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Modeling And Control Of Nanoparticle Bloodstream Concentration For Cancer Therapies, Scarlett S. Bracey

Doctoral Dissertations

Currently, the most commonly used treatments for cancerous tumors (chemotherapy, radiation, etc.) have almost no method of monitoring the administration of the treatment for adverse effects in real time. Without any real time feedback or control, treatment becomes a "guess and check" method with no way of predicting the effects of the drugs based on the actual bioavailability to the patient's body. One particular drug may be effective for one patient, yet provide no benefit to another. Doctors and scientists do not routinely attempt to quantifiably explain this discrepancy. In this work, mathematical modeling and analysis techniques are joined together …

An Analysis Of The Impact Of Storage Temperature, Moisture Content & Duration Upon The Chemical Components & Bioprocessing Of Lignocellulosic Biomass, Arun Athmanathan

Open Access Dissertations

The successful utilization of lignocellulosic biomass as a feedstock for fuels and chemicals necessitates storage for 2-6 months. It is correspondingly important to understand the impact of storage parameters - moisture concentration, temperature and duration - on biomass quality.

As aerobic storage is the most viable large-scale solution, aerobic storage experiments were carried out with three projected bioenergy feedstocks - sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) bagasse, corn (Zea mays) stover and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum). Stored samples of each were examined for dry matter loss and composition change to develop a material balance around carbohydrates and lignin.

A mean dry matter loss …

Hybrid Opto-Electrokinetic Technique For Micro/Nanomanipulation: Towards Application Of A Novel Non-Invasive Manipulation Technique In Microbiological Assay, Jae-Sung Kwon

Open Access Dissertations

This dissertation explores various physical mechanisms of the Rapid Electrokinetic Patterning (REP) technique suggested for rapid and precise on-chip manipulation of colloids and fluids, and bio-compatibility of the technique for biological applications. REP is a hybrid opto-electrokinetic technique that is driven by the simultaneous application of an AC electric field and a heating source. It can not only effectively transport and manipulate a fluid but also concentrate and pattern particles suspended in the fluid through the combined effect of an electrohydrodynamic flow, electrostatic colloidal interactions and an electrothermal microfluidic flow. These capabilities make REP a promising tool which can provide …

Evidence Supporting Treatment Practice Based Delineation Of Stormwater Runoff Zones, Jacob J. Gorski

Dissertations and Theses

Particles mobilized by stormwater negatively affect receiving surface waters. Stormwater best management practices (BMPs) can reduce solids along with associated pollutants in runoff but engineers and environmental managers have been long vexed by the problem of choosing the optimal BMP for a given situation. A common BMP process for solids removal is sedimentation. This thesis addresses the question of whether the effectiveness (and thus choice) of a sedimentation device can be estimated (and thus optimized) from the particle size properties of runoff, which, in turn, could be associated with specific runoff zones or land uses. Presented here is a series …

Adaptive Targeting: Engaging Farmers To Assess Perceptions And Improve Watershed Modeling, Optimization, And Adoption Of Agricultural Conservation Practices, Margaret Mccahon Kalcic

Open Access Dissertations

Targeting agricultural conservation practices to farmland that has the greatest impact on surface water quality has received wide support from scientists and watershed managers. The targeting approach has, however, been politically contentious as many believe farmers will oppose the approach on grounds such as privacy invasion and unfair distribution of government incentives. Targeting conservation practices using complex optimization models has become common in the scientific community, and yet targeted results are underutilized in practice because of difficulties such as knowledge transfer and absence of a political framework for their use. For targeting to be successful, it must be politically supported …

Altered Cholesterol Metabolism In Human Cancers Unraveled By Label-Free Spectroscopic Imaging, Shuhua Yue

Open Access Dissertations

Despite tremendous scientific achievements, cancer remains the second leading cause of death in the United States. Metabolic reprogramming has been increasingly recognized as a core hallmark of cancer. My dissertation work identified novel diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for human cancers through the study of cholesterol in cancer cells.

Enabled by label-free Raman spectromicroscopy, we performed the first quantitative analysis of lipogenesis at single cell level in human patient cancerous tissues. Our imaging data revealed an unexpected, aberrant accumulation of esterified cholesterol in lipid droplets of high-grade prostate cancer and metastases, but not in normal prostate, benign prostatic hyperplasia, or …

A Novel Fluid Structure Interaction And Thermal Model To Predict The Cylinder Block / Valve Plate Interface Performance In Swash Plate Type Axial Piston Machines, Marco Zecchi

Open Access Dissertations

The cylinder block / valve plate interface represents one of the most critical design element in the rotating kit of axial piston machines. The thin film of lubricant between cylinder block and valve plate has to fulfill simultaneously a bearing and a sealing function under dynamic load conditions; on the other hand, it represents an important source of power losses due to viscous friction and leakage flow.

An accurate prediction of the time changing characteristics of the interface, in terms of fluid film thickness, dynamic pressure field, load carrying ability and energy dissipation is necessary to generate more efficient and …

High-Pressure Vapor-Phase Catalytic Hydrodeoxygenation Of Lignin-Derived Compounds To Hydrocarbons On Bimetallic Catalysts In The Range Of 0.2-2.4 Mpa., Sara Lynn Yohe

Open Access Dissertations

Biomass, as the only renewable source of carbon, presents a sustainable alternative to liquid fossil fuels for the production of renewable transportation fuels and chemicals. The lignin portion of biomass poses a significant challenge in the upgrading and conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to fuels and chemicals, and in many current biorefineries is not utilized. However, the lignin fraction is a valuable feedstock due to its aromatic structure, lower O:C ratio than cellulose and hemicellulose, and high energy content (up to 40%) and weight fraction (average 25 wt%) of biomass. Several processes (including fast-pyrolysis, fast-hydropyrolysis, and liquid phase processing) are able …

Scholarly Collaboration In Engineering Education: From Big-Data Scientometrics To User-Centered Software Design, Hanjun Xian

Open Access Dissertations

Engineering education research has grown into a flourishing community with an-ever increasing number of publications and scholars. However, recent studies show that a significant amount of engineering education knowledge retains a clear disciplinary orientation. If the gaps in scholarly collaboration continue to be prevalent within the entire community, it will become increasingly difficult to sustain community memory. This will eventually inhibit the propagation of innovations and slow the movement of research findings into practice.

This dissertation studies scholarly collaboration in the engineering education research community. It provides a clear characterization of collaboration problems and proposes potential solutions. The dissertation is …

A Dynamic Magnetic Equivalent Circuit Model For Design And Control Of Wound Rotor Synchronous Machines, Xiaoqi Wang

Open Access Dissertations

Recently, a new magnetic equivalent circuit (MEC) model was developed to support automated multi-objective design of wound-rotor synchronous machines (WRSMs). In this research, the MEC model and its application have been enhanced. Initial enhancement has focused on using the MEC model to explore machine design and control as a unified problem. Excitation strategies for optimal steady-state performance have been developed. The optimization is implemented in two phases. First, stator and field excitation at rated power is obtained as part of a WRSM design in which the objectives are to minimize machine mass and loss. Second, a map between current and …

Synthesis Of Graphene Nanomaterials And Their Application In Electrochemical Energy Storage, Guoping Xiong

Open Access Dissertations

The need to store and use energy on diverse scales in a modern technological society necessitates the design of large and small energy systems, among which electrical energy storage systems such as batteries and capacitors have attracted much interest in the past several decades. Supercapacitors, also known as ultracapacitors, or electrochemical capacitors, with fast power delivery and long cycle life are complementing or even replacing batteries in many applications. The rapid development of miniaturized electronic devices has led to a growing need for rechargeable micro-power sources with high performance. Among different sources, electrochemical micro-capacitors or micro-supercapacitors provide higher power density …

Effects Of Dip-Coated Films On The Properties Of Implantable Intracortical Microelectrodes, Salah Sommakia

Open Access Dissertations

The successful clinical use of implantable intracortical microelectrodes (ICMs) to treat certain types of deafness, blindness, and paralysis is limited by a reactive tissue response (RTR) of the brain. This RTR culminates in the formation of a tight glial scar and a loss of neuronal density around implanted ICMs, and is accompanied by a decrease in signal to noise ratio and an increase in impedance. While no comprehensive mechanistic understanding of the underlying biology is currently agreed upon in the field, a general consensus exists around a highly volatile acute RTR phase. During this acute phase, the electrical properties of …

Utilizing Electron Microscopy And Spectroscopy Methods To Understand Water Structure And Water Doping, Lior Miller

Open Access Dissertations

Water is the second most common element in the universe and the most studied material on earth. Most of the studies concerning water are from the fields of chemistry and biology. Hence, the structure of water molecules and short range order and interactions are well characterized and understood. However, the collective arrangement of water molecules and the long range order are still missing. Understanding of this long range order in water is needed, as it is the key to many water activities.

To fill this gap, this study utilizes a new direct method for characterization of water in the vapor …

Mispronunciation Detection For Language Learning And Speech Recognition Adaptation, Zhenhao Ge

Open Access Dissertations

The areas of "mispronunciation detection" (or "accent detection" more specifically) within the speech recognition community are receiving increased attention now. Two application areas, namely language learning and speech recognition adaptation, are largely driving this research interest and are the focal points of this work.

There are a number of Computer Aided Language Learning (CALL) systems with Computer Aided Pronunciation Training (CAPT) techniques that have been developed. In this thesis, a new HMM-based text-dependent mispronunciation system is introduced using text Adaptive Frequency Cepstral Coefficients (AFCCs). It is shown that this system outperforms the conventional HMM method based on Mel Frequency Cepstral …

Wireless Sensors For Condition Monitoring Applications Operating In Complete Metallic Environment, Lokesh Anilkumar Gupta

Open Access Dissertations

Condition monitoring of machines is advantageous in predicting failure and estimating machine component lifetime. Continuous monitoring of parameters such as temperature, vibration, and strain using sensors and consequent data analysis can help in reducing machine downtime by taking corrective actions before failure. Various wireless and wired sensors may be attached to critical components such as bearings, gears, mechanical seals, shafts etc. for measurements. These sensors however are often inadequate solutions as wired sensors are dicult to mount on rotating components, especially in millimeter-size spaces that may exist in some of these components. Wireless sensors provide a viable solution for measurements …

Student Success: Approaches To Modeling Student Matriculation And Retention, Jien-Jou Lin

Open Access Dissertations

Every year a group of graduates from high schools enter the engineering programs across this country with remarkable academic record. However, as reported in numerous studies, the number of students switching out of engineering majors continues to be an important issue. Previous studies have suggested various factors as predictors for student retention in engineering. To assist the engineering students with timely advising early in their program, an effective prediction model of matriculation and retention in engineering that use available student data are highly desirable.

In the first part of this work, the author developed new prediction models of student retention …

Hybrid And Smart Topologically Interlocking Materials, Somesh Khandelwal

Open Access Dissertations

This thesis explores the mechanical properties of a new class of multifunctional architectured materials, Topologically Interlocking Materials (TIMs). These materials are created as an assembly of unit elements arranged in an interlocking pattern such that the load transfer between unit elements occurs by contact only. In the absence of adhesive interaction, the tensile component of the load is carried by complementary tensile elements in the form of external constraints or integrated filaments. By virtue of the bottom up design used in creating these materials, their mechanical properties are influenced by a number of controllable parameters including shape, confinement force, scale, …

The Application And Analysis Of Automated Triangulation Of Video Imagery By Successive Relative Orientation, Jae Sung Kim

Open Access Dissertations

The purpose of this thesis is the analysis and evaluation of methods to orient a strip of images using an automated approach. Automatic orientation of strips of video frame imagery would facilitate the construction of three dimensional models with less demand on a human operator for tedious measurement. Often one has no control points, so only relative orientation is possible. The relative orientation process gives camera parameters such as attitudes and selected baseline components and it can be implemented by using either collinearity or coplanarity equations. To automate the point selection, the pass and/or tie points were detected by the …

Using X-Ray Imaging Techniques To Determine Density Of Foods, Shivangi Mohan Kelkar

Open Access Dissertations

Density depends on the experimental technique and structural properties of food. True, apparent and bulk are different types of densities. For porous foods such as baked food products and complex food systems, accurate measurement of density is challenging. Empirical correlations dependent on composition and temperature exist to calculate true density. Thus if composition and apparent density are known, porosity can be calculated, porosity = [1 - (apparent density/ true density)]. Various non-destructive diagnostic tools have been employed to study food microstructure. Among these, computed tomography (CT) and digital radiography (DR) utilizing x-ray imaging showed greater capability for evaluation of food …

Developing A Drug Delivery System For Treatment Of Vocal Fold Scarring, Aaron Michael Kosinski

Open Access Dissertations

Vocal fold scarring is an affliction that results in the formation of a disorganized and stiff extracellular matrix (ECM) with abnormal ECM component densities & structures including a significant increase in collagen deposition. It is caused by improper healing post injury and results in profound changes in the biomechanical properties of the vocal folds impairing their ability to generate a normal mucosal wave during phonation.

Finding an effective treatment for vocal fold scarring has been elusive. Currently, treatments seek temporary solutions that correct glottal incompetence and reduce stiffness caused by the scar through the augmentation of the vocal folds using …

Ozonation Systems As A Non-Chemical Alternative For Stored Grain Protection, Carlos A. Campabadal

Open Access Dissertations

The use of ozone as a non-chemical alternative in stored grain protection was studied by conducting scale-up demonstrations using a fixed bed ozonation system and developing a semi-continuous counterflow and a continuous flow ozonation treatment system. The objectives of this research were to determine the efficacy of ozonation to control insect pests without affecting end-use quality; to prove the concept of the semi-continuous counterflow ozonation system to ozonate grain at a faster rate and quantify its effect on mold growth reduction; to evaluate the efficacy of a modified screw conveyor for pest control by treating grain in a continuous-flow ozonation …

Advanced Control Strategies For Mobile Hydraulic Applications, Davide Cristofori

Open Access Dissertations

Mobile hydraulic machines are affected by numerous undesired dynamics, mainly discontinuous motion and vibrations. Over the years, many methods have been developed to limit the extent of those undesired dynamics and improve controllability and safety of operation of the machine. However, in most of the cases, today's methods do not significantly differ from those developed in a time when electronic controllers were slower and less reliable than they are today.

This dissertation addresses this aspect and presents a unique control method designed to be applicable to all mobile hydraulic machines controlled by proportional directional valves. In particular, the proposed control …

Numerical Techniques For The Noninvasive Assessment Of Material Properties And Stresses In Soft Biomaterials, Kent David Butz

Open Access Dissertations

The noninvasive measurement of finite displacements and strains in biomaterials by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be shown to enable mathematical estimates of stress distributions and material properties within structures of the body such as articular cartilage or the intervertebral disc. Such methods will allow for non-contact and patient-specific modeling in a manner not currently possible with traditional mechanical testing or finite element techniques. Therefore, the objective of this thesis was to develop computational methods incorporating imaging-based measures of deformation, composition, and local microstructure to permit nondestructive analysis of a range of complex biomechanical systems.

Finite strain-based models were developed …

Direct And Indirect Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Biomass Storage: Implications For Life Cycle Assessment Of Biofuels, Isaac Robert Emery

Open Access Dissertations

Ethanol and other biofuels from cellulosic feedstocks are currently the most promising candidates to replace a large fraction of gasoline consumption in the United States and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Gaps in current approaches to estimating the net greenhouse gas emissions from second-generation biofuels may lead to underestimation of the carbon intensity of these fuels. Current life cycle assessment models of biofuels do not sufficiently account for biomass losses and emissions associated with the harvest and storage of biomass feedstocks, which can require additional fuel and materials use on the farm as well as reducing the effective yield of a …

Multiscale Modeling Of The Hierarchical Structure Of Cellulose Nanocrystals, Fernando Luis Dri

Open Access Dissertations

Cellulose constitutes the most abundant renewable polymeric resource available today. It considered an almost inexhaustible source of raw material, and holds great promise in meeting increasing demands for environmentally friendly and biocompatible products. Key future applications are currently under development for the automotive, aerospace and textile industries. When cellulose fibers are subjected to acid hydrolysis, the fibers yield rod-like, highly crystalline residues called cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs). These particles show remarkable mechanical and chemical properties (e.g. Young Modulus ~200 GPa) within the range of other synthetically-developed reinforcement materials. Critical to the design of these materials are fundamental material properties, many of …

Effects Of Hearing Aid Amplification On Robust Neural Coding Of Speech, Jonathan Daniel Boley

Open Access Dissertations

Hearing aids are able to restore some hearing abilities for people with auditory impairments, but background noise remains a significant problem. Unfortunately, we know very little about how speech is encoded in the auditory system, particularly in impaired systems with prosthetic amplifiers. There is growing evidence that relative timing in the neural signals (known as spatiotemporal coding) is important for speech perception, but there is little research that relates spatiotemporal coding and hearing aid amplification.

This research uses a combination of computational modeling and physiological experiments to characterize how hearing aids affect vowel coding in noise at the level of …

Hypothesize-And-Verify Based Solutions For Place Recognition And Mobile Robot Self-Localization In Interior Hallways, Khalil Mustafa Ahmad Yousef

Open Access Dissertations

There is much research interest currently in having mobile robots build accurate and visually dense models ofinterior space as they traverse through such spaces. One of the interesting problems that has came out of this research is that of visual place recognition and self-localization. This is the problem that forms the focus of the present dissertation. We show how dense and accurate 3D models of the interior space can be constructed using a hierarchical sensor-fusion architecture. Our system fuses images from a single photometric camera with range data from a laser scanning sensor. The range data used is rudimentary--the range …

A Novel Multiblock Immersed Boundary Method Enabling High Order Large Eddy Simulation Of Pathological And Medical Device Hemodynamics, Anupindi Kameswararao

Open Access Dissertations

Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations are becoming a reliable tool in understanding disease progression, investigating blood flow patterns and evaluating medical device performance such as stent grafts and mechanical heart valves. Previous studies indicate the presence of highly disturbed, transitional and mildly turbulent flow in healthy and pathological arteries. Accurate simulation of the transitional flow requires high order numerics together with a scale resolving turbulence model such as large eddy simulation (LES). This in turn limits one to use a structured fluid flow solver on which complex, branching arterial domains that are typical in the human blood circulatory system could …

Yield And Crop Water Use Efficiency Response Of Drought-Tolerant And Conventional Maize Hybrids Under Different Irrigation Regimes, Plant Populations And Climate Gradients, Ali T. Mohammed

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Water scarcity in many regions of the world, including Nebraska, is imposing increasing pressure on water demands in agriculture to meet future food and fiber demand of rapidly growing world populations. One of the viable alternatives to counter this challenge is cultivating new drought-tolerant hybrids/varieties/cultivars. Recently, new drought-tolerant maize (Zea mays L.) hybrids have been developed by major seed companies. However, it is essential to evaluate the performance of these hybrids, in terms of grain yield and crop water use (actual evapotranspiration) in various climatic and soil conditions under large production settings. Research was conducted at four locations across the …

Research: South Dakota State University, Fall 2013, Chrisite Delfanian, Eric Landwehr

State of Discovery South Dakota State University's Research Magazine

CONTENTS:

Breaking Waves: Study of breaking waves relevant for lake shorelines [Page] 2
Poetic imagery rooted in research [Page] 3
Virus genome may hold key to better PRRS vaccine [Page] 4
Consumer survey examines savings behaviors, goals [Page] 4
Soybean meal may decrease fish production costs [Page] 5
Alternative fuel sources add value to SD products [Page] 6
International collaboration helps meet global demand for wheat [Page] 7
Commercialization requires big thinking [Page] 9
Young scientist develops software for cancer detection, image transmission [Page] 10
Nursing research to improve rural health care [Page] 11
New vaccine-delivery system targets influenza, cancer …