Engineering Commons^™

Improving Flow-Induced Hemolysis Prediction Models., Mohammad Mohaghegh Faghih

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Partial or complete failure of red blood cell membrane, also known as hemolysis, is a persistent issue with almost all blood contacting devices. Many experimental and theoretical contributions over the last few decades have increased insight into the mechanisms of mechanical hemolysis in both laminar and turbulent flow regimes, with the ultimate goal of developing a comprehensive, mechanistic and universal hemolysis prediction model. My research is broadly divided into two sections: theoretical/analytical/Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses and experimental tests. The first part of my research revolved entirely around analyzing the simplest and most popular hemolysis model, commonly called as the …

Phishing Websites Detection Using Machine Learning, Arun D. Kulkarni, Leonard L. Brown, Iii

Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Tremendous resources are spent by organizations guarding against and recovering from cybersecurity attacks by online hackers who gain access to sensitive and valuable user data. Many cyber infiltrations are accomplished through phishing attacks where users are tricked into interacting with web pages that appear to be legitimate. In order to successfully fool a human user, these pages are designed to look like legitimate ones. Since humans are so susceptible to being tricked, automated methods of differentiating between phishing websites and their authentic counterparts are needed as an extra line of defense. The aim of this research is to develop these …

Nitrate Removal And Placement Of Floating Treatment Wetlands In The Midwest, Mary G. Keilhauer

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Midwestern United States is vulnerable to eutrophic conditions from high nutrient concentrations. Recommendations for nonpoint source pollution management include runoff treatment (i.e., filter strips, riparian buffers) and in-situ lake treatment practices (i.e., aluminum sulfate (alum) treatments, aeration, up/downdraft pumping, floating treatment wetlands). Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) are an innovative wetland design for nutrient removal from nonpoint sources and provide a unique in-situ treatment. Best management practice studies have commonly focused on adjacent to water practices, which have resulted in a gap for guidance for in-situ treatment placement and design. Therefore, the objectives of this project were to (1) Quantify …

Computational Studies Of Thermal Properties And Desalination Performance Of Low-Dimensional Materials, Yang Hong

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

During the last 30 years, microelectronic devices have been continuously designed and developed with smaller size and yet more functionalities. Today, hundreds of millions of transistors and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor cells can be designed and integrated on a single microchip through 3D packaging and chip stacking technology. A large amount of heat will be generated in a limited space during the operation of microchips. Moreover, there is a high possibility of hot spots due to non-uniform integrated circuit design patterns as some core parts of a microchip work harder than other memory parts. This issue becomes acute as stacked microchips get …

Comparative Rack Level Cfd Analysis Of Air To Hybrid Cooling Data Center, Jay Umeshkumar Parekh

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Theses - Archive

The demand of data storage in the world is increasing, with this increase, demand for large data centers is growing. In response, we need to look for energy-efficient solutions to reduce the energy consumptions of the data centers. We want to reduce the energy used for cooling while keeping the data center equipment temperature in allowable range in high power density data center. The liquid or hybrid cooled servers are the alternatives that may be used instead of traditional air-cooled servers at Rack Level for the cooling power - different inlet temperatures and different percentage of hybrid cooling. This will …

Joint Manufacturing And Onsite Microgrid System Control Using Markov Decision Process And Neural Network Integrated Reinforcement Learning, Wenqing Hu, Zeyi Sun, Y. Zhang, Y. Li

Mathematics and Statistics Faculty Research & Creative Works

Onsite microgrid generation systems with renewable sources are considered a promising complementary energy supply system for manufacturing plant, especially when outage occurs during which the energy supplied from the grid is not available. Compared to the widely recognized benefits in terms of the resilience improvement when it is used as a backup energy system, the operation along with the electricity grid to support the manufacturing operations in non-emergent mode has been less investigated. In this paper, we propose a joint dynamic decision-making model for the optimal control for both manufacturing system and onsite generation system. Markov Decision Process (MDP) is …

Remote Sensing Of Explosives-Induced Stress In Plants: Hyperspectral Imaging Analysis For Remote Detection Of Unexploded Threats, Paul V. Manley, Vasit Sagan, Felix B. Fritschi, Joel Gerard Burken

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Explosives contaminate millions of hectares from various sources (partial detonations, improper storage, and release from production and transport) that can be life-threatening, e.g., landmines and unexploded ordnance. Exposure to and uptake of explosives can also negatively impact plant health, and these factors can be can be remotely sensed. Stress induction was remotely sensed via a whole-plant hyperspectral imaging system as two genotypes of Zea mays, a drought-susceptible hybrid and a drought-tolerant hybrid, and a forage Sorghum bicolor were grown in a greenhouse with one control group, one group maintained at 60% soil field capacity, and a third exposed to …

Machine Learning Methodology Review For Computational Electromagnetics, He Ming Yao, Lijun Jiang, Huan Huan Zhang, Wei E.I. Sha

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

While machine learning is revolutionizing every corner of modern technologies, we have been attempting to explore whether machine learning methods could be used in computational electromagnetic (CEM). In this paper, five efforts in line with this direction are reviewed. They include forward methods such as the method of moments (MoM) solved by the artificial neural network training process, FDTD PML (perfectly matched layer) using the hyperbolic tangent basis function (HTBF), etc. There are also inverse problems that use the deep ConvNets for the effective source reconstruction and subwavelength imaging in the far-field. Benchmarks are provided to demonstrate the feasibility of …

Towards Automated Understanding Of Laparoscopic Videos, Babak Namazi

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Despite the advantages of minimally invasive surgeries, the indirect access and lack of the 3D field of view of the area of interest introduce complications in the procedures. Fortunately, the recorded videos from the operation offer the opportunity for intra-operative and post-operative analyses of the procedures, to improve future performance and safety. Such analysis is essential to provide the tools for evaluation and assessment of the surgeries. In this dissertation, we investigate the potential of deep learning techniques in understanding the videos captured during laparoscopic surgeries. To this end, we describe new methods for identifying the surgical instruments and the …

Mechanisms Of Reduced Vascular Tone Following Arteriogenesis Induced By Femoral Artery Ligation, Christopher Hatch

Biomedical Engineering

The presence of a developed, native collateral network can decrease the severity of ischemic injury proceeding arterial occlusion. The collateral network must under arteriogenesis to enlarge and increase blood flow to the ischemic region. Although there has been tremendous effort attempting to understand the mechanisms of arteriogenesis, no therapies have been successful in improving patient outcome. To better understand the mechanisms involved in arteriogenesis, the effect of nitric oxide production, myogenic tone, and a-adrenergic receptors were evaluated as these have been identified as playing an important role in vascular injury. Arteriogenesis was induced by ligating the femoral artery between the …

Fake Review Detection Using Data Mining, Md Forhad Hossain

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Online spam reviews are deceptive evaluations of products and services. They are often carried out as a deliberate manipulation strategy to deceive the readers. Recognizing such reviews is an important but challenging problem. In this work, I try to solve this problem by using different data mining techniques. I explore the strength and weakness of those data mining techniques in detecting fake review. I start with different supervised techniques such as Support Vector Ma- chine (SVM), Multinomial Naive Bayes (MNB), and Multilayer Perceptron. The results attest that all the above mentioned supervised techniques can successfully detect fake review with more …

Vehicle Sensing And Communications Using Led Headlights To Enhance The Performance Of Intelligent Transportation Systems: Proof Of Concept, Implementation, And Applications, Sabit Ekin, Samir Ahmed

Publications

This project investigates the use of vehicle light-emitting diode (LED) headlamp devices for improving the accuracy and reliability of traffic (sensing and communication) data measurements required for developing effective intelligent transportation systems (ITS) technologies and solutions. Vehicular communication and sensing technologies are mainly based on conventional radio frequency (RF) or laser technologies. These systems suffer from several issues such as RF interference and poor performance in scenarios where the incidence angle between the speed detector and the vehicle is rapidly varying. Introducing a new sensing technology will add diversity to these systems and enhance the reliability of the real-time data. …

Feasibility Of Circular Orbits For Proximity Operations In Strongly Perturbed Environments Around Uniformly Rotating Asteroids, Nicholas Peter Liapis

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Asteroids have been mapped and observed since 1801 when an Italian astronomer Guiseppe Piazzi discovered Ceres (Serio, Manara, & Sicoli, 2002). Since then, asteroids have been growing in popularity throughout the scientific community because they are thought to hold the information we need to understand how the solar system developed and why life exists on earth, as well as potential precious resources. This research studies different types of orbits that have been performed to date around asteroids and how they can be reworked to require less control effort. Different types of missions that have been sent to asteroids are discussed, …

The Effects Of Ventilation On Trihalomethanes Removal By Spray Aeration, Alicia Qiu Cheung

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Chlorination has been a vital and common step employed as a primary and/or secondary disinfectant to avoid outbreaks of waterborne diseases in drinking water supplies. Besides the desired effect of inactivating pathogens, chlorine also reacts with natural organic matter and precursors in raw water to form various carcinogenic disinfection by-products (DBPs), such as trihalomethanes (THMs), four of which are (represented as total trihalomethanes or TTHM) chloroform (CHCl3), dichlorobromomethane (CHCl2Br), chlorodibromomethane (CHClBr2), and bromoform (CHBr3). Spray aeration is an effective, economical, and suitable post-treatment method commonly employed in distribution systems (e.g., storage tanks) to remove these volatile organic compounds from the …

Design Optimization, Analysis, And Control Of Walking Robots, Wankun Sirichotiyakul

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Passive dynamic walking refers to the dynamical behavior of mechanical devices that are able to naturally walk down a shallow slope in a stable manner, without using actuation or sensing of any kind. Such devices can attain motions that are remarkably human-like by purely exploiting their natural dynamics. This suggests that passive dynamic walking machines can be used to model and study human locomotion; however, there are two major limitations: they can be difficult to design, and they cannot walk on level ground or uphill without some kind of actuation.

This thesis presents a mechanism design optimization framework that allows …

Investigating Semantic Properties Of Images Generated From Natural Language Using Neural Networks, Samuel Ward Schrader

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This work explores the attributes, properties, and potential uses of generative neural networks within the realm of encoding semantics. It works toward answering the questions of: If one uses generative neural networks to create a picture based on natural language, does the resultant picture encode the text's semantics in a way a computer system can process? Could such a system be more precise than current solutions at detecting, measuring, or comparing semantic properties of generated images, and thus their source text, or their source semantics?

This work is undertaken in the hope that detecting previously unknown properties, or better understanding …

Swarm Behavior To Mitigate Rebound In Air Conditioning Demand Response Events, Jason Yasuto Kuwada

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Thermostatically Controlled Loads (TCLs) have shown great potential for Demand Response (DR) events. However, it has been commonly seen that DR events using TCLs may cause demand rebound, especially in homogeneous populations. To further explore the potential for DR events, as well as the negative effects, a stability and resilience analysis were performed on multiple populations and verified with agent based modeling simulations.

At the core of this study is an added thermostat criterion created from the combination of a proportional gain and the average compressor operating state of neighboring TCLs. Where DR events in TCLs are commonly controlled by …

Full-Scale Study Of Infrared Thermography For Assessing Surface And Subsurface Defects In Pavements And Other Civil Infrastructure, Aidin J. Golrokh

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Infrared thermography (IRT) is an effective non-destructive testing method in the field of concrete and asphalt pavements inspection. IRT is used to have an initial evaluation of the surface and near surface of pavements in a very time effective manner compared to other types of nondestructive testing (NDT) methods. Different aspects of IRT and its use to assess surface and subsurface defects in different types of pavements are being studied and evaluated in our research group. The effect of the depth of delamination inside concrete pavement on IRT technique is being studied. It is suggested by our group that there …

Comparison Of Environmental And Social Costs Of Trenchless Cured-In-Place Pipe Renewal Method With Open-Cut Pipeline Replacement For Sanitary Sewers, Vinayak Kaushal

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The development of underground infrastructure, environmental concerns, and economic trends is influencing society, resulting in the advancement of technology for more efficient, environment-friendly, and cost-effective pipeline installation and renewal. Comparison of environmental and social costs of a pipeline renewal and replacement is an essential element when considering sustainable development of underground infrastructure. Project owners, decision makers, design and consulting and contractors commonly take into consideration the construction costs only, and overlook the environmental and social cost aspects while making a choice between trenchless and open-cut pipeline installation. Trenchless Cured-in-Place Pipe (CIPP) involves a liquid thermoset resin saturated material that is …

Investment Valuation Of Underground Freight Transportation (Uft) Systems Under Uncertainty, Seyed Ehsan Zahedzahedani

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

A reliable, safe, and efficient freight transportation system is one of the most essential rudiments supporting the continuous economic growth of a nation. The United States (U.S.), as the world’s largest economy relies heavily on its transportation and freight movement systems. Population growth and economic activity have created a critical need for freight transportation services. E-commerce and online retailing have effectively challenged conventional freight transportation services, increasing the demand for faster delivery. Underground freight transportation (UFT) systems are an innovative technology that can be a viable solution to satisfy the growing demand for freight transportation services. UFT systems are automated …

Effect Of Mixing On Monochloramine Formation Through In-Line Injection Of Chemicals In Water Disinfection Process, Farhikhteh Samadi

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Addition of chlorine and ammonia to water for monochloramine formation in the secondary disinfection process in treatment plants has some challenges. Monochloramine formation as the only desirable product of the chloramination process is affected by several factors. These factors are pH, chlorine to nitrogen ratio and chemical mixing. In this study an investigation was conducted to measure the effect of mixing on monochloramine formation through direct injection of chemicals in a pipeline when keeping the other factors constant. In this study two sets of experiments were conducted. In the first study a tracer salt testing was used to find a …

On The Concept Of Synthetic Fiber Reinforced Thin-Walled Concrete Pipes, Arash Emami Saleh

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This research investigates the structural and industrial possibility to create a new type of concrete pipes called synthetic fiber reinforced thin-walled concrete pipes, which would be lighter, cheaper, and more durable than what is currently in use while still providing a pipe product much less dependent upon installation conditions than the very flexible metal and plastic pipes in the American market. The idea is to reduce the thickness and reinforcement of the current reinforced concrete pipes to increase their deflection before failure and control the crack formation and width by using synthetic fibers. The flexibility of these pipes will enable …

Development Of A Framework For Design And Installation Of Cementitious Spray Applied Pipe Linings In Renewal Of Corrugated Metal Culverts, Seyedmohammadsadegh Jalalediny Korky

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Millions of culverts under road embankments provide drainage for U.S. transportation network system and are in need of maintenance, repair, and renewal. Over time culverts, like any other asset, deteriorate due to many factors. Spray applied pipe lining (SAPL) is one of the trenchless technology methods applicable for culverts renewal. In the SAPL method, polymers or cementitious materials are sprayed by machine or manually in different lifts to achieve required thickness based on the design criteria. The scope of this dissertation includes reinforced concrete pipe and corrugated metal pipe (RCP and CMP) culverts renewal with cementitious and polymer SAPLs. The …

Rainfall Simulation For Investigating Hydrologic Responses To Storm Characteristics And Facilitating Frequency Analysis, Shang Gao

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Hydrologic and Hydraulic practices depend on the characterization of extreme precipitation that is rare in nature. Despite the advancement in sensing technology, the observation record of extreme rainfall with good spatio-temporal resolution has not reached a sufficient length. Furthermore, rainfall observation may never be sufficient in a non-stationary climate. Towards solutions to these issues, rainfall simulation was explored in this study (1) to investigate hydrologic responses to storm characteristics and (2) to facilitate rainfall frequency analysis. To that end, this study initially employed storm transposition plus hydrologic simulation for generating possible rainfall-runoff scenarios which further reveal relationships between storm characteristics …

Utilizing The State Of Art Technologies To Assess And Address Urban Flooding, Daniel Li

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Today, 55% of the world’s population lives in urban area, a proportion that is expected to increase to 60% by 2050. Projections show that urbanization, the gradual shift in residence of the human population from rural to urban areas, combined with the overall growth of the world’s population could add another 2.5 billion people to urban areas by 2050. With growing opportunities, there are great challenges. One of the challenges that urban communities are facing is the increasing flood risks. In U.S., over the past decade, extreme storm events have wreaked havoc on many urban areas. Aging and inadequate infrastructure, …

A Multi-Agent Demand Response Planning And Operational Optimization Framework, Alireza Fallahi

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

This research describes a real-time optimization model for multi-agent demand response (DR) from a Load Serving Entity (LSE) perspective. We formulate two infinite horizon stochastic optimization models; specifically, an LSE model and a dynamic pricing customer model. The objective of these models is to minimize long-term cost and discomfort penalty of the LSE and dynamic pricing customers. We solve a deterministic finite horizon linear program as an approximation of the suggested stochastic model and provide computational experiments. In stochastic programming (SP), a wait-and-see solution is at least as good as an optimal policy. On the other hand, a policy that …

Investigation Of Dsr Test Methods To Determine Binder Low Temperature Properties, Kommidi Santosh, Yong-Rak Kim

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The low temperature rheology of bituminous binders is of great interest because low temperature cracking is one of the primary asphalt pavement failure modes observed in cold-climate places such as Nebraska. Low temperature binder characterization/grading has been primarily conducted using the bending beam rheometer (BBR), while the dynamic shear rheometer (DSR) can alternatively be used to characterize the low temperature properties of binders with the recent advancement of DSR equipment that can cover a wide range of testing temperatures. This study investigates alternative testing-analysis methods using the DSR to determine low temperature asphalt binder properties that have been measured by …

Performance Evaluation Of Inverted Tee (It) Bridge System, Garrett P. Martindale, Daniel Watson, Antony Mohsen Kamal Masoud Kodsy, Mostafa Abo El-Khier, Richard L. Wood, George Morcous

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

The Inverted Tee (IT) girder bridge system was originally developed in 1996 by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) researchers and Nebraska Department of Transportation (NDOT) engineers. This bridge system currently accounts for over 110 bridges in Nebraska used for both state highways and local county roads. Extensive longitudinal and transverse deck cracking have been observed and noted in numerous bridge inspection reports. Since the IT girder bridge system is relatively new, limited data and knowledge exist on its structural performance and behavior. This study evaluates the IT girder bridge system by conducting twenty field observations as well as recording accelerometer, …

Optimization Of Biogas Production By Use Of A Microbially Enhanced Inoculum, Anna Doloman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A renewable energy source, biogas, comprises of methane (80%) and carbon dioxide (15%), and is a great alternative to the conventional fossil-based fuels, such as coal, gas and oil. Biogas is created during anaerobic biological digestion of waste materials, such as landfill material, animal manure, wastewater, algal biomass, industrial organic waste etc. A biogas potential from organic waste in the United States is estimated at about 9 million tons per year and technology allows capture of greenhouse gases, such as methane and carbon dioxide, into a form of a fuel. In the light of global climate change and efforts to …

Cooperative Learning For The Consensus Of Multi-Agent Systems, Qishuai Liu

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Due to a lot of attention for the multi-agent system in recent years, the consensus algorithm gained immense popularity for building fault-tolerant systems in system and control theory. Generally, the consensus algorithm drives the swarm of agents to work as a coherent group that can reach an agreement regarding a certain quantity of interest, which depends on the state of all agents themselves. The most common consensus algorithm is the average consensus, the final consensus value of which is equal to the average of the initial values. If we want the agents to find the best area of the particular …