Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of Electrodialysis Desalination Performance Of Novel And Conventional Ion Exchange Membranes, Ahm Golam Hyder

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

It was revealed from relevant recent literature that the electrodialysis (ED) desalination performance of commercial and laboratory-made ion exchange membranes (IEMs) had been studied previously but not in a systematic way so that the planners, designers, and engineers can evaluate a trade-off in selecting the suitable IEMs and optimum ED experimental conditions for their desired outcomes such as high ion selectivity, high salinity removal, high water recovery, low energy consumption, or low water transport. Furthermore, the existing conventional and laboratory-made IEMs reported previously showed various technical and economical limitations with respect to permeability, permselectivity, ion selectivity, electrical resistance, stability (mechanical, …

Evaluation Of Patient Experience Using Natural Language Processing Algorithms, Sofia Veronica Ortega

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

INTRODUCTION: Healthcare organizations are making extensive efforts to improve the patient experience. Enhancing patient/client experience and outcomes is crucial for patient-centered care and can reveal improvement opportunities. Healthcare settings currently rely on surveys (e.g., HCAHPS) and patient feedback to measure patient experience. Studies have identified that utilizing patient journey mapping can better capture patient experience throughout all stages of the patient's journey and provide quality and process improvement recommendations at specific hotspots. However, these measurement techniques are time-consuming and resource intensive. AIM: This research aims to measure patient experience of breast cancer patients from social media data using natural language …

Sensitivity Analysis Of Transportation Emissions On Near-Road Air Dispersion Using The Epa-Approved Gaussian Air Dispersion Model Aermod, Ivan Mauricio Ramirez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Departments of transportation across the United States have presented concerns over making the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Regulatory Model (AERMOD) the new regulatory air dispersion model for federally funded transportations projects. Concerns arose from the lack of data presented on its use in transportation projects. AERMOD was developed to present a steady-state air dispersion model used on industrial complexes which present static emission sources unlike the dynamic sources presented by transportation projects. We used multiple analytical and statistical methods to further understand the sensitivity of the model results based on different factors and therefore …

Assessing The Impact Of Health Benefits And Carbon Footprint In Student Parking Decisions At A University Campus, Emiliano Ruiz

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the student parking location problem, traditionally, the parking permit cost, the last-mile travel time, and the ease of finding an available parking stall are the only decision criteria driving permit purchases. However, a studentâ??s choice of parking location has associated walking health benefits and sustainability impacts. These impacts are related to the walking distance from the parked vehicle to the final destination on campus, in addition to the location effect on the carbon footprint of a vehicle-trip taken to campus. As such, this Thesis examined a multi-criteria decision approach to a university studentâ??s choice of parking location. This approach …

Harmonizing Asphalt Mix Selection With Pavement Structural Design, Mahdi Saghafi

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The state-of-the-practice in asphalt concrete (AC) mix design and pavement structural design are based on two divergent concepts. The laboratory tests that are used for mix design, especially under the balanced mix design concept, are pragmatically accelerated surrogate tests developed to ensure the stability or ranking of mixes. Pavement structural design methods, being empirical or mechanistic, ignore these laboratory test results, in favor of other mechanical parameters. As such, the selection of the type of mix to be placed on a project is based on the local experience, and a set of consensus limits, rather than the demand of the …

Non-Invasive In-Vitro Glucose Monitoring Using Optical Sensor And Machine Learning Techniques For Diabetes Applications, Maryamsadat Shokrekhodaei

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Diabetes is a major public health challenge affecting more than 451 million people. Physiological and experimental factors influence the accuracy of non-invasive glucose monitoring, and these need to be addressed before replacing the finger prick method with a non-invasive glucose measurement technique. Also, the suitable employment of machine learning techniques on experimental data can significantly improve the accuracy of glucose predictions.

This work includes the design, development, testing and data analysis of an optical based sensor for glucose measurements. The feasibility of non-invasive measurement of glucose within aqueous solutions that assimilate the composition of human blood plasma is investigated. The …

Utilizing Uas To Support Wildlife Hazard Management Efforts By Airport Operators, Flavio A. C. Mendonca, Ryan Wallace, Anthony Chimino, Jose Cabrera Jr, Robert Sliwinski

Publications

Purpose of our Study:

To investigate how UAS technologies could be safely and effectively applied to identify hazardous wildlife species to aviation operations as well as potential wildlife hazard attractants within the airport jurisdiction.

Evaluating Decision Making In Sustainable Project Selection Between Literature And Practice, Rakan Alyamani, Suzanna Long, Mohammad Nurunnabi

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A robust project selection process is critical for the selection of sustainable projects that meet the needs of an organization or community. There are multiple factors or criteria that can be considered in the selection of the appropriate sustainable project, but it can be challenging to find sufficient depth of expert opinion to perform a strong evaluation of these criteria. Several researchers have turned to the sustainable project literature as a source of expert opinion to evaluate the criteria used in sustainable project selection and rank them based on importance using different multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methodologies. However, using the literature …

Housing And Urban Development Home Development And The Future Of The Industry: Case Study, Nolan J. Binkele

Construction Management

A HUD home is a 1-4 unit residential property acquired by HUD (Housing and Urban Development) as a result of a foreclosure action. These homes tend to be priced slightly below market value in order to regain past losses. The Department of Housing and Urban Development has developed a building code to classify manufactured homes as HUD. Although manufactured homes are typically sold to single property owners, I hypothesize that building them in a tract form can benefit a community by providing affordable, adequate housing for low income families and single families. I also hypothesize that HUD home development will …

The Preconstruction Work For The Shaded Structure At Growing Grounds, Grace Gv Brekke

Construction Management

When beginning a project, one must take vast consideration into the plan. For a construction project, this means considering how long the project will take, how much it will cost, what materials will be used, who will build it, where the money will come from, and who will utilize the space. This paper analyzes all this preconstruction work for a shaded structure at Growing Grounds. The Growing Grounds shared community space in San Luis Obispo, California, provides incredible resources and opportunities to the people in the area that struggle with mental health. Through horticulture, the volunteers must work hard to …

Reasons And Remedies To The Dying Plant Walls, Hayley Q. Mcgough

Construction Management

Sustainability in construction has been increasingly popular and detrimental with the state of the planet and climate change. One of the more popular solutions is the addition of plant façades to a building, which are plants that are put on the vertical of a building. The benefits that come with plant facades include and are not limited to: Reduction of the urban heat island effect, improved air quality, local job creation, improved energy efficiency, building structure protection, noise reduction, increased biodiversity, urban agriculture. These benefits are not reaching their full potential because these plant façades keep dying creating a bigger …

Vapor-Selective Active Membrane Energy Exchanger For High Efficiency Outdoor Air Treatment, Andrew J. Fix, James E. Braun, David M. Warsinger

School of Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

As much as 40% of the total load on air conditioning systems can be attributed to condensation dehumidification. However, new water vapor-selective membranes present a unique opportunity to greatly reduce the power requirements for moisture removal by avoiding phase change and have thus been ranked as a top alternative to traditional HVAC systems. To date, however, all such systems have relied on the assumption of constant temperature, even terming the technology “isothermal dehumidification.” This work proposes a membrane-based air cooling and dehumidification approach, referred to as the Active Membrane Energy Exchanger (AMX), which is the first to provide simultaneous, yet …

Exploring Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley Reactions Using Metal Organic Framework Catalysts., Yuehan Zhou

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Meerwein–Ponndorf–Verley (MPV) reaction is a reaction that is used to reduce aldehydes and ketones to the corresponding alcohols with the added use of catalysts. The common metal triflate catalysts used in MPV reduction incur tremendous environmental hazards and high operational costs. The use of Metal-Organic Frameworks (MOFs) as catalysts can be an alternative due to MOFs’ extraordinarily high surface areas, ultrahigh porosities, tunable pore sizes, modifiable internal surfaces, and numerous framework structures. Moreover, using MOFs as catalysts for MPV hydrogenation is economically viable due to low operational and material costs. This study involves using MOF-808 (Hf) in the MPV …

Flight Trajectory Prediction For Aeronautical Communications., Nathan T Schimpf

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The development of future technologies for the National Airspace System (NAS) will be reliant on a new communications infrastructure capable of managing a limited spectrum among aircraft and ground systems. Emerging approaches to this spectrum allocation task mostly consider machine learning techniques reliant on aircraft and Air Traffic Control (ATC) sector data. Much of this data, however, is not directly available. This thesis considers the development of two such data products: the 4D trajectory (latitude, longitude, altitude, and time) of aircraft, and the anticipated airspace utilization and communication demand within an ATC sector. Data predictions are treated as a time …

Refinement And Automation Using Algorithmic Control Of Breathforce, A Respiratory Training System For Patients With Spinal Cord Injuries., Anna Goestenkors

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spinal cord injuries (SCI) can lead to impaired respiratory and cardiovascular function and a general decrease in lung compliance. This can complicate breathing as well as impair the ability to sigh, cough, and clear secretions, leading to increased risk of respiratory infections. Respiratory training has been shown to combat these effects. BreathForce is under active development to create a user-centric inspiratory-expiratory device that is an affordable option for at-home training. This study reports on the refinement of valve design and automation incorporated into BreathForce to enhance and enforce clinical practices and processes as part of the respiratory training protocol used …

Electrical Characterization Of Phytoplankton Suspensions Using Impedance Spectroscopy., Margaret R Jett

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Phytoplankton are closely monitored because of their important environmental role, and the impacts they have on their local ecosystems. Some phytoplankton respond to stress by producing lipids, which can be harvested for biofuels and other chemicals. Microfluidic devices have been important in improving the portability and throughput of phytoplankton characterization methods, increasing their potential for in situ use. This study utilized a small sample of phytoplankton suspended in a stagnant medium and measured the impedance response using a lab-on-chip and impedance analyzer. The individual cell characteristics were derived from the impedance response of the group. The goal was to characterize …

Development And Evaluation Of A Body Weight Support Treadmill For Use With Locomotor Training On Pediatric Spinal Cord Injury Patients., Winston T Rauch

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The consequences of spinal cord injury (SCI) are devastating regardless of the age of a patient. When the injury occurs in children five years old or younger, however, the impact is magnified due to the inevitable development of scoliosis (96%) and hip dysplasia (57%) (Schottler et al., 2012). To reduce occurrence of these complications and improve the quality of life for these patients, specialized activity-based therapies such as locomotor training (LT) are being increasingly used to improve overall trunk control and muscle activity in the lower extremities (Harkema et al., 2012; Howland et al., 2014). The aim of this therapy …

Room Temperature Alkali Treatment Of Rice Straw For Enhanced Enzymatic Hydrolysis., Seth Mains

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Due to the pollution of fossil fuels due to greenhouse emissions, researchers continue to search for alternative methods that allow for the clean production of energy, fuels, and polymer fibers. A method currently under investigation is the use of lignocellulosic biomass as a solution to current problems with energy and polymer fiber production. Through the process of pretreatment, possibilities for lignocellulosic biomass expand due to improved accessibility of the cellulose and hemicellulose which can be broken down via enzymatic hydrolysis into C5 and C6 sugars such as xylose and glucose. This study investigated the fermentation of the rice straw into …

Conversion Of Multicellds Digital Snapshots To Isa-Tab Format., Corey P. Chitwood

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The MultiCellular Data Standard (MultiCellDS) is an interdisciplinary effort to create a data standard for sharing multicellular experimental, simulation, and clinical data. The ultimate goal of the overall project is to allow for data sharing that will lead to better analyses and simulations for multicellular biology and predictive medicine in association with the PhysiCell, a software that allows for simulations of large numbers of cells in 3D tissues. Digital cell lines are files that contain a standardized representation of a biological cell line and include phenotypic parameters as well as microenvironmental conditions for use in simulations. A Digital Cell Line …

Wetting And Drying Dynamics For Tio2 With Pbs Quantum Dots., Kelly M. Lee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Initial solar cells utilized silicon and alloys for their economic viability. Photoelectrochemical photovoltaic cells were discovered with technological advancement which increased solar efficiency and further improved economic feasibility leading to quantum dot sensitized solar cells. Lead sulfide quantum dots and titanium dioxide were studied for wetting and drying effects. Zeta potential, pH values, SEM, and optical microscopes quantified or observed the colloidal suspension and dried sample behavior. Combined mixtures of lead sulfide and titania were dried at 3.6 pH and 12.56 pH values. This due to the observed zeta potential isoelectric point of titania, and behavior showed increased stability occurring …

The Study Of Copper Corrosion Mechanisms Using Electrochemical Experimental Techniques., Evan Grimm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to discover and thoroughly explain the corrosion mechanisms of copper in saltwater, tap water and deionized water, and to apply these methods and findings when testing the corrosion mechanisms of other materials. The experimental procedure consisted of measuring the open circuit potential, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, linear sweep voltammetry, and Tafel analysis.

The copper was found to corrode at a greater rate in saltwater, followed by tap water then deionized water, with a larger difference between saltwater and tap water than between tap water and deionized water. Each reaction was found to be both kinetically …

Machine Learning Models For Lodi Indices., Lucas A. Bruns

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two indices published monthly by the Logistics and Distribution Institute (LoDI) predict changes in logistics and distribution activity levels nationally and regionally and are useful for organizations when planning projects and expenses. This research validates the current linear regression model, updates the index conversion method, and introduces machine learning models.

New source data are introduced to the models to validate the current linear regression model and a comparative analysis verifies that the current source data are robust. A rolling average is used for index conversion in place of a fixed reference month to reflect recent changes in employment levels.

Three …

Modified Electrode Surfaces With Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Catalysts Derived From Electropolymerized Complexes With Redox Active Ligands., Amanda Mae Arts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The demand for energy is growing exponentially, and to keep up with these demands new technologies for renewable energy have received increased attention. Hydrogen is one of the most promising energy sources for the future and plays a vital role in water electrolysis and fuel cells, as the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is the main step in the water splitting process. To increase the reaction rate and improve efficiency for the water electrolysis, catalysts are used to minimize the overpotential.

Most of the current electrocatalysts for HER are heterogeneous in nature and are dominated by platinum and other precious metals …

Impact Of Long-Term Annealing On Photoluminescence From Ge1-XSnX Alloys, Oluwatobi Olorunsola, Hryhorii Stanchu, Solomon Opeyemi Ojo, Krishna Pandey, Abdulla Said, Joe Margetis, John Tolle, Adrian V. Kuchuk, Yuriy I. Mazur, Gregory J. Salamo, Shui-Qing Yu

Electrical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We report on the connection between strain, composition, defect density and the photoluminescence observed before and after annealing at 300 °C for GeSn samples with Sn content of 8% to 10%. Results show how the composition and level of strain influenced the separation between the indirect and direct optical transitions, while changes in the level of strain also influenced the density of misfit dislocations and surface roughness. The effect of annealing is observed to lower the level of strain, decreasing the energy separation between the indirect and direct optical transitions, while also simultaneously increasing the density of misfit/threading dislocations and …

A Classification And Prediction Hybrid Model Construction With The Iqpso-Svm Algorithm For Atrial Fibrillation Arrhythmia, Liang-Hung Wang, Ze-Hong Yan, Yi-Ting Yang, Jun-Ying Chen, Tao Yang, I-Chun Kuo, Patricia Angela R. Abu, Pao-Cheng Huang, Chiung-An Chen, Shih-Lun Chen

Department of Information Systems & Computer Science Faculty Publications

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common cardiovascular disease (CVD); and most existing algorithms are usually designed for the diagnosis (i.e.; feature classification) or prediction of AF. Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms integrate the diagnosis of AF electrocardiogram (ECG) and predict the possibility that AF will occur in the future. In this paper; we utilized the MIT-BIH AF Database (AFDB); which is composed of data from normal people and patients with AF and onset characteristics; and the AFPDB database (i.e.; PAF Prediction Challenge Database); which consists of data from patients with Paroxysmal AF (PAF; the records contain the ECG preceding an …

Noninvasive Measurement Of Arterial Compliance With A Blood Pressure Cuff Using A Surrogate Arm Bench Top Model For Oscillometric Use, Shane Wilsey

Master's Theses

A surrogate arm model was created that is capable of being used for oscillometry. This model is capable of being used as a bench top model for blood pressure cuff devices. The arm consists of endplates and internal supports that are 3D printed with ABS, a silicone rubber outer sleeve, and interchangeable arteries made from two silicone rubber strips glued together at the edges. The interchangeable arteries have varying compliances that can be used as different inputs for oscillometric testing. A process was established to measure the artery compliances with a curve fit correlation of 0.95. However, testing revealed that …

Force Spun Pvdf And Tpu Nanofiber Based Triboelectric Nanogenerator For Energy Harvesting And Sensor Application, Sk Shamim Hasan Abir

Theses and Dissertations

Flexible and stretchable triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) is the next generation potential candidate for wearable and portable electronics. In this study, we have demonstrated all nanofiber based TENG for energy harvesting and biomechanical sensing applications. The TENG was prepared by force spun polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and gold (Au) sputtered thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) nanofiber (NF) layer. The experimental characterization of the PVDF-TPU/Au NF-TENG revealed that surface modification by dispersed gold in TPU fiber membrane resulted the maximum open circuit voltage (254 V) and short circuit current (86 μA) output at 240 bpm (beats per minute) load frequency which was respectively 112% and …

Laser-Induced Forward Transfer (Lift) Based Bioprinting Of The Collagen I With Retina Photoreceptor Cells, Md Shakil Arman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis focuses on the 3D bioprinting of retina cone cells using the laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) technique. Bioprinting has a great potential to mimic and regenerate the human organoid system, and the LIFT technique has emerged as an efficient method for high resolution micropatterning and microfabrication of biomaterials and cells due to its capability of creating precise, controlled microdroplets. In this research, the parameters for an effective femtosecond laser-based LIFT process for 3D bioprinting of collagen biomaterial were studied. Different concentrations of collagen I solutions were tested to find out the right concentration that can be transferred through the …

Decision Support System To Select The Most Effective Strategies For Mitigating The Urban Heat Island Effect Using Sustainability And Resilience Performance Measures, Bahareh Bathaei

Theses and Dissertations

As climate change continues to alter the temperature of the cities, various urban heat island mitigation strategies (UHIMSs) are now needed to be employed to mitigate the effects of increasing temperatures. However, to ensure their resilience and sustainability, the effectiveness of such strategies should be evaluated using a set of criteria. According to a review of the literature, there is a need for a comprehensive model and performance assessment tool that considers the various characteristics and features that are significant in assessing whether the chosen strategies are viable candidates for minimizing the effects of urban heat island (UHI). As a …

Spectrum Sharing And Interference In Smart Homes, Biswajit Kumar Dash

Theses and Dissertations

Internet of Things networks using Zigbee are very popular in smart homes. However, Zigbee networks are vulnerable to the interference of Wi-Fi networks because they share the same 2.4 GHz Industrial, Scientific, and Medical radio frequency band. Studies have shown that weaker Zigbee signals might be significantly interfered by stronger Wi-Fi signals. This type of interference may cause severe problems when these types of networks coexist in an indoor environment such as in a smart home. In this thesis, the performance of a Zigbee network with and without the presence of a Wi-Fi network has been evaluated in …