Engineering Commons^™

A Win For Women In Transportation Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

July 27, 2020—Utah State University graduate student Ferdousy Runa will receive a $4,000 scholarship for her work studying pedestrian activity. Runa's research will help inform transportation planners and lead to safety improvements at busy intersections.

Secure Networked Control For Decentralized Systems Via Software Rejuvenation, Paul Griffioen, Raffaele Romagnoli, Bruce H. Krogh, Bruno Sinopoli

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Decentralized control systems exist in many scenarios where agents have the ability to fully communicate with one another but do not do so for multiple reasons, including cost and the possibility of an adversary infiltrating the system through the communication network. In this paper, we present a procedure that determines when agents should communicate with one another after having been disconnected from the network for a period of time. This procedure does not depend on the type of decentralized control system being used. When agents do communicate with one another, we guarantee the safety and resilience of the system against …

Determinants Of Student Information Technology Adoption, Hans P. Vanderschaaf

Dissertations and Theses

Innovating service delivery in higher education is central to supporting institutional and societal goals of increasing the numbers of college graduates and for transforming higher education institutions to center on the needs of today's students. Within this context, technology plays a critical role. This research seeks to contribute to institutional, academic and educational technology sector efforts to dramatically enhance service quality, in support of improving undergraduate student outcomes (student success), by identifying the determinants of student information technology adoption and removing barriers to accessing higher education.

Using a mixed-methods and empirical approach based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and …

Statistical Modeling Of Historical Daily Water Temperatures In The Lower Columbia River, Malia Hanae Scott

Dissertations and Theses

Water temperature affects numerous aspects of aquatic life, and its stability is critical to cold water fish such as salmonids. With rising anthropogenic influence in natural environments, the future existence of these organisms is becoming less certain. In this study, I examined the evolution of historical water temperatures in the lower Columbia River by creating a statistical model to estimate daily historical water temperatures between the 1850s and 2010s. Daily air temperature and river flow measurements were used as inputs to the model, which estimated daily water temperatures at Bonneville Dam. The model used time lags between air temperature and …

A Mechanism Of Electric Charge Losses In Adiabatically Compressed Ferroelectrics, Sergey I. Shkuratov, Jason Baird, Vladimir G. Antipov, Jay B. Chase

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A ferroelectric depolarized by high strain-rates induced by the passage of adiabatic shock waves releases a high-density electric charge, initiating the generation of high voltage and megawatt power levels. Additionally, this depolarization process alters physical and mechanical properties that might cause energy and electric charge losses in the ferroelectric materials. We report, herein, the results of an experimental study of electric charge losses in Pb0.99(Zr0.95Ti0.05)0.98Nb0.02O3 and Pb0.99(Zr0.52Ti0.48)0.99Nb0.01O3 ferroelectrics subjected to shock compression. We found that electric charge losses mainly occur in the compressed zone of ferroelectric elements, i.e., shock compression is an essential part of the charge loss mechanism. Based …

Face Mask Effects Of Co2, Heart Rate, Respiration Rate, And Oxygen Saturation On Instructor Pilots, Andrew R. Dattel, Nicola M. O'Toole, Guillermina Lopez, Kenneth P. Byrnes

Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic has required people to take new measures to mitigate the spread of the communicable virus. Guidelines from health organizations, government offices, and universities have been disseminated. Adherence to these guidelines cannot be more critical for flight training. This study explored the effects face masks had on CO2, heart rate, respiration rate, and oxygen saturation while wearing a face mask at an oxygen level simulated to 5,000 feet. Thirty-two instructor pilots (IP) volunteered to participate in the study. IPs spent 90 minutes in a normobaric chamber while wearing a cloth face mask or a paper face mask. Participants …

Analysis And Design Of A Fully Soft Switched Two-Level Dc-Dc Boost Converter For Electric Vehicle Applications, Amin Mirzaei, Mahdi Rezvanyvardom, Ehsan Najafi

Emirates Journal for Engineering Research

In this paper, a fully soft switched two-level DC-DC Boost converter is proposed. The converter is used only one auxiliary cell to create the soft switching conditions for all semiconductor devices. The auxiliary cell contains one auxiliary switch, one resonant capacitor, one resonant inductor and one auxiliary diode. The auxiliary switch creates the soft switching conditions by control of resonant elements. Besides, the auxiliary cell is not located in the main power path and cannot decrease the converter efficiency. It has simple operation modes. Besides, the proposed soft-switched converter is highly efficient while the control circuit is simple and remains …

Effect Of Dilution On Sedimentational Separation Of Bacteria From Blood, Clifton M. Anderson, William G. Pitt

Faculty Publications

Bacteria must be separated from septic whole blood in preparation for rapid antibiotic susceptibility tests. This work improves upon past work isolating bacteria from whole blood by exploring an important experimental factor: Whole blood dilution. Herein, we use the continuity equation to model red blood cell sedimentation and show that overall spinning time decreases as the blood is diluted. We found that the bacteria can also be captured more efficiently from diluted blood, up to approximately 68 ± 8% recovery (95% confidence interval). However, diluting blood both requires and creates extra fluid that end users must handle; an optimal dilution, …

Alternate Warfare: The Unseen Weapons Of Mass Destruction, Elyse Keener

Liberty University Journal of Statesmanship & Public Policy

Biological warfare is a national security concern that transcends centuries. In the current international climate, biowarfare is of particular interest due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This article seeks to follow historical cases of biological warfare and international response to these cases in order to understand the implications of COVID-19, if it were to be weaponized. Also covered is the current capabilities that Russia, China, and Iran are assessed to possess.

Experimental Investigation Of The Wind Energy Harvesting Potential Of A Stand-Alone Piezoelectric Strip, Phillip Christopher Scott

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

The purpose of the study was to investigate the feasibility of harvesting wind energy on a small scale in residential areas. The method investigated was the initiation of movement-induced excitation (MIE), a type of aeroelastic flutter, within samples of polyvinylidine fluoride (PVDF), a piezoelectric polymer. Single samples of PVDF were secured in a wind tunnel and sample voltage was measured over a broad range of wind speeds. Power was calculated then via the addition of ohmic resistance matched to the magnitude of the capacitive impedances of the samples. The geometry of the PVDF samples studied was maintained as a simple …

Natural Latex-Capped Silver Nanoparticles For Two-Way Electrochemical Displacement Sensing Of Eriochrome Black T, Ziad Khalifa, Moustafa Zahran Dr, Magdy Zahran Prof, Magdi Abdel Azzem Prof

Chemical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Artificial Intelligence And Game Theory Controlled Autonomous Uav Swarms, Janusz Kusyk, M. Umit Uyar, Kelvin Ma, Eltan Samoylov, Ricardo Valdez, Joseph Plishka, Sagor E. Hoque, Giorgio Bertoli, Jefrey Boksiner

Publications and Research

Autonomous unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operating as a swarm can be deployed in austere environments, where cyber electromagnetic activities often require speedy and dynamic adjustments to swarm operations. Use of central controllers, UAV synchronization mechanisms or pre-planned set of actions to control a swarm in such deployments would hinder its ability to deliver expected services. We introduce artificial intelligence and game theory based flight control algorithms to be run by each autonomous UAV to determine its actions in near real-time, while relying only on local spatial, temporal and electromagnetic (EM) information. Each UAV using our flight control algorithms positions itself …

Protein And Polysaccharide-Based Fiber Materials Generated From Ionic Liquids: A Review., Christopher R Gough, Ashley Rivera-Galletti, Darrel A Cowan, David Salas-De La Cruz, Xiao Hu

College of Science & Mathematics Departmental Research

Natural biomacromolecules such as structural proteins and polysaccharides are composed of the basic building blocks of life: amino acids and carbohydrates. Understanding their molecular structure, self-assembly and interaction in solvents such as ionic liquids (ILs) is critical for unleashing a flora of new materials, revolutionizing the way we fabricate multi-structural and multi-functional systems with tunable physicochemical properties. Ionic liquids are superior to organic solvents because they do not produce unwanted by-products and are considered green substitutes because of their reusability. In addition, they will significantly improve the miscibility of biopolymers with other materials while maintaining the mechanical properties of the …

Characterization And Enzyme Engineering Of A Hyperthermophilic Laccase Toward Improving Its Activity In Ionic Liquid, Joseph Craig Stevens, David W. Rodgers, Claire Dumon, Jian Shi

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Ionic liquids (ILs) are organic salts molten at room temperature that can be used for a wide variety of applications. Many ILs, such as 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium acetate ([C₂C₁Im][OAc]), have been shown to remove a significant fraction of the complex biopolymer lignin from biomass during pretreatment. Valorizing lignin via biological pathways (e.g., enzymes) holds promise but is limited by the low biocompatibility of many ILs used for pretreatment. The discovery of thermostable enzymes and the application of enzyme engineering techniques have yielded biocatalysts capable of withstanding high concentrations of ILs. Converting lignin from a waste product to value-added …

Secondary Electron Yield Measurements On Materials Of Interest To Vacuum Electron Communication Devices, Talal Ahmed Malik

Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Microwave vacuum electron devices are a critical part of communication satellite payloads. The phenomenon of multipactor breakdown (MPB) can cause the performance of these devices to deteriorate, including their partial or total destruction. MPB depends on a number of factors, including the secondary electron yield (SEY) of materials used within the device. The process of electron multiplication, which leads to breakdown, initiates with the impact of primary electrons on target surfaces, and the resonance of free electrons within an oscillating electromagnetic field under vacuum conditions. Therefore, it is of interest to find materials and surface treatment methods that exhibit low …

Development Of A Mathematical Model Of The Electrical Conductivity Of Feed Water In Tps, Kh.S. Isakhodjaev, L.O. Alimova, N.O. Usmonov, Z.E. Yusupov

Technical science and innovation

The article deals with the development of mathematical model of electric conductivity of thermal power station TPS process waters. The ranges of possible temperatures of heat carrier (water) samples are given. The plots of empirical expressions in the range of temperatures from 0 to 120 °С and at higher temperatures are analyzed. The results obtained by these formulas for the temperature range from 0 to 100 °С are practically the same. The figures indicate changes in calculated limit motions of and ions depending on temperature. The calculated equation of reduction of specific electrical conductivity to the value at 25 °С …

"A Comparison Of Variable Selection Methods Using Bootstrap Samples From Environmental Metal Mixture Data", Paul-Yvann Djamen

Mathematics & Statistics ETDs

In this thesis, I studied a newly developed variable selection method SODA, and three customarily used variable selection methods: LASSO, Elastic net, and Random forest for environmental mixture data. The motivating datasets have neuro-developmental status as responses and metal measurements and demographic variables as covariates. The challenges for variable selections include (1) many measured metal concentrations are highly correlated, (2) there are many possible ways of modeling interactions among the metals, (3) the relationships between the outcomes and explanatory variables are possibly nonlinear, (4) the signal to noise ratio in the real data may be low. To compare these methods …

Modeling The Statistical Characteristics Of A Membrane Pneumatic Valve In Matlab, F. O. Kasimov, M.A. Ismailov

Technical science and innovation

To create static models of actuators, linear or polynomial equations are used. Such models do not provide the necessary accuracy for the entire system, although they give an adequate result in a specific area of the process under consideration. In addition, the technical values of the coefficients in polynomial equations cannot always be explained. Analytical modeling of the static characteristics of the object allows us to analyze the influence of the parameters of the object on the overall model. After the model structure is built, the experimental determination of its coefficients ensures that an adequate model can be achieved faster. …

Synthesis And Study Of Amide Solein Based On Oleic Acid And Piperidine, N.S. Matkarimova, O.S. Maksumova, S.T. Matkarimov, L.B. Marjorie

Technical science and innovation

The article presents results for the preparation of salts of sulfated amides based on oleic acid and piperidine. The products were synthesized in several steps: the first step of the reaction of oleic acid with piperidine, second step of sulphonation with sulfuric acid of the obtained compounds, the third step of the reaction of NH₄OH and (HOCH₂CH₂) 2NH. The structure of the synthesized salts is confirmed by the methods of IR-, NMR-spectral analyses, and the method of high-performance liquid chromatography. The synthesized salts at room temperature are brown crystals. Some of their physical and …

Vulnerability Analysis Of Emergency Response System Based On Navigational Units In Case Of Vehicle Accidents, A. Rustamov, K. Sharipov, T. Pulatov

Technical science and innovation

When we focusing Emergency response system based on navigational units vulnerability to intentional interference and an opportunity incentive to attackers who wants to fool or impair Emergency response system based on navigational units especially smartphones and drones then Spoofing interference is a considerably powerful attack than jamming cause of jammer attacks block GNSS legitimate communication signals immediately on several receivers this arise mitigation strategy and counter measures for efficient jamming detection before damages are done.

However, spoofing attack is most dangerous type of interference where produces GNSS like signals and fool receiver without interrupting GNSS operations where receiver navigation system …

Systems Thinking In Jaw Crusher Analysis, А. Artikov, L. Akobirova, Z. Akbarhodjaev

Technical science and innovation

It provides information on the method of system thinking, where the analysis of the crusher for grinding solid materials shows four hierarchical structure of the object - the jaw crusher. For a particle - a piece of material at the lowest hierarchical level, the influence of the infrastructure of the material and object on the stochastic grinding process is considered, which is characterized by probabilistic mathematical models. Moving to higher hierarchical levels, computer models of deterministic processes in the material and the crusher are given. It is preliminary shown that increasing the grinding ratio increases the efficiency of the material …

An Innovative Way To Create Secondary Power Sources With High Energy Performance, Sh.E. Begmatov

Technical science and innovation

The article suggests an innovative way of creating a secondary power supply source-parametric stabilizer on the basis of magnetic semiconductor and electro-ferro-magnetic circuits with practically ideal current stabilization. In contrast to the existing methods of creating parametric stabilizers, the proposed method uses a combination of magnetic semiconductor converter and ferro-resonance-stabilizing device. This combination allows you to create a controlled parametric current stabilizer, characterized by high stability, speed and reliability in operation. Also, as a result of the analysis of the parametric current stabilizer, new analytical expressions have been obtained, allowing revealing simple and accurate methods of calculation of such devices.

Research Of Features And Compositions Of Vermiculite For Use As Suspension Fire Retardant For Textile Materials, I.N. Khaidarov, R.I. Ismailov

Technical science and innovation

This article presents studies of fire resistance in the treatment of expanded vermiculite, which depends on the size of the dispersed particles and the orientation of the granules, their moisture and temperature. It has been studied that one of the interesting and important in practice properties of vermiculite is its ability to swell and turn into a lightweight effective material for imparting fire resistance. The properties and compositions of vermiculite from the Tebinbulak deposit are studied, from which a flame-retardant suspension is prepared for processing textile materials based on vermiculite dissolved in orthophosphoric acid and alkali in an aqueous medium. …

Investigation Of An Electromagnetic Two-Stroke Vibrating Activator In Oscillatory Mode, A.I. Rakhmatullayev, K.G. Abidov

Technical science and innovation

The article considers the results of the study of electromagnetic vibration exciter with sequentially included capacitor in the electrical circuit, consisting of mechanical and electrical subsystems. It is shown that by means of the Lagrangian-Maxwell equation the interconnection between mechanical and electric subsystems can be realized. The relations describing processes of establishment of amplitudes and phases of oscillations both in mechanical and in electric subsystems are deduced. The equations connecting the output (amplitude) of vibration of the vibrating exciter with its input (voltage) of the network are presented. As a result, the formulas allowing making corrections at the solution of …

Investigation Of Morphological Composition And Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Municipal Solid Waste Recycling Methods In Uzbekistan, F.N. Rakhmatullayev, S.M. Turabjanov, T.V. Ponamaryova, L.S. Rakhimova, U.S. Abdullaev

Technical science and innovation

This article deals with the problem of Municipal solid waste (MSW) in the Republic of Uzbekistan. In the process of research, the methods for the disposal of MSW that are still used in the country, such as incineration and disposal at landfills, were examined. For the necessity to implement innovations in the work of handling MSW, the basic morphological composition of MSW in the winter, spring, summer and autumn seasonal periods was researched. Based on the results obtained, an innovative direction is proposed for the processing of MSW into secondary raw materials in order to solve the problems of resource …

Optimizing Power Consumption Of Freight Railroad Bearings Using Laboratory Experimental Data, Carlos E. Lopez Iii, Constantine Tarawneh, Arturo A. Fuentes, Harry Siegal

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Based on projected freight truck fuel efficiency, freight railroad and equipment suppliers need to identify, evaluate and implement technologies and/or operating practices to maintain traditional railroad economic competitiveness. The railway industry uses systems that record the total energy efficiency of a train but not energy efficiency or consumption by components. Lowering the energy consumption of certain train components will result in an increase in its overall energy efficiency, which will yield cost benefits for all the stakeholders. One component of interest is the railroad bearing whose power consumption varies depending on several factors that include railcar load, train speed, condition …

Estimating The Inner Ring Defect Size And Residual Service Life Of Freight Railcar Bearings Using Vibration Signatures, Jennifer Lima, Constantine Tarawneh, Jesse Aguilera, Jonas Cuanang

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

There are currently two primary wayside detection systems for monitoring the health of freight railcar bearings in the railroad industry: The Trackside Acoustic Detection System (TADS™) and the wayside Hot-Box Detector (HBD). TADS™ uses wayside microphones to detect and alert the train operator of high-risk defects. However, many defective bearings may never be detected by TADS™ since a high-risk defect is a spall which spans about 90% of a bearing’s raceway, and there are less than 30 systems in operation throughout the United States and Canada. HBDs sit on the side of the rail-tracks and use non-contact infrared sensors to …

Usu Awarded $5.6m For Vehicle Technology Research, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

July 22, 2020 — Utah State University researchers will receive four major grants from the U.S. Department of Energy to lead advancements in vehicle and transportation technology.

Individual And Simultaneous Voltammetric Determination Of Ultra- Trace Environmental Contaminant Dihydroxybenzene Isomers Based On A Composite Electrode Sandwich-Like Structure, Ziad Khalifa, Khalid Hassan Dr, Mohamed Fathi Abo Oura Mr, Abla Hathoot Prof, Magdi Abdel Azzem Prof

Chemical Engineering

An advanced electroanalytical technique for the simultaneous assessment of environmental contaminant dihydroxybenzene isomers, catechol (CC), hydroquinone (HQ), and resorcinol (RC), has been investigated using palladium nanoparticles (PdNPs) incorporated onto a poly(1,5-diaminonaphthalene) (DAN) matrix over a glassy carbon electrode (GCE). Concurrently, these types of phenols can be assessed by the PdDAN/GCE modified electrode employing square wave voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry (CV) techniques under optimal conditions. This modified electrode has demonstrated linear responses for CC, HQ, and RC from 50.0 to 1000.0 mM; concomitantly, low detection limits of 0.22, 0.22, and 0.47 nM and low quantification limits of 0.740, 0.758, and 1.590 …

Black Lives Matter In Engineering, Too! An Environmental Justice Approach Towards Equitable Decision-Making For Stormwater Management In African American Communities, Maya Elizabeth Carrasquillo

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States and the world have recently been challenged with the disparate effects of COVID-19 and the continual killings of unarmed Black men and women across the nation. A history of anti-black racism has led to systemic structures of inequity that thread throughout institutions and communities across the nation. This environmental engineering research comes at a time when understanding how to effectively engage in, and with Black communities is at the forefront of discourse in academia, utilities and private sector.

In 2018 the Brookings Institute published a report on workforce in the water sector demonstrating the lack of diversity …