Engineering Commons^™

Sidesense: Robust Physiological Motion Detection Via Mmwave Joint Communication And Sensing Systems With Multiple Beams, Mohammed Shadman Ishrak, Jannatun Noor Sameera, Alvin Yang, Yanjun Pan, Yao Zheng, Olga Boric-Lubecke, Victor M. Lubecke

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

A 28-GHz multibeam joint communication and sensing system called SideSense is presented, in which a line-of-sight (LoS) beam is used to maintain reliable communication, while other sensing beams are used to enhance physiological motion detection. SideSense decodes the motion frequency and shape from the channel state information (CSI) by first tuning the gain ratio and phase differences between the LoS communication beam and non-LoS (NLoS) beam to maximize the sensing signal-to-noise ratio (SSNR) without significantly degrading the communication channel capacity (CCC). Analytical results based on a bistatic model are presented to show a gain ratio of around 1 and a …

Enhancing Power System Operation: Hydrogen, Dc Transmission Systems, And Robust Optimization, Anping Zhou

Electrical Engineering Theses and Dissertations

The increasing penetration of renewable energy sources (RESs) has brought considerable economic and environmental benefits to power system operations. However, it also introduces several critical challenges that should be addressed to ensure system reliability and efficiency. First, from the generation side, energy curtailment remains a persistent issue due to the random and intermittent nature of RESs. Second, from the transmission side, delivering power from remote RESs (e.g., offshore wind farms) requires substantial infrastructure investment and careful planning. Third, from the operation side, the inherent uncertainty and variability of RES generation create operational difficulties that necessitate advanced mathematical optimization tools for …

Syntax-Enhanced Boundary-Aware Named Entity Recognition Model, Chuanming Yu, Bin Deng, Zhengang Zhang

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] This study addresses the issue of inadequate perception of entity boundaries in traditional character-level modeling-based named entity recognition models by integrating syntax information containing entity boundary features into the task using a multi-head graph attention network with dense connections. This integration enhances the effectiveness of named entity recognition.

[Method/process] This study proposes a Syntax-enhanced Boundary-aware Named Entity Recognition Model (SynBNER), which utilizes BERT for text semantic representation and integrates syntax information using a dense-connected graph attention network. This integration incorporates implicit entity boundary information from syntax information into word representations, thereby enhancing the model's entity boundary perception capability.

[Result/conclusion] …

Research On Technology Opportunity Identification By Integrating Technology Attribute Analysis And Competitive Environment Scanning —— A Case Study Of Industrial Robots, Daobin Gao

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] Placing technology opportunity identification in the perspective of technology attribute analysis and competitive environment scanning provides intelligence support for enterprises to select technology opportunities and formulate technology competitive strategies in complex and changing market competition environments.

[Method/process] Using patents as the data source, first, the BERTopic model is used to explore potential technical topics, Secondly, starting from the technical attributes, and from both global and local perspectives, we propose indicators of technical importance and technical attention, and use their cross screening to select candidate sets of technical opportunities, Finally, a market competition intensity index that takes into account market …

Differential Privacy Enabled Deep Skin Image Classification Model Development, Prasun Kumar Mandal

Master’s Dissertations

Abstract In the era of big data, the explosive growth in data volume has significantly accelerated the development of deep learning. Deep learning is the most promising area of AI, yielding significant advancements in medical image classification. However, healthcare data contains important sensitive information and so privacy and security are crucial to preventing unauthorized access. Note that there are several data protection rules from multiple regulations to penalize any kind of data security violation, for example, the data protection principles (Article 5.1-2) and the data protection by design and by default (Article 25) of the General Data Protection Regulation from …

Eco-Friendly Additives For Biodegradable Polyesters: Recent Progress In Performance Optimization And Environmental Impact Reduction, Ahmad Fayyazbakhsh, Nima Hajinajaf, Hamed Bakhtiari, Michael Feuchter, Ilaria Improta, Ehsan Salehi, Sara Kamal Shahsavar, Marketa Julinova, Amirehsan Ghasemi, Bita Ghasemi, Reza Afsharnia, Marek Koutný, Young Cheol Chang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Biodegradable polymers have emerged as principal alternatives to petroleum-based polymers, which exert a detrimental impact on the environment. Among these, biodegradable polyesters stand out as particularly noteworthy, renowned for their exceptional properties that find application across diverse industries, including food packaging, biomedical devices, and agriculture. This comprehensive analysis delves into the impact of various additives, with a focus on eco-friendly ones, on biodegradable polyesters, as evidenced by recent research endeavors. The additives are systematically categorized to provide a nuanced understanding within distinct industrial contexts. In the exploration of these additives, a meticulous classification is employed, ensuring a focused analysis of …

Performance Of Interrupted Minichannel Heat Sink Using Various Coolant Fluids, Ernie Mat Tokit, Mohd Zamri Yusoff, Hussein A. Mohammed

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The advancement in the micro electro mechanical system, MEMS, had been utilized for several years before. This embarked on the compact and high density of power generation for tiny devices. This led to the development of a heat dissipating system for high-power-density devices. Hence, the work intends to simulate the fluid flow performance of interrupted minichannel heat sinks due to the redeveloping and interrupting of the boundary layer merging in previous work that augments the heat dissipation. The study is conducted through numerical work of laminar steady flow, by governing the Navier-Stokes and energy equation. Three interrupted minichannel heat sinks …

A Comparative Study Of The Pullout Strength Of Geostraps And Geogrids In Reinforced Soil, Kshitij Gaur, Ashutosh Trivedi, Sanjay Kumar Shukla

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The sustainable development of geotechnical infrastructure necessitates using durable, efficient, and environmentally resilient reinforcement materials. This study investigates the pullout performance of geostraps to assess their potential as a sustainable alternative to conventional geosynthetics. This study focuses on the pullout performance of geostraps, flexible, polymeric reinforcement materials. There has not been a thorough study of their pullout resistance, which directly affects the stability and durability of reinforced soil structures. Pullout tests were conducted on sandy soil in a controlled environment. The experimental findings from the pullout test were then validated in a numerical model. The model was used to determine …

A Study On The Multifunctional Properties And Application Perspectives Of Zno/Sic Composite Materials, Mohammad Nur-E-Alam

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

ZnO/SiC nanocomposite materials possess significant potential for various technological fields due to their extraordinary optical, electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties. The synthesis methods, material properties, and diverse applications of ZnO/SiC composites have been systematically explored in this study. The potential application areas of this nanocomposite include their roles in photocatalysis, optoelectronic devices, gas sensors, and photovoltaic systems. The synergetic effects of ZnO and SiC are analyzed to highlight their advantages over their individual components. Future research directions must focus on the remaining challenges to optimize these nanoscale composite materials for industrial and emerging applications.

Decentralised Consensus Control Of Hybrid Synchronous Condenser And Grid-Forming Inverter Systems In Renewable-Dominated Low-Inertia Grids, Hamid Soleimani, Asma Aziz, S. M.Muslem Uddin, Mehrdad Ghahramani, Daryoush Habibi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The increasing penetration of renewable energy sources (RESs) has significantly altered the operational characteristics of modern power systems, resulting in reduced system inertia and fault current capacity. These developments introduce new challenges for maintaining frequency and voltage stability, particularly in low-inertia grids that are dominated by inverter-based resources (IBRs). This paper presents a hierarchical control framework that integrates synchronous condensers (SCs) and grid-forming (GFM) inverters through a leader–follower consensus control architecture to address these issues. In this approach, selected GFMs act as leaders to restore nominal voltage and frequency, while follower GFMs and SCs collaboratively share active and reactive power. …

Incorporating Waste Plastics Into Pavement Materials: A Review Of Opportunities, Risks, Environmental Implications, And Monitoring Strategies, Ali Ghodrati, Nuha S. Mashaan, Themelina Paraskeva

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The integration of waste plastics into pavement materials offers a dual benefit of enhancing road performance and mitigating the environmental burden of plastic waste. This review critically examines the opportunities and challenges associated with incorporating waste plastics in pavement construction, with an emphasis on their impact on the mechanical properties, durability, and life cycle performance of pavements. Special attention is given to the environmental implications, particularly the potential generation and release of micro- and nano-plastics during the pavement life cycle. This paper further evaluates current monitoring and analytical methodologies for detecting plastic emissions from road surfaces and explores emerging approaches …

Distinctive Transpassivation Behavior And Characteristics Of Passive Films Of Laser Powder Bed Fusion Produced And Annealed Ti–6al–4v In Hank's Solution, Yi Fan Zhang, Liang Yu Chen, Ze Xin Wang, Hong Yu Yang, Maksym Bobrov, Dobuvyy Oleksandr, Yong Liu, Lai Chang Zhang

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Passivated Ti alloys typically demonstrate enhanced corrosion resistance due to the formation of passive films. Intriguingly, in comparison to the annealed Ti–6Al–4V, laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) produced Ti–6Al–4V exhibits significantly attenuated transpassivation behavior in Hank's solution. This work investigated the electrochemical responses of both samples before and after the transpassivation region to illustrate the underlying mechanism for the phenomenon. In the passivation region, both samples displayed analogous passivation behavior, with the annealed and LPBF-produced Ti–6Al–4V having the current densities of 6.64 × 10⁻⁶ and 8.14 × 10⁻⁶ A cm⁻² at 1 V, respectively. Between 1.5 V …

Retraction: A Database Of Teleseismic Shear-Wave Splitting Measurements For The Ordos Block And Adjacent Areas(Seismological Research Letters (2022), 93, 5, (2731–2739), 10.1785/0220210310), Lin Liu, Stephen S. Gao, Kelly H. Liu, Tu Xue, Yan Jia, Sanzhong Li

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An earlier version of this article (Liu et al., 2022) included private data from the Himalayan-III program which should not have been made public. The authors acknowledge and regret their negligence during the selection of the measurements. The impacted data represent only 2.7% of the total data published in this article, and after review, the authors and the editors agree that this unintentional error has no bearing on the work's scientific conclusions. Therefore, we are retracting the impacted data and have made corrections to remove any Himalayan-III program data from the article's text, figures, and supplemental tables.

Investigating The Thixotropy Of Fresh Struvite Cement-Based Composite: Insights On Mechanisms Of The Pastes’ Thixotropic Behavior, Ugochukwu Ewuzie, Abdulkareem O. Yusuf, Damilola Daramola, Monday Uchenna Okoronkwo

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Struvite (ST) recovered during wastewater treatment has been sparsely applied in cement-based composites. This study systematically evaluated the thixotropic behavior of cement-struvite (CST) pastes, a mix of 5–20 % ST by mass of cement, and proposed the interaction mechanisms leading to the pastes' thixotropy. The hysteresis loop area was used to establish the pastes' thixotropy and investigate its relationship with increased ST content, temperature, and yield stress. In the thixotropic behavior model used, the equilibrium shear stress was employed to examine the CST pastes' irreversible change; the characteristic time of deflocculation was used to study the flocs destruction process; and …

Gallium-Containing Bioactive Glasses: Their Influence On Ion Release And The Bioactivity Of Resulting Glass Polyalkenoate Cements, Lana Margaret Placek, Danielle Lee Perry, Mark Robert Towler, Anthony William Wren

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A series of glasses (0.48SiO2 − [0.40-x]ZnO − 0.12CaO-xGa2O3, x = 0, 0.8, 0.16) was developed to formulate a series of Ga-containing glass polyalkenoate cements (GPCs). The solubility of GPCs was tested using DI water, and it was found that the sample containing the highest mol% of Ga, LGa-2, had the most Ga ion release. The GPCs were incubated in SBF, and SEM/EDS analysis revealed that the at% of P increased, while the at% of Si decreased, highlighting the CaP precipitation on the GPC surface. The at% of Ga also decreased, reinforcing the Ga release from the GPC. Cellular testing …

Performance Characterization And Mechanistic Study Of Dry Process Wr/Sbs Composite Modified Asphalt Mixture, Hongfu Liu, Xiangyang Ren, Wenwen Ge, Zhengwei Yi, Dongzhao Jin, Xinghai Peng, Songtao Lv

Michigan Tech Publications

The dry process modification is characterized by simplicity, flexibility, low energy consumption, and low pollution, making it an ideal choice in pavement repair engineering. This study aims to optimize the use of waste rubber powder and SBS modifiers in dry process composite modification by preparing dry process WR/SBS composite modified particles (WR/SBS CMP) using a twin-screw extruder. The optimum mixing content of modified particles was determined through comparative analysis of pavement performance of dry process WR/SBS composite modified, wet-process SBS-modified, and matrix asphalt mixtures. The rheological properties and modification mechanism of the asphalt binder extracted from these mixtures were tested …

Conservation Management Effects On Soil And Agronomic Properties In A Furrow-Irrigated Corn System In East-Central Arkansas, Jeferson P. Pimentel, Christopher G. Henry, Kris R. Brye, Benjamin R. Runkle, Amanda J. Ashworth, Edgar Mersiovsky, Kevin C. Thompson

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Cover crops can improve soil physical properties and help to sustain agricultural crop yields. A 6-year study conducted from 2017 to 2022 examined the effects of conservation soil management practices in a furrow-irrigated continuous corn (Zea mays L.) system on a silt-loam soil (Typic Albaqualf) in the Lower Mississippi River Delta region of eastern Arkansas. This study compared the effects of conventional tillage (CT), no-tillage (NT), and no-tillage with cover crops (CC) in selected soil physical and chemical properties (i.e., soil bulk density (D b), porosity (& fnof;t), field capacity (Theta FC), Permanent wilting point (Theta PWP), Plant available water …

Jme 4110: Remotely Actuated Rail Switch, Calysta Yalew, Chibale Anwisye, Ron Almira, Andy Sengsavang

Washington University / UMSL Mechanical Engineering Design Project JME 4110

This project focuses on developing a device that will switch the direction of rail by moving the manual rail switch itself. This design consists of two winches strategically placed on either side of the rail switch. It is then attached to a beam clamped to the manual switch and via a button on a phone, can pull the handle left and right. With this device patrons are able to keep safe and railway operations would be more efficient.

Seconds From Impact: Anticipatory Vehicular Crash Prediction Using Video Vision Transormers, Ryan P. Geisen

Master's Theses

Vehicular collisions represent a significant public health concern, necessitating re search into advanced emergency notification systems. While deep learning has shown promise in accident detection, a research gap persists in applying state-of-the-art transformer architectures to the task of anticipatory, real-time crash prediction from video. This thesis addresses this gap by developing and evaluating a Video Vision Transformer (ViViT) for the binary classification of imminent vehicular collisions. Utilizing a curated dataset of 1,493 unique collision sequences, this study systemati cally investigates the impact of temporal context by comparing the ViViT against a single-frame Vision Transformer (ViT) baseline and conducting comprehensive exper …

Balancing Infrastructure Demands: Analysis Of Materials Pricing And Supply, Bethany Paris, Ying Li, Steve Waddle, Bryan Gibson

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) lets around 700 contracts year valued at over $1 billion. One of KYTC’s foremost goals is to deliver projects on time and on budget. However, over the past five years achieving these twin goals has grown in difficulty due to material shortages, widespread inflation, supply chain disruptions, and the tight labor market triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although material shortages have abated and supply chain disruptions have eased, instability is seemingly a permanent feature of the national and global economies. As such, Cabinet decision makers need reliable tools that can be used to understand historical …

Towards Efficient Privacy-Preserving Deep Learning: He-Friendly Structures, Flexible Pruning, He-Efficient Architectures, And Secure Transformer Token Drop, Yifei Cai

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Deep learning (DL) has become a powerful tool for solving complex problems, but developing DL models typically requires vast datasets, high computational resources, and expert knowledge—barriers that limit accessibility. Machine Learning as a Service (MLaaS) addresses this challenge by allowing resource-rich providers to deliver pre-trained DL models as services. However, privacy concerns arise: clients hesitate to share sensitive data, while providers protect their proprietary models. To address this, privacy-preserving MLaaS integrates cryptographic techniques into DL computations, as seen in frameworks like Cryptonets, SecureML, GAZELLE, CrypTFlow2, Cheetah, and BOLT. Among them, Homomorphic Encryption (HE) enables computation on encrypted data but remains …

Vertical Hydrokinetic Turbine, Miki Harding, Ben E. Mertz

Rose-Hulman Undergraduate Research Publications

No abstract provided.

Enhanced Pavement Project Prioritization, Bryan Gibson, Jon Wilcoxson, Gayle Marks

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) is responsible for inspecting, maintaining, and improving 27,000 centerline miles of pavement. Given the vastness of the state’s transportation network, KYTC needs a robust method for prioritizing pavement preservation projects. The Cabinet has relied on pavement condition ratings, data collected using Laser Crack Measurement Systems, and input from district-level staff to prioritize these types of projects. But this approach overlooks information that should be considered, such as factors related to safety, mobility, and geographic context. To resolve these shortcomings, Kentucky Transportation Center (KTC) researchers worked with KYTC subject-matter experts to develop the Enhanced Pavement Prioritization …

Data-Driven Prediction Of Binder Rheological Performance In Rap/Ras-Containing Asphalt Mixtures, Eslam Deef-Allah, Magdy Abdelrahman

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Asphalt recycling technologies have advanced considerably over the last few decades with the utilization of reclaimed asphalt pavements (RAP) and recycled asphalt shingles (RAS). Characterizing aged and heterogeneous binders in these mixtures is challenging, particularly with limited extracted binders. This study suggests a data-driven framework that considers the rheological, chemical, and thermal characteristics to predict the binders' performance. Ninety-seven mixtures with 0–35% of the asphalt binder replaced with RAP/RAS binders were included as cores from the field, plant-produced mixtures, and laboratory-fabricated mixtures. The binders were chemically quantified using aging, aromatic, and aliphatic indices. Thermal analyses of the binders involved the …

Towards Accountability: A Primer On The Space Debris Problem And An Overview Of The Legal Issues Surrounding It, William Schonberg

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Since 1957, the near-Earth population of trackable space objects has grown in number to over 36,000. Of these 36,000+ trackable objects now in low Earth orbit, just a few thousand are working spacecraft. The rest are Earth-orbiting objects which are no longer operational and are considered to be space junk. Because this junk can no longer receive maneuvering commands from its Earth-based owners, the survivability of other spacecraft traveling through or operating in Earth orbit can be jeopardized by the impacts of any number of pieces of this space junk, whose origins can usually be traced back to defunct satellites. …

Introducing Hyflex Teaching Into Foundation Design, Juan Pablo Osorio

Case studies: Digital Education

Foundation Engineering is a postgraduate module in the ME in Civil Engineering, which covers the theoretical and practical aspects of the foundation design of structures, using lectures and tutorials as teaching methods. The module has 24 hours of direct contact with the lecturer and 76 hours of self-directed learning. This is a semester 2 module that follows Applied Geotechnical Engineering, which is delivered in semester 1 but is not a prerequisite. Both modules are optional in the programme; however, most students interested in the subject matter take both modules. The mode of delivery for both modules is usually online. For …

Introducing Hyflex Teaching In Geotechnical Engineering, Juan Pablo Osorio

Case studies: Digital Education

Geotechnical Engineering 2 is a third-year technical module in the BE in Civil Engineering and the BE in Structural Engineering, and it covers the theoretical and practical aspects of the retaining wall stability, foundation design and compressibility of soils. The two classes are merged together for it. It uses lectures, laboratories and tutorials as teaching methods. The module has 36 hours of direct contact and 64 hours of self-directed learning. It is a semester 2 core module that follows Geotechnical Engineering 1. The mode of delivery for both modules is in-person lectures at the lecture hall, with three laboratory practices …

Ai Tools In Natural Resources And Environmental Systems For The Classroom, Research, Extension And Industry, Derek M. Heeren, C. T. Agouridis, Debabrata Sahoo, Isaya Kisekka, Trisha L. Moore

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Presentations and White Papers

This white paper synthesizes a series of panel insights on AI adoption across education, Extension, research and industry contexts within natural resources and environmental systems. It emphasizes that while advanced machine learning and generative AI introduce structural shifts in autonomy, scale, and cognitive augmentation, their value lies in augmenting, not replacing, human expertise. Applied tool examples include decision‑support systems for rural water operators, HAB‑diagnosis apps integrating image classification and natural‑language guidance, an irrigation educational chatbot tailored to user background, and sensor‑driven orchard AI for light interception estimation and data gap filling. A recurring design imperative involves co‑development with end users, …

Stabilizing Embankments Using Geosynthetic Reinforcement, Daryl Greer, Charlie Sun

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Reinforced soil slopes (RSSs) can be a feasible solution for embankments where there exist right of way re-strictions, environmental issues, rolling or mountainous topography, unfavorable geology, and other limiting fac-tors. They can be an alternative to retaining walls or importing select fills to construct steeper, stable embankment slopes where flatter embankment slopes may result in unwanted impacts, costs, and maintenance issues. Thisreport discusses the advantages and limitations of using geosynthetic reinforcement to construct RSSs. Researchers investigated current design, specification, and construction practices to determine which practices can be adopted by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC). Specifications were developed for using …

Data-Driven Methods For Signal Analysis And Nonlinear System Identification, Cristian Felipe López Ruano

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In recent years, data-driven modeling has gained considerable attention in nonlinear system identification, offering a powerful alternative to traditional physics-based methods. This has been possible by advances in machine learning, sparse regression, and differential equations in a weak form, which allow the accurate capture of complex nonlinear dynamics, even when the measurements are in strong background noise. Moreover, integrating these models with physical knowledge further enhances their reliability and interpretability, making them suitable for a wide range of science and engineering applications.

In this dissertation, we investigate algorithms for data-driven nonlinear system identification to obtain ordinary differential equations that govern …