Utah State University – TechConnect Briefs

Environmental impact and Scalability of utilizing Coal Fired Power Plant Flue Gas in Microalgal Biofuel Production

Hess D., Napan K., McNeil B., Quinn J.C., Utah State University, US

Large scale biodiesel production from microalgae is expected to be integrated with point source CO2 sources, such as coal fired power plants. Flue gas integration represents a required nutrient source for growth while concurrently providing [...]

Production Optimization of E. Coli Fermented Synthetic Spider Silk for Commercial Viability

Edlund A., Lewis R., Jones J., Quinn J., Utah State University, US

While spider silk has been known for its impressive physical properties including strength to weight ratio, biocompatibility, elasticity and toughness, the commercial production has been limited. The ability to manufacture synthetic spider silk on an [...]

Highly sensitive detection of cancer biomarker EGFR by PicoTREC-SERS

Xiao L., Harihar S., Wu Y., Welch D.R., Zhou A., Utah State University, US

It is reported that for women in the U.S., breast cancer death rates are higher than those for any other cancer, besides lung cancer. Considering the fact that approximately 70–80% of breast carcinomas overexpress the [...]

AFM resolves dynamic effects of ethambutol on nanomechanics and nanostructures of single dividing mycobacterium cells

Wu Y., Sims R.C., Zhou A., Utah State University, US

Dynamic nanomechanics and nanostructures of dividing and anti-mycobacterial drug treated mycobacterium are yet to fully elucidate. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a promising nanotechnology to characterize such dynamic properties, especially at the single cell level. [...]

Parametric Study on the Effect of Radiation Heat Loss and Non-Constant Heating in the Electrothermal Technique for Thermal Property Measurement of Micro/Nanoscale Fibers

Xing C., Munro T., Jensen C., Ban H., Utah State University, US

This paper presents a parametric study of the effects of radiation heat loss and non-constant heating on the measurement accuracy of thermal properties of micro/nanoscale fibers using the Transient Electrothermal technique. In the original derivation, [...]

Characterizing Thermal Diffusivity of Synthetic Spider Silk using Improved Transient Electrothermal Technique

Munro T., Xing C., Jensen C., Copeland C., Ban H., Lewis R., Utah State University, US

This paper presents results for the thermal diffusivity of a synthetically produced spider silk. This synthetic spider silk is being developed for lightweight thermal management applications. Additionally, an improved method for measurement of the thermal [...]

Effect of Dynamic Environment on the Interaction between Nanoparticles and A549 Monolayer

Patel H., Kim H., Kwon S., Utah State University, US

The carbon nanotube (CNT) has been well explored for many proven applications, but very little explored to understand its potential toxic effects. It is crucial to develop viable alternatives to in vivo tests to evaluate [...]

Carbon Nanotube-Collagen Scaffolds for Mesenchymal Stem Cells’ Differentiation: Changes in Alkaline Phosphatase Expression, Meneralizaton, and Energy Content

Bakture R., Kwon S., Sharma A., Sharma R., Sharma A., Sharma R., Utah State University, US

The applications of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have tremendous potentials for them as substrates of cell cultures, drug delivery systems, and medical implantable materials. We characterized the energy simulations of different CNT-composite materials with the use [...]

Nanotoxicity Assessment toward the Applications of Carbon Nanotubes as a Small Biomolecule Carrier in Drug Delivery Systems

Sharma A., Sharma R., Kwon S., Baktur R., Sharma A., Sharma R., Utah State University, US

Carbon Nanotube (CNT) materials has superior properties in electric current carrying capacity, thermal conductivity, and thermal stability. Due to their structure with high aspect ratio, they have structural unusual toxicity and complicate safety issue in [...]

In Vitro Diagnosis and Analysis of the Potential Effects of Carbon Nanotube Exposure on the Human Respiratory System

Bowen E., Purser F., Park Y.B., Lee J.S., Kwon S., Utah State University, US

Recent discoveries of various forms of carbon nanostructure have stimulated researches on their applications and hold promise for applications in medicine and many other related engineering areas. While carbon nanotubes (CNT’s) are already being produced [...]