Digital Commons Network^™

Implantation Of Nanocellulose In The Zebrafish Model, Hanna J. Anderson

Honors College

The number of novel materials for use in biomedical implantation is expanding rapidly, increasing the success rates of implant procedures. Nanocellulose is being assessed as a sustainable and biocompatible material, offering an alternative to conventional polymer or metal designs with the appropriate structure for potential tissue integration. In this research, the capacity of cellulose nanofibers to serve as biomedical implants is assessed through examination of immune responses of transgenic zebrafish, utilizing bright field and confocal fluorescence microscopy. Methods for creating microincisions for the implantation of dense cellulose nanofiber shards in the zebrafish model were explored, and a surgical protocol was …

Stabilization Of Iron Oxide Nanoparticles For Homogenous Integration Into Cellulose Nano Fibrils, Banton H. Heithoff

Honors College

Cellulose nanofibrils is one of the future potential giants in the medical implant industry. Its unique properties make it the ideal material for use in both permanent prosthetic devices and non- permanent implants such as screws and plates. To increase the usability of this material, the addition of super paramagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles is needed to gain MRI and X-Ray visibility. The methodology for how to homogeneously integrate these particles into the system using the addition of coating agents is explored. This research demonstrates that the addition of coating agents to the iron oxide nanoparticles can affect both the pH …

Host Range Of Mycobacteriophage And Exploring Lysogenic Relationships Between Mycobacteriophage And Their Hosts, Emily Illingworth

Honors College

Mycobacteriophage (phage) are abundant viruses that infect bacteria of the genus Mycobacterium. Pathogenic species of Mycobacterium carry prophage that are hypothesized to contribute to virulence. The term “prophage” describes a dormant phage during lysogeny, which occurs when a phage genome integrates itself into the host genome. Understanding the interactions between bacterial host and prophage may improve our ability to treat disease caused by bacteria. Phage are highly diverse and are sorted into clusters based on genome sequence similarity. To determine which phage infect and form lysogens in mycobacterial fish pathogens, we applied viral dosages of phage representative of clusters A–X …

A Study Of Undergraduate Perception And Behavior Toward On-Campus Composting, Sierra Kuun

Honors College

Composting among college students can promote a healthy environment and encourage the appropriate disposal method for generated organic wastes. The purpose of this study was to observe composting behaviors and attitudes among students and foster an increase in knowledge of suitable composting behavior in on-campus apartments.

Waste management issues are quickly becoming a key societal concern. As a result, there has been extensive literature surrounding the benefits of, and factors leading to, pro-environmental behaviors. What specific factors lead an individual, institution, or community to begin composting? In analyzing research on related topics, we can investigate drivers that are transferable to …

Coastal Erosion In Southern Maine: An Evaluation Of Coastal Armoring Structures And Their Effectiveness, Savanah Devoe

Honors College

The purpose of this thesis is to evaluate the effectiveness of hard coastal armoring structures and their cumulative effect upon the shape and volume of sediment of the beach profile at which they are implemented. Four coastal sites in Southern Maine were selected for study: Wells Beach, Higgins Beach, Scarborough Beach, and Laudholm Beach. The years 2006 – 2014 were examined for seasonal meteorological, volumetric, and sediment characteristic changes at each location. Profiles established at these beaches are protected by a variety of hard armoring structures, such as jetties, concrete seawalls, and stone revetments. Unarmored profiles on these beaches are …

The Confinement Effects On The Fiber Pullout Response Of Ultra-High Performance Concrete (Uhpc, Arden Mcswain

Honors College

Fiber pullout tests were conducted on more than ninety 10 mm by 10 mm cylindrical concrete specimens with a single, straight steel fiber embedded 10 mm in the center of the concrete specimen. Each specimen was subjected to one of three levels (90 N, 2000 N, 4000 N) of confining force applied by a steel fixture and a servo-hydraulic Instron test frame was used to conduct fiber pullout tests. A previously published fiber pullout model was used to determine the approximate bond strength and frictional stress experienced by the fiber-concrete matrix for each of the three confinement levels. Results show …

The Design And Fabrication Of An Atomic Layer Deposition Reactor For Coating Powders, Natalie Altvater

Honors College

Atomic layer deposition (ALD) is a self-limiting synthesis technique for the growth of conformal ultrathin films on solid state materials. The high conformality of the ALD method is ideal for coating porous, high surface area materials. A fluidized bed reactor (FBR) was designed and built for functionalizing a powder using ALD. The particle bed was fluidized using an inert argon gas. Aluminum oxide (Al2O3) was deposited on a high surface area powder substrate, γ-phase aluminum oxide, via ALD using trimethylaluminum (TMA) and water (H2O) as gas phase precursors. Depositions were done under low pressure conditions. A BET analysis was done …

Catalytic Hydrogenation Of Amino Acids Using Polymer-Derived Microenvironments, Rachel Karno

Honors College

Amino acids are organic compounds that can be found all around us in the world in the building blocks of proteins and peptides. One class of compounds which can be synthesized from amino acids are amino alcohols, another critical compound in society. Amino alcohols are key components in agricultural products and pharmaceutical products. Therefore, developing an efficient and cost-effective method for performing this transformation is an important area of research. The currently used industrial process is to reduce petroleum-derived amino acids with NaBH₄. However, this process is time-consuming and costly because of the need for an intermediate stage …

Design Of A Low Impact Canoe Portage System For The Hirundo Wildlife Refuge, Anthony Kingston

Honors College

The Hirundo Wildlife Refuge has requested a canoe portage system to be built. Before the system can be built, it is necessary to research the different designs that Hirundo can pursue. In this document, three different routes that Hirundo can pursue are designed. In order to decide what route is the best route, Hirundo requested that each route fit certain design criteria, which are also shown in the document. This thesis concludes with a recommendation for Hirundo of which design to pursue.

An Investigative Study Into Student Motivation And Identity Among Upper Class Electrical And Computer Engineering Students, Thomas J. Leighton

Honors College

This study investigates upper-class electrical and computer engineering students’ motivation and how students identify with their major. In addition, it also explores how student chosen research, projects, and learning impact the levels of motivation in students and how students identify with their major. Three different surveys were used over the course of the spring semester of 2017 at the University of Maine for this study: the Pittsburgh Freshman Engineering Aptitude Survey, the Project Ownership Survey, and the 2017 Electrical and Computer Engineering Survey. Participants for this study were junior and senior electrical and computer engineers, and students enrolled in ECE …