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Ultrasonic Acoustic Levitation for Analysis of Evaporating Condensed Phase Fuel Droplets
Angelo Panettieri
2024 -
Printed Circuit Board Design and Integration in Z-pinch Pulsed Fusion Propulsion
Margaret Roberts
2024 -
Generation and Curation of a Reference Sequence Database for Groundwater Organisms
Ashlyn Wandstrat
2024 -
Host-based CD-ROM Data Recovery
Danial Ahari
The compact disc, an optical disc storage medium that has been in day-to-day use since at least the mid-1980s, is typically very resistant to damage and corruption via its use of error correcting codes. However, in the case of severely damaged or degraded discs, its robust on-disc systems for detecting and correcting errors can reach the limits of their usefulness. This study considers these error correcting codes and examines (1) the error correcting ability of these algorithms as they are typically utilized (i.e., as a built-in feature of the optical drive) and (2) the error correcting ability of these algorithms when they are bypassed within the drive and instead performed on the host computer. To compare these approaches, two disc images were produced, with one disc image produced by allowing the optical drive to perform error correction itself and the second disc image produced by bypassing the drive's error correction capabilities and performing error correction (as described in ECMA-130) on the host computer. These disc images were then compared using a front end built on top of an open source host-based system for analyzing the error detection and correction codes in a disc image. Using this system, the number of errors found in the two types of images were directly compared. The results of this comparison are mixed, but they do show likely promise for future research on the topic.
2023 -
Fracture and Deformation of Materials Under Extreme Conditions
Andrew Baumgardner
The shear strength of anisotropic materials under high rate loading is a difficult property to measure. The goal of this project was to use finite element analysis and experimental testing to design a new high rate shear test method for fiber-reinforced composites (FRCs). A better understanding of deformation of FRCs at high rate can improve the crashworthiness and resilience of aerospace structures and automobiles. This project involved iterating designs of a fixture to be used in a tension scenario in a load frame and in a Split-Hopkinson Bar to subject an FRC specimen to as pure shear as possible. This process involved simulation to verify the concept followed by machining iteration and testing. Digital Image Correlation systems were used to analyze the deformation and corroborated by physical measurements from the test hardware. Future use of this fixture and test approach can be used to improve simulation models of fiber-reinforced composites.
2023 -
Microfluidic Synthesis of Liposomes for Antigen Presentation in Cell Culture
Anna Bell
Liposomes are vesicles composed of phospholipids forming a spherical bilayer in an aqueous environment. Liposome membranes are flexible, which makes them a great platform to mimic the physiological plasma membranes of immune cells. While there are many alternative methods to synthesize liposomes, the recent progress in using microfluidics for the synthesis of liposomes enabled better control over the parameters that affect the resulting liposome properties, such as size and polydispersity (PDI). Here we investigated how the two main parameters, the total flow rate (TFR) and the flow rate ratio (FRR), affect the formation of liposomes in two different microfluidic chip designs. Results demonstrated that at a low FRR range (below 15), FRR had an inverse relationship with Z-average. However, as the FRR increased over 15, the Z-average also increased. We also observed that there is a threshold in FRR above which the hydrodynamic focusing is no longer stable, causing uneven mixing of the lipid components and PBS. The PDI increased as FRR increased, regardless of the two tested flow rates or chip designs. These results suggest that maintaining a lower FRR would be most beneficial to synthesize liposomes with uniform sizes below 200 nm in Z-average, which would work best as a model platform to present antigens to immune cells in cell culture.
2023 -
Deep Dive Into Animation: Creating an Original Animated Short
Aislinn Boggan
The goal of this project is to create an original animated short film and tell an action-packed, atmospheric, and simple original story through the medium of animation. Inspired by both my love for mermaid stories and the mysteries of the deep ocean, the film, which I titled “Thalassophobia” follows the adventures of a mermaid character and her struggles with loneliness, connection, and fear of the unknown set in a mysterious fantasy version of the deep ocean. Developed primarily using 2D animation, digital illustration, video editing software, and other tools provided by the fine arts department in Wilson Hall, the film was developed from an original story and script to storyboard, rough animation, and fully colored final film using original backgrounds and characters.
2023 -
Achieving Voxel Rendering Effects using World-Class CPUs
Ian Bohanan
“Marching Cubes” is a technique to find the surface of a digital object. However, it is slow because it visits each point in the object one by one. We reduced the problem by combining the Marching Cubes technique with Agner Fog’s Vector Class Library to exploit advanced vector processing capabilities of the CPU to calculate the surface of multiple cubes at once.
2023 -
Diet-Mediated Heart Disease Risk via the Gut Microbiome
Emily Bolton
Background: Recent advances in microbiome research suggest the gut microbiome has a role to play in the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). Though the American Heart Association (AHA) has broad dietary recommendations to prevent CAD, the role of the gut microbiome is not considered. The aim of this study is to examine existing literature on the role of probiotics (fermented dairy), prebiotics (high-fiber foods), and processed foods (NOVA groups 3 and 4) on markers of atherosclerosis via the gut microbiome. Methods: A search was conducted for human intervention studies using PubMed, CINAHL, and Embase. Twenty-two articles met eligibility and were included in this review. Results: Probiotic ingestion decreased low-density lipoprotein and total cholesterol and increased short chain fatty acid (SCFA) production, especially butyrate. Prebiotic ingestion had no effect on inflammatory markers, and effects on SCFAs and blood lipids were variable. The best outcomes were seen with almonds, walnuts, whole apples, resistant starch, and multi-fiber bread. Processed foods tended to exhibit pro-inflammatory, pro-cholesterol, and anti-SCFA effects, especially when fiber was artificially removed. Non-nutritive sweeteners did not alter any markers, while refined grains increased CRP, Il-6, and IL-1β. Some even recorded a decrease in SCFAs and an increase in blood lipids from baseline. No trial was powered to detect significance at the metagenomic level, but trends between bacterial species and SCFAs, CRP, Il-6, and blood lipids were seen throughout the literature. Conclusion: Findings suggest that probiotic, prebiotic, and processed foods may play an important role in the development of CAD via the gut microbiome. Interindividual variation across the prebiotic literature suggests that AHA guidelines on fiber may be overstated, and diet education for CAD prevention may benefit from the inclusion of a microbiome context. Further research is needed to examine the relationship between microbiota and atherogenesis in human subjects.
2023 -
MAPK Activation in Pancreatic Ductal Cells Expressing Wild-type CFTR
Kaitlin Bryce
Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a lung disease caused by a genetic mutation in the human gene cystic fibrosis transmembrane-conductance regulator (CFTR), and those affected by CF are often also affected by CF related diabetes. The goal of this project was to investigate mitogen activated protein kinases (MAPKs) activation in human pancreatic duct epithelial (H6C7) cells in response to epidermal growth factor (EGF) stimulation. H6C7 cells were grown in media supplemented with EGF and bovine pituitary extract. Cells were incubated with 25 ng/ml human EGF for the times 0, 5 and 20 minutes. Cell extracts were analyzed by western blotting using CFTR, phospho-p38 MAPK, and phospho-ERK1/2 antibodies. The western blots were quantified using Image Lab software and the data was statistically analyzed using Graphpad Prism 9. The results showed that H6C7 cells expressed a nonsignificant decrease in CFTR activation following stimulation. There was a significant increase in phospho-p38 MAPK activation, which peaked at 20 minutes. The results also showed phospho-ERK1/2 activation was rapid following EGF stimulation, however, it dramatically reduced after 20 minutes and was not statistically significant. The significance of the p38 MAPK results may prove useful in further research, however more research is needed to fully investigate the effect of EGF stimulation on CFTR expression and MAPK activation in H6C7 cells.
2023 -
Calibrated Thrust Measurement for Rotating Detonation Engines
McClellan Buckhalter
Propulsion Research Center: APECSLab The Propulsion Research Center (JRC) at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) houses state-of-the-art laboratories that includes a propulsion test stand, vacuum chamber facility, electric propulsion laboratory, gaseous cold flow injection testbed, and the high-pressure solid energetics facility. Within the past year, the PRC has welcomed a new laboratory, the Advanced Propulsion, Energy, and Combustion Science laboratory (APECSLab) under the guidance of Professor John Bennewitz. Under Prof. Bennewitz, one of the focuses of the APECSLab is the design and testing of small-scale Rotating Detonation Rocket Engines (RDREs) for in-space applications. Project Problem The thrust stand currently housed in the APECSLab facility was originally designed to test rockets with thrust levels approaching 500 lbf. However, the small-scale RDRE is designed to produce thrust ranging from 1-25 lbf. Consequently, in its current configuration, the test stand flexure stiffness is too high to obtain thrust measurements with low measurement uncertainty for the desired thrust range suitable for small-scale RDRE testing. Approach To solve this issue of over-stiffness, two areas were identified to lessen the stiffness of the test stand. By decreasing the thickness of the flexures and replacing the large-scale load cells with appropriate small-scale versions, the stiffness of the test stand will be adequately reduced and allow for small-scale RDRE testing, as well as provide high-resolution thrust measurements with minimized uncertainty. A Computer Aid Design (CAD) model of the entire thrust stand was first created to fit and confirm all new part parameters were correct and would interface with the existing test stand. Currently, initial calibration of the thrust stand with the appropriately sized load cell has been performed to assess the sensor uncertainty for the thrust measurement. Results Upon completion of the CAD model, the necessary parts were acquired and machined to replace the existing parts identified for reconfiguration. Once all the new parts were fitted, the calibration for the new low-thrust load cells was performed under this HCR summer program. With the calibration complete, the test stand will be successfully reconfigured for future small-scale RDRE testing. Conclusion The work done to reconfigure and catalog the test stand in the APECSLab facility will allow for the performance assessment of a small-scale, multimode RDRE for different operating mode behavior (e.g., continuous rotation, spinning, planar). In particular, linking the engine performance captured with this upgraded thrust stand to the minimum geometry sustaining robust detonation will directly demonstrate the potential benefits of a detonation-based propulsion system for in-space propulsion applications. The CAD model will make adding future components to the test stand easier and more efficient. Due to the overall work done this summer, more tests will be able to be conducted leading to more advancement in RDRE research.
2023
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