Engineering Commons^™

Development Of A Cost-Affordable Thin-Layer Chromatography Testing Kit For Falsified And Substandard Pharmaceuticals In Tanzania, Eleanor Hatcher

All Theses

A significant number of pharmaceuticals supplied to Tanzania are falsified or substandard. A majority of these inadequate pharmaceuticals are medications to treat life-threatening conditions. This problem not only causes mistrust in the healthcare system but also prolonged illness and potentially death for the patients. This calls for the need for the development of a cost-affordable testing kit for falsified and substandard pharmaceuticals in Tanzania. Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) was used as the testing method since it is inexpensive and requires a low skill level to complete. Malaria, human immunodeficiency virus, hypertension, tuberculosis, and diabetes are five of the most prevalent diseases …

Phasor-Domain Short-Circuit Analysis Of Power Transmission Systems In The Presence Of Inverter-Based Resources, Dol Kunwar

All Theses

Although a power system is nonlinear during healthy operation because of constant power loads and controlled power injections from the sources, a conventional power system fed by synchronous generators is linear during fault, and can be represented by bus impedance matrix (Z-bus), which is useful in power system analyses such as short circuit (SC) analysis. However, With increasing penetration of inverter-based resources (IBRs) in the system, the assumption of linearity of the faulted network does not hold. This impacts the analyses relying on Z-bus and Thevenin’s equivalent impedance (TEI), such as certain protection schemes set using short circuit analysis. Therefore, …

Development And Evaluation Of An Arsenic Transport Model For The Maurice River Watershed, Christina Eddleman

All Theses

For many Superfund sites across the United States, arsenic is one of the most common contaminants of concern that must be cleaned up to protect human and environmental health. Past research and health studies have documented the harmful effects of inorganic arsenic on humans and the environment but selecting an appropriate remediation plan depends on several site-specific factors at each Superfund site. To assist in determining an appropriate remediation plan, sediment and contaminant transport models have been used to simulate the transport of arsenic and other contaminants of concern at contaminated sites to, e.g., make relative comparisons of the efficacy …

Light-Induced Phase Separation Purification For Monoclonal Antibodies, Xuyang Chen

All Theses

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Multi-Domain Secure Dds Networks For Aerial And Ground Vehicle Communications, Daniel Pendleton

All Theses

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Engineering Sustainable Bridge Deck Rehabilitation: Evaluating Mechanical And Electro-Chemical Properties Of Rapid-Set Patching Materials And Their Influence On Repair Durability, James Roberts

All Theses

As the state of the US infrastructure continues to deteriorate over time, a prominent issue especially in the field of reinforced concrete structures has been the ability to properly rehabilitate and extend the design service life of these structures. A majority of our existing reinforced concrete bridges were built in the construction boom during the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, and were originally designed with a service life of approximately 50 years, thus showing that many structures are close to or have already exceeded their intended service life. Additionally, with a poor history of government infrastructure funding, it is seen to …

Dynamics Of Link Importance Across Flood Disaster Phases And Flood Impacts On Operation Of An Industry, Navin Bhatta

All Theses

Transportation damage and disruptions will become increasingly common as the frequency of floods increases due to climate change. Given the size and cost of the transportation network construction, communities' mitigation measures should be supported by evaluations that cover both normal and disaster management phases. This thesis examines the criticality of road segments in the normal, flood response, and recovery phases, considering the effects on emergency services, healthcare, industry, education, recreation, and transit and analyses that whether a flood disrupts the operational trips of a company in Anderson County, South Carolina. A 100-year event and a 500-year flood event provides context …

Quantifying Hurricane Effects On Housing: Evaluating Damage, Loss, And Shelter Demands Using Historical And Simulated Storm Tracks, Adish Deep Shakya

All Theses

This research introduces an advanced framework which employs parametric wind field models for peak wind speeds, and building fragility curves, loss functions, and demographic data to estimate for estimating housing damage and loss. The uninhabitable units immediate displaced households, short-term and long-term shelter need households are determined. with a particular focus on those eligible for FEMA assistance. The framework's validity is reinforced by a high correlation in the analysis of recent hurricane events between estimated numbers of displaced households and actual FEMA aid recipients, where FEMA aids about 20-60% of the predicted long-term displaced households. A novel application of the …

Analysis Of Cnn Performance Utilizing Jpeg Compressed Images Created On An Fpga, Timothy Shaughnessy

All Theses

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) was formed in 1986 to create a method to reduce image size primarily for ease of transfer on the Internet. Released to the public in 1992, JPEG compression is a form of lossless compression that has been a staple for compressing images. JPEG is the go-to image compressor because it provides high compression ratios while maintaining visual integrity for the human eye. Growing image sizes have made JPEG compression increasingly relevant. It is vital to keep up with growing data sizes for improved image handling performance on an edge device like a Field-Programmable Gate Array …

Advancements Of A Breast Tissue Marker And Localization System, Azrin Jamison

All Theses

Breast cancer has become the most prominent cancer worldwide in women. Annual mammograms are encouraged for women of high risk to increase early detection allowing for lumpectomies rather than mastectomies to occur. Prior to a lumpectomy, a biopsy must be taken to determine if the tissue is cancerous, and a breast cancer biopsy marker (BBM) is left in the region of possible cancerous tissue. Wire localization has been the gold standard for localizing these BBMs. However, due to the reported patient discomfort and logistical inefficiencies faced by healthcare providers (HCP), non-wire localization solutions have been recently developed. This study aims …

Digital Twin In Military Ground Vehicles: Design And Predictive Maintenance, Conner W. Eddy

All Theses

Digital twin technology builds upon virtual engineering models, computer simulation, and real-time field data streaming to enable next-generation designs and predictive maintenance. A digital twin is a computer-based high-fidelity collection of models that predicts the performance of dynamic systems per operating cycles, input feature parameters, and data communication from a physical plant. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) is growing in importance and is central to virtual design processes where the digital twin toolset fits into this emerging architecture. The product design process can be advanced using digital twin resources by eliminating the need for, and cost from, continual physical prototyping, reliability …

Laboratory Evaluation Of Remediation Alternatives For Groundwater At The Lane Street Superfund Site, Alyssa Costello

All Theses

At the Lane Street Groundwater Contamination Superfund site in Elkhart, Indiana, which includes industrial, commercial, and residential properties, a plume of contaminated groundwater was identified that requires remediation. The plume is chiefly composed of trichloroethylene (TCE) and has impacted residents’ drinking water. A microcosm study was performed to evaluate the potential of various treatment methods to remediate the Lane Street Superfund Site groundwater. The objectives of this microcosm study are to evaluate the potential for biostimulation, bioaugmentation, and abiotic degradation for implementation at this Site and to evaluate toxicity factors that have precluded natural degradation of the site contaminants. The …

An In Vitro Investigation Of Urothelial Cell Function In Response To Hypoxia And Pressure In Relation To Bladder Outlet Obstruction, Britney Hudson

All Dissertations

Bladder outlet obstruction (BOO) is a prevalent urological condition and can be characterized by the presence of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), such as hesitancy, weak stream, and nocturia. The main cause of BOO is a partial blockage of the urethra, which results in elevated voiding pressure, high storage pressure, and tissue ischemia, which are thought to be the triggers of bladder inflammation and subsequent fibrosis. Often patients do not seek treatment until the conditions get severe. Thus, it would be ideal to have an early diagnostic tool to detect changes in the bladder due to BOO. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) …

The Development Of A Convenient And Consistent Methodology For Flight Proficiency To Certify Multi-Rotor Uas Pilots For State Departments Of Transportation, Colin Dees

All Dissertations

To fly an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly referred to as a “drone,” the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires pilots to pass a knowledge test. There is no requirement at the state or federal level for drone operators to demonstrate the ability to operate a UAS. The National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) has created an exam for public and private entities to assess basic UAS flight proficiency. It is the only nationally recognized flight proficiency protocol. NIST does not provide a scoring recommendation and leaves it to the user to determine the minimum criteria to pass. There is …

Reinforcement Learning-Based Energy Management For Electric Vehicle Application, Yiming Ye

All Dissertations

The increasing concerns about transportation pollution and fossil fuel depletion motivate many studies on vehicle electrification and advanced energy-saving propulsion systems. When Comparing with traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, electrified vehicles, such as battery and supercapacitor electric vehicles, are equipped with more than one power source in the hybrid propulsion system, which can save more energy through efficient power combinations. Lithium-ion batteries are the preferred choice for energy storage in electric vehicles due to their superior energy density and cost-effectiveness. Nevertheless, matching the required power input and output leads to in an unwanted growth in the size of the battery, …

Novel Vector Assignment Approach For Inherent Strain Modeling Of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Manufacturing, Lucas M. Morand

All Dissertations

The expansion of the design space due to additive manufacturing (AM) has been a large motivator for the success of this family of processes. Despite the complexity of the physics in metal laser powder bed fusion AM causing significant stresses and strains in finished parts, the design advantages and subsequent performance improvements continue to drive the expansion of AM. Because the trial-and-error approach to AM part development is cost prohibitive, simulation of prints has become crucial. However, full thermo-mechanical simulation is susceptible to the same pitfall of time and computational cost in order to attain part-scale results. The development of …

Investigating Bimanual Haptic Exploration With Arm-Support Exoskeletons, Balagopal Raveendranath

All Dissertations

The ability to judge properties like weight and length of hand-held objects is essential in industrial work. Sometimes workers use devices like exoskeletons, which can augment their ability to lift and move heavy objects. Previous studies have investigated the perceptual information available for one-handed weight and length judgments. The current study investigated how blindfolded participants bimanually heft and wield objects to explore haptic information, to perceive object heaviness or length. The study also investigated the effects of using an arm-support exoskeleton (ASE) on the perceived weight of hand-held objects. We empirically tested whether people wield and manipulate objects differently, depending …

Engineering Multifunctional Silicon Nanostructures From Biorenewable Cellulose Nanocrystals, Nancy Chen

All Dissertations

The imperative search for alternative materials to address the pressing demand for advance energy storage is underscored by the escalating environmental predicaments. Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) with graphite anodes have become the benchmark in energy storage; however, they are approaching a saturation point in terms of energy density. Silicon emerges as a promising contender to supplant graphite, owing to its profuse availability, cost-effectiveness, and impressive specific capacity of 4200 mAh g^-1. By integrating silicon anodes, LIBs stand to undergo a radical transformation, markedly diminishing in weight and size, thus heralding a novel wave of compact, lightweight energy storage systems. …

Multi-Scale Modeling Of Selective Laser Sintering: From Manufacturing Process And Microstructure To Mechanical Performance In Semi-Crystalline Thermoplastics, Cameron Zadeh

All Dissertations

Selective laser sintering is an additive manufacturing process that opens many design possibilities but is limited in its reliability and reproducibility. Numerical simulations validated by experimental data yield insights into the process and resulting part properties, allowing users to make more informed decisions. In this dissertation, a model for the process and microstructure is developed and validated, followed by a coupling to mechanical models to predict part performance. Further developments include a new addition of a reaction kinetics model to the process model to describe the interplay between thermal degradation and melt pool properties, and an exploration of the parameter …

Photovoltaics And Battery-Based End-To-End Direct Current Sustainable Power Networks- Concept, Design, And Control, Vishwas Powar

All Dissertations

The consequences of climate change have emphasized the need for a power network that is centered around green, low-cost, and renewable sources of energy. Currently, photovoltaics (PV) and wind turbines are the only two technologies that can convert renewable energy from the sun and wind, respectively, into large-scale power for the electricity network. This dissertation aims to provide a novel solution to implement direct current-based architecture for PV generation coupled with lithium-ion battery storage in an efficient and sustainable manner. Such a power network can enable efficiency, reliability, low cost, and sustainability with minimum impact on the environment. The first …

Oscillations Of Capillary Surfaces With Volume And Edge Effects, Dingqian Ding

All Dissertations

Capillary surfaces are defined by an interface endowed with surface tension that is partially supported by a solid substrate and are susceptible to oscillations reflecting a balance between fluid inertia and the restorative force of surface tension. The wave dynamics strongly depend upon volume change within the domain and edge effects through the boundary conditions applied at the contact-line formed at the liquid-gas-solid interface, while the spatial wave structure conforms to the geometry of the capillary surface. This dissertation develops mathematical models to address these effects for several canonical capillary surfaces, which are organized into two parts that are focused …

Numerical Simulation Of Laser Induced Elastic Waves In Response To Short And Ultrashort Laser Pulses., Alireza Zarei

All Dissertations

In an era of intensified market competition, the demand for cost-effective, high-quality, high-performance, and reliable products continues to rise. Meeting this demand necessitates the mass production of premium products through the integration of cutting-edge technologies and advanced materials while ensuring their integrity and safety. In this context, Nondestructive Testing (NDT) techniques emerge as indispensable tools for guaranteeing the integrity, reliability, and safety of products across diverse industries.

Various NDT techniques, including ultrasonic testing, computed tomography, thermography, and acoustic emissions, have long served as cornerstones for inspecting materials and structures. Among these, ultrasonic testing stands out as the most prevalent method, …

Volatile Crystalline Semiconductor Core Fibers, Thomasina Zaengle

All Dissertations

Optical fibers play critical roles across many facets of everyday life from communications to e-commerce to sensing and security. The ubiquity of optical fibers arises from their intrinsic clarity and, as glasses, their ability to be thermally drawn at high speeds over long distances when suitably heated about their glass transition temperature. Sixteen years ago, the first thermally drawn crystalline core fibers were fabricated using the molten core method, whereby a melt is confined within a glass capillary tube that is then drawn to fiber. This opened the door to crystalline semiconductor core fibers, which are now the backbone of …

Tin-Silver As A Novel Biodegradable Metallic Biomaterial, Charley Goodwin

All Dissertations

The Essure device is a non-hormonal, minimally-invasive, permanent female sterilization implant, removed from the market due to an increase in adverse events, hypothesized to be caused by corrosion of the Sn-Ag component of the implant. The goals of this dissertation were to first develop implant retrieval methods for Essure devices and surrounding tissue, documenting signs of degradation and metallic degradation products, then to characterize the electrochemical behavior of Sn-Ag in biologically representative environments and finally, to assess the biological interaction of Sn-Ag. Retrieval analyses developed successful methods, qualifying the degree of corrosion, primarily of the Sn-Ag component and finding Sn …

Development Of A Digital Engineering Testing Framework For Cubesat Applications, Javier Alberto Martell

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Digital Engineering (DE) is playing an important and expanded role in todayâ??s industry. As engineering systems become more and more complex with each new iteration, the need for a more efficient and agile methodology for project management and development is needed. The SleeperSat-1 (SPST-1) is a Modular Open System Architecture (MOSA) type of small satellite being developed by the UTEP Aerospace Center. The SPST-1 will mostly use digital engineering tools for its lifecycle research and development. CubeSats require rigorous environmental testing not only to ensure the success of the mission, but also to ensure the safety of the crew, space …

Mav Localization In Gps-Denied Environments And Synthetic Data Collection In Challenging Simulated Conditions, Julio A. Reyes Munoz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The development of unmanned aerial systems presents an opportunity for conducting industrial inspections in environments where traditional navigation systems, such as the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), are compromised. This dissertation investigates the implementation of a micro aerial vehicle (MAV) capable of autonomous data acquisition in complex, GNSS-degraded industrial settings. The primary challenge addressed is the robust localization of MAVs, a critical aspect in ensuring reliable operation under varying and uncertain environmental conditions.

The work is divided into two main parts. The first part focuses on the design and integration of a MAV system specifically for power plant inspections in …

Side Channel Detection Of Pc Rootkits Using Nonlinear Phase Space, Rebecca Clark

Honors Theses

Cyberattacks are increasing in size and scope yearly, and the most effective and common means of attack is through malicious software executed on target devices of interest. Malware threats vary widely in terms of behavior and impact and, thus, effective methods of detection are constantly being sought from the academic research community to offset both volume and complexity. Rootkits are malware that represent a highly feared threat because they can change operating system integrity and alter otherwise normally functioning software. Although normal methods of detection that are based on signatures of known malware code are the standard line of defense, …

Text-To-Speech Animation: Generating Visuals Based On Phonetic Spelling, Colin Tomcak

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

Speech is a complex field, and remarkably difficult to master. There exist many groups who could use more tools to help improve their pronunciation of English words. The goal of this project was to create a text-to-speech animation program as an addition to our group capstone, Pronunciation Pal. Pronunciation Pal is a web-based application meant to assist those who are deaf or hard of hearing in improving their pronunciation, likely as an addition to therapy with a speech pathologist. This application uses tools like diagrams and references to help users better understand how to pronounce a word. The goal of …

Bcl2 Mediated Targeted Drug Delivery For The Treatment Of Kidney Fibrosis And Stomach Cancer, Humayra Afrin

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Apoptosis, the programmed death of cells, is primarily regulated by a delicate balance between pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic signals. The Bcl-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2) family of proteins acts as anti-apoptotic agents, promoting cell survival. Dysregulation of these proteins is a common occurrence in conditions such as cancer and fibrosis, where overexpression of anti-apoptotic members can foster tumor cell survival and fibroblast activation. In this study, our aim was to explore the therapeutic potential of Bcl-2 inhibitors, both as a small molecule (specifically Navitoclax (Navi)), inhibitor and as Bcl-2 siRNA, for targeted treatment. Intravenous administration of Navi often leads to thrombocytopenia, necessitating …

Comparative Analysis Of The Effects Of Post Processing On The Flexural Fatigue Endurance Of Additively Manufactured Ti-6al-4v, Cristian Banuelos

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study delves into analyzing the effects of various machining techniques on the flexural fatigue life of Ti-6Al-4V L-PBF specimens. The fatigue life and fracture behavior of specimens subjected to milling, grinding, polishing, and abrasive media blasting were compared. The findings reveal significant differences in the fatigue resistance between machined and non-machined parts. This study contributes to the understanding of the effects of post-processing on the durability of L-PBF manufactured components, offering insights for enhancing their application in critical aerospace and biomedical applications.