Digital Commons Network^™

Hyperthermic Effects Of Gold Nanorods On Tumor Cells, Terry B. Huff, Ling Tong, Matthew N. Hansen, Ji-Xin Cheng, Alexander Wei

Other Nanotechnology Publications

Plasmon-resonant gold nanorods, which have large absorption cross sections at near-infrared frequencies, are excellent candidates as multifunctional agents for image-guided therapies based on localized hyperthermia. The controlled modification of the surface chemistry of the nanorods is of critical importance, as issues of cell-specific targeting and nonspecific uptake must be addressed prior to clinical evaluation. Nanorods coated with cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (a cationic surfactant used in nanorod synthesis) are internalized within hours into KB cells by a nonspecific uptake pathway, whereas the careful removal of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide from nanorods functionalized with folate results in their accumulation on the cell surface over the …

Enhancement Of Fluidization And Filtration Using Nanoparticle Agglomerates And Aerogels, Jose A. Quevedo

Dissertations

Previous works have classified the fluidization behavior of nanoparticles as Agglomerate Particulate Fluidization (APF) and Agglomerate Bubbling Fluidization (ABE). These fluidization behaviors are quite different in regard to the fluidized bed expansion, the presence of bubbles and the smoothness of the bed surface, with APF nanopowders showing a much more homogeneous fluidization and a much better dispersion than ABE nanopowders which are generally very difficult to fluidize and show vigorous bubbling. In the present work, the fluidization of APF as well as ABF nanopowders is studied in depth, both conventionally, and in the presence of extemal assistance; several related topics …

A Kinematic Analysis Of Sign Language, Chemuttaai C. Koech

Theses

Signed languages develop among deaf populations and employ manual communication instead of voiced communication. Stokoe attributes classify individual signs in American Sign Language (ASL) and include handshape, hand location, movement, orientation, and facial expression. Signed and oral languages are not mutually understood, and many deaf individuals live in linguistic isolation. This research addresses computer translation between signing and speech, investigating sign duration in sentence context versus in isolation and identifying kinematic sign markers. To date, there has been little study of continuous signing kinematics; it was previously unknown if kinematic markers existed.

Kinematic data were collected from a proficient signer …

Multi-Degree Of Freedom Telemanipulation In An Unstructured Environment, Diego Ramirez

Theses

Two approaches to 6-degrees-of-freedom telemanipulation that will accommodate different needs and skills of potential users with congenital amputation, arthrogryposis, muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy were developed. One method uses scalable movements (i.e. position and orientation), and the second employs isometric forces and torques without movement. The scalable position approach employs a 6-degress-of-freedom electromechanical stylus whose joint orientations are used by the controlling computer to determine the position and orientation of the robot's end effector via inverse kinematics or by one-to-one matching of the stylus joint angles with those of the manipulator. The isometric method uses the measured forces and torques …

Comparative Study Of Haptic And Visual Feedback For Kinesthetic Training Tasks, Ravikiran Singapogu

All Theses

Haptics is the sense of simulating and applying the sense of human touch. Application of touch sensations is done with haptic interface devices. The past few years has seen the development of several haptic interface devices with a wide variety of technologies used in their design. This thesis introduces haptic technologies and includes a survey of haptic interface devices and technologies. An improvement in simulating and applying touch sensation when using the Quanser Haptic Wand with proSense is suggested in this work using a novel five degree-of-freedom algorithm. This approach uses two additional torques to enhance the three degree-of-freedom of …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 49 Number 3, Winter 2007, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

14 - TOUGH CALL By Jim Shepard. Mike Carey '71 reveals what it takes to earn your stripes as a head ref in the NFL.

16 - REDEFINING NATURE By Steven Boyd Saum. Is it the end of wilderness as we know it? And could genetically modified crops be better for the environment? Read what SCU scientists are saying.

18 - THE PERSON IN FRONT OF YOU A transglobal photo essay by David Pace.

24 - PANETTA ON IRAQ By Farid Senzai. A Q&A with Leon Panetta '60, J.D. '63, member of the Iraq Study Group and chief of staff …

Intellectual Property Management In Health And Agricultural Innovation: A Handbook Of Best Practices, Vol. 1, Anatole Krattiger, Richard T. Mahoney, Lita Nelsen, Jennifer A. Thomson, Alan B. Bennett, Kanikaram Satyanarayana, Gregory D. Graff, Carlos Fernandez, Stanley Kowalski

Law Faculty Scholarship

Prepared by and for policy-makers, leaders of public sector research establishments, technology transfer professionals, licensing executives, and scientists, this online resource offers up-to-date information and strategies for utilizing the power of both intellectual property and the public domain. Emphasis is placed on advancing innovation in health and agriculture, though many of the principles outlined here are broadly applicable across technology fields. Eschewing ideological debates and general proclamations, the authors always keep their eye on the practical side of IP management. The site is based on a comprehensive Handbook and Executive Guide that provide substantive discussions and analysis of the opportunities …

Rational Risk/Benefit Analysis Of Genetically Modified Crops, Stanley P. Kowalski

Law Faculty Scholarship

Safety concerns over the use of molecular biotechnology in the improvement of crops has generated substantial, heated and confusing debates, often driven by ideology and hysterics. Modification of crops is not new, and biotechnology (in its broadest sense) has been used for over a century to accelerate the development of new crops for food, feed and fibre, so as to meet the demands of a growing global community. The introduction of crops developed via molecular biotechnology [Genetically Modified Crops (GMCs)] represents the latest step in this inexorable innovative progression of technology. However, misinformed concern has led to a broad embrace …

Stream Ambient Noise, Spectrum And Propagation Of Sounds In The Goby Padogobius Martensii: Sound Pressure And Particle Velocity, Marco Lugli, Michael L. Fine

Biology Publications

The most sensitive hearing and peak frequencies of courtship calls of the stream goby, Padogobius martensii, fall within a quiet window at around 100Hz in the ambient noise spectrum. Acoustic pressure was previously measured although Padogobius likely responds to particle motion. In this study a combination pressure (p) and particle velocity (u) detector was utilized to describe ambient noise of the habitat, the characteristics of the goby’s sounds and their attenuation with distance. The ambient noise (AN) spectrum is generally similar for p and u (including the quiet window at noisy locations), although the energy distribution of uspectrum is …

Automated Random Testing To Detect Specification-Code Inconsistencies, Yoonsik Cheon

Departmental Technical Reports (CS)

An interface specification language such as JML provides a means to document precisely the behavior of program modules such as Java classes, and it is being adopted by industry. However, few practical tools exist for programmers to assure the correctness of their interface specifications. Nonetheless, the correctness of an interface specification is a prerequisite for the use of the specification, both as a precise API documentation and as a foundation for formal verification of and reasoning about the implementation. We propose automated random testing as a practical tool to assure the correctness of interface specifications. The key idea of our …

Biomechanics Of The Rabbit Knee And Ankle: Muscle, Ligament, And Joint Contact Force Predictions, Dustin M. Grover, Andrew A. Chen, Scott J. Hazelwood

Biomedical Engineering

Mathematical models of small animals that predict in vivo forces acting on the lower extremities are critical for studies of musculoskeletal biomechanics and diseases. Rabbits are advantageous in this regard because they remodel their cortical bone similar to humans. Here, we enhance a recent mathematical model of the rabbit knee joint to include the loading behavior of individual muscles, ligaments, and joint contact at the knee and ankle during the stance phase of hopping. Geometric data from the hindlimbs of three adult New Zealand white rabbits, combined with previously reported intersegmental forces and moments, were used as inputs to the …

Synthesis And Antimalarial Activity Of New Isotebuquine Analogues, Olga V. Miroshnikova, Thomas H. Hudson, Lucia Gerena, Dennis E. Kyle, Ai J. Lin

United States Army: Publications

Amodiaquine (AQ) and tebuquine are 4-aminoquinoline antimalarials with Mannich base side chain and are highly effective against chloroquine (CQ)-resistant strains of Plasmodium falciparum. Clinical use of AQ has been severely restricted due to hepatoxicity and agranulocytosis side effects associated with its long term use. Lysosomal accumulation and bioactivation to generate reactive quinoneimine metabolite are implicated to be the cause of the observed AQ toxicities. To avoid the quinoneimine formation and thus the toxicity, a series of isotebuquine analogues and their N^ω-oxides with hydroxy group meta to the amino rather than in para position of the aniline moiety …

An Investigation Of The Relationship Between Dermal Stresses And Foot Ground Stresses In Diabetic Patients, Zaid M. Hasasneh

ETD Archive

The number of people diagnosed with diabetes in the U.S. has been showing a large increase. It has more than doubled during the period of 1980 to 2002. Approximately 18 million Americans have diabetes today with more than 5.2 million undiagnosed cases. While diabetes is categorized as an endocrine system disorder, some of its known complications are associated to the science of biomechanics. Foot ulcers are caused by vascular deterioration due to diabetes, but also directly related to the natural mechanical forces and loads applied to the feet. Therefore, studying these forces, their locations, distribution and their stresses may be …

The Effects Of Charging By Ultraviolet Light On Granular Lunar Simulant In A Microgravity Environment, Sydney J. Chamberlin, Troy Munro, Sarah Isert, Tracy Garin Savage

Reports and Proposals

No abstract provided.

Mathematical Model Of Ethanol Metabolism In Liver, Parag Pande

ETD Archive

A lumped mathematical model of liver metabolism is presented to analyze the effect of ethanol on metabolic processes of 24 hr fasted rats. The model is developed in two parts. In the first part individual kinetic models for important regulatory steps in the liver metabolic pathways are developed and in second part transport and mass balance equations in the two well mixed domains: tissue and blood, are developed to calculate intermediate metabolite concentrations and fluxes in response to the changes in ethanol and lactate concentrations in the perfusion medium. Part of the model without ethanol metabolism has been validated and …

Studying The Interaction Of Antifreeze Proteins (Type I And Type Iii) With The Phospholipid Monolayers At Air/Water Interface, Suresh Essampally

ETD Archive

Heart transplantation is a successful therapeutic procedure for the patients with end stage heart disease. Various preservative techniques have been developed to increase the shelf life of organs, but still there can be tissue damage during cold storage. One mechanism leading to damage is disruption of cell plasma membranes as they pass through temperature induced phase transitions. The addition of antifreeze protein (AFP) or glycoprotein (AFGP) to storage solutions has been hypothesized to reduce the leakiness of lipid membranes. From studies using liposomes it has been shown that AFPs can prevent leakage through lipid membranes, although the mechanism of interaction …

Performance Characteristics Of An Innovative Wind Power System, David James Kerze

ETD Archive

This project entails a study of a wind energy recovery system that utilizes a unique three-dimensional spiral structure to amplify wind speed and direct it toward pluralities of turbines. The system is comprised of an outer spiral shell, internal support structure, turbines, and mechanisms for positioning the turbines to face the prevailing wind. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analyses were conducted to determine the wind speed amplification factors as a result of a simulated wind flow around the spiral structure. To ensure accuracy of the results, state of the art CFD techniques were applied using Gambit 2.2.30 and Fluent 6.2.16. Specifically, …

Army Research Needs For Automated Neuropsychological Tests: Monitoring Soldier Health And Performance Status, Karl E. Friedl, Stephen J. Grate, Susan P. Proctor, James W. Ness, Brian J. Lukey, Robert L. Kane

United States Army: Publications

Information on the mental status of soldiers operating at the limits of human tolerance will be vital to their management in future deployments; it may also allow earlier intervention for conditions such as undiagnosed Gulf War illnesses and Parkinson’s Disease. The Army needs a parsimonious set of neuropsychological tests that reliably identify subtle changes for: (1) early detection of individual health and military performance impairments and (2) management of occupational and deployment health risks. Testing must characterize cognitive lapses in healthy individuals faced with relevant operational stressors (i.e., anxiety, information overload, thermal strain, hypoxia, fatigue, head impact, chemical or radiation …

Improved Formulation Of A Recombinant Ricin A-Chain Vaccine Iincreases Its Stability And Effective Antigenicity, John H. Carra, Robert W. Wannemacher, Ralph F. Tammariello, Changhong Y. Lindsey, Richard E. Dinterman, Rowena D. Schokman, Leonard A. Smith

United States Army: Publications

Ricin is a potent toxin associated with bioterrorism for which no vaccine or specific countermeasures are currently available. A stable, non-toxic and immunogenic recombinant ricin A-chain vaccine (RTA 1-33/44-198) has been developed by protein engineering. We identified optimal formulation conditions for this vaccine under which it remained stable and potent in storage for up to 18 months, and resisted multiple rounds of freeze–thawing without stabilizing co-solvents. Reformulation from phosphate buffer to succinate buffer increased adherence of the protein to aluminum hydroxide adjuvant from 15 to 91%, with a concomitant increase of nearly threefold in effective antigenicity in a mouse model. …

An In Vitro Comparative Study On The Reactivation Of Nerve Agent-Inhibited Guinea Pig And Human Acetylcholinesterases By Oximes, Chunyuan Luo, Min Tong, Nageswararao Chilukuri, Karen Brecht, Donald M. Maxwell, Ashima Saxena

United States Army: Publications

The reactivation of nerve agent-inhibited acetylcholinesterase (AChE) by oxime is the most important step in the treatment of nerve agent poisoning. Since the evaluation of nerve agent antidotes cannot be conducted in humans, results from animal experiments are extrapolated to humans. Guinea pig is one of the animal models that is frequently used for conducting nerve agent antidote evaluations. Several investigations have demonstrated that the efficacy of an oxime primarily depends on its ability to reactivate nerve agent-inhibited AChE. If the in Vitro oxime reactivation of nerve agent-inhibited animal AChE is similar to that of human AChE, it is likely …

Efficiency Of Gene Silencing In Arabidopsis: Direct Inverted Repeats Vs. Transitive Rnai Vectors, Sergei A. Filichkin, Stephen P. Difazio, Amy M. Brunner, John M. Davis, Zamin K. Yang, Udaya C. Kalluri, Renee S. Arias, Elizabeth Etherington, Gerald A. Tuskan, Steven H. Strauss

United States Department of Energy: Publications

We investigated the efficiency of RNA interference (RNAi) in Arabidopsis using transitive and homologous inverted repeat (hIR) vectors. hIR constructs carry self-complementary intron-spliced fragments of the target gene whereas transitive vectors have the target sequence fragment adjacent to an intron-spliced, inverted repeat of heterologous origin. Both transitive and hIR constructs facilitated specific and heritable silencing in the three genes studied (AP1 , ETTIN and TTG1 ). Both types of vectors produced a phenotypic series that phenocopied reduction of function mutants for the respective target gene. The hIR yielded up to fourfold higher proportions of events with strongly manifested reduction …

Analysis And Prediction Of Effectiveness For Residential Hvac Ductwork, Jinson J. Erinjeri

Doctoral Dissertations

An analysis of residential HVAC ductwork has been performed. Ductwork in 55 homes in Northern Louisiana was tested to determine duct leakage by means of using various measurement techniques to determine the differences between the existing methods as well as the revised method developed in this project referred to as Generalized Subtraction Correction Algorithm (GSCA). A protocol to measure and estimate return leaks at operating pressure was developed. The weighted average return leakage for the homes sampled was determined to be 115 cfm at operating pressure whereas the weighted average duct leakage was determined to be 348 cfm at 25 …

Chitosan Paste From Crawfish Shells As A Synthetic Bone Graft Material: Preparation, Characterization And Animal Study, Jerome G. Saltarrelli Jr.

Doctoral Dissertations

Bone loss associated with musculoskeletal trauma or metabolic diseases often requires bone grafts. Autograft or allograft bones are limited in supply. Therefore, development of synthetic bone graft materials is an active area of research. For several years the biomaterials group at LSUHSC-Shreveport has been investigating the use of chitosan purified from crawfish shells using a process patented by my research advisor, Dr. Debi Mukherjee.

Chitin is a polysaccharide that exists in fungi, exoskeleton of insects and outer shell of crustaceans. It is biocompatible, osteoconductive, antimicrobial, biodegradable, non-toxic, haemostatic, fungicidal, and the second most abundant natural polysaccharide on earth. Removal of …

Cell Bank Characterization And Fermentation Optimization For Production Of Recombinant Heavy Chain C-Terminal Fragment Of Botulinum Neurotoxin Serotype E (Rbonte(HC): Antigen E) By Pichia Pastoris, Jayanta Sinha, Mehmet Inan, Sarah Fanders, Shinichi Taoka, Mark Gouthro, Todd Swanson, Rick Barent, Ardis Barthuli, Bonnie M. Loveless, Leonard A. Smith, Theresa Smith, Ian Henderson, John Ross, Michael M. Meagher

Papers in Biochemical Engineering

A process was developed for production of a candidate vaccine antigen, recombinant C-terminal heavy chain fragment of the botulinum neurotoxin serotype E, rBoNTE(H_c)in Pichia pastoris. P. pastoris strain GS115 was transformed with the rBoNTE(H_c) gene inserted into pHILD4 Escherichia coli—P. pastoris shuttle plasmid. The clone was characterized for genetic stability, copy number, and BoNTE(H_c) sequence. Expression of rBoNTE(H_c) from the Mut⁺ HIS4 clone was confirmed in the shake-flask, prior to developing a fed-batch fermentation process at 5 and 19 L scale. The fermentation process consists of a glycerol growth phase in …

Mercury Contamination In Forest And Freshwater Ecosystems In The Northeastern United States, Charles T. Driscoll, Young-Ji Han, Celia Y. Chen, David C. Evers, Kathleen Fallon Lambert

Civil and Environmental Engineering - All Scholarship

Eastern North America receives elevated atmospheric mercury deposition from a combination of local, regional, and global sources. Anthropogenic emissions originate largely from electric utilities, incinerators, and industrial processes. The mercury species in these emissions have variable atmospheric residence times, which influence their atmospheric transport and deposition patterns. Forested regions with a prevalence of wetlands and of unproductive surface waters promote high concentrations of mercury in freshwater biota and thus are particularly sensitive to mercury deposition. Through fish consumption, humans and wildlife are exposed to methylmercury, which markedly bioaccumulates up the freshwater food chain. Average mercury concentrations in yellow perch fillets …

Control System Design And Simulation Of Spacecraft Formations Via Virtual Formation Approach, Pavan Donepudi

Master's Theses - Daytona Beach

The problem of formation control of multiple spacecraft using the virtual structure approach is studied. The thesis first summarizes the progress made in the area of spacecraft formation control and then provides an overview of the virtual structure method. Modifying earlier established control design techniques, new feedback laws are constructed to control both the rotational and translational motion of a group of spacecraft. Several computer simulations are performed to illustrate the effectiveness of the modified control laws. The ephemeris and attitude data files generated via Matlab are exported to Satellite Tool Kit (STK) to create 3D animations. Various formation scenarios …

Identification And Suitability Of A Non-Anthropomorphic Meta-Language Framework In Military Applications, Gilbert Cardona

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Humans carry mental models concerning the behaviors, looks, and operation of products, tools, and items used in their daily lives. When these items do not fit a user's conceptual model confusion and inefficiency occur. There are four basic types of mental models based on interactive activities: 1) instructing, 2) conversing, 3) manipulating and navigating, and 4) exploring and browsing. This thesis will focus on the conversing conceptual model and its application to communications between human-agent teams to best fit a user's mental model for that communication. A non-anthropomorphic framework does not exist for use in military applications such as; target …

Spacecraft Loads Predictionvia Sensitivity Analysis And Optimization, Tom Braswell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Discrepancies between the predicted responses of a finite element analysis (FEA) and reference data from test results arise for many reasons. Some are due to measurement errors, such as inaccurate sensors, noise in the acquisition system or environmental effects. Some are due to analyst errors precipitated by a lack of familiarity with the modeling or solver software. Still others are introduced by uncertainty in the governing physical relations (linear versus non-linear behavior), boundary conditions or the element material/geometrical properties. It is the uncertainty effects introduced by this last group that this study seeks to redress. The objective is the obtainment …

Signal Processing Of An Ecg Signal In The Presence Of A Strong Static Magnetic Field, Aditya Gupta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation addresses the problem of elevation of the T wave of an electrocardiogram (ECG) signal in the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In the MRI, due to the strong static magnetic field the interaction of the blood flow with this strong magnetic field induces a voltage in the body. This voltage appears as a superimposition at the locus of the T wave of the ECG signal. This looses important information required by the doctors to interpret the ST segment of the ECG and detect diseases such as myocardial infarction. This dissertation aims at finding a solution to the problem of …

Learning Human Behavior From Observation For Gaming Applications, Christopher Moriarty

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The gaming industry has reached a point where improving graphics has only a small effect on how much a player will enjoy a game. One focus has turned to adding more humanlike characteristics into computer game agents. Machine learning techniques are being used scarcely in games, although they do offer powerful means for creating humanlike behaviors in agents. The first person shooter (FPS), Quake 2, is an open source game that offers a multi-agent environment to create game agents (bots) in. This work attempts to combine neural networks with a modeling paradigm known as context based reasoning (CxBR) to create …