Digital Commons Network^™

Pediatric Leukemia: Diagnosis To Treatment–A Review, Samantha C. Bernard, Ehab H. Abdelsamad, Paisley A. Johnson, Daniel L. Chapman, Madhukiran Parvathaneni

Faculty Works

Leukemia is cancer of the blood and bone marrow, it is the most common cancer found in children and is found to be more than one fourth of pediatric cancers. It causes white blood cells to become abnormal and the body to become weak. This deficiency in the immune system reduces the body's ability to fight infection or simple airborne illnesses, causing extensive treatment of common pathogens and cancer treatment. The present review covers all topics, from diagnosis to treatment of pediatric leukemia, as well as the stages of growth and physiological changes throughout the process. As leukemia has a …

Surface Chemisty Study Of Monazite Flotation In Coal Refuse Systems, Wencai Zhang

Theses and Dissertations--Mining Engineering

Rare earth mineral recovery from alternative resources such as coal and coal byproducts is increasingly important to provide an opportunity for economic recovery from U.S. sources. Currently, China produces the majority of the 149,000 tons of rare earth elements used annually worldwide of which the U.S. imports 11% or around 16,000 tons. There are no significant mining operations producing rare earth elements in the U.S. However, there are many U.S. sources containing rare earth minerals such as monazite including heavy mineral sand and phosphate operations. Monazite mineral particles of a few microns have also been detected in Fire Clay seam …

Microstructural Evolution During The Homogenization Heat Treatment Of 6xxx And 7xxx Aluminum Alloys, Pikee Priya

Open Access Dissertations

Homogenization heat treatment of as-cast billets is an important step in the processing of aluminum extrusions. Microstructural evolution during homogenization involves elimination of the eutectic morphology by spheroidisation of the interdendritic phases, minimization of the microsegregation across the grains through diffusion, dissolution of the low-melting phases, which enhances the surface finish of the extrusions, and precipitation of nano-sized dispersoids (for Cr-, Zr-, Mn-, Sc-containing alloys), which inhibit grain boundary motion to prevent recrystallization. Post-homogenization cooling reprecipitates some of the phases, changing the flow stress required for subsequent extrusion. These precipitates, however, are deleterious for the mechanical properties of the alloy …

Measurements By Controlled Meteorological Balloons In Coastal Areas Of Antarctica, Lars R. Hole, Alexis Pérez Bello, Tjarda J. Roberts, Paul B. Voss, Timo Vihma

Engineering: Faculty Publications

An experiment applying controlled meteorological (CMET) balloons near the coast of Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica, in January 2013 is described. Two balloons were airborne for 60 and 106 hours with trajectory lengths of 885.8 km and 2367.4 km, respectively. The balloons carried out multiple controlled soundings on the atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity up to 3.3 km. Wind speed and direction were derived from the balloon drift. Observations were compared with radiosonde sounding profiles from the Halley Research Station, and applied in evaluating simulations carried out with the weather research and forecasting (WRF) mesoscale atmospheric model. The most interesting feature …

Pushing And Pulling Sara: A Case Study Of The Contrasting Influences Of High School And University Experiences On Engineering Agency, Identity, And Participation, Allison Godwin, Geoff Potvin

School of Engineering Education Faculty Publications

This manuscript reports on a longitudinal case study of how one woman, Sara, who had previously considered dropping out of high school authored strong mathematics and science identities and purposefully exhibited agency through her experiences in high school science. These experiences empowered her to choose an engineering major in college; however, her introductory university engineering experiences ultimately pushed her out of engineering. Drawing on critical agency theory, we argue that by paying careful attention to how and why women author their identities and build agency through their experiences in high school, we may gain insight into why women may choose …

Theoretical Study Of Photoelectrochemical Reactions And Ec-Sers On Spr Metallic Electrodes Of Silver And Gold, Yuan-Fei Wu, Ran Pang, Meng Zhang, Jian-Zhang Zhou, Bin Ren, Zhong-Qun Tian, De-Yin Wu

Journal of Electrochemistry

At present photoelectrochemistry has received much concern back to nanostructures of noble metals from semiconductor electrodes. This is due to the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect of metallic nanostructures, which can effectively convert the far-field light to the near-field light and concentrate the photonic energy to the local surface area with high energy density. Thus, the different enhancement mechanisms, such as the local optical field enhancement, the formation of light generated hot carriers (hot electron-hole pairs), or the photothermal effect, have been proposed in literatures. On the basis of the SPR enhancement effect, the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) can be …

Development Of Biocompatible Small-Molecule Spacers As Metal Oxide Nanoparticles' Stabilizing Agents, Galina Goloverda, Huy Do, Ezinne U. Agwaramgbo, Anastasia Labeaud, Rajesh Komati, Vladimir Kolesnichenko

Nanotechnology in Medicine: From Molecules to Humans

Development and study of the magnetic nanoparticles for biological and clinical applications remains one of the challenging research areas in chemistry and materials science. The performance of these particles as, for example, drug delivery, MRI, hyperthermia or cell tracking agents, depends on their magnetic susceptibility. Their ability to form stable aqueous colloids, the mobility, and diffusion properties in biological media, rely on organic coating, which is usually composed of hydrophilic biocompatible polymers such as dextrans or poly(ethylene glycol)s. Some areas of biomedical imaging, labeling and delivery application can benefit from magnetic nanoparticles with higher mobility and penetration, stronger interaction with …

Development And Implementation Of Problem-Based Chemistry Experiments For Engineering Students In A Multi-Disciplinary Course, Tiffany Hesser, Stephanie R. Bunyea

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications

This paper will describe the implementation and continuing development of five problem based laboratory experiments in a general chemistry course designed specifically for multiple disciplines of engineering students at the University of New Haven. The Problem Based Laboratory Experiments (PBLE) were developed to provide students with the opportunity to perform and develop experimental procedures working in interdisciplinary teams, while achieving a greater understanding of the role of chemistry in engineering fields. In each PBLE, students first complete a traditional chemistry experiment to gain an understanding of the chemical concepts and to become familiar with executing a written procedure with a …

Monitoring Co2 At An Enhanced Oil Recovery And Carbon Capture And Storage Project, Farnsworth Unit, Texas, Robert Balch, Richard Esser, Ning Liu

CO2 Summit II: Technologies and Opportunities

The Southwest Partnership on Carbon Sequestration (SWP) is one of seven large scale CO2 sequestration projects sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, each with the goal of permanently sequestering at least 1,000,000 metric tonnes of CO₂. The SWP project is at an active Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) project in a mature waterflood in the Farnsworth Unit, Texas, which is undergoing conversion to a CO₂ flood. CO₂ for this project is anthropogenically sourced from a fertilizer plant in Borger, Texas and an ethanol plant in Liberal, Kansas. Currently, the field has 13 CO₂ injectors and …

Force Field Development With Gomc A Fast New Monte Carlo Molecular Simulation Code, Jason Richard Mick

Wayne State University Dissertations

In this work GOMC (GPU Optimized Monte Carlo) a new fast, flexible, and free molecular Monte Carlo code for the simulation atomistic chemical systems is presented. The results of a large Lennard-Jonesium simulation in the Gibbs ensemble is presented. Force fields developed using the code are also presented. To fit the models a quantitative fitting process is outlined using a scoring function and heat maps. The presented n-6 force fields include force fields for noble gases and branched alkanes. These force fields are shown to be the most accurate LJ or n-6 force fields to date for these compounds, capable …

Monitoring The Progression Of Spontaneous Articular Cartilage Healing With Infrared Spectroscopy, Megan P. O'Brien, Madhuri Penmatsa, Uday Palukuru, Paul West, Xu Yang, Mathias P. G. Bostrom, Theresa Freeman, Nancy Pleshko

Publications and Research

Objective. Evaluation of early compositional changes in healing articular cartilage is critical for understanding tissue repair and for therapeutic decision-making. Fourier transform infrared imaging spectroscopy (FT-IRIS) can be used to assess the molecular composition of harvested repair tissue. Furthermore, use of an infrared fiber-optic probe (IFOP) has the potential for translation to a clinical setting to provide molecular information in situ. In the current study, we determined the feasibility of IFOP assessment of cartilage repair tissue in a rabbit model, and assessed correlations with gold-standard histology.

Design. Bilateral osteochondral defects were generated in mature white New Zealand rabbits, and …

Voltammetric Investigation Of Xanthate Chemisorption On A Chalcopyrite Surface, Jesse Lynn Bowden

Graduate Theses & Non-Theses

Cyclic Voltammetry experiments have been conducted on copper, iron, and chalcopyrite (CuFeS2) and compared to mass-balanced EH-pH Diagrams. Potassium ethyl xanthate (KEX) was added to solution and additional voltammetry experiments were performed to determine the surface chemistry reactions of flotation collector in solution with these minerals. The ultimate goal of this research was to investigate the possibility of xanthate chemisorption onto the chalcopyrite mineral surface. Results of the copper mineral testing confirm previous literature studies and corroborate published isotherm data. Results of the iron mineral testing showed changes in surface reactions with the addition of potassium ethyl xanthate to solution, …

Molecular Modeling Of Sigma 1 And Sigma 2 Receptor Ligands: Pharmacophore Development And Comparison Using Discotech And Bioactivity Prediction Comparison Of Ab Initio And Density Functional Comfa Studies For Spiro And Other Receptor Ligands, Lisa M. Kardos

Dissertations

The role of the biological receptor is currently being studied by researchers in medicine. Information about sigma receptors in particular can be gained by studying the ligands associated with each type, sigma 1 or sigma 2. Sigma 1 receptor ligands consist of drug candidates that often have psychiatric and neurological applications; sigma 2 receptor ligands consist of drug candidates that have been linked with cancer treatment among other applications.

Molecular modeling of biological receptor ligands often encompasses pharmacophore development and Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA). Pharmacophore models are developed to understand the unique features such as binding groups that make …

Exploring The Use Of Faded Worked Examples As A Problem Solving Approach For Underprepared Students, Tiffany Hesser, Jess L. Gregory

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications

It is not uncommon for students to find themselves underprepared when entering a post secondary institution. In additional to lower levels of academic achievement, underprepared students may not be aware that they lack the skills needed to be successful and effectively acquire and process information. Because of this, students that enter post-secondary institutions underprepared often require more support in and out of the college classroom.

In computational based classes, such as math, engineering, chemistry or physics, this support often includes an introduction to effective problem solving strategies. This study introduced faded worked examples as a problem solving approach to students …

Instrumentation And Development Of A Mass Spectrometry System For The Study Of Gas-Phase Biomolecular Ion Reactions, Ziqing Lin

Open Access Dissertations

Gas-phase reactions of biomolecular ions are highly relevant to the understanding of structures and functions of the biomolecules. Mass spectrometry is a powerful tool in investigating gas-phase ion chemistry. Various mass spectrometers have been developed to explore ion/molecule reactions, ion/ion reactions, ion/photon reactions, ion/radical reactions etc., both at atmospheric pressure and in vacuum. In-vacuum reactions have an advantage of involving pre-selecting the ions for the reactions using a mass analyzer. Over the decades, a variety of mass analyzers have been employed in the research of ion chemistry. Hybrid configurations, such as quadrupole ion trap with a time-of-flight and or a …

Kinetic Experimental And Modeling Studies On Iron-Based Catalysts Promoted With Lanthana For The High-Temperature Water-Gas Shift Reaction Characterized With Operando Uv-Visible Spectroscopy And For The Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis, Basseem Bishara Hallac

Theses and Dissertations

The structural and functional roles of lanthana in unsupported iron-based catalysts for the high-temperature water-gas shift reaction and Fischer-Tropsch synthesis were investigated. The performance of the catalysts with varying lanthana contents was based on their activity, selectivity, and stability. With regard to the former reaction, extent of reduction of the iron in Fe2O3/Cr2O3/CuO/La2O3 water-gas shift catalysts is a key parameter that was characterized using UV-visible spectroscopy. Minor addition of lanthana (<0.5 wt%) produces more active and stable catalysts apparently because it stabilizes the iron-chromium spinel, increases the surface area of the reduced catalysts, enhances the reduction of hematite to the magnetite active phase, and facilitates the adsorption of CO on the surface of the catalyst modeled by an adsorptive Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism. Statistical 95% confidence contour plots of the adsorption equilibrium constants show that water adsorbs more strongly than CO, which inhibits the reaction rate. A calibration curve that correlates the oxidation state of surface iron domains to normalized absorbance of visible light was successfully generated and applied to the water-gas shift catalysts. UV-visible studies indicated higher extent of reduction for surface Fe domains for the catalysts promoted with 1 wt% of lanthana and showed potential to be a more convenient technique for surface chemistry studies than X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy (XANES). Lanthana addition to iron-based Fischer-Tropsch catalysts enhances the olefin-to-paraffin ratio, but decreases their activity, stability, and selectivity to liquid hydrocarbons. Adding lanthana at the expense of potassium reduces the water-gas shift selectivity and enhances the activity and stability of the catalysts. Finally, a model that simulates heat and mass transfer limitations on the particle scale for the Fischer-Tropsch reaction applicable at lab-scale suggests optimal operating and design conditions of 256°C, 30 bar, and 80 mirons are recommended for higher selectivity to liquid hydrocarbons. The model considers pressure drop, deactivation, pore diffusion, film heat transfer, and internal heat transfer when solving for the optimal conditions, and maps them as functions of design variables. This model can be up-scaled to provide guidance for optimal design of commercial-size reactors.

Design Optimization Of A Composite Wing Box For High-Altitude Long-Endurance Aircraft, Philip T. Arévalo

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

A design optimization process is developed to define the wing box structure for High-Altitude Long-Endurance Aircraft (HALE). The goal of this study is to determine the best tradeoff between mass and rigidity of a HALE aircraft wing structure. A preliminary composite laminate structural design procedure is described which uses a NASTRAN-based Finite Element Analysis (FEA), and the Hierarchical Evolutionary Engineering Design System (HEEDS) MDO software to define a locus of acceptable, optimized wing box design definitions.

Electronic Properties Of Inp (001)/Hfo2 (001) Interface: Band Offsets And Oxygen Dependence, Santosh Kc

Faculty Publications

Using ab-initio methods, atomic structures and electronic properties of InP (001)/HfO2 (001) interface are studied within the framework of density functional theory. We examine the InP/HfO2 model interface electronic structures under varying oxidation conditions. The effects of indium and phosphorous concentrations on interfacial bonding, defect states, band offsets, and the thermodynamic stability at the interface are also investigated. The origin of interfacial gap states in InP (001)/HfO2 (001) interface are proposed, mainly from the P-rich oxides, which is validated by our experimental work. This highlights the importance of surface passivation prior to high-κ deposition based on the in situ spectroscopic …

Human Hair Keratin Protein, Hair Fibers And Hydroxyapatite (Ha) Composite Scaffold For Bone Tissue Regeneration, Samuel Siyum

ETD Archive

The field of tissue engineering aims at promoting the regeneration of tissues or replacement of failing or malfunctioning tissue by means of combining a scaffold material, adequate cells and bioactive molecules. Different materials have been proposed for use as three-dimensional porous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering procedures. Among them, polymers of natural origin are one of the most attractive options mainly due to their similarities with the extracellular matrix (ECM), chemical versatility as well as typically good biological performance. In this study, two biocompatible composite scaffolds were developed from natural polymer by tissue engineering approach and tested in vitro. The …

Molecular Dynamics Simulations Of Pure Polytetrafluoroethylene Near Glassy Transition Temperature For Different Molecular Weights, Rawan Al-Nsour

Theses and Dissertations

Fluoropolymers are employed in countless end-user applications across several industries. One such fluoropolymer is polytetrafluoroethylene. This research is concerned with studying and understanding the thermal behavior of polytetrafluoroethylene. Such understanding is critical to predict its behavior in diverse service environments as the polymer ages and for allowing bottom up design of improved polymers for specific applications.

While a plethora of experiments have investigated the thermal properties of polytetrafluoroethylene, examining these properties using molecular dynamics simulations remains in its infancy. In particular, the current body of molecular dynamics research on polytetrafluoroethylene has primarily focused on studying polytetrafluoroethylene phases, its physical nature, …

First-Principles Investigations Of Iron-Based Alloys And Their Properties, Krista Renee Limmer

Doctoral Dissertations

"Fundamental understanding of the complex interactions governing structure-property relationships in iron-based alloys is necessary to advance ferrous metallurgy. Two key components of alloy design are carbide formation and stabilization and controlling the active deformation mechanism. Following a first-principles methodology, understanding on the electronic level of these components has been gained for predictive modeling of alloys.

Transition metal carbides have long played an important role in alloy design, though the complexity of their interactions with the ferrous matrix is not well understood. Bulk, surface, and interface properties of vanadium carbide, VC_x, were calculated to provide insight for the carbide …

Impact Of Organic Coatings On Frictional Strength Of Organically Modified Clay, B. Bate, Q. Zhao, S. E. Burns

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Organic matter is frequently encountered in both naturally occurring and engineered particulate media. Charged functional groups in the organic matter can lead to cation exchange within the clay interlayer, which results in the formation of an organic coating on the clay surfaces and alters the interfacial frictional regime in the soil mass. This study investigated the triaxial shear frictional behavior of montmorillonite particles coated with a controlled organic phase composed of quaternary ammonium cations. Through cation exchange, organic cations were loaded onto the clay's interlayer exchange sites, with control on the density of organic coverage and structure of the organic …

Stabilizing Nanostructured Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Cathode With Atomic Layer Deposition, Yunhui Gong, Diego Palacio, Xueyan Song, Rajankumar L. Patel, Xinhua Liang

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

We demonstrate that the highly active but unstable nanostructured intermediate-temperature solid oxide fuel cell cathode, La_0.6Sr_0.4CoO_3-δ (LSCo), can retain its high oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) activity with exceptional stability for 4000 h at 700 C by overcoating its surfaces with a conformal layer of nanoscale ZrO₂ films through atomic layer deposition (ALD). The benefits from the presence of the nanoscale ALD-ZrO₂ overcoats are remarkable: a factor of 19 and 18 reduction in polarization area-specific resistance and degradation rate over the pristine sample, respectively. The unique multifunctionality of the ALD-derived nanoscaled ZrO₂ overcoats, …

Robust Methods For Construction Of Global Potential Energy Surfaces, Phalgun Lolur

Masters Theses

"This thesis is about the development of robust methods for construction of global potential energy surfaces to study the spectroscopy and dynamics of molecular systems. A potential energy surface represents the electronic energy of a molecule as a function of its geometry. This is central to how chemists view molecular systems in terms of motion across a rich energy landscape where barriers separate wells corresponding to different stable structures. The range of molecular distortions defines the potential energy surface. Computing the potential energy surface of a molecule has become a fundamental operation in modern theoretical chemistry studies. The Born-Oppenheimer approximation …

Effect Of Freshman Chemistry On Student Performance In Sophomore Engineering Courses, Michael A. Collura, Shannon Ciston, Nancy Ortins Savage

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications

The role of first year chemistry courses in engineering programs varies somewhat across programs and disciplines. Clearly most engineering majors will encounter chemistry topics of a general nature in some of their upper-level course work. The purpose of requiring chemistry in the first year, however, goes well beyond learning chemical concepts. As a quantitative science, chemistry requires the use of math, principally algebra, on a regular basis in solving various problems. Students should gain an appreciation of the importance of units in solving problems should come to understand the difference between implicit and explicit properties and should develop other quantitative …

The Hemocompatibility Of A Nitric Oxide Generating Polymer That Catalyzes S-Nitrosothiol Decomposition In An Extracorporeal Circulation Model, Terry C. Major, David O. Brant, Charles P. Burney, Kagya Amoako, Gail M. Annich, Mark E. Meyerhoff, Hitesh Handa, Robert E. Bartlett

Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

Nitric oxide (NO) generating (NOGen) materials have been shown previously to create localized increases in NO concentration by the catalytic decomposition of blood S-nitrosothiols (RSNO) via copper (Cu)-containing polymer coatings and may improve extracorporeal circulation (ECC) hemocompatibility. In this work, a NOGen polymeric coating composed of a Cuo-nanoparticle (80 nm)-containing hydrophilic polyurethane (SP-60D-60) combined with the intravenous infusion of an RSNO, S- nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), is evaluated in a 4 h rabbit thrombogenicity model and the anti-thrombotic mechanism is investigated. Polymer films containing 10 wt.% Cuo-nanoparticles coated on the inner walls of ECC circuits are employed concomitantly with systemic SNAP administration …

Multiple Benzene-Formation Paths In A Fuel-Rich Cyclohexane Flame, Wenjun Li, Matthew Law, Phillip Westmoreland, Tina Kasper, Nils Hansen, Katharina Kohse-Höinghaus

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Detailed data and modeling of cyclohexane flames establish that a mixture of pathways contributes to benzene formation and that this mixture changes with stoichiometry. Mole-fraction profiles are mapped for more than 40 species in a fuel-rich, premixed flat flame (Φ = 2.0, cyclohexane/O₂/30% Ar, 30 Torr, 50.0 cm/s) using molecular-beam mass spectrometry with VUV-photoionization at the Advanced Light Source of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The use of a newly constructed set of reactions leads to an excellent simulation of this flame and an earlier stoichiometric flame (M.E. Law et al., Proc. Combust. Inst. 31 (2007) 565–573), …

Web Based Classes For Enhancement Of Prelaboratory Lectures, Tiffany Hesser, Michael Collura

Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications

The use of web classes, such as Tegrity Campus1, as a supplement to pre laboratory reading or a replacement for pre laboratory lectures could become a standard tool in laboratory education protocol. In classes with multiple lab sections and instructors, pre laboratory lectures can lack consistency and it can be difficult to gauge the students’ level of preparation. With the ever increasing exposure to technology, students generally prefer information in a digital and multimedia form, rather than textbook readings. Therefore, this method can prove to better prepare students prior to laboratory experiments, increasing the overall understanding of the chemical reactions …

Membrane Properties Of Intact Rock Cores Of Burlington Limestone, Jefferson Dolomite, Darrington Phyllite, And Low Permeability Concrete, Megan Hart

Doctoral Dissertations

"A number of laboratory studies have shown that clays exhibit membrane properties. However, little research has been performed on lithologies outside of pure clays. Recently, research focusing on mixed sand and clay membrane properties for engineering applications was performed. Still, literature only suggests the possibilities of membrane properties, osmotic or reverse-osmotic, associated with other naturally occurring 'tight' rock types. Therefore, the objectives of this research was to perform a series of hyperfiltration experiments using actual rock discs of Quarry Ridge Jefferson Dolomite, Darrington Phyllite, Lower Burlington Limestone, and low permeability concrete to determine if tight lithologies can function as membranes"--Abstract, …

Atmospheric Chemistry Of A 33–34 Hour Old Volcanic Cloud From Hekla Volcano (Iceland): Insights From Direct Sampling And The Application Of Chemical Box Modeling, William I. Rose, Genevieve A. Millard, Tamsin A. Mather, Donald E. Hunton, Bruce Anderson, Clive Oppenheimer, Brett F. Thornton, Terrence M. Gerlach, Albert A. Viggiano, Yutaka Kondo, Thomas M. Miller, John O. Ballenthin

Department of Geological and Mining Engineering and Sciences Publications

On 28 February 2000, a volcanic cloud from Hekla volcano, Iceland, was serendipitously sampled by a DC-8 research aircraft during the SAGE III Ozone Loss and Validation Experiment (SOLVE I). It was encountered at night at 10.4 km above sea level (in the lower stratosphere) and 33–34 hours after emission. The cloud is readily identified by abundant SO2 (≤1 ppmv), HCl (≤70 ppbv), HF (≤60 ppbv), and particles (which may have included fine silicate ash). We compare observed and modeled cloud compositions to understand its chemical evolution. Abundances of sulfur and halogen species indicate some oxidation of sulfur gases but …