Engineering Commons^™

Development Of Cracking Resistance Prediction Model Of Long-Term Aged Asphalt Mixtures, Peyman Barghabany

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

With the increasing complexity of asphalt mixture composition, the current volumetric-based Superpave mixture design would not be sufficient to address durability concerns. To address this limitation, performance-based testing is introduced to supplement conventional volumetric mixture design in assessing the cracking resistance of asphalt mixtures. To perform cracking tests, samples need to be aged to represent the most embrittlement case. The current AASHTO standard for asphalt mixture long-term aging (LTA) is a 5-day oven-aging at 85°C. Quality control/assurance practices require samples to be long-term aged prior to a cracking test which is a time-consuming process. Therefore, it would be beneficial to …

Stream Power Analysis Of The Mid-Barataria Conveyance Channel Model, Jack Graham

LSU Master's Theses

Louisiana’s coast is disappearing at an alarming rate. Erosion, subsidence, sea level rise, and the devastating impacts from hurricanes have contributed to the loss of thousands of square miles of land that was once a thriving ecosystem. The Louisiana government is taking action to help protect and restore these coastal habitats, which are a home to some two million people and numerous species of animals, birds, and fish. The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion is a new type of project to help create land in Barataria Basin. Conceptually, the diversion is designed to use the available sediment and stream power provided by …

Adsorption And Transport Of Colloids At Interface And In Bulk, Jingyun Lee

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Colloids are suspensions of microscopic insoluble particles dispersed in a continuum phase such as liquid or gas. Colloids are found in our everyday life from food and cosmetic industries to pharmaceutical and biomedical applications. Depending on a global minimum of the free-energy landscape, colloidal suspensions can be classified as two major classes: equilibrium or active colloidal system. This Ph.D dissertation presents strategies to engineer equilibrium self-assembled structures and out-of-equilibrium active matter using various interparticle forces.

First, we introduce the means to promote the equilibrium self-assembled structures driven by adsorption of colloids at interface. Typically, adsorption of colloids at interface is …

Gold-Semiconductor Photocatalysts For Water Treatment Under Visible And Ultraviolet Light, Daniel Willis

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Water scarcity threatens the lives of millions of people worldwide. It is imperative to improve the energy efficiency and affordability of water treatment methods to avoid a looming water-energy crisis. To meet this challenge, I have pursued research on the use of sunlight—our most reliable and abundant source of energy—to drive water treatment through photocatalysis. I explored the literature and found gold-semiconductor materials to hold promise for harvesting sunlight and catalyzing the breakdown of waterborne contaminants. Initially, I designed a novel optical cavity with gold (Au) nanoparticles on a zinc oxide / titania (TiO₂) / aluminum film stack …

Led-Based Optical Sensing Platforms For Multi-Analyte Detection, Youngho Shin

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Real-time monitoring of phytoplankton groups provides important information about aquatic ecological states, nutrient abundance, and water pollution. A rapid and accurate method for monitoring phytoplankton in water is commonly performed by detecting fluorescence emission from the plankton; however, commercially available portable fluorescence sensors are still expensive, bulky, and limited in functions, such as lacking the capability of selectively detecting multiple phytoplankton groups. In this regard, a low-cost and portable fluorometer platform for phytoplankton detection was developed in order to address the issues that current portable fluorometers have.

This dissertation has four main goals: (1) perform a study on fluorescence measurement …

Non-Newtonian Model Development For Post-Wildfire Flood Risk Management, Ian Eli Floyd

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Wildfire effected regions of the western U.S. frequently produce non-Newtonian floods (or floods that have a non-linear relationship between stress and deformation) in response to moderate to severe precipitation events. This research presents the development, evaluation, and demonstration of a post-wildfire hydrodynamic one-dimensional and two-dimensional diffusive wave and shallow-water numerical modeling approach that can be used to predict post-wildfire downstream runout of debris flows and floodplain inundation conditions. While researchers have developed a variety of Non-Newtonian approaches to simulate debris flows and mudflows, there has been very limited application to post-wildfire flooding. This can make it difficult to understand the …

Solid State Synthesis And Characterization Of Apatite Based Ceramic Waste Form For The Immobilization Of Radioactive Iodine, Md Imdadul Islam

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The growing demand for nuclear power in the United States and worldwide is accountable for addressing the major concern of radioactive waste, involving the technical challenges of maintaining the nuclear fuel cycle and immobilizing high-level wastes for safe disposal in geological storage. The appropriate selection of waste forms for spent nuclear fuel such as fission products and radionuclides can be effective means for a feasible and sustainable nuclear fuel cycle. But highly volatile radionuclides such as iodine (129) are of specific concern due to its extraordinary long half-life (15.7 million years). Due to its poor solubility and high volatility at …

Operation Procedures Of Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion Model To Reproduce Hydraulics And Sediment Transport, Chase Holston

LSU Master's Theses

The Lower Mississippi River Physical Model (LMRPM) is a distorted, movable bed model that simulates the hydraulics and sediment transport in the lower 195 miles of the Mississippi River. Carved into the model are both existing hydraulic structures, such as the Bonnet Carré Spillway, and proposed structures, such as the Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion (MBSD). The MBSD will be the first sediment diversion built as part of Louisiana’s Coastal Master Plan, so incorporating the diversion in the LMRPM will be a useful tool to understanding how the diversion can impact the river hydraulics and bedload transport. The objective of this thesis …

Changes In Wetland Soil Processes And Ecosystem Functions Six Years After Marsh Creation In Barataria Bay, Louisiana, Erol R. Knaus

LSU Master's Theses

Louisiana contains about 40% of the conterminous United States coastal and estuarine wetlands but also has the highest rates of wetland loss at around 80% of the total. Approximately 4,900 km² of coastal land in Louisiana has been lost since 1930. Our study location, Barataria Bay, has one of the highest coastal wetland erosion rates in the nation, at ∼41 km² per year; and therefore, is a high priority for wetland restoration activities. In 2014, sandy sediment dredged from the bed of the Mississippi River was placed in Barataria Bay as part of a restoration effort. Samples were …

Emulsion Templating Application For Synthesis Of A Porous Zein Biocompatible Oil Adsorbent, Nathan Holley

LSU Master's Theses

The recovery of spilled oil from water sources using hydrophobic porous absorbent has gained significant interest due to the ease of implementation, large-scale adaptability, and robust nature of the technique. However, the lack of biodegradability of these synthetic adsorbents has caused concern of further contaminating the environment from the generation of microplastic waste that is known to persist and accumulate in the marine food chain and other ecosystems. To mitigate this potential hazard, a new biocompatible alternative is needed to replace the non-degradable synthetic materials currently used. This thesis presents ZEin-based Low Density porous Absorbent (ZELDA), synthesized using a particle …

Temperature Gradient Effects On Behavior And Design Of Prestressed Concrete Girder Bridges, Ahmed Saad Elsayed Mohamed Elshoura

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Temperature variation is an inevitable environmental loading type that affects bridges. Considering temperature effects during structural design is deemed essential for short, medium, and long span bridges. Temperature loading can be categorized into three components; uniform temperature, vertical temperature gradient, and transverse temperature gradient. Temperature variation causes additional movements, stresses, and internal forces that should be considered in the design of bridges. In this study, the temperature effects of vertical and transverse temperature gradients are investigated for continuous prestressed concrete bridges.

Thermal restraint moments induced by vertical temperature gradients on prestrssed concrete bridges are investigated by performing three-dimensional (3D) finite …

Resource And Energy Recovery From Wastewater Using Advanced Bioelectrochemical Systems, Sidan Lu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Water pollution and energy depletion are two critical issues in the world that limit the sustainable development of human society. In this study, several advanced (photo) bioelectrochemical systems (BESs) were proposed for effective energy (electricity and H₂) and nutrients (N and P) recovery from wastewater, solar energy, seawater, and river water. The first study demonstrated high effectiveness of a novel resource-recovery microbial fuel cell (RRMFC) for wastewater treatment and nutrient recovery from synthetic urine-containing wastewater. Over one cycle (∼3 days), 99% of urea, 97% of COD, 99% of histidine, 91% of creatinine, 99% of sodium acetate, 98% of …

A Systematic Multiscale Investigation Of Nanoparticle-Assisted Co2 Enhanced Oil Recovery (Eor) Process For Shale Oil Reservoirs, Dayo A. Afekare

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Shale oil reservoirs are prolific on the short term due to hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling but experience significant production decline, leading to poor ultimate recovery and leaving billions of barrels of oil buried in the ground. In this study, a systematic multi-scale investigation of an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) process using relatively inexpensive silicon dioxide nanoparticles and carbon dioxide for shale oil reservoirs was conducted. Using the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) as a case study, aqueous dispersions of nanosilica in conjunction with CO₂ were investigated at nano-to-core scales. At the nanoscale, atomic force microscope was used to investigate …

Educational Theory-Embedded Training For Construction Industry Professionals, Hazem Jadallah

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Workforce training is needed throughout the construction industry to create and maintain competent workers; unfortunately, most construction training and education research focuses on university student education. The focus of this dissertation research is the current state of educational-theory embedded construction workforce training, how such trainings are effective, and how they may be further optimized based on established educational theory. This is accomplished through a review of construction training for current industry professionals, an evaluation of the assessment criteria used to measure effectiveness, followed by the creation of a framework for construction training.

There is a lack of recommendations for improvement …

Defect Engineering In Strained Low-Dimensional Abo3 Perovskite Nanoparticles For Next-Generation Energy Storage, Tochukwu Ofoegbuna

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The realization of renewable energy is dependent on the advancement of multi-functional materials for energy storage devices. As an example, the substantial progress observed in Li-ion batteries is a result of the discovery and subsequent industrial commercialization of cathode materials such as LiFePO₄ (LFP). Although these materials possess relatively high specific capacity (~170 mAh/g), their low room-temperature electronic conductivity has been identified as a limitation for future high-performance batteries. Metastable SrBO₃, (SBO, B = Nb, Ta, Mo, etc.) perovskite nanoparticles (NPs) with metallic properties offer an alternative route to improve the room-temperature electronic conductivity of LFP cathodes. …

Experimental And Modeling Study Of The Effects Of Sealing Structures In Lost Circulation Prevention And Remediation, Mingzheng Yang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Drilling fluid lost circulation leads to non-productive time and increases the overall well cost. In general, wellbore strengthening and lost circulation control are achieved by creating effective sealing structures to inhibit fluid flow through loss conduits such as formation fractures. This research aims at better understanding the effects of sealing structures in fluid loss prevention and remediation, and providing useful references to effectively establishing filtercakes on the wellbore and plugs in the fracture.

Recent research on wellbore strengthening disclosed the critical role of filtercake in sealing microfractures during the initial stages of fracture initiation and propagation. The performance of a …

Photoluminescent Nanomaterials For Biosensing And Single Cell Analysis Applications, Khashayar Ramezani Bajgiran

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The bioanalytical industry is projected to generate $36 billion by 2025, with the United States currently holding 80.9% of the consumers’ market. Among the bioanalytical platforms, point-of-care (POC) and point-of-use diagnosis (POU) have gained a lot of attention due to their emphasis on decentralized testing and providing low-cost solutions in resource-limited regions. While Traditional bioanalytical tools such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and flow cytometry can sensitively detect biomolecules and screen single-cell response, they suffer from multiple drawbacks such as the high cost of antibodies and time-intensive procedures, which limit their ability to expand to POC/POU applications. Rapid developments in microtool …

Low-Cost Hardware-In-The-Loop (Hil) Simulator For Simulation And Analysis Of Embedded Systems With Non-Real-Time Applications, Chanuka S. Elvitigala

LSU Master's Theses

Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) simulation is an approach that is used for embedded systems testing which was popular in the early days of embedded systems. This technology was wrapped and was stored away for a long time. One of the main reasons is that the less use of embedded systems in society. Recent developments in embedded systems, data science, and control systems lead to a focus on testing these systems. The earliest method of testing these systems was by doing destructive testing which is a waste of money, resources, and time. The HIL provided a safe and economical way of testing the …

The Age-Dependent Characterization Of The Er-Alpha Positive Breast Cancer Tumor Microenvironment, Katie Marie Hamel

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In disease states such as cancer, endocrine and paracrine signals from adipose tissue contribute to cancer progression and drug resistance. Young individuals diagnosed with estrogen receptor-alpha positive (ER-a+) breast cancer have an observed increase in resistance to endocrine therapies. This suggests that an alternative estrogen signaling pathway is active within these tumors. Despite this, the effects of stromal age on the endocrine response in breast cancer is not well known. Here, we review and highlight the involvement of the stromal age in both tumorigenesis and physiological wound healing. To identify specific differences between young and aged ER-a+ breast tumors, RNA …

Energy Consumption And Tardiness Improvement For A Flexible Job Shop And A Warehouse, Ahmad Ebrahimi

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

In recent years, energy consumption (EC) is studied to see its effects on monetary and non-monetary costs in manufacturing and warehousing. EC in manufacturing and warehousing, however, needs to be studied with conventional performance measures such as production/operation tardiness since there is a trade-off between EC and tardiness costs. Therefore, this research is conducted with four objectives to study EC and tardiness for a flexible job shop and a warehouse as follows. The first objective of this research is to integrate job scheduling and layout, which are interrelated in improving EC and tardiness for a flexible job shop. Thus, we …

Channel Estimation In Multi-User Massive Mimo Systems By Expectation Propagation Based Algorithms, Mohammed Rashid

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Massive multiple input multiple output (MIMO) technology uses large antenna arrays with tens or hundreds of antennas at the base station (BS) to achieve high spectral efficiency, high diversity, and high capacity. These benefits, however, rely on obtaining accurate channel state information (CSI) at the receiver for both uplink and downlink channels. Traditionally, pilot sequences are transmitted and used at the receiver to estimate the CSI. Since the length of the pilot sequences scale with the number of transmit antennas, for massive MIMO systems downlink channel estimation requires long pilot sequences resulting in reduced spectral efficiency and the so-called pilot …

Study Of Laser Based Additive Manufacturing For Titanium And Copper Alloys, Congyuan Zeng

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Material processing by laser is increasingly applied in industrial applications for its outstanding characteristics, such as localized heating, high efficiency, and high manufacturing precision. In this study, two kinds of laser material processing strategies were investigated, namely laser surface engineering and laser-powder-bed fusion additive manufacturing, with pure titanium and copper alloys as target materials, respectively.

For laser surface engineering related studies, the work includes the investigation of the dynamic interactions between titanium and pure nitrogen or ambient air under transient laser processing conditions. Thanks to the in-situ synchrotron X-ray diffraction tests, the high-temperature reaction steps between titanium and pure nitrogen/ambient …

Accelerated Controller Tuning For Wind Turbines Under Multiple Hazards, Aly Mousaad Aly, Milad Rezaee

Faculty Publications

During their lifecycle, wind turbines can be subjected to multiple hazard loads, such as high-intensity wind, earthquake, wave, and mechanical unbalance. Excessive vibrations, due to these loads, can have detrimental effects on energy production, structural lifecycle, and the initial cost of wind turbines. Vibration control by various means, such as passive, active, and semi-active control systems provide crucial solutions to these issues. We developed a novel control theory that enables semi-active controller tuning under the complex structural behavior and inherent system nonlinearity. The proposed theory enables the evaluation of semi-active controllers’ performance of multi-degrees-of-freedom systems, without the need for time-consuming …

Characterization, Immobilization, And Polymer Related Applications Of Watermelon Seed Powder, A Practical Source Of Urease Enzyme, Anthony Quan Quoc Mai

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Urease enzyme was crystallized almost a century ago, and to this day its intrinsic stability is not ideal for everyday applications. This work introduces a new process by which a naturally encapsulated material, watermelon seed powder (WMSP), is characterized for its stability and activity. WMSP enzymatic activity has been measured for over a year at various storage conditions—exposed to ambient atmosphere for a year, WMSP retained above 90% activity. In aqueous conditions, the enzyme maintained above 60% activity after two months; with the addition of a preservative that number stays at about 90%. There is a pH shift of the …

A Feedback-Based Pneumatic Compression System For Effective Lymphedema Management, Mohammad Imrul Kayes

LSU Master's Theses

Bioimpedance analysis (BIA) is a method of detecting lymphedema- a debilitating medical condition involving swelling of the extremities. Pneumatic compression devices are frequently used in the compression treatment of lymphedema. Although existing compression technology provides relief of symptoms, it has limitations in terms of ease-of-use, portability, and monitoring of treatment progress. Currently, there are no BIA analyzers in the market that run on a low-power microcontroller and a rechargeable battery. Moreover, no such device currently exists that integrate the BIA analysis with pneumatic compression system to offer a feedback-based solution for lymphedema treatment. This work represents the first steps towards …

Quality Assessment Of Flexible Pavement Automated Cracking Data In Louisiana, Mostafiz Emtiaz

LSU Master's Theses

Pavement distress survey is the most critical and integral part of pavement management system. Transportation agencies all over the world depends on the accurate pavement distress survey to take major decisions like pavement rehabilitation or reconstruction. Pavement management at the network level requires accurate pavement distress survey to decide the allocation of budget for pavement maintenance, rehabilitation and reconstruction. This study started collected network-level cracking distress data through manual measurements on high-resolution pavement images and the results were used as the ground truth measurements to evaluate the corresponding automated distress data from the Pavement Management System database. Results showed that …

Zein And Lignin-Based Nanoparticles As Delivery Systems: Pesticide Release And Nanoparticle Health Impact On Soybean Plants, Fallon Polette Salinas Gonzalez

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This research examined the effect of biodegradable, polymeric, lignin-based nanoparticles (LNPs, 113.8±3.4, negatively charged) and zein nanoparticles (ZNP, 141.6±3.9, positively charged) on soybean plant health. The LNPs were synthesized from lignin, covalently linked to poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid by emulsion evaporation. ZNPs were synthesized by nanoprecipitation. Soybeans grown hydroponically were treated with three concentrations (0.02, 0.2, and 2 mg/ml) of NPs at 28 days after germination. The effect of ZNPs and LNPs on plant health was determined through analysis of root and stem length, chlorophyll concentration, dry biomass of roots and stem, as well as carbon, nitrogen, and micronutrient absorption after 1, …

Development Of The Cell-Free Protein Biomanufacturing Platform For The Therapeutic Human Protein Production And The Topical Delivery Applications Using The Nanosized Hydrogel System, Jeehye Kim

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Proteins are highly structural polymers, performing an enormous range of roles within organisms. Unlike synthetic polymers, proteins have a significant hierarchical ordering that can be disrupted by many environmental factors, which limits the scale-up manufacturing capability as well as the utilization of proteins as therapeutic agents. In this study, the Cell-Free Protein Synthesis (CFPS) system was developed to enhance the production capacity and applications of the therapeutic proteins. The CFPS is an advanced biosynthetic and genetic-engineered system. It enables the efficient production of proteins when the conventional cell-based protein synthesis systems cannot be applied, and when sophisticated control is required …

Electrospray Deposition Of Zno Nanostructures For Nanoscale Electronic Applications, David Hooks

LSU Master's Theses

Modern technology is ever-evolving and as more emphasis is placed on faster, more sensitive electronic devices, advancements in the field of electronics are as important now as they ever have been. To meet the need for more sensitive devices, it is important to study new semiconducting materials and the applications in which they pose a potential advantage.

The field of electronic materials research falls at the intersection of physics, chemistry, materials science, and electrical engineering. Zinc Oxide (ZnO) is of particular interest in modern electronic devices for its uses in sensing applications, high-powered transistors, and LED technology. ZnO has been …

A Microscale Approach To Investigate Breast Cancer Cellular Communication And Migration, Sharif Mohammad Mizanur Rahman

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Metastatic breast cancer significantly decreases patient survival, with the majority of deaths caused by secondary metastasis. Cancer metastasis is a multi-step process that starts with the detachment of a cancer cell from the primary tumor and ends with establishing a secondary tumor at a distal location. This work's focus was to use an interdisciplinary microscale approach to study how cancer cells respond to neighboring cells and how they migrate in response to chemical gradients. Two distinct devices, a microfluidic device, and a 3D-printed plate insert, were developed to perform co-culture studies to elucidate the impact of ASCs on cancer cell …