Engineering Commons^™

Nonlinear Meissner Effect In Nb3Sn Coplanar Resonators, Junki Makita, C. Sundahl, Gianluigi Ciovati, C. B. Eom, Alex Gurevich

Physics Faculty Publications

We investigated the nonlinear Meissner effect (NLME) in Nb₃Sn thin-film coplanar resonators by measuring the resonance frequency as a function of a parallel magnetic field at different temperatures. We used low rf power probing in films thinner than the London penetration depth λ(B) to significantly increase the field onset of vortex penetration and measure the NLME under equilibrium conditions. Contrary to the conventional quadratic increase of λ(B) with B expected in s-wave superconductors, we observed a nearly linear increase of the penetration depth with B. We concluded that this behavior of λ(B) is due to weak linked grain …

Developing Artificial Intelligence Tools To Investigate The Phenotypes And Correlates Of Chronic Kidney Disease Patients In West Virginia, Marzieh Amiri Shahbazi

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

ABSTRACT

Developing Artificial Intelligence tools to investigate the phenotypes and correlates of Chronic Kidney Disease patients in West Virginia

Marzieh Amiri Shahbazi

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is responsible for disrupting the lives of 37 million people just in the USA, which is about 1 in 7 adults. CKD results in a gradual loss of kidney function over time. Sometimes CKD doesn’t produce any significant symptoms until it reaches an advanced stage. On the other hand, acute kidney injury (AKI) accounts for a sudden decline in the kidney’s function. As a result, the kidneys fail to filter waste materials from the …

Face Representation Learning And Its Applications: From Image Editing To 3d Avatar Animation, Xudong Liu

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Face representation learning is one of the most popular research topics in the computer vision community, as it is the foundation of face recognition and face image generation. Numerous representation learning frameworks have been integrated into applications in daily life, such as face recognition, image editing, and face tracking. Researchers have developed advanced algorithms for face recognition with successful commercial productions, for example, FaceID on the smartphone. The performance record on face recognition is constantly updated and becoming saturated with the help of large-scale datasets and advanced computational resources. Thanks to the robust representation in face recognition, in this dissertation, …

Multi-Task Neuromuscular Generalization And Changes Through The Lifespan, Hannah Delaney Carey

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Mobility in everyday life requires executing and shifting between a broad assortment of functional tasks and resisting disturbances that could cause falls. Though the importance of successfully performing a variety of functional tasks is recognized and incorporated in clinical assessments (e.g., the Timed-Up-and-Go Test, Berg Balance Scale), little is understood about the underlying neuromuscular control required, or how it changes with age. The neuromuscular control for functional tasks such as walking is typically studied in isolation, or with variations on the same task. Characterizing the coordination required to produce and shift between a wider variety of tasks and resist external …

Bottleneck Management Through Strategic Sequencing In Smart Manufacturing Systems, Sayantee Roy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nowadays, industries put a significant emphasis on finding the optimum order for carrying out jobs in sequence. This is a crucial element in determining net productivity. Depending on the demand criterion, all production systems, including flexible manufacturing systems, follow a predefined sequence of job-based machine operations. The complexity of the problem increases with increasing machines and jobs to sequence, demanding the use of an appropriate sequencing technique. The major contribution of this work is to modify an existing algorithm with a very unusual machine setup and find the optimal sequence which will really minimize the makespan. This custom machine setup …

System Development Of An Unmanned Ground Vehicle And Implementation Of An Autonomous Navigation Module In A Mine Environment, Jonas Amoama Bredu Jnr

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

There are numerous benefits to the insights gained from the exploration and exploitation of underground mines. There are also great risks and challenges involved, such as accidents that have claimed many lives. To avoid these accidents, inspections of the large mines were carried out by the miners, which is not always economically feasible and puts the safety of the inspectors at risk. Despite the progress in the development of robotic systems, autonomous navigation, localization and mapping algorithms, these environments remain particularly demanding for these systems. The successful implementation of the autonomous unmanned system will allow mine workers to autonomously determine …

Noise Exposure Trends Among Violating Coal Mines, 2000 To 2021, Hanna Grace Davis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Noise-induced hearing loss has continued to be a significant issue within the mining industry, even after the passing of the MSHA’s improved noise standard in 2000. NIOSH has recognized that the noise standard enacted by both MSHA and OSHA does not properly protect workers with the 5 dBA exchange rate (i.e., the increase in noise level leading to a doubling of energy) and the lack of emphasizing the use of engineering controls over administrative controls and overreliance on hearing protection device usage. The primary objective of this study is to investigate statistical sound relationships between MSHA noise-related violations and samples …

Experimental And Theoretical Investigation On The Initiation Mechanism Of Low-Rank Coal's Self-Heating Process, Yinan Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Coal spontaneous combustion remains a safety concern during coal mining, transportation, and storage and requires further investigation to develop effective prevention and control strategies. While various intrinsic and extrinsic conditions may influence coal self-heating, low-rank coals are more prone to spontaneous combustion, especially in humid climates. Therefore, quantifying the effect of extrinsic moisture on the self-heating of low-rank coals is critical for understanding the high propensity of low-rank coals for spontaneous combustion. Many studies have qualitatively evaluated the role of extrinsic moisture on the coal self-heating. Despite this, few studies have quantified the contribution of extrinsic moisture on wetting and …

Modeling Of Inverter-Based Microgrid For Small-Signal And Large-Signal Stability Analysis, Vishal Verma

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Integration of inverter-based resources (IBRs) such as solar photovoltaic, wind, and battery storage, is both a boon and a bane for electric power systems. On one hand, IBRs have helped in making electrical energy a clean (carbon-free) source of energy. On other hand, the dynamics of IBRs have changed the way power system studies have been carried out. With the advantages IBRs offer over conventional resources, it is assumed that a small distribution power system (microgrid) will have a 100% IBRs penetration in the future. Such a microgrid can operate in grid-connected mode or in an islanded mode. Both modes …

Modeling Nonlinear Dynamic Systems Using Bss-Anova Gaussian Process, Kyle Matthew Hayes

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Nonlinear dynamic systems are some of the most common variety of systems encountered in the sciences, but are the potentially more onerous to model through system identification than static systems due to their added complexity, sensitivity to initial conditions, and the potential application of new dynamic and nonlinear behavior through any time dependent forcing functions. The BSS-ANOVA Gaussian Process is a Machine Learning method for dynamic system ID that possesses several attributes that make it a natural candidate for this variety of problem. BSS-ANOVA is fully Bayesian, works best for continuous tabular datasets, and fast training and inference times and …

Incentive Analysis Of Blockchain Technology, Rahul Reddy Annareddy

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Blockchain technology was invented in the Bitcoin whitepaper released in 2008. Since then, several decentralized cryptocurrencies and applications have become mainstream. There has been an immense amount of engineering effort put into developing blockchain networks. Relatively few projects backed by blockchain technology have succeeded and maintained a large community of developers, users, and customers, while many popular projects with billions of dollars in funding and market capitalizations have turned out to be complete scams.

This thesis discusses the technological innovations introduced in the Bitcoin whitepaper and the following work of the last fifteen years that has enabled blockchain technology. A …

Comparison Of Maintenance Cost Of Medium And Heavy-Duty Alternative Fuel And Diesel Vehicles, Isaac C. Boyce

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Abstract

Comparison of Maintenance Cost of Medium and Heavy-Duty Alternative Fuel and Diesel Vehicles

Isaac Boyce

This study was conducted to provide an in-depth analysis of the differences in maintenance cost with the use of alternative fuel and diesel in medium (MD) and heavy-duty (HD) vehicles. With the push toward lower emissions from transportation vehicles for a cleaner future, the United States of America (US) has incentivized the conversion from the use of conventional fossil fuel, diesel, to lower carbon alternatives. With the increased potential for the use of alternative fuels, an investigation is warranted to understand the differences. This …

Decentralized Cooperative Localization For Multi-Robot Systems In Challenging Environments, Eduardo Gutierrez

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Multi-robot systems provide more adaptability and robustness than conventional single-robot systems. This is because they have the ability to achieve partial completion of a task in the presence of failures due to the intrinsic inclusion of non-single-point failure. In multi-robot systems, cooperative localization refers to the use of relative measurements to improve the group’s overall localization performance. While centralized architectures in the system may result in unfeasible cases due to the high cost of computation and communication, decentralized methods distribute the computation among the robots in the group, enhancing the performance and making the system more efficient. Achieving a reliable …

Static Liquefaction In Tailing Dams, Jose Raul Zela Concha

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The Fundao tailing dam in Brazil failed on November 5, 2015 causing loss in life, property and severe damage to the environment. The waste flow traveled at 11m/s and approximately 32 million m³ tailings was released into the downstream area. Investigations by regulators concluded that a series of poor designs and construction of the tailing were the causes of the failure. Further investigations also showed that surface failure occurred in the mid height of the slope with a safety factor of 0.52. Both investigations concluded that static liquefaction induced the failure of tailings dam. However, geology variation in the …

Size Effect And Anisotropy On The Strength Of Shale Under Compressive Stress Conditions, Yun Zhao

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The underground coal mines in the Appalachian region report the highest rate of roof falls in the United States. The immediate roof of these mines is mostly composed of shale. The in-situ strength of shale is necessary for designing roof support to prevent roof falls. Estimating the in-situ strength of shale requires the knowledge of both size effect and anisotropy. This research used literature review, theoretical analysis, numerical modeling, and laboratory experiment to systematically investigate the size effect and anisotropy of shale strength under compressive strength conditions.

Literature review involved a comprehensive summary of previous research on the size effect …

A Study Of Reduced Activation Ferritic Martensitic Metal Core Wire For Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing, Alexander L. Reichenbach

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

This study seeks to determine the technical feasibility of fabricating reduced activation ferritic martensitic (RAFM) steel parts, using a wire arc additive manufacturing (WAAM) process. The WAAM process, manufactures a part by depositing layers of metal onto a substrate to build a large scale near net shape part. RAFM alloy steels are next generation steels designed to resist radiation effects in the radiation intense working environments, such as nuclear reactors. To achieve this, process development and testing to design the WAAM production process with the custom RAFM filler wire was carried out. Several welding waveform modes were tested, and it …

Cfd And Heat Transfer Analysis Of Rocket Cooling Techniques On An Aerospike Nozzle, Geoffrey Sullivan

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In recent years the development of rocket engines has been mainly focused on improving the engine cycle and creating new fuels. Rocket nozzle design has not been changed since the late 1960s. Recent needs for reliable and reusable rockets, as well as advancements in additive manufacturing, have brought new interest into the aerospike nozzle concept. This nozzle is a type of altitude adjusting nozzle that is up to 90% more efficient than bell nozzles at low altitudes and spends up to 30% less fuel. Since the nozzle body is submerged in the hot exhaust gasses it is difficult to keep …

Comparing Symbolic And Connectionist Algorithms For Correlating The Age Of Healthy Children With Sigma-Lognormal Neuromuscular Parameters, Zigeng Zhang, Christian O'Reilly, Rejean Plamondon

Publications

It is important to accurately evaluate the motor control maturity to help physicians diagnose delayed or abnormal motor development in children. Traditionally, it has been challenging to design assessment methods that are practical and accurate at the same time. This study aims to develop an effective algorithm to predict motor control maturity based on the Kinematic Theory of rapid human movements. We used handwritten pen strokes made on an electronic tablet by 513 children (5.5 to 13 years of age). We considered two types of movements: a single stroke and a triangle drawing test. For the analysis, Sigma-Lognormal parameters were …

Generating Individual Class Latent Vector Distribution Based On The Variational Autoencoder Framework, Jonnada Manga Tayaru

All ETDs from UAB

oencoders is an unsupervised neural network architecture that can be used for a compressed representation of the original input. They can be used for dimensionality reduction, anomaly detection, and signal de-noising. While Principal Component Analysis (PCA) uses linear transformation, autoencoders use more complex non-linear functions for encoding. In one special case of autoencoders, called Variational Autoencoders (VAE), the latent attributes are described using probability distribution functions (PDF). This probabilistic representation of the latent space helps with synthesizing new data which looks akin to the original input data. The fundamental idea of a VAE is to represent the entire input data …

Comparison Of [18f]Fdg With 18f-Labeled Amino Acids For Pet Imaging Of Breast Cancer, Ugur Akca

All ETDs from UAB

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) are identified by their lack of estrogen re-ceptor, progesterone receptor, and overexpression of human epidermal growth factor re-ceptor 2-gene. The glucose analog, 2-deoxy-2-[18F]-fluoro-D-glucose (FDG) is the most often utilized PET tracer for imaging TNBC. The use of FDG for imaging primary and metastatic brain tumors is limited by high FDG uptake in normal brain tissue and some forms of inflammation. Also, MRI brain imaging methods have limitation in determining the differentiation between recurrent malignant and treatment effect. Radiolabeled amino acids (AAs), which have a lower uptake in normal brain and inflammation compared to FDG, can be …

A Framework For Enterprise Systems Based On Process Improvement, Abdulrahman Alharthi

All ETDs from UAB

We introduce a framework for enterprise systems based on process-centered analysis. Because technology has drastically altered many aspects of our lives, such as work, leisure, travel, government, and company interactions worldwide, companies must strategically consider the Internet of Things in order to thrive in the new economy. Tanik and Jololian offered early work in this area, and included an analysis of the T-Strategy introduced by R.T. Yeh et al. in their book “Zero-time.” Our approach builds on this decade-old work, and involves the introduction of information flow analysis to process improvement [1]. We have identified two key points: centralization and …

A Framework For Designing Blockchain Systems In A Smart City Setting, Mohammad Alhefdi

All ETDs from UAB

As main characteristics of successful smart cities, the high demand for increased data security and accessibility and citizen engagement mean the role of blockchain technology has begun to increase. Nonetheless, blockchain technology also faces several challenges, which have slowed its adoption. In response, this dissertation introduces a framework for designing blockchain systems in a smart city setting and considers the smart city and blockchain challenges. Researchers have proposed several smart city models that study and analyze the complexity of smart cities to improve city security, functionality, services, and smartness. The proposed information-theoretical modeling approach to generate an innovated blockchain model …

Improving Continuity And Quality Assurance In Internet Of Things Infrastructure Using Blockchain, Hussain A. Alshehri

All ETDs from UAB

In this research I present a rigorous study on the service continuity and quality assurance using the Internet of Things (IoT). The research aims at identifying risks and improving the risk mitigation tools that are currently in use for improving the IoT performance, and for pushing forward the implementation of IoT in mission critical applications. This objective can be accomplished by identifying the impact of the strategic planning, quality assurance, performance assurance, and risk management on the IoT used in businesses. While the focus is mainly on the business continuity domain, the technical aspects of IoT solutions are also covered. …

Modeling Local Heat-Exposure Vulnerability And Canopy-Level Thermal Comfort In Different Urban-Vegetation Morphology, Samain Sabrin

All ETDs from UAB

Globally, most cities experience Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) phenomena which increase the heat accumulation rate within city areas compared to the suburban and rural areas. In addition, poor air quality results in a higher prevalence of heat-related mortalities-morbidities and acute respiratory diseases. Vulnerability to UHIs impacts and air pollution varying in neighborhood scale is a function of factors including temperature pattern, the concentration of major air pollutants, land surface characteristics, socioeconomic factors, vulnerable age groups, and people's susceptibility to heat and pollution. Therefore, identifying vulnerability becomes crucial to adapt to changing climate and plan for mitigation strategies. Chapter one proposes …

Electromechanical Mechanisms Of Electromigration - Novel Approaches, Raghavendra Rao Morusupalli

All ETDs from UAB

Reliability of today’s interconnect lines in microelectronic devices is critical to product lifetime. The metal interconnects are carriers of large current densities and mechanical stresses, which can cause void formation or metal extrusion into the passivation leading to failure. The modeling and simulation of stress evolution caused by electromigration in interconnect lines and vias can provide a means for predicting the time to failure of the device. Reliability and performance are equally important in the microelectronics industry of today. Product lifetimes are expected to be as high as 10 to 15 years of service. A typical microprocessor has millions of …

Modeling Probabilistic Combinational Optimization Problems On Graphs Using Communication Channel, William Ngambou Djakam

All ETDs from UAB

This thesis studies Combinatorial Optimization Problems (COPs) on graphs that integrate uncertainty in the problem definition. We focus on Probabilistic Combinatorial Optimization Problems (PCOPs), where uncertainty is associated with the presence or absence of subsets of vertices that describe the problem. In general, combinatorial optimization problems are formulated as a Mixed Integer Linear Programming (MILP) model. This process aims to convert elements of decision-making into variables considering related constraints and choosing an objective function. In such cases, it is recommended to define an objective function that is a linear function with linear constraints. Also, when practical problems are formulated as …

How Does Loss Of Pulsatility Lead To Non-Surgical Bleeding In Continuous Flow Ventricular Assist Device Patterns, Khahn Tu Nguyen

All ETDs from UAB

The primary goal of this study is to evaluate the effect of diminished pulsatility associat-ed with Continuous Flow Ventricular Assist Devices (CF-VADs) on endothelial respons-es of pro-angiogenic/proinflammatory soluble factors and von Willebrand Factor (vWF). Non-surgical bleeding is one of the most common adverse events after CF-VAD implan-tation and is a major cause of morbidity in patients supported by CF-VAD therapy. Alt-hough the exact mechanisms remain unclear, development of arteriovenous malfor-mations (AVMs) and acquired von Willebrand factor syndrome (AVWS) are widely be-lieved to be major risk factors. Another challenge with the study of pulsatility is that pre-clinical studies to understand how …

Tissue Engineered Cardiac Muscle Patches With Human Pluripotent Stem Cells Enhance The Repairing Efficacy Of Infarcted Cardiac Muscle In Mouse Model, Xi Lou

All ETDs from UAB

Myocardial infarction (MI) remains one of the major contributors to heart failure, which can lead to death, and there has been a lack of effective treatments so far. Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) have been found to be an encouraging candidate for MI treatment. But it is facing challenge of low engraftment, limited integration of transplanted cells with host myocardium. To enhance the therapeutic efficacy of stem cell therapy of MI treatment, two approaches have been explored: 1)The first approach was to overexpress N-cadherin (CDH2), a cell-cell adhesion molecule, in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes (CDH2-hiPSC-CMs), and examine its …

Investigation Of Zinc Aluminate As A Refractory Material, Somnath Mandal

All ETDs from UAB

As used chrome-based refractories may contain toxic Cr6+, the chrome-free phas-es qandilite (Mg2TiO4) and zinc aluminate (ZnAl2O4, gahnite) are being considered which are known to enhance thermomechanical properties and slag corrosion resistance. The pore generation and deleterious expansion during in situ Mg2TiO4 and ZnAl2O4 for-mation can limit their amount in a refractory composition. Hence, preformed, dense ag-gregates are desirable. Dilatometric studies revealed that when dead burned magnesia (DBM) is combined with industrial anatase instead of rutile, it expanded less (1% versus 7.2%) and the reaction occurred earlier (965℃ compared to 1120℃). The anatase-based qandilite aggregate had 0% porosity and a …

Role Of Electrophysiological Markers In Cognition In Parkinson's Disease, Adeel A. Memon

All ETDs from UAB

Parkinson's disease (PD) is more than a movement disorder, and non-motor symptoms, including cognitive deficits and sleep disorders, present early and adversely affect the quality of life of a person with Parkinson's disease (PwP). Unfortunately, no pharmacological therapies slow or halt the progression of cognitive decline in PD. A substantial obstacle to developing effective cognitive therapies is the heterogeneous cognitive profile in PD, as well as a lack of a reliable biomarker of cognitive impairment. Moreover, the ideal biomarker would be generalizable, widely accessible, easily measured, non-invasive, and, ideally, modifiable. Unfortunately, thus far, proposed markers of cognitive deficits often include …