Digital Commons Network^™

Localized Multivariate Statistical Assessment Of United States Construction Labor Shortages, Ahmed Shiha, Islam H. El-Adaway

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Craft labor shortage is a persistent challenge facing the construction industry across various markets. The historically low geographic mobility of construction labor exacerbates and localizes labor shortages. Several research efforts relied on subjective evaluations to quantify the existence of labor shortages on a national level. As such, there is a lack of empirical quantification of labor shortages at different geospatial levels. This paper fills this knowledge gap. To this end, the authors adopted a methodology that encompassed: (1) conducting a literature review to identify and collect national-level and subnational indicators that explain the changes in labor supply and demand; (2) …

Coupling Effect Of Abrasion And Erosion On Ultrahigh-Performance Seawater-Sea Sand Concrete, Dawei Ding, Wei Zhang, Lanqin Wang, Hongyan Ma, Biqin Dong, Song Han, Hongjian Xu, Dongshuai Hou

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Preparing ultrahigh-performance seawater-sea sand concrete (UHPSSC) to mitigate the scarcity of freshwater and river sand resources has generated considerable recent research interest. However, the deterioration mechanisms of UHPSSC under the effect of abrasion and erosion remain unstudied. In this paper, the underwater steel ball method was conducted to evaluate the impact of seawater, sea sand, steel fiber, and seawater abrasion on the abrasion resistance of UHPSSC. Then the stress erosion models of calcium-silicate-hydrate (C-S-H) were constructed to investigate the degradation mechanisms of UHPSSC under the effect of external stress and seawater erosion. The results show that the application of seawater …

Bike/Ped Data Collection And Model Calibration, Eirini Stavropoulou, Dionysios Tzamakos, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Reginald Souleyrette, Teng Wang

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

Motivated by an uptick in pedestrian and bicycle traffic, as well as the inclusion of pedestrian and bicyclist weights in the Strategic Highway Investment Formula For Tomorrow, the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) has made significant investments in transportation facilities for nonmotorized users. Despite an intensified focus on the needs of nonmotorized users, KYTC has not yet established a formal program to track the number of people walking, biking, skateboarding, and using micromobility devices statewide. Based on a review of methods and technologies for counting nonmotorized users; analysis of counting programs established by local, state, and regional transportation agencies; and a …

Precision Agriculture Applications In Tart Cherries: Yield Mapping Technologies And Remote Sensing For Water Stress Estimation, Anderson Luiz Dos Santos Safre

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Tart cherry is an important specialty crop in the United States, particularly in Utah where the area dedicated to tart cherry cultivation is larger than any other fruit grown in the state. However, growers face increasing challenges due to rising land prices, limited water availability, and extreme weather events. These factors make it essential to adopt new technologies that improve efficiency and sustainability. Precision agriculture, which uses data-driven tools to manage crops more effectively, can help address these challenges. However, most tart cherry orchards still rely on traditional practices due to a lack of specialized technologies for this crop. This …

Operationalizing Camera-Based Hydrologic Monitoring With Ai And Edge Computing: Towards Real-Time Water Level And Discharge Measurements, Razin Bin Issa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Monitoring river water levels and flows is critical for managing water supplies, protecting against floods, supporting ecosystems, and informing infrastructure planning. However, traditional methods rely on sensors installed directly in rivers, which can be expensive, difficult to maintain, and vulnerable to damage—particularly in remote or hazardous locations. In many regions, limited budgets and access challenges result in large gaps in river monitoring networks.

This research explores an innovative alternative: using fixed cameras and artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor rivers from a distance. The approach allows for non-contact observation of water levels and flows by analyzing images captured by cameras installed …

Building Services Engineering July/August 2025

Building Services Engineering

No abstract provided.

Feasibility Study On Using Blue Clay As A Supplementary Cementitious Material (Scm)., Clark Lemon

Master of Engineering Theses

An effective strategy for reducing CO₂ emissions in the global cement industry is replacing a percentage of cement with supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). As the availability of conventional SCMs such as fly ash and slag is decreasing, alternative SCMs such as calcined clays have been studied for their use as effective pozzolans. The present work investigates the feasibility of using a waste product from the quarrying industry known as blue clay as a viable SCM. It is composed of multiple clay minerals, predominantly muscovite. Raw and calcined at four temperatures (500, 650, 800, and 950°C), blue clay was analyzed …

Seismic Performance Assessment Of Fatigue-Damaged Cantilever Overhead Sign Structures Using Near-Field Ground Motions, Yeasin Ahmed

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Cantilever overhead sign support (COSS) structures are one of the most common features of transportation systems, providing navigational information to motorists. The slender geometry, lightweight design, and welded connection at the base make COSS structure susceptible to fatigue cracking under long term cyclic loading from wind-induced galloping, truck-induced gust pressure and so on. COSS structures are traditionally designed considering nominal wind conditions. However, rising incidents of seismic activity in regions like Dallas-Fort Worth related to industrial injection wells in the Permian Basin have created a serious concern regarding the seismic performance of potentially fatigued-damaged COSS structure. The interaction between already …

Evaluation Of Salt-Free Electrodialysis Metathesis For High Recovery Inland Desalination Brine Management, Tayia Oddonetto

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Salt-Free Electrodialysis Metathesis (SF-EDM) is an emerging electro-driven membrane technology designed to minimize brine discharge while enabling selective ion separation and resource recovery. This dissertation presents an evaluation of SF-EDM, spanning bench-scale studies with synthetic brine from the Brackish Groundwater National Desalination Research Facility in Alamogordo, NM, real reverse osmosis (RO) brines from the Kay Bailey Hutchinson Desalination Plant in El Paso, TX, and finally a weeklong pilot demonstration at the Yuma Desalting Plant in Yuma, AZ. Bench-scale experiments established process feasibility and performance trends, while pilot results revealed the value of pre-treatment and system configuration. SF-EDM demonstrated high hydraulic …

Structural Design Using Conditional-Gan Fused With Property Text Information: A Case For Masonry Structures, Arash Teymori Gharah Tapeh

All Dissertations

Structural design, by nature, is a complex process that requires a considerable amount of time, expertise, and knowledge. In such a process, the structural designer must navigate various codal provisions to crystallize a proper and adequate design. As the role of automation continues to shape the domain of structural engineering over the past few decades, a new front leverages artificial intelligence (AI). Currently, AI acts as a "copilot," collaborating to advance workflow speed and accelerate the design process. Among all the different collaborations between humans and AI, GANs (Generative Adversarial Networks) are seen to complement human creativity by automating specific …

Modeling Disaster Resilience Through A Human-Centered Lens: Exposure, Vulnerability And Adaptation, Tong Liu

All Dissertations

The core of reframing and operationalizing disaster resilience with a human-centered lens is to incorporate concepts from socio-ecological resilience into engineering resilience to better understand the humans’ capability for disaster adaptation. Existing studies have drawn practical implications by identifying actionable thresholds for infrastructure systems under disasters, which can be easily applied by policymakers, emergency managers and municipal agencies. However, how individuals interact with, respond to, or adapt under these infrastructure thresholds remain understudied. This hinders the operationalization of disaster resilience at the human scale.

First, I examined exposure by analyzing how configuration and distribution of urban infrastructure systems, such as …

Constructing A State: Canals And The Transformation Of The Economy, Politics, And Finance In Nineteenth-Century New York, Youwei Xing

All Dissertations

This dissertation consists of three essays in economic history, unified by a focus on one of America's earliest transportation infrastructures, the canal system, in nineteenth-century New York. Each chapter explores a different aspect of the state's transformation: its economy, politics, and finance, each of which helped construct New York as the Empire State.

The first chapter studies the economic impact of canals on economic modernization from three aspects: sectoral transition, urbanization, and banking development. Contrary to much of the modern literature finds transportation infrastructure leads to decentralization, I find the opposite-evidence of centralization. Specially: (1) canal towns experienced a transition …

Fleet Algorithm Design For Pooled Rideshare: Integrating Human Factors, Simulation, And Optimization, Joseph Paul

All Dissertations

This dissertation explores the study the integration of human factors modeling and rideshare fleet control algorithms. Pooled rideshare is a unique transportation mode offering that allows riders increased flexibility and accessibility over public transportation, and decreased cost relative to personal vehicles or traditional rideshare. Additionally, relative to personal vehicles, pooled rideshare offers reduced costs and options for those with difficulty obtaining transportation. Prior research in the space typically focused on modeling human behavior, or optimizing system performance, but a lack of integration of the concepts leads to unrealistic or underutilized outcomes. To tackle this problem, novel rideshare assignment, and repositioning …

Impact Of Geometrical Dimensions On The Shear Behaviour Of Uhpc Deep Beams Reinforced With Steel And Synthetic Fibres, Hossein Mirzaaghabeik, Nuha S. Mashaan, Sanjay Kumar Shukla

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) is recognized for its exceptional strength, durability, and versatility in engineering applications, making it a reliable composite in the construction industry. The incorporation of fibres into UHPC enhances its mechanical properties. Non-metallic fibres offer a promising alternative to steel fibres due to their resistance to corrosion. While much research has focused on the shear behaviour of UHPC reinforced with steel fibres, there is a notable gap in understanding the impact of non-metallic fibres. This study aims to address this gap by comparing the influence of synthetic fibres to steel fibres on the shear behaviour of UHPC through …

Mining Waste In Asphalt Pavements: A Critical Review Of Waste Rock And Tailings Applications, Adeel Iqbal, Nuha S. Mashaan, Themelina Paraskeva

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This paper presents a critical and comprehensive review of the application of mining waste, specifically waste rock and tailings, in asphalt pavements, with the aim of synthesizing performance outcomes and identifying key research gaps. A systematic literature search yielded a final dataset of 41 peer-reviewed articles for detailed analysis. Bibliometric analysis indicates a notable upward trend in annual publications, reflecting growing academic and practical interest in this field. Performance-based evaluations demonstrate that mining wastes, particularly iron and copper tailings, have the potential to enhance the high-temperature performance (i.e., rutting resistance) of asphalt binders and mixtures when utilized as fillers or …

Translating Soil Salinity To Agricultural Salt Stress: Key Salt-Tolerance Mechanisms For Agrohydrologic Models, Josh Gottlieb, Dvir Ochman, Cheng-Wei Huang, Jean-Christophe Domec, Nimrod Schwartz, Samantha Hartzell

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Summary:

Salt stress has a detrimental impact on crop yield and survival rates, which salt-tolerant cultivars can resist through numerous adaptive mechanisms. Most models of salt stress impacts on productivity and water use employ empirical or simplified schemes to represent salt-adaptive traits. However, with an increased understanding of these physiological tolerance mechanisms and emergent measurement techniques for monitoring key salinity dynamics, the potential for developing mechanistic agrohydrological models of the soil-plant-atmosphere continuum has grown. This perspective highlights strategies for modeling salt tolerance mechanisms, including root system architecture adaptation, salt filtration, adaptation of plant hydraulics, ion compartmentalization, and stomatal responses, to …

Coal Mining Reclamation: Lessons Learned From Tropical And Subtropical Countries, Priyaji Agung Pambudi, Suyud Warno Utomo, Roni Setyo Handoko

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

This study addresses the persistent environmental challenges associated with coal mining in tropical and subtropical regions, where complex microclimates and ecological variability hinder effective reclamation. Despite the increasing global coal demand, comparative cross-country insights remain limited. This research fills the gap by evaluating the best practices. This study employs a qualitative methodology with a comparative case study design, uses systematic literature review to evaluate ecology based reclamation policies and implementation practices. Data were sourced from peer-reviewed journals from Scopus and the Web of Science database and institutional reports, and analyzed using McHarg’s landscape ecology theory to evaluate reclamation policies, ecological …

Non-Destructive Strength Monitoring Of Air-Entrained Concrete Via Electromechanical Impedance Technology, Xiangrui Kong, Rui He

Discovery Undergraduate Interdisciplinary Research Internship

Accurate monitoring of concrete strength during curing is crucial, particularly in regions subject to harsh weather conditions, such as freeze-thaw cycles in Indiana. Air entrainment is crucial for durability, yet it can significantly reduce concrete strength, making timely and precise strength assessments vital. The primary objective of this study is to develop a non-destructive and real-time monitoring framework for evaluating mortar strength using electromechanical impedance (EMI) sensors and ultrasonic scanning technology.

This research holds significant value as it addresses the critical need for continuous, reliable concrete strength monitoring, potentially reducing reliance on destructive testing methods, which are costly and time-consuming. …

Annual Maximum Snow Loads For Weather Stations Outside Of The Conterminous United States, Nicholas Brimhall, Brennan L. Bean, Marc Maguire, Bikram Bhusal, Maha Moussa

Browse all Datasets

Historical records of snow observations are critical for civil engineering, climate modeling, and risk assessment. While a robust dataset of annual maximum snow loads has been developed for the conterminous United States, a similar dataset does not exist for areas of interest in areas outside of the conterminous United States (OCONUS). This dataset contains over 280,000 annual maximum SWE values across over 7,400 OCONUS stations, both from the Global Historical Climatology-Daily (GHCND) network provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and from country-specific networks of weather stations from international meteorological agencies. This dataset will be valuable for civil …

A Novel, Metal-Based Approach To Identify Residences With Lead Service Lines, Danielle Land, Grant D. Brown, David M. Cwiertny, Marc A. Edwards, Mona Hanna, Drew E. Latta, Michelle M. Scherer

Michigan Tech Publications

There is an urgent need for rapid, cost-effective approaches to identify residences with lead service lines (LSLs). We evaluated whether analyzing water for corrosion-related metals could accurately identify residences with LSLs without relying on potentially inaccurate property records. We applied principal component analysis logistic regression (PCA-LR) and classification tree models using 28 analytes per bottle (including Pb, Cu, Zn, Fe, Al, and others) measured in 216 water samples collected in Flint, Michigan, in August 2015. The PCA-LR model achieved 87% accuracy (AUROC = 0.93) with 81% sensitivity and 90% specificity, while the classification tree model achieved 80% accuracy (AUROC = …

Finite Element Investigation Of Blast Load Responses In Nuclear Power Plant Containment Structures, Janak Raj Awasthi

Civil Engineering ETDs

Some significant incidents like the Chernobyl disaster (1986), the Fukushima Daiichi hydrogen explosion (2011), and some frequent military and terror threats to the nuclear Power plant structures have led to studying the capacity of power plant structures to withstand blast loadings. From this research, even one-third of the loss of the coolant is enough to damage the power plant structure. Crack starts from the wall and propagates toward the top of the dome and the foundation. The external blast shows high damage symptoms near the foundation area. Most of the steel members, including the rebars, Liner, and Tendons, showed high …

Improving Infiltration Model Performance In Arid And Urban Regions, Samuel Stephen Coulter

Civil Engineering ETDs

Flooding in arid regions is infrequent but damaging and limited historical data makes flood modeling an important tool for flood infrastructure design. This study improves flood modeling guidance by using plot-scale tests to determine the impact of slope, compaction, gravel mulch and landscape fabric on infiltration and runoff rates in sandy soil types. This data will be used as guidance for the linear and constant model. The performance of this model was compared with the curve number model for a hypothetical 100-year design storm. Results showed that gravel mulch increased infiltration rates by 66% and reduced erosion on steep and …

A Multi-Scale Numerical Analysis Of Wave Propagation Through Coastal Vegetation Using Proteus & Xbeach, Cole M. Statler

LSU Master's Theses

Coastal vegetation attenuates waves in the nearshore zone and protects shorelines from storm surge and wave action. It also traps nutrients and sediment, and participates in the formation of land over longer time scales. These features of vegetation make it a common component of nature-based engineering projects. Interaction of water waves and flow with vegetation, however, can involve unsteady and turbulent flow, non-hyrdostatic pressure effects, and air entrainment that can hinder the use of simple parametric representations of vegetation drag. XBeach, a one- and two-dimensional production model applies reduced-order methods, prioritizing computational efficiency. Vegetation is represented in XBeach as a …

Ai-Based Object Detection And Risk Identification For Enhanced Construction Site Safety, Mahdi Bonyaniakbarabadi

LSU Master's Theses

Recent advancements in computer vision for construction site safety have encountered significant hurdles, especially in the nuanced tasks of object detection and the identification of unsafe worker behaviors. These challenges are often exacerbated by complex and cluttered backgrounds, wide variations in object scale, and inconsistent image quality. While existing methodologies have utilized attention mechanisms to analyze spatial and temporal features, they frequently neglect the benefits of adaptive sampling and channel-wise feature adjustments, thereby failing to exploit potential spatiotemporal redundancies. This thesis introduces a two-pronged approach to address these limitations. First, we propose the Optimized-Position Network (OP-Net), a novel architecture for …

The Operational Performance Of Buildings In A Humid Subtropical Climate: Insights From Empirical Data And Assessment Models, Oluwafemi Awolesi

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis evaluates the operational performance of residential and non-residential buildings in a humid subtropical climate, emphasizing Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) and energy performance through empirical data and assessment models. Motivated by the increasing need for integrated sustainability evaluations, this study combines a systematic review with multi-method field investigations to advance understanding in this domain. The systematic review critically analyzed 99 case study articles, identifying dominant IEQ assessment methodologies and highlighting methodological inconsistencies that hinder cross-study comparability. Emerging computational approaches, although promising, remain underutilized. The review advocates for standardized, climate-responsive, and feedback-oriented evaluation frameworks. Field investigations assessed IEQ and energy …

Efficient Small Tool Detection In Construction Via Lightweight Deep Neural Networks, Maryam Soleymani

LSU Master's Theses

Construction sites are dynamic and inherently hazardous environments, where small hand tools—although essential—pose serious safety risks due to their frequent use, portability, and tendency to be misplaced or dropped. This study introduces a novel and lightweight deep learning-based architecture, Lightweight Small Tool Detection (LSTD), specifically designed for fast detection of small tools in unstructured and challenging construction environments. Recognizing that small object detection remains a persistent limitation in existing computer vision models, particularly under poor lighting or cluttered backgrounds, LSTD integrates advanced modules for enhanced feature extraction, fusion, and classification. It achieves notable improvements in accuracy, recall, and computational efficiency …

A Comprehensive Study Of Transportation Projects Impact In Congested Cities Through Travel Demand Modeling And Decision-Making Tools: A Case Study Of Zagazig City, Egypt, Amr M. Sakr, Metwally Gouda Mohamed Altaher, Mahmoud El-Saied Ali Solyman, Mohamed Ibrahim El-Sharkawi Attia

Mansoura Engineering Journal

Transportation projects are major resource-intensive projects that largely influence the transportation system’s resilience, human health, and quality of life. This study aims to assess and prioritize four transportation projects in Zagazig City, Egypt, in an attempt to build a more sustainable transport system. The travel demand model is used to determine various traffic characteristics and environmental impacts, and decision-making tools are used to evaluate the proposed projects. Benefit-cost analysis (BCA) is employed to investigate the economic feasibility of the proposed projects, and two hybrid multiple-criteria decision-making (MCDM) methods are used to prioritize the proposed projects. Through the work conducted in …

Rethinking Green Building Development Through Policy And Operational Metrics: Insights From Baton Rouge And Beyond, Oluwafemi Awolesi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation explores the challenges and opportunities associated with the development, adoption, and performance of green buildings in regions with relatively low certification uptake, drawing insights from Baton Rouge and its parish system as a case study. It addresses three primary research questions: (1) How can the adoption rate of green buildings be enhanced? (2) How do certified buildings perform compared to their non-certified counterparts? (3) What operational metrics can be applied to better evaluate building performance in the future?

Using a mixed-methods approach, the study examines stakeholder perceptions in East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, investigates energy performance, indoor environmental quality, …

Empirical Analysis Of Incentivized Energy Assessment Recommendations And Iiot Cost-Effectiveness In U.S. Smes, Fatemeh Ghafari

LSU Master's Theses

The industrial sector in the United States accounted for 33% of total energy consumption in 2022. Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which comprise 99.9% of U.S. businesses present a critical opportunity for energy efficiency improvements. Although energy audits provide actionable Assessment Recommendations (ARs) to reduce consumption, high implementation costs remain a key barrier to adoption.

While prior studies have explored rebate programs, most are limited to residential and commercial sectors or focus narrowly on specific technologies or geographic areas for the industrial sector. The objective of this study is to empirically investigate the “Incentivized Assessment Recommendation” (IAR) trends and to …

Fresh And Mechanical Properties Of Self-Compacting Concrete Using Kaolin Limestone Blend And Hybrid Slag Blend, Selesca Devi S

Theses and Dissertations

This study examined the consequences of mono and hybrid natural fibers on the mechanical and fresh properties of self-compacting concrete (SCC), in response to the growing demand for environmentally friendly building materials. In mono fiber, Abaca fiber (AF) at 0.25% and 0.5% dosage, basalt fiber (BF) from 0.25% to 2% at 0.25% increments, and sisal fiber (SiF) from 0.25% to 1.5% at 0.25% increments were evaluated through slump flow diameter, T500, compressive and tensile strength. AF at 0.25% ensured good flow with 6.6% and 4.16% higher compressive and tensile strength over 0.5% AF. SiF up to 1% improved strength but …