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Multiscale Modeling of Failure Mechanisms in Multiphase Composite Materials
No full textThis dissertation presents a comprehensive investigation into the failure mechanisms and mechanical behavior of two advanced material systems: zirconium-based fuel cladding used in nuclear reactors and lightweight, elastic carbon composites produced through additive manufacturing. By integrating experimental data with multiscale numerical simulations, the research explores material degradation and performance under varying environmental and operational conditions, offering insights critical to the design and application of high-performance materials.In the context of nuclear fuel cladding, the study focuses on the effects of hydrogen embrittlement and hydride reorientation in zirconium alloys, particularly Zircaloy. Hydrogen accumulation over time leads to the formation of brittle zirconium hydrides, which compromise the cladding’s structural integrity. The research reveals that radial hydrides, which form due to operational stresses and temperature variations, significantly reduce the ductility and strength of the cladding, making it more prone to fracture. Computational models, validated by experimental data, show that hydride orientation plays a critical role in material failure, with radial hydrides contributing to earlier crack initiation compared to circumferential hydrides. These findings underscore the importance of hydride management to ensure the durability of nuclear fuel cladding during reactor operation and dry storage.
The study also explores the additive manufacturing (AM) of lightweight and elastic carbon composites using polypropylene with carbon fibers (PP-CF). The composites are produced through sulfonation-induced crosslinking and carbonization, allowing for the control of porosity and mechanical properties by adjusting the crosslinking time. The research demonstrates that shorter crosslinking times result in more compressible, elastic materials, while longer crosslinking times yield stiffer, load-bearing structures. This tunability makes the carbon composites suitable for a range of applications, from energy storage to wearable electronics. The study’s multiscale simulation framework, integrating gyroid structures and mesoscale representative volume elements (RVEs), accurately captures the mechanical performance of the composites and provides valuable design insights.
Overall, this research advances the understanding of failure mechanisms in nuclear fuel cladding and the design of carbon-based composites with tunable properties. The findings contribute to improving the safety and reliability of nuclear reactor materials and offer scalable methods for producing high-performance carbon composites using additive manufacturing techniques.Mechanical Engineerin
TEST OF EXCHANGEABILITY UNDER BINARY EXPANSION
No full textExchangeability serves as a foundational concept in statistical modeling, especially within Bayesian inference and machine learning frameworks. While extensively studied in the bivariate setting, exchangeability remains challenging to assess in high-dimensional and structured data contexts. This dissertation aims to address the above gap by developing a novel nonparametric test for exchangeability under the binary expansion framework. The proposed method, termed BREVITY (Binary REpresentation of Variables with ExchangeabilITY), introduces a binary expansion framework that transforms the problem of an arbitrary and unknown joint distribution into an approximate multinomial modeling problem. By decomposing continuous random variables into binary representations, the joint distribution can be characterized through binary interaction terms, which serve to capture the dependency structure among variables. In general, BREVITY reformulates the exchangeability testing problem in terms of binary interactions in a nonparametric and data-adaptive manner.Statistic
The Path to the Pincer: Mapping the Development of the Infant Goal-Directed Grasp via Novel Neural and Kinematic Methods
No full textThe emergence of prehension, the ability to reach out and grasp an object, marks the start of a shift in infant development by allowing the refined exploration of objects by hand. The onset of purposeful reaching in infancy begins a developmental cascade involving cognitive, motoric, social-emotional, and communicative abilities. Currently, there is a gap in the literature surrounding the development of preshaping, which is the skill of adapting the fingers during approach to grasp an object in a fluid motion. Preshaping can be studied by examining the emergence of the pincer grasp, where only the thumb and index finger are used and these digits are oriented to the object during the reach. We combine novel methodology in video data collection, kinematic analysis, and an electroencephalography (EEG) paradigm to map the development of preshaping from 6 to 14 months of age. Video data were collected biweekly at home by caregivers via a cell phone app. These data underwent kinematic analysis through a machine learning algorithm (HaMeR) to quantify finger movements. EEG data was collected at 14 months old from a tactile oddball paradigm. We found that infants are beginning to preshape their hand gradually from six months old, likely reflecting the integration of vision and touch. The EEG data suggested that by 14 months old, infants show functional groupings of fingers that are similar to that of an adult. Behaviorally coded grasping strategies, but not the change in the degree of preshaping as derived from kinematic data, predicted whether infants display two neural categories of their hand. These subtleties of the interplay between behavioral and neural development can inform our understanding of the relations between the body and brain and can potentially inform identification of motor differences and delays in childhood.Psycholog
Terry Rey: Crossing the Water and Keeping the Faith [Audio interview]
No full textTemple religion professor Terry Rey and Alex Stepick, director of the Immigration and Ethnicity Institute at Florida International University, have produced a history and ethnography of Haitian religion in Miami. By surveying the religious institutions in Miami’s Little Haiti and surrounding areas, interviewing community members, and investigating the primary and secondary literatures, Rey and Stepick explain what happened to Haitian religion when it “crossed the water” to the shores of Florida. They describe Notre Dame de Haiti Catholic Church, the epicenter of support for Haitian immigrants, the shrines in and around Miami that Haitians visit for spiritual sustainance, and the annual festivals that bring the Haitian community together in celebration. Protestant churches small and large, both storefront operations and established denominations, have filled in around Notre Dame de Haiti, along with the less prevalent Vodou botanicas, to create a religious marketplace for Haitian Americans in search of salvation goods. Unlike the Africans who originally came to Saint Domingue, Miami’s Haitian residents stay in frequent contact with their place of birth, through modern communications and transportation technologies. Fred Rowland spoke with Terry Rey and recorded this interview on January 13, 2014.Temple University. College of Liberal ArtsTemple University. LibrariesLearning & Research ServicesReligionAudacityAudacit
Know Your Rights Fact Sheet - Living with HIV
No full textBarnett College of Public HealthThis fact sheet provides information on the rights of people who are living with HIV, specifically in Philadelphia
Flute Treatises of the 18th and 19th centuries; A study on the evolution of the pedagogical practices of ornamentation
No full textAcross changing musical eras and musical traditions, flutists have developed new performance priorities. This gradual change occurred naturally with new demands from changing musical styles. Perhaps even more importantly, with the continuous adjustment and improvements of flutes themselves, flutists developed new ways to play and interpret music. Flute pedagogy was illustrated in flute treatises written by renowned flutists of the time. At the beginning of this research journey, I became very curious about the contents of these flute treatises, especially about what changed throughout history. Not only do they include details of how to play the flute, but they also provide insights into what flutists of that time deemed most important. In the Baroque period, for example, ornamentation was integral to musical performance practice, just as it was in art, architecture, and literature. Frederick Neumann, author of the book Ornamentation in Baroque and Post Baroque Music, discusses ornamentation and its place in music during the Baroque era: “Ornament is generally conceived as an addition to
structure, in the sense that structure embodies what is of the artistic or—if this overworked term may be excused—of the expressive essence. An ornament serves to set off the structural elements to greater aesthetic advantage, most typically by imparting to them more grace, elegance, smoothness, or variety” (3).Livingstone Undergraduate Research Award in Creative Works and Media ProductionBoyer College of Music and Danc
Search Methods for Neuropathic Complications in Radial Forearm Free Flap Reconstruction: A Systematic Review
No full textTo identify studies to include or consider for this systematic review, the review team worked with a librarian (SB) to develop detailed search strategies for each database. The PRISMA-S extension was followed for search reporting. The librarian (SB) developed the search for PubMed (NLM) and translated the search for every database searched. The PubMed (NLM) search strategy was reviewed by the research team to check for accuracy and term relevancy. All final searches were peer-reviewed by another librarian, Jacob Britzenhoff, MLIS, following the Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies (PRESS checklist).Lewis Katz School of MedicineKrausz Library of Podiatric MedicineSurgical OncologyThe databases included in this search are [list of databases: PubMed (NLM), Embase (Elsevier), Web of Science Core Collection (Clarivate), Cochrane (Wiley), and CINAHL (Ebscohost) using a combination of keywords and subject headings. A grey literature search included TRIP medical database(tripdatabase.com). All final searches were performed on May 27, 2025 by the librarian and were fully reported on May 27, 2025. The full search strategies as reported by the librarian are provided in Appendix(___). They are also archived at [DOI].
A summary of the search results:
PubMed (NLM) from 1809 to 05/27/2025 (4,616 Results)
Embase (Elsevier) from 1974 to 05/27/2025 (1,531 Results)
Web of Science Core Collection (Clarivate Analytics) from 1900 to 05/27/2025 (3,302 Results)
Cochrane Library (Wiley) from inception to 05/27/2025 (1,084)
CINAHL (EbscoHost) from 1976 to 05/27/2025 (2,687 Results)
TRIP Pro from 1867 to 05/27/2025 (682 results)
The search resulted in 13,902 results. 3,632 duplicate studies were found and omitted by the librarian [SB] using EndNote 20 and following the following the Wichor Bramer method. This resulted in 10,270 records to screen from databases and websites. Studies were screened by title and abstract by two blinded and independent reviewers. If a tiebreaker was needed, a third reviewer was called in. This process was repeated for full text article screening and article selection
From Shelter to Strength: Integrating Health and Wellness in Family Homeless Shelters Using an Occupational Therapy Lens
No full textThis capstone project aims to enhance the health and wellness services offered to families experiencing homelessness at Homefront, a family shelter in Mercer County, New Jersey. Through a comprehensive needs assessment, including resident surveys, staff interviews, and stakeholder feedback, key gaps were identified in programming accessibility, relevance, and intake procedures. In response, a streamlined intake process and new health-focused programs were developed and implemented, including wellness classes, cooking workshops, and accessible health education resources. Outcomes demonstrated significant increases in resident engagement, clinic attendance, and program utilization. The project highlights the valuable role of occupational therapy in promoting health equity and occupational justice for underserved populations and provides a sustainable model for addressing health disparities in community shelter settings.Temple University. College of Public HealthHealth and Rehabilitation Science
The Opioid Epidemic: Assessing Policy Prescriptions
No full textTemple University. College of Liberal ArtsCriminal JusticeGeography, Environment and Urban StudiesThe fifth issue of PPL's e-magazine, The Lab Report, featuring essays on the opioid epidemic
MODELING REORGANIZATION OF PCF10-INDUCED COMPLEX STRUCTURES IN ENTEROCOCCUS FAECALIS UNDER ERYTHROMYCIN TREATMENT
No full textA biofilm is a community of microorganisms adhered to a surface, bound together by extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). They are ubiquitous in nature and develop on a range of surfaces including living tissue. Biofilms themselves typically do not negatively affect their host, but under certain conditions they can retain pathogenic features and cause a wide range of illnesses including persistent or chronic infections. In this dissertation, we look at the bacterium Enterococcus faecalis. E. faecalis is a gram-positive, commensal bacterium commonly found in the human gastrointestinal tract. Generally, commensal E. faecalis does not negatively impact human health, but pathogenic features can be acquired by this bacterium by way of mobile genetic elements such as plasmids. When E. faecalis with the pCF10 plasmid forms a biofilm it constructs raised complex structures with variable cellular packing above the rigid base. Under treatment by erythromycin, E. faecalis OG1RF(pCF10) is shown to undertake a remodeling process where aggregated regions of the complex structures increase, and the total bacterial population doubles. In this dissertation, we present a series of models developed to capture the multi-scale effects driving this biofilm restructuring, employing both individual-based and continuum-based frameworks to uncover the underlying biological mechanisms of this process.Mathematic