Engineering Commons^™

Development Of Univariate And Multivariate Forecasting Models For Methane Gas Emissions In Underground Coal Mines, Juan Diaz

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Methane gas management continues to be a challenge concerning underground coal mine safety and productivity worldwide despite the extraordinary effort of the mining industry, governmental agencies, and academia to develop new technologies to monitor and control methane gas emissions more efficiently. The risk of hazardous methane gas concentrations in underground environments cannot be underestimated. Statistical data for the last 100 years indicate that around 80% of the accidents and 90% of the fatalities in the underground coal mining industry in the US were related to methane gas explosions.

Modern underground mine operations monitor and evaluate atmospheric parameters such as barometric …

Relative Radiometric Correction Of Pushbroom Satellites Using The Yaw Maneuver, Christopher Begeman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Earth imaging satellites commonly acquire multispectral imagery using linear array detectors formatted as a pushbroom scanner. Landsat 8, a well-known example, uses pushbroom scanning and thus has 73,000 individual detectors. These 73,000 detectors are split among 14 different focal plane modules (FPM), and each detector and FPM exhibit unique behavior when monitoring a uniform radiance value. To correct for each detectors differences in sensor measurement a novel technique of relative gain estimation that employs an optimized modified Signal-to-Noise Ratio through a 90˚ yaw maneuver, also known as side slither, is presented that allows for both FPM and detector level relative …

Nondestructive Multivariate Classification Of Codling Moth Infested Apples Using Machine Learning And Sensor Fusion, Nader Ekramirad

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Apple is the number one on the list of the most consumed fruits in the United States. The increasing market demand for high quality apples and the need for fast, and effective quality evaluation techniques have prompted research into the development of nondestructive evaluation methods. Codling moth (CM), Cydia pomonella L. (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is the most devastating pest of apples. Therefore, this dissertation is focused on the development of nondestructive methods for the detection and classification of CM-infested apples. The objective one in this study was aimed to identify and characterize the source of detectable vibro-acoustic signals coming from CM-infested …

Distal Urogenital Anatomy In The Male Wood Frog, Lithobates Sylvaticus (Anura: Ranidae), Stanley E. Trauth

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

I investigated the microanatomy of the distal urogenital system of the male Wood Frog (Lithobates sylvaticus) from a small sample (n = 6) collected in northern Arkansas in February 2020. Specifically, my primary objectives were as follows: 1) to focus on the histology of the paired Wolffian (urogenital) ducts caudally from the kidneys to their merging with the urodeum of the cloaca, 2) to reveal the structure of the paired seminal vesicles (sperm storage structures), and 3) to compare epithelial morphologies between the distal urogenital tract and its neighboring distal alimentary tract. This information will promote a clearer …

Evaluating Effects Of Sediment On Microbial Loading In A Drinking Water Distribution System, Erika Osborne

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Drinking water distribution systems (DWDS) are critical for protecting public health by ensuring safe water is transported from centralized treatment facilities to consumers. Sediment accumulation in DWDS is a common challenge that water utilities face that may pose some health risks when waterborne pathogens colonize biofilms formed on the sediment surface. Water utilities often establish flushing routines to help mitigate sediment accumulation in their system but the role that sediment plays in contributing to the total microbial loading in the system is unclear. The main objective of this study was to determine if sediment in a DWDS presents a significant …

Noise Exposure Trends Among Violating Coal Mines, 2000 To 2021, Hanna Grace Davis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Noise-induced hearing loss has continued to be a significant issue within the mining industry, even after the passing of the MSHA’s improved noise standard in 2000. NIOSH has recognized that the noise standard enacted by both MSHA and OSHA does not properly protect workers with the 5 dBA exchange rate (i.e., the increase in noise level leading to a doubling of energy) and the lack of emphasizing the use of engineering controls over administrative controls and overreliance on hearing protection device usage. The primary objective of this study is to investigate statistical sound relationships between MSHA noise-related violations and samples …

Experimental And Theoretical Investigation On The Initiation Mechanism Of Low-Rank Coal's Self-Heating Process, Yinan Zhang

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Coal spontaneous combustion remains a safety concern during coal mining, transportation, and storage and requires further investigation to develop effective prevention and control strategies. While various intrinsic and extrinsic conditions may influence coal self-heating, low-rank coals are more prone to spontaneous combustion, especially in humid climates. Therefore, quantifying the effect of extrinsic moisture on the self-heating of low-rank coals is critical for understanding the high propensity of low-rank coals for spontaneous combustion. Many studies have qualitatively evaluated the role of extrinsic moisture on the coal self-heating. Despite this, few studies have quantified the contribution of extrinsic moisture on wetting and …

Mimicking The Namib Desert Beetle With Hydrophilic And Hydrophobic Surfaces, Tyler Bracewell

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The Namib Desert beetle, Stenocara gracilipes, condenses fog that rolls in off the west coast of Namibia to provide itself with the water it needs for the day. By lifting its abdomen into the air to collect the water vapor, it condenses on hydrophilic bumps that are about 500μm in diameter and are spaced apart about 500-1500μm. Once the water reaches a critical size, the droplet rolls off the hydrophilic bump and onto the flat hydrophobic surface of the elytra. Since the beetle is angled with its abdomen in the air, the water rolls down to its mouth. A …

Assessment Of Scientific Payload Carrying Spirulina Onboard Blue Origin’S New Shepard Vehicle, Pedro J. Llanos, Morgan Shilling, Kristina Andrijauskaite, Kody Kidder, Vijay V. Duraisamy

Publications

The research team at ERAU and UTHSCSA analyzed the effects of suborbital flight stressors and various light conditions (red, white, no light) on the Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina), onboard Blue Origin’s New Shepard vehicle. Commercially available cyanobacterium species were cultivated and closely monitored in mother colonies several months before the suborbital flight mission. The aim of this study was to estimate the biomass production and growth as a potential dietary alternative for prospective human spaceflight's life support system. Spirulina samples were flown in a NanoLab with adjacent avionics supporting the light conditions and sensors to monitor the temperature, relative humidity, and …

Evaluation Of Recrosslinkable Preformed Particle Gel (Rppg) As A Fluid Loss Control Material During Drilling Operations, Mohamed Saad M. Ahdaya

Doctoral Dissertations

"One of the most intense, expensive, and time-consuming problems during drilling operations is the loss of circulation, which could result in several consequences, including wellbore collapse, fluid inflow, formation damage, environmental issues, and nonproductive time. This research aims to evaluate novel materials that can mitigate lost circulation and overcome the limitation of other materials. In this research, a comprehensive evaluation of a re-crosslinkable preformed particle gel (RPPG) has been conducted to determine the extent to which it can be used to control drilling fluid losses during drilling operations. The RPPG consists of swellable gel particles that can self-crosslink to form …

Inclusiveness In Teaching : Aligning Culturally Relevant Journal Articles With Course Content, Jacimaria Batista

UNLV Best Teaching Practices Expo

The practice focuses on Inclusiveness in Water/wastewater Engineering Teaching. Upon reviewing the ethnic (Fig. below) and gender diversity (24% women) of her 57- student course on water/wastewater treatment, the Instructor replaced previously assigned articles with the reading of articles focusing on water issues affecting minoritized communities in the U.S (see references).The goal was to make students aware of water/wastewater issues facing minority communities in the US. Often, the media portrays Africa or South America as places where safe water is not available, ignoring the needs of minoritized communities in the US. A second goal was to evaluate the interest of …

Data Science Applied To Discover Ancient Minoan-Indus Valley Trade Routes Implied By Commonweight Measures, Peter Revesz

School of Computing: Conference and Workshop Papers

This paper applies data mining of weight measures to discover possible long-distance trade routes among Bronze Age civilizations from the Mediterranean area to India. As a result, a new northern route via the Black Sea is discovered between the Minoan and the Indus Valley civilizations. This discovery enhances the growing set of evidence for a strong and vibrant connection among Bronze Age civilizations.

Examining Factors Influencing Intention To Use M-Health Applications For Promoting Healthier Life Among Smartphone Users In Tanzania, Herman Mandari, Mahija Yahaya

Journal of International Technology and Information Management

Deaths related with Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) have recently increases, similarly, development of mobile technologies have paved a way in which Smartphone users can use m-health applications to address high level of sedentary behaviours that relates to negative health consequences. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine factors which may influence generation Y who are Smartphone users to adopt m-health applications in controlling NCDs in Tanzania. TAM theory was extended with awareness, trust and perceived cost to develop a research conceptual model of this study. Google form was used to developed online questionnaire which was distributed through social media platforms to …

Towards An Artificial Intelligence Based Decision Support System To Evaluate Various Transit Projects, Patricio F. Vicuna

Dissertations and Theses

This dissertation addressed a subset of the Transit Network Design Problem (Transit-NDP), where the main evaluation parameter is the impact of various transit projects – Bus Lines, Tram, Light Rail, Rail – on the Network Travel Time (NTT) of the vehicles. The NTT is estimated using the static four-step travel demand model (trip generation, trip distribution, modal split, and traffic assignment). A set of five metaheuristic models were developed and implemented for this specific Transit-NDP, namely, Simulated Annealing (SA)-VISUM, Simulated Annealing-Random Forest Regression Model (SA-RF), Tabu Search (TS)-Random Forest (TS-RF), SA-RF-TS-VISUM, SA-RF-VISUM. These models were evaluated using two test networks …

On A New Framework For Detecting, Classifying, And Forecasting Floods For Large-Scale Flood Risk Analysis, Equisha Glenn

Dissertations and Theses

Increasing trends in flooding events are projected to continue as climate changes have increased the chance of extreme weather events. Given the significant, damaging impacts of extreme floods, the ability to effectively model floods is crucial for risk management and mitigation of the impacts of these extreme flooding events. This dissertation presents a new framework for detecting and predicting large-scale flood risk in the United States using climate information. This methodology categorizes regional, simultaneous floods into an index that is used to forecast the risk of extreme flooding a season ahead. The index proposed herein, named the Spatial Flood Index …

Scale Up Of Benzoxazinone Derivative Synthesis In Batch Reactor, Sumate Boonkird

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Benzoxazinone derivative is one of starting materials in the synthesis of Deferasirox (a Chelating iron for thalassemia patient). The parameters of Benzoxazinone derivative synthesis were investigated from the condensation of salicylic acid, salicylamide, cyanuric chloride, and triethylamine using toluene as solvent. The mole equivalent ratio of salicylic acid: salicylamide:cyanuric chloride:triethylamine at 1:1:0.67:1 provided the 46.77% yield of Benzoxazinone derivative in laboratory scale. Surprisingly, 4-chloro-2-(2-hydroxyphenyl)-4H-benzo[e][1,3]oxazine-4-ol was observed in the synthesis of Benzoxazinone derivative. In addition, the reaction scheme of Benzoxazinone derivative synthesis was proposed as a model for the study of the chemical kinetic constant. Furthermore, the scale up of Benzoxaxinone …

Integrating Remote Sensing And Model-Based Datasets In A Machine Learning Model To Map Global Subsidence Associated With Groundwater Withdrawal, Md Fahim Hasan

Masters Theses

"Quantifying groundwater storage loss is becoming increasingly essential globally due limited availability of this major hydrologic component and its long recharge time. Groundwater overdraft gives rises to multiple adverse impacts including land subsidence and permanent groundwater storage loss. In absence of spatially dense monitoring network, publicly available in-situ data, and uniform monitoring strategies, it is challenging to assess the sustained losses from overexploitation of this resource. Remote sensing based techniques have the capacity to fill this gap to increase our groundwater monitoring capacities. Exploring the interrelation between groundwater pumping and land subsidence using remote sensing datasets can be a very …

Development Of Phase Change Thermal Storage Medium: Cooking With More Power And Versatility, Martin Osei

Masters Theses

With an Insulated Solar Electric Cooker (ISEC), a 100 W solar panel directly cooks food while providing 5W off-grid electricity access; but it cooks slowly. Storing the day’s energy with phase change thermal storage allows ISEC to cook more rapidly as well as cook after sunset. The ISEC is made by sticking a 3ohm resistive to an aluminum pot (inner phase change assembly PCA) where another cooking pot fits. The resistive heater is surrounded by a bigger pot (outer PCA) that contains the PCM and is tightly sealed. The solar panel is connected to the resistive heater with a thermal …

Knowledge Management In Engineering Companies In The Nigeria Oil And Gas Industry, Babajide Adeniran Ojuola

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Engineering companies in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry are not able to optimize their knowledge resources through the continual conversion of tacit knowledge to organizational knowledge. This is due to barriers that inhibit the holistic process of tacit knowledge conversion. The purpose of this qualitative case study was to understand the enablers and barriers to tacit knowledge conversion in engineering companies as perceived by engineering practitioners working in the Nigerian oil and gas industry. The central research questions focused on exploring the enablers and barriers to the conversion of tacit knowledge to organizational knowledge in oil and gas engineering …

Space Cargo: Ultra-Fast Delivery On Earth –Potential Of Using Suborbital Space Vehicles For The Transportation Of Cargo, Robert O. Walton, Robert A. Goehlich

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

No abstract provided.

Analysis Of Non-Conventional Radiological Terrorism, James N. Padgett

Theses and Dissertations

Nuclear terrorism has been a risk since the dawn of the first atomic bomb. Though state sponsored nuclear weapons development is of concern for countries, non-state sponsored terrorism with radiological material can be of even greater concern. This stems from the fact that the material is under less stringent or no safeguards and can readily change hands between different terrorist groups or innocent civilians may accidently come into contact with the material.

Within this paper an analysis of previous accidents using orphan radiological sources, malicious use of orphan radiological sources, and how these sources could be used by terrorists is …

Artificial Intelligence (Ai): The New Look Of Customer Service In A Cybersecurity World, Sharon L. Burton

Publications

Cybersecurity leaders are not adequately developed to guide the re-engineering of quality customer service (QCS) workflows, designed with automation and AI, that interrelate with people through customers’ perceptions. Realizing re-engineering processes should be a team effort with well-versed leadership and stakeholders guiding the successful design through a follow-up process. Leaders must shape compelling and straightforward needs to learn and teach employees and chat boxes indispensable customer service skills demonstrating patience, self-discipline, flexibility, and resourcefulness in communication with irritated customers or difficult circumstances. Whether the analysis, design, development, and implementation struggles are vacuums in cybersecurity knowledge, skill, and abilities or a …

Quantum Mechanics And Control Using Fractional Calculus: A Study Of The Shutter Problem For Fractional Quantum Fields, Jonathan Blackledge

Articles

The ‘diffraction in space’ and the ‘diffraction in time’ phenomena are considered in regard to a continuously open, and a closed shutter that is opened at an instant in time, respectively. The purpose of this is to provide a background to the principal theme of this article, which is to extend the ‘quantum shutter problem’ for the case when the wave function is determined by the fundamental solution to a partial differential equation with a fractional derivative of space or of time. This involves the development of Green’s function solutions for the space- and time-fractional Schrödinger equation and the time-fractional …

Dynamic Effect Of Disintegrated Energy Consumption And Economic Complexity On Environmental Degradation In Top Economic Complexity Economies, Tomiwa Sunday Adebayo, Mehmet Altuntaş, Sanjar Goyibnazarov, Ephraim Bonah Agyekum, Hossam Zawbaa, Salah Kamel

Articles

The current paper explores the influence of disintegrated energy and economic complexity on CO2 emissions (CO2) in the top economic complexity economies. The model also incorporates other drivers of CO2, such as technological innovation and economic growth. The current research utilizes data stretching from 1993 to 2018. The research employed Westerlund cointegration, fully modified OLS (FMOLS), dynamic OLS (DOLS), and method of moments quantile regression (MMQR) to evaluate these interconnections. The outcomes of the slope heterogeneity and cross-sectional dependence affirmed the use of second-generation techniques. The study confirmed the long-run association between CO2 and the regressors. The results of the …

Comparison Of Mechanical And Column Flotation Performances On Recovery Of Phosphate Slimes In Presence Of Nano-Microbubbles, Fatemeh Taghavi, Mohammad Noaparast, Ziaeddin Pourkarimi, Fardis Nakhaei

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Fine particle flotation has been one of the main problems in many mineral processing plants. The bubble-particle collision rate is very low for fine particles, which reduces flotation efficiency. Also, the existence of slimes is, generally, detrimental to the flotation process, affecting the selectivity and the quality of the concentrates. Besides, it causes an increase in reagents consumption. Hence, in most of processing plants, some of these particles are transmitted to the tailing ponds to reduce the effects of these problems and increase the selectivity of the process. Esfordi phosphate plant in Iran loses more than 30% of its capacity …

A Narrative Inquiry Into Veterans In Engineering, Miracle David Solley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Much research has been conducted on student veterans, in general; however, research on student veterans in engineering majors is very sparse. There is national recognition of the importance of student veterans in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields as evidenced in the passage in 2020 of a bill investigating the lack of veteran students in these fields. This study adds to the literature by answering the following two research questions: What are the experiences of veteran engineering students? How has military service impacted those experiences? Twelve students and five professors from a Doctoral University: Very High Research Activity in …

Recent Advances In Biosensors For Detection Of Covid-19 And Other Viruses, Shobhit K. Patel, Jaymit Surve, Juveriya Parmar, Kawsar Ahmed, Francis M. Bui, Fahad Ahmed Al-Zahrani

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

This century has introduced very deadly, dangerous, and infectious diseases to humankind such as the influenza virus, Ebola virus, Zika virus, and the most infectious SARS-CoV-2 commonly known as COVID-19 and have caused epidemics and pandemics across the globe. For some of these diseases, proper medications, and vaccinations are missing and the early detection of these viruses will be critical to saving the patients. And even the vaccines are available for COVID-19, the new variants of COVID-19 such as Delta, and Omicron are spreading at large. The available virus detection techniques take a long time, are costly, and complex and …

Market Surveillance To Support Quality Assurance And Consumer Protection For The Solar Payg Products Market In East And West Africa, Hamidah Naishur Nakimuli

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Off-grid Pay As You Go (PAYG) solar products have become one of the fastest-growing approaches to providing basic electricity services to off-grid households not only in Sub-Saharan Africa but also in many other parts of the world with limited or no access to the grid connection. However, sustainably growing the PAYG solar industry requires paying close attention to product quality from the point of manufacturing to the end user. This research examines how to best design market surveillance programs that ensure quality in off-grid PAYG solar products and strengthen the implementation and enforcement of quality standards in the off-grid solar …

Techno-Economic Feasibility Of Electrifying Food Markets In Nigeria With Biogas Hybrid Mini-Grids, Demi Temitope Ogunwo

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This thesis explored the feasibility of electrifying a food market in an urban city in Nigeria with a hybrid biogas-powered mini-grid. Under the Energizing Economies Initiative of the Rural Electrification Agency of Nigeria, nine markets in the country currently receive constant access to electricity via hybrid mini-grid systems. As a majority of these systems are diesel-solar-battery systems, this thesis explored the use of biogas generators as a substitute for diesel generators in hybrid mini-grids for food markets. A fruit and vegetable market in Ketu, Lagos was used as a case study for the research. The research for this thesis was …

Collected Papers (On Neutrosophics, Plithogenics, Hypersoft Set, Hypergraphs, And Other Topics), Volume X, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

This tenth volume of Collected Papers includes 86 papers in English and Spanish languages comprising 972 pages, written between 2014-2022 by the author alone or in collaboration with 105 co-authors from 26 countries.