7% reduction in potassium compared to the control. In the shoots, a significant decrease of manganese was observed for 10 and 1000 ppm iCu treatments with 55.7% and 64.2% reductions, respectively. The overall protein content and catalase (CAT) enzymatic activity, however, remained unaffected in either roots or shoots, while an absence of polyphenol oxidase …

Development Of A Custom, 3d-Printed, Multi-Microphone, Noise-Cancelling, Hearing Protection Device With A Magnetically Attached Printed Ear Canal For Sound Localization Preservation, Brenda Leticia Valadez Mesta

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Hearing loss is a prominent health issue that affects a significant fraction of the global population. One of the main causes behind hearing loss is exposure to harmful noise levels in the workplace. There have been multiple efforts to prevent hearing loss from excessive noise in occupational settings, such as hearing conservation programs and use of hearing protection devices (HPDs), however, these are often ineffective. Although HPDs are frequently available in the workspace, they are not used as intended since they usually generate discomfort and hindered sound localization. The loss of sound localization can be hazardous in occupational settings, since …