41530 research outputs found
Sort by
AS-966-23 Resolution on Revisions to UFPP 6.2: Probationary Faculty Evaluation Patterns
Get PDFEnacts the resolved revisions to UFPP 6.2 Probationary Faculty Evaluation Patterns in the attached report for 2024-2025; and further resolves that academic units using one-year retention patterns work with academic personnel to adjust to two-year retention patterns as soon as is feasible
Reinforcement Learning Framework For The Unreal Engine
Get PDFThis dissertation addresses the need for using machine learning-based methods rather than traditional rule-based methods for controlling non-playable characters (NPCs). The goal of the Reinforcement Learning Framework for the Unreal Engine is to enable game development studios to create, train, and more easily implement smarter, more compelling AI characters in major video game releases. The framework contains three distinct software libraries: an Unreal Engine reinforcement learning library whose purpose is to enable Unreal Engine levels to act as reinforcement learning environments, a python library which provides convenient abstractions and implementations to the reinforcement learning process, and a flexible connection system responsible for the communication between the two sides of the framework. In this dissertation, I describe the framework in detail, demonstrate the framework’s capability by implementing, training, and evaluating on the cartpole benchmark, and prove the system’s viability by comparing it to similar tools already on the market
Investigation Of Placement Of Polyethylenimine Within Thin Film Composite Reverse Osmosis Membranes For Enhanced Anti-Fouling Properties
No full textFresh water scarcity is an alarming issue for communities across the globe. The development of water recycling and reuse technologies has become crucial in expanding the limited water resources. Reverse osmosis (RO) is among the key processes that can treat wastewater to meet potable water reuse standards. Despite the advancements in RO membrane technologies, many challenges persist regarding the operation and maintenance of RO membranes, such as membrane fouling. Extensive research investigations have focused on developing RO membrane modifications to combat the decreased performance due to fouling. Polyethylenimine (PEI) is a promising polymer used for enhancing the anti-fouling properties of thin film composite (TFC) RO membranes. PEI, a positively charged polymer with high charge density, is commonly grafted on TFC RO membrane surfaces to produce smoother, more hydrophilic membranes to minimize fouling. However, little research is available on the optimal PEI placement within the composite RO membrane layers for enhancing antifouling properties. The current study aimed to investigate whether alternative positions within the membrane layers could yield better anti-fouling performance compared to incorporation PEI on the membrane surface.
Unmodified (i.e., control) and PEI-modified TFC RO membranes were fabricated in the laboratory. The PEI-modified membranes were produced in two variations with regards to the position of PEI in the composite membrane layer. The first variation, named PEI-1, involved immersing the polysulfone (Psf) support layer of the membrane in an aqueous PEI solution, before the active polyamide (PA) layer was formed. The second variation, named PEI-2, consisted of immersing the fully formed TFC RO membrane in an aqueous PEI solution to incorporate PEI on the surface of the active PA layer. The PEI used in the study for membrane modification had branched configuration with molecular weight of 1200 g/mole. The laboratory-scale TFC RO membranes produced herein were characterized and tested for water flux, salt rejection, and fouling behavior. The water flux and salt rejection, commonly referred to as permselectivity, of all the membranes produced were evaluated in a crossflow filtration unit. On the other hand, the fouling tests were conducted in a dead-end membrane filtration unit because of operational limitations of the crossflow unit.
The PEI-1 membrane produced a water flux of 18.7 LMH (L/m2hr) and a stable salt rejection of 82.1%. The PEI-2 membrane resulted in a water flux of 22.4 LMH and a salt rejection of 85.2%. These results indicate that incorporating PEI on the membrane PA active surface layer achieved better permselectivity compared to PEI-1, which is the membrane with PEI incorporated inside the structure (i.e., incorporated on the Psf support layer). However, both PEI-modified membranes exhibited lower permselectivity performance compared to the unmodified control membrane, which produced a water flux of 23.9 LMH and salt rejection of 88.2%.
To test fouling of the unmodified and PEI modified RO membranes, bovine serum albumin (BSA) was chosen as a model foulant based on preliminary investigations conducted herein to compare BSA to sodium alginate. After the foulant was introduced in the feed, the unmodified membrane exhibited a 31.8% total fouling ratio, the decrease in flux from the foulant solution compared to running clean DI water. However, a 90.7% flux recovery ratio was achieved when a final DI water rinse was performed. The PEI-1 membrane had a 39.7% total fouling ratio and a 81.6% flux recovery ratio after rinsing with DI water. The PEI-2 membrane showed a 43.1% total fouling ratio as a result of BSA fouling and a 94% flux recovery ratio when rinsed with DI water at the end of the fouling test.
Water contact angle (WCA) analysis confirmed that the PEI-2 membrane had the most hydrophilic surface (WCA 25.1°) compared to the control membrane (WCA 52.9°). The higher hydrophilicity of PEI-2 aligns with its higher flux recovery results, which indicated reduced membrane fouling. Furthermore, the PEI-2 membrane had a drastically lower WCA than those reported in the literature for PEI-modified membranes, which ranged from (63° – 80°). In conclusion, the increased flux recovery and surface hydrophilicity of the PEI-2 membrane indicated that the best anti-fouling performance would likely be obtained when PEI is grafted onto the surface of the active PA membrane surface. Future research is warranted to optimize the PEI-2 membrane by exploring the effect of PEI concentration, molecular weight, and structural configuration (i.e., branched versus linear), on anti-fouling performance of the membranes
Solving Supersonic Flows Using The Method Of Integral Relations In Python
Get PDFThis thesis presents a modern approach to the Method of Integral Relations implemented in the Python programming language. This work is based on South\u27s reports on solving supersonic conical flows and Belotserkovskii\u27s publications on solving supersonic flows over blunt bodies. The Python SciPy library is extensively used in this thesis. A root finder module is used to perform South\u27s solution process, and the Runge-Kutta ODE solver with dense output is implemented to replicate Belotserkovskii\u27s solution process. The implementation of Python makes the development efficient and serves as an open-source framework for future work to build on. This work focuses on the 1-strip approximation of MIR, and the results are compared against Belotserkovskii\u27s 2 and 3-strip results, experimental data, and the modified Newtonian method. The current 1-strip method shows the agreements of predicting the normal shock standoff distance and the shock wave shape to results from both Belotserkovskii and experiments. Future work on higher-order approximations and additional high-temperature models is required to improve the prediction of MIR in the hypersonic flow region
From Bali Beaches to Breathwork: A Comparative Analysis on Yoga Tourism Strategies used by Bali’s Destination Marketing Organizations
Get PDFStrategic marketing is crucial for the success of tourist destinations. When potential tourists research a location before visiting, they commonly click through the websites of various Destination Marketing Organizations (DMOs). This paper compares the marketing efforts of two (DMOs), the Bali Tourism Board (BTB) and Wonderful Indonesia, focusing on their use of social media and websites in promoting yoga tourism in Bali. Yoga tourism is an element of wellness tourism that attracts yogis from all over the world to practice yoga in spiritual locations. Bali increasingly grows in numbers of yoga tourists each season and is now a world-renowned yoga destination. In order to find how DMOs have contributed to attracting these tourists, this paper discusses findings that include room for improvement in marketing techniques that will reach more yogis from different countries
Exoskeletons - Designing for Social Justice
Get PDFMany engineering professionals believe that discussions surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and social justice do not belong in engineering because engineering is supposed to be a neutral or objective field. Through an extensive review of the literature and a survey sent out to potential users, the need for DEI in engineering was examined. Many current engineering projects do not take into consideration social justice principles which leaves certain groups further marginalized and disempowered while empowering a select few. Engineering has the opportunity to be a field of service, but first risks and benefits must be weighed and the outcome of enhancing human capacities must be valued over monetary gain. For example, this project was dedicated to applying DEI efforts to engineering an upper limb exoskeleton. In this case, the exoskeleton enhances a person’s capabilities by enhancing their natural arm movement. In order to equitably design our exoskeleton we considered user needs from the very beginning through empathy mapping and surveying potential users. The results that we have gathered thus far suggest that potential users care foremost about cost and secondly about the comfort and fit of the device. Moving forward it is crucial that we implement design choices that reflect the value of the potential users to ensure that the device we create is attainable and usable while offering a sustainable solution to users