Engineering Commons^™

Minimizing The Disruption Of Traffic Flow Of Automated Vehicles During Lane Changes, Divya Desiraju

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In intelligent transportation systems, most of the research work has focused on lane change assistant systems. No existing work considers minimizing the interruption of traffic flow by maximizing the number of lane changes while eliminating the collisions. In this thesis, we develop qualitative and quantitative approaches for minimizing the interruption of traffic flow for three lane scenarios and show that we can extend our approach to any random number of lanes. The algorithm we propose in this thesis is able to achieve the maximum number of lane changes provided that only one vehicle per group (novel concept which is described …

A Controlled Study Of The Flipped Classroom With Numerical Methods For Engineers, Jacob L. Bishop

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Recent advances in technology and new ways of using it have led to new possibilities for education research. Increasing tuition costs and free, online course offerings are two influences that have led researchers to re-consider the wisdom of conventional teaching methods and to consider alternatives. The flipped classroom is a new teaching method, which uses video lectures and practice problems as homework, while group-based problem-solving activities are used in the classroom. It combines aspects of two learning theories once thought to be incompatible—constructivism and behaviorism. Active, problem-based learning activities are based on the theories of constructivism, and direct instructional (video) …

Live-Load Test And Finite-Element Model Analysis Of An Integral Abutment Concrete Girder Bridge, Robert W. Fausett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As part of the Long Term Bridge Performance (LTBP) Program, a single-span, prestressed, integral abutment concrete girder pilot bridge near Perry, Utah was instrumented with different sensors at various locations onto the bridge for long-term monitoring and periodic testing. One of the periodic tests conducted on this bridge was a live-load test. The live-load test included driving trucks across the bridge, as well as parking trucks along different lanes of the bridge, and measuring the deflection and strain. The data collected from these tests was used to create and calibrate a computer model of the bridge. The model was afforded …

Error Modeling And Analysis Of Star Cameras For A Class Of 1u Spacecraft, David M. Fowler

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As spacecraft today become increasingly smaller, the demand for smaller components and sensors rises as well. The smartphone, a cutting edge consumer technology, has impressive collections of both sensors and processing capabilities and may have the potential to fill this demand in the spacecraft market. If the technologies of a smartphone can be used in space, the cost of building miniature satellites would drop significantly and give a boost to the aerospace and scientific communities.

Concentrating on the problem of spacecraft orientation, this study sets ground to determine the capabilities of a smartphone camera when acting as a star camera. …

The Calibration And Uncertainty Evaluation Of Spatially Distributed Hydrological, Jongkwan Kim

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the last decade, spatially distributed hydrological models have rapidly advanced with the widespread availability of remotely sensed and geomatics information. Particularly, the areas of calibration and evaluation of spatially distributed hydrological models have been attempted in order to reduce the differences between models and improve realism through various techniques. Despite steady efforts, the study of calibrations and evaluations for spatially distributed hydrological models is still a largely unexplored field, in that there is no research in terms of the interactions of snow and water balance components with the traditional measurement methods as error functions. As one of the factors …

Design And Testing Of Digitally Manufactured Paraffin Acrylonitrile-Butadiene-Styrene Hybrid Rocket Motors, Jonathan M. Mcculley

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Hybrid motors that employ non-toxic, non-explosive components with a liquid oxidizer and a solid hydrocarbon fuel grain have inherently safe operating characteristics. The oxidizer is blown though the solid fuel where it is combusted through a nozzle to produce thrust. This research investigated the combination of Acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene impregnated with paraffin wax as the solid fuel component burned with nitrous oxide. The paraffin provides an enhanced regression rate over ABS; however, it lacks structural integrity and combustion efficiency. Multiple fuel grains with various ABS-to-Paraffin mass ratios were fabricated and burned with nitrous oxide. Analytical predictions for end-to-end motor performance and fuel …

Correcting Errors Due To Species Correlations In The Marginal Probability Density Evolution Algorithm, Abiezer Tejeda

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Synthetic biology is an emerging field that integrates and applies engineering design methods to biological systems. Its aim is to make biology an “engineerable” science. Over the years, biologists and engineers alike have abstracted biological systems into functional models that behave similarly to electric circuits, thus the creation of the subfield of genetic circuits. Mathematical models have been devised to simulate the behavior of genetic circuits in silico. Most models can be classified into deterministic and stochastic models. The work in this dissertation is for stochastic models.

Although ordinary differential equation (ODE) models are generally amenable to simulate genetic …

A Computational Framework For Dam Safety Risk Assessment With Uncertainty Analysis, Anruag Srivastava

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Event tree analysis is a commonly-used method in dam safety risk analysis. Event trees are used to obtain quantitative estimates of the probability of dam failure and its associated consequences. This can be done to evaluate the safety of an existing dam or to provide insights into the choice between risk reduction alternatives. In the past, the calculations have been performed using either generalized software developed primarily for business applications or purpose-built spreadsheets. However, these approaches lack generality, can require substantial effort, can be fragile, and are difficult to modify to represent risk reduction measures or to update using new …

Nutrient Contribution Of The Shallow Unconfined Aquifer To Pineview Reservoir, Thomas Nyanda Reuben

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Pineview Reservoir, near Utah’s populous Wasatch Front, could play an important role in modulating water supply as water demands and water uses change in response to increasing population densities. The reservoir’s water quality may decline if nitrogen and phosphorus additions to the reservoir are not controlled. Most of the water flowing into the reservoir in summer and fall is contributed by the shallow ground water. The quantity and quality of the shallow ground water to Pineview Reservoir were studied from February 2010 through November 2011. The objectives were to: 1) increase understanding of nitrogen and phosphorus transport from ground water …

Optical Sensors For Mapping Temperature And Winds In The Thermosphere From A Cubesat Platform, Stephanie Whalen Sullivan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the same way that mariners desire to know the weather their ships are about to encounter, satellite owners would like to know the conditions along their satellites' orbits. Accurate forecasts would allow operators to secure sensitive components prior to passing through a storm to reduce the risk of damage. Large solar arrays, which can act like sails, can be re-oriented to prevent the satellite from being moved out of its desired orbit. While terrestrial weather forecasters have thousands of sensors with continuous data streams available to generate weather models, very few sensors exist for space weather. Cost of sensing …

Hybrid Photothermal Technique For Microscale Thermal Conductivity Measurement, Zilong Hua

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In nuclear reactors, the thermal energy generated from the nuclear reactions needs to be transferred all the way through the core of the fuels to the surrounding steam to be utilized. Therefore, thermal conductivity is considered an important thermophysical property of the fuel which needs to be measured. The nuclear fuel microstructure is known to be damaged by neutronirradiation, which can result in sharp, local changes of thermal conductivity. However, most existing thermal conductivity measurement techniques of nuclear fuel are not able to make high spatial-resolution measurements. The objective of this study was to develop a non-contact thermal conductivity measurement …

Investigation Of Peak Load Reduction Strategies In Residential Buildings In Cooling Dominated Climates, Fady Atallah

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This investigation of peak load reduction strategies in residential buildings contributes to the global international efforts in reducing energy consumption and is related directly to energy efficiency in residential and commercial buildings. Work reported here involves computer aided building energy simulation of energy efficient and non-energy efficient residential homes coupled with empirical energy consumption data gathered from monitoring an array of energy efficient residential homes. The latter have been implemented for peak load reduction strategies. In addition non-energy efficient residential homes have been monitored to compare performance to the energy efficient homes. This study demonstrates the crucial importance of energy …

An Online Algorithm For The 2-Server Problem On The Line With Improved Competitiveness, Lucas Adam Bang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In this thesis we present a randomized online algorithm for the 2-server problem on the line, named R-LINE (for Randomized Line). This algorithm achieves the lowest competitive ratio of any known randomized algorithm for the 2-server problem on the line.

The competitiveness of R-LINE is less than 1.901. This result provides a significant improvement over the previous known competitiveness of 155/78 (approximately 1.987), by Bartal, Chrobak, and Larmore, which was the first randomized algorithm for the 2-server problem one the line with competitiveness less than 2. Taking inspiration from this algorithm,we improve this result by utilizing ideas from T-theory, game …

Strategic Electronic Property Control Of Self-Assembling Pyrazine-Acenes, Lacie Brownell

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Control of electronic properties in organic semiconductor materials is essential for electro-optical applications such as field-effect transistors, light-emitting diodes, and photovoltaic devices. This work is focused on two systems that highlight different approaches for the manipulation of electronic properties: (I) the development of electron-deficient (n-type) materials by selective lowering of E_LUMO and (II) low energy gap materials by controlling both E_LUMO and E_HOMO

To specifically lower E_LUMO, a pyrazine-acene π-platform was extended using electron-withdrawing moieties. These include: pyridine, pyrazine, and benzothiadiazole (system I). From the base pyrazine-acene, the most significant change in E_LUMO of …

Design And Testing Of Novel Mouthguard With Intermediate Nitinol And Foam Layers, Adam Kessler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

It is the aim of this study to investigate a novel mouthguard design that incorporates the use of a nickel-titanium (Nitinol) layer and thin foam layer in addition to EVA layers. It is thought that the Nitinol layer can distribute the force of an impact and that the thin foam layer may absorb this distributed force better than a solid EVA mouthguard of the same thickness. Rectangular, flat coupons representative of several mouthguard configurations were constructed for testing using an instrumented drop-weight impact tower. The coupon configurations include a control made of laminated EVA, a group of laminated EVA and …

Closed Loop Control Of A Cylindrical Tube Type Ionic Polymer Metal Composite (Ipmc), Benjamin Mead

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The goal of this research is to provide a framework for the integration of tube type, cylindrical Ionic Polymer Metal-Composite (IPMC) into conventional devices. IPMCs are one of the most widely used types of electro-active polymer actuator, due to their low electric driving potential and large deformation range. For this research a tube type IPMC was investigated. This IPMC has a circular cross section with four separate electrodes on its surface and a hole through the middle. The four electrodes allow for biaxial bending and accurate control of the tip location. One of the main advantages of using this type …

Investigating The Feasibility Of Growing Algae For Fuel In Southern Nevada, Faegheh Moazeni

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Microalgae capable of growing in waste are adequate to be mass-cultivated for biodiesel, avoiding fertilizers and clean water, two obstacles to sustainability of the feedstock production. This study replaces fertilizers and clean water with waste products. The investigated wastes include (1) the liquid fraction of sewage after solids and particles are removed, known as centrate, and (2) algal biomass residue, i.e. the algae remaining at the end of the lipids extraction process at biofuel plants. These wastes contain sufficient amount of nitrogen and phosphorus required for algal growth. This study proposes a system in which centrate would be used as …

Initial Elastic Modulus Degradation Using Pressuremeter And Standard Penetration Test Results At Two Sites, Dustin Robbins

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In-situ testing was performed at two sites consisting of pre-bored pressuremeter testing, seismic surface wave testing to develop a shear wave velocity profile, and Standard Penetration testing during the soil boring phase in order to evaluate the feasibility of using large shallow foundations for a project. This study focuses on a comparison of the in-situ direct measurements of soil stiffness obtained from this testing program. The small strain modulus obtained from the seismic surface wave test results is compared to the intermediate strain modulus obtained from both the initial loading pressuremeter modulus and reload pressuremeter modulus. The modulus calculated from …

An Estimation Of Available Cellulosic Biomass In Ten Counties In Northeastern Arkansas From 1999-2011, Thomas Jenkins

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this research is to explore the possibility of siting a biorefinery that produces cellulosic ethanol in the Delta region of Arkansas, which is the main agricultural area of the state. Four major crops that the state of Arkansas produces on a yearly basis that could potentially be used for cellulosic ethanol production are: corn, rice, sorghum, and soybeans. This research will result in the generation of maps that will be useful in quantifying feedstock produced in the Delta region of Arkansas, which can be used by a biorefinery. An actual site will not be chosen based strictly …

Minimizing Wash Water Usage After Acid Hydrolysis Pretreatment Of Biomass, Noaa Frederick

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Abstract Dilute acid pretreatment, needed to prepare biomass for saccharification, results in the production of a number of byproducts, which inhibit subsequent enzymatic hydrolysis and fermentation steps. In order to improve saccharification yields in the enzyme hydrolysis step, the pretreated biomass is often rinsed with room temperature water to remove these byproducts. High-density poplar was pretreated with 1% dilute sulfuric acid at 140 ºC for 40 minutes. After pretreatment the biomass was washed with water volumes equal to 0, 1 ½, or 3 times the biomass volume. The rinsed biomass was then enzymatically hydrolyzed and the concentrations of byproducts and …

Structural Characterization Of Engineered Muscular Mimetic, Nadia Bhatti

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

An engineered muscular mimetic (EMM) was synthesized, and its overall structure—porosity, average pore size, and pore alignment—was characterized and compared to actual decellularized skeletal muscle (DSM). The EMM’s porosity was about 20% more and average pore size was about 85% smaller compared to that of the DSM. Unlike the strong horizontal pore alignment in the DSM, no distinct orientation could be identified in the EMM structure.

Scaffolding For Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Lineage Specification, Thanh Dai

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Current research regarding stem cells is the premise behind this project. These cells have the potential to develop into any kind of cell in the human body. Due to the scarcity of transplantable pancreas and/or pancreatic beta cells, the production of pancreatic insulin-producing cells from human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) has emerged as one of the most attractive cell therapy strategies for insulin deficient diabetes treatment. The aspect of hESC research that the project focused on was the environment or foundation the hESCs grew in. A key step to pancreatic beta cell production from hESC differentiation or growth is establishing …

The Effect Of Cell Density And Cultivation Period On Skeletal Muscle Extracellular Matrix Accumulation, Ryan Yarnall

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Traumatic skeletal muscle injuries have led to severe disability disallowing one to perform necessary daily tasks. Different methods are under current research to rebuild muscle tissue and have it function properly. One such method is the use of extracellular matrix, or ECM, retrieved from cells to create biological scaffolds providing structure for myoblast cells to grow into tissue. This research holds promise because it utilizes the body’s own machinery, minimizing risk of a foreign body response. To obtain ECM scaffolding, one viable technique involves the cultivation of cells on polyurethane foams to collect and harvest ECM. This research investigates the …

Varying Culture Conditions To Enhance Tissue Formation, Katherine Atkins

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

For severe muscle damage, tissue engineering has become a viable option to culture muscle tissues with the ultimate goal of implantation. However, the tissues are typically cultured on permanent scaffolds which would elicit a foreign body response if placed in the body. To avoid this, biological scaffolds are ideal for tissue culture and limiting any negative reactions. A sacrificial scaffold can be used to gather extracellular matrix (ECM), which can then be used as the primary scaffold for culturing tissues for implantation. To reach the ultimate goal of implanting muscle tissue, an understanding of how to produce ECM on a …

Metal Oxide Nanocomposite Nanoliter Reaction Chamber Fabrication And Applications For Harsh Environment Gas Sensing, Michael C. Briggs

Nanoscale Science & Engineering (discontinued with class year 2014)

In order to perform research at the College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, funding for the desired research is required. Undergraduates get around that by working under a graduate student or professor who is currently funded. For those who seek funding, they receive it by submitting a grant proposal stating the motivation for research, the background, and previous research done to support this new endeavor, as well as future research plans that will be possible with funding. These grant proposals follow certain formats depending on where the principal investigator is seeking funding. As part of the honors requirement for the …

Advancements Towards Single Site Information Storage And Processing Using Hfo2 Resistive Random Access Memory (Reram), Michael Quinlan Hovish

Nanoscale Science & Engineering (discontinued with class year 2014)

Resistive Random Access Memory (ReRAM) has attracted much attention among researchers due to its fast switching speeds, lower switching voltages, and feasible integration into industry compatible CMOS processing. These characteristics make ReRAM a viable candidate for next-generation Non- Volatile Memory. Transition-Metal-Oxides have been proven to be excellent materials for ReRAM applications. This work investigates the effect of various, post-deposition anneals (PDA) on the switching parameters of Ni/Cu/HfO2/TiN Resistive Memory Devices (RMD). Results are presented in the form of a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant proposal. The use of the SBIR format emphasizes understanding of the experimental design, commercial viability, …

High Element Gold Nanorod Plasmonic Sensing Array For Harsh Environment Gas Detection Grant Proposal, Brian Janiszweski

Nanoscale Science & Engineering (discontinued with class year 2014)

In order to acquire funding for scientific endeavors very specific grant proposal documents must be written and submitted. The following is an example of that. This project was very useful because my peers and I will undoubtedly have to write a grant of some type or another in our future careers. This specific proposal is a mock grant requesting money from the National Science Foundation to fund research into a gas sensor that utilizes gold nanostructures as sensing mechanism. The research done behind this project was performed over three semesters in the lab of Dr. Michael Carpenter form the College …

Generation Of Saws In Ghz Range For Nanoscale Particle Removal, Leigh Kent Lydecker Iv

Nanoscale Science & Engineering (discontinued with class year 2014)

In order to do research at CNSE, funding is required. Funding is achieved by submitting a grant proposal stating the background of the problem one hopes to address, a proposed solution, and sufficient information to prove success is achievable. These grant proposals follow a very particular format, which is extremely valuable to be familiar with in the scientific field of study. Therefore, learning to write a grant proposal for some of the work I have done during my undergraduate studies was proved a valuable learning experience. The following grant proposal is based on the work I have done during the …

Neoadjuvant Therapy For Ovarian Cancer Using Bioglycogentm Nanoparticles Sbir Grant Proposal, Alexander E. Talamo

Nanoscale Science & Engineering (discontinued with class year 2014)

Project Summary Technical Abstract This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project, presented by Talamo Inc., is to test an ovarian cancer therapeutic delivery system, comprised of a nanoscale biocompatible vesicle that carries a bioactive small interfering RNA molecule (siRNA), in vivio in mice. The siRNA has shown to reduce the expression of an enzyme (Sod2) that is highly expressed in multiple ovarian cancer types. The reduced expression of Sod2 will allow the tumor to become increasingly susceptible to chemotherapy agents, while simultaneously diminishing tumor progression. Research has proved that the nanoscale vesicle is non-toxic and in combination with siRNA …

Traffic Modeling In Lagrangian Coordinates Using Smartphone Apps, Sergio Contreras

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Traditionally, one of the ways traffic flow has been studied is by using the kinematic wave model. This model is derived in the Eulerian framework by using conservation of the number of vehicles. Recently, the kinematic wave model has been transformed into Lagrangian coordinates. In this framework, the independent variables are unique

vehicles and time. The detailed change in framework, and the properties of the model in the changed framework are reviewed. Numerical results from different traffic cases are explained. Since vehicle trajectory data can be easily collected from smartphones,

a smartphone application is developed for this purpose. This data …