Robotic Gripper and Manipulator Design and Analysis for Button Mushroom Harvesting

This study analyzes the main components of an automated mushroom harvester, specifically the robot manipulator and the end-effector, with the goal of improving harvesting performance while minimizing damage to mushrooms. The study also explores the science behind mushroom damage, identifying critical factors such as force application speed, contact time, and gripper design, which contribute to dents, bruises, and cracks. In response, a flex gripper with a deformable three-finger structure and embedded bending and twisting mechanisms was proposed. Additionally, a dynamic model for a 4-link SCARA manipulator with a PRRR configuration was developed for optimized mushroom harvesting. Compression and stress-relaxation tests were conducted on white button mushrooms of various shapes and sizes using a Texture Analyzer and P/75 probe. These tests identified the viscoelastic properties of the mushrooms, showing time-dependent deformation and stress relaxation. A viscoelastic model was created using the generalized Maxwell model and Prony’s series, which accurately represented the mushroom's mechanical behavior. The results showed that deformation increased as force application speed increased, with cracks occurring at lower forces for faster speeds. Finite element analysis (FEA) was used to model mushroom deformation during picking. It was found that at a 5N gripping force, the maximum deformation reached 2.5 mm after 5 seconds, potentially causing permanent damage. At 3N, deformation was significantly lower, reducing the risk of permanent damage. The flex gripper was tested on various mushroom types in a commercial facility, with a 100% success rate for single-grown mushrooms and 76% for low-density clusters. Finally, the dynamic model of the 4-link SCARA manipulator, which included friction and damping forces, was validated through a Simulink simulation. This comprehensive study provides valuable insights into optimizing both the end-effector design and robotic system dynamics for improved mushroom harvesting

Evaluation of Machine Learning Assisted Phase Behavior Modelling of Surfactant–Oil–Water Systems

This paper evaluates the ability of machine learning (ML) algorithms to capture and reproduce complex multiphase behavior in surfactant–oil–water systems. The main objective of the paper is to evaluate the ability of machine learning algorithms to capture complex phase behavior of a surfactant–oil–water system in a controlled environment of known data generated via physical models. We evaluated several machine learning algorithms including decision trees, support vector machines (SVMs), k-nearest neighbors, and boosted trees. Moreover, the study integrates a novel graphical equation-of-state model with ML-generated compositional spaces to test ML’s effectiveness in predicting phase transitions and compares its performance to experimental data and a validated physical model. Our results demonstrate that the cubic SVM has the highest accuracy in capturing key behaviors, such as the shrinking of two-phase regions as salinity deviates from optimal conditions, and performs well even in near-extrapolated scenarios. Additionally, the graphical equation-of-state model aligns closely with both experimental data and the physical model, providing a robust framework for analyzing multiphase behavior. We do not suggest that machine learning models should replace traditional physical models, but rather should complement physical models by extending predictive capabilities, especially when experimental data are limited. This hybrid approach offers a promising method for investigating complex multiphase phenomena in surfactant systems

A Comprehensive Review of the Thermophysical Properties of Energetic Ionic Liquids

Energetic ionic liquids (EILs) have various industrial applications because they release chemically stored energy under certain conditions. They can avoid some environmental problems caused by traditionally used toxic fuels. EILs, which are environmentally friendly and safer, are emerging as an alternative source for hypergolic bipropellant fuels. This review focuses on the crucial thermophysical properties of the EILs. The properties of imidazolium and triazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) are discussed here. The thermophysical properties addressed, such as glass transition temperature, viscosity, and thermal stability, are critical for designing EILs to meet the need for sustainable energy solutions. Imidazolium-based ILs have tunable physical properties making them ideal for use in energy storage while triazolium-based ILs have thermal stability and energetic potential. As a result, it is important to understand and compile thermophysical properties so they can help researchers synthesize tailored compounds with desirable characteristics, advancing their application in energy storage and propulsion technologies

Modeling and Analysis of an AlN Piezoelectric Micro-swimmer with Integrated Gold Electrodes

Microscale robotics is expanding the possibilities for medicine, particularly in targeted drug delivery and in vivo diagnostics. Inspired by the natural propulsion mechanisms of microorganisms and recent advances in dislocation-driven growth shaping AlN's anisotropic morphology, this study explores a 2D model of an AlN piezoelectric micro-swimmer with integrated ultra-thin gold electrodes (0.045 μm) for controlled actuation and adaptability. The 2.89 μm AlN layer, combining stiffness and flexibility, harnesses piezoelectric effects to convert electrical energy into mechanical deformation. This deformation drives electric-induced kinematics, which, coupled with a closed-loop feedback control system, enables the micro-swimmer to demonstrate periodic motion, with potential for non-reciprocal actuation and navigation in low Reynolds number environments. The micro-swimmer's design features a multi-electrode configuration encapsulating the piezoelectric layer. Phase-shifted electric potentials and polarity differences across multiple electrodes produce alternating deformations. These dynamics are explored within a closed microchannel with pressure point constraints, as well as under a parabolic inlet velocity profile, revealing the swimmer's ability to resist flow-induced forces and maintain controlled motion. This study is simulated in a 2D environment due to computational limitations. To approximate and visualize potential 3D dynamics, an out-of-plane component was purposely selected. The study explores how parameters such as time-switch modulation, voltage control, and feedback mechanisms influence displacement and propulsion behavior. While achieving significant forward motion remains challenging, the swimmer exhibits controlled motion with potential for non-reciprocal actuation, contributing valuable insights into AlN micro-swimmer dynamics. These findings pave the way for future 3D simulations, such as a microhelix design, aimed at exploring AlN's robust piezoelectric characteristics, including the strong directional coupling along the z-axis, and efficient energy conversion, which are critical for effective propulsion. The insights gained from this study provide a foundation for subsequent investigations into the potential of AlN micro-swimmers for controlled navigation in microfluidic environments

From Experience to Practice: The Effects of Study Abroad Experiences on Faculty and Staff’s Internationalization Practices

Background: This study examines the role of faculty and staff preparedness in fostering global competencies among students within the context of internationalization in higher education. Despite the proven benefits of study abroad experiences for students, including enhanced global competency and professional skills, there remains a significant gap in research addressing how these experiences affect faculty and staff’s work in internationalization and their pedagogical practices. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore how faculty and staff integrate intercultural learning and pedagogical skills that are developed through studying abroad into their professional role at an urban university. Methods: This research utilizes a case study method grounded in Kolb’s Experiential Learning Theory to explore how faculty and staff experiences during study abroad programs influence their understanding of global competency and their professional goals moving forward. The research questions focus on the changes in faculty and staff perceptions regarding global competency, their understanding of its relevance to student development, and the adjustments they make in their daily practices post-experience. Results: The results found that after a study abroad program to China, participants returned with expanded views of global competency and internationalization that impacted their own careers and their interactions with their student populations. Faculty and staff had expanded views in global humility, awareness and respect and found that self-reflection was critical to this development. Additionally, through community building and mentorship, faculty and staff created more opportunities for internationalization at their institution through teaching global courses, leading study abroad programs, or developing international research initatives. Conclusion: The findings highlight the necessity of intentional faculty development initiatives that empower educators to better prepare students for global citizenship and to become effective advocates for internationalization, ensuring that global competency development is prioritized in the educational landscape

The Theatre Pipe Organ: An Overview. Considerations of History & Performance Practice

In the 1920s, the American public enjoyed an explosion of exciting new entertainment experiences and was able to savor the creativity of many renowned artists and musicians who came from abroad to relish in the promise of new opportunities. Toward the end of the decade, their appetite had reached extraordinary heights. A steady stream of vaudeville shows and silent films, later replaced by “talkies,” ensured that the notion of attending the theatre became a practically ritualistic way of life. One of the most cherished places of entertainment was the “movie palace.” These magnificently ornate structures provided the ultimate escape into a fantasy world of illusion and wonder for the patron. Among the most crucial components of any successful movie palace was an instrument that enhanced the movie-going experience with a tremendous grandeur—the Theatre Pipe Organ. The theatre organ is an instrument whose origins exist within the realms of traditional church organ building, a field of musical and technological development itself spanning hundreds of years, but one which was aligned with the changing demands and styles of music seen throughout the 1920s. It was an invention borne out of necessity, change and innovation. Its creation, a product of the fertile mind of inventor and engineer Robert Hope-Jones, marked an important turning point in the history of organ building and represents one of the most radical reconsiderations of what a pipe organ could be. American organ building trends had, by this time, moved towards a more orchestral ideal and the theatre organ was an integral part of this, the tonal philosophy being that it should resemble the orchestra as closely as possible. This concept proved invaluable to theatre operators during the 1920s when they were searching for a means of providing maximally varied music at minimal cost. The primary concern of this thesis is the history of the theatre organ, its use and repertoire, and the necessary question of how one can learn to play based on historical recordings, treatises on arranging, and more contemporary performance practices since comparatively little has been written on the subject

Development of a Low-Cost PCB-Based High-Frequency AC Susceptometer for Magnetic Materials Characterization

This thesis presents the development and performance evaluation of femtoMag, a novel, cost-effective high-frequency AC susceptometer designed to characterize magnetic materials up to 200 MHz. Leveraging a low-cost printed circuit board (PCB) design and commercially available high-frequency electronics, femtoMag addresses limitations in conventional susceptometry by enabling measurements of magnetic powders and thin films without requiring specific geometries or extensive sample preparation. The design employs a PCB-based low-inductance single-turn coil, which enhances the sensor's performance at higher frequencies compared to traditional multi-turn coil designs. Electromagnetic properties of the system were modeled using ANSYS HFSS simulations, while physical components were created with Autodesk Fusion 360 and DipTrace. Performance validation was conducted using reference samples with known permeability values, showing close agreement with conventional measurement methods. This work highlights femtoMag's simplicity, cost-efficiency, and reliability in providing accurate magnetic characterization data, establishing it as a powerful tool for diverse magnetic material studies, particularly in cases where sample quantities or geometries are limited

Evaluation of Patterns in Pharmacy Labor Modeling and Hospital Revenue, Expense, and Volume Indicators

Background. Pharmacy departments are often considered expense centers rather than potentially improving hospital revenue with increased personnel. However, contemporary pharmacy practice models can translate to improved hospital financial health. The aim of this study was to evaluate pharmacy staffing level in relation to hospital and pharmacy financial metrics. Methods. This national study was conducted at CommonSpirit Health, a large, national, not-for-profit health-system with over 140 acute-care hospitals across 24 states. Centralized databases provided organizational and financial indicator data. Correlation between pharmacy staffing and financial metrics were compared using univariate analyses and multivariable linear regression. Results. Ninety-one to 97 hospitals contributed data annually to the database from 2023-25. Data from 2025 was normalized for the entire calendar year. Most hospitals were non-critical access hospitals (76%) with annualized visits between 2,000-10,000 per year (38%). Pharmacy staffing hours demonstrated a statistically significant positive correlation with hospital contribution margin, pharmacy non-separately reimbursable drug spend, and total drug spend (p < 0.001, all). Using multivariable linear regression, pharmacy staffing hours demonstrated a statistically significant positive association with all three dependent variables adjusting for health system region, critical access hospital, number of visits, and fiscal year. Conclusion. This study demonstrated a positive correlation between inpatient pharmacy staffing hours and hospital total contribution margin despite a concurrent increase in drug expenditures. Further investigations are warranted to evaluate the impact of clinical and operational workflows, pharmacist-technician ratios, and pharmacist-patient ratios on hospital financial performance

CLAIRE-MG: Efficient Diffeomorphic Image Registration Using Multigrid-Preconditioned Newton–Krylov Methods

In this thesis, I describe significant enhancements to CLAIRE (Constrained Large Deformation Diffeomorphic Image Registration), a framework formulating diffeomorphic image registration as a PDE-constrained optimization problem. Image registration aims to find a spatial transformation mapping points between images. Diffeomorphic image registration specifically restricts these transformations to diffeomorphisms, i.e., transformations that are smooth maps that possess a smooth inverse. In principle, image registration is an infinite-dimensional, nonlinear, ill-posed inverse problem, leading to ill-conditioned, large-scale inversion operators. This makes its effective solution a significant mathematical and computational challenge. CLAIRE parameterizes the sought-after diffeomorphic map via a stationary velocity field. Within CLAIRE, governing equations consist of transport equations for image intensities. The regularization operator for the inversion variable is a biharmonic differential operator. As a result, the reduced space optimality condition for the inversion variable is described by a biharmonic equation. Optimization in CLAIRE employs a Newton–Krylov method. The central contribution of my thesis is the design and analysis of a sophisticated multigrid preconditioning strategy for the reduced space Hessian. Explicitly forming and storing the Hessian matrix is computationally intractable for problems of this scale, necessitating matrix-free numerical schemes. This imperative drove my extensive exploration and meticulous implementation of various multigrid techniques, including the basic two-grid method, and the more advanced V-cycle and W-cycle multigrid algorithms. A prototype implementation was realized in a two-dimensional setting (ambient space). I conducted a comprehensive analysis of the proposed numerical scheme's convergence behavior, evaluating algorithms on both synthetic (smooth) and real-world (non-smooth) imaging data. I compared their convergence rates, time to solution, and computational complexity across varying mesh sizes and regularization parameter choices. The results indicate the proposed scheme achieves mesh-independent convergence rates, a significant accomplishment as method efficiency is maintained even as image resolution increases. While this independence did not extend to the regularization parameter, its practical benefits are substantial. Furthermore, I meticulously assessed my designed multigrid scheme's efficacy against various pre-existing CLAIRE preconditioning schemes. My results conclusively demonstrate the proposed multigrid preconditioner is highly effective and strongly competitive, often superior to, established methods, thereby substantially elevating CLAIRE's performance for challenging diffeomorphic image registration

Synthesis of Fluorinated Compounds by C-H Bond Functionalization

Organic fluorination chemistry is an important asset in the discovery of biologically active compounds. This assertion is underscored by the emergence of a considerable quantity of fluorinated drugs in the market annually. Noteworthy is the approval of ten fluorinated drugs by the FDA in 2022. This dissertation focuses on the study of pentafluorosulfanyl chemistry and polyfluoroalkylation of unactivated C(sp3)-H bonds. Pentafluorosulfanyl arenes have attracted substantial interest due to unusual properties imposed by the pentafluorosulfanyl moiety. The pentafluorosulfanyl moiety is strongly electron-withdrawing, lipophilic and chemically stable, and its size is comparable to that of a tbutyl group. This dissertation demonstrates the general method for ortho-functionalization of pentafluorosulfanyl arenes. ortho-Lithiation with lithium tetramethylpiperidide at -60 oC in the presence of silicon, germanium, and tin electrophiles affords trapped products in moderate to high yields. Precise temperature regimes and the presence of electrophiles during lithiation are important for successful reactions, since the pentafluorosulfanyl group acts as a competent leaving group at temperatures above -40 oC. Fluoro, bromo, iodo, enolizable keto, cyano, ester, amide, and unsubstituted amino functionalities are compatible with the reaction conditions. Conversion of 2-dimethylsilylpentafluorosulfanyl benzene to 2-halosubstituted derivatives, useful as starting materials in cross-coupling chemistry, was also disclosed. Secondly, polyfluoroalkylation of unactivated C(sp3)−H bonds in alkyl esters, halides, and protected amines by employing CF3CHN2 and CF3CF2CHN2 reagents and “sandwich”- diimine copper complex was also demonstrated. Reactions proceed in dichloromethane solvent at room temperature. Identical C−H functionalization conditions and stoichiometries arevi employed for generality and convenience. Selectivities for C−H insertions are higher for compounds possessing stronger electron-withdrawing substituents. Preliminary mechanistic studies point to a mechanism involving a pre-equilibrium forming a “sandwich”-diimine copper-CF3CHN2 complex followed by rate-determining loss of nitrogen affording the reactive copper carbene. It reacts with trifluoromethyldiazomethane about 6.5 times faster than with 1- fluoroadamantane explaining the need for slow addition of the diazo compound