Engineering Commons^™

Laboratory Scale Anaerobic Reactors For Bioenergy From Wastes: Materials, Mathematical Models, And Stoichiometry, Yehor Pererva

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Anaerobic processes are being explored for the production of bioenergy in the form of biomethane and biohydrogen in a "waste-to-value" approach that considers wastes as a resource. Laboratory scale Biomethane potential (BMP) tests and Up-Flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactors can be used to indicate the potential recovery of bioenergy from industry wastes. The goals of this research were to: (1) conduct a critical review of models for determining biomethane potential, (2) develop a theoretical relationship for stoichiometry for biomethane and biohydrogen from wastes, and (3) develop key design aspects for geometry and infrastructure, including gas-liquid-solid separation in laboratory UASB …

Hydraulic Analysis Of Coupling A Labyrinth Weir With A Steep Stepped Chute, Tucker J. Jorgensen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

There are many considerations involved in the design of a dam structure. A few of these include minimizing upstream flooding (and risk of embankment overtopping), economical construction, and downstream erosion. Addressing these concerns has, in part, led to a recent increase in the use of more efficient and economical hydraulic. Complex hydraulic structures such as labyrinth weirs and stepped chutes require extensive study to establish design methods. Combining two complex structures can result in dramatic changes in flow characteristics. This is particularly true in the case of combining a labyrinth weir with a stepped chute. Flow from the labyrinth weir …

Soft-Switched Resonant Dc-Dc Converter In Underwater Dc Power Distribution Network, Tarak Saha

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Power distribution with DC source is advantageous over its AC counterpart in long distance distribution network due to the absence of effects of reactive components. Long distance power distribution with traditional voltage source suffers from drop in voltage over the length of the cable due to its impedance and forces the converters in the network to be over-designed with higher power rating than needed. In underwater power distribution network such as ocean observatory, marine sensors on the sea-bed etc., power conversion modules are situated at a distance far away from the shore, ranging from tens of kilometers to hundreds of …

System Level Characterization Of The Gridded Retarding Ion Drift Sensor (Grids) For The Petitsat Mission, Benjamin B. Oborn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Weather prediction, wherever people live, serves as a beneficial part of everyday life. Weather in the upper portions of Earth’s atmosphere also impacts life on Earth but it is not able to be predicted as well as its terrestrial counterpart. PetitSat is a cube satellite (CubeSat) mission proposed to help remedy this issue. It will collect measurements of charged particles in the upper atmosphere called a plasma. The measurements taken by PetitSat will facilitate better prediction of upper-atmospheric weather. Prediction of when and where weather phenomenon will occur will allow avoidance of negative consequences that can result. Once such negative …

Fate Of Pharmaceuticals And Personal Care Products In Duckweed And Waste Activated Sludge Under Aerobic And Anaerobic Solids Stabilization Conditions, Kwame Tweneboah Duodu

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Twelve commonly used pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs)(acetaminophen, β-Estradiol, caffeine, carbamazepine, DEET, estrone, gemfibrozil, triclosan, TCEP, sulfamethoxazole, progesterone, fluoxetine) were investigated to determine their fate in biosolids. These compounds were selected due to their wide usage, and varying properties, that makes them representative of many other PPCPs.

Commonly used PPCPs (caffeine commonly found in tea, coffee, chocolate and soda, the pain reliever acetaminophen, and the pesticide DEET) were detected in high amounts in the influent of the Hyrum WWTP and Wellsville sewage lagoons. Although conventional WWTPs are not designed to remove PPCPs from wastewater, some PPCPs, such as acetaminophen, …

Analytic Guidance Strategies For Passively Safe Rendezvous And Proximity Operations, Simon Shuster

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A safety ellipse is a type of relative motion trajectory that is commonly used for unmanned rendezvous and proximity operations. As the name suggests, safety ellipses are passively safe relative motion trajectories, which means that their natural motion inherently maintains a low collision risk. The focus of this dissertation is the derivation, analysis, and application of guidance strategies that reconfigure, establish, and exit a safety ellipse. The guidance strategies consist of a set of ∆v vectors and impulse times, all written in closed form. Through applications of optimal control theory and parameter optimization, it is shown that these maneuver …

The Effect Of Weather On Pedestrian Activity At Signalized Intersections In Utah, Ferdousy Runa

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The weather has a significant influence on pedestrian activity. Profound knowledge and research can identify how weather variables impact and why people change their travel patterns. This study aims to assess the relationship of weather (snowfalls, snow depth, precipitation, maximum and minimum temperature) with pedestrian activity at 49 signalized intersections in Cache County, Utah. This study uses pedestrian actuation (push-button) data as a proxy for pedestrian activity and collects weather data from the National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA).

Using 15 months of daily time-series data, this study applied log-linear time series models in the analysis. To account for non-linear …

Characterizing Water And Water-Related Energy Use In Multi-Unit Residential Structures With High Resolution Smart Metering Data, Joseph C. Brewer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As urban populations continue to grow and expand, localized demands on water supplies continue to increase as well. These water supplies, which have been historically stable, are also threatened by an increasingly erratic climate. Together, these two factors have significantly increased the likelihood of long-term drought conditions in the American West. In response, water suppliers are investigating new ways to record water use in urban areas to better understand how water is used. One of these methods is smart meters; advanced devices that can record and transmit water use information directly to the water supplier. However, these devices can produce …

Transfer Of Learning For K-12 Stem Teachers: From The Gear Up Engineering Camp Professional Learning Experience To The Classroom, Ryan F. Barlow

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Because of the new Utah Science with Engineering Education (SEEd) standards, which are based on the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), Utah science teachers in K-12 schools are now being asked to incorporate engineering into their science classes. Many science teachers in the State of Utah do not have a background in engineering and have not received training in how to incorporate engineering into their classes. To help remedy this problem, six STEM teachers from the State of Utah, and one STEM teacher from Nevada, came to the campus of Utah State University in July 2019 to participate with a …

Emerging Works On Wireless Inductive Power Transfer: Auv Charging From Constant Current Distribution And Analysis Of Controls In Ev Dynamic Charging, Anindya Chitta Bagchi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wireless power transfer through inductive coupling, termed as inductive power transfer (IPT), is one of the important technologies in power electronics that enable transfer of power between entities without physical connections. While it has seen significant growth in the areas such as electric vehicle charging, phone charging and biomedical implants, its emerging applications include charging of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) and dynamic charging of electric vehicles from the roadway. This dissertation addresses a few key challenges in these areas of IPT applications, paving the way for future developments.

For the WPT for AUV, the recently developing sea-bed installed marine systems …

A Study In Gps-Denied Navigation Using Synthetic Aperture Radar, Colton P. Lindstrom

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In modern navigation systems, GPS is vital to accurately piloting a vehicle. This is especially true in autonomous vehicles, such as UAVs, which have no pilot. Unfortunately, GPS signals can be easily jammed or spoofed. For example, canyons and urban cities create an environment where the sky is obstructed and make GPS signals unreliable. Additionally, hostile individuals can transmit personal signals intended to block or spoof GPS signals. In these situations, it is important to find a means of navigation that doesn’t rely on GPS.

Navigating without GPS means that other types of sensors or instruments must be used to …

Self-Describing Fiducials For Gps-Denied Navigation Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Amanda J. Strate

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Accurate estimation of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle’s (UAV’s) location is critical for the operation of the UAV when it is controlled completely by its onboard processor. This can be particularly challenging in environments in which GPS is not available (GPS-denied). Many of the options previously explored for estimation of a UAV’s location without the use of GPS require more sophisticated processors than can feasibly be mounted on a UAV because of weight, size, and power restrictions. Many options are also aimed at indoor operation without the range capabilities to scale to outdoor operations. This research explores an alternative method of …

Molecular Mechanisms And Design Of Hydrogen-Bonded Materials For Thermal Applications, Jinlong He

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Heat transfer at the nanoscale plays an important role in determining the reliability and performance of many innovative advanced materials technologies such as nanoelectronics, semiconductor, biomedical devices, polymers, and composites. Extensive efforts have been made to design materials with extraordinary thermal properties. However, fundamental understanding of heat transfer in many of these materials is still not lacking, because the thermal transport processes are governed by several factors including molecular morphology and chemical bonding. Among these factors, the atomic bonding between two dissimilar materials or within single materials is of particular interest due to its ubiquity and importance in physical processes. …

Systems Thinking In Engineering Design: Differences In Expert Vs. Novice And Relationship To Personality Traits, Yuzhen Luo

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Systems thinking is the ability to see the big picture and the related elements when designing, and how these relationships form the big picture. In engineering design, systems thinking is valuable to both industry, as well as engineering education. As such, it creates opportunities for researchers to better understand systems thinking of both professional engineers in industry, who are assumed to be the experts, and engineering students in higher education, who are assumed to be the novices. The purpose of this study was to compare and identify the differences between expert and novice systems thinking in engineering design. Additionally, the …

Development Of Molecular Sensor And Imaging Analysis Techniques For Improving Life Quality, Wei Zhang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As life science advances, we are getting closer and closer to understanding the truth about life. Some specific cell types or molecules play a vital role in regulating routine functions of life. The imperceptible changes of these critical components can lead to serious diseases. Traditionally, histopathological techniques are widely employed to study and diagnose human diseases. However, these methods are time consuming and invasive. Herein, we introduce multiple types of biosensors that are sensitive, easy to use and most importantly non-invasive. First, I developed a smartphone based colorimetric sensor for detection of water hardness in a convenient way by introducing …

Application Of Compressive Sensing To Microwave Tomography, Rafael Gerardo Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Microwave tomography(MT) allows the safe, non-intrusive examination of the internal structureof an object by irradiating it with microwave signals and measuring how they get attenuated and diffracted as they propagate through the object. Measurement of these signals is difficult and slow, it depends on the objectâ??s physical properties and the test setup used for this. MT is based on a scanning process that yields measurement data with unique characteristics that make it difficult to process using standard computational methods. As the number of measurements needed for an image with acceptable resolution increases, the complexity of processing all the data becomes …

The Optimization Of Efficiency And Infrastructure For Modern Potable Water Treatment Plants, Brent A. Dekock

Theses and Dissertations

The USDOE Industrial Assessment Centers (IACs) is a program that is designed to help small and medium-sized manufacturing facilities reduce their overall costs and improve energy efficiency. This includes improving potable water treatment plants which supply water throughout the country. This thesis covers the process of how IAC branches and water treatment facilities generally operate, as well as several assessment recommendations that have been developed by a branch of the IAC for several water treatment plants based in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. The steps of the assessment and water treatment process are described, and several cost saving measures …

Ac Electrokinetic Effect Of V-Electrode Pattern On Microfluids, Mohammad Salman Parvez

Theses and Dissertations

Electrokinetics has been used for guiding, pumping, and manipulating microfluidic particles for many years in the field of Biomedical, Microbiology, Chemistry, Medicine, and other fields of research, which makes it a ubiquitous tool for the multidisciplinary research on microfluidics. Between these two Alternating Current (AC) Electrokinetics have been proven to be more feasible for the researcher than the other one. In this research, we have investigated AC Electrokinetics and s effect on a new electrode configuration called V-electrode pattern. The V-electrode has been inspired and modified from the previous research work on the Orthogonal Electrode Pattern. In this research, this …

Comparison Of Pre-Intervention Idi Results From Stem And Non-Stem Undergraduate Students, Anne M. Lucietto, Liza Russell

Journal of Global Education and Research

The emphasis on intercultural competence is more prevalent in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) majors as the world shifts towards a more globalized economy. When entering higher education, students have differing levels of cultural interaction due to varying peer interaction, family experiences, international travel, and social media experiences. The Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) has been used to develop an understanding of how students view others and the level of skills they have to interact and adapt to other cultures. Using published data focused on pre-intervention assessment, researchers compared it to data obtained from STEM students preparing for an international …

Network-Level Mechanisms Underlying Effects Of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (Tdcs) On Visuomotor Learning, Pejman Sehatpour, Clément Dondé, Matthew J. Hoptman, Johanna Kreither, Devin Adair, Elisa Dias, Blair Vail, Stephanie Rohrig, Gail Silipo, Javier Lopez-Calderon, Antigona Martinez, Daniel C. Javitt

Publications and Research

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a non-invasive brain stimulation approach in which low level currents are administered over the scalp to influence underlying brain function. Prevailing theories of tDCS focus on modulation of excitation-inhibition balance at the local stimulation location. However, network level effects are reported as well, and appear to depend upon differential underlying mechanisms. Here, we evaluated potential network-level effects of tDCS during the Serial Reaction Time Task (SRTT) using convergent EEG- and fMRI-based connectivity approaches. Motor learning manifested as a significant (p <.0001) shift from slow to fast responses and corresponded to a significant increase in beta-coherence (p <.0001) and fMRI connectivity (p <.01) particularly within the visual-motor pathway. Differential patterns of tDCS effect were observed within different parametric task versions, consistent with network models. Overall, these findings demonstrate objective physiological effects of tDCS at the network level that result in effective behavioral modulation when tDCS parameters are matched to network-level requirements of the underlying task.

Current And Projected Water Reuse For Irrigation In Utah, R. Ryan Dupont, Joan E. Mclean, Randal S. Martin, Courtney Flint, L. Niel Allen, Jennifer L. Weidhaas

Reports

Reuse of treated wastewater for irrigation in some cases can help meet increasing agriculture and urban water demands in Utah. The last report describing existing and potential reuse efforts in Utah was in 2005 (Utah Division of Water Resources, 2005). This report provides information on existing and proposed water reuse and perceptions among water providers and users regarding the use of reclaimed wastewater. Wastewater reuse is one of many practices to conserve water and improve water quality. In a broad sense, water reuse occurs by downstream users, but in some cases, deliberate strategic reuse of water is undertaken to provide …

Scenario-Based Development And Verification Of Domain-Specific Languages, Bharvi Chhaya

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The use of domain-specific languages (DSLs) has increased manifold for problem solving in specific domain areas as they allow for a wider variety of expressions within their domain. Modeling using DSLs has shown high increases in productivity after accounting for the time and cost expended in developing them, making them a suitable target for improvement in order to reap higher rewards. The currently used approach for domain modeling involves the creation of an ontology which is then used to describe the domain model. This ontology encapsulates all domain knowledge and can be cumbersome to create, requiring external sources of information …

Concentration And Treatment Of Odors Generated By Landfills, Gabriel Cohen

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Landfills produce hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), an odorous compound that can be a nuisance and danger to public. Biological treatment, in particular bio-trickling filters, is a method for controlling H₂S emissions but startup costs can be costly. The goal of this study is to provide a low-cost method for improving environmental air quality in Nebraska through an odor control device. This study determined that the Loup Central Landfill located near Elba, NE would be an adequate site for the testing and implementation of the odor control device. The off-gas of the Loup Central Landfill was tested for …

Neonicotinoid Pesticide And Nitrate Removal In Floating Treatment Wetlands, Julia Lindgren

Department of Environmental Engineering: Theses and Other Student Research

Nutrient and pesticide concentrations in surface water are a growing concern in the Midwest. Floating treatment wetlands (FTWs) are often used to remove excess nutrients from surface water and should be considered for removal of emerging contaminants, such as neonicotinoids. Therefore, the objectives for this research project were: 1) Determine FTW neonicotinoid removal capacity, 2) Quantify neonicotinoid incorporation into floating macrophytes, and 3) Explore potential implications of neonicotinoids on microbial denitrification. A microcosm and mesocosm experiment was completed. The mesocosm experiment evaluated 3 treatments: 1) FTW mesocosm with neonicotinoids, 2) FTW without neonicotinoids, and 3) mesocosm with neonicotinoids and without …

Toward Understanding Underlying Mechanisms Of Drag Reduction In Turbulent Flow Control, Alex Rogge

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The underlying mechanisms of three different flow-control strategies on drag reduction in a turbulent channel flow are investigated by direct numerical simulations. These strategies include the addition of a small concentration of long-chain polymers into a fluid, the incorporation of slip surfaces, and the application of an external body force. While it has been believed that such methods lead to a skin-friction reduction by controlling near-wall flow structures, the underlying mechanisms at play are still not as clear. In this study, a temporal analysis is employed to elucidate underlying drag-reduction mechanisms among these methods. The analysis is based on the …

Investigating The Presence Of Culture In Engineering Design: A Case Study On Culture In Design Methods, Perception, And Outcomes, Malena Ataa Durowaah Agyemang

All Dissertations

Overwhelming global statistics on economic, social, and health disparities has driven engineers and designers to develop solutions to minimize these disparities [1,2,11,12,3–10]. For the scope of this study, these efforts are referred to as design for humanitarian engineering and global development (HEGD). HEGD solutions are designed to improve access to medical technologies, energy, clean water, and even spark economic development [1–10]. However, many HEGD solutions go unadopted, halting their intended benefits [9,13,22,23,14–21]. Efforts to improve HEGD adoption have focused on ways to incorporate culture in the design solution’s aesthetics or in approaches post-deployment [24,25,34,35,26–33]. However, a review of failed HEGD …

Dyeing Properties And Color Fastness Of Eri Silk Yarn Dyed With Soaked Red Kidneybean Water, Piyaporn Kampeerapappun, Kritsana Wongwandee, Siriluk Janon

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

The purpose of this research was to study the dyeing of eri silk yarn using soaked red bean water. The optimal condition for preparing dye solutions was a ratio of 1:5 of dried red bean to water and dyeing at 100°C for 45 min. The dyeing process was conducted with and without mordants, using three different mordanting methods; pre-mordanting, meta-mordanting, and post-mordanting. The effects on silk analyzed are color fastness to washing, wet and dry rubbing, acid and alkali perspiration, and color characteristics on CIEL*a*b* color coordinates.Without mordants, the dyed silk yarn gave a rosy brown color. Each mordant caused …

Effect Of Variations In The Composition And Size Of Red Sand Grains On The Quality Of K-225 Concrete, Mukti Hamjah Harahap, Aulia E. Putri

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

The effect of variations in the composition and size of red sand grains on the solid quality made in the form of a 15×15×15 cm cubes were investigated. By implementing the standard of SNI K-225 which is a mixture of 1:1.9:2.8 with FAS 0.6 and the composition of red sand consisting of 0, 2, 4, 5,and 6.5% of the weight of fine aggregate and variations in the size of red sand grains of 80, 100, and 120 mesh, the concrete was being treated in a water bath for 28 days. It was tested by the method of water absorption, compressive …

Medical Knowledge-Enriched Textual Entailment Framework, Shweta Yadav, Vishal Pallagani, Amit P. Sheth

Publications

One of the cardinal tasks in achieving robust medical question answering systems is textual entailment. The existing approaches make use of an ensemble of pre-trained language models or data augmentation, often to clock higher numbers on the validation metrics. However, two major shortcomings impede higher success in identifying entailment: (1) understanding the focus/intent of the question and (2) ability to utilize the real-world background knowledge to capture the context beyond the sentence. In this paper, we present a novel Medical Knowledge-Enriched Textual Entailment framework that allows the model to acquire a semantic and global representation of the input medical text …

High-Temperature Optoelectronic Device Characterization And Integration Towards Optical Isolation For High-Density Power Modules, Syam Madhusoodhanan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Power modules based on wide bandgap (WBG) materials enhance reliability and considerably reduce cooling requirements that lead to a significant reduction in total system cost and weight. Although these innovative properties lead power modules to higher power density, some concerns still need to be addressed to take full advantage of WBG-based modules. For example, the use of bulky transformers as a galvanic isolation system to float the high voltage gate driver limits further size reduction of the high-temperature power modules. Bulky transformers can be replaced by integrating high-temperature optocouplers to scale down power modules further and achieve disrupting performance in …