Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
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- Creators: Harrington Bioengineering Program
Description
This paper proposes a new framework design for the lightweight transradial prosthesis. This device was designed to be light-weight, easily manufactured, inexpensive, and to have a high interstitial free space volume for electrical components and customization. Press-fit junctions between fins allow for little or no adhesives, allowing for easily replaceable parts. Designs were constructed out of chipboard and run through an assortment of tests to see if each design iterations met structural design specifications. There were four main design iterations tested: 4, 8, 12 fin designs, and a 4 fin design with additional angled fins for torsional support (4T). Compression, torsion, and 3-point bending tests were all performed on each cylindrical iteration. Basic tensile and material testing was done on chipboard to support results. The force applied to a human arm during a fall is approximately 500 lbf [13]. Compression tests yielded a strength of approximately 300 lbf for the cylindrical designs. ANOVAs and T-tests were performed to find significance in compressive strength between the design iterations with the varied number of fins (p<<0.05). The torsional strength of the human arm, without causing great strain or discomfort has a max value of approximately 15 Nm [14]. This matched the torsional values of the 4T. design [14]. The 4, 8, and 12 designs' torsional strengths were linear with values of approximately 4, 7, and 12 Nm respectively. The 3-point bending test yielded the flexural stress and strain values to find compressive strength in the convex direction as well as the displacement and deformation in each sample. The material chipboard was found to be variable with elastic modulus, Poisson's ratio, and tensile strength. Each experimental procedure was done as a proof of concept for future prosthesis design.
ContributorsMcbryan, Sarah Jane (Author) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Lathers, Steven (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
The purpose of this research was to determine and evaluate glutamate oxidase's ability to detect levels of glutamate as part of a working sensor capable of quantifying and detecting stress within the body in the case of adverse neurological events such as traumatic brain injury. Using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), a linear dynamic range of glutamate was detected with a slope of 36.604 z/ohm/[pg/mL], a lower detection limit at 12.417 pg/mL, correlation of 0.97, and an optimal binding frequency of 117.20 Hz. After running through a frequency sweep the binding frequency was determined based on the highest consistent reproducibility and slope. The sensor was found to be specific against literature researched non-targets glucose, albumin, and epinephrine and working in dilutions of whole blood up to a concentration of 25%. With the implementation of Nafion, the sensor had a 250% improvement in signal and 155% improvement in correlation in 90% whole blood, illustrating the promise of a working blood sensor. Future work includes longitudinal studies and utilizing mesoporous carbon as the immobilization platform and incorporating this as part of a continuous, multiplexed blood sensor with glucose oxidase.
ContributorsLam, Alexandria Nicole (Author) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Ankeny, Casey (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
In order to address infant respiratory distress syndrome, this study attempts to develop and characterize a textile strain gauge fabricated with stainless steel, wool, elastic, and tencel. Faire Isle knitted patterns are investigated in order to create channels of conductivity for a linear sensor. The effect linear yarn density on linearity and sensitivity and hysteresis of the sensors is also investigated for sensor optimization. It was found that there was a significant difference between the patterned and non-patterned samples. The patterned sensors were found to have a lower range of resistance than the non-patterned sensors and a smaller average standard of deviation between measurements. The 7 tension, lower linear yarn density, elastic patterned sample was the only sample to not exhibit hysteresis after three trials as well as have a linear range from 11.5cm to 13cm where the sensor behaves in accordance with a linear transfer function.
ContributorsBrown, Shannon (Co-author) / Irimata, Lisa (Co-author) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Hanson, Erika (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2015-05
DescriptionMy main goal for my thesis is in conjunction with the research I started in the summer of 2010 regarding the creation of a TBI continuous-time sensor. Such goals include: characterizing the proteins in sensing targets while immobilized, while free in solution, and while in free solution in the blood.
ContributorsHaselwood, Brittney (Author) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Pizziconi, Vincent (Committee member) / Cook, Curtiss (Committee member) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2011-12
Description
The purpose of this project was to examine the viability of protein biomarkers in pre-symptomatic detection of lung cancer. Regular screening has been shown to vastly improve patient survival outcome. Lung cancer currently has the highest occurrence and mortality of all cancers and so a means of screening would be highly beneficial. In this research, the biomarker neuron-specific enolase (Enolase-2, eno2), a marker of small-cell lung cancer, was detected at varying concentrations using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in order to develop a mathematical model of predicting protein expression based on a measured impedance value at a determined optimum frequency. The extent of protein expression would indicate the possibility of the patient having small-cell lung cancer. The optimum frequency was found to be 459 Hz, and the mathematical model to determine eno2 concentration based on impedance was found to be y = 40.246x + 719.5 with an R2 value of 0.82237. These results suggest that this approach could provide an option for the development of small-cell lung cancer screening utilizing electrochemical technology.
ContributorsEvans, William Ian (Author) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Spano, Mark (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
This project aims to use the shape memory alloy nitinol as the basis for a biomimetic actuator. These actuators are designed to mimic the behavior of organic muscles for use in prosthetic and robotic devices. Actuator characterization included in the project examines the force output,electrical properties, and other variables relevant to actuator design.
ContributorsNoe, Cameron Scott (Author) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Santello, Marco (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Acetaminophen, commonly found in Tylenol and other over the counter (OTC) pharmaceuticals, was electrochemically characterized on custom made, flexible, screen printed electrodes (SPEs) to serve as a model target pharmaceutical found in flowing water lines. Carbon, silver/silver chloride, and insulator paste inks were printed onto polyethylene naphthalateolyester (PEN) using custom made stencils for a 4x1 array of 3-electrode electrochemical cells. Cyclic voltammetry was performed to find the electrical potential corresponding to the greatest current response and the experiments were conducted using amperometric current-time mode (AMP*i-t). The physical limitations of SPEs as well as the detection limitations of the target, such as pH and temperature were tested. A concentration gradient of the target was fitted with a linear curve (R2 0.99), and a lower limit of detection of 14.5 μM. It was also found that both pH and temperature affect the current produced by acetaminophen at a fixed concentration, and that the sensors can detect target in a continuous flow. A flow apparatus consisting of an inlet and effluent pipe served as the flow model into which a rolled up flexible electrode array was inserted. The broader goal of this research is to develop a highly sensitive electrode array on flexible substrates which can detect multiple targets simultaneously. Acetaminophen was chosen due to its electro-active properties and its presence in most public water lines in the United States.
ContributorsMaxwell, Stephanie Ann (Author) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Allee, David (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency course of action developed to sustain oxygenated blood flow in persons suffering from cardiac arrest by manually compressing the heart in the chest and providing rescue ventilations. The best-selling CPR manikins, an integral part of training, lack biofidelic characteristics in appearance, feel, and response, and as a result, the rescuer's learning experience suffers. The objective of this thesis was to test the compressibility properties of different foams and thermoplastics in order to determine which material would most accurately imitate a human chest response. The results suggested that styrene-ethylene/butylene-styrene (SEBS) was the best choice, because its increasing stiffness under increasing compression was characteristic of a human chest cavity. Further testing must be done to determine the best composition of SEBS, analyze its response under cyclic compressions, and improve its durability.
ContributorsWalsh, Alex Bradley (Author) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Pizziconi, Vincent (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Growing concern over health risks associated with environmental contaminants has prompted an increase in the search for effective detection methods. The available options provide acceptable sensitivity and specificity, but with high purchase and maintenance costs. Herein, a low-cost, portable environmental contaminant sensor was developed using electrochemical techniques and an efficient hydrogel capture mechanism. The sensor operates with high sensitivity and maintains specificity without the added requirement of extensive electrode modification. Rather, specificity is obtained by choosing specific potential regions in which individual contaminants show reduction or oxidation activity. A calibration curve was generated showing the utility of the sensor in detecting gas compounds reliably in reference to a current state of the art sensor. Reusability of the sensor was also demonstrated with a cyclic exposure test in which response reversibility was observed. As such, the investigated sensor shows great promise as a replacement technology in the current environmental contaminant detector industry.
ContributorsMarch, Michael Stephen (Author) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Caplan, Michael (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2014-05
Description
Camp Hope is an organization dedicated to motivating children in foster care to pursue higher education. In this paper, the organization's founder applies the engineering design process to the problems currently facing Arizona's foster care system. What emerges is Camp Hope (i.e. the "product") and in turn a model by which it can be promulgated throughout the Phoenix metropolitan area and abroad. Prototype camps held abroad in Mexico, and at local group homes in Tempe, Arizona verify the initial user inputs with 68% of campers reporting new academic interests in pre/post camp surveys. Future work includes continued fine-tuning of the model through continued Arizona camps, and longer-term surveys tracking the development of children who participate in the program.
ContributorsSaez, Neil Alexander (Author) / LaBelle, Jeffrey (Thesis director) / Pizziconi, Vincent (Committee member) / Fitzgerald, Charles A. (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Harrington Bioengineering Program (Contributor)
Created2013-05