Engineering Commons^™

A Comparison Of Path Loss Variations In Soil Using Planar And Dipole Antennas, Abdul Salam

Faculty Publications

In this paper, an empirical investigation of propagation path loss variations with frequency in sandy and silty clay loam soils has been done using planar and dipole antennas. The path loss experiments are conducted using vector network analyzer (VNA) in sandy soil testbed, and greenhouse outdoor silty clay loam testbed for different operation frequencies and communication distances. The results show that the planar antenna can be used for subsurface communications in a wide range of operation frequencies. The comparison paves the way for development of sensor-guided irrigation system in the field of digital agriculture.

Underground Soil Sensing Using Subsurface Radio Wave Propagation, Abdul Salam, Akhlaque Ahmad

Faculty Publications

Continuous sensing of soil moisture is essential for smart agriculture variable rate irrigation (VRI), real-time agricultural decision making, and water conservation. Therefore, development of simple techniques to measure the in-situ properties of soil is of vital importance. Moreover, permittivity estimation has applications in electromagnetic (EM) wave propagation analysis in the soil medium, depth analysis, subsurface imaging, and UG localization. Different methods for soil permittivity and moisture estimation are time-domain reflectometry (TDR), ground-penetrating radar (GPR) measurements, and remote sensing. One major bottleneck in the current laboratory-based permittivity estimation techniques is off-line measurement of the collected soil samples. At that, the remote …

Minimodal: Dimensional Domain Of Miniature Shipping Containers For Intermodal Freight Transportation, Lee Stapley

Ursidae: The Undergraduate Research Journal at the University of Northern Colorado

This study explores the feasibility of miniature shipping container usage within existing intermodal transportation (IT) supply chains. Smaller intermodal container shipments may help realign freight shipments with the most efficient transportation mode, rail. These containers embolden the dimensional domain (DD) of shipping. The shipping container dimensional domain (container size variation and modal fluidity) is widespread and results in shipments that are often larger or more infrequent than needed. The DD impacts transport mode, shipping frequency, shipment velocity, intermodal supply chain accessibility, and regional shipping networks. This study suggests that container size impacts the DD and, therefore, mode choice. As miniature …

Maximizing The Effectiveness Of Ductless Heat Pumps In Existing Homes By Demonstrating Integrated Controls: Measurement And Verification Plan, Florida Solar Energy Center, Eric Martin

FSEC Energy Research Center®

There is a trend for homeowners to install efficient ductless air-source heat pumps (ASHP) as a supplement to less efficient existing space conditioning systems, with most homeowners adding one unit in a central living area. Because of the potential for ASHPs to save energy by providing a large portion of the space conditioning, utilities have incentivized this strategy. However, post installation evaluations suggest ASHPs are not reaching their full potential because the existing heating system continues to operate more than necessary. This report describes a measurement and verifications strategy for a research project that aims to maximize savings from supplemental …

Perchlorate Behavior In The Context Of Black Carbon And Metal Cogeneration Following Fireworks Emission At Oak Lake, Lincoln, Nebraska, Usa, Manish Kumar, Daniel D. Snow, Yusong Li, Patrick Shea

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

The imprints of fireworks displays on the adjacent water body were investigated from the perspective of cogeneration of black carbon, metals and perchlorate (ClO₄^–). In particular, the mixing and dissipation of ClO₄^– were studied at Oak Lake, Lincoln, Nebraska, following fireworks displays in 2015 and 2016. Following the display, ClO₄^– concentration in the water increased up to 4.3 μg/L and 4.0 μg/L in 2015 and 2016, respectively. A first-order model generally provided a good fit to the measured perchlorate concentrations from which the rate of dissipation was estimated as 0.07 d^–1 in …

Multi-Functional Electrospun Nanofibers From Polymer Blends For Scaffold Tissue Engineering, Samerender Nagam Hanumantharao, Smitha Rao

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Electrospinning and polymer blending have been the focus of research and the industry for their versatility, scalability, and potential applications across many different fields. In tissue engineering, nanofiber scaffolds composed of natural fibers, synthetic fibers, or a mixture of both have been reported. This review reports recent advances in polymer blended scaffolds for tissue engineering and the fabrication of functional scaffolds by electrospinning. A brief theory of electrospinning and the general setup as well as modifications used are presented. Polymer blends, including blends with natural polymers, synthetic polymers, mixture of natural and synthetic polymers, and nanofiller systems, are discussed in …

Personality And Technology: Big Five Personality Traits As Descriptors Of Universal Acceptance And Usage Of Technology Utaut., Shohar Bano, Ubaid Ullah Shah, Dr. Sabha Ali

Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal)

Presently, information professionals are progressively dependent on information and communication technologies to complete their everyday tasks. As, result dependence on PC frameworks, programming and data innovation-related technologies are increasing for better working and providing quality services. Therefore, to understand, analyze and evaluate the acceptance and use of this technology several models of technology acceptance and use have been formulated in information science literature. Using eight such models, Venkatesh, Morris, Davis and Davis proposed a unified model called the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology or (UTAUT) model. The UTAUT model has been studied and analyzed in various spheres …

Mass Evacuation Effects On Transportation: A Comparative Analysis, Emily M. Jannace

Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal

Mass evacuations have changed greatly in the past two decades. Evacuations such as Louisiana during Hurricane Katrina, Florida during Hurricane Irma, and New York during the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks, Hurricane Sandy, and Hurricane Irene have had significant impacts on future mass evacuations in terms of transportation. This paper takes these methods and analyzes the best approach in given situations based on volume capacity, impact, and cost to make recommendations that can be used by the three previously mention municipalities. With so many different techniques available, it is important to choose the one that moves the most people out of harm’s …

A Multi-Sensor Phenotyping System: Applications On Wheat Height Estimation And Soybean Trait Early Prediction, Wenan Yuan

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Phenotyping is an essential aspect for plant breeding research since it is the foundation of the plant selection process. Traditional plant phenotyping methods such as measuring and recording plant traits manually can be inefficient, laborious and prone to error. With the help of modern sensing technologies, high-throughput field phenotyping is becoming popular recently due to its ability of sensing various crop traits non-destructively with high efficiency. A multi-sensor phenotyping system equipped with red-green-blue (RGB) cameras, radiometers, ultrasonic sensors, spectrometers, a global positioning system (GPS) receiver, a pyranometer, a temperature and relative humidity probe and a light detection and ranging (LiDAR) …

Thermal Conduction Simulation Based On Reconstruction Digital Rocks With Respect To Fractures, Haiyuan Yang, Li Zhang, Ronghe Liu, Xianli Wen, Yongfei Yang, Roohollah Askari, Et. Al.

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Effective thermal conductivity (ETC), as a necessary parameter in the thermal properties of rock, is affected by the pore structure and the thermal conduction conditions. To evaluate the effect of fractures and saturated fluids on sandstone’s thermal conductivity, we simulated thermal conduction along three orthogonal (X, Y, and Z) directions under air- and water-saturated conditions on reconstructed digital rocks with different fractures. The results show that the temperature distribution is separated by the fracture. The significant difference between the thermal conductivities of solid and fluid is the primary factor influencing the temperature distribution, and the thermal conduction mainly depends on …

An Efficient Framework For The Stochastic Verification Of Computation And Communication Systems Using Emerging Technologies, Zhen Zhang

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

Prototyping A Conductive Polymer Steering Pad For Rail Freight Service, Anthony A. Villarreal, Constantine Tarawneh, Miguel Ontiveros, James Aranda, Robert Jones

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The AdapterPlus™ steering pad is a polymer component on a railcar that helps to reduce stresses on the axle as a railcar rounds a curve. One railway application requires a minimum of 240 mA to be passed through the steering pad to the rail, which activates air valves that control automated cargo gates. Currently, two copper studs are inserted into the pad to provide a conductive path. However, after continuous cyclic loading caused by normal service operation, the copper studs deform, wear, and eventually lose contact between the two surfaces rendering the pad nonconductive. One proposed solution to this problem …

The Statistics Of Directed Evolution: From Library Generation To High Throughput Screens, Keith Tyo

Biochemical and Molecular Engineering XXI

Directed evolution has been recognized as a powerful approach to creating enzymes and cells with desirable properties, such as growth on a new substrate, thermotolerance, or even novel reaction mechanisms. The directed evolution approach is to generate diversity through genetic mutations and screen the diversity for mutants that have improved properties compared to the parent. This diversification and screening can be repeated to generate mutants with superior properties.

While the concept is straightforward, the devil is in the details. How should I create diversity (error prone PCR, mutagenic primers, transposons…)? How much diversity do I need (10³, 10 …

K-Fit: Parameterizing Kinetic Models Of Metabolism Using Multiple Fluxomic Datasets, Costa Maranas

Biochemical and Molecular Engineering XXI

Kinetic models predict the metabolic flows by directly linking metabolite concentrations and enzyme levels to reaction fluxes. Robust parameterization of organism-level kinetic models that faithfully reproduce the effect of different genetic or environmental perturbations remains an open challenge due to the intractability of existing algorithms. This paper introduces K-FIT, an accelerated kinetic parameterization workflow that leverages a novel decomposition approach to identify steady-state fluxes in response to genetic perturbations followed by a gradient-based update of kinetic parameters until predictions simultaneously agree with the fluxomic data in all perturbed metabolic networks. The applicability of K-FIT to large-scale models is demonstrated by …

Observations Of Shear Stress Effects On Staphylococcus Aureus Biofilm Formation, Erica Sherman, Kenneth W. Bayles, Derek Moormeir, Jennifer Endres, Timothy Wei

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Staphylococcus aureus bacteria form biofilms and distinctive microcolony or “tower” structures that facilitate their ability to tolerate antibiotic treatment and to spread within the human body. The formation of microcolonies, which break off, get carried downstream, and serve to initiate biofilms in other parts of the body, is of particular interest here. It is known that flow conditions play a role in the development, dispersion, and propagation of biofilms in general. The influence of flow on microcolony formation and, ultimately, what factors lead to microcolony development are, however, not well understood. The hypothesis being examined is that microcolony structures form …

Stress Corrosion Cracking Resistance Of Cold-Sprayed Al 6061 Deposits Using A Newly Developed Test Fixture, Mala M. Sharma, Jeremy Schreiber, Timothy Eden, Victor Champagne

Faculty Journal Articles

The stress corrosion cracking (SCC) response of Al 6061 bulk deposits produced by high-pressure cold spray (HPCS) was investigated and compared to commercial wrought Al 6061-T6 material. Representative tensile coupons were stressed to 25%, 65% and 85% of their respective yield strength and exposed to ASTM B117 salt fog for 90 days. After exposure, the samples were mechanically tested to failure, and subsequently investigated for stress corrosion cracking via optical and scanning electron microscopy with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The results were compared to the wrought Al 6061-T6 properties and correlated with the observed microstructures. Wrought samples showed the initiation …

Keeping Humans In The Loop: Pooling Knowledge Through Artificial Swarm Intelligence To Improve Business Decision Making, Lynn E. Metcalf, David A. Askay, Louis B. Rosenberg

Industrial Technology and Packaging

This article explores how a collaboration technology called Artificial Swarm Intelligence (ASI) addresses the limitations associated with group decision making, amplifies the intelligence of human groups, and facilitates better business decisions. It demonstrates of how ASI has been used by businesses to harness the diverse perspectives that individual participants bring to groups and to facilitate convergence upon decisions. It advances the understanding of how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to enhance, rather than replace, teams as they collaborate to make business decisions.

Data Sheet For Vane Shear Testing In Soil-Bentonite Cutoff Wall, Jeffrey C. Evans

NSF Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall Datasets

This data sheet shows the measurements taken from vane shear tests in a soil-bentonite slurry trench cutoff wall. The vane obtained for the test was built in accordance to the ASTM standards of designation 2573. Due to the softness of the clay, to ensure the feasibility of acceptable torque resolution, the vane’s diameter, shaft diameter, and vane height at 100 mm, 16.5 mm, and 250 mm respectively were the largest acceptable sizes to use from the abovementioned standards.

A Novel Technique To Characterize The Surface Hydrophobicity Of Proteins Using Inverse Liquid Chromatography, Dilip Sethi, Sarah Hedberg, Daryl Williams

Biological and Pharmaceutical Complex Fluids III: Protein Self-Assembly, Rheology and Interfacial Properties

This work presents a novel technique to characterize the surface hydrophobicity and other surface properties of proteins. The surface properties of industrial and therapeutic proteins are key to understanding their behavior in-situ, in the laboratory and in processes. Protein surface hydrophobicity is a marker for three dimensional structure, stability and function. Inverse Liquid Chromatography of Proteins (ILCP) with small molecule hydrophobic probes can be used to obtain direct measurements of the surface hydrophobicity of column resin-bound proteins using changes in probe retention behavior. The dimensionless hydrophobicity factor (H_f) for Lysozyme and BSA was obtained with changing pH …

Biophysical Characterization Approaches To Aid The Selection Of Protein Formulations By Predicting Their Physical Stability During Long-Term Storage, Hristo Svilenov, Gerhard Winter

Biological and Pharmaceutical Complex Fluids III: Protein Self-Assembly, Rheology and Interfacial Properties

The formulation of therapeutic proteins is a critical process which aims at finding the most suitable conditions that impede protein degradation during long-term storage. One degradation path of high interest is the non-native aggregation¹. The latter can be greatly suppressed by the selection of suitable solution conditions². Over the years, various biophysical techniques have been explored as tools to quickly select the most promising formulations for long-term storage.

In this talk, we share the experience in our lab how some of these techniques can be integrated into protein formulation studies. We discuss the application of differential …

Data Sheet For Marchetti Dilatometer In Soil-Bentonite Cutoff Wall, Jeffrey C. Evans

NSF Soil-Bentonite Slurry Trench Cutoff Wall Datasets

This data sheet shows the measurements taken using a Marchetti dilatometer in a soil-bentonite slurry trench cutoff wall for the purpose of finding the in situ lateral stresses. There are several data sets within the data sheet. Each set is labelled with the time, date, and location along the cutoff wall. The transverse orientation is perpendicular to the wall alignment and the longitudinal orientation is parallel to the wall alignment.

Conference Program, Samiul Amin, Saad Khan, Srinivasa Raghavan

Colloidal, Macromolecular and Biological Gels II

No abstract provided.

Expanding Instream Flows To Protect Ecosystems In Overallocated River Basins, Belize Lane, David E. Rosenberg

All In-stream Flows Material

Utahns are expressing a rapidly growing interest in protecting and enhancing instream flows for outdoor recreation and environmental benefits (Endter-Wada et al. 2015). However, many Utah rivers are already over-allocated for agricultural, municipal, hydropower and other water uses, making it difficult to procure additional water for instream flows. ‘Use it or lose it’ western water law and mentality encourages Utahns to use water rather than return it to rivers and ecosystems.

Application Of Cation Exchange And Nanofiltration To Treat Flue Gas Desulfurization Wastewater, Ayush R. Shahi

Civil Engineering ETDs

Application of Cation Exchange and Nanofiltration to Treat Flue Gas Desulfurization Wastewater

Ayush Raj Shahi

Bachelor’s in engineering in Civil Engineering

Master of Science in Civil Engineering

ABSTRACT

Flue gas emitted from coal-fired power plants is one of the major sources of sulfur and nitrogen oxides emissions to the atmosphere. Flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) is a pollution prevention method that is employed to meet regulatory requirements using scrubbers.

FGD wastewater contains high concentrations of dissolved salts which limit options for recycling and reuse. This thesis focused on treating FGD wastewater with a combination of ion exchange (IX), precipitation, and nanofiltration (NF) …

Biologicalisation: A Nature-Based Digital Manufacturing Revolution, William Whitford

Biochemical and Molecular Engineering XXI

Industry 4.0 is changing our manufacturing concepts [1]. Biologicalisation is the use of 4.0 principals in concert with biological and bio-inspired materials, chemistries and functions to support an efficient and sustainable manufacturing schema. From product design, to development and manufacturing, biomimetic product designs and bio-integrated manufacturing systems describe this biological transformation of manufacturing [2].

Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract.

Advanced Technologies And Computational Modeling In Continuous Bioprocessing Heather Brooke, Pall Corporation, Usa, Heather Brooke, Edita Botonjic-Sehic

Biochemical and Molecular Engineering XXI

Biotech companies have been emphasizing the implementation and utilization of process analytical technology (PAT) and chemometrics in biomanufacturing. Advanced technologies and computation modeling have contributed significantly in making this capability come to life. Although there are still gaps in the area of advanced analytics for the process, computation modeling has started to contribute towards process characterization, which will lead to real-time process control. PAT and modeling infrastructure can be utilized in integrated continuous bioprocessing to gain better process understating, reduce production cycle time, improve yield, advance efficiency by converting from a batch process into a continuous process, and reduce cost …

Aggregation Challenges In The Formulation Development Of Multi-Dose Peptide Products, Jingtao Zhang, Katelyn Smith, Wei Xu, Yongchao Su, Suzanne D’Addio, Yogita Krishnamachari, Jameson Bothe, Daniel Yin, Xinpei Mao

Biological and Pharmaceutical Complex Fluids III: Protein Self-Assembly, Rheology and Interfacial Properties

The formulation development of parenteral peptide therapeutics frequently encounters aggregation challenges. In-depth biophysical understanding of the molecule and formulation are required to achieve formulation robustness. Further, unique considerations need to be given for peptide products that require multi-dose as the use of preservatives can promote aggregation while preservative effectiveness can also be impacted by its interaction with the peptide. This presentation will focus on the reversible and irreversible fibril aggregates in peptide formulations. Biophysical characterization of aggregation and formulation will be discussed in detail. Formation of reversible aggregates and the impact of excipients especially preservatives will be discussed. For the …

Distinct Patterns Of Default Mode And Executive Control Network Circuitry Contribute To Present And Future Executive Function In Older Adults, Christopher A. Brown, Frederick A. Schmitt, Charles D. Smith, Brian T. Gold

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

Executive function (EF) performance in older adults has been linked with functional and structural profiles within the executive control network (ECN) and default mode network (DMN), white matter hyperintensities (WMH) burden and levels of Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology. Here, we simultaneously explored the unique contributions of these factors to baseline and longitudinal EF performance in older adults. Thirty-two cognitively normal (CN) older adults underwent neuropsychological testing at baseline and annually for three years. Neuroimaging and AD pathology measures were collected at baseline. Separate linear regression models were used to determine which of these variables predicted composite EF scores at baseline …

Thermal Response In A Field Oriented Controlled Three-Phase Induction Motor, Niyem Mawenbe Bawana

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The research conducted at the department of Electrical Engineering of the University of South Florida campus in Tampa only covers the electrical aspect of electric drives. However, the performance of electric machinery is significantly impacted by temperature variation. The

literature review shows three main control techniques in use today in electric drives namely, Scalar control, Direct Torque control and Field Oriented control.

This thesis presents a temperature rise of rotor bars, stator winding, stator core and stator frame in a running three phase field-oriented controlled induction machine. A literature search shows that none of research has been carried out to …

Experimental Investigation Of Steady-State And Transient Flow Boiling Critical Heat Flux, Soon Kyu Lee

Nuclear Engineering ETDs

The Critical Heat Flux (CHF) causes a rapid reduction of heat transfer coefficient with a rapid increase of cladding temperature, which may induce physical failure of the heated material. Understanding CHF phenomena and reliable prediction of the boiling behavior are needed to design a heat transfer system including nuclear reactors. Due to the complex nature of CHF, it is still an active research topic of interest. With an increasing interest in Accident Tolerant Fuel (ATF), CHF of ATF is essential topic of study for the detailed design of the fuel – cladding element and for the reactor safety analysis.

In …