Thesis (Ph. D.)--Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2006. / Vito, Raymond, Committee Member ; Nerem, Robert, Committee Chair ; Eskin, Suzanne, Committee Member ; Hanson, Stephen, Committee Member ; Gibbons, Gary, Committee Member.

Thesis (M. S.)--Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2006. / Hanjoong Jo, Ph.D., Committee Chair ; Don P. Giddens, Ph.D., Committee Member ; W. Robert Taylor, M.D., Ph.D., Committee Member ; Ajit Yoganathan, Ph.D., Committee Member.

Magister Philosophiae - MPhil / Pd based membranes are known for their incredible selectivity towards H2. In order for Pd membranes to display high H2 selectivity, a defect free layer of Pd needs to be deposited onto a support. Although various fabrication techniques do exist, many researchers have attempted to produce defect free Pd-based films, using electroless plating. The first step in the preparation technique involves “seeding” of the support structure. Even though these seeds, if well distributed and anchored to the support, are crucial in order to obtain the defect free Pd layer, they hardly ever received attention from the science community. This thesis reports findings on various seeding methods as well as the resulting microstructures of the Pd films formed as a result of the type of seeding method employed. Finally the quality of the membranes using the most promising seeding technique was determined by subjecting the membranes to permeance tests with N2 at both high and low temperatures as well as with H2 at high temperatures.

Resumo: Em sistemas de semeadura direta, o calcário tem sido aplicado superficialmente. Devido a sua baixa solubilidade e mobilidade, tem ocorrido excesso de calcário nos primeiros centímetros do perfil do solo. Pesquisas têm demonstrado resultados contraditórios quanto à movimentação do calcário e a correção da acidez em profundidade, na presença de espécies de cobertura. O objetivo deste trabalho é estudar a contribuição diferencial de espécies de cobertura em Sistema de Semeadura Direta sobre a mobilização no perfil do solo, dos produtos da dissolução do calcário e bases trocáveis. O experimento foi instalado e conduzido, por dois anos agrícolas (2008/2009 e 2009/2010), na Estação Experimental do Programa de Monitoramente de Adução (PMA) da Fundação MT, localizada no município de Itiquira-MT. O delineamento experimental foi em blocos completos ao acaso, em parcelas sub subdivididas com: sistema de cultivo: soja/pousio/soja, soja/milheto/soja e soja/braquiária/soja; aplicação do calcário: em superfície, incorporado a 20 e 40 cm de profundidade, e doses de calcário: 0, 0,5, 1,0 e 2,0 vezes a quantidade necessária para elevar a V % = 50 na profundidade de 20 cm. Foram realizadas amostragens de solo para determinação da fertilidade após 490 e 620 dias da aplicação do corretivo. No pleno florescimento do segundo cultivo da cultura da soja, foi feita a amostragem de folhas para análise química nutricional e a avaliação do desenvolvimento do sistema radicular. Após a maturação do segundo cultivo da soja foi estimada a produtividade de grãos. Os resultados foram submetidos às análises estatísticas, utilizando-se o pacote estatístico Sisvar / Abstract: In no-tillage seeding systems, limestone has been applied on the soil surface. Due to its low solubility and mobility, a limestone excess has been occurring in the first centimeters of the soil profile. Studies have shown contradictory results regarding limestone mobility and acidity correction in depth, in the presence of covering species. This study aimed to evaluate the differential contribution of covering species in no-tillage systems on the mobility in the soil profile, products of limestone dissolution and exchangeable bases. The experiment was installed and carried out in the Experimental Station of the Fertilizer Monitoring Program (Programa de Monitoramento de Adubação - PMA) at FUNDAÇÃO MT, in the city of Itiquira, MT, Brazil. The experiment had completely randomized block design in parcels that were subdivided as follow: crop system: soybean/fallow/soybean; soybean/millet/soybean; soybean/brachiaria/soybean; limestone application on the surface and incorporated at 20 and 40 cm depth, and limestone doses: 0, 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0 times the necessary amount to increase V % = 50 at 20 cm depth. Some soil samplings were done to determine fertility after 490 and 620 days of corrective application. During the second soybean cultivation flowering, leaf sampling was done for chemical and nutritional analysis and root system development evaluation. After maturing of the second soybean cultivation, grain productivity was estimated. The results were submitted to statistical analysis using the Sisvar statistical package / Orientador: Ciro Antonio Rosolem / Coorientador: Eros Artur Bohac Francisco / Banca: Leonardo Theodoro Bull / Banca: Takashi Muraoka / Mestre

Interfaces between graphene and dissimilar materials are needed for making devices, but those interfaces also modify the graphene properties due to charge transfer and/or symmetry breaking. In this dissertation we investigate the technology of preparing graphene on different substrates and how the substrate influences the electronic properties of graphene. Synthesizing large area graphene on late transition metals by chemical vapor deposition is a promising approach for many applications of graphene. Among the transition metals, nickel has advantages because the good lattice match and strong interaction between graphene/Ni(111) enables the synthesis of a single domain of graphene on Ni(111). However, the nickel substrate alters the electronic structure of graphene due to substrate induced symmetry breaking and chemical interaction of the metal d-band with graphene. Similar chemical interactions are observed for other transition metals with a d-band close to the Fermi-level. On the other hand, graphene mainly physisorbs on transition metals with a lower lying d-band center. In this thesis we investigate the growth of graphene on nickel by vacuum chemical vapor deposition (CVD). In particular, we present our studies of graphene synthesis on Ni(111) substrates. We demonstrate the self-limiting monolayer of single domain of graphene can be grown on single crystal Ni(111). Our studies also show that selective twisted bilayer graphene can be grown by carbon segregation on Ni(111)-films. To modify the interaction between graphene and the nickel substrate we investigated the intercalation of tin. In the case of graphene physisorbed on weakly interacting metals, some charge doping of graphene occurs due to work function differences between graphene and the metal. Using x-ray photoemission spectroscopy (XPS) we correlate the charge doping of graphene on different metals with the C-1s binding energy. This study demonstrate that XPS can be used to determine the Fermi-level in graphene. While metal intercalation can alter the interaction with the substrate it does not avoid overlap of electronics states at the Fermi-level. Therefore a band gap material should be inserted between the graphene and the metal growth substrate (in this case Pt(111)). This is accomplished by oxidation of intercalated iron at elevated oxygen pressure. We demonstrate that a 2D-FeO layer can be formed in between graphene and the Pt(111) surface. We discuss the role of the 2D-FeO moiré-structure on the nanoscale electronic properties of graphene. To date good quality graphene can only be grown by CVD on late transition metals. To obtain graphene on other substrates the graphene can be transferred mechanically from a growth substrate to various other materials. We demonstrate that this transfer can also be achieved to tungsten, an early transition metal that easily forms a carbide. In our studies to avoid oxidation of the tungsten substrate and reaction of the graphene with the tungsten substrate under thermal treatment, protection of the W(110) surface with sulfur has been explored. For the integration of graphene into device architectures, graphene has to be interfaced with high-κ dielectrics. However, because of the inert nature of graphene, most high-κ do not wet graphene and thus preventing formation of contiguous dielectric layers. Yttrium oxide (Y2O3) has been demonstrated to be an exception and we characterized the growth of Y2O3 on various metal supported graphene and graphene transferred to SiO2. We showed that such a Y2O3 layer can also act as seeding layer for the growth of alumina, which is the preferred dielectric material in many applications. Finally, we investigate the charge doping of graphene in a metal/graphene/dielectric stack and find that the charge doping of graphene is a function of both the work function of the metal as well as the covering dielectric. Thus the dielectric layer can modify the charge doping of graphene at a metal contact.

No description available.

No description available.

Current Virginia soft red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) management strategies have been in place for over 20 years. A new advanced intensive management (AIM) system has been evaluated in order to improve Virginia wheat yields and attempt to bring state average wheat yields of 4288 kg ha⁻¹ more closely in-line with the maximum yield achieved in the Virginia Tech Official Soft Red Winter Wheat Trials of 7400 kg ha⁻¹. Increases in nitrogen (N) fertilizer application rates and splits, a chelated micronutrient blend, increased seeding rates, and a "no tolerance" pest control methodology were compared to current intensive management practices in this study. Additional fall N application and an increased seeding rate resulted in an increased number of tillers m-2 at growth stage (GS) 25 and biomass at GS 30. This increased number of tillers may lead to a greater amount of viable grain head production and increased wheat yields. Higher seeding and N application rate resulted in dramatically increased lodging in 2009 with resultant yield loss. Grain yield was significantly affected by management type in three of six instances. The number of heads m-2 was the yield component factor most influenced by factors tested in these studies. / Master of Science

A wide variety of techniques have been explored to synthesize small diameter tissue engineered blood vessels. Toward this end, we are exploring direct cell seeding and culture on tubular mandrels to create engineered vascular tissues. In the present study, v-shaped channels cast from polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) were used as cell seeding wells. Fibrin microthreads placed in the chamber were used as model tubular seeding mandrels. Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) were seeded onto fibrin microthreads in v-shaped channels for 4 hours. Cell attachment to the microthreads was confirmed visually by Hoechst nuclear staining and a cell quantification assay showed that 5,114 ± 339 cells attached per 1 cm fibrin microthread sample (n = 6). Fibrin microthreads were completely degraded by hMSCs within 5 days of culture, therefore UV crosslinking was used to increase their mechanical strength and prolong the amount of time cells could be cultured on fibrin microthreads and generate tubular tissue constructs. Cell attachment was unaffected on UV-crosslinked microthreads compared to uncrosslinked microthreads, resulting in a count of 4,944 ± 210 cells per 1 cm of fibrin microthread sample (n = 3). Long term culture of the hMSCs on the UV-crosslinked fibrin microthreads showed an increase in cell number over time to 11,198 ± 582 cells per cm of microthread after 7 days with 92% cell viability (CYQUANT NF/DEAD staining) and evidence of cell proliferation. The results show that the v-well cell seeding technique was effective in promoting rapid hMSC attachment on UV-crosslinked fibrin microthreads and encouraged their growth, maintained viability and also promoted their proliferation over the culture period. In conclusion, the technique could serve as an efficient model system for rapid formation of tissue engineered vascular grafts.

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer applied in the fall has been shown to increase emissions of N2O a GHG (Nyborg et al. 1997). Applying N fertilizer in the spring is a management technique Saskatchewan grain and oilseed producers can use to reduce N2O emissions. The hypothesis of this thesis is that fall application of N fertilizer is more profitable than spring application. Factors to consider in the timing of fertilizer application include, the level of information available, input cost, input efficiency, and application cost. The key objective of this thesis is to determine the financial impact of switching to spring N application from fall N application. Stochastic variables include fall subsoil moisture, winter precipitation, growing season precipitation, input costs, and output prices. Expected utility theory for two representative farms at two locations is used to determine optimal N fertilizer rates and the value of spring subsoil moisture information and the value of spring output price forecasts. The fixed and variable operating costs are calculated for three seeding systems. The results show that it is optimum for producers to purchase N fertilizer in the fall and apply N fertilizer in the spring. Spring subsoil moisture information, and spring output price forecasts have little value to producers committed to continuous cropping. One pass (seed and fertilize in the spring) seeding systems have lower variable and fixed costs than two pass seeding systems for producers applying large amounts of fertilizer.