Digital Commons Network^™

Green Infrastructure As A Strategy For Revitalizing Old Residential Neighborhoods: Evaluation Of Carbon Footprint And Energy Performance - Case Study Of Heliopolis, Cairo, Ahmad Abouisaadat, Eman Gameel, Shoroq Adel

Mansoura Engineering Journal

This study aims to address the challenge of reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in urban areas, particularly in aging residential neighborhoods. Despite the benefits of Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) and residential retrofitting, current research often examines these strategies separately, leaving a gap in understanding their combined impact at the district scale. The research proposes a methodology that integrates GIS-based spatial analysis, Urban Building Energy Modeling (UBEM), and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to evaluate the effects of UGI (e.g., green roofs, urban trees) and retrofitting strategies on energy use, CO2 reduction, and urban microclimates. The study will provide …

Collins Aerospace Automated Pressure Switch Tester, Joseph C. La Barbera, Kevin Cordero, Brenda Sanchez, Molly Bramm

Honors Capstones

For aerospace companies like Collins, pressure switches are crucial for safety, precise control, and reliability. As such, thorough testing of these switches is an essential step in Collins’ manufacturing workflow. However, current testing regimes suffer from several critical drawbacks. Firstly, they require constant manual supervision, costing precious time and manpower. Existing systems are also only able to test one single switch at a time, which creates backlog and delays. Lastly, current testing equipment has poor integration with the Collins digital ecosystem, hindering the utility of these devices. To solve these design challenges, a new system is required that is self-operable, …

Stabilized Cargo Relay Aircraft For Precision Payload Yielding, Dato A. Tabidze, Michael Conely, Ben Courtney

Senior Design Project For Engineers

As military missions become more complicated, warfighters need more capable drones to use across diverse scenarios. The same also applies to civilian applications, like infrastructure inspection, package delivery, and disaster response. Current multirotor drones, also known as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), provide simplicity, affordability, and ease of operation; however, their primary limitation is their low payload-to-weight ratio, which typically falls at 1:1 or less. The DARPA Lift Challenge aims to shatter the heavy lift bottleneck, seeking novel drone designs that can carry payloads more than four times their weight, which would revolutionize the way we use drones across all sectors. …

Optimization And Dynamic Control Of Acetone Production From Isopropyl Alcohol, Thomas W. Wasson

Honors Theses

This paper investigates the optimization and dynamic control of acetone production via catalytic dehydrogenation of isopropyl alcohol. Optimization was conducted using steady-state Aspen Plus modeling with product specifications of 30,000 metric tons per year of 99.9% pure acetone by weight. Dynamic modeling of the feed preparation and reaction portions of the process was conducted in Aspen Plus Dynamic. Through optimization efforts the primary economic factor, net present value (NPV), was increased from $(126.6) million to $(83.2) million, representing a $43.4 million increase. This was primarily accomplished through a switch to low temperature catalyst, optimization of reactor dimensions, pressurization of key …

Liquefaction Susceptibility And Brittleness Of Coal Ash - A State Parameter Approach, Suafa'i Manson, Benoit Wentzinger, Scott Lines

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

Limited data exists on the liquefaction susceptibility of combined fly ash and bottom ash deposits. Their low plasticity and settling density pose a risk of liquefaction under certain triggers. The liquefaction potential is linked to the in-situ state, defining its shearing behaviour as dilative or contractive based on relative density and effective confining stress. This can be assessed using the state parameter (Ψ) concept from critical state soil mechanics theory. This paper presents findings from a follow-up to our 2021 study, which used cone penetration test (CPT) based methods to estimate the in-situ state parameter and perform liquefaction susceptibility screening. …

Temperature And Environmental Implications On Ti3c2cl2 Mxene Degradation Process, Yang Yang

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

MXenes, a rapidly emerging class of two-dimensional transition metal carbides and nitrides, have attracted considerable attention owing to their exceptional electrical, mechanical, and chemical properties. However, the inherent thinness of their atomic structure and the reactivity of their functional groups render MXenes susceptible to environmental degradation, whereby the lattice integrity is compromised and desirable material functionalities are dimin- ished. In this work, ex situ electron microscopy characterisation is performed on Ti₃C₂Cl₂ MXene specimens subjected to controlled gas environments — nitrogen gas (N₂) and air — at annealing temperatures of 200°C and 600°C, with …

Sustainability And Waste Diversion At Tva Shawnee "Project Phoenix", Bryan Jacob, Shane Harris

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

An engineered turf closure system can serve as an ideal foundation for a solar energy system to be installed atop coal combustion residual (CCR) impoundments. This approach not only enables productive power generation during the post-closure period, it also preserves opportunities for recovery and beneficial use of CCR material in the future. “Project Phoenix” at TVA’s Shawnee Fossil Plant offers an illustrative example. This paper will cover the sustainability benefits of the companion ClosureTurf® and PowerCap® systems installed at that site as well as waste diversion activities undertaken during construction to recycle as much as practical and minimize waste destined …

Demystifying Large Language Models: How Ai Is Transforming Data, Compliance, And Decision-Making In Coal Ash And Environmental Management, Scott Pfeiffer

World of Coal Ash Proceedings

The environmental and coal combustion residuals (CCR) industries generate vast amounts of information—from groundwater monitoring reports and RCRA documentation to closure plans and analytical data. Managing, interpreting, and communicating this information is a growing challenge for utilities, regulators, and consultants alike. Large Language Models (LLMs), such as OpenAI’s GPT architecture, represent a breakthrough in how organizations can interact with their technical data. These models use deep neural networks trained on billions of words to understand, summarize, and generate language with human-like accuracy. When securely adapted for enterprise use, LLMs can automate routine reporting, extract data from technical documents, generate regulatory …

Analysis Of Approximations In Flash Thermal Diffusivity Measurements Using High‑Fidelity Simulations, Tage T. Burnett, Jakob G. Bates, Matthew R. Jones, Christopher R. Dillon, John Tencer

Faculty Publications

Thermal diffusivity is an important material property for understanding and characterizing transient behavior in many heat transfer applications. This study investigates the accuracy and approximations of inverse mathematical models for measuring thermal diffusivity of materials via the widely used Flash Method. High-fidelity simulations of the Flash Method in copper, silicon carbide, silicon, and glass were performed as numerical experiments and included physics such as in-depth absorption, radial conduction, and surface convection. Data from those numerical experiments were used to estimate material thermal diffusivity using seven traditional and new inverse models. Parker’s original model had relative errors 𝜖< 5% when the approximations it makes were enforced in numerical experiments. Newer models performed well even when experimental restrictions were relaxed. Models that include radial heat conduction were capable of accurately measuring thermal diffusivity (𝜖< 1%) when a Gaussian energy source was used. Models with radial conduction and in-depth material absorption of the laser source could calculate thermal diffusivity for semi-transparent materials such as silicon (𝜖< 1%) and even transparent materials like glass (𝜖< 10%). Convective losses from the material’s front surface had a negligible impact on measurements except for very low thermal diffusivity materials. Using temperatures from many locations of the test material’s surface increased resilience to noise, reducing the distribution of thermal diffusivity measurements by more than an order of magnitude. The models developed in this study could enable a more relaxed Flash Method experimental setup that maintains thermal diffusivity accuracy and extend the utility of the Flash Method to semitransparent materials.

A Forecasting Framework For Distribution Center Capacity Utilization: An Applied Industry Study, Jordan J. Shortt

Data Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

This project develops and evaluates a predictive modeling framework for forecasting distribution center capacity utilization at Company Y, with monthly forecast horizons up to one year. Motivated by the operational challenges of seasonal demand volatility, promotional cycles, and the absence of a formally defined capacity metric, the study first constructs a historical capacity utilization measure from raw warehouse management system data — reconciling item volumes, location dimensions, and utilization factors across all DCs — which serves as the target variable for all modeling work. Four models are developed and evaluated against a naïve seasonal baseline: SARIMA, LightGBM, LSTM, and a …

Domain-Specific Design On Fpga And Npu For Scientific Computing And On-Device Llm Inference, Miaoxiang Yu

All Dissertations

High-performance computing (HPC) is changing rapidly as scientific simulations and large language model (LLM) workloads push the need for higher performance under tight power and memory constraints. Conventional platforms such as CPUs and GPUs accelerate computation through instruction-driven parallelism, relying on multithreading, SIMD, and SIMT execution, but increasingly encounter scalability limits imposed by the power and memory walls. In contrast, Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and Neural Processing Units (NPUs) offer a high-efficiency alternative through dataflow-oriented architectures that exploit deep pipelining and customized memory hierarchies to reduce data movement. However, the performance potential of these spatial accelerators remains largely unrealized when …

Database State Reconstruction And Audit Log Reconciliation For Data Systems Security, Mahfuzul I. Nissan

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Modern organizations rely on diverse database management systems to store critical data across heterogeneous storage architectures. These platforms complicate forensic investigations because database engines vary profoundly in their layouts, encodings, and update policies. Malicious insiders can exploit this architectural opacity to alter data and disable audit logging undetected, leaving investigators with an untrusted view of database activity. Furthermore, building custom forensic solutions for every database version is fundamentally unscalable.

This dissertation advances data-system security through a tamper-aware, cross-layer framework that reconstructs database states and detects unauthorized operations even when audit logs are manipulated. By unifying the analysis of physical storage …

Utility-Scale Battery Energy Storage Systems - Field Pilot Unit Experience, Analysis, And Review Of Technological Advancements, Kwabena A. Kyeremeh, Shaun E. Lavin, Grant M. Fischer, Dan M. Ionel, Aron Patrick

Electrical and Computer Engineering Graduate Research

Utility-scale Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are becoming increasingly important in modern power systems, providing services ranging from backup support to load balancing and peak shaving. The long-term operational performance and reliability of these systems with expanding deployment remain insufficiently documented. This paper provides an operational assessment of a 1MW/2MWh utility-scale BESS alongside a systematic review of technology developments across major subsystems. Operational metrics including round-trip efficiency (RTE), outage characteristics, and degradation patterns are examined to identify performance trends and the underlying causes of outages. In addition, testing and operational principles aligned with utility practice and standards are presented to …

Ai-Assisted Frame Selection For Sports Photography Using Computer Vision And Multi-Modal Image Metrics, Sahana Ganesh

Honors Scholar Theses

This project focuses on the design and development of an AI-assisted frame selection system that automatically analyzes sequences of sports images and ranks frames based on overall photographic and contextual value. Additionally, we will focus on providing insights into the Computer Vision and Artificial Intelligence techniques used to build it.

The application utilizes computer vision and machine learning techniques to evaluate multiple dimensions of image quality and content. These include technical image quality metrics such as sharpness, motion blur, and exposure; compositional metrics such as subject placement and visual balance; and semantic understanding through detection of players, ball location, pose, …

From Data Digitization To Personalized Care: Deep Learning And Decision Analytics In Healthcare Systems, Ahla Ko

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation traces a progression from foundational data infrastructure to individualized clinical decision-making, developing and evaluating three computational frameworks that advance healthcare efficiency and personalization through deep learning and decision analytics. The first study presents an end-to-end pipeline for automated recognition of handwritten medical forms, addressing persistent challenges in health data digitization. Integrating a YOLO-based field detection model, a Convolutional Recurrent Neural Network (CRNN) for text transcription, and a confidence-based human-in-the-loop quality assurance framework, the system achieved 99.75\% Exact Match Accuracy and a 0.13\% Character Error Rate on medical forms collected from a tuberculosis research project in Moldova. A GPU-accelerated …

Enhancing Methods For Load Rating Bridge Timber Piles, Aashish Ghimire

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Timber piles are widely used in bridge foundations across the United States due to their low cost and ease of installation. The strength of a timber pile is dependent on many factors including wood species, unbraced length, support conditions, age and cross-sectional properties. Cross-sectional properties are highly impacted by the progression of biological deterioration which often is undetected when using standard DOT inspections methods. Current inspection practices rely primarily on subjective methods that provide limited quantitative information about a pile’s existing load-carrying capacity. Consequently, timber piles are inaccurately assessed and prematurely replaced. In response, this thesis investigates the relationship between …

Optimization Of Stamped Tool Geometry Using Regression-Based Cost Models And Structural Constraints, Matthew J. Teague

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Stamped steel paint can openers are simple tools but still require sufficient strength for the end user and low material consumption for the manufacturer. The goal of this project is to optimize the stamped design of a paint can opener by reducing material cost while maintaining structural rigidity and device performance. This was achieved in part by simplifying the tool’s geometry so that an equation for the mass could be developed analytically and checked against the simulation’s outputs. First, a 25-run design of experiments was created that varied the shaft length and the endloop diameter. Next, a CAD model for …

Model Stormwater Standards 2026, Unh Stormwater Center

UNH Stormwater Center

The purpose of post-construction stormwater management standards is to provide reasonable guidance for the regulation of stormwater runoff to protect local natural resources from degradation and prevent adverse impacts to adjacent and downstream land, property, facilities, and infrastructure. These standards regulate discharges from stormwater and runoff from land development projects and other construction activities to control and minimize increases in stormwater runoff rates and volumes, soil erosion, stream channel erosion, and nonpoint source pollution associated with stormwater runoff.

Beyond Local Pathology: Exploring The Role Of Gut Microbiota In Chronic Low Back Pain Using An Integrated Behavioral And Microbiological Approach, Adan L. Redwine

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Chronic low back pain (LBP) affects millions worldwide, often originating from intervertebral disc (IVD) degeneration. While the gut microbiome modulates musculoskeletal pain, prior studies of the gut-disc axis have focused entirely on structural changes. This leaves a critical gap: does the microbiome influence the experience of discogenic pain? To answer this, an integrated approach using longitudinal gut microbiome profiling, machine learning-based behavioral phenotyping, and structural disc assessments in a rat model of discogenic LBP was utilized.

Female Sprague Dawley rats underwent one of four conditions: sham surgery, IVD injury, antibiotic-mediated microbiome depletion + IVD injury, or IVD injury + treatment …

Tau Beta Pi Engineering Mentorship Program, Tyler Black

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The purpose of this project is to design and implement a student-led engineering mentorship program directed by the members of the Utah Gamma Chapter of Tau Beta Pi on the Utah State University (USU) Logan campus. Retention data show that many undergraduate students who start engineering programs change their degree before graduation due to academic and social challenges that may be mitigated by the support of a peer mentor. The Tau Beta Pi Engineering Mentorship Program selects and trains upperclassman mentors to effectively mentor underclassman engineering students.

The design of the mentorship program is an application of backward design, where …

Establishing Caenorhabditis Elegans As A Platform For Bioaccumulation And Selectivity Screening Of Anthelmintic Compounds, Jiarui Li

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

To address the cuticular barrier in anthelmintic discovery, this study establishes a bifurcated framework in Caenorhabditis elegans. First, HPLC-based quantification of 14 PIM inhibitors revealed that cuticular penetrance is primarily dictated by phylogenetic lineage (Clade V) rather than ecological niche. Specifically, C. elegans demonstrated a significant pharmacokinetic correlation with the hookworm Ancylostoma ceylanicum (Clade V) but not the whipworm Trichuris muris (Clade I), validating it as a superior surrogate model for hookworm bioaccumulation. Within this small molecule inhibitor library, SGI-12was identified as a lead candidate with superior potency against C. elegans and bioaccumulation. Second, target validation using a C. …

The Role Of Operational Context In Shaping Energy Management Portfolios: A Comparative Case Study Of Two Manufacturing Facilities, Cynthia Aranda

Theses and Dissertations

Using two facilities as illustrative examples, this research investigates how a manufacturing plant's operational and financial context may influence its investment decisions in energy-efficiency measures. This challenges the primacy of the simple payback period (SPP) as a screening tool and instead demonstrates the role of operational context in investment decision-making. To this extent, this study is anchored to a qualitative comparative case study analysis of two ITAC energy assessments for two manufacturing plants in Texas: a higher value-added aerospace MRO plant (GE Aerospace, TR0060) versus a cost-sensitive automotive stamping plant (UMP Metal Stamping, TR0061). The two cases illustrate two different …

Relaxed Convex Approximation For Optimal Control In Cislunar Space, Jondavid K. Hertzel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This thesis develops a method of optimal control for a spacecraft in the region between the Earth and the Moon known as cislunar space. The optimal control method is developed through a modern optimization technique called “convex relaxation” to achieve a formulation that can be reliably solved by numerical computation tools. The primary research objective is to evaluate the efficacy of this method in accommodating the physical thrust constraints of a spacecraft. This approach is tested in simulation with an unstable halo orbit around the Moon in the circular restricted three-body problem (CR3BP) model. The simulation incorporates realistic disruptions from …

Effects Of Subsurface-Drip-Irrigation On Alfalfa Evapotranspiration In The Intermountain West, Namuna Dhakal

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Alfalfa is one of Utah’s most important crops, but it is also the largest agricultural consumer of water. Because the state faces frequent droughts and growing pressure on limited water supplies, farmers and water managers are increasingly interested in irrigation systems that could reduce water use. Subsurface drip irrigation (SDI), which delivers water directly to plant roots through buried drip lines, has shown promising results in other regions, where it often reduces water consumption and increases yield. However, little research has evaluated SDI under Utah’s unique climate, soils, and high-elevation valleys.

This study compared an SDI system with a traditional …

Developing And Improving Digital Image Correlation (Dic) Techniques For Challenging Environments, Prasenjit Dewanjee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Understanding how materials and parts deform during testing is crucial for creating safer and more reliable engineering systems. Engineers need to measure not only how much a part deforms, but also where deformation concentrates before any damage or failure happens. Digital image correlation (DIC) is a camera-based, non-contact measurement method that tracks surface motion and deformation across a whole area. It is particularly useful when traditional contact-based measurement techniques cannot withstand harsh conditions or capture enough detail. This dissertation develops optical methods to improve DIC in three challenging measurement situations. First, a shortwave ultraviolet lighting technique is developed to reduce …

Numerical Investigation On Lightning Survivability And Residual Strength Of Scarf-Patched And Z-Pinned Cfrp Composites, Logan Hales

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) composites are critical in aerospace applications yet remain vulnerable to lightning strikes due to orthotropic electrical conductivity and poor thermal resistance. Over the past decades, lightning-strike damage in pristine CFRP has been extensively investigated. However, the response of damaged and subsequently repaired laminates remains poorly understood, raising concerns about the structural integrity of repaired aircraft. This study aims to develop a sequentially coupled thermo-structural modeling framework to quantify how two common composite repair strategies (scarf patching and z-pinning), along with patch size, pin material, and configuration, influence lightning-induced damage and the residual flexural strength of …

A Novel Approach To Creativity Assessment: Forced Pairwise Ranking With Large Language Models, Phillip R. Gregory Jr

Master's Theses

Assessing creativity at scale remains a persistent challenge in cognitive science, as human raters are costly, slow, and often inconsistent in their judgments. This thesis introduced a novel framework for automated scientific creativity assessment using forced pairwise ranking, in which fine-tuned large language models compared response pairs and determined which was more creative. Five empirical studies were conducted using Llama-2-7B and Llama-2-13B models adapted via LoRA fine-tuning and benchmarked against human scored responses from the Scientific Creative Thinking Test. A regression baseline achieved Pearson �� = .74 on the test set, matching the human inter-rater ceiling reported in the literature. …

Exploration Of Real-Time Power Electronic Simulation On Amd Npu, Shouyu Du

All Theses

The rapid electrification of the automotive and data center sectors has created a critical demand for high-fidelity, real-time simulation of complex power electronic systems. While Hardware- in-the-Loop (HIL) simulation on Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) is the current industry standard, it presents significant challenges regarding development complexity and memory limita- tions. This dissertation investigates the feasibility of utilizing Neural Processing Units (NPUs)— specifically the AMD AI Engine (AIE) XDNA2 architecture—as a novel platform for real-time, deterministic circuit simulation. This study establishes a comprehensive automated modeling framework based on graph theory and Massarini’s method to derive linear state-space representations for arbitrary circuit …

Implementation Of A Local Llm Serving System For Agentic Ai, Zhiheng Ni

All Theses

This thesis presents a system that allows large AI models to run directly on personal devices instead of relying on cloud servers. Recent advances in artificial intelligence, especially large language models (LLMs), have made it possible to build powerful applications such as chatbots, coding assistants, and intelligent agents. However, most of these systems run in the cloud, which raises concerns about privacy, latency, and cost.

To address these issues, this work develops a local AI serving system that runs efficiently on a specialized hardware component called a Neural Processing Unit (NPU). The system provides a unified interface that supports multiple …

A New Approach To Generate Combinatorial Patterns In Logical Analysis Of Data And Its Application To Predict College Retention, Salihah Ahmed E. Jaafari

Theses and Dissertations

Student retention and degree completion remain central challenges for higher-education institutions, with significant implications for student success, institutional effectiveness, and public accountability. While advances in predictive analytics have enabled earlier identification of students at risk of withdrawal, many commonly used machine learning approaches suffer from limited interpretability, constraining their practical usefulness for advising, intervention, and policy decision making. This dissertation addresses the problem of predicting student persistence by developing and evaluating optimization based, interpretable classification models within the Logical Analysis of Data (LAD) framework. Building on existing LAD formulations, this research introduces two novel pattern generation models, the Best Term …