Digital Commons Network^™

Rapid Prototyping Augmented Skin Pathology For Medical Simulation And Training, Annette Castelino

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The goal of this research is to study how augmented reality technology could be applied in training medical students for better clinical practice and diagnosis in the treatment of skin conditions using skin pathology prototypes. Described within this thesis is an innovative method of producing skin abscess prototypes that augment the Standardized Patient (SP) for simulation purposes.

The method adopted is a combination of the cost-effective technique of rapid prototyping (RP) — 3D inkjet printing and 3D graphics modeling. The visual and haptic realism of these developed prototypes along with the use of moulage enable the SP to exhibit realistic …

Solvent Dependent Morphologies In Thiol-Ene Photopolymerization: A Facile Route To Synthesis Of Resorcinarene Nanocapsules, Zaharoula Marie Kalaitzis

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Synthesis of morphologically distinct polymeric nanostructures is vital for their wide ranging applications from nanomedicine to material science. Among various polymeric nanostructures, nanocapsules in particular have attracted a lot of attention as nanoreactors and drug delivery vehicles in nanomedicine. Often, synthesis of nanocapsules is achieved by template-based approaches. A direct, template-free method for the fabrication of nanocapsules and a variety of other morphologically distinct polymeric architectures was developed. The photopolymerization of a resorcinarene thiol-ene surfactant in various solvents lead to the formation of nanocapsules, nanoparticles, fibers, distorted honeycomb-like lattices, and sheets. The progress of the polymerization reaction and the morphology …

A Job-Shop Scheduling Model Using Genetic Algorithm And Giffler Thompson Approach, Nikhil Deepak Bumb

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The major objective of this thesis topic is to study the challenging research subject of job shop scheduling with the intent of optimizing the makespan. The job - shop scheduling problem is one of the hardest combinatorial optimization problems. The main aim of scheduling is an efficient allocation of shared resources like machines, operators or both over time for competing activities.

This research focuses on developing a model for optimizing job shop scheduling problem using genetic algorithm and the Giffler Thompson (priority dispatching rule) technique. Considering different parameters, the model comes up with an appropriate way to schedule the tasks …

Mining Globally Distributed Frequent Subgraphs In A Single Labeled Graph, Xing Jiang, Hui Xiong, Chen Wang, Ah-Hwee Tan

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

Recent years have observed increasing efforts on graph mining and many algorithms have been developed for this purpose. However, most of the existing algorithms are designed for discovering frequent subgraphs in a set of labeled graphs only. Also, the few algorithms that find frequent subgraphs in a single labeled graph typically identify subgraphs appearing regionally in the input graph. In contrast, for real-world applications, it is commonly required that the identified frequent subgraphs in a single labeled graph should also be globally distributed. This paper thus fills this crucial void by proposing a new measure, termed G-Measure, to find globally …

Monte Carlo Model Of Light Propagation In Tissues And The Effects Of Phase Changes On The Light Intensity, Rakesh Choula

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Lasers, due to their unique properties, have a wide range of applications in the medical field. For accurate laser treatments that focus on bio-tissues, prior knowledge of the amount of laser power, spot size and its irradiation time are necessary. In order to predict the effects of lasers on tissues and their bio-effects, a first necessary step is the creation of a model that can predict the temperature distributions within the tissue following laser excitation. This involves modeling light propagation through the tissue with inclusion of internal scattering, and assessment of the energy deposited by the incoming photons. The next …

Focusing Electromagnetic Radiation In Dielectric Media, Mark A. Migliaccio Jr.

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Bioelectrics and microwave imaging requires an ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna to deliver intense, short electromagnetic pulses into biological targets for the purpose of therapy and imaging. Two antennas with different focal distances, predicted by a two­ dimensional model, have been designed for focusing electromagnetic radiation in the near field.

Focusing is achieved through the use of prolate spheroidal reflector antennas with a conical wave launcher submerged in water. For an ultra-wideband feed signal, with a rise time of 200 picoseconds, the maximum electric field was found to be close to the edge of the reflector, a result that differs from the …

Methods For Cancer Detection, Kimberly W. Anderson, Kimberly M.L. May, Leonidas G. Bachas

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Patents

A method is provided for detecting an analyte indicative of a cancer or a metastatic disease condition, which utilizes the ability of the analyte to induce permeability in a barrier. The method includes providing a biosensor having a barrier which is substantially impermeable to an ion, a permeable membrane which is selective for the ion, and a detector capable of detecting the ion. The biosensor is contacted with a sample including at least one of the ion and the analyte, wherein the analyte causes at least a portion of the ion to pass through the barrier and the membrane. Passage …

Stormwater Irrigation Volume Iii: Transport Of The Cyanotoxin Microcystin In Groundwater Beneath Stormwater Ponds: Results Of Soil Column Experiments, Martin Wanielista

BMP Trains Research and Publications

As the demand for fresh water increases in central Florida to meet both public supply and irrigation needs, stormwater is increasingly being managed as a resource to help offset possible future declines in aquifer water levels. Water quality is an important consideration when using stormwater for recharge or harvesting. A constituent of recent concern is cyanobacteria (popularly known as blue-green algae) because some of these can produce toxins (cyanotoxins) that are detrimental to animal and human health. Microcystins are the most commonly found type of cyanotoxin in Florida and have been detected in a variety of rivers, natural lakes, and …

The Extraction Of Cytochrome C And Dsred2 Into Reverse Micelles, Michelle Baker

Theses and Dissertations

Cytochrome c and DsRed2 were successfully extracted into reverse micelles by the contacting of an aqueous protein-containing phase with an organic phase. Two important properties that differentiate the extraction profiles of these proteins are pI and size. Cytochrome c is a relatively small, monomeric protein with a pI of 10.6. It was easily extracted into reverse micelles with the anionic surfactant AOT. DsRed2, however, is a large tetramer with a p1 of 6.3. It could not be extracted into AOT, but was extracted with the cationic surfactant CTAB, and with a wider error range than cytochrome c. CD data indicate …

Cracked Rotor Detection By Recurrence Plots, Grzegorz Litak, Jerzy T. Sawicki, Rafał Kaspereka

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Recurrence plots (RPs) analysis has been used to distinguish cracked and healthy rotor responses. It has been shown that the recurrence criteria of the dynamical systems defined by the RPs can indicate the damages of the rotating shaft using relatively short time series.

Motion Analysis Of Fluid Flow In A Spinning Disk Reactor, Valentina N. Korzhova

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The flow of a liquid film over a rapidly rotating horizontal disk has numerous industrial applications including pharmaceuticals, chemical engineering, bioengineering, etc. The analysis and control of complex fluid flows over a rapidly rotating horizontal disk is an important issue in the experimental fluid mechanics. The spinning disk reactor exploits the benefits of centrifugal force, which produces thin highly sheared films due to radial acceleration. The hydrodynamics of the film results in excellent fluid mixing and high heat or mass transfer rates.

This work focuses on developing a novel approach for fluid flow tracking and analysis. Specifically, the developed algorithm …

Electronic Image Stabilization For Mobile Robotic Vision Systems, Michael John Smith

Theses and Dissertations

When a camera is affixed on a dynamic mobile robot, image stabilization is the first step towards more complex analysis on the video feed. This thesis presents a novel electronic image stabilization (EIS) algorithm for small inexpensive highly dynamic mobile robotic platforms with onboard camera systems. The algorithm combines optical flow motion parameter estimation with angular rate data provided by a strapdown inertial measurement unit (IMU). A discrete Kalman filter in feedforward configuration is used for optimal fusion of the two data sources. Performance evaluations are conducted by a simulated video truth model (capturing the effects of image translation, rotation, …

Accelerometer Based Measurement For The Mapping Of Neck Surface Vibrations During Vocalized Speech, Mark Nolan, Brian Madden, Edward Burke

Conference Papers

This paper presents a detailed study of the vibrations on the surface of the neck during a vocalization of predefined fundamental frequency and intensity. This study was carried out as part of a wider investigation into the use of laryngeal vibrations as a channel of communication. Another potential application of this study is in identifying a suitable location for a hands-free electro-larynx for laryngectomees.

An analog accelerometer, with dimensions 5x5x1.6mm and of mass 80mg, was used to perform the measurements. It was connected to a 12-bit analog-to-digital converter via single strands of insulated wire with a diameter of 100μm. The …

A Modification To The Group Delay And Simulated Annealing Technique For Characterization Of Peripheral Nerve Fiber Size Distributions For Non-Deterministic Sampled Data, Robert B. Szlavik

Biomedical Engineering

The ability to determine the characteristics of peripheral nerve fiber size distributions would provide additional information to clinicians for the diagnosis of specific pathologies of the peripheral nervous system. Investigation of these conditions, using electro-diagnostic techniques, is advantageous in the sense that such techniques tend to be minimally invasive yet provide valuable diagnostic information. One of the principal electro-diagnostic tools available to the clinician is the nerve conduction velocity test. While the peripheral nerve conduction velocity test can provide useful information to the clinician regarding the viability of the nerve under study, it is a single parameter test that yields …

Post-Yield Relaxation Behavior Of Bovine Cancellous Bone, Travis A. Burgers, Roderic S. Lakes, Sylvana Garcia-Rodriguez, Geoffrey R. Piller, Heidi-Lynn Ploeg

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Relaxation studies were conducted on specimens of bovine cancellous bone at post-yield strains. Stress and strain were measured for 1000 s and the relaxation modulus was determined. Fifteen cylindrical, cancellous bone specimens were removed from one bovine femur in the anterior–posterior direction. The relaxation modulus was found to be a function of strain. Therefore cancellous bone is non-linearly viscoelastic/viscoplastic in the plastic region. A power law regression was fit to the relaxation modulus data. The multiplicative constant was found to be statistically related through a power law relationship to both strain (p < 0.0005) and apparent density (p < 0.0005) while the power coefficient was found to be related through a power law relationship, E(t, ε)= A(ε)t-n(ε), to strain (p < 0.0005), but not apparent density.

Feasibility Of Ellipsometric Sensor Development For Use During Pecvd Siox Coated Polymer Product Manufacturing, Daniel Lynn Helms

Master's Theses

Polymeric materials have provided pathways to products that could not be manufactured otherwise. A new technology which merges the benefits of ceramics into these polymer products has created materials ideally suited to many different industries, like food packaging. Nano Scale Surface Systems, Inc. (NS3), a company which coats polymers with ceramic oxides like SiO2 through a process known as plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), was interested in the feasibility of an in line measurement system for monitoring the deposited films on various polymer products. This project examined two different coated polymer products, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) beverage containers and biaxially …

Methanol Electro-Oxidation On Pt-Ru Alloy Nanoparticles Supported On Carbon Nanotubes, Ang Li, Yangchuan Xing

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been investigated in recent years as a catalyst support for proton exchange membrane fuel cells. Improved catalyst activities were observed and attributed to metal-support interactions. We report a study on the kinetics of methanol electro-oxidation on CNT supported Pt-Ru alloy nanoparticles. Alloy catalysts with different compositions, Pt 53Ru 47/CNT, Pt 69Ru 31/CNT and Pt 77Ru 23/CNT, were prepared and investigated in detail. Experiments were conducted at various temperatures, electrode potentials, and methanol concentrations. It was found that the reaction order of methanol electro-oxidation on the PtRu/CNT catalysts was consistent with what has been reported for PtRu …

Initial Framework For Measuring And Evaluating Heuristic Problem Solving, Zhisheng Huang, Annette Ten Teije, Frank Van Harmelen, Gaston Tagni, Hansjorg Neth, Lael Schooler, Sebastian Rudolph, Pascal Hitzler, Tuvshintur Tserendorj, Yi Huang, Danica Damljanovic, Angus Roberts

Computer Science and Engineering Faculty Publications

One of the key aspects in the development of LarKC is how to evaluate the performance of the platform and its constituent components in order to guarantee that the execution of a pipeline will match the user’s needs and provide the desired solutions (answers) to the user’s queries. Therefore, in this deliverable, the first in a series three documents concerned with the definition of a Framework for Measuring and Evaluating Heuristic Problem Solving, we make the first steps towards defining such framework by considering the theoretical foundations and principles of evaluation and measurement theory, discussing several important aspects related to …

An Electrooculogram-Based Binary Saccade Sequence Classification (Bssc) Technique For Augmentative Communication And Control, Johnalan Keegan, Ted Burke, James Condron

Conference Papers

In the field of assistive technology, the electroocu-logram (EOG) can be used as a channel of communication and the basis of a man-machine interface. For many people with severe motor disabilities, simple actions such as changing the TV channel require assistance. This paper describes a method of detecting saccadic eye movements and the use of a saccade sequence classification algorithm to facilitate communication and control. Saccades are fast eye movements that occurs when a person's gaze jumps from one fixation point to another. The classification is based on pre-defined sequences of saccades, guided by a static visual template (e.g. a …

Optical Acquisition And Polar Decomposition Of The Full-Field Deformation Gradient Tensor Within A Fracture Callus, Wangdo Kim, Sean S. Kohles

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Tracking tissue deformation is often hampered by material inhomogeneity, so local measurements tend to be insufficient thus lending to the necessity of full-field optical measurements. This study presents a novel approach to factoring heterogeneous deformation of soft and hard tissues in a fracture callus by introducing an anisotropic metric derived from the deformation gradient tensor (F). The deformation gradient tensor contains all the information available in a Green-Lagrange strain tensor, plus the rigid-body rotational components. A recent study [Bottlang et al., J. Biomech. 41(3), 2008] produced full-field strains within ovine fracture calluses acquired through the application of electronic speckle pattern …

Evaluation Of Regression Ensembles On Drug Design Datasets, M. Fatih Amasyali, Okan Ersoy

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Technical Reports

Studies on drug design datasets are continuing to grow. These datasets are usually known as hard modeled, having a large number of features and a small number of samples. The most common problems in the drug design area are of regression type. Committee machines (ensembles) have become popular in machine learning because of their high performance. In this study, dynamics of ensembles on regression related drug design problems are investigated on a big dataset collection. The study tries to determine the most successful ensemble algorithm, the base algorithm-ensemble pair having the best / worst results, the best successful single algorithm, …

Me-Em Enewsbrief, September 2009, Department Of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics, Michigan Technological University

Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering eNewsBrief

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Electrospinning As An In-House Fabrication Technique For Blood Vessel Mimic Cellular Scaffolding, Colby M. James

Master's Theses

Intravascular devices, such as stents, must be rigorously tested before they can be approved by the FDA. This includes bench top in vitro testing to determine biocompatibility, and animal model testing to ensure safety and efficacy. As an intermediate step, a blood vessel mimic (BVM) testing method has been developed that mimics the three dimensional structure of blood vessels using a perfusion bioreactor system, human derived endothelial cells, and a biocompatible polymer scaffold used to support growth of the blood vessel cells. The focus of this thesis was to find an in-house fabrication method capable of making cellular scaffolding for …

Investigation Of The Geotechnical Properties Of Municipal Solid Waste As A Function Of Placement Conditions, Wilson W. Wong

Master's Theses

An investigation of the variability of engineering properties of municipal solid waste as a function of placement conditions was conducted. Limited data have been reported for the engineering properties of municipal solid waste (MSW) as a function of placement conditions. Wastes have high variability of engineering properties due to heterogeneity in composition and component size; influence from time based effects; and presence of compressible solids. Control of moisture content of MSW at the time of waste placement provides opportunity for increased capacity at a given landfill site due to higher compacted unit weight as well as for control of other …

A Pdms Sample Pretreatment Device For The Optimization Of Electrokinetic Manipulations Of Blood Serum, Timothy J. Abram

Master's Theses

This project encompasses the design of a pretreatment protocol for blood serum and adaption of that protocol to a microfluidic environment in order to optimize key sample characteristics, namely pH, conductivity, and viscosity, to enable on-chip electrokinetic separations. The two major parts of this project include (1) designing a pretreatment protocol to optimize key parameters of the sample solution within a target range and (2) designing /fabricating a microchip that will effectively combine the sample solution with the appropriate buffers to replicate the same bench-scale protocol on the micro-scale.

Biomarker detection in complex samples such as blood necessitates appropriate sample …

Chemical-Free Iron Removal And Disinfection Unit Of Drinking Water For Single House Application, Michael O'Hehir

Masters

The supply of safe drinking water is a major worldwide problem. In the developed world the frequency of water related problems are increasing The shortage of fresh water supply is as a result of pollution from industrial, agricultural and natural disasters. To make water suitable for human consumption, it must first be treated. However, consumers do not always receive potable water even after public treatment. In some cases the consumer must treat the water being supplied to them, or have to source their own water from private wells and treat it prior to use. The purpose of this research was …

Evaluation Of Swine-Specific Pcr Assays Used For Fecal Source Tracking And Analysis Of Molecular Diversity Of Swine-Specific "Bacteroidales" Populations, Regina Lamendella, Jorge W. Santo Domingo, Anthony C. Yannarell, Shreya Ghosh, Giovanni George Di, Roderick Ian Mackie, Daniel B. Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In this study, we evaluated the specificity, distribution, and sensitivity of Prevotella strain-based (PF163 and PigBac1) and methanogen-based (P23-2) PCR assays proposed to detect swine fecal pollution in environmental waters. The assays were tested against 222 fecal DNA extracts derived from target and nontarget animal hosts and against 34 groundwater and 15 surface water samples from five different sites. We also investigated the phylogenetic diversity of 1,340 "Bacteroidales" 16S rRNA gene sequences derived from swine feces, swine waste lagoons, swine manure pits, and waters adjacent to swine operations. Most swine fecal samples were positive for the host-specific Prevotella-based PCR assays …

Performance Flight Testing Of Small Electric Powered Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Jon N. Ostler, W. Jerry Bowman, Deryl O. Snyder, Timothy W. Mclain

Faculty Publications

Flight testing methods are developed to find the drag polar for small unmanned aerial vehicles powered by electric motors with fixed-pitch propellers. Wind tunnel testing was used to characterize the propeller-motor efficiency. The drag polar was constructed using data from flight tests. This drag polar was then used to find the following performance parameters: maximum velocity, minimum velocity, velocity for maximum range, velocity for maximum endurance, maximum rate of climb, maximum climb angle, minimum turn radius, maximum turn rate, and maximum bank angle. The developed flight testing methods are used to characterize the performance of a small UAV.

Electrical And Optical Properties Of Carbon Nanotube Intra-Connects And Conductive Polymers, Seon Woo Lee

Dissertations

Growth of individual carbon nanotube (CNT) intra-connects (bridges) between two prefabricated electrodes is a great challenge and a pre-requisite to the development of single electron devices. In this thesis, CNT intra-connects were fabricated and studied. Later on, the intra-connects were deposited with electrically conductive polymer (ECP) in the realization of CNT/ECP hybrids.

The process started by realizing two electrodes with sharp end on a silicon wafer using e-beam lithography. The intra-connects were then grown by use of chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique. The intra-connects were later electroplated by various conductive polymers. The morphology, electrical conductivity of these intra-connects as well …

Electrohydrodynamic Manipulation Of Multiphase Fluids, Sai C. Nudurupati

Dissertations

In microfluidic devices, the fluid can be manipulated either as continuous streams or droplets. The latter is particularly attractive as individual droplets can not only move but also split and fuse, thus offer a greater flexibility in applications such as a laboratory-on- a-chip. In this thesis, a technique is developed that uses an externally applied electric field for manipulating and removing particles trapped on the surface of a drop. The drop is assumed to be immersed in another liquid with which it is immiscible, and the electric field is generated by placing electrodes on the sides of the microdevice. Both …