Digital Commons Network^™

Three Dimensional Characterization Of Vocal Fold Fluid Structure Interactions, Joseph R. Nielson

Theses and Dissertations

Voice quality is strongly linked to quality of life; those who suffer from voice disorders are adversely affected in their social, family, and professional relationships. An effort has been made to more fully understand the physics behind how the voice is created, specifically the fluid structure interactions that occur during vocal fold vibration. Many techniques have been developed and implemented to study both the motion of the vocal folds and the airflow that creates the motion. Until recently these techniques have sought to understand a highly three-dimensional phenomenon with 1D or 2D perspectives.This research focuses on the development and implementation …

Investigation Of Internal Wave Spectra Due To Observed Interactions, Benjamin Lee Hillyard

Theses and Dissertations

Observational data are analyzed and decomposed to reveal internal ocean waves and their interactions with one another. Particularly, the interaction of small-scale internal waves with a large inertia wave packet is examined. Using the governing internal wave equations, an analysis is made of the energy propagation of a small scale internal wave with a large-scale inertia wave. With that, an assessment is made of the frequency of occurrence of various encounter types. Next, the possibility of energy transfer during an interaction is explored. The relative energy of the small wave before interacting with the large-scale inertia wave is calculated and …

Seasonal Influent Characterization, Model Calibration, Srt And Energy Usage For Nitrogen Removal At A Full Scale Wastewater Plant, Roozbeh Raoufi

Civil Engineering ETDs

This study focused on factors affecting biological denitrification in wastewater treatment. Denitrification is a process in which heterotrophic bacteria use nitrate as an electron acceptor (in the absence of oxygen) and organic carbon as an electron donor (commonly measured as chemical oxygen demand, or COD). The availability of sufficient COD is commonly the limiting factor for denitrification at many wastewater plants, with some plants having to purchase external carbon sources (such as acetic acid) to meet stringent nitrogen limits. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of different primary effluent characteristics (COD components), solid retention times (SRTs), …

Selective Salt Recovery From Reverse Osmosis Concentrate Using Inter-Stage Ion Exchange, Joshua E. Goldman

Civil Engineering ETDs

A treatment process for reverse osmosis concentrate was developed to recover selected salts and increase fresh water recovery. The process utilizes cation and anion exchange to exchange all ions in the concentrate stream for sodium and chloride. The sodium chloride stream, with reduced scaling potential, can be treated further by a second reverse osmosis stage or another volume reduction technique to recover additional fresh water. The resulting concentrated sodium chloride stream can be used as ion exchange regeneration solution. Regeneration solutions from the cation and anion exchange columns are mixed to precipitate specific salts. In order to demonstrate the concepts …

Data Access And Visualization Benefits From Implementation Of A Hydrologic Information System, Stephen Brown

Civil Engineering ETDs

In 2010, the National Science Foundation (NSF) implemented new guidelines for all scientists applying for grants. A Data Management Plan (DMP) is now required for all proposals in which data are created or gathered while working under the grant. Several organizations have produced templates and applications to assist with the construction of DMPs. The data plans provide a good overview of data processing and storage but do not provide any guidance for managing data during the research process. Large temporal hydrologic data sets can provide a rich insight to complex hydrologic and ecological systems. Complications arise when attempting to query …

Reliability Models For Hpc Applications And A Cloud Economic Model, Thanadech Thanakornworakij

Doctoral Dissertations

With the enormous number of computing resources in HPC and Cloud systems, failures become a major concern. Therefore, failure behaviors such as reliability, failure rate, and mean time to failure need to be understood to manage such a large system efficiently.

This dissertation makes three major contributions in HPC and Cloud studies. First, a reliability model with correlated failures in a k-node system for HPC applications is studied. This model is extended to improve accuracy by accounting for failure correlation. Marshall-Olkin Multivariate Weibull distribution is improved by excess life, conditional Weibull, to better estimate system reliability. Also, the univariate …

Recovery Of Sensitive Watersheds In The Northeastern United States From Chronic Acidification: The Role Of Soil Chemistry, Chris E. Johnson

Civil and Environmental Engineering - All Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Merrill-Cazier Library Gas Exhibition, Betty Rozum, Andrew Wesolek, Pamela N. Martin

Education and Outreach

This exhibition, presented in the Merrill-Cazier Library, captured the history and accomplishments of the GAS program. Click the download button to see a PowerPoint presentation featuring images and text from the exhibition.

A Nanostructured Fabry-Perot Interferometer For Label-Free Biodetection, Tianhua Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

A polymer nanostructured Fabry-Perot interferometer (FPI) based biosensor has been developed, fabricated, and tested. Different from a conventional FPI, this nanostructured FPI has a layer of Au-coated nanopores inside its cavity. The Au-coated nanostructure layer offers significant enhancement of optical transducing signals due to the localized surface Plasmon resonance (L-SPR) effect. Compared to a traditional FPI for label-free biosensing applications, the polymer nanostructured FPI based biosensor offers increased sensing surface area, extended penetration depth of the excitation light, and amplification of optical transducing signals. Using a nanostructured FPI, measurements taken had great improvements in free spectral range (FSR), finesse, and …

Propagation Of Ultrasound Through Freshly Excised Human Calvarium, Armando Garcia Noguera

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The propagation of ultrasound through complex biological media, such as the human calvarium, poses a great challenge for modern medicine. Several ultrasonic techniques commonly used for treatment and diagnosis in most of the human body are still difficult to apply to the human brain, in part, because of the properties of the skull. Moreover, an understanding of the biomechanics of transcranial ultrasound may provide needed insight into the problem of blast wave induced traumatic brain injury (TBI). In the present study, the spatial variability of ultrasonic properties was evaluated for relevant frequencies of 0.5, 1, and 2.25 MHz. A total …

Brain Recorder, Anthony M. Garcia

Computer Engineering

Electroencephalography (EEG) is the recording of electrical activity along the scalp. Our mind regulates its activities by means of electric waves which are registered in the brain, emitting tiny electrochemical impulses of varied frequencies, which can be registered by an electroencephalogram. These “brainwave” frequencies are split into different bands. There is ongoing research that attempts to correlate the frequencies in the different bands to different emotional states and levels of concentration. With the increase in availability of commercial EEG devices, such studies can be sped up by making the collection of data easier, faster, and mobile. Creating a mobile application …

Development Of In Vitro Tissue Engineered Blood Vessel Mimics In Complex Geometries For Coronary Stent Testing, Robert Dalton Chavez

Master's Theses

Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and occurs when plaque occludes coronary arteries. Coronary stents, which may be used to treat coronary occlusions, are small metal tubes that are implanted in coronary arteries to restore blood flow. After stent implantation, endothelial cells grow over the stent so that blood contacts the endothelial cells instead of the stent surface; this event is known as re-endothelialization. Re-endothelialization prevents blood from clotting on the stent surface and is a good predictor of stent success. Blood vessel mimics (BVMs) are in vitro tissue engineered models of human …

Characterization Of Tight Junction Formation In An In-Vitro Model Of The Blood-Brain Barrier, Michael Robert Machado

Master's Theses

Active and passive transport of substances between the microcirculation in the brain and the central nervous system is regulated by the Blood-Brain Barrier (BBB). This barrier allows for chronic and acute modulation of the CNS microenvironment, and protects the brain from potentially noxious compounds carried in the circulatory system. In-vitro modeling of the BBB has become the target of much research over the past decade, as there are many unanswered questions regarding modulations in the permeability of this barrier. Additionally, the development of a practical and inexpensive model of the BBB would facilitate a much more efficient drug development process. …

Development And Characterization Of An In-House Custom Bioreactor For The Cultivation Of A Tissue Engineered Blood-Brain Barrier, Amin Hadi Mirzaaghaeian

Master's Theses

The development of treatments for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease begins by understanding what these diseases affect and the consequences of further manifestation. One particular region where these diseases can produce substantial problems is the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The BBB is the selective diffusion barrier between the circulating blood and the brain. The barrier’s main function is to maintain CNS homeostasis and protect the brain from the extracellular environment. The progression of BBB research has advanced to the point where many have modeled the BBB in vitro with aims of further characterizing and testing the barrier. Particularly, …

Tissue Engineering A Blood Vessel Mimic While Monitoring Contamination Through Sterility Assurance Testing, Navid Djassemi

Master's Theses

Tissue Engineering A Blood Vessel Mimic While Monitoring Contamination Through Sterility Assurance Testing

Navid Djassemi

Tissue engineering blood vessel mimics has been proposed as a method to analyze the endothelial cell response to intravascular devices that are used in today’s clinical settings for the treatment of cardiovascular disease. Thus, the development of in vitro blood vessel mimics (BVMs) in Cal Poly’s Tissue Engineering Lab has introduced the possibility of assessing the characteristics of cellular response to past, present, and future intravascular devices that aim at treating coronary artery disease.

This thesis aimed at improving the methods and procedures utilized in …

Kinematic And Kinetic Synergies Of The Lower Extremities During The Pull In Olympic Weightlifting, Kristof Kipp, Josh Redden, Michelle Sabick, Chad Harris

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this study was to identify multijoint lower extremity kinematic and kinetic synergies in weightlifting and compare these synergies between joints and across different external loads. Subjects completed sets of the clean exercise at loads equal to 65, 75, and 85% of their estimated 1-RM. Functional data analysis was used to extract principal component functions (PCF's) for hip, knee, and ankle joint angles and moments of force during the pull phase of the clean at all loads. The PCF scores were then compared between joints and across loads to determine how much of each PCF was present at …

A Large-Scale Mathematical Model Of The Rat Pulmonary Circulation And The Effect Of Chronic Hypoxia, Loolu Rafeeq

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Mathematical models are useful for developing understanding of the behavior of complex biological systems. Recent work on a “physiome” project is aimed at using computational modeling to analyze integrative biological function by developing a simulation system for hypothesis testing (Borg & Hunter, 2003). To date, extensive work on cardiovascular, endocrine and nervous system models has been undertaken. Our objective here is to contribute to this effort by further developing a comprehensive integrative model of the pulmonary circulation. A computational model of the dog pulmonary circulation was originally developed by Haworth et al. (Haworth S. T., 1996; Haworth, Linehan, Bronikowski, & …

Relating Methanogen Community Structure And Function In Anaerobic Digesters, Benjamin T.W. Bocher

Dissertations (1934 -)

A deeper understanding of how microbial community structure relates to process function would help improve anaerobic digester design. This dissertation describes both qualitative and quantitative relationships between anaerobic digester function and microbial community structure. Community structure was characterized using banding pattern intensities from denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) for the mcrA gene of methanogenic Archaea. The first project compared a single-stage continuously mixed stirred tank reactor (CSTR) and staging with an acidogenic CSTR followed by a methanogenic CSTR. After seeding with the same biomass, these unique process configurations exhibited different function and qualitatively different methanogen communities. Compared to a single-stage …

Life Cycle Boundaries And Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Beef Cattle, Quentin M. Dudley

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

Beef cattle are estimated to directly contribute 26% of U.S. agricultural greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and future climate change policy may target reducing these emissions. Life cycle assessment (LCA) of GHG emissions from U.S. feedlot beef cattle was conducted to compare methods of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with a more complete evaluation of emissions. The inclusion of emissions from crop production for feed, associated land use change, and other minor factors nearly doubled GHG emissions associated with beef feedlots from the EPA Annual Inventory estimate of 1611 kgCO₂e hd^-1 yr^-1 to 3182 ± 167 …

Preservation Of Methanogenic Cultures To Enhance Anaerobic Digestion, Ujwal H. Bhattad

Dissertations (1934 -)

The use of anaerobic biotechnology is increasing as a sustainable process to treat various organic wastes. Methanogens convert organic COD into CH4 and play the key role to drive thermodynamically unfavorable biochemical fermentation reactions and keep the digestion process steady and efficient. Progressive understanding of anaerobic microbiology with digester functionality may help to develop efficient, customized methanogenic cultures to enhance anaerobic bioprocesses. Preservation of methanogenic cultures via drying would be a cost-effective option for research and practical applications. However, preservation of methanogenic cultures is challenging due to methanogen sensitivity to O2 toxicity and drying, and very limited work is reported …

Real-Time Virtual Pathology Using Signal Analysis And Synthesis, Dennis L. Bergin

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This dissertation discusses the modeling and simulation (M& S) research in the area of real-time virtual pathology using signal analysis and synthesis. The goal of this research is to contribute to the research in the M&S area of generating simulated outputs of medical diagnostics tools to supplement training of medical students with human patient role players.

To become clinically competent physicians, medical students must become skilled in the areas of doctor-patient communication, eliciting the patient's history, and performing the physical exam. The use of Standardized Patients (SPs), individuals trained to realistically portray patients, has become common practice. SPs provide the …

Development And Validation Methodology Of The Nuss Procedure Surgical Planner, Krzysztof J. Rechowicz

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Pectus excavatum (PE) is a congenital chest wall deformity which is characterized, in most cases, by a deep depression of the sternum. A minimally invasive technique for the repair of PE (MIRPE), often referred to as the Nuss procedure, has been proven to be more advantageous than many other PE treatment techniques. The Nuss procedure consists of placement of a metal bar(s) underneath the sternum, thereby forcibly changing the geometry of the ribcage. Because of the prevalence of PE and the popularity of the Nuss procedure, the demand to perform this surgery is greater than ever. Therefore, a Nuss procedure …

Multidentate Resorcinarene Surfactants For The Phase Transfer Of Metal Nanoparticles And Nanodiamonds: Applications In Catalysis And Diamond Film Growth, Vara Prasad Sheela

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

One main objective of the present work is to functionalize cuboctahedral platinum nanoparticles with various multidentate resorcinarene surfactants and study their influence in determining their catalytic activity. We hypothesized that catalytically active and recyclable catalysts can be achieved by incomplete yet strong passivation of the nanoparticle surfaces by using multidentate resorcinarene surfactants. We have developed phase transfer protocols for functionalizing cuboctahedral platinum nanoparticles with resorcinarene thiol or amine. Fluorescence assay confirmed that both these nanoparticles contained almost comparable unpassivated metal area. The activity of such phase transferred nanoparticles was tested in the catalytic hydrogenation of allyl alcohol. The conversion of …

The Effects Of Familiarity And Persuasion On Risk Assessment, Casey L. Smith

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Cognitive biases influence decisions and the analyses of risk. They are often derived from two separate processes: bias based on familiarity (familiarity bias) and bias as the result of influences from outside sources (persuasion bias). Research suggests that familiarity-based bias may lead to acceptance of an activity's drawbacks and a leniency of its risks.

In addition, research has tried to measure and analyze different types of biases individually, but few have compared the interactions of more than one bias at once. Because different biases may derive from different mental phenomena it is important to tease out the distinctions, and observe …

An Oxidase-Based Electrochemical Fluidic Sensor With High-Sensitivity And Low-Interference By On-Chip Oxygen Manipulation, Nitin Radhakrishnan, Jongwon Park, Chang Soo Kim

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Utilizing a simple fluidic structure, we demonstrate the improved performance of oxidase-Based enzymatic biosensors. Electrolysis of water is utilized to generate bubbles to manipulate the oxygen microenvironment close to the biosensor in a fluidic channel. for the proper enzyme reactions to occur, a simple mechanical procedure of manipulating bubbles was developed to maximize the oxygen level while minimizing the pH change after electrolysis. the sensors show improved sensitivities based on the oxygen dependency of enzyme reaction. in addition, this oxygen-rich operation minimizes the ratio of electrochemical interference signal by ascorbic acid during sensor operation (i.e., amperometric detection of hydrogen peroxide). …

Unconventional Uses Of Microcantilevers As Chemical Sensors In Gas And Liquid Media, I. Dufour, Fabien Josse, Stephen M. Heinrich, C. Lucat, C. Ayela, F. Ménil, O. Brand

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The use of microcantilevers as (bio)chemical sensors usually involves the application of a chemically sensitive layer. The coated device operates either in a static bending regime or in a dynamic flexural mode. While some of these coated devices may be operated successfully in both the static and the dynamic modes, others may suffer from certain shortcomings depending on the type of coating, the medium of operation and the sensing application. Such shortcomings include lack of selectivity and reversibility of the sensitive coating and a reduced quality factor due to the surrounding medium. In particular, the performance of microcantilevers excited in …

Adaptive Optics Scanning Ophthalmoscopy With Annular Pupils, Yusufu N. Sulai, Alfredo Dubra

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Annular apodization of the illumination and/or imaging pupils of an adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) for improving transverse resolution was evaluated using three different normalized inner radii (0.26, 0.39 and 0.52). In vivo imaging of the human photoreceptor mosaic at 0.5 and 10° from fixation indicates that the use of an annular illumination pupil and a circular imaging pupil provides the most benefit of all configurations when using a one Airy disk diameter pinhole, in agreement with the paraxial confocal microscopy theory. Annular illumination pupils with 0.26 and 0.39 normalized inner radii performed best in terms of the narrowing …

Examining Lower Extremity Motor Activity Using Magnetoencephalography, Ruth M. Swedler

Master's Theses (2009 -)

The role of the cortex during locomotion remains unclear, but recent advances in neural imaging technologies have aided in developing ways to measure brain activity during motor tasks. One method is by measuring activations produced by neural oscillations which have been associated with a variety of human behaviors, from sleep and rest to cognitive actions and movement. The physiological and functional methods in which oscillations contribute to cortical control are still largely unknown. In this study, we aim to expand that knowledge by examining human cortical activity in the sensory and motor cortices during pedaling using magnetoencephalography (MEG). We hypothesized …

Diamond This Film Patterning Technique Using Selective Nucleation Growth, Characterization And Application, Weican Xiao

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Diamond is the hardest bulk material with the highest thermal conductivity. It is also an excellent wide band gap material; hence, diamond is suitable for electronic, mechanical and biological applications. Unfortunately, natural diamond is prohibitively expensive for most technological applications. Polycrystalline diamond, with properties close to those of natural diamond, has been synthesized since the 1950s. Among many methods employed for diamond thin film synthesis, chemical vapor deposition (CVD) using microwave plasma (MW) is quite popular for several reasons. Well-confined plasma that does not touch the reaction chamber walls can be produced directly on the substrate. Hence, contamination in the …

Summer 2012 Biomedical Engineering Newsletter, Department Of Biomedical Engineering, Michigan Technological University

Department of Biomedical Engineering Newsletters

Table of Contents

• Dr. Jeremy Goldman wins a Fulbright Scholarship
• Research updates
• Hal Holmes named Goldwater Scholar
• Top honors at the Undergraduate Expo