Engineering Commons^™

Self-Regenerating Nanotips For Low-Power Electric Propulsion (Ep) Cathodes, Lyon Bradley King

Michigan Tech Patents

Spindt-type field-emission cathodes for use in electric propulsion (EP) systems having self-assembling nanostructures that can repeatedly regenerate damaged cathode emitter nanotips. A nanotip is created by applying a negative potential near the surface of a liquefied base metal to create a Taylor cone converging to a nanotip, and solidifying the Taylor cone for use as a field-emission cathode. When the nanotip of the Taylor cone becomes sufficiently blunted or damaged to affect its utility, the base metal is re-liquefied by application of a heat source, a negative potential is reapplied to the surface of the base metal to recreate the …

Me-Em Enewsbrief, December 2011, Department Of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics eNewsBrief

No abstract provided.

Cutting Tool Insert Having Internal Microduct For Coolant, William J. Endres

Michigan Tech Patents

A cutting tool insert includes: a body defining a rake face, a flank face, and a cutting edge at an intersection of the rake and flank faces; and a cooling microduct within the body. The microduct has a cross-sectional area of not more than 1.0 square millimeter. The microduct is adapted to permit the flow of a coolant therethrough to transfer heat away from the cutting edge and extend the useful life of the insert. The microduct may have a portion with a cross-sectional area no larger than 0.004 square millimeter, and may communicate through at least one of the …

Design, Fabrication, And Implementation Of A Wireless, Passive Implantable Pressure Sensor Based On Magnetic Higher-Order Harmonic Fields, Ee Lim Tan, Andrew Derouin, Brandon D. Pereles, Keat Ghee Ong

Michigan Tech Publications

A passive and wireless sensor was developed for monitoring pressure in vivo. Structurally, the pressure sensor, referred to as the magneto-harmonic pressure sensor, is an airtight chamber sealed with an elastic pressure membrane. A strip of magnetically-soft material is attached to the bottom of the chamber and a permanent magnet strip is embedded inside the membrane. Under the excitation of an externally applied AC magnetic field, the magnetically-soft strip produces a higher-order magnetic signature that can be remotely detected with an external receiving coil. As ambient pressure varies, the pressure membrane deflects, altering the separation distance between the magnetically-soft strip …

Ethane, Ethyne And Carbon Monoxide Concentrations In The Upper Troposphere And Lower Stratosphere From Ace And Geos-Chem: A Comparison Study, G. González Abad, N. D.C. Allen, P. F. Bernath, C. D. Boone, S. D. Mcleod, G. L. Manney, G. C. Toon, C. Carouge, Y. Wang, Shiliang Wu, X

Michigan Tech Publications

Near global upper tropospheric concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), ethane (C2H6) and ethyne (C2H2) from ACE (Atmospheric Chemistry Experiment) Fourier transform spectrometer on board the Canadian satellite SCISAT-1 are presented and compared with the output from the Chemical Transport Model (CTM) GEOS-Chem. The retrievals of ethane and ethyne from ACE have been improved for this paper by using new sets of microwindows compared with those for previous versions of ACE data. With the improved ethyne retrieval we have been able to produce a near global upper tropospheric distribution of C2H2 from space. Carbon monoxide, ethane and ethyne concentrations retrieved using …

Me-Em Enewsbrief, September 2011, Department Of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics eNewsBrief

No abstract provided.

Opportunistic Validation Of Sulfur Dioxide In The Sarychev Peak Volcanic Eruption Cloud, S. Carn, T. M. Lopez

Michigan Tech Publications

We report attempted validation of Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) sulfur dioxide (SO 2) retrievals in the stratospheric volcanic cloud from Sarychev Peak (Kurile Islands) in June 2009, through opportunistic deployment of a ground-based ultraviolet (UV) spectrometer (FLYSPEC) as the volcanic cloud drifted over central Alaska. The volcanic cloud altitude (∼12-14 km) was constrained using coincident CALIPSO lidar observations. By invoking some assumptions about the spatial distribution of SO 2, we derive averages of FLYSPEC vertical SO 2 columns for comparison with OMI SO 2 measurements. Despite limited data, we find minimum OMI-FLYSPEC differences within measurement uncertainties, which support the validity …

Methods Of Using Black Bear Parathyroid Hormone, Seth W. Donahue

Michigan Tech Patents

Black bear parathyroid hormone (PTH) and functional fragments thereof are provided. Also provided are methods of using black bear PTH and functional fragments for increasing cAMP in a bone-forming cell; reducing apoptosis in a boneforming cell; decreasing the ratio of expression levels of Bax protein to Bcl-2 protein in a bone-forming cell; increasing the expression level of one or more of a bone matrix protein, a transcriptional activator, or a transcriptional regulator in a bone-forming cell; enhancing bone mineral density, increasing bone mass, decreasing bone loss, or reducing the incidence of bone fractures, or any combination thereof, in a subject; …

Automated Polysomnographic Assessment For Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder, Joseph W. Burns, Ronald D. Chervin

Michigan Tech Patents

Methods and systems for diagnosing or assessing rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD). Muscle tone or activity variance during rapid eye movement (REM) and nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep intervals of a polysom- nogram are compared. A threshold based on the NREM data is used to identify a subj ect-specific threshold for abnormality in the REM variance. A metric that includes the percentage of REM variance exceeding the threshold relates to RBD.

Sulphur Dioxide As A Volcanic Ash Proxy During The April-May 2010 Eruption Of Eyjafjallajökull Volcano, Iceland, H. E. Thomas, A. J. Prata

Michigan Tech Publications

The volcanic ash cloud from the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano in April and May 2010 resulted in unprecedented disruption to air traffic in Western Europe causing significant financial losses and highlighting the importance of efficient volcanic cloud monitoring. The feasibility of using SO2 as a tracer for the ash released during the eruption is investigated here through comparison of ash retrievals from the Spinning Enhanced Visible and Infrared Imager (SEVIRI) with SO2 measurements from a number of infrared and ultraviolet satellite-based sensors. Results demonstrate that the eruption can be divided into an initial ash-rich phase, a lower intensity middle phase …

Use Of Remote Sensing To Support Forest And Wetlands Policies In The Usa, Audrey L. Mayer, Ricardo D. Lopez

College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science Publications

The use of remote sensing for environmental policy development is now quite common and well-documented, as images from remote sensing platforms are often used to focus attention on emerging environmental issues and spur debate on potential policy solutions. However, its use in policy implementation and evaluation has not been examined in much detail. Here we examine the use of remote sensing to support the implementation and enforcement of policies regarding the conservation of forests and wetlands in the USA. Specifically, we focus on the “Roadless Rule” and “Travel Management Rules” as enforced by the US Department of Agriculture Forest Service …

Chemical Sensor Resolution Requirements For Near-Surface Measurements Of Turbulent Fluxes, M. D. Rowe, C. W. Fairall, J. A. Perlinger, J. A. Perlinger

Michigan Tech Publications

Businger and Delany (1990) presented an approach to estimate the sensor resolution required to limit the contribution of the uncertainty in the chemical concentration measurement to uncertainty in the flux measurement to 10 % for eddy covariance, gradient, and relaxed eddy accumulation flux measurement methods. We describe an improvement to their approach to estimate required sensor resolution for the covariance method, and include disjunct eddy covariance. In addition, we provide data to support selection of a form for the dimensionless scalar standard deviation similarity function based on observations of the variance of water vapor fluctuations from recent field experiments. We …

Me-Em Enewsbrief, June 2011, Department Of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics eNewsBrief

No abstract provided.

Impacts Of Future Climate Change And Effects Of Biogenic Emissions On Surface Ozone And Particulate Matter Concentrations In The United States, Y. F. Lam, J. S. Fu, S. Wu, L. J. Mickley

Michigan Tech Publications

Simulations of present and future average regional ozone and PM 2.5 concentrations over the United States were performed to investigate the potential impacts of global climate change and emissions on regional air quality using CMAQ. Various emissions and climate conditions with different biogenic emissions and domain resolutions were implemented to study the sensitivity of future air quality trends from the impacts of changing biogenic emissions. A comparison of GEOS-Chem and CMAQ was performed to investigate the effect of downscaling on the prediction of future air quality trends. For ozone, the impacts of global climate change are relatively smaller when compared …

Wrist Pin Sensing System And Method, Daniel R. Kemppainen

Michigan Tech Patents

A method, and a system employing the method, for determining a position of a rotational part in a reciprocating machine. The system includes a quadrature encoder and an interrupter coupled to the rotational element. As the interrupter rotates with the wrist pin, the quadrature encoder generates some binary signals based on the rotation of the wrist pin. A digital-to-analog converter then converts the binary signals into a single analog signal. The system then wirelessly transmits the single analog signal for processing by other remote components.

Determination Of Time-And Height-Resolved Volcanic Ash Emissions And Their Use For Quantitative Ash Dispersion Modeling: The 2010 Eyjafjallajökull Eruption, A. Stohl, A. J. Prata, S. Eckhardt, L. Clarisse, A. Durant, S. Henne, N. I. Kristiansen, A. Minikin, U. Schumann, P. Seibert, K. Stebel, H. E. Thomas, T. Thorsteinsson, K. Tørseth, B. Weinzierl

Michigan Tech Publications

The Aprilg-May, 2010 volcanic eruptions of Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland caused significant economic and social disruption in Europe whilst state of the art measurements and ash dispersion forecasts were heavily criticized by the aviation industry. Here we demonstrate for the first time that large improvements can be made in quantitative predictions of the fate of volcanic ash emissions, by using an inversion scheme that couples a priori source information and the output of a Lagrangian dispersion model with satellite data to estimate the volcanic ash source strength as a function of altitude and time. From the inversion, we obtain a total fine …

Capture And Sequestration Of Carbon Dioxide In Flue Gases, Surendra Komar Kawatra, Timothy C. Eisele, John J. Simmons

Michigan Tech Patents

There is provided a process for the capture and sequestration of carbon dioxide that would otherwise enter the atmosphere and contribute to global warming and other problems. C02 capture is accomplished by reacting carbon dioxide in flue gas with an alkali metal carbonate, or a metal oxide, particularly containing an alkaline earth metal or iron, to form a carbonate salt. A preferred carbonate for C02 capture is a dilute aqueous solution of additive-free (Na2C03). Other carbonates include (K2C03) or other metal ion that can produce both a carbonate and a bicarbonate salt. Examples of suitable metal oxides include several alkaline …

Light Sensor Platform Based On The Integration Of Bacteriorhodopsin With A Single Electron Transistor, Karl A. Walczak, Paul L. Bergstrom, Craig Richard Freidrich

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

This paper reports on the integration of an optical protein with single electron transistors to form a nano-bio-hybrid device for sensing. Bacteriorhodopsin (bR) is an optoelectric protein that translocates a proton across a distance of several nanometers in response to an absorbed photon of incident light. This charge gradient results in a measurable voltage in the dried state. Single electron transistors (SETs) have active regions consisting of one or more quantum islands with a size typically 10 nanometers or less. Integrating bacteriorhodopsin with the gate of a SET provides a device capable of a modulated electrical output in response to …

Me-Em Enewsbrief, March 2011, Department Of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics eNewsBrief

No abstract provided.

Information Theory In Scientific Visualization, Chaoli Wang, Han-Wei Shen

Michigan Tech Publications

In recent years, there is an emerging direction that leverages information theory to solve many challenging problems in scientific data analysis and visualization. In this article, we review the key concepts in information theory, discuss how the principles of information theory can be useful for visualization, and provide specific examples to draw connections between data communication and data visualization in terms of how information can be measured quantitatively. As the amount of digital data available to us increases at an astounding speed, the goal of this article is to introduce the interested readers to this new direction of data analysis …

Anti-Neuroblastoma Activity Of Gold Nanorods Bound With Gd2 Monoclonal Antibody Under Near-Infrared Laser Irradiation, Ching-An Peng, Chung-Hao Wang

Michigan Tech Publications

High-risk neuroblastoma is one of the most common deaths in pediatric oncology. Current treatment of this disease involves a coordinated sequence of chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation. Further advances in therapy will require the targeting of tumor cells in a more selective and efficient way so that survival can be improved without substantially increasing toxicity. To achieve tumor-selective delivery, disialoganglioside (GD2) expressed by almost all neuroblastoma tumors represents a potential molecular target that can be exploited for tumor-selective delivery. In this study, GD2 monoclonal antibody (anti-GD2) was conjugated to gold nanorods (GNRs) which are one of anisotropic nanomaterials that can absorb …

2011-2012 Che Newsletter, Department Of Chemical Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Chemical Engineering Newsletters

Table of Contents

• Department
• Bioengineering Research
• Student News
• Alumni and Friends

Me-Em 2011 Annual Report, Department Of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics Annual Reports

Table of Contents

• ME-EM: 85 Years of Excellence
• Faculty & Staff
• Enrollment & Degrees
• Alumni
• Resources
• Graduates

Mse News 2011, Department Of Materials Science And Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Materials Science and Engineering Annual Reports

Table of Contents

• New Fund and Center: a Challenge, an Opportunity, and an Appeal from Chair Mark Plichta
• MSE Scientist: Positioned for Success with Unique Program
• Student Accomplishments and Awards
• Department News
• Alumni Updates

Characterizations Of Partially Reduced Polyoxometalate Catalysts Using Ammonia Adsorption Microcalorimetry And Methanol Oxidation Studies / By Suresh Babu Bommineni., Suresh Babu Bommineni

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

Phosphomolybdic acid (H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀) along with niobium,pyridine and niobium exchanged phosphomolybdic acid catalysts were prepared. Ammonia adsorption microcalorimetry and methanol oxidation studies were carried out to investigate the acid sites strength acid/base/redox properties of each catalyst. The addition of niobium, pyridine or both increased the ammonia heat of adsorption and the total uptake. The catalyst with both niobium and pyridine demonstrated the largest number of strong sites. For the parent H₃PMo₁₂O₄₀ catalyst, methanol oxidation favors the redox product. Incorporation of niobium results in similar selectivity to redox products but also …

Graphite Exfoliation By Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction, Chaiyaporn Wattanaprayoon

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

Supercritical carbon dioxide is used to exfoliate graphite, producing a small, several-layer graphitic flake. The supercritical conditions of 2000, 2500, and 3000 psi and temperatures of 40°, 50°, and 60°C, have been used to study the effect of critical density on the sizes and zeta potentials of the treated flakes. Photon Correlation Spectroscopy (PCS), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area measurement, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are used to observe the features of the flakes. N-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone (NMP), dimethylformamide (DMF), and isopropanol are used as co-solvents to enhance the supercritical carbon dioxide treatment. As a result, the …

Development And Testing Of An Asymmetric Capacitor With A Nickel-Carbon Foam Positive Electrode, Wen Nee Yeo

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

Electrochemical capacitors (ECs), also known as supercapacitors or ultracapacitors, are energy storage devices with properties between batteries and conventional capacitors. EC have evolved through several generations. The trend in EC is to combine a double-layer electrode with a battery-type electrode in an asymmetric capacitor configuration. The double-layer electrode is usually an activated carbon (AC) since it has high surface area, good conductivity, and relatively low cost. The battery-type electrode usually consists of PbO₂ or Ni(OH)₂.

In this research, a graphitic carbon foam was impregnated with Co-substituted Ni(OH)₂ using electrochemical deposition to serve as the positive electrode …

Characterization Of Thermal And Mechanical Properties Of Polypropylene-Based Composites For Fuel Cell Bipolar Plates And Development Of Educational Tools In Hydrogen And Fuel Cell Technologies, Daniel López Gaxiola

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

In this project we developed conductive thermoplastic resins by adding varying amounts of three different carbon fillers: carbon black (CB), synthetic graphite (SG) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT) to a polypropylene matrix for application as fuel cell bipolar plates. This component of fuel cells provides mechanical support to the stack, circulates the gases that participate in the electrochemical reaction within the fuel cell and allows for removal of the excess heat from the system.

The materials fabricated in this work were tested to determine their mechanical and thermal properties. These materials were produced by adding varying amounts of single carbon …

Technique To Measure Heats Of Reaction Of Ti-B, Al-Ti-B, And Al-Ti-B4c Powder Blends, Andrew H. Baker

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

In this research, a modification to initiation aid ignition in bomb calorimetry that involves systemically blending levels of boron and potassium nitrate initiation aids with a bulk structural energetic elemental power blend is developed. A regression is used to estimate the nominal heat of reaction for the primary reaction. The technique is first applied to the synthesis of TiB2 as a validation study to see if close proximity to literature values can be achieved. The technique is then applied to two systems of interest, Al-Ti-B, and Al-Ti-B4C. In all three investigations, x-ray diffraction is used to characterize the product phases …

Processing And Mechanical Properties Of Cast Aluminum Containing Scandium, Zirconium, And Ytterbium , Nicholas D. Johnson

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

A series of aluminum alloys containing additions of scandium, zirconium, and ytterbium were cast to evaluate the effect of partial ytterbium substitution for scandium on tensile behavior. Due to the high price of scandium, a crucible-melt interaction study was performed to ensure no scandium was lost in graphite, alumina, magnesia, or zirconia crucibles after holding a liquid Al-Sc master alloy for 8 hours at 900 °C in an argon atmosphere. The alloys were subjected to an isochronal aging treatment and tested for conductivity and Vickers microhardness after each increment. For scandium-containing alloys, peak hardnesses of 520-790 MPa, and peak tensile …