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Inactivation Of Ascaris In Double-Vault Urine-Diverting Composting Latrines In Panama: Methods And Environmental Health Engineering Field Applications, Daragh A. Gibson

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United Nations Millennium Development Goals have prioritized improving access to sanitation, but unfortunately about a third of the global population is still without an improved sanitation source and one billion still practice open defecation. Lack of access to adequate and safe sanitation means the proliferation of dangerous pathogens in the environment, especially soil-transmitted helminths (STHs). In the Bocas del Toro Province of Panama (and similar locations in the world), composting latrines have been built in many of the indigenous communities in the area. They are a form of dry or ecological sanitation and are designed to produce an end …

Shrouded Small Wind Turbines, Kristen Flannery, Michael Holligan, Joseph Soares

Mechanical Engineering Senior Theses

The goal of this project is to improve the energy production of small wind turbines (rated less than 100 kW) by increasing wind velocity at the turbine blades through the design of a shroud attachment. The design process involves the analysis of various computer aided design (CAD) nozzle/diffuser shroud geometries. Computational fluid dynamic (CFD) modeling is used to analyze the effect of shroud features on velocity and pressure fields. A 3D printed scale model is tested in a wind tunnel with strain gauges and pressure transducers to validate the CFD data. The resulting design locally increases velocity by a factor …

Designing A Biomimetic Primary Cell-Based 3d Culture System For Neurotoxicity Screening, Teresa Cauvel, Jessca Kosit, Nicolo Mendoza

Bioengineering Senior Theses

Culturing neurons in vitro is a challenging task because they are a highly specialized cell type that reside in a complex and unique environment in the body. The aim of the research presented in the following thesis was to design a biomimetic, three-dimensional scaffold capable of (1) promoting primary neuron maturation and axonal outgrowth and (2) serving as a system for toxicology screening. In the system presented here, neurons were cultured in three-dimensional hydrogels, simulating the physiological environment that these cells experience within the body. In doing so, a biologically relevant response was elicited upon their exposure to acrylamide, a …

Biomechanical Properties Of Hemlocks: A Novel Approach To Evaluating Physical Barriers Of The Plant-Insect Interface And Resistance To A Phloem-Feeding Herbivore, Paul Ayayee, Fuqian Yang, Lynne K. Rieske

Entomology Faculty Publications

Micromechanical properties that help mediate herbivore access may be particularly important when considering herbivorous insects that feed with piercing-sucking stylets. We used microindentation to quantify the micromechanical properties of hemlock, Tsuga spp., to quantify the hardness of the feeding site of the invasive hemlock woolly adelgid, Adelges tsugae. We measured hardness of the hemlock leaf cushion, the stylet insertion point of the adelgid, across four seasons in a 1 y period for four hemlock species growing in a common garden, including eastern, western, mountain, and northern Japanese hemlocks. Leaf cushion hardness was highest in the fall and winter and …

Micro-Irrigation Design For Avocado Orchard In California, Michael C. Meyer

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

This project encompasses the design and recommendations for a micro-irrigation system on an avocado orchard owned by Underwood Family Farms in Somis, California. The main objective of this report is to improve the existing irrigation system’s efficiency and uniformity with the new design and recommendations. The analysis includes information about good irrigation practices, irrigation system design and all the processes herein. Although there are many opinions on growing, irrigating and maintaining an avocado orchard, all of the methods, procedures and suggestions must be based on accurate data to provide reliable information to the grower. Evaluating the irrigation system and suggesting …

Optimization Of Growth Parameters For Algal Regrowth Potential Experiments, Chadwick D. Boggess

Master's Theses

Water cost is one of the key deterrents in making algal biofuels a feasible alternative to traditional petroleum fuels. Research into recycling of algal media was conducted in a laboratory setting at the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo. A growth assay was created to allow for algal cultures, specifically Ward’s Chlorella sp., to proliferate in sealed culture vessels. Bold’s Basal Medium (BBM) was selected as the media due to its extensive use with freshwater algal strains. However, this medium can limit algal growth through nutrient limitation and it became necessary to augment the original recipe. 50mM …

The Effect Of Pretreatment Methods On Methane Yield And Nutrient Solubilization During Anaerobic Digestion Of Microalgae, Alexander Scott Hill

Master's Theses

Microalgal biomass is a candidate feedstock for biofuel production. To improve the sustainability of algae biofuel production, following biofuel recovery, the biomass nutrients should be recycled for additional algae growth. Anaerobic digestion of algae or oil-extracted algae is a means of recovering carbon and other nutrients, while offsetting algae production electricity demand. The major limiting factor in microalgae digestion is the low biodegradability of the cell walls. In the present study, various pretreatment technologies were tested at bench scale for their ability to improve raw, non-lipid-extracted algae biodegradability, which was assessed in terms of methane yield, volatile solids destruction, and …

Installation Plan For An Automatic Fresh Water Ball Valve For The Dairy Unit Flush Tank At California Polytechnic State University, Garret James Rowley

Agricultural Education and Communication

The purpose of this senior project was to plan for the installation of an automatic fresh water valve at the Dairy Unit at California Polytechnic State University. This new valve will replace the existing manual gate valve that repeatedly overfills the tank. The data and research was completed in order to assess the projects feasibility and installation needs. This project outlines the steps needed to be taken in order to install the valve, as well provides a detailed explanation on why this installation is pertinent.

Is Biofuel A Feasible Long-Term Chief Energy Source? A Global Perspective, Rajee Olaganathan, Aston Lee, Debra Tong, Mameegate Zheng Jun Cheston, Zack Ho Xuan Yi

Publications

This scientific paper examines the feasibility of officiating biofuels as the future chief energy source of the world. It weighs the pros and cons of the four different generations of biofuels that have been discovered over time, explaining how the raw materials used in each generation determines each individual level of long-term sustainability. It then further analyses both general advantages and disadvantages, comprising of economic, social, health and environmental impacts; giving the reader an unbiased perspective. Few case studies have also been reviewed to better understand the implications of drawing energy from biofuels, as well as the current state of …

Determining Forage Intake Of Nursing Calves Grazing Native Sandhills Rangeland, Jennifer A. Walker

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Effective management of grazing lands is important for longevity and productivity. Accurate calculations of stocking rates per animal unit will aid in long term sustainability. Calculating stocking rates for cattle can prove challenging for cows and nursing calves. Limited research has been conducted to determine forage intake of the nursing calf pre-weaning. The objective of Trial 1 was to determine nursing calf forage intake over time until weaning. Trial 1 used 8 crossbred cow-calf pairs in experiment 1 and 12 pairs in experiment 2. Pairs were separated into two groups rotating between grazing upland range or housed in individual pens …

Investigating Antibiotic Resistance Levels Of Salmonella Internalized In Lettuce Leaves, Jason B. Thomas

McNair Scholars Research Journal

Contamination of food crops by the human pathogen Salmonella is a food safety threat worldwide. Though using treated wastewater for irrigation is a sustainable practice, it may introduce trace levels of Salmonella that may contaminate food crops. Salmonella could develop resistance to antibiotics present in wastewater. The overall goal of the project is to increase the understanding of the public health risk associated with the use of treated wastewater to irrigate food crops. The objective of this particular study is to determine the antibiotic resistance level of Salmonella internalized in lettuce leaves. In this experiment, thirty-six plants of the lettuce …

In Vivo Evaluation Of An Automated Pressure Sore Reducer, Linda J. Cross

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of An Inclined Gravity Settler For Microalgae Harvesting, Zhaowei Wang, Jing Hou, Dustin Bowden, Joanne M. Belovich

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND Given the small size of microalgae, and the low biomass concentrations obtained in light-limited cultures, the cost of algae harvesting is a significant barrier to commercial-scale production of biofuel from algae. A downward- flow inclined gravity settler was evaluated for its effectiveness in dewatering the microalgae Scenedesmus dimorphus and Chlorella vulgaris. RESULTS Experimental results showed that S. dimorphus can be concentrated up to 8-fold using a single settler stage, with a biomass recovery of 80%. Separation efficiency was independent of biomass concentration between 1 and 5 gdw L-1, suggesting that a two-stage sequential system of settlers may maximize biomass …

Identifying, Monitoring, Quantifying And Converting Algae To Bio-Fuels In Bio-Reactors, Alice C. Jernigan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Growing algae as a source for bio-fuels has become an area of interest due to concerns about global warming and the reliability and ecology of the production of fossil fuels. Dried algae harvested from a pilot water quality improvement technology at the Rockaway Wastewater Treatment Facility in New York were examined as a source of carbohydrates and lipids for the production of bio-fuels in bio-reactors. The length of storage time, storage conditions, sugar and lipid extraction processes, and fuel production were studied. The results show that if the algae is stored dry (0.015 g/g algae even after a year in …

Starch-Pectin Matrices For Encapsulation Of Ascorbic Acid, Yiwei Liu

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Starch and pectin are two food-grade carbohydrates widely utilized in the food industry. Starch and pectin polymers have been investigated in encapsulating functional food ingredients and in pharmaceutical applications. Resistance to enzyme hydrolysis, differential solubilities, depending on the pH, and the ability to ‘protect’ unstable molecules are considered some of the beneficial properties of starch and pectin polymers, for encapsulation applications. Food ingredients could be delivered in a controlled manner to a specific target by encapsulating in micro-scale particles, i. e., microencapsulation. Two studies were conducted to investigate the ability of selected starch-pectin blends in microencapsulating ascorbic acid (vitamin C) …

A Swat Model For A Cocoa Growing Region In Ghana, Russell Thomas Bair

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

For agricultural outputs to rise with population, more sustainable and productive methods must be identified. Watershed modeling is a way to relatively quickly compare possible impacts of large scale agricultural practice changes. The goal of this project was to develop a watershed model for the Pra River basin in southern Ghana, a cocoa growing region, that could be used for future impact studies of land management practice options. The model was developed using the Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) and calibrated using the best daily stream flow data that could be readily located. With an R2 value of 0.57 and …

Organizational Accountability In The W.A.S.H. Sector: Integrating Sustainability Factors Into The Definition Of Success, Kaitlyn Jeanis

HIM 1990-2015

The world's poorest people, most of whom reside in under-developed nations, lack access to clean water and sanitation facilities, nutritious food, and education (UMP, 2005). These conditions are linked to malnutrition, disease, and low life expectancies (WHO). In an effort to reduce global poverty, the United Nations (UN) adopted the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Under Goal 7c the UN denotes that by 2015 the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation as compared to the proportion who do should be halved. As a response to this objective the international development (ID) sector has implemented projects aimed …

Factors Leading To A Satisfying Career In Airport Management: Evidence From Airport Managers In Norway, Eirik Holdø

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that influence a person to choose airport manager as a professional career and how these factors relate to the level of satisfaction the person experiences with this career choice. By using a correlational methodology with an explanatory design, this study examined the influence of early aviation interests, demographics, health factors, formal education, and other aviation experiences on Norwegian airport managers’ career choice and its relationship to their level of career satisfaction. A sample of N = 39 airport managers at Norwegian commercial service airports were surveyed. To assess the relationship, a …

Anti-Gd2 Etoposide-Loaded Immunoliposomes For The Treatment Of Gd2 Positive Tumors, Brandon S. Brown

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Systemic chemotherapeutics remain the standard of care for most malignancies even though they frequently suffer from narrow therapeutic index, poor serum solubility, and off-target effects. Monoclonal antibodies that specifically bind antigens overexpressed on many tumors such as the ganglioside, GD2, can be conjugated to drug-loaded liposomes to create a targeted drug delivery system. In this study, we have encapsulated etoposide, a topoisomerase inhibitor effective against a wide range of cancers, in surface modified liposomes decorated with anti-GD2 antibodies. We characterized the properties of the liposomes using a variety of methods including dynamic light scattering, electron microscopy, and Fourier transformed infrared …

Designing An Artificial Tendon/Graft Derived From Silkworm Silk And Synthetic Spider Silk With Respect To Structure, Mechanical Properties, Biocompatibility, And Attachment, Neal Hengge

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

The Achilles tendon is one of the most commonly damaged tendons in the human body (Hansen et al., 2012). Current surgical and therapeutic techniques require extended recovery time and the tendon is rarely returned to its original healthy state. For athletes in particular, strenuous rehabilitation is required to return from a serious injury like a ruptured Achilles tendon (Rosso et al., 2013).

Despite the high amount of sources for grafts to aid in surgical repair, all of the options have drawbacks such as availability, immune response, or poor mechanical properties. Spider silk has the potential to enhance current Achilles tendon …

A Study Of Time-Based Features And Regularity Of Manipulation To Improve The Detection Of Eating Activity Periods During Free Living, Jose Reyes

All Theses

This thesis considers the problem of detecting when people eat by tracking their wrist motion. The goal of this work is to automatically detect the start and stop times of these eating activities. It builds upon previous work done by our research group, which developed an algorithm for automatically detecting peaks in activities associated with food preparation and clean-up. This peak detector is then used for segmenting data. These segments are then classified as eating or non-eating activities using a naive Bayes classifier based on probabilities obtained from computing different features in each segment. The original work introduced 4 features, …

Using Hidden Markov Models To Segment And Classify Wrist Motions Related To Eating Activities, Raul Ramos Garcia

All Dissertations

Advances in body sensing and mobile health technology have created new opportunities for empowering people to take a more active role in managing their health. Measurements of dietary intake are commonly used for the study and treatment of obesity. However, the most widely used tools rely upon self-report and require considerable manual effort, leading to underreporting of consumption, non-compliance, and discontinued use over the long term. We are investigating the use of wrist-worn accelerometers and gyroscopes to automatically recognize eating gestures. In order to improve recognition accuracy, we studied the sequential ependency of actions during eating. In chapter 2 we …

Scalable, Solar Powered Membrane-Based Water Purification Systems For Community Development In Developing Countries, Yung Wong

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This manuscript style thesis presents a community development model developed at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) to deliver sustainable water purification systems and originate a companion micro-business to sell excess clean water in communities in Haiti. Since 2010, students and faculty from ERAU have partnered with strategic partners to not only provide clean water to their in-country operations but also provide an opportunity for economic growth through a clean water selling micro-business. Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) training is also implemented to aid in community buy-in. Lessons learned from the history of foreign aid to developing countries is taken into account …

Optimization Of Wastewater Microalgae Pretreatment For Acetone, Butanol, And Ethanol Fermentation, Yessica A. Castro

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Acetone-butanol-ethanol (ABE) fermentation from wastewater microalgae by Clostridium saccharoperbutylacetonicum N1-4 is a novel bioprocess that utilizes waste substrate to generate valuable solvents. Butanol, the most abundant product resulting from ABE fermentation, is an environmentally safe and high performing fuel that can be utilized as a drop-in-fuel; however, high operational costs and low ABE yield present challenge in scale-up of the process. The utilization of algae as a substrate requires pretreatment prior to fermentation to increase the bioavailability of the algal fermentable sugars and to improve the conditions of the pre-fermentation medium. The purpose of this thesis was to optimize wastewater …

Distribution Of Heavy Metals From Flue Gas In Algal Bioreactor, Katerine Napan

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Algae are microscopic organisms with a great potential to produce biomass and lipids at productivities several times higher than terrestrial crops. To grow, these organisms consume carbon dioxide (CO₂), a greenhouse gas. This gas, emitted primarily by power plants after coal burning, can be effectively used for algae production, thus resulting in CO₂ remediation and biomass beneficial utilization as feedstuff, industrial filler and biodiesel feedstock. However, since coal is a fuel mined from the earth’s crust, it contains heavy metals that are released during coal burning and inevitably enter the algal cultivation system, contaminating the water were …

Occurrence And Removal Of Ultra-Low Level Hexavalent Chromium In Drinking Water, Christel Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This project provides insight for drinking water utilities to better understand chromium behavior in their own waters. Seven full-scale treatment plants developed a snapshot profile of chromium behavior and treatability. If ultra-low level Cr6 is to be controlled, the key treatment processes in need of further investigation are lime softening, oxidation by chlorine, chloramines, or permanganate, and reduction-coupled coagulation using ferrous iron.

Chlorine was shown to oxidize ultra-low levels of Cr3 to Cr6 in less than seven hours. The distribution system investigations showed the concentration of Cr6 could change between the point of entry and the tap. It is therefore …

Progress Of Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy For Neural And Retinal Diseases, Tsz Kin Ng, Veronica R. Fortino, Daniel Pelaez, Herman S. Cheung

Biology Faculty Articles

Complex circuitry and limited regenerative power make central nervous system (CNS) disorders the most challenging and difficult for functional repair. With elusive disease mechanisms, traditional surgical and medical interventions merely slow down the progression of the neurodegenerative diseases. However, the number of neurons still diminishes in many patients. Recently, stem cell therapy has been proposed as a viable option. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), a widely-studied human adult stem cell population, have been discovered for more than 20 years. MSCs have been found all over the body and can be conveniently obtained from different accessible tissues: bone marrow, blood, and adipose …

Characterization Of Extraction Methods To Recover Phenolic-Rich Antioxidants From Blue Green Algae (Spirulina) Using Response Surface Approaches, Ahmad Salamatullah

Department of Food Science and Technology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Blue green algae (spirulina) is a dietary system that is widely consumed as a whole food or as a supplement in many Asian countries where populations are mostly unaffected by many of the diseases currently afflicting western societies, such as cancer, heart disease and arthiritis. Indeed, spirulina is a rich source of antioxidants with the phenolic compounds playing a significant role. As components of a complex dietary system, phenolic compounds can act alone or through synergistic mechanisms to impart a greater biologic effect than can be elicited by a sum of the individual parts. Therefore, an understanding of the antioxidative …

Fabrication And Analysis Of Soy Flour Filled Polyethylene Fibers, Ozgun Ozdemir, Sam Lukubira, Amod Ogale, Paul Dawson

Graduate Research and Discovery Symposium (GRADS)

Fibers composed of soy flour (soy) and linear low density polyethylene (PE) were produced by melt spinning method. The mixing time of soy flour and PE was adjusted to get better dispersion of soy flour inside the matrix. The inclusion of soy decreased tensile modulus by 35% and tensile strength by 30% of the fibers compared with 950 MPa and 43 MPa, respectively, for PE fibers. Strain to failure for soy-PE fibers was 292% where PE fibers have strain to failure at 513%. Tensile properties of soy-PE fibers are comparable to those of pure PE. Even washing did not deteriorated …

Program And Proceedings: Nebraska Academy Of Sciences 1880–2014, 134th Anniversary Year, One Hundred-Twenty-Fourth Annual Meeting, April 11, 2014

Nebraska Academy of Sciences: Programs and Proceedings

Program

Aeronautics and Space Science

Collegiate Academy: Biology

Chemistry and Physics

Collegiate Academy: Chemistry and Physics

Applied Science and Technology

Biological and Medical Sciences

Aeronautics and Space Science, Poster Session

Anthropology

Maiben Memorial Lecture: "Education, Careers and Opportunities in Engineering and Metallurgy in Nebraska," Terry Rasmussen, Nucor Steel, Norfolk, Nebraska

Teaching of Science and Mathematics

Anthropology

Earth Science