Digital Commons Network^™

Life Cycle Costs Of The Little Cottonwood Canyon Transportation Scenarios Under Varied Economic Conditions And Analysis Periods, Emma Reeves, Dane Richards, Darrell Sonntag

Faculty Publications

Abstract— This study revisits the life cycle cost analysis (LCCA) of the Utah Department of Transportation’s (UDOT) proposed gondola project, using recommended best practices for selecting the discount rate, life cycle periods, and conducting a sensitivity analysis on cost projections. We reanalyze the life cycle costs of the five alternatives in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) (Scenario 1) across different economic scenarios, and subsequently, we reanalyze the life cycle costs of the Scaled Enhanced Bus (Scenario 2) and Enhanced Bus to Gondola (Scenario 3) from UDOT’s Revised LCCA, using construction dates in the record of decision (ROD) and considering various …

Cellular Automaton Simulation Of Grain And Sub-Grain Evolution With Eutectic Growth In Laser Scanned And Rescanned Al–10si, With Experimental Validation, Kai Kang, Lang Yuan, Can Sun, Javier Miranda, André B. Phillion

Faculty Publications

This study presents a three-dimensional Cellular Automaton (3D CA) model incorporating eutectic growth mechanisms to simulate grain and sub-grain structure evolution in an additive manufacturing (AM) scenario, with surface laser rescanning of Al–10Si alloy as a case study. Unlike conventional CA models in AM, this work introduces a eutectic solidification framework within the CA approach, allowing dynamical transitions between dendritic and eutectic growth modes based on local thermal and solute conditions. The CA model integrates finite element analysis (FEA)-derived thermal data, solute redistribution tracking, nucleation behaviors, and growth kinetics under rapid solidification conditions in laser scanning and rescanning. The simulation …

Empowering Tanzanian Education: Personalized And Accessible Test Preparation, Brian Wiebe, Shiv Jhalani

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

Only 20% of students performed well enough on their secondary exams to continue their A-level studies. This challenge exists due to a lack of resources, classroom overcrowding, and absenteeism of the instructors. The project focuses on improving the pass rate for these national exams; we have built an intelligent quiz generating platform that helps Tanzanian students prepare more effectively for exams by meeting user needs including active recall, answer explanations, increasing difficulty, and filtered studying. Students can select the subject, form level, topic, and the difficulty level, and the platform provides different types of questions, including true/false, multiple choice, and …

Preserving Yucatán’S Agricultural Heritage: A Mobile App For Agricultural Sustainability, Fernando Rojas, Jason Serrano, Kavya Sharma

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

We developed a mobile application that preserves Yucatán’s agricultural heritage and supports local farmers, while addressing the urgent need for the technology-driven integration of Mayan agricultural knowledge, specifically the Milpa system, into an accessible mobile platform. Our objective was to create an intuitive, culturally appropriate, and low-technology resource to support farmers in making informed, sustainable agricultural decisions, regardless of their internet connection. We saw this as critical for enhancing agricultural practices in Yucatán and beyond. We accomplished this by creating a trilingual (Spanish, English, and Yucatec Maya) mobile app with features such as agrarian cycle information, mapping and location services, …

Adsorption And Electron Transfer Of Metal-Reducing Decaheme Cytochrome Protein Mtrf On Iron Oxide Nanoparticle Surfaces, Jiahuiyu Fang, Pranab Sarker, Xiaoxue Qin, Shuting Zhang, Size Zheng, Tao Wei

Faculty Publications

Dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria (DMRB) transfer electrons to extracellular metal oxides via a multiheme cytochrome network. Coupling DMRB with iron oxide nanoparticles (NPs) enables continuous redox processes for various applications such as bioremediation and bioenergy. The conformation of the terminal decaheme cytochrome MtrF on the surface critically influences electron transfer (ET) efficiency. In this work, we used molecular dynamics simulations and master equations to study MtrF adsorption on 3.6 and 6.0 nm α-Fe2O3 NPs and its steady-state ET in water. Our study shows that the heme cofactors can have strong electrostatic interactions with iron oxide NP surfaces, promoting protein adsorption and …

Characterization Of Ultra-High-Speed Friction Stir Welds Made In Thin Sheet Aa6061-T4 Material, Todd Grant Lainhart

Theses and Dissertations

Friction stir lap welding (FSLW) of thin aluminum sheets in industry and in research has faced challenges in weld quality that limit welding speeds. Interfacial defects such as hooking and thinning are common defects that appear at the interface of FSLW, and researchers and process operators have traditionally reduced process parameters such as feed rate and spindle rotation to fully eliminate the defects. While such measures are successful in creating fully consolidated FSLW, feed rates for FSLW have stagnated around 1 mpm with the fastest feed rates recorded at 3 mpm, making it difficult for manufacturers to implement FSLW in …

Practicality Of Implementing Sub-Clause 8.4 [Advance Warning] Of The Fidic 2017 Red Book In Egypt, Gehad Ibrahim

Theses and Dissertations

Disputes in construction projects can cause cost and time overruns that can be detrimental to the parties involved and to the project. Several measures have been advocated by the industry’s practitioners in an attempt to avoid disputes and their adverse impacts. One of these measures is the introduction of advance warning sub-clauses in construction contracts, where the contracting parties play a proactive and collaborative role in warning each other of potential adverse impacts to the project. Such clauses have been in the NEC suite of standard construction contracts for decades and have recently found their way to the 2017 edition …

Bilingual Buddy, Adian Alvarado, Farhaan Pishori, Luis Villalta, Andrea Yao, Ekam Singh

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

Bilingual students often face challenges in mathematics not due to a lack of ability, but because of linguistic barriers that hinder their understanding of math-specific terminology and consequently their problem-solving language ability. This project addresses that issue through the development of a mobile application designed to support English language acquisition in the context of mathematics for Spanish-speaking students. Rather than teaching mathematical concepts directly, the app focuses on vocabulary, syntax, and contextual comprehension through scaffolded lessons, gamified elements, and an integrated AI chatbot.

Built using Flutter for cross-platform compatibility, the app prioritizes accessibility, simplicity, and engagement for young users. Ethical …

Nutrient Dynamics In Restored And Unrestored Urban Streams In The Piedmont Ecoregion Of South Carolina, Emily J. Jordan, Debabrata Sahoo, Calvin B. Sawyer, Jeremy W. Pike, Dara M. Park, Sarah A. White, Brian E. Haggard

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The United States invests billions of dollars annually to perform stream restoration projects, yet few studies have investigated the effects this ecosystem manipulation has on nutrient cycling and associated water quality. Water quality improvement remains a substantial motivation for mitigating catchment-scale disturbances, especially in urban streams. Various urban land use practices impact the transfer and transport of nutrients such as soluble reactive phosphorus, ammonium, and nitrate plus nitrite from land into the streams and rivers. The uptake length (Sw), or the distance a dissolved nutrient travels downstream within a stream reach, can be measured using short-term nutrient injections, where shorter …

Getting An Airman Medical Certificate With Cerebral Palsy, Stefan Crisp

Honors Theses

This paper aims to document the personal experience of Stefan Crisp attempting to gain an airman medical certificate. It also aims to expose the airman medical certificate process for people with cerebral palsy in the United States. Stefan Crisp, who has cerebral palsy, attempted to gain an airman medical certificate through three attempts across multiple years. Research was done to compare the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) with the United Kingdom's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to reveal similarities and differences between accessibility and requirements. Despite successfully navigating through Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 67, Stefan was unable …

Rapid Beamformer Weight Calibration Update Method For The Advanced L-Band Phased Array Camera For Astronomy (Alpaca), Kayla Lyman Ward

Theses and Dissertations

The Advanced L-Band Phased Array Camera for Astronomy (ALPACA) is a phased array feed instrument designed for the Green Bank Telescope. It is capable of producing 40 real-time beams on the sky, widening the telescope's field of view and significantly increasing survey speed. ALPACA employs an RF-over-fiber (RFoF) signal transport system from the phased array feed front end to the digital backend. This RFoF link is expected to introduce phase delays and changes in gain through out the course of an observation, invalidating the beamformer weights previously calculated. This work presents rapid beamformer weight calibration updates for ALPACA, a method …

Examining The Impact Of Stress On Collegiate Flight Students, Shivanee D. Cannon-Patron

Beyond: Undergraduate Research Journal

Stress may negatively affect the timely completion of a student pilot's flight training. A student pilot influenced by stress may be subject to what is known as "falling behind the aircraft," a condition that constantly requires minor interventions from their flight instructor. This lack of situational awareness and decreased performance may inadvertently cause the student pilot to repeat the flight lesson, increasing the time spent in the training course.

Development And Miniaturization Of Pad-Printed Carbon Electrodes For Antibody-Type Biosensing, Elizabeth Danielle Clark

Theses and Dissertations

Miniaturized, pad-printed carbon electrodes (PPCEs) offer a promising platform for antibody-type biosensors, enabling rapid and cost-effective point-of-care diagnostics. This study investigates the development, fabrication, and electrochemical performance of large and miniaturized PPCEs functionalized for antibody-type detection, with the eventual goal of detecting pancreatic cancer specific biomarkers. The PPCEs were made of silver- and carbon- based inks that were formulated to be pad printable and conductive and printed on polycarbonate film so they can be easily disposed of after use. Each PPCE was thoroughly cleaned with ethanol several times to ensure a clean base on which to adsorb antibodies and antigens. …

Mining Waste Materials In Road Construction, Nuha Mashaan, Bina Yogi

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Resource depletion and environmental degradation have resulted from the substantial increase in the use of natural aggregates and construction materials brought on by the growing demand for infrastructure development. Road building using mining waste has become a viable substitute that reduces the buildup of industrial waste while providing ecological and economic advantages. In order to assess the appropriateness of several mining waste materials for use in road building, this study investigates their engineering characteristics. These materials include slag, fly ash, tailings, waste rock, and overburden. To ensure long-term performance in pavement applications, this study evaluates their tensile and compressive strength, …

Devices Related To Electrical Fast-Transient Protection And Detection, Cameron D. Harjes

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Electrical energy from natural occurring phenomena, such as an indirect lightning strike, can electromagnetically couple with nearby electronics thereby generating unwanted electrical fast-transients (EFT) signals in the circuit. Highly energetic EFT can interfere with a circuit’s normal operation or even destroy some circuit components entirely. Mitigating EFT has been a subject of research for decades and led to the development of devices such as lightning surge arresters (LSAs). These devices are critical for the protection of the electrical power grid from lightning induced EFT, however electromagnetic pulses (EMP) and other high-power radio frequency (RF) sources can generate much higher frequency …

Cutting-Edge Methods For Analyzing Student Behavior In Educational Settings: A Review, Shatha Talib Rashid, Hasanen S. Abdullah

Journal of Soft Computing and Computer Applications

The ability to predict students' performance in educational settings like schools and universities is crucial. A key objective of this effort is to increase academic outcomes and prevent dropout rates, among other benefits. Automating student activities, encouraged by information collected from any technology-based learning tool, has an important role in the process here. Those big quantities of information ought to be completely studied theoretically and processed for gaining worthy insights concerning a student's background as well as interacting with scientific missions, facilitating the development of advanced ways and algorithms to predict students' performance. The current study reviews several contemporary mechanisms …

Multi-Field Quantum Conference Key Agreement Using An Integrated Photonic Green Machine, Benjamin J. Fisher

Theses and Dissertations

Quantum Conference Key Agreement (QCKA) enables a group of users to generate a shared secret key, which reduces the latency and equipment overhead of establishing multiple Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) links. Conventional QCKA protocols send a multi-photon entangled state from one user to others and a key is generated only when all photons are detected, which is inefficient at high loss and opens side-channels at the receiver side. Here, we overcome this barrier through a multi-field QCKA protocol enabled by designing, fabricating, and testing an integrated photonic Green Machine that implements an eight-mode Hadamard unitary transformation through a beam-splitter network. …

Sae Baja Drivetrain Capstone 2024-2025, Leslie Alvarez Cisneros

University Honors Theses

This thesis reviews the 2024-2025 Baja SAE Drivetrain capstone project. The Baja SAE competition mimics real world engineering problems where teams of students design and build off-road vehicles that can handle tough, rough terrain. The objective of this capstone was to design a functional and reliable drivetrain system for the vehicle, within the constraints of a limited budget and the SAE competition guidelines. As part of a 12-member capstone team divided into three subgroups: frame, suspension, and drivetrain. As part of a four person drivetrain team, we picked up where the 2023-2024 team left off by relying on their past …

Advances In Bone And Orthopedics 2025 – 5th Edition, Jean-Philippe Berteau, Laurent Pujo-Menjouet, Hélène Follet, Aurélie Levillain

Publications and Research

This volume brings together selected works from the 2025 Bone and Orthopedics Interdisciplinary Symposium (BONITOS), underscoring our community’s ongoing commitment to advancing research in biomechanics, bone health, and orthopedic science. The symposium unites leading experts from around the world, fostering collaboration and the exchange of ideas across disciplines. Organized in partnership with the French-speaking Society of Biomechanics, the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research (INSERM), the University of Lyon, the College of Staten Island of the City University of New York (CUNY), and the American Association of Physical Therapists (APTA) – Brooklyn Staten Island Chapter, BONITOS 2025 represents …

Computational Fluid Dynamics And Fluid Structure Interaction Modeling In Healthy Vertebral Arteries: A Comparative Study, Bryce Clinkenbeard

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cerebral perfusion is critical for maintaining proper brain function, with each cerebrovascular artery playing an integral role in the overall cerebrovascular system. When these arteries become damaged or develop plaque, cardiovascular disease (CVDs) such as atherosclerosis can arise, leading to conditions like arterial stenosis. While CVDs are most prevalent in older individuals, they are also observed in young adults, particularly those engaged in high-endurance occupations such as military service. Diagnosis and prediction of CVDs often rely on imaging modalities supported by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) which account for low resolution in fluid flow. CFD models assume rigid arterial walls, which …

Supercritical Co2 Technology For Biomass Extraction: Review, Bahare Nozari, Ron Kander

School of Design and Engineering Papers

Supercritical carbon dioxide extraction is increasingly recognized as a green and efficient alternative to conventional solvent-based techniques for valorizing plant biomass. This review provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in a scCO₂ extraction method, focusing on its advantages in isolating high-value compounds from agricultural feedstocks. The unique physicochemical properties of scCO₂, combining gas-like diffusivity with liquid-like solvating power, enable selective extraction under mild and tunable conditions, which preserves the integrity of thermally sensitive molecules. In addition, scCO₂ reduces energy consumption, eliminates toxic solvent residues, and offers greater extraction precision than traditional methods. These features have …

Development Of An Embedded Iot Board For Real-Time Floor Estimation Of Autonomous Robots, Carter J. Sorensen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

As service robots become more prevalent in multi-story environments such as hospitals, hotels, and laboratories, accurate floor-level detection is critical to ensuring operational reliability. Consider a robot tasked with delivering medical samples in a multi-story laboratory. Without accurate feedback, a robot exiting on the wrong floor could introduce delays, disrupt workflows, or compromise sample integrity. Internet of Things (IoT) technologies offer a way to address these risks by providing real-time error detection and corrective capability. However, current IoT-based floor estimation systems often require invasive modifications to building infrastructure—particularly elevator control panels. These approaches introduce challenges related to cost, liability, backward …

An Advanced Hexacopter For Autonomous Exploration Of Mars: Attitude Control And Navigation Strategies, Laura Sopegno

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mars exploration has recently witnessed major interest within the scientific community. Unmanned robotic platforms offer reliable solutions to acquire and collect data and information from the Red Planet. Particularly, rovers, landers, and orbiters have significantly shaped planetary exploration on the Moon and Mars, contributing significantly to past missions while also highlighting limitations in their capacity to cover diverse terrains over wide ranges. Given current advances in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UASs), Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) offer promising alternatives for future scientific missions.

It is argued that hexacopters, with their relatively compact design and redundancy, present a promising …

Optimized Wireless Power Transmission For Low-Cost, Energy-Efficient Internet Of Things Devices In Residential Environments, Daniel Brook Hatch

Theses and Dissertations

Wireless power transmission (WPT) offers a promising solution for powering devices in locations where traditional electrical outlets are inaccessible, such as ceilings or outdoor environments. By utilizing electromagnetic waves, such as light, WPT enables power delivery without the need for physical connections. With line-of-sight (LoS) as its primary limitation, this technology offers significant flexibility and potential for a wide range of applications, making it a compelling focus for research and innovation. Despite the advancements in WPT technologies, their practical application for powering Internet of Things (IoT) devices in real-world scenarios remains underexplored. Many IoT devices are installed in locations where …

A Modular Simulation Environment And B-Spline Trajectory Generation Methods For Multi-Agent Uav Systems, Landon D. Shumway

Theses and Dissertations

Multi-agent UAV systems present a complex challenge requiring solutions to numerous subproblems. This research addresses two key issues: simulation testing and path planning. A modular simulation environment is developed, enabling users to run diverse mission scenarios with heterogeneous UAV teams and to implement custom dynamic models and guidance laws. Additionally, two novel B-spline trajectory generation methods are proposed. The first generates time-synchronized B-spline paths for UAVs with arbitrary initial and final states in 2D space, accommodating scenarios where agents must follow predetermined speed profiles. The second guidance method converts spline paths between MINVO, Bézier, and non-uniform B-spline representations, leveraging the …

Tunable Methacrylated Decellularized Heart Matrix: A Versatile Scaffold For Cardiac Tissue Engineering, Valinteshley Pierre, Douglas H. Wu, Chao Liu, Elif Ertugral, Chandrasekhar R. Kothapalli, Samuel E. Senyo

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Therapeutic tissue regeneration remains a significant unmet need in heart failure and cardiovascular disease treatment, which are among the leading causes of death globally. Decellularized heart matrix (DHM) offer promising advantages for tissue engineering, including low immunogenicity and seamless integration into biological processes, facilitating biocompatibility. However, DHM is challenged by weak mechanical properties that limit its utility to biomedical applications like tissue engineering. To address this limitation, we functionalized DHM with methacryloyl functional groups (DHMMA) that support UV-induced crosslinking to enhance mechanical properties. By modulating the degree of methacryloyl substitution, a broad range of stiffness was achieved while maintaining cell …

Non-Overlapping Patch-Based Pre-Trained Cnn For Breast Cancer Classification, Lamyaa Sabeeh Ashour, Ahmed Abed Mohammed, Mustafa M. Abd Zaid, Putra Sumari, Ahmed Kateb Jumaah Al-Nussairi, Sura Abdulateef Al-Shammari, Sarah Thabit Abdulmunem

Iraqi Journal for Computer Science and Mathematics

Breast cancer (BC) significantly impacts women's mortality rates and requires early detection to improve survival chances and enable appropriate treatment. Thus, a computer-aided system with high performance can speed up this process. A convolutional neural network (CNN) is considered sensitive to insufficient, noisy data. It cannot achieve high performance, however, restricted access to high-quality medical data, stemming from stringent confidentiality and privacy issues, is a considerable obstacle to the successful training of deep learning models. The current study aims to develop a remarkable, influential model for BC classification whilst considering modern pre-trained models ResNet50, AlexNet, InceptionV3 and VGG16 for extracting …

Detection Of Fake News In Short Videos: A Multimodal Approach, Mona Kumari

Master’s Dissertations

The rise of generative models and affordable video editing tools has fueled the spread of fake and manipulated videos, undermining information reliabilityespecially on social media. Traditional detection methods, focused on single modalities like visual artifacts or text cues, often struggle with diverse, user-generated content. This dissertation presents a unified framework for fake video detection that integrates multimodal semantics, narrative structure, and propagation behavior. Visual, audio, text, and OCR features are extracted using pretrained models (CLIP, Wav2Vec2), and segment-level graphs are built to model narrative flow using Graph Attention Networks (GATv2Conv). User engagement dynamics are modeled via a bidirectional LSTM. A …

Highly Adaptable Dendrimer Gel Nanoparticles With Dual Targeting Of Upar And Ribonucleotide Reductase R2 For Better Retention And Improved Therapeutic Outcomes In Triple-Negative Breast Cancer, Hsin Yin Chuang, Da Huang, Lin Qi, Vidit Singh, Anna Chernatynskaya, Yue-Wern Huang, Hu Yang

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) accounts for approximately 15% of breast cancers and lacks estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), rendering it unresponsive to hormonal or anti-HER2 therapies. Due to its poor prognosis and limited treatment options, there is an urgent need for targeted therapies. In this study, we developed highly adaptable polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer-based gel nanoparticles with dual-targeting capabilities against urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) and ribonucleotide reductase R2 (R2). These nanoparticles were designed to target both TNBC cells and cancer-associated stromal cells by leveraging uPA-uPAR interactions and delivering the antisense oligonucleotide …

Variable Natural Language Translator For Video Games, Gabriel Bernini, Cole Propach

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

In the field of video games, developers work to immerse players in a variety of ways. In one genre of video games, 2D exploration, or Metroidvania as its colloquially known, developers try to immerse players by letting them explore large worlds with the hope to overcome isolation. Often these worlds are sparse or dead worlds where the player is alone, but by exploring more of the world familiarity with the space is achieved and this isolation can be overcome. We hope to innovate in this genre by utilizing a new way to simulate and overcome this isolation, through language learning. …