Biochemical and Biomolecular Engineering Commons^™

Systems And Devices For Isothermal Biochemical Reactions And / Or Analysis, Robert W. Doebler Ii, Christopher Cooney, Anna Hickerson, James D. Sterling, Ali Nadim

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

An isothermal reaction and analysis system may include a receiver to receive sample holders, a thermal control sub system to control a temperature of the receiver, an excitation Subsystem, a detection Subsystem and an analysis Subsystem. Excitation Sources and/or detectors are positioned to enhance data collection. Sample holders may include filters, selectively blocking and passing wavelengths or bands of electromagnetic radiation.

Airlift Column Photobioreactors For Porphyridium Sp. Culturing: Part I. Effects Of Hydrodynamics And Reactor Geometry, Hu Ping Luo, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Photosynthetic Microorganisms Have Been Attracting World Attention for their Great Potential as Renewable Energy Sources in Recent Years. Cost Effective Production in Large Scale, However, remains a Major Challenge to overcome. It is Known to the Field that Turbulence Could Help Improving the Performance of Photobioreactors Due to the So-Called Flashing Light Effects. Better Understanding of the Multiphase Fluid Dynamics and the Irradiance Distribution Inside the Reactor that Cause the Flashing Light Effects, as Well as Quantifying their Impacts on the Reactor Performance, Thus, Are Crucial for Successful Design and Scale-Up of Photobioreactors. in This Study, a Species of Red …

Investigation Of Bacillus Subtilis As A Biopesticide Against Botrytis Cinerea, Kenneth K. Ng

Master's Theses

The objective of this thesis was to investigate BiOWiSH^TM-Aqua, a commercial dry solid formulation containing a consortium of bacteria and yeast, as a biopesticide for treatment of Botrytis cinerea, a gray mold that affects strawberries. BiOWiSH^TM-Aqua was compared with another commercial product specifically used as a fungicide and bacteriocide, Serenade® Garden Disease Control Spray (concentrated Bacillus subtilis strain QST 713). Both laboratory tests as well as in vivo lab tests were conducted. BiOWiSH^TM-Aqua results varied widely from plate to plate, regardless of experimental conditions. In some of these plates, inhibition zones were observed …

Impact Of Internals On The Heat-Transfer Coefficient In A Bubble Column, Rahman S. Abdulmohsin, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Effect of Heat Exchanging Internals on the Heat-Transfer Coefficient Has Been Investigated in a 0.19 M Diameter Bubble Column. an Air-Water System Was Used with Superficial Gas Velocities Varying from 3 to 20 Cm/s, Which Cover Both the Bubbly and Churn-Turbulent Flow Regimes. Internals Occluding 0% (Empty Column), 5% (Simulating Methanol Synthesis), and 22% (Simulating Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis) of the Column Cross-Sectional Area Were Implemented. a Fast Response Heat-Transfer Probe Was Utilized to Measure the Radial Profile of the Heat-Transfer Coefficient in the Fully Developed Flow Region. the Results Indicate that the Presence of a High Percentage of Internals Causes …

Influence Of Solid-Phase Wall Boundary Condition On Cfd Simulation Of Spouted Beds, Xingying Lan, Chunming Xu, Jinsen Gao, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The Influence of Solid-Phase Wall Boundary Condition in Terms of Specularity Coefficient and Particle-Wall Restitution Coefficient on the Flow Behavior of Spouted Beds Was Investigated using Two-Fluid Model Approach in the Computational Fluid Dynamics Software FLUENT 6.3. Parametric Studies of Specularity Coefficient and Particle-Wall Restitution Coefficient Were Performed to Evaluate their Effects on the Flow Hydrodynamics in Terms of Fountain Height, Spout Diameter, Pressure Drop, Local Voidage and Particles Velocity. the Numerical Predictions Were Compared with Available Experimental Data in the Literatures to Obtain the Suitable Values of Specularity Coefficient and Particle-Wall Restitution Coefficient for Spouted Beds. the Simulated Results …

Heat Transfer Coefficients In Mimicked Fischer-Tropsch Slurry Bubble Columns, Chengtian Wu, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

To Provide More Support for Fischer-Tropsch (FT) Slurry Bubble Column Reactor Design, Scale-Up, and Performance, the Effects of Operating Conditions on the Heat Transfer Coefficients Were Investigated in a Mimicked FT Cold Flow System (Compressed Air:C 9-C 11:FT Catalyst Carrier). the Studied Operating Conditions Varied in Superficial Gas Velocity (Up to 0.3 M/s), Pressure (Up to 10 Bar), and Solids Concentration (Up to 25 Vol %). the Effects of These Variables on Heat Transfer Coefficients Are Discussed and Analyzed. the Increase in Pressure Tended to Reduce the Heat Transfer Coefficient, While the Increase in Solids Loading Enhanced the Heat Transfer …

Airlift Column Photobioreactors For Porphyridium Sp. Culturing: Part Ii. Verification Of Dynamic Growth Rate Model For Reactor Performance Evaluation, Hu Ping Luo, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Dynamic Growth Rate Model Has Been Developed to Quantify the Impact of Hydrodynamics on the Growth of Photosynthetic Microorganisms and to Predict the Photobioreactor Performance. Rigorous Verification of Such Reactor Models, However, is Rare in the Literature. in This Part of Work, Verification of a Dynamic Growth Rate Model Developed in Luo and Al-Dahhan (2004) [Biotech Bioeng 85(4): 382-393.] Was Attempted using the Experimental Results Reported in Part I of This Work and Results from Literature. the Irradiance Distribution Inside the Studied Reactor Was Also Measured at Different Optical Densities and Successfully Correlated by the Lambert-Beer Law. When Reliable Hydrodynamic …

Biodegradable Hydrogels And Nanocomposite Polymers: Synthesis And Characterization For Biomedical Applications, Ashley Marie Hawkins

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Hydrogels are popular materials for biological applications since they exhibit properties like that of natural soft tissue and have tunable properties. Biodegradable hydrogels provide an added advantage in that they degrade in an aqueous environment thereby avoiding the need for removal after the useful lifetime. In this work, we investigated poly(β-amino ester) (PBAE) biodegradable hydrogel systems. To begin, the factors affecting the macromer synthesis procedure were studied to optimize the reproducibility of the resulting hydrogels made and create new methods of tuning the properties. Hydrogel behavior was then tuned by altering the hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance of the chemicals used in the …

Optofluidic Glucose Sensor Utilizing An Epoxy-Based, Transparent Dry Film Resist, Zhan Gao, Sijia Gong, Chang Soo Kim, David B. Henthorn

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An enzymatic, fluorescent glucose sensor was constructed with a novel epoxy-Based, optically transparent dry film resist (PerMX 3000 series, DuPont). This material was utilized as the main active material for fluidic structure and optical interrogation. This sensor was based on the enzymatic reaction of glucose oxidase (GOD) and utilized a ruthenium complex fluorophore as the reporting agent. Both the oxygen-sensitive ruthenium complex and GOD were incorporated into poly (ethylene glycol) (PEG)-Based hydrogel materials, which were lithographically patterned and embedded inside the PerMX fluidic channel after wafer-bonding process. the optofluidic sensing platform with this embedded sensing elements exhibited a wide dynamic …

Comparison Of Microwave And Conventionally Sintered Yttria-Doped Zirconia Ceramics, Colin J. Reidy, Thomas J. Fleming, Stuart Hampshire, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper reports on improvement of the physical and mechanical properties of Y₂O₃-ZrO₂ ceramics through compositional optimization, the use of nanograined powders and utilization of microwave sintering. ZrO₂ with 2-5 mol% Y₂O₃, prepared from nanopowders, was sintered in both conventional and microwave furnaces under exactly the same heating schedule. It was found that microwave sintering improves physical and mechanical properties of Y₂O₃-ZrO₂ ceramics compared with conventional sintering. Compositions containing 2 mol% Y₂O₃ exhibit the greatest improvement due to retention of tetragonal ZrO …

Polymorphic Structures Of Alzheimer's Beta-Amyloid Globulomers, Jie Zheng

Chemical, Biomolecular, and Corrosion Engineering Faculty Research

Misfolding and self-assembly of Amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides into amyloid fibrils is pathologically linked to the development of Alzheimer's disease. Polymorphic Aβ structures derived from monomers to intermediate oligomers, protofilaments, and mature fibrils have been often observed in solution. Some aggregates are on-pathway species to amyloid fibrils, while the others are off-pathway species that do not evolve into amyloid fibrils. Both on-pathway and off-pathway species could be biologically relevant species. But, the lack of atomic-level structural information for these Aβ species leads to the difficulty in the understanding of their biological roles in amyloid toxicity and amyloid formation.

Γ-Ct Measurement And Cfd Simulation Of Cross Section Gas Holdup Distribution In A Gas-Liquid Stirred Standard Rushton Tank, Yue Jin Liu, Wei Li, Lu Chang Han, Yang Cao, He An Luo, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan, M. P. Dudukovic

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Cross Section Gas Holdup Distributions at 3/4 Dimensionless Static Liquid Height in a Gas-Liquid Stirred Standard Rushton Tank Were Measured using 137Cs Γ-CT Scan Measuring Technology at Larger Gas Flow Rates and Higher Impeller Rotating Speeds. the Obtained CT Scan Images and Digital Distribution Curves of Gas Holdup with Dimensionless Radius based on the CT Images Could Explain the Fluctuation Changes of Gas Holdup Distribution. the Dense Area of Gas Holdup Distribution Appeared in the Upper Space of Impeller Blades. Gas Holdup Increased Both with Gas Flow Rate and Impeller Rotating Speed, But Gas Flow Rate Had More Influence on …

Optimizing The Use Of Ultrasound To Deliver Chemotherapeutic Agents To Cancer Cells From Polymeric Micelles, Ghaleb A. Husseini, Nabil M. Abdel-Jabbar, Farouq S. Mjalli, William G. Pitt, Ala'a Al-Mousa

Faculty Publications

In this study, we present an artificial neural network (ANN) model that attempts to predict the dynamic release of doxorubicin (Dox) from P105 micelles under different ultrasonic power densities at 20 kHz. The goal is to utilize the developed ANN model in optimizing the ultrasound application to achieve a target drug release at the tumor site by controlling power density and ultrasound duration via an ANN-based model predictive control. The parameters of the controller are then tuned to achieve good reference signal tracking.

Glucose Biosensor Using Electrospun Mn2o3-Ag Nanofibers, Shan Huang

Master's Theses

The highly porous Mn₂O₃-Ag nanofibers were fabricated by a facile two-step procedure (electrospinning and calcination) and then employed as the immobilization matrix for glucose oxidase (GOD) to construct an amperometric glucose biosensor. A notable enhancement of direct electron transfer between GOD and the electrode is observed at the Mn₂O₃-Ag-GOD modified electrode with a fast electron transfer rate constant. The biosensor also shows fast response to glucose, high sensitivity (40.60 μA×mM^-1×cm^-2), low detection limit (1.73 µM at S/N=3), low K_m,app value and excellent selectivity. These results indicate that …

Sol-Gel Derived Silver-Incorporated Titania Thin Films On Glass: Bactericidal And Photocatalytic Activity, Betul Akkopru Akgun, Anthony W. Wren, Caner Durucan, Mark R. Towler, Nathan P. Mellott

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Titanium dioxide (TiO₂) and silver-containing TiO₂ (Ag-TiO₂) thin films were prepared on silica pre-coated float glass substrates by a sol-gel spin coating method. The bactericidal activity of the films was determined against Staphylococcus epidermidis under natural and ultraviolet (UV) illumination by four complementary methods; (1) the disk diffusion assay, (2) UV-induced bactericidal test, (3) qualitative Ag ion release in bacteria inoculated agar media and (4) surface topographical examination by laserscan profilometry. Photocatalytic activity of the films was measured through the degradation of stearic acid under UV, solar and visible light conditions. The chemical state and …

Clinical Risk Factors For Osteoporosis In Ireland And The Uk: A Comparison Of Frax And Qfracturescores, N. M. Cummins, E. K. Poku, Mark R. Towler, O. M. O'Driscoll, S. H. Ralston

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Recently two algorithms have become available to estimate the 10-year probability of fracture in patients suspected to have osteoporosis on the basis of clinical risk factors: the FRAX algorithm and QFractureScores algorithm (QFracture). The aim of this study was to compare the performance of these algorithms in a study of fracture patients and controls recruited from six centers in the United Kingdom and Ireland. A total of 246 postmenopausal women aged 50-85 years who had recently suffered a low-trauma fracture were enrolled and their characteristics were compared with 338 female controls who had never suffered a fracture. Femoral bone mineral …

Detection Of Specific Biological Antigens Using Ac Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, Darrel Angelo Mazzari

Dissertations (1934 -)

When certain antigens are present in our environment, a rapid, on-site, accurate, selective, and repeatable detection method can be invaluable in preventing illness or saving lives. Rapid detection of these antigens is important to avert spreading infections.

Currently, capturing a sample and sending it to a laboratory can take weeks to get results, which can be much too long. Conventional sensing methodologies include various electrical measurements as capacitive, potentiometric, piezoelectric, surface plasmon resonance (SPR), and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM). Of particular power and interest is Alternating Current (AC) Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) which provides for the characterization of the electrical …

The Effect Of Adding Organic Polymers To Ca-Sr-Zn-Si Glass Polyalkenoate Cement, A. Coughlan, N. M. Cummins, A. W. Wren, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

To conclude, the addition of polymers to GPCs resulted in little change to the Tw and Ts, however the compressive strength was found to decrease slightly. ASAP tests revealed that the cements may undergo some structural changes as a result of these additions. In the future perhaps the addition of organic polymers suspended in the liquid phase as part of the cement may yield improved results in this type of study. © 2011 IEEE.

Aluminium-Free Glass Polyalkenoate Spinal Cements, A. W. Wren, N. M. Cummins, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Addition of Yitanium increased the Wt & St and the sf strength of these cements compared to the control (BT 101). © 2011 IEEE.

Temperature Control Device With A Flexible Temperature Control Surface, Phil D. Belgrader, Christopher G. Cooney, Robert D. Doebler, Anna D. Hickerson, Bruce D. Irvine, Ali D. Nadim, James D. Sterling, Reza Miraghale

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

A device for controlling temperature in a reaction chamber is disclosed. The device comprises: a bladder assembly comprising a housing dimensioned to hold a reaction chamber disposed within an interior Volume of the housing; and a first temperature-control bladder disposed within the housing, the first temperature-control bladder is configured to receive a temperature-control fluid and comprises a flexible, heat conductive Surface that comes in contact with at least a portion of an exterior surface of the reaction chamber after receiving the temperature-control fluid. Also disclosed are a bladder thermal cycler, a temperature-control bladder assembly and methods for producing a thermal …