We explored an optofluidic sensing mechanism from inkjet-printed droplets on diatom biosilica using surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS). Our study revealed a new biosensing strategy that combines the microscopic fluidic flow induced by the droplet evaporation and the photonic crystal effects of diatom frustules, which can provide an ultra-sensitive, cost-effective biosensing...
This thesis proposes a novel technique that exploits spectrum occupancy behaviors inherent to wideband spectrum access to enable efficient cooperative spectrum sensing. The proposed technique reduces the number of required sensing measurements while accurately recovering spectrum occupancy information. It does so by leveraging compressive sampling theory to exploit the block-like...
Transparent conductive oxides (TCOs), combining the optical transparency and electrical conducting properties, have attracted escalating research interests in recent years due to their potential for various photonic applications. The electrical and optical properties, such as carrier concentration, mobility, will strongly affect the performance of TCO-based photonic devices. In this dissertation,...
Microfluidic devices have enabled lab-on-a-chip (LOC) systems that allow for complex sample analysis and preparation in a compact form factor. One technology that may benefit from a microfluidic approach and further miniaturization is flow cytometry. Flow cytometry is an analysis technique for enumerating and characterizing populations of cells; this is...
Cases of pulmonary diseases caused by Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) have increased over the years and have become a major health concern in Europe, Asia, and the United States. MAC, comprised of M. avium species and M. intracellulare, are found everywhere in the environment: in water sources and the soil....
The need to detect trace amounts of target molecules is great, particularly when it comes to biosensing. With the early detection of a disease, the odds of the successful treatment of an individual increases significantly. To enhance the capability of biomolecular detection, we have created an optical biosensor capable of...
Consumption of seafood products continues to grow each year, but post-harvest losses and inedible seafood waste remain as high as 25%. Ice-based systems are the most common form of preservation to increase shelf life, preserve product quality, and enhance product safety. Slurry ice is a type of chilling media, consisting...
In a mostly abandoned block, capped by concrete, the building at 210 East 1st Street, The Dalles, Oregon still stands as one of three remaining structures. This building housed the Wing Hong Hai Company, a mercantile store and Chinese laundry, from 1889 to 1926. Beneath the modern concrete that encircles...
Modification of microbial electrolysis cells (MECs) by altering the sizes of the anode and the cathode, or their interaction with the liquid stream affects the performance of the MEC, but it remains difficult to quantify how much each change will contribute to the overall performance. Through this study, a method...
Heatmap regression has became one of the mainstream approaches to localize facial landmarks. As Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) and Recurrent Neural Network (RNN) are becoming popular in solving computer vision tasks, extensive research has been done on these architectures. However, the loss function for heatmap regression is rarely studied. In...