Engineering Commons^™

Active Fluids: Rheological Properties And Response To Light Of Suspensions Of Synechocystis Sp. Cpcc 534, Zahra Habibi

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Despite our current understanding of active fluid mechanics, more knowledge is required to fully understand their rheological properties, response to light, and details of the interactions between cells in diluted suspensions.

The focus of this thesis is on investigating the rheological properties of suspensions of cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. CPCC 534 under shear, induced by stirring. Experiments were conducted at different stirring rates and results are compared with the stationary condition. A notable increase in growth and biomass of Synechocystis sp. under various shear conditions was observed and the yield was nearly doubled. Besides, the data showed Newtonian behavior for suspensions …

Height Measurement Of Basil Crops For Smart Irrigation Applications In Greenhouses Using Commercial Sensors, Leila Bahman

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Plant height is a key phenotypic attribute that directly represents how well a plant grows. It can also be a useful parameter in computing other important features such as yield and biomass. As the number of greenhouses increase, the traditional method of measuring plant height requires more time and labor, which increases demand for developing a reliable and affordable method to perform automated height measurements of plants. This research is aimed to develop a solution to automatically measure plant height in greenhouses using low cost sensors and computer vision techniques. For this purpose, the performance of various depth sensing technologies …

Bubble Dynamics And Bed Expansion For Single-Component And Binary Gas-Solid Fluidization Systems, Bowen Han

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Gas-solid fluidized beds are widely used in industrial dry coal preparation to separate waste from coal (still a primarily important energy source worldwide). It is the density difference between coal and the waste that enables the separation. Experiments were carried out in a two dimensional gas-solid fluidized bed. Filtered air at room temperature was used as the fluidizing gas, while magnetite, sand (two types) and FCC catalyst particles belonging to Geldart groups A and B were used as bed particles. Image processing and Matlab were applied for bubble size and velocity measurements. Bubble properties and bed expansion in fluidized beds …

Histological Quantification In Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, Charlotte Anne Blinston

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Approximately 30 percent of epilepsy patients suffer from refractory temporal lobe epilepsy which is commonly treated with resection of the epileptogenic tissue. However, surgical treatment presents many challenges in locating the epileptogenic focus and thus not all patients become seizure-free following surgery. Advances in techniques can lead to improved localization of the epileptogenic zone and may be validated by correlating MRI with neuropathology of the excised cortical tissue. Focal cortical dysplasias are a neuropathological group of cortical malformations that are often found in cases of refractory epilepsy, however, they are subtle and difficult to quantify. The purpose of this research …

Analysis Of 3d Cone-Beam Ct Image Reconstruction Performance On A Fpga, Devin Held

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Efficient and accurate tomographic image reconstruction has been an intensive topic of research due to the increasing everyday usage in areas such as radiology, biology, and materials science. Computed tomography (CT) scans are used to analyze internal structures through capture of x-ray images. Cone-beam CT scans project a cone-shaped x-ray to capture 2D image data from a single focal point, rotating around the object. CT scans are prone to multiple artifacts, including motion blur, streaks, and pixel irregularities, therefore must be run through image reconstruction software to reduce visual artifacts. The most common algorithm used is the Feldkamp, Davis, and …

Automated Image Interpretation For Science Autonomy In Robotic Planetary Exploration, Raymond Francis

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Advances in the capabilities of robotic planetary exploration missions have increased the wealth of scientific data they produce, presenting challenges for mission science and operations imposed by the limits of interplanetary radio communications. These data budget pressures can be relieved by increased robotic autonomy, both for onboard operations tasks and for decision- making in response to science data.

This thesis presents new techniques in automated image interpretation for natural scenes of relevance to planetary science and exploration, and elaborates autonomy scenarios under which they could be used to extend the reach and performance of exploration missions on planetary surfaces.

Two …

Studies On Microscopic Flow Structure Inside A Rectangular Circulating Fluidized Bed Through Image Analysis, Jingsi Yang

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The microscopic flow structure is studied systematically and comprehensively through a visualization system in a narrow rectangular circulating fluidized bed (CFB) transparent Plexiglas riser with a height of 7.6 m and a cross section of 19 mm × 114 mm. A visualization system consisting of a high-speed video camera, a light source, and image processing and analyzing programs is designed and developed to enable the flow structure to be visualized directly and studied quantitatively. FCC particles of 67 μm are used as the bed materials under different operating conditions with superficial gas velocity (U_g) and solids circulation rate …

Developing Novel Methods To Characterize Liquid Dispersion In A Fluidized Bed, Masoumeh Farkhondehkavaki

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The performance of several important industrial processes, such as fluid coking or fluid catalytic cracking, is dependent on the good distribution of liquid feed sprayed into a fluidized bed of hot inert or catalytic particles, respectively.

Liquid injected into a fluidized bed is distributed in three different ways: (i) free moisture, or liquid coating individual particles; (ii) wet micro-agglomerates, which are fluidized; and (iii) wet macro-agglomerates, which settle to the bottom of the bed. This study develops and evaluates various methods for the determination of this moisture.

In the study using electrical techniques, two different kinds of electrodes geometries are …