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Mechanical Structures Resisting Anterior Instability In A Computational Glenohumeral Joint Model, Kevin Elmore

Theses and Dissertations

The glenohumeral joint is the most dislocated joint in the body due to the lack of bony constraints and dependence on soft tissue, primarily muscles and ligaments, to stabilize the joint. The goal of this study was to develop a computational model of the glenohumeral joint whereby joint behavior was dictated by articular contact, ligamentous constraints, muscle loading, and external perturbations. Validation of this computational model was achieved by comparing predicted results from the model to the results of a cadaveric experiment in which the relative contribution of muscles and ligaments to anterior joint stability was examined. The results showed …

In-Plane, All-Photonic Transduction Method For Silicon Photonic Microcantilever Array Sensors, Jong Wook Noh

Theses and Dissertations

We have invented an in-plane all-photonic transduction method for photonic microcantilever arrays that is scalable to large arrays for sensing applications in both bio- and nanotechnology. Our photonic transduction method utilizes a microcantilever forming a single mode rib waveguide and a differential splitter consisting of an asymmetric multimode waveguide and a Y-branch waveguide splitter. The differential splitter's outputs are used to form a differential signal that has a monotonic response to microcantilever deflection. A differential splitter using an amorphous silicon strip-loaded multimode rib waveguide is designed and fabricated to demonstrate the feasibility of the in-plane photonic transduction method. Our initial …

A Model To Study Cyber Attack Mechanics And Denial-Of-Service Exploits Over The Internet's Router Infrastructure Using Colored Petri Nets, Lawrence M. Healy

Master's Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The Internet‟s router infrastructure, a scale-free computer network, is vulnerable to targeted denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. Protecting this infrastructure‟s stability is a vital national interest because of the dependence of economic and national security transactions on the Internet. Current defensive countermeasures that rely on monitoring specific router traffic have been shown to be costly, inefficient, impractical, and reactive rather than anticipatory.

To address these issues, this research investigation considers a new paradigm that relies on the systemic changes that occur during a cyber attack, rather than individual router traffic anomalies. It has been hypothesized in the literature that systemic knowledge of …

Quantifying And Resolving Multiple Vector Transformants In S. Cerevisiae Plasmid Libraries, Thomas C. Scanlon, Elizabeth C. Gray, Karl E. Griswold

Dartmouth Scholarship

In addition to providing the molecular machinery for transcription and translation, recombinant microbial expression hosts maintain the critical genotype-phenotype link that is essential for high throughput screening and recovery of proteins encoded by plasmid libraries. It is known that Escherichia coli cells can be simultaneously transformed with multiple unique plasmids and thusly complicate recombinant library screening experiments. As a result of their potential to yield misleading results, bacterial multiple vector transformants have been thoroughly characterized in previous model studies. In contrast to bacterial systems, there is little quantitative information available regarding multiple vector transformants in yeast. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the …

Unraveling The Intricacies Of Spatial Organization Of The Erbb Receptors And Downstream Signaling Pathways, Michelle Costa

Chemical and Biological Engineering ETDs

Faced with the complexity of diseases such as cancer which has 1012 mutations, altering gene expression, and disrupting regulatory networks, there has been a paradigm shift in the biological sciences and what has emerged is a much more quantitative field of biology. Mathematical modeling can aid in biological discovery with the development of predictive models that provide future direction for experimentalist. In this work, I have contributed to the development of novel computational approaches which explore mechanisms of receptor aggregation and predict the effects of downstream signaling. The coupled spatial non-spatial simulation algorithm, CSNSA is a tool that I took …

Pegylation Of Niosomes, John A. Elliott

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The research presented in this dissertation describes the creation and characterization of a novel antibody-vesicle conjugate modified with polyethylene glycol (PEG) that possesses enhanced binding to and uptake by inflammation-activated endothelial cells with improved storage stability and longer shelf-life and potential reduction in immunogenic potential compared to previous designs.

Targeted drug delivery provides an effective means of delivering therapeutic concentrations of a drug to the site or organ of action. The drug is delivered using a niosome, a vesicle with an aqueous core and a bilayer membrane composed of non-ionic surfactants and cholesterol. Antibodies that recognize specific cell antigens are …

Dilute Sulfuric Acid Pretreatment Of Switchgrass In Microwave Reactor For Biofuel Conversion: An Investigation Of Yields, Kinetics,, Oscar Martin

Theses and Dissertations

Lignocellulosic materials provide a raw material source for biofuel conversion and offer several advantages over fossil fuels- usage of a renewable resource, reduced greenhouse emissions, a decreased dependence on foreign oil, and stimulation of the agricultural sector. However, a primary technological challenge in converting lignocellulosic biomass into fuel is overcoming the recalcitrance of its matrix to enzymatic hydrolysis. To overcome these problems for chemical processing, naturally occurring cellulose biomass must be pretreated before it can be further processed using enzymatic hydrolysis or bioconversion. The goal of this work was to develop a model that predicts the glucose yield (pretreatment and …

2009 Scholars And Artists Bibliography, Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University, Friends Of The Michael Schwartz Library, Michael Schwartz Ph.D.

Scholars and Artists Bibliographies

This bibliography was created for the annual Friends of the Michael Schwartz Library Scholars and Artists Reception, recognizing scholarly and creative achievements of Cleveland State University faculty, staff and emeriti. Dr. Michael Schwartz was the honored guest.

Temperature-Induced Restructuring Of Self-Assembled Ptpd Nanoparticle Superlattices, Guoqiang Ren, Yangchuan Xing

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

PtPd nanoparticle superlattices were prepared at room temperature and investigated for their restructuring at elevated temperatures. the PtPd nanoparticles were spherical with a diameter of 3.5±0.3nm and were capped with surfactants of oleic acids and oleylamine. Images of the nanoparticle superlattices were taken using a transmission electron microscope. Analysis of the images with fast Fourier transform (FFT) revealed whether the superlattices were crystalline or amorphous. It was found that the critical temperature that induced a phase transition of PtPd superlattices from a crystalline state to an amorphous state fall in the range of 100-110 °C. Meanwhile, heat-induced restructuring transformed less-ordered …

Aligned Nanotubule Membranes, Bruce J. Hinds Iii

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Patents

A method is provided for producing a permeable membrane, comprising the steps of aligning a plurality of hollow nanotubules to form a mat, coating the mat with a continuous polymer matrix to form a membrane. The membrane is etched (a) to open the plurality of hollow nanotubules and form pores and (b) to oxidize the carboxyl groups to carboxylate groups. At least one additional functional unit having at least one available amine group to bind the at least one additional functional unit to the nanotubule end carboxylate group may be provided. Membranes fabricated in accordance with the method of the …

Increasing Productivity In Irrigated Agriculture: Agronomic Constraints And Hydrological Realities, Chris Perry, Pasquale Steduto, Richard C. Allen, Charles M. Burt

BioResource and Agricultural Engineering

Irrigation is widely criticised as a profligate and wasteful user of water, especially in watershort areas. Improvements to irrigation management are proposed as a way of increasing agricultural production and reducing the demand for water. The terminology for this debate is often flawed, failing to clarify the actual disposition of water used in irrigation into evaporation, transpiration, and return flows that may, depending on local conditions, be recoverable. Once the various flows are properly identified, the existing literature suggests that the scope for saving consumptive use of water through advanced irrigation technologies is often limited. Further, the interactions between evaporation …

Microalgal Biomass For Greenhouse Gas Reductions: Potential For Replacement Of Fossil Fuels And Animal Feeds, D. E. Brune, Tryg Lundquist, J. R. Benemann

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Microalgal biomass production offers a number of advantages over conventional biomass production, including higher productivities, use of otherwise nonproductive land, reuse and recovery of waste nutrients, use of saline or brackish waters, and reuse of CO₂ from power-plant flue gas or similar sources. Microalgal biomass production and utilization offers potential for greenhouse gas (GHG) avoidance by providing biofuel replacement of fossil fuels and carbon-neutral animal feeds. This paper presents an initial analysis of the potential for GHG avoidance using a proposed algal biomass production system coupled to recovery of flue-gas CO₂ combined with waste sludge and/or animal manure …

Algae Grown On Dairy And Municipal Wastewater For Simultaneous Nutrient Removal And Lipid Production For Biofuel Feedstock, Ian Woertz, A. Feffer, Tryg Lundquist, Yarrow Nelson

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Algae grown on wastewater media are a potential source of low-cost lipids for production of liquid biofuels. This study investigated lipid productivity and nutrient removal by green algae grown during treatment of dairy farm and municipal wastewaters supplemented with CO₂. Dairy wastewater was treated outdoors in bench-scale batch cultures. The lipid content of the volatile solids peaked at Day 6, during exponential growth, and declined thereafter. Peak lipid content ranged from 14–29%, depending on wastewater concentration. Maximum lipid productivity also peaked at Day 6 of batch growth, with a volumetric productivity of 17 mg/day/L of reactor and an …

Wood Chip Heating For Commercial Buildings In Ireland: An Analysis Of Supply Methods And Financial Viability, Ciaran Berkeley

Masters

Ireland has three central issues regarding the supply and use of fuel and energy: import dependency; competitiveness; and greenhouse gases emissions. Ireland is ranked as one of the most import dependent states in the EU, with over 90% of its fuel sourced fiom abroad [IAEA, 20051. Combined with rapidly fluctuating oil and gas wsts and uncertainty with future supply, it is essential that Ireland find a more secure and sustainable alternative to fossil hels. Wood chip represents one such alternative energy source since it is locally produced and considered to be carbon-neutral. The main objective of this research is to …

Next Generation Biofuels And Advanced Engines For Tomorrow’S Transportation Needs, Sandia National Laboratories, Doe Combustion Research Facility, Doe Joint Bioenergy Institute

United States Department of Energy: Publications

In November 2009, Sandia National Laboratories hosted the Next Generation Biofuels and Advanced Engines for Tomorrow’s Transportation Needs Workshop. The event focused on the combined opportunities in biofuels and engines in the transportation sector. The workshop brought together the DOE Combustion Research Facility and the DOE Joint BioEnergy Institute along with oil companies, biofuel developers, engine manufacturers, suppliers, and experts from the university, regulatory, finance, and national laboratory communities. The intersection of biofuels and engines, if properly scaled, can meet a triad of national goals:

• Reduced climate impact

• Economic development

• Energy security through energy diversity

The workshop …

Long-Term Changes In Aluminum Fractions Of Drainage Waters In Two Forest Catchments With Contrasting Lithology, Pavel Krám, Jakub Hruška, Charles T. Driscoll, Chris E. Johnson, Filip Oulehle

Civil and Environmental Engineering - All Scholarship

Aluminum (Al) chemistry was studied in soils and waters of two catchments covered by spruce (Picea abies) monocultures in the Czech Republic that represent geochemical end-members of terrestrial and aquatic sensitivity to acidic deposition. The acid-sensitive Lysina catchment, underlain by granite, was compared to the acid-resistant Pluhův Bor catchment on serpentine. Organically-bound Al was the largest pool of reactive soil Al at both sites. Very high median total Al (Alt) concentrations (40 μmol L⁻¹) and inorganic monomeric Al (Ali) concentrations (27 μmol L⁻¹) were observed in acidic (pH 4.0) stream water at Lysina in …

Nutrient And Bacterial Transport In Runoff From Soil And Pond Ash Amended Feedlot Surfaces, John E. Gilley, Jason R. Vogel, Elaine D. Berry, Roger Eigenberg, David B. Marx, Brian L. Woodbury

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The addition of pond ash (fly ash that has been placed in evaporative ponds and subsequently dewatered) to feedlot surfaces provides a healthier environment for livestock and economic advantages for the feedlot operator. However, the water quality effects of pond ash amended surfaces are not well understood. The objectives of this field investigation were to: (1) compare feedlot soil properties, and nutrient and bacterial transport in runoff, from pond ash amended surfaces and soil surfaces; (2) compare the effects of unconsolidated surface materials (USM) (loose manure pack) and consolidated subsurface materials (CSM) (compacted manure and underlying layers) on nutrient and …

Optimizing The Release And Methylation Of Bacterial Endospore Dipicolinic Acid, Aaron N. Nackos

Theses and Dissertations

Rapid, portable detection of biological threat agents such as Bacillus anthracis endospores (“spores”) is extremely important given the real and perceived threats of bioterrorism. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) is an excellent general means for chemical detection, although special sample preparation and specialized equipment are required to employ GC-MS for detecting biological agents such as spores in the field. A GC sample introduction probe consisting of a helical wire that can be retracted inside a syringe needle, called a coiled wire filament (CWF), was employed as a simple, passively-heated means to introduce the mixture of spores plus reagents for thermochemolysis methylation …

Characterisation And Mechanical Testing Of Hydrothermally Treated Ha/Zro2 Composites, D. J. Curran, T. J. Fleming, G. Kawachi, C. Ohtsuki, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Hydrothermal treatment is traditionally employed to improve the sinterability of powder compacts by reducing porosity and increasing apparent density. The effect of hydrothermal treatment on green powder compacts has been assessed in order to better understand how treatment may affect the sinter ability of the bodies. Laboratory synthesized nano sized hydroxyapatite (HA) and a commercial zirconia (ZrO₂) powder have been ball milled together to create composite mixtures containing 0-5 wt% ZrO₂ loadings. Disc shaped bodies have been formed using uniaxial and subsequent isostatic pressure. The resultant coherent samples were subjected to hydrothermal treatment at either 120 or …

Mechanics-Based Analysis Of Selected Features Of The Exoskeletal Microstructure Of Popillia Japonica, Liang Cheng, Liyun Wang, Anette M. Karlsson

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

We explore key mechanical responses of the layered microstructure found in selected parts of the exoskeletons (pronotum, leg and elytron) of Popillia japonica (Japanese beetle). Image analyses of exoskeleton cross-sections reveal four distinct layered regions. The load-bearing inner three regions (exocuticle, mesocuticle, and endocuticle) consist of multiple chitin-protein layers, in which chitin fibers align in parallel. The exocuticle and mesocuticle have a helicoidal structure, where the stacking sequence is characterized by a gradual rotation of the fiber orientation. The endocuticle has a pseudo-orthogonal structure, where two orthogonal layers are joined by a thin helicoidal region. The mechanics-based analyses suggest that, …

A Model For Sustainable Humanitarian Engineering Projects, Evan A. Thomas, Bernard Amadei, Robyn Sandekian

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The engineering profession should embrace a new mission statement?to contribute to the building of a more sustainable, stable, and equitable world. Recently, engineering students and professionals in the United States have shown strong interest in directly addressing the needs of developing communities worldwide. That interest has taken the form of short-and medium-term international trips through Engineers Without Borders?USA and similar organizations. There are also several instances where this kind of outreach work has been integrated into engineering education at various US institutions such as the University of Colorado at Boulder. This paper addresses the challenges and opportunities associated with balancing …

Exploiting Multiple Sensory Modalities In Brain-Machine Interfaces, Aaron J. Suminski, Dennis C. Tkach, Nicholas G. Hatsopoulos

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Recent improvements in cortically-controlled brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) have raised hopes that such technologies may improve the quality of life of severely motor-disabled patients. However, current generation BMIs do not perform up to their potential due to the neglect of the full range of sensory feedback in their strategies for training and control. Here we confirm that neurons in the primary motor cortex (MI) encode sensory information and demonstrate a significant heterogeneity in their responses with respect to the type of sensory modality available to the subject about a reaching task. We further show using mutual information and directional tuning analyses …

Particle Resuspension In The Columbia River Plume Near Field, Emily Y. Spahn, Alexander R. Horner-Devine, Jonathan Nash, David A. Jay, Levi Kilcher

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Measurements of suspended sediment concentration, velocity, salinity, and turbulent microscale shear in the near-field region of the Columbia River plume are used to investigate the mechanisms of sediment resuspension and entrainment into the plume. An east-west transect was occupied during spring and neap tide periods in August 2005 and May 2006, corresponding to low and high river discharge conditions, respectively. During the high-discharge period the plume is decoupled from the bottom, and fine sediment resuspended from the bottom does not leave the benthic boundary layer. The primary modes of sediment transport associated with the plume are advection of sediment from …

Extraction And Characterization Of Natural Cellulose Fibers From Common Milkweed Stems, Narendra Reddy, Yiqi Yang

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Natural cellulose fibers with cellulose content, strength, and elongation higher than that of milkweed floss and between that of cotton and linen have been obtained from the stems of common milkweed plants. Although milkweed floss is a unique natural cellulose fiber with low density, the short length and low elongation make milkweed floss unsuitable as a textile fiber. The possibility of using the stems of milkweed plant as a source for natural cellulose fibers was explored in this research. Natural cellulose fibers extracted from milkweed stems have been characterized for their composition, structure, and properties. Fibers obtained from milkweed stems …

Traffic Signal Control With Ant Colony Optimization, David T. Renfrew

Master's Theses

Traffic signal control is an effective way to improve the efficiency of traffic networks and reduce users’ delays. Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) is a metaheuristic based on the behavior of ant colonies searching for food. ACO has successfully been used to solve many NP-hard combinatorial optimization problems and its stochastic and decentralized nature fits well with traffic flow networks. This thesis investigates the application of ACO to minimize user delay at traffic intersections. Computer simulation results show that this new approach outperforms conventional fully actuated control under the condition of high traffic demand.

A Rapid Prototyping Method For Constructing A Complex Three-Dimensional Substrate, Kathryn Jacoba Hart

Master's Theses

Cell culturing on three-dimensional structures has increased the possibilities in tissue engineering and bioreactor research. These structures enable cells to differentiate, proliferate, mobilize, and function in a conformation that more accurately mimics in vivo conditions. Computer generated models aid in development and rapid alteration of three-dimensional cell substrates, defining their internal structure as well as their external morphology. The rapid transition from substrate design to a viable culture is imperative to quickly advance research in biomedical and tissue engineering applications.

The aim of this thesis is to investigate the feasibility of a rapid prototyping process by selectively cross-linking and assembling …

A Framework For Bioacoustic Vocalization Analysis Using Hidden Markov Models, Yao Ren, Michael T. Johnson, Patrick J. Clemins, Michael Darre, Sharon Stuart Glaeser, Tomasz S. Osiejuk, Ebenezer Out-Nyarko

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Using Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) as a recognition framework for automatic classification of animal vocalizations has a number of benefits, including the ability to handle duration variability through nonlinear time alignment, the ability to incorporate complex language or recognition constraints, and easy extendibility to continuous recognition and detection domains. In this work, we apply HMMs to several different species and bioacoustic tasks using generalized spectral features that can be easily adjusted across species and HMM network topologies suited to each task. This experimental work includes a simple call type classification task using one HMM per vocalization for repertoire analysis of …

Analysis Of Γ-Irradiated Synthetic Bone Grafts By ²⁹Si Mas-Nmr Spectroscopy, Calorimetry And Xrd, D. Boyd, S. Murphy, Mark R. Towler, A. W. Wren, S. Hayakawa

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Ca-Sr-Zn-Si glasses have demonstrated excellent biocompatibility both in vitro using the MTT assay with L929 mouse fibroblast cells, and in vivo using healthy and ovariectomized female Wistar rats. However, the biological evaluation of the materials was performed on glass granules that were autoclaved, rather than γ-irradiated; the sterilisation procedure required prior to implantation of these materials in the human body. Given the fact that when a glass is exposed to ionizing radiation changes in its physical properties can take place, it is imperative to determine whether the structure of such glasses will be altered as a result of exposure to …

Modeling Soil Depth From Topographic And Land Cover Attributes, Teklu K. Tesfa, David G. Tarboton, David G. Chandler, James P. Mcnamara

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Soil depth is an important input parameter in hydrological and ecological modeling. Presently, the soil depth data available in national soil databases (STATSGO and SSURGO) from the Natural Resources Conservation Service are provided as averages within generalized land units (map units). Spatial uncertainty within these units limits their applicability for distributed modeling in complex terrain. This work reports statistical models for prediction of soil depth in a semiarid mountainous watershed that are based upon the relationship between soil depth and topographic and land cover attributes. Soil depth was surveyed by driving a rod into the ground until refusal at locations …

Terrain Constrained Stereo Correspondence, Gabrielle Inglis, Chris Roman

Graduate School of Oceanography Faculty Publications

There is a persistent need in the oceanographic community for accurate three dimensional reconstructions of seafloor structures. To meet this need underwater mapping techniques have expanded to include the use of stereo vision and high frequency multibeam sonar for mapping scenes 10's to 100's of square meters in size. Both techniques have relative advantages and disadvantages that depend on the task at hand and the desired accuracy. In this paper, we develop a method to constrain the often problematic stereo correspondence search to small sections of the image that correspond to estimated ranges along the epipolar lines calculated from coregistered …