Engineering Commons^™

Evaluating The Impact Of Broadband Access And Internet Use In A Small Underserved Rural Community, Javier Valentín-Sívico, Casey I. Canfield, Sarah A. Low, Christel Gollnick

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Having adequate access to the internet at home enhances quality-of-life for households and facilitates economic and social opportunities. Despite increased investment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of households in the rural United States still lack adequate access to high-speed internet. In this study, we evaluate a wireless broadband network deployed in Turney, a small, underserved rural community in northwest Missouri. In addition to collecting survey data before and after this internet intervention, we collected pre-treatment and post-treatment survey data from comparison communities to serve as a control group. Due to technical constraints, some of Turney's interested participants could …

The Development And Use Of The Probabilistic Financial Decision Model For A Company Expansion, Elizabeth Wiese

Senior Honors Theses

In the United States, companies are expanding constantly. However, in an industrial equipment dealership expanding into a new state, it is important to understand the industry, new market, and costs associated with expanding. With using financial statements of data-backed percentages for growth, research seeks to set up a financial model to see if expansion for an industrial equipment dealership into the state of North Carolina will be a financially wise decision. Wesley Worldwide, an industrial equipment dealership, is moving forward with the investment of expanding into North Carolina. However, it is vital to understand the financial predictions for profit return …

Rattus Norvegicus As A Biological Detector Of Clandestine Remains And The Use Of Ultrasonic Vocalizations As A Locating Mechanism, Gabrielle M. Johnston

Master's Theses

In investigations, locating missing persons and clandestine remains are imperative. One way that first responder and police agencies can search for the remains is by using cadaver dogs as biological detectors. Cadaver dogs are typically used due to their olfactory sensitivity and ability to detect low concentrations of volatile organic compounds produced by biological remains. Cadaver dogs are typically chosen for their stamina, agility, and olfactory sensitivity. However, what is not taken into account often is the size of the animal and the expense of maintaining and training the animal. Cadaver dogs are typically large breeds that cannot fit in …

Studying Pedestrian’S Unmarked Midblock Crossing Behavior On A Multilane Road When Interacting With Autonomous Vehicles Using Virtual Reality, Fengjiao Zou

All Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the challenge of pedestrian interaction with autonomous vehicles (AVs) at unmarked midblock locations where the right-of-way is unspecified. A virtual reality (VR) simulation was developed to replicate an urban unmarked midblock environment where pedestrians cross a four-lane arterial roadway and interact with AVs. One research goal is to investigate the impact of roadway centerline features (undivided, two-way left-turn lane, and median) and AV operational schemes portrayed through on-vehicle signals (no signal, yellow negotiating indication, and yellow/blue negotiating/no-yield indications) on pedestrian crossing behavior. Results demonstrate that both roadway centerline design features and AV operations and signaling show …

Human Psychology Factors Influencing Agile Team Autonomy In Post-Pandemic Remote Software Organizations, Ravikiran Kalluri

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Agile project management methods are gaining in popularity in the software industry as software development teams are being asked to be adaptive to market needs and resilient to change and uncertainty. With increasing market uncertainty, global competition, and time-to-market pressure, it is becoming a challenge to develop an innovative product and deliver it on-time without the opportunity that comes from team autonomy to experiment and learn from failures in a remote workplace. To resolve this challenge, it is critical to understand the myriad human psychological factors in play that influence Agile team autonomy in a remote work environment.

The role …

Sealion Cubesat Mission Architecture Using Model Based Systems Engineering With A Docs As Code Approach, Kevin Yi-Tzu Chiu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

CubeSats are a growing population within the space industry. Every year, universities launch numerous amounts of CubeSats due to their inexpensive cost of development, launch, and deployment. However, this comes with numerous challenges. As the number of university-CubeSats grow, so too do the numbers that fail. With development teams consisting mainly of students with little to no training, proper and yet easy to use tools or methods should be implemented to help ensure mission success. Especially in the critical stages of planning before and during development, a technical approach to quickly track life cycle development of a CubeSat is needed. …

Electric Vehicle Routing Problem – Models And Algorithms, Hesamoddin Tahami

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The transportation sector is a major greenhouse gas emitter that is heavily regulated to reduce its dependence on oil. These regulations along with the growing customer awareness of global warming have led to the investigation of new transportation problems that consider using eco-friendly vehicle fleets. Promising alternatives to traditional fleets include alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) and electric vehicles (EVs). These twenty-first-century vehicles offer an appealing advantage of consistently reducing their environmental impact, but due to the current technology, they exhibit bothersome limitations. The short driving range along with limited charging infrastructure may consequently cause issues related to range anxiety, i.e., …

High-Level Requirements For Conceptual Design Of Bridge Deflection Measurement System Using Model-Based Systems Engineering, Mariana Villalabeitia Arenas

Theses and Dissertations

Bridges are essential in the infrastructure transportation system. Repairs and maintenance are the key activities to keep them safe for use. Over the years, the evolution of technology has been applied to improve the way bridges are designed, built, monitored, inspected, and repaired. Nevertheless, there is still a gap between the research efforts and the application of this knowledge in the practical field of bridge inspections. Model-based Systems Engineering is a formalized methodology in the system design that is centered around the model throughout all the life cycle stages of a system, supporting the requirements, design, analysis, verification, and validation …

Geometric Inference In Machine Learning: Applications Of Fisher Information For Model Selection And Other Statistical Applications, Trevor Herntier

Theses and Dissertations

We consider the problem of model selection using the Minimum Description Length (MDL) criterion for distributions with parameters on the hypersphere. Model selection algorithms aim to find a compromise between goodness of fit and model complexity. Variables often considered for complexity penalties involve number of parameters, sample size and shape of the parameter space, with the penalty term often referred to as stochastic complexity. Because Laplace approximation techniques yield inaccurate results for curved spaces, existing criteria incorrectly penalize complexity. We demonstrate how the use of a constrained Laplace approximation on the hypersphere yields a novel complexity measure that more accurately …

Causal Modeling Framework For Nuclear Power Plant Licensing Process, Lauren Kimberly Kiser

Theses and Dissertations

Interests in clean energy revived the nuclear power industry. For the first time in decades, innovative technologies and plant designs are being considered by regulatory agencies. This dissertation explores a Bayesian Network and AHP approach to causal modeling of the Combined License review process for new nuclear power plants (NPP). Historically lengthy and expensive, NPP licensing is critical to ensuring safe operation of the plants. With this comes a high standard for applicants to reach that can result in multiple revision cycles and long review times. New plant designs and fluctuating public support lead to a complex and dynamic series …

Modeling The Impact Of Scheduling Risks On Multi-Team Agile Projects, Bria Marie Booth

Theses and Dissertations

Agile project management allows for a quick response to a changing project environment. This opens possible avenues for new opportunities, but also may expose ongoing projects to previously unknown or unexpected threats. Risks must be continuously monitored as a product is worked on to avoid lost potential. This paper will propose a discrete event simulation model that multi-team projects may use to predict the impact to the project’s schedule. Using discrete event simulation early in the project’s planning cycle offers a greater understanding of the possible or probable impact of risks on the schedule. This would help to prepare project …

Experimental Investigation Of The Self-Healing Potential Of Bacteria For Sustainable Concrete Structures, Pitiporn Asvapathanagul, Simone Galano, Andrea Calabrese, Mehran Rahmani, Maggie Ly, Daniela Flores, Michael Hernandez, Nicholas Banuelos

Mineta Transportation Institute

Although concrete is the most widely used building material in the world, its limited tensile strength makes cracking a common phenomenon in concrete elements. This study investigates the potential of autonomous self-healing as an eco-friendly and lowcost method to increase the durability of concrete. The crack-healing potential of different types of high-alkaline-tolerant bacteria or calcite-precipitation microorganisms is investigated. High-alkaline-tolerant bacteria and calcite-precipitation microorganisms were used to retrofit lab-fractured concrete samples. The samples healed with each of these bacteria groups were cast and tested under compressive load up to failure to measure the compressive strength of the concrete samples. The outcomes …

Automation Of Life Cycle Assessment, Jacob Hickman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An automation program, named Jacob LCA, was created to help perform life cycle assessment (LCA). The program uses a template file to perform controlled and consistently ordered actions with the LCA program, SimaPro, and effectively removes the need for manual user input. It can be set to run using data from one or more life cycle inventory (LCI) files, which allows for rapid iteration and testing of data. It also partially addresses some of the limitations of LCA by establishing a procedure through which temporal and spatial variations in data can be integrated into LCI files and then passed to …

Efficient Routing For Disaster Scenarios In Uncertain Networks: A Computational Study Of Adaptive Algorithms For The Stochastic Canadian Traveler Problem With Multiple Agents And Destinations, Neel Chanchad

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The primary objective of this research is to develop adaptive online algorithms for solving the Canadian Traveler Problem (CTP), which is a well-studied problem in the literature that has important applications in disaster scenarios. To this end, we propose two novel approaches, namely Maximum Likely Node (MLN) and Maximum Likely Path (MLP), to address the single-agent single-destination variant of the CTP. Our computational experiments demonstrate that the MLN and MLP algorithms together achieve new best-known solutions for 10,715 instances. In the context of disaster scenarios, the CTP can be extended to the multiple-agent multiple-destination variant, which we refer to as …

Remote Alignment Fixing Device With Vizir Marks In Base Lcd Indicator, Nodirbek Rustambekovich Yusupbekov, Zahidov Muratovich Nematjon

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

The article substantiates the needs to increase the level of automation of methods and geodetic support of geometric parameters during the construction of buildings and structures. In particular, the method of alignment measurements is considered. This is widely used in determining deviations from the straightness and alignment of the installation of elements in engineering building structures, including hydraulic structures, as well as in the control of process equipment installations, rolling mills, conveyor lines, crane tracks, when monitoring precipitation. and deformations of techno objects. One of the methods of alignment measurements with the use of a visual-optical device – aliniometer and …

The Magnetic Chain Mathematical Models Of A New Angular Displacement Converter With A Variable Active Area Of A Movable Core, Sultan Faizullayevich Аmirov, Ulugbek Shukhratovich Mamadaliyev, Islom Azim Ugli Karimov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

The article develops mathematical models of the magnetic chain of new differential type angular displacement transformer converter with a variable active area of the movable core, in which the width of the movable ferromagnetic core is a function of the angular displacement of the converter. In this case, the magnetic chain of the converter, divided into three characteristic (before the mobile ferromagnetic core, ferromagnetic core and after the ferromagnetic core) sections, is considered as a magnetic chain with distributed parameters. It is established that when the magnetic resistance of the magnetic chain steel part is not taken into account, the …

Choice Of Instruments For Verification And Calibration Of Gas Analyzers, Ortigali Khakimov, Paraxat Mayliyevna Matyakubova, Mirolim Muhammad O'G'Li Maxmudjonov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

This article analyzes the process of metrological control of gas analyzers and metrological requirements for them. The current state of the standards used in the state metrological control of gas analyzers and the results of the analyzes were studied. The task of choosing the measuring instruments used in the verification process and optimizing the requirements for them is set. An experimental verification process was organized in three groups using several measuring devices, and the reliability of the verification results was assessed. With the use of modern measuring instruments, a graph of the output value was built during the experimental verification …

Modeling And Adjustment Of A Fuzzy Controller In A Bioreactor Control System, Mahmudov Giyosjon Baqoyevich

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

The article describes the modeling and configuration of a fuzzy controller for the control system of the bacterial oxidation of hard-to-enrich gold-bearing sulfide ores. The simulated logical fuzzy controller allows you to save the consumption of refrigerant water consumed in the process by 4,3%, using it to control the process of bacterial oxidation.

Mathematical Description Of A Bleach Impregnation Reservoir, Bekobod Ibragimov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

This article discusses the issues of constructing a mathematical model of the technological process of bleaching textile materials in an impregnating reservoir using the heat balance equation, on the basis of which a qualitative analysis of the dynamic properties of an object has been carried out in order to create highly efficient control systems with the use of energy-saving technologies. While constructing a mathematical model characterizing the established and non-established modes of the control object (impregnating reservoir) used changes in heat flow and mass velocity of the incoming tissue. An algorithm for constructing a mathematical model of the process of …

Mathematical Description And Algorithm For Solving The Model Of The Ionite Regeneration Process In The Ion Exchange Method Of Water Softening, Djalolitdin Paxritdinovich Mukhitdinov, Nilufar Abdusami Qizi Yunusova

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

Based on the modern representation of the water softening process by the ion exchange method, modeling was carried out, an algorithm was developed and the ionite regeneration process was calculated in a water softening plant with a fixed ionite layer. To solve the system of equations of the model, special, but simple enough for use in engineering calculations, techniques and methods have been developed and applied. The constructed model and its solution algorithm can be used to predict the process of ionite regeneration in an ion exchange apparatus. It can also be used to calculate the time of the ionite …

Synthesis Methods And Algorithms For Expanding The Dynamic Range Of The Adc, Jumaev Odil Abdujalilovich, Rashidov G'Olibjon Xayriddinovich

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

The modern development of new technologies, in particular, the intensive use of programmable logic integrated circuits in digital information processing tasks, allows for algorithmically and programmatically solving problems, opens up real opportunities to increase accuracy and ensure the required signal conversion speed, and also, it will be possible to take into account the effects of noise and their elimination over the entire time interval band. The article discusses the main methods of digital information processing, analyzes the ways and possibilities of expanding the dynamic range of analog-to-digital converters, as well as the synthesis of appropriate conversion devices, primarily digital filters.

Synergetic Synthesis Of Multivariate Nonlinear Dynamic Objects, Isamiddin Siddikov, Komil Usmanov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

Based on the synergetic approach, the article solves the problem of analyzing a chemical reactor as a control object and formulates recommendations on the structural and topological synthesis of various control system options. The main feature of technological control objects, in which, as a result of hydromechanical, physical, chemical influences on the flows of the starting substances, their physical properties, state of aggregation and composition change, is their multidimensionality, nonlinearity, multiconnectedness, as well as parametric uncertainty of the mathematical model at the design stage. This type of facility includes a chemical reactor, thermal management, which in most cases is carried …

Methods And Algorithms For Monitoring And Prediction Of Various Fire Hazardous Situations, Mizaakbar Xakkulmirzayevich Hudayberdiyev, Oybek Zokirovich Koraboshev

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

This article analyzes emergency situations arising from natural disasters (fires, explosions, earthquakes, floods, landslides, etc.) and man-made accidents. The event in which the values of fire risks in the area decrease uniformly and at the same time the amount of fire risks is minimal is considered optimal. Models, methods, and logistic regression algorithm have been used to predict fire hazard situations and identify potential fire safety measures.

Digital Patient Engagement At A Perioperative Surgical Home Implemented Community Hospital, Srinivasan Sridhar, Amy Mount Hunter, Bernadette Mccrory

Patient Experience Journal

Patients in rural areas typically require more perioperative ‘optimization’ for surgery. The rural healthcare systems often overwhelmed with coordinating perioperative services and deliver less than optimal surgical outcomes. This is due to limited supporting microsystems and ability to effectively engage and track patients over the 120-day perioperative period to limit post-surgical complications. The study assessed longitudinal patient engagement within a newly established Perioperative Surgical Home (PSH) at a rural community hospital serving 10+ surrounding counties to identify barriers and best practices for engagement. A digital patient engagement platform was implemented and used to assess longitudinal patient outcomes and engagement from …

Numerical Modeling And Analysis Of Strengthened Steel–Concrete Composite Beams In Sagging And Hogging Moment Regions, Ayman El-Zohairy, Suzan Mustafa, Hesham Shaaban, Hani Salim

Faculty Publications

Strengthening of composite beams is highly needed to upgrade the capacities of existing beams. The strengthening methods can be classified as active or passive techniques. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to provide detailed FE simulations for strengthened and unstrengthened steel–concrete composite beams at the sagging and hogging moment regions with and without profiled steel sheeting. The developed models were verified against experimental results from the literature. The verified models were used to present comparisons between the effect of using external post-tensioning and CFRP laminates as strengthening techniques. Applying external post-tensioning at the sagging moment regions is more …

Human Factors Engineering, Robert S. Keyser

KSU Distinguished Course Repository

Human Factors Engineering is a comprehensive survey of human factors theory, research, and applications which are of particular relevance to Quality and Engineering Management. Emphasis will be placed on operator constraints in the design of work processes, workplaces, and instrumentation.

The Effect Of Mental Demand On Body Postures, Rodrick Adams, Valentina Niño

Symposium of Student Scholars

How we perceive our work has a profound relationship with how our body reacts to help facilitate the performance of our tasks. This is an observational study of the experiment in which participants performed tasks under four different conditions (baseline, interruptions, time, and alarm) and used NASA-TLX (NASA- Task Load Index) scores to assess their mental workload for each condition across six dimensions: mental demand, physical demand, temporal demand, effort, performance, and frustration level. We juxtaposed their NASA-TLX score with corresponding REBA (Rapid Entire Body Assessment) scores while standing and RULA (Rapid Upper Limb Assessment) scores while sitting to determine …

Development Of Detection And Tracking Systems For Autonomous Vehicles Using Machine Learning, Tyler Ward

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the Elmer R. Smith College of Business and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science by Tyler Ward April 25, 2023.

Fixing The Maze: Redesigning The Ksu Johnson Library Map, Gabriella Cumberbatch, Alexa Cosgrove, Katia Alexis, Ipek Erbaz

Senior Design Project For Engineers

The purpose of this report is to research and implement new ways to redesign the KSU Johnson Library map and increase the amount of navigation signage. Through time studies and surveys, the team identified resources that take a long time to find. A second round of time studies and surveys was conducted to ensure that the new implementations, signages, and maps are effective. The team also suggests redesigning the floor plans to make them clearer and easier to understand. Team Scrappy concludes that the redesigned map and library signage have significantly improved the ease of navigation within the Johnson Library. …

Reducing Restaurant Inventory Costs Through Sales Forecasting, Tyler Mason, Chris Schoen, Trevor Gilbert, Jonathan Enriquez

Senior Design Project For Engineers

Family Restaurant is a local restaurant in the greater Atlanta area that serves a variety of dishes that include an assortment of 19 different proteins. Currently, Family Restaurant places protein orders based on business intuition, and tends to over-stock and sometimes under-stock. To minimize inventory costs by reducing over-stocking and preventing under-stocking of proteins, we applied Facebook Prophet (FB Prophet), ARIMA, and XG Boost machine learning models to predict protein demand and then fed these results into a Fixed Time Period inventory model to make an overall order suggestion based on the specified time period. We trained our models on …