Digital Commons Network^™

Generation And Printing Of Strictly Monodisperse Droplets, Hongxu Duan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Highly monodisperse droplets are attracting great attention both in many research areas, such as aerosol science, combustion, and Nano-manufacturing. This thesis invents a novel aerosol generator: “Periodic Electro Hydro-dynamic Chopper” termed as “PEHD chopper”, and develops a new method to directly print micro-patterns with monodisperse droplets. The principle of the PEHD chopper is to use the fringe electric field of a capacitor to introduce controlled perturbation on a liquid jet. We first derived the governing equations for a circular inviscid liquid jet under transverse electric fields. The electric fields were obtained through numerical simulation. Then we used a high speed …

Integrating Multiobjective Optimization With The Six Sigma Methodology For Online Process Control, Emad Abualsauod

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Over the past two decades, the Define-Measure-Analyze-Improve-Control (DMAIC) framework of the Six Sigma methodology and a host of statistical tools have been brought to bear on process improvement efforts in today’s businesses. However, a major challenge of implementing the Six Sigma methodology is maintaining the process improvements and providing real-time performance feedback and control after solutions are implemented, especially in the presence of multiple process performance objectives. The consideration of a multiplicity of objectives in business and process improvement is commonplace and, quite frankly, necessary. However, balancing the collection of objectives is challenging as the objectives are inextricably linked, and, …

Speech Detection Using Gammatone Features And One-Class Support Vector Machine, Douglas Cooper

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

A network gateway is a mechanism which provides protocol translation and/or validation of network traffic using the metadata contained in network packets. For media applications such as Voice-over-IP, the portion of the packets containing speech data cannot be verified and can provide a means of maliciously transporting code or sensitive data undetected. One solution to this problem is through Voice Activity Detection (VAD). Many VAD’s rely on time-domain features and simple thresholds for efficient speech detection however this doesn’t say much about the signal being passed. More sophisticated methods employ machine learning algorithms, but train on specific noises intended for …

Gpu Ray Traced Rendering And Image Fusion Based Visualization Of Urban Terrain For Enhanced Situation Awareness, Lingling Sik

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Urban activities involving planning, preparing for and responding to time critical situations often demands sound situational awareness of overall settings. Decision makers, who are tasked to respond effectively to emergencies, must be equipped with information on the details of what is happening, and must stay informed with updates as the event unfolds and remain attentive to the extent of impact the dynamics of the surrounding settings might have. Recent increases in the volumes of geo-spatial data such as satellite imageries, elevation maps, street-level photographs and real-time imageries from remote sensory devices affect the way decision makers make assessments in time-critical …

Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment Framework For The U.S. Built Environment, Murat Kucukvar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The overall goals of this dissertation are to investigate the sustainability of the built environment, holistically, by assessing its Triple Bottom Line (TBL): environmental, economic, and social impacts, as well as propose cost-effective, socially acceptable, and environmentally benign policies using several decision support models. This research is anticipated to transform life cycle assessment (LCA) of the built environment by using a TBL framework, integrated with economic input-output analysis, simulation, and multicriteria optimization tools. The major objectives of the outlined research are to (1) build a system-based TBL sustainability assessment framework for the sustainable built environment, by (a) advancing a national …

Self-Assembled Two-Component Organic Tubes: Structures And Applications, Wenlang Liang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bile acids are physiologically important metabolites, which are synthesized in liver as the end products of cholesterol metabolism and then secreted into the intestines. They play a critical role in the digestion and absorption of fats and fat-soluble vitamins through emulsifications. The amphipathic and chiral nature of bile acids makes their unique building blocks for assembling supramolecular structures including vesicles, fibers, ribbons and hollow tubes. Lithocholic acid (LCA) is a secondary bile acid. Our studies show LCA can selfassemble into helical tubes in aqueous solution by the linear aggregation and fusion of vesicles. The objective of this dissertation is to …

Ozone And Gac Treatment Of A Central Florida Groundwater For Sulfide And Disinfectant By-Product Control, Tara Lamoureux

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This study evaluated the combination of ozone and granular activated carbon (GAC) treatment for the removal of sulfide and disinfection byproduct (DBP) precursors in drinking water at the pilot-scale. The research conducted was performed at the Auxiliary (Aux) and Main Water Treatment Plants (WTPs) in Sanford, Florida. Both WTPs rely upon groundwater sources that contain total sulfide ranging from 0.02 to 2.35 mg/L and total organic carbon (TOC) ranging from 0.61 to 2.20 mg/L. The Aux WTP’s raw water contains, on average, 88% more sulfide and 24% more TOC than the Main WTP. Haloacetic acids (HAA5) and total trihalomethanes (TTHMs) …

Load Estimation For Electric Power Distribution Networks, Chiebuka Eyisi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In electric power distribution systems, the major determinant in electricity supply strategy is the quantity of demand. Customers need to be accurately represented using updated nodal load information as a requirement for efficient control and operation of the distribution network. In Distribution Load Estimation (DLE), two major categories of data are utilized: historical data and direct real-time measured data. In this thesis, a comprehensive survey on the state-of-the-art methods for estimating loads in distribution networks is presented. Then, a novel method for representing historical data in the form of Representative Load Curves (RLCs) for use in realtime DLE is also …

Polymeric Nanocarriers And Their Oral Inhalation Formulations For The Regional Delivery Of Nucleic Acids To The Lungs, Denise Santos Conti

Wayne State University Dissertations

Gene therapy has attracted attention in the fields of medicine, pharmacy, and bionanotechnology due to the potential for treating a large number of medically relevant diseases. Oral inhalation (OI) is a promising route for the administration of therapeutics, including small molecules and biomacromolecules, such as nucleotides, peptides, and proteins, to (locally) and through (systemically) the lungs. The use of OI is especially attractive for the delivery of nucleic acids as it provides a direct and non-invasive route for targeting the lungs. Pressurized metered-dose inhalers (pMDIs), are the most commonly used OI in treatment of lung diseases and are thus promising …

Real Time Estimation, Quantization, And Remote Control Of Permanent Magnet Dc Motors, Mohammad Obeidat

Wayne State University Dissertations

Establishing real-time models for electric motors is of importance for capturing authentic dynamic behavior of the motors to improve control performance, enhance robustness, and support diagnosis. Quantized sensors are less expensive and remote controlled motors mandate signal quantization. Such limitations on observations introduce challenging issues in motor parameter estimation. This dissertation develops estimators for model parameters of permanent magnet direct current motors (PMDC) using quantized speed measurements. A typical linearized model structure of PMDC motors is used as a benchmark platform to demonstrate the technology, its key properties, and benefits. Convergence properties are established. Simulations and experimental studies are performed …

Diagnosis Of Systemic Inflammation Using Transendothelial Electrical Resistance And Low-Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic Materials, William L. Mercke

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Systemic inflammation involves a complex array of cytokines that can result in organ dysfunction. Mortality remains high despite the vast amount of research conducted to find an effective biomarker. The cause of systemic inflammation can be broad and non-specific; therefore, this research investigates using transendothelial electrical resistance (TEER) measurements to better define systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS)/sepsis within a patient. Results show a difference in TEER measurements between healthy individuals and SIRS-rated patients. This research also displays correlations between TEER measurements and biomarkers currently studied with systemic inflammation (tumor necrosis factor-α, C- reactive protein, procalcitonin). Furthermore, this research also presents …

Eastern Michigan University Undergraduate Catalog, 2013-2014, Office Of The Registrar

Undergraduate Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Eastern Michigan University Graduate Catalog, 2013-2014, Office Of The Registrar

Graduate Catalogs

No abstract provided.

Cooperative Semantic Information Processing For Literature-Based Biomedical Knowledge Discovery, Zhiguo Yu

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Given that data is increasing exponentially everyday, extracting and understanding the information, themes and relationships from large collections of documents is more and more important to researchers in many areas. In this paper, we present a cooperative semantic information processing system to help biomedical researchers understand and discover knowledge in large numbers of titles and abstracts from PubMed query results.

Our system is based on a prevalent technique, topic modeling, which is an unsupervised machine learning approach for discovering the set of semantic themes in a large set of documents. In addition, we apply a natural language processing technique to …

Outcome And State Transition Modeling For Adaptive Interdisciplinary Pain Management, Aera Kim Leboulluec

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Pain management is a major global health problem. The World Health Organization estimates that, globally, 1 in 5 adults suffer from chronic pain and in the United States alone, chronic pain affects nearly 100 million adults resulting in an estimated annual cost of $560 to $635 billion. The University of Texas at Arlington and the Eugene McDermott Center for Pain Management at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas (The Center) are collaborating to seek adaptive treatment strategies for interdisciplinary pain management in a two-stage program. Interdisciplinary pain management combines multiple disciplines of professionals to understand the biological …

Nanogap Break Junctions And Solid-State Micropores As Electronic Biosensors, Azhar Ilyas

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Cancer has been the top ranked fatal disease for the last several decades. Most of the cancers remain silent at its earlier stage and are usually diagnosed at advanced and incurable phase. Early detection of cancer can have immediate and far reaching impact on better prognosis of cancer patients. Diseases are initially expressed at molecular and cellular scale and identification of these deadly diseases at such small scales would be a great step toward early detection. The study of biological molecules and diseased cells require efficient fabrication techniques to develop sensing devices with molecular size entrapment. Bio-nanotechnology and BioMEMs promise …

A Low-Noise, Low-Power Cmos Amperometric Circuit For Glucose Sensing, Niranjan Karandikar

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

Diabetes is disorder associated with an insufficiency of insulin secretion. Large number of people around the world suffers from this disorder which can result into damages to eyes, kidneys, nerves and even death. One of the most common methods to detect the diabetes is to monitor the levels of glucose is the blood stream. Other biological fluids like tear fluid can also be used to detect levels of glucose. With emergence of MEMS technology several biosensors are developed, less invasive or non-invasive, which can detect these glucose levels from blood or tear. Central idea behind the developments of these biosensors …

Increases In Rops Pricing From 2006-2012 And The Impact On Rops Demand, Julie A. Sorensen, Paul L. Jenkins, Barbara Bayes, Erin Madden, Mark Purschwitz, John J. May

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

In 2006, a social marketing campaign was developed to increase the installation of rollover protective structures (ROPS) on unprotected New York tractors. Using data gathered from the program's hotline, the impact of price increases on farmers' interest in ROPS is examined. Pricing data were obtained for all rigid ROPS kits commercially available in the U.S. since 2006. These data were stratified into two groups of ROPS suppliers: (1) tractor manufacturers that sell ROPS for their own tractors, referred to in this study as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and (2) aftermarket (AM) ROPS suppliers. The trend in price increases was contrasted …

Development Of A Semi-Automated Tobacco Stripping Machine Utilizing String Trimmers, Robert George Sperry, John H. Wilhoit, George A. Duncan

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Conventional stripping of burley tobacco is labor intensive and typically requires 50 to 75 worker hours per acre (wkr•h/acre). The goal of the project was to reduce labor by optimizing leaf removal by string trimmer heads using combinations of strings lengths and motor speeds. In tests conducted on a single grade, all leaves outside the grade were removed by hand. Plants were run through the machine for string lengths of 13, 18, and 23 cm (5, 7, and 9 in.) and associated motor speeds which were monitored and recorded. Stripping efficiencies were calculated for each plant and collectively for each …

Designing Contour Weep Berms To Reduce Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution, Richard C. Warner, Carmen T. Agouridis, Ross L. Guffey

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Nonpoint source pollution (NPS) of surface waters is a significant issue in agricultural lands, and best management practices (BMPs) are often used to reduce these impacts. Since the effectiveness of a BMP depends on a large number of widely varying factors, it is important to continue to develop BMPs in order to provide designers with more tools to use to maximize NPS removal. The contour weep berm is a new structural BMP constructed out of earth and subsequently vegetated. It is a linear BMP that is used in combination with a down-gradient vegetated filter strip or forested riparian buffer. Preliminary …

Influence Of Flue Gas Components On The Growth Rate Of Chlorella Vulgaris And Scenedesmus Acutus, Czarena Crofcheck, Aubrey Shea, Michael D. Montross, Mark Crocker, Rodney Andrews

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have increased since the industrial revolution due to the increase in combustion of fossil fuels. One possible alternative strategy is the use of microalgae for CO₂ capture and recycling. Major components in coal-derived flue gas that may accumulate and effect algae growth include both sulfur oxides and fly ash. However, in practical application, sulfur oxides will be converted quickly to the acid product (H₂SO₄) in the aerobic aqueous conditions of algae cultivation. In this article, the influence of elevated H₂SO₄ levels and the presence of coal-derived fly ash …

A Correlation-Based Optical Flowmeter For Enclosed Flows, Naiqian Zhang, Joseph S. Dvorak, Yali Zhang

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

A low-cost flowmeter would be very useful in a wide variety of monitoring situations. This article discusses the development of such a flowmeter based on optical components and its testing with water in an enclosed flow system. The sensor consisted of two sets of LEDs and phototransistors spaced 4 cm apart, monitoring the optical properties of the fluid at upstream and downstream locations, respectively. A small amount of dye was injected into the flow, which caused a change in the optical properties of the fluid at both locations. The time required for this change to move from the upstream to …

New Microarray Image Segmentation Using Segmentation Based Contours Method, Yuan Cheng

Doctoral Dissertations

The goal of the research developed in this dissertation is to develop a more accurate segmentation method for Affymetrix microarray images. The Affymetrix microarray biotechnologies have become increasingly important in the biomedical research field. Affymetrix microarray images are widely used in disease diagnostics and disease control. They are capable of monitoring the expression levels of thousands of genes simultaneously. Hence, scientists can get a deep understanding on genomic regulation, interaction and expression by using such tools.

We also introduce a novel Affymetrix microarray image simulation model and how the Affymetrix microarray image is simulated by using this model. This simulation …

Microfluidic Devices Applied On Enriching Post –Translational Modified Proteins For Proteomics, Hui Xia

Doctoral Dissertations

In this work, microfluidic devices were developed for enriching post-translational modified proteins. Post-translational modifications (PTM) of proteins play essential roles in cellular physiology and disease. The identification of protein substrates and detection of modification site helps understand PTM-mediated regulation in essential biological pathways and functions in various diseases. However, PTM proteins are typically present only at trace levels, making them difficult to identify in mass spectrometry based proteomics. This work study is about the design, fabrication and testing of the microfluidic device for the enrichment of abundant amount of PTMs. Carbonylated protein is used as a representative PTM to illustrate …

Ultrasonication Assisted Layer-By-Layer Technology For The Preparation Of Multi-Functional Anticancer Drugs Paclitaxel And Lapatinib, Xingcai Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

In this dissertation, ultrasonication assisted Layer-by-Layer (LbL) technology for the preparation of multifunctional poorly water-soluble anticancer drug nanoparticles, paclitaxel and lapatinib, has been developed. Many FDA approved drugs are very low soluble in water; therefore, it is very difficult to load and control their release and targeting efficiently, which greatly confines their application. The development of this method will pave the way for the development and application of those low soluble anticancer drugs.

In the first part of this dissertation, the first approach for powerful ultrasonication, the top-down approach (sonicating bulk drug crystals in polyelectrolyte solution), was successfully applied for …

Engineering Microenvironments To Modulate Calcium Information Processing In Neuronal Cells, Kinsey Cotton Kelly

Doctoral Dissertations

Tissue engineered microenvironments were constructed to test the effects glial cells have on calcium information processing, and to mimic conditions in vivo for tumor invasion and residual cancer after resection of tumor. Submaximal, nM, glutamate (GLU) stimuli were applied to the engineered environments, and the resulting calcium dynamic behavior of neuronal cells was measured to help predict and interpret chaotic systems in the experimental realm. Calcium is a key signaling ion which signals through the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) glutamate receptor on the neuronal membrane. GLU binding to the NMDA receptor (NMDAR) causes a large and dynamic increase in neuronal intracellular calcium. …

Adding Data Parallelism To Streaming Pipelines For Throughput Optimization, Peng Li, Kunal Agrawal, Jeremy Buhler, Roger D. Chamberlain

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

The streaming model is a popular model for writing high-throughput parallel applications. A streaming application is represented by a graph of computation stages that communicate with each other via FIFO channels. In this report, we consider the problem of mapping streaming pipelines — streaming applications where the graph is a linear chain — in order to maximize throughput. In a parallel setting, subsets of stages, called components can be mapped onto different computing resources. The through-put of an application is determined by the throughput of the slowest component. Therefore, if some stage is much slower than others, then it may …

Scanner: An Efficient And Accurate Trimming Tool For Illumina Next Generation Sequencing Reads, Xiang Zhou

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

Recent advances in High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) technology have greatly facilitated the researches in bioinformatics field. With the ultra-high sequencing speed and improved base-calling accuracy, Illumina Genome Analyzer is currently the most widely used platform in the field. To use the raw reads generated from the sequencing machine, the 3’ adapter sequence attached to the real read in the process of ligation needs to be correctly trimmed. This is often done by some inhouse scripts or different packages with various parameters. They either use the Smith-Waterman algorithm or search for an exact match of the 3’ adapter sequence. In this report, …

Manufacturing Nerve Guidance Conduits By Stereolithography For Use In Peripheral Nerve Regeneration, Mireya Aidee Perez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Nerve regeneration techniques have been studied in great depth in recent years. Peripheral nerve injuries, in particular, can be caused by accidents, falls, athletic injuries, etc. Current methods of repair include direct suturing of the 2 injured nerve ends or the use of autografts, when a nerve section is taken from another area of the body. Both methods have a series of limitations which have led researchers to study alternative methods of repair. Nerve guidance conduits may provide a viable solution because they can be modified and adapted to the patient's needs. Some conduits already exist on the market and …

An Exploration Of Social Media Use Among Multiply Minoritized Lgbtq Youth, Alfie Leanna Lucero

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

This study responds to a need for research in a fast-growing and significant area of study, that of exploring, understanding, and documenting the numerous ways that multiply marginalized LGBTQ youth between the ages of 14 and 17 use social media. The primary research question examined whether social media provide safe spaces for multiply minoritized LGBTQ youth to express and explore issues of sexuality and gender. In addition, the study explores and categorizes multiple ways that the participants interact with social media and makes comparisons to prior work with more general populations. The study provides descriptions of the participants in terms …