Biological Engineering Commons^™

A Watershed Scale Evaluation Of Selected Second Generation Biofeedstocks On Water Quality, Gurdeep Singh

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This study compares a novel simulation approach to the conventional Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) modeler's approach for targeting biofuel crop production on marginal lands. In conventional SWAT modeling approach, non-spatial definition of hydrological response units (HRUs) results in the simulation of biofuel crops on both marginal and non-marginal land. This study provides an alternative approach in which a marginal-land raster was integrated into the land use and land cover (LULC) raster in such a way that the land uses were divided into marginal and non-marginal components. This modified LULC was used for model setup which resulted in marginal …

Morphometric, Biochemical, And Raman Spctral Analyses Of Muscle Damage In Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease: Provising Objective Criteria For Diagnosis And Treatment Monitoring, Kim Cluff

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which affects approximately 10 million Americans, is characterized by atherosclerosis of the non-coronary arteries. PAD produces a progressive accumulation of ischemic injury to the limbs that is reflected in a gradual worsening in the myofiber morphology and oxidative damage in the gastrocnemius muscle. In this study, we evaluated the hypothesis that quantitative morphological and biochemical parameters of gastrocnemius myofibers change in a consistent manner during the progression of PAD, provide an objective grading of muscle degeneration in the ischemic limb, and correlate to clinical stage of PAD. Myofiber morphometrics were determined precisely with mathematical equations that …

Design Of A Pretreatment And Enzymatic Saccharification Scheme Of Understory From Managed Pine Forest For A Biochemical-Refinery Platform: The Example Of The Sweetgum Tree, Angele Djioleu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The possibility of using sweetgum from southern pine dominated forests as a biobased refinery feedstock was investigated. First, a baseline hydrolysis scheme for sweetgum wood and bark was designed. Sweetgum wood and bark were pretreated with 0.98% (v/v) sulfuric acid at 140°C for 30, 40, 50, 60 or 70 min and at 160°C for 30, 40, 50 or 60 min. The water insoluble solid (WIS) fraction was hydrolyzed with a cellulase enzyme cocktail. Results showed that maximum xylose and glucose yields from the wood were 82 and 86%, respectively. Similarly, the respective maximum yields of xylose and glucose from the …

Biodiesel Production From Mixed Culture Algae Via A Wet Lipid Extraction Procedure, Ashik Sathish

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Development of renewable sources of energy has received significant interest due to the rising costs of energy and the environmental impact of using fossil fuels. Biodiesel production from renewable sources of oil has shown promise of helping to replace or reduce dependence on petroleum based diesel thereby reducing demand for crude oil. Microalgae have been considered as a strong candidate for the production of large quantities of renewable oil for biodiesel production.

Microalgae are single cell photosynthetic organisms that posses the capability to produce renewable oil at rates much faster than land based plants and crops. In addition, microalgae can …

Characterization Of Xylan Utilization And Discovery Of A New Endoxylanase In Thermoanaerobacterium Saccharolyticum Through Targeted Gene Deletions, Kara K. Podkaminer, Adam M. Guss, Heather L. Trajano, David A. Hogsett, Lee R. Lynd

Dartmouth Scholarship

The economical production of fuels and commodity chemicals from lignocellulose requires the utilization of both the cellulose and hemicellulose fractions. Xylanase enzymes allow greater utilization of hemicellulose while also increasing cellulose hydrolysis. Recent metabolic engineering efforts have resulted in a strain of Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum that can convert C5 and C6 sugars, as well as insoluble xylan, into ethanol at high yield. To better understand the process of xylan solubilization in this organism, a series of targeted deletions were constructed in the homoethanologenic T. saccharolyticum strain M0355 to characterize xylan hydrolysis and xylose utilization in this organism. While the deletion of …

Two-Dimensional Blood Flow Velocity Estimation Using Ultrasound Speckle Pattern Dependence On Scan Direction And Velocity, Tiantian Xu

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause death in the United States. Although emergency surgery and medicine can be used for cardiovascular disease treatment, the survivors will suffer for it afterwards. Ultrasound blood flow measurement provides a noninvasive way for cardiovascular diseases diagnosis. In this dissertation, three algorithms for blood flow velocity measurements were investigated and optimized. Feature tracking has been previously proposed for vector velocity measurement. In Chapter 3, the optimal amplitude and time thresholds for feature extraction were investigated to minimize flow estimate variance while providing sufficient spatial and temporal coverage of flow area. A new method of lateral …

Analysis Of The Effect Of Feeding Regimen On Gh/Igf Axis In Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus), Samantha Puckett

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) are the most widely farmed aquatic animal in the United States. Assessing the effect of feeding regimens on their overall growth requires grow-out trials and a subsequent inefficient use of time and money. The growth hormone (GH)/insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) axis regulates growth based upon environmental factors such as feed intake in many teleost fish species. In order to increase the efficiency of aquaculture, the components of the GH/IGF-1 axis might be used as endocrine biomarkers to evaluate instantaneous growth rate. The goal of this study was to better understand the effects of feeding regimen on …

Dynamics Of Depression Storage During Sprinkler Irrigation And Precipitation Events, Michael B. Mckinney

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Surface depression storage (D_s) is the volume of precipitation excess which is stored by surface microrelief features of soils. The volume of water stored in surface depressions when precipitation rate exceeds infiltration rate reduces the amount of runoff generated. Because Ds is dependent on soil microrelief, land slope, and crop residue, tillage and management practices can have a considerable impact on the magnitude of this value.

When modeling irrigation systems and surface hydrology, depression storage is often treated as a static abstraction, meaning that maximum storage volume must be filled before runoff occurs. However, several researchers have documented …

Ethanol And Anaerobic Conditions Reversibly Inhibit Commercial Cellulase Activity In Thermophilic Simultaneous Saccharification And Fermentation (Tssf), Kara K. Podkaminer, William R. Kenealy, Christopher D. Herring, David A. Hogsett, Lee R. Lynd

Dartmouth Scholarship

A previously developed mathematical model of low solids thermophilic simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (tSSF) with Avicel was unable to predict performance at high solids using a commercial cellulase preparation (Spezyme CP) and the high ethanol yield Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum strain ALK2. The observed hydrolysis proceeded more slowly than predicted at solids concentrations greater than 50 g/L Avicel. Factors responsible for this inaccuracy were investigated in this study.

Enhanced Hydrocarbon Biodegradation Using Bioaugmentation With Biowish™-Aqua Fog, Michael Robert Lehrer

Master's Theses

This study was done to determine the effectiveness of a commercially available bioaugmentation product, BiOWiSH^TM-Aqua FOG, for remediating petroleum-contaminated sandy soil. Biodegradation enhancement by BiOWiSH^TM-Aqua FOG was evaluated in laboratory microcosms by directly measuring total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) and indirectly using respirometry. Attempts were made to enrich hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in BiOWiSH^TM-Aqua FOG, and the resulting enrichment cultures were screened using respirometry as well. Potential hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria in BiOWiSH^TM-Aqua FOG were isolated. Experiments were performed at bench-scale using microcosm bottles containing sand contaminated with either motor oil or No. 2 diesel fuel. The …

Development Of A Protocol To Measure Gene Expression In The Mouse Tibia, Daniel Hoover

Biomedical Engineering

Numerous molecular factors active in bone tissue direct fracture repair and remodeling which can be altered by disease conditions such as Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) and Osteoporosis. Methods of molecular biology are commonly applied to investigate the expression and role of these molecular factors. This project presents a robust three-step protocol for examining gene expression in the mouse tibia. The protocol begins with isolating RNA from a flash frozen tibia sample. The isolated RNA is reverse transcribed into cDNA. Finally, PCR is performed to indentify expressed genes. Establishing this protocol will allow further research into the mechanisms of bone remodeling …

The Characterization Of Biofilm Attachment To Metal Interfaces: Effects Of Substratum Properties, Marcel D. Mendes

Master's Theses

Bacteria are among the most abundant microorganisms on earth, and can be found in essentially every environment. When a clean surface is exposed to media containing planktonic bacteria, the bacterial cells will attach to the surface and aggregate to form what is known as a biofilm. Biofilms have been shown to negatively affect many industries including medical, industrial, and food science applications. While biofilms have been well characterized from a microbiology perspective, there has been much less research from a materials science standpoint. It is hypothesized that the material properties of the substratum (such as the micro-structure) have a significant …

Computational Design And Characterization Of A Temperature-Sensitive Plasmid Replicon For Gram Positive Thermophiles, Daniel G. Olson, Lee R. Lynd

Dartmouth Scholarship

Temperature-sensitive (Ts) plasmids are useful tools for genetic engineering, but there are currently none compatible with the gram positive, thermophilic, obligate anaerobe, Clostridium thermocellum. Traditional mutagenesis techniques yield Ts mutants at a low frequency, and therefore requires the development of high-throughput screening protocols, which are also not available for this organism. Recently there has been progress in the development of computer algorithms which can predict Ts mutations. Most plasmids currently used for genetic modification of C. thermocellum are based on the replicon of plasmid pNW33N, which replicates using the RepB replication protein. To address this problem, we set out …

Aptamer-Based Spr Biosensor For Detection Of Avian Influenza Virus, Hua Bai

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rapid and specific detection of avian influenza (AI) virus is urgently needed with the concerns over the outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in animal and human infection. Aptamers are artificial oligonucleic acid that can specifically bind to target molecules. They show comparable affinity for target virus and better thermal stability than monoclonal antibodies. Those advantages make aptamers promising candidates in diagnostic and detection applications. The goal of this research was to use DNA&ndashaptamer as the specific recognition element in a portable surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor for detection of AI H5N1 virus in poultry.

A SPR biosensor was …

Design And Implementation Of A Shoulder Simulator, Chelsea Lynn Kowal

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The main objective of this thesis project is to build a shoulder simulator to be able to understand the mechanics of the shoulder, specifically the rotator cuff and deltoid muscles. The shoulder simulator should be able to mimic the important motions of the human shoulder by pulling on tendons of cadaver shoulders and moving the shoulder in various specified motions. In my thesis project, I worked on creating a shoulder simulator that would control the rotator cuff muscles along with the three deltoid muscles. In order to do this, I needed to design and test the shoulder simulator using cadaver …

Fluidized-Bed Gasification Of Dairy Manure By Box–Behnken Design, Hanjing Wu, Milford A. Hanna, David D. Jones

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Application of excessive animal manure to the land may cause some environmental problems such as eutrophication of surface waters, degradation of ground water quality, and threats to human health. This paper reports an experimental study on the technology of biomass gasification to treat animal waste by analyzing the effects of key operating parameters on gasification. In this research, dairy manure from the University of Nebraska dairy farm was first collected and dried, and then gasified in a fluidized-bed, laboratory-scale gasifier to generate syngas. The effects of three parameters, namely temperature, steam to biomass ratio (SBR) and the equivalence ratio (ER), …

Engineering Design Of A Prototype Ammonia Absorption Tower, Andrew Warren Calogero

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Real-Time Face Detection And Recognition, Parker Hill, Brendan Morris

College of Engineering: Graduate Celebration Programs

The face has become a popular biometric for identification due to the wide range of features and difficulty in manipulation of the metric. In order to work towards a robust facial recognition system, this work contains a foundation for using the face as a recognition metric. First, faces are detected from still images using a Viola-Jones object detection algorithm. Then, Eigenfaces is applied to the detected faces. The system was tested on face databases as well as real-time feed from a web camera.

Department Of Biological Systems Engineering Newsletter, Volume 8, Number 1, April 2012

BSE Department Magazine

No abstract provided.

First Long-Term, Direct Measurements Of Evapotranspiration And Surface Water Balance In The Nebraska Sandhills, David P. Billesbach, Timothy J. Arkebauer

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The Nebraska SandHills is a vast grassland ecoregion that also serves as the main recharge zone for the High Plains (Ogallala) aquifer. Despite the national importance of this region in supplying irrigation water and supporting the US cattle industry, there have, until now, been no long-term, direct measurements of the components of the surface water balance. We have addressed this issue by installing energy balance/Bowen ratio (EBBR) flux towers in three key ecosystems. We report here the results of 7 years of measurements and interpret them in terms of annual weather variability. Additionally, these data have allowed us to make …

Accounting For Indirect Land-Use Change In The Life Cycle Assessment Of Biofuel Supply Chains, Susan Tarka Sanchez, Jeremy Woods, Mark Akhurst, Matthew Brander, Michael O'Hare, Terence P. Dawson, Robert Edwards, Adam J. Liska, Rick Malpas

Adam Liska Papers

The expansion of land used for crop production causes variable direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions; and other economic, social and environmental effects. We analyze the use of life cycle analysis (LCA) for estimating the carbon intensity of biofuel production from indirect land-use change (ILUC). Two approaches are critiqued; direct, attributional life cycle analysis (ALCA) and consequential life cycle analysis (CLCA). A proposed hybrid “combined model” of the two approaches for ILUC analysis relies on first defining the system boundary of the resulting full LCA. Choices are then made as to the modeling methodology (economic equilibrium or cause-effect), data inputs, …

Chemical Modification Of Polysaccharides Using Reactive Extrusion, Pratik Bhandari

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The objective of this dissertation was to study the use of reactive extrusion for the chemical modifications of starch and cellulose. A carboxymethyl derivative of starch and carboxymethyl and acetate derivatives of cellulose were prepared using reactive extrusion.

Carboxymethyl starch with rapid swelling properties in water was prepared using reactive extrusion. This was achieved by controlling the gelatinization and through the use of NaOH by controlling the water/ethanol ratio. The effects of NaOH, H₂O, temperature, ethanol, sodium mono chloro acetate, sodium tripolyphosphate, citric acid, epichlorohydrin and extruder screw configuration on the degree of substitution of carboxymethyl starch were …

Methods For Enhancing Expression Of Secondary Cell Wall Cellulose Synthases In Plants, Chandrashekhar P. Joshi

Michigan Tech Patents

Described are methods for making transgenic plants capable of expressing secondary cell wall cellulose synthases and methods of enhancing expression of secondary cell wall cellulose synthases in plants. Also described are plants produced by the methods. Plants comprising at least three exogenous polynucleotides encoding secondary cell wall cellulose synthases are also provided.

A Thousand Tiny Pieces: The Federal Circuit’S Fractured Myriad Ruling, Lessons To Be Learned, And The Way Forward, Jonathan R. K. Stroud

IP Theory

No abstract provided.

Ultrasonic Concentration Of Microorganisms, Samuel J. Mullins

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Concentration of microorganisms from a sample volume would increase the limits of detection of samples used for rapid-detection methods. Rapid detection methods are is advantageous for the food industry to rapidly test for bacteria in order release products on a timely basis. Ultrasonic concentration was considered a promising method for manipulation of microorganisms. An ultrasonic chamber consisting of parallel piezoceramic discs with a reticulated polyurethane foam mesh was used to concentrate Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast and Escherichia coli bacteria. The concentration of yeast was seen to increase by 200% (from 8.0 x 10⁴ cells mL^-1 to 2.4 x 10 …

Complete Genome Sequence Of Clostridium Clariflavum Dsm 19732, Javier A. Izquierdo, Lynne Goodwin, Karen W. Davenport, Hazuki Teshima

Dartmouth Scholarship

Clostridium clariflavum is a Cluster III Clostridium within the family Clostridiaceae isolated from thermophilic anaerobic sludge (Shiratori et al, 2009). This species is of interest because of its similarity to the model cellulolytic organism Clostridium thermocellum and for the ability of environmental isolates to break down cellulose and hemicellulose. Here we describe features of the 4,897,678 bp long genome and its annotation, consisting of 4,131 protein-coding and 98 RNA genes, for the type strain DSM 19732.

An Investigation Of Reflective Mulches For Use Over Capillary Mat Systems For Winter-Time Greenhouse Strawberry Production, George E. Meyer, Ellen T. Paparozzi, Elizabeth Walter-Shea, Erin E. Blankenship, Stacy A. Adams

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Photosynthethically active radiation (PAR) is a principle environmental variable used by horticultural specialists, agronomists and ecosystem modelers to characterize the quantity and quality of light conducive to plant growth and development. Spatial distribution of PAR in a greenhouse can be quite variable and diffuse throughout the day time photoperiod, especially at low sun angles in northern regions of the United States. Four colors of reflective plastic mulches (white, red, olive, and black) were evaluated for winter-time strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) production based on their reflectance and transmittance properties in a double-polyethylene, plastic-glazed Quonset greenhouse inNebraska. The spectral properties …

A 3-D Computational Fluid Dynamics Model For Forced Air Cooling Of Eggs Placed In Trays, Vikas Kumar, Ai Pheeng Wee, Sohan Birla, Jeyamkondan Subbiah, Harshanardhan Thippareddi

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Shell eggs must be cooled quickly after laying for controlling Salmonella Enteritidis (SE) growth. To fulfill a research need identified by Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), a 3-D Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) model was developed to predict the temperature of eggs placed on a tray (6 rows × 5 columns) under forced air cooling. The continuity, momentum, and energy equations were solved along with standard k-ε turbulence model using PHOENICS software. The model was validated by conducting experiments in a wind tunnel at various air temperatures (7–11 °C) and velocities (0.3– 0.7 m/s). Root mean square error for predicting …

The Biological Systems Engineering Program In Nebraska 1895-2011, William Splinter

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

4. Preface: How Mechanization Has Impacted Food Production THE PIONEERS WHO ESTABLISHED THIS DEPARTMENT 8 Oscar Van Pelt Stout 10 Charles Russ Richards 12 J. Brownlee Davidson 14 Leon W. Chase FORMER FACULTY AND THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS 18 Laurence Froyd Seaton 20 Ivan D.Wood 22 Oscar W. Sjogren 23 Chauncey W. Smith 25 Elmer E. Brackett 27 Claud Kedzie Shedd 29 Ruby M. Loper 31 Lester F. Larsen 33 Lloyd W. Hurlbut 36 Rollin Schnieder 39 Howard D. Wittmuss 41 Deon Axthelm 46 Paul. E. Fischbach 48 Stuart O. Nelson 51 Kenneth von Bargen 56 John R. Davis 58 Robert W. …

Evaluation Of The Impact Of Surface Residue Cover On Single And Dual Crop Coefficient For Estimating Soybean Actual Evapotranspiration, Lameck O. Odhiambo, Suat Irmak

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Single and dual crop coefficient methods are used in conjunction with grass reference evapotranspiration (ET_o) to estimate actual crop evapotranspiration (ET_c). However, the impact of soil surface residue cover on the accuracy of ET_c estimated with these methods is not well understood. The objective of this study is to evaluate and compare the accuracy of the FAO-56 single crop coefficient (single-K_c) and dual crop coefficient (dual-K_c) methods for estimating soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] ET_c in a partially residue covered field. The study was conducted …