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Geometry, Electronic Properties, And Thermodynamics Of Pure And Al-Doped Li Clusters, Mal-Soon Lee, Gowtham S, Haiying He, Kah Chun Lau, Lin Pan, D G. Kanhere

Data Science Publications

The first-principles density functional molecular dynamics simulations have been carried out to investigate the geometric, the electronic, and the finite temperature properties of pure Li clusters (Li₁₀, Li₁₂) and Al-doped Li clusters (Li₁₀Al, Li₁₀Al₂). We find that the addition of two Al impurities in Li₁₀ results in a substantial structural change, while the addition of one Al impurity causes a rearrangement of atoms. Introduction of Al impurities in Li₁₀ establishes a polar bond between Li and nearby Al atom(s), leading to a multicentered bonding, which weakens the Li-Li …

Atmospheric Chemistry Of A 33–34 Hour Old Volcanic Cloud From Hekla Volcano (Iceland): Insights From Direct Sampling And The Application Of Chemical Box Modeling, William I. Rose, Genevieve A. Millard, Tamsin A. Mather, Donald E. Hunton, Bruce Anderson, Clive Oppenheimer, Brett F. Thornton, Terrence M. Gerlach, Albert A. Viggiano, Yutaka Kondo, Thomas M. Miller, John O. Ballenthin

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

On 28 February 2000, a volcanic cloud from Hekla volcano, Iceland, was serendipitously sampled by a DC-8 research aircraft during the SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE I). It was encountered at night at 10.4 km above sea level (in the lower stratosphere) and 33–34 hours after emission. The cloud is readily identified by abundant SO2 (≤1 ppmv), HCl (≤70 ppbv), HF (≤60 ppbv), and particles (which may have included fine silicate ash). We compare observed and modeled cloud compositions to understand its chemical evolution. Abundances of sulfur and halogen species indicate some oxidation of sulfur gases but …

Halogen Emissions From A Small Volcanic Eruption: Modeling The Peak Concentrations, Dispersion, And Volcanically Induced Ozone Loss In The Stratosphere, G. A. Millard, T. A. Mather, D. M. Pyle, William I. Rose, B. Thornton

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

Aircraft measurements in the Hekla, Iceland volcanic plume in February 2000 revealed large quantities of hydrogen halides within the stratosphere correlated to volcanic SO2. Investigation of the longer-term stratospheric impact of these emissions, using the 3D chemical transport model, SLIMCAT suggests that volcanic enhancements of H2O and HNO3 increased HNO3·3H2O particle availability within the plume. These particles activated volcanic HCl and HBr, enhancing model plume concentrations of ClOx (20 ppb) and BrOx (50 ppt). Model O3 concentrations decreased to near-zero in places, and plume average O3 remained 30% lower after two weeks. Reductions in the model O3column reduced UV shielding …

Fall 2006 Che Newsletter, Department Of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Chemical Engineering Newsletters

Table of Contents

• CPM awarded First Place in Competition
• Letter from the Chair
• Sandell Recipient of Distinguished Teaching Award
• New Inductees for Chemical Engineering Distinguished Academy Honored
• New Presidential Council of Alumnae Member
• Alumni Notes
• Industrial Advisory Board
• Nam Him Retires
• Building Renovations completed
• Focus on Research

Thruster Apparatus And Method, Lyon Brad King

Michigan Tech Patents

A thruster for use with an external power supply. The thruster includes a propellant that exists in a non-gaseous state at standard temperature and pressure and has a melting point T_m, a boiling point T_b, and an evaporation rate. The thruster further includes a reservoir adapted to house the propellant and selectively heated to a temperature greater than T_m and less than T_b, and a power control mechanism positioned to control the amount of power from the external power supply being deposited into the reservoir to control the evaporation rate of the propellant.

Application Of Aspen Mads-Box Genes To Alter Reproduction And Development In Trees, Gopi Krishna Podila, Leland James Cseke, Banalata Sen, David F. Karnosky

Michigan Tech Patents

The present invention provides compositions and methods for producing a transgenic plant that exhibits altered characteristics resulting from over expression or under expression of a novel polypeptide PtM3 or its homolog PtM4. The altered characteristics resulting from over-expression include at least one of the ability to convert axillary mer- istem to floral meristem; to accelerate flowering i.e., early flowering; to increase fruit production; to increase nut production; to increase seed output; to increase branching; to increase flower production; to increase fruit yield; to increase flower yield and a combination thereof. The altered characteristics resulting from suppressed expression include at least …

Theoretical Study Of Electron Transport In Boron Nanotubes, Kah Chun Lau, Ravindra Pandey, Ranjit Pati

Department of Physics Publications

The electron transport in single-walled boron nanotube (BNT) is studied using the Landauer-Büttiker [R. Landauer, J. Phys.: Condens: Matter 1, 8099 (1989); M. Büttiker, Phys. Rev. Lett. 57, 1761 (1986)] multichannel approach in conjunction with the tight-binding method. In the range of the calculated length (1-5.0 nm) of the tubes, the calculations predict a ballistic transport in BNT and find a relatively low resistance for BNTs as compared to that of the single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) of comparable length. A lower resistance in the case of BNT than the CNT may be attributed to electron-deficient nature of boron …

Cellulose Synthase Encoding Polynucleotides And Uses Thereof, Vincent L. Chiang, Chandrashekhar P. Joshi, Luguang Wu, Daniel T. Carraway

Michigan Tech Patents

The invention relates to isolated polynucleotides encoding functional cellulose synthases and UDP-glucose binding domain thereof, transgenic plants and plant cells transformed with the polynucleotides. The invention further relates to methods of transforming plants and plant cells with cellulose synthase or UDP-encoding polynucleotides.

System For And Method Of Performing Evaluation Techniques On A Log Or Round Timber, Xiping Wang, Robert J. Ross, James A. Mattson, John Erickson, John W. Forsman, Earl A. Geske, Michael A. Wehr

Michigan Tech Patents

A system for and method of evaluating a log. The system includes an analysis module having at least one input terminal connectable to the at least one input device. The at least one input terminal is operable to receive at least one signal representing at least one measured property of the log and at least one determined parameter of the log determined in response to an energy being applied to the log. The analysis module further includes a processor coupled to the at least one input terminal. The processor determines a predictive modulus of elasticity (MOE) of the log based …

Spin-Polarized Electron Transport Of A Self-Assembled Organic Monolayer On A Ni(111) Substrate: An Organic Spin Switch, Haiying Liu, Ravindra Pandey, Ranjit Pati, Shashi P. Karna

Department of Physics Publications

Using density functional theory and the Bardeen, Tersoff, and Hamann formalism we have calculated spin-polarized electron transport in a system involving a nonbonded magnetic probe tip and a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of benzene-1,4-dithiol on a Ni(111) substrate. A significantly higher tunneling current is obtained for a configuration in which the spin of the probe tip is aligned parallel to that of the substrate than for a configuration with antiparallel alignment—an effect prerequisite for an organic spin switch.

Ecological Studies Of Wolves On Isle Royale, 2005-2006, John A. Vucetich, Rolf O. Peterson

Ecological Studies of Wolves on Isle Royale

Annual Report 2005-2006

Transponder-Based Microwave Telemetry Apparatus, Richard Lynn Campbell, Douglas Bruce Brumm, Glen Barna, Carl Anderson

Michigan Tech Patents

A transponder-based microwave telemetry apparatus for moving machinery includes a microwave transmitter disposed outside the moving machinery to fill a chamber of the moving machinery with microwave energy. The transponder-based microwave telemetry apparatus also includes a transponder disposed inside the moving machinery for measuring a sensed condition of a part of the moving machinery and providing a modulated microwave signal that contains information on the sensed condition. The transponder-based microwave telemetry apparatus further includes a receiver disposed outside the moving machinery to separate modulated and continuous-wave signal components of the signal and extracts information from the modulated component.

Cover Of Bryophyte Ecology, Janice M. Glime

Bryophyte Ecology Subchapters

No abstract provided.

Bryophyte Ecology: About The Book, Janice M. Glime

Bryophyte Ecology Subchapters

No abstract provided.

Me-Em 2006 Annual Report, Department Of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Annual Reports

Table of Contents

• Overview, Mission, and Vision
• Comments on the Strategic Plan
• Enrollment, Degrees, and Expenditure Data
• External Advisory Board
• Faculty and Staff
• Students
• Alumni
• Resources
• Graduates
• Publications

Kinetic Characterization For Pretreatment Of Timber Varieties And Switchgrass Using Diluted Acid Hydrolysis, Shu Chiang Yat

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

In recent years, growing attention has been devoted to the use of lignocellulosic biomass as a feedstock to produce renewable carbohydrates as a source of energy products, including liquid alternatives to fossil fuels. The benefits of developing woody biomass to ethanol technology are to increase the long-term national energy security, reduce fossil energy consumption, lower greenhouse gas emissions, use renewable rather than depletable resources, and create local jobs. Currently, research is driven by the need to reduce the cost of biomass-ethanol production. One of the preferred methods is to thermochemically pretreat the biomass material and subsequently, enzymatically hydrolyze the pretreated …

Enzyme Engineering Of Aminotransferases For Improved Activity And Thermostability, Abraham Rogelio Mártin García

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The production by biosynthesis of optically active amino acids and amines satisfies the pharmaceutical industry in its demand for chiral building blocks for the synthesis of various pharmaceuticals. Among several enzymatic methods that allow the synthesis of optically active aminoacids and amines, the use of minotransferase is a promising one due to its broad substrate specificity and no requirement for external cofactor regeneration. The synthesis of chiral compounds by aminotransferases can be done either by asymmetric synthesis starting from keto acids or ketones, and by kinetic resolution starting from racemic aminoacids or amines.

The asymmetric synthesis of substituted (S)-aminotetralin, an …

Development And Modeling Of Thermally Conductive Resins For Fuel Cell Bipolar Plate Applications, Michael G. Miller

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Thermally conductive resins are a class of material that show promise in many different applications. One growing field for their use is in the area of bipolar plate technology for fuel cell applications. In this work, a LCP was mixed with different types of carbon fillers to determine the effects of the individual carbon fillers on the thermal conductivity of the composite resin. In addition, mathematical modeling was performed on the thermal conductivity data with the goal of developing predictive models for the thermal conductivity of highly filled composite resins.

Shear Band Evolution In Zr/Hf-Based Bulk Metallic Glasses Under Static And Dynamic Indentations, Hongwen Zhang

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) exhibit superior mechanical properties as compared with other conventional materials and have been proposed for numerous engineering and technological applications. Zr/Hf-based BMGs or tungsten reinforced BMG composites are considered as a potential replacement for depleted uranium armor-piercing projectiles because of their ability to form localized shear bands during impact, which has been known to be the dominant plastic deformation mechanism in BMGs. However, in conventional tensile, compressive and bending tests, limited ductility has been observed because of fracture initiation immediately following the shear band formation. To fully investigate shear band characteristics, indentation tests that can confine …

Time-Domain Models For Power System Stability And Unbalance, Ramanathan Arunachalam

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

It is an important and difficult challenge to protect modern interconnected power system from blackouts. Applying advanced power system protection techniques and increasing power system stability are ways to improve the reliability and security of power systems. Phasor-domain software packages such as Power System Simulator for Engineers (PSS/E) can be used to study large power systems but cannot be used for transient analysis. In order to observe both power system stability and transient behavior of the system during disturbances, modeling has to be done in the time-domain. This work focuses on modeling of power systems and various control systems in …

Study Of And Design Procedure For Dual Circularly Polarized Waveguide Slot Arrays, Lee M. Paulsen

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

For the past sixty years, waveguide slot radiator arrays have played a critical role in microwave radar and communication systems. They feature a well-characterized antenna element capable of direct integration into a low-loss feed structure with highly developed and inexpensive manufacturing processes. Waveguide slot radiators comprise some of the highest performance—in terms of side-lobe-level, efficiency, etc. — antenna arrays ever constructed.

A wealth of information is available in the open literature regarding design procedures for linearly polarized waveguide slots. By contrast, despite their presence in some of the earliest published reports, little has been presented to date on array designs …

Reducing Main Memory Access Latency Through Sdram Address Mapping Techniques And Access Reordering Mechanisms, Jun Shao

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

As the performance gap between microprocessors and memory continues to increase, main memory accesses result in long latencies which become a factor limiting system performance. Previous studies show that main memory access streams contain significant localities and SDRAM devices provide parallelism through multiple banks and channels. These locality and parallelism have not been exploited thoroughly by conventional memory controllers. In this thesis, SDRAM address mapping techniques and memory access reordering mechanisms are studied and applied to memory controller design with the goal of reducing observed main memory access latency.

The proposed bit-reversal address mapping attempts to distribute main memory accesses …

Optimal Beam Forming For Laser Beam Propagation Through Random Media, Baoyong Liu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Focusing optical beams on a target through random propagation media is very important in many applications such as free space optical communica- tions and laser weapons. Random media effects such as beam spread and scintillation can degrade the optical system's performance severely. Compensation schemes are needed in these applications to overcome these random media effcts. In this research, we investigated the optimal beams for two different optimization criteria: one is to maximize the concentrated received intensity and the other is to minimize the scintillation index at the target plane. In the study of the optimal beam to maximize the weighted …

Porous Silicon Technology For Integrated Microsystems, Jin Zheng Wallner

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

With the development of micro systems, there is an increasing demand for integrable porous materials. In addition to those conventional applications, such as filtration, wicking, and insulating, many new micro devices, including micro reactors, sensors, actuators, and optical components, can benefit from porous materials. Conventional porous materials, such as ceramics and polymers, however, cannot meet the challenges posed by micro systems, due to their incompatibility with standard micro-fabrication processes. In an effort to produce porous materials that can be used in micro systems, porous silicon (PS) generated by anodization of single crystalline silicon has been investigated.

In this work, the …

Effects Of Carbonation On The Mineral Composition Of Cement Kiln Dust, Cecilia P. Anderson

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Due to their relatively high calcium oxide content, industrial mineral oxide wastes are potential candidates for mineral sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO₂). Cement kiln dust (CKD), a byproduct of cement manufacturing contains 20-60% CaO making it a possible candidate for CO₂ sequestration. In this study, three types of CKD are characterized, before and after carbonation, using environmental scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray microanalysis to determine the mineralogical and morphological changes occurring due to carbonation. The reactants, products, and precipitation mechanisms were investigated to enhance understanding of the governing processes and allow better utilization of CKD …

Carbon Dioxide Sequestration In Cement Kiln Dust Through Miner Carbonation, Deborah N. Huntzinger

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The feasibility of carbon sequestration in cement kiln dust (CKD) was investigated in a series of batch and column experiments conducted under ambient temperature and pressure conditions. The significance of this work is the demonstration that alkaline wastes, such as CKD, are highly reactive with carbon dioxide (CO₂). In the presence of water, CKD can sequester greater than 80% of its theoretical capacity for carbon without any amendments or modifications to the waste. Other mineral carbonation technologies for carbon sequestration rely on the use of mined mineral feedstocks as the source of oxides. The mining, pre-processing and reaction …

Analyzing The Effects Of Vertical Acceleration And Deceleration In Multi-Phase, Debris-Flow Sediment-Column Experiments / By Christine Marie Williams., Christine Marie Williams

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Water-saturated debris flows are among some of the most destructive mass movements. Their complex nature presents a challenge for quantitative description and modeling. In order to improve understanding of the dynamics of these flows, it is important to seek a simplified dynamic system underlying their behavior. Models currently in use to describe the motion of debris flows employ depth-averaged equations of motion, typically assuming negligible effects from vertical acceleration. However, in many cases debris flows experience significant vertical acceleration as they move across irregular surfaces, and it has been proposed that friction associated with vertical forces and liquefaction merit inclusion …

Integrated Solar Energy And Absorption Cooling Model For Hvac (Heating, Ventilating, And Air Conditioning) Applications In Buildings, Sharizal Shaik Ahmedullah

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The demands in production and associate costs at power generation through non renewable resources are increasing at an alarming rate. Solar energy is one of the renewable resource that has the potential to minimize this increase. Utilization of solar energy have been concentrated mainly on heating application. The use of solar energy in cooling systems in building would benefit greatly achieving the goal of non-renewable energy minimization.

The approaches of solar energy heating system research done by initiation such as University of Wisconsin at Madison and building heat flow model research conducted by Oklahoma State University can be used to …

Flow Simulation For Optimized Performance Of Displacement Pumps Manufactured By Engineered Machined Products, Jordan D. Bilyeu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

No abstract provided.

Experimental And Modeling Study Of The Filtration And Oxidation Characteristics Of A Diesel Oxidation Catalyst And A Catalyzed Particulate Filter, Kiran C. Premchand

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

A diesel oxidation catalyst (DOC) with a catalyzed diesel particulate filter (CPF) is an effective exhaust aftertreatment device that reduces particulate emissions from diesel engines, and properly designed DOC-CPF systems provide passive regeneration of the filter by the oxidation of PM via thermal and NO₂/temperature-assisted means under various vehicle duty cycles. However, controlling the backpressure on engines caused by the addition of the CPF to the exhaust system requires a good understanding of the filtration and oxidation processes taking place inside the filter as the deposition and oxidation of solid particulate matter (PM) change as functions of loading …