Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Quantification Of Factors Governing Drug Release Kinetics From Nanoparticles: A Combined Experimental And Mechanistic Modeling Approach, Kyle Daniel Fugit

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Advancements in nanoparticle drug delivery of anticancer agents require mathematical models capable of predicting in vivo formulation performance from in vitro characterization studies. Such models must identify and incorporate the physicochemical properties of the therapeutic agent and nanoparticle driving in vivo drug release. This work identifies these factors for two nanoparticle formulations of anticancer agents using an approach which develops mechanistic mathematical models in conjunction with experimental studies.

A non-sink ultrafiltration method was developed to monitor liposomal release kinetics of the anticancer agent topotecan. Mathematical modeling allowed simultaneous determination of drug permeability and interfacial binding to the bilayer from release …

Less Is More: Long-Term In Vitro Exposure To Low Levels Of Silver Nanoparticles Provides New Insights For Nanomaterial Evaluation, Kristen K. Comfort, Laura K. Braydich-Stolle, Elizabeth I. Maurer, Saber M. Hussain

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

In view of the vast number of new nanomaterials (NMs) that require testing and the constraints associated with animal models, the majority of studies to elucidate nanotoxicological effects have occurred in vitro, with limited correlation and applicability to in vivo systems and realistic, occupational exposure scenarios.

In this study, we developed and implemented a chronic in vitromodel coupled with lower, regulatory dosages in order to provide a more realistic assessment of NM-dependent consequences and illuminate the implications of long-term NM exposure. When keratinocytes were exposed to 50 nm silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs), we determined that chronically dosed cells operated …

Subcloning And Expression Of Recombinant Human Parathyroid Hormone Rhpth By Fusion Strategy In E.Coli, Sadegh Majdi, Elahe Esfahani, Hossein Amani, Ghasem Najaf Pour D, Majid Shahbazi

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Faculty Scholarship

Osteoporosis is a progressive bone disease that over time, bone mass, and therefore bones strength, is decreased, due to depletion of calcium and bone protein. So, bones become fragile and break easily. The unique ability of human parathyroid hormone (hPTH) as a bone anabolic agent, to increase bone density makes it a promising anabolic agent in the treatment of osteoporosis. Parathyroid hormone secreted by parathyroid chief cells is composed of 84 amino acids act as one of the major hormones maintaining calcium homeostasis. Anabolic agents directly stimulate bone formation and improve the microarchitecture of bone. Hence, they have the potential …

The Cooling Effect Of Cryotherapy On Power And Accuracy In The Pitching Arms Of Baseball Players, David Kimble Wilbanks

Honors Theses

As the human body does work, energy is released in the form of heat. The ability to perform the same action repeatedly and at the same intensity requires energy to be maintained. By preserving energy in sports, a reduction of injuries and an increase in performance duration would most likely be observed. More specifically in sports, for 200 years of baseball history, the pitcher has attempted to keep their arm warm during resting intervals of a game, in belief this would help sustain their level of performance. This study attempted to overturn this view. I hypothesized that by cooling their …

Lab-Scale Fast-Hydropyrolysis And Vapor-Phase Catalytic Hydrodeoxygenation For Producing Liquid Fuel Range Hydrocarbons From Intact Biomass, Vinod Kumar Venkatakrishnan

Open Access Dissertations

Liquid transportation fuels are primarily produced from petroleum-based non-renewable carbon sources. Sustainably available lignocellulosic biomass, as a renewable form of atmospheric carbon, could be utilized to produce hydrocarbon-based fuels with high energy density. One of the process options for this conversion is the H2Bioil process, where biomass is rapidly heated in a hydrogen environment to produce fast-hydropyrolysis vapors that are catalytically upgraded in downstream hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) to produce hydrocarbons. This process has been modeled to have high carbon and energy efficiencies of ~70% and ~75%, respectively.

This dissertation presents the results of a lab-scale experimental proof-of-concept for the H2Bioil process …

Mixed Surfactant Systems: Thermodynamics And Applications In Metal Oxide Imprinting, Suvid Joshi

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

In this work we study mixtures of cationic surfactant (CTAB) and sugar based surfactant(s) (octyl beta-D-glucopyranoside (C8G1), dodecyl maltoside (C12G2) and octyl beta-D-xylopyranoside (C8X1)) to understand the non-ideal thermodynamic behavior of the mixtures of cationic and non-ionic surfactants in water and synthesis of imprinted materials. The thermodynamics of micellization, mixing and dilution of these systems are studied using Isothermal Titration Calorimetry (ITC) and the experimental data obtained are modeled with a pseudo-phase separation model with non-ideal mixing described by regular solution theory. It is shown that a model accounting for enthalpy of demicellization and enthalpy of dilution based on McMillan-Mayer …

Quartz Crystal Microbalance Investigation Of Cellulosome Activity From Clostridium Thermocellum On Model Cellulose Films, Shanshan Zhou

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

The cost of deconstructing cellulose into soluble sugars is a key impediment to the commercial production of lignocellulosic biofuels. The use of the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) to investigate reaction variables critical to enzymatic cellulose hydrolysis is investigated here, extending previous studies of fungal cellulase activity for the first time to whole cell cellulases. Specifically, the activity of the cellulases of Clostridium thermocellum, which are in the form of cellulosomes, was investigated. To clearly differentiate the activity of free cellulosome and cell-bound cellulosome, the distribution of free cellulosome and cell-bound cellulosome in crude cell broth at different growth stages …

Functionalized Membranes For Environmental Remediation And Selective Separation, Li Xiao

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Membrane process including microfiltration (MF), ultrafiltration (UF), nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) have provided numerous successful applications ranging from drinking water purification, wastewater treatment, to material recovery. The addition of functional moiety in the membranes pores allows such membranes to be used in challenging areas including tunable separations, toxic metal capture, and catalysis. In this work, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) MF membrane was functionalized with temperature responsive (poly(N-isopropylacrylamide), PNIPAAm) and pH responsive (polyacrylic acid, PAA) polymers. It’s revealed that the permeation of various molecules (water, salt and dextran) through the membrane can be thermally or pH controlled. The introduction of …

Iron And Iron Oxide Functionalized Membranes With Applications To Selected Chloro-Organic And Metal Removal From Water, Minghui Gui

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

The development of functionalized membranes with tunable pores and catalytic properties provides us an opportunity to manipulate the membrane pore structure, selectivity and reactivity. By introducing the functional groups into membrane pores, dissolved metal ions and reactive particles can be effectively immobilized within the polymer matrix for toxic chloro-organic and heavy metal remediation in water.

A polyelectrolyte functionalized membrane platform with tunable pore size and ion exchange capacity has been developed for iron/iron oxide nano-catalyst synthesis and chlorinated organic compound (trichloroethylene, TCE and polychlorinated biphenyls, PCBs) degradation. Highly robust polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) microfiltration membranes are used as the support with …

Combining Monte Carlo Transport And Level Set Surface Evolution For Modeling Vapor Phase Deposition Of Thin Films Over Sub-Micron Features, John Lewis Smith

Graduate Theses - Chemical Engineering

A hybrid scheme is used to model the vapor phase deposition of thin films at the feature scale. The transport of the chemical species to the substrate surface is modeled with a Collisionless Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) method. The Level Set Method is used to model the growth of the thin-film on the substrate. The convergence criteria for these methods were not found in literature.

The governing equations for the Level Set Method are, in general, non-linear partial differential equations. The coupling of the DSMC Method with the Level Set Method results in a set of non-Gaussian stochastic non-linear …

Development Of Cementitious Materials For Adhesion Type Applications Comprising Calcium Sulfoaluminate (Csa) Cement And Latex Polymer, Joshua V. Brien

Theses and Dissertations--Civil Engineering

The objective of this research was to develop high performing polymer modified calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement materials for use in applications requiring superior adhesion characteristics. Little information is available describing interactions of CSA cement containing minor phase tri-calcium aluminate (C₃A) with commonly used admixtures. Given the scarcity of information, a basic approach for developing cementitious materials was followed. The basic approach consisted of four tasks: cement design, admixture design, polymer design and testing developed materials. The iterative, time consuming process is necessary for understanding the influence of specific constituent components on overall system behavior. Results from the cement …

Aging Of A Polymer Core Composite Conductor Under Combined Ozone And Temperature Conditions, James M. Middleton

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The next generation High Temperature Low Sag Polymer Core Composite Conductors (HTLS PCCC) can experience harsh in-service environments including high temperature and highly concentrated ozone. In some extreme cases, it is possible that the conductors will experience temperatures of up to 180°C and ozone concentrations as high as 1% (10,000 ppm). Therefore, the primary goal of this research was to determine the most damaging aging conditions which could negatively affect the in-service life of the conductors. This included characterizing the aging in ozone and at high temperature of the HTLS PCCC hybrid composite rods and neat resin. It was found …

Experimental And Computational Investigation Of Flow Of Pebbles In A Pebble Bed Nuclear Reactor, Vaibhav B. Khane

Doctoral Dissertations

"The Pebble Bed Reactor (PBR) is a 4th generation nuclear reactor which is conceptually similar to moving bed reactors used in the chemical and petrochemical industries. In a PBR core, nuclear fuel in the form of pebbles moves slowly under the influence of gravity. Due to the dynamic nature of the core, a thorough understanding about slow and dense granular flow of pebbles is required from both a reactor safety and performance evaluation point of view.

In this dissertation, a new integrated experimental and computational study of granular flow in a PBR has been performed. Continuous pebble re-circulation experimental set-up, …

Plasma Processes And Polymers Special Issue On: Plasma And Cancer, Mounir Laroussi, Michael Keidar

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

During the last two decades, research efforts on the application of low temperature plasmas in biology and medicine have positioned nonequilibrium lowtemperature plasmas as a technology that has the potential of revolutionizing healthcare.[1,2] Low temperature plasmas can be applied in direct contact with living tissues to inactivate bacteria,[3] to disinfect wounds and accelerate wound healing,[4] and to induce damage in some cancer cells.[5–11]

Physico-Chemical Properties Of Green Leaf Volatiles, Harsha Satyanarayana Vempati

LSU Master's Theses

Green Leaf Volatiles (GLVs) is a class of vegetation emissions whose release is greatly enhanced in the event of thermal or mechanical stress. These oxygenated hydrocarbons that have been identified as a potential source of Secondary Organic Aerosols (SOA) via aqueous oxidation. The physico-chemical properties of GLVs are vital to understanding their fate and transport in the atmosphere, but few experimental data are available. We studied the aqueous solubility, 1-Octanol/Water Partition Coefficient, and Henry’s Constant (KH) of five GLVs at 25&176;C: methyl jasmonate, methyl salicylate, 2-methyl-3-buten-2-ol, cis-3-hexen-1-ol, and cis-3-hexenyl acetate. Henry’s constant was additionally measured at 30&176;C & 35&176;C, and …

Evaluation Of Cotton Valley "D" Sand Production In Stampede Field, Mississippi, U.S.A., Patrick Lawrence Murphy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

The Effects Of Diffusion, Capillary Heterogeneity, And Porous Media Morphology On Co2 Migration In Porous Media, Oluseye Babafemi Adeyemi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Modified Invasion Percolation (MIP) model was used to simulate the invasion of CO2 into a medium initially saturated with water and the style of capillary heterogeneity in combination with buoyancy and viscous forces were varied to yield 105 different simulation scenarios. Thereafter, the invasion of the CO2 gas is simulated using a finite difference model and the effective mass transfer coefficient is determined and linked to various styles of capillary heterogeneity. Results show that an increase in saturation does not result in an increase in mass transfer coefficient rather, the surface area, which in turn is controlled by the …

Preformed Particle Gel Transport Through Fractures, Hao Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

"Polymer gel treatment is one of the most cost-effective methods to control water production in mature oil fields. The main objective of gel treatments is to reduce water or gas flow through high-permeability channels or fractures without damaging productive zones. Preformed particle gels (PPGs) have been applied for conformance control because they can overcome some potential drawbacks inherent in an in-situ gelation system.

In this study, lab experiments were performed to quantify PPG propagation through fractures and fracture-like channels by using screen models and open fracture models. The main findings in these experiments can guide the selection of best particle …

Investigating And Modeling Tar-Mats In A Kuwaiti Carbonate Reservoir And Their Role In Understanding Oil Reserves And Recovery Economics, Abdullah Owidah Almansour

Doctoral Dissertations

"Tar-mat columns exist in many carbonate reservoirs in the Middle East. Historically, tar-mats have been thought to impede primary oil extraction, thus necessitating further improved oil recovery (IOR) technology applications. However, this research considers tar-mats as potential sources for unlocking extremely difficult crude oil, less than 5 ⁰API. The main objective of the study was to understand the qualitative physical and chemical properties of extremely viscous tar-mat oil and the quantitative potential of tar-mats to extract difficult oil.

The physical and chemical geneses of the tar-mat oil were analyzed utilizing several experimental geochemical techniques, including rock evaluation pyrolysis, liquid extracts …

Degradable Nanocomposite Preformed Particle Gel For Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery Applications, Paul Tongwa

Doctoral Dissertations

”This work presents two new materials that can be potentially used in conformance control to increase ultimate oil recovery from mature oilfields.

The first product is a degradable nanocomposite preformed particle gel for enhanced in-depth mobility control. Three different types of degradable nanocomposite preformed particle gels were synthesized. These three nanocomposite hydrogels were made using Laponite XLG, Calcium Montmorillonite, and Sodium Montmorillonite nanomaterials. It was observed that after degradation, Laponite XLG nanocomposite hydrogels had the highest post-degradation viscosity (4437 cp), followed by sodium nanocomposite hydrogels (129 cp), and lastly calcium nanocomposite hydrogels (75.5 cp). Thus, degradable Laponite XLG nanocomposite hydrogels …