Engineering Commons^™

Impact Of Collateral Enlargement On Smooth Muscle Phenotype, Alexander Jerome Bynum

Master's Theses

Peripheral Artery Disease is a very serious disease characterized by an arterial occlusion due to atherosclerotic plaques. In response to an arterial occlusion, arteriogenesis occurs, causing smooth muscle cells to transition from a contractile to synthetic state. Also following an arterial occlusion, functional impairment was seen in the collateral circuit. An immunofluorescence protocol was developed in order to assess the impact of collateral enlargement (arteriogenesis) on smooth muscle phenotype at various time points. Smooth muscle α-actin was used to mark all smooth muscle cells, Ki-67 was used to label proliferating smooth muscle cells, and a fluorescent nuclear stain was used …

Dna Electrophoretic Migration Patterns Change After Exposure Of Jurkat Cells To A Single Intense Nanosecond Electric Pulse, Stefania Romeo, Luigi Zeni, Maurizio Sarti, Anna Sannino, Maria Rosaria Scarfi, P. Thomas Vernier, Olga Zeni

Bioelectrics Publications

Intense nanosecond pulsed electric fields (nsPEFs) interact with cellular membranes and intracellular structures. Investigating how cells respond to nanosecond pulses is essential for a) development of biomedical applications of nsPEFs, including cancer therapy, and b) better understanding of the mechanisms underlying such bioelectrical effects. In this work, we explored relatively mild exposure conditions to provide insight into weak, reversible effects, laying a foundation for a better understanding of the interaction mechanisms and kinetics underlying nsPEF bio-effects. In particular, we report changes in the nucleus of Jurkat cells (human lymphoblastoid T cells) exposed to single pulses of 60 ns duration and …

Improvements On Just-About-Right (Jar) Scales As Product Optimization Tools Using Kano Modeling Concepts, Bangde Li

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Attribute Kano characteristics are useful in product design to prioritize development efforts. However, attribute Kano characteristics have not been discussed and applied to product optimization when using Just-About-Right (JAR) scales. Product optimizations without identifying attributes Kano characteristics can be misleading. The two objectives in this research were: 1. Determine attribute Kano categories using a modified classic Kano classification methodology. 2. Propose a method to measure attribute performance and identify attribute Kano characteristics to direct product optimization. Two methodologies of attribute Kano classification were investigated. In experiment one, a modified classic Kano methodology was employed to determine attribute Kano categories through …

Proteome Based Development Of Novel Affinity Tail For Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography And Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography, Neha Tiwari

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

At industrial scale, reducing the step in purification and recovery is desired; this not only decreases the cost but also increases the yield. Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography (HIC) and Immobilized Metal Affinity Chromatography (IMAC) both are not harsh on biological structure or activity of proteins; also both the techniques are economical and therefore a suitable choice at industrial level. This dissertation comprises of three parts. Purpose for the Part I was to identify and characterize Escherichia coli proteins which display affinity towards both IMAC and Hydrophobic Interaction Chromatography (HIC). Co (II) IMAC was chosen as the primary capture step, followed by …

Design And Fabrication Of Nanofluidic Systems For Biomolecule Characterizations, Orain Ansel Hibbert

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nanofluidic channel systems were designed and fabricated by combining MEMS microfabrication with AFM nanolithography. In the fabrication process flow, photolithography was first utilized to pattern microfluidic channels and reservoirs on a 4" Pyrex substrate. Subsequently, atomic force microscopy (AFM) based nanolithography was used to mechanically fabricate nanochannels to connect the microreservoirs which formed the inlet and outlet of the nanofluidic system. A Tap190 Diamond-Like Carbon (DLC) AFM tip with a force constant of 48 N/m and a radius of less than 15 nm was used as the nanolithography tool. The resultant nanochannel ranges from 20 to 80 µm in length …

Determining The Validity Of The Nintendo Wii Balance Board As An Assessment Tool For Balance, Sabrina Mae Deans

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Context. Application of the Nintendo Wii-fit balance board and its games have been used in Physical Therapy clinics, showing success in individuals with neurological disorders, and has been recommended as a minimum baseline assessment of a symptoms checklist and standardized cognitive and balance assessments for concussion management by the NCAA. However, it still faces challenges of being considered a reliable and consistent tool for producing normative data in the allied healthcare. Because there is little to no evidence for the Wii-fit balance board as a valid balance assessment tool for clinical and/or research usage, the significance of this study is …

Migration And Invasion Of Brain Tumors, Richard A. Able, Jr., Veronica Dudu, Maribel Vazquez

Publications and Research

Recent advances in molecular biology have led to new insights in the development, growth and infiltrative behaviors of primary brain tumors (Demuth and Berens, 2004; Huse and Holland, 2010; Johnson et al., 2009; Kanu et al., 2009). These tumors are derived from various brain cell lineages and have been historically classified on the basis of morphological and, more recently, immunohistochemical features with less emphasis on their underlying molecular pathogenesis (Huse and Holland, 2010). The detailed molecular characterization of brain tumors has laid the groundwork for augmentation of standard treatment with patient-specific designed targeted therapies (Johnson et al., 2009; Kanu et …

A Test Method For Optimal Micro-Screen Drum Filter Selection, Eoin Dolan, Ronan Oliver, Niall Murphy, Michael O'Hehir

Other resources

In order to meet increasing demand for seafood worldwide Recirculation Aquaculture Systems (RAS) are frequently used. These systems are susceptible to contamination by waste matter including faecal material in the water. It is imperative that this material is removed from the system. The maintenance of good water quality is a pre-requisite to the success of the operation. Negligence in this area will adversely affect animal growth rates and also the economic performance of the system.

Micro-screen drum filters are a popular solution for the removal of this material (Cripps, Simon J. and Bergheim, Asbjørn., 2000). These screens are nominally rated …

Differential Il-21 Signaling In Apcs Leads To Disparate Th17 Differentiation In Diabetes-Susceptible Nod And Diabetes-Resistant Nod.Idd3 Mice., Sue M. Liu, David H. Lee, Jenna M. Sullivan, Denise Chung, Anneli Jäger, Bennett O V. Shum, Nora E. Sarvetnick, Ana C. Anderson, Vijay K. Kuchroo

Journal Articles: Regenerative Medicine

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that shows familial aggregation in humans and likely has genetic determinants. Disease linkage studies have revealed many susceptibility loci for T1D in mice and humans. The mouse T1D susceptibility locus insulin-dependent diabetes susceptibility 3 (Idd3), which has a homologous genetic interval in humans, encodes cytokine genes Il2 and Il21 and regulates diabetes and other autoimmune diseases; however, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of this regulation are still being elucidated. Here we show that T cells from NOD mice produce more Il21 and less Il2 and exhibit enhanced Th17 cell generation compared with …

2011 Scholars And Artists Bibliography, Michael Schwartz Library, Cleveland State University, Friends Of The Michael Schwartz Library, Mark Tebeau

Scholars and Artists Bibliographies

This bibliography was created for the annual Friends of the Michael Schwartz Library Scholars and Artists Reception, recognizing scholarly and creative achievements of Cleveland State University faculty, staff and emeriti. Mark Tebeau was the guest speaker

History Of The Biological Systems Engineering Program In Nebraska, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, William E. Splinter

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The Farm Machinery/Agricultural Engineering/Biological Systems Engineering program current and former faculty members at the University of Nebraska, as demonstrated here, has made a statewide, national, and worldwide impact on the efficient production of food. The quality of this recognition is evidenced best by peer professionals through recognized ASABE awards received by Nebraska alumni or professors. Since its inception in 1909 and until 2010, there have been 10 national presidents, 19 gold medal recipients and 33 named national award recipients. Currently there are 31 ASABE Fellows and two members of the National Academy of Engineering. This national recognition comes as a …

The Santa Clara, 2024-10-11, Santa Clara University

The Santa Clara

No abstract provided.

Effectiveness Of Group Kickboxing As A Means To Improve Gait And Balance In Individuals With Ms, Kurt Jackson, Kimberly Edginton Bigelow, Christina Cooper, Harold L. Merriman

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

In recent years, there has been a particular emphasis on identifying and delivering appropriate therapeutic interventions that address the significant balance and gait impairments that affect individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Group interventions implemented in community settings have been especially of interest, including tai chi classes. Recently, the authors conducted a preliminary study to examine whether group kick-boxing, which requires more vigorous movements, might be a feasible intervention. Initial findings showed promise and led the authors to pursue a more rigorous follow-up study, with the objective of determining whether a 5-week group kickboxing class improved clinical measures of balance and …

Comparison Of Four Chip-Seq Analytical Algorithms Using Rice Endosperm H3k27 Trimethylation Profiling Data., Brandon M. Malone, Feng Tan, Susan M. Bridges, Zhaohua Peng

BCoE Publications

Chromatin immunoprecipitation coupled with high throughput DNA Sequencing (ChIP-Seq) has emerged as a powerful tool for genome wide profiling of the binding sites of proteins associated with DNA such as histones and transcription factors. However, no peak calling program has gained consensus acceptance by the scientific community as the preferred tool for ChIP-Seq data analysis. Analyzing the large data sets generated by ChIP-Seq studies remains highly challenging for most molecular biology laboratories.Here we profile H3K27me3 enrichment sites in rice young endosperm using the ChIP-Seq approach and analyze the data using four peak calling algorithms (FindPeaks, PeakSeq, USeq, and MACS). Comparison …

High Ethanol Titers From Cellulose By Using Metabolically Engineered Thermophilic, Anaerobic Microbes, D. Aaron Argyros, Shital A. Tripathi, Trisha F. Barrett, Stephen R. Rogers, Lawrence F. Feinberg, Daniel G. Olson, Justin M. Foden, Bethany B. Miller, Lee R. Lynd, David A. Hogsett, Nicky C. Caiazza

Dartmouth Scholarship

This work describes novel genetic tools for use in Clostridium thermocellum that allow creation of unmarked mutations while using a replicating plasmid. The strategy employed counter-selections developed from the native C. thermocellum hpt gene and the Thermoanaerobacterium saccharolyticum tdk gene and was used to delete the genes for both lactate dehydrogenase (Ldh) and phosphotransacetylase (Pta). The Δldh Δpta mutant was evolved for 2,000 h, resulting in a stable strain with 40:1 ethanol selectivity and a 4.2-fold increase in ethanol yield over the wild-type strain. Ethanol production from cellulose was investigated with an engineered coculture of organic acid-deficient engineered strains of …

Analysis Of Migration Models Of Biogeography-Based Optimization Using Markov Theory, Haiping Ma, Daniel J. Simon

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Biogeography-based optimization (BBO) is a new evolutionary algorithm inspired by biogeography, which involves the study of the migration of biological species between habitats. Previous work has shown that various migration models of BBO result in significant changes in performance. Sinusoidal migration models have been shown to provide the best performance so far. Motivated by biogeography theory and previous results, in this paper a generalized sinusoidal migration model curve is proposed. A previously derived BBO Markov model is used to analyze the effect of migration models on optimization performance, and new theoretical results which are confirmed with simulation results are obtained. …

Impaired Resistance Artery Reactivity Following Arteriogenesis, Michael (Mike) Machado

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Automation Of Orthodontic Wire Tester For Performing Three Point Bending Tests, Adithya Venkatesan

Master's Theses

Abstract

Understanding the biomechanical factors in orthodontics is important in order to improve the overall effectiveness of actual clinical treatment. An accurate method to study the threedimensional (3D) force systems and the resulting movements of teeth during orthodontic treatment is needed along with the understanding of the material properties of any orthodontic wire. Until recently, most of the orthodontic biomechanics literature was limited to twodimensional experimental studies. Recent advances in threedimensional computer modeling have also been developed but have been limited to the manual control of tooth movement. Overall, there is very little published evidence in the literature on the …

Effect Of Prostaglandin E2 On Mechanical Stresses Applied By Mc3t3-E1 Osteoblast-Like Cells On A Soft Hydrogel Substrate, Abhijit Deb Roy

Master's Theses

Osteoblasts are sensitive to mechanical stimuli and release Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) when exposed to a fluid shear stress. The exact mechanism by which these cells sense mechanical stress is not well established. A study of the stresses applied by the osteoblasts, under the influence of PGE2, on a hydrogel provided information regarding intercellular-communication via changes in the substrate surface pattern.

A digital image correlation program was developed using the Levenberg-Marquardt optimization algorithm to analyze images and compare the deformations between pairs of images. Comparisons of images before and after the addition of PE2 to the media showed differences in the …

Mutant Alcohol Dehydrogenase Leads To Improved Ethanol Tolerance In Clostridium Thermocellum, Steven D. Brown, Adam M. Guss, Tatiana V. Karpinets, Jerry M. Parks

Dartmouth Scholarship

Clostridium thermocellum is a thermophilic, obligately anaerobic, Gram-positive bacterium that is a candidate microorganism for converting cellulosic biomass into ethanol through consolidated bioprocessing. Ethanol intolerance is an important metric in terms of process economics, and tolerance has often been described as a complex and likely multigenic trait for which complex gene interactions come into play. Here, we resequence the genome of an ethanol-tolerant mutant, show that the tolerant phenotype is primarily due to a mutated bifunctional acetaldehyde-CoA/alcohol dehydrogenase gene (adhE), hypothesize based on structural analysis that cofactor specificity may be affected, and confirm this hypothesis using enzyme assays. …

Transcriptome Sequencing Of The Blind Subterranean Mole Rat, Spalax Galili: Utility And Potential For The Discovery Of Novel Evolutionary Patterns, Assaf Malik, Abraham Korol, Sariel Hubner, Aaron Avivi, Alvaro Hernandez, Jyothi Thimmapuram, Shahjahan Ali, Mark Bond, Fabian Glaser, Arnon Paz

Cyber Center Publications

The blind subterranean mole rat (Spalax ehrenbergi superspecies) is a model animal for survival under extreme environments due to its ability to live in underground habitats under severe hypoxic stress and darkness. Here we report the transcriptome sequencing of Spalax galili, a chromosomal type of S. ehrenbergi. cDNA pools from muscle and brain tissues isolated from animals exposed to hypoxic and normoxic conditions were sequenced using Sanger, GS FLX, and GS FLX Titanium technologies. Assembly of the sequences yielded over 51,000 isotigs with homology to ~12,000 mouse, rat or human genes. Based on these results, it was …

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program 2011, Nicholle Booker, University Of Nevada, Las Vegas

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program

On August 9, 2011 the UNLV College of Sciences will celebrate the accomplishments of undergraduate students participating in the Summer 2011 Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) and the Research Experience For Undergraduates (REU) Program.

The public is invited to attend, beginning at 10:00 a.m.

Please join us to view student research posters. Student research topics include: biomedicine and human health, Nevada's fragile environment and ecosystems, climate change, stem cell research, microbiology, astrophysics, and many others.

Over 25 UNLV undergraduates and a cohort of 25 undergraduates selected from colleges and universities across the nation will mark the …

Forward Osmosis Bag: Ground Testing The Prospect Of Using Alternative Water Sources For Drinking Water, Michaela Marie Brant, Ariella Yendler, Mona Hammoudeh, Michael T. Flynn

STAR Program Research Presentations

On the STS-135 Space Shuttle mission, to be launched July 8, 2011, a forward osmosis bag (FOB) study will be conducted. At NASA Ames this summer, the ground truth testing is being conducted for results comparisons. The FOB technology is derived from a commercial product, the X-Pack water filter. Forward osmosis operates by utilizing an established concentration gradient across a semi-permeable membrane to move water molecules from one side of the membrane to the other. This concept is exploited to harvest drinking water from grey water sources such as urine, sea water, or vehicle water. In this experiment, potassium chloride …

Interview With Adam Boesel, Green Micro Gym, 2011 (Audio), Adam Boesel

All Sustainability History Project Oral Histories

Interview of Adam Boesel by Teresa Celestine at Green Micro Gym Portland, Oregon on July 29th, 2011.

The interview index is available for download.

Applied And Mechanistic Studies Of Microbial 17beta-Estradiol Degradation, Zhongtian Li

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The presence of natural estrogens, a class of endocrine disrupting compounds, in water has caused increasing concerns over their adverse impacts on the health of aquatic eco-systems and human beings. In this study, adsorption characteristics of two natural estrogens, 17β-estradiol (E2) and estrone (E1), on granular activated carbon (GAC) were investigated in isotherm tests and in a GAC column. The GAC column was then converted to a biologically active carbon (BAC) column and the removal efficiency of E2 and its primary biodegradation intermediate E1 were monitored. During BAC operation, the impacts of various reactor operation parameters, such as the carbon …

Do Wind Turbines Affect Weather Conditions?: A Case Study In Indiana, Meghan F. Henschen, Brittany Herrholtz, Lacey Rhudy, Kathryn Demchak, Brian Doogs, Joshua Holland, Erik Larson, Johnny Martin, Matthew Rudkin

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

Wind turbines are becoming increasingly widespread in the United States as the world looks for cleaner sources of energy. Scientists, policymakers, and citizens have strong opinions regarding the positive and negative effects of wind energy projects, and there is a great deal of misinformation about wind energy circulating on the Web and other media sources. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of how the rotation of hundreds of turbines can influence local weather conditions within a wind farm and in the surrounding areas. This experiment measures temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind speed, wind direction, relative humidity, …

The Occurrence Of False Positive Tests For Gunshot Residue Based On Simulations Of The Suspect's Occupation, Christopher R. Dockery, Matthew B. Rosenberg, Kimberly Kammerdiener, Lauren E. Mcadams

Faculty Articles

Samples collected from high-risk occupations, or simulations thereof, are analyzed for elemental composition using laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LlBS) to determine the occurrence of false positive gunshot residue results generated in the work environment. Previous work involving the study of lifetime of detectable amounts of gunshot residue on the hands of a suspect shooter found that gunshot residue exists up to 5.27 days after a firearm discharge. However, certain environmental and/or occupational false positive tests for gunshot residue could result when sampling non-shooters. Samples collected from occupations or simulations thereof include welding, pyrotechnics, key cutting, mechanics, and paper products all of …

A Study On Facility Planning Using Discrete Event Simulation: Case Study Of A Grain Delivery Terminal, Sarah M. Asio

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The application of traditional approaches to the design of efficient facilities can be tedious and time consuming when uncertainty and a number of constraints exist. Queuing models and mathematical programming techniques are not able to capture the complex interaction between resources, the environment and space constraints for dynamic stochastic processes. In the following study discrete event simulation is applied to the facility planning process for a grain delivery terminal. The discrete event simulation approach has been applied to studies such as capacity planning and facility layout for a gasoline station and evaluating the resource requirements for a manufacturing facility. To …

Muscle Contributions To Frontal And Transverse Plane Whole-Body Angular Momentum, Richard R. Neptune, Craig P. Mcgowan, Allison Kinney

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to build upon previous work by analyzing how gravity and individual muscles contribute to frontal and traverse plane whole-body angular momentum. Identifying which muscles are responsible for generating angular momentum has important implications for the diagnosis and treatment of movement disorders.

Identifying Changes In Climatic Trends And The Fingerprints Of Landuse And Landcover Changes In The High Plains Of The Usa, Denis Mutiibwa

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Human activities such as conversion of natural ecosystem to croplands and urban-centers, deforestation and afforestation impact biophysical properties of land surface such as albedo, energy balance, and surface roughness. Alterations in these properties affect the heat and moisture exchanges between the land surface and atmospheric boundary layer. The objectives of this research were; (i) to quantitatively identify the High plains’ regional climate change in temperatures over the period 1895 to 2006, (ii) detect the signatures of anthropogenic forcing of LULC changes on the regional climate change of the High Plains, and (iii) examine the trends in evolving regional latent heat …