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Wright State University College Of Engineering And Computer Science Bits And Pcs Newsletter, January 1989, College Of Engineering And Computer Science, Wright State University

BITs and PCs Newsletter

A ten page newsletter created by the Wright State University College of Engineering and Computer Science that addresses the current affairs of the college.

Mixed Convection In Vertical Internal Flow Of A Micropolar Fluid, Rama Subba Reddy Gorla, Bahman Ghorashi, Prapat Wangskarn

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

The theory of micropolar fluids due to Eringen is used to formulate a set of equations for the flow and heat transfer characteristics of the combined convection micropolar flow in vertical channels. It is found that the microstructure and substructure parameters have significant effects on the flow and thermal fields. By making the Newtonian solvent more and more micropolar, it is possible to obtain drag reduction as well as reduced heat transfer characteristics.

Toxicity And Environmental Health Hazards Of Petroleum Products In Wells Used For Drinking Water In The Intermountain West, Robert D.R. Parker, Raghubir P. Sharma, R. Ryan Dupont, Gin-Chang Hsieh

Reports

Introduction: Groundwater is aprimary source of drinking water for about 50 percent of the population in the U.S. This source of drinking water has been generally regarded as safe from contamination. Several papers indicate that numerous underground storage tanks containing petroleum products may be leaking and contaminating public water supply wells across the U.S. (Matis, 1971; Ferguson, 1979; Woodhull, 1981; Burmaster and Harris, 1982; Lehman, 1984; Dowd, 1984; OTA, 1984). A study conducted by the Utah Cureau of Solid and Hazardous Wastes in 1985 concluded that there are at least 2,314 underground steel tanks, most of which are used to …

Bear River Water Quality: Bioavailable Phosphorus Measurement, Sources, And Control, Kenneth W. Barker, Darwin L. Sorensen, Jay C. Andersen, Jean M. Ihnat

Reports

No abstract provided.

Speech Synthesis Using A Digital Modulation Scheme On The Ibm Personal Computer, John Glenn Wallace

Masters Theses

"Previously the primary output interface that users of personal computers have had available to them were limited to the crt or the printer. This paper presents a method for implementing a voice synthesizer on an IBM personal computer using only the hardware already contained in the personal computer. Presented is a modulation method which can be used with the IBM to obtain good quality voice output. The method consists of 3 parts, 1) sampling and recording the voice, 2) processing and filtering these samples and 3) using these processed samples to drive the speaker. A description of the hardware used …

The Development Of Optimal Strategies For Maintenance, Rehabilitation, And Replacement Of Highway Bridges: Volume 3 - Bridge Traffic Safety Evaluation, Sudhir Murthy, Kumares C. Sinha

JTRP Technical Reports

No abstract provided.

Performance And Design Of Vegetative Filters For Feedlot Runoff Treatment, Elbert C. Dickey, D. H. Vanderholm

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Installation of a zero-discharge, runoff-control system is one method for solving potential water pollution problems from many feedlot operations. Even though the zero-discharge system is required by regulation in several states, this approach may be economically prohibitive for many small operations. An alternative is to install a vegetative filter system to adequately control the runoff so that violations of water quality standards will not occur during storm runoff. Vegetative filters are systems in which a vegetative area such as pasture, grassed waterways, or even cropland is used for treating feedlot runoff by settling, filtration, dilution, adsorption of pollutants and infiltration. …

Application Of Distributed Knowledge Bases In Intelligent Manufacturing, Cihan H. Dagli, Gerald E. Hoffman

Engineering Management and Systems Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The authors consider independent knowledge bases operating on separate work stations networked together within the domain of knowledge-based scheduling. The scheduling problem is addressed through distributed knowledge bases that have an ability to pass information back and forth between small knowledge bases functioning at different decision-making levels. A small manufacturing plant is conceptualized in order to experiment with this process. The general outline and areas of the manufacturing shop are shown. The domain specific area for the knowledge bases is to optimize the scheduling of work at each work station in order to meet a weekly quota. Automatic guided vehicle, …

Scatchard Analysis Of Methane Sulfinic Acid Production From Dimethyl Sulfoxide: A Method To Quantify Hydroxyl Radical Formation In Physiologic Systems, Charles F. Babbs, David W. Griffin

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

A major impediment to the confirmation of free radical mechanisms in pathogenesis is a lack of direct, chemical evidence that oxygen centered free radicals actually arise in living tissues in quantities sufficient to cause serious damage. This investigation was conducted to validate the use of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as a quantitative molecular probe for the generation of hydroxyl radicals (HO*) under physiologic conditions. Reaction of HO* with DMSO produces methane sulfinic acid (MSA) as a primary product, which can be detected by a simple colorimetric assay. To develop a method for estimating total HO* production, we studied two model systems: …

Quantitative Effects Of Iron Chelators On Hydroxyl Radical Production By The Superoxide-Driven Fenton Raction, Jean Blair Smith, Joanne C. Cusumano, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Iron bound to certain chelators is known to promote the conversion of superoxide radicals (O2) to hydroxyl radicals (HO') by the superoxide-driven Fenton reaction. The production of HO' by various iron chelates was studied using the reaction of dimethyl sulfoxide and HO' to produce methane sulphinic acid. Methane sulphinic acid was quantified by use of a simple colorimetric assay and used to determine the amounts of HO' produced. Superoxide was generated from 200 M hypoxanthine and 0.05 U/ml xanthine oxidase in the presence of 0-100 M iron and 100 M of each chelator. The results of this preliminary investigation illustrate …

Lethal Hydroxyl Radical Production In Paraquat-Treated Plants, Charles F. Babbs, Jo Ann Pham, Ronald C. Coolbaugh

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Bipyridinium herbicides, including paraquat and diquat, are believed to act by generating highly reactive, oxygen-centered free radicals within chloroplasts when treated plants are exposed to sunlight. This hypothesis has not yet been confirmed by direct chemical measurements of specific free radicals. We studied paraquat-treated plants using a new method able to detect and quantify formation of highly reactive and deleterious hydroxyl radicals (HO*), in which dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is used as a molecular probe. DMSO is oxidized by HO* to form the stable, nonradical compound, methane sulfinic acid, which can be easily extracted from plant tissue and measured spectrophotometrically. Initial …

Determining Crop Residue Cover With Electronic Image Analysis, Elbert C. Dickey, David P. Shelton, G.E. Meyer, K.T. Fairbanks

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Crop residue management is one of the best and most efficient soil conservation methods available to farmers. Determinations of the percentage of the soil surface covered with crop residue are often needed for: soil conservation research; erosion control demonstrations; and maintaining compliance with federal, state, or local soil conservation regulations. A number of methods can be used to estimate residue cover, however, many have limitations. To help overcome some of these limitations, a technique, which uses readily-available microcomputer-related hardware and standard video camera equipment has been developed to estimate crop residue cover from photographic slides. This procedure is relatively rapid, …

Enhancing The Adoption Of Soil Conservation Practices With Targeted Educational Programs, David P. Shelton, Elbert C. Dickey, Paul J. Jasa, David A. Biere

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Two independent, but closely related, grant funded educational programs have been developed and implemented to reduce soil erosion in selected areas of eastern Nebraska, U.S.A. Traditional extension programming methods as well as other more nontraditional approaches have been extensively used. In one program, encompassing 220,000 ha of cropland, annual soil erosion has been reduced by 2.5 Mt and annual fuel savings of 1.5 ML have been achieved through a reduction in the number of tillage operations. During a one-year period in the second project, more than 81,000 m of terraces were constructed, which resulted in an annual soil erosion reduction …

Anaerobic Biodegradation Of Trichloroethylene By Activated Carbon Fluidized-Bed, Jiunn-Horng Chern

Theses

The synthetic wastewater containing trichloroethylene (TCE) was anaerobically degraded with glucose using activated carbon fluidized-bed.

The range of TCE concentration from 26 ppb to 10.8 ppm was examined. The ratio of glucose to TCE in the influent wastewater was ranged from 26 to 805, while the TCE loading ranged from 0.025 to 1.510 mg/hr-L.

The TCE removal efficiency under these treatment conditions was found to be of 99.4%. However, the reduction of chemical oxygen demand (COD) decreased when the TCE loadings was over 0.38 mg/hr-L.

Three Dimensional Study Of Macromolecular Leakage Patterns Using Video Image Analysis, Nikhil V. Khimani

Theses

It has long been known that blood - tissue transport of macromolecules in the microcirculation is driven by diffusion. Although two dimensional models fit the experimental data well, the diffusion process is three dimensional.The objective of this research was to establish a three dimensional unsteady state mathematical model for intravascular transport of macromolecules, and suppoi t the theoretical establishment by experimental results.

Three dimensional diffusion of macromolecules through the interstitial space in the hamster cheek pouch was studied, with intravital fluorescence microscopy. After application of bradykinin, the movement of Fluorescein isothiocynate (F.I.T.C.) - labeled Dextrans of average molecular weight 150,000 …

Lf Pulse Magnetic Field Generation And Uniformity Studies, Shun-Wen Tan

Theses

This thesis dealt with the design and construction of a pulsed magnetic field (PMF) generation circuit. The spatial variations of the generated PMF are also studied The generated PMF is intended to be used for two purposes (a) in hospitals, for its healing effect of broken bones, and (b) to study the effects of PMF on industrial bacteria and their activity in transforming toxic waste to benign waste

A square coil made of two sections is constructed and the associated circuitry for the PMF generation is designed and built The circuitry is divided into two parts. the control circuit and …

Co-Metabolism Of Pentachlorophenol With Glucose Using Two-Stage Anaerobic Activated Carbon Fluidized Beds, Zen Wang

Theses

Abstract - Detoxification of pentachlorophenol by using a two-stage anaerobic biological activated carbon fluidized bed has been investigated. Glucose was introduced as a cosubstrate to determine the relationship between the glucose/PCP ratio and the extent of PCP detoxification in such a system. This system has been proved to be effective in the removal of both PCP and COD. Ratio of glucose to PCP predominates the performance of the system throughout the whole course of this experiment. At a glucose/PCP ratio of 0.33, the system has a highest reduction of both PCP and COD. Addition of glucose to the highly PCP …

Winery Waste Utilization-A Case Study Of Dowico, J. H.Y. Katima

Tanzania Journal of Engineering and Technology (TJET)

The Dodoma Winery Company (DOWICO), is presently processing about 1000 tonnes of grapes to produce different types of wines, with left overs of about 200 as wastes. These wastes are dumped outside the factory, obviously, a poor method of waste disposition as far as the environmental significance is concerned. Since the expansion programme, to enable the plant to handle up to 30000 tonnes of grapes per year is in the pipeline the best method of disposing the huge amount of waste (about 6000 tonnes) that will result, has to be sought.

This paper highlights the financial and sanitary advantage of …

An Automated System For Optimal Synthesis Of Planar Linkages, Daming Wang

Theses

This thesis addresses the fundamental weakness of the current CAD capabilities and develops a new CAD system with optimization capability. A computer-aided mechanism design system is developed for general problems of optimal kinematic synthesis of planar four-bar mechanisms. The new system is made as user-friendly as possible and it is unique in that it combines Graphics capability, general Analysis capabilities, and Optimization capability into one system. Related background theory in IMP, optimization and optimal synthesis of mechanisms are discussed. The problems and methods in developing the new system are addressed. New routines and modifications made to the original systems are …

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 31 Number 1, Fall 1988, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

12 - MY CHINA YEAR Cathy Morrissey '85 guides us through her year in China, teaching English as a second language in Handan.

19 - IT PAYS TO LET YOUR KID RUN WILD The story of a remarkable relationship between a Japanese firm and Michael Franz '75.

21 - THE REWAK YEARS Alumna-journalist Jeanne Huber describes the way Santa Clara grew during the Rewak administration.

26 - THE DEGNAN WAY How a respected English professor turns undergraduates into professional writers.

An Intelligent Computerized Pulse-Duplicator For The In-Vitro Evaluation Of Prosthetic Heart Valves, John F. Andrews

Theses

A computerized data acquisition system is presented for the in-vitro determination of the hydrodynamic performance of prosthetic heart valves. High speed data acquisition and ensemble averaging techniques are employed to minimize error and provide a standard for data collection and analysis across a wide range of simulated physiologic conditions. Processing algorithms automatically divide the cardiac cycle into phases based on landmarks in the pressure and flow waveforms, with minimal variability and without operator intervention. The contributions of valve resistance, regurgitation, ejection, leakage, and power loss to hydrodynamic performance are isolated for investigation. Phasic power loss analysis is reviewed as a …

Computerized Analysis Of Gastrointestinal Spike Burst Activity, Karthik Krishnan

Theses

This thesis describes a computer algorithm for locating gastrointestinal spike bursts. The algorithm also finds the the number of spikes within each spike burst, the average duration, and average amplitude of each spike burst. The algorithm was applied to the automation of the analysis of the Migrating Colonic Complex.

The algorithm detects the spike burst using threshold, time interval and frequency criteria. The computer program is implemented on a PDP 11/73 digital computer. The operation of the algorithm was tested on animal models to detect the spike bursts, before and after the inducement of certain drugs to alter the colonic …

Development Of A Novel Dentin Bonding Agent And Testing For Mechanical Properties, Mircroleakage And Toxicity, Sanjay V. Odak

Theses

In this study a dentin bonding agent based on Tolylene diisocyanatc with o chlorophenol as a blocking agent was tested. Bond strength with dentin was determined using a clinically relevant test method. A comparison was made using commercially available bonding agents and restorative resins. A simulation of microleakage around restorations was performed using a "Silver staining technique". Microleakage was quantified using digital image analysis, and a method was proposed to compensate for the loss of the third dimension during image analysis. Layer-by-layer curing of restorative, and an acid etching technique was used to improve bonding to dentin. The oral LD50 …

Site Of An Oil Producing Property, H. Dezfulian

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

An assessment of a 6.78-acre parcel of oil-producing land with one active, seven idle, and two abandoned oil wells was performed. Following the collection and review of site data, an evaluation was made of the toxic properties of on-site soils for the presence of hazardous substances. Soil samples were collected by advancing boreholes at eight locations. These locations were selected on the bas is of the results of an aerial photographs review, a geophysical survey, and statistical sampling design techniques. An analytical program was conducted to test for chemicals that would likely be present from the oil field operations. It …

A Study Of Contamination Migration At A Hazardous Waste Facility In Louisiana, George H. Cramer Ii

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Traditionally clay soils have been regarded as being relatively impermeable to the migration of water and contaminants. Recent studies in Louisiana are beginning to show, however, that laboratory permeability tests are not true indicators of the ability of an in-situ soil to retain or transmit fluids. Both the depositional and post-depositional environment of a soil can greatly alter its in-situ permeability. In particular, post-depositional structural fractures provide preferential pathways for contaminant migration at rates that far exceed those predicted by using laboratory permeability values. Difficulties in field identification of these pathways reduces modeling of their effect on site hydrology to …

Geotechnical And Groundwater Site Characterization On The Umtra Project, J. A. Caldwell, R. A. Rager, L. Coons

International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering

Reclamation of 24 inactive uranium mill tailngs piles involves remedial work to stabilize the piles for 1000 years. Site characterization of geotechnical and groundwater conditions at each site is undertaken prior to remedial action design. This paper describes the approach to UMTRA Project site characterization. A case history, Green River, is described. Details of site characterization costs for most sites are provided.

Analysis Of Accidents In Construction And Maintenance Work Zones, Jerry G. Pigman, Kenneth R. Agent

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

This report includes documentation of the two following phases of the study : 1) analysis of statewide accidents for the period 1983 through 1986 in which "road under construction" was listed as a contributing factor; and 2) analysis of accident data and traffic control devices used at 20 case study locations. At the case study locations, accident data were analyzed for a three-year period before construction and compared to the period during construction.

Results from the statewide analysis indicate that even though the level of construction and maintenance activity is higher and traffic volumes have increased, there have not been …

Assessment Of Autonomic Regulation Of Heart Rate Variability, Shaw-Jyh Shin

Dissertations

Complex demodulation, accompanied by the techniques of interpolation, detrending and zero-phase-shift lowpass filtering were used to examine the effect of both divisions of the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic) on heart rate by analyzing the heart rate variability signal from dogs under two different classical conditionings: CS+ and CS-, which cause different dynamic pattern changes in the autonomic nervous system to regulate the heart rate.

Unlike power spectral analysis, complex demodulation gives results in the time domain and shows the variation of amplitude and phase over time at a given frequency. The variation of phase indicates the frequency deviation …

Effects Of Peripheral And Microwave-Core Heating On Survival In Hemorrhagic Shock In Rats, Ashraf Sabry El-Assuooty

Theses

In a model of rats resuscitated from hemorrhagic shock,where 11 of 12 animals were alive up to 4 hours after shock, there was an average drop of 10°C in core body temperature. Survival and morbidity was much impaired when the shocked animals were externally heated with an infrared lamp to maintain a core body temperature of 35°C. Since the increased intrashock mortality is possibly due to the circulatory changes induced by peripheral heating, an attempt was made to determine the effects of heating the animal at its core. Twelve rats were shocked in the same fashion, however the body core …

Microcomputer-Controlled Respiratory Rate Monitor, David John Hartmann

Theses

In order to measure the metabolic change in an animal due to the administration of anti-obesity drugs, an instrument was constructed which will allow the continuous sampling of twelve individual animals residing in enclosed chambers. The instrument is based on the principle of Indirect Calorimetry, which measures metabolic rate by sampling the inlet and outlet concentrations of respiratory gases (oxygen and carbon dioxide) of the chamber. The system is controlled by an IBM PC which will control six chambers or twelve chambers simultaneously.

The system assesses the metabolic rate of the animal by calculating the Respiratory Quotient (RQ) and the …