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Optimizing Purification of Iron Oxide Nanocrystals for
No full textSuperparamagnetic iron oxide nanocrystals (IONCs) are a promising field of research in the biomedical field, particularly for biosensing, but their performance is often limited by the bulky ligand coatings of commercial particles and purification challenges. Conventional purification techniques, such as centrifugal filtration, magnetic separation, and membrane dialysis, are not adequately scalable and implement harsh conditions (centrifugal force, induced aggregation for magnetic separations, and extreme dilution). Thus, in this study, we report an optimized purification protocol for IONCs functionalized with compact nitrocatechol ligands using gel-filtration chromatography, due to its scalability and gentler method of purification, to separate excess ligands from aqueous-stable IONCs, addressing critical challenges in nanoparticle processing for biosensing applications. Through systematic investigation of ligand exchange parameters and chromatography conditions, an optimal set of conditions was identified. Namely, the excess ligand used for the ligand exchange reaction was minimized to 20.8 times compared to estimated initial oleate concentration on IONCs surfaces (using a ligand density of 5 ligands/nm2), and a 2 cm × 18.5 cm dextran-based column with CAPS buffer (pH 11) as optimal conditions in our experimental runs. The aforementioned conditions yield the most effective separation of loosely-bound and unbound ligands while maintaining particle stability and aqueous solubility. This purification strategy supports precise control of hydrodynamic size, a crucial factor for magnetic particle spectroscopy-biosensing where the sensitivity depends on relative size changes during biomarker detection. These advances establish a robust framework for producing well-defined IONC bioconjugates with enhanced performance in diagnostic applications
The Effect of Unconventional Airbox Design on High-Performance Engine Efficiency
No full textAutomotive engine efficiency has advanced due to the design optimization of interior components. Most engine components transport air or fluids, so aerodynamic optimization is critical to improving flow efficiency. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Computer Assisted Design (CAD) are utilized to aerodynamically optimize these components. Incidentally, a significant component that transports air is the air intake. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of modified airbox (air intake) shapes on their internal airflow dynamics. It was hypothesized that redesigning internal surfaces and curvature of airbox walls would affect internal pressure and velocity when CFD simulations were being conducted. These metrics could significantly affect the real-world efficiency of engines, and thus their emissions. So, it is justifiable to conduct experiments on airboxes in order to balance outlet airflow. One airbox model was created using CAD, and three variants were derived. All models were simulated in CFD to find static air pressure, and outlet mass flow rates. Standard deviations of outlet mass flow rates were taken and compared across the models. Variant-2 had the lowest standard deviation in mass flow rates (SD = 0.0063248) and demonstrated a 15.678% increase in pressure drop compared to the base model. For these reasons, Variant-2 was deemed the most successful model. Overall, previous studies made connections between mass flow rates, air pressure, and engine fuel efficiency and power output. Therefore, it could be concluded that Variant-2 would theoretically be the most beneficial to an engine’s fuel efficiency and power output
Carb. Complexity & the Rate of Lactic Acid Fermentation
No full textFrom a 1986 study on an athlete’s anaerobic work capacity, scientists Ronald Bulbulian, Wilcox, R. Anthony, and Barbara L. Darabos concluded that anaerobic processes need to be taken into account when attempting to predict race outcomes. Diving further into the realm of anaerobic capacity, this study aims to investigate the relationship between carbohydrate complexity and lactic acid production in order to determine the optimal components and timing of a pre-performance meal for athletes. Throughout this experiment, the pH of each solution with carbohydrate solutes of varying degrees of complexity and Lactobacillus acidophilus was measured in order to estimate the relative amount of lactic acid present. Based on the results gathered, the makeup of an athlete’s 5 hour pre-performance meal was found to be less significant than the content of meals eaten between 20 and 24.5 hours before a performance. Within the latter time block, starch was determined to be an essential component of meals that would provide optimal energy. Many athletes are aware of lactic acid but don’t know how to effectively deal with it. This study aims to remove some of the ambiguity associated with pre-performance meals, therefore fueling athletes of the future as they continue to attempt to break barriers. on an study pre-performance meal was found to be less significant than the content of meals eaten between 20 and 24.5 hours before a performance. Within the latter time block, starch was determined to be an essential component of meals that would provide optimal energy. Many athletes are aware of lactic acid but don’t know how to effectively deal with it. This study aims to remove some of the ambiguity associated with pre-performance meals, therefore fueling athletes of the future as they continue to attempt to break barriers
Cutibacterium Acnes Biofilm Disruption By Nanoparticle Treatments
No full textC. acnes is short for Cutibacterium acnes and is the most common type of acne that forms on human skin (Cros et al., 2023). . C. acnes biofilms are known to be resistant to antimicrobial agents and produce more extracellular lipases than planktonic cell suspensions, which are cells that are free-flowing (Mias et al., 2023). C. ance biofilms are significant because they increase the risk of more severe levels of acne vulgaris. Additionally, nanoparticles are tiny materials, typically ranging from 1 to 100 nanometers. Nanoparticles have been shown to be a promising agent for disrupting biofilms due to their ability to invade the biofilm matrix and interact with bacterial cells (Torres-Mendieta et al., 2022). Nanoparticles are becoming increasingly common among skin care products. Three common nanoparticles in skin care products include silver, zinc oxide, and titanium dioxide. This project cultures C. acne biofilms and prepares three different nanoparticle treatments to disrupt the biofilms. The goal is to determine which nanoparticle treatment disrupts the biofilm the most and kills the most cells. Crystal Violet Assay and Live/Dead Staining methods are used to analyze the disturbance with two ANOVA statistical tests. The results show significant findings with p-values \u3c.001. Silver nanoparticles were found to be the most effective, followed by zinc oxide and titanium dioxide. Therefore, individuals struggling with acne should buy skin care products containing first silver nanoparticles, then zinc oxide nanoparticles
The Effects of Integrating Shielding Materials in Phone Cases on Radiofrequency Radiation Emitted from Cellular Devices
No full textCellular devices are used globally by billions of individuals all around the world. These devices emit non-ionzing radiofrequency radiation (RFR), which has been associated in previous studies with potential adverse health effects following prolonged exposure. Depsite behavorial reccomendations to limit exposure, as of right now there is no practical and widely applicable solution that allows users to reduce RFR exposure while maintaing normal phone functionality. This study investigated the effectiveness of integration radiation-shiekdibg materials into phone cases as a method to reduce RFR emitted from a cellular device. Phone cases integrated with copper, aluminum, and steel were designed and tested using a Samsung Galaxy A35. Radiofrequency radiation levels were measured in miliwatts per square meter (mW/m²) using a radiofrequency meter and compared to a control case with no shiekding materials across 30 trials per group. A one-way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey test were conducted to evaluate statistical significance. Results indicated that all three shielding materials reduced RFR emissions compared to the control; however, copper and aluminum showed the greates reduction overall, decreasing the measured RFR levels by approximately 80%. Steel provided a materate reduction, however, it was not as effective as copper and aluminum. Statistical analysis confirmed that the differences between the control and experimental groups were significant, as a p value of less than 0.05 was yielded. These findings support the hypothesis that integrating conductive shielding materials into phone cases can significantly reduce RFR emissions. The study suggests that phone cases integrated with shielding materials may be a practical approach for reducing user expsoure to radiofrequency radiation during everyday cellular device use
Evaluating the Fire Retardance of Callicarpa americana, Ilex glabra, and Ilex vomitoria Using the Composite Plant Flammability Index (CPFI)
No full textThe flammability of three distinct native southeastern U.S. species was examined: Callicarpa americana, Ilex glabra, and Ilex vomitoria. Ignition temperature, burn duration, flame height, and estimated volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions were combined into a single numerical value, the Composite Plant Flammability Index (CPFI). Two leaves of each species were dried in a drying oven, and 120 burn trials were conducted. Three flammability metrics were examined: ignition temperature (°C), burn duration (s), and flame height (cm). VOC emissions were estimated from published literature. These metrics were converted into standardized values and combined using the CPFI formula. One-way ANOVA results showed large intraspecific differences across ignition temperature (F(3, 116) = 57.24, p \u3c 0.001), flame duration (F(3, 117) = 152.58, p \u3c 0.001), and flame height (F(3, 116) = 11.21, p \u3c 0.001). Ilex vomitoria had the highest mean ignition temperatures and longest burn durations, therefore, having the lowest CPFI value and the greatest fire resistance. Callicarpa americana had the lowest ignition temperatures and the shortest burn times, resulting in the highest CPFI numerical value and the highest flammability. Ilex glabra’s results has median values across all of the metrics being analyzed. The ANOVA tests and the post-hoc tests revealed intraspecific variation among the groups. These findings suggest that Ilex vomitoria is the most fire-retardant species and show the effectiveness of tools like the CPFI for evaluating plant flammability
Modifying SN-38 To Lower Toxicity and Dosage of Irinotecan Administered
No full textIrinotecan, a chemotherapy prodrug developed in Japan and approved for medical use in the US in 1996, is used specifically to treat colon cancer, rectal cancer, and small cell lung cancer. Some side effects of irinotecan include thrombocytopenia, kidney failure, dehydration, diarrhea, vomiting, neutropenia, infections of blood and lungs (sepsis, pneumonia), among others. Many of these significant issues are direct results of the reactivation of its active form, SN-38, in the gut. This compound inhibits the replication of cancer cells by blocking topoisomerase 1, thus obstructing the repair of DNA. Although the β-Glucuronidase (GUS) enzymes that reactivate it are vital, and hence cannot be entirely removed, a way to inhibit GUS enzymes to prevent this conversion from SN-38G would significantly improve the treatment of patients. This research project explores the possibility of decreasing the toxicity of SN-38, and thus minimizing the extreme side effects faced by patients
Generation and Expansion of MART-1 Antigen-Specific T Cells for Immunological Assays
No full textThis research aimed to investigate whether T cells could be engineered to recognize and eliminate cancer cells expressing the MART-1 antigen, commonly found on melanoma cells. The goal was to inform strategies for improving cancer immunotherapies by generating and expanding antigen-specific T cells in vitro. Donor T cells were thawed and transfected with MART-1 RNA to induce expression of the antigen-specific receptor. Post-transfection, Fluorescence-Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) confirmed receptor expression, and the cytotoxic activity of modified T cells was evaluated using the Incucyte live-cell imaging system. Transfection efficiency varied between batches, with 7.4% in one and 36.8% in another, resulting in limited cancer cell killing. Factors contributing to these results may include low RNA quality, poor post-thaw cell recovery, or variability in the initial donor cells. Although the experiment did not achieve full cytotoxic functionality, it highlighted key technical challenges and provided insights for optimizing T cell engineering protocols. These findings contribute to understanding how to generate and expand functional, antigen-specific T cells for potential therapeutic applications in cancer immunotherapy
Clustering of Municipalities in Rhineland-Palatinate Using Publicly Available Data
No full textIn the study of population theory, municipalities and their characteristics hold substantial value. My group and I categorized municipalities in our region of Germany using Artificial Intelligence. During this process, we attempted to extract meaningful data about the correlation between municipalities. To accomplish this, we tested different data clustering algorithms to group the municipalities together. Once we grouped our data points together, we used an experimental calculation called the Silhouette Score. By using this score, we were indeed able to create meaningful clusters. We noticed that our clustering algorithms best organized municipalities into two groups. Due to this success, we learned that the Silhouette Score is a formula that has large potential to be adopted in the realm of data science as common practice. Therefore, while our study was able to cluster together municipalities in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany, we also uncovered the usefulness of a mathematical calculation in the realm of data science
The Effects of Bioelectric Stimulation on the Speed of Caenorhabditis elegans Exposed to Glutamate-Induced Damage for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Treatment
No full textDespite numerous studies regarding the degrading effects of neurodegenerative diseases, little is known about emerging therapeutic techniques such as Bioelectric Stimulation (BS) on neurological inconsistencies, namely, glutamate excitotoxicity. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is the most common motor neuron disease and has a prevalence of 4–6 per 100,000 individuals worldwide (Gadhave et al., 2024). ALS causes the loss of neurons that control voluntary movements, leading to muscle weakness, atrophy, fasciculations, spasticity, and ultimately paralysis, with respiratory failure being the most common cause of death. Current treatment approaches include Riluzole (a glutamate-receptor antagonist), Edaravone, gene therapies such as antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) targeting SOD1, and stem cell therapies. However, these methods only prolong survival for a limited time. BS is an emerging technique that uses small controlled electrical pulses directed at nerves to stimulate repair. Questions arise regarding the effectiveness of BS on ALS-like symptoms. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of BS on glutamate excitotoxicity in the model organism C. elegans, to assess the speed and nerve function when exposed to ALS-like factors. It was hypothesized that BS application after glutamate-induced neurodegeneration would enhance nerve regeneration and locomotion in C. elegans. Four experimental groups were examined: C. elegans exposed to glutamate, glutamate and BS, BS only, and the control group with no stimulus added. Using a stereoscope and camera attachment to examine speed, C. elegans’ experienced electrical pulses through a function generator and electrode setup, and glutamate was applied to the medium through an inoculation technique. All data was examined through Open Source Physics software. The one-way ANOVA test, conducted with an alpha level of 0.05, revealed significant differences between the control group and each of the experimental groups (F(1.3243, 1.7555) = 29.1699, p \u3c 0.001). Therefore, it was concluded that there was a significant difference in speed between the control group and experimental groups, and most importantly between the glutamate-only group and the BS plus glutamate group