Biotechnology Commons^™

Metal Oxide Nanoparticle‑Integrated Phema Hydrogels: Morphology, Chemical Properties, And Biological Interaction, Venkateswar Rao, Collin Cox, Brandon Clark, Arushi Rai, Erick S. Vasquez-Guardado, Madhuri Kango-Singh, Soubantika Palchoudhury

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Hydrogels offer attractive matrices for incorporating inorganic metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) to generate multifunctional hybrid materials, but challenges remain in scalable synthesis and correlating their properties to bio-interaction. Therefore, we report the synthesis and characterization of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) hydrogels, and pHEMA hydrogels encapsulating iron oxide or zinc oxide NPs, using a modified free-radical polymerization. Dose-dependent survivorship studies on Drosophila melanogaster revealed that both NP-embedded hydrogels are tolerated over a wide dose range (e.g., 50–200 mg), although ZnO NP-gels exhibit lower survivorship at some concentrations due to their inherent composition and a wider size distribution of iron oxide NPs.

High-Throughput Robotic Ethanol Inhibition Assays For Engineered Thermophilic Biofuel Strains, Kevin He, Daniel Olson, Marybeth Maloney, Anthony Lanahan

Wetterhahn Science Symposium Posters

Ethanol stress assays are commonly used to evaluate microbial tolerance, metabolic adaptation, and fermentation performance. However, manual liquid handling introduces variability across replicate wells and small-volume pipetting steps, limiting reproducibility and throughput. This study developed an automated OT-2 robotic workflow to generate replicated ethanol concentration gradients for high-throughput inhibition assays in engineered thermophilic biofuel strains. Kinetic plate-reader measurements were used to quantify ethanol-dependent growth responses under anaerobic fermentation conditions. The reasearch question is: How do engineered thermophilic biofuel strains differ in ethanol-dependent growth inhibition under anaerobic fermentation conditions, and can automated robotic assays improve the reproducibility of these measurements? Can …

Ellie - Exteroceptive Light Locomotion In Eukaryote-Fungi, Brandon Etwarroo

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Over the past decade, fungal research and its technological applications have expanded across multiple disciplines, including the emerging field of biohybrid systems. This thesis develops and evaluates a wireless, untethered mobile robot controlled by the action potential-like activity generated by Pleurotus ostreatus sporocarps under red, green, and blue optical stimulation. Light is applied to the sporocarps, the resulting electrical responses are recorded, and these signals are transmitted wirelessly to actuate the mobile robot. Both the action potential-like activity patterns and the robot’s movement trajectories were analyzed. The results demonstrate that wireless robotic control mediated by fungal electrophysiology is feasible. Overall, …

Performance Of Membrane Bioreactor In Nitrogen Removal Using Anammox Bacteria Cultivated From Lake Koto Baru, Zulkarnaini Zulkarnaini, Tiffany Azhra Amanda, Alqadri Asri Putra, Puti Sri Komala, Dewi Nilawati, Widyarani Widyarani, Tarzan Sembiring, Panji Cahya Mawarda, Athanasia Amanda Septevani, Mia Miranti Rustama, Rina Andriyani

Makara Journal of Science

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) is the biological conversion of ammonium to nitrogen gas (N₂) using nitrite as an electron acceptor. This study evaluated the performance of a membrane bioreactor (MBR) in nitrogen removal at room temperature using Candidatus Brocadia fulgida, an anammox bacterium previously cultivated from Lake Koto Baru, Tanah Datar, Indonesia. The MBR was operated for 48 days with a hydraulic retention time of 24 h under a continuous supply of ammonium and nitrite, with both substrates provided at influent concentrations of 70, 150, and 250 mg-N/L. Samples were collected twice a week and analyzed via …

Cultivation Of Arthrospira Platensis (Spirulina) In Food-Based Industrial Wastewater For High-Yield Phycocyanin Extraction, Pavithira Sathinathan

Student Works (2020-2029)

Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina) is a filamentous cyanobacterium valued for its nutritional profile, particularly the pigment–protein phycocyanin, with potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Despite its industrial significance, large-scale commercialization remains constrained by high cultivation costs and inefficient extraction methods. This study investigated the use of food-based industrial wastewater as an alternative nutrient medium for Spirulina cultivation, aiming to reduce production costs, enhance phycocyanin yield, and support sustainable wastewater remediation. Three types of food-based wastewater with different nutrient composition (WW1, WW2, WW3) was diluted with Kosaric medium (1:1) and used for Spirulina cultivation. The highest biomass concentration was achieved in WW2 (1.93 …

Hold Paramount The Health, Safety, And Welfare Of The Public And The Planet, Daniel B. Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

Investigation Of Factors Influencing Electric Vehicle Adoption In Indonesia: Ev Owners’ Perspectives, Desrina Yusi Irawatia, Nur Aini Masruroh, Nur Mayke Eka Normasari

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Electric vehicle (EV) uptake in Indonesia remains markedly below policy benchmarks. This study applies the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology version 3 (UTAUT3), an extension of UTAUT2 that incorporates personal innovativeness as an additional construct to examine its impact on both behavioral intention and actual EV adoption within the Indonesian context. Unlike studies that typically survey the general public, this study focuses on actual EV users and owners, providing more representative and responsive insights into real-world EV usage. A total of 208 respondents participated, with 135 from the Jabodetabek area and 73 from Surabaya. The UTAUT3 framework …

A Deep Neural Approach To Network-Based Obfuscated Malware, Meera Parmar, Sunil Gautam

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

The rising prevalence of obfuscated malware poses a critical threat to network security, undermining traditional detection methods and jeopardizing data integrity and system reliability in an increasingly connected world. This growing danger highlights the urgent need for advanced solutions to protect against evolving cyber risks. This research intro-duces a novel framework to enhance malware detection, employing a hybrid architecture that integrates spatial and temporal analysis with attention mechanisms. The approach leverages a large dataset subsample, focusing on key feature selection and augmentation to improve robustness against evasion techniques. This innovative framework offers a significant advancement in identifying malicious network traffic, …

Extraction And Characterization Of Fresh And Dehydrated Cactus (Opuntia Ficus Indica) Polysaccharide For Hydrogel Preparation, Aye Thwe Thwesoe, May Myat Khine

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

In this research, extraction of polysaccharide compounds from Cactus (Opuntia Ficus Indica) leaves in both fresh and dehydrated condition by solvent precipitation method using three types of water, acid (HCL) and NaOH. Before extraction, the physicochemical properties were examined to determine optimum yield (%) of extracted polysaccharide by optimization of Box-Behnken Design (BBD) of response surface methodology (RSM). The polysaccharide-based acrylamide hydrogel was prepared by free radical polymerization. The functional and structural characterization was done by FTIR, XRD and SEM for examination of extracted polysaccharide as raw polymer backbone in hydrogel preparation and prepared hydrogel as adsorbent for metal removal. …

Ai-Assisted Hybrid Ga–Pso Channel Allocation Under 3gpp Tr 38.901 Uma For Efficient 5g Radio Resource Management, Sharada Narsingrao Ohatkar

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

The increased traffic and heterogeneity in the 5G/B5G network require efficient radio resource management (RRM). However, the existing methods, such as GA and PSO, have poor convergence speed and require proper initial conditions. Additionally, learning-based methods have high computational complexity. Hence, in this paper, a novel AI-assisted Hybrid Channel Allocation (AI–HCA) framework is proposed by using a support vector regression (SVR)-based predictive initialization method and GA-PSO optimization. Simulation results using the 3GPP UMa channel model show that the proposed method has a 28% reduction in call blocking probability (CBP), a 15-25% enhancement in spectral efficiency (SE), and a 18-25% enhancement …

Triangulating Primary Sources, Professional Judgement, And Llm-Generated Summaries: Educating Nurses In An Ai-First World, Sarah Oerther, Daniel B. Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

No abstract provided.

A Transdisciplinary Approach To Advancing Water Security And Public Health: The “Nurse + Engineer” Model For Achieving Sustainability In Wash Systems Using Community-Based Participatory Research, Daniel B. Oerther, Sarah Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Human health is linked to the health of the environment, a concept referred to as planetary health. As environmental challenges become increasingly complex, single-disciplinary approaches are insufficient to achieve sustainable solutions. This article presents a transdisciplinary framework, termed the "Nurse + Engineer" model, as a novel methodology for addressing complex problems at the nexus of environmental engineering and public health. The model integrates the technical design and systems-level thinking of environmental engineering with the community-based, patient-centered care of nursing. This work details the key lessons learned from the retrospective application of this framework to a series of multi-year, community-based participatory …

Environmental Engineers Develop Solutions To Problems Of Planetary Health: The Legacy Of Professor P. Aarne Vesilind, Daniel B. Oerther

Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The principal ethical obligation of the engineering profession, to "hold paramount the health, safety, and welfare of the public," has been challenged for decades. Professor P. Aarne Vesilind identified two primary deficiencies: an anthropocentric bias that values nature only instrumentally and the use of non-mandatory, aspirational language for environmental protection, which resulted in the exclusion of enforceable environmental canons. This paper argues that two recent developments provide a comprehensive response to Vesilind's recommendations for engineering ethics. First, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics has redefined environmental engineering as "developing solutions to problems of planetary health." Second, Oerther proposed a …

Design Of An Economic Order Quantity–Based Dashboard For Vaccine Packaging Inventory Management, Hadi Susanto, Susmitha Canny, Alexandra Elizabeth Callistha, Shakira Dwi Purwandari, Naila Davina Aurelia

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Background: Timely availability of vaccine packaging is critical to pharmaceutical supply chain reliability, as packaging materials play a key role in maintaining cold chain integrity during distribution. Inadequate availability of packaging materials can disrupt vaccine delivery even when finished vaccines are ready for shipment. The case company faces frequent delivery delays, insufficient safety stock, and irregular replenishment of vaccine packaging materials, which have jeopardized the organization’s target of achieving a 90% on-time delivery rate.

Objective: To design and evaluate an Economic Order Quantity (EOQ)–based inventory dashboard for vaccine packaging that standardizes ordering decisions and strengthens stock visibility in pharmaceutical distribution …

Labor Savings From Mechanical Rice Transplanting In Bangladesh, India, Nepal, And The Philippines: A Systematic Review And Meta-Analysis, Rodrigo S. David

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Rice production in South and Southeast Asia faces serious challenges, including acute labor shortages and rising wages, which threaten regional food security. Mechanical rice transplanting offers a promising solution; however, evidence on labor savings, especially region-specific data, remains inconsistent. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to quantify labor savings from mechanical versus manual transplanting across Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and the Philippines.

Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic search was conducted across four major scientific databases (2000–2026) using Boolean search terms for mechanical transplanting and labor outcomes. Of 284 initial records, 52 met eligibility …

Climate And Seasonal Influences On Indo-Pacific Sea Level: Insights From 30 Years Of Satellite And Tide Gauge Data, Karlina Triana

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

We analyze Indo-Pacific sea-level variability using monthly satellite altimetry (1993–2025) validated against records from 16 tide-gauge stations. Cross-comparisons show strong agreement, especially in the western Pacific, confirming the reliability of altimetry for regional assessments. Seasonal SLA variability is largest in the Bay of Bengal and South China Sea and reflects monsoonal forcing, whereas interannual fluctuations in the eastern Indian and western Pacific oceans are dominated by ENSO and modulated by PDO. Harmonic decomposition isolates annual and semi-annual cycles, and an EOF/PCA framework identifies the leading modes: EOF1 (30.8%) captures basin-scale interannual variability and EOF2 (20.9%) reflects the seasonal cycle. Spectral …

Evaluating The Role Of Power Electronics In Enhancing Renewable Energy And Smart Grid Performance: A Review, Muhammad Irfan Habib

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

The review article demonstrates the importance of power electronics in propelling the increase of renewables and increasing the efficiency of contemporary electrical grids. In particular, it highlights the need for bidirectional converters for effective energy management in vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems with two-way power transfer. The paper examines the series of complications offered by the significantly large integration of power electronic converter-interfaced renewables, such as those related to system steadiness, power quality, and resignation bottlenecks. Also, it recognizes a mix of new technologies, such as wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductors like silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN), that deliver superior performance …

Artificial Neural Network Based Protection For Dc Bus Using Solid State Dc Breaker, Eswaraiah Giddalur, Askani Jaya Laxmi

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Low voltage Direct Current (LVDC) microgrids have been extensively used as a hopeful technology with high access to distributed energy resources (DERs) and DC loads, due to the absence of multiple conversions. A high amplitude Fault current together with the vulnerability of electronic devices, poses a great challenge to the line protection in LVDC microgrids. Electromechanical switches are slow and take long tripping time to clear the short circuit fault. Power electronic circuit breakers are used to achieve fast fault interruption recent progress in areas like machine learning and natural language processing have affected nearly every assiduity and area of …

Unlocking Green Potential In Indonesian Small Medium Enterprises: Challenges And Opportunities For Sustainable Vermicelli Production, Togar W. S. Panjaitan, Karina Agustin, Prayonne Adi, Jani Rahardjo, I Nyoman Sutapa

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Due to limited initiatives and support, the transition to green manufacturing among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries remains challenging. Through a critical literature review and case study of the Indonesian vermicelli industry, this study highlights the importance of collaboration and strong policies to address this. Other findings also reveal that the energy intensity and emissions in the sector exceed best practice benchmarks, with the cooking and drying stages contributing significantly to emissions due to high energy consumption. Lack of government regulations, company awareness, and understanding of applicable practices and technologies creates challenges in green manufacturing. The study …

Hybrid Model For Phishing Website Detection Using Transfer Learning, Atul Dubal, Mansi Subhedar, Santosh Dhamala, Manasi Patil

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

The rapid digitization of human activities has intensified reliance on internet-based platforms, creating fertile ground for cybercriminal exploits such as phishing. Despite advancements in detection mechanisms, phishing attacks continue to evolve, leveraging sophisticated visual mimicry to deceive users. This paper proposes a robust vision-based phishing detection system using ensemble deep learning to analyse webpage screenshots. The framework integrates transfer learning with pre-trained VGG16 and DenseNet121 models, extracting complementary low-level texture features (edges, gradients) and high-level hierarchical patterns (logos, layouts). These features are fused through a custom classifier with dropout regularization to mitigate overfitting. A balanced dataset of 3,000 webpage screenshots …

Hyperglycemia Detection From Sigle - Lead Ecg Using A Hybrid Cnn & Transformer Model, Adam Ayomikun Ogunjembola

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Abstract
Hyperglycemia Detection from Single-Lead ECG using a Hybrid CNN & Transformer Model
Adam Ogunjembola

Diabetes Mellitus is known as high blood glucose. This high blood glucose level happens when the body has a problem with producing or using insulin. Insulin is a very important hormone that the pancreas makes to control how much glucose gets into the bloodstream and cells. Diabetes Mellitus has an effect on the body if it is not treated, such as damaging the blood vessels and nerves which can lead to stroke, kidney failure, heart attack and permanent loss of vision. Since people with diabetes …

Environmental Risk Assessment Of Textile Waste From Bio-Engineered Fibers In The Fashion Industry, Aayush Pankaj Agarwal, Harshit Soral, Irmak Aktan, Karol Montserrat Gonzalez Saad, Maria Daniela Saa Espinosa, Sheetal Suhas Dhanuka, Yi Yang

Harrisburg University Dissertations and Theses

The global fashion industry generates over 92 million tons of textile waste annually, a figure projected to increase significantly by 2030. Bio-engineered fibers, including bacterial cellulose, mycelium-based leather, and recombinant protein textiles emerge as sustainable alternatives to conventional fibers. Despite their promise, recent evidence suggests that these fibers may pose environmental risks at the end-of-life stage, such as incomplete biodegradation in landfills, microfiber shedding, and chemical leaching from dyes and coatings. The purpose of this study is to examine how these risks are represented through scientific literature, corporate sustainability reports, and policy frameworks, and to identify strategies for integrating risk …

Comparative Assessment Of Lower Limb Neuromusculoskeletal Activation And Joint Kinematics In Normal And Impaired Gait, Jack Ryan Schule

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis evaluates whether accessible and affordable technologies can provide clinically significant, quantifiable gait analysis comparable to traditional marker-based motion capture systems. Modern high-end systems offer excellent accuracy but remain financially and logistically inaccessible to many clinicians and researchers. To address this gap, a framework was developed using markerless pose estimation using the model, MediaPipe, inertial measurement units (IMUs) processed through an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF), and surface electromyography (sEMG) to measure joint kinematics and neuromuscular activity during gait. An experiment was performed where data was collected from participants with both normal gait and pathologies including: Osgood–Schlatter disease, Plica Band …

Low-Cost Cutaneous Protoporphyrin Ix (Ppix) Detection (Cpd) Device For Follow-Up Monitoring Of Patients After Photodynamic Therapy, Md Asaduzzaman Rasel

Graduate Masters Theses

Background: Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) utilizes specific wavelengths of light to activate photosensitizing chemical compounds, known as photosensitizers, which induce the generation of cytotoxic reactive oxygen species (ROS) for the targeted destruction of cancer cells. Among various photosensitizers for PDT, Protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) is widely employed in oncology and dermatology due to its natural in situ generation via the metabolic conversion of 5- aminolevulinic acid (ALA), a non-phototoxic prodrug. Systemic administration of ALA after 3-6 hr drug delay leads to peak PpIX accumulation in tissues, facilitating therapeutic and diagnostic applications. However, PpIX can persist in the skin for 24–48 hours post-treatment, …

Advancing Single-Molecule Nanopore Sensing: From Protein Conformation And Metal Binding To Dna Transport Via Hybrid Nanostructures, Matthew J. Odonohue

Multidisciplinary Studies Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation presents the development and application of solid-state and hybrid nanopore platforms for single-molecule analysis of biomolecular interactions. First, a silicon nitride nanopore was employed to characterize the conformational states of the transferrin receptor (TfR), enabling discrimination between its monomeric and dimeric forms, as well as from its ligand, human serum transferrin (hSTf), despite their similar molecular weights. In a separate study, the same nanopore configuration was used to track the real-time binding of titanium ions to transferrin, demonstrating single-molecule sensitivity to metal-induced conformational changes. A hybrid microtubule–solid-state nanopore (MT–SSN) was then engineered, repurposing microtubules as electrostatically anchored conduits …

Volumetric Imaging Of Cellular Dynamics Using Light-Sheet Microscopy: From Subcellular Structures To Whole Organisms, Md Nasful Huda Prince

Optical Science and Engineering ETDs

Advancing biomedical imaging requires platforms that combine high-resolution, speed, and stability across biological scales. This dissertation presents three innovations designed to address limitations of conventional light-sheet and oblique plane imaging. First, we introduce Reflected Inline Detection in Epi-Oblique Plane Microscopy (RIDE-OPM), a compact and drift-resistant system that eliminates a tertiary detection path while maintaining alignment flexibility, enabling robust long-term live imaging. Second, we present a high-speed Axially Swept Light-Sheet Microscopy (ASLM) platform for cleared tissues, using dual foci and synchronized sweeping to achieve isotropic sub-micron resolution at up to 40 frames-per-second, a fourfold improvement over standard ASLM. Integrated with a …

Metabolite Analysis To Understand Factors Limiting Microbial Fermentation At High Substrate Concentrations, Bishal D. Sharma

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Clostridium thermocellum, a thermophilic anaerobic bacterium, holds promise as a biocatalyst for conversion of lignocellulosic biomass into biofuels. This microbe has been subjected to various metabolic engineering strategies, including the deletion of genes encoding secondary fermentation products such as H₂, formate, acetate, and lactate, as well as the expression of heterologous genes to redirect carbon flux toward ethanol production. Despite these efforts, achieving economically viable ethanol titers remains a challenge. We hypothesized that studying how intracellular metabolite concentrations change as fermentation stops could reveal metabolic bottlenecks or regulatory mechanisms limiting ethanol production at high titers. However, metabolomics studies at …

A Double-Sided Hybrid Lc Series/Parallel Compensation Topology For An Efficient Magnetic Resonance Wireless Power Transfer Systems, Talha Irshad, Malik Nauman, Pg Emeroylariffion Abas

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

Conventional plug-in charging faces numerous challenges due to radiation hazards, inconvenience, etc. To mitigate the challenges conventional charging methods face, wireless power transfer (WPT) systems emerged as an efficient method for wireless energy transmission across various applications such as electric vehicles, biomedical implants, smartphones, and network sensors. A robust WPT system needs to perform exceptionally well under varying conditions, however, the WPT performance is reduced due to the leakage inductance between the coils. To address this challenge, compensation networks are often employed to minimize the losses and enhance the overall performance of the WPT system. This paper focuses on designing …

Strength And Durability Characteristics Of Mortar Containing Fine Glass Powders As Partial Substitute Of Cement, Deepa Paul, Bindhu K.R, G. M. Sadiqul Islam, Bindhu K. R.

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

A recent trend in construction involves the application of high-strength mortar which consumes a high quantity of cement. The present study aims at producing a sustainable mortar utilising waste glass powders (GP) as a partial substitute for cement in mortar. GP grains having different particle sizes in equal proportions were carried out in the mortar mix for improved packing. After realising the cementing properties of GP particles from the microanalyses like micron-size, silica-rich, reactive, and thermal resistance, mechanical and durability aspects of the mortar composite with manufactured sand as a fine aggregate were examined. The mechanical properties of the mortar …

Influence Of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (Uav) Payloads And Flight Speeds On Pesticide Droplet Deposition: Indoor Testing Rig Study, Siti Amni Ismail, Azmi Yahya, Ahmad Suhaizi Mat Su, Anas Mohd Mustafah, Norhayu Asib

ASEAN Journal on Science and Technology for Development

This study aims to determine droplet deposition resulting from dynamic change in payloads and flight speeds of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) during operation. The study was conducted at Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia. The Advansia A1 hexacopter was first set to fly at combinations of 3 payloads (3.3, 6.6, and 9.9 kg) with 3 flight speeds (3, 5 and 7 m/s) to collect individual rotor RPM, which will later be used to set the rotors’ speed during indoor testing experiment. During the experiment, actual pesticide (Alosa EC) was used at 0.5% concentration in the spray deposition test. The droplet deposition …