Electrical and Computer Engineering Commons^™

Comparative Assessment Of Energy And Emission Costs For Geothermal Heat Pumps And Fossil-Fuel Heating Systems Across U.S. Climatic Zones, Md Shahin Alam, Shima Afshar, Seyed Ali Arefifar, Mohammad Haq

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In response to growing concerns over global warming and energy sustainability, transitioning from fossil-fuel-based heating systems to renewable alternatives is essential. This study evaluates the economic and environmental performance of geothermal heat pumps for building heating and compares it with conventional coal-fired boilers, natural-gas boilers, and diesel furnaces. Using the heating degree-day (HDD) method, heating energy demand was analyzed for four U.S. cities—Anchorage (AK), San Francisco (CA), Salt Lake City (UT), and Las Vegas (NV)—representing diverse climatic zones. The analysis integrates thermodynamic and economic parameters, including the coefficient of performance (COP = 2–5) and annual fuel-utilization efficiency (AFUE = 80–97%), …

Towards Supporting Real-Time Estimation Of Vehicle Fuel Consumption And Co2 Emissions In Smart City Applications, Abrar Alali, Stephan Olariu

Computer Science Faculty Publications

This paper evaluates a simplified physics-based energy demand model designed to estimate vehicle fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions—a critical tool for sustainable transportation planning and smart city applications. Unlike data-driven regression models that lack generalizability for user-defined conditions or complex physics-based approaches that rely on extensive, often proprietary data, the simplified model is distinguished by its minimal parameter requirements, depending primarily on a single, overarching powertrain efficiency value. A key contribution is the comprehensive empirical evaluation of the simplified model against official Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) test data across multiple driving cycles and vehicle types, providing a rigorous validation previously …

Biosecure-Llm Framework: Protecting Llms From Cyberbiosecurity Threats And The Case For Independent Ai Safety Governance, Xavier-Lewis Palmer, Lucas Potter, Srdjan Lesaja, Sotirios Karathanasis, Mohammad Ghasemigol

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Large Language Models (LLMs) are becoming critical infrastructure in scientific, healthcare, and governmental contexts. As frontier AI laboratories increasingly partner with government agencies, a fundamental question arises: Who should control the safety and policy-enforcement layers that constrain model behavior? Current safety mechanisms (LLM guardrails) are typically designed for generic "harmlessness" and operate by detecting semantic patterns and refusing requests. However, they are inadequate governance instruments because they cannot implement auditable, domain-specific controls tied to external regulatory policy objects (e.g., control lists or rules governing personally identifying information). Even a perfectly aligned model is not able to express institution-specific policy without …

Developing A Waste-To-Energy Assessment Framework Integrating Engineering And Policy Dimensions Using A Triple Bottom Line Approach, Izech Brian O. Edwin, King Harold A. Recto

Electronics, Computer, and Communications Engineering Faculty Publications

The management of municipal solid waste (MSW) in swiftly urbanizing Philippine cities has emerged as a critical concern in both energy and governance. Dependence on landfills is approaching critical thresholds as disposal sites near saturation, transportation costs escalate, and host communities increasingly resist garbage transfers. In response, this study proposes a comprehensive Waste-to-Energy (WtE) assessment framework that integrates engineering evaluation with policy and stakeholder analysis to support sustainable decision- making.

Using Baguio City as a case study, the framework applies a Triple Bottom Line (TBL) approach to evaluate three waste management scenarios: (1) current landfill-dominated practices, (2) engineered landfill with …

Unmixing In Very High Spatial Resolution Hyperspectral Images, Ana C. Chavez Lopez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Hyperspectral Imaging (HSI) captures hundreds of contiguous narrow wavelength bands across the optical region of the electromagnetic spectrum collecting the spectral signature of materials in the field of view of the sensor enabling detailed analysis of each pixel's spectral signature. Satellite or airborne remote sensing systems often capture imagery with low to moderate spatial resolution (LMSR). At these resolutions, the measured spectral signature is a mixture of the signatures of the materials within a single pixel. This mixing of spectral information makes analysis and material identification difficult. Hyperspectral unmixing is an analysis technique that decomposes a pixel's spectrum into constituent …

Data-Driven Evaluation Of Sustainable Waste-To-Energy Pathways For Intelligent Urban Systems, Izech Brian O. Edwin, King Harold A. Recto

Electronics, Computer, and Communications Engineering Faculty Publications

The handling of municipal solid waste (MSW) in swiftly urbanizing Philippine cities poses intricate energy and governance challenges. In Baguio City, reliance on landfills has reached critical levels due to diminishing capacity, rising transport costs, and opposition to trash transfers by nearby LGUs. Although shaped by unique topographical and governance constraints, Baguio’s situation reflects issues faced by other rapidly growing Philippine cities; therefore, analyzing it offers insights for national MSW decision-making. This study applies a triple bottom line (TBL) framework to assess three management scenarios: (1) Status Quo, where all MSW is landfilled with no energy recovery; (2) Landfill with …

Capacity, Allocation And Update Dynamics Of Human Memory Systems, Shaoying Wang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Information is encoded and stored in three types of memory: sensory memory (SM), short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM). SM has a large capacity but retains information for only a brief period. When information transfers to STM, only a limited amount can be stored. Information in STM can then be transferred to LTM, which has a much larger capacity and longer retention time. STM is often conceptualized as working memory (WM) to highlight its role in active information processing. Due to the limited capacity of STM, it is commonly believed that STM serves as the bottleneck for information processing. …

Parentcoach: Designing An Mhealth Parenting App To Enhance Parental Involvement In Adhd Support, Franceli L. Cibrian, Nancy Herrera, Jesus A. Beltran, Lucas M. Silva, Mikaela Pulse, Kayla Anderson, Cassie Zeiler, Luc Rieffel, Daniel I. Lee, Sabrina E. B. Schuck, Kimberley D. Lakes

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Introduction: Parents play a vital role in supporting self-regulation and managing behaviors in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, many face barriers to accessing consistent, evidence-based support. Mobile health (mHealth) technologies offer a promising way to deliver flexible, low-burden guidance for parents on best practices and strategies to support their children's self-regulation. However, designing them is non-trivial.

Objective: This paper introduces ParentCoach, a mobile application designed to support parents of children with ADHD through brief daily lessons, reflection prompts, and skill-building activities.

Methods: ParentCoach was developed in two phases: (1) secondary analysis of qualitative data from over 30 families …

Modeling Social Isolation: A Data-Driven Index Function Design And Implementation, Jeremis N. Morales Morales, Carmen Caiseda, Phyllis Muniu, Joshua Atsu, Folashade B. Agusto

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

“How Can Ai Data Centers In The U.S. Meet Projected Electricity Demands By 2030?, Aiden M. Matano

Sustainable Supply Chain Management

The rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is driving a sharp increase in U.S. electricity demand, with AI-driven data centers emerging as a central contributor through 2030. This paper asks how U.S. AI data centers can meet projected electricity needs while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions. Using a supply-chain and systems perspective, it analyzes the full energy chain of AI data centers: upstream electricity supply and grid deliverability, midstream facility design and grid interaction, and downstream operational practices, waste management, and disclosure. Drawing on recent projections from the International Energy Agency, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and U.S. federal guidance, the paper shows …

Design Considerations For Conversational Agents To Assess The Social-Emotional Well-Being Of Young Children In Low-Income South African Communities, Lucretia A. Williams, Elizabeth A. Ankrah, Catherine E. Draper, Caylee J. Cook, Franceli L. Cibrian, Jesus A. Beltran, Kimberley D. Lakes, Gillian R. Hayes

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

A variety of digital technologies have been used to support early childhood development (ECD) programs in low-income South African communities. Even though technology has provided opportunities to increase access to health interventions, the lack of trust and socio-economic constraints under which these tools would need to work pose complex challenges. We examine home visitors’ work processes, experiences, and preferences of a conversational agent to support their work of administering social-emotional well-being assessments to young children ages 0-5. Analysis of the results of focus groups with 51 home visitors indicates the need for designing conversational agents that support ECD in the …

Research On The Construction Of Domain Knowledge Graph For Assisted Decision Making And Its Scenario-Oriented Application, Hao Xu, Linlin Ge, Yan Zhang, Sanhong Deng

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance] This research constructed a domain knowledge graph and its scenario-oriented application framework for decision support at four levels: the data foundation layer, the key technology layer, the domain knowledge graph construction layer, and the scenario-oriented application layer. This framework aims to provide systematic support for knowledge discovery.

[Method/process] Based on the construction of a domain knowledge graph and its scenario-oriented application framework for decision support, this research focuses on the improvement of models and performance evaluation for fine-grained entity and relationship extraction at the discourse level within texts. The optimal model is selected to construct a domain knowledge graph. …

Generative Ai: Another Chapter Of Human-Machine Communication, Seungahn Nah, Patric R. Spence

Human-Machine Communication

This editorial introduces a special issue of Human-Machine Communication that explores how generative AI reshapes the communicative relationship between humans and machines. It highlights emerging research on technology use, education, interpersonal dynamics, and trust in AI-generated content, emphasizing that generative AI’s significance lies not in novelty but in the social negotiations it provokes around meaning, authority, and credibility.

Multi-Modal Depth Estimation Using Camera And Mmwave Sensors, Alston D. Devero-Belfon

Student Theses

For accurately estimating the depth of environments with varying lighting conditions, reliable methods are limited. By utilizing wireless sensor technology in conjunction with cameras, a wide range of environments can be visualized, and objects within these environments can be tracked and monitored. Such methods offer cost-effective alternatives and provide a more secure, data-at-rest option for individuals with low vision, while also enhancing machine perception. In this work, we develop such a prototype that utilizes wireless sensors and cameras, which act in sync, enabling us to estimate the depth of objects within varying lighting environments to a level that is recognizable …

Large Lithium-Ion Battery Model For Secure Shared E-Bike Battery In Smart Cities, Donghui Ding, Zhao Li, Linhao Luo, Ming Jin, Bin Zhu, Yichen Zhong, Junhao Hu, Peng Cai, Huiqi Hu

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Electric bikes powered by lithium-ion batteries are increasingly used in smart cities to promote sustainable mobility and efficient delivery services. However, limited battery range and slow plug-in charging remain key challenges. Shared electric bike battery systems, facilitated by battery swapping stations, offer a promising solution by enabling quick and efficient battery replacements. However, their success hinges on accurate anomaly detection, battery health estimation and remain range prediction. These tasks remain challenging due to data scarcity, battery diversity and environmental variability. Here we show that a large-scale lithium-ion battery model trained on over ten million battery time series data enables robust …

The Dynamics Of Word-Of-Mouth Marketing: An Agent-Based Modeling Approach To Message Credibility And Consumer Engagement, Ali Nasirzonouzi, Carlos Gershenson

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

Word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing is a critical factor in the dissemination of information and adoption of products in social networks. This paper investigates the impact of two important factors message credibility and consumer engagement on WOM adoption dynamics using agent-based modeling (ABM). This study proposes a simple qualitative model to investigate how these factors influence adoption rates through both broadcast communication and peer-to-peer influence by simulating interactions on a spatially clustered network.

The findings show that increased message credibility significantly boosts adoption, achieving a balance between broadcast and social mechanisms. Also, consumer engagement primarily affects the adoption mechanism, shifting the effect …

The Evolution Of Global Gold And Copper Trade Networks, Oleksandr Hulianskyi

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

Gold and copper have emerged as two of the most vital commodities in global trade. Despite serving distinct purposes, their international trade networks reveal interconnected patterns, critical to understanding the dynamics of global economics. This paper studies these attributes and their evolution during the last 36 years for both metals and finds correlations between them. The first part of the research is focused on the sustainability of networks through efficiency and robustness indexes; the second part is dedicated to interconnectedness – the Louvain and Bayesian SBM algorithms, partition, and modularity instruments are used. Community detection algorithms provide valuable insights into …

Exploring The Potential Of Large Language Models (Llms) To Simulate Social Group Dynamics: A Case Study Using The Board Game "Secret Hitler", Kaj Hansteen Izora, Christof Teuscher

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

This study explores the capacity of large language model-powered agents to simulate human-like behavior in multi-agent social systems. Using Secret Hitler — a hidden-role board game centered on trust, deception, and strategic communication — we evaluate how LLM agents navigate dynamic group interactions. Our findings show that agents exhibit human-like behaviors, including strategic temporal adaptation, contextual reasoning, and complex social cognition such as theory of mind and implicit coordination. Notably, 85% of agent decisions factored in at least two other players’ mental states, highlighting their capacity for multi-agent mental state inference. However, they struggled with key aspects of human gameplay, …

Who Owns The Wind: The Absence Of Community Wind Farms In California, Sky Berry-Weiss

Master's Projects and Capstones

Community ownership structures for wind farms have been around for decades, particularly in European countries, due to high socioeconomic benefits. Given these significant benefits, one might expect community wind to thrive in the United States—especially in a state like California, which prides itself on progressive climate policy and renewable energy leadership. Yet utility-scale community wind remains largely absent from research on California’s energy system, raising questions about its existence in the state. To pinpoint how many utility-scale community owned wind farms are in California, this study surveys every operational wind turbine in the state. After classifying each wind farm by …

Mfgat: Map-Free Trajectory Prediction With Graph Attention Networks For Autonomous Vehicles, Zehra Gunindi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Accurate trajectory prediction is a key component for ensuring safe and efficient navigation of autonomous vehicles in complex traffic scenarios. While traditional methods rely heavily on high-definition (HD) maps, these approaches face significant challenges, including high costs, limited availability, and susceptibility to rapid obsolescence. This thesis proposes an end-to-end, map-free trajectory prediction model that leverages Graph Attention Networks (GAT) to dynamically capture spatial-temporal interactions among road agents, eliminating the need for HD maps.The research introduces UNLVTraj, a novel LiDAR-based dataset collected around the University of Nevada, Las Vegas campus, specifically along Cottage Grove Street, Harmon Avenue, and Maryland Parkway. This …

Toward The Application Of Natural Language Processing In Electronic Health Record Analysis For Taxonomy Development, Latoya Mcdonald

All Dissertations

Electronic health records (EHRs) are pivotal resources for nurse practice because they increase the timeliness and reliability of patient information at the point of care and support access by multiple healthcare providers and the individual patients themselves. However, it is widely recognized that data extraction from EHRs is challenging due to the variability in the language used in clinical care notes and the lack of standardized terminology across healthcare systems. The broad objective of this dissertation is to develop taxonomy-based classification models for nursing care by applying feature engineering approaches to EHRs that include nursing care of ostomy patients following …

From Adversarial Attacks To Robust Classifiers - A Study In Social Media Spam Detection - Black Box & White Box, Jonathan Jose Penaloza Rumie

Undergraduate Theses

Adversarial attacks pose a significant threat to the reliability of machine learning-based spam detection systems in social media. This undergraduate thesis, "From Adversarial Attacks to Robust Classifiers: A Study in Social Media Spam Detection – Black Box & White Box," systematically examines the impact of both black-box and white-box adversarial attacks on a range of spam classifiers, including Logistic Regression, Decision Trees, Random Forests, K-Nearest Neighbors, Bagging, Gradient Boosting, and Support Vector Machines. Leveraging a novel dataset derived from Twitter spam messages and enhanced with adversarial perturbations such as synonym replacement and character-level modifications, this study evaluates classifier performance under …

On The Provenance Of Software Systems: Automating Software Traceability With Knowledge Graph And Large Language Model Synergy, Tyler Procko

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The present dissertation delineates a system that enables those engaged in software development to automatically generate and maintain project life cycle provenance. All projects are implemented and made manifest with the development of artifacts, e.g., papers, code files, etc. Tools exist to accelerate artifact creation, but little focus is paid to the processes that produce them. In terms of Ontology, or, from Ancient Greek, the study of being, the two most basic entities in reality are Continuant and Occurrent, or, roughly, “Artifact” and “Process”. This dissertation posits that for any created artifact, its process of creation, i.e., its life …

Role Of Eye-Tracking Technology And Software Algorithms In Enhancing Adhd Detection And Diagnosis: A Systematic Literature Review, Lauren E. Perkins

Honors College Theses

This systematic literature review explores the role of eye-tracking technology and software algorithms in enhancing the detection and diagnosis of ADHD. ADHD, a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting both children and adults, is traditionally diagnosed through behavioral assessments, which may lack objectivity. Recent studies suggest that eye-tracking, specifically focusing on saccades, fixations, and blink rates, offers the potential for more accurate and objective measures of ADHD. The review examines clinical trials, observational studies, and machine learning research to assess the correlation between ADHD and eye movement patterns. Results indicate that individuals with ADHD exhibit distinct eye movement patterns, which can be quantified …

Island Nation Duress: Simulating Passive Peer-To-Peer Bluetooth Communication During Disaster Relief, Jason K. Medeiros

Theses and Dissertations

Pacific Islands under U.S. jurisdiction are highly vulnerable to natural disasters, yet many lack the infrastructure to effectively respond and recover. Clear communication during and after such events is critical for evacuation, hazard awareness, and first responders’ coordination. This research explores a simulation-based approach using Bluetooth communication to relay messages across Guam, assessing its efficiency through statistical analysis. By examining regional differences and geographic impacts on Bluetooth messaging, the study aims to identify key factors that enhance peer-to-peer communication for timely and effective disaster response.

Advances Towards A Robotic Management Vehicle Suited To Nurse Row Crops To More Efficient Outcomes, Adam Mk Gronewold

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Enhancing agricultural production while reducing input costs remains a central challenge in modern row-crop management. Recent advances in computation, imagery, and sensors are enabling more efficient practices across various agricultural domains, and automation technologies are increasingly available to manage tasks central to perennial crop development. Automation in row-crop agriculture, by contrast, lags behind. This thesis explores utilizing small, unmanned ground vehicles to transform row cropping through the implementation of unconventional, in-season management strategies. The first focus of this work considers improvements to nitrogen fertilization using small, autonomous vehicles. An agronomy experiment in corn assessed the effects of gradually applying nitrogen …

Limitations In Speech Recognition For Young Adults With Down Syndrome, Franceli L. Cibrian, Yingying 'Yuki' Chen, Kayla Anderson, Cecilia Marie Abrahamsson, Vivian Genaro Motti

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Speech recognition has the potential to make technology more accessible to users. However, the accuracy of speech recognition remains limited for users with disabilities, including those with Down Syndrome, and the types and frequencies of recognition errors are poorly understood. This paper characterizes these problems, focusing on errors occurring when recognizing Down Syndrome speech. We analyze the transcripts from six speech recognition algorithms (Google, IBM, Otter.ai, Microsoft, AssemblyAI, OpenAI) using the audio content of 15 individuals with Down Syndrome (331 dialogues; 3428 words). Our analysis shows: (1) significant difference in speech recognition accuracy for people with Down Syndrome compared to …

Feasibility And Acceptability Of The Mazi Umntanakho Digital Tool In South African Settings: A Qualitative Evaluation, Catherine E. Draper, Caylee J. Cook, Elizabeth A. Ankrah, Jesus A. Beltran, Franceli L. Cibrian, Kimberley D. Lakes, Hanna Mofid, Lucretia Williams, Gillian R. Hayes

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

To address the need for interventions targeting social emotional development and mental health of young children in South Africa, the Mazi Umntanakho (‘know your child’) digital tool was co-designed, and piloted with caregivers and 3–5-year-old children involved in home visiting programmes promoting early childhood development. The aim of this study was to qualitatively evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of this tool in four urban and four rural low-income communities, from the perspective of home visitors and caregivers. Focus groups were conducted with home visitors (n = 117) and caregivers (n = 72). Issues relating to the feasibility of …

Dunbar’S Number In Motion: Agent-Based Simulations Of Friendship Formation, Christopher R. Cooke, Cameron D. Lutz

Northeast Journal of Complex Systems (NEJCS)

By contrasting Lévy flight and random walk strategies in simulated agents, we discern the effect of movement behavior on the total duration of social interactions. Our agent-based simulation results approximate empirically observed Dunbar social circle formation using simple behavioral rules of interaction and compatibility to mimic exogenous attribute-based friendship formation. We simulate the complexities of social interactions among agents with unique attributes and a time budget for social engagement over a one-year period. Two distinct simulations were conducted to evaluate the behavioral contributions of Lévy flight and random walk movement patterns on cumulative interaction duration and the formation of Dunbar …

Transplant Surgeon Fuzzy Associative Memory (Tsfam): Model For Capturing Surgeon Perspective, Rachel Dzieran, Cihan H. Dagli, Robert J. Marley

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

AI-driven healthcare decision-making is multi-faceted, requiring complex logic to adapt to evolving policies and societal demands. Effective change implementation by healthcare providers and multidisciplinary organ transplant teams depends on adaptive decision-making. The proposed Transplant Surgeon Fuzzy Associative Memory (TSFAM) model introduces a novel approach to Human-AI Teaming, keeping human expertise central while dynamically adjusting to changing requirements. TSFAM employs fuzzy logic to manage imperfect data and human ambiguity, integrating the transplant surgeon perspective with the AI deep learning decision-making tool, creating a resilient solution in this critical domain. By embedding adaptive capabilities into the architecture, TSFAM exemplifies the adaptability of …