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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Projected Nesterov’S Proximal-Gradient Signal Recovery From Compressive Poisson Measurements, Renliang Gu, Aleksandar Dogandžić Nov 2015

Projected Nesterov’S Proximal-Gradient Signal Recovery From Compressive Poisson Measurements, Renliang Gu, Aleksandar Dogandžić

Aleksandar Dogandžić

We develop a projected Nesterov’s proximal-gradient (PNPG) scheme for reconstructing sparse signals from compressive Poisson-distributed measurements with the mean signal intensity that follows an affine model with known intercept. The objective function to be minimized is a sum of convex data fidelity (negative log-likelihood (NLL)) and regularization terms. We apply sparse signal regularization where the signal belongs to a nonempty closed convex set within the domain of the NLL and signal sparsity is imposed using total-variation (TV) penalty. We present analytical upper bounds on the regularization tuning constant. The proposed PNPG method employs projected Nesterov’s acceleration step, function restart, and …


Outage Constrained Robust Secure Transmission For Miso Wiretap Channels, Shuai Ma, Mingyi Hong, Engin Song, Xiangfeng Wang, Dechun Sun Oct 2014

Outage Constrained Robust Secure Transmission For Miso Wiretap Channels, Shuai Ma, Mingyi Hong, Engin Song, Xiangfeng Wang, Dechun Sun

Mingyi Hong

In this paper, we consider the robust secure beam-former design for multiple-input-single-output wiretap channels. Assuming that the eavesdroppers' channels are only partially available at the transmitter, we seek to maximize the secrecy rate under the transmit power and the secrecy rate outage probability constraint. The outage probability constraint requires that the secrecy rate exceed certain thresholds with high probability. Therefore, including such constraint in the design naturally ensures the desired robustness. Unfortunately, the presence of the probabilistic constraints makes the problem nonconvex and, hence, difficult to solve. In this paper, we investigate the outage probability constrained secrecy rate maximization problem …


Influence Of Environment On The Measurement Of Rates Of Charge Transport Across Agts/Sam//Ga2o3/Egain Junctions, Jabulani R. Barber, Hyo Jae Yoon, Carleen M. Bowers, Martin M. Thuo, Benjamin Breiten, Diana M. Gooding, George M. Whitesides Jun 2014

Influence Of Environment On The Measurement Of Rates Of Charge Transport Across Agts/Sam//Ga2o3/Egain Junctions, Jabulani R. Barber, Hyo Jae Yoon, Carleen M. Bowers, Martin M. Thuo, Benjamin Breiten, Diana M. Gooding, George M. Whitesides

Martin M. Thuo

This paper investigates the influence of the atmosphere used in the fabrication of top electrodes from the liquid eutectic of gallium and indium (EGaIn) (the so-called “EGaIn” electrodes), and in measurements of current density, J(V) (A/cm2), across self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) incorporated into Ag/SR//Ga2O3/EGaIn junctions, on values of J(V) obtained using these electrodes. A gas-tight measurement chamber was used to control the atmosphere in which the electrodes were formed, and also to control the environment in which the electrodes were used to measure current densities across SAM-based junctions. Seven different atmospheres—air, oxygen, nitrogen, argon, and ammonia, as well as air containing …


Fabrication Of Low-Cost Paper-Based Microfluidic Devices By Embossing Or Cut-And-Stack Methods, Martin M. Thuo, Ramses V. Martinez, Wen-Jie Lan, Xinyu Liu, Jabulani Barber, Manza B. Atkinson, Dineth Bandarage, Jean-Francis Bloch, George M. Whitesides Jun 2014

Fabrication Of Low-Cost Paper-Based Microfluidic Devices By Embossing Or Cut-And-Stack Methods, Martin M. Thuo, Ramses V. Martinez, Wen-Jie Lan, Xinyu Liu, Jabulani Barber, Manza B. Atkinson, Dineth Bandarage, Jean-Francis Bloch, George M. Whitesides

Martin M. Thuo

This article describes the use of embossing and “cut-and-stack” methods of assembly, to generate microfluidic devices from omniphobic paper and demonstrates that fluid flowing through these devices behaves similarly to fluid in an open-channel microfluidic device. The porosity of the paper to gases allows processes not possible in devices made using PDMS or other nonporous materials. Droplet generators and phase separators, for example, could be made by embossing “T”-shaped channels on paper. Vertical stacking of embossed or cut layers of omniphobic paper generated three-dimensional systems of microchannels. The gas permeability of the paper allowed fluid in the microchannel to contact …


A Microfluidic Paper-Based Electrochemical Biosensor Array For Multiplexed Detection Of Metabolic Biomarkers, Chen Zhao, Martin M. Thuo, Xinyu Liu Oct 2013

A Microfluidic Paper-Based Electrochemical Biosensor Array For Multiplexed Detection Of Metabolic Biomarkers, Chen Zhao, Martin M. Thuo, Xinyu Liu

Martin M. Thuo

Paper-based microfluidic devices have emerged as simple yet powerful platforms for performing low-cost analytical tests. This paper reports a microfluidic paper-based electrochemical biosensor array for multiplexed detection of physiologically relevant metabolic biomarkers. Different from existing paper-based electrochemical devices, our device includes an array of eight electrochemical sensors and utilizes a handheld custom-made electrochemical reader (potentiostat) for signal readout. The biosensor array can detect several analytes in a sample solution and produce multiple measurements for each analyte from a single run. Using the device, we demonstrate simultaneous detection of glucose, lactate and uric acid in urine, with analytical performance comparable to …


Joint User Grouping And Linear Virtual Beamforming: Complexity, Algorithms And Approximation Bounds, Mingyi Hong, Zi Xu, Meisam Razaviyayn, Zhi-Quan Luo Oct 2013

Joint User Grouping And Linear Virtual Beamforming: Complexity, Algorithms And Approximation Bounds, Mingyi Hong, Zi Xu, Meisam Razaviyayn, Zhi-Quan Luo

Mingyi Hong

In a wireless system with a large number of distributed nodes, the quality of communication can be greatly improved by pooling the nodes to perform joint transmission/reception. In this paper, we consider the problem of optimally selecting a subset of nodes from potentially a large number of candidates to form a virtual multi-antenna system, while at the same time designing their joint linear transmission strategies. We focus on two specific application scenarios: 1) multiple single antenna transmitters cooperatively transmit to a receiver; 2) a single transmitter transmits to a receiver with the help of a number of cooperative relays. We …


Paramagnetic Ionic Liquids For Measurements Of Density Using Magnetic Levitation, David K. Bwambok, Martin M. Thuo, Manza B.J. Atkinson, Katherine A. Mirica, Nathan D. Shapiro, George M. Whitesides Aug 2013

Paramagnetic Ionic Liquids For Measurements Of Density Using Magnetic Levitation, David K. Bwambok, Martin M. Thuo, Manza B.J. Atkinson, Katherine A. Mirica, Nathan D. Shapiro, George M. Whitesides

Martin M. Thuo

Paramagnetic ionic liquids (PILs) provide new capabilities to measurements of density using magnetic levitation (MagLev). In a typical measurement, a diamagnetic object of unknown density is placed in a container containing a PIL. The container is placed between two magnets (typically NdFeB, oriented with like poles facing). The density of the diamagnetic object can be determined by measuring its position in the magnetic field along the vertical axis (levitation height, h), either as an absolute value or relative to internal standards of known density. For density measurements by MagLev, PILs have three advantages over solutions of paramagnetic salts in aqueous …


Derivative Estimation With Local Polynomial Fitting, Kris De Brabanter, Jos De Brabanter, Bart De Moor, Irene Gijbels Jan 2013

Derivative Estimation With Local Polynomial Fitting, Kris De Brabanter, Jos De Brabanter, Bart De Moor, Irene Gijbels

Kris De Brabanter

We present a fully automated framework to estimate derivatives nonparametrically without estimating the regression function. Derivative estimation plays an important role in the exploration of structures in curves (jump detection and discontinuities), comparison of regression curves, analysis of human growth data, etc. Hence, the study of estimating derivatives is equally important as regression estimation itself. Via empirical derivatives we approximate the qth order derivative and create a new data set which can be smoothed by any nonparametric regression estimator. We derive L1 and L2 rates and establish consistency of the estimator. The new data sets created by this technique are …


Replacing −Ch2ch2– With −Conh– Does Not Significantly Change Rates Of Charge Transport Through Agts-Sam//Ga2o3/Egain Junctions, Martin M. Thuo, William F. Reus, Felice C. Simeone, Choongik Kim, Michael D. Schulz, Hyo Jae Yoon, George M. Whitesides Jun 2012

Replacing −Ch2ch2– With −Conh– Does Not Significantly Change Rates Of Charge Transport Through Agts-Sam//Ga2o3/Egain Junctions, Martin M. Thuo, William F. Reus, Felice C. Simeone, Choongik Kim, Michael D. Schulz, Hyo Jae Yoon, George M. Whitesides

Martin M. Thuo

This paper describes physical-organic studies of charge transport by tunneling through self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), based on systematic variations of the structure of the molecules constituting the SAM. Replacing a −CH2CH2– group with a −CONH– group changes the dipole moment and polarizability of a portion of the molecule and has, in principle, the potential to change the rate of charge transport through the SAM. In practice, this substitution produces no significant change in the rate of charge transport across junctions of the structure AgTS-S(CH2)mX(CH2)nH//Ga2O3/EGaIn (TS = template stripped, X = −CH2CH2– or −CONH–, and EGaIn = eutectic alloy of gallium and …


A Reference-Free Algorithm For Computational Normalization Of Shotgun Sequencing Data, C. Titus Brown, Adina Howe, Qingpeng Zhang, Alexis B. Pyrkosz, Timothy H. Brom May 2012

A Reference-Free Algorithm For Computational Normalization Of Shotgun Sequencing Data, C. Titus Brown, Adina Howe, Qingpeng Zhang, Alexis B. Pyrkosz, Timothy H. Brom

Adina Howe

Deep shotgun sequencing and analysis of genomes, transcriptomes, amplified single-cell genomes, and metagenomes has enabled investigation of a wide range of organisms and ecosystems. However, sampling variation in short-read data sets and high sequencing error rates of modern sequencers present many new computational challenges in data interpretation. These challenges have led to the development of new classes of mapping tools and {\em de novo} assemblers. These algorithms are challenged by the continued improvement in sequencing throughput. We here describe digital normalization, a single-pass computational algorithm that systematizes coverage in shotgun sequencing data sets, thereby decreasing sampling variation, discarding redundant data, …


Measuring Markers Of Liver Function Using A Micropatterned Paper Device Designed For Blood From A Fingerstick, Sarah J. Vella, Patrick Beattie, Rebecca Cademartiri, Anna Laromaine, Andres W. Martinez, Scott T. Phillips, Katherine A. Mirica, George M. Whitesides Mar 2012

Measuring Markers Of Liver Function Using A Micropatterned Paper Device Designed For Blood From A Fingerstick, Sarah J. Vella, Patrick Beattie, Rebecca Cademartiri, Anna Laromaine, Andres W. Martinez, Scott T. Phillips, Katherine A. Mirica, George M. Whitesides

Rebecca Cademartiri

This paper describes a paper-based microfluidic device that measures two enzymatic markers of liver function (alkaline phosphatase, ALP, and aspartate aminotransferase, AST) and total serum protein. A device consists of four components: (i) a top plastic sheet, (ii) a filter membrane, (iii) a patterned paper chip containing the reagents necessary for analysis, and (iv) a bottom plastic sheet. The device performs both the sample preparation (separating blood plasma from erythrocytes) and the assays; it also enables both qualitative and quantitative analysis of data. The data obtained from the paper-microfluidic devices show standard deviations in calibration runs and “spiked” standards that …


Statistical Tools For Analyzing Measurements Of Charge Transport, William F. Reus, Christian A. Nijhuis, Jabulani R. Barber, Martin M. Thuo, Simon Tricard, George M. Whitesides Feb 2012

Statistical Tools For Analyzing Measurements Of Charge Transport, William F. Reus, Christian A. Nijhuis, Jabulani R. Barber, Martin M. Thuo, Simon Tricard, George M. Whitesides

Martin M. Thuo

This paper applies statistical methods to analyze the large, noisy data sets produced in measurements of tunneling current density (J) through self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) in large-area junctions. It describes and compares the accuracy and precision of procedures for summarizing data for individual SAMs, for comparing two or more SAMs, and for determining the parameters of the Simmons model (β and J0). For data that contain significant numbers of outliers (i.e., most measurements of charge transport), commonly used statistical techniques—e.g., summarizing data with arithmetic mean and standard deviation and fitting data using a linear, least-squares algorithm—are prone to large errors. The …


Electrical Resistance Of Agts–S(Ch2)N−1ch3//Ga2o3/Egain Tunneling Junctions, Ludovico Cademartiri, Martin M. Thuo, Christian A. Nijhuis, William F. Reus, Simon Tricard, Jubulani R. Barber, Rana N.S. Sodhi, Peter Brodersen, Choongik Kim, Ryan C. Chiechi, George M. Whitesides Feb 2012

Electrical Resistance Of Agts–S(Ch2)N−1ch3//Ga2o3/Egain Tunneling Junctions, Ludovico Cademartiri, Martin M. Thuo, Christian A. Nijhuis, William F. Reus, Simon Tricard, Jubulani R. Barber, Rana N.S. Sodhi, Peter Brodersen, Choongik Kim, Ryan C. Chiechi, George M. Whitesides

Martin M. Thuo

Tunneling junctions having the structure AgTS–S(CH2)n−1CH3//Ga2O3/EGaIn allow physical–organic studies of charge transport across self-assembled monolayers (SAMs). In ambient conditions, the surface of the liquid metal electrode (EGaIn, 75.5 wt % Ga, 24.5 wt % In, mp 15.7 °C) oxidizes and adsorbs―like other high-energy surfaces―adventitious contaminants. The interface between the EGaIn and the SAM thus includes a film of metal oxide, and probably also organic material adsorbed on this film; this interface will influence the properties and operation of the junctions. A combination of structural, chemical, and electrical characterizations leads to four conclusions about AgTS–S(CH2)n−1CH3//Ga2O3/EGaIn junctions. (i) The oxide is ∼0.7 …


Bacterial Isolation By Lectin-Modified Microengines, Susana Campuzano, Jahir Orozco, Daniel Kagan, Maria Guix, Wei Gao, Sirilak Sattayasamitsathit, Jonathan C. Claussen, Arben Merkoci, Joseph Wang Jan 2012

Bacterial Isolation By Lectin-Modified Microengines, Susana Campuzano, Jahir Orozco, Daniel Kagan, Maria Guix, Wei Gao, Sirilak Sattayasamitsathit, Jonathan C. Claussen, Arben Merkoci, Joseph Wang

Jonathan C. Claussen

New template-based self-propelled gold/nickel/polyaniline/platinum (Au/Ni/PANI/Pt) microtubular engines, functionalized with the Concanavalin A (ConA) lectin bioreceptor, are shown to be extremely useful for the rapid, real-time isolation of Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria from fuel-enhanced environmental, food, and clinical samples. These multifunctional microtube engines combine the selective capture of E. coli with the uptake of polymeric drug-carrier particles to provide an attractive motion-based theranostics strategy. Triggered release of the captured bacteria is demonstrated by movement through a low-pH glycine-based dissociation solution. The smaller size of the new polymer-metal microengines offers convenient, direct, and label-free optical visualization of the captured bacteria and …


Mox/Cnts Hetero-Structures For Gas Sensing Applications: Role Of Cnts Defects, G. Neri, S. G. Leonardi, N. Donato, C. Marichy, Jean-Philippe Tessonnier, M.-G. Willinger, Kyeong-Hwan Lee, N. Pinna Jan 2012

Mox/Cnts Hetero-Structures For Gas Sensing Applications: Role Of Cnts Defects, G. Neri, S. G. Leonardi, N. Donato, C. Marichy, Jean-Philippe Tessonnier, M.-G. Willinger, Kyeong-Hwan Lee, N. Pinna

Jean-Philippe Tessonnier

The preparation, characterization and sensing properties of CNT composites with a thin metal oxide (MOx) surface layer is presented. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was applied for the coating of the inner and outer CNTs walls with thin films of ZnO and SnO2 of precisely controlled thicknesses. Differently treated CNTs with different degree of surface functionalization were used as support for the oxide films. The sensing properties of the obtained composite materials towards NO2 were investigated and related to the morphological and microstructural characteristics of both the coating and support. SnO2-based composites on CNTs treated at 700 °C show enhanced performance …


Materials For Diabetes Therapeutics, Kaitlin M. Bratlie, Roger L. York, Michael A. Invernale, Robert Langer, Daniel G. Anderson Jan 2012

Materials For Diabetes Therapeutics, Kaitlin M. Bratlie, Roger L. York, Michael A. Invernale, Robert Langer, Daniel G. Anderson

Kaitlin M. Bratlie

This review is focused on the materials and methods used to fabricate closedloop systems for type 1 diabetes therapy. Herein, we give a brief overview of current methods used for patient care and discuss two types of possible treatments and the materials used for these therapies-(i) artificial pancreases, comprised of insulin producing cells embedded in a polymeric biomaterial, and (ii) totally synthetic pancreases formulated by integrating continuous glucose monitors with controlled insulin release through degradable polymers and glucose-responsive polymer systems. Both the artificial and the completely synthetic pancreas have two major design requirements: the device must be both biocompatible and …


Overview Of Fuel Ethanol Production And Distillers Grains, Kurt A. Rosentrater Jan 2012

Overview Of Fuel Ethanol Production And Distillers Grains, Kurt A. Rosentrater

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Modern societies face many challenges, including growing populations, increased demands for food, clothing, housing, consumer goods, and the concomitant raw materials required to produce all of these. Additionally, there is a growing need for energy, which is most easily met by use of fossil fuels (e.g., coal, natural gas, and petroleum). In 2008, the overall U.S. demand for energy was 99.3 x 1015 Btu (1.05 x 1014 MJ); 84% of this was supplied by fossil sources (U.S. EIA, 2009). Transportation fuels accounted for 28% of all energy consumed during this time, and nearly 97% of this came from fossil sources. …


Manufacturing Of Fuel Ethanol And Distillers Grains—Current And Evolving Processes, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Klein Ileleji, David B. Johnson Jan 2012

Manufacturing Of Fuel Ethanol And Distillers Grains—Current And Evolving Processes, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Klein Ileleji, David B. Johnson

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Before examining all of the different possible uses of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), a discussion regarding ethanol and DDGS production methods is warranted. This chapter will cover current production processes and some of the new practices that have been developed and are being adopted at plants, including front-end fractionation and back-end fractionation. Additionally, standard coproduct definitions will be discussed, as they govern the marketing and sales of these materials.


Labeling And Monitoring The Distribution Of Anchoring Sites On Functionalized Cnts By Atomic Layer Deposition, Catherine Marichy, Jean-Philippe Tessonnier, Marta C. Ferro, Kyeong-Hwan Lee, Robert Schlogl, Nicola Pinna, Marc-Georg Willinger Jan 2012

Labeling And Monitoring The Distribution Of Anchoring Sites On Functionalized Cnts By Atomic Layer Deposition, Catherine Marichy, Jean-Philippe Tessonnier, Marta C. Ferro, Kyeong-Hwan Lee, Robert Schlogl, Nicola Pinna, Marc-Georg Willinger

Jean-Philippe Tessonnier

The chemical inertness of graphite and, in the case of tubes, of rolled up few layer graphene sheets, requires some degree of "defect engineering" for the fabrication of carbon based heterostructured materials. It is shown that atomic layer deposition provides a means to specifically label anchoring sites and can be used to characterize the surface functionality of differently treated carbon nanotubes. Direct observation of deposited titania by analytical transmission electron microscopy reveals the location and density of anchoring sites as well as structure related concentrations of functional groups on the surface of the tubes. Controlled functionalization of the tubes therefore …


Toward A Scientific Understanding Of Ddgs, Keshun Liu, Kurt A. Rosentrater Jan 2012

Toward A Scientific Understanding Of Ddgs, Keshun Liu, Kurt A. Rosentrater

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Recently, many people have asked what the fuel ethanol industry is going to do about the growing piles of nonfermented leftovers. Actually this question has been around for quite some time. As early as the 1940s, one report stated that "Grain distillers have developed equipment and an attractive market for their recovered grains" (Boruff, 1947), while another report described that "Distillers are recovering, drying, and marketing their destarched grain stillage as distillers dried grains and dried solubles" (Boruff, 1952). So it appears that a viable solution had already been developed as far back as the 1940s. And by the early …


Overview Of Corn-Based Fuel Ethanol Coproducts: Production And Use, Kurt A. Rosentrater Aug 2011

Overview Of Corn-Based Fuel Ethanol Coproducts: Production And Use, Kurt A. Rosentrater

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Modern societies face many challenges, including growing populations, increased demands for food, clothing, housing, consumer goods, and the raw materials required to produce all of these. Additionally, there is a growing need for energy, which is most easily met by use of fossil fuels (e.g., coal, natural gas, petroleum). For example, in 2008, the overall U.S. demand for energy was 99.3 x 1015 Btu (1.05 x 1014 MJ); 84% of this was supplied by fossil sources. Transportation fuels accounted for 28% of all energy consumed during this time, and nearly 97% of this came from fossil sources. Domestic production of …


Multizone Paper Platform For 3d Cell Cultures, Ratmir Derda, Sindy K.Y. Tang, Anna Laromaine, Bobak Mosadegh, Estrella Hong, Martin Mwangi, Akiko Mammoto, Donald E. Ingber, George M. Whitesides May 2011

Multizone Paper Platform For 3d Cell Cultures, Ratmir Derda, Sindy K.Y. Tang, Anna Laromaine, Bobak Mosadegh, Estrella Hong, Martin Mwangi, Akiko Mammoto, Donald E. Ingber, George M. Whitesides

Martin M. Thuo

In vitro 3D culture is an important model for tissues in vivo. Cells in different locations of 3D tissues are physiologically different, because they are exposed to different concentrations of oxygen, nutrients, and signaling molecules, and to other environmental factors (temperature, mechanical stress, etc). The majority of high-throughput assays based on 3D cultures, however, can only detect the average behavior of cells in the whole 3D construct. Isolation of cells from specific regions of 3D cultures is possible, but relies on low-throughput techniques such as tissue sectioning and micromanipulation. Based on a procedure reported previously ("cells-in-gels-in-paper" or CiGiP), this paper …


Developing Criteria For Evaluating The Sustainability Of Emerging Energy, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Elif Kongar Apr 2011

Developing Criteria For Evaluating The Sustainability Of Emerging Energy, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Elif Kongar

Kurt A. Rosentrater

Over the last decade, the interest in and production of biofuels has grown rapidly. Renewable transportation fuels can be produced from a variety of substrates, using various processing strategies. Feedstock preference and factory scale are geographic dependent. However, it is important to understand the implications of deploying these types of systems on a large scale, both throughout the U.S. as well as globally. To assess the sustainability of various biofuel options, it is crucial to evaluate their performance according to a number of attributes. This has been done using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Even so, comparisons among biofuel options are …


Experimental And Molecular Dynamics Investigation Into The Amphiphilic Nature Of Sulforhodamine B, Baris E. Polat, Shangchao Lin, Jonathan D. Mendenhall, Brett Vanveller, Robert Langer, Daniel Blankschtein Jan 2011

Experimental And Molecular Dynamics Investigation Into The Amphiphilic Nature Of Sulforhodamine B, Baris E. Polat, Shangchao Lin, Jonathan D. Mendenhall, Brett Vanveller, Robert Langer, Daniel Blankschtein

Brett VanVeller

Sulforhodamine B (SRB), a common fluorescent dye, is often considered to be a purely hydrophilic molecule, having no impact on bulk or interfacial properties of aqueous solutions. This assumption is due to the high water solubility of SRB relative to most fluorescent probes. However, in the present study, we demonstrate that SRB is in fact an amphiphile, with the ability to adsorb at an air/water interface and to incorporate into sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) micelles. In fact, SRB reduces the surface tension of water by up to 23 mN/m, and the addition of SRB to an aqueous SDS solution induces …


Kernel Regression In The Presence Of Correlated Errors, Kris De Brabanter, Jos De Brabanter, Johan A.K. Suykens, Bart De Moor Jan 2011

Kernel Regression In The Presence Of Correlated Errors, Kris De Brabanter, Jos De Brabanter, Johan A.K. Suykens, Bart De Moor

Kris De Brabanter

It is a well-known problem that obtaining a correct bandwidth and/or smoothing parameter in nonparametric regression is difficult in the presence of correlated errors. There exist a wide variety of methods coping with this problem, but they all critically depend on a tuning procedure which requires accurate information about the correlation structure. We propose a bandwidth selection procedure based on bimodal kernels which successfully removes the correlation without requiring any prior knowledge about its structure and its parameters. Further, we show that the form of the kernel is very important when errors are correlated which is in contrast to the …


Understanding Student Pathways In Context-Rich Problems, Pavlo Antonenko, John Jackman, Piyamart Kumsaikaew, Rahul Marathe, Dale Niederhauser, Craig Ogilvie, Sarah Ryan Jan 2011

Understanding Student Pathways In Context-Rich Problems, Pavlo Antonenko, John Jackman, Piyamart Kumsaikaew, Rahul Marathe, Dale Niederhauser, Craig Ogilvie, Sarah Ryan

Sarah M. Ryan

In this paper we investigate the ways that students' problem-solving behaviors evolve when solving multi-faceted, context-rich problems within a structured, computer-based learning environment. During the semester, groups of two or three students worked on several problems that required drawing on more than one concept and, hence, could not be readily solved with simple "plug-and-chug" strategies. The problems were presented to students in a data-rich, online problem-solving environment that tracked which information items were selected by students as they attempted to solve the problem. The students also completed a variety of tasks, like entering an initial qualitative analysis into an online …


Rh1−Xpdxnanoparticle Composition Dependence In Co Oxidation By Oxygen: Catalytic Activity Enhancement In Bimetallic Systems, James Russell Renzas, Wenyu Huang, Yawen Zhang, Michael E. Grass, Dat Tien Hoang, Selim Alayoglu, Derek R. Butcher, Franklin Tao, Zhi Liu, Gabor A. Somorjai Jan 2011

Rh1−Xpdxnanoparticle Composition Dependence In Co Oxidation By Oxygen: Catalytic Activity Enhancement In Bimetallic Systems, James Russell Renzas, Wenyu Huang, Yawen Zhang, Michael E. Grass, Dat Tien Hoang, Selim Alayoglu, Derek R. Butcher, Franklin Tao, Zhi Liu, Gabor A. Somorjai

Wenyu Huang

Bimetallic 15 nm Rh1−xPdxnanoparticle catalysts of five different compositions and supported on Si wafers have been synthesized, characterized using TEM, SEM, and XPS, and studied in CO oxidation by O2 in two pressure regimes: atmospheric pressure and 100–200 mTorr. The RhPd bimetallic nanocrystals exhibited similar synergetic effect of increased reaction activity at both atmospheric (760 Torr) and moderate (100–200 mTorr) pressures compared with pure Pd or Rh. The magnitude of the effect depends on the relative pressures of the CO and O2 reactant gases and the reaction temperature. The catalytic activity of the nanocrystals measured at moderate pressure is directly …


Dead Zones In Porous Catalysts: Concentration Profiles And Efficiency Factors, Roger L. York, Kaitlin M. Bratlie, Lloyd R. Hile, Larry K. Jang Jan 2011

Dead Zones In Porous Catalysts: Concentration Profiles And Efficiency Factors, Roger L. York, Kaitlin M. Bratlie, Lloyd R. Hile, Larry K. Jang

Kaitlin M. Bratlie

This paper examines the conditions under which a dead zone, or a portion of the catalyst devoid of reactant, can form in a porous catalyst in which simultaneous reaction and diffusion are occurring. The condition that allows for the existence of a dead zone is defined by a critical Thiele modulus. When the Thiele modulus - the ratio of chemical reaction to diffusion - is greater than the critical Thiele modulus, a dead zone exists. This dead zone can be mathematically defined by a change of boundary conditions. We examine nth order reactions in isothermal infinite slabs, infinite cylinders, and …


Rh1−X Pd X Nanoparticle Composition Dependence In Co Oxidation By No, James Russell Renzas, Wenyu Huang, Yawen Zhang, Michael E. Grass, Gabor A. Somorjai Jan 2011

Rh1−X Pd X Nanoparticle Composition Dependence In Co Oxidation By No, James Russell Renzas, Wenyu Huang, Yawen Zhang, Michael E. Grass, Gabor A. Somorjai

Wenyu Huang

Bimetallic 15 nm Pd-core Rh-shell Rh1−x Pd x nanoparticle catalysts have been synthesized and studied in CO oxidation by NO. The catalysts exhibited composition-dependent activity enhancement (synergy) in CO oxidation in high NO pressures. The observed synergetic effect is attributed to the favorable adsorption of CO on Pd in NO-rich conditions. The Pd-rich bimetallic catalysts deactivated after many hours of oxidation of CO by NO. After catalyst deactivation, product formation was proportional to the Rh molar fraction within the bimetallic nanoparticles. The deactivated catalysts were regenerated by heating the sample in UHV. This regeneration suggests that the deactivation was caused …


Physical And Chemical Characterization Of Fuel Ethanol Coproducts Relevant To Value-Added Uses, Rumela Bhadra, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan Sep 2010

Physical And Chemical Characterization Of Fuel Ethanol Coproducts Relevant To Value-Added Uses, Rumela Bhadra, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan

Kurt A. Rosentrater

One of the fastest growing industries in the United States is the fuel ethanol industry. In terms of ethanol production capability, the industry has grown by more than 600% since the year 2000. The major coproducts from corn-based ethanol include distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) and carbon dioxide. DDGS is used as a livestock feed because it contains high quantities of protein, fiber, amino acids, and other nutrients. The goal of this study was to quantify various chemical and physical properties of DDGS, distillers wet grains (DWG), and distillers dried grain (DDG) from several plants in South Dakota. Chemical …