Chemical Engineering Commons^™

Fractionation Of Chitosan Using A Novel Precipitation Method, Davis J. Ward

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Chitosan is a derivative of chitin, a biopolymer found in the exoskeletons of crustaceans. Chitosan is under heavy investigation in the field of drug delivery due to its wide versatility. One such delivery mechanism is the use of hydrogels in cancer immunotherapy delivery. The viscosity of chitosan in its use as a hydrogel depends on the length of chitosan’s N-acetyl D-glucosamine chains, which in turn determines the molecular weight of chitosan. Because there is such a wide range of viscosity in a typical sample of chitosan, there is a need for a simple technique to fractionate the chitosan based on …

Monitoring The Effects Of Mmp Inhibitors On Extracellular Matrix Degradation For Use In Implant Protection, Jake D. Jones

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

In order to lengthen the functional time of implantable ECM, the mechanism of degradation must be inhibited. The matrix metalloproteases are the primary method by which ECM is broken down, and the TIMP family of proteins exists as proof that inhibition of these proteases is possible naturally. In particular, the glycoprotein TIMP-1 plays an inhibitory role with most of the MMPs including the collagenases. Furthermore, there exist synthetic or chemical molecules that likewise inhibit the catalytic actions of MMPs. One such molecule is Batimastat (BB-94) which has been proven to be a dose dependent inhibitor of MMPs during the inflammatory …

Life-Cycle Energy And Ghg Emissions Of Forest Biomass Harvest And Transport For Biofuel Production In Michigan, Fengli Zhang, Dana M. Johnson, Jinjiang Wang

College of Business Publications

High dependence on imported oil has increased U.S. strategic vulnerability and prompted more research in the area of renewable energy production. Ethanol production from renewable woody biomass, which could be a substitute for gasoline, has seen increased interest. This study analysed energy use and greenhouse gas emission impacts on the forest biomass supply chain activities within the State of Michigan. A life-cycle assessment of harvesting and transportation stages was completed utilizing peer-reviewed literature. Results for forest-delivered ethanol were compared with those for petroleum gasoline using data specific to the U.S. The analysis from a woody biomass feedstock supply perspective uncovered …

Microfracture And Surfactant Impact On Linear Cocurrent Brine Imbibition In Gas-Saturated Shale, Yongpeng Sun, Baojun Bai, Mingzhen Wei

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

During and after hydraulic fracturing, fluid-shale interaction has a prominent impact on liquid retention and thus on gas phase permeability and gas productivity. By providing a low surface tension or wettability alteration, surfactants are widely used to decrease liquid retention after fracturing. To evaluate the liquid intake of a rock sample, an imbibition experiment is commonly used, especially when it is treated by a surfactant. However, conventional imbibition experiments with gas shale could not quantitate the imbibition behaviors as it does with conventional rocks because of the low porosity and extremely low permeability of gas shale. In this paper, a …

Highly Porous Titania Films Coated On Sub-Micron Particles With Tunable Thickness By Molecular Layer Deposition In A Fluidized Bed Reactor, Rajankumar L. Patel, Ying Bing Jiang, Xinhua Liang

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Titanium alkoxide (titanicone) thin films were coated on large quantities of sub-micron sized silica particles at 100 °C using molecular layer deposition (MLD) in a fluidized bed reactor. Titanium tetrachloride and ethylene glycol were used as precursors. The content of titanium on the particles increased linearly as the number of MLD coating cycles increased. The conformity of the films, with a thickness of ~12 nm, was verified using TEM for silica particles coated with 50 cycles of titanicone. The composition of the titan cone films was confirmed using energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry. Porous titanium oxide films were formed for the …

Fabrication And Characterization Of Poly(Octanediol Citrate)/Gallium-Containing Bioglass Microcomposite Scaffolds, Ehsan Zeimaran, Sara Pourshahrestani, Belinda Pingguan-Murphy, Nahrizul Adib Kadri, Hussin A. Rothan, Rohana Yusof, Mark R. Towler, Ivan Djordjevic

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Bone can be affected by osteosarcomae requiring surgical excision of the tumor as part of the treatment regime. Complete removal of cancerous cells is difficult and conventionally requires the removal of a margin of safety around the tumor to offer improved patient prognosis. This work considers a novel series of composite scaffolds based on poly (octanediol citrate) (POC) impregnated with gallium-based bioglass microparticles for possible incorporation into bone following tumor removal. The objective of this research was to fabricate and characterize these scaffolds and subsequently report on their mechanical and biological properties. The porous micro composite scaffolds with various concentrations …

A Glass Polyalkenoate Cement Carrier For Bone Morphogenetic Proteins, Adel M.F. Alhalawani, Omar Rodriguez, Declan J. Curran, Russell Co, Sean Kieran, Saad Arshad, Timothy J. Keenan, Anthony W. Wren, Gazelle Crasto, Sean A.F. Peel, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This work considers a glass polyalkenoate cement (GPC)-based carrier for the effective delivery of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) at an implantation site. A 0.12 CaO–0.04 SrO–0.36 ZnO–0.48 SiO₂ based glass and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA, Mw 213,000) were employed for the fabrication of the GPC. The media used for the water source in the GPC reaction was altered to produce a series of GPCs. The GPC liquid media was either 100 % distilled water with additions of albumin at 0, 2, 5 and 8 wt% of the glass content, 100 % formulation buffer (IFB), and 100 % BMP (150 µg …

Identification And Quantification Of Gaseous Organic Compounds Emitted From Biomass Burning Using Two-Dimensional Gas Chromatography–Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry, Lindsay E. Hatch, Wentai Luo, James F. Pankow, Robert J. Yokelson, Chelsea E. Stockwell, Kelley Barsanti

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

The current understanding of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) formation within biomass burning (BB) plumes is limited by the incomplete identification and quantification of the non-methane organic compounds (NMOCs) emitted from such fires. Gaseous organic compounds were collected on sorbent cartridges during laboratory burns as part of the fourth Fire Lab at Missoula Experiment (FLAME- 4) and analyzed by two-dimensional gas chromatography– time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC × GC–ToFMS). The sensitivity and resolving power of GC × GC–ToFMS allowed the acquisition of the most extensive data set of BB NMOCs to date, with measurements for 708 positively or tentatively identified compounds. Estimated …

Superheated Liquid And Supercritical Denatured Ethanol Extraction Of Antioxidants From Crimson Red Grape Stems, Johnathon Wenzel, Lihua Wang, Cheryl Samaniego, La'shyla Nelson, Korrine Ketchum, Michelle Ammerman, Ali Zand

Chemical Engineering Publications

Grapes are widely known for health benefits due to their antioxidant content. In wine production, grape stems are often discarded, though they has a higher content of antioxidants than the juice. The effectiveness of using an environmentally friendly solvent, ethanol, as a superheated liquid and supercritical fluid to extract antioxidant compounds from grape stems of organically grown Crimson Seedless grapes was evaluated. The Ferric Reducing Ability of Plasma (FRAP) assay and the Total Phenolic Content (TPC), or Folin-Ciocalteu assay, were used to quantify the antioxidant power of grape stem extracts. The extractions were performed at temperatures between 160°C and 300°C …

A Versatile Microparticle-Based Immunoaggregation Assay For Macromolecular Biomarker Detection And Quantification, Haiyan Wu, Yu Han, George G. Chase, Qiong Tang, Chen-Jung Lee, Bin Cao, Jiang Zhe, Gang Cheng

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Research

The rapid, sensitive and low-cost detection of macromolecular biomarkers is critical in clinical diagnostics, environmental monitoring, research, etc. Conventional assay methods usually require bulky, expensive and designated instruments and relative long assay time. For hospitals and laboratories that lack immediate access to analytical instruments, fast and low-cost assay methods for the detection of macromolecular biomarkers are urgently needed. In this work, we developed a versatile microparticle (MP)-based immunoaggregation method for the detection and quantification of macromolecular biomarkers. Antibodies (Abs) were firstly conjugated to MP through streptavidin-biotin interaction; the addition of macromolecular biomarkers caused the aggregation of Ab-MPs, which were subsequently …

Impact Of Internals Size And Configuration On Bubble Dynamics In Bubble Columns For Alternative Clean Fuels Production, Moses Kagumba, Muthanna H. Al-Dahhan

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Bubble Columns Have Been Used in a Wide Range of Applications in Industry Including the Production of Alternative Clean Fuels Via Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis and Liquid Phase Methanol Synthesis, among Others. the Effects of Dense Internals Encountered in Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis with Different Diameters and Covering the Same Cross-Sectional Area and Hence Configuration on Bubble Properties Are Lacking in the Open Literature. Therefore, the Focus of This Study is to Investigate the Effects of Dense Internals with Different Diameters and Covering the Same Cross-Sectional Area and Hence Configuration on the Bubble Dynamics Such as Local and overall Gas Holdup, Specific Interfacial Area, …

Process For The Preparation Of Sufentanil Base And Related Components, Brian Orr, Joseph P. Haar Jr., George H. Klemm, Keith Tomazi

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The present disclosure generally related to an improved process for the preparation of various piperidine derivatives. More particularly, the present disclosure related to an improved process for preparing sufentanil base (1) and related compounds, which advantageously utilizes more cost effective and/or less hazardous reagents, including a dispersion comprising between about 50% and about 70% by weight (based on the total weight of the dispersion) of an alkali metal hydride, such as sodium hydride, as well as eliminates the need for expensive and/or time consuming purification techniques.

Investigating The Solubility And Cytocompatibility Of Cao-Na2o-Sio2/Tio2 Bioactive Glasses, Anthony W. Wren, Aisling Coughlan, Courtney M. Smith, Sarah P. Hudson, Fathima R. Laffir, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This study aims to investigate the solubility of a series of titanium (TiO₂)-containing bioactive glasses and their subsequent effect on cell viability. Five glasses were synthesized in the composition range SiO₂-Na₂O-CaO with 5 mol % of increments TiO₂ substituted for SiO₂. Glass solubility was investigated with respect to (1) exposed surface area, (2) particle size, (3) incubation time, and (4) compositional effects. Ion release profiles showed that sodium (Na⁺) presented high release rates after 1 day and were unchanged between 7 and 14 days. Calcium (Ca²⁺) release …

Creation Of An Annotated Library On Fda Approved Nanomedicines, Marley R. Hodson, Tanin Izadi, Nastassja Lewinski Ph.D, Bridget T. Mcinnes Ph.D

UROP Posters

Nanomedicine is a type of nanotechnology used in the medical field to limit the dosage amount and target drug delivery to specific cells. Nanomedicines that are approved and used tend to be extremely successful; however despite over a decade of research, only a limited number of nanomedicines have advanced for clinical use. A possible reason for the numerous nanomedicine failures is lack of easily accessible information and research on previous nanomedicines. In this project, we have compiled nanomedicine labeling information from the Drugs@FDA website. We have extracted phrases/sentences from labels relating to keywords on nanomaterial properties and drug profile characteristics. …

Technoeconomics And Sustainability Of Renewable Methanol And Ammonia Productions Using Wind Power-Based Hydrogen, Michael J. Matzen, Mahdi H. Alhajji, Yaşar Demirel

Yaşar Demirel Publications

This study analyzes and compares the economics and sustainability aspects of two hydrogenation processes for producing renewable methanol and ammonia by using wind-power based electrolytic hydrogen. Carbon dioxide from an ethanol plant is used for producing methanol, while the nitrogen is supplied by an Air Separation Unit (ASU) for producing ammonia. The capacities are 99.96 mt/day methanol and 1202.55 mt/day anhydrous ammonia. The methanol plant requires 138.37 mt CO₂/day and 19.08 mt H₂/day. The ammonia is synthesized by using 217.72 mt H₂/day and 1009.15 mt N₂/day. The production costs and the carbon …

Biomimetic Oral Mucin From Polymer Micelle Networks, Sundar Prasanth Authimoolam

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Mucin networks are formed by the complexation of bottlebrush-like mucin glycoprotein with other small molecule glycoproteins. These glycoproteins create nanoscale strands that then arrange into a nanoporous mesh. These networks play an important role in ensuring surface hydration, lubricity and barrier protection. In order to understand the functional behavior in mucin networks, it is important to decouple their chemical and physical effects responsible for generating the fundamental property-function relationship. To achieve this goal, we propose to develop a synthetic biomimetic mucin using a layer-by-layer (LBL) deposition approach. In this work, a hierarchical 3-dimensional structures resembling natural mucin networks was generated …

Inhalable Nanocomposites And Anticancer Agents For Cancer Therapy, Nathanael A. Stocke

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Cancer is designated as the leading cause of mortality worldwide and lung cancer is responsible for nearly 30% of all cancer related deaths. Over the last few decades mortality rates have only marginally increased and rates of recurrence remain high. These factors, among others, suggest the need for more innovative treatment modalities in lung cancer therapy. Targeted pulmonary delivery is well established for treating pulmonary diseases such as asthma and provides a promising platform for lung cancer therapy. Increasing local deposition of anticancer agents (ACAs) and reducing systemic exposure of these toxic moieties could lead to better therapeutic outcomes and …

Effect Of Resin Thickness, And Curing Time On The Micro-Hardness Of Bulk-Fill Resin Composites, Shaymaa M. Nagi, Lamiaa M. Moharam, Mohamed H. Zaazou

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Background: Bulk-fill resin composite has been introduced, their manufacturers claimed that they can be applied in bulks of 4mm, without necessitating a prolonged curing time, or a light curing unit with increased irradiance. Thus, this study was conducted to evaluate the effect of resin thickness and curing time on the micro-hardness of two bulk -fill resin composites: Tetric Evo-Ceram [TE], and X-trafil [XF]. Material and Methods: 120 cylindrical specimens were prepared and divided into 24 groups (n=5/group), representing the two bulk-fill resin composites, three different material thicknesses (2, 3 and 4 mm) and the four curing times used in the …

Secondary Metabolites Isolated From Perovskia Atriplicifolia And Their In Vitro Binding Affinity For Human Opioid And Cannabinoid Receptors, Ashli Fitzpatrick

Honors Theses

Plants and their natural products have been utilized for thousands of years in the treatment of many human diseases. Because of their structural diversity, natural products are ideal lead compounds for drug development. In this thesis, the natural products of the plant Perovskia atriplicifolia were investigated, specifically their in vitro binding affinity to receptors in opioid and cannabinoid classes. Extracts that demonstrated good selective opioid and cannabinoid receptor binding were subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation. Four active compounds were identified from the crude extract in Perovskia atriplicifolia: 1) 5-hydroxy-3',4',6,7-tetramethoxy flavone, 2) 5,7-dihydroxy-3',4',6,-trimethoxy flavone, 3) 5-hydroxy-4',6,7-trimethoxy flavone, and 4) 5,7-dihydroxy-4',6,-dimethoxy flavone. Each …

Exploration Of Cannabinoid And Opioid Agents From Plants Used In Traditional Medicine, John Fitzpatrick

Honors Theses

Ten plants, with known medicinal uses, were gathered to study for their possible production of secondary metabolites that act as opioid and cannabinoid agents. All plants were subjected to in vitro bioassays testing for their affinity for the opioid and cannabinoid receptors. Banisteriopsis caapi extracts displayed the greatest affinity for both opioid and cannabinoid receptors. B. caapi extracts underwent column fractionation yielding fractions that were subjected to further in vitro studies. We discovered that the ethanolic extract of this plant (foliage) binds to all three opioid receptors (µ, κ and δ) and cannabinoid receptors (CB1 and CB2) with values ranging …

Targeting G-Quadruplexes Within The Adam-15 Promoter: A Novel Therapeutic Approach For Breast Cancer, Rachel L. Jenkins

Honors Theses

ADAM-15 is a protein that is up-regulated in many diseases, particularly breast cancer; its over-expression is correlated with more aggressive and invasive phenotypes. The critical core promoter region of ADAM-15 is capable of forming a secondary DNA structure known as a G-quadruplex. The stabilization of this G-quadruplex has the potential to decrease the transcription of the over-expressed ADAM-15 protein. Six hundred forty compounds were screened for their ability to cause a shift in the melting temperature of an ADAM-15 oligonucleotide using FRET melt. Two compounds, NSC 146771 and NSC 260594, produced a significant shift in the melting temperature; further experimentation, …

Predicting Key Residues Relevant To Hiapp Fibril Stability Using Permuted Residue Minimal Distance Pairs Of Riapp And Hiapp Dimers, Zak Kohler

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In order to discover the most significant residues involved in hIAPP fibril formation, Replica Exchange Molecular Dynamics (REMD) trajectories of both fibril forming hIAPP dimers and non-fibril-forming rIAPP dimers were analyzed. An import heuristic for this is the minimum distance between the peptides. To gain a greater resolution than the standard center of mass distance or 1-1, 2-2, etc.\ residue distances, every permutation of residue distance between molecules of the dimer was measured ranked. It was found that while the rIAPP had a single favored contact, (26 10), hIAPP appeared to have a network of at least three significant contacts: …

Evaluation Of The Signature Molecular Descriptor With Blosum62 And An All-Atom Description For Use In Sequence Alignment Of Proteins, Lindsay M. Aichinger

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This Honors Project focused on a few aspects of this topic. The second is comparing the molecular signature kernels to three of the BLOSUM matrices (30, 62, and 90) to test the accuracy of the mathematical model. The kernel matrix was manipulated in order to improve the relationship by focusing on side groups and also by changing how the structure was represented in the matrix by increasing the initial height distance from the central atom (Height 1 and Height 2 included).

There were multiple design constraints for this project. The first was the comparison with the BLOSUM matrices (30, 62, …

Polymer Interactions With Nucleic Acids Under Various Physiological Conditions, Matthew S. Obrzut

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The goal of this project is to improve our understanding of nucleic acid interactions with cationic polymers with the theory that the polymers could protect the nucleic acids from degradation caused by biological enzymes. We seek to understand what the limitations of the cationic polymers are which, in this case, is mainly polymer-DNA compatibility. This experiment utilized peptide-dextran hybrid polymers with differing functionalizations to condense anionic nucleic acids into nanometer-sized polyplexes. Techniques of dynamic light scattering and zeta-potential were utilized to determine the particle sizes and surface charges of polyplexes.

In this experiment, dextran with a molecular weight of 20 …

Effect Of Nitrogen On Properties Of Na2o-Cao-Sro-Zno-Sio2 Glasses, Ahmed Bachar, Cyrille Mercier, Arnaud Tricoteaux, Jean Christophe Hornez, Anne Leriche, Claudine Follet, Bertrand Revel, Stuart Hampshire, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Glasses in the Na₂O-CaO-SrO-ZnO-SiO₂ system have previously been investigated for suitability as a reagent in Al-free glass polyalkenoate cements (GPCs). These materials have many properties that offer potential in orthopedics. However, their applicability has been limited, to date, because of their poor strength. This study was undertaken with the aim of increasing the mechanical properties of a series of these Zn-based GPC glasses by doping with nitrogen to give overall compositions of: 10Na₂O-10CaO-20SrO-20ZnO-(40-3x)SiO₂-xSi₃N₄ (x is the no. of moles of Si₃N₄). The density, glass-transition temperature, hardness, …

Deuterium Enrichment And The Kinetic Isotope Effect During Ruthenium Catalyzed Fischer-Tropsch Synthesis, Jennifer Naumovitz

Online Theses and Dissertations

Fischer Tropsch Synthesis is a highly researched field that is still widely debated today. Research in this field could lead to many different advances, such as alternative fuel sources, explanations of abiogenic hydrocarbons and the formation of organic matter in the solar nebula. Analysis of this synthesis was carried out with a ruthenium catalyst at controlled temperatures and pressures. Two types of experiments were performed: H2/D2 switching and competitive methods. The products showed that the hydrocarbon production rate was slightly increased when syngas was switched to D2/CO. Also, the H/D ratios of the hydrocarbons produced by the FT reaction using …

Effects Of De-Polymerization Of Cellulose In Producing Sugar From Cellulosic Biomass At Low-Temperature, Lin Ling Wu

Online Theses and Dissertations

Lignocellulosic biomass is an abundant, renewable and environmentally friendly raw materials that can be converted into biofuels as an efficient alternative energy source. Sugar production is one of the key steps in converting biomass to fuels and chemicals. In order to enhance the accessibility of lignocellulosic biomass to catalytic enzyme, microorganism, and other types of catalysis during bioprocessing, the pre-treatment of lignocellulosic biomass is needed. To depolymerize the lignocellulosic materials, a 7% NaOH/12% urea solution was used. Selection of enzyme from Novozyme was performed, as a result, NS22074, a Cellulase complex was used throughout the research. Under the same reaction …

Integrated Nanoscale Imaging And Spatial Recognition Of Biomolecules On Surfaces, Congzhou Wang

Theses and Dissertations

Biomolecules on cell surfaces play critical roles in diverse biological and physiological processes. However, conventional bulk scale techniques are unable to clarify the density and distribution of specific biomolecules in situ on single, living cell surfaces at the micro or nanoscale. In this work, a single cell analysis technique based on Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) is developed to spatially identify biomolecules and characterize nanomechanical properties on single cell surfaces. The unique advantage of these AFM-based techniques lies in the ability to operate in situ (in a non-destructive fashion) and in real time, under physiological conditions or controlled micro-environments.

First, AFM-based …

Biomolecule Localization And Surface Engineering Within Size Tunable Nanoporous Silica Particles, Daniel M. Schlipf

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Mesoporous silica materials are versatile platforms for biological catalysis, isolation of small molecules for detection and separation applications. The design of mesoporous silica supports for tailored protein and biomolecule interactions has been limited by the techniques to demonstrate biomolecule location and functionality as a function of pore size. This work examines the interaction of proteins and lipid bilayers with engineered porous silica surfaces using spherical silica particles with tunable pore diameters (3 – 12 nm) in the range relevant to biomolecule uptake in the pores, and large particle sizes (5 - 15 µm) amenable to microscopy imaging

The differentiation of …

Design And Synthesis Of Sigma-1 Probe For Positron Emission Tomography (Pet) Imaging, May Ly

Honors Theses

Sigma-1 receptor radioligands have the potential to detect and monitor various neurological diseases. Because sigma-1 receptors are believed to be associated with numerous psychiatric conditions and neurodegenerative diseases, radioligands for sigma-1 receptors have the potential to serve as novel diagnostic tools and may be useful in assessing treatment effectiveness. A benzothiazolone 18F-labeled sigma-1 receptor ligand, CM304, has demonstrated promise as a specific positron emission tomography radiotracer for visualizing sigma-1 receptors in living subjects. Based on CM304, backup molecules were created to improve the overall drug profile, including half- life and bioavailability.