Electrochemical sensing provides a quantitative alternative to colorimetric reactions within paper-based devices. The paper-based devices were fabricated by screen printing the conductive and reference inks onto porous substrates that were evaluated using cyclic voltammetry. Devices were evaluated based on the magnitude of the average anodic peak height, which correlates with...
Diatoms are single celled eukaryotic microalgae that self-assemble complex SiO₂
nanostructures by sillafin proteins within their cell wall. There has been increasing
interest in mimicking the diatom’s silica self-assembly process for fabricating metal
oxide nanoparticles, namely germanium dioxide (GeO₂). GeO₂ has a higher refractive
index than silica, enabling it to...
Surface-associated thrombosis is a critical concern in medical device development. Current extracorporeal circulation units require systemic anticoagulation to avoid thrombosis, which can cause adverse effects such as thrombocytopenia, hypertriglyceridemia, and hyperkalemia. To address this issue, we combine the technology of polydopamine (PDA) functionalization with slippery liquid infused porous surfaces (SLIPS)....
Metamix is a mixture of botanical compounds that promote healing and prevent infection for burns and diabetic ulcers. In this thesis, metamix was incorporated into 1.75 weight percent gellan gum hydrogels as a drug delivery method for burned skin. The ideal concentration of metamix was 25% by solution volume for...
Electroanalytical techniques allow scientists and engineers to characterize bulk solutions as well as interfaces. Potentiostats are commonly used by researchers in a variety of disciplines to analyze the chemistry which occurs at a working electrode surface. Advancements in microelectronics and the proliferation of open-source designs have allowed researchers to construct...
Rapid and effective treatment of burn injuries is critical to prevent long term damage. Besides the pain associated with the burn injury due to damage and death of surrounding tissue and cells, there is a large risk for complications, particularly infection, following a burn injury. To address these risks, Meta...
The nature of engineering work requires that ethical considerations are taken into account while making decisions surrounding topics such as technology, equal distribution of cost benefits, and consumer risk. In order for engineers to make ethical decisions in their careers, it is helpful if their engineering education provided them with...
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common primary brain tumor in adults ages 45-70, with over 12,120 new cases in the U.S. predicted for 2016 alone. Glioblastoma is also one of the most difficult cancers to treat because the tumor cells tend to invade into the surrounding healthy tissue, making it...
Glioblastoma multiforme is the most common primary brain tumor in adults ages 45-70, with over 12,120 new cases in the U.S. predicted for 2016 alone. Glioblastoma is also one of the most difficult cancers to treat because the tumor cells tend to invade into the surrounding healthy tissue, making it...
Essential oils have numerous chemical and therapeutic applications. Some oil extraction methods, including steam distillation, require a large energy input. An alternative technique with a lower energy demand is the extraction of oils using supercritical liquid carbon dioxide (CO2), which extracts essential oils with minimal environmental impact. While this often...
Nowadays, woody biomass is becoming increasingly significant because of its renewability and biodegradability. Lots of opportunities have been found to use excessive biological resources to derive products as diverse as fuels, heat, electricity, chemicals, food, clothing, paper, and much more. As such, biomass plays an important role in meeting demands...
Sepsis is a blood infection that is caused by circulating bacteria cells and cell fragments, which contain immunogenic lipopolysaccharides (LPS) or endotoxin. The circulating endotoxin results in a severe dysregulation of the inflammatory response that ultimately leads to organ failure. One promising treatment method is removal of endotoxin by passing...
A common issue with extracorporeal medical devices is blood clotting due to bio-incompatibility. Systemic anticoagulants are often prescribed to mitigate the coagulation issues. However, such drugs can lead to further complications, for example hemorrhaging. One solution to improve the hemocompatibility of blood-contacting medical devices are biomaterials, such as slippery liquid...
This study is believed to be the first of its kind to characterize culturable fungal endophytes from the wood of Populus trichocarpa, and to examine the potential of inducible resistance and secondary chemistry as specific host factors that shape fungal endophytic communities in wood. To do so, more than seventy...
Platelet activation uses a complex set of pathways to respond to vascular injury during hemostasis. However, thrombosis relies on the same set of pathways. Antiplatelet therapies used to prevent thrombotic events often target the P2Y₁₂ platelet receptor for inhibition but can result in bleeding diathesis or in abnormally high ADP...
When vessel walls within the vasculature are damaged, exposed extracellular
matrix (ECM) proteins trigger a series of events that lead to the formation of a
hemostatic plug (Andrews et al. 2004, Furie et al. 2008, Watson 2009). Thrombus
formation requires an orchestrated series of receptor-mediated events facilitating platelet
recruitment, platelet...
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2015 10.4 million people worldwide became infected with tuberculosis (TB) with 1.8 million TB related deaths. Tuberculosis is a bacterial infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, a slow growing yet highly infectious bacterium. Among the first line of treatments...
Antimicrobial coatings used to reduce the risk of infection caused by tissue-contacting medical devices must address specific biocompatibility requirements including prevention of thrombosis and rise of bacterial resistance. An antimicrobial-loaded poly(ethylene-oxide) (PEO) coating has been tentatively shown to be non-fouling with sustained antimicrobial activity. However, the presence of the antimicrobial,...
Polyfunctional thiols are sulfur containing compounds that are important to the flavor and aroma profile of some foods and beverages. S. Cerevisiae has been shown in wine yeast that it is capable of producing these thiols to create a fruity aroma and flavor profile. IRC7, a gene that codes the...
The majority of people suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Back pain is the leading cause of disability globally, ahead of 290 other conditions1. Over one million people in the United States receive spine surgery annually2. This thesis looked at five standard surgical procedures performed on...