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Automatic Cat Caretaker
Get PDFThis project will involve developing and constructing a self-cleaning litter box with feeding and watering functions attached. The machine will have a user interface for setting both the feeding and watering times, as well as how much to fill the food and water bowls at the same time. The project will involve the use of motors for the cleaning, feeding, and watering functions, sensors to detect when to perform those functions, and a microcontroller to process all the data and to tell the motors when to perform their respective functions. This project\u27s goal is to make the task of caring for a cat and all its needs easier for the owner, especially on long trips
Silent Sabotage: Identifying and Preventing Cyber Attacks from Inside Actors
Get PDFCyber-attacks are becoming increasingly common and damaging as technology advances each year. Many businesses cannot afford the latest security technologies, and even with the highest security measures, there can still be room for employee error or insider threats that are not taken into account. It is crucial to keep these factors in mind when securing a business network of any size or financial standing.This project will aim to simulate a business environment by first building a small network with three routers and a switch, and implementing some of the common best practices for network hardening from credible organizations like NIST and the NSA. It will also showcase commonly overlooked vulnerabilities when configuring a network, and how they can be exploited or advantageous to threat actors
Passive Phosphorus Filtering System Design
Get PDFThe objective of this project is to find an efficient way to remove phosphorus from surface water through passive filtration. Specifically, the project will focus on the upper Cuyahoga River. Ongoing research being conducted by Dr. Teresa Cutright from The University of Akron and Jessica Glowczewski from the City of Akron’s Watershed Division serves as a basis for this project.
Fertilizers used in agriculture are often washed off by rainfall and enter the groundwater and nearby streams. The phosphorus contained in the fertilizer can be harmful to the environment by increasing the frequency of large algal blooms. To reduce the potential impact, the phosphorus should ideally be removed from the runoff before the water reaches larger rivers or lakes. This project will help to create a viable model for testing the ideal filter media bag fabrication method to reduce the phosphorus concentration near possible runoff sites
Examining Correlations between Inhibition Efficiency and Compound Properties for Corrosion Inhibitors on Carbon Steel Rebar in Concrete
Get PDFThis project will look to determine if correlations exist between the inhibition efficiency and particular chemical properties of different corrosion inhibitors for carbon steel rebar in concrete affected with chlorides. Examining the inhibition efficiency of different corrosion inhibitors and attempting to find correlations or a general rule of thumb for what denotes a better corrosion inhibitor would be valuable. This similar concept has been seen with Lipinski\u27s rule of 5 where he created a general guide to predict if compounds were orally active in humans. Since little information is readily available and no known correlations exist for corrosion inhibitors on carbon steel rebar, determining simple one-to-one correlations and more complicated multi-variable correlations through linear regression and machine learning on Matlab could begin to provide valuable information moving forward for determining better corrosion inhibitors
Akronauts Turbopump Research Project
Get PDFThe idea of this project is to design a turbo pump template capable of fitting into future Akronauts rocket designs. This allows the rockets to travel higher due to the reduced net weight. Many methods were used to verify the rigidity and feasibility of the design, such as Finite Element Analysis and fluid dynamics simulations
Modeling the Thermodynamics of Butadiene and Carbon Dioxide Coupling Reactions
Get PDFThis project will analyze the synthesis reaction of ethenylated -valerolactone (EVL), specifically to determine certain thermodynamic properties of EVL and its coproducts. The thermodynamic properties of the reaction products can then be utilized to make the development of a large-scale process simpler and safer. The properties that will be determined are the heats of formations, heat capacities, and changes in enthalpy caused by each product during the reaction, and these will be used to determine whether the energy produced by the reaction is sufficient to maintain formation of the desired product. Additionally, a process model of heat flows and energy consumption of the process will be develope
The Signal of Airplane Combustion in Soil at a Small Airport in Ohio
Get PDFLeaded gas has been banned for automobile use in the interest of public health since 1996. However, leaded gas is still used for small piston aircraft so the engine can run safely. To investigate potential environmental impacts of leaded gas, 90 soil samples were taken from around a small airport in Ohio. Soil elemental composition was measured by X-ray fluorescence (XRF), soil organic content determined by Loss-on-Ignition (LOI), and soil ferrimagnetic content measured by magnetic susceptibility. There is an unmistakable airplane fuel combustion signal in the soil at the ends of the runway, where aircraft wait to take off on the taxiway (i.e, hold short), and the parking area around the fuel pumps. In these areas lead concentrations were about 8x times higher than natural background. These areas also had increased ferrimagnetic content possibly from fuel combustion. When examining the organic matter content of airport soil, this study found that soil organic matter can be determined by both LOI and XRF analyses. The results indicate that leaded fuel impacts from aircraft are spatially limited to those soil locations where airplane engines operate at high rpms for take-off and pre-flight
Perceived Shoulder Discomfort in Adolescent Swimmers
Get PDFCompetitive swimming is a sport that athletes traditionally start at a young age, training for many years to build up an aerobic base, learn the best techniques of the sport, and gain experience racing. While this increases the ability to perform and adapt to training in the sport, it also can lead to shoulder tightness, soreness, and even injury. PURPOSE: To investigate any correlation between the perceived shoulder discomfort of adolescents to flexion and extension measurements. METHODS: Participants (N=25) were recruited in person from a swimming club. Swimmers were between 13-18 years old and varied in participation level from recreational to national level competitive swimmers. A brief survey was conducted to record age, sex, the number of swim practices they report attending, and previous shoulder injuries. Shoulder flexion and extension measurements in degrees were then recorded bilaterally, and swimmers rated shoulder soreness on a scale of 1-5. RESULTS: Higher symptom ratings were statistically significantly correlated with lower degrees of both flexion and extension (R= -0.542, -0.631), meaning that once symptom ratings increased, extension decreased. There is enough evidence to suggest that the extension is significant in the regression model and can be used to predict symptom score (p\u3c 0.001), but not in flexion (p\u3e0.10). CONCLUSION: Higher symptom ratings were found to be correlated with lower degrees of both flexion and extension. There were no trends observed to be significant relating to sex. Further studies are required to validate these trends found with larger sample sizes
Assessing Impact of Molecular Diagnostics On Time to Optimal Antibiotic Therapy in Pediatric Staphylococcal Bacteremia
Get PDFTimely optimization of antibiotic therapy is critical in pediatric patients with blood infections, particularly those caused by Staphylococcus aureus. This retrospective study evaluated the impact of molecular diagnostics on time to optimal therapy and discontinuation of unnecessary antibiotics at Akron Children’s Hospital from January 2020 to April 2023. Patients with Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) were more likely to be on appropriate empiric therapy (i.e. vancomycin) before culture results, whereas Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) cases were de-escalated to beta-lactams. The median time to optimal therapy was 3.7 hours for episodes of MSSA. Infectious Disease (ID) consultation significantly influenced antibiotic management, with patients admitted directly to the ID service achieving faster discontinuation of antibiotics (median 10.9 hours) compared to those without consults (57.6 hours; p = 0.018). Among cases with contaminated blood cultures, 62% received antibiotics despite contamination, and the median discontinuation time was 44.5 hours. These findings underscore the importance of integrating molecular diagnostics with robust antimicrobial stewardship practices, including early ID involvement and education on culture interpretation. Future directions include system-level interventions, such as automated EMR alerts and mandatory ID consults, to enhance the timeliness and appropriateness of antibiotic therapy in pediatric bacteremia
Dividing Paradise: A History of Land in Hawai\u27i
Get PDFThis paper acts as a biography of Hawaiian land, using multidisciplinary sources to construct a timeline of how land has been conceptualized and used by the people who live there. It analyzes Hawai\u27i as a settler colony. I begin with the first Polynesian settlers in Hawai\u27i, focusing on the feudal-like division and redistribution of land by the king in the pre-colonial era. Then, I discuss the attitude of the American settlers in Hawai\u27i and how those ideas were manifested in the privatization of land and the age of sugarcane plantations. Next, I focus on how the United States military has used the land it occupies. Their approach to Hawaiian land as a place available for training is exemplified in the island of Kaho\u27olawe, the most bombed island in the Pacific. I then describe the beginnings of the tourism industry in Hawai\u27i before discussing the island of Ni\u27ihau as an alternative history. I conclude with a review of the 2023 Maui fires, whose consequences were directly tied to the conflicts over land identified and described in this paper