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Characterization And Upgrade Of Endocarp Biomass Derived Lignin To Value Added Products, Makua Vin-Nnajiofor

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Lignin is an abundant biopolymer and a promising source of feedstock for high-value chemicals and energy materials, however, application methods of lignin into valuable products is yet to be fully explored. This study explores the valorization of lignin derived from lignin-rich endocarp biomass through the development of lignin-derived electrode materials. The chemical composition and cellular structure of the endocarps were characterized using HPLC and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging. Mechanical properties of walnut and peach endocarps and preprocessing requirements were investigated using nanoindentation and specific energy consumption during grinding. Next, lignin was extracted from endocarps using deep eutectic solvent and …

Evaluating The Biotic Condition Of Restored Streams In Kentucky’S Inner Bluegrass Region, Charles Cole Crankshaw

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Numerous stream restoration projects have been implemented in Kentucky’s Inner Bluegrass region to offset anthropogenic impacts. These projects range from full channel realignments to volunteer-led riparian installations. To assess the ability of said projects to restore stream habitat and biota, full restoration (n=12) and riparian (n=6) sites were compared to reference (n=6) and disturbed (n=12) sites using RBP and SVAP protocols, macroinvertebrate samples, and geomorphology. General trends for SVAP, RBP, and BI scores, starting with highest habitat or biotic quality, were reference sites, full and riparian restoration sites, then disturbed sites. The number of EPT taxa, another indicator of biological …

A Phewas Model Of Autism Spectrum Disorder, John Matta, Daniel Dobrino, Swade Howard, Dacosta Yeboah, Jonathan Kopel, Yasser El-Manzalawy, Tayo Obafemi-Ajayi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) exhibit a wide diversity in type, number, and severity of social deficits as well as communicative and cognitive difficulties. It is a challenge to categorize the phenotypes of a particular ASD patient with their unique genetic variants. There is a need for a better understanding of the connections between genotype information and the phenotypes to sort out the heterogeneity of ASD. In this study, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) and phenotype data obtained from a simplex ASD sample are combined using a PheWAS-inspired approach to construct a phenotype-phenotype network. The network is clustered, yielding groups …

Enthesis Strength, Toughness And Stiffness: An Image-Based Model Comparing Tendon Insertions With Varying Bony Attachment Geometries, Mikhail Golman, Victor Birman, Stavros Thomopoulos, Guy M. Genin

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Tendons of the body differ dramatically in their function, mechanics and range of motion, but all connect to bone via an enthesis. Effective force transfer at the enthesis enables joint stability and mobility, with strength and stiffness arising from a fibrous architecture. However, how enthesis toughness arises across tendons with diverse loading orientations remains unclear. To study this, we performed simultaneous imaging of the bone and tendon in entheses that represent the range of tendon-to-bone insertions and extended a mathematical model to account for variations in insertion and bone geometry. We tested the hypothesis that toughness, across a range of …

Data-Driven Identification Of Governing Partial Differential Equations For The Transmission Line Systems, Yanming Zhang, Lijun Jiang

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Discovering governing equations for transmission line is essential for the study on its properties, especially when the nonlinearity is introduced in a transmission line system. In this paper, we propose a novel data-driven approach for deriving the governing partial differential equations based on the spatial-temporal samples of current and voltage in the transmission line system. The proposed method is based on the ridge regression algorithm to determine the active spatial differential terms from the candidate library that includes nonlinear functions, in which the time and spatial derivatives are estimated by using polynomial interpolation. Three examples, including uniform and nonuniform transmission …

Experimental And Cfd–Pbm Investigation Of An Agitated Bioreactor Using A Dual Helical Ribbon Impeller, Maryamsadat Amiraftabi

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Throughout past decades, the management of solid waste by producing methane gas, as a renewable source of energy, has featured as an important research objective. Anaerobic digesters are widely used in countries with environmental initiatives and green approaches, where biogas produced from a bioreactor is a carbon neutral source of energy. Biogas contains 70% methane, 30% CO2 and some other gases. The by-product of an anaerobic digester is solid sludge that can be used as either fertilizer or compost.

Anaerobic digestion biogas plants can benefit industries by adding value to solid organic waste, reducing fossil fuel usage, eliminating solid waste …

Application Of The Vortex Fluid Device (Vfd) In Polysulfone Synthesis And Ultra-Filtration Membrane Fabrication For Water Treatment Purposes, Aghil Igder

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

Extensive studies have been performed to improve key properties of filtration membranes via controlling the fabrication process conditions as well as physical and/or chemical modification of the polymers used in membrane fabrication. The Vortex Fluid Device (VFD) is a newly invented platform which has found many applications in materials science and clean technology. The unique features of the VFD originate from a combination of different effects (e.g., micro-mixing, viscous drag, microfluidic flow, enhanced mass transfer) all resulting in faster, greener, and more efficient and better controlled chemical reactions. The main aims of this project are: (i) to investigate the utility …

Bio-Inspired Materials For Electrochemical Sensors, Matthew Joseph Hummel

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Electrochemical biosensors are a rapidly growing research area that has greatly improved its specificity, accuracy, and precision in the detection of biomolecules in contemporary literature and industry alike. Typically, these systems exist in a three-electrode conformation with a working electrode functioning as the anode, a counter electrode functioning as the cathode, and a reference electrode allowing for the control of potential in the system. The method by which these sensors work is through the sharing of electrons via redox reactions with the target molecule and the working electrode or modifications on its surface. By exploiting the function of biomaterials that …

Advancement Of Full-Vector Variable-Temperature Magnetometry For Rock-Magnetic And Paleointensity Applications, Leonid Surovitskii

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Data on the variation of the direction and strength of Earth’s ancient magnetic field (absolute paleointensity) provide crucial information into the mechanisms of the geodynamo and the Earth’s thermal history. However, the use of conventional methods and instrumentation for absolute paleointensity determination has been hampered by physicochemical alteration of the samples caused by multiple high-temperature cycles and long experiment durations. The reliability and efficiency of the measurement process can be improved by the measurement of the full remanent magnetization vector simultaneously with the temperature cycling of a sample. Such as approach can also substantially expand the scope of materials available …

Effects Of Microporous Structure On The Enzymatic Conversion Of Biomass Using A Multiscale Model, Saketh Merugu

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The generation of biofuels from lignocellulosic biomass involves innovative process technology that is being investigated worldwide. Enzymatic hydrolysis is a major step in the contemporary process of the generation of biofuels. Guided by pore size distribution measured using NMR cryoporometry, we developed pore-enzyme diffusion and adsorption models at the particle level coupled with a kinetic model for cellulose, cellobiose, and glucose production at flask level. By simulating these models in MATLAB, COMSOL, and Polymath software packages, we investigate the effects of various biomass particle-related parameters (particle dimensions, porosity, enzyme accessibility) on the characteristic time of enzyme diffusion and adsorption and …

A New Hybrid Genetic Algorithm For Protein Structure Prediction On The 2dtriangular Lattice, Bouroubi Sadek, Nabil Boumedine

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

The flawless functioning of the protein is essentially related to its three-dimensional structure. Therefore,predicting protein structure from its amino acid sequence is a fundamental problem that draws researchers' attentionin many areas. The protein structure prediction problem (PSP) can be formulated as a combinatorial optimization problem based on simplified lattice models such as the hydrophobic-polar model. In this paper, we propose a new hybridalgorithm that combines three different known heuristic algorithms: the genetic algorithm, the tabu search strategy,and the local search algorithm to solve the PSP problem. Regarding the evaluation of the proposed approach, wepresent an experimental study, where we consider …

The Characterization Of Purified Citrate-Coated Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles Prepared Via Hydrothermal Synthesis, Matthew L. Hancock, Robert A. Yokel, Matthew J. Beck, Julie L. Calahan, Travis W. Jarrells, Eric J. Munson, George A. Olaniyan, Eric A. Grulke

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Hypothesis

Cerium oxide nanoparticles were synthesized using a hydrothermal approach with citric acid as a stabilizing agent. Citric acid adsorption onto the nanoceria particle surface can cease particle formation and create a stable dispersion for an extended shelf life. The product was dialyzed immediately following the synthesis to remove unreacted cerium that could contribute to biological effects. Nanoparticle characterization results are expected to help identify the surface citrate bonding structure.

Experiments

Many characterization techniques were utilized to determine size, morphology, surface properties, and citrate complexation on the nanoceria particle surface. These included transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, dynamic …

Leveraging Chemical And Computational Biology To Probe The Cellulose Synthase Complex, B. Kirtley Amos

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

Cellular expansion in plants is a complex process driven by the constraint of internal cellular turgor pressure by an expansible cell wall. The main structural element of the cell wall is cellulose. Cellulose is vital to plant fitness and the protein complex that creates it is an excellent target for small molecule inhibition to create herbicides. In the following thesis many small molecules (SMs) from a diverse library were screened in search of new cellulose biosynthesis inhibitors (CBI). Loss of cellular expansion was the primary phenotype used to search for putative CBIs. As such, this was approached in a forward …

Synthesis And Catalytic Properties Of Metal-Organic Frameworks Mimicking Carbonic Anhydrase, Longji Li

Mahurin Honors College Capstone Experience/Thesis Projects

The natural enzyme carbonic anhydrase has gained attention in recent years for its ability to catalyze the interconversion of aqueous carbon dioxide (CO₂) and bicarbonate. However, it lacks the efficiency to qualify practical usage on a large scale due to its inherent deficiency and fragile nature. On the other hand, its active center can be used as an ideal model for the design of novel catalytic materials targeting carbon dioxide capture and sequestration. This study focused on the synthesis of a zinc-based metal-organic framework (Zn-MOF-1) mimicking the carbonic anhydrase using the solvothermal method. Important properties such as catalytic …

Determination Of Pollutant Load Reductions To Three Mile Creek As A Result Of The Implementation Of Storm Water Bio-Infiltration Basins On The Usa Campus, Jordan E. Blackmon

Honors Theses

Three Mile Creek has been identified as an impaired urban stream and is now a priority for cleanup for both the City of Mobile and the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. Methods to better manage storm water runoff on the USA campus have begun, with a goal to reduce sediment and nutrient inputs to Three Mile Creek. Both sediment and nutrient inputs to Three Mile Creek disrupt habitat and lower dissolved oxygen concentrations, which are detrimental to overall stream health. Low Impact Development strategies are an innovative way to use nature-like, green-infrastructures to minimize storm water runoff quantity and improve …

Comparative Analysis Of Computationally Accelerated Ngs Alignment, Ada Chaeli Van Der Zijp-Tan

Honors Theses

The Smith-Waterman algorithm is the basis of most current sequence alignment technology, which can be used to identify similarities between sequences for cancer detection and treatment because it provides researchers with potential targets for early diagnosis and personalized treatment. The growing number of DNA and RNA sequences available to analyze necessitates faster alignment processes than are possible with current iterations of the Smith-Waterman (S-W) algorithm. This project aimed to identify the most effective and efficient methods for accelerating the S-W algorithm by investigating recent advances in sequence alignment. Out of a total of 22 articles considered in this project, 17 …

Extraction Of Cellulose Nanofibers From Empty Palm Fruit Bunches Via Mechanical Defibrillation, Zi-Qian Tan, Takaomi Kobayashi, Duangdao Aht-Ong

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in finding alternative material to replace fossil-oil based product due to the environmental concern. Lignocellulosic biomass has emerged as the promising candidate due to its low-cost and sustainability. The objective of this work was to prepare cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) from empty palm fruit bunches (EPFB), which are the waste originating from palm oil industry. Cellulose fibers were first extracted from EPFB by chemical treatment, followed by mechanical disintegration using high-pressure homogenization. Fiber concentration and defibrillation time during mechanical treatment were studied to investigate their effects on the properties of produced nanofibers. …

Poly(Vinyl)Alcohol Film Composited With Carbon Dots From Water Hyacinth Stalks Based On Gamma Irradiation For The Uv Blocking Film, Tanagorn Kwamman, Threeraphat Chutimasakul, Panida Sangangam, Nattamon Puengposop, Kanokorn Wechakorn

Journal of Metals, Materials and Minerals

UV-radiation in the range of 200 nm to 400 nm from sunlight can inhibit the photosynthesis process in plants, while visible light in the range of 400 nm to 700 nm promotes photosynthesis and plant growth. In this work, poly(vinyl)alcohol-carbon dots composite film (PVA-CDs film) was developed as a UV-blocking film due to the excellent optical properties of carbon dots and the film-forming properties of PVA. For the synthesis of carbon dots using gamma irradiation, water hyacinth stalk, an invasive aquatic plant, was used as a carbon source. The result showed that PVA-CDs composite film exhibited excellent UV absorption (200 …

Sensitray: An Integrated Measuring Device For Monitoring Children’S Mealtime Dietary Intake, Hunter S. Guru, Anthony D. Weng, Santosh Pitla, Dipti Dev

Department of Child, Youth, and Family Studies: Faculty Publications

Childhood nutrition establishes consumption norms that affect an individual’s health over the course of their lives. However, early nutrition interventions to establish such norms are uncommon owing to the various inefficiencies associated with current methods of measuring childhood nutrition. Here, we present an IoT measuring device, called the SensiTray, which accurately tracks mealtime intake in a child-friendly and cost-effective fashion. Principal technologies underlying the SensiTray (including mass-sensing technologies, microcontrollers) are identified and analyzed, along with other design choices. Operation of the SensiTray is explained with special attention given to SensiTray software peripherals and algorithms. Preliminary testing consisted of static and …

Performance Comparison Between A Distributed Particle Swarm Algorithm And A Centralised Algorithm, Ciarán O’Loughlin

Dissertations

Particle Swarm optimisation (PSO) is a particular form of swarm intelligence, which itself is an innovative intelligent paradigm for solving optimization problems. PSO is generally used to find a global optimum in a single optimisation function. This typically occurs on one node(machine) but there has been a significant body of research into creating distributed implementations of the PSO algorithm. Such research has often focused on the creation and performance of the distributed implementation in an isolated manner or compared to different distributed algorithms.

This research piece aims to bridge a gap in the existing literature, by testing a distributed implementation …

Internet Of Things 36-Rotor Multicopter For Ionizing Radiation Surveying, Svetoslav Zabunov, Garo Mardirossian, Rositsa Miteva, Todor Kunchev

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

This paper presents an Internet of things 36-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle suitable for radiological surveying of buildings and facilities. The design of the 36-rotor multicopter platform is disclosed. The aircraft is used as a testbed for a lightweight gamma/beta/neutron ionizing radiation sensor closely coupled with the autopilot of the multirotor aircraft. A prototype of the drone and sensor was developed and initial tests were conducted. Test results are presented with data from measuring different radiation sources. The proposed novel design is compared to existing work and advantages to the latter were established.

Detection Of 2,4,6-Trinitrotoluene Using A Colorimetric Gold Nanoparticle Air Cassette Filter, Andrea I. Ferrer Vega

Master of Science in Forensic Science Directed Research Projects

Trinitrotoluene (TNT) is an explosive commonly used during military and terrorist activities. Current methods to identify this compound require sampling, transport and analysis at a forensic lab using analytical instrumentation. However, on-site detection is needed to assist efforts to prevent detonation. Gold nanoparticles have been used as sensors throughout the years due to their versatility and surface enhanced Raman scattering properties in the presence of an analyte and low limits of detection. By taking advantage of the Meisenheimer complex that TNT forms in the presence of amines, it is possible to determine its presence at picogram levels. Subsequently, adhering amine …

Assessment Of Work-Related Feelings Among Teachers Within The United States And Jordan, Shahed Obeidat

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Human personalities combined with working conditions affect how employees react to different work situations. Personality and work environment have also been shown to affect workers' feelings. Employees' psychological health plays an essential role in their performance and productivity in the workplace, and organizational awareness of work-related feelings has sparked interest in investigating this field of study. Teaching is a stressful job; however, research evaluating discrete states of work-related emotions in teachers remains somewhat limited. This study investigated the effects of job demands on teachers' work-related feelings within middle and high schools in the United States and Jordan. The study results …

Journal Of The Arkansas Academy Of Science - Volume 75, 2021, Academy Editors

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Biomass-Derived Electrode Materials And Sustainable Processes For Supercapacitors, Katelyn M. Shell

Theses and Dissertations

Biomass is one of the most abundant natural resources and has been used as a source of energy for thousands of years. Biomass as a precursor for energy storage materials is still relatively novel and faces several obstacles before becoming commonly used in today’s electrical devices. Currently, energy storage devices, such as batteries, capacitors, and supercapacitors, utilize petroleum-derived graphitic carbons for anodes, generating a need for more sustainable materials. Biomass, as a carbon-rich source for electrode materials, presents a viable and economically feasible alternative due to the prevalent lignocellulosic compounds: lignin, cellulose, and hemicellulose. Preliminary studies on the solid residues …

Joint Modeling Of Rnaseq And Radiomics Data For Glioma Molecular Characterization And Prediction, Zeina A. Shboul, Norou Diawara, Arastoo Vossough, James Y. Chen, Khan M. Iftekharuddin

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

RNA sequencing (RNAseq) is a recent technology that profiles gene expression by measuring the relative frequency of the RNAseq reads. RNAseq read counts data is increasingly used in oncologic care and while radiology features (radiomics) have also been gaining utility in radiology practice such as disease diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment planning. However, contemporary literature lacks appropriate RNA-radiomics (henceforth, radiogenomics) joint modeling where RNAseq distribution is adaptive and also preserves the nature of RNAseq read counts data for glioma grading and prediction. The Negative Binomial (NB) distribution may be useful to model RNAseq read counts data that addresses potential shortcomings. …

Progress, Georgia Southern University

College of Engineering & Computing: News & Publications (2010-2023)

Welcome to the new online version of Progress, the magazine of the Allen E. Paulson College of Engineering and Computing. We are approaching 10,000 subscribers, and as we are the College of Engineering and Computing, we think online is the way to go! This issue features three of our first female engineering graduates, a recent student success story, two of our pre-eminent female faculty, as well as one of our most influential female industry/business collaborations. Welcome to the Women of Engineering and Computing issue of Progress!

Potential Production Of Theranostic Boron Nitride Nanotubes (64cu-Bnnts) Radiolabeled By Neutron Capture, Wellington Marcos Silva, Helio Ribeiro, Jaime Taha-Tijerina

Manufacturing & Industrial Engineering Faculty Publications

In this work, the radioisotope 64Cu was obtained from copper (II) chloride dihydrate in a nuclear research reactor by neutron capture, (63Cu(n, )64Cu), and incorporated into boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) using a solvothermal process. The produced 64Cu-BNNTs were analyzed by TEM, MEV, FTIR, XDR, XPS and gamma spectrometry, with which it was possible to observe the formation of64Cu nanoparticles, with sizes of up to 16 nm, distributed through nanotubes. The synthesized of 64Cu nanostructures showed a pure photoemission peak of 511 keV, which is characteristic of gamma radiation. This type of emission is desirable for Photon Emission Tomography (PET scan) …

Americans Support For Renewable Energy Is Disconnected From Their Understanding Of Powerline Infrastructure As A Mechanism To Mitigate Climate Change, Rebecca J. Romsdahl, Christopher J. Felege, Joshua E. Hunter, Cheryl Hunter, Susan N. Ellis-Felege

Earth System Science and Policy Faculty Publications

As nations are transitioning to renewable energy sources, they will need to expand and upgrade their energy infrastructure, including high-voltage power lines (HVPL). We have conducted the first nation-wide survey in the last thirty years to assess public attitudes toward HVPL in the USA. The study evaluates perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes toward building new transmission lines, as these relate to renewable energy, place attachment, and environmental impacts. Our results show that Americans do not recognize how new HVPL could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions; instead, respondents favor moving from centralized energy (large power stations and HVPL) to decentralized energy (local …

Assessing Solvent Viscosity Impact On The Physical Characteristics Of Polymeric Organogels, Cameron Hong

Honors Theses

Traditionally, studies of polymeric organogels focus on the impact of polymer factors (e.g., molecular weight and polymer concentration) on the gels’ mechanical and transport properties. Alternatively, this study seeks to assess the impact of altering solvent viscosity, while holding polymer factors constant. The gels in this study were composed of different viscosity mineral oils, styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) triblock copolymer as a gelator, and oleic acid (OA) as a model drug. Samples were formulated to have 6.5, 11.2, and 15.7 wt% SEBS copolymer for each mineral oil, varying in viscosity from ≈30 mPa*s to ≈500 mPa*s. Uniaxial mechanical testing was performed to …