Biology and Biomimetic Materials Commons^™

Limits Of Economy And Fidelity For Programmable Assembly Of Size-Controlled Triply-Periodic Polyhedra, Carlos M. Duque, Douglas M. Hal, Botond Tyukodi, Michael F. Hagan, Christian D. Santangelo, Gregory M. Grason

Data and Datasets

We propose and investigate an extension of the Caspar-Klug symmetry principles for viral capsid assembly to the programmable assembly of size-controlled triply-periodic polyhedra, discrete variants of the Primitive, Diamond, and Gyroid cubic minimal surfaces. Inspired by a recent class of programmable DNA origami colloids, we demonstrate that the economy of design in these crystalline assemblies -- in terms of the growth of the number of distinct particle species required with the increased size-scale (e.g. periodicity) -- is comparable to viral shells. We further test the role of geometric specificity in these assemblies via dynamical assembly simulations, which show that conditions …

Reducing Food Scarcity: The Benefits Of Urban Farming, S.A. Claudell, Emilio Mejia

Journal of Nonprofit Innovation

Urban farming can enhance the lives of communities and help reduce food scarcity. This paper presents a conceptual prototype of an efficient urban farming community that can be scaled for a single apartment building or an entire community across all global geoeconomics regions, including densely populated cities and rural, developing towns and communities. When deployed in coordination with smart crop choices, local farm support, and efficient transportation then the result isn’t just sustainability, but also increasing fresh produce accessibility, optimizing nutritional value, eliminating the use of ‘forever chemicals’, reducing transportation costs, and fostering global environmental benefits.

Imagine Doris, who is …

Additive Manufacturing For Medical Education, Michael Noon

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

A growing body of evidence is suggesting that anatomical knowledge, the keystone of many medical specialties, is suffering among new graduates. While a host of reasons are provided, one common thread that many point to is the decline of cadaver dissections in the classroom. Many virtual audio-visual tools are used to address this gap, yet evidence has shown their ineffectiveness. Given this gap, the high degree of flexibility found in additive manufacturing (AM), and the many uses AM has already found in the medical field, we propose its use to fill this gap, allowing for students to learn with touch …

L(D)-Tyrosine-Mediated One-Step Chiral Graphene Production For Chirality-Dependent Sensing, Fnu Pranav, Ali Ashraf, Meena Jaggi, Subhash C. Chauhan, Murali M. Yallapu

Research Symposium

Background: Chirality has been the most iconic phenomenon that occurred in nature. The idea of mirror-image asymmetry associated with the biological entity is still unsolved The emergence of 2D layered nanomaterials which have already shown amazing properties and a wide range of applications, especially in the areas of sensing.Amino acids enantiomers have similar physical and chemical properties however their physiological responses get changed based on the enantiomers. For example, L from amino acids helps body in protein formation, and generation of biological signals etc. whereas the D-form may cause toxic effects. We have developed a novel and facile synthesis method …

The Role Of Leading-Edge Serrations In Controlling The Flow Over Owls’ Wing, Tanner Saussaman, Asif Nafi, David Charland, Hadar Ben-Gida, Roi Gurka

Physics and Engineering Science

We studied the effects of leading-edge serrations on the flow dynamics developed over an owl wing model. Owls are predatory birds. Most owl species are nocturnal, with some active during the day. The nocturnal ones feature stealth capabilities that are partially attributed to their wing microfeatures. One of these microfeatures is small rigid combs (i.e. serrations) aligned at an angle with respect to the incoming flow located at the wings' leading-edge region of the primaries. These serrations are essentially passive flow control devices that enhance some of the owls' flight characteristics, such as aeroacoustics and, potentially, aerodynamics. We performed a …

Evaluation Of Biomass As Bio-Additive In 3d Printing, Shuyang Zhang

Doctoral Dissertations

The petrol-based polymer has been widely applied in current daily life. The end-of-life of polymeric products has drawn environmental concerns. One of the solutions to such issues is to use bio-renewable materials to replace or reduce the use of petrol-based materials. Lignocellulosic materials are one of the potential candidates. Along with the features of 3D printing and the unique properties of biomass, 3D-printed biomass-based materials could be promising in preparing sustainable alternatives.

In this dissertation, lignin and other biomass were applied to various 3D printing techniques for sustainable composites. Stereolithography (SLA) was first used, and the kraft softwood lignin was …

Soil Respiration Measurements Reveal High Retention Of Organic Carbon From Corn Residue Derived High-Lignin Fermentation Byproduct Enabling Sustainable Lignocellulosic Biofuel Production, Michelle Sun Wang

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

While 2G biofuel production can utilize non-edible, lignocellulosic feedstocks such as agricultural residues to produce liquid fuel, harvesting crop residues is unsustainable without careful management of the soil underneath. By harvesting a fraction of the crop residues left in the field after harvest, soil health can diminish and critically, the soil organic carbon (SOC) stored in agricultural fields can decrease. Currently, in the most popular 2G process models published, the issue of soil degradation remains unresolved with residue harvest strategies receiving considerable attention in the literature and other SOC management strategies receiving far less. Specifically, the strategy of returning the …

Structure-Function Relationships Of Bighorn Sheep Horncore Bone And Horn-Horncore Interface Materials For Energy Absorption Applications, Luca H. Fuller

Doctoral Dissertations

Bighorn sheep rams do not show overt signs of traumatic brain injury from head impacts experienced during intraspecific combat. Rams’ cranial appendages bear the brunt of ramming impacts and are composed of a keratin-rich horn anchored to a bony horncore via a soft connective tissue interface. The horncore is filled with velar bone which has a unique porous architecture with a comparable bone volume fraction, but larger strut thickness and separation than typical mammalian trabecular bone. Velar bone absorbs more energy than the horn and substantially reduces post-impact brain cavity accelerations in computational models of bighorn sheep ramming. These findings …

Wetting Transition Of Texturized Surfaces, Jenna Stephens

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Building on previous research, this project aims to continue the investigation of the wettability of various liquids on a uniform, texturized surface. Different surface energies can impact the wettability of a surface. The surface can be hydrophilic, hydrophobic, or in between. The goal of this project is to research how features of texturized surfaces affect the wetting transition of water, oil, and a mixture of both. Additionally, this project aims to improve the quality of the 3D printed surfaces. The surfaces that will be studied are constructed using UV cured resin 3D printing and are made up of an array …

Silver Doped Nanoceria (Agcnp) Integrated Silk Scaffold For Chronic Wound Healing, Architha K. Venkatesan

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Chronic wound healing can be seriously impeded by the formation of biofilms, infections, peri-wound edema, hematoma, osteomyelitis, and the formation of reactive oxidative species (ROS). We hypothesize that a scaffold created from Silver-Doped Nanoceria (AgCNP) embedding silk can be beneficial to aid the wound healing process, inhibit inflammation and prevent microorganisms from forming a biofilm over the wound. Current wound healing methods such as intradermal injections are not advantageous to use since they can cause unwanted responses elsewhere in the body other than the wound site. Silk, however, has a positive impact on the wound healing effect and can be …

Development Of Corn Kernel-Based Biocomposite Films For Food Packaging Applications, Swastika Bera

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Most of the current and active food packaging resources and methods are nonbiodegradable and nonrenewable therefore harmful to the environment. Due to this, alternate sources of food packaging materials are in high demand. In this study, a bio-composite film has been developed, with Corn kernel powder as fiber reinforcement which is mixed with gelatin, and lignin two biopolymers as the matrix. The effect of Corn Kernel (CK) reinforcement on the Gelatin/Lignin (G/L) matrix on mechanical and barrier properties has been studied. CK has shown great potential as reinforcement to natural polymer, gelatin, and lignin (G/L) for food packaging applications as …

Beeswax Wraps As An Alternative To Single-Use Plastics, Sarah Skiver

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The project goal was to compare the food storage efficacy of sustainable beeswax wraps verses the single-use plastic methods of resealable plastic sandwich bags and plastic cling wrap. The goal was also to test the reusability of the beeswax wraps, as it is a key advantage of beeswax wraps that is advertised. The project purpose was to explore sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives to single use plastics, which are harmful to the environment in both their production and their disposal. Food spoilage was compared in beeswax wrap, plastic sandwich bags, and plastic cling wrap, and spoilage was also observed in a …

Clove Essential Oil And Nanoclays-Based Active Food Packaging, Kalpani Y. Perera, Shubham Sharma, Amit K. Jaiswal, Swarna Jaiswal

Articles

Active food packaging materials enhance the shelf-life of food products while reducing food waste. The current study aims to develop a biodegradable active food packaging material. The food packaging material was developed with the incorporation of clove essential oil, sodium alginate, gelatin, and nanoclay films were prepared. The influences of nanoclay and clove on the surface, optical, mechanical, chemical, barrier, and pH-indicating properties were studied. The lightness and yellowness increased by 1.06 folds and 3.34 folds when compared to clove (control), respectively. The UV barrier property 0.08±0.01nm in all films, while 8.37 folds reduction in transparency has been observed as …

Out Of The Wood: Sojurn Cyclery, Jay H. Kinsinger

Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Contributions to the Popular Press

No abstract provided.

Material Characterization And Comparison Of Sol-Gel Deposited And Rf Magnetron Deposited Lead Zirconate Titanate Thin Films, Katherine Lynne Miles

Mechanical Engineering ETDs

Lead zirconate titanate (PZT) has been a material of interest for sensor, actuator, and transducer applications in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). This is due to their favorable piezoelectric, pyroelectric and ferroelectric properties. While various methods are available to deposit PZT thin films, radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering was selected to provide high quality PZT films with the added capability of batch processing. These sputter deposited PZT films were characterized to determine their internal film stress, Young’s modulus, composition, and structure. After characterization, the sputtered PZT samples were poled using corona poling and direct poling methods. As a means of comparison, commercially …

Gopher Tortoise Seed Dispersal Monitoring, Bryan Torres Garcia

2022 MME Undergraduate Research Symposium

Gopher tortoises are native to Florida and vital to the ecosystem due to the underground boroughs they build, which provide shelter to other animals, and for their key role in seed dispersion. In order to improve our understanding of the role of gopher tortoises on biodiversity, we aim to investigate the digestive track of gopher tortoises. Data on seed dispersion distance and gut retention time are critical to effective and efficient endangered plant species conservation efforts. In a multidisciplinary project between Department of Earth and Environment, College and Engineering, and the Miami Zoo, we are fabricating an ingestible device to …

Frontiers In The Self-Assembly Of Charged Macromolecules, Khatcher O. Margossian

Doctoral Dissertations

The self-assembly of charged macromolecules forms the basis of all life on earth. From the synthesis and replication of nucleic acids, to the association of DNA to chromatin, to the targeting of RNA to various cellular compartments, to the astonishingly consistent folding of proteins, all life depends on the physics of the organization and dynamics of charged polymers. In this dissertation, I address several of the newest challenges in the assembly of these types of materials. First, I describe the exciting new physics of the complexation between polyzwitterions and polyelectrolytes. These materials open new questions and possibilities within the context …

Features Designing Special Clothing For The Hot Climate Of Uzbekistan, N Kh Mirtalipova, N A. Isaxujayeva

Technical science and innovation

This paper considers the issues of establishing the relationship between the properties of fabric, clothing design and the comfort of clothing; communication of the size of the human body, allowance for free fitting, modern design when developing the design of clothing; connection of the allowance for free fitting with a suitable air gap. A diagram is given that characterizes the dependence of the comfort of clothing on its design and properties of fabrics. A mathematical model of the processes of air exchange in the underwear space is considered, which will allow obtaining more complete information and establishing more stringent dependences …

Coupled Oscillators: Protein And Acoustics, Angelique N. Mcfarlane

Theses

This work encompassed three different vibrational energy transfer studies of coupled resonators (metal, topological, and microtubule comparison) inspired by the lattices of microtubules from regular and cancerous cells. COMSOL Multiphysics 5.4 was utilized to design the experiment. The simulation starts with an acoustic pressure study to examine the vibrational modes present in coupled cylinders, representing α-, β-tubulin heterodimers. The Metal Study consisted of 3 models (monomer, dimer, and trimer) to choose the correct height (40 mm) and mode (Mode 1) for study. The Topological Study was run to predict and understand how the lattice structure changes over a parametric sweep …

Continuous, Non-Destructive Detection Of Surface Bacterial Growth With Bioinspired Vascularized Polymers, Brandon Dixon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Reducing or eliminating bacteria on surfaces is vital for medical devices, drinking water quality, and industrial processes. Evaluating surface bacterial growth at buried interfaces can be problematic due to the time-consuming disassembly process required for obtaining standard surface samples. In this work, a continuous, non-destructive, and reusable method was developed to detect surface bacterial growth at buried interfaces. Inspired by vascular systems in nature that permit chemical communication between the surface and underlying tissues of an organism, bacterial-specific signals diffusing from cells on the surface were detected in channels filled with an inert carrier fluid embedded in a polymer matrix. …