Digital Commons Network^™

Geometrical Optimization Of Resonant Cantilevers Vibrating In In-Plane Bending Modes, Luke A. Beardslee, Assim M. Addous, Kemal S. Demirci, Oliver Brand, Stephen M. Heinrich, Fabien Josse

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The influence of the beam geometry on the quality factor and resonance frequency of resonant silicon cantilever beams vibrating in their fundamental in-plane flexural mode has been investigated in air and water. Compared to cantilevers vibrating in their out-of-plane flexural mode, utilizing the in plane mode results in reduced damping and reduced mass loading by the surrounding fluid. Quality factors as high as 4,300 in air and 67 in water have been measured for cantilevers with a 12 μm thick silicon layer. This is in comparison to Q factors up to 1,500 in air and up to 20 in water …

Removal Of Low Density Sediments By Vegetative Filters, Brent M. Hall

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

The use of vegetative filter strips (VFS) is a longstanding best management practice for the removal of sediment and other pollutants from overland flow. Many attempts have been made to model the effectiveness of a VFS based upon soil, vegetation, and sediment properties, and also upon flow conditions, but little work has been done to investigate the reliability of the existing models when considering sediments, such as microbial pathogens, that have a lower density than the mineral sediments used for development of the models. The objectives of this study were to: 1) quantify the ability of a VFS to remove …

Can Spr Be Used To Interrogate The Double Layer Of Nacl, Brandon Kawula

Biomedical Engineering

Solutions of reagent grade salt .1, .01, .001, .0001, .00001M were run through a SPR to see if SPR had enough resolution to detect the formation of the electric double layer. We found that NaCl did in fact return a detectable signal. The signal shape seems to depend on concentration. While more study may need to be done to get definite information it looks like SPR can interrogate the double layer.

Changes In The Structure And Function Of Microbial Communities In Drinking Water Treatment Bioreactors Upon Addition Of Phosphorus, Xu Li, Giridhar Upadhyaya, Wangki Yuen, Jess Brown, Eberhard Morgenroth, Lutgarde Raskin

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Faculty Publications

Phosphorus was added as a nutrient to bench-scale and pilot-scale biologically active carbon (BAC) reactors operated for perchlorate and nitrate removal from contaminated groundwater. The two bioreactors responded similarly to phosphorus addition in terms of microbial community function (i.e., reactor performance), while drastically different responses in microbial community structure were detected. Improvement in reactor performance with respect to perchlorate and nitrate removal started within a few days after phosphorus addition for both reactors. Microbial community structures were evaluated using molecular techniques targeting 16S rRNA genes. Clone library results showed that the relative abundance of perchlorate-reducing bacteria (PRB) Dechloromonas and Azospira …

Nutrient Transport In Runoff As Affected By Diet, Tillage, And Manure Application Rate, John E. Gilley, Lisa M. Durso, R.A. Eigenberg, David B. Marx, Brian L. Woodbury

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Feedlot operators may increase profitability by including distillers grains in finishing diets. However, the nutrients remaining in the by‐product are concentrated by about a factor of three during the distillation process. Manure can be applied to meet single‐ or multiple‐year crop nutrient requirements. The water quality effects of the use of distillers grains in feedlot diets and multiple‐year manure application have not been well quantified. The objectives of this study were to (1) compare the runoff water quality effects resulting from the application of manure derived from corn and distillers grain diets, (2) examine the effects of till and no‐till …

Bio-Inspired Algorithms For Autonomous Deployment And Localization Of Sensor Nodes, Raghavendra V. Kulkarni, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Optimal deployment and accurate localization of sensor nodes have a strong influence on the performance of a wireless sensor network (WSN). This paper considers real-time autonomous deployment of sensor nodes from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Such a deployment has importance, particularly in ad hoc WSNs, for emergency applications, such as disaster monitoring and battlefield surveillance. the objective is to deploy the nodes only in the terrains of interest, which are identified by segmentation of the images captured by a camera on board the UAV. Bioinspired algorithms, particle swarm optimization (PSO) and bacterial foraging algorithm (BFA), are presented in this …

Automated Classification Of Breast Pathology Using Local Measures Of Broadband Reflectance, Ashley M. Laughney, Venkataramanan Krishnaswamy, Pilar Beatriz Garcia-Allende, Olga M. Conde, Wendy A. Wells, Keith D. Paulsen, Brian W. Pogue

Dartmouth Scholarship

We demonstrate that morphological features pertinent to a tissue's pathology may be ascertained from localized measures of broadband reflectance, with a mesoscopic resolution (100-μm lateral spot size) that permits scanning of an entire margin for residual disease. The technical aspects and optimization of a k-nearest neighbor classifier for automated diagnosis of pathologies are presented, and its efficacy is validated in 29 breast tissue specimens. When discriminating between benign and malignant pathologies, a sensitivity and specificity of 91 and 77% was achieved. Furthermore, detailed subtissue-type analysis was performed to consider how diverse pathologies influence scattering response and overall classification efficacy. The …

Plasma Mediated Molecular Delivery, Richard J. Connolly

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Non-viral delivery of plasmid DNA has traditionally relied upon physical forces applied directly to target tissues. These physical methods typically involve contact between an applicator and the target tissue and often cause transient patient discomfort. To overcome the contact-dependent limitations of such delivery methodologies, an atmospheric direct current plasma source was developed to deposit ionized gas molecules onto localized treatment sites. The deposition of charged species onto a treatment site can lead to the establishment of an electric field with strengths similar to those used for traditional electroporation. In vitro experiments proved that this technology could transiently permeabilize cell membranes …

Method For Determining The Dielectric Constant Of Particles, Vladimir Petrovsky, Fatih Dogan

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A method of measuring the dielectric constant of a powder, including selecting a powder having an unknown first dielectric constant, selecting a liquid having a known second dielectric constant, and introducing a predetermined amount of powder into a predetermined volume of liquid to define a slurry characterized by a known volume fraction of powder. Next, the impedance spectra of the slurry are plotted over a predetermined frequency range, the measured dielectric constant data is read and the appropriate equivalent circuit for the slurry is determined. Appropriate equivalent circuit equations are applied to the measured dielectric constant data, and the first …

Design And Fabrication Of A Membrane Integrated Microfluidic Cell Culture Device Suitable For High-Resolution Imaging, Alla A. Epshteyn

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Malaria remains a serious concern for people living and traveling to warm climates in Africa, Asia, and some parts of America. Understanding the mechanism of the malaria parasite in the liver phase could lead to important discoveries for preventative and treatment therapeutics before the disease develops into the blood stage. While in vitro liver cell culture models have been explored, a device that mimics the liver cell architecture with the capability of high-resolution imaging has never been created. In this research, a cell culture microfluidic device was designed and fabricated with a membrane integrated design to mimic the architecture of …

Continuous Electrowetting Actuation Utilizing Current Rectification Properties Of Valve Metal Films, Corey M. Lynch

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) is a technique for reducing the apparent contact angle of a fluid droplet, which has many promising applications in the fields of optics, digital displays, and lab-on-a-chip research. In this thesis, a design is presented for a novel single circuit device for achieving continuous droplet motion, by using the current-rectifying properties of valve metals to create diode-like behavior. This contrasts with existing designs, which require an array of individual electrodes to achieve motion in discrete steps. We are able to demonstrate continuous droplet motion across a 28mm-long test strip with an applied voltage of 303 V …

Labyrinthine Instability In Thin Liquid Films, P. Neogi

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

When a thin liquid film on a solid surface has a thickness corresponding to a particular part the spinodal region of the disjoining pressure versus thickness isotherm, the film breaks down. One of the patterns that emerges on the breakdown has been referred to as wavy instability. It is compared here to the labyrinthine instability seen in magnetic films. the system is modeled following the procedure used in magnetic systems, and the pattern of wavy instability is broken down into a curved thick-thin film in equilibrium with a flat thin-thin film of constant thickness. Minimization of free energy leads to …

Individual Muscle Contributions To The Axial Knee Joint Contact Force During Normal Walking, Kotaro Sasaki, Richard R. Neptune

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Muscles are significant contributors to the high joint forces developed in the knee during human walking. Not only do muscles contribute to the knee joint forces by acting to compress the joint, but they also develop joint forces indirectly through their contributions to the ground reaction forces via dynamic coupling. Thus, muscles can have significant contributions to forces at joints they do not span. However, few studies have investigated how the major lower-limb muscles contribute to the knee joint contact forces during walking. The goal of this study was to use a muscle-actuated forward dynamics simulation of walking to identify …

Concurrent Muscoskeletal Dynamics And Finite Element Analysis Predicts Altered Gait Patterns To Reduce Foot Tissue Loading, Jason P. Halloran, Marko Ackermann, Antonie J. Van Den Bogert

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Current computational methods for simulating locomotion have primarily used muscle-driven multibody dynamics, in which neuromuscular control is optimized. Such simulations generally represent joints and soft tissue as simple kinematic or elastic elements for computational efficiency. These assumptions limit application in studies such as ligament injury or osteoarthritis, where local tissue loading must be predicted. Conversely, tissue can be simulated using the finite element method with assumed or measured boundary conditions, but this does not represent the effects of whole body dynamics and neuromuscular control. Coupling the two domains would overcome these limitations and allow prediction of movement strategies guided by …

Optofluidic Biosensors Based On Color Imaging, Jongwon Park, Chang-Soo Kim

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A color CCD (charge-coupled device) camera is used as a chemical detector to quantify fluorescence emission intensities from two kinds of optofluidic device platforms. the fluorophores responsive to oxygen are immobilized in photo-patternable hydrogel matrices. the first device is a hydrogel sensor array formed within a commercial silicone elastomer imaging chamber. the second one involves a double-chamber fluidic device composed of a permeable membrane layer and dry film photoresist layers. the results suggest that digital color imagers, in combination with a simple color separation method, can serve as the high-quality chemical detectors for fluidic biosensors and biological culture platforms. © …

Corrosion Behaviour Of Brass In The Vembanad Estuary, India, Andy Mathiazhagan, Rani Joseph, Kanjiramparayil Puthilon Narayanan, Palaniandy Seralathan

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Corrosion characteristics of brass panels were investigated in the Vembanad estuarine water (Cochin Harbor), India over a period of one year. The corrosion rate of brass samples during exposure was determined by gravimetric method and fouling on panels was assessed, exposure-wise, in terms of biomass. Corrosion products were identified by X-Ray diffraction. The results of the study were discussed in the light of the seawater characteristics.

Optimal Estimation For Key Parameters Of The Marine Quality Model Using Data-Driven Neural Network, Ming-Chang Li, Shu-Xiu Liang, Zhao-Chen Sun, Guang-Yu Zhang

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Marine water quality models are complicated because of their multi-parameter and multi-response characteristics. One major difficulty with water quality models is the accurate estimation of model parameters. In this paper, a new method based on a data-driven model (DDM) is developed to retrieve the value of model parameters. All training data are calculated by numerical water quality models from results of multiparameter matching design cases so the physical properties are not disturbed. The concept is to find the relationship between model parameters and the pollution concentration values of interior stations. Field data are imported into the relationship for inversing optimal …

Cavity Resonant Mode In A Metal Film Perforated With Two-Dimensional Triangular Lattice Hole Arrays, Wan Kuang, Alex English, William B. Knowlton, Jeunghoon Lee, William L. Hughes, Bernard Yurke

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The transmission property of metallic films with two-dimensional hole arrays is studied experimentally and numerically. For a triangular lattice subwavelength hole array in a 150 nm thick Ag film, both cavity resonance and planar surface modes are identified as the sources of enhanced optical transmissions. Semi-analytical models are developed for calculating the dispersion relation of the cavity resonant mode. They agree well with the experimental results and full-wave numerical calculations. Strong interaction between the cavity resonant mode and surface modes is also observed.

Slides: Drilling Waste, Blake Scott

Opportunities and Obstacles to Reducing the Environmental Footprint of Natural Gas Development in Uintah Basin (October 14)

Presenter: Blake Scott, Scott Environmental Services, Inc.

24 slides

Color Intensity Method For Hydrogel Oxygen Sensor Array, Jongwon Park, Wonhak Hong, Chang-Soo Kim

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The oxygen imaging technique to obtain a 2-D distribution is a convenient method because it does not require individual addressing of each sensing element in a sensor array. Until recently, color charge coupled devices (CCDs) have rarely been used for oxygen imaging in spite of usefulness for analyzing the spectral content of images. in this work, a color CCD camera was used for luminescence intensity imaging. Two methods of color intensity analysis are investigated and compared. the first method is to analyze the total Red-Green-Blue (RGB) color intensity of the original color image. the second method involves extracting the red …

Deletion Of The Cel48s Cellulase From Clostridium Thermocellum, Daniel G. Olson, Shital A. Tripathi, Richard J. Giannone, Jonathan Lo, Nicky C. Caiazza, David A. Hogsett, Robert L. Hettich, Adam M. Guss, Genia Dubrovsky, Lee R. Lynd

Dartmouth Scholarship

Clostridium thermocellum is a thermophilic anaerobic bacterium that rapidly solubilizes cellulose with the aid of a multienzyme cellulosome complex. Creation of knockout mutants for Cel48S (also known as CelS, S(S), and S8), the most abundant cellulosome subunit, was undertaken to gain insight into its role in enzymatic and microbial cellulose solubilization. Cultures of the Cel48S deletion mutant (S mutant) were able to completely solubilize 10 g/L crystalline cellulose. The cellulose hydrolysis rate of the S mutant strain was 60% lower than the parent strain, with the S mutant strain also exhibiting a 40% reduction in cell yield. The cellulosome produced …

Application Of An Inverse-Hysteresis Iterative Control Algorithm For Afm Fabrication, Seth Ashley

Theses and Dissertations

An iterative control algorithm (ICA) which uses an approximate inverse-hysteresis model is implemented to compensate for hysteresis to precisely fabricate features on a soft polymer substrate using an atomic force microscope (AFM). The AFM is an important instrument in micro/nanotechnology because of its ability to interrogate, manipulate, and fabricate objects at the micro/nanoscale. The AFM uses a piezoelectric actuator to position an AFM-probe tip relative to the sample surface in three dimensions. In particular, precision lateral control of the AFM-probe tip relative to the sample surface is needed to ensure high-performance operation of the AFM. However, precision lateral positioning of …

Cybersecurity: Growing Like Topsy!, Ibpp Editor

International Bulletin of Political Psychology

This article discusses cybersecurity in an intelligence context – what it is, what it does to us, and the sudden (and somewhat unplanned) increase in financial support for the area.

Perpetual Exploration Of Relational Information And Enhanced Star Glyphs For Multi-Source Data Visualization, Andrew Crowell

Theses and Dissertations

Information Visualization is an area of research concerned with the presentation of abstract data in a visual format. It has many diverse applications in fields of software engineering, information sciences, biology, chemistry, and medical, among others. This thesis is primarily concerned with the application of information visualization to the display of directed graphs and to the display of multivariate data for analysis. Two novel applications will be presented that are both advancements in the field of information visualization. The first application applies to the visualization and navigation of large or infinite graphs and networks. The quality of a graph drawing …

Handling External Events Efficiently In Gillespie's Stochastic Simulation Algorithm, Brad Geltz

Theses and Dissertations

Gillespie's Stochastic Simulation Algorithm (SSA) provides an elegant simulation approach for simulating models composed of coupled chemical reactions. Although this approach can be used to describe a wide variety biological, chemical, and ecological systems, often systems have external behaviors that are difficult or impossible to characterize using chemical reactions alone. This work extends the applicability of the SSA by adding mechanisms for the inclusion of external events and external triggers. We define events as changes that occur in the system at a specified time while triggers are defined as changes that occur to the system when a particular condition is …

The Virtual Hip: An Anatomically Accurate Finite Element Model Based On The Visible Human Dataset, Jonathan M. Ford

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to determine if element decimation of a 3-D anatomical model affects the results of Finite Element Analysis (FEA). FEA has been increasingly applied to the biological and medical sciences. In order for an anatomical model to successfully run in FEA, the 3-D model’s complex geometry must be simplified, resulting in a loss of anatomical detail. The process of decimation reduces the number of elements within the structure and creates a simpler approximation of the model. Using the National Library of Medicine’s Visible Human Male dataset, a virtual 3-D representation of several structures of the …

Surface Morphology Of Platelet Adhesion Influenced By Activators, Inhibitors And Shear Stress, Melanie Groan Watson

Doctoral Dissertations

Platelet activation involves multiple events, one of which is the generation and release of nitric oxide (NO), a platelet aggregation inhibitor. Platelets simultaneously send and receive various agents that promote a positive and negative feedback control system during hemostasis. Although the purpose of platelet-derived NO is not fully understood, NO is known to inhibit platelet recruitment. NO's relatively large diffusion coefficient allows it to diffuse more rapidly than platelet agonists. It may thus be able to inhibit recruitment of platelets near the periphery of a growing thrombus before agonists have substantially accumulated in those regions.

Results from two studies in …

The Operation Of Hybrid Reed Bed And Willow Bed Combinations In Ireland - Zero Discharge And The Potential For No Monitoring Of Domestic Applications Of This Combination, Sean O'Hogain, Liam Mccarton

Conference papers

This paper will briefly trace the development of reed beds, the treatment mechanisms involved and the evolution of the more popular designs, with emphasis on the hybrid reed bed. It will also present a review of the concept of using willow beds to deal with waste water. It will examine the Danish guidelines. It will also review the application of willows to treat effluent from a hybrid reed bed system and the evolution of this system in Wales. The theory of willow bed treatment will also be discussed with particular emphasis on the factors that effect evapotranspiration. Two alternative designs …

A Realistic Technology And Engineering Assessment Of Algae Biofuel Production, T. J. Lundquist, I. C. Woertz, N. W. T. Quinn, J. R. Benemann

Civil and Environmental Engineering

This report assesses the economics of microalgae biofuels production through an analysis of five production scenarios. These scenarios, or cases, are based on technologies that currently exist or are expected to become available in the near-term, including raceway ponds for microalgae cultivation, bioflocculation for algae harvesting, and hexane for extraction of algae oil. Process flow diagrams, facility site layouts, and estimates for the capital and operations costs of each case were developed de novo. This report also reviews current and developing microalgae biofuel technologies for both oil and biogas production, provides an initial assessment of the US and California …

An Improved Layer-By-Layer Self-Assembly Technique To Generate Biointerfaces For Platelet Adhesion Studies: Dynamic Lbl, Juan Manuel Lopez

Doctoral Dissertations

Layer-by-layer self-assembly (LbL) is a technique that generates engineered nano-scale films, coatings, and particles. These nanoscale films have recently been used in multiple biomedical applications. Concurrently, microfabrication methods and advances in microfluidics are being developed and combined to create "Lab-on-a-Chip" technologies. The potential to perform complex biological assays in vitro as a first-line screening technique before moving on to animal models has made the concept of lab on a chip a valuable research tool.

Prior studies in the Biofluids Laboratory at Louisiana Tech have used layer-by-layer and in vitro biological assays to study thrombogenesis in a controlled, repeatable, engineered environment. …