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LSU Master's Theses

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Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Optimal Test Case Selection For Multi-Component Software System, Praveen Babu Kysetti Jan 2004

Optimal Test Case Selection For Multi-Component Software System, Praveen Babu Kysetti

LSU Master's Theses

The omnipresence of software has forced upon the industry to produce efficient software in a short time. These requirements can be met by code reusability and software testing. Code reusability is achieved by developing software as components/modules rather than a single block. Software coding teams are becoming large to satiate the need of massive requirements. Large teams could work easily if software is developed in a modular fashion. It would be pointless to have software that would crash often. Testing makes the software more reliable. Modularity and reliability is the need of the day. Testing is usually carried out using …

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Development Of A Neural Network Approach For The Assessment Of The Performance Of Traffic Sign Retroreflectivity, Nagajyothi Swargam Jan 2004

Development Of A Neural Network Approach For The Assessment Of The Performance Of Traffic Sign Retroreflectivity, Nagajyothi Swargam

LSU Master's Theses

The goal of the research was to develop a new predictive tool for assessing the performance of traffic sign retroreflectivity and to compare the developed tool with the existing linear regression models. Retroreflectivity decreases as sign sheeting ages. Currently Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LADOTD) replace signs with low reflectivity based on driver complaints. This practice might have resulted in premature sign replacement (removal of signs with several years of in-service life still remaining) or in non-replacement of signs that are not in compliance with LADOTD minimum reflectivity standards. In this study, both neural network models and regression models …

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Zooplankton Visualization System: Design And Real-Time Lossless Image Compression, Dattatreya Reddy Tetala Satya Surya Jan 2004

Zooplankton Visualization System: Design And Real-Time Lossless Image Compression, Dattatreya Reddy Tetala Satya Surya

LSU Master's Theses

In this thesis, I present a design of a small, self-contained, underwater plankton imaging system. I base the imaging system’s design on an embedded PC architecture based on PC/104-Plus standards to meet the compact size and low power requirements. I developed a simple graphical user interface to run on a real-time operating system to control the imaging system. I also address how a real-time image compression scheme implemented on an FPGA chip speeds up image transfer speeds of the imaging system. Since lossless compression of the image is required in order to retain all image details, I began with an …

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Effects Of Corrosion Prevention Compounds And Overload Induced Residual Stress Field On Fatigue Life In Aluminum Alloy, Jin Hee Park Jan 2004

Effects Of Corrosion Prevention Compounds And Overload Induced Residual Stress Field On Fatigue Life In Aluminum Alloy, Jin Hee Park

LSU Master's Theses

Corrosion-Prevention Compounds (CPC) are commonly used to prevent corrosion in the aircraft industry. The presence of corrosive environment (salt-fog, water-fog, even dry air) on aircraft structures has detrimental effects on the integrity of aircraft components which reduces the fatigue life and may accelerate the crack growth rate in the structures. This thesis work is aimed at identifying the effect of CPC and corrosion fatigue on the fatigue life of test specimen. This study describes the results of an experimental study on aluminum alloy 2024-T3 with center-crack specimen to investigate the effect of CPC on fatigue life. Generally, these compounds contain …

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Application Of Stochastic Downscaling Techniques To Global Climate Model Data For Regional Climate Prediction, Suchita Potta Jan 2004

Application Of Stochastic Downscaling Techniques To Global Climate Model Data For Regional Climate Prediction, Suchita Potta

LSU Master's Theses

Global warming is the most important issue of the present day that affects the climate drastically. This research was carried out to find out the effects of Global warming on Louisiana in future on a very finer spatial and temporal scale. For this purpose spatial downscaling technique is used, where finer resolution climate information is derived from a coarser resolution Global Climate Model (GCM) output. Empirical/statistical downscaling method is used in which sub grid scale changes are calculated as a function of large scale climate. For this purpose a stochastic weather generator and two Global models are considered. The two …

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Experimental Validation Of A Smart-Bias Active Magnetic Bearing Controller, Shailesh Pradhananga Jan 2004

Experimental Validation Of A Smart-Bias Active Magnetic Bearing Controller, Shailesh Pradhananga

LSU Master's Theses

Active magnetic bearings (AMBs) are being increasingly employed in the aerospace industry in a variety of devices including compressors, turbines, pumps, and flywheels. One application of great interest to future space missions is the Integrated Power and Attitude Control System (IPACS). The IPACS consists of an arrangement of flywheels that integrates the energy storage and attitude control functions into a single system; thereby, reducing the spacecraft mass, volume, launching cost, and maintenance. Like any energy storage system, flywheels need to be operated with low power losses. AMBs are ideally suited for flywheels because they eliminate mechanical losses (friction). Nevertheless, AMBs …

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Effects Of Pressure Suit And Race On Functional Reach, Static And Dynamic Strength, Nageswara Rao Uppu Jan 2004

Effects Of Pressure Suit And Race On Functional Reach, Static And Dynamic Strength, Nageswara Rao Uppu

LSU Master's Theses

In the design of any manual workspace, it is important for the designers to have access to data that can illustrate reach capabilities under real-time work situation. Wearing bulky clothing (pressure suit) and protective restraints (seat or shoulder harness belts) is often mandatory in high acceleration work environments. Clothing and personal equipment worn can influence the functional reach and strength values since they add to the body size. The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of wearing a VKK-6M pressure suit on functional reach limitations and strength values. The technology of incorporating body dimensions into cockpit design primarily …

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Bezier Curves For Metamodeling Of Simulation Output, Harish J. Kingre Jan 2004

Bezier Curves For Metamodeling Of Simulation Output, Harish J. Kingre

LSU Master's Theses

Many design optimization problems rely on simulation models to obtain feasible solutions. Even with substantial improvement in the computational capability of computers, the enormous cost of computation needed for simulation makes it impractical to rely on simulation models. The use of metamodels or surrogate approximations in place of actual simulation models makes analysis realistic by reducing computational burden. There are many popular metamodeling techniques such as Polynomial Regression, Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines, Radial Basis Functions, Kriging and Artificial Neural Networks. This research proposes a new metamodeling technique that uses Bezier curves and patches. The Bezier curve method is based on …

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Survivable Multicasting In Wdm Optical Networks, Sateesh Chandra Shekhar Jan 2004

Survivable Multicasting In Wdm Optical Networks, Sateesh Chandra Shekhar

LSU Master's Theses

Opportunities abound in the global content delivery service market and it is here that multicasting is proving to be a powerful feature. In WDM networks, optical splitting is widely used to achieve multicasting. It removes the complications of optical-electronic-optical conversions [1]. Several multicasting algorithms have been proposed in the literature for building light trees. As the amount of fiber deployment increases in networks, the risk of losing large volumes of data traffic due to a fiber span cut or due to node failure also increases. In this thesis we propose heuristic schemes to make the primary multicast trees resilient to …

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Testing A Cmos Operational Amplifier Circuit Using A Combination Of Oscillation And Iddq Test Methods, Pavan K. Alli Jan 2004

Testing A Cmos Operational Amplifier Circuit Using A Combination Of Oscillation And Iddq Test Methods, Pavan K. Alli

LSU Master's Theses

This work presents a case study, which attempts to improve the fault diagnosis and testability of the oscillation testing methodology applied to a typical two-stage CMOS operational amplifier. The proposed test method takes the advantage of good fault coverage through the use of a simple oscillation based test technique, which needs no test signal generation and combines it with quiescent supply current (IDDQ) testing to provide a fault confirmation. A built in current sensor (BICS), which introduces insignificant performance degradation of the circuit-under-test (CUT), has been utilized to monitor the power supply quiescent current changes in the CUT. The testability …

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Trajectory And Window Width Predictions For A Cased Hole Sidetrack Using A Whipstock, Harshad Prakash Patil Jan 2004

Trajectory And Window Width Predictions For A Cased Hole Sidetrack Using A Whipstock, Harshad Prakash Patil

LSU Master's Theses

The Trackmaster system manufactured by Smith Services consists of a multi-ramped whipstock and a trimill assembly used to perform a sidetrack from a cased well. Smith Services has observed evidence that the trimill assembly may prematurely leave the face of the whipstock and build excess inclination and dogleg severity or may fall into the original well immediately after leaving the end of the whipstock ramp thus creating a need to predict the borehole trajectory for sidetracking operations. The goal of this project was to predict the borehole trajectory and the window profile cut in the casing by the sidetracking equipment …

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Development Of A True Triaxial Apparatus For Soil Testing, Heath Stuart Williams Jan 2004

Development Of A True Triaxial Apparatus For Soil Testing, Heath Stuart Williams

LSU Master's Theses

This thesis presents the development of a True Triaxial Testing TTT Apparatus. The TTT apparatus developed has the capabilities of applying the three principal stresses to a rectangular prismoidal specimen independently. The minor principal stress is provided by the cell pressure. The major principal stress is provided by a load actuator traveling at a constant velocity. A LabView software program instantaneously reads instrumentation, makes calculations, and commands a second load actuator to induce an intermediate principal stress that maintains a constant b-value; where b-value is equal to the intermediate principal stress minus the minor principal stress divided by the major …

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Modeling Of Cane Sugar Colorant Removal In Packed-Bed Ion Exchange Columns And An Investigation Into Pretreatment Methods, Bruce Malcolm Ellis Jan 2004

Modeling Of Cane Sugar Colorant Removal In Packed-Bed Ion Exchange Columns And An Investigation Into Pretreatment Methods, Bruce Malcolm Ellis

LSU Master's Theses

Cane sugar colorants have been extensively researched but still little is known about their exact compositions. Rather than distinct compounds, they are a mixture of many compounds. Some it is assumed can be classified into the pseudo components that have been defined using gel permeation chromatography, based on molecular weight. The defining of these components has allowed the colorants to be modeled independently, instead of as one lumped color parameter. The measured colored components were modeled using a linear driving force adsorption model, which could be applied in the design process for optimizing the decolorizing capacity of the resins. The …

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Assessment Of Shearing Phenomenon And Porosity Of Porous Media Using Microfocus Computed Tomography, Bashar Adeeb Alramahi Jan 2004

Assessment Of Shearing Phenomenon And Porosity Of Porous Media Using Microfocus Computed Tomography, Bashar Adeeb Alramahi

LSU Master's Theses

Microfocus x-ray computed tomography (μCT) is a powerful non-destructive scanning technique to study the internal fabric of granular materials. In this thesis, μCT was applied to two cases. The first case involves studying the behavior of particles in a triaxial specimen during shearing. Three-dimensional translation and rotation of the particles were tracked throughout the shearing process, and they were used to calculate the local strain distributions. Moreover, the local dilatancy angle distribution was calculated throughout experiment. These distributions were compared to study the changes in the behavior of the particles at different stages of the test. It was noticed that …

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A Bio-Mems Device For Separation Of Breast Cancer Cells From Peripheral Whole Blood, Juan Feng Jan 2004

A Bio-Mems Device For Separation Of Breast Cancer Cells From Peripheral Whole Blood, Juan Feng

LSU Master's Theses

This work demonstrates the application of Bio-Micro Electro Mechanical System (Bio-MEMS) technology for early breast cancer detection and diagnosis. Early breast cancer detection and diagnosis typically uses conventional mammogram screening followed by biopsy, which can be problematic since mammography can only detect highly calcified tumors greater than 1 cm in size. A micro-device was developed to identify and specifically collect tumor cells of low abundance (1 tumor cell among 107 normal blood cells) from circulating whole blood. By immobilizing anti-EpCAM (Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule) antibodies on polymer micro-channel walls by the chemical surface modification of PMMA, breast cancer cells …

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Route Planning Of Automated Guided Vehicles For Container Logistics, Sanjay Shankarrao Gurav Jan 2004

Route Planning Of Automated Guided Vehicles For Container Logistics, Sanjay Shankarrao Gurav

LSU Master's Theses

Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) are widely used in container terminals for the movement of material from shipping to the yard area and vice versa. Research in this area is directed toward the development of a path layout design and routing algorithms for container movement. The problem is to design a path layout and a routing algorithm that will route the AGVs along the bi-directional path so that the distance traveled will be minimized. This thesis presents a bi-directional path flow layout and a routing algorithm that guarantee conflict-free, shortest time routes for AGVs. Based on the path layout, a routing …

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Mesoscopic Simulation Of Abnormal Grain Growth, Rakesh Kumar Behera Jan 2004

Mesoscopic Simulation Of Abnormal Grain Growth, Rakesh Kumar Behera

LSU Master's Theses

Grain growth is the process that takes place during annealing of polycrystalline materials; its major feature is a systematic increase in grain size. Two different types of grain growth can be distinguished: the normal and abnormal grain growth. During normal grain growth, the microstructure exhibits a uniform increase in grain size with time and the grain size distribution follows the log-normal distribution with the grain sizes ranging from 0 - 2.2 times the average grain size (R). On the contrary, when the abnormal grain growth is the dominant mechanism, there are certain grains (abnormal grains) in the microstructure that grow …

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A Simplified Thermohydrodynamic Stability Analysis Of The Plain Cylindrical Hydrodynamic Journal Bearings, Sumit Singhal Jan 2004

A Simplified Thermohydrodynamic Stability Analysis Of The Plain Cylindrical Hydrodynamic Journal Bearings, Sumit Singhal

LSU Master's Theses

A journal bearing is used to support radial loads under high speed operating conditions. In a journal bearing, pressure or hydrodynamic lift is generated in the thin lubricant oil film that separates the shaft and the bushing, thus preventing metal-to-metal contact. Some journal-bearing configurations are susceptible to large-amplitude, lateral vibrations due to a “self-excited instability” known as oil whirl. In order to investigate the effects of lubricant viscosity on oil whirl, a simplified Thermohydrodynamic analysis (THD) analysis of a plain cylindrical journal bearing system has been developed. The “classical” form of the Reynolds equation coupled with simplified, first-order energy equations …

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First Order Sigma-Delta Modulator Of An Oversampling Adc Design In Cmos Using Floating Gate Mosfets, Syam Prasad Sbs Kommana Jan 2004

First Order Sigma-Delta Modulator Of An Oversampling Adc Design In Cmos Using Floating Gate Mosfets, Syam Prasad Sbs Kommana

LSU Master's Theses

We report a new architecture for a sigma-delta oversampling analog-to-digital converter (ADC) in which the first order modulator is realized using the floating gate MOSFETs at the input stage of an integrator and the comparator. The first order modulator is designed using an 8 MHz sampling clock frequency and implemented in a standard 1.5µm n-well CMOS process. The decimator is an off-chip sinc-filter and is programmed using the VERILOG and tested with Altera Flex EPF10K70RC240 FPGA board. The ADC gives an 8-bit resolution with a 65 kHz bandwidth.

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Scalability Of Car-Following And Lane-Changing Models In Microscopic Traffic Simulation Systems, Yan Zhang Jan 2004

Scalability Of Car-Following And Lane-Changing Models In Microscopic Traffic Simulation Systems, Yan Zhang

LSU Master's Theses

Microscopic simulation models are more and more widely used to support real-time control and management functions in the field of transportation engineering. However, even with today¡¯s advancement in computing power, microscopic simulation modeling remains a computationally intensive process that imposes limitations on its potential use for modeling large-scale transportation networks. While microscopic features of a simulated system collectively define the overall system characteristics, it is argued here that the simulation process itself is not necessarily free of redundancy which, if reduced, could substantially improve the computational efficiency of simulation processes without substantially compromising the overall integrity of the simulation process. …

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Impact Of Static Flexion Duration On The Development Of A Neuromuscular Disorder Of The Lumbar Spine, Rebecca Victoria Labry Jan 2004

Impact Of Static Flexion Duration On The Development Of A Neuromuscular Disorder Of The Lumbar Spine, Rebecca Victoria Labry

LSU Master's Theses

Many occupational groups work under adverse conditions in which their spinal columns are fully flexed under load for substantial periods of time. This study was designed to determine the response of the lumbar spine to a static load of a substantial duration under a range of load magnitudes. The impact of static loads of 20, 40 and 60N were applied over 30 min flexion, 10 min rest, and 30 min flexion (for a total of one hour exposure) followed by a 7 h rest. Lumbar viscoelastic creep (laxity) and reflex electromyographic (EMG) activity were monitored over both flexion periods and …

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Ultra Deep Su-8 Manufacturing And Characterization For Mems Applications, Charles Joseph Becnel Jan 2004

Ultra Deep Su-8 Manufacturing And Characterization For Mems Applications, Charles Joseph Becnel

LSU Master's Theses

The Micro Systems Engineering Team (mSET) at Louisiana State University (LSU) utilizes microfabrication for a number of heat and mass transfer devices. These include cross flow heat exchangers, mechanical seals with integrated micro heat exchangers, catalytic converters, and micro reactors. In all of these applications, micro honeycomb arrays provide increased surface area per unit volume which significantly enhances heat and mass transfer. In the past, it was only possible to fabricate SU-8 structures approximately 1.5 mm tall. Furthermore, qualitatively, it is much more difficult to fabricate close packed feature arrays than sparse arrays. For many of the previously mentioned applications, …

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Development And Integration Of New Processes Consuming Carbon Dioxide In Multi-Plant Chemical Production Complexes, Sudheer Indala Jan 2004

Development And Integration Of New Processes Consuming Carbon Dioxide In Multi-Plant Chemical Production Complexes, Sudheer Indala

LSU Master's Theses

New, energy-efficient and environmentally acceptable, catalytic processes have been identified that can use excess high purity CO2 as a raw material from the sources available in a chemical production complex. The chemical complex in the lower Mississippi River Corridor has been used to show how these new plants can be integrated into this existing infrastructure using the Chemical Complex and Cogeneration Analysis System. Eighty six published articles of laboratory and pilot plant experiments were reviewed that describe new methods and catalysts to use CO2 for producing commercially important products. Reactions have been categorized as hydrogenation reactions; hydrocarbon synthesis …

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Effect Of Ohmic Heating On Color, Rehydration And Textural Characteristics Of Fresh Carrot Cubes, Sandeep Dattatraya Bhale Jan 2004

Effect Of Ohmic Heating On Color, Rehydration And Textural Characteristics Of Fresh Carrot Cubes, Sandeep Dattatraya Bhale

LSU Master's Theses

Carrot cubes were ohmically heated with 2 different frequencies 1 Hz and 60 Hz to evaluate change in color, texture and rehydration properties. Carrot samples were stored under 4 different relative humidity (RH) conditions 11.1 %, 32.7%, 55.7 % and 75.3 %. Experiments were conducted to monitor the textural parameters of hardness, fracturability, adhesiveness, cohesiveness and chewiness and color changes in terms of CIE color values. Results showed that the hardness, fracturability and adhesiveness of 1- Hz samples stored at 75.3 % RH were different from those at 55.7 % RH. The adhesiveness, cohesiveness and chewiness of 1-Hz samples were …

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Development Of Resilient Modulus Prediction Models For Base And Subgrade Pavement Layers From In Situ Devices Test Results, Ravindra Gudishala Jan 2004

Development Of Resilient Modulus Prediction Models For Base And Subgrade Pavement Layers From In Situ Devices Test Results, Ravindra Gudishala

LSU Master's Theses

Currently, the design of flexible pavements is generally conducted based on static properties such as California Bearing Ratio and soil support value. These properties do not represent the actual response of the pavement layers under traffic loadings. Recognizing this deficiency, the current and the 2002 mechanistic –empirical guide for design of pavement structures recommended the use of resilient modulus for characterizing the base and subgrade soil and for the design of flexible pavements. The objective of this study was to develop models to estimate the resilient modulus of base and subgrade soils from in situ test devices. Two types of …

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A Re-Evaluation Of Geopressured-Geothermal Aquifers As An Energy Resource, Jeremy Scott Griggs Jan 2004

A Re-Evaluation Of Geopressured-Geothermal Aquifers As An Energy Resource, Jeremy Scott Griggs

LSU Master's Theses

The search for more efficient and economical forms of energy generation is a continual process. Natural gas production and electricity generation from geopressured-geothermal aquifers is an unconventional hydrocarbon source that has long been unproductive due to its marginal economics and lack of technological certainty. This thesis demonstrates that, based on modern technological competencies and economic constraints, geopressured-geothermal energy now maintains a viable future as an alternative domestic energy source.

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Online Heat Transfer Measurement And Analysis For Sugar Mill Evaporators, David Timothy Solberg Jan 2004

Online Heat Transfer Measurement And Analysis For Sugar Mill Evaporators, David Timothy Solberg

LSU Master's Theses

Fouling and scaling in evaporators has been an area of great interest to raw sugar mills for a number of years and many of the mechanisms causing the scale and the rates of scaling are unknown. In an attempt to quantify the scaling rates and measure the scaling, an online model has been developed to model a system of evaporators. Monitoring the heat transfer coefficient as a function of time enabled measurement of the scaling rate by monitoring the heat transfer coefficient as it decreased with time. It is assumed that the scaling on the juice side of the evaporators …

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Probabilistic Risk Assessment Method For Prioritization Of Risk Factors, Jay Tarakkumar Shah Jan 2004

Probabilistic Risk Assessment Method For Prioritization Of Risk Factors, Jay Tarakkumar Shah

LSU Master's Theses

Risk management involves assessing the risk sources and designing strategies and procedures to mitigate those risks to an acceptable level. Measurement of risk factors plays an important role in the assessment of risk. This research proposes to develop risk assessment frameworks and mathematical model (Probabilistic Risk Assessment model) identify the risk factors. Quantification and prioritization of risk factors will help to design controls, resource allocation policies and minimize the total cost using the Cost Minimization model. The proposed models are applied to a complex system that is representative of actual business situations.

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Design And Development Of A Process Control Temperature System For Eastern Oyster Crassostrea Virginica Research, Praveen Kolar Jan 2004

Design And Development Of A Process Control Temperature System For Eastern Oyster Crassostrea Virginica Research, Praveen Kolar

LSU Master's Theses

A process-control temperature system was designed and developed for facilitating somatic cell research on eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica. The system consisted of sixteen independent tanks capable of individual temperature regimes controlled by a central computer. Food grade 250-L tanks were used to hold 60 oysters per tank. Each tank was equipped with heating and cooling mechanisms. Immersion heaters were used for heating and a pump and a stainless steel heat exchangers immersed in chilled water (~ 7°C) were used for cooling. Type-T thermocouples along with a CIOEXP32 multiplexer board (Measurement Computing Inc.) were used to measure water temperatures. Control was …

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Design Of A Microfabricated Device For Ligase Detection Reaction (Ldr), Dwhyte Omar Barrett Jan 2004

Design Of A Microfabricated Device For Ligase Detection Reaction (Ldr), Dwhyte Omar Barrett

LSU Master's Theses

The Ligase Detection Reaction (LDR) is a mutation detection technique used to identify point mutations in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). Developed by Francis Barany and associates at Cornell University it is used to find specific low abundant point mutations that may lead to colorectal cancer in the early stages of disease development. The research objective was to design and manufacture a microscale Ligase Detection Reaction (LDR) device in polycarbonate. The LDR module will be incorporated with other microdevices such as: Continuous Flow Polymerase Chain Reaction (CFRCR) and Capillary Electrophoresis (CE) in modular lab-on-a-chip technology. In making the microdevice, the duration of …

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