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High-Temperature Magnetic Field-Assisted Additive Manufacturing and Injection Molding of Bonded Magnetic Composites
No full textBonded magnetic composites (BMCs) offer a more feasible alternative to sintered magnets due to their superior resistance to corrosion, ease of manufacturing and shaping, and compatibility with additive manufacturing techniques. Their magnetic properties can be precisely tailored for specific orientations through magnetic field-assisted additive manufacturing (MFAAM). Among the various polymer binders available, high-performance materials such as polyphenylene sulfide (PPS) and polyamide are particularly well-suited for BMCs, thanks to their high glass transition and melting temperatures, which enable reliable operation in elevated thermal environments. However, the fabrication of such high-performance BMCs via MFAAM presents several challenges, including the need to maintain high printing temperatures, which can inadvertently heat the surrounding magnets used to apply the external magnetic field, potentially compromising both the magnets and the printer components. To address this, a robust cooling solution was designed, prototyped, and tested as part of this research, enabling stable high-temperature 3D printing under an applied magnetic field. Additionally, to evaluate the effect of different manufacturing techniques on the performance of bonded magnets, a composite was also fabricated using injection molding and characterized for its mechanical, magnetic, and morphological properties. The performance of these injection-molded samples was compared with magnets produced via MFAAM and conventional 3D printing. The findings demonstrate that high-temperature MFAAM is a viable and advanced approach, capable of preserving mechanical integrity while significantly improving magnetic anisotropy compared to both injection-molded and standard 3D-printed BMCsEngineerin
Development of a Wearable Sensor Unit for Cattle Behavior Prediction Using Machine Learning
No full textThis thesis presents the design, development, and evaluation of a low-power, field-deployable wearable collar system for real-time cattle behavior monitoring, aimed at enabling autonomous livestock management. The system integrates a custom-designed PCB featuring a 6-axis IMU, GNSS receiver, Bluetooth/Wi-Fi connectivity, and onboard microSD storage. These components are housed within a rugged, waterproof clamshell enclosure optimized for long-term operation in pasture environments. The collar transmits sensor data wirelessly to a local edge server or autonomous agricultural rover, enabling real-time telemetry and intelligent decision-making. Field trials conducted on a steer at Freeman Center, Texas yielded multi-modal time-series data, which were labeled via synchronized video recordings and used to train both classical (Random Forest, XGBoost) and deep learning models (CNN, BiLSTM, CNN–BiLSTM) for behavior classification across four categories: grazing, walking, resting, and other. The Random Forest model achieved the highest overall accuracy (86.2%, macro F1 ≈ 0.691), while the CNN–BiLSTM model, trained with weighted focal loss, demonstrated improved recall for underrepresented classes (82.3% accuracy, macro F1 ≈ 0.612). Given its performance and computational efficiency, the Random Forest model was selected for deployment on a local FastAPI server. This work demonstrates a scalable system for continuous cattle monitoring and establishes a foundation for integrating machine learning and autonomous robotics in precision livestock farming.Engineerin
Diet Acceptance and Utilization Responses to Increasing Doses of Thymol in Beef Steers Consuming Forage
No full textThymol is an antimicrobial terpene with potential as a feed additive for cattle; however, in vivo data describing the response of forage-fed beef cattle to the increasing provision of thymol is limited. As thymol may affect palatability and exert antimicrobial effects on rumen microbes, defining its effects in vivo is critical to inform adoption. Accordingly, the objectives of this study were to evaluate cattle acceptance of thymol and characterize the effects of increasing thymol doses on diet utilization and ruminal fermentation, with the overarching goal of identifying a maximum tolerable dose for beef cattle. Two 4 × 4 Latin Square experiments were conducted using beef steers consuming forage and providing thymol dosed on alfalfa. Experiment 1 assessed acceptance of thymol at increasing concentrations (0, 110, 220, and 330 mg/kg intake), and experiment 2 assessed diet utilization and fermentation in response to one of four thymol doses: 0, 120, 240, and 480 mg/kg intake. For experiment 1, thymol dose did not affect treatment or forage intake (p ≥ 0.17). For experiment 2, thymol did not linearly or quadratically affect (p ≥ 0.28) forage organic matter (OM) intake or OM digestibility. There were also no linear or quadratic effects (p ≥ 0.09) on ruminal ammonia-N, volatile fatty acids, or pH. These data indicate that thymol can be provided to beef cattle at up to 330 mg/kg intake and 480 mg/kg intake without negatively impacting acceptance and diet utilization, respectively.Agricultural Science
Culturally Tailored Psychological Interventions for Postpartum Depression in Marginalized Couples: A Systematic Review [paper]
No full textThis systematic review explores the impact of culturally tailored psychological interventions on postpartum depression severity within the first 12 months postpartum among diverse couples. Guided by Leininger’s Culture Care Theory, the review synthesizes findings from ten studies that examine maternal and paternal mental health, cultural barriers to care, and the effectiveness of couple-based interventions. A comprehensive search was conducted across PubMed, CINAHL, and UpToDate using keywords related to postpartum depression, paternal mental health, and culturally responsive care. Inclusion criteria focused on peer-reviewed U.S. studies published between 2020 and 2025. Articles were appraised using rapid critical appraisal tools and synthesized using an evidence table. Findings revealed that postpartum depression is significantly underrecognized in minority populations, especially among fathers. Culturally tailored interventions, including father-inclusive education, community-based support, and trauma-informed care, were associated with improved emotional well-being and reduced symptom severity. Couple relationship quality and culturally congruent care emerged as key factors in intervention success. This review supports integrating culturally responsive strategies into postpartum care to promote equity, emotional safety, and holistic family wellness. Advanced practice nurses can play a pivotal role in implementing inclusive screening protocols, fostering interprofessional collaboration, and advocating for policy reforms that reflect the lived experiences of diverse families.Nursin
Accelerating Deep Learning Inference: A Comparative Analysis of Modern Acceleration Frameworks
No full textDeep learning (DL) continues to play a pivotal role in a wide range of intelligent systems, including autonomous machines, smart surveillance, industrial automation, and portable healthcare technologies. These applications often demand low-latency inference and efficient resource utilization, especially when deployed on embedded or edge devices with limited computational capacity. As DL models become increasingly complex, selecting the right inference framework is essential to meeting performance and deployment goals. In this work, we conduct a comprehensive comparison of five widely adopted inference frameworks: PyTorch, ONNX Runtime, TensorRT, Apache TVM, and JAX. All experiments are performed on the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin platform, a high-performance computing solution tailored for edge artificial intelligence workloads. The evaluation considers several key performance metrics, including inference accuracy, inference time, throughput, memory usage, and power consumption. Each framework is tested using a wide range of convolutional and transformer models and analyzed in terms of deployment complexity, runtime efficiency, and hardware utilization. Our results show that certain frameworks offer superior inference speed and throughput, while others provide advantages in flexibility, portability, or ease of integration. We also observe meaningful differences in how each framework manages system memory and power under various load conditions. This study offers practical insights into the trade-offs associated with deploying DL inference on resource-constrained hardware.Computer Scienc
Designing Sustainable Reverse Osmosis Desalination Facility via Deep Learnings Considering Uncertain Energy and Membrane Life
No full textNo abstract prepared.Materials Science, Engineering, and Commercializatio
Characterization of Magnetic Thin Films: NiFe Alloys Toward Artificial Spin Ice and Pt/Co/Cu Multilayers with Superconducting Nb
No full textMagnetic thin films provide a versatile platform to study emergent collective phenomena ranging from geometrical frustration to topological spin textures. This thesis explores two complementary systems: NiFe alloys optimized for artificial spin ice (ASI) and Pt/Co/Cu multilayers coupled with superconducting Nb. Together, these projects demonstrate how engineered thin films can be tailored to reveal novel magnetic states and hybrid interactions. Magnetic artificial spin ice (ASI) systems have gained significant interest due to their potential for studying frustrated magnetism, emergent monopole-like excitations, and applications in magnetic storage, logic devices, and reconfigurable computing. The goal of this project was to optimize the magnetic material for ASI structures, specifically NiFe alloy, to enable fabrication of ASI nanostructures and test theoretical predictions of ASI behavior. We report the ideal conditions for sputtering growth of NiFe alloy thin films, focusing on deposition parameters that yield high- quality films. Comprehensive magnetic characterization, including magnetization and thickness dependence measurements have been carried out. Additionally, surface morphology and magnetic domain structures were acquired using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM). In future work, these optimized NiFe films will be patterned into ASI nanostructures, where highresolution MFM will be used to probe emergent magnetic states and dynamic behaviors. In parallel, we studied sputtered [Pt/Co(dCo)/Cu]15 multilayers and their integration with superconducting Nb. The Co layer thickness, varied between 0.6 and 1.2 nm, was found to play a critical role in determining the magnetic response. Adjusting the Co thickness from 0.6 to 1.2 nm transformed nearly square perpendicular hysteresis loops into wasp-waisted switching, while room-temperature MFM revealed a transition from sparse to dense worm-like domains. Introducing Nb layers further modified the system: Nb underlayers of 20–60 nm preserved waspwaisted loops and MFM contrast, while thicker Nb layers (60–120 nm) reduced domain visibility. In addition, Nb/[Pt/Co/Cu] heterostructures displayed the expected suppression of Tc with decreasing Nb thickness, along with an additional reduction compared to single-layer Nb films. Overall, by identifying the roles of Co thickness, Nb placement and thickness, this work establishes the imaging and transport conditions necessary for future studies of Vortex-Skyrmion Coupling and related phenomena. These findings advance understanding of topological spin textures and point toward future use in superconducting spintronics and quantum devices.Physic
Chromium Substitution Within Ruthenium Oxide Aerogels Enables High Activity Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysts for Water Splitting
No full textAcidic oxygen evolution reaction (OER) electrocatalysts that provide high activity, lower costs, and long-term stability are needed for the wide-scale adoption of proton-exchange membrane (PEM) water electrolyzers for generating hydrogen through electrochemical water splitting. We report the effects of chromium substitution and temperature treatments on the structure, OER activity, and electrochemical stability of ruthenium oxide (RuO2) aerogel OER electrocatalysts. RuO2 and Cr-substituted RuO2 aerogels (Ru0.6Cr0.4O2) were synthesized using sol–gel chemistry and then thermally treated at different temperatures. Introducing chromium into the synthesis increased the surface area (7–11 times higher) and pore volume (5–6 times higher) relative to RuO2 aerogels. X-ray diffraction analysis is consistent with s that Cr was substituted into the rutile RuO2 structure. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that trivalent Cr substitution altered the surface electronic structure and ratio of surface hydroxides. The specific capacitance values of Cr-substituted RuO2 aerogels were consistent with charge storage within a hydrous surface. Cr-substituted RuO2 aerogels exhibited 26 times the OER mass activity and 3.5 times the OER specific activity of RuO2 aerogels. Electrochemical stability tests show that Cr-substituted RuO2 aerogels exhibit similar stability to commercial RuO2. Understanding how metal substituents can be used to alter OER activity and stability furthers our ability to obtain highly active, durable, and lower-cost OER electrocatalysts for PEM electrolyzers.Materials Science, Engineering, and CommercializationChemistry and Biochemistr
Unlocking Regional Economic Growth: How Industry Sector and Mesoeconomic Determinants Influence Small Firm Scaling
No full textUnderstanding the drivers of regional economic growth requires examining the mesoeconomic conditions that influence the ability of small firms to scale. This study investigates how the local composition of firms—by size and sector—along with socio-economic and geographic characteristics, affects the prevalence of Scaled Firms across U.S. labor market areas. Using cross-sectional data from 2022, the analysis applies a log-linear regression model to examine the relationship between the density of micro, midsize, and large firms and the share of Scaled Firms (defined as employing 5–99 workers) within industry sectors. Covariates include household wealth, educational attainment, unemployment, population diversity, and metropolitan classification. The results show that the presence of midsize and large firms, along with regional human capital and economic context, is significantly associated with higher levels of small firm scaling. These findings suggest that the mesoeconomic context plays an important role in shaping regional economic growth outcomes and that the composition of local firm ecosystems may influence a region’s capacity for resilience and inclusive development.Organization, Workforce, and Leadership Studie
High-Performance Asphalt Binder Incorporating Trinidad Lake Asphalt and SBS Polymer for Extreme Climates
No full textThis study investigates the development of high-performance asphalt binders modified with Trinidad Lake Asphalt (TLA) and styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS) polymers to enhance pavement durability under extreme climate conditions. A comprehensive evaluation of physical, rheological, and mechanical properties was conducted using Superpave performance tests, Multiple Stress Creep Recovery (MSCR), and a Dynamic Shear Rheometer (DSR). The results indicate that integrating 20% TLA significantly increases stiffness and rutting resistance by 51.7% compared to unmodified PG 64-22 asphalt, while 10% SBS improves elasticity and enhances elastic recovery by 85.3%. However, at 15% SBS, excessive viscosity was observed, reaching 13,000 cP at 135 °C, posing workability challenges and sampling challenges in the lab environment. The MSCR test confirmed that binders modified with 20% TLA and 15% SBS exhibited over 88% recovery and reduced non-recoverable creep compliance (Jnr < 0.01 kPa−1), demonstrating superior resistance to permanent deformation. Additionally, low-temperature rheological testing (BBR at −12 °C) revealed that SBS incorporation mitigates excessive stiffness caused by TLA, improving the binder’s flexibility. These findings underscore the potential of TLA-SBS modified binders in achieving long-lasting, traffic-resilient pavements for extreme climatic conditions. Field validation is recommended to assess long-term feasibility in real-world applications.Engineering Technolog