Approaches to Studying Bacterial Biofilms in the Bioeconomy with Nanofabrication Techniques and Engineered Platforms.

Studies that estimate more than 90% of bacteria subsist in a biofilm state to survive environmental stressors. These biofilms persist on man-made and natural surfaces, and examples of the rich biofilm diversity extends from the roots of bioenergy crops to electroactive biofilms in bioelectrochemical reactors. Efforts to optimize microbial systems in the bioeconomy will benefit from an improved fundamental understanding of bacterial biofilms. An understanding of these microbial systems shows promise to increase crop yields with precision agriculture (e.g. biosynthetic fertilizer, microbial pesticides, and soil remediation) and increase commodity production yields in bioreactors. Yet conventional laboratory methods investigate these micron-scale biofilms with macro-scale vessels and are limited in experimental throughput. This dissertation leverages nanofabrication techniques to engineer novel platforms for the study of bacterial biofilms from the bioeconomy. Nanofabrication can create micron-scale environments for bacterial biofilm studies and gain measurements inaccessible to conventional laboratory methods. Nanofabrication techniques can control physical and chemical influences (e.g. fluid flow, topography, confinement, surface roughness, chemistry, etc.) to mimic features of the natural environment. Platform design can also be aligned with microscopy and custom image processing algorithms to amass large datasets. Silane functionalization, together with image processing, investigated Pantoea YR343 biofilm propagation and enumerated the honeycomb biofilm morphology

A microfluidics and agent-based modeling framework for investigating spatial organization in bacterial colonies: The case of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa amd H1-type VI secretion interactions

The factors leading to changes in the organization of microbial assemblages at fine spatial scales are not well characterized or understood. However, they are expected to guide the succession of community development and function toward specific outcomes that could impact human health and the environment. In this study, we put forward a combined experimental and agent-based modeling framework and use it to interpret unique spatial organization patterns of H1-Type VI secretion system (T6SS) mutants of P. aeruginosa under spatial confinement. We find that key parameters, such as T6SS-mediated cell contact and lysis, spatial localization, relative species abundance, cell density and local concentrations of growth substrates and metabolites are influenced by spatial confinement. The model, written in the accessible programming language NetLogo, can be adapted to a variety of biological systems of interest and used to simulate experiments across a broad parameter space. It was implemented and run in a high-throughput mode by deploying it across multiple CPUs, with each simulation representing an individual well within a high-throughput microwell array experimental platform. The microfluidics and agent-based modeling framework we present in this paper provides an effective means by which to connect experimental studies in microbiology to model development. The work demonstrates progress in coupling experimental results to simulation while also highlighting potential sources of discrepancies between real-world experiments and idealized models

Differentiating Dementia from Mental Illness in the Elderly: An Occupational Therapy Process

The purpose of this product is to provide those persons admitted to a hospital setting with an unclear diagnosis the opportunity to be efficiently and accurately diagnosed, thus allowing proper treatment, medications, and placement, if needed. Often, . there is confusion amongst professionals in the treatment team as to whether an older adult may have a developing dementia versus symptoms of a mental illness. Through the evaluation process, individuals will engage in a balance of evaluative activities that may improve physical, social, emotional, spiritual, occupational, and cognitive focus areas. These evaluations are primarily based on Allen\u27s Cognitive Model and The Model of Human Occupation. The assessment process encompasses a holistic and client-centered approach to treatment. An extensive literature review was conducted on topics of aging, disability, and mental illnesses with a particular focus on: memory and cognition, visual perception, functional mobility, perfol1nance of basic activities of daily living, and mood and behavior. The occupational therapy evaluation process will guide the therapist toward specialized tests, tools, and cognitive models designed for assessment of these areas. In addition, suggestions for referral, assessment, and measurement of outcomes will be provided

A microfluidics and agent-based modeling framework for investigating spatial organization in bacterial colonies: the case of Pseudomonas Aeruginosa and H1-Type VI secretion interactions

The factors leading to changes in the organization of microbial assemblages at fine spatial scales are not well characterized or understood. However, they are expected to guide the succession of community development and function toward specific outcomes that could impact human health and the environment. In this study, we put forward a combined experimental and agent-based modeling framework and use it to interpret unique spatial organization patterns of H1-Type VI secretion system (T6SS) mutants of P. aeruginosa under spatial confinement. We find that key parameters, such as T6SS-mediated cell contact and lysis, spatial localization, relative species abundance, cell density and local concentrations of growth substrates and metabolites are influenced by spatial confinement. The model, written in the accessible programming language NetLogo, can be adapted to a variety of biological systems of interest and used to simulate experiments across a broad parameter space. It was implemented and run in a high-throughput mode by deploying it across multiple CPUs, with each simulation representing an individual well within a high-throughput microwell array experimental platform. The microfluidics and agent-based modeling framework we present in this paper provides an effective means by which to connect experimental studies in microbiology to model development. The work demonstrates progress in coupling experimental results to simulation while also highlighting potential sources of discrepancies between real-world experiments and idealized models