“Physical and Biological Treatment Strategies for Elbow Stiffness”

Rebecca (Becky) Reals, 5^th year PhD Candidate in Biomedical Engineering, working in Dr. Spencer Lake’s Lab. 

Abstract:  Becky studies post-traumatic joint contracture (PTJC) in the elbow, a condition in which patients experience pain, stiffness, and fibrosis after an injury, making it difficult to perform many activities of daily living such as eating, bathing, and getting dressed. Using a well-established rat model, she is working to understand the underlying mechanisms that cause the disease and optimize both physical and biological treatment strategies to interrupt these processes. The efficacy of these treatments are then assessed using a wide variety of functional, mechanical, and morphological criteria such as MRI, histology, x-ray, micro-CT, pain assessment, gait analysis, range of motion testing, forelimb strength measurement, and flow cytometry. Finally, she has expanded her lab’s previous work, which focused on elbow dislocations, to explore additional injury types including fractures and chronic instability, and has even ventured beyond PTJC to investigate a preclinical model of rheumatoid arthritis in the elbow.

Microfluidic Technologies to Investigate Geochemical Reactions Under Reactive Fluid Flow

Tori Cordista is a 4th year PhD student in Dr. Mark Meacham’s lab.

Abstract: The demand for critical elements (CEs) such as Nickel and Cobalt is rising. A clean method for processing CE-containing low-grade ores is needed, since deposits of low-grade ores are abundant, and deposits of high-grade ores are becoming increasingly scarce. Current methods for processing low grade ores are harmful to the environment as they typically use acid leaching. These deposits are typically mafic or ultramafic, meaning they are silicates rich in Mg, Fe, and Ca, and are reactive to carbonation. Carbonation as a method for CE extraction would reduce carbon emissions compared to traditional methods. Carbonate precipitation will result in an increase in solid volume which can in turn reduce permeability causing an increase of pressure, a reduction in reactant mixing, and possibly complete clogging of the system. Reactive surfaces and pathways could be reintroduced through reaction driven cracking which occurs when the positive volume changes cause stress on the mineral surfaces resulting in the formation of cracks. To study these permeability changes, a custom flow setup for pressure loading minerals and for carbonation under varying temperatures, pressures, and relative humidities was constructed. Micromodels that confine minerals ranging from 5- to 28-um in diameter and that can withstand high pressures were designed and fabricated as well. The micromodels and flow setup were designed to be compatible with in-situ Raman microscopy to enable the study of intermediate products and the occurrence of clogging phenomena. This system will lead to an understanding of the optimal conditions for mineral carbonation by demonstrating under what conditions phenomena such as pore clogging and reaction driven cracking occur.