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Synthesis And Characterization Of Nanocomposite Microparticles (Ncmp) For The Treatment Of Cystic Fibrosis-Related Infections, Zimeng Wang, Samantha A. Meenach

Chemical, Biomolecular, and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Purpose:

Pulmonary antibiotic delivery is recommended as maintenance therapy for cystic fibrosis (CF) patients who experience chronic infections. However, abnormally thick and sticky mucus present in the respiratory tract of CF patients impairs mucus penetration and limits the efficacy of inhaled antibiotics. To overcome the obstacles of pulmonary antibiotic delivery, we have developed nanocomposite microparticles (nCmP) for the inhalation application of antibiotics in the form of dry powder aerosols.

Methods:

Azithromycin-loaded and rapamycin-loaded polymeric nanoparticles (NP) were prepared via nanoprecipitation and nCmP were prepared by spray drying and the physicochemical characteristics were evaluated.

Results:

The nanoparticles were …

Anthropogenic Organic Chemical Removal From A Surficial Groundwater And Mass Transfer Modeling In A Nanofiltration Membrane Process, Samantha Black

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation reports on research related to trace organic compounds (TrOCs) in surficial groundwater supplies and their subsequent removal from nanofiltration (NF) membranes. The research was conducted along coastal South Florida in cooperation with the Town of Jupiter Water Utilities, Jupiter, FL (Town). The focus of the research was to determine the extent of reclaimed water impacts on surficial groundwater supplies and subsequent effects on the Town's NF water treatment plant. Routine monitoring of fourteen TrOCs in reclaimed water and at the water treatment facility revealed varying degrees of TrOC detection in the environment. Certain TrOCs, including caffeine and DEET, …

X-Ray Beam Characteristics And Radiation Dose Deposition To Soft Tissue From Fluoroscopic X-Ray Beams Incorporating Copper Filtration, Kevin Arthur Wunderle

Wayne State University Dissertations

Purpose: This work investigated several topics related to dosimetry in soft tissue from fluoroscopic X-ray beams; first, it investigated the X-ray beam spectra and air kerma rates available for clinical use on state-of-the-art fluoroscopes using spectral (copper [Cu]) filtration; second, it investigated the fluoroscopic X-ray beam characteristics of first half-value layer (HVL), second HVL, homogeneity coefficients (HCs), and backscatter factors (BSFs) across the full range of available beam qualities; and third, it investigated the energy dependence of kerma-area-product (KAP)-meters measuring the radiation output of the fluoroscope. Materials and Methods: A state-of-the-art Siemens Artis Zee fluoroscope was operated in the service …

Modeling The Compressibility Behavior Of Hard Red Wheat Varieties, Aaron P. Turner, Michael D. Montross, Samuel G. Mcneill, Michael P. Sama, Mark E. Casada, Josephine M. Boac, Rumela Bhadra, Ronaldo G. Maghirang, Sidney A. Thompson

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The bulk density of grain in a storage structure varies vertically and horizontally due to the overburden pressure created by the cumulative weight of the overlying material. As the overburden pressure increases, the stored material compacts. This compaction is believed to be caused by rearrangement of kernels along with higher intergranular stress between particles, leading to kernel deformation. This compaction is of primary concern when estimating the amount of grain in a storage structure. In this comprehensive study, confined uniaxial compression tests were conducted on 27 different samples of hard red winter wheat, at three moisture levels, over the range …

A Comparison Of Rule-Based Analysis With Regression Methods In Understanding The Risk Factors For Study Withdrawal In A Pediatric Study, Mona Haghighi, Suzanne B. Johnson, Xiaoning Qian, Kristian F. Lynch, Kendra Vehik, Shuai Huang, The Teddy Study Group

Industrial and Management Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Regression models are extensively used in many epidemiological studies to understand the linkage between specific outcomes of interest and their risk factors. However, regression models in general examine the average effects of the risk factors and ignore subgroups with different risk profiles. As a result, interventions are often geared towards the average member of the population, without consideration of the special health needs of different subgroups within the population. This paper demonstrates the value of using rule-based analysis methods that can identify subgroups with heterogeneous risk profiles in a population without imposing assumptions on the subgroups or method. The rules …

Understanding The Effect Of Extrusion Processing Parameters On Physical, Nutritional And Rheological Properties Of Soy White Flakes Based Aquafeed In A Single Screw Extruder, Sushil Kumar Singh

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The rapid expansion of aquaculture has increased the demand for aquafeed. As fishmeal is expensive, alternative plant based protein sources such as soybean has shown to be a good alternative for aquafeed production. The present study was done to investigate the effect of soy white flakes (SWF) as an alternative source of protein in the production of aquaculture feed through extrusion processing. Ingredient blends containing different levels of SWF along with distiller dried grains, corn flour, corn gluten meal, fish meal, vitamin and mineral mix with net protein adjusted to 32% protein were formulated. The ingredient blends were extruded in …

Electrochemical Detection Of Antioxidants, Garrett Thompson

Honors Theses and Capstones

No abstract provided.

Incorporating Machine Vision In Precision Dairy Farming Technologies, Anthony N. Shelley

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

The inclusion of precision dairy farming technologies in dairy operations is an area of increasing research and industry direction. Machine vision based systems are suitable for the dairy environment as they do not inhibit workflow, are capable of continuous operation, and can be fully automated. The research of this dissertation developed and tested 3 machine vision based precision dairy farming technologies tailored to the latest generation of RGB+D cameras. The first system focused on testing various imaging approaches for the potential use of machine vision for automated dairy cow feed intake monitoring. The second system focused on monitoring the gradual …

The Role Of Microbial Exopolymers In Determining The Fate Of Oil And Chemical Dispersants In The Ocean, Antonietta Quigg, Uta Passow, Wei-Chun Chin, Chen Xu, Shawn Doyle, Laura Bretherton, Manoj Kamalanathan, Alicia K. Williams, Jason B. Sylvan, Zoe V. Finkel, Anthony H. Knap, Kathleen A. Schwehr, Saijin Zhang, Luni Sun, Terry L. Wade, Wassim Obeid, Patrick G. Hatcher, Peter H. Santschi

Chemistry & Biochemistry Faculty Publications

The production of extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) by planktonic microbes can influence the fate of oil and chemical dispersants in the ocean through emulsification, degradation, dispersion, aggregation, and/or sedimentation. In turn, microbial community structure and function, including the production and character of EPS, is influenced by the concentration and chemical composition of oil and chemical dispersants. For example, the production of marine oil snow and its sedimentation and flocculent accumulation to the seafloor were observed on an expansive scale after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Northern Gulf of Mexico in 2010, but little is known about the underlying …

Evaluation Of Flocculation, Sedimentation, And Filtration For Dewatering Of Algal Biomass, Nicholas A. Rhea

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Algae can be used as a feedstock for agricultural fertilizers, livestock/poultry feeds, anaerobic digestion, and biofuel production. Regardless of the end product, water removal is necessary and difficult to do cost effectively. For each product the requirements for moisture content (or solids content) vary, such that a desirable water removal strategy would need to be adaptable to varying levels of water removal. Flocculation, with sedimentation and drying was evaluated as a possible strategy for algae dewatering. Anionic and nonionic flocculants are known to be ineffective at flocculating algal culture, which was confirmed for this case by electro-osmotic flow testing of …

Heat And Mass Transfer In Baled Switchgrass For Storage And Bioconversion Applications, Drew F. Schiavone

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

The temperature and moisture content of biomass feedstocks both play a critical role in minimizing storage and transportation costs, achieving effective bioconversion, and developing relevant postharvest quality models. Hence, this study characterizes the heat and mass transfer occurring within baled switchgrass through the development of a mathematical model describing the relevant thermal and physical properties of this specific substrate. This mathematical model accounts for the effect of internal heat generation and temperature-induced free convection within the material in order to improve prediction accuracy. Inclusion of these terms is considered novel in terms of similar biomass models.

Two disparate length scales, …

Physico-Chemical, Rheological And Baking Properties Of Proso Millet, Manjot Singh

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Due to climate change, water scarcity, increasing population and rising food prices, agriculture and food security has been affected worldwide. Cereal grains being a major part of world food supply also act as important energy source in human diet. In order to counter food insecurity, alternative grains are being explored, and millet being drought-resistant has the potential to serve as an alternative grain due to its comparable nutritional composition with other major cereals and its gluten free proteins. The evidence that gluten sensitivity is one of the increasing food intolerances is driving an increasing demand for gluten-free foods. However, gluten …

Automated Solid-Substrate Cultivation Of The Anaerobic Bacterium Clostridium Thermocellum, Mathew J. Ruwaya

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

The organism Clostridium thermocellum grows on cellulosic substrates and produces ethanol, acetate, lactate, formic acid, and CO₂. The organic acids produced alter the growth environment in which the bacteria grows and ultimately inhibit bacterial growth. One method which has been used successfully to maintain the system at acceptable growth conditions is to intermittently flush out the spent media and metabolic products and replace with new fermentation media. Our goal was to design and build an automated system that will automatically flush the spent media from the growing culture and resupply new media without manual intervention. An automated control …

Using Adaptive Thresholding And Skewness Correction To Detect Gray Areas In Melanoma In Situ Images, Jason R. Hagerty

Masters Theses

"The incidence of melanoma in situ (MIS) is growing significantly. Detection at the MIS stage provides the highest cure rate for melanoma, but reliable detection of MIS with dermoscopy alone is not yet possible. Adjunct dermoscopic instrumentation using digital image analysis may allow more accurate detection of MIS. Gray areas are a critical component of MIS diagnosis, but automatic detection of these areas remains difficult because similar gray areas are also found in benign lesions. This paper proposes a novel adaptive thresholding technique for automatically detecting gray areas specific to MIS. The proposed model uses only MIS dermoscopic images to …

Total Value Of Phosphorus Recovery, Brooke K. Mayer, Lawrence A. Baker, Treavor H. Boyer, Pay Drechsel, Mac Gifford, Munir A. Hanjra, Prathap Parameswaran, Jared Stoltzfus, Paul Westerhoff, Bruce E. Rittmann

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Phosphorus (P) is a critical, geographically concentrated, nonrenewable resource necessary to support global food production. In excess (e.g., due to runoff or wastewater discharges), P is also a primary cause of eutrophication. To reconcile the simultaneous shortage and overabundance of P, lost P flows must be recovered and reused, alongside improvements in P-use efficiency. While this motivation is increasingly being recognized, little P recovery is practiced today, as recovered P generally cannot compete with the relatively low cost of mined P. Therefore, P is often captured to prevent its release into the environment without beneficial recovery and reuse. However, additional …

The Effects Of Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage On Motor Unit Firing, Sherman Jones

Honors Theses

Exercise induced muscle damage is commonly seen in individuals who are unaccustomed to exercise above a particular activity level. This temporary condition is marked by damage to individual sarcomeres, delayed onset muscle soreness, and localized edema. The analyzed data is decomposed electromyography (dEMG) data from the University of Oklahoma's Department of Health and Exercise Science. There, it was shown that following exercise-induced muscle damage, more slow motor units are recruited for force production. For this thesis, MATLAB ® was used to calculate the synchronization and coherence of 378 motor unit pairs. It was found that following exercise-induced muscle damage, both …

Using Zeolite For Soil Moisture Retention And Salinity Control, Mark Torres

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

There is a great need in the desert southwest United States for exploring ways to save water in agriculture as it accounts for up to 90 percent of water consumption in many western states (USDA 2016). As surface water reaches critical lows the dependence on ground water has increased leading to the need for deeper wells with higher salt concentrations. The studies conducted for this research included using zeolites from the St Cloud Mining Company in Winston, New Mexico to determine the feasibility of using these zeolites to help and retain moisture in zeolite treated soils. The Volumetric Water Content …

Modeling Effects Of Diet On Human Gut Microbiota, Richard Thomas Agans

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The human gut microbiota is integrally involved in the metabolism of nutrients contained within the human diet. Studies into human nutrition have primarily been carried out using human and animal models. These studies are extremely important in our understanding of human nutrition, however, suffer from inherent limitations including unique microbial compositions between individuals, compliance in human studies, inability to carry out mechanistic studies, and inability to interrogate proximal regions of the gut without applying invasive techniques. In vitro gut simulator systems circumvent many of these limitations in animal and human models by allowing control of gut environmental conditions, decreasing variability …

Two-Stage Psa System For Co2 Removal And Concentration During Closed-Loop Human Space Exploration Missions, Hanife Erden

Theses and Dissertations

A novel two-stage pressure swing adsorption (PSA) system has been developed to remove metabolic CO2 removal from the spacecraft cabin air of the International Space Station (ISS). This PSA system enriches and recovers the CO2 to make it suitable for use in a Sabatier reactor (CO2 reduction). This two-stage PSA process utilizes Stage 1 to concentrate metabolic CO2 from about 0.2667 vol% to about 40 to 60 vol% and Stage 2 to further enrich the CO2 product from Stage 1 up to > 97 vol% CO2, while recovering at least 95% of it, which corresponds to removing 4.0 kg/day of CO2. …

Detecting Microbial Dysbiosis Associated With Pediatric Crohn Disease Despite The High Variability Of The Gut Microbiota, Feng Wang, Jess L. Kaplan, Benjamin D. Gold, Manoj K. Bhasin, Naomi L. Ward, Richard Kellermayer, Barbara S. Kirschner, Melvin B. Heyman, Scot E. Dowd, Stephen B. Cox, Haluk Dogan, Blaire Steven, George Ferry, Stanley A. Cohen, Robert N. Baldassano, Christopher J. Moran, Elizabeth A. Garnett, Lauren Drake, Hasan H. Otu, Leonid A. Mirny, Towia A. Libermann, Harland S. Winter, Kirill S. Korolev

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

The relationship between the host and its microbiota is challenging to understand because both microbial communities and their environments are highly variable. We have developed a set of techniques based on population dynamics and information theory to address this challenge. These methods identify additional bacterial taxa associated with pediatric Crohn disease and can detect significant changes in microbial communities with fewer samples than previous statistical approaches required. We have also substantially improved the accuracy of the diagnosis based on the microbiota from stool samples, and we found that the ecological niche of a microbe predicts its role in Crohn disease. …

Inter-Row Robot Navigation Using 1d Ranging Sensors, Tyler A. Troyer, Santosh Pitla, Ethan Nutter

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

In this paper a fuzzy logic navigation controller for an inter-row agricultural robot is developed and evaluated in laboratory settings. The controller receives input from one-dimensional (1D) ranging sensors on the robotic platform, and operated on ten fuzzy rules for basic row-following behavior. The control system was implemented on basic hardware for proof of concept and operated on a commonly available microcontroller development platform and open source software libraries. The robot platform used for experimentation was a small tracked vehicle with differential steering control. Fuzzy inferencing and defuzzification, step response and cross track error were obtained from the test conducted …

Understanding The Impact Of Non-Thermal Processing And Co2 Assisted Extrusion On Antioxidant, Textural And Functional Properties Of Corn, Sorghum And Apple Pomace Based Extrudates, Umesh Chandra Lohani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Currently, there is a worldwide demand for antioxidant rich foods in diet, especially ready to eat foods, i.e. cereals and snacks. In recent years, the research has got momentum to valorize the underutilized crops, i.e. millet, sorghum and industrial food by-products, i.e. fruit pomace to incorporate into main stream of human diet due to their enrichment in nutritional as well as bioactive compounds like phenolic and flavonoid antioxidants. However, most of the phenolic compounds in plant are present in the bound form with the carbohydrates, lignin, pectin and proteins which reduces their ability to function as good antioxidants. Therefore, in …

Computer-Assisted Cobb Angle Measurement From Posteroanterior Radiographs By A Curve Fitting Method, İbrahi̇m Yildiz

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Incorrect determination of the top or end vertebrae of a scoliotic curve causes measurement errors when using the Cobb method. Such problems are due to subjectivity. This study was performed to minimize subjectivity by using a curve fitting method. A digitally scanned posteroanterior radiographic image was used for each patient. User-defined midpoints of the curvature, which indicate the midpoints of the vertebrae, were used to fit the polynomial equation. The locations of the top and end vertebrae were calculated using the first derivative of the fitted polynomial equation to obtain the analytical Cobb angle. The interobserver technical error of measurements …

Effects Of Citric Acid Coated And Uncoated Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles In Tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum) Plants, Ana Cecilia Barrios

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This research was performed to examine the physiological and biochemical effects of bare (nCeO2) and citric acid coated (nCeO2+CA) cerium oxide nanoparticles in tomato (Solanum lycopersicum). Plants were germinated and grown to full maturity in soil amended with 0-500 mg/kg and periodically analyzed using ICP-OES/MS and other spectroscopic and biochemical techniques. Although Ce in tissues increased as the external nCeO2 increased, there were no visible signs of toxicity. In mature plants, nCeO2 induced developmental changes and altered nutritional quality (essential elements) in fruits. On the other hand, nCeO2+CA affected fruit carbohydrate composition (sugars and starch). This study gives insights on …

Fiberglass Goes Green: Developing Phosphate Glass For Use In Biodegradable Composites, Christina Lee Arendt

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Composite materials, such as the glass fiber reinforced polyester thermosets known as "fiberglass," are used in many applications. However, recycling processes for these materials are inefficient and not widely available. Specially engineered degradable polymers offer an opportunity to redesign these composites. Additionally, the composite could be tailored to be multi-use, such that upon degradation, the resulting products could be used as part of a zeoponic substrate (artificial soil) for growing plants. Such a material would be beneficial for long-duration space missions, terraforming, or in other agricultural applications.

The research presented in this Dissertation focuses on developing phosphate glass for use …

Pro-Fit: Exercise With Friends, Saumil Dharia, Vijesh Jain, Jvalant Patel, Jainikkumar Vora, Rizen Yamauchi, Magdalini Eirinaki, Iraklis Varlamis

Faculty Publications

The advancements in wearable technology, where embedded accelerometers, gyroscopes and other sensors enable the users to actively monitor their activity have made it easier for individuals to pursue a healthy lifestyle. However, most of the existing applications expect continuous commitment from the end users, who need to proactively interact with the application in order to connect with friends and attain their goals. These applications fail to engage and motivate users who have busy schedules, or are not as committed and self-motivated. In this work, we present PRO-Fit, a personalized fitness assistant application that employs machine learning and recommendation algorithms in …

Design And Commissioning Of A Community Scale Solar Powered Membrane-Based Water Purification System In Haiti, Shavin Pinto, Yung Wong, Kyle Fennesy, Yan Tang, Marc Compere

Publications

This paper presents the design and commissioning of a solar powered water purification system at the Ryan Epps Home for Children (REHC) in Michaud, Haiti. This system supplies clean drinking water to the 200 children who live and go to school at REHC and also to the community in the form of a micro-business. This micro-business is the mechanism for income generation for sustainable system operation. The purifier uses a three stage filtration system with a disc-type sediment filter, a 0.1 micron ultrafiltration membrane, and an ultraviolet light for disinfection. The backwash cycle extends the life of the ultrafiltration membrane …

Project Oasis: Optimizing Aquaponic Systems To Improve Sustainability, Siddharth Nigam, Paige Balcom

Honors Theses and Capstones

Started in Fall 2015, Project OASIS (Optimizing Aquaponic Systems to Improve Sustainability) is an interdisciplinary capstone project with the goal of designing a sustainable and affordable small-scale aquaponic system for use in developing nations to tackle the problems of malnutrition and food insecurity. Aquaponics is a symbiotic relationship between fish and vegetables growing together in a recirculating system. The project’s goals were to minimize energy consumption and construction costs while using universally available materials. The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software OpenFOAM was used to create transient and steady-state models of fish tanks to visualize velocity profiles, streamlines, and particle movement. …

Assessment Of Optimized Electrode Configuration In Electrical Impedance Myography Study Using Genetic Algorithm Via Finite Element Model, Somen Baidya

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Electrical Impedance Myography (EIM) is a neurophysiologic technique in which high- frequency, low-intensity electrical current is applied via surface electrodes over a muscle or muscle group of interest and the resulting electrical parameters (resistance, reactance and phase) are analyzed to isolate diseased muscles from healthy ones. Beside muscle properties, some other anatomic and non-anatomic factors like muscle shape, subcutaneous fat (SF) thickness, inter-electrode distance, etc. also impact the major EIM parameters and thus affect the EIM analysis outcomes. The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of variation in some of these factors impose on EIM parameters and …

Synthesis And Photonic Sintering Of Bioresorbable Zinc Nanoparticle Ink For Transient Electronics Manufacturing, Bikram K. Mahajan

Masters Theses

"Zinc is an essential 'trace element' that supports immune systems, and is required for DNA synthesis, cell division, and protein synthesis. Zinc nanoparticles (Zn NP) has antibacterial properties and potential to be used in biodegradable printed electronics devices. The research presented here is about the synthesis of Zn NP and their potential use in transient electronics devices. In Paper 1, a technique of room temperature synthesis of Zn NP is reported using ball milling. Controlled amount of PVP was mixed in the solvent to stabilize the Zn particles and minimize cold welding during milling. The size of the produced Zn …