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Modeling Electric Fields In Microfluidic Devices, Micah Fincher

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Fluorescent Si Nanoparticle-Based Electrode For Sensing Biomedical Substances, Gang Wang, Siu-Tung Yau, Kevin Mantey, Munir H. Nayfeh

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

We have been studying the miniaturization of silicon crystals and the transition from the solid state to the atomistic state. We demonstrated the existence of “sweet spots” in cluster size in the range 1–3nm that have enhanced chemical, structural, and photo stability. The particles are produced by an electrochemical etching process as dispersion in liquid, and they are reconstituted in films, patterns, alloys, or spread on chips to produce super chips. Unlike bulk, these Si nanoparticle configurations have a spectacular ability to glow in distinct RGB colors. In this paper we describe an electrode sensor built by decorating metal or …

Development And Validation Of Hardware To Measure The Load-Deflection Characteristics Of Any Material, Manish Govardhanrao Kalmegh

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A portable device to measure load-displacement will have applications in biomechanics and reverse engineering in the automotive and aerospace industries. Hardware was developed by attaching a load cell (LC 201, Omegadyne, Inc., Sunbury, Ohio) to a Faro Arm (Faro Technologies, Lake Mary, Florida), a portable coordinate measuring machine that accommodates standard and custom end effectors. A LabVIEW (National Instrument, Austin, Texas) program was developed to process the load cell and deflection data obtained from the Faro Arm. To validate this system, a four-inch square block, chair cushion, and head restraint of a car were tested using a material testing machine …

Stochastic Calculations For Computation Of Radiation Effects And Cell Survivability Under Voltage Pulsing, Madhuri Ganapathiraju

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Statistical computations are an important tool for the analysis of stochastic phenomena and processes that are characterized by variability. Biological systems (e.g., cells, tissues etc.) are perfect examples wherein response to a given external stimulus can be varied and needs to be adequately considered. The Monte Carlo method of analysis has now been recognized as the most effective way of treating stochastic variability.

This thesis uses Monte Carlo based simulations to probe two problems that require the quantification and modeling of effects caused by energy deposition onto biological matter from external sources. One problem involves the probabilistic study of the …

The Application Of Innovative High-Throughput Techniques To Serum Biomarker Discovery, Izabela Debkiewicz Karbassi

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Time-of-flight mass spectrometry continues to evolve as a promising technique for serum protein expression profiling and biomarker discovery. As seen in our initial SELDI-TOF MS and MALDI-TOF MS profiling study of serum for the assessment of breast cancer risk, many profiling strategies typically employ single chemical affinity beads or surfaces to decrease sample complexity of dynamic fluids like serum. However, most proteins, captured on a particular surface or bead, are not resolved in the lower mass range where mass spectrometers are most effective. To this end we have designed an expression profiling workflow that utilizes immobilized trypsin paramagnetic beads in …

Numerical Simulations Of A Nonlinear Transmission Line, Stuart Rogers

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This thesis investigates wave propagation along a nonlinear transmission line having a voltage-dependent capacitance. The telegrapher's equations that model wave propagation along such a transmission line are derived and shown to represent a nonlinear hyperbolic system of balance laws. The Lax-Friedrichs, Lax-Wendroff, and hybrid numerical schemes for obtaining approximate solutions to nonlinear hyperbolic systems of balance laws are presented, analyzed, and applied to the nonlinear telegrapher's equations. The Lax-Wendroff and hybrid schemes are invoked to numerically simulate wave propagation along a nonlinear transmission line. Simulations obtained via the hybrid scheme are used to briefly study the potential application of a …

An Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System For Modeling Mechanical Properties Of Tapioca Starch-Poly(Lactic Acid) Nanocomposite Foams, Siew-Yoong Lee, Milford Hanna, David D. Jones

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

Tapioca starch, poly(lactic acid) and Cloisite 30B nanocomposites foams, with clay contents of 1, 3, 5 and 7% (w/w), were prepared by a meltintercalation method. Multiple inputs single output models were developed to predict radial expansion ratio, unit density, bulk compressibility and spring index of the nanocomposite foams. An individual ANFIS model was developed for each mechanical property using clay content, temperature, pressure and torque as input parameters. All models preformed well with R² values > 0.71. All models had very low root mean squared error values.

System For Reducing Stress Induced Effects Duringdetermination Of Fluid Optical Constants, Thomas E. Tiwald, John A. Woollam, Galen L. Pfeiffer, Blaine D. Johs, Craig M. Herzinger

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering: Faculty Publications

A system for determination of optical constants of liquids, including provision for reducing stress induced effects while obtaining data.

Neutron Detection Utilizing Gadolinium Doped Hafnium Oxide Films, Bryan D. Blasy

Theses and Dissertations

Gadolinium (Gd) doped hafnium oxide (HfO₂) was deposited onto a silicon substrate using pulsed laser deposition. Synchrotron radiation was used to perform Gd L3-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurements on 3%, 10%, and 15% doped HfO₂ samples. The interatomic distances determined from Fourier transformation and fitting the data show Gd occupying the hafnium site in the HfO₂ lattice, there was no clustering of Gd atoms, and the Gd ion retains monoclinic local symmetery for all levels of doping. Current as a function of voltage experiments identified the films as having poor diode characteristics with …

Nano-Mechanical Properties Of Heat Inactivated Bacillus Anthracis And Bacillus Thuringiensis Spores, Jessica L. Poindexter

Theses and Dissertations

B. thuringiensis spores must have similar properties to B. anthracis spores to be a good simulant in counter-proliferation studies. In particular, they must behave in a similar way when exposed to high temperatures for short periods of time as would be caused by an explosion. This research project compares surface elasticities for four different spore sample types, B. anthracis spores, heat inactivated B. anthracis spores, B. thuringiensis spores, and heat inactivated B. thuringiensis spores. Heat inactivated spores were exposed to a temperature just high enough that no spores were observed to germinate. Elasticity values for the spore surfaces were determined …

Gene Rearrangement Analysis And Ancestral Order Inference From Chloroplast Genomes With Inverted Repeat, Feng Yue, Liying Cui, Claude W. Depamphilis, Bernard M.E. Moret, Jijun Tang

Faculty Publications

Background
Genome evolution is shaped not only by nucleotide substitutions, but also by structural changes including gene and genome duplications, insertions, deletions and gene order rearrangements. The most popular methods for reconstructing phylogeny from genome rearrangements include GRAPPA and MGR. However these methods are limited to cases where equal gene content or few deletions can be assumed. Since conserved duplicated regions are present in many chloroplast genomes, the inference of inverted repeats is needed in chloroplast phylogeny analysis and ancestral genome reconstruction.

Results
We extend GRAPPA and develop a new method GRAPPA-IR to handle chloroplast genomes. A test of GRAPPA-IR …

Micro-Etched Platforms For Thermal Inactivation Of Bacillus Anthracis And Bacillus Thuringiensis Spores, Leslie S. Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations

This research developed and applied microlithography techniques to etch microscope slide platforms in order to measure thermal inactivation of Bacillus thuringiensis and Bacillus anthracis spores, two closely related Bacillus species. B.t. is widely used as a surrogate for B.a. in response studies and in some field studies. This work addressed the previously identified problem of measuring both spore growth and spore thermal kill threshold using the traditional method of spreading a diluted spore solution on a plate. The micro-etched platforms forced spore separation thereby preventing neighbor growth from obscuring germination and initial vegetative growth measurements using a microscope. The technique …

Poster Session, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Kentucky Water Awareness Month Packet, Ashley Osborne, UK Cooperative Extension Service, ENRI Task Force
• Recent Enhancements to the Kentucky Groundwater-Quality Data Search Engine, Bart Davidson and R. Stephen Fisher, KGS
• Diatom Colonization Patterns and Carbon Stable Isotopic Ratios in Developing Periphyton at Springs of Differing Geologic Origin in Land-Between-the-Lakes, Courtney Snapp and Susan Hendricks, Water Sciences Program, Murray State University
• Seasonal Changes in Stratification and Oxygen Content of a Eutrophic Lake, Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky, Jill Hunter and Walter Borowski, Dept of Geography and Geology, EKU
• Water Pioneers Water Quality Program 2007, Stephanie Jenkins, …

Session 2c: Water Quality, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• Determinations of Bioavailable Fractions in the Assessment of Metals in Big and Little Bayou Creeks……, McCracken County, Kentucky, David J. Price, Dept Biology, UK
• Creation of a Catalog of Environmental Mercury Databases in Kentucky, Caroline Chan and others, School of Public Health and Information Sciences, U of L
• Using Nitrogen Isotopes to Trace Nutrient Inputs to a Eutrophic Lake, Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky, Walter Borowski and Theresa Aguiar, Dept of Geography and Geology, EKU
• Using Microbial Distribution and Abundance in a Eutrophic Lake as a Tracer for Nutrient Inputs, Wilgreen Lake, Madison County Kentucky, Theresa …

Session 1c: Student Research Projects, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

• A 3-D Computational Fluid Dynamics Code for Simulation of Pump Stations with Vertical Plunging Jet and Air Bubble Transport, Tien Mun Yee and Scott Yost, Dept of Civil Engineering, UK
• Chemical Evolution of Groundwater in the Wilcox Aquifer of the Mississippi Embayment, Estifanos Haile and Alan Fryar, Dept of Earth and Environmental Sciences, UK
• Sediment Organic Matter Degradation within Storage Zones Deposited In-Stream, Charles Davis and Jimmy Fox, Dept of Civil Engineering, UK
• Effectiveness of Improved Skid Trail Headwater Stream Crossings, Jeffrey Stringer and Christopher Reeves, Dept of Forestry, UK

Proceedings Of 2008 Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium, Kentucky Water Resources Research Institute, University Of Kentucky

Kentucky Water Resources Annual Symposium

This conference was planned and conducted as part of the state water resources research annual program with the support and collaboration of the Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey and the University of Kentucky Research Foundation, under Grant Agreement Number 06HQGR0087.

The views and conclusions contained in this document and presented at the symposium are those of the abstract authors and presenters and should not be interpreted as necessarily representing the official policies, either expressed or implied, of the U.S. Government or other symposium organizers and sponsors.

Securing Manets With Bitsi: Danger Theory And Mission Continuity, Marco Carvalho, Richard A. Ford, William H. Allen, Gerald A. Marin

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications

MANET (Mobile Ad hoc Network) environments are becoming increasingly important as potential users recognize the benefits of being able to create a functional network using little or no fixed infrastructure. Unfortunately, the very properties that provide such flexibility also cause significant complications in terms of security. The collaborative nature of the system combined with its continual state of flux requires solutions that are highly dynamic, and that can adapt to massive changes in system resources, traffic patterns and network topology. In this paper, we outline a new approach to MANET security called BITSI (the Biologically-Inspired Tactical Security Infrastructure). BITSI is …

Electrochemical Durability Of Carbon Nanotubes At 80 °C, Liang Li, Yangchuan Xing

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been studied as an alternative catalyst support in polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Recent studies showed that CNTs appear to be more resistant to electrochemical corrosion than carbon black (CB). in a previous study, we have demonstrated the room temperature durability of multiwalled CNTs in both non-catalyzed and catalyzed electrochemical oxidations. This paper is to report results conducted at 80 °C-an operational temperature of PEM fuel cells. It was found that multiwalled CNTs are still more resistant than CB at the elevated temperature. However, the electrochemical oxidation rate is more rapid than that at the …

Biomimetic Micro Air Vehicle Testing Development And Small Scale Flapping-Wing Analysis, Craig E. Svanberg

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to develop testing methods capable of analyzing the performance of a miniature flapping-wing mechanism that can later be adapted to a biomimetic micro air vehicle (MAV). Three small scale flapping mechanisms capable of single plane flapping, flapping with active pitch control, and flapping/pitch with out-of-plane movement were designed using SolidWorks. The flapping-only model was fabricated on an Objet Eden 500V 3-dimensional printer. The flapping mechanism was mounted on an aluminum plate supported by air bearings, and thrust was measured for a variety of conditions. The testing was conducted using wings composed of carbon fiber …

Analyzing Carbohydrate-Based Regenerative Fuel Cells As A Power Source For Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, Olek Wojnar

Theses and Dissertations

Based on current capabilities, we examine the feasibility of creating a carbohydrate-based regenerative fuel cell (CRFC) as the primary power source for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) for long endurance missions where station keeping is required. A CRFC power system is based on a closed-loop construct where carbohydrates are generated from zooxanthellae, algae that create excess carbohydrates during photosynthesis. The carbohydrates are then fed to a carbohydrate fuel cell where electric power is generated for the UAV’s propulsion, flight control, payload, and accessory systems. The waste products from the fuel cell are used by the zooxanthellae to create more carbohydrates, therefore …

Force Measurement And Evaluation For Surgical Cutting Applications: Development Of An Effective Characterisation Testbed, Dean Callaghan

Conference Papers

Sensorized instruments that cater for accurate measurement of the interaction forces (between biological tissue and instrument end-effector) during surgical procedures offer surgeons a greater sense of immersion during minimally invasive robotic surgery (MIRS). There is much ongoing research into force measurement/evaluation involving surgical graspers. However, comparatively little corresponding effort has been expended in the measurement and subsequent evaluation of forces between scissor blades and tissue. This paper presents the design and development of a force/strain measurement test apparatus, which will ultimately serve as an effective sensor characterisation and evaluation platform. Data acquired from the testing platform can be used to …

Analytical And Numerical Methodology For Modeling Temperatures In Landfills, James L. Hanson, Wei-Lien Liu, Nazli Yesiller

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Analytical and numerical approaches have been developed for modeling temperatures in municipal solid waste landfills. Steps for model formulation and details of boundary conditions are described. The formulation was based on a transient conductive heat transfer analysis. Conventional earth temperature theories were modified for landfill systems by incorporating heat generation functions representing biological decomposition of wastes. Finite element analysis was used for general modeling and parametric evaluations. Thermal properties of materials were determined using field observations and data reported in literature. The boundary conditions consisted of seasonal temperature cycles at the ground surface (established using near-surface field measurements) and constant …

Dialable Cryptography For Wireless Networks, Marnita T. Eaddie

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research is to develop an adaptive cryptographic protocol, which allows users to select an optimal cryptographic strength and algorithm based upon the hardware and bandwidth available and allows users to reason about the level of security versus the system throughput. In this constantly technically-improving society, the ability to communicate via wireless technology provides an avenue for delivering information at anytime nearly anywhere. Sensitive or classified information can be transferred wirelessly across unsecured channels by using cryptographic algorithms. The research presented will focus on dynamically selecting optimal cryptographic algorithms and cryptographic strengths based upon the hardware and …

Constellation Design Of Geosynchronous Navigation Satellites Which Maximizes Availability And Accuracy Over A Specified Region Of The Earth, Halil Ibrahim Ozdemir

Theses and Dissertations

Currently, there are four Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) either being developed or in existence-GPS, GLONASS, Compass, and Galileo. Additionally, there are several Regional Navigation Satellite Systems (RNSS) planned or in existence, as well as numerous augmentation systems (which require a GNSS for operation). It can be anticipated that there will be interest in developing additional independent regional navigation satellite systems to cover areas of interest to particular countries or regions, who want to have their own system. In this paper, a genetic algorithm is used in an effort to determine near-optimal RNSS constellations. First, a cost function is setup, …

Microfluidic Power Generation, Aaron J. Sprecher

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis includes the detailed mathematical calculations used to determine the feasibility of harnessing electrical energy from the blood flow through human capillaries. The designs are inspired by human physiology and well established electromagnetic energy harvesting techniques and the fabrication methods have been proposed for the various components of the device. The fabrication and the design of these components have also been extensively analyzed using calculations based on the governing principles of microfluidics, kinetics, and electromagnetics. The analysis has confirmed that this design can produce sufficient energy to power a MEMS device using non-standard materials and fabrication methods. The designs …

Anti-Tamper Method For Field Programmable Gate Arrays Through Dynamic Reconfiguration And Decoy Circuits, Samuel J. Stone

Theses and Dissertations

As Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) become more widely used, security concerns have been raised regarding FPGA use for cryptographic, sensitive, or proprietary data. Storing or implementing proprietary code and designs on FPGAs could result in the compromise of sensitive information if the FPGA device was physically relinquished or remotely accessible to adversaries seeking to obtain the information. Although multiple defensive measures have been implemented (and overcome), the possibility exists to create a secure design through the implementation of polymorphic Dynamically Reconfigurable FPGA (DRFPGA) circuits. Using polymorphic DRFPGAs removes the static attributes from their design; thus, substantially increasing the difficulty …

Optimization Of The Metamorphic Development Process Via The Genetic Algorithm, Keith Daniel Joseph Goren

Theses and Dissertations

This main investigation of this thesis was the integration of the metamorphic development process with a genetic algorithm in order to optimize the metamorphic development process. Since the origin of the metamorphic development process, there has been a need for the user to input parameters in order to coax structural development to obtain an optimum structure. By utilizing the genetic algorithm to manipulate this input information, this new marriage of the metamorphic development process and the genetic algorithm can save time and computation for the user of the program. It was found that the genetic algorithm with the metamorphic development …

Improvement Of Ecm Techniques Through Implementation Of A Genetic Algorithm, James D. Townsend

Theses and Dissertations

This research effective effort develops the necessary interfaces between the radar signal processing components and an optimization routine, such as genetic algorithms, to develop Electronic Countermeasure (ECM) waveforms under a Hardware-in-the-Loop (HILS) architecture. The various ECM waveforms are stored in an ECM library, where an operator selects the desired function to use against a particular system. This optimization works with modular components, compared to previous research that embedded a genetic algorithm into the Range Gate Pull-off (RGPO) waveform optimization loop, which can be interchanged based upon the operator's desired hardware/ software testing setup. The ECM library's first entries contain the …

Active And Attentive Ladar Scanning For Automatic Target Recognition, M. Mamanakis, R.R. Fullmer, R.T. Pack, Scott E. Budge

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

In this work we examine the dynamic implications of active and attentive scanning for LADAR based automatic target/object recognition and show that a dynamically constrained, scanner based, ATR system's ability to identify objects in real-time is improved through attentive scanning. By actively and attentively scanning only salient regions of an image at the density required for recognition, the amount of time it takes to find a target object in a random scene is reduced. A LADAR scanner's attention is guided by identifying areas-of-interest using a visual saliency algorithm on electro-optical images of a scene to be scanned. Identified areas-of-interest are …

The Genome Of Laccaria Bicolor Provides Insights Into Mycorrhizal Symbiosis, F. Martin, A. Aerts, D. Ahren, A. Brun, E. G. J. Danchin, F. Duchaussoy, J. Gibon, A. Kohler, E. Lindquist, V. Pereda, A. Salamov, H. J. Shapiro, J. Wuyts, D. Blaudez, M. Buee, P. Brokstein, B. Canback, D. Cohen, P. E. Courty, P. M. Coutinho, C. Delaruelle, J. C. Detter, A. Deveau, S. Difazio, S. Duplessis, L. Fraissinet-Tachet, E. Lucic, P. Frey-Klett, C. Fourrey, I. Feussner, G. Gay, J. Grimwood, P. J. Hoegger, P. Jain, S. Kilaru, J. Labbe, Y. C. Lin, V. Legue, F. Le Tacon, R. Marmeisse, D. Melayah, B. Montanini, M. Muratet, U. Nehls, H. Niculita-Hirzel, M. P. Oudot-Le Secq, M. Peter, H. Quesneville, B. Rajashekar, M. Reich, N. Rouhier, J. Schmutz, T. Yin, M. Chalot, B. Henrissat, U. Kues, S. Lucas, Y. Van De Peer, G. K. Podila, A. Polle, P. J. Pukkila, P. M. Richardson, P. Rouze, I. R. Sanders, J. E. Stajich, A. Tunlid, G. Tuskan, I. V. Grigoriev

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Mycorrhizal symbioses—the union of roots and soil fungi—are universal in terrestrial ecosystems and may have been fundamental to land colonization by plants. Boreal, temperate and montane forests all depend on ectomycorrhizae. Identification of the primary factors that regulate symbiotic development and metabolic activity will therefore open the door to understanding the role of ectomycorrhizae in plant development and physiology, allowing the full ecological significance of this symbiosis to be explored. Here we report the genome sequence of the ectomycorrhizal basidiomycete Laccaria bicolor (Fig. 1) and highlight gene sets involved in rhizosphere colonization and symbiosis. This 65-megabase genome assembly contains ~20,000 …