With increasing applications of composite materials, their health monitoring is of growing importance in engineering practice. Damage development in composite materials is more complex than for metallic materials, because in composite materials (a) multiple damage modes are simultaneously in play, and (b) individual 'damage events' that occur throughout a component's service life may neither noticeably affect its performance, nor suggest future failure. Therefore, informed health monitoring of composite components must include monitoring and analysis of their health state throughout their service life. A crucial aspect of the health monitoring process of composites is the development of tools to help with this goal of understanding the health state of composites throughout their life. This knowledge can lead to timely anticipation of future failure in composite components, and advance the state of current technology. One, timely maintenance can be planned in advance. Two, each component's service life can be determined based on its individual health information, rather than empirical statistics of previously failed components. This dissertation develops such tools and methods. Composite specimens of multiple ply-layups are subjected to tensile loading schemes until failure. Pencil Lead Breaks (PLBs) are used to simulate Acoustic Emission sources and generate acoustic waves that are acquired by installed piezoelectric sensors. A numerical method to estimate the arrival of wave modes from ultrasonic signals is presented. Methods are also presented that utilize PLB signals to indicate approaching failure of specimens under monotonic as well as cyclic loading. These processes have been developed prioritizing simplicity and ease-of-execution, to be adapted for practical deployment. / Ph. D. / Composites are modern engineering materials comprising strong load-bearing elements (such as carbon fibers) embedded in a binding polymer matrix (such as epoxy). Material properties in composite materials are directional in nature, and composite plies can be combined in layers to create components with specified engineering properties. Composites are therefore increasingly being used in diverse engineering applications. Composite materials, however, are relatively complex in their damage development and failure. Unlike in metallic materials, damage in composites can progress via several different mechanisms. Further, numerous small damage events may occur throughout the service life of a composite component, which neither noticeably affect performance, nor forewarn of impending failure. Therefore, it is of crucial importance to develop tools and methods that improve the health analysis and anticipation of future failure in composites. This dissertation develops such methods and tools. Composite specimens with several different ply sequences are experimentally subjected to tensile loading schemes until failure. Pencil Lead Breaks (PLBs) are used to simulate Acoustic Emission stress waves throughout each experiment, and these ultrasonic waves are acquired for further data analysis using installed piezoelectric sensors. A numerical method is developed that automatically estimates the arrival times of two fundamental wave modes in sets of acquired acoustic ultrasonic signals. Methods are also developed that utilize PLB signals to anticipate future failure of composite specimens under two different loading regimes. The contributions herein prioritize simplicity and easy execution, to be adapted for practical deployment, and are applicable for a wide variety of fiber-reinforced composites.

Thesis advisor: John J. Piderit / This paper examines state and county-exclusive incentives on battery electric vehicle (BEV) registration in the United States. Using two main methods, a differences-in-differences method and a sigmoidal growth rate equation, I examine the impact of non-federal incentives on the total amount of electric vehicles between 2017 and 2022, as well as estimate the years that each state will reach its net-zero goals for carbon emissions in the transportation sector. I hope to provide a deeper understanding of the effectiveness of incentive policy, based on differing levels of incentive policy between regions, in order to best increase electric vehicle adoption in a cost-effective method. In addition, I hope that my estimates of net-zero projections will serve as a beneficial comparison to track states’ respective progress towards sustainable energy in vehicles. These findings can be used to assist policymakers in determining appropriate BEV adoption policies based on regional consumer demographics and needs, as well as visualize a timeline for the next century of rapid electric vehicle growth. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2024. / Submitted to: Boston College. Morrissey School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Economics. / Discipline: Departmental Honors.

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Yes / Vascular calcification is a complex biological process that is a hallmark of atherosclerosis. While macrocalcification confers plaque stability, microcalcification is a key feature of highrisk atheroma and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Positron emission tomography and X-ray computed tomography (PET/CT) imaging of atherosclerosis using 18F-sodium fluoride (18F-NaF) has the potential to identify pathologically high-risk nascent microcalcification. However, the precise molecular mechanism of 18F-NaF vascular uptake is still unknown. Here we use electron microscopy, autoradiography, histology and preclinical and clinical PET/CT to analyse 18F-NaF binding. We show that 18F-NaF adsorbs to calcified deposits within plaque with high affinity and is selective and specific. 18F-NaF PET/CT imaging can distinguish between areas of macro- and microcalcification. This is the only currently available clinical imaging platform that can non-invasively detect microcalcification in active unstable atherosclerosis. The use of 18F-NaF may foster new approaches to developing treatments for vascular calcification.

The Gemini Near Infrared Spectrograph - Distant Quasar Survey (GNIRS-DQS) is the largest uniform, homogeneous survey of its kind, covering 260 quasars at 1.5 ≤ z ≤ 3.5. This unique survey, coupled with data from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), enables new investigations into redshifts, supermassive black hole masses (MBH), and accretion rates at high redshift through spectroscopic coverage of important rest-frame UV-optical emission lines. The importance of this survey is highlighted in the fact that the optical emission lines provide more reliable measurements of these quasar parameters than their UV counterpart. With such a unique sample compiled here, I construct prescriptions to calibrate these quasar parameters derived from rest-frame UV emission lines to those derived from rest-frame optical emission lines. These prescriptions provide important insight into how these parameters depend on redshift and are potentially biased as we look out further into the universe. Additionally, all the work completed with this sample will help shape our understanding of how these quasars and their host galaxies co-evolve over cosmic time.

The dependence of tumour growth and metastasis on blood vessels makes tumour angiogenesis a rational target for therapy. Imaging of αvβ3 expression could potentially be used as a biomarker and an early indicator of efficacy of antiangiogenic treatments at a molecular level. Research efforts have mainly focused on the development of RGD-based radiolabelled αvβ3 inhibitors suitable for PET and SPECT imaging modalities that, owing to their high sensitivity, represent the most powerful tool for monitoring in vivo tumour angiogenesis. The aim of this multidisciplinary project was the design, synthesis and biological evaluation of novel αvβ3 ligands as molecular imaging probes. Three classes of integrin antagonists were designed: 1) triazole-based RGD mimetics that can be isotopically-labelled with tritium, fluorine and iodine radioisotopes by means of highly practical procedures, 2) RGD peptidomimetics incorporating the metabolically stable 2,2,2-trifluoroethylamine function as a peptide bond bioisostere and 3) RGD cyclopeptides conjugated with FDR, a novel prosthetic group allowing glycosylation and 18F-fluorination of aminooxy-functionalised molecules in one synthetic step. RGD-based strategies have also been used for selective tumour delivery of chemotherapeutic agents. A number of cytotoxic drugs have been conjugated to RGD peptides, providing experimental evidence that αvβ3 targeted chemotherapy strategies could be used as a powerful tool to reduce the toxicity and augment the therapeutic window of existing cytotoxic agents. In this work, we described the rational design of a novel targeted cytotoxic conjugate containing a triazole-based RGD peptidomimetic as tumour-homing motif of the potent antimitotic agent, paclitaxel. Preliminary in vitro studies were performed to assess the therapeutic potential of this targeted cytotoxic construct.

Approved for public release, distribution is unlimited / When a burst of air is produced in water, the result can be a toroidal bubble. This thesis is concerned with experimental investigations of three acoustical properties of toroidal bubbles: (i) propagation through high-intensity noise, (ii) emission, and (iii) scattering. In (i), an attempt to observe a recent prediction of the acoustic drag on a bubble is described, which is analogous to the Einstein-Hopf effect for an oscillating electric dipole in a fluctuating electromagnetic field. No effect was observed, which may be due to insufficient amplitude of the noise. In (ii), observations of acoustic emissions of volume oscillations of toroidal bubbles are reported. Surprisingly, the emission occurs primarily during the formation of a bubble, and is weak in the case of very smooth toroidal bubbles. In (iii), we describe an experiment to observe the effect of a toroidal bubble on an incident sound field. In addition to the acoustical investigations, we describe the construction of a large hallway apparatus for further investigations and for hands-on use by the public. The tank has cross section 2 feet by 2 feet and height 6 feet, and the parameters of reservoir pressure and time between air bursts are adjustable by the observer. / Lieutenant, United States Navy

A number of recent studies have found a strong link between peak global warming due to anthropogenic carbon dioxide and cumulative carbon emissions from the start of the industrial revolution. This thesis builds on this work by using a simple climate model to apply the concept of cumulative emissions to emission floors, by comparing cumulative emissions with other types of emissions target, and by extending the work to apply to noncarbon dioxide (CO₂) greenhouse gases and short-lived climate forcers (SLCFs). Though peak global warming correlates well with cumulative carbon emissions, the link to emissions over shorter periods or in the years 2020 or 2050 is shown to be weaker. It is also shown that the introduction of emissions floors does not reduce the importance of cumulative emissions, but may make some warming targets unachievable. For pathways that give a most likely warming up to about 4°C, cumulative emissions from pre-industrial times to year 2200 correlate strongly with most likely resultant peak warming in the simple model used, regardless of the type of emissions floor used. The maximum rate of CO2- induced warming is not determined by cumulative emissions but is shown to be limited by the peak rate of CO₂ emissions. A simple model of non-CO₂ greenhouse gases is also developed and used to investigate SLCFs. It is shown that emissions of SLCFs today have little impact on peak warming, and that delaying near-term reductions in SLCFs would not have a significant impact on peak warming. Only once CO₂ emissions are falling do SLCF emissions have a significant impact on peak warming. A global climate policy framework is presented as an example of how the work in this thesis could be used in policy. Future work is also discussed, particularly verification of these results in a more complex model.

Knowledge of the atomic number (Zt) dependence of ion-induced electron emission yields (Y) can be the basis for a general understanding of ion-atom interaction phenomena and, in particular, for the design of Zrsensitive detectors that could be useful, for example, in the separation of isobars in accelerator mass spectrometry. The Zx dependence of ion-induced electron emission yields has been investigated using heavy ions of identical velocity (v = 2 v0, with v0 as the Bohr velocity) incident in a normal direction on sputter-cleaned carbon foils. Yields measured in this work plotted as a function of the ion's atomic number reveal an oscillatory behavior with pronounced maxima and minima. This nonmonotonic dependence of the yield on Zx will be discussed in the light of existing theories.

Amostras de Teflón&#174 FEP e Mylar C foram submetidas a um bombardeio eletrônico por longos períodos a fim de se verificar a existência de uma possível corrente de condução na fase final de um carregamento por feixe eletrônico. Em vez disso, descobriu-se que a energia associada ao segundo ponto de cruzamento da curva de emissão eletrônica do material bombardeado varia lentamente com o tempo de exposição à irradiação. Por outro lado foram descobertos também fortes indícios de que o centróide de carga sofre um deslocamento enquanto a amostra está sendo irradiada. A componente da corrente através da amostra, associada a qualquer um desses efeitos se superpõe à corrente de condução (se existir) e acaba tornando inviável a sua observação, enquanto um ou ambos os efeitos persistirem. Na realidade não é só a energia do segundo ponto de cruzamento que varia; toda a curva de emissão característica do material, que é fundamental para se entender os processos e carga e descarga de amostras, sofre modificação com a irradiação prolongada. Além disto, dois novos métodos para se carregar uma amostra de polímero estão sendo propostos. Um deles permite carregar uma amostra positivamente, por etapas, a tensões mais elevadas que o método convencional. O outro possibilita carregar negativamente uma amostra, lançando mão do mecanismo de auto-regulação para interrupção do processo de carga, o que só havia sido feito até o momento para um carregamento positivo. Um novo método para se descarregar uma amostra usando o próprio feixe eletrônico também é apresentado. / Teflon&#174 FEP and Mylar C samples were submitted to an electron beam during long periods of time in order to examine the possible existence of conduction current in the final stages of the charging process. It was found that the energy associated with the second crossover point in the electronic emission curve of the irradiated material varied slightly with the time of irradiation. On the other hand, strong evidence emerged that the charge centroid is shifted while the sample is being irradiated. The component of the current through the sample which is associated with any of these effects is superimposed to the conduction current (if present), hampering the identification of a conduction current. In fact, it is not only the energy of the second crossover point that varies, for the whole emission curve is modified upon prolonged irradiation. This emission curve is fundamental for understanding the charging and discharging processes in the samples. In addition, two new methods for charging a sample are being proposed. The first allows one to charge the sample positively to surface potentials that are higher than those obtained in the conventional method. The other method permits the sample to be charged negatively using the auto-regulation mechanism for interrupting the charging process; this had previously been done only for charging samples positively. A new method for discharging a sample using the electron beam is also presented.