Biological Engineering Commons^™

Catalytic Fast Pyrolysis Of Whole Field Pennycress Biomass, Yonas Afewerki Kidane

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

To satisfy the energy demand of the ever-increasing world population as well as to prevent environmental pollution arising from the use of fossil fuels, an alternate source of energy has to be developed. Biomass has the potential to provide a renewable energy source that is inexpensive and environmentally friendly. Field pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.), previously considered as a weed, has now been found to be an ideal source of bio-fuel production. The focus of this research was to produce upgraded bio-oil by a process known as catalytic fast pyrolysis. A characterization and a temperature degradation profile study helped to …

Anaerobic Co-Digestion Of Algal Biomass And A Supplemental Carbon Source Material To Produce Methane, Yousef Soboh

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The demand on alternative energy is rapidly increasing because the reserves of conventional fuel are decreasing and their impacts on the environment are increasing.
Developing renewable energy sources should receive utmost attention. The production of biofuels like methanol, biodiesel, and methane from various kinds of abundant biomass represents a very attractive energy source that can reduce the dependence on conventional fossil fuels energy.

Since algae contains high amounts of nitrogen and low carbon content, this research focused on anaerobic fermentation of algae to produce methane by blending algae with a supplemental carbon source material, sodium acetate. This was done to …

Department Of Biological Systems Engineering Newsletter, Spring 2015

BSE Department Magazine

No abstract provided.

Transitioning The Benefits Of Algal Growth To The Byproducts Of Oil And Natural Gas Production, Alan Hodges, Tyler Gladwin, Cody Maxfield, Jonathan Wood

Research on Capitol Hill

No abstract provided.

Terahertz Imaging Platform To Characterize The Growth Of In-Vitro Breast Tumors, Scarlett-Marie Acklin

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

This study aimed at evaluating the ideal plating method and density for imaging with the terahertz (THz) spectrometer. In this study, different methods were used to grow in-vitro tumors using the 4T1 cell line. Here, attempts to grow breast tumors in-vitro were conducted. Results were produced in two environments, flat-bottomed plates and round-bottomed multiwell plates. The second method allowed for faster clumping and increased cell aggregation, producing tumors up to 7mm. Terahertz spectroscopy produced images that correlated well to photomicrographs taken of the in-vitro tumors. This methodology shows great promise for providing a reliable, parameter-controlled source of in-vitro breast tumors …

Biomimetic Oral Mucin From Polymer Micelle Networks, Sundar Prasanth Authimoolam

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Mucin networks are formed by the complexation of bottlebrush-like mucin glycoprotein with other small molecule glycoproteins. These glycoproteins create nanoscale strands that then arrange into a nanoporous mesh. These networks play an important role in ensuring surface hydration, lubricity and barrier protection. In order to understand the functional behavior in mucin networks, it is important to decouple their chemical and physical effects responsible for generating the fundamental property-function relationship. To achieve this goal, we propose to develop a synthetic biomimetic mucin using a layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition approach. In this work, a hierarchical 3-dimensional structures resembling natural mucin networks was generated …

Investigation Of Phanerochaete Chrysosporium And Clostridium Thermocellum For Improved Saccharification Of Lignocellulose Under Nonsterile Conditions, William E. Simon

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Current research efforts are directed at developing competitive processes that can utilize lignocellulose as a feedstock for biorefineries. The purpose of this study was to investigate methods of processing lignocellulosic material so that its monosacharides can be more easily accessed for fermentation, the lack of which is hindering the economics and widescale adoption of lignocellulosic biorefining. The monosaccharides are of interest because they can be used by Clostridium beijerinckii downstream of P. chrysosporium and C. thermocellum in a sequential bioprocess to produce butanol. Butanol is an attractive biofuel because it can be utilized without modifying current transportation infrastructure. Butanol is …

Up Regulation Of Heat Shock Protein 70b (Hsp70b) And Ssa1 In Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii Via Hsp70a-Rbcs2 And Psad Promoter, B. Kirtley Amos

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Fabrication of effective algae cultivation systems adjacent to coal-fired power plants to fixate waste CO₂ would represent a sizable step towards achieving a carbon neutral energy cycle. However, emission gas would elevate the algal cultivation system temperature and decreases its pH without expensive preprocessing. Increased temperature and acidity constitutes a profound stress on the algae. Although stressed algae produce heat shock proteins (HSPs) that promote protein folding and protect against stress, the ordinary biological response is insufficient to protect against coal flue gas. Experimental upregulation of HSPs could make algae respond to the stress caused by high temperatures and …

Ex Vivo Dna Cloning, Adam B. Fisher

Theses and Dissertations

Genetic engineering of microbes has developed rapidly along with our ability to synthesize DNA de novo. Yet, even with decreasing DNA synthesis costs there remains a need for inexpensive, rapid and reliable methods for assembling synthetic DNA into larger constructs or combinatorial libraries. While technological advances have resulted in powerful techniques for in vitro and in vivo assembly of DNA, each suffers inherent disadvantages. Here, an ex vivo DNA cloning suite using crude cellular lysates derived from E. coli is demonstrated to amplify and assemble DNA containing small sequence homologies. Further, the advantages of an ex vivo approach are …

Automating The Process Of Fabricating Uniform-Sized Cell Spheroids For Three-Dimensional Bioprinting, Ganesh Sosale

Theses and Dissertations

Although researchers have been able to print small, simple, and avascular tissues, they have been unsuccessful in creating large, complex and vascularized organs. Printing large and complex three-dimensional tissues or organs involves utilizing a large quantity of cellular spheroids and layer-by-layer addition of spheroids. In this study, an in-house cell spheroid fabrication system was developed to produce cell spheroids with human liver cells (hepG2), human endothelial cells (hEC), human neural stem cells (hNSC), and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC). It offers the ability of fabricating uniform-sized spheroids repeatedly, which is essential when large and complex structures need to be produced. …

Polysaccharide-Based Shear Thinning Hydrogels For Three-Dimensional Cell Culture, Vasudha Surampudi

Theses and Dissertations

The recreation of the complicated tissue microenvironment is essential to reduce the gap between in vitro and in vivo research. Polysaccharide-based hydrogels form excellent scaffolds to allow for three-dimensional cell culture owing to the favorable properties such as capability to absorb large amount of water when immersed in biological fluids, ability to form “smart hydrogels” by being shear-thinning and thixotropic, and eliciting minimum immunological response from the host. In this study, the biodegradable shear-thinning polysaccharide, gellan-gum based hydrogel was investigated for the conditions and concentrations in which it can be applied for the adhesion, propagation and assembly of different mammalian …

Systematic Study Of The Biological Effects Of Nitric Oxide (No) Using Innovative No Measurement And Delivery Systems, Weilue He

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Nitric oxide (NO) is recognized as the most important small signaling molecule in the human body. An imbalance of NO is closely associated with many serious diseases such as neurological disorders, cardiovascular diseases, chronic inflammations and cancers. Herein two chemiluminescence-based devices (a real-time NO measurement device and a controllable NO delivery device) were developed to facilitate the NO quantitative study and obtain information for NO related drug design.

The first device used for real-time measuring NO(g) flux from living cells was developed and validated. The principle was to use a two-chamber design, with a cell culture chamber and a gaseous …

Characterization Of Closed Head Impact Injury In Rat, Yi Hua, Praveen Akula, Matthew Kelso, Linxia Gu

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

The closed head impact (CHI) rat models are commonly used for studying the traumatic brain injury. The impact parameters vary considerably among different laboratories, making the comparison of research findings difficult. In this work, numerical CHI experiments were conducted to investigate the sensitivities of intracranial responses to various impact parameters (e.g., impact depth, velocity, and position; impactor diameter, material, and shape). A three-dimensional finite element rat head model with anatomical details was subjected to impact loadings. Results revealed that impact depth and impactor shape were the two leading factors affecting intracranial responses.The influence of impactor diameter was region-specific and an …

Targeted Drug Delivery System For Kidney And/Or Liver Failure Patients Using Human Serum Albumin, Sean Bedingfield

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Compromised liver and/or kidney function reduces the acceptable dosage of a variety of medications that can be administered to patients. These patients still have a need for drugs such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), antivirals, and antibiotics. The project goal is to provide a drug delivery system to accommodate these reduced dosage limits with added therapeutic benefits to address symptoms of liver or kidney failure. Localized drug delivery allows for a smaller, concentrated dose rather than inundating the patient's system with the drug of interest. Human serum albumin (HSA) is a researched candidate for drug delivery with therapeutic properties. HSA …

Vascular Reactivity In Newly-Formed And Mature Arterialized Collateral Capillaries, Sara K. Hellstrom

Master's Theses

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) is a globally-prevalent cardiovascular disease in which atherosclerotic plaques narrow arterial lumen diameters and restrict blood flow to downstream tissues. The impact of these occlusions can be mitigated by collateral vessels that connect parallel arterial branches and act as natural bypasses to maintain perfusion. In animal models that lack collateral arterioles, capillaries that connect terminal arteriolar segments can arterialize and form functional collaterals following an ischemic event; however, in the early stages of development, vasodilation is impaired. We explored the mechanism of impaired vasodilation in arterialized collateral capillaries (ACCs) and pre-existing collaterals (PECs) by evaluating …

Department Of Biological Systems Engineering Newsletter, Fall 2014

BSE Department Magazine

No abstract provided.

Design And Fabrication Of A Novel Electrospinning System For Musculoskeletal Tissue Regeneration, Carter L. Chain, Maggie R. Del Ponte, Meng Deng, Feng Yue, Shihuan Kuang

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Disease and injury to human tissue, especially musculoskeletal tissue, is a prevalent concern to the public, affecting millions of people each year. Current treatment options involving autografts and allografts are hindered by limited availability and risk of immunogenicity, respectively. In order to overcome these limitations, a transdisiplinary regenerative engineering strategy has emerged with a focus on the development of biomimetic scaffolds that closely mimic the properties of the native tissues. For example, the structure of muscle tissue is characterized by oriented muscle fibers. However, fabrication of aligned nanofiber structures that mimic the anisotropic organization of muscle presents significant engineering challenges. …

Wirelessly Powered And Transmitting Current Sensing Device, Christopher Quinkert, Steven Lee, Pedro Irazoqui

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

As the rate of incidence of diabetes increases in the modern world, more accurate and reliable methods of glucose detection must be developed for patients with diabetes. Currently, 25.8 million people have diabetes in the United States alone and account for $174 billion in healthcare costs annually [1]. Devices that can be used without the need for as much patient interaction, regular replacement, or great patient expenses would be a large step forward in the ability of doctors and patients to effectively manage diabetes. To measure glucose concentrations in vivo, a biosensor is used to transduce glucose to an electrical …

Self-Assembly Of Gold Nanosphere Dimers By Inertial Force, George Andrew Christopher Sakhel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The morphology and composition of a nanoparticle (NP) play a critical role in determining the NP's properties and function. To date, researchers have created a myriad of NPs of different shapes, sizes, and compositions with interesting attributes and applications ushering a revolution in medicine, electronics, microscopy, and microfluidics.

In this study, gold (Au) nanosphere dimers (NSDs) have been synthesized through a novel self-assembly method. These particles were created from Au NPs mono-dispersed in aqueous solution via a process of centrifugation and capping agent replacement. Au NSDs consist of two Au NPs combined together with minimal gaps between them. Optical spectral …

Clear Circuit Contact Lens, Paul Hecker Ii, Phillip Azar, Alexander Do, Benny Ng, Errol Leon

Electrical Engineering

The clear active contact lens project aims to address safety and hazard awareness with an unexplored field of eye wear technology. With advancements in nanotechnology and the advent of circuits on contact lens, this project is one of the first research and development into this new field, following University of Washington and Google. The team focuses on the safety and biocompatibility of the contact lens for a comfortable ease of use. The designs push the limits of thin film printed technology with its pursuit of fine designs of 250μm antennas. The project streamlines the manufacturing process for a combination substrate …