Clarkson University Research Articles

On the underperformance of the full-scale Clarkson University 3 meter ducted turbine

The performance of the Clarkson University 3 meter wind turbine under ambient conditions was measured to be considerably below that observed from the initial wind tunnel data. Comparison is made of the tunnel results with data obtained at three different experimental test sites and two different electronic downstream configurations. It is suggested that the advantages of the duct are mitigated by the transient nature of the ambient wind velocity and a required minimum rotational speed is needed to develop a sufficient thrust coefficient at the rotor plane for the duct to operate effectively. In the absence of these conditions, the presence of the duct can be argued to diminish the turbine performance.

A prediction and load shed-based approach of controlling a medium voltage AC/DC testbed

Shipboard power systems have previously relied on oversized generators with minimal monitoring of the output, preventing the implementation of many real-time controls. Redundant generation is implemented instead of controls, resulting in uncontrolled load sheds when capacity is exceeded, or generators fail. The naval power system community is extensively studying the advantages of distributed zonal power system architectures that allow for the buffering of multiple generation sources and loads using energy storage and regulating power electronics. Extensive sensing and controls are necessary for successful operation of a distributed power system, and they must be evaluated adjoint to representative hardware topologies. The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) is utilising a medium voltage (MV) AC/DC testbed to examine predictive high ramp rate (PHRR) and advanced load shed (ALS) control algorithms developed and modelled by Clarkson University (CU). A single zone of a zonal power system is being emulated using UTA’s testbed. Experimental results collected after integrating the CU control strategies into the UTA testbed will be discussed here.

Modeling Renewable Electricity Purchasing for Sustainable Management of Clarkson University's Energy Portfolio

Modeling Renewable Electricity Purchasing for Sustainable Management of Clarkson University's Energy Portfolio

Professor Petr Zuman: Life and Legacy

This lecture will address Prof. Zuman’s legacy and influence through the experiences of one of his scientific sons and one of his scientific grandsons. Petr was born and raised in the city of Prague during the rather tumultuous events of World War II. Early academic achievements after the war included a PhD in Physical Chemistry from Charles University in 1950, under future Nobel laureate Prof. J. Heyrovsky, who invited him to join the new Polarographic Institute in Prague in 1950. Shortly afterwards, Petr was appointed head of the Organic Electrochemistry Division of the Polarographic Institute and launched his research career in organic electrochemistry. He was both originator and major innovator in this area, which he focused on for the rest of his life. In 1967, he was awarded Dr. Science, Czech Acad. Sci. Also in this year, his influential monograph P. Zuman, Substituent Effects in Organic Polarography, was published.In 1966 Petr took up to a guest professorship at University of Birmingham in the UK. In 1970, he moved to Clarkson University as Professor of Chemistry. In 1991, he retired as Distinguished Emeritus Research Professor, but kept active in research into his 90’s. Over his long career, Petr published nearly 500 papers and dozens of books, and mentored 100s of undergrads, grad students, and postdocs and other researchers. He was the ultimate pioneer in development of the field of Organic Electrochemistry, which is now gaining renewed popularity. This talk will also illustrate Petr’s influence on the research efforts of the authors.

Combination adjuvants and antigens provide heterosubtypic protection against lethal influenza infection.

Abstract Influenza A virus (IAV) is a negative strand RNA virus that undergoes antigenic drift and shift, leading to serologically distinct strains that can cause tens of thousands of deaths annually in the US. The wide variety of hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) proteins necessitates yearly reformulation of the vaccine to protect against novel seasonal and pandemic strains. Current IAV vaccines do not contain adjuvants, however, immune modulators such as pattern recognition receptor (PRR) agonists may enhance antigen presentation to T cells and provide broader protection against IAV strains that differ in HA and NA outer coat proteins. We set out to investigate whether TLR4 (lipopolysaccharide) and TLR3 (poly IC) agonists in combination with HA (H3N2) and nucleoprotein (NP) or NP and matrix (M1) proteins could provide protection against lethal challenge with mismatched IAV strain H1N1. Mice given H3 and NP with LPS + pIC in a prime/boost strategy demonstrated 80% survival after heterosubtypic H1N1 challenge while H3 + NP in PBS showed 20% survival. Similar results were seen using LPS + pIC in combination with NP and M1 protein with 90% survival. High endpoint titers of anti-NP antibodies (that also bound H1N1 virus) correlated with heterosubtypic protection suggesting a role for non-neutralizing antibodies in promoting survival. In addition, LPS and pIC enhanced dendritic cell (DC) function in vitro and increased migratory monocyte DC in the lymph node in vivo, coupled with early upregulation of T cell marker CD69. This strategy may provide increased efficacy over current IAV vaccines by inducing non-neutralizing antibodies and enhanced T cell responses to internal proteins. Supported by Trudeau Institute and Clarkson University.

In Memoriam

Peter James (Pete) McNulty was born in 1941 and grew up in New York City where his parents, immigrants from Ireland, had settled. He attended St. Michaels High School and attributed his early interest in science to his high school physics classes. His older sister, also a scientist, had a strong influence as well. Pete received the B.S. degree in physics from Fordham University, Bronx, NY, USA, in 1962 and pursued graduate studies at the State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY-Buffalo), Buffalo, NY, USA, earning the Ph.D. degree in 1965. He remained at SUNY-Buffalo as a Postdoctoral Research Associate for an additional year, where he met his future wife, Pat. In 1966, Pete and Pat moved to Potsdam, NY, USA, where Pete took an Assistant Professor of Physics position at Clarkson University, eventually becoming a Professor of physics. During their time in the North Country, Pete and Pat raised their two children, Patty and Peter.

Paranormal Interest and Contemporariness of Magical Realism in Macbeth.

Supernatural presence is something that has been widely acknowledged in Shakespeare’s Macbeth. There issupposedly an abundance of paranormal activity and eeriness in this play. In fact, it is not an over statement to say that paranormal events drive the action in this play. However, with increasing discoveries and broader horizons made available by scientific advancement in 21st century, the supernatural still stands relevant? If so, what has rendered it its contemporariness?
 A study conducted by Shane Rogers and his team from Clarkson University in the United States observed similarities between paranormal experiences and the hallucinogenic effects of fungal spores (Dagnall Neil, The conversation). This might explain why both Macbeth and Banquo sighted the witches, having been exposed to the same weather conditions which were conducive to the growth of fungi, i.e, “thunder, lightning and rain”. And all the remaining sightings were the fragments of Macbeth’s disturbed mind. However, if the dramatist had intended to eliminate the paranormal interest, he had not designed three scenes, solely devoted to the agents of supernatural or evil, which were the witches.

Larry Allen

Larry Allen, 79, died Sept. 14 in Pointe-Claire, Quebec. “Larry was an intelligent, thoughtful, adventurous, and hard-working man, devoted to family. He was a committed researcher in the field of colloid chemistry in the pulp and paper industry. He worked for the Pulp and Paper Research Institute of Canada (later FPInnovations) for 37 years. He was a leader in pulp and paper chemistry research and coedited the first book on wood resin. He coauthored over 100 publications and several patents. He was particularly proud to be able to save pulp and paper mills amounts often more than $10 million per annum in increased productivity and product quality.”—Sandy Allen, daughter Most recent title: Principal scientist, FPInnovations Education: BSc, physical chemistry, Carleton University, 1965; PhD, physical chemistry, Clarkson University, 1970 Survivors: Wife, Lee; children, Sandy, Mike, Jamie, and Dave; 11 grandchildren To recognize your late loved one or colleague, submit obituary information

Updated Orbit and Observations of Spectroscopic Binary HD 2019

Binary star system HD 2019 was studied by the David Dunlap Observatory between 1935 and 1947. From the spectroscopic data obtained, the orbital elements of the system were defined. Between then and now, there have been no updated studies of this binary star system. We set out to update the orbit of HD 2019 with new spectroscopic data obtained at Clarkson University's Reynolds Observatory. After finding the radial velocities of the star or stars visible in each spectrum, estimates of the error for each measurement were made. From the radial velocities and error estimates, new orbital elements were fit using the data from David Dunlap Observatory combined with the new data collected at Clarkson. These results lead to further investigation of the eccentricity of the orbit. Using the method of Lucy 2005, we ran a test to check the statistical significance of the eccentric orbit using p-value testing.

College for Dollars?

There are signs of these times at non-profits, too: Clarkson University has established scholarships for freshmen entrepreneurs--free tuition, but Clarkson gets a percentage of any profits the start-up companies may later achieve. Washington State has created an Opportunity Scholarship Program, funded partly by the State and partly by corporate donors; Boeing and Microsoft kick-started it with $25million each. Since Reagan's time, federal support for funding of K-12 schools has been ritually linked to the premise that it is good for (a) individual economic success, (b) the competitiveness of U.S. corporations, and (c) an ever-rising GDP. [...] When I did the college tour with my granddaughter two years ago, only one of the expensive and hard-to-get-into schools on her itinerary included in its admissions office pitch any reason for going to X other than, basically, "you can get anything you want, here"--an upscale version of education as a commodity, omitting scary references to the tough world in which good jobs are hard to find, maybe impossible even with a degree from X. One college said it was for peace and justice.

Moving intensive onsite courses online: responding to COVID-19 educational disruption

From February 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to closures of educational institutions to reduce the spread of infectious disease. This forced the U.S. education system into a massive experiment with online education. Despite conducting online bioethics education for nearly twenty years, our bioethics program, a joint endeavor of Clarkson University and Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, was not immune to this disruption because our curriculum features intensive, one-week onsite courses. Even in the face of historic disruptions, it is vital to ensure minimal interruptions to teaching and assessing students to provide effective education. This paper reviews the steps we took to successfully convert the onsite components of our curriculum to a synchronous online format, and it focuses on how we preserved instruction and assessment of practical skills that comprise these courses’ core. It also explains how we fostered interactive classroom environments.

Combined CpG and MPL as vaccine adjuvants improve immunity and heterosubtypic protection against lethal viral challenge in single dose and prime/boost regimens

Abstract Current Influenza A virus (IAV) vaccines show poor efficacy, often 40–60%. A strategy to improve effectiveness of IAV vaccines is to include adjuvants to activate innate immunity. We examined the potential of combined pattern recognition receptor agonists CpG and MPL to increase IAV vaccine induced protection. When administered in a single, low dose intramuscular hemagglutinin (HA) protein vaccine, mice receiving MPL + CpG experienced less morbidity after homologous challenge compared to mice receiving single agonists. In experiments analyzing heterosubtypic protection, vaccines containing MPL delivered intramuscularly (i.m.) showed increased protection against weight loss while the addition of CpG enhanced antibody responses but not survival. To determine if MPL and CpG have combinatory effects at different sites, HA and NP were delivered with MPL i.m. while HA and NP were simultaneously delivered with CpG intranasally (i.n.). Data demonstrate that combination MPL i.m. + CpG i.n. abrogated morbidity, but did not improve survival compared to MPL + CpG i.m. Further, mice given MPL + CpG produced IgG antibodies that were cross-reactive to H1N1 virus, yet magnitude of antibody responses did not correlate with protective efficacy. Finally, comparison of MPL i.m. + CpG i.n. in a prime/boost regimen, followed by heterosubtypic challenge, showed that weight loss was significantly lowered in mice that received prime/boost vaccination compared to mice that received prime only. Higher antibody responses induced by a second dose of vaccine did not correlate with protective capacity, suggesting that antibody levels, while indicators of vaccine immunogenicity, do not directly correlate with ability to protect mice from severe disease. Supported by Trudeau Institute and Clarkson University.

Associations Between Heart Rate and Skeletal Muscle Oxygen Saturation (SmO₂) in Upper and Lower Extremities During Self‐Paced Walking

This study aims to determine the association between heart rate and skeletal muscle oxygen saturation (SmO₂) during 30 minutes of self‐paced walking on 4 different days. It was hypothesized that there would be a significant association between heart rate and SmO₂, as increased exercise intensity would result in increased peripheral muscle O₂ consumption and increased heart rate. Participants (age= 18‐40) were recruited from Clarkson University as part of an ongoing larger study and informed consent was signed. Heart rate was measured using a pulse oximeter after every five minute interval of the 30 minute walking period and was recorded in an online survey on surveymonkey.com. The muscle oxygen monitor (MOXY) near infrared sensors were placed on the left and right medial gastrocnemius heads as well as on the left biceps brachii muscle to record SmO₂ levels. Data was analyzed using a bivariate Pearson correlation to determine if there was a significant correlation between SmO₂ and heart rate while walking. Heart rate was negatively associated with SmO₂ in the left medial gastrocnemius head (R= ‐0.139, p= 0.044, n= 211) while there was no significant relationship seen in the right medial gastrocnemius head (p> 0.05). In the left biceps brachii muscle, there was a positive association between heart rate and SmO₂ (R= 0.148, p= 0.035, n= 204). The findings of our study suggest that as walking intensity increases, O₂ consumption in the upper and lower extremities has a weak, but significant association with heart rate. These findings suggest that as blood is shunted from the upper extremity to lower extremity to meet lower extremity demands during walking, O₂ utilization by muscles in the upper extremity is decreased. Further research is needed to elucidate how these relationships change when performing activities that require both upper and lower extremity muscles as well as with varying intensities of exercise.

Real-world development challenges of the Clarkson University 3 meter ducted wind turbine

The enticing viability of ducted turbines continues to be demonstrated around the world, both numerically and experimentally, however real-world implementation of this technology has historically been a challenge. Promising wind tunnel results for a 2.5 meter rotor ducted turbine model at Clarkson University have led to the construction of a 3 meter prototype test bed, installed on the Clarkson campus. An overview of the development process and the resulting experimental performance measurements on the 3 meter unit is presented. Construction of a prototype for field tests, including component selection, fabrication details of the structure, and selection of downstream electronics is reviewed. Performance results from various system implementations and lessons learned are compared. The turbine demonstrated Cpt efficiencies, based on the duct area, of up to 0.45.

INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics Editor’s Statement: A Farewell

<i>INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics</i> Editor’s Statement: A Farewell

Degradation of Methylene Blue with Layered Ni-Fe/WO3 Nanostructured, Composite Films Electrodeposited Onto Graphite

Dyes from textile companies, such as methylene blue (MB), stain water bodies and result in harmful environmental effects. They can also change the color of water bodies, which inhibits aquatic photosynthesis and lowers oxygen levels, compromising aquatic health. In order to treat dye contamination in water, several methodologies exist, including electrochemical oxidation with boron-doped diamond, TiRuO2 1 and Ti/Pt2 anodes. In the search for a lower cost anode material and thus a more cost-effective electrochemical oxidation process, a composite photoelectrocatalyst composed of tungsten trioxide, nickel-iron, and graphite was fabricated. Both decolorization and degradation of MB were examined in a chloride mediated electrolyte.Ni-Fe clusters were electrochemically deposited onto a graphite surface using recurrent galvanic pulses. WO3 was then electrochemically deposited through the generation of base method, potentiostatically. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) using an electrolyte containing 10 mM MB in 10 mM phosphate buffer saline and 100 mM potassium chloride at room temperature on screen-printed electrodes identified the region where the Ni-Fe/WO3 graphite composite catalyst resulted in a large anodic current, which included the oxidation of water, chlorine and organic. Electrolysis by chronoamperometry was implemented with and without light, in a single compartment electrochemical cell. The color change was measured using absorbance spectrophotometry. In order to confirm oxidation of total organic, COD measurements provided insight on whether the observed color change was caused by decomposition of MB at the working electrode or conversion to leucomethylene blue, at the counter electrode. Since Ni-Fe can oxidize under electrolysis conditions for MB degradation, the survivability of Ni-Fe underneath WO3 was inspected. Both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) verified the presence of discrete Ni-Fe islands surrounded by WO3; after 16 hrs of electrolysis at 1.9 V vs Ag changes in the composition as well as the WO3 morphology was observed.Overall, with an increase in the electrolysis time there was a clear change in the electrolyte color. After 2 hours, the coloration of the MB solution dropped by 78% and after 16 hours, 89%. COD analysis confirmed the degradation of methylene blue by the Ni-Fe/WO3 graphite catalyst, and it was enhanced by 100 W/m2 UV light, with less conversion of methylene blue to leucomethylene blue, and an overall more efficient degradation. Acknowledgments: The authors thank The Center for Advanced Materials Processing at Clarkson University for use of their equipment and guidance provided by Hubert Bilan. This work was funded in part by NSF #20-508484 REU Site: Aquatic Sciences, Engineering, and Technology (ASET). Panizza, A. Barbucci, R. Ricotti, G. Cerisola, Separation and Purification Technology, 54 (2007) 382–387.Rodrigues de Oliveira, N. S. Fernandes, J. Vieira de Melo, D. Ribeiro da Silva, C. Urgeghe, C. A. Martínez-Huitle, Chemical Engineering Journal, 168 (2011) 208–214.

Assessing and Implementing a Sustainable Holistic Planning System

In 2019, the New York Olympic Region received the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Communities Certification (gold) for a rural multi-jurisdictional region comprised of Lake Placid Village, North Elba Town, the Olympic Regional Development Authority, and the Lake Placid School System. Much of the work involved in this initiative was executed by 14 undergraduate students and two faculty members from Clarkson University working in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council, and four local jurisdictions. The endeavor was successful and unique in several facets. First, it provided an experiential project-based education in the application of a sustainable holistic planning system, LEED for Communities/Cities. Second, it demonstrates the value of a university collaboration with a rural region and its communities. Third, it developed the first rural regional model for smart community planning that integrated multiple jurisdictions and stakeholders. Finally, it provides a replicable template for implementation and operation by other communities with institutions of higher learning. A variety of challenges remain, however, for emerging sustainable holistic planning systems in metrics development, civic and stakeholder engagement, determination of efficacy, and implementation optimization. Readers will emerge with an improved understanding of sustainable holistic planning systems, knowledge of multi-jurisdictional planning concerns in sustainability metrics, and insight into implementation of these systems as a pedagogical tool and partnership mechanism.

Electrodeposited Nickel-Iron Clusters Onto Glassy Carbon for the Detection of Methylene Blue

Methylene blue (MB) is a redox-active molecule, which is used for biochemical studies as a redox indicator,1-3 and as a comparable model for pyocyanin, a bacteria metabolite.4 Electrochemical detection of MB has been demonstrated through adsorption on gold electrodes,5 enhanced with a gold modified alkanethiol layer,5-7 and with carbon nanotube modified gold electrodes.8 In this study, a low-cost approach was used to develop a novel Ni-Fe/glassy carbon (GC) composite electrode to detect methylene blue. Ni-Fe microstructures were deposited from a sulfate-boric acid electrolyte at a pH of 3 by a pulse galvanostatic method. A three-electrode cell was used, containing a glassy carbon disk (GC) working electrode, a platinum counter electrode and a silver chloride reference electrode (Ag/AgCl). Deposition was carried out with and without electrode rotation. Field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDX) and x-ray fluorescence analyzer (XRF) were used to characterize the surface morphology and the composition of the Ni-Fe clusters. The redox and adsorption behavior of MB were characterized with cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry/coulometry in a phosphate buffer solution (PBS) containing variable μM amounts of MB.The electrodeposition results showed interesting morphology and composition that impacted the MB electrochemistry, Fig. 1. The average composition of Ni-Fe clusters with a 2 s deposition time and without rotation was Ni-rich, 84 wt% Ni, 16 wt% Fe, and the morphology of the microscale clusters was composed of nanoscale nuclei in a circular shape with a hole in its center, attributed to gas evolution from the side reaction. The average size of the clusters was roughly 50 µm with different hole diameters (Fig. 1a). The average composition of Ni-Fe clusters with a 6 s deposition time and 400 rpm rotation rate had a contrasting composition, Fe-rich, 38 wt% Ni, 62 wt% Fe, and the morphology demonstrated microscale clusters with cracks. The average size of the microscale clusters was between 10 and 20 µm (Fig. 1b). The cyclic votammograms of the MB electrolyte, under quiescent conditions, were quasi-reversible, showing a single oxidation peak and a reduction peak. The Ni-Fe clusters impacted methylene blue (MB) chronoamperometry and coulometry, enhancing the response particularly for low concentrations of MB. Deviations from linearity in a plot of it1/2 vs. tunder reduction conditions, at a constant applied potential, indicated that the response was not diffusion controlled at times below 100 s, where the Ni-Fe/GC composite electrode had a significantly larger current signal, but with diffusion behavior observed at long times (Fig. 1c), with little to no improvement in the current in this region using the Ni-Fe/GC composite electrode compared to GC. The results show that the Ni-Fe/GC composite electrode can enhanced the electrochemical detection of MB at low MB concentration.AcknowledgementThe authors wish to thank H. Bilan at the Center of Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP) at Clarkson University for SEM help.References Y. Wu and R.Y. Lai, Analytical Chemistry, 86, 8888 (2014).W. Yang, R. Y. Lai, Langmuir, 27, 14669 (2011).L. E. Korshoj, A. J. Zaitouna, and R. Y. Lai, Analytical Chemistry 86, 8888 (2014).M. Kasozi, S. Gromer, H. Adler, K. Zocher, S. Rahlfs, S. Wittlin, K. Fritz-Wolf, R. H. Schirmer, and K. Becker, Redox Report, 16, 154 (2011).Sagara, H. Kawamura, and N. Nakashima, Langmuir, 12, 4253 (1996).Barou, M. Bouvet, O. Heintz, and R. Meunier-Prest, Electrochimica Acta, 75, 387-392 (2012).Zhao, B. Zeng, and D. Pang, Electroanalysis 15, 1060 (2003). García-González, A. Costa-García, and M.T. Fernández-Abedul, Sensors and Actuators B, 202, 129 (2014). Figure 1

Gain perspective, expand your network by presenting internationally

Being part of something. This is the concept that's at the heart of why Joshua LaFave opted to start presenting at international conferences. “I can still remember the first time I raised my hand to get involved with a professional organization. Whether international or domestic, this has always been a priority for me,” said LaFave, Director of Graduate Business Programs in the Reh School of Business at Clarkson University. “Also, higher education is very much a global business, and working collaboratively across countries to support international student mobility is important.”

Boolean Logic Networks Mimicked with Chimeric Enzymes Activated/Inhibited by Several Input Signals.

The front cover artwork is provided by groups of Prof. Evgeny Katz and Prof. Artem Melman (Clarkson University, NY, USA) as well as Prof. Kirill Alexandrov (Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia). The image shows activation/inhibition of a chimeric enzyme with biomolecular signals and a corresponding logic network - the artistic vision. Read the full text of the Communication at 10.1002/cphc.201901050.