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Weapon Engagement Zone Maximum Launch Range Approximation Using A Multilayer Perceptron, Brian Michael Birkmire

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This thesis investigates the use of an artificial neural network (ANN), in particular a Multi-Layer Perceptron (MLP), to perform function approximation on truth data representing a weapon engagement zone's (WEZ) maximum launch range. The WEZ of an air-to-air missile represents the boundaries and zones of effectiveness for a one-vs-one air-to-air combat engagement [13]. The intent is for the network to fuse table lookup and interpolation functionality into a physically compact and computationally efficient package, while improving approximation accuracy over conventional methods. Data was collected from simulated firings of a notional air-to-air missile model and used to train a two layer …

Impact Of Insulin Resistance On Behavioral And Neurochemical Deficits In Db/Db Mice, Ajaykumar Narayan Sharma

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There is a high comorbidity of type-2 diabetes and neuropsychiatric disorders. However, there is paucity of preclinical research to study this phenomenon. The validity of the db/db mouse as an animal model to study type-2 diabetes and related macrovascular and microvascular complications is well established. The first part of this dissertation was designed to investigate comprehensively the db/db mouse behavior as preclinical evidence of type-2 diabetes related major neurobehavioral complications. Juvenile (5-6 weeks) and adult (10-11 weeks) db/db mice were screened for behavioral depression in forced swim test (FST), psychosis-like symptoms using pre-pulse inhibition (PPI) test, anxiety behavior employing elevated …

Graphene Based Rf/Microwave Impedance Sensing And Low Loss Conductor For Rf Applications, Iramnaaz Iramnaaz

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Biosensors are becoming more popular recently and expanding due to their broad applications in detecting disease and infectious agents, monitoring of environmental toxins, etc. Recognition and quantification of biochemical molecules and molecular interactions present great challenges in biosensing [38]. Impedance sensing at radio frequency (RF) /microwave frequency becomes very attractive as bio-molecules exhibits large distinct dielectric properties, and also because the ionic conductivity of water in most physiological systems is greatly diminished. For example, it has been reported that tumoral cells exhibits large value of electrical conductivity and permittivity which can result in significant variation of the impedance when compared …

The Development Of Silver Nanoparticles As Antiviral Agents, John Christopher Trefry

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Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have received tremendous attention for their antimicrobial properties; however, many gaps in knowledge exist. To address these issues, three research objectives were examined. The first objective hypothesized AgNPs can be size selected and concentrated via tangential flow ultrafiltration. The second objective hypothesized a high-throughput method could be developed to screen nanoparticle antiviral-activity and cytotoxicity simultaneously. The third objective hypothesized AgNPs inhibit viruses by preventing viral entry.

For objective one, a tangential flow ultrafiltration scheme was tested on AgNPs synthesized via the Creighton Colloid method. AgNPs were analyzed via transmission electron microscopy. In objective two, an HIV-1 vector …

Son Is Essential For Nuclear Speckle Organization, Cell Cycle Progression And Pre-Mrna Splicing, Alok S. Sharma

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Nuclear speckles provide important spatial organization and dynamic regulation for pre-mRNA processing factors in mammalian cells. While the nuclear speckle proteome is complex, little is known at the molecular level about how these factors are organized into nuclear speckles or how alterations in the organization of these factors impacts gene expression. We have discovered a new function for a large (2564 amino acid) nuclear speckle protein called Son in maintaining the organization of pre-mRNA processing factors in nuclear speckles. Depletion of Son by RNAi causes snRNP and serine-arginine rich (SR protein) splicing factors to undergo dramatic disorganization into doughnut-shaped nuclear …

A Domain Specific Language Based Approach For Developing Complex Cloud Computing Applications, Ashwin Kumar Manjunatha

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Computing has changed. Lately, a slew of cheap, ubiquitous, connected mobile devices as well as seemingly unlimited, utility style, pay as you go computing resources has become available at the disposal of the common man. The latter commonly called Cloud Computing (or just Cloud) is democratizing computing by making large computing power accessible to people and corporations around the world easily and economically.

However, taking full advantage of this computing landscape, especially for the data intensive domains, has been hampered by many factors, the primary one being the complexity in developing applications for the variety of available platforms.

This thesis …

Predicting Vigilance Performance Under Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation, Nathaniel Reese Bridges

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A brain stimulation technology called transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) may potentially mitigate the vigilance decrement. To practically use such technology, however, a model is necessary that indicates vigilance performance, both when stimulation is being applied and not applied. To address this issue, the author developed models capable of predicting vigilance performance in real and control stimulation conditions using previous tDCS-study data. The "all possible combinations" regression method produced over 200 models, later screened to 10. The model with the best average %error (11.49 ± 0.10) used left hemispheric cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFVL) as its sole input term-accounting for …

Semi-Automated Dental Cast Analysis Software, Mathew Thomas

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Dental casts have been used extensively to study almost all aspects of the human dentition. These aspects varied from the study of tooth form and morphology, inheritance and genetics, growth and development, occlusion, arch alignment and crowding to mathematical determination of dental arch form.

The aim of this project was to develop a tool to semi-automate the measurement of dental casts that would be precise, accurate and efficient. Measurements include tooth widths, arch lengths and widths, angle of rotation and crown area for each tooth.

The task was divided into two different parts: first, the development of semi-automatic software to …

The Functionalization And Characterization Of Adherent Carbon Nanotubes With Silver Nanoparticles For Biological Applications, Adam A. Maleszewski

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The purpose of this project is to form silver nanoparticles (Ag-NP) attached to a hierarchical substrate for possible use in biological applications. The effectiveness of these Ag-NP-containing devices, including biofilters and biosensors, may be dramatically enhanced by the use of hierarchical structures such as carbon nanotubes (CNT), as they offer a high surface area surface suitable for cell-device interactions, while Ag-NP would be a suitable component in many such devices due to its plasmonic surface properties (e.g. in sensor and directed energy applications) and its anti-microbial properties (desirable for fluid filtration due to its low weight. Meaningful control over the …

The Molecular Basis Of The Interaction Between The Coxsackievirus And Adenovirus Receptor (Car) And Magi-1, Abimbola Olayinka Kolawole

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A major factor in virus entry into cells is localization and abundance of the primary receptor. The Coxsackievirus and adenovirus receptor (CAR) is the primary receptor for group B coxsackievirus and many serotypes of adenovirus. In most epithelia, a seven exon isoform of CAR (CAR^Ex7) is exclusively localized at the basolateral surface where it behaves as a homophilic adhesion protein and is inaccessible for viral infection. However, in well-differentiated human airway epithelia, we recently discovered an alternatively spliced, low abundance isoform of CAR (CAR^Ex8) that is apically localized where it may initiate apical viral infection. The …

Influence Of Tissue Absorption And Scattering On Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy Blood Flow Measurements, Daniel Irwin

University of Kentucky Master's Theses

This investigation evaluates the influences of optical property assumptions on nearinfrared diffuse correlation spectroscopy (DCS) flow index measurements. Independent variation is induced in optical properties, absorption coefficient (μ_a) and reduced scattering coefficient (μ_s’), of liquid phantoms with concurrent measurements of flow indices. A hybrid instrument is incorporated consisting of a dual-wavelength (785 and 830 nm) DCS flow device to obtain flow indices and a frequency-domain tissue-oximeter for optical properties. Flow indices are calculated with measured μ_a and μ_s’ or assumed constant μ_a and μ_s’. Inaccurate μ_s’ assumptions produced …

Reprogrammed Transcriptome In Rhesus-Bovine Interspecies Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Embryos, Kai Wang, Hasan H. Otu, Ying Chen, Young Lee, Keith Latham, Jose B. Cibelli

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

Background: Global activation of the embryonic genome (EGA), one of the most critical steps in early mammalian embryo development, is recognized as the time when interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iSCNT) embryos fail to thrive.

Methodology/Principal Findings: In this study, we analyzed the EGA-related transcriptome of rhesus-bovine iSCNT 8- to 16- cell embryos and dissected the reprogramming process in terms of embryonic gene activation, somatic gene silencing, and maternal RNA degradation. Compared with fibroblast donor cells, two thousand and seven genes were activated in iSCNT embryos, one quarter of them reaching expression levels comparable to those found in in vitro …

In Vitro Models For Glaucoma Research: Effects Of Hydrostatic Pressure, Yuan Lei, Shadi Rajabi, Ryan M. Pedrigi, Darryl R. Overby, A. Thomas Read, C. Ross Ethier

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

PURPOSE. The response of cells (e.g., optic nerve head [ONH] cells) to mechanical stress is important in glaucoma. Studies have reported the biological effects of hydrostatic pressure on ONH cells cultured on a rigid substrate. An apparatus, designed to independently vary hydrostatic pressure and gas tension (including oxygen tension) in culture medium, was used to evaluate the effects of pressure and tension on cell migration, shape, and α-tubulin architecture in a transformed cell line (DITNC1 rat cortical astrocytes).

METHODS. During the assay period, cells were exposed to one of four experimental configurations: (1) control pressure and control gas tension; (2) …

Missouri River Recovery Program Emergent Sandbar Habitat Annual Adaptive Management Report, Year 1, 2010)

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

This Adaptive Management (AM) Report for Emergent Sandbar Habitat (ESH) represents the first complete iteration within the draft AM strategy being implemented for the interior least terns (Sternula antillarum) and piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) within the Missouri River Mainstem System based on the 2003 Amended Biological Opinion (BiOp). Please refer to the ESH AM Strategy - Appendix H of the Draft ESH Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) – and the Missouri River Recovery Program (MRRP) AM Process Framework for detailed background information on the overall scope and approach of this effort. Also note that as more …

Missouri River Recovery Program: Adaptive Management Process Framework, Joe Bonneau, Tim Fleeger, Craig Flemming, Carol Hale, Mike Anderson, Kate Buenau, Tim L. Hiller, Doug Latka, Ron Thom, Drew Tyre, Steve Fischer, Casey Kruse, Brad Thompson

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

The purpose of this Adaptive Management (AM) Process Framework is to describe the AM process for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Missouri River Recovery Program (MRRP) and explain how AM principles will be used in the MRRP to reduce uncertainty and ensure that Program objectives are achieved over time. The AM Process Framework is intended to be broad so that it can be applied to all aspects of the MRRP and be understood by a diverse audience of managers, federal and state agencies, scientists, engineers, the Missouri River Recovery Implementation Committee (MRRIC), stakeholders, Tribes, and the public.

Assessment Of Shape Memory Alloy Stent Deployment In A Stenosed Artery, Shijia Zhao, Linxia Gu, Stacey R. Froemming

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Purpose — Shape memory alloy (SMA) stents have been used increasingly for the treatment of complex arterial occlusions. There is an immediate need to quantify the mechanical performance of SMA stents to open occluded arteries.
Methods — The stent crimping and expanding process was assessed through both numerical modeling and in-vitro studies. The implantation of a SMA stent in curved arteries with eccentric stenosis were simulated to evaluate the effect of artery curvature on arterial mechanics.
Results — The crimping process stored a considerable amount of strain energy in the stent, which were then released through self-expansion until a balance …

Comparative Analysis Of The Biaxial Mechanical Behavior Of Carotid Wall Tissue And Biological And Synthetic Materials Used For Carotid Patch Angioplasty, Alexey Kamenskiy, Iraklis I. Pipinos, Jason N. Mactaggart, Syed A. Jaffar Kazmi, Yuris A. Dzenis

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Patch angioplasty is the most common technique used for the performance of carotid endarterectomy. A large number of patching materials are available for use while new materials are being continuously developed. Surprisingly little is known about the mechanical properties of these materials and how these properties compare with those of the carotid artery wall. Mismatch of the mechanical properties can produce mechanical and hemodynamic effects that may compromise the long-term patency of the endarterectomized arterial segment. The aim of this paper was to systematically evaluate and compare the biaxial mechanical behavior of the most commonly used patching materials. We compared …

Frequency Shifts In Plate Crystal Resonators Induced By Electric, Magnetic, Or Mechanical Fields In Surface Films, Nan Liu, J.S. Yang, Yuantai Hu, Xuedong Chen, Wei Jiang

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

We study frequency shifts in plate crystal resonators with surface films. The films are multiphysical, including the effects of inertia, stiffness, intrinsic stress, piezoelectric coupling, and piezomagnetic coupling. Mindlin’s two-dimensional equations for a crystal plate with two elastic surface films are generalized to include the multiphysical effects of the films. They are used to study thickness-shear vibrations of a rotated Y-cut quartz plate with initial fields resulting from the mechanical, electric, and magnetic fields in the surface films. Frequency shifts caused by the initial fields are calculated and examined. Results show that plate crystal resonators with multiphysical surface films may …

Use Of Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy For In Situ Observation Of Interaction Of Cells With Micro- And Nanoprobes, Alexander Goponenko, B. J. Boyle, K. I. Jahan, Maxim V. Gerashchenko, Dmitri E. Fomenko, Vadim N. Gladyshev, Yuris A. Dzenis

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Precision intracellular sensing, probing and manipulation offer unprecedented opportunities for advances in biological sciences. Next-generation ultra-fine probes will be capable of targeting individual cell organelles. Development of such probes as well as probes capable of penetrating through tough cell walls requires detailed knowledge of cell-probe interaction. This Letter evaluated the applicability of environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) for cell and cell-probe interaction imaging. Several types of cells (plant and yeast cells as well as mouse spermatozoa) were successfully imaged in their natural state, with mouse spermatozoa observed by ESEM for the first time. Computerized stage applied to image was tough …

Biocomposites Developed Using Water-Plasticized Wheat Gluten As Matrix And Jute Fibers As Reinforcement, Narendra Reddy, Yiqi Yang

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Biocomposites developed from wheat gluten using water without any chemicals as plasticizer and jute fibers as reinforcement have much better flexural and tensile properties than similar polypropylene composites reinforced with jute fibers. Wheat gluten is an inexpensive and abundant co-product derived from renewable resources and is biodegradable but non-thermoplastic. Previous attempts at developing biocomposites from wheat gluten have used plasticizers such as glycerol or chemical modifications to make gluten thermoplastic. However, plasticizers have a considerably negative effect on the mechanical properties of the composites and chemical modifications make wheat gluten less biodegradable, expensive and/or environmentally unfriendly. In the research reported, …

Corn Seed Spacing Uniformity As Affected By Seed Tube Condition, Michael F. Kocher, John M. Coleman, John A. Smith, Stephen D. Kachman

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Variation in corn seed spacing from a John Deere MaxEmerge^TM Plus Vacumeter planter was evaluated on the University of Nebraska Planter Test Stand in a laboratory setting for two seed tube conditions (new or worn) with two examples of corn seed shape (round or flat). Seed spacing uniformity was measured using three seed spacing uniformity parameters: Coefficient of Precision (CP3), ISO Multiples index, and ISO Miss index.

Differences were detected in all three seed spacing uniformity parameters due to the seed tube condition. The new seed tubes had better seed spacing uniformity than the worn seed tubes, within each …

Spatial Variability Of Field Machinery Use And Efficiency, Viacheslav I. Adamchuk, Robert Grisso, Michael F. Kocher

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

In site-specific crop management, It is a common practice to log the geographic coordinates of agricultural machinery measured using a global satellite navigation system (GNSS) such as the global positioning system (GPS). Yield, fertilizer application, and seed placement maps provide useful data for making agronomic decisions. However, the travel path itself reveals valuable information about machinery performance. Often, during field operations, odd field shapes, obstacles, or contour farming will require operators to increase the complexity of the machinery maneuvering. This usually reduces field efficiency. This chapter presents a methodology to parameterize the spatially variable characteristics of traffic patterns, and to …

Completely Biodegradable Soyprotein–Jute Biocomposites Developed Using Water Without Any Chemicals As Plasticizer, Narendra Reddy, Yiqi Yang

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Soyprotein–jute fiber composites developed using water without any chemicals as the plasticizer show much better flexural and tensile properties than polypropylene–jute composites. Co-products of soybean processing such as soy oil, soyprotein concentrate and soy protein isolates are inexpensive, abundantly available and are renewable resources that have been extensively studied as potential matrix materials to develop biodegradable composites. However, previous attempts on developing soy-based composites have either chemically modified the co-products or used plasticizers such as glycerol. Chemical modifications make the composites expensive and less environmentally friendly and plasticizers decrease the properties of the composites. In this research, soyprotein composites reinforced …

Verifying Power Claims Of High‐Power Agricultural Tractors Without A Pto To Sell In Nebraska, Michael F. Kocher, Viacheslav Adamchuk, John A. Smith, Roger M. Hoy

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Nebraska law requires the Nebraska Tractor Test Board of Engineers to compare results of the tests of an agricultural tractor model with the manufacturer's claims regarding power, fuel use, and other performance ratings in order to recommend a permit to sell that tractor model in the state. PTO tests are conducted to verify the manufacturer's PTO power and fuel claims for tractor models. In recent years, several tractor manufacturers have been producing models of large tractors either without a PTO or with a PTO not capable of transmitting the full engine power and, therefore, have chosen to advertise engine power. …

Evaluation Of Soil Salinity Leaching Requirement Guidelines, John Letey, Glenn J. Hoffman, Jan W. Hopmans, Stephen R. Grattan, Donald Louis Suarez, Dennis L. Corwin, Jim D. Oster, Laosheng Wu, Christopher Amrhein

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Water for irrigation is a major limitation to agricultural production in many parts of the world. Use of waters with elevated levels of salinity is one likely option to meet the supply of increased demands. The sources of these waters include drainage water generated by irrigated agriculture, municipal wastewater, and poor quality groundwater. Soil salinity leaching requirements that were established several decades ago were based on steady-state conditions. Recently transient-state models have been developed that potentially can more correctly predict the dynamics of the chemical–physical–biological interactions in an agricultural system. The University of California Center for Water Resources appointed a …

Comparison Of Subsurface And Surface Runoff Phosphorus Transport Rates In Alluvial Floodplains, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Derek M. Heeren, Garey A. Fox, Daniel E. Storm, Michael J. White, Ronald B. Miller

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Phosphorus (P) loading to streams can occur by both surface runoff and subsurface transport, with subsurface P transport often assumed negligible. Groundwater P concentrations in alluvial aquifers can be significant, especially in preferential flow paths (PFPs). The objectives of this research were to quantify subsurface P transport rates at two sites in northeastern Oklahoma and to compare them with surface runoff P transport rates derived from a hydrologic model, the Pasture Phosphorus Management Calculator (PPM Plus). Ozark ecoregion study sites were adjacent to the Barren Fork Creek and Honey Creek in northeastern OK, USA. Each site, instrumented with 24 observation …

Development Of Deficit Irrigation Strategies For Corn Using A Yield Ratio Model, Derek M. Heeren, Todd P. Trooien, Hal D. Werner, Norman L. Klocke

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Competition for water is increasing while a growing world population requires more food production. It is critical to develop and implement efficient deficit irrigation strategies and to predict the impacts of deficit irrigation on yield. South Dakota State University (SDSU) Management Software, which simulates evapotranspiration and soil water contents, was originally designed as an on-farm decision support system capable of fully automating center pivot irrigation. A simple yield model was developed for the software in order to extend its use for evaluating deficit irrigation strategies. Yield ratio (i.e., actual yield/potential yield) was predicted based on a normalized transpiration ratio (i.e., …

Flow And Transport Experiments For A Streambank Seep Originating From A Preferential Flow Pathway, Garey A. Fox, Derek M. Heeren, Ronald B. Miller, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Daniel E. Storm

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Streambank seeps commonly originate from localized heterogeneity or preferential flow pathways (PFPs) in riparian floodplains. However, limited field data have been reported on ground water seep flows and solute transport to seeps from PFPs. The objective of this research was to build upon previous floodplain-scale investigations of PFPs by analyzing seep discharge and transport characteristics through a single PFP. An important research question was whether this PFP could be conceptualized as a homogeneous, one-dimensional flow path. Streambank seep discharge measurements were obtained by inducing a hydraulic head in a trench injection system. Also, co-injection of Rhodamine WT (RhWT) and a …

In Vivo Magnetic Resonance Elastography Of Mesenchymally Derived Constructs, Shadi F. Othman, Evan T. Curtis, Huihui Xu

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The multidisciplinary field of tissue engineering (TE) aims to create biological substitutes to restore, maintain, or enhance the function of tissue or whole organs, in which the mechanical properties of replacements are critical to their structure and function. Several techniques have been investigated for measuring the mechanical properties of developing tissues and organs; however, current methods are destructive. The goal of this work is to apply high resolution Magnetic Resonance Elastography (μMRE) technique with 100 μm in-plane resolution to address a critical problem in TE: nondestructive monitoring and characterization of growing mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-based tissue engineered constructs. In this …

Effect Of Flow Gradient, Roi Size And Random Scatterer Movement During Speckle Size Estimation Based Blood Flow Measurement, Tiantian Xu, Greg Bashford

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Conventional blood flow velocity measurement using ultrasound is capable of resolving the axial component (i.e., that aligned with the ultrasound propagation direction) of the blood flow velocity vector. However, these Doppler-based methods are incapable of detecting blood flow in the direction normal to the ultrasound beam. An algorithm which measures the lateral blood flow velocity using speckle size change with scan velocity was developed in our previous studies. This method uses the apparent speckle size change that occurs when scatterers are moving relative to the spatial rate of A-line acquisition. Our previous results showed that the estimation error of this …