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Phylogenetics And Association Analyses Illustrate Substantial Cryptic Diversity Of A Newly Isolated Collection Of Cenococcum Geophilum, Jessica Velez

Doctoral Dissertations

The ectomycorrhizal fungus Cenococcum geophilum is distributed worldwide across multiple climates and soil types and is known to positively associate with a multitude of plant genera, possibly contributing to plant ability to tolerate inorganic contaminants in a soil environment. New C. geophilum isolates are easily cultured from soils in a laboratory setting, making this an ideal candidate for a model species with which to study multiple plant-fungal effects across a collection of novel isolates. However, C. geophilum is also genetically complex and, at 178Mbp, features one of the largest fungal genomes, necessitating the use of the novel restriction-associated DNA sequencing …

Camera-Based Remote Photoplethysmography For Estimation Of Heart Rate Using Single Board Computers, Benjamin Sweely

Masters Theses

The objective of this project was to develop a wireless, noncontact monitoring system that measures multiple physiological parameters in human faces from a distance using a camera. Compared to traditional sensors, this monitoring system does not use wires or adhesives, providing a safer, more user-friendly application. The goal of the monitoring systems was to estimate heart rate (HR). The current practices of measuring HR involve collecting electrocardiogram (ECG) signals from adhesive electrodes placed on various parts of the body and using a pulse oximeter (PO) typically placed on the ear lobe or finger. We were able to successfully create 2 …

Assessment Of The Use Of Low Molecular Weight Diblock Copolymers For The Formation Of Stable, Tunable Droplet Interface Bilayers, Joseph Tawfik

Masters Theses

This thesis presents the use of diblock copolymers, poly(butadiene)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PB_m PEO_n) and poly(isoprene)-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (PI_mPEO_n), as amphiphilic molecular building blocks for the formation of synthetic polymer bilayer membranes using the droplet interface bilayer (DIB) technique. The DIB technique makes use of the self-assembly of amphiphilic macromolecules along oil-water droplet interfaces that can then be physically connected for the construction of liquid supported macromolecular bilayers at the droplet interface. These bilayer membranes are capable of hosting both naturally occurring and synthetic protein channels. This technique has been used to form synthetic bilayer membranes …

Golf Swing Trainer Using Wii Balance Board, Brooks M. Leftwich, Nicholas Hassler, Clark A. Hall, Sam Gates, Thomas B. Vickery, Alec Rinehart, Zakkary B A Compton, Ryan A. Singley

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Emergency Eye Simulation Model, Gavin L. Warrington, Christopher Forsyth, Lexus Morris, Natalie Ledezma

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Final Design Report For The Bioburden Pre-Cleaning Device And Dr. Mark Rasnake At The University Of Tennessee Medical Center, Katherine Elizabeth Stiles, Megan Pitz, Kayla Franklin, Simran Dayal, Austin Bullock

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Design And Synthesis Of Analogs Of Myo-Inositol, Serine, And Cysteine To Enable Chemical Biology Studies, Tanei J. Ricks

Doctoral Dissertations

Phosphorylated myo-inositol compounds including inositol phosphates (InsPs) as well as the phosphatidylinositol polyphosphate lipids (PIP_ns) are critical biomolecules that regulate many of the most important biological processes and pathways. They are aberrant in many disease states due to their regulatory function. The same is true of the phospholipid phosphatidylserine (PS) which can serve as a marker to begin apoptosis. However, the full scope of activities of these structures is not clear, particularly since techniques that enable global detection and analysis of the production of these compounds spatially and temporally are lacking. With all of these obstacles in …

Crafting Nanostructured Neural Interfaces With Hydrogel Particles, Emily Ann Morin

Doctoral Dissertations

Central nervous system neural device functionality hinges on effective communication with surrounding neurons. This depends on both the permissiveness of the device material to promote neuron integration and the ability of the device to avoid a chronic inflammatory response. Here, a facile approach has been developed exploring the multiple functionalities of hydrogel particles to provide cues to impart neural integration for such materials. Three distinct, yet interconnected tasks were undertaken: investigating hydrogel particle-modified substrate neuron integration and central nervous system inflammatory response, investigating guided hydrogel particle adsorption, and investigating hydrogel particles as local reservoirs for counteracting adverse effects from oxidative …

Development And Implementation Of A Forward Solution Hip Mathematical Model To Determine In Vivo Mechanics And Predict Hip Separation, Michael Thomas Lacour

Doctoral Dissertations

Osteoarthritis, signified by excessive wear of joint cartilage, is most common in hip, knee, and spinal joints [1]. Current treatment for extreme osteoarthritis is total joint arthroplasty, where the damaged bone and cartilage are removed and replaced by artificial bone representations separated by artificial cartilage representations. While this treatment does generally improve patient quality of life, current joint replacement systems unfortunately still yield atypically high forces, premature component wear, and abnormal kinematics compared to native joints [2] [3] [4] [5].

For total hip arthroplasty, one common complication is in vivo separation and dislocation of the femoral head within the acetabular …

Managing Exoelectrogenic Microbial Community Development Through Bioprocess Control For Conversion Of Biomass-Derived Streams, Alex James Lewis

Doctoral Dissertations

Bioelectrochemical systems are an emerging technology capable of utilizing aqueous waste streams generated during biomass conversion of lignocellulosic feedstocks to produce valuable co-products and thus, have potential to be integrated into biorefineries. In a microbial electrolysis cell, organic compounds are converted to electrons, protons, and CO₂ by fermentative and exoelectrogenic bacteria in the anode compartment. By having the ability to extract electrons from waste streams, these systems can treat water while also producing hydrogen, and thus can improve the efficiency of biomass to fuel production by minimizing external hydrogen requirement and enabling water recycle. The overall goal of this …

Design Of A Robotic Instrument Manipulator For Endoscopic Deployment, Ryan Ponten

Masters Theses

This thesis describes the initial design process for an application of continuum robotics to endoscopic surgical procedures, specifically dissection of the colon. We first introduce the long-term vision for a benchtop dual-instrument endoscopic system with intuitive haptic controllers and then narrow our focus to the design and testing of the instrument manipulator itself, which must be actuated through the long, winding channel of a standard colonoscope.

Based on design requirements for a target procedure, we analyze simulations of two types of continuum robots using recently established kinematic and mechanic modeling approaches: the concentric-tube robot (CTR) and the concentric agonist-antagonist robot …

Dynamic Simulation And Analysis Of Gait Modification For Treating Knee Osteoarthritis, Taylor Elyse Schlotman

Doctoral Dissertations

Roughly 47.5 million people in the US have a disability, with 8.6 million reporting arthritis as their main cause of disability, making arthritis the leading cause of physical disability. With decreased mortality rates and a large, aging baby boomer generation, there will be more adults living with chronic musculoskeletal conditions causing disabilities that limit walking. Since walking ability is directly related to an individual’s independence at home and in the community, losing this ability is a major setback for patients with arthritis. Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most prevalent form of arthritis affecting approximately 27 million adults and accounts for …

Musculoskeletal Loads During Stationary Cycling And The Effects Of Pedal Modifications For Knee Osteoarthritis, Rachel Lynn Thompson

Doctoral Dissertations

Knee OA is a deteriorating joint disease affecting 27 million people in the US and current exercise prescriptions may be improved with new knowledge of their effects on muscle forces and joint contact loads. Cycling rather than other exercise modalities is generally considered an alternative for people with knee OA. If these research objectives were achieved, clinicians would have additional tools related to joint contact loads for treating people with OA with an cycling exercise while controlling progression of OA. The long-term goal of this research is to provide a scientific basis for planning, evaluation and improvement of subject-specific rehabilitation …

High-Throughput Functional System For Encapsulated Networks Of Model Cell Membranes, Mary-Anne Kim Anh Nguyen

Doctoral Dissertations

Synthetic lipid bilayers provide models of cell membranes to study biomolecular interactions and signal transduction. The droplet interface bilayer (DIB) is a highly versatile technique for assembling planar lipid membranes between water droplets in oil. The DIB method thus provides a unique capability for developing digital, droplet-based membrane platforms for rapid membrane characterization, drug screening and ion channel recordings. In this work, a new microfluidic system is presented that automates droplet generation, sorting, and sequential trapping in designated locations to enable rapid assembly of arrays of DIBs along with in situ electrical measurements. This platform provides repeatable processes for forming …

Characterization And Manipulation Of Lipid Self-Assembly To Construct Stable, Portable Synthetic Lipid Bilayers, Guru Anand Venkatesan

Doctoral Dissertations

The overarching goal of this research work is to further our understanding of lipid self-assembly and its organization at an oil-water interface to support the development of synthetic lipid bilayer systems that can be used in biologically relevant fields such as membrane biophysics, protein electrophysiology, development of synthetic biomolecules, drugs, nanoparticles and other applications. Self-assembly kinetics and interfacial properties of lipid monolayers formed at a liquid-air and liquid-liquid interface are characterized using Langmuir-Blodgett trough and pendant drop tensiometer. Insights gained from these studies not only allow us to answer questions related to droplet interface bilayer (DIB; a promising technique to …

Modeling, Analysis, Force Sensing And Control Of Continuum Robots For Minimally Invasive Surgery, Caroline Bryson Black

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation describes design, modeling and application of continuum robotics for surgical applications, specifically parallel continuum robots (PCRs) and concentric tube manipulators (CTMs). The introduction of robotics into surgical applications has allowed for a greater degree of precision, less invasive access to more remote surgical sites, and user-intuitive interfaces with enhanced vision systems. The most recent developments have been in the space of continuum robots, whose exible structure create an inherent safety factor when in contact with fragile tissues. The design challenges that exist involve balancing size and strength of the manipulators, controlling the manipulators over long transmission pathways, and …

Phototherapy Mounting System For Inpatient Rehabilitation, Kelsey Henderson, Elizabeth Fortunato, Jacob Dixon

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Final Design Report For The Gastrointestinal Anastomosis Device And Lawrence Lee, Md, University Heart Surgeons, Sara Parker, Chloe O'Dell, M Jake Potter, Jordan Failla

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

An Economic Evaluation Of A Biofuel Supply Chain Utilizing Multiple Feedstocks, Huaqi Zhang

Masters Theses

Biomass is considered as one potential feedstock for biofuel production. However, the high cost of biomass-to-biofuel supply chain, attributed to biomass’s low bulk density and resulting harvest, storage, and transportation challenges, has been a major hindrance to the success of biomass-based biofuel industry. In addition, the issue of dry matter losses during storage for a feedstock has affected biomass quantity and quality if the feedstock is stored for several months after a single harvest in a year. One potential way to improve the economics of biomass supply chain is to reduce storage need and enhance the utilization of harvest equipment …

Next Generation In-Vivo Forward Solution Physiological Model Of The Human Lower Limb To Predict Implanted Knee Mechanics, Bradley Allen Meccia

Doctoral Dissertations

Current total knee arthroplasty (TKA) evaluation methods are both time consuming and expensive. They require fabrication of the TKA and then utilize a wear or cadaveric simulator which does not necessarily replicate in-vivo conditions. Other analysis methods involve following the long-term success of TKA in subjects for five or more years. Mathematical modeling of TKA provide an efficient method at a greatly reduced cost for evaluating TKA. Obviously, the accuracy of a mathematical model is extremely important to the validity of the results.

Mathematical modeling of the knee faces many difficulties. The number of muscles actuating the knee is much …

A Feasibility Study Of Just-In-Time Asthma Self-Management Intervention, Phillip Charles Scruggs

Masters Theses

Quality asthma care requires not only an initial diagnosis, but long term follow up care and education on long term control. Preventable symptoms continue to reduce the quality of life for chronic asthma sufferers and place an unnecessary burden on emergency services and the health care system at large. A mobile health (mHealth) solution is proposed to effectively improve outcomes for patients while ultimately reducing the overall burden of mismanagement on the healthcare system as a whole. The Just-in-Time Asthma Self- Management and Intervention (JASMIN) system provides a way for a patient or user to track, self-manage, and interact with …

Fluorochlorozirconate Glass Ceramics For Computed Radiography, Adam Wesley Evans

Masters Theses

Heat treating fluorochlorozirconate (FCZ) glasses nucleates nanocrystals in the glass matrix, resulting in a glass ceramic that has optical properties suitable for use as a medical imaging plate. As the temperature of heat treatment rises, the resulting FCZ glass-ceramic becomes increasingly more opaque as the size of the orthorhombic phase BaCl­₂[barium chloride] nanocrystals grow within the glass matrix. This opaqueness negatively affects imaging. The effect of adding Fe³⁺[iron] on the valence state of zirconium and overall glass quality was investigated.

Samples were synthesized and characterized with differential scanning calorimetry to determine the temperature of the orthorhombic …

Adaptive Kernel Estimation For Enhanced Filtering And Pattern Classification Of Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Novel Techniques For Evaluating The Biomechanics And Pathologic Conditions Of The Lumbar Spine, Nicholas Vincent Battaglia

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the contribution the lumbar spine musculature has on etiological and pathogenic characteristics of low back pain and lumbar spondylosis. This endeavor necessarily required a two-step process: 1) design of an accurate post-processing method for extracting relevant information via magnetic resonance images and 2) determine pathological trends by elucidating high-dimensional datasets through multivariate pattern classification. The lumbar musculature was initially evaluated by post-processing and segmentation of magnetic resonance (MR) images of the lumbar spine, which characteristically suffer from nonlinear corruption of the signal intensity. This so called intensity inhomogeneity degrades the efficacy of traditional intensity-based segmentation algorithms. Proposed …

In Silico Driven Metabolic Engineering Towards Enhancing Biofuel And Biochemical Production, Richard Adam Thompson

Doctoral Dissertations

The development of a secure and sustainable energy economy is likely to require the production of fuels and commodity chemicals in a renewable manner. There has been renewed interest in biological commodity chemical production recently, in particular focusing on non-edible feedstocks. The fields of metabolic engineering and synthetic biology have arisen in the past 20 years to address the challenge of chemical production from biological feedstocks. Metabolic modeling is a powerful tool for studying the metabolism of an organism and predicting the effects of metabolic engineering strategies. Various techniques have been developed for modeling cellular metabolism, with the underlying principle …

A Comparative Study On Calcification Of Aortic Valves, Shirin Masjedi

Doctoral Dissertations

Calcific Aortic Valve Disease (CAVD) is a major disorder in the developed countries among elderly. It is characterized by calcific deposition and stiffening of the aortic valve cusps. CAVD is a highly cell-mediated condition where valvular interstitial cells (VICs) become activated and differentiate into osteoblast-like cells. This is associated with upregulation of calcific markers like Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and Runx2. ECM remodeling in another characteristic of stenotic aortic valves due to VIC activation. Reports show that CAVD initiates majorly on the noncoronary side of the aortic valves. Additionally, male sex is a significant risk factor of CAVD. Aortic valves are …

Improving Droplet Interface Bilayers As Models For Cell Membranes, Graham Jeffery Taylor

Doctoral Dissertations

This work describes research aimed at improving the droplet interface bilayer (DIB) platform for creating and characterizing biologically relevant model cell membranes. Improvements are made possible in part through the development of a portable, compact platform for controlling temperature with DIBs. Feedback-controlled heating allows studies to be conducted across a range of temperatures, from ambient up to at least 80°C, and also provides new understanding of methods to form DIBs using mixtures of total lipids extracted from bacterial and eukaryotic cells. The membranes formed from total lipid extracts (TLE) are introduced along with evidence that model membranes formed using lipid …

Inter-Droplet Membranes For Mechanical Sensing Applications, Nima Tamaddoni Jahromi

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation combines self-assembly phenomena of amphiphilic molecules with soft materials to create and characterize mechanoelectrical transducers and sensors whose sensing elements are thin-film bioinspired membranes comprised of phospholipids or amphiphilic polymers. We show that the structures of these amphiphilic molecules tune the mechanical and electrical properties of these membranes. We show that these properties affect the mechanoelectrical sensing characteristic and range of operation of these membrane transducers. In the experiments, we construct and characterize a membrane-based hair cell embodiment that enables the membrane to be responsive to mechanical perturbations of the hair. The resulting oscillations of membranes formed between …

Wheelchair Fatigue Reducer, Aaron Miller, Dennis Andre Norfleet

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Lost And Found: Use Of Gps Technology To Improve Storage Of Patient Belongings In Hospital Setting, Shelby A. Sievers, Griffin M. Heise, Min G. Kang, Michael Totty

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Magnetism Of Magnetite Nanoparticles As Determined By Mössbauer Spectroscopy, Hien-Yoong Hah

Masters Theses

Fe₃O₄ [Magnetite] nanoparticles have magnetism that differs greatly from their bulk counterparts. Whereas bulk Fe₃O₄ is a ferrimagnet, single-domain Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles have been found to be superparamagnetic. This allows for increased magnetization of the nanoparticles compared to the bulk when in a magnetic field. For most paramagnets, magnetization requires applied fields of a few Tesla at low temperatures. This is achievable through the application of superconducting magnets. In superparamagnets, the high susceptibility of the particles allows magnetization through a Nd-Fe-B permanent magnet at room temperature. This is caused by an increased …