Digital Commons Network^™

Theory And Computation Of Photopolymerization-Induced Phase Transition And Morphology Development In Blends Of Crystalline Polymer And Photoreactive Monomer, Pankaj Rathi, Thein Kyu

College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering

A hypothetical phase diagram of a crystalline polymer/photoreactive monomer mixture has been calculated on the basis of phase field (PF) free energy of crystal solidification in conjunction with Flory-Huggins (FH) free energy of liquid-liquid demixing to guide the morphology development during photopolymerization of poly(ethylene oxide)/triacrylate blend. The self-consistent solution of the combined PF-FH theory exhibits a crystalline-amorphous phase diagram showing the coexistence of solid+liquid gap bound by the liquidus and solidus lines, followed by an upper critical solution temperature at a lower temperature. When photopolymerization was triggered in the isotropic region, i.e., slightly above the crystal melting transition temperatures, the …

The Relationships Between Muscle, External, Internal And Joint Mechanical Work During Normal Walking, Kotaro Sasaki, Richard R. Neptune, Steven A. Kautz

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Muscle mechanical work is an important biomechanical quantity in human movement analyses and has been estimated using different quantities including external, internal and joint work. The goal of this study was to investigate the relationships between these traditionally used estimates of mechanical work in human walking and to assess whether they can be used as accurate estimates of musculotendon and/or muscle fiber work. A muscle-actuated forward dynamics walking simulation was generated to quantify each of the mechanical work measures. Total joint work (i.e. the time integral of absolute joint power over a full gait cycle) was found to underestimate total …

Electrical Properties Of Phosphate Glasses, Andrea Mogus-Milankovic, Ana Santic, Signo Tadeu Dos Reis, D. E. Day

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Investigation of the electrical properties of phosphate glasses where transition metal oxide such as iron oxide is the network former and network modifier is presented. Phosphate glasses containing iron are electronically conducting glasses where the polaronic conduction is due to the electron hopping from low to high iron valence state. The identification of structural defects caused by ion/polaron migration, the analysis of dipolar states and electrical conductivity in iron phosphate glasses containing various alkali and mixed alkali ions was performed on the basis of the impedance spectroscopy (IS). The changes in electrical conductivity from as-quenched phosphate glass to fully crystallized …

Miniaturization Techniques To Realize Very Small Satellites, Robert J. Twiggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint presentation created by Professor Bob Twiggs titled "Miniaturization techniques to realize very small satellites" from April 1, 2009.

Opinion Mining With The Sentwordnet Lexical Resource, Bruno Ohana

Dissertations

Sentiment classification concerns the application of automatic methods for predicting the orientation of sentiment present on text documents. It is an important subject in opinion mining research, with applications on a number of areas including recommender and advertising systems, customer intelligence and information retrieval. SentiWordNet is a lexical resource of sentiment information for terms in the English language designed to assist in opinion mining tasks, where each term is associated with numerical scores for positive and negative sentiment information. A resource that makes term level sentiment information readily available could be of use in building more effective sentiment classification methods. …

The Evaluation Of Rekeying Protocols Within The Hubenko Architecture As Applied To Wireless Sensor Networks, Cory J. Antosh

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigates the impact of using three different rekeying protocols–pair-wise, hierarchical, and Secure Lock within a wireless sensor network (WSN) under the Hubenko architecture. Using a Matlab computer simulation, the impact of the three rekeying protocols on the number of bits transmitted across the network and the amount of battery power consumed in WSN nodes during rekey operations is investigated. Baseline pair-wise rekeying performance can be improved by using either Secure Lock or hierarchical rekeying. The best choice depends on the size of the WSN and the size of the key used. Hierarchical rekeying is the best choice for …

Assessing The Prediction Potential Of An In Silico Computer Model Of Intracranial Pressure Dynamics, Wayne Wakeland, Rachel Agbeko, Kevin Vinecore, Mark Peters, Brahm Goldstein

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) frequently results in poor outcome, suggesting that new approaches are needed. We hypothesized that a patient-specific in silico computer model of intracranial pressure (ICP) dynamics may predict the ICP response to therapy.

Design: In silico model analysis of prospectively collected data.

Setting: Twenty-three and 16-bed pediatric intensive care units in two tertiary care academic hospitals.

Patients: Nine subjects with severe TBI undergoing ICP monitoring (7 M/2 F, age range 3-17 years).

Interventions: Random changes in head-of-bed (HOB) (0[degrees], 10[degrees], 20[degrees], 30[degrees], 40[degrees]) elevation and respiratory rate (to achieve a [DELTA]ETco2 = +/-3-4 mm Hg) were …

Development Of Microbial And Enzymatic Fuel Cells For Bio-Inspired Power Sources, Fatih Dogan, Shelley Minteer

Materials Science and Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This report is based on some of the revolutionary concepts described in the Road Map on Bioinspired Power Systems within the AFRLRW Campus Challenge II. Development of biofuel cell concepts integrated with fuel regeneration and energy storage capabilities are proposed to create a compact and self-sustaining power system. The first part of this work identified a sediment based microbial fuel cell that could power small electronics and maintain electrical activity over long periods of time. AFRLRW does not feel that this work adequately addresses the original scope nor does it provide a basis on which to continue work. The second …

Synthesis And Characterization Of Hazelnut Oil-Based Biodiesel, Yixiang Xu, Milford Hanna

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The demand for diesel fuel far exceeds the current and future biodiesel production capabilities of the vegetable oil and animal fat industries. New oilseed crops that do not compete with traditional food crop are needed to meet existing energy demands. Hybrid hazelnut oil is just such an attractive raw material for production of biodiesel. Hazelnut oil was extracted from hybrid hazelnuts and the crude oil was refined. Hazelnut oil-based biodiesel was prepared via the transesterification of the refined hazelnut oil with excess methanol using an alkaline catalyst. The effects of reaction temperature, time and catalyst concentration on the yield of …

Adsorption And Desorption Of Phosphorus And Nitrogen By Immersed Stalks, John E. Gilley, Bahman Eghball, David B. Marx

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Adsorption and desorption of phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) by stalk residues may influence the concentrations of P and N in runoff. A laboratory study was conducted to measure the effects of P and N constituents in solution on adsorption and desorption of P and N by corn, soybean, and wheat stalk residues. Experimental variables included type of stalk material (corn, soybean, and wheat), inorganic nutrients in solution (PO₄-P and NO₃-N; PO₄-P and NH₄-N; NO₃-N and NH₄-N; and PO₄-P, NO₃-N, and NH₄-N), …

Thermodynamically Coupled Heat And Mass Flows In A Reaction-Transport System With External Resistances, Yaşar Demirel

Yaşar Demirel Publications

Considerable work has been published on mathematically coupled nonlinear differential equations by neglecting thermodynamic coupling between heat and mass flows in reaction-transport systems. The thermodynamic coupling refers that a flow occurs without or against its primary thermodynamic driving force, which may be a gradient of temperature, or chemical potential, or reaction affinity. This study presents the modeling of thermodynamically coupled heat and mass flows of two components in a reaction-transport system with external heat and mass transfer resistances. The modeling equations are based on the linear nonequilibrium thermodynamics approach by assuming that the system is in the vicinity of global …

Molecular Dynamics Study Of Crystal Plasticity During Nanoindentation In Ni Nanowires, V. Dupont, F. Sansoz

Aerospace Engineering - Daytona Beach

Molecular dynamics simulations were performed to gain fundamental insight into crystal plasticity, and its size effects in nanowires deformed by spherical indentation. This work focused on-oriented single-crystal, defect-free Ni nanowires of cylindrical shape with diameters of 12 and 30 nm. The indentation of thin films was also comparatively studied to characterize the influence of free surfaces in the emission and absorption of lattice dislocations in single-crystal Ni. All of the simulations were conducted at 300 K by using a virtual spherical indenter of 18 nm in diameter with a displacement rate of1 ms1. No significant effect of sample size was …

Effect Of Transport Vibration On Quality Of Minimally Processed And Packaged Fresh-Cut Cantaloupe, Koushik Saha, S. Paul Singh, Bruce Harte

Industrial Technology and Packaging

This study was undertaken to determine the quality of packaged fresh cut cantaloupe subjected to transport vibration after treating with various anti-browning agents. Cantaloupe (Cucumis melo) pieces were dipped in two anti-browning solutions: Treatment- A (2% ascorbic acid + 1% calcium chloride + 0.5% citric acid) and Treatment-B (3% NatureSeal™) for 2 minutes and packaged in bio-based clamshell containers and vibrated for 60 minutes (ASTM 4169, Truck assurance level II). Vibration of cut-cantaloupe packaged in sample containers had a positive effect on the flavor and overall liking. The overall liking scores were higher than 6(slightly like) on a hedonic scale …

Performance Of A Catch Basin Filter And Leachate From Biocidal Media For Stormwater Treatment, Ryan Scott Maclure

Master's Theses

The feasibility of installing biocidal beads into a catch basin filter insert for simultaneous stormwater disinfection and contaminant removal was tested. The catch basin filter insert (DrainPac®) was tested for its sediment, oil and grease, and coliform bacteria removal efficiency in conjunction with bench-scale testing of biocidal polymer beads. DrainPac® catch basin filters are composed of a metal frame, polypropylene filter fabric, and a high-density polymer support basket, and are installed below storm drains. A 12 x 41 in. DrainPac® filter (United Stormwater, Inc.) insert was set in a flume that simulated a large-scale catchment basin. Pond water was gravity …

Phytoremediation Of Weathered Petroleum In Groundwater By Arroyo Willows In Nutrient Amended On-Site Mesocosms, Sarah E. Bragg-Flavan

Master's Theses

PHYTOREMEDIATION OF WEATHERED PETROLEUM IN GROUNDWATER BY ARROYO WILLOWS IN NUTRIENT AMENDED ON-SITE MESOCOSMS

SARAH BRAGG-FLAVAN

A large-scale mesocosm study was conducted to determine if vegetation with willow trees enhances biodegradation and to evaluate the mechanisms of natural biodegradation of weathered petroleum compounds under field conditions. The mesocosms were designed to model conditions at a former oil field where mid-range petroleum distillates were used as a diluent for pumping crude oil contaminated the soil and groundwater at the site with petroleum compounds. Ten mesocosms were constructed at the field site using un-impacted soil and diluent-impacted groundwater from the site. Five …

Non-Parametric Methods For Soil Moisture Retrieval From Satellite Remote Sensing Data, Tarendra Lakhankar, Hosni Ghedira, Marouane Temimi, Manajit Sengupta, Reza Khanbilvardi, Reginald Blake

Publications and Research

Satellite remote sensing observations have the potential for efficient and reliable mapping of spatial soil moisture distributions. However, soil moisture retrievals from active microwave remote sensing data are typically complex due to inherent difficulty in characterizing interactions among land surface parameters that contribute to the retrieval process. Therefore, adequate physical mathematical descriptions of microwave backscatter interaction with parameters such as land cover, vegetation density, and soil characteristics are not readily available. In such condition, non-parametric models could be used as possible alternative for better understanding the impact of variables in the retrieval process and relating it in the absence of …

Short-Term Osteoclastic Activity Induced By Locally High Concentrations Of Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein–2 In A Cancellous Bone Environment, Jeffrey M. Toth, Scott D. Boden, J. Kenneth Burkus, Jeffrey Badura, Steve M. Peckham, William Mckay

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Study Design. An experimental study investigating osteoclastic activity induced by rhBMP-2 in sheep.

Objective. To examine the effects of increasing local rhBMP-2 concentration on osteoclastic response and peri-implant bone resorption.

Summary of Background Data. Level I clinical studies have established the safe and effective volume and concentration of rhBMP-2 delivered on an absorbable collagen sponge. However, peri-implant bone resorption appearing as decreased mineral density has been observed radiographically in rare instances after implantation of rhBMP-2 on an absorbable collagen sponge (rhBMP-2/ACS).

Methods. Bilateral corticocancellous defects were created in the distal femora of 30 adult sheep. Combinations of rhBMP-2/ACS implant volume …

Biofilm Inhibitory Coatings Formulated From Glass Polyalkenoate Cement Chemistry: An Evaluation Of Their Adhesive Nature, A. Coughlan, D. Boyd, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Researchers evaluated the adhesive nature of the biofilm inhibitory coatings formulated from glass polyalkenoate cement (GPC) chemistry with the aim to establish the novel testing modality by modifying the conventional T-peel tests. Special consideration was given to determine the resistance of a bonded assembly of two adherents having at least one adherent flexible to quantify the bond between tape and a surgical metal substrate bonded by a luting GPC. The delaminated tape surface was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with an accelerating voltage of 20 K V to determine whether failure of the bond was adhesive of cohesive in …

Fun & Games With Space Projects, Robert J. Twiggs

Robert "Bob" Twiggs STEM Education Collection

A PowerPoint presentation created by Professor Bob Twiggs titled "Fun & Games with Space Projects" from February 27, 2009.

Stochastic Spatio-Temporal Uncertainty In Gis-Based Water Quality Modeling Of The Land Water Interface, Ahmad Mohamad Salah

Theses and Dissertations

Integrated water resources management has been used for decades in various formats. The limited resources and the ever growing population keep imposing pressure on decision makers to better-, and reliably, manage the available waters. On the other hand, the continuous development in computing and modeling power has helped modelers and decision makers considerably. To use these models, assumptions have to be made to fill in the gaps of missing data and to approximate the current conditions. The type and amount of information available can also be used to help select the best model from the currently available models. Advances in …

Power Generation By Harvesting Ambient Energy With A Micro-Electromagnetic Generator, James H. Shields

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis investigated the potential power output of a micro-electromagnetic generator fabricated using typical microfabrication materials and techniques. The design was based on a desire to free bio-implanted or remote electronic devices from batteries and their finite power supplies. A micro-electromagnetic generator could harvest energy from the ambient environment and power such devices indefinitely. Designs for the stator coil and rotor magnet components of the generator were optimized to produce maximum current density based upon electromagnetic theory. The relative orientation of the coil to the rotor and material selection for each component were considered. Coils were fabricated using low-resistance gold. …

Communication Free Robot Swarming, Zachary C. Gray

Theses and Dissertations

As the military use of unmanned aerial vehicles increases, a growing need for novel strategies to control these systems exists. One such method for controlling many unmanned aerial vehicles simultaneously is the through the use of swarm algorithms. This research explores a swarm robotic algorithm developed by Kadrovach implemented on Pioneer Robots in a real-world environment. An adaptation of his visual sensor is implemented using stereo vision as the primary method of sensing the environment. The swarm members are prohibited from explicitly communicating other than passively through the environment. The resulting implementation produces a communication free swarming algorithm. The algorithm …

Compositional Contrast Of Biological Materials In Liquids Using The Momentary Excitation Of Higher Eigenmodes In Dynamic Atomic Force Microscopy, Xin Xu, John Melcher, Sudipta Basak, R. Reifenberger, Arvind Raman

Birck and NCN Publications

Atomic Force microscope (AFM) cantilevers commonly used for imaging soft biological samples in liquids experience a momentary excitation of the higher eigenmodes at each tap. This transient response is very sensitive to the local sample elasticity under gentle imaging conditions because the higher eigenmode time period is comparable to the tip-sample contact time. By mapping the momentary excitation response, we demonstrate a new scanning probe spectroscopy capable of resolving with high sensitivity the variations in the elasticity of soft biological materials in liquids.

An Inverse Method For Predicting Tissue-Level Mechanics From Cellular Mechanical Input, Wangdo Kim, Derek C. Tretheway, Sean S. Kohles

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Extracellular matrix (ECM) provides a dynamic three-dimensional structure which translates mechanical stimuli to cells. This local mechanical stimulation may direct biological function including tissue development. Theories describing the role of mechanical regulators hypothesize the cellular response to variations in the external mechanical forces on the ECM. The exact ECM mechanical stimulation required to generate a specific pattern of localized cellular displacement is still unknown. The cell to tissue inverse problem offers an alternative approach to clarify this relationship. Developed for structural dynamics, the inverse dynamics problem translates measurements of local state variables (at the cell level) into an unknown or …

Imaging Radiation Pneumonitis In A Rat Model Of A Radiological Terrorism Incident, Robert C. Molthen, Qingping Wu, Gary S. Krenz, Meetha Medhora, Elizabeth R. Jacobs, John E. Moulder

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

We have developed a rat model of single, sub-lethal thoracic irradiation. Our irradiation protocol is considered representative of exposures near the detonation site of a dirty bomb or small nuclear device. The model is being used to investigate techniques for identifying, triaging and treating possible victims. In addition to physiological markers of right ventricular hypertrophy, pulmonary vascular resistance, and arterial distensibility, we present two methods for quantifying microvascular density. We used methods including microfocal X-ray imaging to investigate changes in lung structure/function resulting from radiation exposure. Radiation pneumonitis is a complication in subjects receiving thoracic irradiation. A radiographic hallmark of …

Imaging Gold Nanorods By Plasmon-Resonance-Enhanced Four Wave Mixing, Yookyung Jung, Hongtao Chen, Ling Tong, Ji-Xin Cheng

Other Nanotechnology Publications

The current work investigates the four-wave mixing (FWM) signal from gold nanorods (NRs) using two synchronized lasers and its potential applications in bioimaging. Using the lightning rod model, we show that the strongest FWM occurs when the pump laser wavelength is tuned to be resonant with the longitudinal plasmon resonance wavelength of NR. The calculation is experimentally demonstrated by comparing the intensities of FWM from NRs with different plasmon resonance wavelengths. The FWM signal is further found to be enhanced by aggregation of NRs and is strongly dependent on pulse width. The FWM intensity from NRs is similar to 39 …

Correlating Threshold Power With Free-Space Bandwidth For Low-Directivity Antennas, Abu T.M. Sayem, Mark G. Douglas, Gernot Schmidt, Ben Petric, Mohammod Ali

Faculty Publications

This paper develops a threshold power rationale that can be used to demonstrate inherent compliance for portable wireless devices with specific absorption rate (SAR) limits over the 300-6000-MHz frequency range. This is achieved first by understanding the relationship between basic antenna parameters (bandwidth, operating frequency, and distance to the body) and SAR. From this, an upper limit is determined for the power transmitted by a portable wireless device such that the SAR will not exceed the compliance limit. Based on the presented computational and measured data, an empirical formula is developed for the threshold power as a function of the …

Temperature Influence And Heat Management Requirements Of Microalgae Cultivation In Photobioreactors, Thomas Hagen Mehlitz

Master's Theses

Microalgae are considered one of the most promising feedstocks for biofuel production for the future. The most efficient way to produce vast amounts of algal biomass is the use of closed tubular photobioreactors (PBR). The heat requirement for a given system is a major concern since the best algae growth rates are obtained between 25-30 °C, depending on the specific strain. A procedure to determine temperature influence on algal growth rates was developed for a lab-scale PBR system using the species Chlorella. A maximum growth rate of 1.44 doublings per day at 29 °C (optimal temperature) was determined. In addition, …

A Successful Interdisciplinary Course On Computational Intelligence, Ganesh K. Venayagamoorthy

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This article presents experiences from the introduction of a new three hour interdisciplinary course on computational intelligence (CI) taught at the Missouri University of Science and Technology, USA at the undergraduate and graduate levels. This course is unique in the sense that it covers five main paradigms of CI and their integration to develop hybrid intelligent systems. The paradigms covered are artificial immune systems (AISs), evolutionary computing (EC), fuzzy systems (FSs), neural networks (NNs) and swarm intelligence (SI). While individual CI paradigms have been applied successfully to solve real-world problems, the current trend is to develop hybrids of these paradigms …

Integrated Cognitive Architectures: A Survey, Hui-Qing Chong, Ah-Hwee Tan, Gee-Wah Ng

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

This article aims to present an account of the state of the art research in the field of integrated cognitive architectures by providing a review of six cognitive architectures, namely Soar, ACT-R, ICARUS, BDI, the subsumption architecture and CLARION. We conduct a detailed functional comparison by looking at a wide range of cognitive components, including perception, memory, goal representation, planning, problem solving, reasoning, learning, and relevance to neurobiology. In addition, we study the range of benchmarks and applications that these architectures have been applied to. Although no single cognitive architecture has provided a full solution with the level of human …