Engineering Commons^™

The Observation Of Smart Camera Security, Shun-Hsin Wang

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

At present, as the Internet of Thing (IoT) is increasingly widely used in human life, how to protect IoT devices from Malware attack has become an inevitable problem. This project is an analysis of two malwares and how they impact the Internet of Thing (IoT), especially the smart cameras common in people’s life and used in the enterprise. The analysis looks at the vulnerabilities of smart cameras and how Mirai malware and Persirai malware take advantage to these vulnerabilities to attack smart cameras within the network through the simulation process. Through the simulation, although both malwares were implemented using different …

Analysis For An Efficient Operation Of Solar Power Plants In India Using Different Variables/Parameters, Sonal Bansi Shinde

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Vast renewable energy facilities rely heavily on accurate predictions of future solar power output.  This study investigated the various factors causing poor, inefficient operation of Solar Plants and different methods to identify underperforming equipment. The main questions are: Q1: How can we predict electricity generation over the next several days so that the plant can run at peak efficiency? Q2: How can we figure out the exact maintenance needs of any power plant?  Q3: How do we identify faulty equipment to improve its efficiency to improve overall performance? and Q4: What are the different factors that are causing an inefficient …

A Study Of Heart Disease Diagnosis Using Machine Learning And Data Mining, Intisar Ahmed

Electronic Theses, Projects, and Dissertations

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for people around the world today. Diagnosis for various forms of heart disease can be detected with numerous medical tests, however, predicting heart disease without such tests is very difficult. Machine learning can help process medical big data and provide hidden knowledge which otherwise would not be possible with the naked eye. The aim of this project is to explore how machine learning algorithms can be used in predicting heart disease by building an optimized model. The research questions are; 1) What Machine learning algorithms are used in the diagnosis of heart …

The Living Breakwaters Pdr Efforts Econcrete Resource Analysis, Guianina Ferrari, Shervon Stephens, Calvin O. Walters Jr.

Publications and Research

On October 29, 2012, Superstorm Sandy impacted 443,000 people and caused nearly $19 billion (about $58 per person in the US) worth of damage within New York City. As part of the New York City infrastructure reparation plan, the Living Breakwaters project in Tottenville addressed coastal resilience, allocating $100M of public funds to a series of artificial breakwaters by the southwest coast of Staten Island. Each breakwater is constructed and designed to mitigate water flow in storm events. ECOncrete, a primary element of the breakwater, is a specialty cast cementitious product that is marine organism-friendly that encourages biocalcification and photosynthesis. …

Nexuscapes: A Landscape Approach For A Transdisciplinary Water-Energy-Food Nexus Decision-Making Process, Fortino Acosta

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study develops a reliable transdisciplinary framework for complex ecological and social systems by characterizing, mapping, typifying, assessing, and testing enhanced water-energy-food nexus scenarios under critical time constraints, specialized skills, or sensitive data accessibility. Detached management of limited essential resources like fresh water, reliable energy from renewable sources, and nutritious food can jeopardize regional economies and governance. Using a novel landscape approach, this study recommends a decision-making the framework focused on the circular economy that induces collaboration among diverse sectors and brings strategic coordination, specificity, and magnitude to the proposed solutions. The study elaborates on a decision-making tool that integrates …

Identification Of Factors Contributing To Traffic Crashes By Analysis Of Text Narratives, Cristian D. Arteaga-Sanchez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The fatalities, injuries, and property damage that result from traffic crashes impose a significant burden on society. Current research and practice in traffic safety rely on analysis of quantitative data from crash reports to understand crash severity contributors and develop countermeasures. Despite advances from this effort, quantitative crash data suffers from drawbacks, such as the limited ability to capture all the information relevant to the crashes and the potential errors introduced during data collection. Crash narratives can help address these limitations, as they contain detailed descriptions of the context and sequence of events of the crash. However, the unstructured nature …

Application Of Experimentally Calibrated Numerical Models For Prediction Of Composite Masonry Prism Strength, James Bristow

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The composite masonry prism test is a common laboratory test to determine the compressive strength of a set of masonry prisms (f’mt) to verify that the composite masonry prism assembly, and more importantly, the constituent materials, are providing adequate strength. While constructing masonry structures, the subcontractors, designers, and inspectors rarely provide continuous supervision or inspection of the construction process. Accordingly, verification of grout mix design, mixed proportions, proper installation of blocks, placement of mortar, dimensions of joints, etc. are more traditionally performed on a periodic basis instead. However, through the use and review of the composite masonry prism test results, …

Effects Of Particle Size And Replacement Proportion Of Post-Consumer Glass In Concrete, Negasi Gebremichael

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Concrete, next to water, is the most used material (Gagg, 2014), which consumes natural or manufactured aggregates and resource-intensive cement. Concrete is also a more wasteful construction material than timber and steel. Depleting the natural resource due to aggregate extraction and the environmental unfriendliness of cement production have left the construction industry with no choice. Reducing waste, reusing, or recycling can help conserve natural resources. In this regard, the construction industry constantly seeks full or partial replacement of concrete aggregates and cement with recycled material. Glass is a candidate for replacing the three major components: cement, fine aggregate, and coarse …

A Mechanically Intelligent Hosing-Drone, Blake Hament

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This manuscript presents a ”mechanically intelligent” approach to designing a Hosing-Drone for heavy-duty pressure washing. Spraying a hose creates strong reaction forces and torques. Previously demonstrated spraying robots are over-engineered to be very massive with huge inertias. These high inertias ”wash out” the reaction from the spraying. In the proposed approach, the contributions from all observable fluid dynamics, fluid structure interactions, and aerodynamics are studied individually and for the coupled system. Experimental data is collected and fit to dynamic models. These models are used to design a smaller, lighter, more agile vehicle than has been previously demonstrated. An impedance controller …

Mechanoelectrical Behavior In Polyvinyl Chloride (Pvc) Based Soft Polymer Gel Smart Sensors For Soft Robotic Applications, Justin Neubauer

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gels are a class of electroactive polymer that contain a PVC-based polymeric lattice and various amounts of plasticizer. PVC and plasticizer are industrially available and are commonly used in a wide range of applications including cable insulation, flexible hosing, and healthcare equipment. There are many plasticizer types available, some being extremely biocompatible with implementations in food-safe applications and even food additives for human consumption. Plasticizer weakly bonds to the long polymerized chains of the polymer lattice decreasing the modulus of the composite material. By adding excessive amounts of plasticizer, the bonding sites of these long carbon chains …

Measuring Impacts And Vibrations On A Volumetric Modular House During Transportation, Seung Ho Song

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The U.S. construction industry is experiencing an increase in demand for further implementation of modular construction due to the significant productivity and project cost-reducing benefits it provides. However, there exist challenges with the modular method, and many of them are well covered by previous studies, except for the effects of transportation-induced impact/vibration on volumetric modules. A previous study examined the effects of transportation-induced impact/vibration on a timber-framed module and identified some valuable findings. But, it did not explore other types of modules, height considerations, and the differences in the magnitude of impact/vibration due to different module maneuvers on the road. …

Development And Application Of A Safety Index For Transit Stops: A Case Study From Las Vegas, Nevada, Rithesh Shivuni

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This research developed a methodology to evaluate safety proximate to transit stops through a Safety Index, identified key factors associated with fatal crashes proximate to bus transit stops, and illustrated the applications of these using a case study based on the Las Vegas metropolitan area in Nevada, USA. The methodology is based on motor vehicle crashes that involve pedestrians recorded in the proximity of transit stops, and the severity of the crash outcomes. It focused on crashes which involved pedestrians that occurred within walking distances of individual transit stops. The severity of the crash outcomes was classified based on the …

A Control Integrated Circuit For A Hysteretic Flyback Power Converter, Armani Alvarez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This Thesis reports the design, simulation, and layout of a switching power supply controller chip for a fly-back switching power supply. The controller chip was designed using ON’s Semiconductor C5 process. The resulting switching power supply using the controller chip consists of using various off-chip components such as a power MOSFET, transformer, and capacitors. The main components used in the integrated circuit include a bandgap reference voltage circuit which outputs a reference voltage of 1.25V, a ring oscillator having a nominal frequency of 5MHz, a high-gain comparator, and a buffer that can drive a 5pF capacitor. Under normal simulation conditions …

Engineer And Test A Biodegradable Microneedle Patch To Deliver Meloxicam For Managing Pain In Cattle, Katherine Alejandra Miranda Munoz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Microneedle patches are a promising source for transdermal diffusion of macromolecules and are designed to painlessly penetrate the skin. In this study, a biodegradable chitosan microneedle patch to deliver meloxicam for managing pain in cattle was tested. The potential of reuse of the polymeric solution to fabricate the patches, optimization of fabrication, morphological analysis of the microneedle patch and analysis of preservation of the chemical composition after sterilization were evaluated. In-vitro analysis consisted of studying in-vitro penetration mechanical properties, compression testing analysis of microneedle patch, and in-vitro drug release analysis. In-vivo studies were performed to analyze the dissolution capability of …

Analysis Of Proposed Active Radiation Shielding Design Concept For Spacecraft, Claire Mechmann

Theses and Dissertations

A need exists to protect the crew of interplanetary spacecraft from lethal doses of Galactic Cosmic Radiation (GCR) and Solar Energetic Particles (SEPs). As plans progress to send humans beyond lower Earth orbit (LEO) and outside of Earth’s protective magnetosphere, agencies involved in this endeavor find themselves confronted with the obstacle of shielding the crew from this harmful radiation. A proposed active shielding concept design has been suggested, utilizing charged dielectric capacitors to deflect incoming charged particles. This analysis will examine the feasibility of the proposed design and offer potential materials useful for application. The results should prove informative for …

Hydrothermal Preprocessing Of Waste Corn Stover Into Advanced Biorefinery Feedstock, Md Tahmid Islam

Theses and Dissertations

Waste corn stover is one of the most abundant agronomic resources in U.S., however, those are either incinerated or unprocessed in the field to avoid high logistical cost, economic forfeiture, and environmental complications. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) is a promising thermochemical process that transforms wet biomass like waste corn stover into a solid fuel called hydrochar, process liquid, and process gas. The recycle of process liquid is warranted as the HTC process liquid contains organic acid that would increase the mass yield and fuel quality of the hydrochar by catalyzing the HTC reactions. HTC also promotes the fuel quality by densifying …

Comparison Of Stability And Control Characteristics Of The Pipistrel Virus Sw And Pipistrel Velis Electro, Sean Gregory Gunther

Theses and Dissertations

This document finds the stability and control affects of electric powerplant conversion on a pre-existing internal combustion powered Pipistrel Virus SW through comparison with the Pipistrel Velis Electro. Testing included analysis of both static and dynamic stability on the longitudinal and lateral-directional axes of the airplane. Due to the light sport airplane being used in testing, some of the intedended tests were unable to be performed, however, conclusions were still capable of being made. The primary conclusion is that electric conversion of an airframe has no significant negative consequences, with the airplane still exhibiting positive stability on all three axes. …

A Voice And Facial Recognition System To Protect Students From Being Forgotten Inside School Buses In The Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia, Ibrahim Alferaih

Theses and Dissertations

In this research, we discuss the situation of students in the three to eight year old age group. Every day in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during school days, more than 1,000,000 students are transported throughout the country by more than 15,000 school buses. Everything is dependent on the human element. During school transportation around the world, many children are forgotten inside the school bus and with many of them eventually going missing or even dying. The bus driver is usually busy and tired due to the focus on the road, which may make him lose focus on those on …

Modeling, Verification, And Simulation Of A Uav Swarm Consensus Protocol, Rohit Martin Menghani

Theses and Dissertations

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), particularly electrically powered multi-rotors, are becoming increasingly popular in the entertainment, transportation, logistics, and military sectors. One of the main drawbacks presented by these vehicles at the time of writing is the limited range achieved as a consequence of the limits of battery technology. One common method used to overcome such limitations, is the use of multiple vehicles in cooperation to achieve a certain goal. This application of UAVs is called swarming, where multiple agents can coordinate their actions to fly in a certain formation, to access a certain challenging area, or to fly further. As …

Investigating The Role Of Cryptochrome Activity In Arabidopsis Plant And Blue Light Exposure In Saos-2 Cell-Mediated Mineralization, Maria Nijr Albaqami

Theses and Dissertations

Cryptochromes (CRYs) are flavoproteins that absorb blue light and are associated with the perception of electromagnetic stimuli in a variety of organisms including animals and plants. When exposed to blue light, CRYs undergo flavin redox cycles and form radical pairs intermediates that are assumed to be magnetically sensitive as predicted by the radical-pair hypothesis. However, it is unknown if CRYs fulfill the criteria to act as biological magnetosensors. In the first aim, Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings were exposed to blue light and a time-dependent weak magnetic field at radiofrequency (RF) of 7 MHz as a diagnostic tool to test the radical-pair …

Tympanostomy Tubes In Children: A Fem Study Of Adverse Effects, Manuel Nicolas Jaramillo Bucheli

Theses and Dissertations

Background: The current study investigates if tympanic (myringotomy) tubes affect hearing by comparing the harmonic displacement response to sound excitation within the hearing frequency range for healthy vs. surgically-treated pediatric tympanic membranes. The use of ear myringotomy tubes has proven an effective method for combating recurrent ear infections in infants and children. These tubes are placed in the tympanic membrane through an incision and connect the middle ear to the external ear, thereby allowing fluid drainage and middle-ear ventilation. While this treatment has been proven beneficial in alleviating urgent pus accumulation in the middle ear, recent research shows that it …

A Statistical Analysis Of Sporadic-E Characteristics Associated With Gnss Radio Occultation Phase And Amplitude Scintillations, Daniel J. Emmons, Dong L. Wu, Nimalan Swarnalingam

Faculty Publications

Statistical GNSS-RO measurements of phase and amplitude scintillation are analyzed at the mid-latitudes in the local summer for a 100 km altitude. These conditions are known to contain frequent sporadic-E, and the S4-σ_ϕ trends provide insight into the statistical distributions of the sporadic-E parameters. Joint two-dimensional S4-σ_ϕ histograms are presented, showing roughly linear trends until the S4 saturates near 0.8. To interpret the measurements and understand the sporadic-E contributions, 10,000 simulations of RO signals perturbed by sporadic-E layers are performed using length, intensity, and vertical thickness distributions from previous studies, with the assumption that the sporadic-E layer acts …

Heteroepitaxy Of Gasb On Gaas (111)A For Electron Transport Studies, Madison Drake

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

III-V semiconductors grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on (111) surfaces have some interesting electronic properties. For certain materials with a (111)-orientation, the Γ- and L-valleys are reasonably close in energy. This means that it may be possible to take advantage of electron conduction in the L- and Γ-valleys at the same time, allowing us to overcome the so-called “density-of-states bottleneck,” and enable transistors with large drive currents.¹ We have investigated this phenomenon in GaSb- and InAs-based 2D electron gases for which the electron effective masses are low.

However, growth of materials with a (111) orientation is typically more …

Chemical-Free Biologically Enhanced Primary Treatment Of Raw Wastewater For Improved Capture Carbon, Muhammad Rizwan Azhar, Paul Nolan, Keith Cadee, Mehdi Khiadani

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Conventional wastewater treatment processes require extensive energy inputs for their operations. Biologically enhanced primary treatment (BEPT) is a promising technology to capture incoming organics that may be utilized to produce biogas and potentially hydrogen with further downstream processing. This study involved a biologically enhanced primary treatment (BEPT) of raw wastewater at bench and pilot-scale using activated sludge (AS) addition and dissolved air flotation (DAF) using raw wastewater at a municipal wastewater facility in Western Australia with average chemical oxygen demand of ~ 800 mg/L. The results of pilot-scale testing showed an improved removal performance for total chemical oxygen demand (COD-T), …

Materials Discovery Of Ion-Selective Membranes Using Artificial Intelligence, Reza Maleki, Seyed Mohammadreza Shams, Yasin Mehdizadeh Chellehbari, Sima Rezvantalab, Ahmad Miri Jahromi, Mohsen Asadnia, Rouzbeh Abbassi, Tejraj Aminabhavi, Amir Razmjou

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Significant attempts have been made to improve the production of ion-selective membranes (ISMs) with higher efficiency and lower prices, while the traditional methods have drawbacks of limitations, high cost of experiments, and time-consuming computations. One of the best approaches to remove the experimental limitations is artificial intelligence (AI). This review discusses the role of AI in materials discovery and ISMs engineering. The AI can minimize the need for experimental tests by data analysis to accelerate computational methods based on models using the results of ISMs simulations. The coupling with computational chemistry makes it possible for the AI to consider atomic …

Deicer Salt-Scaling Resistance Of Concrete Using Recycled Concrete Aggregates Pretreated By Silica Fume Slurry, Hossein Sasanipour, Farhad Aslani, Javad Taherinezhad

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Highlights: - Salt-scaling resistance in the presence of recycled concrete aggregates, - A strong bond between RCAs and new mortar was obtained after a freeze-thaw test, - Pulse velocity after exposure to freezing-thawing cycles negligibly decreased, - The scaling rate increased with the increase in the water–cement ratio, - The electrical resistivity of concrete after exposure to cycles has been investigated. Concrete wastes such as recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) make up a significant part of construction and demolition waste (C&DW) which can be used to minimize usage of natural aggregates and reduce carbon footprint. This paper studies the salt-scaling resistance …

Effect Of Raster Angle And Infill Pattern On The In-Plane And Edgewise Flexural Properties Of Fused Filament Fabricated Acrylonitrile–Butadiene–Styrene, Hamza Qayyum, Ghulam Hussain, Muhammad Sulaiman, Malik Hassan, Aaqib Ali, Riaz Muhammad, Hongyu Wei, Tauheed Shehbaz, Muhammad Aamir, Khurram Altaf

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) is a popular additive manufacturing process to produce printed polymer components, whereby their strength is highly dependent on the process parameters. The raster angle and infill pattern are two key process parameters and their effects on flexural properties need further research. Therefore, the present study aimed to print test specimens with varying raster angles and infill patterns to learn their influence on the in-plane and edgewise flexural properties of acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) material. The results revealed that the highest in-plane and edgewise flexural moduli were obtained when printing was performed at 0 ° raster angle. In comparison, …

Improving Tc Drill Bit's Efficiency And Resistance To Wear By Graphene Coating, Reza Taheri, Mohsen Jalali, Ahmed Al-Yaseri, George Yabesh

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Displaying a two-dimensional pure crystal carbon structure, Graphene is the strongest, yet thinnest substance discovered by scientists. Coating tungsten carbide (TC) drill bits with graphene to evaluate the effect of graphene on the wear, as well as the rate of penetration of the drilling bit was examined in this research. Two evaluation approaches were employed: one with employing ANSYS Software and the second by employing atomic pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD synthesis) in the laboratory to produce a monolayer graphene coating. The simultaneous software-based and lab-based testing were performed to increase the credibility of the results and minimize the potential …

Deep Learning Of Microstructures, Amir Abbas Kazemzadeh Farizhandi

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The internal structure of materials also called the microstructure plays a critical role in the properties and performance of materials. The chemical element composition is one of the most critical factors in changing the structure of materials. However, the chemical composition alone is not the determining factor, and a change in the production process can also significantly alter the materials' structure. Therefore, many efforts have been made to discover and improve production methods to optimize the functional properties of materials. The most critical challenge in finding materials with enhanced properties is to understand and define the salient features of the …

Tibial Compression During Activities Of Daily Living In Young And Older Adults, Elijah Miles Walker

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Stress fracture, particularly in the tibia, is a growing concern among older adults (greater than 65 years). Older adults may have inherent stress fracture risk from ageing-related changes to their musculoskeletal system. Specifically, older adults reduced ankle neuromuscular function may impair their ability to attenuate repetitive compressive forces experienced during daily locomotor tasks and increase the likelihood of suffering bone damage from decreased bone tissue elasticity. Yet, it is currently unknown if older adults exhibit greater tibial compression than their younger counterparts during locomotor tasks. Purpose: This study sought to quantify tibial compression for older and younger adults when …