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Quantifying Variation Across 16s Rrna Gene Sequencing Runs In Human Microbiome Studies, Andrew J. Hoisington, Christopher E. Stamper, Joseph C. Ellis, Christopher A. Lowry, Lisa A. Brenner Jun 2024

Quantifying Variation Across 16s Rrna Gene Sequencing Runs In Human Microbiome Studies, Andrew J. Hoisington, Christopher E. Stamper, Joseph C. Ellis, Christopher A. Lowry, Lisa A. Brenner

Faculty Publications

Recent microbiome research has incorporated a higher number of samples through more participants in a study, longitudinal studies, and metanalysis between studies. Physical limitations in a sequencing machine can result in samples spread across sequencing runs. Here we present the results of sequencing nearly 1000 16S rRNA gene sequences in fecal (stabilized and swab) and oral (swab) samples from multiple human microbiome studies and positive controls that were conducted with identical standard operating procedures. Sequencing was performed in the same center across 18 different runs. The simplified mock community showed limitations in accuracy, while precision (e.g., technical variation) was robust …


Prediction Of Persistent Post-Traumatic Headache With Long Short-Term Memory Networks, Todd C. Campo Mar 2023

Prediction Of Persistent Post-Traumatic Headache With Long Short-Term Memory Networks, Todd C. Campo

Theses and Dissertations

Military members in combat situations are at a high risk for experiencing a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), often leaving them with Post-Traumatic Headache (PTH). There is currently a poor understanding of what factors predict if a patient will endure acute (short-term) PTH or Persistent PTH (PPTH). The Concussion Assessment, Research, and Education (CARE) Consortium dataset contains a variety of pre-and-post-injury concussion assessments taken by NCAA athletes and service academy cadets between 2014 and 2018. Participants in this study (n = 1769) suffered a TBI. Using this longitudinal data, three models were constructed: an LSTM model using the raw assessment scores, …


Biomechanical And Psychological Predictors Of Failure In The Air Force Physical Fitness Test, Jeffrey Turner, Brent T. Langhals, Torrey J. Wagner Apr 2022

Biomechanical And Psychological Predictors Of Failure In The Air Force Physical Fitness Test, Jeffrey Turner, Brent T. Langhals, Torrey J. Wagner

Faculty Publications

Physical fitness is a pillar of U.S. Air Force (USAF) readiness and ensures that Airmen can fulfill their assigned mission and be fit to deploy in any environment. The USAF assesses the fitness of service members on a periodic basis, and discharge can result from failed assessments. In this study, a 21-feature dataset was analyzed related to 223 active-duty Airmen who participated in a comprehensive mental and social health survey, body composition assessment, and physical performance battery. Graphical analysis revealed pass/fail trends related to body composition and obesity. Logistic regression and limited-capacity neural network algorithms were then applied to predict …


3-D Fabry–Pérot Cavities Sculpted On Fiber Tips Using A Multiphoton Polymerization Process, Jonathan W. Smith, Jeremiah C. Williams, Joseph S. Suelzer, Nicholas G. Usechak, Hengky Chandrahalim Dec 2020

3-D Fabry–Pérot Cavities Sculpted On Fiber Tips Using A Multiphoton Polymerization Process, Jonathan W. Smith, Jeremiah C. Williams, Joseph S. Suelzer, Nicholas G. Usechak, Hengky Chandrahalim

Faculty Publications

This paper presents 3-D Fabry–Pérot (FP) cavities fabricated directly onto cleaved ends of low-loss optical fibers by a two-photon polymerization (2PP) process. This fabrication technique is quick, simple, and inexpensive compared to planar microfabrication processes, which enables rapid prototyping and the ability to adapt to new requirements. These devices also utilize true 3-D design freedom, facilitating the realization of microscale optical elements with challenging geometries. Three different device types were fabricated and evaluated: an unreleased single-cavity device, a released dual-cavity device, and a released hemispherical mirror dual-cavity device. Each iteration improved the quality of the FP cavity's reflection spectrum. The …


Analysis Of The Effect Of Corrosion On The Surface Chemistry Of Mild Steel Exposed To Biofuel, Timothy D. Plourde Mar 2019

Analysis Of The Effect Of Corrosion On The Surface Chemistry Of Mild Steel Exposed To Biofuel, Timothy D. Plourde

Theses and Dissertations

The use of biofuels in society is steadily becoming more prevalent. Through this proliferation a concern regarding the role of the fungus Byssochlamys nivea in microbially induced corrosion has surfaced. Through the use of X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) technology, this thesis focused on attempting to determine what effect, if any, Byssochlamys nivea has on the corrosion of mild steel. For this analysis, samples were placed in environments that simulated the conditions of fuel tanks containing the biofuel B20, water, and spores of Byssochlamys nivea for varying lengths of time. However, due to a variety of …


Monolithic Optofluidic Ring Resonator Lasers Created By Femtosecond Laser Nanofabrication, Hengky Chandrahalim, Qiushu Chen, Ali A. Said, Mark Dugan, Xudong Fan Jan 2015

Monolithic Optofluidic Ring Resonator Lasers Created By Femtosecond Laser Nanofabrication, Hengky Chandrahalim, Qiushu Chen, Ali A. Said, Mark Dugan, Xudong Fan

Faculty Publications

We designed, fabricated, and characterized a monolithically integrated optofluidic ring resonator laser that is mechanically, thermally, and chemically robust. The entire device, including the ring resonator channel and sample delivery microfluidics, was created in a block of fused-silica glass using a 3-dimensional femtosecond laser writing process. The gain medium, composed of Rhodamine 6G (R6G) dissolved in quinoline, was flowed through the ring resonator. Lasing was achieved at a pump threshold of approximately 15 μJ/mm2. Detailed analysis shows that the Q-factor of the optofluidic ring resonator is 3.3 × 104, which is limited by both solvent …


Aerodynamic Performance And Particle Image Velocimetery Of Piezo Actuated Biomimetic Manduca Sexta Engineered Wings Towards The Design And Application Of A Flapping Wing Flight Vehicle, Anthony M. Deluca Dec 2013

Aerodynamic Performance And Particle Image Velocimetery Of Piezo Actuated Biomimetic Manduca Sexta Engineered Wings Towards The Design And Application Of A Flapping Wing Flight Vehicle, Anthony M. Deluca

Theses and Dissertations

Considerable research and investigation has been conducted on the aerodynamic performance, and the predominate flow physics of the Manduca sexta size of biomimetically designed and fabricated wings as part of the AFIT FWMAV design project. Despite a burgeoning interest and research into the diverse field of flapping wing flight and biomimicry, the aerodynamics of flapping wing flight remains a nebulous field of science with considerable variance into the theoretical abstractions surrounding aerodynamic mechanisms responsible for aerial performance. Traditional FWMAV flight models assume a form of a quasi-steady approximation of wing aerodynamics based on an infinite wing element model (BEM). An …


Computer Based Behavioral Biometric Authentication Via Multi-Modal Fusion, Kyle O. Bailey Mar 2013

Computer Based Behavioral Biometric Authentication Via Multi-Modal Fusion, Kyle O. Bailey

Theses and Dissertations

Biometric computer authentication has an advantage over password and access card authentication in that it is based on something you are, which is not easily copied or stolen. One way of performing biometric computer authentication is to use behavioral tendencies associated with how a user interacts with the computer. However, behavioral biometric authentication accuracy rates are much larger then more traditional authentication methods. This thesis presents a behavioral biometric system that fuses user data from keyboard, mouse, and Graphical User Interface (GUI) interactions. Combining the modalities results in a more accurate authentication decision based on a broader view of the …


Development Of A Novel Noise Delivery System For Jp-8 Ototoxicity Studies, John E. Stubbs Mar 2010

Development Of A Novel Noise Delivery System For Jp-8 Ototoxicity Studies, John E. Stubbs

Theses and Dissertations

Numerous chemicals with ototoxic properties may cause hearing loss directly, potentiate noise-induced hearing loss, or produce additive effects. Of interest to the US Air Force are studies showing ototoxic effects of JP-8 jet fuel and its hydrocarbon constituents. The Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, in conjunction with the USAF, is studying the ototoxic effects of JP-8 in rats. The study requires a white noise source that is one octave band wide, centered at 8 kHz frequency, delivered from outside of exposure chambers. Sound pressure levels must be within ± 2 dB at all exposure points within …


Biological Cell Identification By Integrating Micro-Fluidics, Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy And Stochastic Estimation, Karl R. Schwenn Mar 2007

Biological Cell Identification By Integrating Micro-Fluidics, Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy And Stochastic Estimation, Karl R. Schwenn

Theses and Dissertations

The integration of micro-fluidics, electrical impedance spectroscopy and stochastic estimation will lead to a device with enhanced detection capabilities. The goal of this thesis was to build a micro-fluidic electrical impedance measurement device that can be used in combination with a stochastic estimator to accurately identify living cells. A microdevice capable of making impedance measurements on individual living cells was designed and built using a series of standard microelectronic fabrication techniques. A microchannel was patterned in SU-8 photoresist between two gold microelectrodes on a two inch Pyrex 7740 wafer. The design process, the fabrication techniques for the microchannel, the fluid …


Biological System Impedance Identification Using Stochastic Estimation And Control, Enrique Mendezaceves Mar 2006

Biological System Impedance Identification Using Stochastic Estimation And Control, Enrique Mendezaceves

Theses and Dissertations

In an effort to find a less invasive way of testing for different cell abnormalities and finding more practical tests for different cellular mutations, this project makes use of a well-known technique called cellular impedance spectroscopy coupled with stochastic estimation. Impedance spectroscopy, the measurement of the complex resistance of a biological body, is not a new technology; it has been around for many years and has been used to make electrical representations of different biological systems. The problem with this procedure is that models cannot be used for system identification. Stochastic estimation can complement a model produced by analyzing the …


Quantitative Object Reconstruction Using Abel Transform Tomography And Mixed Variable Optimization, Kevin R. O'Reilly Mar 2006

Quantitative Object Reconstruction Using Abel Transform Tomography And Mixed Variable Optimization, Kevin R. O'Reilly

Theses and Dissertations

Researchers at the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) are interested in quantitatively reconstructing an object using Abel transform x-ray tomography. Specifically, they obtain a radiograph by x-raying an object and attempt to quantitatively determine the number and types of materials and the thicknesses of each material layer. Their current methodologies either fail to provide a quantitative description of the object or are generally too slow to be useful in practice. As an alternative, the problem is modeled here as a mixed variable programming (MVP) problem, in which some variables are nonnumeric and for which no derivative information is available. The …


Using Kriging To Interpolate Spatially Distributed Volumetric Medical Data, Stephen M. Matechik Dec 1996

Using Kriging To Interpolate Spatially Distributed Volumetric Medical Data, Stephen M. Matechik

Theses and Dissertations

Routine cases in diagnostic radiology require the interpolation of volumetric medical imaging data sets. Inaccurate renditions of interpolated volumes can lead to the misdiagnosis of a patient's condition. It is therefore essential that interpolated modality space estimates accurately portray patient space. Kriging is investigated in this research to interpolate medical imaging volumes. Kriging requires data to be spatially distributed. Therefore, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data is shown to exhibit spatially regionalized characteristics such that it can be modeled using regionalized variables and subsequently be interpolated using kriging. A comprehensive, automated, three-dimensional structural analysis of the MRI data is accomplished to …


Clustered Microcalcification Detection Using Optimized Difference Of Gaussians, Edward M. Ochoa Dec 1996

Clustered Microcalcification Detection Using Optimized Difference Of Gaussians, Edward M. Ochoa

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis is to design an automated microcalcification detection system to be used as an aid in radiologic mammogram interpretation. This research proposes the following methodology for clustered microcalcification detection. First, preprocess the digitized film mammogram to reduce digitization noise. Second, spatially filter the image with a difference of Gaussians (DoG) kernel. To detect potential microcalcifications, segment the filtered image using global and local thresholding. Next, cluster and index these detections into regions of interest (ROIs). Identify ROIs on the digitized image (or hardcopy printout) for final radiologic diagnosis.


Pulse Coupled Neural Networks For The Segmentation Of Magnetic Resonance Brain Images, Shane L. Abrahamson Dec 1996

Pulse Coupled Neural Networks For The Segmentation Of Magnetic Resonance Brain Images, Shane L. Abrahamson

Theses and Dissertations

This research develops an automated method for segmenting Magnetic Resonance (MR) brain images based on Pulse Coupled Neural Networks (PCNN). MR brain image segmentation has proven difficult, primarily due to scanning artifacts such as interscan and intrascan intensity inhomogeneities. The method developed and presented here uses a PCNN to both filter and segment MR brain images. The technique begins by preprocessing images with a PCNN filter to reduce scanning artifacts. Images are then contrast enhanced via histogram equalization. Finally, a PCNN is used to segment the images to arrive at the final result. Modifications to the original PCNN model are …


Evaluation Of Segmentation For Bone Structures In 3d Rendering Of Ultrasound Residual Limb Images, Min C. Baker Dec 1996

Evaluation Of Segmentation For Bone Structures In 3d Rendering Of Ultrasound Residual Limb Images, Min C. Baker

Theses and Dissertations

Prosthetists today widely practice manual socket fitting, which produces subjective, inconsistent results. To address this problem, the Computerized Anthropometry Research and Design (CARD) Laboratory is developing a computer-aided socket design system that acquires ultrasound datasets of an amputee's residual limb, creates a 3D model, and helps identify load- bearing and pressure-relief areas. This research project focuses on providing 3D visualization of a residual limb to support the CARD Laboratory's efforts. Creating the 3D model of the skin and two bone contours requires two major steps: segmentation to identify the objects of interest and a surface tracking algorithm to generate the …


Computer Aided Detection Of Microcalcifications Utilizing Texture Analysis, Ronald C. Dauk Dec 1995

Computer Aided Detection Of Microcalcifications Utilizing Texture Analysis, Ronald C. Dauk

Theses and Dissertations

A comparative study of texture measures for the classification of breast tissue is presented. The texture features investigated include Angular Second Moments, Power Spectrum Analysis and a novel feature, Laws Energy Ratios. The texture study was accomplished as part of the development of a Model Based Vision (MBV) system for the automatic detection of microcalcifications. An overview of the Microcalcification Detection System is presented, which applies image differencing techniques, feature selection methods, and neural networks for locating microcalcification clusters in mammograms. The Power Spectrum Analysis feature set had the best overall performance with an 83% Probability of Detection and an …


Three Dimensional Localization Of Lesions From Digitized Mammograms, Amy L. Magnus Dec 1995

Three Dimensional Localization Of Lesions From Digitized Mammograms, Amy L. Magnus

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis describes new algorithms to localize regions-of-interests (ROIs) three dimensionally from a pair of digitized mammograms. This work is intended to add a layer of sophistication to computer aided diagnosis by putting to use the fixed and measurable parameters of mammographic imaging. The fixed parameters are the source to film orientation and the podium-image distance. Measurable parameters are the rotation angle of the x-ray tube from the horizontal and the compression depth (the distance from compression paddle to contact podium distance) at the time of imaging. As an additional benefit, three dimensional localization algorithms alleviate the confusion radiologists may …


Detection Of Clustered Microcalcifications Using Wavelets, Donald A. Mccandless Dec 1995

Detection Of Clustered Microcalcifications Using Wavelets, Donald A. Mccandless

Theses and Dissertations

An automated method for detecting microcalcification clusters is presented. The algorithm begins with a digitized mammogram and outputs the center coordinates of regions of interest (ROIs) that contain microcalcification clusters. The method presented uses a 12-tap Least Asymmetric Daubechies (LAD12) wavelet in a tree structured filter bank to increase the signal to noise level of microcalcifications. The signal to noise level gain achieved by the filtering allows subsequent thresholding to eliminate on average 90% of the image from further consideration without eliminating actual microcalcifications 95% of the time. A novel approach to isolating individual calcifications from background tissue through non-stationary …


Computer-Aided Diagnosis Of Mammographic Masses, William E. Polakowski Dec 1995

Computer-Aided Diagnosis Of Mammographic Masses, William E. Polakowski

Theses and Dissertations

A new Model-Based Vision algorithm was developed to find possibly cancerous regions of interest (ROIs) in digitized mammograms and to correctly identify the malignant masses. This work has shown a sensitivity of 92 percent for locating malignant ROIs. The database contained 272 images (12 bit, 1OO microns) with 36 malignant and 53 benign mass images. Of the 53 biopsied benign cases, 74 percent were correctly classified. The Focus of Attention (segmentation) Module algorithm used a physiologically motivated Difference of Gaussians (DoG) filter to highlight mass-like regions in the mammogram. The Index Module labeled the regions by their hypothesized class: large …


Electroencephalography: Subdural Multi-Electrode Brain Chip, John E. Rosenstengel Dec 1995

Electroencephalography: Subdural Multi-Electrode Brain Chip, John E. Rosenstengel

Theses and Dissertations

In October 1995, a CMOS brain chip consisting of two 8 x 17 multiplexed sub-arrays designed to measure electrical potentials at the cortical column level, was implanted on the somatosensory cortex of a laboratory rhesus monkey. Electroencephalograph (EEG) and averaged evoked response (AEG) data were taken over a period of 40 minutes. The brain chip was replaced with an identical chip, and data were again taken for 40 minutes. In both instances AEG signals of approximately 150 µVpp were recorded. Additionally, the first implanted chip recorded three phases of data: (1) AEG; (2) large clock noise (during a period …


Development Of A Mammographic Image Processing Environment Using Matlab, John L. Kelley Dec 1994

Development Of A Mammographic Image Processing Environment Using Matlab, John L. Kelley

Theses and Dissertations

Breast cancer is a disease that accounts for a disturbingly large number of deaths in females each year. Its prevalence is a topic of concern to all of us since it can affect our families, friends, and coworkers. Although mammographic screening is the most effective method currently available for the early detection of breast cancer, it is far from being an infallible procedure. Mammographic reading is error prone, partly because of the complexity of the task and partly because of the variability in human performance. Computers offer high reproducibility, and when used as an adjunct by the radiologist, may improve …


Experimental Definition For Implantation Of The Afit Cortical Multielectrode Array, Adam G. Spenik Dec 1994

Experimental Definition For Implantation Of The Afit Cortical Multielectrode Array, Adam G. Spenik

Theses and Dissertations

A two-dimensional multiplexed array of 256 electrodes (16 x 16) has been fabricated using conventional CMOS fabrication techniques. The size and spacing of the electrodes (160 x 160 µm squares with center-to-center spacing of 250 µm) approximate that of the cortical columns. The device is mounted on a small biocompatible package and a protocol to implant this package on the visual cortex of a ferret and a Rhesus monkey was developed and approved. An instrumentation setup to record the data from the device is described as well as the methods used to demultiplex the data. Testing of the device in …


Characterization And Redesign Of The Afit Multielectrode Array, Richard G. Darenberg Jr. Dec 1994

Characterization And Redesign Of The Afit Multielectrode Array, Richard G. Darenberg Jr.

Theses and Dissertations

Since 1978, faculty and graduate students from the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) have been working on an implantable circuit array that can record visual signals from the brain or stimulate the brain. In the current design the circuit is a 16 x 16 array of pads, each pad being 160 x 160 micrometers with 250 micrometers spacing with an 'L' shaped reference pad used as a ground reference. The array is multiplexed so that only one I-O line is required to access all 256 pads. This research was twofold: first to analyze the existing circuit and identify sources …


Computer-Aided Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Catherine M. Kocur Dec 1994

Computer-Aided Breast Cancer Diagnosis, Catherine M. Kocur

Theses and Dissertations

This research advances computer-aided breast cancer diagnosis. More than 50 million women over the age of 40 are currently at risk from this disease in the United States. Computer-aided diagnosis is offered as a second opinion to radiologists to aid in decreasing the number of false readings of mammograms. This automated tool is designed to enhance detection and classification. New feature extraction methods are presented that provide increased classification power. Angular second moment, a second-order gray-level histogram statistic, provides baseline accuracy. Two novel extraction methods, eigenmass and wavelets, are introduced to the field. Based on the Karhunen-Loeve Transform, eigenmass features …


The Prediction Of Pilot Opinion Ratings Using Optimal And Sub-Optimal Pilot Models, Craig R. Edkins Mar 1994

The Prediction Of Pilot Opinion Ratings Using Optimal And Sub-Optimal Pilot Models, Craig R. Edkins

Theses and Dissertations

This study details the development of a sub-optimal pilot model that blended the classical and optimal pilot model approaches in an attempt to achieve the advantages of each. This model used a numerical solution to the linear quadratic Gaussian problem to find the pilot gain, lead, and lag values that minimized a performance index consisting of task error and control usage. This development was conducted in four phases. First, an optimal pilot model developed by Systems Technology, Incorporated, was analyzed in detail. This analysis included a step-by-step example problem to clarify the model's logic and an in-depth sensitivity analysis of …


The Afit Multielectrode Array For Neural Recording And Simulation: Design, Testing, And Encapsulation, James R. Reid Jr Dec 1993

The Afit Multielectrode Array For Neural Recording And Simulation: Design, Testing, And Encapsulation, James R. Reid Jr

Theses and Dissertations

A two-dimensional, X-Y addressable, multiplexed array of 256 electrodes (16 x 16) has been fabricated using conventional semiconductor processing techniques. The individual electrodes are 16O microns x 160 microns, approximating the size of the cortical columns; the overall array size is 3910 microns x 3910 microns. The array has been fitted to a chronically implantable package and tested for several days in a simulated neural environment. EEG-like data were collected successfully from individual electrodes in the array. This array improves on a previous design of a 16 electrode (4 x 4) array that was chronically implanted on the cortex of …


Creation Of Prototype Aircrew Protection Equipment Based On Face Anthropometry, Martin E. Piccus, Gary A. Smith, Brian K. Standley, Tami L. Volk, Linda B. Wildes Dec 1993

Creation Of Prototype Aircrew Protection Equipment Based On Face Anthropometry, Martin E. Piccus, Gary A. Smith, Brian K. Standley, Tami L. Volk, Linda B. Wildes

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research is to develop a process which will analyze and group human faces, concentrating on the oxygen mask seal area, into a minimum number of generic yet distinct face types. The shape and size, or form, of the face is described by bending energies. This bending energy provides the features for the grouping of similar face types, while distinguishing representatives for each cluster. The face tariffs are the percentage of faces grouped under a representative face. The representative faces are then transformed Into three-dimensional solids using computer-aided design. A rapid prototype creates the solids or plugs …


Retinal Modeling: Segmenting Motion From Spatio-Temporal Inputs Using Neural Networks, David E. Swanson Dec 1992

Retinal Modeling: Segmenting Motion From Spatio-Temporal Inputs Using Neural Networks, David E. Swanson

Theses and Dissertations

We applied two first-order, linear, time-varying, differential equations to the task of segmenting motion from sequences of images. The equations are modified Grossberg formulas for long-term and short-term memory models characterizing the neurotransmitter and cell-activity levels of a synapse and neuron. We described how a two layered, sensory, neural network can be built using the equations to simulate the amacrine neurons of the retina. The model is defined using adaptive input nodes (adaptive model) and is compared to a similar model without these nodes (O and G model). By replicating the basic amacrine neuron model to form both one- and …


Enhancement Of Audio Localization Cue Synthesis By Adding Environmental And Visual Cues, Eric L. Scarborough Dec 1992

Enhancement Of Audio Localization Cue Synthesis By Adding Environmental And Visual Cues, Eric L. Scarborough

Theses and Dissertations

An audio localization cue synthesizer, the DIRectional Audio Display (DIRAD) was used to simulate auditory distance, room reflections, and to provide spatial audio for computer graphics images. The DIRAD processes input audio signals to generate spatially located sounds for headphone listening. The DIRAD can position audio sources around the head and these sounds are stable with respect to the listener's head position. An interactive, real-time simulation of auditory distance and room reflections was accomplished using the DIRAD in combination with a Silicon Graphics audio processor board installed in a Personal Iris 4D/35. Several demonstrations of auditory distance and the effects …