Digital Commons Network^™

Effects Of Dynamic Fluid Pressure On Chondrocytes Cultured In Biodegradable Poly(Glycolic Acid) Fibrous Scaffolds, Lichun Lu, Xun Zhu, Larry G. Pederson, Esmaiel Jabbari, Bradford Currier, Shawn O'Driscoll, Michael Yaszemski

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Development Of Software To Process Aerial Images For Agricultural Purposes, Sirisha Polsapalli

LSU Master's Theses

Remote sensing has been used in precision agriculture for monitoring crop health, weed management, detecting nutrient stress, and yield forecasting. One method of implementing remote sensing is through aerial imagery. Aerial imagery is being used in precision agriculture for a variety causes such as to detect crop stress, fertilizer skips and overlaps, nitrogen excesses and deficiencies and detect irregular or reduced crop stand. These crop features are noted by extracting spectral information from the images. The spectral data is obtained from the images by using software programs. The software programs process the images one at a time or assemble them …

University Of Nevada, Las Vegas Transmutation Research Program: Annual Report Academic Year 2004-2005, Anthony Hechanova, Kathy Lauckner

Transmutation Research Program Reports (TRP)

It is my pleasure to present the UNLV Transmutation Research Program’s fourth annual report that highlights the academic year 2004 – 2005. Supporting this document are the many technical reports and scientific papers that have been generated over the past three years.

In the fourth year of our program, we added 11 new research tasks and saw the conclusion of 8 of the initial 16 independent student research tasks started in 2001 and 2002. In all, the program has sponsored to their conclusion 28 M.S. and 2 Ph.D. degrees. The program supported 58 graduate students and 13 undergraduates in 6 …

Design And Analysis Of A Process For Melt Casting Metallic Fuel Pins Incorporating Volatile Actinides, Yitung Chen, Darrell Pepper, Randy Clarksean

Fuels Campaign (TRP)

The goal of this project is to investigate the casting processes for metallic fuels to help design a process that minimizes the loss of the volatile actinide elements from the fuel. The research effort centers on the development of advanced numerical models to assess conditions that significantly impact the transport of volatile actinides during the melt casting process and represents a joint effort between researchers at UNLV and Argonne National Laboratory (ANL). Assessing critical equipment and process variables is required to build a successful system that will operate efficiently.

Design Of A Satellite Cluster System In Distributed Simulation, Jong Sik Lee, Thong Luu, Vijaya K. Konangi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

This article presents the design and development of a satellite cluster system that supports an interfederation communication in High Level Architecture (HLA)-compliant distributed simulation. The interfederation communication enables the execution of a complex, large-scale cluster system of distributed satellites that share the dispersed data assets among satellite components collaboratively. After a brief review of the HLA bridge for interfederation communication, the authors discuss the design issues related to a satellite cluster system that provides cluster management, interfederation communication, and communication data management. They analyze system performance and scalability for centralized and decentralized configurations. The empirical results on the heterogeneous …

A Dynamic Model Of The Human/Cooling System/Clothing/Environment System, Zhengxiang Pu

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The human body compensates well for moderate climatic heat stress, but artificial environments often block or overwhelm physiological defense mechanism. Personal protective equipment (PPE) is one of sources of heat stress. It protects individual from chemical, physical, or biological hazards, but the high thermal insulation and low vapor permeability of PPE may also lead to substantial heat stress. Personal cooling is widely used to alleviate heat stress, especially for those situations where ambient environmental cooling is not economically viable or feasible. It is important to predict the physiological responses of a person wearing PPE with personal cooling to make sure …

Micromachined Electrochemical Sensors For Hydrogen Peroxide And Chlorine Detection, Anjum Mehta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Hydrogen peroxide and chlorine detection is critical for many biological and environmental applications. Hydrogen peroxide plays important roles in a variety of fields including plant physiology, medical, environmental and biochemical applications. Its role in plant defense and signal transduction, diseases such as Parkinson's and Alzhemier's, industrial processes such as disinfection and wastewater treatment and biochemical enzymatic reactions is critical. Given the gamut of areas that hydrogen peroxide is a key component of; its detection assumes great importance. Similarly chlorine has long been used as a disinfectant for making drinking water safe, but excessive chlorination is an environmental and health hazard …

Beneficial Reuse And Sustainability: The Fate Of Organic Compounds In The Land-Applied Waste, M. R. Overcash, Ronald C. Sims, J. L. Sims, K. C. Nieman

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Land application systems, also referred to as beneficial reuse systems, are engineered systems that have defined and permitted application areas based on site and waste characteristics to determine the land area size requirement. These terrestrial systems have orders of magnitude greater microbial capability and residence time to achieve decomposition and assimilation compared with aquatic systems. In this paper we focus on current information and information needs related to terrestrial fate pathways in land treatment systems. Attention is given to conventional organic chemicals as well as new estrogenic and pharmaceutical chemicals of commerce. Specific terrestrial fate pathways addressed include: decomposition, bound …

Incorporating The Impact Of Engineering Solutions On Society Into Technical Engineering Courses, Nicole Dejong-Okamoto, Jinny Rhee, Nikos J. Mourtos

Faculty Publications

In the era of market and workforce globalisation, engineers need a solid understanding of the impact that their products have locally, as well as globally. This is why the US Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) recently put a new spin on this requirement in engineering education. Specifically, outcome 3h of Engineering Criteria 2000 states that engineering graduates must have the broad education to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global/ societal context. This outcome may be one of the most difficult to achieve, since it requires not only a strong technical understanding, but also an informed …

Characterization Of Motor Adaptation And Limb Posture Regulation During Arm Reaching Movements Following Stroke, Robert A. Scheidt, Tina M. Stoeckmann

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Whether attempting to pour water into a handheld glass, or simply trying to hold a young child's hand, many activities of daily living require interaction with unpredictable or uncertain mechanical environments. Here we describe a systems identification study that used a planar manipulandum to characterize how hemiparetic stroke survivors adapt reaching movements to novel mechanical environments. By analyzing trial-by-trial variations in hand path kinematics, we found that stroke survivors are less likely than neurologically-intact subjects to adjust motor commands for upcoming movements based on hand trajectory errors experienced on previous trials. This ability is most significantly compromised in subjects with …

A Dynamic Neuro-Fuzzy Model Providing Bio-State Estimation And Prognosis Prediction For Wearable Intelligent Assistants, Yu Wang, Jack M. Winters

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Background

Intelligent management of wearable applications in rehabilitation requires an understanding of the current context, which is constantly changing over the rehabilitation process because of changes in the person's status and environment. This paper presents a dynamic recurrent neuro-fuzzy system that implements expert-and evidence-based reasoning. It is intended to provide context-awareness for wearable intelligent agents/assistants (WIAs).

Methods

The model structure includes the following types of signals: inputs, states, outputs and outcomes. Inputs are facts or events which have effects on patients' physiological and rehabilitative states; different classes of inputs (e.g., facts, context, medication, therapy) have different nonlinear mappings to a …

The Evidence For A Nascent Biotechnology Cluster In Cork, John W. Hobbs

Theses

Over the past 30 years, encouraged by Ireland’s low rate of corporation tax (currently 12.5 %), and active promotion of FDI by the IDA, foreign owned pharmaceutical plants have set up and multiplied in the Cork area. To Ireland’s advantages of a low tax rate, an English speaking population, a pro-business environment and membership of EU, Cork offered the added attractions of a deepwater port and large natural harbour, good freight connections, an international airport, an educated workforce and excellent sporting and leisure facilities for sailing, golf, etc. (Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Novartis, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson and Schering Plough have …

Ab Initio : A New Concept In Engineering Education, A History Of The Design, Creation And Implementation Of A New School Of Engineering In Richmond, Virginia (1990-2000), Henry A. Mcgee Jr.

VCU University History Books

Dr. Henry A. McGee, Jr., Founding Dean Emeritus of the School of Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University, chronicles the history of the School of Engineering through his term as Founding Dean, 1994–1999. McGee details the process of creating a program aimed to balance innovation and entrepreneurship.

Myocardial Perfusion Imaging With Rb-82 Pet, George Nittil Francis

Theses and Dissertations

Myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is an effective technique used to study the left ventricular ejection function (LVEF), myocardial perfusion, wall motion, and wall thickening. Positron emission tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) are two modalities that can be used to quantify the left global and regional perfusion at rest and stress. While PET and SPECT rely on similar principles to produce images, important differences in instrumentation and experimental applications are dictated by inherent differences in their respective physics of radioactive decay. With a sensitivity > 90% in combination with a high specificity, PET is today the best available …

Analysis And Shape Modeling Of Thin Piezoelectric Actuators, Makram Mouhli

Theses and Dissertations

The field of smart materials is an increasingly growing area of research. In aerodynamics applications especially, transducers have to fulfill a series of requirements such as light weight, size, energy consumption, robustness and durability. Piezoelectric transducers, devices which transform an electrical signal into motion, fulfill many of these requirements. Specifically, piezoelectric composites are of interest due to their added toughness and ease of integration into a structure. Resulting composites have a characteristic initial curvature with accompanying residual stresses that are responsible for enhanced performance, relative to flat actuators, when the active material is energized. A number of transducer designs based …

Learning Games Programming With Dalek World., Bryan Duggan, Hugh Mcatamney, Fredrick Mtenzi

Conference papers

From September 2005 the School of Computing in the DIT will offer an elective in computer games programming to final year computer science students. This paper demonstrates how students will learn games programming by developing a 3D FPS (First Person Shooter) called Dalek World. Dalek World is developed using Microsoft Visual Studio in C++ and was originally developed by the authors to learn games programming techniques themselves. In developing Dalek World, students will learn Euclidian geometry, 3D graphics programming, object orientated game design, level loading, physics, collision detection, the A* algorithm, perception and enemy AI using finite state machines.

Using The Crytek Game Engine In The Technological University Dublin, Hugh Mcatamney, Brendan O'Shea, Fredrick Mtenzi

Conference papers

It is envisaged that within the next 10 years. the Technological University Dublin (DIT), Ireland’s largest third level university, will move to a new campus in Grangegorman, located in the north inner city of Dublin This site is currently being used as a hospital. It has twelve listed buildings and is located in a densely populated urban community. This paper describes how the Crytek 3D Game engine is being used to create a game MOD (modification) of the current hospital site, how it will be used in the construction and public consultation process of the new campus and how students …

Ridding Ships' Ballast Water Of Microorganisms, Fred C. Dobbs, Andrew Rogerson

OES Faculty Publications

( First paragraph) A complex assemblage of microorganisms exists in nearly every aquatic system on earth. In lakes and oceans, every milliliter of water contains about 10² protists (single-celled eukaryotes), 10⁶ bacteria, and 10⁷–10⁹ viruses. Therefore, billions of microorganisms inevitably enter ships’ ballast tanks during normal operations. It has been argued that microorganisms must certainly be frequent invaders of coastal ecosystems, given the high densities of bacteria and viruses in ballast water—10⁸ and 10⁹ organisms per liter, respectively (1)—their potentially high reproductive rates, broad tolerances to physical conditions, and ability to form resting …

Halonitromethane Treatment Using Advanced Oxidation Process: Rates, Mechanisms And Kinetic Modeling, Stuart Kirkham Cole

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Halonitromethanes (HNMs) are low molecular weight halogenated disinfection-by-products (DBPs) found to be formed during ozonation, chlorination, or chloramination of waters containing natural bromide ion and nitrogenous organic matter. This work identifies the absolute rate constants for the oxidative hydroxyl radical (•OH) and reductive hydrated electron e^- _aq extinction of HNM compounds. Three forms of HNMs included in this study are the chlorinated, brominated, and mixed halogenated compounds. Electron pulse radiolysis and transient absorption spectroscopy were used to measure •OH and e^- _aq radical absolute reaction rate constants for a total of nine HNMs. To elucidate the decomposition reaction …

Energy-Efficient Self-Organization Protocols For Sensor Networks, Qingwen Xu

Computer Science Theses & Dissertations

A Wireless Sensor Network (WSN, for short) consists of a large number of very small sensor devices deployed in an area of interest for gathering and delivery information. The fundamental goal of a WSN is to produce, over an extended period of time, global information from local data obtained by individual sensors. The WSN technology will have a significant impact on a wide array of applications on the efficiency of many civilian and military applications including combat field surveillance, intrusion detection, disaster management among many others. The basic management problem in the WSN is to balance the utility of the …

Complex System Contextual Framework (Cscf): A Grounded-Theory Construction For The Articulation Of System Context In Addressing Complex Systems Problems, W. B. Max Crownover

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The complexity of problems facing society continues to grow, and decision-makers and problem-solvers are finding many of today's emerging problems to be beyond their capability to adequately address. There is agreement in the literature that problems of this nature are complex system problems, inextricably linked to some highly complex system of systems. Establishing a clear understanding of the specific complex system context is fundamental to the process of understanding and analyzing complex systems and complex system problems across all of the different systems-based disciplines. While complex system context is widely referred to in systems literature, there is no clear characterization …

Effect Of Engine Operating Conditions On The Size And Morphology Of Diesel Particulate Emissions, Adam Neer

Masters Theses

"The size, morphology and volume fraction of sub-micron particulate matter emitted from a compression ignition (diesel) engine was investigated using thermophoretic sampling experiments followed by direct visual characterizations under transmission electron microscopy. Specifically, measurements were conducted at the exhaust of a 6059T John Deere, 5.9 L, 6 cylinder, turbocharged, direct injection diesel engine. The particles observed were composed of nearly spherical primary particles (spherules) that formed aggregates of various sizes and shapes. The size distributions of spherules and aggregates were separately measured to obtain the available surface area, which is crucial for estimating the environmental and health impact of particles. …

Design Of A Wireless System For Patient-Hospital Communciation And Result Validation In Point Of Care Testing, John Mcgrory, Owen Lynch, Eugene Coyle

Conference papers

This paper discuses mobile phone (cell phone) and wireless applications for linking patients who manage their healthcare outside the hospital using point of care testing (POCT) to hospital information systems (HIS). Certain medical conditions require patients to manage their healthcare by performing on themselves POC testing and act faithfully on the result. This raises quality control issue, as these POC samples and testing procedures are not independently overseen by professional hospital staff. In hospitals, samples taken by clinicians are validated by hi-tech computerised validation systems to ensure plausibility, before physicians rely on them. Patients in the home must often use …

An Acoustic Fluid-Structure Simulation Of A Therapeutic Ultrasound Wire Waveguide Apparatus, Graham Gavin, M. Hashmi, Finbar Dolan, Garret Mcguinness

Conference Papers

The use of high-power low-frequency ultrasound transmitted down small diameter wire waveguides is an emerging technology that may have potential in the treatment of complicated atherosclerotic plaques in cardiovascular surgery. This form of energy delivery results in vibrating the distal-tip of the wire waveguide disrupting material by means of direct contact ablation and also cavitation, pressure waves and acoustic streaming in the surrounding fluid. This work describes a numerical acoustic fluid-structure model of the ultrasound wire waveguide and blood surrounding the distal tip. The structural analysis of the model predicts the natural frequencies of the waveguide and shows the extent …

An Acoustic Fluid-Structure Simulation Of A Theraputic Ultrasound Wire Waveguide Apparatus, Graham Gavin, M.S. Hashmi, Finbar Dolan, Garrett Mcguinness

Conference Papers

The use of high-power low-frequency ultrasound transmitted down small diameter wire waveguides is an emerging technology that may have potential in the treatment of complicated atherosclerotic plaques in cardiovascular surgery. This form of energy delivery results in vibrating the distal-tip of the wire waveguide disrupting material by means of direct contact ablation and also cavitation, pressure waves and acoustic streaming in the surrounding fluid. This work describes a numerical acoustic fluid-structure model of the ultrasound wire waveguide and blood surrounding the distal tip. The structural analysis of the model predicts the natural frequencies of the waveguide and shows the extent …

Design Of Mobile Phone Applications For Point-Of-Care Test Result Validation., John Mcgrory, Owen Lynch, Eugene Coyle

Conference Papers

Patients with many different conditions are required to take the management of their condition into their own hands and perform Point of Care Testing (POCT) at home. However, this raises quality control issues that would not arise in a clinical setting, since the sample acquisition and testing procedures are not overseen by professional hospital staff. Another major issue, the main focus of this research, is that results from such tests are not clinically validated to ensure that they are plausible for that patient at the time of testing. In hospital, tests taken by clinicians are validated by hi-tech computerised validation …

Trends In Process Control Systems Security, Ann K. Miller

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The protection of critical infrastructure systems is a hotly debated topic. The very label "critical infrastructure" implies that these systems are important, and they are: they support our everyday lives, from the water and food in our homes to our physical and financial welfare. This article explores the recent evolution of programmable logic controllers (PCSs) and their environments, explains the need for improved security in these systems, and describes some of the emerging research areas that offer promise in PCS security.

Engineered Struvite Precipitation: Impacts Of Component-Ion Molar Ratios And Ph, Jun Wang, Joel Gerard Burken, Xiaoqi Zhang, Rao Y. Surampalli

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Struvite precipitation has the potential for removing and recovering phosphorus from agricultural wastewater streams, such as concentrated animal feeding operations wastewater. However, impacts of anticipated component-ion molar ratios and potentially interfering ions are unknown as are the compounding pH relationship with respect to all potential complexes. This research experimentally investigates and mathematically models these factors. Emphasis is placed upon the composition of formed deposits and model validation with experimental data. Results show that calcium is a major interfering ion affecting the deposit composition, decreasing struvite purity. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy + energy dispersive spectrometry were used to …

Spatial Bioaccumulation Modeling In A Network Of Bayous, Ronaldo Luna, Karen H. Watanabe, Andrew J. Wilding

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A software system, Spatial Network Bioaccumulation Model (SNBM), was developed to model the bioaccumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in aquatic food webs. The SNBM uses a geographic information system as an engine to: (i) store the spatial representation of input parameters (the data related to the ecosystem), (ii) transfer input and output data to and from the food-web bioaccumulation model, and (iii) display the predicted food-web organism concentrations over a base map of the field site. The bioaccumulation model is a time-dependent, set of first-order ordinary differential equations that are solved numerically. Many sampling locations can be analyzed using …

The Influence Of Ammonia And Carbon Dioxide On The Sorption Of A Basic Organic Pollutant To A Mineral Surface, Maneerat Ongwandee, Glenn Morrison, S. S. Bettinger

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Indoor surfaces have a sorptive capacity for organic pollutants which may be significantly influenced by other gases and the pH of the surface. in this research, we examine the influence of a common indoor gaseous acid, CO₂, and base, NH₃, on the adsorption of a volatile organic base, trimethylamine (TMA), to a mineral surface, zirconium silicate beads. Varying ammonia and CO₂ within concentration ranges of indoor relevance substantially influences the sorptive capacity of this mineral surface. Increasing the CO₂ mixing ratio to 1000 p.p.m. enhances surface capacity of TMA by 40-50%; increasing the NH3 …