Engineering Commons^™

The Use Of Nanoparticles And Electrospun Fibers For Intravaginal Delivery To Treat Viral And Bacterial Infections And Electrophysiological Measurements Of Synthetic Chloride Channels., Farnaz Minooei

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Female reproductive viral and bacterial infections affect millions of women worldwide. Given the diversity and magnitude of these unmet reproductive health challenges, topical administration of antiretrovirals (ARVs) and antibiotics have emerged as promising approaches to maintain and restore reproductive health. However, currently available intravaginal dosage forms often suffer from low user adherence and the need for frequent, daily administration to achieve therapeutic effect. To address these challenges, the broad goal of this research was to focus on the development of new localized nanoparticle (NP) and electrospun fiber dosage forms to prolong the delivery and enhance the efficacy of active agents …

Utilizing A New Eco-Friendly Drilling Mud Additive Generated From Wastes To Minimize The Use Of The Conventional Chemical Additives, Abo Taleb T. Al-Hameedi, Husam H. Alkinani, Mohammed M. Alkhamis, Shari Dunn-Norman

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The cost of the drilling operation is very high. Drilling fluid presents 15 to 30% of the entire expense of the drilling process. Ordinarily, the major drilling fluids additives are viscosity modifiers, filtration control agents, and partial loss treatments. In this experimental work, full-set measurements under fresh and aged conditions, as well as high-temperature and high-pressure (HTHP) API filtration, were conducted to study the impacts of adding 0.5%, 1.5%, 2.5%, and 3.5% of black sunflower seeds’ shell powder (BSSSP) to spud mud. BSSSP of various grain sizes showed their ability to be invested for viscosity modifying, seepage loss controlling, and …

The Effects Of Solution Condition On Virus Filtration Performance, Fnu Namila

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Virus filtration is an integral part of the downstream purification of mammalian cell culture-derived biotherapeutics to assure the viral safety of the products. Virus filtration membranes remove viruses based on a size-exclusion mechanism. Commercial parvovirus filers possess unique membrane structure and are designed to remove smaller non-enveloped parvoviruses with size 18-26 nm. However, some filters face issues, such as pre-mature fouling, the decline of filtrate flux, and reduction in virus retention. This doctoral dissertation focused on identifying the factors that influence the filtrate flux and the virus retention capability of commercial virus filters. The effects of solution pH and ionic …

Parametric Study Of Residual Stresses In Wire And Arc Additive Manufactured Parts, Hisham Khaled Jamil Abusalma

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Wire and Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) is a cost-effective additive manufacturing process due to its capability to fabricate large metal parts with high deposition rate and low equipment cost. Although this method is gaining popularity in manufacturing industry, more research is needed to understand process parameters’ effects on residual stress (RS) distribution and part distortion. As such, a 3D thermo-elastic-plastic transient model was established in ABAQUS and employed to investigate the effect of process parameters such as the torch speed, the deposition power and the interlayer dwell time on RS distribution and distortion in WAAM part. The numerical model utilized …

Investigation Of Electrospun Nanofibers For Separation Applications, Shu-Ting Chen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Electrospun membranes are an attractive alternative to flat sheet membranes as absorbent with numerous advantages like high porosity, large specific surface area and ease of functionalization. This doctoral dissertation focuses on fabricating novel polymeric membrane adsorbents for protein separations and ammonium ion removal. Three distinctly different preparation methods including UV-initiated polymerization, atom transfer radical polymerization, and mixed-matrix formation, have been employed to fabricate the electrospun membranes. Overall, this study aimed to develop electrospun membranes with excellent separation efficiency for application in protein purification and ammonium ion removal.

Chapter 2 details the stepwise development of weak anion exchange membranes and subsequent …

Swarm-Based Design Of Proportional Integral And Derivative Controllers Using A Compromise Cost Function: An Arduino Temperature Laboratory Case Study, Paulo De Moura Oliveira, John Hedengren, Eduardo Solteiro Pires

Faculty Publications

Simple and easy to use methods are of great practical demand in the design of Proportional, Integral, and Derivative (PID) controllers. Controller design criteria are to achieve a good set-point tracking and disturbance rejection with minimal actuator variation. Achieving satisfactory trade-offs between these performance criteria is not easily accomplished with classical tuning methods. A particle swarm optimization technique is proposed to design PID controllers. The design method minimizes a compromise cost function based on both the integral absolute error and control signal total variation criteria. The proposed technique is tested on an Arduino-based Temperature Control Laboratory (TCLab) and compared with …

Clearance Of Solid Household Waste With The Reception Of Alternative Types Of Energy Carriers, Rakhmatullayev F, Turabdhanov S

Technical science and innovation

The research is devoted to improving the technology of obtaining alternative types of energy carriers by applying methods of pyrolysis of unclaimed types of solid domestic wastes of biological origin, which also allow solving the tasks of improving the ecological situation in the places of formation. The practical value and relevance of this research lies in the development of advanced technology for obtaining alternative fuels. The proposed pyrolysis unit allows producing gaseous and liquid hydrocarbons in a continuous cycle. In the atmosphere of the gasifying agent (air, oxygen, water vapor, carbon dioxide or their mixture), the gasification process is primarily …

Fluid-Driven Fracture Initiation From Oil And Gas Wells Considering Lifetime Stresses, Andreas Michael

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Fluid-driven fracture initiation from oil and gas wells is examined in detail. The dissertation covers three subtopics: drilling, completion (stimulations), and post-blowout capping-induced fracture initiation.

Drilling-induced tensile fractures (DITFs) are located in an azimuth orthogonal to wellbore breakouts and are observed from image logs obtained during drilling operations. Fully analytical criteria for the orientation of DITFs initiating from wells in porous, permeable media are derived considering fluid infiltration from a pressurized wellbore. DITF orientation (longitudinal or transverse-to-the-wellbore) is used to constrain the magnitude of the local maximum horizontal principal stress. The range of the possible stress states is indicated on …

Radiation Modified Chitosan/Polyvinyl Alcohol Film With Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone Coating For Heavy Metal Ion Removal, Norhashidah Talip

Student Works (2020-2029)

Chitosan (CS) / Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) films were obtained by solution casting method. To be used in the water treatment application, these film need to be improved in mechanical strength. In this study, 2% (w/v) chitosan and 5% (w/v) PVA were blend at different CS: PVA weight ratios (50:50, 70:30 and 90:10). These mixtures were then transformed into films by solution casting method. Mechanical properties of the films were evaluated using tensile strength test where, at 70:30 of CS: PVA ratio gave the best tensile strength. Therefore, this composition was selected to proceed with the radiation modification with Polyvinyl Pyrrolidone …

Atom Trapping And Its Role On The Nucleation & Growth Of Platinum Nanoparticles, Deepak Kunwar

Chemistry and Chemical Biology ETDs

Diesel oxidation catalysts deactivate due to Pt sintering, a major problem in automotive industries. To make sure they operate effectively throughout the lifetime of the vehicle, automotive industries are putting an excessive amount of Pt. There is a need to develop a catalyst that serves long term performance with minimal use of Pt. Jones et al^.1 demonstrated that ceria traps Pt atoms. His work generated some logical and valid questions such as what is the mechanism for the formation of anomalously large Pt particles? What is the upper limit of Pt metal loading in the form of single atoms …

Incorporation Of Lignin In Natural And Synthetic Biomaterials To Alter Mechanical And Biochemical Properties For Enhanced Wound Healing, Jorge Alfonso Belgodere

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

It is estimated that chronic, non-healing wounds affect more than 6.5 million Americans annually, with an estimated healthcare cost beyond $14 billion. Here, we attempted to create composites of natural (collagen type I or gelatin-methacrylate) or synthetic (poly(ethylene glycol) polymers incorporating a natural plant component, lignin, to combat the costs and limitations current wound healing methods face. Three-dimensional matrices of collagen type I (Col I) are widely used in tissue engineering applications for its abundance in many tissues, bioactivity with many cell types, and excellent biocompatibility. Inspired by the structural role of lignin in plant tissue, we found that sodium …

Structural And Electrochemical Characterizations Of Activated Carbon Derived From Corn Crops For High Performance Energy Storage Devices, Seongwoo Hong

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

The recent attention given to supercapacitors has been driven forward by the need for sustainable and renewable energy resources in the global energy storage market due to soaring energy demand and decreasing availability of fossil fuels. Accordingly, biomass materials as electrode materials for supercapacitors have been innovated due to the characteristic of being naturally abundant, low-cost, and eco-friendly. Therefore, the various parts of corn plants such as corn leaf (CL), grain distiller (CGD), cob (CC), husk (CH), and stem (CS) as biomass electrode materials were prepared and then chemically activated using different masses of potassium hydroxide (KOH) as a chemical …

Fuzzy Logic Based Control For Membrane Oxygenator In Blood Purification Process, Hany Hazfiza Manap

Student Works (2020-2029)

Membrane oxygenator in Extracorporeal Life Support (ECLS) is commonly used as a main component in Cardiopulmonary Bypass (CPB), Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenator (ECMO) and Extracorporeal Carbon Dioxide Removal (ECCO2R). In this study, the focus is on Carbon Dioxide (CO2) gas exchange process in membrane oxygenator, which the CO2 is automatically controlled by adjusting sweep gas flow rate that entering the membrane oxygenator in achieving the desired pCO2 required by the particular patients. This automatic control action is controlled by the implementation of three controllers, Proportional-IntegralDerivative (PID) that is tuned by Ziegler-Nichols continuous cycling method, Fuzzy Logic Controller (FLC) and Fuzzy-PID controllers. …

Adsorption And Reconfiguration Of Amphiphiles At Silica-Water Interfaces: Role Of Electrostatic Interactions, Van Der Waals Forces And Hydrogen Bonds, Yao Wu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The ability to explore and predict metastable structures of hybrid self-assemblies is of central importance for the next generation of advanced materials with novel properties. As compared to their thermodynamically stable forms, the kinetically stabilized materials show improved functionality potentially over their stable counterparts. The self-assembly processes usually originate from weak intermolecular interactions, involving a dynamic competition between attractive and repulsive interactions. These weak forces, including van der Waals (vdW), electrostatic interaction and the hydrogen bonding (H-bonding), can be tuned by external stimuli, e.g., confinement, temperature and ionization, and consequently driving hybrid materials into different configurations. It is challenging to …

Chicoreus Brunneus Seashells As A Catalyst In Rice Bran Biodiesel Production, Hoora Mazaheri

Student Works (2020-2029)

Environmental pollution and the declining global supply of accessible fossil fuels are the key drivers to search for alternative energy sources. This study focused on developing a “green” and sustainable heterogenous calcium oxide (CaO) catalyst from Chicoreus Brunneus shells for biodiesel production from rice bran oil (RBO). Coastal people frequently collect these shells for food and shell crafts. Thus, by using seashell wastes, cost-efficient catalysts can be achieved for the biodiesel industry. The shells were calcinated, washed and dried to produce pure CaO catalyst. After that, CaO was converted into calcium methoxide (Ca(OCH3)2) and followed by loading onto zeolite support …

Effect Of Landfill Leachates On Some Water Quality Indicators Of Selected Surface Water And Groundwater At Ilokun, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria, Olorunwa Omofunmi, Adesola Satimehin, Abraham Oloye, Okwunna Umego

Makara Journal of Technology

This study was conducted to examine the impact of dumpsites on the quality of groundwater and surface water. The water samples and leachates were collected from dumpsites in respective zones. The physicochemical properties of the samples were examined and determined in accordance with the standards of the American Public Health Association. Results indicated that the groundwater and surface water that are close to the dumpsites have an electrical conductivity of 385 and 245 Sd/cm, total dissolved solids of 168 and 128 mg/L, a turbidity of 4.6 and 22 NTU, a total alkalinity of 103 and 50 mg/L, a total hardness …

Microstrip Filters: A Review Of Different Filter Designs Used In Ultrawide Band Technology, Hussain Bohra, Giriraj Prajapati

Makara Journal of Technology

In this study, optimization techniques applied in designing microstrip bandpass ultra-wideband (UWB) filters are presented. Optimization based on various defected ground structure techniques, resonator designs, and type of dielectric materials is discussed. Microstrip bandpass filters implemented at UWB frequency bands used in wireless communication systems have key features to control frequency response in passband and stopband. Optimization techniques are studied to attain optimum performance of bandpass microstrip filters to ensure minimum insertion loss, high selectivity, compactness, sharp transitions at cut-off frequencies, high return loss, and excellent linearity. Extensive study shows that proper selection of fabrication techniques and type of material …

Effect Of Catholyte Concentration On Current Production During Chocolate Industry Wastewater Treatment By A Microbial Fuel Cell, Diana Rahayuning Wulan, Suprihanto Notodarmojo

Makara Journal of Technology

Microbial fuel cells (MFCs) use bacteria as a catalyst to oxidize organic and/or inorganic substrates and produce electric currents. Wastewater could function as an electron donor in the anode chamber and, thus, represents a very promising energy source. Catholytes, as electron acceptors, influence power production in MFCs by increasing the availability of electrons. The present research aims to determine the influence of catholyte concentration on current production in an aerobic two-chamber MFC. Aerobic treatment was carried out in the two-chamber MFC operated in an incubator at 37  1 °C with and without aeration in the cathode chamber. Wastewater from …

Evaluation Of Il-17a And Il-17f Gene Expression In Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells In Different Clinical Stages Of Chronic Hepatitis B Infection In An Iranian Population, Tannaz Akbari Kolagar, Seyed Reza Mohebbi, Fatemeh Ashrafi, Shahrzad Shoraka, Hamid Asadzadeh Aghdaei, Mohammad Reza Zali

Makara Journal of Technology

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the main causes of liver damage, which can also lead to chronic hepatitis B (CHB) infection. More than 240 million individuals worldwide are chronic carriers of HBV. Among individuals with CHB who are untreated, approximately 15% – 40% will progress to liver cirrhosis or cancer. The interactions between HBV and host immune response play significant roles in the progression of CHB. CHB can be generally divided into four different clinical phases: immune tolerance (IT), immune clearance, inactive carrier, and Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-negative reactivation phase (ENEG). Many studies showed that interleukins …

Redesign Of Product Packaging With Kansei Engineering: Empirical Study On Small-Medium Enterprises In Indonesia, Amalia Suzianti, A. Aldianto

Makara Journal of Technology

Small-medium enterprises (SMEs) in Indonesia have been proven to be one of the important pillars of the national economy. Unfortunately, some problems hinder their development, and one of the critical problems is the quality of product packaging. The packages of SME products are considered poor, dirty, and unattractive. Packaging problem is one of the factors why consumers are less interested in buying and why SME products always lose in the competition with other products. This study discusses how to employ Kansei engineering to design better SME product packaging with a focus on psychological (affective) aspects. This research concludes that there …

Effect Of Pvdf-Ca Ratio On Electrospun Membrane For Water–Oil Filtration Application, Mohamad Haziq Alias, Izan Izwan Misnon, Rajan Jose

Makara Journal of Technology

Oil spillage and generation of industrial water–oil wastewater mixture ignite a focus on filtration technology. Electrospinning technique provides a versatile route in producing tunable diameter and pores in nanofiber filtration membrane development. In this work, polyvinylidene difluoride (PVDF) and cellulose acetate (CA) electrospun membrane at different concentration ratios were synthesized for water–oil filtration application. The polymeric solutions were characterized using viscometer and conductivity testing, whereas the membranes were analyzed using contact angle, tensile test, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and filtration testing of oil (dichloromethane). Conductivity test showed a decreased conductivity along with decrement of CA ratio in the polymeric solution. …

Performance-Shaping Factors Of Personnel Performing Evacuation And Escape On Offshore Installations In Tropical, Norafneeza Norazahar, Nur Azizah Arryanie Morshidi, Arshad Ahmad, Wijayanuddin Mohd Ali

Makara Journal of Technology

Performance-shaping factors (PSFs) are used to address the strengths and weaknesses of workers performing escape and evacuation activities. These PSFs are time, environmental factors as stressors, complexity of activities, experiences and training, interaction between workers and emergency equipment, workers’ physical conditions, and procedures. This paper presents a survey work on fitness for the duty of workers performing basic offshore survival and emergency response training. The training provides credible scenarios of escape and evacuation in case of an emergency of offshore installations in tropical waters. The survey is conducted among participants of the tropical basic offshore safety induction & emergency training …

Fabrication And Characterisation Of Highly Aligned Fibrous Assemblies, Tan Chin Joo

Student Works (2020-2029)

Vascular grafting has been an effective remedy to vascular diseases for decades. Autografting by using the veins or arteries in the patient’s body is found to have patency rate for years. However, autografting may not be possible when compatible vessels are not available. In this case, synthetic vascular grafts are found to be effective replacements. Nevertheless, synthetic grafts with diameter less than 4 mm becomes challenging due to thrombogenicity and mismatch of mechanical properties with the native vessels. Along this line, the ability to develop new biostable synthetic materials suitable for smaller grafts and the ability to evaluate their resulting …

Data–Driven Decision–Making For Lost Circulation Treatments: A Machine Learning Approach, Husam H. Alkinani, Abo Taleb T. Al-Hameedi, Shari Dunn-Norman

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Lost circulation is an expensive and critical problem in the drilling operations. Millions of dollars are spent every year to mitigate or stop this problem. In this work, data from over 3000 wells were collected from multiple sources. The data went through a processing step where all outliers were removed, and decision rules were set up. Multiple machine learning methods (support vector machine, decision trees, logistic regression, artificial neural networks, and ensemble trees) were used to create a model that can predict the best lost circulation treatment based on the type of loss and the reason of loss. 5-fold cross-validation …

Calcium Sulfate-Containing Glass Polyalkenoate Cement For Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty Fixation, Leyla Hasandoost, Adel Alhalawani, Omar Rodriguez, Alireza Rahimnejad Yazdi, Paul Zalzal, Emil H. Schemitsch, Stephen D. Waldman, Marcello Papini, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) bone cement is used as a minor void filler in revision total knee arthroplasty (rTKA). The application of PMMA is indicated only for peripheral bone defects with less than 5 mm depth and that cover less than 50% of the bone surface. Treating bone defects with PMMA results in complications as a result of volumetric shrinkage, bone necrosis, and aseptic loosening. These concerns have driven the development of alternative bone cements. We report here on novel modified glass polyalkenoate cements (mGPCs) containing 1, 5 and 15 wt% calcium sulfate (CaSO₄) and how the modified …

The Effect Of Carbonate Rock Wettability On The Performance Of Low Salinity Water Flooding: An Experimental Approach, Hildah Nantongo

Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Theses

The performance of low salinity waterflooding (LSWF) in different wettability environment is still unclear for the oil industry. The concessions among researchers are that low salinity does not work in water-wet carbonate oil reservoirs. In this project carbonate core flooding experiments on cores with different wettability’s conditions, including water-wet, oil-wet, and intermediate wettability were performed at reservoir conditions of pressure and temperature. Seawater was selected as a base water and its concentration & composition were modified through dilution and/or spiking with sulfate. The base water was diluted with water 10 and 50 times and spiked with sulfate to 2 and …

Wetting-Driven Formation Of Present-Day Loess Structure, Yanrong Li, Weiwei Zhang, Shengdi He, Adnan Aydin

Faculty and Student Publications

© 2020 The Authors Present-day loess, especially Malan loess formed in Later Quaternary, has a characteristic structure composed of vertically aligned strong units and weak segments. Hypotheses describing how this structure forms inside original loess deposits commonly relate it to wetting-drying process. We tested this causal relationship by conducting unique experiments on synthetic samples of initial loess deposits fabricated by free-fall of loess particles. These samples were subjected to a wetting-drying cycle, and their structural evolutions were documented by close-up photography and CT scanning. Analysis of these records revealed three key stages of structural evolution: initiation (evenly distributed cracks appear …

Calcium Phosphate/Ionic Liquid Ptfe Composite Membrane For Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Applications, Ahmad Ibrahim Hasan Ka’Ki

Theses

The dependence on fossil fuels can be possibly reduced by the utilization of renewable energy sources. Fuel cells offer a promising alternative for renewable power generation. Among the various types of fuel cells, Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) is recently attracting attention due to its several advantages of high-power density, all solid structure, and silent operation. The diverse types of materials used in this type of fuel cell raised drawbacks related to fuel cell cost and durability. By far, Nafion of DuPont is still the current state-of-the-art membrane for PEMFCs. It is known for its high ionic conductivity and …

Growth Of Microalgae For Simultaneous Treatment Of Industrial Wastewater And Biodiesel Production, Mohammed Ahmad Tawfiq Abujayyab

Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Theses

The treatment of industrial wastewater contaminated with phenols is among the main challenges in the chemical, and particularly the petrochemical industry. Phenols, which present in considerable amounts in industrial wastewater, are toxic even at low concentrations. Therefore, it is essential to reduce their concentrations in water to harmless levels before being discharged. On the other hand, the dependence on the conventional fossil sources of energy, which is non-renewable, is not sustainable and can cause harmful environmental impacts. Therefore, in this work, the dual utilization of microalgae as a cheap and efficient means to remove phenolic compounds commonly found in refinery …

Modulating Mechanical Properties Of Polymer Composites Via Colloidal Particle Reinforcement, Yusheng Guo

LSU Master's Theses

Additive manufacturing allows the rapid process of complex objects with excellent design flexibility. However, the products often exhibit poor mechanical properties when pure polymer is applied as printable material. In this work, we demonstrate that printability of polymer can be dramatically improved when particle filler is added to form reinforced polymer composites. Furthermore, the interaction between filler and polymer matrix leads to the enhancement in mechanical properties of the printed product. The material reinforcement induced by addition of fillers enables the wide application of polymer composites to print structures with unique features. In the printing of silica-reinforced pNIPAM composite, we …