Thesis (M.S. in civil engineering)--Washington State University, August 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 50-52).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, 1991. / Vita. Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 179-181). Also available via the Internet

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2005. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 83-87). Also available on the World Wide Web.

Thesis (MEngSc)--University of Melbourne, Dept. of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 2010. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (p. 105-110)

Thesis (M.S.)--Oregon State University, 2008. / Printout. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 112-123). Also available on the World Wide Web.

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The objective of this study was to determine elution properties of meropenem and compare the elutions of meropenem impregnated PMMA beads without sterilization (PMMA-Cont) to those sterilized with steam (PMMA-Auto) and ethylene oxide gas (PMMA-EO). Four groups of beads were produced: one group without antibiotic and three groups of meropenem impregnated beads: PMMA-Cont, PMMA-Auto, and PMMA-EO. Antibiotic concentrations in eluent samples were determined using a microbiological assay at different time intervals. The microbiological assay resulted in no zone of inhibition at all time periods for the PMMA-Auto samples and the samples of PMMA without antimicrobial. The meropenem concentration on the eluent remained above 4 mcg/ml for 15 days in the PMMA-Cont group and until day 18 for PMMA-EO group. The meropenem incorporated in the PMMA beads elutes effectively and gradually decreases after the 24 hour peak. Ethylene oxide does not adversely affect meropenem’s elution.

No / The impregnation of items of clothing with drugs of abuse that are then smuggled through airports and ports of entry is a growing problem for law enforcement. This work describes the application of portable Raman spectroscopic techniques for the analysis of a range of natural and artificial fibre items of clothing impregnated with drugs of abuse. Textile pieces were soaked with the solutions of the drugs then left overnight to dry prior to spectroscopic examination. The feasibility of detection of the characteristic Raman spectral bands in the presence of background matrix signals is demonstrated, even for dyed clothing. Definitive evidence for contamination of the items of clothing concerned can be acquired within 20-25 s, without any form of sample pre-treatment or extraction being necessary. The feasibility of automatic spectral recognition of such illicit materials by Raman spectroscopy has been investigated by searching a database stored on the spectrometer computer and the use of principal component analysis. Copyright (c) 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The purpose of this thesis was to evaluate orthogonal cutting as a method to determine the fracture toughness of low and high density polyethylene and wood plastic composites. A test fixture was developed to capture normal and tangential cutting forces at variable depth and rake angle. A tool interface method (TIM) is proposed to separate forces on both sides of the tool from the energy needed to propagate the crack. Also investigated were shear plane models of chip failure, which seek to measure toughness by modeling internal stresses in the chip. These results are compared to current methods of determining essential work of fracture (EWF). It is found that cutting requires much less energy than current methods of EWF. Further work is suggested to better parameterize failure. / Graduation date: 2013

High voltage bushings are the most critical components of power transformers. A common material used in bushings is resin impregnated paper (RIP). Hitachi Energy is investigating whether this can be replaced with a new material, resin impregnated non-woven (RIN). One of the main reasons is that non-woven is less prone to absorb moisture compared to paper. Thus, for design purposes the mechanical, thermal and absorption properties of RIN have been studied and compared to RIP. The mechanical properties were tested by tensile and bending tests at room temperature and 80 ℃, showing that RIN has a lower elastic modulus and tensile strength than RIP at both temperatures. However, it was demonstrated that RIN does not retain its elongation at break and elasticity properties at elevated temperatures. The bending test showed no significant differences in flexural properties for RIN between room and high temperature. The thermal properties were studied with the transient plane source method (TPS) showing that both RIN and RIP had a higher specific heat capacity than pure epoxy. The thermal conductivity of the materials will be measured and included later. Lastly, the water absorption test was performed in order to provide information about the suitability of the materials used in bushings. For this different methods were used; water immersion andwater vapor testing. The immersion test showed that non-woven is more water resistant than paper and that the composites only absorb a small amount of water. No useful information was achieved from the water vapor test due to limited testing time. The results demonstrate the promising potential of RIN in bushings.