Digital Commons Network^™

Analysis Of Rural Broadband Adoption Dynamics: A Theory-Driven Agent-Based Model, Ankit Agarwal, Casey Canfield

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Demand for broadband internet has far outpaced its availability. In addition, the "new normal" imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic has further disadvantaged unserved and underserved areas. To address this challenge, federal and state agencies are funding internet service providers (ISPs) to deploy broadband infrastructure in these areas. To support goals to provide broadband service to as many people as possible as quickly as possible, policymakers and ISPs may benefit from better tools to predict take rates and formulate effective strategies to increase the adoption of high-speed internet. However, there is typically insufficient data available to understand consumer attitudes. We propose …

Railroad Track And Wheel Defect Detection With Onboard Condition Monitoring System, Jeffery Pams, Constantine Tarawneh, Joe Montoya, Brent Wilson, Lee Cantu, Hashem Alkhaldi

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

In the railroad industry, it was estimated by the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) Office of Safety Analysis that over 1,000 train derailments occur every year in the United States, with a significant amount being caused by mechanical failures such as defects within the wheels and tracks. The use of wireless onboard health monitoring technologies as opposed to wayside detection systems has been receiving a lot of attention considering recent catastrophic derailments. Through research, development, and implementation of onboard condition monitoring systems by the University Transportation Center for Railway Safety (UTCRS) and HUM Industrial Technology, Inc., a promising method to detect …

Skip The Grid: Navajo Nation Solar Power Project, Nathan Kealy Haub

Construction Management

Skip the Grid, an initiative aimed at empowering communities in need was brought to life through the collaborative efforts of California Polytechnic State University San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) students, industry partners like SOLV Energy, and the educational non-profit organization Heart of America (HOA). This project was a true testament to the power of teamwork and innovation. Our mission was to assist families of school-aged children in the Navajo Nation by providing them with solar energy systems, including batteries and lighting. We aimed to create a lasting impact by equipping these families with essential resources. In addition, we integrated educational …

Cervical Spinal Cord Angiography And Vessel-Selective Perfusion Imaging In The Rat, Seongtaek Lee, Brian Schmit, Shekar N. Kurpad, Matthew D. Budde

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Arterial spin labeling (ASL) has been widely used to evaluate arterial blood and perfusion dynamics, particularly in the brain, but its application to the spinal cord has been limited. The purpose of this study was to optimize vessel-selective pseudocontinuous arterial spin labeling (pCASL) for angiographic and perfusion imaging of the rat cervical spinal cord. A pCASL preparation module was combined with a train of gradient echoes for dynamic angiography. The effects of the echo train flip angle, label duration, and a Cartesian or radial readout were compared to examine their effects on visualizing the segmental arteries and anterior spinal artery …

Intervisit Reproducibility Of Foveal Cone Density Metrics, Iniya Adhan, Emma Warr, Jenna Grieshop, Joseph Kreis, Danica Nikezic, Ashleigh Walesa, Katherine Hemsworth, Robert F. Cooper, Joseph Carroll

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose: To assess longitudinal reproducibility of metrics of foveal density (peak cone density [PCD], cone density centroid [CDC], and 80th percentile centroid area) in participants with normal vision.

Methods: Participants (n = 19; five male and 14 female) were imaged at two time points (average interval of 3.2 years) using an adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscope (AOSLO). Foveally centered regions of interest (ROIs) were extracted from AOSLO montages. Cone coordinate matrices were semiautomatically derived for each ROI, and cone mosaic metrics were calculated.

Results: On average, there were no significant changes in cone mosaic metrics between visits. The average …

Performance Analysis Of Underground-To-Aboveground Communication In Agricultural Iot Networks, Irfana Ilyas Manzil

Theses

This thesis investigates the potential of LoRa, a low-power, wide-area networking technology, for establishing reliable communication between underground sensors and aboveground infrastructure. We comprehensively analyze LoRa's performance in both single-hop and multi-hop configurations, considering the impact of diverse environmental factors such as soil composition, moisture content, underground transmission distance, and path loss on signal propagation. We delve into the crucial role of the spreading factor (SF) within the LoRa communication system, analyzing its influence on network performance. Furthermore, we develop a comprehensive mathematical model for bit error rate (BER) under various channel conditions, including additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN) and …

Optimizing Recombinant Cas9 Expression: Insights From E. Coli Bl21(De3) Strains For Enhanced Protein Purification And Genome Editing, Shilpi Agrawal, Made Harumi Padmaswari, Abbey L. Stokes, Daniel Maxenberger, Morgan Reese, Adila Khalil, Christopher E. Nelson

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The CRISPR-Cas9 system is a revolutionary tool in genetic engineering, offering unprecedented precision and efficiency in genome editing. Cas9, an enzyme derived from bacteria, is guided by RNA to edit DNA sequences within cells precisely. However, while CRISPR-Cas9 presents notable benefits and encouraging outcomes as a molecular tool and a potential therapeutic agent, the process of producing and purifying recombinant Cas9 protein remains a formidable hurdle. In this study, we systematically investigated the expression of recombinant SpCas9-His in four distinct Escherichia coli (E. coli) strains (Rosetta2, BL21(DE3), BL21(DE3)-pLysS, and BL21(DE3)-Star). Through optimization of culture conditions, including temperature and …

Early Detection Of Structural Damage In Uhpfrc Structures Through The Combination Of Acoustic Emission And Ultrasonic Stress Wave Monitoring, Numa Bertola, Thomas Schumacher, Ernst Niederleithinger, Eugen Brühwiler

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Ultra-High-Performance Fiber-Reinforced Cementitious Composite (UHPFRC) offers several advantages compared to concrete, notably due to the strain hardening behavior under tensile actions. Structures made of this composite material are lightweight and highly durable, thanks to the UHPFRC waterproofing quality. Nonetheless, the tensile behavior leads to a different cracking pattern than conventional concrete and is not fully understood yet. This paper presents a combined approach using both passive ultrasonic (US) stress wave (or acoustic emission) and active US stress wave monitoring to localize and quantify damage progression in a full-scale UHPFRC beam during experimental load testing. The proposed monitoring approach involves 24 …

Understanding The Behavior And Risk Tolerance Of Future Construction Industry Leaders, Mateo Daniel O'Sullivan

Construction Management

A long persisting detriment to the construction industry is the impact of alcohol, substance abuse, and gambling throughout the field. Many workers fear the repercussions of missing work and push through smaller, manageable pain, leading to injuries and further pain as they age. This causes a heightened usage of opiates throughout the industry to stay at work without bothering your company. Additionally, many young project engineers are not used to the demand of long hours every week and look for vices to relieve stress. While there is plenty of data on the construction industry overall, this study aims to learn …

Son Care Foundation – Lean To Shade Structure Design And Construction, Ryan Joseph Mccann

Construction Management

This paper discusses the design and construction of a lean-to-shade structure built for the Son Care Foundation in San Luis Obispo. The Son Care Foundation is a nonprofit organization that raises guide dogs for veterans and first responders with PTSD. This shade structure is 16 feet long and 6 feet wide, its height slopes from 9 feet in the front down to 8 feet in the back creating a roof pitch of 2:12. The sheet metal roof also has an overhang of approximately 1 foot. As requested by the client, the shade structure was designed to fit the aesthetic of …

Construction Wellness: Analyzing Mental Health Issues And Solutions For Construction Workers, Joshua Franks

Construction Management

The construction industry is known for its demanding nature, often leading to significant mental health challenges among its workforces. This study investigates mental health issues prevalent in construction, focusing on identifying key stressors and potential protective factors. A mixed-method approach was employed, combining a systematic literature review with a survey distributed to construction professionals. The survey gathered data on job satisfaction, stress, coping mechanisms, and the availability and utilization of mental health resources. Results indicated high levels of job dissatisfaction and stress, with respondents citing poor communication, excessive work hours, and lack of control over their roles as primary stressors. …

Creating A Construction Management Technical Elective Course: Introduction To Subcontracting Management, Noah T. Warren

Construction Management

Many rising issues are threatening the subcontracting industry today, such as labor shortages and communication problems. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics over 50% of the current workforce is over the age of 40. This fact combined with a dwindling interest in subcontracting from younger generations is resulting in a need for more skilled labor. The goal of this project is to create a course that will foster an interest in the subcontracting industry for the students who take it and encourage them to suggest and implement positive changes in any company they work for. The proposed course will …

Determination Of Water Quality And Efficient Removal Of Arsenic And Iron From Groundwater Using Mahogany Fruit Husk And Banana Peduncle Charcoals, Molla Rahman Shaibur, Yasmin Khatun, Masum Howlader, Md. Mirajul Islam, Md. Wasikur Rahman, Abu Shamim Khan, Balram Ambade

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The groundwater (GW) of Bangladesh is predominantly contaminated with arsenic (As) and iron (Fe) which has a bad impact on human health. We tried to remove these elements with easily available mahogany-fruit (Swietenia mahagoni) husk charcoal (MHC) and banana (Musa acuminata) peduncle charcoal (BPC). The trial was implemented with 3 replications throughout the research. The sampled GW contained 0.06 mg As L−1 and 4.83 mg Fe L−1. Firstly, the pH was 3, 5, 7, and 9 with a 250 mg L−1 dose. The MHC removed almost 91.05 % of As at pH 5.0, and BPC removed almost 86.67 % of …

Evaluating Climate Sentiment In Sec 10-K Filings: S&P 50 Companies, Ruby Chu

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Evaluating Climate Sentiment in SEC 10-K Filings: S&P 50 Companies investigates how climate sentiment is portrayed in corporate financial reporting, focusing on SEC 10-K filings from leading S&P 50 companies. These filings offer detailed insights into financial performance, risks, and management discussions, providing a rich dataset for analyzing corporate behaviors with sustainability and environmental concerns. This study aims to shed light on the extent to which companies address environmental issues and the implications for environmental stewardship by analyzing how these topics are portrayed in their SEC 10-K filings. Drawing inspiration from established greenwashing indicator frameworks, the study develops a climate …

Global-To-Local Dependencies In Phosphorus Mass Flows And Markets: Pathways To Improving System Resiliency In Response To Exogenous Shocks, Justin Baker, Nathan Schunk, Matt Scholz, Ashton Merck, Rebecca Logsdon Muenich, Paul Westerhoff, James J. Elser, Owen W. Duckworth, Luke Gatiboni, Minhazul Islam, Anna-Maria Marshall, Rosangela Sozzani, Brooke K. Mayer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Uneven global distribution of phosphate rock deposits and the supply chains to transport phosphorus (P) make P fertilizers vulnerable to exogenous shocks, including commodity market shocks; extreme weather events or natural disasters; and geopolitical instability, such as trade disputes, disruption of shipping routes, and war. Understanding bidirectional risk transmission (global-to-local and local-to-global) in P supply and consumption chains is thus essential. Ignoring P system interdependencies and associated risks could have major impacts on critical infrastructure operations and increase the vulnerability of global food systems. We highlight recent unanticipated events and cascading effects that have impacted P markets globally. We discuss …

The Journey To Desensitization: A Mobile App For Oral Immunotherapy Patients, Madeleine Waldie

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

Millions of individuals in the United States confront the daily challenges of food allergies, with the threat of potentially life-threatening reactions ever-present. Oral Immunotherapy (OIT) emerges as a beacon of hope in this landscape, gradually desensitizing patients to their allergens. This groundbreaking treatment, contrasting avoidance strategies, promises a life with fewer restrictions. However, it is a journey fraught with complexities, requiring rigorous adherence to protocols, emotional fortitude, and frequent medical supervision for patients. This thesis centers on the creation of an iPhone application tailored to OIT patients, leveraging Apple’s privacy and security features. The app integrates seamlessly with the Apple …

A Molecular Dynamics Study On The Destruction Mechanism Of Per And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Due To Ultrasound Technology, Bruno Bezerra De Souza

Dissertations

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a group of stable synthetic chemicals that are highly persistent and harmful pollutants to the environment and human health. PFAS have caused a strong public and regulatory response due to their ubiquitous presence in the environment and toxicity to humans. The application of ultrasound is one of the most effective treatment technologies for the mineralization of PFAS in contaminated water. However, this technology is treated as a black box causing the inability to be optimized. Therefore, there is a pressing need to investigate the intricate dynamics of PFAS degradation under ultrasound to unlock its …

Molecular-To-Continuum Scale Modeling Of Aerosols: Atmospheric Application And Beyond, Ella Ivanova

Dissertations

Aerosol modeling is critical for various applications, such as climate forecasting, air quality, and human health impact assessment. During their lifetime, aerosols undergo a complex evolution, usually divided into several stages — formation, processing, transport, and removal — that occur on different scales. Thus, the choice of modeling methods depends on the stage considered. For example, certain stages of particle formation may require nano-scale modeling while aerosol-cloud interactions span from microscale to mesoscale. This study examines the modeling of aerosol behavior over a wide range of scales, from nano to microscale, with implications to mesoscale.

This dissertation focuses on two …

Microplastic Abundance And Removal In Stormwater Using Green Infrastructure, Meghana Parameswarappa Jayalakshmamma

Dissertations

Microplastics (MPs) are increasingly recognized as a pervasive environmental contaminant, conveying other contaminants, accumulating in aquatic organisms, and posing ecological risks. The existing research has primarily focused on MPs in wastewater treatment plant effluents in surface waters. However, the role of stormwater systems in MP transport has been less explored. Given the rise in MPs from urban sources, stormwater runoff from urban areas may serve as a critical conduit for transporting land-based MPs into aquatic environments. Green infrastructures (GIs) have been recognized for mitigating flooding and improving water quality from minor storms by trapping stormwater pollutants. Yet, the capability of …

Reproducible Fluid Structure Interaction For Complex Flows In Engineered Systems, Allen Prasad Varghese

Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the application of numerical models to study Fluid Structure Interaction (FSI) in the industrial context. The emphasis is on a series of case studies belonging to practical applications in design and manufacturing and that are solved by a synergistic use of theoretical and computational models. The first study looks into the hydrodynamic actions experienced by vibrating slender structures immersed in viscous fluids near the free surface. This study case is relevant to applications such as, for example, marine propulsion, micro-electro-mechanical systems, and atomic force microscopy. The hydrodynamic problem is governed by three parameters, namely the frequency, …

Development Of Super Hydrophobic Membranes And Their Applications, Sumona Paul

Dissertations

Effective liquid phase separation is vital across industries, especially in aviation, chemicals, fuels, and textiles. Membrane technology offers advantages over traditional methods like distillation, with low energy consumption and protection for heat-sensitive molecules. Membrane performance is assessed based on factors such as materials, surface modification, and interactions. This research targets superhydrophobic membranes for liquid-liquid filtration and antiwetting omniphobic membranes for membrane distillation, focusing on properties like contact angle and thermal resistance.

This study presents a highly hydrophobic membrane achieved by immobilizing carbon nanotubes (CNTs) onto a PTFE microfiltration membrane. It's designed for dewatering organic-water mixtures with trace water content via …

Marking Estimation In Petri Nets Using Dynamic Mode Decomposition, Aditya Kale

Theses

Petri Nets (PNs) are a well-established framework for modeling and analyzing complex systems with interacting, concurrent processes. This thesis extends traditional Petri Net methodologies by integrating Dynamic Mode Decomposition (DMD), a technique originally developed for fluid dynamics, to analyze Continuous Petri Nets (CPNs). By applying DMD to CPN marking evolution, this research constructs a reduced-order model that captures its dynamics through dynamic modes and eigenvalues, enabling prediction of future markings without detailed knowledge of transition firings or underlying deterministic models. The principal contribution of this research is extending the kit of tools available for analysis of CPN dynamics, providing insights …

Targeted Drug Delivery: Investigating Protein Corona Behavior, Atharva Markale

Theses

Due to high specificity and less toxicity, nanoparticles have become promising for targeted drug delivery against cancer, although they face challenges when they enter the bloodstream, making their behavior unpredictable. The deposition of proteins on nanoparticles, the protein corona, changes their biosignature, affecting their circulation, drug release potency, targeting ability, and immunogenicity. The continuous exchange of protein layers on a nanoscale is complex to analyze.

Nanoparticle tracking analysis (NTA) is a method to characterize nanoparticles in blood plasma by combining principles of light scattering microscopy and Brownian motion. In this work, time-dependent experiments with plasma were conducted to analyze the …

Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction To Ammonia On Cu Based Nanoparticles Using Quantum Mechanical Simulations, Kathan Bhavin Shukla

Theses

Nitrate reduction to ammonia (NRA) is critical for environmental remediation and energy conservation, as it can remove harmful nitrate (NO₃^-) from water sources while producing usable ammonia (NH₃). Cu represents one of the most promising non-noble-metal NRA electrocatalysts. However, the intrinsic catalytic activity of Cu facets and their influence under different pH conditions remain unclear, particularly in the presence of ions commonly found in wastewater such as Cl^-, Na⁺, Mg²⁺, and Ca²⁺. Using density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we evaluated the nitrate reduction to ammonia (NRA) pathways …

Strawberry Nectar Preservation Through Innovative Techniques And Energy Evaluation For High-Pressure Processing, Caterina Scaioli

Theses

Strawberries are universally adored by people of all ages, owing to their richness in vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants, offering myriad health benefits, including combating free radicals. However, despite their popularity, strawberry juices or nectars are not commonly found in markets due to their delicate structure, which makes them prone to rapid deterioration of their prized qualities and vibrant red color. In the food industry, preventing browning and nutrient deterioration are often the primary challenges faced when processing red juices. Traditional preservation methods, such as pasteurization, are inadequate in maintaining their freshness. The focus of this study is to explore alternative …

Machine Learning Based Analysis Of Civil Infrastructure In The Presence Of Sparse Data, Megan Butcher

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The high computational cost of estimating engineering demand parameters (EDPs) via finite element (FE) models, which incorporate uncertainties in earthquake events and material properties, limits the application of the Performance-Based Earthquake Engineering (PBEE) framework. Previous efforts to replace FE models with surrogate models have typically focused only on building parameters, necessitating re-training for new, unseen earthquakes. This paper introduces a machine learning-based surrogate model framework that addresses both earthquake and material parameter uncertainties to predict responses for unseen seismic events. Earthquakes are characterized by their projections on an orthonormal basis, computed using Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) of a representative ground …

Methodology For Developing Biodegradable Polymer Blends And Composites For Agriculture, Fangzhong Xing

Theses

The use of polyethylene (PE) films to improve soil conditions and to increase crop yield has produced microplastics that are harmful to our ecosystem. The overall objective of this thesis is to develop an effective biodegradable polymer/composite to replace PE, and hence, to reduce microplastic pollution. The focus of this research is to develop a systematic protocol for assessing the suitability of the biodegradable films based on industry standards in agriculture. For this purpose, a range of biodegradable polymer blends are prepared using polylactic acid (PLA) and polybutylene adipate-co-terephthalate (PBAT) with varying PLA to PBAT ratios. Solvent casting combined with …

Examining Elevation Opening Ratio And Space Proportions In Lebanese Schools, Chirine Traboulsi, Mary Felix

BAU Journal - Creative Sustainable Development

The academic performance and outcomes of students are significantly impacted by the architecture of educational institutions. When designing learning spaces, two important considerations are the size of the room and the elevation opening percentage that describe how much daylight enters the space through windows. Previous studies showed that these factors have an important effect on student learning performance. This study explores the link between elevation opening percentage and space proportions in educational institutions. In order to assess daylight dispersal in a classroom in Lebanon that faced north—the direction required for the nation's best solar exposure—a quantitative approach utilizing modelling software …

Utilization Of Iron Fillings Solid Waste For Optimum Biodiesel Production, Fady Ihab Bayoumy Eng., Ahmed Osman Ahmed Dr., David W. Rooney Dr., Mai H. Roushdy

Chemical Engineering

This study explores the innovative application of iron filings solid waste, a byproduct from mechanical workshops, as a heterogeneous catalyst in the production of biodiesel from waste cooking oil. Focusing on sustainability and waste valorization, the research presents a dual-benefit approach: addressing the environmental issue of solid waste disposal while contributing to the renewable energy sector. Particle size distribution analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Thermal analysis (TG-DTA), and FTIR analysis were used to characterize the iron filings. The response surface methodology (RSM) was used to guide a series of experiments that were conducted to …

Modeling And Forecasting Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (Cyanohabs) In Lake Pontchartrain, Shekhar Mahat

LSU Master's Theses

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) frequently occur in coastal waters worldwide, adversely affecting economies, human health, aquatic ecosystems, and recreational activities. Lake Pontchartrain, an oligohaline estuary, experienced frequent HABs from 2018 to 2023. While NOAA’s NCCOS and USEPA’s CyAN currently monitor cyanobacteria harmful algal blooms (CyanoHABs) in coastal, freshwater, and riverine systems, there is a notable lack of systems monitoring phycocyanin concentrations in the lake. This thesis utilizes satellite remote sensing environmental stressors to model and predict CyanoHABs in Lake Pontchartrain using machine learning techniques. A key focus of this study is assessing the forecasting capabilities of the random forest method …