Biomaterials Commons^™

Structure And Optical Properties Of Self-Assembled Multicomponent Plasmonic Nanogels, Tao Cong, Satvik N. Wani, Peter Anthony Paynter, Radhakrishna Sureshkumar

Biomedical and Chemical Engineering - All Scholarship

Multicomponent plasmonic nanogels (PNGs) capable of broadband absorption of light in the 400-700 nm wavelength range were synthesized by the self-assembly of metal nanoparticles with wormlike surfactant micelles. Small angle x-ray scattering and rheological experiments suggest that the nanoparticles bridge micelle fragments to aid the formation a stable gel phase with exceptional color uniformity. Their optical absorbance could be robustly tuned by changing the nanoparticle type (Au/Ag), size, shape, and/or concentration. The PNGs have relatively low viscosity and are thermoreversible. Potential applications to the manufacturing of coatings and interfaces for solar energy harvesting and reconfigurable optical devices can be envisioned.

Development Of An In-Vitro Hyperglycemic Tissue Engineered Blood Vessel Mimic, Brian C. Wong

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Characterization And Implementation Of A Decellularized Porcine Vessel As A Biologic Scaffold For A Blood Vessel Mimic, Aubrey N. Smith

Master's Theses

Every 34 seconds, someone in the United States suffers from a heart attack.  Most heart attacks are caused by atherosclerotic build up in the coronary arteries, occluding normal blood flow.  Balloon angioplasty procedures in combination with a metal stent often result in successful restoration of normal blood flow.  However, bare metal stents often lead to restenosis and other complications.  To compensate for this problem, industry has created drug-eluting stents to promote healing of the artery wall post stenting.  These stents are continually advancing toward better drug-eluting designs and methods, resulting in a need for fast and reliable pre-clinical testing modalities. …

Characterization And Implementation Of Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound As A Tool To Apply Physical Load To Scaffolds And Bone Cells For Fracture Repair, Scott Frazee

Master's Theses

One current challenge in treating bone fractures is the effective treatment of non-unions and delayed unions. Low Intensity Pulsed Ultrasound (LIPUS) has been approved by the FDA to treat fresh fractures since 1994 and non-unions since 2000 and is an attractive treatment option because it is non-invasive. The mechanism by which it works, however, is not well understood; what is known is largely confined to the resultant changes in chemical output of cells. In this thesis several concepts and techniques were brought together to investigate the following hypothesis: LIPUS produces a measurable physical load that results in measurable deformation and …

Mammary Epithelial Cell Growth On A Three-Dimensional Scaffold In An Operating Bioreactor, Melissa Marie Davalle

Master's Theses

Mammary epithelial cells are highly efficient secreting cells. With genetic engineering, the uses of these cells could be endless. Research is being conducted on these cells to determine their full potential to the biotech industry.

This paper investigates whether bovine epithelial mammary cells can survive in glutaraldehyde-treated gelatin tubes in an operating bioreactor. Many bioreactors were developed and tested to suit the needs of the cells. Procedures were created and carried out to ensure sterility of the bioreactors. Bovine mammary epithelial cells were implanted in the bioreactors and samples of their growth were taken over time.

Design And Development Of Two Test Fixtures To Test The Longitudinal And Transverse Tensile Properties Of Small Diameter Tubular Polymers, Carolyn Berry

Master's Theses

Hundreds of thousands of vascular bypass grafts are implanted in the United States every year, but there has yet to be an ideal graft material to substitute for one’s own autologous vessel. Many synthetic materials have been shown to be successful vessel replacements; however, none have been proven to exhibit the same mechanical properties as native vessels, one of the most important criteria in selecting a vascular graft material. Part of this issue is due to the fact that, currently, there is no “gold standard” for testing the longitudinal and transverse tensile properties of small diameter tubular materials. While there …

Electrochemical Investigation Of Chromium Nanocarbide Coated Ti-6al-4v And Co-Cr-Mo Alloy Substrates, Viswanathan Swaminathan, Haitong Zeng, Daniel Lawrynowicz, Zongtao Zhang, Jeremy L. Gilbert

Biomedical and Chemical Engineering - All Scholarship

This study investigated the electrochemical behavior of chromium nano-carbide cermet coating applied on Ti–6Al–4V and Co–Cr–Mo alloys for potential application as wear and corrosion resistant bearing surfaces. The cermet coating consisted of a highly heterogeneous combination of carbides embedded in a metal matrix. The main factors studied were the effect of substrate (Ti–6Al–4V vs. Co–Cr–Mo), solution conditions (physiological vs. 1 M H₂O₂ of pH 2), time of immersion (1 vs. 24 h) and post coating treatments (passivation and gamma sterilization). The coatings were produced with high velocity oxygen fuel (HVOF) thermal spray technique at atmospheric conditions to …

Using Thermally Coupled Reactive Distillation Columns In Biodiesel Production, Nghi Nguyen, Yaşar Demirel

Yaşar Demirel Publications

Production of ethyl dodecanoate (biodiesel) using lauric acid and methanol with a solid acid catalyst of sulfated zirconia is studied by using two distillation sequences. In the first sequence, the methanol recovery column follows the reactive distillation column. In the second sequence, the reactive distillation and methanol recovery columns are thermally coupled. Thermally coupled distillation sequences may consume less energy by allowing interconnecting vapor and liquid streams between the two columns to elminate reboiler or condenser or both. Here we study the thermally coupled side-stripper reactive distillation and eliminate the condenser of the reactive distillation column. Both the sequences are …

An Investigation Of Process Parameters To Optimize The Fiber Diameter Of Electrospun Vascular Scaffolds Through Experimental Design, Steffi Wong

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Rapid Cell Extraction In Aqueous Two-Phase Microdroplet Systems, Kalpana Vijayakumar, Shelly Gulati, Andrew J. De Mello, Joshua B. Edel

All Faculty Articles - School of Engineering and Computer Science

Distinguishing specific cells is an essential technique in cell research and clinical diagnostics. We report a novel method to passively isolate and extract cells in a microfluidic device. We utilise a droplet-based microfluidic system to generate an aqueous two phase system in which aqueous droplets consist of two phases in the form of a double emulsion. Specifically, we generate PEG droplets that completely encapsulate DEX droplets within a microfluidic channel. Target cells can be introduced directly into the droplets and driven to partition to the more favourable phase, whilst still being contained within the aqueous droplet. Human T lymphoma cells, …

The Gel Documentation System: A Cornerstone To The Implementation Of The Introduction To Biotechnology And Introduction To Bioinformatics Cross-Disciplinary Course Series, Marcy Kelly, Gregory Lampard, Constance Knapp

Cornerstone 3 Reports : Interdisciplinary Informatics

No abstract provided.

Synthesis Of An Endothelial Cell Mimicking Surface Containing Thrombomodulin And Endothelial Protein C Receptor, Karl E. Kador

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Synthetic materials for use in blood contacting applications have been studied for many years with limited success. One of the main areas of need for these materials is the design of synthetic vascular grafts for use in the hundreds of thousands of patients who have coronary artery bypass grafting, many without suitable veins for autologous grafts. The design of these grafts is constrained by two common modes of failure, the formation of intimal hyperplasia (IH) and thrombosis. IH formation has been previously linked to a mismatching of the mechanical properties of the graft and has been overcome by creating grafts …

Influence Of Compressible Aerogel Electrodes On The Properties Of An Electrochemical Cell, Chris Sponheimer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the biomedical field the need for intra organ pressure measurement can only be facilitated by adapting existing pressure sensing technology to the specific tissues under test. The customization of these sensors has only driven up cost and the need to explore new technologies has become increasingly more important. For this dissertation, we explore the use of a new technology, particularly electrochemical pressure sensing to provide a low-cost pressure sensor to fill this need. Preliminary testing showed that electrically conductive polymers exhibited a change in voltage when pressurized if bubbles were first electrolyzed in the gel creating an aerogel, and …

Retrofit Of Distillation Columns In Biodiesel Production Plants, Nghi Nguyen, Yaşar Demirel

Yaşar Demirel Publications

Column grand composite curves and the exergy loss profiles produced by the Column-Targeting Tool of the Aspen Plus simulator are used to assess the performance of the existing distillation columns, and reduce the costs of operation by appropriate retrofits in a biodiesel production plant. Effectiveness of the retrofits is assessed by means of thermodynamics and economic improvements. We have considered a biodiesel plant utilizing three distillation columns to purify biodiesel (fatty acid methyl ester) and byproduct glycerol as well as reduce the waste. The assessments of the base case simulation have indicated the need for modifications for the distillation columns. …

Mechanical And Thermodynamic Properties Of Bacteriorhodopsin Langmuir Film., Vijayandren Kuppusamy

Student Works (2010-2019)

Bacteriorhodopsin is a photoactive protein found in the purple membranes of the highly halophilic bacterium Halobacterium Salinarium. Due to highly efficient and simple in its function, Bacteriorhodopsin has been extensively researched and successfully incorporated into many practical applications. In this regard, the fabrication of compactly packed and functionally active Bacteriorhodopsin thin film is crucial in realizing a highly efficient device. The aim of this thesis is to analyze the mechanical and thermodynamic properties of the Bacteriorhodopsin-Langmuir monolayer film from the surface pressure-area per molecule isotherm to produce a compactly pact and functionally active monolayer film. For this, we have proposed …

Destruction Of Α -Synuclein Based Amyloid Fibrils By A Low Temperature Plasma Jet, Erdinc Karakas, Agatha Munyanyi, Lesley Greene, Mounir Laroussi

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Amyloid fibrils are ordered beta-sheet aggregates that are associated with a number of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer and Parkinson. At present, there is no cure for these progressive and debilitating diseases. Here we report initial studies that indicate that low temperature atmospheric pressure plasma can break amyloid fibrils into smaller units in vitro. The plasma was generated by the plasma pencil, a device capable of emitting a long, low temperature plasma plume/jet. This avenue of research may facilitate the development of a plasma-based medical treatment.