23671 research outputs found
Sort by
Rehearsal and performance guide: Wiren's serenade for string orchestra
No full textFor many conductors, Dag Wirén’s Serenade for String Orchestra lurks on the fringes of the standard orchestral repertoire. Despite its irresistible melodic charms, neoclassic forthrightness, and accessibility for many high school ensembles, the piece does not enjoy the popularity of more timeworn works in the genre. For those seeking a substantial, well-crafted composition not tarnished by overexposure, it offers tremendous technical and expressive opportunities for student musicians
Integration of polysiloxane-modified halloysite nanoclay nanocomposite coatings on fiber-reinforced polymeric composites structures: Part II—Icing/deicing, self-cleaning, sandpaper abrasion, and water immersion performances
No full textClick on the DOI link to access this article at the publishers website (may not be free).Cold weather conditions such as frost, snow, and freezing rain can limit the performance of fiber-reinforced composites, commonly used in aviation, defense, automotive, and other industries, potentially causing damage. Ice accumulation on surfaces can disrupt systems and damage components. Superhydrophobic (SH) surfaces offer a solution to prevent ice formation. This study explores the development of SH nanocomposite coatings based on polysiloxane-modified halloysite nanoclay (HNC) for glass, carbon, and Kevlar composites. The coatings’ effectiveness in preventing and removing ice was evaluated through various tests, including ice adhesion and air-blowing tests. The results showed that the SH coatings enhanced ice dissipation, particularly for carbon fiber composites. Despite slight changes in water contact angle after repeated tests, the coatings retained SH properties. Self-cleaning and wear tests demonstrated that the coatings successfully repelled dust and pollutants, while maintaining mechanical durability. This work offers a promising approach to improve ice-prevention performance in critical industrial applications. © 2025 Elsevier LtdWichita State University, WSU; Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu, TÜBİTAK, (TUBITAK-2219); Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu, TÜBİTAKThe authors greatly acknowledge the Scientific and Technological Research Council of T\u00FCrkiye (TUBITAK-2219 project) and Wichita State University for the financial and technical support of this study
Cloudy views: Collegiate flight students' employability rating of CFI applicants by experience and gender
No full textPublished in SOAR: Shocker Open Access Repository by the Wichita State University Libraries Technical Services, August 2025.Copyright of the Journal of Management and Engineering Integration is the property of the Association of Industry, Engineering and Management Systems Inc., and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use.This research investigated factors that may influence perceived employability of pilots for a certified flight instructor (CFI) position to determine ways to improve workforce diversity within the aviation industry. The experimental study asked a sample of students (306 males and 91 females) at a Part 141 collegiate flight program in Florida to rate CFI applicants on two items: their certainty of hiring the applicant and certainty to have the applicant as a personal CFI. When presented with four professional bibliographies with different gender and flight experience combinations, these items were used to rate employability of an applicant. In line with the understanding that total flight time is a measure of pilot experience and thus qualification, participants had more confidence in the applicants with 1000 hours compared to the applicants with 300 hours. On the other hand, there was no disparity between the scenarios with different gender applicants. This indicates that current students prioritized important hiring variables (i.e., experience in the form of flight time) over gender when evaluating pilot applicants for CFI positions. This is a promising finding for the future of diversity within the aviation industry
Time-varying vector random fields on the arccos-quasi-quadratic metric space
No full textClick on the DOI link to access this article at the publishers website (may not be free).An arccos-quasi-quadratic metric is defined on a subset of Rd+1 such as a sphere, a ball, an ellipsoidal surface, an ellipsoid, a simplex, a conic surface, or a hyperbolic surface, and the corresponding metric space incorporates several important cases in a unified framework that makes possible for us to study metric-dependent random fields on different metric spaces in a unified manner. Over the arccos-quasi-quadratic metric space, this paper constructs a class of time-varying vector random fields via either spherical harmonics or ultraspherical polynomials, and builds up various parametric and semiparametric covariance matrix structures. The extension problem is discussed as well
Design and characterization of 3D-structured permanent superhydrophobic nanofibers for environmental remediations
No full textClick on the DOI link to access this article at the publishers website (may not be free).The development of permanent superhydrophobic surfaces has attracted significant attention due to their usage in many applications, particularly in environmental and biomedical remediations. Among the various fabrication techniques, electrospinning has emerged as an advantageous and flexible method for fabricating nanofibers with tailored surface characteristics. In this study, we explore the enhancement of superhydrophobic properties of nanofibers by incorporating Teflon particles into matrices of polystyrene (PS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) through the electrospinning process. Electrospinning was employed to fabricate three-dimensional (3D) structured nanofibers with and without highly hydrophobic Teflon particles with an average particle size of 180 nm. Following the fabrication of these nanofibers, a series of heat treatments were applied at various temperatures (0°C, 50°C, 75°C, 100°C, and 125°C) for different durations (30 min, 1 h, 2 h, and 4 h) to improve the surface properties of the nanofibers further. The hydrophobicity of the nanofibers was assessed through water contact angle (WCA) measurements, which confirmed that all nanofibers exhibited hydrophobic behavior. The addition of Teflon particles, combined with heat treatment, significantly enhanced the hydrophobicity of the nanofibers, resulting in WCA values of 155.75° for PS nanofibers and 151.62° for PVC nanofibers, thereby categorizing them as having permanent superhydrophobic properties. Further characterization of the nanofibers was conducted using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy to analyze their surface morphology and chemical compositions. These analyses indicated that the nanofibers consistently fell within the submicron to nanoscale range, with a uniform distribution of Teflon particles observed across the nanofiber surfaces. The resultant PS nanofibers exhibited fiber diameters in the range of 400 nm to 1 μm, while the PVC nanofibers ranged from 200 to 600 nm. Collectively, these results suggest that fabricated 3D nanofibers are viable candidates for a range of environmental and health remediations and energy mitigations. © 2025 Wiley Periodicals LLC
Applying lean assessments to optimize machine efficiency and minimize waste
No full textPublished in SOAR: Shocker Open Access Repository by the Wichita State University Libraries Technical Services, October 2025.This project investigated the impact of Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) on a Bavius 5-axis CNC machine used in aircraft floor beam production. In Fall 2024, students partnered with Spirit AeroSystems to assess and improve maintenance using 5S, OEE, and value stream mapping. This study identifies inefficiencies, evaluates process effectiveness, and offers recommendations. Early results show mixed outcomes, providing key insights into TPM’s role in boosting operational efficiency
Improving post-sale support and customer satisfaction with additive manufacturing
No full textPublished in SOAR: Shocker Open Access Repository by Wichita State University Libraries Technical Services, November 2025. 2025 IEMS Officers: Gamal Weheba (Conference Chair); Hesham Mahgoub (Program Chair); Dalia Mahgoub (Technical Director); Ed Sawan (Publications Editor); Wilfredo Moscoso (Proceedings Editor); Abdulaziz G. Abdulaziz (Associate Editor)This study investigates the potential of additive manufacturing (AM) to transform post sale services by enabling on-demand spare parts production, thereby reducing repair lead times and inventory costs. The research examines the inherent challenge of conventional manufacturing methods. It evaluates AM's potential to address these challenges while introducing new operational considerations. Qualitative case studies are incorporated to further illustrate the improvements in service quality and the challenges encountered during AM integration
Design and optimization of miniaturized flexible NFC antennas for battery-free biomedical sensing
No full textThesis (M.S.)-- Wichita State University, College of Engineering, Dept. of Biomedical EngineeringWireless data transfer capabilities enable real-time, user-centered monitoring for wearable and implantable biomedical devices. Among wireless technologies, near-field communication (NFC) holds great potential due to its ability to be ultra-thin, flexible, and miniaturized, while also supporting battery-free wireless communication. NFC technology operates through inductive coupling between two coils, which exchange electrical power and sensing data when in close proximity. Although NFC has been widely explored for wearable devices, few studies have focused on optimizing working distances while minimizing antenna size, which is crucial for the development of unobtrusive and long-term wearable devices that function without interruption. The goal of this study is to develop highly flexible antennas suitable for miniaturized biomedical devices and to construct a compact wearable sensing system. Since antenna sizes directly affect the working distance, smaller antennas typically suffer for shorter working distances, due to low inductive coupling. Therefore, our study primarily focused on the physical dimensions of antenna coils (e.g. coil shape, diameter, turns, spacing) and analyzed their impact on working distance. Based on our theoretical studies, we designed 12 tag antennas with diameters of 10, 15, 20, and 30 mm and corresponding inductance’s of 2, 4, and 6 μH, respectively. Thus antennas were then fabricated using 2 μm thick copper film through micro fabrication techniques. For experimental analysis, antenna calibration was performed to achieve the desired resonant frequency ( 13.56 MHz).
Our results demonstrate that, antenna diameter significantly impacts the working distance, with the 30 mm diameter achieving the maximum range of 15 mm, followed by the 20 mm (12 mm), 15 mm (7.5 mm), and 10 mm (4 mm) antennas. To assess the stability, antennas’ electrical and mechanical properties were evaluated through bending tests over multiple cycles of bending to determine their flexibility and durability. Notably, all antennas exhibit stable coil resistance and resonant frequency under different bending conditions.
To validate the sensing capabilities, we conducted pH testing using lab fabricated working electrodes (Platinum) and reference electrodes (Ag/AgCl). Their electrochemical performance was evaluated over the range of pH values, focusing on sensitivity, reproducibility and stability. In conclusion, our findings suggest that miniaturized antennas and fabricated electrodes have the potential to the development of battery-free wireless sensing for wearable health monitoring, and broader biomedical use. Further advancing this research by integrating fabricated electrodes with an NFC tag could lead to the development of self-powered sensing systems
Audience-centered-experience techniques for geoscience interpretive programs within the National Park Service
No full textHonors thesis (HB)-- Wichita State University, Dorothy and Bill Cohen Honors College.Accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Honors Baccalaureate with concentrations in Environmental Sustainability and Organizational Leadership & Learning.An overview of this thesis can be found here: https://sites.google.com/view/roths-thesis-ace/overviewThe interpretation and presentation of geosciences and geoscience resources within the National Park Service is constantly being innovated and improved as society changes and new interpretive techniques are being developed. The most recent developments involve the use of Audience Centered Experiences (ACE). briefly understood as connecting the audience's life experiences and perspectives to the protected resource at hand.
Through a design-thinking method of qualitative analvsis of the larger bodv of literature related to interpretation and park ranger perspectives on current practices within the National Park Service. I aimed to discover the current most effective ACE interpretation techniques for geoscience resources. The qualitative analvsis approaches included online questionnaires completed by current or former National Park Service Interpretive Rangers with support from an IRB and collection of conceptual data from published Interpretation training, peer-reviewed articles. and other published NPS literature.
A prototype ACE interpretive program plan for geosciences was developed to demonstrate the most common and supported techniques in action. This prototype was reviewed by a National Park Service Park Raneer content expert on interpretation and geosciences, who provided feedback that was implemented into the final program prototype. I was supported by a committee including my faculty mentor, a Geology content expert. and a design-thinking content expert
Forward Together: A monthly newsletter, November 2025
No full text‘Forward Together’ podcast amplifies the many voices of Shocker Nation -- ('Forward Together' Podcast): Episode 38 features Grammy-winning alum Joyce DiDonato -- WSU’s Corbin Education Center joins National Register of Historic Places -- ATF’s Wichita field office will relocate to WSU’s Innovation Campus --Shocker Athletics announces retirement of longtime radio voice Mike Kennedy -- Construction progresses on Wichita Biomedical Campus as walls begin to enclose the interior' -- Scholars Walk on Wichita State's campus celebrates faculty excellence -- Kipruto wins American Conference cross-country championship, Jepkoech named Freshman of the Year -- Men's basketball starts season strong, gears up for Battle 4 Atlantis -- EPA awards boost support for rural water and wastewater systems through Environmental Finance Cente