Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

On the K-Mer Frequency Spectra of Organism Genome and Proteome Sequences with a Preliminary Machine Learning Assessment of Prime Predictability

Nathan O. Schmidt — Tue, 14 May 2013 12:03:00 PDT

A regular expression and region-specific filtering system for biological records at the National Center for Biotechnology database is integrated into an object oriented sequence counting application, and a statistical software suite is designed and deployed to interpret the resulting k-mer frequencies|with a priority focus on nullomers. The proteome k-mer frequency spectra of ten model organisms and the genome k-mer frequency spectra of two bacteria and virus strains for the coding and non-coding regions are comparatively scrutinized. We observe that the naturally-evolved (NCBI/organism) and the artificially-biased (randomly-generated) sequences exhibit a clear deviation from the artificially-unbiased (randomly-generated) histogram distributions. Furthermore, a preliminary assessment of prime predictability is conducted on chronologically ordered NCBI genome snapshots over an 18-month period using an artificial neural network; three distinct supervised machine learning algorithms are used to train and test the system on customized NCBI data sets to forecast future prime states|revealing that, to a modest degree, it is feasible to make such predictions.

Plasmon Waveguides and Optical Properties of Metallic Nanoparticles

Demmelash Mengistu — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:52:02 PDT

Because of their unique optical properties, gold nanoparticles have potential applications in the construction of nanoscale optical and photonic devices that operate at length scales below that of the diffraction limit of light. As an aid for the design of such devices, a phenomenological model was proposed and interaction mechanisms between gold nanoparticles, in the presence of an externally applied field, were investigated. A general equation of motion that governs the interaction mechanisms of the system was derived. The general equation of motion takes into account the radiation and intrinsic damping, coupling between induced dipoles and the applied field, and the induced dipole-dipole coupling. The dependence of the damping constants and the coupling parameters on the size of the gold nanoparticle was investigated. The dispersion relations for chirally arranged gold nanoparticles was calculated numerically and analytically. The optical properties of metallic nanoparticles arranged in a chiral structure were also studied. Circular dichroism (CD) and optical rotary dispersion (ORD) were calculated numerically for various numbers of gold nanoparticles. The CD extinction coefficient as a function of wavelength was obtained for a chiral structure with four nanoparticles per turn. The ORD coefficient as a function of wavelength was calculated for chiral structures with four and six nanoparticles per turn. The numerical results have revealed that a chiral structure with six nanoparticles per turn, compared with a structure with four nanoparticles per turn, yields much stronger ORD signals even if it has a smaller number of gold nanoparticles.

Assessment of Satisfaction and Sustainability: The Idaho Healthy Eating, Active Living Network

Kristine E. Balisciano — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:44:16 PDT

In recent years, there has been in increased focus, at local, state, and national levels, on addressing health disparities. The purpose of the Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) Idaho Network is to create an environment that allows all its residents access to healthy food options and opportunities for physical activity. The HEAL Idaho Network initiative seeks to accomplish this goal through an expanding collaborative network of organizations, agencies, businesses, and individuals that are concerned about improving the health education and overall well-being of all Idahoans.

The purpose of this study was to assess HEAL member’s levels of satisfaction with the planning and implementation, leadership, local and state-wide involvement, communication, and member involvement strategies, utility of the framework, and overall outcomes and impact. The member satisfaction survey was distributed through email to each member of the HEAL Idaho Network included in the HEAL Google Group.

The Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) Network Member Survey was completed by 37 participants; this represents a response rate of 24.6%, based on the number of email addresses in the HEAL Google Group email database. Overall, the mean satisfaction scores for each component indicate that the members of the HEAL Idaho Network were satisfied with the activities implemented by the network. Satisfaction with the HEAL Framework indicated that the members were neutral about their use of the framework, specifically its development, the impact of the framework on their work, and progress towards goals.

Through the continued enhancement of core competencies, such as those evaluated with this survey, the HEAL Network creates a environment that facilitates the dynamic changes that need to take place to successfully impact health outcomes in Idaho. Research indicates that sharing the commitment, resources, creative energy, and expanding reach contributes greatly to the sustainable future of collaborative efforts for creating change. The HEAL Network has the potential to be the catalyst for dramatic health impacts both at the local, community level, and for the entire state of Idaho.

An Examination of Finish Time Variation for Collegiate Cross Country National Championships by Gender

Kevin Riley Peters — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:34:59 PDT

In cross country, women compete over shorter distances than men with little justification for these differences. The purpose of this study was to assess gender differences for the spread of finishing times and examine the appropriateness of shorter competition distances for females. Forty-six cross country national championship data sets (n_males = 10,788; n_females = 10,884) from the NCAA (1999-2011) and NAIA (2005-2011) were utilized for analyses. Several measures of variation were computed to assess spread of finishing times data (i.e., Coefficient of Variation [CV]; Interpercentile Ranges [IR], and Rates of Separation [RS; IR divided by the distance of the race]). Independent t-tests revealed significant gender differences on all three measures of variations. Males and females differed on CV (M_males = 3.93, SD = 1.04; M_females = 4.84, SD = 1.05, p < .001), as well as each percentile range for IR and RS. Specifically, males and females differed on IR for NCAA Division I, IR5th-95th (M_males = 194.32; M_females = 167.93, p < .001), IR10th-90th (M_males = 146.66; M_females = 127.51, p < .001), and Division II, IR10th-90th (M_males = 237.32; M_females = 203.37, p = .001). Males and females also differed on all RSs for all four levels of competition. For women, a race distance at 68.6% of the distance of the men could generate equivalent variations between genders. Finish times for women’s races were more spread out than for men’s races when adjusted for distance and time. The spread of finishing times may justify shorter distances run by women.

Modeling and Measuring the Characteristics of an Inductively Coupled Plasma Antenna for a Micro-Propulsion System

Sonya Mary Christensen — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:24:05 PDT

An ion thruster for satellites on the order of 10-50 kg in mass is currently under development. The thruster uses an Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) generated by a flat spiral antenna fabricated using the Low Temperature Co-Fired Ceramic (LTCC) materials system. The antenna operating frequency range (600 MHz to 1 GHz) in LTCC (ε_r=7.8) results in a wavelength on the same order of magnitude as the total length of conductor in the antenna. This condition provides some interesting antenna electric and magnetic field characteristics. The antenna has been modeled using COMSOL Multiphysics® Simulation Software. By changing the geometry of the antenna in the model, the antenna design has been analyzed and improved. Two new antenna designs have been fabricated. The simulation results are compared to measurements of the antenna radio frequency (RF) electric field pattern. The simulation shows good agreement with the measurements.

Investigation of Histomorphometric Values in an East Arctic Foraging Group, the Sadlermiut

Joseph Kenneth Purcell — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:11:35 PDT

A sample of second metacarpals (n=78) obtained from the Sadlermiut, Inuit (1285-1903 A.D.), a genetically isolated East Arctic foraging group, was analyzed histologically in this study. The Sadlermiut subsisted nearly exclusively on small marine mammals and fowl. Based on known adaptations to a cold environment, a high level of physical activity, and a diet high in protein, it was predicted that Inuit bones would show elevated levels of cellular activity. The size and density of secondary osteons in the Sadlermiut are used in this study to compare their bone metabolic processes with known data from a sample of Euro-Canadian metacarpals (n=63) from an historic cemetery in Ontario, Canada. Exact ages were known for the Euro-Canadian group, while the individuals in the Inuit sample are only known as young, middle, and old. Students’ t-tests were used to investigate variation in histological values based on age, sex, and handedness. Additionally, cross-sectional measures were compared between the two groups. Differences in osteon density between the three age categories of the Inuit were found to be significant at the .05 level. Variation between right and left hands and those based on sex were not significant. The Sadlermiut were also found to have smaller cross-sections of bone and increased medullary area but smaller osteon density, comparatively. The decreased cellular activity in the Sadlermiut suggests that even though they had smaller cortices, they were adapted to the strain levels in their hands.

Ribosomal RNA Gene-Based and Multigene Phylogenies of Smittium (Harpellales) and Allies—Toward Unraveling Relationships Among Early-Diverging Fungi

Yan Wang — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:48:52 PDT

Smittium is one of the oldest members of the Harpellales, a group commonly referred to as the “gut fungi”. Gut fungi are endosymbiotic microorganisms that live in the digestive tracts of various Arthropods, worldwide. During the 75 years since the first species, Smittium arvernense, was described, Smittium has increased in number and now includes 81 species. Research on this genus has also helped to advance our understanding of the gut fungi, by serving as a “model” for laboratory studies of the fungal trichomycetes. Many isolates of Smittium have been used for ultrastructural, physiological, host feeding, serological, as well as isozyme, and now ongoing molecular systematic studies. Previous and current molecular studies have shown that Smittium is polyphyletic but with consistent separation of Smittium culisetae, one of the most common and widespread species, from the remainder of Smittium species. Morphological (zygospore and trichospore shape), molecular (18S and 28S rRNA genes), immunological, and isozyme evidence are used to establish a new genus Zancudomyces, and to accommodate Smittium culisetae. A multigene dataset (consisting of 18S and 28S rRNA genes, with RPB1, RPB2, and MCM7 translated protein sequences) for Smittium and related Harpellales (Austrosmittium, Coleopteromyces, Furculomyces, Pseudoharpella, Stachylina and Trichozygospora) was used for phylogenetic analyses and provided strong support at multiple levels in the trees generated. The clades and branches of the consensus tree are assessed relative to morphological traits, including holdfast shape, thallus branching type, trichospore or zygospore characters as an aid to inform the current taxonomy and eventual systematic revisions and reclassification. Some patterned separation was found within the “Smittium” clade, including the separation of “True Smittium” clade and “Parasmittium” clade, which was supported also by thallus branching types and trichospore shapes, and perhaps lending support to an earlier narrower definition of the genus. Suggestions are offered for future morphological- and molecular-based studies, as ongoing efforts are unfolding.

A History of Warren, Idaho: Mining, Race, and Environment

Cletus R. Edmunson — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:29:36 PDT

There have been many sources written on western mining concerning race and the environment, but many of those have focused on the negative consequences mining has had on the environment and the racial violence perpetuated against minorities in those mining towns, particularly the Chinese. There is a need to show a more positive focus on the histories of mining towns, like Warren, that can provide good examples of both responsible environmental stewardship and successful racial integration. Since there have been no studies done or books written that document the complete history of Warren, this study will correct that deficiency so that we may learn from Warren’s success. This study draws from multiple sources on early Idaho history, western mining history and the role of the Chinese in the West, as well as evidence secured from many newspaper accounts, government documents, census records, archeological facts, and Chinese collections. Stories from local writers, personal narratives, and oral history interviews are also used. This study allows us to gain the understanding of how this combination of economic, political, geographical, and social factors contributed to Warren’s successful longevity. This study also reveals the elements that combined to provide a history of positive racial co-existence and wise environmental stewardship that were the hallmarks of Warren’s history. By focusing on the positive aspects of a western mining town instead of the negative aspects, this history of Warren will prove to be a valuable contribution to the historiographical record.

From Expulsion to Success: Perceptions of Expelled Students About Their Expulsion Process and Resumption of Education

Julie Slocum Dahlgren — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 09:44:31 PDT

This mixed-methods study examined expelled students in a Northwest public school district of 3,400 students. The purpose was to analyze perceptions of expelled students from 2003-2010 (N-68) regarding their expulsion process and experiences relating to the resumption of educational pursuits. Data was collected from a questionnaire designed by the researcher and distributed to 44 students and from transcribed and coded testimony from four students. The research centers on the whys and wherefores of student expulsions, asking questions that could help schools and school districts penetrate more deeply into the expulsion process, questions that focus on how students perceive their own expulsion and how, after expulsion, they do or do not resume their education. Results from findings using descriptive statistics and qualitative interviewing and coding procedures show five significant areas. Expelled students (1) express deep feeling of isolation after expulsion, (2) feel their expulsions were unfair, but support zero tolerance policies for weapons and drug abuses even though the majority reason for expulsion is drug offenses, (3) express a need for their district to help them, not exclude them, (4) resume educational pursuits at a ratio of 75% graduation at various schools to 25% who dropped out, and (5) parents, especially mothers, are the main influential mentors in the resumption of education.

Eusebius of Caesarea’s Oration in Praise of Constantine as the Political Philosophy of the Christian Empire

Benjamin David Brandon — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 16:58:57 PST

Eusebius of Caesarea delivered a panegyric in the thirtieth year of Constantine’s reign, 335 AD, celebrating the piety and faith of the emperor. This panegyric, the Oratio de Laudibus Constantini, or Oration in Praise of Constantine, provides a political theology for the divine sanction of the Christian monarch by linking the emperor’s rule to the rule of God. Much of the Oratio is an account of the pious deeds and divine victories of Constantine’s reign, suggesting that the emperor had in fact achieved the ideal of a Christian monarch. Through the Logos (Word or Reason) of God, the emperor can partake of divine authority by imitating the divine archetype, and thereby manifest on earth a reflection of the kingdom of Heaven. This concept of the Logos, though placed in a Christian context, is directly derived from Hellenistic political philosophy. Although other scholars have already established the Hellenistic influence on Eusebius, this thesis will explore the historical process that brought together Greek philosophy and Christian theology into what is known as Christian Platonism. Using this philosophical framework, Eusebius used ideas from the Hellenistic world to develop a Christian response to the pagan conceptions of divine sanction as represented by the Latin panegyrics of the late empire. Eusebius’s Oration in Praise of Constantine marks the final stage in the progression of the Latin panegyrics, culminating in a political theology that proclaims a monotheistic monarchy for a Christian empire.

Utilizing Electrical Conductivity for Characterizing Hydrogeologic Properties - Appendix

Emily Anne Hinz — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 16:50:31 PST

A variety of methods utilizing geophysical tools have been developed to characterize fundamental subsurface material properties. Relationships between measured values and material properties are often defined through empirical equations. Mapping fluid distribution and movement within an aquifer can help to identify changes in porosity and permeability and to define preferential flow paths. I relate changes in fluid type and properties within pore spaces to changes in measured electrical properties, specifically electrical conductivity. In synthetic and field experiments, ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is used to map the location and movement of conductive salt tracers introduced into high porosity sand layers. Conductivity increases the attenuation of the GPR signal. Using a novel surface-based time-lapse tomographic approach, increases in GPR attenuation can be mapped to areas of increased conductivity. Electrical conductivity can also be used with low frequency methods. In a laboratory experiment, I use converted electric to elastic energy in a method called electroseismics to image fluid boundaries between water and a NAPL (non-aqueous phase liquid) with acoustic energy. Acoustic energy originates from the top and bottom of the introduced NAPL layer allowing for the imaging of very thin contaminant layers. Both methods show that time-lapse data collection can reveal subtle changes in the concentration and location of fluids within the pore space that may otherwise be missed.

Utilizing Electrical Conductivity for Characterizing Hydrogeologic Properties

Emily Anne Hinz — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 16:27:21 PST

Simulations of Artificial Neural Network with Memristive Devices

Thanh Thi Thanh Tran — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 16:11:27 PST

The memristor has been hypothesized to exist as the missing fourth basic circuit element since 1971 [1]. A memristive device is a new type of electrical device that behaves like a resistor, but can change and remember its internal resistance. This behavior makes memristive devices ideal for use as network weights, which will need to be adjusted as the network tries to acquire correct outputs through a learning process. Recent development of physical memristive-like devices has led to an interest in developing artificial neural networks with memristors.

In this thesis, a circuit for a single node network is designed to be re-configured into linearly separable problems: AND, NAND, OR, and NOR. This was done with fixed weight resistors, programming the memristive devices to pre-specified values, and finally learning of the resistances through the Madaline Rule II procedure. A network with multiple layers is able to solve difficult problems or recognize more complex patterns. To illustrate this, the XOR problem has been used as a benchmark for the multilayer neural network circuit. The circuit was designed and learning of the weight values was successfully shown.

Extending the Battery-Powered Operating Time of a Wireless Environmental Monitoring System

Ross Matthew Butler — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 16:01:59 PST

Advances in low-power microelectronics and sensor technologies have enabled the creation of sophisticated environmental monitoring systems capable of operating on battery power. Independence from a power outlet connection opens up many new potential applications, but limited battery life still imposes significant restrictions on a monitoring system’s capabilities and the number of systems that can be economically deployed and maintained. These restrictions have motivated much research into reducing monitoring system energy usage, increasing battery capacity, and harnessing alternative energy sources. While most of the research focuses on new system design, there is a need for techniques to extend the battery-powered operating time of existing environmental monitoring systems without compromising their sensor data quality. This thesis explores and develops methods for extending the operating time of an existing airquality monitoring system. The system contains seven environmental sensors that create a substantial energy demand and make long-term battery operation challenging. The resulting hardware and firmware modifications doubled the system’s battery-powered operating time without significantly reducing its environmental measurement data quality. The addition of an external battery sized to match the system’s form factor increased operating time well past the goal for the intended application. Although the modifications and results presented in this thesis are specific to one environmental monitoring system, the same techniques could be applied to other monitoring systems and to embedded systems in general.

Reliable Bulk Data Dissemination Protocol in Wireless Sensor Networks

Sri Haritha Kuchipudi — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:55:00 PST

In Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs), one of the main end-user requirements is the ability to reprogram the network as change in environmental and application requirements creates the need to update the code in already deployed sensors. Reprogramming of the network generates the need to reliably disseminate large objects to every node in the network. Data dissemination must be done with minimal disruption to the network, thus making latency a critical issue. Current approaches of data dissemination to reprogram the nodes do not effectively minimize the number of senders, number of packet transmissions, collisions, and contention that could affect latency. To provide reliable data delivery while enhancing the object delivery latency, we propose a reliable bulk data dissemination protocol. This protocol employs a data dissemination procedure in which the code is delivered by a subset of nodes to reduce contention in the network. To further reduce the contention and latency in the network, pipe-lined scheduling for data transmission is implemented. Unlike previous approaches, which make use of multiple channels, the proposed approach uses a single channel. We implemented our protocol using the NS2 simulator for evaluating its performance. Results show that our protocol reduces latency significantly, compared to existing approaches.

The Evolution of American Outdoor Education in the Twentieth Century

Elizabeth Strachan Miller — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 15:37:30 PST

The Progressive zeitgeist at the turn of the 20^th century brought the outdoors to the forefront of American education. Steeped in the Romanticism of the early 19^th century, as well as an increased interest in nature writing and the natural sciences in the later half of the century, educators sought to teach children in the outdoors through the philanthropic Fresh Air Farms, Nature Study, and Woodcraft. These attempts both to recreate elements of a romanticized frontier heritage and to educate children about a disappearing wilderness evolved throughout the 20^th century into camping, and later, environmental and adventure education. These emphases reflected American pastimes and concerns at the times, as well as larger historical and political trends. Yet approaching the turn of the 21^st century, following the publication of A Nation at Risk in 1983, and passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2003, outdoor education lost support from the American public at a time when it should be considered most crucial. The mid-century shift to school camping obscured outdoor education’s early roots in nature study, leaving American public education bereft of vital outdoor and environmental values. Consequently, preparation for standardized testing receives increased time for classroom instruction as technology is emphasized over authentic, outdoor experiences. Private and charter schools have more flexibility to implement outdoor programs, yet this provides outdoor experiences to those who may need them the least. This thesis argues that as support for outdoor education has waxed and waned with larger cultural trends, there is a need for it to return to its early twentieth-century origins in order for it to be an effective component of American public education.

Student-Athletes’ Perceptions Toward Identity and Life After Sport

David Andrew Browning — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:16:30 PST

This study examined collegiate student athletes’ perceptions toward identity and life after sport. Participants were seventy-nine male collegiate football players from an NCAA Division I program in the Pacific Northwest. Participants’ responses from the sentence completion portion of the Life After Sport Scale (LASS) were used to examine how they perceived their own identities as student-athletes. Similarly, participants’ responses to the visual elicitation student-athlete profile section of the LASS were used to examine how they perceived the transition to life after sport. Thematic data analysis resulted in six major identity perception themes:

Preparation for life after football/future oriented
Different standards
Hard worker/disciplined
Blessed/humble/proud
Idolized
Busy/time management skills.

The seven major life-after-sport themes that emerged from the data were:

Exemplary
Life after sport
I can relate
Role model
Hard worker
Hard to relate
Pressure to succeed

The resultant themes were discussed in context of the research questions involving collegiate student-athletes’ perceptions toward their own identities and life after sport.

Visualizing and Managing Genetic Information in Animal Pedigrees

Allen Brady Cannon — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:09:50 PST

Effective management and visualization of large animal colonies presents a significant challenge for researchers in the biological sciences. Complex breeding schemes, large nuclear families, and many individual attributes present problems for currently available visualization software, most of which are tailored for traditional human pedigrees. We developed a novel visualization technique that \sandwiches" offspring in between the parents of a family to display information in the context of an animal colony. The Colony Visualization Environment (CoVE) was implemented based on this visualization technique.

CoVE is a framework providing multiple interactive visualizations to effectively view information related to large animal colonies. Each interactive visualization provides insight into a unique facet of the data related to a colony of animals, including the Experiment View, which provides a novel visualization and management technique tailored for experiments. Available Search and Filter interfaces quickly identify individuals with parameters of interest, while a Breeding Calculator estimates resources required to breed a desired number of specimens with a specific genotype. CoVE also provides efficient techniques for managing information in large animal colonies, improving the accuracy of the information through built-in error checking mechanisms. These include verification of gender consistency and genetic information, based on the Mendelian Laws of Inheritance.

Case studies show favorable results, indicating the visualization technique is effective and the management features are beneficial.

Fabrication of Solid Solution Tungsten-Rhenium Alloys by High Energy Ball Milling and Spark Plasma Sintering

Cory C. Sparks — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 14:00:39 PST

Tungsten-rhenium powders of varying compositions were fabricated by spark plasma sintering (SPS). In initial exploration of the parameter space, W-25 at% Re powders were blended and consolidated by SPS at 1500 to 1900°C with sintering dwell times of 0 to 60 minutes. In addition, the influence of milling was investigated. W-25 at% Re powders were high-energy ball milled at 200 to 400 rpm for 5 hours and consolidated at 1700°C with sintering dwell times of 0 to 60 minutes. The sample densities, grain sizes, porosities, contamination level, and hardness values were measured. The intermetallic content, specifically the fraction of σ-phase, of each sample was determined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in the backscatter mode and X-ray diffraction (XRD).

Processing parameters were optimized to yield high density and hardness values, with corresponding minimal grain growth, porosity, contamination, and minimal σ-phase content. The optimized process that was developed involved ball milling at 400 rpm for 30 hrs, followed by consolidation at 1800°C and hold times of 30 minutes. This process resulted in a complete solid solution between tungsten and rhenium, and no detectable σ-phase based on TEM/EDS characterization.

The optimized ball milling and sintering parameters were extended to W-Re compositions of W-3 at% Re, W-6 at% Re, W-10 at% Re, and these samples were similarly characterized. For each composition, W-Re solid solutions were produced with no detectable σ-phase though the higher rhenium concentrations required longer hold times. Decreasing the rhenium content in the alloys resulted in larger grains, decreased hardness values, higher porosity, and lower densities.

Analysis of Electromagnetic Stimulation of Transport in Water for Geoenvironmental Applications

Mahsa Azad — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 13:51:14 PST

Air sparging is a popular soil and groundwater remediation technique, which enables the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) through diffusing contaminant-free air into saturated zones of soil. However, the VOC removal process is slow due to the soils' low permeability, and might take months to years depending on the type of the soil and contaminant. The goal of this thesis is to study the effect of electromagnetic (EM) waves —with minimal heat generation— on transport mechanisms such as diffusion, in order to improve airflow and expedite the cleanup process using air sparging or similar technologies. Because water dipole molecules oscillate under alternating electric fields, EM waves can enhance transport mechanisms such as diffusion in saturated media. This effect is studied through an experimental setup that examines the diffusion of a nonreactive dye into water.

Prior experimental work is analyzed and simulated by the author to find the potential correlation between the electric field magnitude/power and the flow characteristics of the dye. The experiment is simulated using the finite element software, COMSOL Multiphysics, to obtain a full vector representation of the EM field. In addition, the results from the digital analysis of the prior work are manipulated to study the concentration of the dye as well as the flow rate at different locations and times for all tests. The study, however, proved the necessity of a modified experimental setup for finding the correlation between the electric field pattern and the flow of the dye. For this reason, a modified experimental setup was developed. The new setup was tested at a range of frequencies 50-200 MHz. Measurement of the electric field component of EM waves is taken to map the electric field. In addition, the electric fields are simulated in COMSOL Multiphysics for better 3D visualization and analysis. A dielectrophoretic study is performed on the simulation data. The result of this study is in agreement with the experimental result of the dye flow.

Recording the temperature change of the medium for different frequencies shows the same trend of the temperature change (less than 1°C) for all tests. However, only at the specific frequency of 65 MHz did the dye flow occur. Therefore, this observation suggest that thermal effects are not controlling the movement of the dye in the water. Since the flow of the dye is in the direction of the dielectrophoretic forces, it is believed that the governing mechanism for the dye transport is mainly dielectrophoresis.