Biological Engineering Commons^™

Blast Shock-Wave Characterization In Experimental Shock Tubes, Sudeepto Kahali

Dissertations

Blast-induced traumatic brain injuries have affected U.S. soldiers deployed for extended periods in the gulf and Afghanistan wars. To identify the biomechanical and biochemical mechanisms of injury, critical in the identification of diagnostic and therapeutic tools, compressed gas-driven shock tubes are used by investigators to study shockwave-animal specimen interactions and its biological consequences. However, shock tubes are designed and operated in a variety of geometry with a range of process parameters, and the quality of shock wave characteristics relevant to field conditions and therefore the study of blast-induced traumatic brain injuries suffered by soldiers is affected by those conditions. Lab-to-lab …

Functional Complementation Of The Ppgcn4 And Ppnhx2 Genes In Arabidopsis Thaliana To Study Salt Tolerance, Amanda Moravek

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

Climate change induces unexpected weather and causes abiotic and biotic stresses in plants. These stresses negatively affect crop growth and production. Additionally, a steady increase in the world population has been leading to higher food demand. Therefore, the development of more stress-resilient crops is essential to combat these problems. One such stress is a salinity that affects crop production. Almond is a salt-sensitive crop, so there is a need to identify salt-tolerant almond rootstocks. AtGCN4 is a novel gene that was identified in Arabidopsis thaliana to play a significant role in host-pathogen interaction and drought tolerance when overexpressed. The preliminary …

Dogs In Ancient Egypt, Ella Olson

Fall Student Research Symposium 2020

The Ancient Egyptians are infamous for their love of cats, but what about dogs? It turns out that dogs were equally loved and praised in Egyptian culture. A large part of this comes from the religious significance of dogs- they are connected to the afterlife through Anubis, the god of the dead, and were thought to act as companions and guides to humans in the afterlife. Anubis is an interesting god to look at because he's one of the oldest and most respected gods. In today's terms, we refer to him as having a jackal head, but the Egyptians considered …

Framework For Water Management In The Food-Energy-Water (Few) Nexus In Mixed Land-Use Watersheds In Colombia, Camilo Torres, Margaret Gitau, Jaime Lara-Borrero, Diego Paredes-Cuervo

Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund

The food-energy-water (FEW) nexus approach has emerged as an alternative for managing these resources more efficiently. Work from studies conducted in the FEW nexus in Latin America is scarce in the scholarly literature. This study aims to develop a framework for water management at the FEW Nexus, with a focus on Colombia. The study focuses on a typical mixed land-use watershed in the Andean region with specific objectives being to: (1) characterize the watershed with respect to land use, climate, water resources, and other factors pertinent to the nexus; (2) explore the relationship between factors in the FEW nexus that …

An Impedimetric Aptasensing System For The Rapid Detection Of Salmonella Typhimurium, America Sotero

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Salmonella Typhimurium is a foodborne pathogen associated with raw and undercooked eggs, poultry, beef, fruits, and vegetables. In the United States, Salmonella is responsible for approximately 1.2 million illnesses, 23,000 hospitalizations, and 450 deaths annually. For many years, conventional detection methods such as culture-dependent and PCR-based methods have been the “golden standards” for the detection of this pathogen due to their high sensitivity and reliability. However, they still have some disadvantages such as long enrichment steps and high costs that need to be overcome. The development of a rapid and reliable method for the detection of S. Typhimurium is needed …

The Effects Of Solution Condition On Virus Filtration Performance, Fnu Namila

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Virus filtration is an integral part of the downstream purification of mammalian cell culture-derived biotherapeutics to assure the viral safety of the products. Virus filtration membranes remove viruses based on a size-exclusion mechanism. Commercial parvovirus filers possess unique membrane structure and are designed to remove smaller non-enveloped parvoviruses with size 18-26 nm. However, some filters face issues, such as pre-mature fouling, the decline of filtrate flux, and reduction in virus retention. This doctoral dissertation focused on identifying the factors that influence the filtrate flux and the virus retention capability of commercial virus filters. The effects of solution pH and ionic …

Projecting Water Available For Irrigation Use And Identifying Water Supply Stress Under Climate Change Scenarios In Selected U.S. Fruit And Vegetable Production Regions, Andrew Shaw

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Climate change affects water resources differently across geospatial regions in the United States (U.S). There is a concern of how water availability will be affected by changes in long-term temperature and precipitation patterns, specifically in major production regions for eight fruit and vegetable crops. The effects on surface water available for irrigation use and supply stress in five regions containing 31 Agricultural Statistics Districts (ASDs) were assessed. The Water Supply Stress Index Model was used and modified to project water available for irrigation use across nine climate scenarios driven by historical data, five General Circulation Models, two population scenarios, and …

A Comparison Of Methods To Measure Crop Water Use In South Carolina, Andrew C. Ewing

All Theses

The objective of this thesis was to compare cost-effective methods of measuring crop water use, known as evapotranspiration (ET), in South Carolina’s humid climate. The methods analyzed were the surface renewal method (SR), the Eddy Covariance method (EC), large in-field weighing lysimeters, a newly developed pressure differential device (PDD), a Class A Evaporation pan, and the Penman-Monteith equation. In the first chapter, ET measurements obtained by SR were compared to ET measured by EC and weighing lysimeters. For reference, EC and SR track the energy budget to estimate ET, while the weighing lysimeters used in this study are box-like containers …

Ventilation And Recirculation Airway Design For An Autonomous, Climate Controlled, Hydroponic Demonstration Unit, Nicholas Cross

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

For this Honors Thesis project, I designed and fabricated a ventilation and recirculation airway sub-system prototype for a hydroponic demonstration unit to be used as an educational demonstration for prospective students, illustrating the capabilities of biological engineers. This thesis focuses on the design of an autonomous air system that toggles between ventilation and recirculation modes based upon sensor output. In the literature review I discuss how ventilation can be used to achieve a targeted climate, the benefits of hands-on projects for education, and the optimum parameters for growing herbs in a hydroponic system.

In the design and fabrication process, every …

Recombinant Piriform Spider Silk Production, Cole R. Peterson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Spider silks are remarkable biomaterials, possessing a variety of desirable mechanical and material properties. Humans have long-sought to utilize these materials. Spiders produce a range of different types of silks for different purposes, such as web-building, egg casing, and prey swathing. Because spiders are difficult to farm, a synthetic biological approach must be used to produce silk-like proteins. This research is intended to improve the production of piriform, a specific type of spider silk. This was done with targeted-improvements to microbial metabolism and recovery methodologies. The methods developed in this research are useful for other types of silk production and …

Laboratory Scale Anaerobic Reactors For Bioenergy From Wastes: Materials, Mathematical Models, And Stoichiometry, Yehor Pererva

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Anaerobic processes are being explored for the production of bioenergy in the form of biomethane and biohydrogen in a "waste-to-value" approach that considers wastes as a resource. Laboratory scale Biomethane potential (BMP) tests and Up-Flow Anaerobic Sludge Blanket (UASB) reactors can be used to indicate the potential recovery of bioenergy from industry wastes. The goals of this research were to: (1) conduct a critical review of models for determining biomethane potential, (2) develop a theoretical relationship for stoichiometry for biomethane and biohydrogen from wastes, and (3) develop key design aspects for geometry and infrastructure, including gas-liquid-solid separation in laboratory UASB …

Development Of Molecular Sensor And Imaging Analysis Techniques For Improving Life Quality, Wei Zhang

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As life science advances, we are getting closer and closer to understanding the truth about life. Some specific cell types or molecules play a vital role in regulating routine functions of life. The imperceptible changes of these critical components can lead to serious diseases. Traditionally, histopathological techniques are widely employed to study and diagnose human diseases. However, these methods are time consuming and invasive. Herein, we introduce multiple types of biosensors that are sensitive, easy to use and most importantly non-invasive. First, I developed a smartphone based colorimetric sensor for detection of water hardness in a convenient way by introducing …

Incorporation Of Lignin In Natural And Synthetic Biomaterials To Alter Mechanical And Biochemical Properties For Enhanced Wound Healing, Jorge Alfonso Belgodere

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

It is estimated that chronic, non-healing wounds affect more than 6.5 million Americans annually, with an estimated healthcare cost beyond $14 billion. Here, we attempted to create composites of natural (collagen type I or gelatin-methacrylate) or synthetic (poly(ethylene glycol) polymers incorporating a natural plant component, lignin, to combat the costs and limitations current wound healing methods face. Three-dimensional matrices of collagen type I (Col I) are widely used in tissue engineering applications for its abundance in many tissues, bioactivity with many cell types, and excellent biocompatibility. Inspired by the structural role of lignin in plant tissue, we found that sodium …

Sonoporation-Mediated Loading Of Trehalose In Cells For Cryopreservation., Charles W. Shaffer Iv, David F. Grimm, Michael A. Menze, Jonathan A. Kopechek

Undergraduate Research Events

Trehalose, a non-reducing disaccharide, is present in many microorganisms and metazoans. In these organisms, trehalose acts as a stress protectant and helps preserve lipid membranes of cells during states of desiccation and freezing. Trehalose is required on both sides of the cell membrane to achieve a significant cryoprotective effect. Specific loading methods for trehalose are required since this sugar is impermeant to mammalian cells. Trehalose loading in mammalian cells has been achieved by fluid-phase endocytosis and genetic modification for the expression of trehalose transporters, however cryoprotective outcomes are unable to compete with established methods of cryopreservation for mammalian cells. Sonoporation …

Raman Spectra-Based Deep Learning: A Tool To Identify Microbial Contamination, Murali K. Maruthamuthu, Amir Hossein Raffiee, Denilson Mendes De Oliveira, Arezoo M. Ardekani, Mohit S. Verma

Purdue University Libraries Open Access Publishing Fund

Deep learning has the potential to enhance the output of in-line, on-line, and at-line instrumentation used for process analytical technology in the pharmaceutical industry. Here, we used Raman spectroscopy-based deep learning strategies to develop a tool for detecting microbial contamination. We built a Raman dataset for microorganisms that are common contaminants in the pharmaceutical industry for Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells, which are often used in the production of biologics. Using a convolution neural network (CNN), we classified the different samples comprising individual microbes and microbes mixed with CHO cells with an accuracy of 95%–100%. The set of 12 microbes …

Bacteria Analysis By Using A Supervised Machine Learning Algorithm Based On Droplet Microfluidics, Yulder Daniel Angarita

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sepsis is a major medical problem and massive resources have been invested in developing and evaluating alternative treatments. Statistics indicate that sepsis causes between one third and one half of all hospital deaths in the United States. Sepsis has a high impact on health care in the US, with direct sepsis costs in 2009 exceeding $15.4 billion. A research study found that a 1-hour delay in appropriate antimicrobial care resulted in a 7% - 10% rise in mortality. Several professional societies seek to reduce sepsis mortality by targeting the timely use of diagnostic tests and antimicrobial therapy. The diagnostic instruments …

A 3d Image-Guided System To Improve Myocardial Revascularization Decision-Making For Patients With Coronary Artery Disease, Haipeng Tang

Dissertations

OBJECTIVES. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common type of heart disease and kills over 360,000 people a year in the United States. Myocardial revascularization (MR) is a standard interventional treatment for patients with stable CAD. Fluoroscopy angiography is real-time anatomical imaging and routinely used to guide MR by visually estimating the percent stenosis of coronary arteries. However, a lot of patients do not benefit from the anatomical information-guided MR without functional testing. Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) is a widely used functional testing for CAD evaluation but limits to the absence of anatomical information. …

Novel Three-Dimensional Scaffold For Skeletal Muscle Tissue, Matthew H. Clegg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Cells are traditionally grown on a flat, plastic surface that has been optimized for cell attachment. While this is appropriate for growing and maintaining cells, this two-dimensional cell culture model is not an adequate representation of a three-dimensional body. Creating three-dimensional lab models is an important step to model diseases and damage to the skeletal muscle system.

To create this three-dimensional environment, a plastic frame was designed to support silkworm fibers. Skeletal muscle cells were then grown along the silkworm fibers and the growth of these cells in a three-dimensional environment was compared to cells grown on a flat, two-dimensional …

Cytomegalovirus Inhibition By Pluronic-Encapsulated Quercetin And Synergy With Ganciclovir, Ian Wadsworth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) is the leading viral cause of birth defects worldwide and leads to a variety of complications. Ganciclovir is the most common anti-CMV drug used but often causes severe side effects. Quercetin, a plant pigment, shows anti-CMV activity that may provide a less toxic alternative to ganciclovir, or when co-administered, reduce ganciclovir treatments. However, a drug carrier is needed to deliver quercetin for CMV treatment. In this study, three Pluronic polymers (P123, F127, and F68) were investigated as a quercetin drug delivery system (DDS) for CMV treatment.

All selected Pluronics successfully encapsulated quercetin at varying degrees of efficacy. …

Characterization Of Chinese Hamster Ovary Cell Performance With Pentanoic Acid And N-Acetyl Cysteine Treatment, Joseph Camire

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To improve the cost of producing protein therapeutics manufacturers can attempt to increase the amount of protein produced per unit volume. Some small fatty-acids have shown the ability to increase protein concentrations in some manufacturing systems. An example system is in the industrially important cell line derived from a Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO). A drawback of adding these fatty-acids is they can increase the rate of cell death.

A potential way to minimize the cell death rate, caused by adding fatty-acids, is to also add additional anti-oxidants. Through a series of studies, we demonstrate production with different fatty-acids, butanoic acid …