Engineering Commons^™

Controlled, Pulsatile Release Of Thermostabilized Inactivated Polio Vaccine From Plga-Based Microspheres, Stephany Y. Tzeng, Rohiverth Guarecuco, Kevin J. Mchugh, Evan M. Rosenberg, Yingying Zeng, Robert Langer, Ana Jaklenec

Vaccine Technology VI

Many vaccines, such as the inactivated polio vaccine (IPV), must be administered in several doses for full efficacy. Because patient access is a major challenge for vaccination efforts in developing countries, administering multiple doses per patient is impractical in those areas. Single-administration vaccines would greatly improve efforts to vaccinate populations in Third World countries, and the World Health Organization (WHO) Expanded Program for Immunization describes an ideal vaccine as one that is heat-stable, requires only one shot, and is easy to administer. Although already existing technologies, such as microspheres composed of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), are able to encapsulate …

Development Of Typhax, A Salmonella Typhi Vi Polysaccharide Protein Capsular Matrix Vaccine, Kevin P. Killeen

Vaccine Technology VI

Matrivax Research & Development Corporation is researching and developing a novel technology termed Protein Capsular Matrix Vaccine (PCMV) as an alternative to polysaccharide-protein conjugate vaccines. In a PCMV, polysaccharide antigens are entrapped in a cross-linked protein ‘carrier’ matrix. This process is simpler than conjugate vaccines and should yield polysaccharide vaccines that elicit T_H-cell ‘memory’, are highly efficacious, and less expensive to manufacture.

Typhoid fever, caused by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi, is a disease that afflicts ~16 million people worldwide, resulting in 600,000 deaths, annually. Although typhoid fever vaccines are commercially available, there are significant limitations. Ty21a is an …

Combining Doe With An Empirical Approach To Improve Vaccine Formulation Development, Jill Livengood, Tim Powell, Melissa Bushey

Vaccine Technology VI

Vaccine development and formulation is based upon understanding of the candidate’s target product profile, and leverages knowledge and experience in pharmaceutical products. Developing an optimal formulation takes into account factors such as ensuring route of administration, product stability, and identifying Quality Target Product Profiles that are suitable for the product’s intended use. Based upon such knowledge and experience, multiple excipient formulations may be first identified for initial screening. Achieving the QTPP is a measure of results, and can be achieved with screening formulations by aggressive accelerated stability study conditions to enable the final formulation components to be down-selected. This presentation …

Significance Of Parameters Affecting The Performance Of A Passive Down-Draft Evaporative Cooling (Pdec) Tower With A Spray System, Daeho Kang, Richard K. Strand

Publications and Research

PDEC towers with spray systems are known to achieve substantial energy savings. Various parameters such as the wet-bulb depression, the tower height, and the wind speed have been known to be key factors affecting the performance of the system. To date, the significance of these parameters and other important factors have not been adequately treated in the literature. There also has been a lack of models that can successfully investigate potential benefits of the system under various conditions where this particular system could be applicable. To address these critical issues, this study performed a parametric analysis by using a FLUENT …

Curipilot, Gregory Cusack, Karan Daryanani, Nathaniel Tucker

Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses

The drone industry has rapidly grown over the last three years and many large companies have determined that the phenomenon is worth investing in. Recently, Intel has shown interest in this growing industry. Intel developed a next generation processor to be used in drones in addition to investing in the Chinese drone hardware company, Yuneec. Contracted by Intel, the CuriPilot team laid the foundation for linking the hardware and software layers of Intel's drone technology by designing the stabilization control system for the next generation of processors and drones. The CuriPilot team built a foundation for future drone development and …

Characterization Of Ha And Na-Containing Vlps Produced In Suspension Cultures Of Hek 293 Cells, Amine Kamen, Alina Venereo-Sanchez, Rénald Gilbert, Aziza Manceur, Parminder Chahal, Sven Ansorge, Wangxue Chen

Vaccine Technology VI

Virus like particles (VLPs) can be formulated into promising vaccines to prevent influenza infection. In addition of having a structure and composition that mimic the wild type virus, VLPs are safe since they are devoid of viral genes and consequently are not infectious. One approach to scale up the manufacturing of VLPs is to produce them in a serum-free suspension culture using a stable mammalian cell line. Importantly, with VLPs synthetized by mammalian cells, the post-translational modifications of the surface antigens should be similar to the wild type virus, and therefore should trigger a potent and specific immune response for …

Vaccines: Reaching For Higher Branches After The Low Hanging Fruit Has Been Picked, Michael G. Kurilla

Vaccine Technology VI

Vaccines represent one of the most significant advances by medicine in addressing infectious diseases being responsible for the elimination of a few and the virtual eradication of several other scourges. In addition, medicine is also beginning to appreciate the potential applicability of vaccines beyond infectious diseases to areas such as oncology. During any emerging infectious disease public health event, availability of a vaccine figures prominently in the assessment of the capability to address the threat most effectively. A more rapid deployment of new vaccines would enable more effective management of emerging threats. Efforts to streamline manufacture and production of vaccines …

Immunization With Surface Immunogenic Protein Induces A Decrease Of Vaginal Colonization By Group B Streptococcus In An Experimental Mouse Model, Jorge A. Soto, Abel E. Vasquez, Diego Diaz-Dinamarca, Daniel A. Soto, Robert Rojas, Alexis M. Kalergis

Vaccine Technology VI

The Group B streptococcus (GBS) is the leading cause of neonatal sepsis and meningitis in developed countries and an emerging pathogen in adults. A neonatal infection occurs predominantly during the delivery by either inhalation or ingestion of contaminated secretions of the mother’s vagina. Maternal screening by rectovaginal GBS colonization at 35–37 weeks of gestation, with subsequent intra-partum antibiotic prophylaxis (IAP) at the onset of labor, is implemented in some countries to prevent newborn invasive by GBS. Currently, there are not vaccines to prevent the devastating consequences of GBS and a glycoconjugate vaccine is under clinical experimentation (Clinical Trials Phase III). …

Conference Program (Vaccine Technology Vi), Laura A. Palomares, Tarit Mukhopadhyay, Manon Cox, Nathalie Garçon

Vaccine Technology VI

No abstract provided.

Production Of A Nanoplasmid™ With A Large Gene Insert Using The Hypergro™ Fermentation Process, Aaron Carnes, Neha Tiwari, Jill Beilowitz, Carlos Sampson, Dorothy Peterson, Jim Williams

Vaccine Technology VI

Plasmid based DNA vaccines are emerging as a promising alternative to traditional vaccines due to several advantages, including faster production of DNA plasmids using E. coli. However, further increases in transgene expression are needed to meet efficacy requirements for various non-viral gene therapy and DNA vaccination applications. While existing minicircle DNA technology has been shown to offer improved levels and durations of transgene expression by removal of the bacterial region from the plasmid, low manufacturing yields may be a barrier to widespread use of minicircle DNA for vaccination.

NTC’s minimalized Nanoplasmid™ vectors utilize RNA-OUT (R_OUT) antibiotic-free selection …

Dango (Doings And Goings On) - Vol. 22 | Issue 4, Cecily Towell, Matthew Kimball, Haley Stien, Aric Tate, Rusty Towell, Vicente Rojas, Zhaojia Xi, Caleb Hicks, Joshua Daniel Martinez, Reuben Byrd, Paul Carstens, Mike Daugherity, Donald Isenhower

DANGO: Doings and Goings On: Summer Research Newsletter, Department of Engineering and Physics

Summer Research Newsletter for ACU's Engineering and Physics Department

Looma Lesson Planner, Elise Herrmannsfeldt, Suparna Jasuja, Kate Lassalle-Klein, Roshan Ramankutty

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

Looma Lesson Planner is a web application that allows its users, experienced educators, to select, organize, and present existing classroom materials and educational content in the format of a custom-made lesson plan. Looma, an all-in-one computer developed by non-profit organization VillageTech Solutions, is designed for school teachers in rural Nepal, India. It provides them with basic access to textbooks, activities, and digital media that may be relevant in meeting Nepal's curriculum requirements. However, Looma did not initially include a simple interface for teachers to connect many different forms of content together into cohesive, custom lesson plans.

Our application presents and …

Waveguide Probe For Nondestructive Material Characterization, Mohammad Tayeb Ahmad Ghasr, Matthew Kempin, R. Zoughi

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An open-ended waveguide probe including a finite flange extending outwardly and functioning as an infinite flange. A signal source provides a microwave signal to the waveguide, which in turn transmits microwave electromagnetic energy incident upon an object to be tested. The finite flange at the waveguide's aperture is shaped to reduce scattering of the electromagnetic field reflected from the object and received by the aperture. The probe is adapted for coupling to a receiver for sampling the reflected electromagnetic field received by the aperture and the receiver is adapted for coupling to a processor for determining at least one material …

Phase Gradient Algorithm Method For 3-D Holographic Ladar Imaging, Jason W. Stafford, Bradley D. Duncan, David J. Rabb

Electro-Optics and Photonics Faculty Publications

3-D holographic ladar uses digital holography with frequency diversity to add the ability to resolve targets in range. A key challenge is that since individual frequency samples are not recorded simultaneously, differential phase aberrations may exist between them making it difficult to achieve range compression. We describe steps specific to this modality so that phase gradient algorithms (PGA) can be applied to 3-D holographic ladar data for phase corrections across multiple temporal frequency samples. Substantial improvement of range compression is demonstrated with a laboratory experiment where our modified PGA technique is applied. Additionally, the PGA estimator is demonstrated to be …

Usu Offers Nearly $1m In Scholarships To Engineering Summer Campers | College Of Engineering, Usu College Of Engineering

College of Engineering News

June 10, 2016 – Utah State University offered nearly $1 million in scholarship funding on Thursday to a group of high school students attending their last day of a weeklong engineering summer camp.

The juniors and seniors were participating in the annual Engineering State, or ‘E-State’ event designed to introduce young people to engineering and computer science. On Thursday the group attended a closing awards banquet where 80 out of240 students were offered scholarships ranging from $2,000 to $41,000.

Renovation Of El Camino Real Of Santa Clara, Thao Nguyen-Pham, John Garzee

Civil, Environmental and Sustainable Engineering Senior Theses

In this project we focus on a section of the El Camino Real that is a major corridor that connects the South Bay to much of the Peninsula. The portion that we are looking at is by Santa Clara University from Lafayette Street to Scott Boulevard which consists of 3lanes in both directions. This is much wider than sections farther north as there are much higher traffic volumes in the spread out South Bay. As a result, El Camino Real can be dangerous for pedestrians and cyclists. Along with pedestrian safety concerns, our project goes into the inadequate service levels …

Anisotropic Softening Of Magnetic Excitations In Lightly Electron-Doped Sr2Iro4, X. Liu, M. P. M. Dean, Z. Y. Meng, M. H. Upton, T. Qi, T. Gog, Y. Cao, J. Q. Lin, D. Meyers, H. Ding, Gang Cao, J. P. Hill

Center for Advanced Materials Faculty Publications

The magnetic excitations in electron-doped (Sr_1−xLa_x)₂IrO₄ with x = 0.03 were measured using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering at the Ir L₃ edge. Although much broadened, well defined dispersive magnetic excitations were observed. Comparing with the magnetic dispersion from the undoped compound, the evolution of the magnetic excitations upon doping is highly anisotropic. Along the antinodal direction, the dispersion is almost intact. On the other hand, the magnetic excitations along the nodal direction show significant softening. These results establish the presence of strong magnetic correlations in electron-doped (Sr_1−xLa_{x …}

Forest Soil Carbon And Nitrogen Cycles Under Biomass Harvest: Stability, Transient Response, And Feedback, Anthony J. Parolari, Amilcare Porporato

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Biomass harvest generates an imbalance in forest carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles and the nonlinear biogeochemical responses may have long-term consequences for soil fertility and sustainable management. We analyze these dynamics and characterize the impact of biomass harvest and N fertilization on soil biogeochemistry and ecosystem yield with an ecosystem model of intermediate complexity that couples plant and soil C and N cycles. Two harvest schemes are modeled: continuous harvest at low intensity and periodic clear-cut harvest. Continuously-harvested systems sustain N harvest at steady-state under net mineralization conditions, which depends on the C:N ratio and respiration rate of decomposers. …

Infographic: Stem Workforce And Careers, Jo Earp

Teacher infographics

School educators are being encouraged to give students more information about STEM-related careers. So, what are the top occupations of STEM graduates? Find out in this Teacher infographic.

Rsl Rover, Patrick Barone, Giovanni Briggs, Aaron Burns, Hesham Naja, Zoe Demertzis

Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses

The goal of this project was to design and implement an unmanned vehicle that can assess the air quality and general state of a post-fire environment. To do this, we equipped Santa Clara University's Polaris 6x6 Ranger with appropriate sensors and cameras to determine how safe the environment is for humans to enter. We also used GPS and laser scans to generate a 3D map that operators can use to define certain zones as particularly dangerous. Finally, we incorporated partially-autonomous sensing capabilities that will allow the operator to easily drive the vehicle. The result was a rugged, advanced, and intuitive …

College Of Engineering News, Georgia Southern University

College of Engineering & Computing: News & Publications (2010-2023)

• Danda Rawat wins prestigious NSF CAREER Award

Temperature Profiles Of Railroad Tapered Roller Bearings With Defective Inner And Outer Rings, Constantine Tarawneh, Luz Sotelo, Anthony A. Villarreal, Nancy De Los Santos, Ryan L. Lechtenberg, Robert Jones

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

In the railroad industry, monitoring the condition of key components such as bearings and wheels is vital to ensure the safe transport of goods and commodities. Bearing seizures are amongst the most dangerous types of failures experienced by trains because they occur unexpectedly and may lead to costly derailments. Current bearing health monitoring techniques include tracking the temperature and acoustic emissions given by the bearings. Although temperature histories of railroad tapered roller bearings are readily available, the literature does not provide information relating the temperature profiles to the severity of the bearing defect. The study presented here investigates the correlation …

Heat Generation In The Railroad Bearing Thermoplastic Elastomer Suspension Element, Oscar O. Rodriguez, Juan Carbone, Arturo A. Fuentes, Robert E. Jones, Constantine Tarawneh

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

The main purpose of this ongoing study is to investigate the effect of heat generation within a railroad thermoplastic elastomer suspension element on the thermal behavior of the railroad bearing assembly. Specifically, the purpose of this project is to quantify the heat generated by cyclic loading of the elastomer suspension element as a function of load amplitude, loading frequency, and operating temperature. The contribution of the elastomer pad to the system energy balance is modeled using data from dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) of the specific materials in use for that part. DMA is a technique that is commonly used to …

Cushioned Extended-Periphery Avoidance: A Reactive Obstacle Avoidance Plugin, Timothy Mclain, James Jackson, David Wheeler

Faculty Publications

While collision avoidance and flight stability are generally a micro air vehicle’s (MAVs) highest priority, many map-based path planning algorithms focus on path optimality, often assuming a static, known environment. For many MAV applications a robust navigation solution requires responding quickly to obstacles in dynamic, tight environments with non- negligible disturbances. This article first outlines the Reactive Obstacle Avoidance Plugin framework as a method for leveraging map-based algorithms while providing low-latency, high-bandwidth response to obstacles. Further, we propose and demonstrate the effectiveness of the Cushioned Extended- Periphery Avoidance (CEPA) algorithm. By representing recent laser scans in the current body-fixed polar …

Rosflight: A Lightweight, Inexpensive Mav Research And Development Tool, Timothy Mclain, James Jackson, Gary J. Ellingson

Faculty Publications

To accelerate research and development of the autonomous capabilities of micro aerial vehicles we have developed flight control framework, ROSflight, as a research tool. ROSflight makes development of autopilot code easier and more efficient by minimizing the use of embedded systems, incorporating the Robot Operating System and using off-the-shelf and open-source hardware and software. Motivation and applications for use in the research community are discussed. Analysis of loop rate and communication bandwidth are presented as well as results from flight demonstration of two multi-rotor aircraft.

Fixthecity: Local Government Complaint Management System, Amanpreet Dhoor, Kevin Ta, Melissa Portillo

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

For a large city, such as San Jose, it can be difficult to keep track of all of the city property that needs fixing. One way to remedy this would be to increase citizen involvement by creating an easy way for citizens to report problems. The current method for doing this is either to call the problem in or to navigate through department webpages to fill out a form. The city also has an app called San Jose Clean, through which people can report graffiti by taking a photo with their phone, but graffiti is the only problem it deals …

Boip: Interactivity Platform, Tyler Kung, Nicholas Pulido

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

For this project, we have implemented an integrated interactive platform tailored for students and professors. Classes at Santa Clara University come in a variety of sizes and styles, with multiple professors teaching multiple students. These professors have different teaching methods that have to cater to students' different learning styles. One of the main features of our platform is a chat room where professors can collect information from their students. Students are able to ask questions about said topic or answer the professor's posted questions about the topic as well as other students' questions. With our platform, we hope to increase …

The New Grid, Vincente Ciancio, Andrew Dobbins, Steven Sanz

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

The New Grid seeks to provide mobile users with an additional method for off-grid communication, or communication without connection to Internet infrastructure. The motivation for this project was to find another alternative to Internet-dependent communication. Current Internet infrastructure is antiquated; it is expensive to maintain and expand, it has numerous vulnerabilities and high-impact points of failure, and can be rendered unusable for lengthy periods of time by natural disasters or other catastrophes. This current grid will eventually need to be replaced by a more modern, scalable, and adaptive infrastructure. The results of the projects research showed that implementing a library …

Trusnet: Peer-To-Peer Cryptographic Authentication, Adrian Bedard, Jonathan Bedard

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

Originally, the Internet was meant as a general purpose communication protocol, transferring primarily text documents between interested parties. Over time, documents expanded to include pictures, videos and even web pages. Increasingly, the Internet is being used to transfer a new kind of data which it was never designed for. In most ways, this new data type fits in naturally to the Internet, taking advantage of the near limit-less expanse of the protocol. Hardware protocols, unlike previous data types, provide a unique set security problem. Much like financial data, hardware protocols extended across the Internet must be protected with authentication. Currently, …

Uniform: The Form Validation Language, Sawyer Novak, Reid Palmquist, Douglas Parker

Computer Science and Engineering Senior Theses

Digital forms are becoming increasingly more prevalent but the ease of creation is not. Web Forms are difficult to produce and validate. This design project seeks to simplify this process. This project is comprised of two parts: a logical programming language (Uniform) and a web application.

Uniform is a language that allows its users to define logical relationships between web elements and apply simple rules to individual inputs to both validate the form and manipulate its components depending on user input. Uniform provides an extra layer of abstraction to complex coding.

The web app implements Uniform to provide business-level programmers …