Engineering Commons^™

Thermodynamics Of Dna Hybridization On Surfaces, Terry J. Schmitt, Thomas A. Knotts Iv

Faculty Publications

Hybridization of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) targets to surface-tethered ssDNA probes was simulated using an advanced coarse-grain model to identify key factors that influence the accuracy of DNA microarrays. Comparing behavior in the bulk and on the surface showed, contrary to previous assumptions, that hybridization on surfaces is more thermodynamically favorable than in the bulk. In addition, the effects of stretching or compressing the probe strand were investigated as a model system to test the hypothesis that improving surface hybridization will improve microarray performance. The results in this regard indicate that selectivity can be increased by reducing overall sensitivity by a …

The Effect Of Dynamic Standing On The Bone Mineral Density Of Non-Ambulatory Children: A Pilot Study, Megan Diane Damcott

Theses

In recent decades, research in osteoporosis has expanded to include the effects of prolonged immobilization on the load-bearing bones of non-ambulatory children. One current therapeutic intervention for this population is a passive standing program, in which the body is fully supported and continuous, stationary loading is applied to the bones, leading to the legs being primarily inactive. This research focused upon the effect of passive standing and a new therapeutic intervention of dynamic standing, a standing therapy in which the body is supported but vertical, reciprocal displacements which mimic the walking gait are applied to the feet, causing the muscles …

A Microfluidic Culture For Two Populations Of Dorsal Root Ganglia For Differential Staining, Ishnoor Sidhu

Theses

The goal of this study was to design and fabricate a microfluidic system that can be used to visibly distinguish the two populations of dorsal root ganglia (DRGs) by differential staining. Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) is the most widely used silicon-based organic polymer, and is particularly known for its wide spread use in microfluidics. Various methods have been employed to pump fluids in these channels for applications ranging from patterning of cells and biomolecules to control of local environment factors such as temperature, which requires external pumping or other applied forces. We demonstrated a pump-free device that exploits the surface energy stored …

Transdermal And Transbuccal Delivery Of Lidocaine And Nicotine : Combined Effects Of Iontophoresis And Chemical Enhancers, Ran Wei

Theses

This study focused on the effects of iontophoresis and chemical enhancers on drug release. The transport of Lidocaine HCl (LHCl) and Nicotine Hydrogen Tartrate (NHT) through the skin and mucosa was evaluated for potential clinical applications. These two potential delivery routes have the advantage of avoiding first-pass effect. Samples were pretreated with enhancer solutions for one hour before the experiments. Passive or 0.3 mA iontophoresis-assisted drug diffusion was conducted for 8 hours to monitor the cumulative amount of drug released. Graphical methods and mathematical optimization techniques were implemented to analyze the data. The effects of chemical enhancers on the delivery …

Design And Evaluation Of An Adaptable Vector Coprocessor For Multicores, Timothy William Steele

Theses

Future applications for multi-core processor systems will require increased signal processing power along with increased resource utilization and decreased power consumption. Conservative power consumption will be of paramount importance primarily for battery-powered portable multi-core platforms (e.g., advanced cell phones, tablet computers, etc.). This thesis investigates the robustness, efficiency and effectiveness of vector coprocessor sharing policies in multi-core environments. Vector coprocessor sharing is based on an innovative design for a vector lane that forms the building block for the creation of larger vector coprocessors. This innovative lane design contains a floating-point multiply unit, a floating-point add/subtract unit, a miscellaneous function unit, …

Thermochemical Properties, Bond Energies And Internal Rotor Potentials In Methyl Ethyl Sulfide And Oxygenated Sulfur Hydrocarbons Intermediates For Modeling Its Combustion And Atmospheric Chemistry, Guanghui Song

Theses

Small (1 to 4 carbon) hydrocarbon sulfides and thiols are formed in the biosphere by microorganisms and subsequently emitted into the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere. In the atmosphere they are oxidized by photochemical and radical reactions to intermediate hydrocarbon and to sulfur oxides. The oxides of these sulfur compounds and the intermediates from the oxidation process are known to form aerosols that can counteract the global warming green house effect. Recent studies also suggest that some aerosols can also contribute to global warming. Sulfur oxides are also major contributors to acid rain as the results of the atmospheric chemistry oxidation …

Improving Near-Field Confinement Of A Bowtie Aperture Using Surface Plasmon Polaritons, Pornsak Srisungsitthisunti, Okan Ersoy, Xianfan Xu

Birck and NCN Publications

Bowtie aperture is known to produce subdiffraction-limited optical spot with high intensity. In this work, we investigate integrating a bowtie aperture with circular grooves to reduce the divergence of the near-field produced by the bowtie aperture. Numerical results indicate that surface waves reflected from circular grooves improve the field confinement of a bowtie aperture along the polarization axis. These circular grooves with period near half the wavelength of surface plasmon polaritons reduce the spot size by as much as 40% at distances between 20 and 100 nm from the surface and create a more symmetrical optical spot. (C) 2011 American …

Impacts Of Future Climate Change And Effects Of Biogenic Emissions On Surface Ozone And Particulate Matter Concentrations In The United States, Y. F. Lam, J. S. Fu, S. Wu, L. J. Mickley

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Simulations of present and future average regional ozone and PM 2.5 concentrations over the United States were performed to investigate the potential impacts of global climate change and emissions on regional air quality using CMAQ. Various emissions and climate conditions with different biogenic emissions and domain resolutions were implemented to study the sensitivity of future air quality trends from the impacts of changing biogenic emissions. A comparison of GEOS-Chem and CMAQ was performed to investigate the effect of downscaling on the prediction of future air quality trends. For ozone, the impacts of global climate change are relatively smaller when compared …

Preparation And Performance Of Carbon-Coated Si/C Composites, Li-Li Du, Quan-Chao Zhuang, Tao Wei, Yong-Li Cui, Zhi Sun, Shi-Gang Sun

Journal of Electrochemistry

Si/C composite for lithium ion batteries was obtained by pyrolyzing and ball-milling. The microstructure and component of the composite was characterized by SEM and XRD, the electrochemical performance was investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and galvano static charge-discharge tests. The results illustrate that the particle of Si/C composite prepared by pyrolysis exhibits inerratic morphology, uniform carbon-coating layer, good electrical conductivity, low resistance. The first intercalated-lithium capacity of the composite material is 4495 mAh/g; the first coulomb efficiency is 65.3%. From the second week the coulomb efficiency maintains 97%, and the capacity at the 100th cycle can …

Synthesis And Catalytic Property Of Flaked Spindle-Like Cuo Nanocrystals, Jian-Feng Fan, Li-Qing Li, Yu-Feng Huang, Lou-Zhen Fan

Journal of Electrochemistry

A simple and efficient electrochemical route was developed for the synthesis of flaked spindle-like CuO nanocrystals using aqueous electrolyte and Cu sacrificial anode (graphite as the cathode) in an undivided cell at a constant potential mode under room temperature. The morphologies, structure and component of CuO nanocrystals obtained were characterized by SEM, XRD, respectively. Flaked spindle-like CuO nanocrystals were successfully used to modify a GC electrode to detect H₂O₂ with cyclic voltammetry (CV) and amperometric (AC).The results showed that products were pure monoclinic CuO nanocrystals. The linear range for the determination of hydrogen peroxide is from 1.0 …

Detection Of Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia Pml/Rarî± Fusion Gene Using Graphene Modified Glassy Carbon Electrode, Zhi-Xian Lian, Guang-Xian Zhong, Kun Wang, Ai-Lin Liu, Xin-Hua Lin, Yuan-Zhong Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

A graphene modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was prepared by electrochemical reduction of graphite oxide fixed on the surface of GCE. Then, the amino-group modified probe of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) PML/RARα fusion gene fragment was immobilized onto surface of the graphene modified GCE by coupling activating agent. With methylene blue (MB) as a novel electrochemical indicator, artificial APL PML/RARα fusion gene fragment was measured by differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). The result indicated graphene nanomaterial showed good sensitization on the signal of MB. The relationship between the reduction peak current of MB and the concentration of complementary strand was linear …

Influence Of Tert-Butylpyridine On The Band Energetics Of Nanostructured Tio2 Electrodes And The Photoelectrochemical Properties Of Dye-Seneitized Electrodes, Shu-Ming Yang, Ji-Chao Wang, Hui-Zhi Kou, Hong-Bin Xue, Hong-Jun Wang, Yu-Ling Guo

Journal of Electrochemistry

The flat band edges (Efb) of nanostructured TiO₂ electrodes in electrolyte solutions with tert-butylpyridine (TBP) of different concentrations have been determined with spectroelectrochemical technique. TBP played a role in band energetics of nanostructured TiO₂ electrodes. The Efb values of -2.25, -2.46 and -2.62 V were determined in three 0.2 mol•L^-1 tetrabutylammonium perchlorate (TBAP) acetonitrile electrolytes which contain 0, 0.2 and 0.4 mol•L^-1 TBP respectively. The addition of Li+ ions shifted Efb positively. The Efb values of -1.12, -1.22 and -1.30 V were determined in three 0.2 mol•L^-1 LiClO₄ acetonitrile electrolytes which contain 0, 0.2 …

Effects Of Additives On The Electrochemical Behaviors Of Zn Electrode In Alkaline Solutions, Shu-Na Hong, Hai-Bin Lin, Zuo-Jian Su, He-Bing Zhou, Man Liang, Wei-Shan Li

Journal of Electrochemistry

Electrochemical behaviors of Zn in 3mol⋅L^-1 KOH solution containing the single additive(Pb(NO₃)₂, SDBS) the mixed additives(Pb(NO₃)²⁺SDBS) were investigated. The results showed that all the additives can supress the corrosion of zinc in 3mol•L_^-1 KOH solution. And the inhibition effeciency of the mixed additives is higher than that of any single additive.

Preparation And Electrocatalytic Activity Of The Pt/Wc/Tio2 Composites, Chun-An Ma, Bin Yu, Mei-Qin Shi, Xiao-Ling Lang

Journal of Electrochemistry

TiO₂ was used as the support for preparation of Pt/WC/TiO₂ composite catalyst. The composites were characterized by XRD, SEM and TEM methods. The electrocatalytical activity of Pt/WC/TiO₂ composite for oxidation of methanol was investigated by cyclic voltammetry. Pt/WC/TiO₂ exhibited higher activity compared with that of Pt/TiO₂ and Pt/WC composite catalysts. Based on this we discussed the effects of crystal phases of TiO₂ on the electrocatalytical activity of Pt/WC/TiO₂ composite catalyst.

Dft Study Of Co2 Reduction To Hydrocarbons On Cu Surfaces, Li-Hui Ou, Sheng-Li Chen

Journal of Electrochemistry

CO₂ reduction on Cu(111) single crystal surfaces was studied using DFT calculations on the reaction energies and the minimum energy paths. The results indicated that the possible reaction paths for CO₂ reduction on Cu(111) surface are CO₂(g) + H* → COOH* → (CO +OH)*, (CO + H)* → CHO*, CHO + H → CH₂O* → (CH_2⁺O)*, CH₂* + 2H* → CH₄ or 2CH₂* → C₂H₄. On Cu(111) surface, the reaction rate is controlled by steps of CH₂O* → (CH_{2 …}

Capacitance Behaviors Of Ti/Ru0.1Ti0.1Sn0.8O2 Electrodes, Hai-Yan Chen, Yan-Qun Shao, Dian Tang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Ti/Ru_0.1Ti_0.1Sn_0.8O₂ electrodes were prepared by low temperature thermal decomposition. The structural characteristics were analyzed by X-ray diffraction(XRD).The performances were tested by cyclic voltammetry and constant current charge-discharge measurements. The results show that, the structure of Ti/Ru_0.1Ti_0.1Sn_0.8O₂ belongs to small rutile phase. A high specific capacitance of 933F/g is obtained at scan rate of 20 mV/s. The cycle life test shows a 23.6% specific capacitance lost after 1000 cycles. The electrode has a good cycle stability and reversibility.

The Flip-Flop Behavior Of Acetonitrile At Au Electrode Surface Investigated By Sum Frequency Generation Vibrational Spectroscopy, Zhi Huang, Xin Tang, Gang-Hua Deng, En-Cai Zhou, Hong-Fei Wang, Yuan Guo

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electrochemical interface between liquid acetonitrile and polycrystal gold electrode is investigated by in situ infrared visible sum frequency generation spectroscopy (SFG-VS). The structure of acetonitrile adsorbed at polycrystal gold electrode surface is studied as a function of electrode potential. The SFG spectra of CH₃ group indicate acetonitrile orients in response to the electrode potential. The SFG signal of CH₃ group turns lower as the electrode potential changes from -700mV to 300mV, and vanishes around the 300mV(pzc), then becomes a negative signal above 500mV, which indicates that the orientation is predominately with the CH₃ group toward the …

Research Progress In Orthosilicates As Cathode Materials For Li-Ion Batteries, Dong-Ping Lv, Lin Wang, Yong Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Rechargeable Li-ion batteries fulfilling high-energy density, high safety, environmental friendliness, and low cost are demanded urgently for energy storage systems. Besides the structure stability arising from the strong Si-O covalent bond, environmental benignancy and low cost from the characteristics of Fe, Mn, Si elementals, orthosilicates (Li₂MSiO₄) show promising prospect to meet the demand of high-energy density for its two available Li+ per formula unit. Motivated by these significant advantages, Li₂MSiO₄ have been intensively investigated in the past few years. In the present work, we gave a review on the progress of orthosilicate research …

Effect Of Pore Size On Pseudo-Capacitive Performance Of Nio In The Mixed Electrolyte Of Koh And Hexacyanoferrate, Wen Wu, Meng-Yan Hou, Dan-Dan Zhou, Yong-Yao Xia

Journal of Electrochemistry

In this paper, five kinds of NiO samples with different pore size distributions were synthesized .The electrochemical capacitance of the samples were characterized in 3 mol/L KOH solution with and without hexacyanoferrate addition. Electrochemical test results indicated the NiO sample with an optimum pore size of about 15 nm shows high Coulombic efficiency of the N₄(NiO) electrode as the redox reaction of hexacyanoferrate ions would be limited in the pore, thus prevent ion diffusion into the bulk electrolyte solution .

Investigation Of Supercapacitors Based On Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogel-Polymer Electrolyte, Kai-Qing Xu, Le-Qing Fan, Ji-Huai Wu, Qing Leng, Xin Zhong, Jian-Ming Lin, Miao-Liang Huang, Zhang Lan

Journal of Electrochemistry

For the first time, the supercapacitor based on the hydrogel-polymer electrolyte which consisted of the cross-linking of polyvinyl alcohol-glutaraldehyde (PVA-GA) using 2-acrylamido-2-methyl propane sulfonic acid (AMPS) as solicitation reagent was assembled. The gel polymer electrolyte was characterized by FTIR and AC impedance. The maximum ionic conductivity is 1.23 mS/cm at room temperature. The electrochemical properties of the supercapacitor were investigated by cyclic voltammetry, AC impedance spectra and constant current charge-discharge curve. The results show that the specific capacitance reachs 139 F/g with AMPS of 1.0 g and 0.05 mL of 5 %(by mass) GA. And the specific capacitance still retained …

Study On Direct Electro-Oxidation Of Anisaldehyde, Lin-Lin Wu, Ying-Hong Zhu, Shan-Shan Li, Hong-Yan Zeng, Chun-An Ma

Journal of Electrochemistry

The oxidation of anisole on Pt electrode was investigated by cyclic voltammery and constant potential electrolysis. The influence of scan rates, substrate concentration, supporting electrolytes and solvent were considered . The results show that the electro-oxidation process of anisole was irreversible. In this research the sulfuric acid was the best supporting electrolytes and acetone was the best solvent, and the process was controlled by diffusion . The product of constant potential electrolysis was charactered by GC-MS .The results show that the main products was anisaldehyde, and the selectivity was up to 66.5% when using acetone as solvent.

Electric Vehicles And Power Batteries, Xin-Ping Ai, Han-Xi Yang

Journal of Electrochemistry

In retrospect of the historical development of Electric Vehicles (EV), the impact of battery technologies on the progress of EV was discussed. In consequence, it is concluded that the lack of advanced batteries was the main cause for the fluctuations of EV development and the sluggish commercialization of electric cars in the past century. After a brief introduction to the classification and the requirements of electric vehicles, the main issues of the batteries including safety, temperature range for operation and the cost as well as the effects of these factors on the applications of advanced batteries for electric vehicles were …

Comparison Of Catalytic Performance On Different Materials Supported Pd Catalysts For Formic Acid Oxidation, Su-Dong Yang, Yan-Yu Liang, Zhu-Liang Wen, Qi-Jun Song, Xiao-Gang Zhang

Journal of Electrochemistry

Graphite oxide (GO) was prepared from by Hummers method. Then the graphene nanosheets supporting Pd catalysts were prepared by a single-step chemical reduction method. The electrocatalytic performance for formic acid oxidation of the prepared Pd/graphene composite was studied as an electrode material in comparison with the composite catalysts based on the other carbons (MWCNTs, SWCNTs, and Vulcan XC-72 carbon black). X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurements indicated that the Pd nanoparticles were well dispersed on the surface of the graphene nanosheets with a small particle size. The electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid was studied by electrochemically active …

Anode Electrodeposition Of Ti/Mno2 Electrode And Electrocatalytic Oxidization Properties Of Phenol Degradation, Ye Chen, Wen-Li Zhao, Qing Wen

Journal of Electrochemistry

Ti-base manganese dioxide (Ti/MnO₂) electrode was prepared by anodically electrodeposition technology in this paper. The structure of the electrode, the microstructure of the electrode surface and the element composition of the electrode were analyzed by XRD, SEM and EDS. The preparation process parameters of the electrode were studied in detail with the help of the V~logi curve and phenol degradation curve. The Ti/MnO₂ electrode was anodically electrodeposited at current density 4mA•cm^-2, the Mn^{2 +} ions concentration 0.5mol•L^-1 and temperature70℃. The V~logi curve and phenol degradation curve were used to evaluate electrocatalytic oxidization properties …

Electrochemical Studies Of Zinc Injection Into The Structure Materials Of Nuclear Power Plants, Sheng-Han Zhang, Yu Tan, Ke-Xin Liang

Journal of Electrochemistry

The electrochemical and semiconductor characters of oxide films formed on 304L, 316L stainless steel and alloy 600 in high temperature water with zinc addition were studied. Stress corrosion cracking and occupational radiation can be retarded effectively by zinc injection to the primary circuit of pressurized water reactor (PWR). The semiconductor characters of the materials formed by zinc injection was analyzed by Mott-Schottky curves. The surface morphology and components of the corrosion oxide layer were examined and detected by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The result reveals that the smaller crystals and the complex Zn-Cr-Ni-Fe oxide were …

Electrochemical Capacitive Performance Of Mesoporous Carbon Based Co-Ni Oxides, Zhen-Sheng Yang, Ling-Bin Kong, Li Deng, Yong-Chun Luo, Long Kang

Journal of Electrochemistry

By using defects on the surface of CMK-3 served as nucleation center, Co_0.25Ni_0.75 oxide/C composite was successfully prepared through a simple chemical co-precipitation method. Characterization was carried by using X-ray diffraction, BET and scanning electron microscopy. Results showed that a perfect mesoporous network of interconnected nanoflakes was obtained for Co_0.25Ni_0.75 oxide/C composite and, this material has a less crystallization, interconnected nanoflakes network structure and a narrow mesoporous distribution at about 3~4 nm. The highly dispersed and loosely packed Co_0.25Ni_0.75 oxide/C composite possessed good electrochemical accessibility and fast diffusion rate of OH …

Ios Mobile Device Forensics: Initial Analysis, Rita M. Barrios, Michael R. Lehrfeld

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The ability to recover forensic artifacts from mobile devices is proving to be an ever-increasing challenge for investigators. Coupling this with the ubiquity of mobile devices and the increasing complexity and processing power they contain results in a reliance on them by suspects. In investigating Apple’s iOS devices -- namely the iPhone and iPad -- an investigator’s challenges are increased due to the closed nature of the platforms. What is left is an extremely powerful and complex mobile tool that is inexpensive, small, and can be used in suspect activities. Little is known about the internal data structures of the …

Forensic Analysis Of Smartphones: The Android Data Extractor Lite (Adel), Felix Freiling, Michael Spreitzenbarth, Sven Schmitt

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

Due to the ubiquitous use of smartphones, these devices become an increasingly important source of digital evidence in forensic investigations. Thus, the recovery of digital traces from smartphones often plays an essential role for the examination and clarification of the facts in a case. Although some tools already exist regarding the examination of smartphone data, there is still a strong demand to develop further methods and tools for forensic extraction and analysis of data that is stored on smartphones. In this paper we describe specifications of smartphones running Android. We further introduce a newly developed tool – called ADEL – …

Survey On Cloud Forensics And Critical Criteria For Cloud Forensic Capability: A Preliminary Analysis, Keyun Ruan, Ibrahim Baggili, Joe Carthy, Tahar Kechadi

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

In this paper we present the current results and analysis of the survey “Cloud forensics and critical criteria for cloud forensic capability” carried out towards digital forensic experts and practitioners. This survey was created in order to gain a better understanding on some of the key questions of the new field - cloud forensics - before further research and development. We aim to understand concepts such as its definition, the most challenging issues, most valuable research directions, and the critical criteria for cloud forensic capability.

Keywords: Cloud Forensics, Cloud Computing, Digital Forensics, Survey, Cloud Forensic Capability

Kindle Forensics: Acquisition & Analysis, Peter Hannay

Annual ADFSL Conference on Digital Forensics, Security and Law

The Amazon Kindle eBook reader supports a wide range of capabilities beyond reading books. This functionality includes an inbuilt cellular data connection known as Whispernet. The Kindle provides web browsing, an application framework, eBook delivery and other services over this connection. The historic data left by user interaction with this device may be of forensic interest. Analysis of the Amazon Kindle device has resulted in a method to reliably extract and interpret data from these devices in a forensically complete manner.

Keywords: forensics, digital forensics, kindle, mobile, embedded, ebook, ereader