Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Design And Synthesis Of Dual Opioids/Npff Ligands As Novel Analgesics With Reduced Tolerance Potential, John N. Yi

Honors Theses

Opioid use has become prevalent in today's culture. As a treatment for acute and chronic pain, opioids permeate in the public sphere as a seemingly easy solution. However, problems that come from the increased use of opiates, especially in the last fifteen years, have shown detrimental effects in society. Not only are all opioid-based analgesics considered addictive, but the nature of such painkillers also enables a phenomenon known as tolerance, where the body adapts to the use of exogenous opioids. This creates a situation where a more potent dose of painkiller is required for the same analgesic effect. The focus …

Protein Sequence-Structure-Function Relationship: Testing Ke-50 Modification On Recombinant Green Fluorescent Protein (Acgfp), Anna E. Burkey

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Protein modification shows promise for improving the effectiveness of protein therapy, including the use of Interferon-beta-1b for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The addition of a chain of 50 lysine and glutamic acid residues (also called a KE50 modification) was tested on green fluorescent protein (AcGFP) to determine its effect on the bioactivity of the protein. Standard transformation protocol was used to grow the normal and modified proteins in E.Coli, and the bioactivity of the protein was measured using quantum yield and extinction coefficients to determine the reduction in brightness from the native form to the modified form. The …

Relating Ion Release And Ph To In Vitro Cell Viability For Gallium-Inclusive Bioactive Glasses, Timothy J. Keenan, L. M. Placek, T. L. Mcginnity, Mark R. Towler, M. M. Hall, A. W. Wren

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A bioactive glass (BG) in which Ga was substituted for Zn was formulated to investigate whether the ionic form of Ga can elicit effects similar to gallium nitrate. The ion release and pH of BG extracts were evaluated, as well as the in vitro cytocompatibility of extracts in contact with mouse fibroblasts and human osteoblasts. After incubation times of 1 year, the glass (TGa-1) containing the smaller Ga-addition (8 mol%) released the most sodium (Na) (1420 mg/L), silicon (Si) (221 mg/L), and Ga (1295 mg/L), while the glass (TGa-2) containing the larger Ga-addition (16 mol%), exhibited release levels between TGa-1, …

Noninvasive Measurement Of Electrical Events Associated With A Single Chlorovirus Infection Of A Microalgal Cell, Seung-Woo Lee, Eun-Hee Lee, Gerhard Thiel, James L. Van Etten, Ravi Saraf

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Chlorovirus Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus 1 (PBCV-1) contains a viral-encoded K⁺ channel imbedded in its internal membrane, which triggers host plasma membrane depolarization during virus infection. This early stage of infection was monitored at high resolution by recording the cell membrane depolarization of a single Chlorella cell during infection by a single PBCV-1 particle. The measurement was achieved by depositing the cells onto a network of one-dimensional necklaces of Au nanoparticles, which spanned two electrodes 70 μm apart. The nanoparticle necklace array has been shown to behave as a single-electron device at room temperature. The resulting electrochemical field-effect transistor …

Gallium-Containing Mesoporous Bioactive Glass With Potent Hemostatic Activity And Antibacterial Efficacy, Sara Pourshahrestani, Ehsan Zeimaran, Nahrizul Adib Kadri, Nicola Gargiulo, Shani Samuel, Sangeetha Vasudevaraj Naveen, Tunku Kamarul, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Haemorrhage remains the leading cause of potentially survivable death in both military and civilian populations. Although a large variety of hemostatic agents have been developed, many of them have an inadequate capacity to induce hemostasis and are not effective in killing bacteria. In recent years, mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs) were found to be effective in inducing hemostasis. However, the materials may not be considered as ideal hemostats since they do not offer antimicrobial activity. The gallium ion (Ga⁺³) not only exhibits antibacterial properties but also accelerates the blood coagulation cascade. The aim of this study was to develop …

Purification And Recovery Of Infectious Virus Particles Using Osmolyte Flocculation, Ashish Saksule

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Viral infectious diseases cause millions of deaths and severe illness all around the world affecting public health and economics. Viral vaccines are helping to fight against viral diseases, but current vaccines are expensive and unavailable, especially in poor and developing countries. When measuring the entire manufacturing processing, the downstream processing of vaccines is the major cost of production. Our goal for this research is to develop a low-cost alternative downstream processing platform for new vaccine manufacturing infrastructures. We have developed a novel osmolyte flocculation method for viral particles. To create a platform purification for several types of viral particles, we …

Production And Harvest Of Microalgae In Wastewater Raceways With Resource Recycling, Alexander Colin Roberts

Master's Theses

Microalgae can be grown on municipal wastewater media to both treat the wastewater and produce feedstock for algae biofuel production. However the reliability of treatment must be demonstrated, as well as high areal algae productivity on recycled wastewater media and efficient sedimentation harvesting. This processes was studied at pilot scale in the present research.

A pilot facility was operated with nine CO₂-supplemented raceway ponds, each with a 33-m² surface area and a 0.3-m depth, continuously from March 6, 2013 through September 24, 2014. The ponds were operated as three sets of triplicates with two sets continuously fed …

Effects Of Magnetically Induced Micro-Mixing On Nanofiltration Performance, Guanghui Song

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Nanofiltration (NF) is a relatively new membrane separation process mainly used for removing low molecular weight species from aqueous and non-aqueous solutions. NF membranes suffer from concentration polarization leading to membrane fouling thus compromised membrane performance. Magnetically responsive nanofiltration (NF) membranes functionalized with superparamagnetic nanoparticles (SPNs) attached to the chain ends of grafted polymer nanolayers have been shown to be effective in breaking concentration polarization at the membrane-liquid interface under an appropriate external oscillating magnetic field. Under an oscillating magnetic field, the movement of the polymer chains acts as micro-mixer leading to the suppression of concentration polarization and improved filtration …

Local Time-Averaged Gas Holdup In Fluidized Bed Reactor Using Gamma Ray Computed Tomography Technique (Ct), Abdelsalam Efhaima, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Many Invasive and Non-Invasive Techniques Have Been Used to Analyze the Hydrodynamics of Fluidized Beds. in This Study, the Effect of Superficial Gas Velocity and Bed Particle Density on the Hydrodynamics of Gas–solid Fluidized Beds Was Investigated by using a Cylindrical Plexiglas Fluidized Bed Column, 14 Cm in Diameter. Air at Room Temperature Was Used as the Fluidizing Gas and Two Different Geldart Type-B Particles Were Used: Glass Beads and Copper Particles with Material Densities of 2.5 and 5.3 G/cm3, Respectively, with the Same Size Particle, 210 µm. to Measure the Time-Averaged Cross-Sectional Gas and Solid Holdup Distribution, Gamma Ray …

Raman Spectroscopy Applied To The Noninvasive Detection Of Monosodium Urate Crystal Deposits, Declan J. Curran, Laurence Rubin, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

An off-the-shelf Raman Spectrometer (RS) was used to noninvasively determine the presence of monosodium urate (MSU) crystals on the metatarsophalangeal joint (MTPJ) of a single gout sufferer. The spectrum sourced from the clinically diagnosed gout sufferer was compared to that sourced from an age-matched healthy subject scanned using the same protocol. Minimal signal processing was conducted on both spectra. Peaks characteristic of MSU crystals were evident on the spectrum sourced from the gout sufferer and not on the spectrum from the healthy control.

Chemoselective Transfer Hydrogenation Of Nitroarenes Catalyzed By Highly Dispersed, Supported Nickel Nanoparticles, Chengjun Jiang, Zeyu Shang, Xinhua Liang

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

A recyclable highly dispersed Ni/SiO₂ catalyst was prepared by atomic layer deposition. Chemo selective reduction of nitroarenes was studied using the prepared Ni/SiO₂ as the catalyst and hydrazine hydrate as a hydrogen donor. Different kinds of nitroarenes were converted to the corresponding anilines with high yields. The high activity of the catalysts could be a result of the highly dispersed Ni nanoparticles. (Chemical Presented).

Thermodynamic Analysis Of Phenylpropanoid Pathway In Arabidopsis Thanliana, Patrick J. Ioerger, Rohit Jaini, John A. Morgan

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Biofuels represent a renewable alternative to traditional fossil fuels. As dependence on fossil fuels rise so does the importance of improving the production of alternative fuels. Lignin poses one obstacle in the development of such alternative fuels. Its presence strengthens cell walls and hinders degradation of polysaccharides into monosaccharides, increasing cost and time while decreasing efficiency of the process. Lignin is composed of three monolignols, each of which is produced through the Phenylpropanoid pathway; a series of chemical reactions. This work aims to determine which reactions in the pathway are least thermodynamically favorable and thus most limiting. From metabolic mapping …

A Novel Synthetic Yeast For Enzymatic Biodigester Pretreatment, Tianyu Tan, Mark S. Aronson, Arren Liu, Jill H. Osterhus, Melissa Robins, Suraj Mohan, Erich Leazer, Bowman Clark, Alexa Petrucciani, Katherine Lowery, James Welch, Casey Martin, Helena Lysandrou, Michael E. Scharf, Jenna Rickus

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Lignin, a complex organic polymer, is a major roadblock to the efficiency of biofuel conversion as it both physically blocks carbohydrate substrates and poisons biomass degrading enzymes, even if broken down to monomer units. A pretreatment process is often applied to separate the lignin from biomass prior to biofuel conversion. However, contemporary methods of pretreatment require large amounts of energy, which may be economically uncompelling or unfeasible. Taking inspiration from several genes that have been isolated from termites and fungi which translate to enzymes that degrade lignin, we want to establish a novel “enzymatic pretreatment” system where microbes secrete these …

The Identification Of Optimal Pathways In Synechocystis Sp. Pcc 6803 By Flux Balance Analysis, Ning Xuan Yip, John A. Morgan, Longyun Guo

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Cyanobacteria are microorganisms considered advantageous for producing valuable compounds because of their high growth rates compared to plants. They also can be grown at large scale in photobioreactors. This research aims to use metabolic engineering strategies to maximize the phenylalanine yield in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Our hypothesis is flux balance analysis will give different flux distributions with different objective functions. The scope of the project is modeling photoautotrophic metabolism of cyanobacteria with a genome scale stoichiometric model, testing several alternative objective functions. We also examined the tradeoff between growth and L-phenylalanine production with flux balance analysis. A linear programming …

Development Of A Novel Enzymatic Pre-Treatment For Lignocellulosic Biomass, Melissa Robins, Jenna Rickus

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Biofuels, fuels derived directly from living matter, present a renewable and environmentally friendly alternative to petroleum based fuels. Bioethanol produced from low input energy crops or agricultural waste is a promising fuel source because it does not interfere with the human food supply chain and the ethanol produced can be blended with gasoline. These potential sources of bioethanol are not yet commercially viable due to a polymer called lignin present in the plant’s cell wall which impedes the conversion of cellulose to glucose and the eventual fermentation of glucose to ethanol. Developing new methods for the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass …

Silver Nanoparticle Coated Bioactive Glasses - Composites With Dex/Cmc Hydrogels: Characterization, Solubility, And In Vitro Biological Studies, Anthony W. Wren, Pegah Hassanzadeh, Lana M. Placek, Timothy J. Keenan, Aisling Coughlan, Lydia R. Boutelle, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Silver (Ag) coated bioactive glass particles (Ag-BG) were formulated and compared to uncoated controls (BG) in relation to glass characterization, solubility and microbiology. X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed a crystalline AgNP surface coating while ion release studies determined low Ag release (/L). Cell culture studies presented increased cell viability (127 and 102%) with lower liquid extract (50 and 100 ml/ml) concentrations. Antibacterial testing of Ag-BG in E. coli, S. epidermidis and S. aureus significantly reduced bacterial cell viability by 60-90%. Composites of Ag-BG/CMC-Dex Hydrogels were formulated and characterized. Agar diffusion testing was conducted where Ag-BG/hydrogel composites produced the largest inhibition zones …

Bioactive Glass Reinforced Elastomer Composites For Skeletal Regeneration: A Review, Ehsan Zeimaran, Sara Pourshahrestani, Ivan Djordjevic, Belinda Pingguan-Murphy, Nahrizul Adib Kadri, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Biodegradable elastomers have clinical applicability due to their biocompatibility, tunable degradation and elasticity. The addition of bioactive glasses to these elastomers can impart mechanical properties sufficient for hard tissue replacement. Hence, a composite with a biodegradable polymer matrix and a bio glass filler can offer a method of augmenting existing tissue. This article reviews the applications of such composites for skeletal augmentation.

Peptoid-Based Klvff Mimics: A Unique Approach To Alzheimer's Disease, James Phillip Turner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the leading form of dementia worldwide. AD patients experience a slow, gradual cognitive decline that includes loss of memory and behavioral stability as the disease progresses. Surprisingly, AD is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and has had a profound impact on the U.S. economy. Though there are medications to help improve the quality of life of diagnosed patients for a period of time, there is still no cure for AD. AD is characterized by the build-up of amyloid plaques that develop from the aggregation of the amyloid beta protein (Aβ) in …

Using Peptoids To Build Robust, Efficient Microarray Systems, Dhaval Sunil Shah

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies have shown microarrays to be indispensable for various biological applications, allowing for high-throughput processing and screening of biological samples such as RNA, DNA, proteins and peptides using a small sample volume (< 1 µL). Peptoids (poly-N-substituted glycine oligomers) can be used as a substitute for antibodies as capture molecules, as well as coatings for slides in antibody microarrays. The ease of synthesis of peptoids, high customizability with desired bioactivity, and speed of synthesis allows us to build a diagnostic system with a large dynamic range that can detect biomolecules from a minimal sample size. In this study, peptoid-based antibody mimics are designed to have both structural and functional features similar to those of antibodies, including a stable constant region (scaffolding) and a variable region for protein recognition. Peptoids previously screened via combinatorial library synthesis to be specific to bind Mdm-2 (mouse double minute 2 homolog) and GST (gluthathione S-transferase), have been synthesized. The protein recognition peptoids have been conjugated to PEG (polyethylene glycol) molecules with modified end groups; an amine group on one end that allows for immobilization and orientation on the slide, and an azide group on the other end that will allow for attachment to the peptoid through “click chemistry”. The number of capture molecules printed on the slides can be increased by making the available surface area of the slide larger via coating with microspheres. We have determined that partially water soluble peptoids that are also helical, can self-assemble into microspheres. Sequences have been developed that can consistently produce uniform microsphere coatings on slides that increase the overall surface area. A high surface area corresponds to a higher number of binding sites, and therefore a more sensitive system. The work done has shown that slides may be successfully coated in order to potentially improve the detection system.

Effects Of Strontium Substitution On Bioactivity Of Hydroxyapatite, Chokchai Yatongchai, Lana M. Placek, Mark R. Towler, Anthony W. Wren

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Effect of strontium (Sr) substitution on bioactivity of hydroxyapatite (HA) was investigated. The substitution of Sr²⁺ for Ca²⁺ in the HA lattice increases biodegradability of Sr-substituted HA (Sr-HA) and accelerates the formation of apatite crystals on the Sr-HA surface. Moreover, the dissolution products from HA and Sr-HA samples are not cyto-toxic.

Three-Dimensional Ideal Gas Reference State Based Energy Function, Avdesh Mishra

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Energy functions are found to be a key of protein structure prediction. In this work, we propose a novel 3-dimensional energy function based on hydrophobic-hydrophilic properties of amino acid where we consider at least three different possible interaction of amino acid in a 3-dimensional sphere categorized as hydrophilic versus hydrophilic, hydrophobic versus hydrophobic and hydrophobic versus hydrophilic. Each of these interactions are governed by a 3-dimensional parameter alpha used to model the interaction and 3-dimensional parameter beta used to model weight of contribution. We use Genetic Algorithm (GA) to optimize the value of alpha, beta and Z-score. We obtain three …

Effective Antisense Design Using An Ensemble Of Energetically Sub-Optimal Secondary Mrna Structures, Andrea M. Divenere

University Scholar Projects

There is a current deficit of effective therapies against bacterial infection. Many strategies seek using small molecules to target the infectious pathogen. One approach involves direct manipulation of the pathogen at the RNA level. Messenger RNA (mRNA) is a genetic transcript that encodes the fundamental instruction for protein production. Inhibiting mRNA translation effectively prevents protein synthesis.

The therapeutic agent must physically access mRNA to effectively block its message from being read. A technique has arisen where a complementary nucleic acid binding strand, called antisense, is generated to impede protein synthesis. An issue in creating effective antisense is finding mRNA target …

Evaluating The Viability Of Graphene Oxide For The Removal Of Ni(Ii) Ions From Waste Water, Cale M. White

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

When levels of heavy metal ions such as nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), Zinc (Zn), and Cobalt (Co) exceed the tolerance values for industrial wastewater, it can devastate the environment as well as the health of the individuals consuming the water. Heavy metal ions are not biodegradable and will accumulate in organic matter.(1) This accumulation leads to toxic levels in the blood and hence damage to nerve tissue, kidneys, the liver, and other vital organs. (2) Effective removal processes of these heavy metals from water must be developed. This study explores a method to adsorb nickel from water with …

The Production Of Biobutanol From Biomass Via A Hybrid Biological/Chemical Process, Thomas Melvin Potts

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biobutanol use as a fuel began in the late 19th century. Problems remain in economic viability. A review of the state of the art and need for technical advances is presented.

The technical potential of producing biofuel from a naturally occurring macroalgae was studied. The algae grow in Jamaica Bay, New York City, in contaminated water. The process consisted of mechanical harvesting, drying, grinding, and acid hydrolysis to form an algal sugar solution. Clostridium beijerinckii and C. saccharoperbutylacetonicum were used in an acetone butanol ethanol (ABE) fermentation to make butanol. Fermentation was followed by distillation Butanol concentrations during fermentation reached …

The Investigation Of Chitosan-Based Hydrogels For Intratumoral Delivery Of Immunotherapeutic Cytokines, Ethan Drew Lowry

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Controlled and localized delivery of Interleukin 12 (IL-12) is critical to effective and non-toxic cancer immunotherapy. Current delivery protocols for pre-clinical anti-tumor trials utilize solutions of chitosan, a mucoadhesive and bioeliminable biopolymer, to slow the release of IL- 12 into the tumor microenvironment. In order to further increase IL-12 retention, we have developed and characterized two chitosan-based in situ gelling hydrogels for IL-12 immunotherapy. One hydrogel, composed of heparin and chitosan, is herein described from initial conception through multiple stages of characterization including isolation of a range of suitable hydrogel formulations and observational physical and chemical properties. A second hydrogel …

Fluorescent Imaging On A Microfluidics Chip For Quantification Of Leukocyte Count, Aneeka Majid

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

We have demonstrated a method for conducting a leukocyte count in whole blood using a microfluidics chip and epi-fluorescence setup. Leukocyte counts provide physicians with a wealth of information about a patient’s medical condition and as such are routinely completed for many hospital visits. Miniaturization of this diagnostic tool may enable physicians to provide healthcare in resource-limited settings, where patients would otherwise not receive this test. The microfluidics chip was fabricated in polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using soft-film lithography. Following further processing and cleaning, the PDMS mold is exposed to UV-ozone for surface activation, and then sealed with a glass coverslip to …

Development Of An In Vitro Myogenesis Assay, Anna Arnaud

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The objective of this study was to explore the interaction between mouse C2C12 cells and the extracellular matrix, particularly the process of myoblasts converting to myocytes. This study aimed to create a myogenesis assay that presents a process to effectively monitor the development of mouse C2C12 myoblasts into differentiated skeletal myotubes through detection of the protein MyoD. Myogenesis, the development of muscle tissue, occurs when muscle progenitor cells, myoblasts, fuse to form multinucleated myotubes, followed by cell fusion and resulting in a myofiber capable of contraction. An in vitro myogenesis assay would enable further research to efficiently test the effect …

Multiplexed Microfluidic Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification Of The 16s Rrna Gene For The Diagnosis Of Neonatal Sepsis In Resource-Limited Environments, Griffin Thomas Sonaty

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Bacterial infection, or sepsis, places a disproportionately high burden on newborns in developing countries. This is due in part to a lack of diagnostic tools suitable for sustainable use in resource-limited nurseries. One potential vehicle for a new diagnostic assay is loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP), a high-yield DNA amplification method. LAMP has been used to detect single genes from bacteria in blood serum samples to aid in sepsis diagnosis. While specific, this approach can only provide detection for one species at a time. LAMP could be adapted to detect a broader set of bacteria, while retaining a degree of specificity …

Intracellular Uptake Of Chitosan Nanoparticle-Based Vaccines, Katherine E. Wilson

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Particle-based delivery systems are a promising approach to enhance antigen-specific immunity for use in vaccines. Chitosan, a natural polysaccharide derived from the exoskeletons of crustaceans, shows great potential as a vaccine carrier due to its favorable properties as a biomaterial, including biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this study, the intracellular uptake of chitosan nanoparticles is explored and compared to that of other commonly used particle-based delivery vehicles, such as poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). Fluorescein isothiocyanate-labeled bovine serum albumin (FITC-BSA) was used as a model protein antigen and encapsulated in both chitosan particles via precipitation-coacervation and PLGA particles via double emulsion solvent …

Characterization Of Novel Chitosan/Polyelectrolyte Nanoparticles, Michaela Wynne Mertz

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Chitosan-based nanoparticles are under investigation as delivery vehicles for drugs, genes, and proteins. Due to the biocompatibility, mucoadhesive nature, and biodegradable nature of chitosan and binding qualities, anionic nature, and biocompatible qualities of heparin, chitosan/heparin nanoparticles (CHNPs) are a promising platform for the delivery of labile proteins. However, the literature lacks a definitive process to control the size, efficiency, and yield of CHNPs at higher concentrations of reagents. Additionally there is a need to improve loading efficiency of CHNPs. In this study CHNPs have been synthesized and characterized for size, yield, protein loading efficiency, and release. The CHNPs were prepared …