Engineering Commons^™

A Highly Sensitive, Polarization Maintaining Photonic Crystal Fiber Sensor Operating In The Thz Regime, Sohel Rana, Nirmala Kandadai, Harish Subbaraman

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, a high sensitivity, polarization preserving photonic crystal fiber (PCF), based on circular air holes for sensing in the terahertz (THz) band, is presented. The finite element method, a practical and precise computational technique for describing the interactions between light and matter, is used to compute the modal properties of the designed fiber. For the designed PCF, comprising of circular air holes in both the cladding and in the porous core, a relative sensitivity of 73.5% and a high birefringence of 0.013 are achieved at 1.6 THz. The all circular air-hole structure, owing to its simplicity and compatibility …

Local Peer-To-Peer Communication To Improve Demand Response In Residential Neighborhoods, Ryan Schwartz

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Increased electricity production from intermittent renewables presents a challenge to utilities. Since the grid has little ability to store energy, fluctuations in solar and wind generation require either an increase in generation from expensive sources or a reduction of demand. Demand Response (DR) programs focus on the latter and are designed to increase grid flexibility by allowing grid operators to modify when or how customers use electricity. For residential customers, this typically means shedding load during periods of high demand through a central controller temporarily shutting off air conditioning (AC) compressors. This type of DR can cause spikes in demand …

A New Normal For Streamflow In California In A Warming Climate: Wetter Wet Seasons And Drier Dry Seasons, Iman Mallakpour, Mojtaba Sadegh, Amir Aghakouchak

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this study, we investigate changes in future streamflows in California using bias-corrected and routed streamflows derived from global climate model (GCM) simulations under representative concentration pathways (RCPs): RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. Unlike previous studies that have focused mainly on the mean streamflow, annual maxima or seasonality, we focus on projected changes across the distribution of streamflow and the underlying causes. We report opposing trends in the two tails of the future streamflow simulations: lower low flows and higher high flows with no change in the overall mean of future flows relative to the historical baseline (statistically significant at 0.05 level). …

Tying Together Multiscale Calculations For Charge Transport In P3ht: Structural Descriptors, Morphology, And Tie-Chains, Evan D. Miller, Matthew L. Jones, Eric Jankowski

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Evaluating new, promising organic molecules to make next-generation organic optoelectronic devices necessitates the evaluation of charge carrier transport performance through the semi-conducting medium. In this work, we utilize quantum chemical calculations (QCC) and kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC) simulations to predict the zero-field hole mobilities of ~100 morphologies of the benchmark polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene), with varying simulation volume, structural order, and chain-length polydispersity. Morphologies with monodisperse chains were generated previously using an optimized molecular dynamics force-field and represent a spectrum of nanostructured order. We discover that a combined consideration of backbone clustering and system-wide disorder arising from side-chain conformations are correlated with …

Optimization And Validation Of Efficient Models For Predicting Polythiophene Self-Assembly, Evan D. Miller, Matthew L. Jones, Michael M. Henry, Paul Chery, Kyle Miller, Eric Jankowski

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We develop an optimized force-field for poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and demonstrate its utility for predicting thermodynamic self-assembly. In particular, we consider short oligomer chains, model electrostatics and solvent implicitly, and coarsely model solvent evaporation. We quantify the performance of our model to determine what the optimal system sizes are for exploring self-assembly at combinations of state variables. We perform molecular dynamics simulations to predict the self-assembly of P3HT at ~350 combinations of temperature and solvent quality. Our structural calculations predict that the highest degrees of order are obtained with good solvents just below the melting temperature. We find our model produces …

Developing A Non-Cooperative Optimization Model For Water And Crop Area Allocation Based On Leader-Follower Game, Abbas Sedghamiz, Mohammad Reza Nikoo, Manouchehr Heidarpour, Mojtaba Sadegh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, a mathematical model for conflict resolution among a diverse set of agricultural water users in Golestan province, Iran, is developed. Given the bi-level nature of the distribution of power in the current problem, a combination of Leader–Follower game and Nash–Harsanyi bargaining solution method is employed to find optimal water and crop area allocations. The Golestan Regional Water Authority is the leader in this setting, controlling the total water allocations; and the agricultural sectors are the followers, competing over the allocated water. Two objectives for the leader are (i) maximizing profits, and (ii) maximizing share of green water …

Understanding Track Substructure Behavior: Field Instrumentation Data Analysis And Development Of Numerical Models, Huseyin Boler, Debakanta Mishra, Wenting Hou, Erol Tutumluer

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Numerous studies have targeted using numerical modeling, field instrumentation, or combinations of both to gain insight into track substructure behavior under loading. In-depth understanding of track substructure behavior serving both passenger and freight trains is critical to developing suitable design and maintenance/rehabilitation methods to ensure adequate performance under loading. This manuscript presents findings from a recently completed study involving advanced instrumentation and numerical modeling to investigate track substructure-related issues at several problematic railroad bridge approaches in the United States. Multi-Depth Deflectometers (MDDs) were installed to measure transient as well as plastic deformations experienced by track substructure layers under loading. Strain …

Injecting Control Commands Through Sensory Channel: Attack And Defense, Farhad Rasapour

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Industrial Control System (ICS) is responsible for controlling and managing critical infrastructures like nuclear plants and power plants. ICS is equipped with various devices like communication media, Programmable Logic Controller (PLC), actuators, and sensors. Sensors are used to measure a physical phenomenon and send these measurements through the sensory channel to the control devices so they can make decisions on the movements of the actuators in the systems. While tampering with the sensor measurements has been the focus of many studies, there is some research that has concentrated on misusing a sensor and sensory channel as an axillary attack device …

Machine Learning Methods To Map Stabilizer Effectiveness Based On Common Soil Properties, Amit Gajurel

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Unconfined compressive strength (UCS) has been widely used as one of the primary criteria for the selection of optimum type and amount of chemical stabilizer for subgrade/base stabilization. Guidelines established by various state and federal agencies aid in selecting these optimum values by recommending an initial type and amount based on a wide range of soil index properties. A significant number of laboratory trials have to be done to establish the optimum type and amount of stabilizer for a given target strength. This process takes a copious amount of time, money, and the workforce. In addition to that, the finite …

Effect Of Particle Breakage On Ballast Permanent Deformation — A Study Using The Discrete Element Method, Beema Dahal

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The ballast layer comprises relatively large (often as large as 63 mm) angular particles that mainly function to dissipate train-induced stresses from crossties to the underlying subgrade soils and to provide rapid drainage for surface water. Moreover, the ballast layer is also critical towards ensuring a smooth riding track profile, dampening dynamic loads, as well as providing lateral, longitudinal and vertical resistance against excessive track deformations. Under train loading and during track maintenance processes like tamping, individual ballast particles can undergo significant breakage leading to fouling of the ballast layer. The fouling mechanism leads to gradual deterioration in ballast shear …

Physio-Chemical Degradation Of Concrete: A Ramification Of Coupled Freeze-Thaw And Sulfate Attack, Md Aminul Islam

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Concrete structures experience damage due to Sulfate Attack (SA) and Freeze-Thaw (F-T) in cold regions containing ample amount of sulfate species. The combined effect of SA and F-T is a multiscale multiphysics damaging process for cementitious materials involving complicated chemical reactions and phase transition inside concrete pores. This thesis is a compilation of two theoretical models describing the SA induced damage in an unsaturated cementitious medium and damage due to the combined effect of SA and F-T. The classical theory of phase change and a diffusion-reaction process is utilized in the development of the models. The validity of the proposed …

A Novel Fpga Implementation Of Hierarchical Temporal Memory Spatial Pooler, Paul Jeffrey Mitchell

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

There is currently a strong focus across the technological landscape to create machines capable of performing complex, objective based tasks in a manner similar to, or superior to a human. Many of the methods being explored in the machine intelligence space require large sets of labeled data to first train, and then classify inputs. Hierarchical Temporal Memory (HTM) is a biologically inspired machine intelligence framework which aims to classify and interpret streaming unlabeled data, without supervision, and be able to detect anomalies in such data.

In software HTM models, increasing the number of “columns” or processing elements to the levels …

Effect Of Subsurface Conditions On Flexible Pavement Behavior: Non-Destructive Testing And Mechanistic Analysis, Md. Fazle Rabbi

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The behavior of flexible pavements under traffic and environmental loading can be significantly affected by subsurface conditions. Inadequate support conditions under the surface can lead to excessive pavement deformations, often leading to structural and functional failure. This research effort focused on assessing the effects of base/subbase and subgrade layer conditions on flexible pavement behavior. The results of this study are presented in the form of two journal manuscripts.

The first manuscript focuses on utilizing pavement structural and functional evaluation data in making pavement rehabilitation decisions. Visual distress surveys and Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD) testing are often carried out by agencies …

Studying The Use Of Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation As A Shallow Stabilization Alternative To Treat Expansive Soils, Tasria Rahman

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Expansive soils usually recognized as swell-shrink soils have been a problem for civil infrastructure for a long time. It has been a very common practice to use chemical stabilizers including cement and lime to stabilize expansive soils, especially for lightly loaded structures. However, due to the the detrimental effects of these stabilizers on the environment and several occurrences of premature failures after stabilizing with chemical additives, engineers are in search of sustainable stabilization alternatives. Microbial Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) is a promising process, which can improve the properties of expansive soil through calcite precipitation. Previous research has shown promise for …

Effect Of Geogrid Reinforcement On Railroad Ballast Performance Evaluated Through Triaxial Testing And Discrete Element Modeling, Yu Qian, Erol Tutumluer, Debakanta Mishra, Hasan Kazmee

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Geogrids have been found to effectively improve the performance of unbound aggregate layers in transportation applications by providing confinement and arresting movement through interlock between individual aggregate particles and their apertures. Geogrid reinforcement offers an effective remedial measure when railroad track structures are susceptible to track geometry defects resulting from excessive movement and particle reorientation within the ballast layer. This paper presents an ongoing research study at the University of Illinois aimed at quantifying the effects of geogrid reinforcement on the shear strength and permanent deformation behavior of railroad ballast. Geogrids with triangular, rectangular, and square apertures were tested in …

A Hybrid Clustering-Fusion Methodology For Land Subsidence Estimation, Narges Taravatrooy, Mohammad Reza Nikoo, Mojtaba Sadegh, Mohammad Parvinnia

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A hybrid clustering-fusion methodology is developed in this study that employs Genetic Algorithm (GA) optimization method, k-means method, and several soft computing (SC) models to better estimate land subsidence. Estimation of land subsidence is important in planning and management of groundwater resources to prevent associated catastrophic damages. Methods such as the Persistent Scatterer Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (PS-InSAR) can be used to estimate the subsidence rate, but PS-InSAR does not offer the required efficiency and accuracy in noisy pixels (obtained from remote sensing). Alternatively, a fusion-based methodology can be used to estimate subsidence rate, which offers a superior accuracy as …

Magnetic And Electrocatalytic Properties Of Transition Metal Doped Mos2 Nanocrystals, Karthik Chinnathambi

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In this paper, the magnetic and electrocatalytic properties of hydrothermally grown transition metal doped (10% of Co, Ni, Fe, and Mn) 2H-MoS₂ nanocrystals (NCs) with a particle size 25–30 nm are reported. The pristine 2H-MoS₂ NCs showed a mixture of canted anti-ferromagnetic and ferromagnetic behavior. While Co, Ni, and Fe doped MoS₂ NCs revealed room temperature ferromagnetism, Mn doped MoS₂ NCs showed room temperature paramagnetism, predominantly. The ground state of all the materials is found to be canted-antiferromagnetic phase. To study electrocatalytic performance for hydrogen evolution reaction, polarization curves were measured for undoped and the doped …

Optimal And Objective Placement Of Sensors In Water Distribution Systems Using Information Theory, Mohammad S. Khorshidi, Mohammad Reza Nikoo, Mojtaba Sadegh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Optimization-based deployment of contamination warning system in water distribution systems has been widely used in the literature, due to their superior performance compared to rule- and opinion-based approaches. However, optimization techniques impose an excessive computational burden, which in turn is compensated for by shrinking the problem’s decision space and/or using faster optimization algorithms with less accuracy. This imposes subjectivity in interpretation of the system and associated risks, and undermines model’s accuracy by not exploring the entire feasible space. We propose a framework that uses information theoretic techniques, including value of information and transinformation entropy, for optimal sensor placement. This can …

Carbon-Coated Fep Nanoparticles Anchored On Carbon Nanotube Networks As Anode For Long-Life Sodium-Ion Storage, Chunrong Ma, Zhengguang Fu, Changjian Deng, Xiaozhen Liao, Yushi He, Zifeng Ma, Hui Xiong

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A novel electrode design strategy of carbon-coated FeP particles anchored on a conducting carbon nanotube network (CNT@FePC) is designed to achieve a superior sodium ion storage. Such a unique structure demonstrated excellent long-life cycling stability (a 95% capacity retention for more than 1200 cycles at 3 A g^-1) and rate capability (delivered 272 mAh g^-1 at 8 A g^-1).

Using Graphs To Quantify Energetic And Structural Order In Semicrystalline Oligothiophene Thin Films, Ellen Van, Matthew Jones, Eric Jankowski, Olga Wodo

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In semicrystalline conjugated polymer thin films, the mobility of charges depends on the arrangement of the individual polymer chains. In particular, the ordering of the polymer backbones affects the charge transport within the film, as electron transfer generally occurs along the backbones with alternating single and double bonds. In this paper, we demonstrate that polymer ordering should be discussed not only in terms of structural but also energetic ordering of polymer chains. We couple data from molecular dynamics simulations and quantum chemical calculations to quantify both structural and energetic ordering of polymer chains. We leverage a graph-based representation of the …

Interference Mitigating Satellite Broadcast Receiver Using Reduced Complexity List-Based Detection In Correlated Noise, Zohair Abu-Shaban, Hani Mehrpouyan, Bhavani Shankar M.R., Björn Ottersten

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The recent commercial trends towards using smaller dish antennas for satellite receivers, and the growing density of broadcasting satellites, necessitate the application of robust adjacent satellite interference (ASI) cancellation schemes. This orbital density growth along with the wider beamwidth of a smaller dish have imposed an overloaded scenario at the satellite receiver, where the number of transmitting satellites exceeds the number of receiving elements at the dish antenna. To ensure successful operation in this practical scenario, we propose a satellite receiver that enhances signal detection from the desired satellite by mitigating the interference from neighboring satellites. Towards this objective, we …

Nonprehensile Manipulation Of Deformable Objects: Achievements And Perspectives From The Rodyman Project, Aykut C. Satici

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The goal of this work is to disseminate the results achieved so far within the RODYMAN project related to planning and control strategies for robotic nonprehensile manipulation. The project aims at advancing the state of the art of nonprehensile dynamic manipulation of rigid and deformable objects to future enhance the possibility of employing robots in anthropic environments. The final demonstrator of the RODYMAN project will be an autonomous pizza maker. This article is a milestone to highlight the lessons learned so far and pave the way towards future research directions and critical discussions.

Boron-Implanted Silicon Substrates For Physical Adsorption Of Dna Origami, Sadao Takabayashi, Shohei Kotani, Juan Flores-Estrada, Elijah Spears, Jennifer E. Padilla, Lizandra C. Godwin, Elton Graugnard, Wan Kuang, William L. Hughes

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

DNA nanostructures routinely self-assemble with sub-10 nm feature sizes. This capability has created industry interest in using DNA as a lithographic mask, yet with few exceptions, solution-based deposition of DNA nanostructures has remained primarily academic to date. En route to controlled adsorption of DNA patterns onto manufactured substrates, deposition and placement of DNA origami has been demonstrated on chemically functionalized silicon substrates. While compelling, chemical functionalization adds fabrication complexity that limits mask efficiency and hence industry adoption. As an alternative, we developed an ion implantation process that tailors the surface potential of silicon substrates to facilitate adsorption of DNA nanostructures …

Structural Evolution Of Molybdenum Disulfide Prepared By Atomic Layer Deposition For Realization Of Large Scale Films In Microelectronic Applications, Steven Letourneau, Elton Graugnard

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) films are attractive materials for electronic and optoelectronic devices, but the temperatures used in the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of these materials are too high for device integration. Recently, a low-temperature atomic layer deposition (ALD) process was demonstrated for growth of MoS₂ films at 200 °C using MoF₆ and H₂S. However, the as-deposited films were amorphous and required annealing to obtain the desired layered structure. The MoS₂ films were sulfur-deficient; however, after annealing the crystallinity improved. To study the structure of these films and the process by which they crystallize, …

Electropolishing Valve Metals With A Sulfuric Acid-Methanol Electrolyte At Low Temperature, Pete Barnes, Andreas Savva, Kiev Dixon, Hailey Bull, Laura Rill, Devan Karsann, Sterling Croft, Jesse Schimpf, Hui Xiong

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study reports the electropolishing Ti and Nb metals using a fluoride-free electrolyte of sulfuric acid and methanol at low temperature (-70°C) without prior treatment. A fluoride-free electrolyte provides a less hazardous and more environmentally friendly option for electropolishing procedure. Experimental studies are presented on electropolishing with sulfuric acid electrolyte, which provides high quality macro- and micro-smoothing of the metal surfaces. Optimal conditions yielded leveling and brightening of the surface of Ti and Nb metals beyond that of the currently utilized electropolishing procedures with fluoride-containing electrolytes. The root mean squared roughness (R_q) from atomic force microscopy (AFM) …

Introducing The Boise State Bangla Handwriting Dataset And An Efficient Offline Recognizer Of Isolated Bangla Characters, Nishatul Majid, Elisa H. Barney Smith

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This introduces the Boise State Bangla Handwriting Dataset, a publicly accessible offline handwriting dataset of Bangla script. This can be found at https://scholarworks.boisestate.edu/saipl/1/

A basic character recognition method is presented where the features are extracted based on zonal pixel counts, structural strokes and grid points with U-SURF descriptors modeled with bag of features.

Benchmarking with this approach on 3 other publicly available Bangla datasets is reported. The highest classification accuracy obtained with an SVM classifier based on a cubic kernel is 96.8%.

Feasibility Of Aerial Tramway At Boise State University, Majed Alsaqyani

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The use of aerial tramways is becoming common in cities as a way to provide reliable, safe, sustainable, and cost-effective mass transportation. The aerial tramway is especially effective in the most congested areas of major cities. The growth of Boise State University (BSU) and downtown Boise makes this location especially attractive for a tramway. Moreover, based on data collected for this analysis, it is clear that the BSU community is open to using the tramway instead of more traditional modes of transportation.

The viability of the tramway is further enhanced because the computer science department has moved to City Center …

Climate-Informed Environmental Inflows To Revive A Drying Lake Facing Meteorological And Anthropogenic Droughts, Mojtaba Sadegh

Civil Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The rapid shrinkage of Lake Urmia, one of the world’s largest saline lakes located in northwestern Iran, is a tragic wake-up call to revisit the principles of water resources management based on the socio-economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. The overarching goal of this paper is to set a framework for deriving dynamic, climate-informed environmental inflows for drying lakes considering both meteorological/climatic and anthropogenic conditions. We report on the compounding effects of meteorological drought and unsustainable water resource management that contributed to Lake Urmia’s contemporary environmental catastrophe. Using rich datasets of hydrologic attributes, water demands and withdrawals, as well …

Studying The Applicability Of Biostimulated Calcite Precipitation In Stabilizing Expansive Soils, Md Touhidul Islam

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Of the four types of soils, clays are often associated with issues related to low bearing capacity, high compressibility, swelling and shrinking nature. For example, expansive soils swell and shrink with moisture ingress and digress and are prevalent in several parts of the world causing billions of dollars in damages annually to various civil infrastructures. Several ground improvement techniques such as chemical stabilization, deep soil mixing, moisture barriers, and others were employed to counteract these soils. However, these methods are impractical in certain situations and unsustainable in others due to their economic and environmental impacts. Microbiological treatment of soils could …

Smart Adaptive Beam-Forming Antenna Design For Next Generation Communication Systems, Ahmed Umar Kausar

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Adaptive beamforming antennas open a new venue for research to achieve high data rates. Such antennas are of interest at higher frequencies, especially at millimeter-waves. Millimeter-wave band ranges from 30 GHz - 300 GHz. There is an ample bandwidth available in this spectrum. However, due to the significant path loss at high frequencies, there is a need for better error correction schemes and adaptive beam-forming antennas for this frequency band.

The goal of our research is to design a novel adaptive beamforming smart antenna that is low cost, compact, power-efficient and less complex. Based on our recently awarded US patent, …