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Fate And Transport Of Microorganisms In Coastal Subsurface-Experiment And Modeling, Haibo Cao

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation was to investigate the fate and transport of microorganisms in coastal subsurface. Two topics were studied: (1) evaluation of the performance of the Marshland Upwelling System (MUS) in removing fecal bacteria and the background recovery after it is shut down; (2) Investigation of the effects of salinity and soluble organic matter (SOM) on sorption of MS-2 and development of a model to describe the sorption and transport process. The MUS showed effective performance in removing fecal bacteria during its 32 month operation period at Bayou Segnette Site. The removal efficiency was increased with its operation …

Suspended Sediment Fluxes At An Intertidal Flat: The Shifting Influence Of Wave, Wind, Tidal, And Freshwater Forcing, Stefan A. Talke, Mark T. Stacey

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Using in situ, continuous, high frequency (8–16 Hz) measurements of velocity, suspended sediment concentration (SSC), and salinity, we investigate the factors affecting near-bed sediment flux during and after a meteorological event (cold front) on an intertidal flat in central San Francisco Bay. Hydrodynamic forcing occurs over many frequency bands including wind wave, ocean swell, seiching (500–1000 s), tidal, and infra-tidal frequencies, and varies greatly over the time scale of hours and days. Sediment fluxes occur primarily due to variations in flow and SSC at three different scales: residual (tidally averaged), tidal, and seiching. During the meteorological event, sediment fluxes are …

Quiescent Current Testing Of Cmos Data Converters, Siva Yellampalli

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Power supply quiescent current (IDDQ) testing has been very effective in VLSI circuits designed in CMOS processes detecting physical defects such as open and shorts and bridging defects. However, in sub-micron VLSI circuits, IDDQ is masked by the increased subthreshold (leakage) current of MOSFETs affecting the efficiency of I¬DDQ testing. In this work, an attempt has been made to perform robust IDDQ testing in presence of increased leakage current by suitably modifying some of the test methods normally used in industry. Digital CMOS integrated circuits have been tested successfully using IDDQ and IDDQ methods for physical defects. However, testing of …

Identification Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons In The Supercritical Pyrolysis Products Of Synthetic Jet Fuel S-8 And Methylcyclohexane, Jorge Oswaldo Ona Ruales

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Inside the pre-combustor fuel lines of future high-speed aircraft, at supercritical conditions, hydrocarbon fuels react to form polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and eventually solid deposits. These deposits can block fuel lines and lead to undesirable effects for the aircraft operation. To elucidate the pathways that lead to the formation of PAH (and ultimately, solids formation), the identification of the PAH products generated by the reactions is critical. In this context, two fuels have been analyzed: synthetic jet fuel S-8 and methylcyclohexane. Synthetic jet fuel S-8 is important due to its non-petroleum origin. Methylcyclohexane is important due to its endothermic behavior. …

Design And Testing Of An Infrared Temperature System To Test The Effects Of Chemical Stimulation On Heat Production In Cell Cultures, Nicholas Gerbo

LSU Master's Theses

Temperature is an important physiological parameter of cell biology. The thermal energy output of cells in vitro can offer insight into cellular processes. Standard methodology of measuring cellular thermal output has been through microcalorimetry. In this work, infrared thermography is presented as an alternative to microcalorimetry and other measurement techniques. An enclosure that controls the temperature of cells and allows for injection of temperature control of chemical agents and subsequent measurement of cell temperature using an infrared camera has been designed and tested. The enclosure was tested with 3T3-L1 adipocytes treated with the β3 adrenergic agonist CL 316-243 for up …

The Effectiveness Of The Introduction And Amendment Of Traffic Laws On Louisiana Road Crashes, Vamshi Krishna Mudumba

LSU Master's Theses

Evaluating the safety benefit of a treatment provides information to the future safety projects of our transportation system. Various transportation laws have been amended in the state of Louisiana, aiming to reduce the roadway crash rates. The major traffic laws introduced or amended in the state in the past decade were the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Program in 1998, repealing the mandatory motorcycle helmet law in 1999 and reenacting it in 2004, introducing the open alcohol container laws in 2000, and lowering the per se Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) from 0.10 to 0.08 percent in 2003. A before-and-after analysis was …

New Insights Into The Controls And Mechanisms Of Plankton Productivity Along The Us West Coast, Raphael M. Kudela, Neil S. Banas, John A. Barth, Elizabeth R. Frame, David A. Jay, John L. Largier, Evelyn J. Lessard, Tawnya D. Peterson, Andrea J. Vander Woude

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

During the lifetime of the National Science Foundation's Coastal Ocean Processes program, four experiments were conducted on the US West Coast in the northern California Current System. Although each project had a unique scientific focus, all four addressed the mechanisms causing eastern boundary current systems in general, and the California Current System in particular, to be biologically rich, from phytoplankton to apex predators. Taken together, findings from these projects provide new insights into the canonical view that upwelling systems are simple wind-driven "conveyor belts," bringing cold, nutrient-rich waters to the well-lit surface ocean where biological organisms flourish. We highlight new …

A Unified Methodology Of Maintenance Management For Repairable Systems Based On Optimal Stopping Theory, Hongye Wang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation focuses on the study of maintenance management for repairable systems based on optimal stopping theory. From reliability engineering’s point of view, all systems are subject to deterioration with age and usage. System deterioration can take various forms, including wear, fatigue, fracture, cracking, breaking, corrosion, erosion and instability, any of which may ultimately cause the system to fail to perform its required function. Consequently, controlling system deterioration through maintenance and thus controlling the risk of system failure becomes beneficial or even necessary. Decision makers constantly face two fundamental problems with respect to system maintenance. One is whether or when …

Adsorption And Photochemical Transformation Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons On Atmospheric Water Films, Jing Chen

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Atmospheric water films affect the processing of chemicals in the atmosphere and have potential effects on human health and the environment. In this work, adsorption and photochemical transformations of gas-phase PAHs were studied in a flow-tube photo-reactor with a view to understanding the behavior of gas-phase PAHs occurring in thin water films such as those of aerosols and fog. Naphthalene and phenanthrene were chosen as model PAHs for this study. Bulk water-air and air-to-interface partition constants of naphthalene and phenanthrene were estimated from the experiments based on the dependence of the equilibrium uptake on the water film thickness. Theoretical computations …

Redutive Dehalogenation Of Chlorinated Alkanes By Novel Bacteria At The Petroprocessor Of Louisiana Inc. Superfund Site, Jun Yan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A reductively dehalogenating enrichment culture was established using chloroalkane-contaminated groundwater from the PetroProcessors of Louisiana, Inc. (PPI) Superfund site. Two novel, strictly anaerobic bacterial strains, designated as BL-DC-8 and BL-DC-9, were isolated from the enrichment culture. These strains represent the first bacteria known to anaerobically dehalogenate 1,2,3-trichloropropane, the degradation pathway of which was determined. Both strains could be cultured in completely defined basal medium and were also able to dehalogenate a variety of other vicinally chlorinated alkanes including 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane, 1,1,2-trichloroethane, 1,2-dichloroethane, and 1,2-dichloropropane via dichloroelimination reactions. Chlorinated alkanes containing only a single chlorine substituent (1-chloropropane, 2-chloropropane), chlorinated alkenes (tetrachloroethene, trichloroethene, …

Mercury Transport Through A Capped Sediment, Jianrong Liu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Laboratory simulation cells were employed to evaluate the effectiveness of a sand cap for containing highly mercury-contaminated lake sediments and the resultant impacts on the mercury fate beneath the cap. Sand cap can delay and reduce the migration of mercury into the overlying water; however, due to the small partition coefficient of mercury between sand and water, a capping material with higher partition coefficient is better for the long-term containment of mercury. In the following study, efforts were made to identify and investigate an active capping material which works effectively at containing and inhibiting the methylation of mercury. Based on …

Heterogeneous Catalyzed Macromolecular Hydrogenations In Oscillating Systems, Alan Bussard

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

An examination of novel oscillatory (alternating gas and liquid phase) reactors and heterogeneous catalysts for multi-phase macromolecular reactions was carried out. A monolith-containing square die with Pd/Al2O3 catalysts was used to successfully hydrogenate poly(styrene) (PS). The inherent pulse behavior of the extruder was found to be sufficient to approach intrinsic kinetics at low polymer concentrations. At higher (10 wt% PS) concentrations, forced pulsing was shown to have a greater impact on observed reaction rates. Selectivity with this extruder-fed reactor was better than with a stirred tank in all cases, due to a more plug-flow-like residence time distribution. While accurate control …

Pilot-Scale Study On Anaerobic Digestion Applied To A Saline Industrial Waste Activated Sludge, Changjiang Shen

LSU Master's Theses

In the field of municipal wastewater treatment, anaerobic digestion is a well-established, effective process for stabilization of organic sludge with the attractive features of low operating costs and production of methane as a useful by-product. Application of anaerobic digestion for the treatment of saline industrial wastewater sludge, however, has not been well established. The studies described in this thesis were conducted with the overall goal of assessing the feasibility of mesophilic anaerobic digestion processes for treatment of waste activated sludge (WAS) containing moderate salinity (approximately 3% m/v). Experiments employed two 30-gallon conical-bottom HDPE reactors. In the first phase of testing, …

Photocatalytic Oxidation Of Ethanol Using Macroporous Titania, Gibert Merle Magpantay

LSU Master's Theses

Photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) using TiO2 is a potential means of remediating poor indoor air quality that is attributed to low levels of volatile organic compounds (VOC). In this work, ethanol is chosen as a simple compound representative of VOC’s. The aim of this research is to establish a baseline for the photocatalytic activity of TiO2 in ethanol PCO as well as the photonic efficiency of the photoreactor. The PCO conversion could then be enhanced by using photocatalyst having a macroporous structure. A flat plate photoreactor, UV light delivery and a flow system was designed in this work to accomplish ethanol …

Fog-Smog Reactor And Photooxidation Of Naphthalene Within The Fog Condensate In A Uv Light Setup, Neha Shrikant Damle

LSU Master's Theses

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) form a major class of air pollutants. Naphthalene is a commonly found PAH in the atmosphere. Atmospheric fog water contains naphthalene absorbed from surrounding air. The partition coefficient of naphthalene is defined as the ratio of total naphthalene concentration in fog water to total naphthalene concentration in air. The purpose of this research was to determine the partition coefficients of naphthalene for varying reactor temperature. Fog was artificially formed in a predesigned reactor. NaCl aerosols were used as condensation nuclei for fog formation. Fog droplets were exposed to naphthalene vapors in the reactor. The reactor provided …

The Copula: A Tool For Simulating Speckle Dynamics, Donald D. Duncan, Sean J. Kirkpatrick

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Use of a copula for generating a sequence of correlated speckle patterns is introduced. The chief characteristic of this algorithm is that it generates a continuous speckle sequence with a specified evolution of the correlation and does so with just two arrays of random numbers. Thus, physically realistic temporally varying speckle patterns with proper first- and second-order statistics are easily realized. We illustrate use of the algorithm for generating sequences with prescribed Gaussian, exponential, and equal-interval correlations and demonstrate how correlation times can be specified independently. This approach to generating sequences of random realizations with prescribed correlations should prove useful …

Statistics Of Local Speckle Contrast, Donald D. Duncan, Sean J. Kirkpatrick, Ruikang K. Wang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

In describing the first-order properties of laser speckle under polarized illumination conditions, it is almost an article of faith that the contrast is unity. In many processing schemes, however, the contrast defined as the quotient of the standard deviation and the mean is calculated over a localized spatial region. In such cases, this local contrast displays a distribution of values that can depart substantially from unity. Properties of this distribution depend on details of the data acquisition and on the size of the local neighborhood over which the contrast is calculated. We demonstrate that this local contrast can be characterized …

Monte Carlo Modeling Of Spatial Coherence: Free-Space Diffraction, Donald D. Duncan, David G. Fischer, Scott A. Prahl

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

We present a Monte Carlo method for propagating partially coherent fields through complex deterministic optical systems. A Gaussian copula is used to synthesize a random source with an arbitrary spatial coherence function. Physical optics and Monte Carlo predictions of the first- and second-order statistics of the field are shown for coherent and partially coherent sources for free-space propagation, imaging using a binary Fresnel zone plate, and propagation through a limiting aperture. Excellent agreement between the physical optics and Monte Carlo predictions is demonstrated in all cases. Convergence criteria are presented for judging the quality of the Monte Carlo predictions.

Formation And Removal Of Pesticides And Pesticide Transformation Products During Water Treatment, Evelyn F. Chamberlain

Doctoral Dissertations

"A comprehensive suite of over 60 pesticides (herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides) representing a variety of classes at environmentally relevant concentrations (low µg/L) were screened for reactivity under typical drinking water conditions and dosages. The most common oxidants/transformation agents in water treatment systems were examined for reactivity including free and combined chlorine, chlorine dioxide, permanganate, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, ultraviolet radiation, and high pH (alkaline hydrolysis). Due to the broad nature of the study, pesticide compounds were analyzed as multiple mixes broken into two groups based on analytical methods, those analyzed by GC/ECD and those by LC/MS. Combinations of reactive disinfectant/oxidant and …

Mechanics Of Dump Truck Vibrations In High-Impact Shovel Loading Operations, Nassib Aouad

Doctoral Dissertations

"The deployment of large machinery for low cost, bulk surface mine production operations has resulted in high-impact shovel loading operations (HISLO). In extreme cases, shovels load large dump trucks with 100-ton (or more) passes generating high-impact forces under gravity. HISLO generates high-frequency shockwaves that cause severe truck vibrations exposing operators to whole body vibrations (WBV). This WBV levels may exceed the recommended International Standards Organization (ISO) limits resulting in longterm lower-back disorders and other health problems. There is a need for fundamental and applied research to determine HISLO vibration levels for heavy mining machinery, their comparisons to ISO 2631 limits …

Enabling Wind Turbine Generators To Participate In Power Grid Frequency Regulation For Enhanced Stability, Hongtao Ma

Doctoral Dissertations

"This dissertation focuses on wind farm frequency regulation capability to maintain the grid frequency stability. Wind plant power controllers are designed and tested for participation in grid frequency restoration. The small signal stability on sub-optimal operating points is analyzed and a de-loaded operating point is proposed.

In the first paper, a new frequency regulation scheme is developed for the wind turbine/generator/converter trio that will provide the capability to participate in restoring frequency in a way similar to the droop response of conventional generators. Output active power adjustment can be realized by both converter and pitch angle control in addition to …

A Jittered-Sampling Correction Technique For Adcs, Jamiil A. Tourabaly

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

In Analogue to Digital Converters (ADCs) jittered sampling raises the noise floor; this leads to a decrease in its Signal to Noise ratio (SNR) and its effective number of bits (ENOB). This research studies a technique that compensate for the effects of sampling with a jittered clock. A thorough understanding of sampling in various data converters is complied.

Improved Duct Systems Task Report With Stagegate 2 Analysis, Florida Solar Energy Center, Neil Moyer

FSEC Energy Research Center®

The Building America Industrialized Housing Partnership's work with two industry partners, Cavalier Homes and Southern Energy Homes, in constructing and evaluating prototype interior duct systems will be summarized. Issues of energy performance, comfort, DAPIA approval, manufacturability and cost will be addressed. A stage gate 2 analysis will address the current status of project showing that there are still refinements needed to the process of incorporating all of the ducts within the air and thermal boundaries of the envelope.

Acceleration Of The Maturation Of Tissue Engineered Grafts By Dynamic Force Stimulation Or Gene Therapy, Shila Taylor

All Theses

Over 16 million people suffer from osteoarthritis (OA). As the body ages OA and other cartilage diseases create an imbalance of anabolic and catabolic cell activities in cartilage and or over time the cartilage is damaged and wears away which creates lesion that resulting in pain. Most clinical surgeries are either temporary or have not gone through trials to test their success. For a long term solution researchers have been looking at replacing cartilage with a tissue engineered graft. One of the major problems to date has been is the strength of the scaffold.
Natural cartilage needs loading for its …

2007 Fall Engr333/Biol354 Project Final Report, 2007 Fall Engr333, 2007 Fall Biol354

ENGR 333

The students of Calvin College’s Engineering 333 and Biology 354 classes were given the task of determining “What would it take to make Calvin College Carbon Neutral?” At first glance, it would not appear that classes on Advanced Thermal System Design and Investigations in Plant Ecology would have much in common. However, the biology and engineering students comprising these classes banded together to tackle the problem. Coming to a satisfactory conclusion would require:

• Creating an inventory of Green House Gas (GHG) emissions and sequestration potential
• Coming up with detailed solutions to achieve Carbon Neutrality
• Working out a practical schedule to …

Metalloporphyrin Catalyzed Degradation Of Pce: Effects Of Reductants, Buffers And Cosolvent Concentration, Sowmya Suryanarayanan

All Theses

Reductive dechlorination of chlorinated organic contaminants using metalloporphyrins as catalysts may be an effective approach to treat widespread contamination. However, most previous studies have examined water-soluble rather than insoluble metalloporphyrins despite the fact that the latter category makes up the largest fraction found in nature. Recent studies have shown that addition of different cosolvents to water can activate otherwise non-reactive metalloporphyrin catalysts and facilitate the reduction of tetrachloroethylene (PCE), presumably by the mere process of making the otherwise insoluble metalloporphyrins dissolve in solution. Therefore, solubility has been advanced as a key factor in the ability of metalloporphyrins to catalyze organic …

Development Of The Impedance-Based Arc-Flash Determination Device (Iadd), Timothy Smith

All Theses

This thesis entitled, 'Development of the Impedance based Arc-Fault Determination Device (IADD)' details the development of a testing device that, when attached to an electrical node on the power system and through observations on voltage, current and phase shift with a step load change, determines the effective Thevenin or Norton impedance at the point of test. This thesis includes discussion of the theory and design process that enables the determination of an equivalent circuit, software development using National Instruments' LabView software development package and suggestions for future development.
The purpose of this thesis is to produce a device that can …

Bio-Surfaces And Geometric References For A Standardized Biomechanical Design Methodology For Mass Customization, Kimberly A. Jensen

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents a method for the design of customizable products that interface with the human body. The method presented involves first, a consistent method of capturing and representing the human model so that the model can be used with CAx tools and solid modeling techniques. Second, it provides a design methodology based on feature structure planning and assembly modeling that provides a consistent structure to the design process so that it can be reused and parameterized. Third, a strategy for identifying parametric variables that are referenced to the human body is introduced. The core of this method is the …

N-Glycan Modification In Aspergillus Species, Elke Kainz, Andreas Gallmetzer, Christian Hatzl, Juergen H. Nett, Huijuan Li, Thorsten Schinko, Robert Pachlinger, Harald Berger, Yazmid Reyes-Dominguez, Andreas Bernreiter, Tillmann Gerngross, Stefan Wildt, Joseph Strauss

Dartmouth Scholarship

The production by filamentous fungi of therapeutic glycoproteins intended for use in mammals is held back by the inherent difference in protein N-glycosylation and by the inability of the fungal cell to modify proteins with mammalian glycosylation structures. Here, we report protein N-glycan engineering in two Aspergillus species. We functionally expressed in the fungal hosts heterologous chimeric fusion proteins containing different localization peptides and catalytic domains. . This strategy allowed the isolation of a strain with a functional -1,2-mannosidase producing increased amounts of N-glycans of the Man 5 GlcNAc 2 type. This strain was further engineered by the introduction of …

Cosolvent Effects On The Reductive Dechlorination Of Tetrachloroethylene Catalyzed By Iron Tetraphenyl Porphyrin Chloride, Lavanya Ramasubramanian

All Theses

Abiotic electron transfer mediated reductive dechlorination reactions have been studied extensively in the past decade. Porphyrins and metalloporphyrins are common electron transfer mediators used. Past studies have shown that some metalloporphyrins play a key role in increasing the rate of reaction in the presence of cosolvents. There have also been suggestions that organic cosolvents enhance the rate of reduction by increasing the solubility of metalloporphyrins.
The primary objective of this project was to examine the effect of cosolvents on the metalloporphyrin-catalyzed reductive dechlorination of tetrachloroethylene (PCE). Subsequently, experiments were also conducted to test the hypothesis that metalloporphyrin solubility is linked …