Engineering Commons^™

Comparing The Effectiveness Of Different Boosting Algorithms For Ground Water Quality In Telangana Region, Divy Jot

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

This culminating experience research project explores the parameters needed to predict the water quality levels for use in different climatic conditions pre and post monsoon from 2018 to 2020 in Telangana State, India. A study was conducted on the water quality analysis by using linear regression with water quality Index in Telangana region. However, in this study we are replicating the water quality analysis by using stack model and machine learning algorithms such as Light Gradient Boosting Machine, Random Forest and Artificial Neural Network. The research Questions are: (Q1) What are the sources of the significant parameters that impact groundwater …

Sales And Stock Management System, Rashmika Gaddam Ms

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Grocery stores using Excel for managing sales and stock management could involve maintaining separate sheets for sales and stock data, with revenue/cost. This system could provide a basic level of tracking and analysis, allowing the grocery store to monitor sales trends and stock levels. However, using Excel for this purpose is not without its challenges. For example, the manual nature of data entry in excel can result in errors and inconsistencies, particularly if multiple people are involved in maintaining the sheets. Additionally, as the volume of sales and stock data grows, the Excel spreadsheet can become unwieldy and slow, …

Systematic Investigation Of Wavy Surface Roughness Profiles Using Common Roughness Algorithms, Russell Gray

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Roughness is an important parameter in rock engineering. Sine wave-based simulated wavy profiles were used to investigate systematic changes of amplitude and frequency on roughness indices. Profiles were 1000 mm in length with amplitude ranging from 0-10 mm and frequency ranging from 0-10 Hz. The roughness algorithms used were Root Mean Square (RMS), Energy, Sinuosity, Z2, Mean Absolute Angle (MAA), and Modified Divider a-Value. Roughness indices were visualized as contour plots. Similarities of the shapes and spacing of the contours as well as the magnitude of the roughness indices prompted the pairing of RMS and Energy algorithms, Z2 and MAA …

Hydraulic Conductivity's Impact On Rise Of Excess Pore-Water Pressure During Seismic-Induced Liquefaction, Holly Gunderson

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Liquefaction is a geohazard causing loss of lives and infrastructure around the world. During earthquakes the shaking of the ground may cause a loss of soil strength that results in the settlement of buildings, landslides, failure of earth dams, amongst other hazards (Liquefaction of Soils During Earthquakes, 1985). Liquefaction is the result of a sudden increase in the pore-water pressure (PWP)— referred to as excess pore-water pressure (EPWP)— in loose, saturated, noncohesive, fine soils during seismic shaking. Due to the small pores and low hydraulic conductivity of these soils, the shaking-induced EPWP has less time to dissipate, leading to the …

Photophysical Studies Of Electronic Structure And Excited-State Dynamics Of Dna-Templated Cyanine Dye Aggregates, Jonathan Samuel Huff

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The invention and widespread adoption of the digital computer in the last century has led to an era of rapid technological advancement that has continued to the present day. This advancement has been sustained to a large degree by continued miniaturization of the electronic components in microprocessors, which results in increased computing power and energy efficiency. In recent years, this strategy has produced diminishing returns because the cost for each incremental size reduction increases as engineers approach the fundamental scaling limits of silicon-based semiconductor devices. Meanwhile, breakthroughs in DNA nanotechnology hold great promise for a new generation of self-assembled nanodevices …

Development Of Predictive Rockfall Runout Maps Based On Calibrated Rockfall Models, Olivia Tabor

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Cliffs formed in columnar jointed basalt have the proper geometry and discontinuities to initiate rockfall events. There are a number of locations in Boise, Idaho that may experience rockfall events from columnar jointed basalt cliffs. Publicly available LiDAR data coupled with site reconnaissance activities were used to develop calibrated two-dimensional rockfall models at a study site in southeast Boise. Photogrammetry was used to determine the volume of seven calibration boulders. The study site, located on Whitney Terrace, consists of a columnar jointed basalt cliff followed by a slope with a subdivision at the toe of the slope.

The two common …

Next-Generation Nanopore Sensors Based On Conductive Pulse Sensing For Enhanced Detection Of Nanoparticles, Samuel Confederat, Seungheon Lee, Derr Vang, Dimitrios Soulias, Fabio Marcuccio, Timotheus I. Peace, Martin Andrew Edwards, Pietro Strobbia, Devleena Samanta, Christoph Wälti, Paolo Actis

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications and Presentations

Nanopore sensing has been successfully used to characterize biological molecules with single-molecule resolution based on the resistive pulse sensing approach. However, its use in nanoparticle characterization has been constrained by the need to tailor the nanopore aperture size to the size of the analyte, precluding the analysis of heterogeneous samples. Additionally, nanopore sensors often require the use of high salt concentrations to improve the signal-to-noise ratio, which further limits their ability to study a wide range of nanoparticles that are unstable at high ionic strength. Here, a new paradigm in nanopore research that takes advantage of a polymer electrolyte system …

Development Of Pre-Magnetized Magnetorheological Elastomer For Bidirectionally Variable Stiffness Applications, Choonghan Lee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) utilize magnetic forces between ferromagnetic particles to cause variable stiffness properties and damping with external magnetic fields. In the MREs, the particles are embedded in a cured elastomer matrix, and an external magnetic field makes the stiffness change due to induced magnetic forces among particles. A disadvantage of the conventional MREs is that they cannot be softened (reduced stiffness) under an external magnetic field. Considering that there are many engineering applications where fast changes of stiffness in both directions (stiffening and softening) are required, embedding magnetically biased particles in the MRE can provide potential solutions. In this …

Towards Cfd Investigations Into Particulate Air Pollution Of A Desert Urban Environment, Prosun Roy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation has explored computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques for studying particulate air quality in the Las Vegas urban area. The dissertation is based on three research tasks:

• • High time-resolution fenceline air quality sensing and dispersion modeling for environmental justice-centered source attribution. (Chapter 2)
• • Pollen dispersion and deposition in real-world urban settings: A computational fluid dynamic study. (Chapter 3)
• • Effects of urban canopy parameterizations on modeling pollen dispersion and exposure. (Chapter 4)

In Chapter 2, we investigate the facilitation of low-cost air quality sensors (LCAQS) and CFD technique on exposure assessment of environmental justice (EJ) communities and …

A Virtual Method For Establishing Femoral Stem Position In Total Hip Arthroplasty, Samuel Mattei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total hip arthroplasty (THA) is one of the most successful orthopedic surgeries performed, in which the hip joint is reconstructed to improve functionality and decrease pain in the joint. Despite the success of these procedures, femoral stem misalignment remains an area that influences THA success. The relationship between the femoral stem geometry and implanted femoral stem size and orientation is underreported due to limitations in the collection of radiographic data used for clinical pre-operative templating. Furthermore, the influence of anatomic measurements on the direction and size of the femoral stem are not considered due to imaging technique and difficulties associated …

Finite Element Modeling Of Patient-Specific Total Shoulder Arthroplasty, Ignacio Rivero Crespo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total Shoulder Arthroplasty (TSA) is a surgical procedure designed to improve joint functionality by replacing the articulation between the humeral head and the glenoid fossa. Anatomic Total Shoulder Arthroplasty (aTSA) and Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty (rTSA) are two types of replacement surgery to relieve pain and restore function of the shoulder. The overall goal of this study was to evaluate the effects of variation of certain patient and implant alignment parameters that may influence long-term outcomes of these surgical procedures, including kinematics, joint loads and contact mechanics. Computational models of six TSA subjects, three aTSA and three rTSA, were created …

Spectral Broadening Effects On Pulsed-Source Digital Holography, Steven A. Owens, Mark F. Spencer, Glen P. Perram

Faculty Publications

Using a pulsed configuration, a digital-holographic system is setup in the off-axis image plane recording geometry, and spectral broadening via pseudo-random bit sequence is used to degrade the temporal coherence of the master-oscillator laser. The associated effects on the signal-to-noise ratio are then measured in terms of the ambiguity and coherence efficiencies. It is found that the ambiguity efficiency, which is a function of signal-reference pulse overlap, is not affected by the effects of spectral broadening. The coherence efficiency, on the other hand, is affected. As a result, the coherence efficiency, which is a function of effective fringe visibility, is …

Miniature, Submersible Electromagnetic Pumps Of Molten Lead And Sodium For Gen-Iv Nuclear Reactors Development, Ragai M. Altamimi

Nuclear Engineering ETDs

Heavy metals and alkali Liquid Metals are suitable coolants for Generation IV terrestrial nuclear reactors for operating at elevated temperatures for achieving plant thermal efficiency more than 40% and the thermochemical generation of hydrogen fuel. In addition, the low vapor pressure of these liquids eliminates the need for a pressure vessel and instead operates slightly below ambient pressure. A primary issue with the uses of these coolants is their compatibility with nuclear fuel, cladding and core structure materials at elevated temperatures more than 500oC. Therefore, in pile and out-of-pile test loops have been constructed or being considered for quantifying the …

Novel Breath Collection Techniques For Detection Of Covid-19., James Morris

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) generated endogenously in the human body can be used to detect diseases that induce oxidative stress and inflammation. Breath analysis has been used for the detection of diseases such as COPD, Depression, Lung Cancer and most recently COVID-19. Methods such as Exhaled Breath Condensate (EBC), Sorbent Tubes, Solid Phase Microextraction (SPME), and silicon microreactors have shown considerable capability in extracting and concentrating trace VOC’s present in human breath. Silicon microreactors functionalized with capture agents to derivatize carbonyl compounds are effective but the overall maximum flow rate of breath sample possible during analysis is low, making direct …

Assessment Of Knee Flexion In Young Children With Prosthetic Knee Components Using Dynamic Time Warping, Mark Daniel Geil, Zahra Safaeepour

Faculty Articles

Introduction: Analysis of human locomotion is challenged by limitations in traditional numerical and statistical methods as applied to continuous timeseries data. This challenge particularly affects understanding of how close limb prostheses are to mimicking anatomical motion. This study was the first to apply a technique called Dynamic Time Warping to measure the biomimesis of prosthetic knee motion in young children and addressed the following research questions: Is a combined dynamic time warping/root mean square analysis feasible for analyzing pediatric lower limb kinematics? When provided at an earlier age than traditional protocols dictate, can children with limb loss utilize an articulating …

Robust Control Of Contact-Rich Robots Via Neural Bayesian Inference, Nardos Ayele Ashenafi

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

We provide several data-driven control design frameworks for contact-rich robotic systems. These systems exhibit continuous state flows and discrete state transitions, which are governed by distinct equations of motion. Hence, it is difficult to design a single policy that can control the system in all modes. Typically, hybrid systems are controlled by multi-modal policies, each manually triggered based on observed states. However, as the number of potential contacts increase, the number of policies can grow exponentially and the control-switching scheme becomes too complicated to parameterize. To address this issue, we design contact-aware data-driven controllers given by deep-net mixture of experts. …

Multiphysics Numerical Modeling For Pfas Transport Within Vadose And Saturated Zones, Pierrette Iradukunda

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The extent and severity of wildfires have increased around the world, necessitating a greater understanding of the consequences of wildfire and post-fire impacts on soil and groundwater. Wildfire suppression techniques like aqueous film-forming foams (AFFF) can also contaminate the soil with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which can contribute to human and environmental health concerns. PFAS are dangerous man-made chemical compounds that are persistent, mobile, poisonous, and a major cause of soil and groundwater contamination. In addition to contamination by aqueous film-forming foams, PFAS has accumulated in the environment as a result of being utilized in numerous other goods over …

Enhanced Hardware Trojan Detection In Chips By Reducing Linearity Between Features, Alfred M. S. Moussa

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Globally, there has been an increase in demand for System on Chip (SoC) applications, active medical implants, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. However, due to challenges in the global supply chain, the design, fabrication, and testing of Integrated Circuits are often outsourced to untrusted third-party entities around the world rather than a single trusted entity. This situation presents an opportunity for adversaries to compromise the device’s integrity, performance, and functionality by inserting malicious modifications known as Hardware Trojans (HTs) into the original design. HTs can also create a backdoor in the system for malicious alterations.

The problem of hardware …

Effect Of Age On The Mechanical Behavior And Molecular Structure Of Human Meniscus: An Experimental And Computational Analysis, Derek Q. Nesbitt

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The knee meniscus is a soft fibrous tissue with a high incidence of injury in older populations. Surgical treatments do not fully restore the functionality of the meniscus, and the meniscus lacks native healing capacity, leading to a 40% increase in the probability of developing osteoarthritis once torn. Meniscus injury prevention is thus paramount to reducing the onset of osteoarthritis. Despite the importance of the meniscus in joint health, its mechanical properties, and how these change with age, are poorly understood. In order to quantify these properties, and how they change with age, we performed uniaxial tensile tests on two …

Maximizing The Performance Of Geocell Reinforced Pavement Bases With High-Fines Content Soils Through Micp Treatments, Ajay Kumar Reddy Pisati

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Crushed stone and gravel have long been favored for their stability and interlocking properties in Geocell reinforced base course layers of flexible pavement structures. However, their drawbacks, such as depleting reserves, escalating permit costs, environmental compliance, and extensive quarrying impacts, have led researchers to seek alternative options like recycled and on-site materials. Within this framework, utilizing native soil emerges as a promising solution to tackle these challenges. Nevertheless, the grading specifications impose limitations on the fines content allowed in base courses, as determined by the No. 200 sieve. However, the grading specifications pose restrictions on the permissible fines content in …

Transformation Pathways Of Lanthanide-Free Mn-Al-Ga-X Alloys Where X = Co, Fe, And Ni, Shane L. Palmer

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Ubiquitous rare-earth, (i.e. lanthanide) permanent magnets (PMs) composed of Nd-Fe-B are the strongest PMs on the market. However, limited mineral sources, complex elemental separation, and supply chain volatility have shifted the lanthanides to critical material status. Inexpensive, readily available materials are sought to fill an energy product performance gap to reduce dependency on lanthanide PMs. Frequently, lanthanide PMs are used in applications where their energy products are excessively high. Mn-Al based permanent magnets offer a potential substitute for PM applications which do not require the high energy product of a lanthanide PM. MnAl alloys form a metastable ferromagnetic tetragonal …

Poly(Alkyl Aldehyde)S: A New Class Of Closed-Loop Recyclable Plastics, Kyle Arnold Nogales

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation will describe a new class of closed-loop recyclable, self-immolative polymers that undergo selective, complete, and rapid depolymerization in the solid state when triggered. Self-immolative poly(alkyl aldehyde)s are synthesized efficiently in approximately 60% yield using anionic polymerization, which provides access to polymers in accessible lengths ranging from short (M_n value of 2 kDa) to long polymers (M_n value of 5,000 kDa). The physical and thermal properties of the polymers can be tuned rationally by appropriate choice of the aldehyde monomer, with some of the polymers displaying mechanical properties that are similar to traditional plastics. The polymers depolymerize …

Analysis Of Emerging Constituents In An Activated Sludge Treatment Facility, Abigail Mae Sigurdson Ryan

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Emerging constituents (ECs), or contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), are pharmaceuticals and personal care products (Contaminants of Emerging Concern including Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products | US EPA, 2023). The primary source of ECs in surface waters is the discharge from wastewater treatment facilities (WWTF) (Kumar et al., 2022). Little is known about the effects treatment processes have on ECs. Research regarding ECs has increased due to the threats they pose to the environment and human health (Khan et al., 2021). This research aimed to expand understanding ECs’ fate through an activated sludge WWTF. This was accomplished by studying concentrations …

An Experimental And Numerical Investigation Of Bimodal Particle Distributions For Enhanced Thermal Conductivity In Concentrating Solar Power Applications, Dallin Daniel Stout

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Solid particles have recently attracted substantial interest as a thermal transport medium in high-temperature energy storage and thermal energy conversion systems due to their ability to operate at high temperatures (up to 1000 °C). This is especially useful in the concentrating solar power (CSP) industry where solid particles are utilized as heat transfer media. Thermal conductivity of particles in CSP is critically important to the overall heat transfer that occurs within a heat exchanger. A cheap and effective avenue to increase the thermal conductivity of a particle distribution is by reducing its porosity by employing 2 differently sized particles. The …

Study Of Dry Mixing Method To Apply Microbial-Induced Calcite Precipitation For Soil Treatment, Ruchi Shrestha

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) has emerged as a promising technique for soil stabilization, traditionally involving the preparation and mixing of treatment solutions with the soil. However, this thesis explores a novel approach of applying MICP by directly mixing dry chemical compounds into the soil and subsequently adding water. This alternative method offers potential advantages in terms of convenience, ease of implementation, and cost savings.

The objective of this research is to investigate the applicability of dry mixing protocols for MICP in soil stabilization. Through comprehensive experimentation, three different dry protocols were developed and applied to five different soils. The …

Carbon/Carbon Composites For Next Generation Microvascular Solar Thermal Receivers, Matt Zuzelski

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Concentrating solar power (CSP) is a method of renewable solar power generation where the sun’s radiant energy is collected by a receiver and converted into thermal energy. This thermal energy is then passed into a heat transfer fluid and either sent to thermal storage, or a steam power plant. One path to better CSP systems is improving the operational envelope of the receiver and heat transfer fluid (HTF) system by utilizing more resilient absorbing materials, different path architectures, and HTFs with higher allowable temperatures.

A new carbon/carbon composite is being developed with the potential to function as the absorbing material …

Applications Of Probability Of Success In The Well Delivery Process To Improve Risk, Opportunity, And Cost Assurance, Romar Alexandra Gonzalez Luis

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Oil and Gas (O&G) well drilling is risky and expensive. The cost of drilling is typically underestimated, and there is little understanding of the certainty or Probability of Success (POS) of achieving the well objectives within the estimated cost. This dissertation presents, for the first time, a publicly available POS Cost method/tool that enables O&G operators to estimate the cost of well drilling substantially more accurately and improve the POS of accomplishing the drilling for the estimated cost. This POS Cost method employs a comprehensive, expert-based assessment of risks and risk mitigations that are incorporated into a Monte-Carlo-based simulation of …

A Novel Brain Computer Interface Design, Steven Vogan

Senior Honors Theses

A brain computer interface (BCI) is a system which connects neural signals to a computer system. They have been used for controlling systems including robotics, on-screen computer control such as mouse movement, typing, and synthesizing audio signals. Invasive, or implanted, systems are often long-term medical solutions, or used for research where very clear signal is required. Non-invasive systems usually rely on exterior signals gathered through a headset using one or more electrode sensors. These signals are composed of sums of neuron activation potentials from brain activity and can be used to determine particular aspects of brain function. All BCIs rely …

A Study On The Gaseous Radionuclide Dispersion In The Highway Across Urban Blocks: Effects Of The Urban Morphology, Roadside Vegetation And Leakage Location, Rui Jia, Jianzhi Yang, Xiaowei Zhu, Fusuo Xu, Liping Wang

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Spent fuel is a used nuclear waste that poses a great hazard to human body and the environment. In this work, the dispersion of gaseous radionuclides from the highway to downstream urban is simulated using CFD based on a hypothetical spent fuel transport accident, with focus on the effects of urban morphology, roadside vegetation and leakage location. The velocity field, TKE (turbulent kinetic energy) distribution and radionuclide concentration under different conditions are carefully explored. The results show that the dispersion of radionuclides is greatly influenced by the velocity field and TKE distribution. The health risk to the residents of sparse …

Application Of An Adaptive Controller On An Air-Bearing Vehicle-Manipulator System, Samuel Thomas Lovelace

Theses and Dissertations

The growing demand for on-orbit servicing and assembly as well as orbital debris capture and removal poses many engineering challenges. One primary challenge is that of position and attitude control of a spacecraft-manipulator system while performing these operations. Standard control approaches may be used for cases where the dynamics of the objects that the spacecraft-manipulator system interacts with are known are still plausible. However, there will likely be some uncertainty and lack of knowledge of the dynamic properties of orbital debris and parts required for servicing. Therefore, many have proposed the use of adaptive control schemes which can recalculate the …