Iron epoxy composite materials were made and their relative magnetic permeability was measured. A measurement device was created to measure the relative magnetic permeability for the specific application. This device proved to be accurate and reliable. The magnetic properties of composite materials have been shown to be controllable, with a...
The adsorption behavior of a human recombinant Factor VIII (rFVIII) in the presence of the nonionic, poly(ethylene oxide)-poly(propylene oxide)-poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-PPO-PEO) triblock surfactant Pluronic® F-68 was evaluated by dynamic air-water tensiometry. Surface tension kinetics were recorded for F-68 in the absence of protein at concentrations ranging from 0 to 10,000...
Low concentrations of dissolved copper have been shown to adversely
affect the olfactory system of endangered salmonids, impairing their ability to avoid predators and likely increasing predation. It is believed that only the free ionic (Cu2+ free) and weakly complexed forms are bioavailable to organisms; these forms typically account for...
Coagulation and flocculation are commonly used in drinking water treatment
as a means of destabilizing and aggregating particles and promoting adsorption of
dissolved organic carbon (DOC). In practice, jar tests are used to determine optimal
conditions for the removal of turbidity and DOC. However, beyond the inferences
that can be...
Micro energy and chemical systems (MECS) are microfluidic systems where energy and chemical processes can be intensified by decreasing the characteristic length. This project focused on bulk fluid processing using MECS technology to intensify the mass transport of a dialyzer. The objective of this project was to
design a model...
Degradation of lignin to simpler compounds is desirable for removing residual lignin during paper manufacture and accessing biomass carbohydrates for biofuel production, among other purposes. Lignin transformation using enzymes found in white rot fungi, some of nature's most efficient lignin-degrading organisms, offers a more environmentally benign, selective, and possibly less...
The effect of cosputtered catalyst on growth and alignment of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) was investigated. Aligned CNTs were observed using a cosputtered catalytic metal deposited directly on boro-aluminosilicate glass. Catalytic metal alloys were sputtered directly onto the substrate using magnetron sputtering. Deposition...
Low levels of copper have been shown to impair the olfactory system of threatened and
endangered (T&E) salmon, decreasing their predator avoidance behavior and likely
increasing mortality. However, only dissolved copper (dissCu) present as the cupric ion
(Cu2+) and weakly complexed species are truly bioavailable. Previous studies indicate the
vast...
Functional polymers and proteins at interfaces and surfaces are of fundamental importance for biomaterials, biocatalysis and microreactor applications. Candida antarctica lipase B immobilized on poly-DL-tryptophan tethers showed 30x higher
specific activity in aqueous and non-aqueous media than the same enzyme adsorbed or covalently bound directly to the surface. An excess...
The parallel implementation of a large number of functional units is necessary for
any industrial scale microfluidic process. The concept of a 'numbering up'
strategy where a single highly optimized functional unit that has a low individual
production is replicated a large number of times to create a device that...
Engineered capillary barriers typically consist of two layers of granular materials designed so that the contrast in sediment hydrologic properties and sloping interface retains infiltrating water in the upper layer. We report here on the results of two bench-top capillary barrier experiments, and associated modeling. These experiments were conducted to...
Rubber without reinforcement has limited applications. The strength of reinforced rubber composites can be ten times stronger than that of unreinforced rubbers. Therefore, rubber composites are widely used in various applications ranging from automobile tires to seals, valves, and gaskets because of their excellent mechanical elastic properties. Silica and carbon...
This objective of this study is to investigate the capability of nanostructured surfaces on dissipating heat flux by performing pool boiling and convective flow boiling. The generation of ultra-high heat flux from high performance electric devices has motivated a number of investigations related to advanced heat transfer especially in two-phase...
Nitrosomonas europaea carries out the first step in the biological nitrogen removal process in wastewater treatment by oxidizing ammonia to nitrite. It has been shown to be sensitive to a wide range of contaminants. The antibiotic oxytetracycline and the heavy metals chromium and silver have been found in wastewater influent....
The main objective of the research is to develop a prototype device that can determine the condition of the thermally sprayed zinc anode in cathodic protection systems. The device needs to meet the following requirements: applicability in the field, non-destructiveness or minimal destructiveness of the zinc anode, ease of use...
The primary goal was to characterize the adsorption of a recombinant therapeutic protein
in the presence of selected surfactant species at the air-water interface. For this purpose,
dynamic interfacial tensiometry was used to determine the surface tension kinetics
exhibited by protein solutions containing either Tween 80 or the poly[ethylene oxide]-...
Lanthanum sulfide film was deposited on silicon dioxide substrate by pumping aqueous
LaCl3∙7H2O and Na2S∙9H2O solutions into a T-mixer. After mixing, residence time was
manipulated to adjust lanthanum sulfide deposition rate. Lanthanum sulfide films were
created on silicon dioxide substrate at room temperature, 60 °C, and at 100 °C.
Lanthanum...
In order to improve photosynthetic hydrogen production, initial work has begun on a flux balance analysis of Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803, a model H2-producing organism. The mathematical model developed includes reactions relevant to photoautotrophic growth: glycolysis, the tricarboxylic acid cycle, the Calvin cycle, the photosynthetic electron transport chain, the...
There is significant interest in titanium oxide and germanium-silicon oxide nanocomposites for optoelectronic, photocatalytic, and solar cell applications. The ability of the marine diatom Pinnularia sp. to uptake soluble metal oxides from cell culture medium, and incorporate them into the micro- and nano-structure of their amorphous silica cell walls, called...
While hydrophobic surfaces coated with the poly[ethylene oxide]-poly[propylene oxide]-poly[ethylene oxide] (PEO-PPO-PEO) surfactant Pluronic® F108 are highly resistant to plasma protein adsorption, the antimicrobial peptide nisin has been observed to adsorb in multilayer quantities at such surfaces, and the PEO chains themselves suggested to inhibit nisin exchange by blood proteins. But...
Single-layer and three-layer microchannel adsorption devices were fabricated by procedure that was newly developed. Aluminum was chosen for metal housing while the adsorption pair was silica gel and water. Each adsorption layer contained two layers of 250 μm-thick silica gel. Both silica gel layers opened to the same layer of...