Engineering Commons^™

Hiinga Hospital Project - Uganda, Africa, Arley W. Landis

Construction Management

This paper outlines the role of a construction management student in the interdisciplinary development of an urgent care clinic and hospital in Kampala, Uganda. This interdisciplinary team was composed of five students all belonging to the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. The team was tasked by Hiinga Inc., a capital investment company, to provide a preliminary design and construction resources to aid with development of these facilities. Two construction management students worked on this project at different stages. The first student was tasked with constructability research and a preliminary estimate …

The Bridge Newsletter Winter 2022, Missouri University Of Science And Technology

The Bridge Newsletter

-Missouri S&T CO2 research is rock solid
-Bringing circular economy to construction projects
-Ph.D. graduate wins Fellowship for solar farm protection research
-Rockne presents 2022 Mathes Lecture on ways to evolve engineering education
-Missouri S&T Ph.D. graduate wins $70,000 Laegeler Fellowship for solar farm protection research

Nano-Engineered Soft Magnets: Potential Application In Water Treatment, Hyperthermia And Molecular (Organic) Magnets, Yohannes Weldemariam Getahun

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Scrutinizing the remarkable and tunable properties of magnetic materials at a nanoscale size "There's Plenty of Room at the Bottom..." Richard Feynman, this study attempts to find sustainable solutions to some of the deteriorating environmental, health, and energy problems the world is encountering. Due to their simple preparation, surface adaptability, and tunable magnetic and optical properties, magnetic nanoparticles have been extensively investigated in water treatment, cancer therapy, data storage, and more. However, relying on non-reusable and chemical-based treatment agents in water, complex and costly cancer treatment procedures and molecular magnets that operate far below room temperature limited those attempts from …

Hybrid Model For Making Decision Methods In Wireless Sensor Networks Through Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System, Martha Lucia Torres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Considering the complexity and multiple alternatives for technology decisions in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), a multicriteria selection method (MCDM) is an appropriate approach for choosing the best option in technical projects. Purely quantitative decision-making procedures have currently been created based on client requirements and recommendations from industry professionals in many domains. In this context, implementation and operational costs could be increasing due to technical problems and additional processes. In order to prevent future difficulties and obtain a more accurate technology selection, a new method was being developed to involve qualitative and quantitative parameters taken from real scenarios and technical literature …

Hydro-Geotechnical Rock Scour Assessment At Petit-Saut Dam, Seven E. Pells, Fanar Al-Qassab, Felicia Weir, Anaïs Faivre, Thierry Leturcq, Benoit Blancher

Protections Conference

This paper presents a recommended design procedure for assessment of rock scour which is illustrated for the case study of Petit-Saut Dam in French Guiana. The methodology, referred to as a “hydro-geotechnical scour assessment”, promotes a multi-discipline approach, applying expertise in both rock mechanics and hydraulics, and guides the diagnosis of scour and response to risk by application of currently available scour assessment techniques.

Solar Chimney Power Plants: A Mini Review, Ahmed Reda, Waseem Salah, Ahmed Suwailem, Shehab Eldin Ahmed, Omar Lasheen, Amira Elkodama, Moustafa R. Shousha, Amr Ismaiel, Anas A. Rahman

Future Engineering Journal

The main investigations of a novel solar thermal application known as SCPP are summarized in this paper. It is a method of producing electricity from solar energy that relies on the fact that air rises when it is heated. An adequate position within a tall chimney can be utilized to position a turbine to turn it, creating an updraft that can be used to generate power. This system's specifications, design, construction, and use are all covered in the paper along with experimental and analytical research related to it. It also emphasizes the development and execution of SCPP programs.

Application Of Uas‑Based Remote Sensing In Estimating Winter Wheat Phenotypic Traits And Yield During The Growing Season, Kianoosh Hassani, Hamed Gholizadeh, Saleh Taghvaeian, Victoria Natalie, Jonathan Carpenter, Jamey Jacob

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Phenotyping approaches have been considered as a vital component in crop breeding programs to improve crops and develop new high-yielding cultivars. However, traditional field-based monitoring methods are expensive, invasive, and time-intensive. Moreover, data collected using satellite and airborne platforms are either costly or limited by their spatial and temporal resolution. Here, we investigated whether low-cost unmanned/unoccupied aerial systems (UASs) data can be used to estimate winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) nitrogen (N) content, structural traits including plant height, fresh and dry biomass, and leaf area index (LAI) as well as yield during different winter wheat growing stages. To achieve …

A Two-Layer Network Propagation Model Of Awareness Diffusion And Seir Epidemic, Yurong Song, Yulin Bao, Ruqi Li

Journal of System Simulation

Abstract: In order to understand the transmission characteristics of epidemics similar to COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) with obvious expose period, a two-layer network transmission model considering time-varying factors is proposed to make corresponding predictions and measures. The UAU (unaware-aware-unaware) information transmission model is used to represent the diffusion process of conscious information about epidemic. In the underlying network, the susceptible-exposed-infected- recovered (SEIR) epidemic-like transmission model with latent state is used to describe the epidemic transmission process affected by conscious information. The MMCA (microscopic Markov chain approach) is used to deduce the transmission threshold of epidemics diseases. By analyzing the key …

An Exploration Of Recent Intelligent Image Analysis Techniques For Visual Pavement Surface Condition Assessment., Waqar Shahid Qureshi, Ibrahim Hassan Syed, Susan Mckeever, David Power, Brian Mulry, Kieran Feighan, Dympna O'Sullivan

Articles

Road pavement condition assessment is essential for maintenance, asset management, and budgeting for pavement infrastructure. Countries allocate a substantial annual budget to maintain and improve local, regional, and national highways. Pavement condition is assessed by measuring several pavement characteristics such as roughness, surface skid resistance, pavement strength, deflection, and visual surface distresses. Visual inspection identifies and quantifies surface distresses, and the condition is assessed using standard rating scales. This paper critically analyzes the research trends in the academic literature, professional practices and current commercial solutions for surface condition ratings by civil authorities. We observe that various surface condition rating systems …

Effectiveness Of Clay Nanotube Blended Coating Materials For Thermal Insulation, Hawa Hashm

Doctoral Dissertations

Studies conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy reported that heating and cooling systems use nearly 60% of the total energy consumed in a building, while approximately 31% of that energy loss occurs through the improperly insulated floor, walls, and ceiling. Hot summers or severely cold weather can make these problems worse. The passing of conditioned air through these building materials is a substantial source of energy loss, which has driven significant investigation into new environmentally friendly, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions. The main objective of the research was to experimentally evaluate the thermal conductivity of paints blended with halloysite nanotubes …

Biomass Characterization And Insulation Optimization Studies, Hussein Awad Kurdi Saad

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This study indicates how biomass materials can be effectively used as naturally sustainable alternatives to insulation materials. Barley grains and oak leaves, straw, and jute are collected, and crushed into powders/ chopped pieces. The physical characteristics are measured to characterize each powder. The biomass powder reinforced composites are manufactured in varying weight ratios. The density and thermal conductivity of composite materials are measured. The properties of composites compared to those of commercial insulation materials are found to be close to them. Furthermore, genetic algorithms (GA) can be used to achieve multi-objective optimization entailing maximizing insulation (minimizing heat transfer) and simultaneously …

Quantifying The Influence Of Variations In Rock Mass Properties On Stope Stability, Shahé Shnorhokian, Hani Mitri

Journal of Sustainable Mining

Variations in rock mass properties are well-established in rock mechanics and underground mining. The literature is replete with methods of assessing them and determining values that are used in design or numerical analysis. In this paper, a simplified 3D model is constructed for a tabular orebody in the Canadian Shield and instability is quantified using the ”brittle shear ratio” criterion to calculate the volume at risk. A 1-4-7 stope pillar sequence is implemented on four active levels, and three variations in the properties of the host formation are assessed. It is observed that the locations of ore at risk follow …

Prospects For Thiourea As A Leaching Agent In Colombian Gold Small-Scale Mining: A Comprehensive Review, Johana Borda, Robinson Torres

Journal of Sustainable Mining

Thiourea, as an alternative medium, is one of the most promising leaching agents for gold recovery by its commercial benefits and research challenges associated with performance and environmental impacts. This review article describes the operational conditions for the use of Thiourea vs cyanide, its chemistry, limitations, toxicity factors, environment, and recovery processes. Although thiourea gold extraction processes have not been applied on a large scale due to the instability of the reagent, its potential to overcome the limitations of cyanide is attractive to the process; with pH, potential, oxidant dosage, and temperature control, solubilized gold thiourea species are achieved. These …

Remote Sensing Evidence For Significant Variations In The Global Gross Domestic Product During The Covid-19 Epidemic, Bin Guo, Wencai Zhang, Lin Pei, Xiaowei Zhu, Pingping Luo, Weili Duan

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been spreading rapidly and is still threatening human health currently. A series of measures for restraining epidemic spreading has been adopted throughout the world, which seriously impacted the gross domestic product (GDP) globally. However, details of the changes in the GDP and its spatial heterogeneity characteristics on a fine scale worldwide during the pandemic are still uncertain. We designed a novel scheme to simulate a 0.1° × 0.1° resolution grid global GDP map during the COVID-19 pandemic. Simulated nighttime-light remotely sensed data (SNTL) was forecasted via a GM(1, 1) model under the assumption that there …

Techno-Economic Analysis Of Atmospheric Water Harvesting Across Climates, Natalie Gayoso

Civil Engineering ETDs

Drinking water scarcity is a global challenge as ground water and surface water availability diminishes. The atmosphere is an alternative freshwater reservoir that has universal availability and an abundance of water within the air. This makes the atmosphere a great source to capture drinking water. In order to effectively perform Atmospheric Water Harvesting (AWH) we need to 1) understand how different climate regions (e.g., arid, temperate, and tropical) drive the amount of water being produced, and 2) determine the cost to purchase, operate, and power AWH. This research pairs thermodynamics with Techno-Economic Analysis, a method of analyzing the economic performance …

Key To The Species Of Aetideidae Aetideus Occurring In The China Seas, Chang-Tai Shih, Qing-Chao Chen, Yang-Chi Lan, Shih-Hui Hsiao, Chi-Yu Weng

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Mining And Geology On Mining-Induced Seismicity – A Case Study, Heba Khalil, Tuo Chen, Yu-Hang Xu, Hani Mitri

Journal of Sustainable Mining

Mining-induced seismicity is a commonly occurring phenomenon in underground mines. This poses a greater challenge to the safety of the mining operation. This paper presents a case study of the Young-Davidson mine in northern Ontario, Canada, where seismic events of magnitude Mn 2.0+ have been observed at mining depths of 600 to 800 m below the surface. The occurrence of large seismic events at such shallow depths is the key issue of this study. A comprehensive study of the microseismic database has been conducted to discern the root causes for the unusually strong seismic activities recorded at shallow depths. The …

Phytoextraction Of Lead (Pb) Contaminated Soil By Switchgrass (Panicum Virgatum L): Impact Of Bap And Nta Applications, Genna Hart, Austin Gilly, Marina Koether, Thomas Mcelroy, Sigurdur Greipsson

Faculty Articles

The accumulation of Pb deposits in soil is a growing global concern. Soil remediation options include phytoextraction that involves the use of plants and associated soil microorganism. Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), a second-generation bioenergy crop was used in this study due to its ability to produce high biomass and grow in metal polluted soils. Plants were grown in Pb-contaminated soil (5,802.5 mg kg−1) in an environmentally controlled greenhouse. Plants were treated with exogenous application of the plant growth regulator (PGR) benzylaminopurine (BAP) or complete foliar nutrient solution (Triple-12®) twice a week until harvested. Plants also received the soil fungicide propiconazole …

Investigation Of Economic Feasibility Of A Virtual Power Plant And Electric Vehicle Charging Station In Grid Tied Dc Microgrid, Vinay Kumar Jadoun Dr.

Technical Collection

The multi-objective optimal scheduling of the VPP problem considering multiple renewable energy resources consist of solar PV modules, wind turbines, fuel cells, electric loads, heat-only units, and CHP units, has been solved using the multi-objective optimization algorithms. In this research, a peak valley power pricing strategy is introduced and the optimal scheduling of the VPP is attained by performing a multi-objective scheduling strategy (MOSS), which is day-ahead (on an hourly basis) and 15-min based (for a one-day profile), to observe the behavior of the anticipated system with a better constraint handling method.

This work also aims to integrate solar PV …

Selected Topics Of The Past Thirty Years In Ocean Acoustics, Michael D. Collins, Altan Turgut, Michael J. Buckingham, Peter Gerstoft, Martin Siderius

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper reviews some of the highlights of selected topics in ocean acoustics during the thirty years that have passed since the founding of the Journal of Theoretical and Computational Acoustics. Advances in computational methods and computers helped to make computational ocean acoustics a vibrant area of research during that period. The parabolic equation method provides an unrivaled combination of accuracy and efficiency for propagation problems in which the bathymetry, sound speed, and other environmental parameters vary in the horizontal directions. The extension of this approach to cases involving layers that support shear waves has been an active area …

Development Of Robotics & Automation Roadmap For Road Construction/Maintenance Projects, Ashrant Aryal, Chao Wang, Chintan Vijay Vora, Sueed A. Willoughby

Publications

Over the past few decades, there have been no significant improvements in the construction industry's productivity. Outside the construction industry, robots have proven to be beneficial in improving productivity, safety, and quality. There is a growing interest in adopting robots in the construction industry to address these issues. As robots get introduced to the project sites, human-robot interaction becomes an important consideration for wide-scale adoption. The success of deploying robots in the construction industry depends on how well humans collaborate with the robots. This project focused on investigating the perception of various construction industry stakeholders in adopting robots in their …

A Comprehensive Evaluation Of Satellite-Based Precipitation Products And Their Performance In Arid And Temperate Climates, Mohammed Tarig Mahmoud

Dissertations

Accurate and continuous precipitation monitoring is critical to enable effective water resources management; the challenge arises from the spatial and temporal variability of precipitation. The recently launched Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) satellite has the capability to detect and measure all types of precipitation using advanced instruments. Being at its early stages of development, the products of the GPM IMERG (early, late, and final-run-products) need to be validated using multiple spatial and temporal assessment techniques. Several studies have emerged over the past few years evaluating GPM IMERG results over areas of limited size. These areas were set by hydrologic interest (e.g., …

Prediction Of Sulfur Removal From Iron Concentrate Using Column Flotation Froth Features: Comparison Of K-Means Clustering, Regression, Backpropagation Neural Network, And Convolutional Neural Network, Fardis Nakhaei, Samira Rahimi, Mohammadbagher Fathi

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Froth feature extraction plays a significant role in the monitoring and control of the flotation process. Image-based soft sensors have received a great deal of interest in the flotation process due to their low-cost and non-intrusive properties. This study proposes data-driven soft sensor models based on froth images to predict the key performance indicators of the flotation process. The ability of multiple linear regression (MLR), the backpropagation neural network (BPNN), the k-means clustering algorithm, and the convolutional neural network (CNN) to predict the amount of sulfur removal from iron ore concentrate in the column flotation process was examined. A total …

A Smart Parallel Gripper Industrial Automation System For Measurement Of Gripped Work Piece Thickness, Erik Kocher, Chukwuemeka George Ochieze, Ahmat Oumar, Travis Winter, Aleksandr Sergeyev, Mark Gauthier, Nathir Rawashdeh

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

As part of the advanced programmable logic controllers (PLC) course at Michigan Tech, this class project is performed on a mechatronics system gifted by Donald Engineering, a Michigan-based supplier of industrial automation systems and components. This paper explores the functionality and ladder programming of the smart parallel gripper system to measure the width of components grasped with the gripper. In addition, details of the system’s components, operation, more advanced uses are discussed. On the automation line, this smart gripper can be used to measure the thickness of work pieces while handling them and classifying these as either acceptable, too large …

The Impact Of The Digital Maturity Level On Port Operations In Africa, Joyce Wanjiru Kaburu

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Integration Of A Hybrid Microgrid System Using Renewable Energy Sources : A Case Study Of Lagos Port Nigeria, Juliet Inze Amwe

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Assessment And Prevention Of Bacterial Regrowth In Stored Household Water In Eastern Coastal Madagascar, Lauren Judah

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As of 2020, diarrheal diseases were the leading cause of death in Madagascar. A major cause of diarrheal illness is contaminated water, and one crucial aspect of preventing contaminated water is safe household storage. Bacterial regrowth between point-of-collection and household storage has been well established in literature. A frequently implicated source of regrowth is the storage container’s biofilm, which is a community of varying bacteria enclosed in a “slimy” extracellular polymeric substance that forms on surfaces in wet environments and anchors bacteria to those surfaces. The overall goal of this thesis was to quantify and control bacterial regrowth in household …

Selection Of The Optimal Alternative Fuel In Terms Of The Sustainability Of The Shipping Industry Through The Multi-Attribute Decision Making, Kyungrok Kim

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Barriers To Implementing Ports Energy Efficiency And Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction Measures : Kenya’S Mombasa Port In Consideration, Alex Mwangome Mwakuni

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Injustice Within Renewable Energy Life Cycles: Can Irena Offer A Solution?, G. Webster Ross

IdeaFest: Interdisciplinary Journal of Creative Works and Research from Cal Poly Humboldt

This paper explores case studies of green colonialism, supply chain injustices, and poor e-waste management within renewable energy life cycles, and investigates how the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) may be the best suited organization to address and mitigate these issues on a global scale. While renewable energy technology is often heralded as the key to a sustainable future, the life cycle of these technologies is riddled with human rights violations and other injustices. To begin with, many of the minerals required for assembling the hardware are mined in unregulated environments, resulting in several injustices such as health and safety …