Engineering Commons^™

Analyzing Decision-Making In Robot Soccer For Attacking Behaviors, Justin Rodney

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In robotics soccer, decision-making is critical to the performance of a team’s SoftwareSystem. The University of South Florida’s (USF) RoboBulls team implements behavior for the robots by using traditional methods such as analytical geometry to path plan and determine whether an action should be taken. In recent works, Machine Learning (ML) and Reinforcement Learning (RL) techniques have been used to calculate the probability of success for a pass or goal, and even train models for performing low-level skills such as traveling towards a ball and shooting it towards the goal[1, 2]. Open-source frameworks have been created for training Reinforcement Learning …

Effects Of Downdrag On Pile Performance, Malaak Omelia Araujo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

All soils settle under the weight of newly constructed embankments. In the case of MSE wall-type embankments, piles are driven prior to embankment construction. Under the weight of the newly constructed embankment, the soil surrounding the piles may settle more than the piles themselves. This downward movement potentially drags the piles down and induces a force within the pile known as downdrag. The research on the downdrag phenomenon involving cohesionless granular soils is sparse, thus the focus of this study is to investigate the effects of downdrag on pile performance driven in Florida sandy soils. A site consisting of soil …

Techno-Economic And Sustainability Analysis Of Renewable Natural Gas (Rng) Production, Eesha Bhattacharjee

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Natural Gas (NG) is one of the major sources of energy currently used in the United States. Its major applications include generating electricity, domestic, and industrial heating purposes and as a transportation fuel. The largest component of NG is methane, and it contains trace amounts of hydrocarbons, some CO2 and water vapor.

Biogas (produced by anaerobic digestion (AD) of biomass) upgraded to have high purity methane (often termed as biomethane or renewable natural gas) can be used as an alternative to NG. The upgrading techniques may include CO2 separation from the biogas stream or via to a methanation facility where …

Bayesian Network-Based Diagnostic Support Tool With Limited Point-Of-Care Ultrasound For Work-Related Elbow Injuries, Cristina Maria Franceschini Sánchez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The upper extremity is commonly injured at the workplace, frequently involving the elbow. Currently, there are not many diagnostic support tools for elbow injuries. Developing a clinical decision support tool would allow for narrowing differential diagnoses and guide management steps in a timely and cost-effective manner. In a descriptive retrospective cohort study, 85 non-contrast elbow MRIs were obtained from a large Workers Compensation insurer database. MRIs were either (a) greater than 2 weeks after first clinic visit, or (b) more than 6 weeks after injury, but (c) not more than 3 months after injury. A Bayesian network-based diagnostic support tool …

The Impact Of Land Use Change On Hydrology Using Hydrologic Modelling And Geographical Information System (Gis), Nattachan Luesaksiriwattana

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Surface and groundwater conditions in west-central Florida are highly interactive, with shallow water table and sandy soil. Land use types including forests, agricultural areas, and urbanization affect water resources differently. Change in land use, associated with expanding the urban environment to support human needs, significantly impacts surface water infiltration and runoff characteristics. Construction of infrastructures such as buildings and housing can result less water to infiltrate through the soil, with increased surface water runoff and decline in evapotranspiration. A computerized hydrologic model, Hydrological Simulation Program-FORTRAN (HSPF), couple to a spreadsheet groundwater model and a Geographical Information System (GIS) were applied …

Secure Hardware Constructions For Fault Detection Of Lattice-Based Post-Quantum Cryptosystems, Ausmita Sarker

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The advent of quantum computers and the exponential speed-up of quantum computation will render classical cryptosystems insecure, as that can solve current encryptions in minutes, resulting in a catastrophic failure of privacy preservation and data security. Through the standardizing of quantum-resistant public-key cryptography algorithms, the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is evaluating potential candidates to thwart such quantum attacks. In this dissertation, countermeasures against fault attacks are proposed to secure various lattice-based cryptosystems, one of the most promising post-quantum cryptosystems. Fault detection architectures for crucial building blocks of lattice-based cryptosystems, i.e., number-theoretic transform, ring polynomial multiplication, and ring …

Humanoid Robot Motion Control For Ramps And Stairs, Tommy Truong

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Humanoid robot research and development have been an ongoing effort since the 1900sand can be broken down to two problems. A mechanical problem, getting a humanoid robot to move human-like or a software problem, getting a humanoid robot to behave human-like. These problems of moving and behaving human-like can be often solved using control theory as research advances. For the premise of this research, we explore how to balance and walk on non-flat terrain for the humanoid robot Darwin-Op. Since the focus was on the control theory, the vision control to detect the non-flat terrain was a side objective. The …

Assistive Technologies For Independent Navigation For People With Blindness, Howard Kaplan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The necessity for individuals to navigate from location to location is essential to daily life. The majority of humans use sight as the main source for determining how to move through their environment. However, there is a large population of people who are either blind or living with low vision. Based on a 2017 National Health Survey there are around 27 million adult Americans that have experienced vision loss (National Center for Health Statistics, 2017). According to the Eye Diseases Prevalence Research Group there are 3.4 million Americans 40 years and older that are legally blind or visually impaired (EDPRG, …

Computationally Driven Design Of Shape-Controlled Polymeric Nanostructures, Davindra Tulsi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In the realm of shape control involving synthetic soft materials, block copolymers are ubiquitously exploited due to their ability to spontaneously self-assemble into a plethora of morphologies. The growing need in areas such as drug delivery, lithography, and microelectronics to generate new nanostructures demands ever finer control of copolymer self-assembly. It is desirable to better control the shape and size of soft nanostructures, with minimal post processing techniques to assert stability.

While there is an abundance of literature on diblock copolymer assembly, few relationships exist for sequence-controlled copolymers. It is well known that biological macromolecules are highly sequence specific and …

Novel Approach To Integrate Can Based Vehicle Sensors With Gps Using Adaptive Filters To Improve Localization Precision In Connected Vehicles From A Systems Engineering Perspective, Abhijit Vasili

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Research and development in Connected Vehicles (CV) Technologies has increased exponentially, with the allocation of 75 MHz radio spectrum in the 5.9 GHz band by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) dedicated to Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in 1999 and 30 MHz in the 5.9 GHz by the European Telecommunication Standards Institution (ETSI). Many applications have been tested and deployed in pilot programs across many cities all over the world.

CV pilot programs have played a vital role in evaluating the effectiveness and impact of the technology and understanding the effects of the applications over the safety of road users. The …

Infectious Disease Modeling And Intervention Planning, Shalome Hanisha Anand Tatapudi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Disease outbreaks caused by existing and emerging pathogens pose a serious threat to local and global communities in the form of epidemics and pandemics, respectively. The 2009 H1N1 pandemic and the 2019 COVID-19 pandemic are exemplars of how underprepared both the developed and developing nations are at mitigating pandemics.

Mathematical modeling and simulation of disease outbreaks has served as a powerful tool to understand disease transmission dynamics. They also aid in developing effective intervention strategies. However, existing models are usually particularized to a region, or a specific disease pathogen and interventions used in these models may not translate well to …

Efficient Management Of Nitrogen And Phosphorus At Centralized Water Reclamation Facilities, Helene Kassouf

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A variety of process configurations are employed at municipal water reclamation facilities (WRFs), such as 5-stage Bardenpho, oxidation ditch, modified Ludzack-Ettinger (MLE) process, and sidestream recycle. However, all of these configurations face certain challenges in achieving optimum treatment of nitrogen and phosphorus. In this dissertation, the driving objectives were to: (1) quantitatively assess the fate of nitrogen and phosphorus (mass fluxes) at a treatment facility that employs biological nutrient removal, aerobic digestion, and sidestream recycle, (2) evaluate the performance of a microbial fuel cell (MFC) as a technology to remove nitrogen from sidestreams at a treatment plant that employs that …

The Photophysical Studies Of Transition Metal Polyimines Encapsulated In Metal Organic Frameworks (Mof’S), Jacob M. Mayers

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Light harvesting systems provide a platform that converts solar energy into other forms of energy. One of the most common examples of photon capturing and conversion into chemical energy is observed in photosynthetic organisms in both Eurkaroyic and Prokaryotic domains. Nature provides a model for successful light harvesting platforms which includes the compartmentalization of antenna complexes that contain separated donor and acceptor pairs that participate in efficient electron transfer processes. In order to mimic such systems, crystalline porous materials that exhibits regular cavities and pore dimensions provides an excellent starting place. Metal organic frameworks (MOFs) are a class of porous …

Copper Electrodeposition Assisted By Hydrogen Evolution For Wearable Electronics: Interconnections And Fiber Metallization, Sabrina M. Rosa Ortiz

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The current project focused on studying an innovative and novel method, called hydrogen evolution assisted (HEA) electroplating, for rapid and localized electrochemical copper deposition that can be applied for integration of electronic circuits to printed circuit boards (PCBs) and fabrics for developing smart textile (e-textile) and advanced wearable electronics. This method has shown a great enhancement to the deposition rate of copper compared to the conventional galvanostatic electroplating method, opening new venues for patterning conductive circuit layouts on fabrics and for the direct integration of devices into fabrics. While due to the slow growth rate and low mechanical flexibility of …

Pressure Retarded Osmosis: A Potential Technology For Seawater Desalination Energy Recovery And Concentrate Management, Joshua Benjamin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Currently, a significant challenge with reverse osmosis-based desalination is reducing the energy consumption and environmental impacts of the process. This project analyzed the viability of using pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) for energy recovery in seawater desalination facilities using brine concentrate (the draw solution) and other water sources (the feed solution) such as wastewater effluent. The primary goal of this project is to decrease the cost and overall energy consumption of seawater desalination through PRO-based energy recovery. Process modeling, statistical and sensitivity analysis, energy and cost analysis, geospatial and GIS analysis, laboratory-scale testing, water quality analysis, SEM-EDS microscopy, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), …

Shortcut Nitrogen Removal In Photo-Sequencing Batch Reactor, Experiments, Dynamic Model And Full-Scale Design, Sahand Iman Shayan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nitrogen is one of the essential elements for life; however, inefficient use of nitrogen creates major environmental problems. Nitrogen-rich streams from urban areas, farms, and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) lead to surface and groundwater contamination, resulting in eutrophication, hypoxia, and notable environmental, public health and economic damage. Ammonia is a form of nitrogen that can be created during industrial or biological nitrogen fixation or decomposition of biomass. Anaerobic digesters (ADs) in WWTP generate biogas from collected sludge from primary and secondary clarifiers to achieve energy recovery in the plant. However, sidestream effluent from dewatering AD sludge contains high concentrations of …

Crystal Structure Prediction Of Materials At Extreme Conditions, Ashley S. Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The prediction of the structure of a crystal given only the constituent elements is one of the greatest challenges in both materials science and computational science alike. If one were to try to predict a novel crystal by brute force, meaning by arranging the atoms in every possible position of the unit cell and optimizing the geometry to find the energy minima of the potential energy surface, the amount of computer resources required to complete the calculation on the timescale of a few years would vastly exceed the currently installed computational capacity of the entire world. Fortunately, several methods have …

A System Architecture For Water Distribution Networks, Noha Abdel-Mottaleb

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines structure-function relationships of water distribution networks (WDNs), with focus on improving the decision-making process for water utilities. WDNs are lifeline infrastructure systems, necessary for the functioning of cities. Yet water utilities around the world struggle with emerging challenges that include but are not limited to aging infrastructure components, limited budgets, increased interdependencies between infrastructure systems, increased rates of urbanization, and increasing extreme weather conditions. This is why enhancing the performance of WDNs is a priority for water utilities around the world. This research begins to delineate a system architecture for WDNs and evaluates the use of various …

Learning State-Dependent Sensor Measurement Models To Improve Robot Localization Accuracy, Troi André Williams

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation proposes a novel method called state-dependent sensor measurement models (SDSMMs). Such models dynamically predict the state-dependent bias and uncertainty of sensor measurements, ultimately improving fundamental robot tasks such as localization. In our first investigation, we introduced the state-dependent sensor measurement model framework, described their properties, stated the input and output of these models, and described how to train them. We also explained how to integrate such models with an Extended Kalman Filter and a Particle Filter, two popular robot state estimation algorithms. We validated the proposed framework through a series of localization tasks. The results showed that our …

An Assessment And Exploration Of Recent Methodological Advances In Safety Data Analysis, Suryaprasanna Kumar Balusu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The injury severity and frequency of traffic crashes can be further reduced by implementing appropriate traffic safety measures. Several advanced methodologies have been developed in the recent decades to more accurately identify the factors affecting road safety. Such methodologies have helped policy makers formulate appropriate safety measures directed toward increasing seatbelt and helmet use, reducing speed limits in school zones, implementing adolescent driver programs, and so on. However, each methodological approach has its own strengths and weakness and could lead to different inferences. This dissertation assesses and explores a number of recently developed methodologies and their application to traffic safety …

Spin Coupling In Magnetic Core - Shell Nanoparticles, Corisa Kons

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) have garnered much interest due to the unique properties that emergewhen compared to their bulk counterparts. In particular, core-shell (CS) NPs offer the ability to tailor the magnetic properties of the system through careful selection of core and shell constituent materials. In this work, the magnetic ordering of CS NPs with contrast in core/shell features (moment, anisotropy, coercivity, etc.) have been investigated using a combination of X-ray magnetic circular dichroism spectroscopy (XMCD) and polarized small angle neutron scattering (SANS). First, temperature-dependent analyses of XMCD and SANS studies were carried out for CS NPs featuring a core composed …

Modeling, Identification, And Stability Analysis Of Inverter-Based Resources Integrated Systems, Miao Zhang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

More and more stability issues have been observed in real-world inverter-based resources (IBRs) power systems. Stability analysis is highly requested in the industrial area. To have an insight into the root causes of stability issues within IBR integrated systems, e.g, PV, wind, and battery storage systems, the dynamic characteristics should be fully understood.

The approaches are different when considering the presupposition of investigated IBR systems. A reduced-order analytical model of the IBR integrated system can be built if the IBR is treated as a white box. Since the parameters and control structures of converter control can be accessed. This analytical …

Theory And Algorithms For Systems Optimization, Vahid Mahmoodian

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents four sets of contributions in the field of theory and algorithms for system optimization. In the first set, we introduce a simulation optimization method for redistributing bikes in a free-floating bike sharing system. The second set of contributions is a framework for batching queries in large databases to optimize the data retrieval time. The third set includes two branch-and-bound algorithms to solve minimum multiplicative programming problems and one branch-and-bound algorithm to solve the maximum form of the mentioned problems. At last, the fourth set presents an approach to fairlyassign delivery tasks in an outsourcing last-mile delivery system …

Investigation Of Immobilized Enzymes In Confined Environment Of Mesoporous Host Matrices, Xiaoliang Wang

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Enzyme immobilization in metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as a promising strategy, is attracting the interest of scientists from different disciplines with the expansion of MOF’s development. Different from other traditional host materials, their unique strengths of high surface areas, large yet adjustable pore sizes, functionalizable pore walls, and diverse architectures make MOFs an ideal platform to investigate hosted enzymes, which is critical to the industrial and commercial process. In addition to the protective function of MOFs, the extensive roles of MOFs in the enzyme immobilization are being well-explored by making full use of their remarkable properties like well-defined structure, high porosity, …

Microencapsulation Of Thermochromic Materials For Thermal Storage And Energy Efficiency Of Buildings, Abdullatif Hakami

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Thermochromism and thermochromic materials research and development are of great interest in various applications such as energy efficient building structures, textile industries, thermal or heat storage, antique maintenance processing, and sensors, etc. In general, thermochromic materials have been classified into four categories, including inorganic, organic, polymeric, and hybrid systems, based on their unique material properties and operating conditions. Thermochromic materials have been prepared via different physico-chemical techniques with some of them combined to maximize the yield, stability, and efficiency of the prepared TCMs. Pristine TCMs often undergo severe degradation when exposed to various external stimuli including UV irradiation from sunlight …

Community Assessment Of Water Perceptions And Household Point-Of-Use Treatment Methods In Madagascar, Isabella Rose Silverman

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One in four people around the world do not have access to safe drinking water, which means that two billion people globally lack access. In high-income countries, 0.02% of yearly deaths are attributed to unsafe water sources; however, an alarming 10.6% of deaths occur in Madagascar, for the same reason.

To achieve Sustainable Development Goal 6: Ensure access to water and sanitation for all, a collaboration between public health and engineering is critical. Within the public health sector, social marketing is commonly utilized to address a problem by using commercial marketing principles to change behavior for the good of society. …

Sanitation Marketing In Uganda: The Impact Of Gender On Participation And Outcomes, Elizabeth Vicario

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Uganda aims to reach universal access to basic sanitation under Sustainable Development Goal #6, but achieving this target by 2030 would require doubling the annual rate of progress. Women are disproportionately affected by poor sanitation due to their health needs and risk of facing violence, but they have historically been excluded from sanitation planning. Low household demand and poor service delivery have stalled progress in Uganda. Market-based sanitation (MBS) is a novel method of developing a sanitation market through stimulating demand and supporting a competitive atmosphere for product and service providers. This research studies the sanitation marketing activities implemented by …

Laboratory Examination Of Lead Weights Harvested From Pitcher Pumps In Eastern Madagascar, Madelyn Wilson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Previous sampling campaigns in Tamatave, Madagascar, conducted by the University of South Florida (USF) have identified lead contamination in drinking water sourced from self-supply pitcher pumps. The pitcher pump piston and foot valves were identified as the primary source of lead contamination since they are often manufactured from recycled lead acid batteries. The previous field sampling technique consisted of collecting an aliquot of a 10-15-liter composite sample from the pitcher pump for dissolved lead analysis; however, this technique (1) neglects the contribution of particulate lead, (2) does not properly account for the effects of water stagnation inside the pitcher pump …

Use Of Biochar And Zeolite For Landfill Leachate Treatment: Experimental Studies And Reuse Potential Assessment, Thanh Thieu Lam

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Leachate is a highly colored liquid waste product of landfills that contains high concentrations of ammonia nitrogen (NH4+-N), refractory organic matter, and heavy metals. It is commonly disposed to local publicly owned treatment works (POTWs). With these potent characteristics, it interferes with the physical, biological, and chemical treatment processes within POTWs. Sequencing batch biofilm reactors (SBBR) and hybrid subsurface flow constructed wetlands (CW) have been used in the past to treat landfill leachate, but their design and performance can still be optimized. Addition of low-cost adsorbent materials to SBBRs and CWs, such as biochar and zeolite, have the potential to …

Minimum Cut-Sets For The Identification Of Critical Water Distribution Network Segments, Xiliang Mao

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

To ensure adequate performance of water distribution networks, utilities must identify critical segments within the network that will adversely affect users when failures occur. Currently, time consuming hydraulic simulations are used for such criticality analyses. A method can be of great benefit for utilities if it can easily evaluate the criticality of water distribution network segments. This research applies topology-based methods for the preliminary screening of critical segments. This study evaluated the connectivity between sources and each demand segment in water distribution networks using minimum cut-sets. Through topological analysis, the minimum cut -set between the source node and each demand …