Biological Engineering Commons^™

Using Paired-Agent Imaging To Track Changes In Head And Neck Cancers After Undergoing Photodynamic Therapy Treatment, Reeham M. Choudhury

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Head and neck cancers affect thousands of people across the world, and photodynamic therapy (PDT) has been shown to have great potential to treat said cancers in a noninvasive manner. However, imaging head and neck cancers has been difficult, and molecular changes caused by PDT are not well-understood. Therefore, we propose the use of paired-agent imaging (PAI) to track changes in these cancers after after PDT treatment. For these studies, we primarily used benzoporphyrin derivative monoacid (BPD) for our photosensitizer, which is activated by a 690 nm laser. We first looked at changes in EGFR expression in vitro, and …

High Throughput Cellular Screening Technologies For Engineering Enhanced-Solubility And Deimmunized Biologics, Andrew Y. Chang

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

High throughput cell-based screening methodologies have become core development tools for the generation and engineering of various biotherapeutics. For example, SpCas9 variants for use in CRISPR-Cas9 therapeutics have been engineered for enhanced specificity using a high throughput directed evolution approach in E. coli. Additionally, antibodies are routinely discovered and engineered for high affinity binding using yeast surface display. These high throughput techniques typically involve generation of large protein libraries which require innovative screening strategies depending on the target protein’s function. In this thesis work, we describe high throughput protein library screening approaches to address recombinant biologic aggregation and immunogenicity …

Life Cycle Assessment Of Air Classification As A Sulfur Mitigation Technology In Pine Residue Feedstocks, Ashlee Edmonson

Theses and Dissertations--Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering

Sulfur accumulation during biofuel production is pollutive, toxic to conversion catalysts, and causes the premature breakdown of processing equipment. Air classification is an effective preprocessing technology for ash and sulfur removal from biomass feedstocks. A life cycle assessment (LCA) sought to understand the environmental impacts of implementing air classification as a sulfur-mitigation technique for pine residues. Energy demand and material balance for preprocessing were simulated using SimaPro and the Argonne National Laboratory’s GREET model, specifically focusing on comparing the global warming potential (GWP) of grid electricity versus bioelectricity scenarios. Overall, the grid electricity scenario had a GWP impact over 7 …

Modeling The Production Of Microalgal Biomass In Large Water Resource Recovery Facilities And Its Processing Into Various Commodity Bioproducts, James Pierson, Gopi Raju Makkena, Sandeep Kumar, Vinod Kumar, Vivekanand Vivekanand, Hasan Husain, Muhammad Ayser, Venkatesh Balan

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Algae are capable of sequestering nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates from wastewater in the presence of sunlight and carbon dioxide (CO₂) to build up their body mass and help combat climate change. In the current study, we carried out different case studies to estimate the volume of algal biomass that could be produced annually using the rotating algal biofilm (RAB) method in three large-scale water resource recovery facilities (WRRFs) in Texas: Fort Worth, Dallas, and Houston. We calculated the total amount of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins that could be fractionated from the algal biomass while using the …

Mechanically Driven In Vivo Osteocyte Ca2+ Signaling: Aging And Pharmacologic Effects, James Padgett

Dissertations and Theses

Bone’s ability to respond and adapt to mechanical loading declines significantly with age which is a major contributor to bone fragility. It is widely accepted that osteocytes are the key cells responsible for orchestrating the development of the “ideal” skeleton. This ability is attributed to osteocyte’s role as the primary mechanosensing cell that is responsible for maintaining the skeleton’s integrity throughout life. Recent work from our laboratory has shed light into how osteocytes respond to mechanical loading in vivo. The breakthrough approaches that enabled these discoveries were development of: (1) the first ever reporter mouse model with a genetically encoded …

Increasing Production Of Therapeutic Mabs In Cho Cells Through Genetic Engineering, Charles Barentine

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Between 2014 and 2018, the global market for therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) rose from $60 billion to $115.2 billion with a projected value of $300 billion by 2025. These molecules are used to effectively treat some of the most challenging illnesses from auto-immune diseases to cancer. While mAbs are highly valuable with potent applications, their production at scale remains an outstanding challenge. These molecules are largely produced in Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells that require highly specific conditions to produce a useful product.

Genetic engineering presents one solution to overcome productivity limits. With the advent of CRISPR (clustered regularly interspaced …

Low Resource Assay For Tracking Sars-Cov-2 In Wastewater, Julissa Van Renselaar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Wastewater based epidemiology (WBE) allows for the tracking of nucleic acid of SARS-CoV-2 in wastewater which gives the opportunity for the public and government officials to be informed about the infectivity of the virus in a community. Advances have been made in WBE that have allowed for higher performance, lower resource use, and faster turnaround time. An adapted concentration method of spin column direct extraction has yielded a proxy virus recovery of 83%, consumable cost of $2.01 per sample, and a turnaround time of 0.33 hour/sample. Other concentration methods have lower proxy virus recoveries, comparable cost, and comparable turnaround time. …

Dendrimer-Based Drug Delivery Systems: History, Challenges, And Latest Developments, Juan Wang, Boxuan Li, Li Qiu, Xin Qiao, Hu Yang

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Since the first dendrimer was reported in 1978 by Fritz Vögtle, dendrimer research has grown exponentially, from synthesis to application in the past four decades. The distinct structure characteristics of dendrimers include nanoscopic size, multi-functionalized surface, high branching, cavernous interior, and so on, making dendrimers themselves ideal drug delivery vehicles. This mini review article provides a brief overview of dendrimer's history and properties and the latest developments of dendrimers as drug delivery systems. This review focuses on the latest progress in the applications of dendrimers as drug and gene carriers, including 1) active drug release strategies to dissociate drug/gene from …

Evaluation Of Cellulose Nanocrystal Inks And Their Structural Characteristics For 3d Bioprinting Of Customized Scaffolds, Patrick William Kuczwara

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

3D bioprinting of biological scaffolds requires control of the physicochemical properties of each unique structures. A promising material for control of properties is hydrogels, which can help create biomimetic scaffolds with controlled spatial arrangement of materials by integrating biological materials directly into layers during the bioprinting process. Nanocellulose offers a unique combination of properties including mechanical, biomimetic, and biocompatibility. These properties offer flexibility over the types, shapes, and applications of their printed hydrogel scaffolds, (i.e., tissue, drug, encapsulation). However, 3D bioprinting of nanocellulose-based hydrogels requires high loading percentages (i.e., >10 wt%) or chemical crosslinkers (i.e., bis(acyl)phosphane oxides (BAPO)). High solid …

Fiber-Based Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting As A Method For Investigating Metabolism During Tetanic Contraction Of Skeletal Muscle, Kathryn Miller Priest

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) is a cofactor that serves to shuttle electrons during metabolic processes such as glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) [1-5]. The reduced form of NAD, NADH, is autofluorescent, making it a measurable characteristic in the investigation of metabolic changes. The fluorescence lifetime of NADH is dependent on the state of protein binding, specifically free or bound NADH, allowing for detection of metabolic shifts between glycolysis (free NADH) and OXPHOS (bound NADH) [6-16]. Fiber-coupled time-correlated single photon counting (TCSPC) equipped with an implantable needle probe can be used to measure NADH lifetime in vivo …

Evaluating The Viscoelastic Properties Of Alligator Skin Gelatin, Alligel, Compared To Mammalian And Fish Gelatins, Sarah E. Jimenez

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Hypoxic Incubation Chamber, Simone Lisette Helfrich, Makenzie Nicole Jones

Biomedical Engineering: Graduate Reports and Projects

This paper describes the design, manufacturing, and testing of a novel controllable hypoxic incubator with fully functional oxygen gas control and temperature control in a humid environment. On the current market, a majority of the few hypoxic incubators use pre-mixed gas that does not offer precise control over gas concentration. The objective for this project was to create a chamber that allows the user to set the O2 concentration to varying set points of % O2 while maintaining the chamber at a constant body temperature, CO2 level, humidity, and sterility. To start the project, multiple concepts were developed for the …

Functionality Of The Gracilis Collateral Is Impaired Following Arteriogenesis And Cell Transplantation, Ada A. Tadeo

Biomedical Engineering

Peripheral Arterial Disease involves narrowed arteries, reducing blood flow to limbs. Increasing blood flow to those extremities is possible by redirecting the blood to flow through natural bypasses (i.e. collateral arteries), which can enlarge via arteriogenesis to maintain blood supply once the prominent arteries have become occluded. This study aims to investigate how arteriogenesis affects collateral function, if myoblast transplantation can stimulate collateral growth, and how that in turn may affect collateral function. Femoral artery ligation was performed to mimic the blockage that occurs in patients with ischemic diseases on lean mice and mice with diet induced obesity (DIO). A …

Labeling Melanoma Cells With Black Microspheres For Improved Sensitivity In Detection Via Photoacoustic Flow Cytometry, Tori Kocsis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Melanoma is an aggressive form of skin cancer known for developing into metastatic disease. Current clinical diagnostics, including medical imaging and tissue biopsy, provide a poor prognosis since the cancer is in the late stages of disease progression. In recent years, photoacoustic flow cytometry has allowed for the detection of circulating melanoma cells within patient blood samples in vitro. Although this method exploits the naturally-produced melanin within the cells, it has only successfully detected highly-pigmented melanoma cell lines. Since various forms of melanoma exist, each with varying melanin concentrations, this research aims to provide a novel method for detecting lightly-pigmented …

Novel 3d Bench Top Model For Vascular Calcification Research, Ursla-Marie K. Offiah

Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of non-communicable disease in the whole world killing 17 million people in 2012. Among the many vascular diseases is vascular calcification (VC) which is the mineral build up in the walls of blood vessels. Medial calcification is the plaque buildup in the medial layer of the blood vesicle that is characterized by arterial stiffness and high blood pressure. Current calcification research involves two dimensional (2D) lab methods such as flat petri dishes to investigate the mechanism that causes and inhibits vascular calcification. Research has shown that the use of three-dimensional (3D) models can be …

Modeling The Impact And Accelerating The Process Of Transitioning To A Sustainable Healthy Diet Through Decision Support Systems, Prince Agyemang

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Food production and consumption are essential in human existence, yet they are implicated in the high occurrences of preventable chronic diseases and environmental degradation. Although healthy food may not necessarily be sustainable and vice versa, there is an opportunity to make our food both healthy and sustainable. Attempts have been made to conceptualize how sustainable healthy food may be produced and consumed; however, available data suggest a rise in the prevalence of health-related and negative environmental consequences of our food supply. Thus, the transition from conceptual frameworks to implementing these concepts has not always been effective. This paper explores the …

Upstream Methods For Enhancing Engineered Curcumin Biosynthesis, Caleb D. Barton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Curcumin is a bright orange compound with myriad applications for human health and wellness. Curcumin occurs naturally in the plant Curcuma longa (commonly known as turmeric) but must be extracted from the roots in an environmentally unfriendly fashion to obtain commercially relevant amounts of the compound. In addition, extraction of curcumin from turmeric spice yields a mixture of various curcuminoids, presenting an issue for isolating it in its pure form and complicating its use in clinical settings.

Heterologous biosynthetic production of curcumin in Escherichia coli has been used extensively as a viable alternative to plant extraction but suffers from poor …

Zein And Lignin-Graft-Plga Nanoparticles As Agrochemical Delivery Systems To Soybean Plants, Eban A. Hanna

LSU Master's Theses

The majority of applied agrochemicals are lost to the environment due to their poor adhesion to plant tissues, resulting in multiple applications and subsequent environmental toxicity. This thesis focuses on reducing these consequences by entrapping agrochemicals in polymeric nanoparticles (PNPs). In the first section, zein nanoparticles (ZNPs) with entrapped methoxyfenozide (MFZ) (209.0 ± 5.6 nm, -42.1 ± 2.1 mV) were synthesized and used to facilitate the translocation of MFZ to the leaves and stems of soybean plants, as measured by LC-MS, under hydroponic conditions. The agrochemical concentration increased within the leaves over time from 0.04 to 2.35 μg/g at 0.2 …

Examining Metal Contents In Primary And Secondhand Aerosols Released By Electronic Cigarettes, Kashala Fabrice Kapiamba, Weixing Hao, Stephen Adom, Wenyan Liu, Yue-Wern Huang, Yang Wang

Chemistry Faculty Research & Creative Works

The usage of electronic cigarettes (ECs) has surged since their invention two decades ago. However, to date, the health effects of EC aerosol exposure are still not well understood because of insufficient data on the chemical composition of EC aerosols and the corresponding evidence of health risks upon exposure. Herein, we quantified the metals in primary and secondhand aerosols generated by three brands of ECs. By combining aerosol filter sampling and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), we assessed the mass of metals as a function of EC flavoring, nicotine concentration, device power, puff duration, and aging of the devices. …

Aerodynamics And Turbulent Wake-Flow Characteristics Of Owls During Flapping Flight, Krishnamoorthy Krishnan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Owls exhibit unique flight capabilities in the low Reynolds number flow regime which is prone to complex viscous flow phenomena. They possess unique feather features and flexible wing structures which are postulated to help them fly nearly silently and stably at low speeds in a complex flow setting. Understanding the aerodynamics of owls could pave the way to enhance the future designs of small flying vehicles. Though it has been a focus of research over multiple decades, no conclusive agreement has been attained on the aerodynamic mechanisms associated with owl flight. Particularly, the aerodynamics of flapping owl flight is severely …

Investigating The Effect Of Dissolved Oxygen-Assisted Corneal Cross-Linking (Cxl) On Porcine Corneas, Julianni Dar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Corneal cross-linking is a clinical procedure that is known to stop the progression of keratoconus, an eye disease that affects the cornea’s structure, ultimately leading to vision loss in its advanced stages. The typical treatment plan includes riboflavin and UV-A exposure in the hope to increase the mechanical properties of the cornea. There are two types of CXL pathways, with Type-II CXL requiring oxygen. Naturally, the dissolved oxygen is limited in the cornea; therefore, limiting the effect of Type-II CXL. This study proposes to improve the Type-II CXL contribution by integrating dissolved oxygen during the standard CXL treatment used in …

Insect Antennae As Bioinspirational Superstrong Fiber-Based Microfluidics, Griffin J. Donley

All Theses

Nature is frequently turned to for inspiration for the creation of new materials. Insect antennae are hollow, blood-filled fibers with complex shape, and are cantilevered at the head. The antenna is muscle-free, but the insect can controllably flex, twist, and maneuver it laterally. To explain this behavior, a comparative study of structural and tensile properties of the antennae of Periplaneta americana (American cockroach), Manduca sexta (Carolina hawkmoth), and Vanessa cardui (painted lady butterfly) was performed. These antennae demonstrate a range of distinguishable tensile properties, responding either as brittle fibers (Manduca sexta) or strain-adaptive fibers that stiffen when stretched (Vanessa cardui …

Evaluation Of Triple Negative Breast Cancer Tumor Matrix, Alejandra Ham

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

An Engineering And Economic Analysis Of The Implementation Of The Carbo Rock-It, Lydia Huck

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The patented Carbo Rock-It system was developed to carbonate beverages for the craft brewing industry with the goal of reducing time, cost, and environmental impacts of the carbonation process. This research field tests, models, analyzes and optimizes the engineering and economic performance of a commercial-scale Carbo Rock-It placed in production at an operating brewery (Core Brewing and Distilling Co., Springdale, AR). Field tests indicated that the Carbo Rock-It was able to successfully carbonate twelve 120 BBL batches of Scarlet Letter Seltzer to 3.0 vol/vol while meeting all beverage quality and safety requirements. The Carbo Rock-It was able to reduce carbonation …

Toward Sustainable Urban Food Production: Integrating Hydroponic Cultivation With Wastewater Reuse, Amanda Tan

All Theses

The growing crisis of freshwater scarcity together with the increasing global food demand directs attention to the need for alternative water sources for agriculture. The research presented here engages this need by carrying out indoor cultivation of food crops in Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) hydroponic systems using residential wastewater. Randomized single factor experimental designs were used to investigate the physiochemical and microbiological makeup of the hydroponic nutrient solution throughout the cultivation cycle and their relationship with different plant development parameters.

For agricultural wastewater reuse to be of low risk to human health there must be some advancement in pathogen monitoring …

Nonlinear Optical Microscopy Assessment Of Tissue Structure And Chondrocyte Viability Of Articular Cartilage, Michael Le

All Theses

Articular cartilage functions to protect the ends of bones by providing a surface that can withstand compressive forces and minimize friction during movement. Collagen fibers form the organizational backbone of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in cartilage. Proteoglycans within the ECM function to retain water and provide the tissue with the swelling pressure needed to withstand compressional forces. Chondrocytes, the only type of cell found in articular cartilage, produces these collagen fibers and proteoglycans to maintain the tissue structure and function. Significant injuries to articular cartilage can damage the chondrocytes and disrupt their ability to maintain homeostasis in the tissue. Therefore, …

Atomic Force Microscopy Based Dna Sensing And Manipulation, Matthew Shubert

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sequencing DNA provides a positive impact for the biomedical community by understanding a wide variety of applications such as human genetics, disease, and pathogens. The reason the Arkansas Micro & Nano Systems lab is involved with research in DNA sequencing is due to the current, leading industry method. Nanopore sequencing was developed by Oxford Nanopore Technology in which its sequencing method separates double stranded DNA to electrically characterize individual nucleotides traveling through a charged nanopore. Unfortunately, nanopore sequencing uses biological materials that require a shelf life and drives high cost. Therefore, the Arkansas Micro & Nano Systems lab has developed …

Cyanobacterial And Microcystin Response To Nutrient Additions At Lake Fayetteville Throughout The 2021 Growing Season, Lillie Haddock

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are becoming a global concern due to their increasing distribution, frequency, intensity, and the occurrence of toxins. While it is known that eutrophication influences algal blooms, there is less known about what triggers these HABs to produce toxins, especially microcystin. In this study, we conducted 21 community bioassays at Lake Fayetteville, a hypereutrophic reservoir in Fayetteville, Arkansas, from April-November 2021 to examine how the addition of phosphorous and nitrogen influence cyanobacteria concentrations, microcystin concentrations, and microcystin toxin production. These experiments included a control, nitrogen (1.0 mg/L as KNO3), low phosphorus (0.025 mg/L as K2HPO4), high phosphorus …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Lactobacillus Crispatus Containing Bioprints For Bacterial Vaginosis Application., Anthony J. Kyser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is a condition in which healthy lactobacilli are replaced by an overabundance of pathogenic bacteria in the female reproductive tract. Current antibiotic treatments often fail to “cure” infection, resulting in recurrence in more than 50% of women, 6 months post-treatment. Recently, probiotics have demonstrated promise to restore vaginal health; however, as with other active agents, delivery requires once-to-twice daily administration. Recently, three-dimensional (3D)-bioprinting has enabled the fabrication of well-defined cell-laden architectures with tunable agent release, thereby presenting a novel approach with which to deliver probiotics. One promising bioink, gelatin alginate, was selected for study, due to its …

Modeling Leaf Area Index And Canopy Height Using Growing Degree Days, Ellie J. Kuhn

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

As the global population increases and food security is recognized as a critical issue, crop growth prediction models help ensure the sustainability of reliable food sources. Using a prediction model based on temperature and simple, measurable field parameters, e.g., Leaf Area Index (LAI) or Canopy Height (H_can), may allow farmers and others to intervene mid-season with fertilizer, irrigation, or other inputs to obtain a better harvest.

This study aims to create a general model that could predict LAI and H_can values for numerous rice varieties using Growing Degree Days (GDD) as the time scale. The models use …