Engineering Commons^™

Renal Specific Rnai Delivery By Fibrillar Nanoparticle Excipients, Sam Wong

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

RNA interference (RNAi) is a powerful tool to manipulate the phenotype of an organism by silencing the expression of specific genes and is viewed as a highly promising platform for treating undruggable targets and disorders where small molecule drugs and antibodies would fail. However, development of RNAi based therapies has faced major barriers including cellular and tissue-specific uptake of the Small Interfering RNA (siRNA). Utilizing different nanoparticles as RNAi excipients, cellular uptake and gene silencing potency can be greatly improved. The research in Dr. McDevitt groups has fibrillar carbon nanotubes (CNT) as carriers for siRNA for gene silencing in vitro …

Electrochemical Properties Of Crystalline Polymorphs Of Mno2 In Aluminum And Zinc Metal Batteries, Subhadip Pal

Dissertations and Theses

The widespread use of non-renewable fossil fuels has led to societal problems like global warming and climate change. Electrochemical energy storage can enable the integration of renewable energy sources that are inherently intermittent (solar, wind, etc.) into the electric grid, though major advances in cost, cycle life, and safety are necessary to have a global impact on the energy landscape. Both aluminium (Al) and zinc (Zn) metals are earth abundant, low-cost, safe, and exhibit high coulombic capacities, which make them promising electrode materials for “beyond lithium-ion” battery chemistries. However, the electrochemical feasibility and charge storage mechanisms of alternative Al and …

Gas Hold-Up Measurements In 0.3 M Diameter Bubble Column: Effect Of Electrolytes, Heber Blanco De Brand

Dissertations and Theses

The present work reports the axial, radial and temporal gas hold-up profiles in a 0.3 m diameter batch bubble column using a pair of Wire Mesh Sensors and six pressure transducers.

Void Fraction Measurements In Large (0.3 M) Diameter Bubble Column Using Wire Mesh Sensor And Pressure Transducers- Effect Of Sparger, Afolabi Gabriel Ojo

Dissertations and Theses

The importance of the accurate temporal and spatial measurements of the two-phase flow parameters in bubble columns is very well known. The aim of this research work is to report the spatial measurements of the void fraction distribution in a 30 cm diameter cylindrical bubble column using Wire Mesh Sensor (WMS) tomography and Pressure Transducers. Pair of WMS sensors, with a 64×64 wire configuration of each sensor, were installed which are separated by a distance along the axis of the bubble column. Wire Mesh Sensors and PTs Data were collected for time-averaged and transient with a sampling frequency of 1000 …

Investigation Of The Synthesis And Optoelectronic Properties Of Ultrasmall Cdse Quantum Dots, Megan Webster

Dissertations and Theses

Traditional, or 1^st generation, solar cells have a theoretical upper limit of 33% power conversion efficiency based on the thermodynamic limitation of the single p-n junction cell design. This limitation is known as the Shockley-Queisser limit and methods to design solar cells to circumvent it have been creative, with a significant part of the field focused on quantum dot (QD) based systems. With theoretical efficiencies ranging between 44 and 67% for one sun concentration, QD solar cell designs are clearly superior to the limits of 1^st generation solar cells. However, maximum achieved efficiencies for QD-based designs are far …

Modification Of Lipid Microenvironments On Solid Support Structures For Use In Transmembrane Protein Assays, William J. Houlihan

Dissertations and Theses

Gamma-Secretase (γ-secretase) is a transmembrane protease of increasing interest, which has been shown to have significant connections to both cancer and Alzheimer’s disease. γ-secretase cleaves both Notch-1, a transmembrane signaling protein, and Amyloid precursor protein (APP), a transmembrane protein whose cleavage may result in the formation of β-amyloid plaques in the brain. Notch-1 and APP are widely studied proteins that have substantial impacts on the development and proliferation of cancer and Alzheimer’s disease, respectively. Notch-1 partakes in the signaling of apoptosis in damaged and mutated cells, thus its cleavage by γ-secretase within the plasma membrane has ramifications on cell growth …

Air Ingress And Heat-Driven Flow Relaminarization In A Very High Temperature Reactor (Vhtr), Apoorva Rudra

Dissertations and Theses

Very High Temperature Reactors (VHTRs) are one of six Generation IV reactors that have been proposed for DOE’s Next Generation Nuclear Plant. In addition to using gaseous coolants, VHTRs also display benefits of passive safety systems including intra-core natural circulation for heat removal in accident scenarios. However, a number of substantial engineering challenges are expected in VHTRs, and due to the high temperatures of the coolant involved, material behavior in various components needs to be better understood. Our work focuses mainly on two key phenomena that could lead to localized hot spots in the VHTR reactor core if not addressed …

Literature Survey Of Wet-Waste And Hydrothermal Carbonization System: A Comparative Evaluation, Ramat Olaide Yusuf

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis describes the process of Hydrothermal carbonization and a comparative assessment on recent work done on the process using different feedstocks such as Raw Apple (RA), Apple chip pomace (ACP), apple juice pomace (AJP), grape pomace (GP), macadamia nut-shell (MNS), Sewage Sludge (SS), Poultry Litter (PL) and Grape Marc (GM). The data obtained from the literature survey was compared with the data obtained by the CCL team on the SWPS gasifier (HTC of poultry litter) to obtain how carbon conversion efficiency, syngas composition, thermal efficiency, char production rate, gas production rate and energy utilization vary with carbonization process conditions, …

Microfluidic Study Of Gravity-Driven Drainage And Coalescence Of Aqueous Two Dimensional Foams, Justin D. Heftel

Dissertations and Theses

Foams, a two-phase dispersion, are staples of the cosmetic, personal care, petroleum, pharmaceutical, and other industries. Central to these applications is the stability of the dispersion against separation. Foams break down by two mechanisms: the first is bubble coalescence, which is driven by the gravity drainage of the continuous phase. The drainage acts to push the bubbles against each other, and leads to the formation of thin lamellae, which break and cause the coalescence. The second is the mass transfer of the dispersed phase through the continuous phase, which is caused by the difference in pressures between the bubbles and …

Void Fraction Measurements In A Large (0.3 M) Diameter Bubble Column Using Wire Mesh Sensors And Pressure Transducers: Effect Of Spargers, Afolabi G. Ojo

Dissertations and Theses

The importance of the accurate temporal and spatial measurements of the two-phase flow parameters in bubble columns is very well known. The aim of this research work is to report the spatial measurements of the void fraction distribution in a 30 cm diameter cylindrical bubble column using Wire Mesh Sensor (WMS) tomography and Pressure Transducers. Pair of WMS sensors, with a 64×64 wire configuration of each sensor, were installed which are separated by a distance along the axis of the bubble column. Wire Mesh Sensors and PTs Data were collected for time-averaged and transient with a sampling frequency of 1000 …

Intensification Of Gas Absorption In A Downward Flow Microbubble Bioreactor, Manizheh Ansari

Dissertations and Theses

Bioreactors are of interest for value-upgrading of stranded or waste industrial gases, such as CO, CH₄, or syngas. Process economics requires reduction of reactor cost and size while maintaining high production rate via rapid delivery of gas feedstock to the liquid phase which in turn requires a high volumetric mass transfer rate (). One strategy to achieve this goal is to increase interfacial area density, a, to >3000 m² m^-3, while minimizing use of energy. Here we show a novel reactor column design that uses a micro-jet array to break feedstock at ambient pressure …

Elucidation Of The Catalytic Partial Oxidation Of Methane Utilizing The One-Of-A-Kind Catalytic Shock Tube Technique, Robyn E. Smith

Dissertations and Theses

The mechanism for the catalytic partial oxidation of methane has been debated in scientific literature for over 20 years. This is a seemingly simple reaction producing CO, CO₂, H₂ and H₂O through either partial oxidation followed by complete oxidation or complete oxidation followed by reforming steps. What is happening when the reaction is allowed to occur in an environment absent of transport limitations, absent of temperature gradients and temperature changes, absent of boundary layers must be understood and, until now, has yet to be achieved in one experimental technique.

A novel method using a one …