Digital Commons Network^™

Reliability And Validity Of Neurobehavioral Function On The Psychology Experimental Building Language Test Battery In Young Adults, Brian J. Piper, Shane Mueller, Alexander R. Geerken, Kyle L. Dixon, Gregory Kroliczak, Reid H. Olsen, Jeremy K. Miller

Michigan Tech Publications

Background. The Psychology Experiment Building Language (PEBL) software consists of over one-hundred computerized tests based on classic and novel cognitive neuropsychology and behavioral neurology measures. Although the PEBL tests are becoming more widely utilized, there is currently very limited information about the psychometric properties of these measures.

Methods. Study I examined inter-relationships among nine PEBL tests including indices of motor-function (Pursuit Rotor and Dexterity), attention (Test of Attentional Vigilance and Time-Wall), working memory (Digit Span Forward), and executive-function (PEBL Trail Making Test, Berg/Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Iowa Gambling Test, and Mental Rotation) in a normative sample (N = 189, …

Bodipy-Based Fluorescent Probes For Sensing Protein Surface-Hydrophobicity, Nethaniah Dorh, Shilei Zhu, Kamal B. Dhungana, Ranjit Pati, Fen-Tair Luo, Haiying Liu, Ashutosh Tiwari

Department of Chemistry Publications

Mapping surface hydrophobic interactions in proteins is key to understanding molecular recognition, biological functions, and is central to many protein misfolding diseases. Herein, we report synthesis and application of new BODIPY-based hydrophobic sensors (HPsensors) that are stable and highly fluorescent for pH values ranging from 7.0 to 9.0. Surface hydrophobic measurements of proteins (BSA, apomyoglobin, and myoglobin) by these HPsensors display much stronger signal compared to 8-anilino-1-naphthalene sulfonic acid (ANS), a commonly used hydrophobic probe; HPsensors show a 10- to 60-fold increase in signal strength for the BSA protein with affinity in the nanomolar range. This suggests that these HPsensors …

Strategies For The Production Of Cell Wall-Deconstructing Enzymes In Lignocellulosic Biomass And Their Utilization For Biofuel Production, Sang-Hyuck Park, Rebecca Garlock Ong, Mariam Sticklen

Department of Chemical Engineering Publications

Microbial cell wall-deconstructing enzymes are widely used in the food, wine, pulp and paper, textile, and detergent industries and will be heavily utilized by cellulosic biorefineries in the production of fuels and chemicals. Due to their ability to use freely available solar energy, genetically engineered bioenergy crops provide an attractive alternative to microbial bioreactors for the production of cell wall-deconstructing enzymes. This review article summarizes the efforts made within the last decade on the production of cell wall-deconstructing enzymes in planta for use in the deconstruction of lignocellulosic biomass. A number of strategies have been employed to increase enzyme yields …

Ice Nucleation At The Contact Line Triggered By Transient Electrowetting Fields, Fan Yang, Raymond Shaw, Colin Gurganus, Su Kong Chong, Yoke Khin Yap

Department of Physics Publications

Supercooled water is found to have a significantly enhanced freezing temperature during transient electrowetting with electric fields of order 1 V/μm. High speed imaging reveals that the nucleation occurs randomly at the three-phase contact line (droplet perimeter) and can occur at multiple points during one freezing event. Possible nucleation mechanisms are explored by testing various substrate geometries and materials. Results demonstrate that electric field alone has no detectable effect on ice nucleation, but the moving boundary of the droplet on the substrate due to electrowetting is associated with the triggering of nucleation at a much higher temperature.

Injury Risk Estimation Expertise: Interdisciplinary Differences In Performance On The Acl Injury Risk Estimation Quiz, Erich J. Petushek, Paul Ward, Edward T. Cokely, Gregory D. Myer

Michigan Tech Publications

Background: Simple observational assessment of movement is a potentially low-cost method for anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury screening and prevention. Although many individuals utilize some form of observational assessment of movement, there are currently no substantial data on group skill differences in observational screening of ACL injury risk. Purpose/Hypothesis: The purpose of this study was to compare various groups’ abilities to visually assess ACL injury risk as well as the associated strategies and ACL knowledge levels. The hypothesis was that sports medicine professionals would perform better than coaches and exercise science academics/students and that these subgroups would all perform better …

Recombinant Dna Modification Of Gibberellin Metabolism Alters Growth Rate And Biomass Allocation In Populus, Haiwei Lu, Venkatesh Viswanath, Cathleen Ma, Elizabeth Etherington, Palitha Dharmawardhana, Olga Shevchenko, Steven H. Strauss, David W. Pearce, Stewart B. Rood, Victor Busov

Michigan Tech Publications

Overexpression of genes that modify gibberellin (GA) metabolism and signaling have been previously shown to produce trees with improved biomass production but highly disturbed development. To examine if more subtle types of genetic modification of GA could improve growth rate and modify tree architecture, we transformed a model poplar genotype (Populus tremula × P. alba) with eight genes, including two cisgenes (intact copies of native genes), four intragenes (modified copies of native genes), and two transgenes (from sexually incompatible species), and studied their effects under greenhouse and field conditions. In the greenhouse, four out of the eight tested genes produced …

Integrated Voltage—Current Monitoring And Control Of Gas Metal Arc Weld Magnetic Ball-Jointed Open Source 3-D Printer, Yuenyong Nilsiam, Amberlee S. Haselhuhn, Bas Wijnen, Paul G. Sanders, Joshua M. Pearce

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Publications

To provide process optimization of metal fabricating self-replicating rapid prototyper (RepRap) 3-D printers requires a low-cost sensor and data logger system to measure current (I) and voltage (V) of the gas metal arc welders (GMAW). This paper builds on previous open-source hardware development to provide a real-time measurement of welder I-V where the measuring circuit is connected to two analog inputs of the Arduino that is used to control the 3-D printer itself. Franklin firmware accessed through a web interface that is used to control the printer allows storing the measured values and downloading those stored readings to the user’s …

Observations Of New Particle Formation In Enhanced Uv Irradiance Zones Near Cumulus Clouds, B. Wehner, F. Werner, F. Ditas, R. A. Shaw, M. Kulmala, H. Siebert

Michigan Tech Publications

During the CARRIBA (Cloud, Aerosol, Radiation and tuRbulence in the trade wInd regime over Barbados) campaign, the interaction between aerosol particles and cloud microphysical properties was investigated in detail, which also includes the influence of clouds on the aerosol formation. During two intensive campaigns in 2010 and 2011, helicopter-borne measurement flights were performed to investigate the thermodynamic, turbulent, microphysical, and radiative properties of trade-wind cumuli over Barbados. During these flights, 91 cases with increased aerosol particle number concentrations near clouds were detected. The majority of these cases are also correlated with enhanced irradiance in the ultraviolet (UV) spectral wavelength range. …

The Impact Of Mpowir A Decade Of Investing In Mentoring Women In Physical Oceanography, Sarah Clem, Sonya Legg, Susan Lozier, Colleen B. Mouw

Michigan Tech Publications

MPOWIR (Mentoring Physical Oceanography Women to Increase Retention) is a US communityinitiated and community-led mentoring program aimed at improving the retention of women physical oceanographers in academic and/or research positions. This article describes the MPOWIR program elements designed by the US physical oceanography community, quantifies the participation in these programs, describes MPOWIR’s impact to date, and outlines future directions. An examination of surveys to date indicates that MPOWIR, several years after its implementation, is having a positive impact on the retention of junior women in physical oceanography, primarily by giving them a broad professional network and focused mentoring.

The Potential For Co < Inf> 2 -Induced Acidification In Freshwater: A Great Lakes Case Study, Jennifer C. Phillips, Galen A. Mckinley, Val Bennington, Harvey A. Bootsma, Darren J. Pilcher, Robert W. Sterner, Noel Urban

Michigan Tech Publications

Ocean acidification will likely result in a drop of 0.3–0.4 pH units in the surface ocean by 2100, assuming anthropogenic CO2 emissions continue at the current rate. Impacts of increasing atmospheric pCO2 on pH in freshwater systems have scarcely been addressed. In this study, the Laurentian Great Lakes are used as a case study for the potential for CO2-induced acidification in freshwater systems as well as for assessment of the ability of current water quality monitoring to detect pH trends. If increasing atmospheric pCO2 is the only forcing, pH will decline in the Laurentian Great Lakes at the same rate …

Sem Of Service Quality To Predict Overall Patient Satisfaction In Medical Clinics: A Case Study, Dana M. Johnson, Roberta S. Russell

College of Business Publications

This study analyzed patient satisfaction surveys to determine which process attributes affect overall patient satisfaction. The authors conclude that the strongest impact is the care provider's interaction with the patient. Healthcare providers/practitioners value business analytics as a means to focus and redirect their continuous improvement efforts and to encourage appropriate provider behavior. The data for this research were gathered from patient satisfaction surveys from 18 diverse medical clinics in a rural, Midwestern U.S. healthcare system. Overall patient satisfaction was measured by four separate variables. Quality service was measured by five dimensions and related constructs. All were measured through the use …

Educational Pathways To Remote Employment In Isolated Communities, David C. Denkenberger, Julia Way, Joshua M. Pearce

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Publications

Those who live in isolated communities often lack reliable, skilled employment opportunities, which fundamentally undermines their human security. For individuals who wish to remain in their isolated communities for family, religious, philosophical or other reasons, their attachment to their communities creates a disincentive for higher education. This promotes low educational achievement, which in turn results in low socioeconomic status, lack of social mobility, and a generational cycle of poverty. The human misery that results from such a feedback loop is observed in isolated communities throughout North America, including aboriginal communities in Canada. Fortunately, maturation of information and communication technologies now …

Me-Em Enewsbrief, September 2015, Department Of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics eNewsBrief

No abstract provided.

Controlling Optical Absorption In Metamaterial Absorbers For Plasmonic Solar Cells, Wyatt Adams, Ankit Vora, Jephias Gwamuri, Joshua M. Pearce, Durdo O. Guney

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Publications

Metals in the plasmonic metamaterial absorbers for photovoltaics constitute undesired resistive heating. However, tailoring the geometric skin depth of metals can minimize resistive losses while maximizing the optical absorbance in the active semiconductors of the photovoltaic device. Considering experimental permittivity data for InxGa1-xN, absorbance in the semiconductor layers of the photovoltaic device can reach above 90%. The results here also provides guidance to compare the performance of different semiconductor materials. This skin depth engineering approach can also be applied to other optoelectronic devices, where optimizing the device performance demands minimizing resistive losses and power consumption, such as photodetectors, laser diodes, …

Map-Aware Adaptive Automotive Radar, Jae Seung Lee, Nikola Steven Subotic, James Paul Ebling, Helen Kourous-Harrigan

Michigan Tech Patents

A dedicated short range radar system is provided for use with a GPS system. The radar system includes a transmitter which transmits a microwave radio signal. A receiver is coupled to a horizontally scanning receiver antenna array which receives an echo, if present, from the radio signal transmitted by the transmitter. The radio receiver then generates an output signal representative of the echo. A control circuit then receives the output signal from the antenna array as well as the output signal from the GPS system. The control circuit then varies the mode of operation of the receiver and/or the transmitter …

Schneefernerhaus As A Mountain Research Station For Clouds And Turbulence, S. Risius, H. Xu, F. Di Lorenzo, H. Xi, H. Siebert, R. A. Shaw, E. Bodenschatz

Michigan Tech Publications

Cloud measurements are usually carried out with airborne campaigns, which are expensive and are limited by temporal duration and weather conditions. Ground-based measurements at high-altitude research stations therefore play a complementary role in cloud study. Using the meteorological data (wind speed, direction, temperature, humidity, visibility, etc.) collected by the German Weather Service (DWD) from 2000 to 2012 and turbulence measurements recorded by multiple ultrasonic sensors (sampled at 10 Hz) in 2010, we show that the Umweltforschungsstation Schneefernerhaus (UFS) located just below the peak of Zugspitze in the German Alps, at a height of 2650 m, is a well-suited station for …

High-Resolution Measurement Of Cloud Microphysics And Turbulence At A Mountaintop Station, H. Siebert, R. A. Shaw, J. Ditas, T. Schmeissner, S. P. Malinowski, E. Bodenschatz, H. Xu

Michigan Tech Publications

Mountain research stations are advantageous not only for long-term sampling of cloud properties but also for measurements that are prohibitively difficult to perform on airborne platforms due to the large true air speed or adverse factors such as weight and complexity of the equipment necessary. Some cloud-turbulence measurements, especially Lagrangian in nature, fall into this category. We report results from simultaneous, high-resolution and collocated measurements of cloud microphysical and turbulence properties during several warm cloud events at the Umweltforschungsstation Schneefernerhaus (UFS) on Zugspitze in the German Alps. The data gathered were found to be representative of observations made with similar …

Open-Source Photometric System For Enzymatic Nitrate Quantification, Ben T. Wittbrodt, D. A. Squires, J. Walbeck, E. Campbell, W. H. Campbell, Joshua M. Pearce

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Publications

Nitrate, the most oxidized form of nitrogen, is regulated to protect people and animals from harmful levels as there is a large over abundance due to anthropogenic factors. Widespread field testing for nitrate could begin to address the nitrate pollution problem, however, the Cadmium Reduction Method, the leading certified method to detect and quantify nitrate, demands the use of a toxic heavy metal. An alternative, the recently proposed Environmental Protection Agency Nitrate Reductase Nitrate-Nitrogen Analysis Method, eliminates this problem but requires an expensive proprietary spectrophotometer. The development of an inexpensive portable, handheld photometer will greatly expedite field nitrate analysis to …

Climatology And Atmospheric Chemistry Of The Non-Methane Hydrocarbons Ethane And Propane Over The North Atlantic, Detlev Helmig, Mauricio Muñoz, Jacques Hueber, Claudio Mazzoleni, Lynn Mazzoleni, Richard C. Owen, Maria Val-Martin, Paulo Fialho, Christian Plass-Duelmer, Paul I. Palmer, Alastair C. Lewis, Gabriele Pfister

Department of Chemistry Publications

A record spanning ten years of non-methane hydrocarbon (NMHC) data from the Pico Mountain Observatory (PMO), Pico Island, Azores, Portugal, was analyzed for seasonal NMHC behavior, atmospheric processing, and trends, focusing on ethane and propane. The location of this site in the central North Atlantic, at an elevation of 2225 m asl, allows these data to be used to investigate the background conditions and pollution transport events occurring in the lower free North Atlantic troposphere. The quantity ln([propane]/[ethane]) was used as an indicator of both photochemical processing and a marker for the occurrence of pollution transport events detected at the …

Capturing Optically Important Constituents And Properties In A Marine Biogeochemical And Ecosystem Model, S. Dutkiewicz, A. E. Hickman, O. Jahn, W. W. Gregg, C. B. Mouw, M. J. Follows, C. Mouw

Michigan Tech Publications

We present a numerical model of the ocean that couples a three-stream radiative transfer component with a marine biogeochemical-ecosystem component in a dynamic three-dimensional physical framework. The radiative transfer component resolves the penetration of spectral irradiance as it is absorbed and scattered within the water column. We explicitly include the effect of several optically important water constituents (different phytoplankton functional types; detrital particles; and coloured dissolved organic matter, CDOM). The model is evaluated against in situ-observed and satellite-derived products. In particular we compare to concurrently measured biogeochemical, ecosystem, and optical data along a meridional transect of the Atlantic Ocean. The …

Switching Behaviors Of Graphene-Boron Nitride Nanotube Heterojunctions, Vyom Parashar, Corentin Durand, Boyi Hao, Rodrigo Amorim, Ravindra Pandey, Bishnu Tiwari, Dongyan Zhang, Yang Liu, An-Ping Li, Yoke Khin Yap

Department of Physics Publications

High electron mobility of graphene has enabled their application in high-frequency analogue devices but their gapless nature has hindered their use in digital switches. In contrast, the structural analogous, h-BN sheets and BN nanotubes (BNNTs) are wide band gap insulators. Here we show that the growth of electrically insulating BNNTs on graphene can enable the use of graphene as effective digital switches. These graphene-BNNT heterojunctions were characterized at room temperature by four-probe scanning tunneling microscopy (4-probe STM) under real-time monitoring of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). A switching ratio as high as 10⁵ at a turn-on voltage as low …

In Situ Formation Of Substrate Release Mechanisms For Gas Metal Arc Weld Metal 3-D Printing, Amberlee S. Haselhuhn, Bas Wijnen, Gerald C. Anzalone, Paul G. Sanders, Joshua M. Pearce

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Publications

This study provides an in-depth investigation into low-cost and no-cost substrate release mechanisms that allow gas metal arc weld 3-D printed ER4043 aluminum and ER70S-6 steel parts to be removed from a reusable print substrate with minimal energy. Aluminum oxide, boron nitride, and titanium nitride coatings were evaluated as possible substrate release agents for aluminum printing. Additionally, the in situ formation of substrate release agents such as intermetallics and oxides were tested for both aluminum and steel printing. Testing was performed with a modified Charpy impact tester to remove 3-D printed metal parts from an 1100 aluminum or A36 low …

Development Of A Bi-National Great Lakes Coastal Wetland And Land Use Map Using Three-Season Palsar And Landsat Imagery, Laura Bourgeau-Chavez, Sarah L. Endres, Michael Battaglia, Mary Ellen Miller, Elizabeth Banda, Zachary Laubach, Phyllis Higman, Pat Chow-Fraser, James Marcaccio

Michigan Tech Research Institute Publications

Methods using extensive field data and three-season Landsat TM and PALSAR imagery were developed to map wetland type and identify potential wetland stressors (i.e., adjacent land use) for the United States and Canadian Laurentian coastal Great Lakes. The mapped area included the coastline to 10 km inland to capture the region hydrologically connected to the Great Lakes. Maps were developed in cooperation with the overarching Great Lakes Consortium plan to provide a comprehensive regional baseline map suitable for coastal wetland assessment and management by agencies at the local, tribal, state, and federal levels. The goal was to provide …

Limitations Of Ultra-Thin Transparent Conducting Oxides For Integration Into Plasmonic-Enhanced Thin-Film Solar Photovoltaic Devices, Jephias Gwamuri, Ankit Vora, Rajendra R. Khanal, Adam B. Phillips, Michael J. Heben, Durdo O. Guney, Paul Bergstrom, Anand Kulkarni, Joshua M. Pearce

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Publications

This study investigates ultra-thin transparent conducting oxides (TCO) of indium tin oxide (ITO), aluminum- doped zinc oxide (AZO) and zinc oxide (ZnO) to determine their viability as candidate materials for use in plasmonic-enhanced thin-film amorphous silicon solar photovoltaic (PV) devices. First a sensitivity analysis of the optical absorption for the intrinsic layer of a nano-disk patterned thin-film amorphous silicon-based solar cell as a function of TCO thickness (10–50 nm) was performed by simulation. These simulation results were then used to guide the design of the experimental work which investigated both optical and electrical properties of ultra-thin (10 nm on average) …

Subject Assessment Of In-Vehicle Auditory Warnings For Rail Grade Crossings, Steven Landry, Jayde Croschere, Myounghoon Jeon

Michigan Tech Publications

Human factors research has played an important role in reducing the incidents of vehicle-train collisions at rail grade crossings over the past 30 years. With the growing popularity of in-vehicle infotainment systems and GPS devices, new opportunities arise to cost-efficiently and effectively alert drivers of railroad crossings and to promote safer driving habits. To best utilize this in-vehicle technology, 32 auditory warnings (16 verbal, 7 train-related auditory icons, and 9 generic earcons) were generated and presented to 31 participants after a brief low-fidelity driving simulation. Participants rated each sound on eight dimensions deemed important in previous auditory warning literature. Preliminary …

Perturbations Of The Optical Properties Of Mineral Dust Particles By Mixing With Black Carbon: A Numerical Simulation Study, B. V. Scarnato, S. China, K. Nielsen, C. Mazzoleni

Michigan Tech Publications

Field observations show that individual aerosol particles are a complex mixture of a wide variety of species, reflecting different sources and physico-chemical transformations. The impacts of individual aerosol morphology and mixing characteristics on the Earth system are not yet fully understood. Here we present a sensitivity study on climate-relevant aerosols optical properties to various approximations. Based on aerosol samples collected in various geographical locations, we have observationally constrained size, morphology and mixing, and accordingly simulated, using the discrete dipole approximation model (DDSCAT), optical properties of three aerosols types: (1) bare black carbon (BC) aggregates, (2) bare mineral dust, and (3) …

Low-Cost Open-Source Voltage And Current Monitor For Gas Metal Arc Weld 3d Printing, Anthony Pinar, Bas Wijnen, Gerald C. Anzalone, Timothy C. Havens, Paul G. Sanders, Joshua M. Pearce

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Publications

Arduino open-source microcontrollers are well known in sensor applications for scientific equipment and for controlling RepRap 3D printers. Recently low-cost open-source gas metal arc weld (GMAW) RepRap 3D printers have been developed. The entry-level welders used have minimal controls and therefore lack any real-time measurement of welder voltage or current. The preliminary work on process optimization of GMAW 3D printers requires a low-cost sensor and data logger system to measure welder current and voltage. This paper reports on the development of a low-cost open-source power measurement sensor system based on Arduino architecture. The sensor system was designed, built, and tested …

Seasonal Variability Of Atmospheric Nitrogen Oxides And Non-Methane Hydrocarbons At The Geosummit Station, Greenland, L. J. Kramer, D. Helmig, J. F. Burkhart, A. Stohl, S. Oltmans, R. E. Honrath

Michigan Tech Publications

Measurements of atmospheric nitrogen oxides NOx (NOx = NO + NO2), peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), NOy, and non-methane hydrocarbons (NMHC) were taken at the Greenland Environmental Observatory at Summit (GEOSummit) station, Greenland (72.34° N, 38.29° W; 3212 m a.s.l.), from July 2008 to July 2010. The data set represents the first year-round concurrent record of these compounds sampled at a high latitude Arctic site. Here, the study focused on the seasonal variability of these important ozone (O3) precursors in the Arctic troposphere and the impact from transported anthropogenic and biomass burning emissions. Our analysis shows that PAN is the dominant NOy …

Using An Obcd Approach And Landsat Tm Data To Detect Harvesting On Nonindustrial Private Property In Upper Michigan, Riccardo Tortini, Audrey L. Mayer, Pieralberto Maianti

College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science Publications

Forest dynamics influence climate, biodiversity, and livelihoods at multiple scales, yet current resource policy addressing these dynamics is ineffective without reliable land use land cover change data. The collective impact of harvest decisions by many small forest owners can be substantial at the landscape scale, yet monitoring harvests and regrowth in these forests is challenging. Remote sensing is an obvious route to detect and monitor small-scale land use dynamics over large areas. Using an annual series of Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper (TM) images and a GIS shapefile of property boundaries, we identified units where harvests occurred from 2005 to 2011 using …

High Resolution Doppler Collision Avoidance Radar, Jae Seung Lee, Paul Donald Schmalenberg, Nikola Steven Subotic, James Paul Ebling

Michigan Tech Patents

An example radar apparatus has a transmission frequency modulated by a chirp waveform having three chirp segments, including increasing, decreasing, and a constant frequency segments. The chirp waveform may extend over the full revisit time of the radar beam. The frequency difference between the transmitted and echo signals are determined at least once per chirp segment. Example apparatus include a Doppler radar for vehicle use.