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Mobilization Of Endocrine‐Disrupting Chemicals And Estrogenic Activity In Simulated Rainfall Runoff From Land‐Applied Biosolids, Ben D. Giudice, Thomas M. Young

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

Municipal biosolids are commonly applied to land as soil amendment or fertilizer as a form of beneficial reuse of what could otherwise be viewed as waste. Balanced against this benefit are potential risks to groundwater and surface water quality from constituents that may be mobilized during storm events. The objective of the present study was to characterize the mobilization of selected endocrinedisrupting compounds, heavy metals, and total estrogenic activity in rainfall runoff from land-applied biosolids. Rainfall simulations were conducted on soil plots amended with biosolids. Surface runoff and leachate was collected and analyzed for the endocrinedisrupting compounds bisphenol A, 17a-ethynylestradiol, …

Zein Nanospheres For Gene Delivery, Mary C. Regier

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Particulates incorporating DNA provide for protection and sustained release of DNA, and thus are promising candidates for DNA delivery systems. Among the routes of administration for gene delivery, the oral route is perhaps the most appealing as it is associated with patient comfort and compliance and allows for targeting to intestinal targets for therapeutic and vaccination applications. With the goal of realizing the potential of an oral DNA delivery system, zein, a hydrophobic protein from corn that is biocompatible and degraded enzymatically, was investigated. This thesis describes the formulation of zein nanospheres encapsulating DNA by a coacervation technique and their …

Lip Localization Algorithm Using Gabor Filters, Robert E. Hursig, Jane Xiaozheng Zhang, Chiweng Kam

Electrical Engineering

This paper describes a lip localization algorithm within a still image frame for subsequent tracking and audiovisual speech recognition processing. A Gabor filter-based feature space is promoted as a means to localize lips within an image based off of shape. This filtered space is shown to effectively differentiate facial features, including lips, from their backgrounds and to bound the full extent of the lips within a face-classified region of interest. Extensive training and test sets are used to justify design decisions and performance.

Design And Analysis Of A Flapping Wing Mechanism For Optimization, Ryan Brandon George

Theses and Dissertations

Furthering our understanding of the physics of flapping flight has the potential to benefit the field of micro air vehicles. Advancements in micro air vehicles can benefit applications such as surveillance, reconnaissance, and search and rescue. In this research, flapping kinematics of a ladybug was explored using a direct linear transformation. A flapping mechanism design is presented that was capable of executing ladybug or other species-specific kinematics. The mechanism was based on a differential gear design, had two wings, and could flap in harsh environments. This mechanism served as a test bed for force analysis and optimization studies. The first …

Artificial Lateral Line Canal For Hydrodynamic Detection, Yingchen Yang, Adrian Klein, Horst Bleckmann

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Fish use their lateral line system to detect minute water motions. The lateral line consists of superficial neuromasts and canal neuromasts. The response properties of canal neuromasts differ from those of superficial ones. Here, we report the design, fabrication, and characterization of an artificial lateral line canal system. The characterization was done under various fluid conditions, including dipolar excitation and turbulent flow. The experimental results with dipole excitation match well with a mathematical model. Canal sensors also demonstrate significantly better noise immunity compared with superficial ones. Canal-type artificial lateral lines may become important for underwater flow sensing.

Two-Dimensional Hydrodynamics Of Swimming Rainbow Trout Using Navier-Stokes And Large Eddy Simulation Models, Donovan R. Chipman

Theses and Dissertations

Energy efficiency and propulsive characteristics of a 10 cm undulatory rainbow trout (oncorhynchus mykiss) swimming in a stationary position are considered. Two CFD simulations are performed utilizing dynamic grid meshing (FLUENT 6.3). The first simulation uses a laminar flow model with an added hydrofoil shape in order to test if thrust and drag can be brought to unity. The second simulation uses a Large-Eddy Simulation (LES) turbulence model to determine if transition to turbulence along the fish's surface leads to boundary layer separation. The expected results caused by adding these two features to earlier simulations do not occur. …

Artificial Lateral Line Canal For Hydrodynamic Detection, Yingchen Yang, Adrian Klein, Horst Bleckmann, Chang Liu

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Fish use their lateral line system to detect minute water motions. The lateral line consists of superficial neuromasts and canal neuromasts. The response properties of canal neuromasts differ from those of superficial ones. Here, we report the design, fabrication, and characterization of an artificial lateral line canal system. The characterization was done under various fluid conditions, including dipolar excitation and turbulent flow. The experimental results with dipole excitation match well with a mathematical model. Canal sensors also demonstrate significantly better noise immunity compared with superficial ones. Canal-type artificial lateral lines may become important for underwater flow sensing.

Unintended Social And Economic Consequences Resulting From The Implementation Of New Construction Technologies In The Developing World, Andrew J. South

Theses and Dissertations

One of the key components of international development is to provide adequate shelter for citizens of developing countries. This is often accomplished by governmental, non- governmental, and private organizations that seek to lower the cost, increase the quality, and expand the availability of safe, sustainable housing through the use of innovative technologies. These new technologies can affect the social and/or economic structure within communities. This paper is a case study resulting from the construction of a seventy-one-home village, including infrastructure, near Yogyakarta, Indonesia by a foreign, aid-based non-governmental organization (NGO). The village was relocated less than two kilometers from its …

Mechanical Characterization Of The Interspinous Ligament Using Anisotropic Small Punch Testing, Rachel Jane Bradshaw

Theses and Dissertations

Objective: The objective of this work was to characterize the nonlinear anisotropic material constitutive response of the interspinous ligament (ISL).

Methods: Cadaveric test samples of the interspinous ligament were tested using the anisotropic small punch test. The measured force-displacement response served as experimental input into a system identification optimization routine to determine the constitutive material parameters that replicated the measured material response.

Results: The constitutive behavior of the ISL is notably different from that reported for knee, shoulder, and hip ligaments. Specifically, the high collagen fiber content and unique collagen architecture provided a stiffer material response. The results from the …

Assessment Of The Biocompatibility, Stability, And Suitability Of Novel Thermoresponsive Films For The Rapid Generation Of Cellular Constructs, Jamie Reed

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Stimuli responsive polymers (SRP) are of great interest in the bioengineering community due to their use in applications such as drug delivery and tissue engineering. One example of an SRP is poly(N-isopropyl acrylamide) or pNIPAM. This SRP has the capability of changing its conformation with a slight temperature change: adherent mammalian cells spontaneously release as a confluent cell sheet, which can be harvested for cell sheet engineering purposes. Since its initial use in 1968, many researchers have used pNIPAM to obtain a cell sheet composed of their cell type of interest. The differing protocols used for these diverse cell types, …

Remote Monitoring Of Bridges, Rajan Sen, Gray Mullins, Alberto Sagues, Julio Aguilar, Danny Winters

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This report summarizes findings from a 24-month study in which the performance of cathodic protection systems for substructures of two interstate bridges was remotely monitored. The two bridges #860050 and #860054 are located on the “Alligator Alley” toll portion of eastbound I-75 in Broward County, FL. Each bridge spans two pilesupported piers inside a drainage canal. The seven steel H-piles supporting the piers are jacketed in concrete to a level just below the water surface and are cathodically protected by three magnesium anodes spaced uniformly over their submerged length.

Nitrogen Mass Balance In A High Rate Algal Pond, Kevin Jones

Biomedical Engineering

The objective of the study described herein was to perform a mass balance on nitrogen in four small high rate algal ponds (HRAPs) in order to determine the fate of the nitrogen. The total percentage of nitrogen lost via ammonia volatilization was calculated via the mass balance.

A Simplified Method For Analyzing Factors Contributing To Motorcyclists’ Fatal Injuries In Ohio, Deogratias Eustace, Vamsi Krishna Indupuru

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

The aim of this paper was to analyze traffic crash data by using a simplified method in determining significant factors that increase the risk of a motorcyclist being fatally injured once involved in a motorcycle crash in Ohio. The concept of overrepresentation, which is similar to relative risk, was used in identifying significant variables associated with the elevated risk of a motorcycle crash resulting into a fatality. The overrepresentation factor (ORF) was calculated for each variable of interest. The ORF offers a simple but powerful procedure of determining whether a certain factor significantly occurs more or less frequently in one …

Twin-Screw Extrusion Processing Of Distillers Dried Grains With Solubles (Ddgs)-Based Yellow Perch (Perca Flavescens) Feeds, Ferouz Y. Ayadi, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan, Michael L. Brown

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Increases in global aquaculture production, compounded with limited availabilities of fish meal for fish feed, has created the need for alternative protein sources. Twinscrew extrusion studies were performed to investigate the production of nutritionally balanced feeds for juvenile yellow perch (Perca flavescens). Five isocaloric (~3.06 kcal/g) ingredient blends, adjusted to a target protein content of 36.7% db, were formulated with 0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, and 40% distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) at an initial moisture content of 5–7%db, with appropriate amounts of fish meal, fish oil, whole wheat flour, corn gluten meal, and vitamin and mineral premixes. …

Detection Of Specific Biological Antigens Using Ac Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, Darrel Angelo Mazzari

Dissertations (1934 -)

When certain antigens are present in our environment, a rapid, on-site, accurate, selective, and repeatable detection method can be invaluable in preventing illness or saving lives. Rapid detection of these antigens is important to avert spreading infections.

Currently, capturing a sample and sending it to a laboratory can take weeks to get results, which can be much too long. Conventional sensing methodologies include various electrical measurements as capacitive, potentiometric, piezoelectric, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). Of particular power and interest is Alternating Current (AC) Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) which provides for the characterization of the electrical …

Monitoring Of Mesenchymal Based Constructs Using Magnetic Resonance Elastography, Evan T. Curtis

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Evaluating the functionality of an engineered material lies in the proper characterization of its material and functional properties. In the treatment of musculoskeletal disorders, engineered bone or fat tissue must behave as an adequate replacement else failure of the material could result in discomfort and further surgical procedures. A significant material characteristic that reflects tissue development is the mechanical properties (i.e. shear strength and viscosity). Shear strength and viscosity provide an indication of how efficient the material is in dissipating energy. Energy dissipation occurs naturally in many tissues including fat and can prevent damage to deeper tissues. Many of the …

Virtual Prototyping Of A Mechatronics Device, Ryne P. Mchugh

Purdue Polytechnic Directed Projects

Mechanical, electrical, and embedded software engineering are being combined in modern products. This combination has come to be known as mechatronics. The high level of multidisciplinary interaction makes it difficult for collaboration and use of computers in Mechatronics’ design.

Dassault Systems’ SolidWorks and National Instruments’ LabVIEW are industrial grade softwares that can be used in the development and deployment phase of engineering design. SolidWorks is used for physical modeling and analysis of geometric parts, while LabVIEW is used as a programming language for control logic and data acquisition. National Instruments has developed a module, known as SoftMotion, which allows communication …

An Enzymatic Treatment Of Soil-Bound Prions Effectively Inhibits Replication, Samuel Saunders, Jason C. Bartz, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Shannon L. Bartelt-Hunt

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) and scrapie can be transmitted through indirect environmental routes, possibly via soil, and a practical decontamination strategy for prion-contaminated soil is currently unavailable. In the laboratory, an enzymatic treatment under environmentally relevant conditions (22°C, pH 7.4) can degrade soil-bound PrPSc below the limits of Western blot detection. We developed and used a quantitative serial protein misfolding cyclic amplification (PMCA) protocol to characterize the amplification efficiency of treated soil samples relative to controls of known infectious titer. Our results suggest large (104- to >106-fold) decreases in soil-bound prion infectivity following enzyme treatment, demonstrating that a mild enzymatic …

Transport Of Trace Elements In Runoff From Unamended And Pond‐Ash Amended Feedlot Surfaces, Jason R. Vogel, John E. Gilley, Gary L. Cottrell, Brian L. Woodbury, Elaine D. Berry, Roger Eigenberg

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The use of pond ash (fly ash that has been placed in evaporative ponds for storage and subsequently dewatered) for feedlot surfaces provides a drier environment for livestock and furnishes economic benefits. However, pond ash is known to have high concentrations of trace elements, and the runoff water‐quality effects of feedlot surfaces amended with pond ash are not well defined. For this study, two experimental units (plots) were established in eight feedlot pens. Four of the pens contained unamended soil surfaces, and the remaining four pens had pond‐ash amended surfaces. Before each test, unconsolidated surface material was removed from four …

A Probabilistic Analysis Of A Simplified Biogeography-Based Optimization Algorithm, Daniel J. Simon

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Biogeography-based optimization (BBO) is a population-based evolutionary algorithm (EA) that is based on the mathematics of biogeography. Biogeography is the study of the geographical distribution of biological organisms. We present a simplified version of BBO and perform an approximate analysis of the BBO population using probability theory. Our analysis provides approximate values for the expected number of generations before the population's best solution improves, and the expected amount of improvement. These expected values are functions of the population size. We quantify three behaviors as the population size increases: first, we see that the best solution in the initial randomly generated …

Separation Of Lycopene/Solvent Mixture By Chitosan Membranes, P Yodjun, K Soontarapa, C Eamchotchawalit

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

Acetone in view of lower toxicity could be used as extracting solvent of lycopene in tomato paste instead of hexane. The studied chitosan membranes were uncrosslinked and crosslinked types. It was found that the membrane morphology could be changed from porous to dense structure by increasing evaporation temperature or time or by crosslinking. They showed hydrophilicity but not preferred to both acetone and lycopene. The lycopene/acetone mixture could be separated by using water swollen chitosan membrane in pervaporation process. It was found that all studied membranes; i.e., both uncrosslinked and ionically crosslinked membranes prepared at 40 to 60C for 2 …

Differential Responses Of Targeted Lung Redox Enzymes To Rat Exposure To 60 Or 85% Oxygen, Zhuohui Gan, David L. Roerig, Anne V. Clough, Said H. Audi

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Rat exposure to 60% O₂ (hyper-60) or 85% O₂ (hyper-85) for 7 days confers susceptibility or tolerance, respectively, of the otherwise lethal effects of exposure to 100% O₂. The objective of this study was to determine whether activities of the antioxidant cytosolic enzyme NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) and mitochondrial complex III are differentially altered in hyper-60 and hyper-85 lungs. Duroquinone (DQ), an NQO1 substrate, or its hydroquinone (DQH₂), a complex III substrate, was infused into the arterial inflow of isolated, perfused lungs, and the venous efflux rates of DQH₂ and DQ were measured. …

Examining The Relationships Among Injury Outcomes, Velocity And Grip Strength During Dynamic Platform Perturbation, Braden Cripe

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Studies examining the relationship between inputs and outputs for simulated models of dynamically perturbed horizontal platforms are scarce. Most of these scenarios include a standing operator with upper extremity grip, oftentimes subjected to lateral impulses, which may lead to occupant injury. While the detailed study of these collision scenarios is sparse, the prevalence of their application is great.

This thesis aims to identify how two input parameters, velocity change (ÄV) and grip strength, affect injury assessment reference values (IARVs). This is accomplished by using Mathematical Dynamic Modeling (MADYMO) software to simulate the scenarios defined by those inputs. In the simulation, …

A Systemic Approach To Next Generation Infrastructure Data Elicitation And Planning Using Serious Gaming Methods, Ersin Ancel

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Infrastructure systems are vital to the functioning of our society and economy. However, these systems are increasingly complex and are more interdependent than ever, making them difficult to manage. In order to respond to increasing demand, environmental concerns, and natural and man-made threats, infrastructure systems have to adapt and transform. Traditional engineering design approaches and planning tools have proven to be inadequate when planning and managing these complex socio-technical system transitions. The design and implementation of next generation infrastructure systems require holistic methodologies, encompassing organizational and societal aspects in addition to technical factors. In order to do so, a serious …

Ground Water-Surface Water Interaction Of Rio Grande Biopark Area, Albuquerque, New Mexico, Sadia Faiza

Civil Engineering ETDs

Ground water and surface water are typically considered as separate entities, but all surface water features interact with ground water in different ways. Better understanding of ground water-surface water interaction is important for effective land and water management. This study investigated the impact of surface water on ground water levels as well as soil moisture content in a small region of Albuquerque Biopark near the Rio Grande. This study involved collection of field data on soil moisture, ground water levels and observations of vegetation densities adjacent to the Biopark wetlands. Numerical models were developed of the influence of the river …

Hydraulic And Geospatial Analyses Of Stream Engineering And Habitat Restoration Near Los Lunas, Nm, Stephen Kissock

Civil Engineering ETDs

Stream restoration is a complex process encompassing multiple disciplines and organizations to achieve specific, immediate and long-term goals. Analyses of many completed projects are limited to narrow objectives that commonly exclude the same broad scopes envisioned during the planning process. This thesis studies one completed habitat restoration project in terms of its engineering and biological sustainability using geospatial analysis procedures not widely applied to these goals. These procedures include adjustment of a digital terrain model for hydraulic accuracy, the use of the digital terrain model and aerial imagery for the digitization of features used in hydraulic modeling, and the geospatial …

Teaching Sustainability Analysis In Electronics Lecture Courses, David Braun

Electrical Engineering

Based on positive prior experiences teaching sustainability analysis in electronics laboratory courses, this work explores techniques for teaching sustainability analysis in lecture courses. As difficult as it may seem to incorporate sustainability into integrated circuit courses or other engineering courses, it may prove as easy as asking students to consider how the coursework relates to sustainability issues.

The need to educate students “to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability” has gained sufficient value to deserve its own ABET Program Outcome, …

Devices And Methods For Electro-Physical Transport Of Dna Across Cell Membranes, Quentin Theodore Aten

Theses and Dissertations

A novel method for charged macromolecule delivery, called nanoinjection, has been developed at Brigham Young University. Nanoinjection combines micro-fabrication technology, mechanism design, and nano-scale electrical phenomenon to transport exogenous DNA across cell membranes on a nano-featured lance. DNA is electrically accumulated on the lance, precision movements of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) physically insert the lance into cell, and DNA is electrically released from the lance into the cell. Penetration into the cell is achieved through a two-phase, self-reconfiguring metamorphic mechanism. The surface-micromachined, metamorphic nanoinjector mechanism elevates the lance above the fabrication substrate, then translates in-plane at a constant height as the …

The Inside-Out Classroom: A Win-Win Strategy For Teaching With Technology, Daniel J. Waldorf, Lizabeth Schlemer

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

As costs of higher education soar and many universities face uncertain funding models, institutional pressures have increased to improve instructor efficiency. At the same time, U.S. industry leaders and leading educators have called for improvements in engineering education based on more interactive, hands-on student learning experiences. Although many efforts have been made to take advantage of technology to either improve student learning or to maintain student learning while increasing instructor efficiency, few approaches have been shown to improve both learning and efficiency. A teaching method is proposed to improve student learning and increase student satisfaction while also addressing the instructors’ …

An Interdisciplinary Team-Based Mobile Robots Design Course For Engineering, Fernando Rios-Gutierrez, Rocio Alba-Flores

Electrical & Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

An Interdisciplinary, Team-Based Mobile Robots Design Course for Engineering TechnologyAbstractThis work describes the educational experience gained during a new course in mobile robotics, a fourthyear elective course in the undergraduate Electrical Engineering Technology program at our University.The main topic of this course is concentrated on team-based, one semester-long robotics projects in whichstudents design and build mobile robots for different applications. A mobile robot is a system that contains mechanical and electronic parts that can be programmed toperform some specific functions, responding to sensory inputs under the control of an internal or externalcomputer. The reasons to use mobile robots as the …