Digital Commons Network^™

Mercury Transport Through A Capped Sediment, Jianrong Liu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Laboratory simulation cells were employed to evaluate the effectiveness of a sand cap for containing highly mercury-contaminated lake sediments and the resultant impacts on the mercury fate beneath the cap. Sand cap can delay and reduce the migration of mercury into the overlying water; however, due to the small partition coefficient of mercury between sand and water, a capping material with higher partition coefficient is better for the long-term containment of mercury. In the following study, efforts were made to identify and investigate an active capping material which works effectively at containing and inhibiting the methylation of mercury. Based on …

Electrochemical Fabrication Of Auco Nanostructures, Maoshi Guan

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Electrodeposited Au/CoAu multilayered nanowires are materials with alternating layers of Au and CoAu in a wire where the layer thickness and wire diameter are nanometer size. They can be used for different applications. For example, the wires may exhibit giant magnetoresistance (GMR), a change in the materials resistance with a magnetic field, having applications as a sensor material for microdevices. If Co is etched from CoAu nanowires, rough, porous gold nanostructures will be left behind, which could be used as novel catalysts. In this study, the electrodeposition of Au/CoAu multilayered nanowires and nanotubes in nanoporous templates was explored from a …

An Efficient Algorithm For Biomarker Identification, Jiang Li, Rick Mckenzie, Lisa Cazares, Richard Drake, John Semmens

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Microassembly Technology For Modular, Polymer Microfluidic Devices, Byoung Hee You

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Assembly of modular, polymer microfluidic devices with different functions to obtain more capable instruments may significantly expand the options available for detection and diagnosis of disease through DNA analysis and proteomics. For connecting modular devices, precise, passive alignment structures can be used to prevent infinitesimal motions between the devices and minimize misalignment. The motion and constraint of passive alignment structures were analyzed using screw theory. A combination of three v-groove and hemisphere-tipped post joints constrained all degrees of freedom of the two mating modules without overconstraint. Simulations and experiments were performed to assess the predictability of dimensional and location variations …

Moderately-Rapid Assessment Of Alkaline Desiccation Environmental Systems, David Alan Bates

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

A moderately-rapid assessment tool was developed to analyze the waterless desiccation compost toilet investigated in a rural Mexican setting. Over 100 social factors were identified along with the applicable technical factors that influenced the low acceptability of the toilets. A 4-point rating scale was developed to increase the ability and speed of analyzing both the social and technical data. The treatment process was an alkaline-desiccation process with mean pH values of 8.2 ± sd 1.1 and water content of 18.3% ± sd 9.9, which resulted in mean fecal coliform values of 15.0 MPN/g ± sd 31.8, drastically lower than the …

Cryopreservation Of Adipose Derived Adult Stem Cells And Multidimensional Cell Sheets, Sreedhar Thirumala

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Human adipose tissue provides a uniquely abundant and accessible source of adult stem cells. In response to chemical, hormonal or structural stimuli, these human adipose-derived adult stem (ASCs) cells can differentiate along multiple lineage pathways, including adipocytes, chondrocytes, myocytes, neurons and osteoblasts. Successful cryopreservation of scientifically and commercially important ASCs would revolutionize the tissue engineering and regenerative medicine industry. In this research, we have investigated the water transport phenomenon during freezing of several passages of adipose derived adult stem cells and generated the membrane permeability parameters in the presence and absence of cryoprotective agents. These measured permeability parameters were then …

An Experimental Study On The Formation Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons During The Pyrolysis And Oxidation Of Catechol[Ortho-Dihydroxybenzene]-A Model Compound Representative Of Structural Units In Coal, Wood, And Biomass, Shiju Thomas

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) formed during the pyrolysis and combustion of solid fuels like coal, wood, and biomass are widespread environmental pollutants. Since some PAH are known to exhibit carcinogenic and mutagenic activity, understanding the chemical reactions responsible for PAH formation is of utmost importance. To better understand the reactions leading to the formation of PAH from complex solid fuels, pyrolysis and oxidation experiments have been performed in an isothermal laminar-flow reactor, using the model fuel catechol (ortho-dihydroxybenzene), a phenol-type compound representative of structural entities in coal, wood, and biomass. Catechol pyrolysis experiments have also been performed in the presence …

Degradation And Water Quality Dynamics Of Sugarcane Residue In South Louisiana, Jose Roberto Deras

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

PURPOSE: This research was conducted to assess methods to manage the residue blanket to avoid open field burning in sugarcane. Experiments were conducted in the state of Louisiana to evaluate methods to asses and potentially reduce water quality issues. METHODS: Concentrations and frequencies of biological compost tea were sprayed on sugarcane combine-harvester residue blanket to increase degradation rate and reduce potential for runoff water to transport nutrients and sediments that may impair water bodies, while sustaining suitable sugarcane yield. Carbon dioxide evolution rate (mg CO2-C) and CO2 fluxes were measured in laboratory and in open field conditions; as an index …

Impact Damage Between The Collision Of A Vessel And Protective Fender Systems, Paul Joseph Kocke

LSU Master's Theses

Vessel collision with bridge pilings can cause a catastrophic event and are occurring at an alarming rate. Such events can lead to the collapse of a bridge, causing deaths, shutting down a primary route of transportation and costing millions of dollars in repairs. Today, the AASHTO Bridge Code gives designers a methodology toward designing bridge pilings to withstand the impact of an errant vessel. However, bridges designed before this code was written require a protective system that is capable of redirecting a colliding vessel without causing severe damage to the pilings or the vessel. This research will look into three …

Pilot-Scale Study On Anaerobic Digestion Applied To A Saline Industrial Waste Activated Sludge, Changjiang Shen

LSU Master's Theses

In the field of municipal wastewater treatment, anaerobic digestion is a well-established, effective process for stabilization of organic sludge with the attractive features of low operating costs and production of methane as a useful by-product. Application of anaerobic digestion for the treatment of saline industrial wastewater sludge, however, has not been well established. The studies described in this thesis were conducted with the overall goal of assessing the feasibility of mesophilic anaerobic digestion processes for treatment of waste activated sludge (WAS) containing moderate salinity (approximately 3% m/v). Experiments employed two 30-gallon conical-bottom HDPE reactors. In the first phase of testing, …

Optimization Of Treatment Of Chlorinated Volatile Organic Compound Mixtures In Constructed Wetlands: Vegetation And Substrate Effects, Stephen Emmanuel Mbuligwe

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Microcosm and mesocosm scale experiments were carried out to investigate the effects of vegetation and substrates on the performance of engineered wetland systems (EWSs) meant to treat mixtures of volatile organic compounds (cVOCs). The experiments were conducted with a view to optimizing contributions of these wetland components. Phragmites communis and Typha latifolia, the commonest wetland plant species, were compared in mesocosm scale EWSs. Eight common wetland plant species were compared using microcosm experiments based on the potential of their rootmatter to enhance treatment of cVOC mixtures. Twelve common wetland plants were similarly compared but on the basis of their aboveground …

Fate And Transport Of Microorganisms In Coastal Subsurface-Experiment And Modeling, Haibo Cao

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation was to investigate the fate and transport of microorganisms in coastal subsurface. Two topics were studied: (1) evaluation of the performance of the Marshland Upwelling System (MUS) in removing fecal bacteria and the background recovery after it is shut down; (2) Investigation of the effects of salinity and soluble organic matter (SOM) on sorption of MS-2 and development of a model to describe the sorption and transport process. The MUS showed effective performance in removing fecal bacteria during its 32 month operation period at Bayou Segnette Site. The removal efficiency was increased with its operation …

Photolithography Based Patterning Of Bacteriorhodopsin Films, Christopher M. Anton

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

The patterning of photoactive purple membrane (PM) films onto electronic substrates to create a biologically based light detection device was investigated. This research is part of a larger collaborative effort to develop a miniaturized toxin detection platform. This platform will utilize PM films containing the photoactive protein bacteriorhodopsin to convert light energy to electrical energy.

Following an effort to pattern PM films using focused ion beam machining, the photolithography based bacteriorhodopsin patterning technique (PBBPT) was developed. This technique utilizes conventional photolithography techniques to pattern oriented PM films onto flat substrates. After the basic patterning process was developed, studies were conducted …

Business Risk In Early Design: An Approach, Rahul Basavaraj Patil

Masters Theses

"The Business Risk in Early Design (B-RED) method is a tool used to determine the potential risks in business, in the early business development stages. In order to launch a successful business in today's competitive market environment, the business should equip itself to face the risks involved in business. If the potential risks are identified even before the launch of the business, then there is an opportunity to avert risks with little or no impact to the budget and schedule. The B-RED method presented in this thesis helps entrepreneurs and people with little or no experience in business to identify …

Individual-Based Artificial Ecosystems For Design And Optimization, Shivakar Vulli

Masters Theses

"Individual-based modeling has gained popularity over the last decade, mainly due to the paradigm's proven ability to address a variety of problems seen in many disciplines, including modeling complex systems from bottom-up, providing relationship between component level and system level parameters, and discovering the emergence of system-level behaviors from simple component level interactions. Availability of computational power to run simulation models with thousands to millions of agents is another driving force in the widespread adoption of individual-based modeling. This thesis proposes an individual-based modeling approach for solving engineering design and optimization problems using artificial ecosystems"--Abstract, page iii.

Evaluation Of Su8 And Ruthenium Oxide Materials For Microfluidic Devices, Margaret Theresa Audrain

Masters Theses

"This thesis investigates two materials, SU8 photoresist and RuO₂, for possible incorporation into a self-calibrating microfluidic biosensor. The negative, epoxy based photoresist SU8 has been widely used in the fabrication of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) devices. This is due to its many desirable features that make it a suitable material for a wide variety of MEMS applications. The effects cross-linking (exposure dose) and bonding time have on bond strength and plasma modification of the SU8 surface were investigated as well as the bond strength of etched SU8. It was shown that adhesive bonding was an effective method of bonding, with bond …

Carbon Credits And Energy Subsidies In Economic Decision Making For Confined Animal Feedlot Operation Waste Treatment, Taresh Grover

Masters Theses

"Released waste into the environment has always had a societal cost. Current issues with swine waste suggest that improved treatment is needed as agricultural production has become more industry-like and also as we now globally value the mitigation of global warming. The current need for and the economic support of advanced waste treatment has converged for animal agriculture, and now improved waste treatment is possible with concurrent economic benefit through alternative energy and carbon emissions. Recent changes have resulted in renewal of interest in anaerobic digestion (AD) technology with methane capture and energy production. An economic model was constructed to …

Aflp Fingerprint Analysis Of Hybrid Salamanders In The Missouri Caverns Section Of Onondaga Cave, Maria Louise Potter

Masters Theses

"Two species and one subspecies of salamander in the genus Eurycea, two species of Plethodon and one species of Typhlotriton (recently considered to be Eurycea) salamander currently reside in an area of Onondaga Cave known as the Missouri Caverns section. Due to the presence of two known interbreeding subspecies of salamanders, Eurycea Longicauda (Long-tailed salamander) and Eurycea longicauda melanopleura (Dark-sided salamander), the possibility may exist for interbreeding of one or all of these taxa. Specifically, it is hypothesized that the two species of Eurycea longicauda may interbreed with Eurycea lucifuga (Cave salamander). through visual assessment and phenotypic analysis, …

An Approach For Human Swarm Interaction, Shishir Bashyal

Masters Theses

"This study shows that appropriate human interaction can benefit a swarm of robots to reach to goal more efficiently. The common belief in swarm robotics that user intervention adversely affects intelligence of the swarm is studied carefully to show that the traditional human-robot interaction approaches are not suitable for human swarm interaction. A set of desirable features for human swarm interaction is identified and an interaction architecture is proposed that has all of the desirable features. A swarm simulation environment is then created that allows simulating a swarm behavior in an indoor environment. Three different applications of the swarm are …

Synthesis Of Nanostructured Conducting Polymers And Their Application As Gas Sensors, Zhe-Fei Li

Masters Theses

"A single-step, bottom-up technique based on a nanostructured conducting polymer has been used to fabricate sensors. Small amounts of aqueous solutions of aniline, a dopant, and an oxidant were placed on an interdigitated electrode array. Ultraviolet (UV)-irradiation of the solutions enhanced polymerization, yielding a highly porous film of polyaniline nanofibers with mean diameters of around 100 nm and lengths on the order of 1 µm. Solutions that were not irradiated formed bulk-like polyaniline films. Nanofibers and bulk polyaniline sensors were exposed to vapors in an argon carrier gas including: chloroform, a weak proton donor; toluene, a vapor that causes polymer …

Modeling Kinetics Of Hydrolysis Of Three Pesticides In Laboratory Waters, Michelle Kim Marincel

Masters Theses

"Pesticides and pesticide degradates found in drinking water sources are of particular concern to human health. When treated and disinfected at a drinking water plant, pesticides etridiazole, metribuzin, and diazinon undergo many treatment processes including lime softening, where the water pH is raised to 10 for calcium removal or 11 for magnesium removal. This thesis focuses on modeling the kinetics of hydrolysis of three pesticides that have the potential to undergo hydrolysis in drinking water plants. Linearly and non-linearly regressed first order and non-linearly regressed second order models were applied to the experimental data and compared to limited literature values. …

Multiscale Constitutive Modeling Of Polymer Materials, Pavan Kumar Valavala

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Materials are inherently multi-scale in nature consisting of distinct characteristics at various length scales from atoms to bulk material. There are no widely accepted predictive multi-scale modeling techniques that span from atomic level to bulk relating the effects of the structure at the nanometer (10^-9 meter) on macro-scale properties. Traditional engineering deals with treating matter as continuous with no internal structure. In contrast to engineers, physicists have dealt with matter in its discrete structure at small length scales to understand fundamental behavior of materials. Multiscale modeling is of great scientific and technical importance as it can aid in designing …

Planning And Adaptation Measures For Urban Slum Communities In West Africa : Stochastic Rainfall Modeling Applied To Domestic Rainwater Harvesting And Climate Change Adaptation, Joshua R. Cowden

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Over half of the world’s population is living in urban settlements, and most urban growth is occurring in developing countries. These countries’ economies are often unable to accommodate these rural-urban immigrations, resulting in millions of people settling in insecure communities known as urban slums. Current efforts to prevent urban slums include UN-HABITAT strategies to upgrade slums and stimulate urban/regional development. Urban metabolism analysis, which studies material and energy flows/stocks through urban processes, help decision-makers better understand their urban system. Nine lessons from past urban metabolism studies are presented to assist in finding answers on how to best solve urban slum …

Evolutionary Methodology For Optimization Of Image Transforms Subject To Quantization Noise, Michael Ray Peterson

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Lossy image compression algorithms sacrifice perfect imagereconstruction in favor of decreased storage requirements. Modelossy compression schemes, such as JPEG2000, rely upon the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) to achieve high levels of compression while minimizing the loss of information for image reconstruction. Some compression applications require higher levels of compression than those achieved through application of the DWT and entropy coding. In such lossy systems, quantization provides high compression rates at the cost of increased distortion. Unfortunately, as the amount of quantization increases, the performance of the DWT for accurate image reconstruction deteriorates. Previous research demonstrates that a genetic algorithm can …

Novel Redox And Dna-Dependent Conformational Changes In Human Ku, A Dna-Double Strand Break Repair Protein, Jason Alexander Lehman

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Ionizing radiation (IR) and radiomimetic drugs used in cancer chemotherapy cause DNA double-strand breaks which are repaired by the nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway. Ku is a heterodimeric protein comprised of 70 and 80 kDa subunits and recognizes free DNA ends. Once Ku is bound to DNA, it binds to the DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs), and forms a heterotrimeric DNA-PK complex for repair and damage signaling.

We have analyzed the Ku protein using multiple biochemical techniques and uncovered a novel reversible redox change (Andrews, Lehman and Turchi, (2006) JBC 281(19):13596-603). From this data, we hypothesized that a redox-dependent …

Gas-Phonon Interaction Model For Subcontinuum Thermal Transport Simulations, Xiaohui Guo, Dhruv Singh, Jayathi Murthy, Alina A. Alexeenko

School of Aeronautics and Astronautics Faculty Publications

Subcontinuum thermal transport problems such as the contact thermal resistance of semiconductor-gas interactions may play an important role in micro/nano-scale devices. In present work, a gas-phonon interaction modeling approach is suggested based on Boltzmann transport equations. Verification has been conducted by comparisons with asymptotic analytical solutions as well as previously reported numerical results and experimental data. Thermal transpiration in nano-sized channels and thermal resistance of nano-sized constrictions has been studied using the current model Thermal transpiration is the main mechanism for temperature driven pumps in nano/micro-devices. In order to maintain higher temperature ratio between the two ends of the gas …

A New Paradigm For Human Resuscitation Research Using Intelligent Devices, Charles F. Babbs, Andre E. Kemeny, Weilun Quan, Gary Freeman

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Objectives: To develop new methods for studying correlations between the performance and outcome of resuscitation efforts in real-world clinical settings using data recorded by automatic devices such as automatic external defibrillators (AEDs), and to explore effects of shock timing and chest compression depth in the field. Methods: In 695 records of AED use in the pre-hospital setting, continuous compression data were recorded using AEDs capable of measuring sternal motion during compressions, together with timing of delivered shocks and the electrocardiogram. In patients who received at least one shock, putative return of spontaneous circulation (P-ROSC) was defined as a regular, narrow …

Numerical Analysis Of Respiratory Aerosol Deposition: Effects Of Exhalation, Airway Constriction And Electrostatic Charge, Samir C. Vinchurkar

Theses and Dissertations

The dynamics of particle laden flows are integral to the analysis of toxic particle deposition and medical respiratory aerosol delivery. Computational fluid-particle dynamics (CFPD) can play a critical role in developing a better understanding of particle laden flows, especially in a number of under-explored areas. The applications considered in this study include both the numerical aspects and the physical phenomena of respiratory aerosol transport. Objective I: Considering the effects of mesh type and grid convergence, four commonly implemented mesh styles were applied to a double bifurcation respiratory geometry and tested for flow patterns and aerosol deposition. Results indicated that the …

A Framework To Support Spatial, Temporal And Thematic Analytics Over Semantic Web Data, Matthew Steven Perry

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Spatial and temporal data are critical components in many applications. This is especially true in analytical applications ranging from scientific discovery to national security and criminal investigation. The analytical process often requires uncovering and analyzing complex thematic relationships between disparate people, places and events. Fundamentally new query operators based on the graph structure of Semantic Web data models, such as semantic associations, are proving useful for this purpose. However, these analysis mechanisms are primarily intended for thematic relationships. This dissertation proposes a framework built around the RDF data model for analysis of thematic, spatial and temporal relationships between named entities. …

Global Optimization Of An Aircraft Thermal Management System Through Use Of A Genetic Algorithm, Christopher T. Allen

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Optimization algorithms utilize known information about the system to identify solutions that are more efficient and meet the requirements of the user. The algorithms require an objective function, or formula (linear or nonlinear) that models what the user is looking to optimize, in order to begin the search for a more feasible solution. Because optimization problems can involve either linearor non-linear functions, various algorithms have been created that can locate optimum solutions faster depending on the type of objective function being optimized.

This research focuses on optimizing an aircrafts thermal management system by using one such algorithm. This was performed …