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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Advancing Biological Applications Through Microfluidic-Based Tool Development, K.M. Taufiqur Rahman
Advancing Biological Applications Through Microfluidic-Based Tool Development, K.M. Taufiqur Rahman
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This research undertook an interdisciplinary approach, integrating bioengineering, microbiology, molecular biology, and systems biology to investigate bacterial dynamics behavior. Specifically, it delved into the development of microfluidic devices for biological applications such as bacterial cell counts, real-time observation of plant roots (here, specialized lectin-coated microbeads are used that mimic root characteristics), and soil microbe interactions. Furthermore, Next-Generation Sequencing and systems biology methodologies were employed to explore the intricate, multifaceted survival mechanisms of Escherichia coli persister population. Studying and quantifying persisters or testing for the existence of VBNC (viable but nonculturable) is challenging. These experiments require precise counts. It has been …
Feasibility Study Of Managing Peak Cooling Loads To Achieve Energy Cost Reduction In A Northern Climate Campus, Mark Rizkalla
Feasibility Study Of Managing Peak Cooling Loads To Achieve Energy Cost Reduction In A Northern Climate Campus, Mark Rizkalla
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
South Dakota State University Facilities and Services Office is facing the challenge of paying high electricity bills every year, the potential of campus growth will add more burden on the energy needed to cover this demand, especially in summer months when high cooling loads are added to the electrical loads which lead to the peak loads that costs SDSU a large amount of money. The purpose of this research is to study the feasibility of managing the peak loads to reduce energy costs by applying a suitable system that fits SDSU campus nature. The methodology used is studying the capability …
Assessing The Performance And Cost Effectiveness Of Rainwater Harvesting For High Tunnel Production Across Climates In The Continental United States, Mustafa Aydogdu
Assessing The Performance And Cost Effectiveness Of Rainwater Harvesting For High Tunnel Production Across Climates In The Continental United States, Mustafa Aydogdu
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Several factors such as global climate change, population growth, urban and agricultural expansion, rising water demand, unequal water distribution, hydro-political conditions, declining water quality, rainwater scarcity, and temperature-induced drought contribute to water resource degradation. Rainwater harvesting (RWH) emerges as a sustainable solution, involving the collection and storage of rainwater for agriculture, livestock, and domestic use. RWH reduces reliance on municipal water, mitigates climate change impacts, and decreases runoff. Conventional RWH systems in the US vary in effectiveness. Increasing storage and water use enhances RWH effectiveness, improving stormwater runoff and reducing potable water use. High tunnel production of vegetable crops has …
Climate Change Adaptation For Embankment Through Biogeotechnics, Debayan Ghosh
Climate Change Adaptation For Embankment Through Biogeotechnics, Debayan Ghosh
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Problematic soil like expansive soil, and frost-susceptible soil causes significant damage to civil infrastructure. The use of calcium-based stabilizers in the treatment of sulfate-rich expansive soils is not suggested due to the formation of ettringite. Infrastructure such as pavements and embankments built on expansive soil are often exposed to the damaging impacts of freeze-thaw cycles in areas prone to seasonal freezing making them vulnerable to cracking and spalling. In this study, a native expansive soil from South Dakota with a sulfate content of more than 10,000 ppm was stabilized using biopolymer and cement. The experimental study investigated the strength and …
Computational Characterization Of Extracellular Electro-Osmotic Flow During Tissue Repair, Ashley Jorgensen-Blocker
Computational Characterization Of Extracellular Electro-Osmotic Flow During Tissue Repair, Ashley Jorgensen-Blocker
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Electrical stimulation (ES) therapy promotes the healing of chronic epidermal wounds and suppresses the degeneration of articular cartilage. Despite the success of ES therapy, the underlying mechanisms by which ES promotes tissue repair are largely unknown, preventing the standardization and optimization of treatments. One proposed mechanism involves electro-osmotic flow (EOF), electrically driven water flow generated within close proximity to the cell surface. EOF induces the transport of macromolecules and removes metabolic wastes and inflammatory molecules from these dense tissues through interstitial flow. This dissertation investigates the application of weak electric fields (EFs) to non-excitable cells and the generation of EOF …
Field Scale Evaluation Of A Flow-Through Filtration System With Mixed Media To Remove E. Coli From Stormwater, Ankur Debnath
Field Scale Evaluation Of A Flow-Through Filtration System With Mixed Media To Remove E. Coli From Stormwater, Ankur Debnath
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The main goal of this research was to establish a field-scale stormwater filtration system which is flow-through and cost-effective in terms of construction and maintenance. The filter is constructed in a downstream drainage of a retention pond where the stormwater goes through the porous space of media so that it maintains low retention time with minimum disturbance in flow. The filter consists of two 20ft long sections with concrete channel and ripraps on the inlet & outlet side. 30% Steel chips and 70% steel slags in the size range of 6.00-12.5 mm have been used as media which has been …
Development Of Innovative Flocculation Technologies For Agricultural Water Treatment, Noor Haleem
Development Of Innovative Flocculation Technologies For Agricultural Water Treatment, Noor Haleem
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The development of innovative flocculation technologies is essential for addressing the challenges of agricultural water treatment. These technologies play a crucial role in removing contaminants such as suspended solids and nutrients, thereby ensuring safer water for irrigation and livestock consumption. By enhancing water quality and wastewater management, they contribute significantly to environmental sustainability and public health in agricultural communities. This comprehensive thesis extensively explores various dimensions of flocculation, with a focused effort on methodologies and resources aimed at strengthening sustainability and efficiency. A pivotal aspect of the research involves synthesizing cationic starch (CS), a flocculant derived from an underutilized resource, …
Developing Machine Learning Models For Selection Of Management Zones, Sravanthi Bachina
Developing Machine Learning Models For Selection Of Management Zones, Sravanthi Bachina
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Soil sampling and analyses play a crucial role in optimizing nutrient management and enhancing crop productivity. However, collecting representative samples across diverse landscapes is challenging due to knowledge gaps about spatial variability of soil properties, large fields, multiple samples, and analysis costs. Collecting soil samples based on the management zones can help farmers gather precise information about soil properties with fewer samples. Recent developments in precision agriculture and machine learning. This study aimed to develop machine learning models that can learn, analyze, and refine landscape and soil properties data for automated selection of soil sampling zones and generating prediction maps. …
Removal Of Phosphorous, Copper And Zinc From Stormwater Using Powdered Activated Carbon (Pac) Based Water Treatment Residuals, Foysol Mahmud
Removal Of Phosphorous, Copper And Zinc From Stormwater Using Powdered Activated Carbon (Pac) Based Water Treatment Residuals, Foysol Mahmud
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The main aim of this research was to evaluate the efficacy of Powdered Activated Carbon (PAC) based water treatment residual (WTR) in eliminating phosphorus (P), Copper (Cu), and Zinc (Zn) from stormwater. The characteristics of the PAC WTR were analyzed, and a series of batch and column tests were conducted to determine its capacity to remove P, Cu, and Zn from stormwater and synthetic solutions. The PAC WTR conformed to the Langmuir isotherm model, demonstrating P adsorption capacities of 3.51 mg/g at pH 5. Regarding Cu and Zn removal, the PAC WTR also adhered to the Langmuir isotherm model, showing …
Structural Construction And Surface Modification Of Copper Current Collectors For Lithium Metal Batteries, Yaohua Liang
Structural Construction And Surface Modification Of Copper Current Collectors For Lithium Metal Batteries, Yaohua Liang
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Graphene, a prevalent anode material in commercial lithium-ion batteries, has reached its theoretical capacity limit. The imperative is to develop high-capacity anode materials to meet the growing demand for energy density. Lithium metal, renowned for its exceptionally high theoretical specific capacity density (3680 mAh g-1) and low reduction potential (-3.04 V, relative to the standard hydrogen electrode), is commonly dubbed the "Holy Grail" for negative electrode materials in high-energy-density batteries. However, practical advancements in lithium metal anodes face obstacles like low Coulombic efficiency, limited cycle life, and heightened reactivity to the electrolyte and internal short circuits resulting from lithium dendrite …
Evaluation Of Aashto Seismic Design For Reinforced Concrete Bridge Columns, Andrew Leroy Grismer
Evaluation Of Aashto Seismic Design For Reinforced Concrete Bridge Columns, Andrew Leroy Grismer
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Bridge failure can be catastrophic resulting in casualties and limiting the accessibility and emergency response efforts. Ensuring a high level of ductility for bridge columns through sufficient design methods and detailing is the most important aspect of the modern seismic codes. Reinforced concrete (RC) bridge columns are widely used in multi-span bridges located in seismic regions of the nation due to their controlled ductility and durability. The objective of this study was to systematically evaluate the AASHTO seismic design requirements for RC bridge columns and to comment on whether current bridge code is sufficient and safe. An extensive literature review …
Optimizing Large Language Models And Multimodal Approaches For Biomedical Publication And Satellite Imagery, Youngsun Jang
Optimizing Large Language Models And Multimodal Approaches For Biomedical Publication And Satellite Imagery, Youngsun Jang
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
This dissertation comprises two main sections: the first focuses on natural language processing (NLP) for extracting key information from scientific literature using large language models (LLMs), and the second addresses remote sensing for detecting natural disasters, such as floods, from satellite imagery using a multimodal approach. The first section investigates methods to enhance Transformer-based models in classifying and extracting information from biomedical scientific publications. Key contributions include the development of a custom dataset for classification and Question and Answering (Q&A) tasks, fine-tuning Transformer models like the Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) and addressing multi-span answer issues with the TAg-based …