Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Cadmium Biosorption By Fusarium Venenatum And Its Application In Functional Permeable Materials For Metal Removal, Bradley Lawson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Heavy metals are pollutants of increasing concern as continued industrialization and urbanization have escalated the discharge of these toxins into aquatic environments. Cadmium (Cd) is a metal of particular concern due to its acute toxicity and high mobility in aquatic ecosystems. Given these characteristics Cd poses significant health risks to both humans and aquatic ecosystems. The continued development of sustainable, low-cost remediation technology is imperative to manage metal pollution.

This research explores the use of fungal-based remediation systems to remove Cd from contaminated water. Living biomass of the filamentous fungus Fusarium venenatum was evaluated as a biosorbent material for Cd …

An Eco-Inspired Emulsion Membrane Harnessed With Waste Vegetable Oil For Effective Separation Of Ibuprofen: Insights Into Stability, Performance, And Kinetics, Huma Warsi Khan, A. Vijaya Bhaskar Reddy, Parvez Alam Khan, Samsur Akm Rahman, Muhammad Moniruzzaman

Publications and Research

Emulsion liquid membranes (ELMs) have emerged as excellent alternatives for the separation and recovery of biologically active drugs (BADs) from industrial waste at trace concentrations. Conventional ELMs generally utilize toxic petroleum-based solvents (PBS) that pose environmental and health risks. Although virgin vegetable oils have been appeared as sustainable alternatives to PBS, their widespread application is limited by economic constraints, resource sustainability, and competition with the food supply. In contrast, waste vegetable oil (WVO) represents an abundant, low-cost, and eco-friendly alternative, yet its potential as a green diluent for ELMs remains largely unexplored. To address this challenge, present study investigated the …

Parametric Study On The Plastic Hinge Length Of Precast Concrete Columns With Grouted Sleeve Connections, Rizky Tri Amalia, Harun Alrasyid

Journal of Sustainable Construction Materials and Technologies

The use of precast concrete structures with grouted sleeve (GS) connections has gained significant traction in the acceleration of bridge construction. The plastic hinge length (Lp) is a critical parameter for assessing the seismic performance and deformation capacity of such structural members. The previous study has proposed empirical equations for Lp in monolithic columns; however, a comprehensive understanding of the influential parameters on Lp in precast concrete columns with GS connections remains limited. This study presents a detailed parametric investigation to evaluate the effects of key design parameters on the plastic hinge length of a precast concrete columns with GS …

Comparative Analysis Of Takagi-Sugeno And Mamdani Fuzzy Inference Architectures With Anfis-Based Automated Rule Generation For Eeg-Based Cognitive State Monitoring, Amina Radončić, Mehrija Hasičić, Jasmin Kevrić

Communications of the IIMA

Fuzzy inference systems have demonstrated considerable promise for EEG-based cognitive state monitoring in neurodegenerative conditions. However, two design decisions significantly influence system performance and clinical applicability: the choice of inference architecture (Takagi-Sugeno vs Mamdani) and the method of rule and membership function generation (manual expert-driven vs data-driven automated). This paper presents a comparative analysis of both dimensions in the context of an EEG-based Alzheimer’s disease monitoring system operating on the ds004504 OpenNeuro dataset (88 subjects: 36 AD, 23 FTD, 29 HC). A Takagi-Sugeno system, implemented as a hybrid FSM-Fuzzy architecture, is compared against a Mamdani equivalent across four axes: inference …

Affordable Thermal Control For Cell Culture Chambers: An Open-Source, Pid-Based Heating Module, Majid Rostami, Sesha Sai Ramineni, Sangyoon J. Han

Michigan Tech Publications

Commercial environmental control systems for live cell imaging chambers frequently cost $10,000–20,000. This paper presents an open-source, PID-controlled heating module built entirely from off-the-shelf components for approximately $500. The system employs four adhesively mounted polyimide heater pads driven at 12 VDC through a closed-loop chain: a K-type thermocouple feeds a Delta DTB4848LV controller, whose analog output is converted to PWM and applied to the heaters via an opto-isolated MOSFET switch. The required heating power was determined through analytical thermal sizing and verified by finite-element simulation (ANSYS Mechanical), confirming that the cell culture region reaches 37°C at steady state. Bench testing …

Evolution Of Raman And Photoluminescence Response In Molybdenum Disulfide Thin Films Deposited Via Thermal Atomic Layer Deposition, Wesley Jen, John D. Hues, Icelene Leong, Nolan H. Olaso, Ravindra K. Kanjolia, Mansour Moinpour, Steven M. Hues, Elton Graugnard

Boise State University Publications and Presentations

In order to enable further advances in microelectronics, new processes capable of precisely depositing films are required. This is especially true of processes meant for depositing two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides, such as MoS2, a material of particular interest due to its high potential mobility even at a thickness of a few atoms. In this work, we report industry-compatible processes for depositing crystalline MoS2 with a high degree of precision. We demonstrate the successful conversion of both MoOx and MoSx films deposited via thermal atomic layer deposition using bis(tert-butylimido)bis(dimethylamino)Mo(VI) and H2O or H2S, respectively, into crystalline MoS2 films after an …

Isolating Human Monocytes And Characterizing Human Macrophage Polarization Through Flow Cytometry And Morphological Analysis, Arthur Peter Klujian

Biomedical Engineering

Peripheral Artery Occlusive Disease (PAOD) is a cardiovascular disease that affects more than 200 million people. It is characterized by atherosclerosis, a biologic process where peripheral arteries are restricted due to a buildup in cholesterol and fats. This eventually leads to ischemia, developing complications such as chronic inflammation and possible limb amputation. The current standard of care for patients includes surgical revascularization and exercise therapy. These treatment strategies have had limited success with alleviating symptoms and restoring perfusion, however, many patients still experience ischemia and do not fully restore blood flow. Further exploration in pursuit of treating these shortcomings led …

Motor Imagery Eeg Decoding For Brain-Computer Interfaces: Structured Representation, Transfer, And Drift, Yiming Shen

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Motor imagery EEG decoding is often summarized by the accuracy of a final classifier, but the classifier is only the last stage of the pipeline. Before classification, the signal has already been shaped by preprocessing, feature extraction, source-session organization, and adaptation. This dissertation studies how feature representation, source-session transfer, and drift shape reliable MI-EEG decoding for brain-computer interfaces.

It first studies within-session decoding on public MI-EEG datasets using nested validation that keeps preprocessing, feature fitting, and model selection inside the training folds. This analysis separates gains from feature representation from gains due to nonlinear classification, and relates both comparisons to …

Probe Cytotoxic And Oxidative Stress Effects Of Nanoplastics On Caco-2 Cells: Insights From Raman Spectroscopy And Machine Learning, Bryan Gustafson, Negar Kosari, Emily Brothersen, Morgan Mosher, Anhong Zhou

Biological Engineering Student Research

Nanoplastics and microplastics have become an increasing ecological and health concern due to their widespread presence in the environment and food chain. In this study, Caco-2 cells were used as an in vitro model of the human intestinal epithelium to investigate the cytotoxic effects of polystyrene nanoparticles and microparticles of varying sizes, concentrations, and surface modification. Oxidative stress and apoptosis were evaluated following particle exposure. Raman spectroscopy, combined with machine learning analysis, was employed to detect and characterize biochemical alterations in the cells. Several peak ratios were selected to cluster data depending on size. A correlation between apoptosis and both …

Plasma-Generated Ozone For Odor Removal, Jordan Marot

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Ozone (O₃) is gaining popularity for its use in industrial and environmental applications, including water treatment, air purification, disinfection, and odor remediation. As a powerful oxidizing agent, ozone is highly effective in destroying harmful bacteria and degrading hazardous gas pollutants such as hydrogen sulfide (H₂S). Dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) reactors are widely used for commercial ozone production under atmospheric-pressure conditions. However, ozone yield and selectivity are strongly influenced by operating parameters, particularly gas flow rate, which affects residence time, energy transfer, and competing byproduct chemistry.

This study explores the influence of the air flow rate on …

Enhancing Algae Biofilm Quantity And Value Through Controlled Light Intensity For Treatment Of Municipal Anaerobic Digestor Effluent, Joshua D. Wintch, Ronald C. Sims

Biological Engineering Student Research

Rotating algae biofilm reactors (RABRs) have been shown to remove nutrients from wastewater and to cultivate algae for bioproducts. Another key variable in RABR technology for cultivating microalgae biomass is light intensity. The goal of this study was to address a gap in the design and operation of algae biofilm reactors by analyzing the effects of light intensity on biomass quality and quantity, chemical precipitation of phosphorus, and phosphorus uptake into biomass. This study utilized a triplicate laboratory-scale experiment with PAR intensities from 10 to 2000 µmol m⁻²·s⁻¹. Municipal wastewater anaerobic digester effluent (ADE) was utilized …

A Functional Ultrasound Imaging (Fusi) Pipeline For Investigating Brain-Wide Hemodynamics During Torpor-Like Hypothermia, Owen J. Culver

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Torpor is a regulated state of reduced metabolic demand that enables animals to conserve energy under unfavorable environmental conditions. The controlled induction of a similar state, termed synthetic torpor, has potential applications in ischemic protection, organ preservation, cancer treatment, radiation protection, and long-term spaceflight. Although neuronal populations within the preoptic hypothalamus have been shown to initiate hypothermic and hypometabolic states, the distributed cerebral hemodynamic dynamics accompanying their induction and maintenance remain poorly understood. In this thesis, we developed an accessible functional ultrasound imaging (fUSI) acquisition and analysis pipeline and applied it to investigate cerebral hemodynamics during chemogenetic activation of the …

Designing And Evolving The Life Support System For Spacex Starship: Toward Closed-Loop Sustainability For Mars Missions, Frányerson R. López Ochoa

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The development of a robust Life Support System (LSS) is essential for enabling long-duration human spaceflight beyond Low Earth Orbit (LEO), particularly for missions to Mars. SpaceX Starship represents a next-generation spacecraft designed to support such missions; however, its Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) remains under active development. This work evaluates the current status of Starship’s LSS by analyzing publicly available data, NASA Human Landing System requirements, and heritage systems such as the International Space Station (ISS) ECLSS and Crew Dragon.

Environmental Ethics Of Plastics And Microplastics Manufacturing: Balancing Industrial Production And Ecological Responsibility, Arindam Gupta

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

The global production of plastics has increased dramatically over the past several decades, providing substantial economic and societal benefits while simultaneously generating complex environmental and ethical challenges. A growing body of research has identified microplastics—plastic particles smaller than 5 millimeters—as persistent pollutants that accumulate in aquatic ecosystems, soil systems, and the atmosphere. These particles originate both from the degradation of larger plastic products and from direct industrial production processes used in plastics manufacturing. The ethical implications of plastics and microplastics production raise important questions about environmental responsibility, regulatory oversight, and the balance between economic development and ecological sustainability. This project …

A Myoelectric Prosthesis Utilizing A Convolutional Neural Network And Signal Processing, Hope Lea, Katherine Clark, Francis Genco, Carolyn Ascha Richardson, Tobiah Rosser

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

A Myoelectric Prosthesis Utilizing A Convolutional Neural Network and Signal Processing   Commercially available myoelectric prostheses for transradial amputees utilize electromyography (EMG) sensors to observe electrical signals from superficial muscle contractions and control robotic fingers, yet often have flaws regarding adaptability and dexterity. These devices require users to learn awkward muscle patterns, as the EMG placement and gesture recognition does not consider how humans would normally think about moving their hand. Additionally, the number of available gestures is more limited, as the devices are threshold-based and do not sample enough muscles. This work seeks to address these issues by creating a …

Mri-Based Estimation Of The Hip Joint Center In Infants Using Two Sphere-Fitting Methods, Victoria Melendez

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Accurate estimation of the hip joint center (HJC) is critical for biomechanical modeling and clinical assessment. Common methods include predictive methods (e.g., regression equations) and functional methods such as sphere-fitting. In infants, femoral head-based methods are often limited due to incomplete ossification of the anatomy and poor visualization in computed tomography (CT) images. This study evaluates an alternative approach using MRI-based sphere fitting of the ossified acetabular rim, comparing its accuracy to traditional femoral head-based methods. MRI scans of three male infants (ages 10.7- 12.7 months) were used to manually place landmarks on the ossified acetabulum and the cartilaginous boundary …

Apical-Out Lung Organoids: A Platform For Spaceflight And Cf Research, Valeria Jimenez, Ally Schwennesen

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

A genetic condition known as cystic fibrosis (CF) is brought on by mutations in the CFTR gene, which results in chronic lung inflammation and impaired chloride ion transport. CF bronchial epithelial cells enable direct comparison of disease pathology, while normal human bronchial epithelial (NHBE) cells offer an essential model for researching airway physiology. Realistic modeling of respiratory tissue and its reaction to environmental stressors like microgravity is made possible by the creation of 3D lung organoids from these cells. In this project, we developed apical-out organoids, which expose the apical surface of epithelial cells to the external environment. These organoids …

Assessing Non-Thermal Plasma In Cutaneous Regeneration, Arden Rodriguez, Meliah Martin, Graeme Grainger, Arineh Shahbazi

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

Chronic and acute wounds remain a significant clinical challenge, particularly in austere and resource-limited environments where access to advanced care is restricted. Non-Thermal Plasma (NTP) has emerged as a promising, non-invasive modality with reported antimicrobial and regenerative properties; however, its mechanisms of action and effects on human skin tissue require further characterization. The scope of this project is to engineer and utilize a 3D human skin epithelial model to evaluate the effects of NTP on wound healing. We will first build a 3D epithelial tissue model that will simulate human skin, followed by modeling and evaluation of wound pathology and …

Restoration And Instrumentation Of A Cantilever Beam Model Using Strain Gauge Measurement, Ana Paula Guevara

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This project aims to restore and modernize an instructional cantilever beam model with a C‑shaped cross‑section used in Aerospace Structures courses, addressing the need for updated, hands‑on teaching tools that connect theoretical stress–strain concepts to real experimental data. The existing model, previously limited to qualitative demonstrations, is being rehabilitated and instrumented with a bonded strain gauge capable of detecting resistance changes under applied bending loads. These signals are processed through an Arduino‑based data acquisition system, which converts electrical resistance into strain values and displays them in real time on an LCD interface. The project’s objectives are to return the beam …

Interactive Effects Of Tissue Temperature And Hydration State On Tendon Mechanical Properties Using A Chicken Drumstick Model, Makayla Maso, Kiara Maso, Mikayla Hulvey

Discovery Day - Daytona Beach

This study focused on the effects of temperature and hydration on tendon extensibility. Four experimental groups were tested using chicken leg tendons tested ex vivo: cold and dehydrated, cold and hydrated, warm and dehydrated, and warm and hydrated. Each treatment group was pulled with an increasing load and measured. It was hypothesized that the warm and hydrated test group would extend the furthest. This was based on studies citing increased bodily flexibility with increasing body temperature as well as stiffness at lower temperatures. Combining temperature and hydration state allowed for not only individual effects of variables to be tested but …