Engineering Commons^™

Evaluation Of Il-17a And Il-17f Gene Expression In Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells In Different Clinical Stages Of Chronic Hepatitis B Infection In An Iranian Population, Tannaz Akbari Kolagar, Seyed Reza Mohebbi, Fatemeh Ashrafi, Shahrzad Shoraka, Hamid Asadzadeh Aghdaei, Mohammad Reza Zali

Makara Journal of Technology

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the main causes of liver damage, which can also lead to chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection. More than 240 million individuals worldwide are chronic carriers of HBV. Among individuals with CHB who are untreated, approximately 15% – 40% will progress to liver cirrhosis or cancer. The interactions between HBV and host immune response play significant roles in the progression of CHB. CHB can be generally divided into four different clinical phases: immune tolerance (IT), immune clearance, inactive carrier, and Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative reactivation phase (ENEG). Many studies showed that interleukins …

Microstrip Filters: A Review Of Different Filter Designs Used In Ultrawide Band Technology, Hussain Bohra, Giriraj Prajapati

Makara Journal of Technology

In this study, optimization techniques applied in designing microstrip bandpass ultra-wideband (UWB) filters are presented. Optimization based on various defected ground structure techniques, resonator designs, and type of dielectric materials is discussed. Microstrip bandpass filters implemented at UWB frequency bands used in wireless communication systems have key features to control frequency response in passband and stopband. Optimization techniques are studied to attain optimum performance of bandpass microstrip filters to ensure minimum insertion loss, high selectivity, compactness, sharp transitions at cut-off frequencies, high return loss, and excellent linearity. Extensive study shows that proper selection of fabrication techniques and type of material …

The Development Of An Operational Kpi For Energy Efficiency Ship Operation, Danuja Wijayanto

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Fabrication And Characterisation Of Highly Aligned Fibrous Assemblies, Tan Chin Joo

Student Works (2020-2029)

Vascular grafting has been an effective remedy to vascular diseases for decades. Autografting by using the veins or arteries in the patient’s body is found to have patency rate for years. However, autografting may not be possible when compatible vessels are not available. In this case, synthetic vascular grafts are found to be effective replacements. Nevertheless, synthetic grafts with diameter less than 4 mm becomes challenging due to thrombogenicity and mismatch of mechanical properties with the native vessels. Along this line, the ability to develop new biostable synthetic materials suitable for smaller grafts and the ability to evaluate their resulting …

Optimal Distribution System Reconfiguration Incorporating Dg And Variable Load Profile Using Artificial Neural Network, Hesham Hanie Youssef

Student Works (2020-2029)

Optimal network reconfiguration is a common method used in distribution systems to ensure minimum power losses are always attained. This is very important task for achieving cost effective operation. Due to varying load demands, conventional network reconfiguration techniques have to be repeated whenever system loading changes to find a new configuration that has minimum power losses. This task is time consuming and ineffective approach for a real time application. Therefore, this research proposes an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) technique for optimal distribution network reconfiguration to overcome long processing time, mainly in load variation case. The proposed method involves; (1) Implement …

Interleaved Multistage Step-Up Topologies With Voltage Multiplier Cells, Ahmad Alzahrani, Pourya Shamsi, Mehdi Ferdowsi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper proposes a family of high-voltage-gain step-up dc-dc converters for photovoltaic integration application. The proposed converters are capable of converting the low voltage from input sources to a dc bus. The proposed family is constructed of interleaved single-switch multistage boost converters and voltage multiplier cells (VMC). The proposed converters feature low voltage stress across the components, equal current sharing among all phases, and a smooth input current. Moreover, the proposed family of converters has a modular structure in both the VMC and the boost stage. That is, the VMC can have N number of cells, and the boost stage …

Explosive Compaction Of Additively Manufactured Material, Phillip R. Mulligan, Cody Lough, Douglas A. Bristow, Edward Kinzel, Catherine E. Johnson

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is an additive manufacturing (AM) technique that uses a laser to locally fuse material in a metal-powder bed. The process is performed in layers enabling significant geometric freedom over traditional manufacturing techniques. During the deposition process, the metal is locally melted and rapidly self-quenched, leading to rapid solidification with well-defined melt-pool boundaries. Analogies are often drawn to the microstructure created in welding, albeit extending to the entire part. The SLM process parameters are optimized to produce near full density metal parts. The process parameters can also be adjusted to produce local regions that are of unmelted …

Effects Of Inert Additives On Cyclotrimethylene-Trinitramine (Rdx)/Trinitrotoluene (Tnt) Detonation Parameters To Predict Detonation Synthesis Phase Production, Martin Langenderfer, William Fahrenholtz, Catherine E. Johnson

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A methodology was developed to predict pressure and temperature regimes achieved during detonation of RDX/TNT compositions with inert granular inclusions. The predicted pressures and temperatures are used as inputs for thermochemical simulations to design detonation synthesis experiments that utilize shock-induced chemical reactions to produce ceramic nanomaterials. This study computationally assessed the effects of inert spherical sand inclusions and porosity produced by inert additives on the sensitivity of the explosive composition during the shock-to-detonation transition using a limited scope approach through Lee-Tarver ignition and growth modeling. On the continuum scale, the effects of inert additives on pressure generation behind the detonation …

A Comparative Study Of The Implementation Of Oil Spill Contingency Planning In Promoting Ocean Sustainability And Governance : A Case Study Of Ghana And Canada., Marvin Bang-Gesina Ayoo

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Bibliometric Survey On Supply Chain In Healthcare Using Artificial Intelligence, Shruti Maheshwari, Gagandeep Kaur, Ketan Kotecha, Pramod Kumar Jain Dr.

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

With the increasing demand for the supply chain in the service sector, new techniques have become essential. With the latest emerging technologies, it has become crucial to have a bibliometric analysis of supply chain management (SCM) in the healthcare sector. The paper represents the analysis of research supply chain in the service sector using artificial intelligence techniques. The main aim of the analysis is to accomplish the technology in healthcare supply chain management using SCOPUS, Google Scholar, Research Gate, etc. and the various softwares like Gephi, GSP Visualizer, etc. The bibliometric analysis shows that India has ranked 4th in publishing …

Carbon Nanotube-On-Graphene Heterostructures, Yu Zheng, Dongmeng Li, Zubair Ahmed, Jeongwon Park, Changjian Zhou, Cary Y. Yang

Electrical and Computer Engineering

This paper presents a brief review of experimental and theoretical studies on a three-dimensional heterostructure consisting of vertical carbon nanotubes (CNTs) connected perpendicularly to a graphene layer. This structure can serve as a potential building block for an all-carbon network in energy storage devices and on-chip interconnects. The review highlights reported works on the fabrication and characterization of such a heterostructure, with focus on the effect of the CNT-graphene interface on electrical conduction. While a direct comparison between experiment and theory is not possible at this time, a brief survey of theoretical efforts based on atomic cluster models nonetheless reveals …

Triboelectric Energy Harvester With Large Bandwidth Under Harmonic And Random Excitations, Alwathiqbellah Ibrahim, Abdallah Ramini, Shahrzad Towfighian

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper investigates an approach to impact vibration energy harvesting using a triboelectric mechanism under harmonic and random excitation. The harvester consists of a clamped–clamped beam with a stiff plate in the middle to realize the impact electrification process when subjected to external vibrations. The harvester uses stiffening in the clamped–clamped beam introduced by the impact between two triboelectric layers to increase the frequency bandwidth. A piecewise theoretical model is used to model the harvester for two scenarios of motions, before and after impact. The harvester is tested experimentally under different harmonic excitation to validate the theoretical model. The outcomes …

Laboratory Results And Mathematical Modeling Of Spore Surface Interactions In Stormwater Runoff, Anne M. Mikelonis, Katherine Ratliff, Sungmin Youn

All Engineering Faculty Research

Development of numerical models to predict stormwater-mediated transport of pathogenic spores in the environment depends on an understanding of adhesion forces that dictate detachment after rain events. Zeta potential values were measured in the laboratory for Bacillus globigii and Bacillus thuringiensis kurstaki, two common surrogates used to represent Bacillus anthracis, in synthetic baseline ultrapure water and laboratory prepared stormwater. Zeta potential curves were also determined for materials representative of urban infrastructure (concrete and asphalt). These data were used to predict the interaction energy between the spores and urban materials using Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) modeling. B. globigii and B. thuringiensis kurstaki …

Effectiveness Of Building Systems Strategies For Mitigation Of Airborne Transmission Of Sars-Cov-2, Meng Kong, Jialei Shen, Bing Dong, Jianshun Jensen Zhang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering - All Scholarship

Airborne transmission has been recognized as a major transmission pathway for the infectious disease COVID-19. This study investigated the effectiveness of several indoor air quality (IAQ) control strategies on the mitigation of airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. The well-known airborne disease infection risk model (Wells-Riley equation) was used to estimate the infection risk of the SARS-CoV-2 in seven (7) different types of spaces including conference center/ballrooms, hotel bistro//cafeteria, hotel lobby, classrooms (lecture), conference room/small classroom, hotel or cruise ship guest rooms and open plan offices. The IAQ control strategies included increased ventilation rate, improved air distribution …

We Need Fuzzy Techniques To Design Successful Human-Like Robots, Vladik Kreinovich, Olga Kosheleva, Laxman Bokati

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

In this chapter, we argue that to make sure that human-like robots exhibit human-like behavior, we need to use fuzzy techniques -- and we also provide details of this usage. The chapter is intended both for researchers and practitioners who are very familiar with fuzzy techniques and also for researchers and practitioners who do not know these techniques -- but who are interested in designing human-like robots.

Optimization Of Energy Absorption Performance Of Polymer Honeycombs By Density Gradation, Oyindamola Rahman, Behrad Koohbor

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

Density gradation has been analytically and experimentally proven to enhance the load-bearing and energy absorption efficiency of cellular solids. This paper focuses on the analytical optimization (by virtual experiments) of polymeric honeycomb structures made from thermoplastic polyurethane to achieve density-graded structures with combined desired mechanical properties. The global stress-strain curves of single-density honeycomb structures are used as input to an analytical model that enables the characterization of the constitutive response of density-graded hexagonal honeycombs with discrete and continuous gradations and for various gradients. The stress-strain outputs are used to calculate the specific energy absorption, efficiency, and ideality metrics for all …

General-Purpose Coarse-Grained Toughened Thermoset Model For 44dds/Dgeba/Pes, Michael M. Henry, Stephen Thomas, Mone’T Alberts, Carla E. Estridge, Brittan Farmer, Olivia Mcnair, Eric Jankowski

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The objective of this work is to predict the morphology and material properties of crosslinking polymers used in aerospace applications. We extend the open-source dybond plugin for HOOMD-Blue to implement a new coarse-grained model of reacting epoxy thermosets and use the 44DDS/DGEBA/PES system as a case study for calibration and validation. We parameterize the coarse-grained model from atomistic solubility data, calibrate reaction dynamics against experiments, and check for size-dependent artifacts. We validate model predictions by comparing glass transition temperatures measurements at arbitrary degree of cure, gel-points, and morphology predictions against experiments. We demonstrate for the first time in molecular simulations …

Iot Asset Tracker, Jonny M. Erickson, Matt A. Murray

Electrical Engineering

This senior project will be the completion of an IoT asset Tracker. In today’s day and age, technology is weaving its way into every aspect of life. Because of this, we demand to know more and more information about everything that is going on in our lives. One of these needed pieces of information is knowing the location of our most valuable assets. This is the main goal of this project: to build a portable SMS driven GNSS tracking device. The device is designed to provide two methods of tracking for any mobile asset. The device will utilize a large …

Modeling The Effects Of Hyaluronic Acid Degradation On The Regulation Of Human Astrocyte Phenotype Using Multicomponent Interpenetrating Polymer Networks (Mipns), Andrea C. Jimenez-Vergara, Rachel Van Drunen, Tyler Cagle, Dany J. Munoz-Pinto

Engineering Faculty Research

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a highly abundant component in the extracellular matrix (ECM) and a fundamental element to the architecture and the physiology of the central nervous system (CNS). Often, HA degradation occurs when an overreactive inflammatory response, derived from tissue trauma or neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s, causes the ECM in the CNS to be remodeled. Herein, we studied the effects of HA content as a key regulator of human astrocyte (HAf) reactivity using multicomponent interpenetrating polymer networks (mIPNs) comprised of Collagen I, HA and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate. The selected platform facilities the modulation of HA levels independently of …

Decision-Making Matrix To Enable Shorter Connections, Fernanda Torezan Godoy, Sergio Abrao Retes Jr., Talita Zucchini Rabelo

Graduate Student Works

MCT is known as Minimum Connection Time. It refers to the time needed for a passenger to connect from a flight to another in a specific airport, varying according to the connection type. MCT is an essential tool for airlines. It is used as an input in constructing their network and daily, specifically by operational teams, to connect or disconnect a passenger from a flight, for example, during an IROPS scenario. However, the MCT is considered the worst scenario of the variables that composes it, which means that there are opportunities for airlines to reduce the connection time in daily …

In-Flight Fuel Management Committing To The Destination, Aldo Bien, Daniel Araguaia Galli Ribas, Paulo Cesar Serafim Pacheco, Rodrigo Garcia De Freitas Cardoso

Graduate Student Works

This project intends to clarify the Brazilian Civil Aviation Regulation RBAC 121 on its topic relating to the current ICAO recommendation from Doc. 9976 (Flight Planning and Fuel Management Manual), which regards the committing to the destination policy.

The present Brazilian regulation is not precise whether the alternate fuel could or could not be used to proceed to the original destination without compromising the emergency fuel, once exact specific requirements are met. As a result of unclear directrices, each major airline in Brazil comprehends and applies the ICAO recommendation in its way. Such a non-standardized interpretation of the current …

Covid 19 Impact On Aircraft Ground Time At Congonhas Airport (Cgh), Fabio Pereira Teixeira, Felipe Massao Higa, Ricardo Matsumoto Jakabi, Rodrigo Moreira Riberiro

Graduate Student Works

This project aims to research and analyze the impact of the increase of ground time at Congonhas Airport caused by the new safety procedures in aviation to avoid the spread of the COVID-19 virus.

Aviation is a highly regulated industry, with the high cost and tiny margins. It focuses on optimizing one of the most expensive assets, the aircraft. To keep aircraft flying is one of the airline's primary goals as aircraft on the ground means no revenue generation and cost increase.

Congonhas Airport is one of the busiest airports in Brazil and already operated on its limited capacity before …

Macroeconomic Aspects Of Maintenance Optimization Of Critical Infrastructures, S. A. Timashev, A. V. Bushinskaya

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

The main goal of maintenance is prevention, timely detection and elimination of failures and damage. From the point of view of critical infrastructures (CIs), the main purpose of their maintenance is to increase the safety of CIs and / or to ensure life safety. CIs should be optimal in terms of their purpose, cost, as a source of income and profit at all stages of their life cycle, and also acceptable in terms of possible loss of human lives or injuries. The paper considers the assessment of necessary optimal investments in the maintenance (time interval between subsequent maintenance), to increase …

Black-Swan Type Catastrophes And Antifragility/Supra-Resilience Of Urban Socio-Technical Infrastructures, S. A, Timashev

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper may be one of the first attempts dealing with the problem of creating, providing and maintaining antifragility of systems of interdependent urban critical infrastructures (CI) in the wake of black-swan type technological, ecological, economic or social catastrophes occurring in a municipality. A synonym is offered to describe antifragility from a positive psychology perspective, formulating the problem as the supraresilience problem. A brief description is given of the developed innovative approach for creating a supraresilient city/region using black-swan catastrophe and the antifragility concepts. Resilience metrics are formulated as well as methods of assessing damage, interdependence of infrastructures and convergent …

Leveraging Abet Accreditation To Promote Inclusion Of Noise Control Engineering Concepts In Engineering Programs, Lily M. Wang, Bryan Beamer

Durham School of Architectural Engineering and Construction: Faculty Publications

Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. (ABET) accreditation is an internationally recognized system ensuring consistency and quality in engineering education programs. As a part of ABET accreditation, there is no set requirement for any general engineering program to include noise control engineering concepts in their curricula. However, one of the seven student outcomes that each ABET accredited engineering program must document is their students’ “ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare…” Controlling noise in the authors’ view is a fundamental strategy for protecting workers from occupational …

Vibratory Tumbling Machine, Laurence William Duclos Iii, Aaron Phillip Shein, Jared Edward Nash

Mechanical Engineering

The purpose of this document is to highlight the overall Vibratory Tumbling Machine project background, objectives, concept design, final design, manufacturing, and design verification. This final design review outlines the process, creation, and testing of the chosen final design for this redesign of the vibratory tumbling machine. The FDR shows the steps the team took towards completing a CAD package and a verification prototype of the final design while adapting to COVID-19 restrictions.

Telescope Parallel Actuator Mount: Control And Testing, Samuel S. Artho-Bentz

Master's Theses

This thesis approaches the task of designing a control system for the Parallel Actuator Mount developed by Dr. John Ridgely and Mr. Garrett Gudgel. It aims to create a base framework that directly controls the telescope and can be expanded to accept external command. It incorporates lower priced components and develops more easily approachable software with great functionality. An open-loop method for velocity control is established. Developing repeatable tests is a major focus. Testing finds the control methods developed result in velocity error of less than 5% and position error of less than 1.5% despite several mechanical issues and inaccuracies. …

Modulation Of Ros In Nanosecond-Pulsed Plasma-Activated Media For Dosage-Dependent Cancer Cell Inactivation In Vitro, Chunqi Jiang, Esin Bengisu Sozer, Shutong Song, Nicola Lai, P. Thomas Vernier, Sigi Guo

Bioelectrics Publications

Dosage control of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) is critical to low-temperature plasma applications in cancer therapy. Production of RONS by atmospheric pressure, nonequilibrium plasmas in contact with liquid may be modulated via plasma conditions including plasma treatment time and pulse voltage and repetition frequency. In this study, a terephthalic acid-based probe was used to measure hydroxyl radicals [OH_aq] in water exposed to plasma and to demonstrate that the OH_ag concentration increases linearly with treatment time. Fluorometric measurements of hydrogen peroxide concentration in plasma-activated water show a linear relationship between the H₂O₂ production …

Planar Corrugated Electrode Configuration For Manipulation Of Micro-Scale Entities In Dielectrophoretic Microfluidic Devices, Alia Mohammed Alblooshi

Mechanical Engineering Theses

This thesis conceptualizes the design of a planar electrode for employment in microfluidic devices to achieve dielectrophoretic focusing and separation of micro-scale entities. The planar electrode has corrugations with two such electrodes placed parallelly to form a pair and the electric field is generated between them; the presence of corrugations enhances the non-uniformity of the electric field. For purposes of 3D focusing, two pairs of electrodes are used with each pair on both sides of the microchannel. When the applied electric voltages are equal, the micro-scale entity is focused at the center of the microchannel and when the applied electric …

Surf Leg Prosthetic 2, Aris C. Recidoro, Kyler D. Peterson, Alec C. Goodman

Mechanical Engineering

The following final design review outlines the process our team took in order to create a prosthetic for surfing. With the results of the Surf Leg V1 prosthetic, we designed, created, and tested our own product. The goal was to create a prosthetic that can immediately be used by an individual for surfing. From our findings, we decided that the focus of our project was to improve upon different features of the prosthetic leg designed by the previous senior project team. Our main focus was to improve mobility and reduce the weight of the ankle mechanism. The choice of Aluminum …