Engineering Commons^™

Estimation Of Construction Site Elevations Using Drone-Based Orthoimagery And Deep Learning, Yuhan Jiang, Yong Bai

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Using deep learning to recover depth information from a single image has been studied in many situations, but there are no published articles related to the determination of construction site elevations. This paper presents the research results of developing and testing a deep learning model for estimating construction site elevations using a drone-based orthoimage. The proposed method includes an orthoimage-based convolutional neural network (CNN) encoder, an elevation map CNN decoder, and an overlapping orthoimage disassembling and elevation map assembling algorithm. In the convolutional encoder-decoder network model, the max pooling and up-sampling layers link the orthoimage pixel and elevation map pixel …

Kinetics, Affinity, Thermodynamics, And Selectivity Of Phosphate Removal Using Immobilized Phosphate-Binding Proteins, Kaushik Venkiteshwaran, Erin Wells, Brooke K. Mayer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

A phosphate (P_i)-selective adsorption system featuring immobilized P_i-binding proteins (PBP) has recently attracted attention for ultralow P_i removal followed by recovery. This study investigated the adsorption kinetics, affinity, thermodynamics, and selectivity, as well as the effect of pH and temperature on P_i adsorption using immobilized PBP (PBP resin). Immobilizing PBP did not affect its P_i affinity. Kinetic studies at 22 °C and pH 7.1 showed that the PBP resin achieved 95% of its equilibrium capacity within 0.64 ± 0.2 min. The estimated Langmuir affinity constant (K_L) was 21 ± 5 …

Machine Learning-Based Temporary Traffic Control Cost Analysis, Yuhan Jiang, Sisi Han, Yong Bai

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

In a design-bid-build infrastructural project, the agency may use a lump-sum, or unit-price for temporary traffic control (TTC) items, while their cost is hard to estimate. This paper presents the research results of developing a machine learning model of the relationship between the TTC items’ cost with the project total cost and non-TTC items in infrastructural projects. In detail, 163 infrastructural projects’ data were collected for analyzing two research questions: first, the relationship between the TTC items with the project total cost and non-TTC items; second, the relationship between the TTC items’ payment option with the project total cost and …

Changes In Neural Network Connectivity Of Normal Young Adults In Response To Power Wheelchair Trainer Using Eeg Coherence, Ruby Phung

Masters Theses

The ability to move and explore their surrounding environment plays a critical role in the development of cognitive function in children, especially during early childhood. The lack of independent and autonomous mobility is, therefore, a clear disadvantage for the overall development of children with multiple, severe disabilities. Limited number of studies have been conducted on the impact of power mobility device on this specific population. Previous exploratory and pilot studies showed promising results regarding quantifiable and consistent changes in the electroencephalogram (EEG) of children with multiple, severe disabilities when provided with power mobility training. This study aimed to further extend …

Analysis Of Center Of Pressure And Center Of Mass To Determine Patterns Of Postural Stability In Neurotypical Subjects, Natalie Tipton

Masters Theses

The body’s postural control mechanism is responsible for responding to perturbations of balance and keeping the body upright. One of the main ways that this is completed during quiet standing, where both feet are planted on the ground, is through center of pressure oscillations. In these oscillations, the center of pressure circles around the center of mass, constantly counteracting any lean that exists in the body. These oscillations can be recorded with floorembedded force plates and center of mass can be recorded with a motion capture system. In this research, these signals were recorded for stances with feet together and …

The Structural And Magnetic Properties Of Nio/Mn(Ni)-Oxide Magnetic Heterostructured Nanocrystals Synthesized Under Varying Ph Values, Abdullah Al Shafe

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The role of pH on the structural, morphological, and magnetic properties of hydrothermally synthesized NiO-based magnetic heterostructured nanocrystals (MHNCs) is investigated. The NiO nanocrystals were synthesized using a two-step thermal decomposition process whereas the deposition of the surrounding Mn-based phases was accomplished by hydrothermal means at pH values ranging from 2.4 to 7.0. The resulting heterostructured nanocrystals consist of inverted AFM-FiM NiO/±Mn_xNi_1-xO/±Mn₃O₄ bimagnetic/trimagnetic systems. A complete characterization of the MHNCs was carried using XRD, TEM, EDS, MPMS magnetometry and XPS analysis. Structural investigations revealed predominantly faceted MHNCs ranging in size from 24-30 nm …

Performance Of Pld Grown Zno Thin Film As A Thin Film Transistor, Shahidul Asif

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

The performance of ZnO thin film (grown in different parameters) as a thin film transistor (TFT) is the focus of this study. ZnO is renowned for being n-type semiconductor naturally which was utilized in fabricating a thin film transistor here. This thesis is compared the performance of ZnO thin film transistor by growing the thin film using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) on two slightly different substrates at different temperatures in an optimal 0.1 milli bar oxygen pressure which was later analyzed using other material characterization methods. The substrates were both Si (100) but had different resistivity due to different amount …

Ractive Md Simulation On The Formation Of Amorphous Alumina Layer Using Atomic Layer Deposition (Ald), Yuxuan Lu

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

In this study, a systematic study has been performed by using the large-scale classical reactive molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to model the Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) processes that generated tan ultra-thin and sub-nano meter amorphous alumina. The ALD process employed both water pulse and (Trimethyl-Aluminum) TMA precursors deposited onto the surface of an aluminum wetting layer. The study varied the sizes of the substrate and the concentrations of water/hydroxide precursors with a range of operating temperature to design the most favorable configurations for the subsequent TMA precursors to add onto. The role of crystallographic orientation of the Al wetting layer …

Fabrication Of Multifunctional Carbon Coated Cobalt Ferrite Core/Shell Nanostructures By Pulsed Laser Ablation, Joy Roy

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Considerable research work is going on worldwide among the therapeutic scientific communities to use magnetic nanoparticles (NPs) as a controlled drug delivery system. Challenges to use those NPs for such in-vivo applications successfully are mainly biocompatibility and the functionality of those NPs. Addressing the needs, in this project, we synthesized carbon-coated cobalt ferrite (CFO) core-shell nanoparticles (CSNPS) by ablating a solution of toluene and CFO NPs with varying number of pulsed laser shots. The structure of the CSNPs then investigated through X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and also with the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The XRD analysis shows that …

Development Of Novel Catalysts For Hydrogen Gas Production From Biomass Compounds, Boanerges Bamaca

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Hydrothermal biomass gasification technologies (sub- and supercritical water gasification and aqueous-phase reforming) have considerable economic, environmental, and technical advantages over other energy-extensive technologies (e.g. natural gas reforming) for hydrogen gas production. However, lack of economically feasible and highly active catalysts is a main challenge that impedes upscaling of these technologies for hydrogen gas production.

The goal of this study was to develop innovative, economically feasible and active heterogeneous supported metal catalysts for hydrothermal processes for producing hydrogen gas from biomass-derived compounds. Because of its stable structure and chemical inertness, graphene was used as catalyst support. Graphene supported metal catalysts were …

A Framework To Support Automatic Certification For Self-Adaptive Systems, Ioannis Nearchou

Masters Theses

Presently, cyber-physical systems are increasingly being integrated into societies, from the economic sector to the nuclear energy sector. Cyber-physical systems are systems that combine physical, digital, human, and other components, which operate through physical means and software. When system errors occur, the consequences of malfunction could negatively impact human life. Academic studies have relied on the MAPE-K feedback loop model to develop various system components to satisfy the self-adaptive features, such that violation of the safety requirements can be minimized. Assurance of system requirement satisfaction is argued through an industrial standard form, called an assurance case, which is usually applied …

Embedded Gold Nanoparticles For Metal Enhanced Photoluminescence, Hasna Alali

Dissertations

Noble metal nanoparticles (MNPs) have attracted great attention in electronics, solar cells and catalysis. Their unique optical properties and biocompatibility makes them useful in biological applications like imaging, drug delivery, therapy and diagnostic. At the surface of MNPs the collective oscillation of free electrons resonates with a particular wavelength of incident light, generating the Localized Surface Plasmons Resonance (LSPR). LSPR results in absorption and scattering of incident light. Scattering results in reflecting photons and absorption leads to enhanced photoluminescence and quenching of fluorophores, if the fluorophore is in the vicinity of MNPs.

Most of the studies in this regard have …

Effect Of Calcination Time On The Physicochemical Properties And Photocatalytic Performance Of Carbon And Nitrogen Co-Doped Tio2 Nanoparticles, Emile Salomon Massima Mouele, Mihaela Dinu, Franscious Cummings, Ojo O. Fatoba, Myo Tay Zar Myint, Htet Htet Kyaw, Anca C. Parau, Alina Vladescu, M. Grazia Francesconi, Sara Pescetelli, Aldo Di Carlo, Antonio Agresti, Mohammed Al-Abri, Sergey Dobretsov, Mariana Braic, Leslie F. Petrik

Mining Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The application of highly active nano catalysts in advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) improves the production of non-selective hydroxyl radicals and co-oxidants for complete remediation of polluted water. This study focused on the synthesis and characterization of a highly active visible light C–N-co-doped TiO2 nano catalyst that we prepared via the sol-gel method and pyrolyzed at 350 °C for 105 min in an inert atmosphere to prevent combustion of carbon moieties. Then we prolonged the pyrolysis holding time to 120 and 135 min and studied the effect of these changes on the crystal structure, particle size and morphology, electronic properties and …

On The Effect Of Interfacial Patterns On Energy Dissipation In Plastically Deforming Adhesive Bonded Ductile Sheets, Arturo Pascuzzo, Arief Yudhanto, Marco Alfano, Gilles Lubineau

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Toughening of brittle adhesive joints is a topic of great interest for the fabrication of layered structures. Recent experimental work by the authors indicated that spatially varying interface properties (i.e., patterned interfaces obtained using laser irradiation) could tune energy dissipation in plastically deforming adhesive joints. In this study, we use a cohesive zone approach to ascertain the interplay between fracture process zone size and pattern geometry on the overall work of separation. The analysis is carried out in the context of the elasto-plastic peeling response of adhesive bonded ductile thin sheets. The mating surfaces of the adherents feature alternating strips …

A Review On Metallic Alloys Fabrication Using Elemental Powder Blends By Laser Powder Directed Energy Deposition Process, Yitao Chen, Xinchang Zhang, Mohammad Masud Parvez, Frank W. Liou

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The laser powder directed energy deposition process is a metal additive manufacturing technique, which can fabricate metal parts with high geometric and material flexibility. The unique feature of in-situ powder feeding makes it possible to customize the elemental composition using elemental powder mixture during the fabrication process. Thus, it can be potentially applied to synthesize industrial alloys with low cost, modify alloys with different powder mixtures, and design novel alloys with location-dependent properties using elemental powder blends as feedstocks. This paper provides an overview of using a laser powder directed energy deposition method to fabricate various types of alloys by …

Lateral Migration Of A Ferrofluid Droplet In A Plane Poiseuille Flow Under Uniform Magnetic Fields, Md Rifat Hassan, Cheng Wang

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The lateral migration of a two-dimensional (2D) viscous ferrofluid droplet in a plane Poiseuille flow under a uniform magnetic field is studied numerically by using the level set method. Focusing on low droplet Reynolds number flows (Re_d ≤ 0.05), several numerical simulations are carried out to analyze the effects of magnetic field direction and strength, droplet size, and viscosity ratio on the lateral migration behavior of the droplet. The results indicate that the magnetic field direction plays a pivotal role in the trajectory of lateral migration of the droplet and the final equilibrium position in the channel. When the …

Automated Detection And Characterization Of Esd-Induced Soft Failures Using Image-And Audio-Based Methods, Omid Hoseini Izadi, Javad Meiguni, Kenji Araki, Hideki Shumiya, David J. Pommerenke

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Audio-and image-based soft failure detection methods are developed, which can detect both severe failures (such as system hang) and subtle ones (such as glitch or a momentary disturbance on display). Incorporating the developed detection methods with a robotic ESD (electrostatic discharge) tester, we developed a fully automated soft failure investigation tool. Using this fully automated tool, we obtained failure-specific susceptibility maps for a camera (our target device). These susceptibility maps not only illustrated the sensitive locations of the device, but they also showed what type of soft failure is correlated with which locations.

Evaluating The Crosstalk Current And The Total Radiated Power Of A Bent Cable Harness Using The Generalized Mtl Method, Yansheng Wang, Ying S. Cao, Dazhao Liu, Richard W. Kautz, Nevin Altunyurt, Jun Fan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper presents a general formulation of the generalized multiconductor transmission line (GMTL) method to model a parallel cable harness including straight and bent wires. The parallel cable harness here indicates the uniform cross-sectional wire distribution. The GMTL equations are solved recursively based on the perturbation theory. This GMTL method facilitates an accurate evaluation of the current distributed on a cable harness. On top of that, the current obtained in a radiation problem is decomposed into two traveling currents, i.e., the positive-going and the negative-going currents, based on the least-squares method. With the decomposed currents, the steepest descent method is …

Calibration Loop Antenna For Multiple Probe Antenna Measurement System, Yuming Zheng, Zibin Weng, Yihong Qi, Jun Fan, Fuhai Li, Zhiping Yang, James L. Drewniak

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In order to achieve high accuracy in measurements of the multiple probe antenna measurement system (MPAMS), an omnidirectional calibration antenna with a small gain variation in the horizontal polarization (named calibration loop antenna, in convention) is required. This article presents such an antenna design. The proposed calibration loop antenna consists of four arc-folded dipoles with dimensions of 52 mm x52 mm x 1 mm, balun structures for suppressing common mode current, and four parasitic strips for impedance matching on each of the top and bottom planes. The experimental results show that the proposed calibration loop antenna has a small gain …

Total Isotropic Sensitivity Measurement In Switched Beam Antenna Systems, Jun Li, Yihong Qi, Wei Yu, Fuhai Li, Jun Fan, Zhiping Yang, Songping Wu, James L. Drewniak

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Smart antenna systems (SAS) play an important role in wireless communication systems, especially in rapidly developing fifth generation (5G) systems. In normal device under test (DUT) applications with SAS, the antenna's state may change in different external environments in order to obtain higher antenna gains and better connection with the base station, resulting in high uncertainties for over-the-air (OTA) tests using conventional methods. Before evaluating the transceiver performance, additional application programs are necessary to control the DUT, which increases the inconvenience for engineers and makes it impossible to reflect the real usage scenario. This article proposes a new convenient method …

Physics-Based Circuit Modeling Methodology For System Power Integrity Analysis And Design, Biyao Zhao, Siqi Bai, Samuel Connor, Wiren Dale Becker, Matteo Cocchini, Jonghyun Cho, Albert E. Ruehli, Bruce Archambeault, James L. Drewniak

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A physics-based circuit modeling methodology for system-level power integrity (PI) analysis and design is presented herein. The modeling methodology is based on representing the current paths in the power distribution network (PDN) with appropriate circuits based on cavity model and plane-pair partial element equivalent circuit (PEEC). The PDN input impedance looking from on-chip sources can be computed. A commercial simulation tool is used to corroborate the modeling approach where the system consists of a commercial integrated circuit, a complex organic package and a very high-layer-count printed circuit board. Two types of circuit models are proposed from the methodology with physical …

Measurement Techniques To Identify Soft Failure Sensitivity To Esd, Jianchi Zhou, Yuandong Guo, Satyajeet Shinde, Ahmad Hosseinbeig, Abhishek Patnaik, Omid Hoseini Izadi, Chen Zeng, Jun Shi, Junji Maeshima, Hideki Shumiya, Kenji Araki, David Pommerenke

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Electrostatic discharge (ESD)-induced soft failures are a critical issue for electronic systems as the failures are mostly found after the hardware design is completed. Any changes applied to the hardware may delay the project. Diagnostic tools capable of identifying soft failure-induced malfunctions in an early stage of product design help to reduce the risk of late stage ESD-induced project delays. In many cases, soft failures can be directly observed by the user interface, system crash, or other obvious indicators. However, in an early product design stage the operation system may be marginal, and applications may not be available. To improve …

A Novel Data-Driven Analysis Method For Electromagnetic Radiations Based On Dynamic Mode Decomposition, Yanming Zhang, Lijun Jiang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Electromagnetic radiations in complex electronic systems such as cell phones and computers are complex spatial oral correlations signals. Decomposing the electromagnetic radiation measured in the spatial oral domain is useful to gain physical insights into the process that generates radio frequency interference and the radiated spurious emission. In this article, a novel data-driven characterization method is proposed to analyze the electromagnetic radiations of both linear and nonlinear circuits. It employs the dynamic mode decomposition to simultaneously extract the temporal patterns and their corresponding dynamic modes. The temporal patterns show high-order harmonics generated by the nonlinearity. Then, these spatial oral coherent …

Understanding The Laser Powder Bed Fusion Of Alsi10mg Alloy, Holden Hyer, Le Zhou, Sharon Park, Guilherme Gottsfritz, George Benson, Bjorn Tolentino, Brandon Mcwilliams, Kyu Cho, Yongho Sohn

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

We examine the microstructural characteristics of LPBF AlSi10Mg produced by using a wide range of LPBF processing parameters with independently varied laser power, hatch spacing, scan speed, slice thickness, and the normalized energy density. The lower energy density produced lack of fusion flaws from residual interparticle spacing, while the higher energy density produced spherical pores from trapped gas. The highest density (> 99%) samples were produced by using an energy density of 32 to 54 J/mm³. Within this energy density range, use of smaller slice thicknesses increased the processing window that would produce dense AlSi10Mg samples. A cellular …

Decellularization Of Porcine Cartilage Promotes Chondrogenic Differentiation Of Human Chondrocytes, Roxanne Nicole Stone

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Knee osteoarthritis (knee OA) is the most common type of osteoarthritis (OA) and accounts for 70% of arthritis-related hospital admissions and 23% of clinical visits. Major limitations in both the current non-surgical and surgical methods are that they only relieve pain and show no evidence for restoring natural tissue anatomy. Leaders in the field propose that a stem cell treatment approach holds promise for the regeneration of a greater proportion of hyaline-like tissue at the repair site. (Cross et al., 2014; Escobar Ivirico, Bhattacharjee, Kuyinu, Nair, & Laurencin, 2017; Helmick et al., 2008; Toh, Foldager, Pei, & Hui, 2014).

It …

Design And Testing Of A Multi-Depth Soil Temperature Sensor Array Intended As A Candidate Irrigation Scheduling Tool, Lillian Glaeser

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

A crucial measure in the advancement of water conservation and sustainable agricultural strategies is increasing efficiencies of irrigation systems. Because of the lack of availability of affordable, durable, and scalable soil moisture monitoring devices, this thesis proposes a low-cost, multi-depth soil temperature sensor array as a candidate for monitoring soil moisture content and guiding farmer’s irrigation scheduling. Propagation of diurnal temperature waves through soil is dependent on the thermal diffusivity of the soil, which can be determined by examining temperature waves at different soil depths. Thermal diffusivity is dependent on several factors, though, in undisturbed soil, water has the largest …

Performance Of Cracked Reinforced Concrete Pipes Subjected To Different Environmental Conditions, Bassam Hatem Karim Al-Lami

Civil Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Performance of reinforced concrete pipes, as a major part of the water and waste-water infrastructure, plays an important role in the resilience and sustainability of today’s modern cities. Cracks may appear in these pipes due to handling and placement and might affect their long-term performance due to corrosion concerns. Current practice for quality control after installation of these pipes is quite strict and any pipe with a crack width of more than 0.01" is not approved. The goal of this research project is to evaluate the performance of cracked reinforced concrete pipes subjected to saline environments with three different concentration …

Material Design, Processing, And Engineering Requirements For Magnetic Shape Memory Devices, Andrew Armstrong

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

For magnetic shape memory (MSM) alloys, a magnetic field stimulates a shape change. We use the shape change to build devices such as micro-actuators, sensors, and microfluidic pumps. Currently, (as a novel technology,) devices suffer from some material and magnetic driver shortcomings. Here we address the issues related to operating temperature, repeatability, failure, and magnetic driver development. To increase the operating temperature of the MSM material, we alloyed Fe and Cu to Ni-Mn-Ga. We showed that the element-specific contribution to the valence electron density as parameter systematically determines the effect of each element on the variation of the martensite transformation …

The Effects Of Radiation On Memristor-Based Electronic Spiking Neural Networks, Sumedha Gandharava Dahl

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

In this dissertation, memristor-based spiking neural networks (SNNs) are used to analyze the effect of radiation on the spatio-temporal pattern recognition (STPR) capability of the networks. Two-terminal resistive memory devices (memristors) are used as synapses to manipulate conductivity paths in the network. Spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) learning behavior results in pattern learning and is achieved using biphasic shaped pre- and post-synaptic spikes. A TiO₂ based non-linear drift memristor model designed in Verilog-A implements synaptic behavior and is modified to include experimentally observed effects of state-altering, ionizing, and off-state degradation radiation on the device. The impact of neuron “death” (disabled neuron …

Traffic Impacts Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: Statewide Analysis Of Social Separation And Activity Restriction, Scott Parr, Brian Wolshon, John Renne, Pamela Murray-Tuite, Karl Kim

Faculty Publications

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant social and economic impacts throughout the world. In addition to the health consequences, the impacts on travel behavior have also been sudden and wide ranging. This study describes the drastic changes in human behavior using the analysis of highway volume data as a representation of personal activity and interaction. Same-day traffic volumes for 2019 and 2020 across Florida were analyzed to identify spatial and temporal changes in behavior resulting from the disease or fear of it and statewide directives to limit person-to-person interaction. Compared to similar days in 2019, overall statewide traffic volume dropped …