Biomechanics and Biotransport Commons^™

Novel Microfluidic Devices To Model The Interactions Between Lymphatics And Breast Cancer, Jade Weber

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The lymphatic system is responsible for immune circulation and fluid balance in the body. It accomplishes this by draining interstitial fluid from local tissue and transferring it to lymph nodes and back into blood circulation. However, this process is implicated in many pathologies, one of the most dangerous being breast cancer metastasis to the lymph nodes. The largest factor in breast cancer patient mortality is metastasis. Lymphangiogenesis, the growth of new lymphatic vessels, has been thought to play a dynamic role in aiding breast cancer metastasis. Breast cancer tumor cells have been shown to remodel the functionality of local lymph …

Blood Flow Regulates Atherosclerosis Progression And Regression, Morgan A. Schake

Mechanical (and Materials) Engineering -- Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Atherosclerosis is the most prevalent pathology of cardiovascular disease with no known cure. Despite the many systemic risk factors for atherosclerosis, plaques do not form randomly in the vasculature. Instead, they form around bifurcations and the inner curvature of highly curving arterial segments that contain so-called disturbed blood flow that is low in magnitude and multidirectional over the cardiac cycle. Conversely, straight, non-bifurcated arterial segments that contain moderate-to-high and unidirectional (i.e., normal) blood flow are protected from plaque development. Thus, blood flow is a key regulator of atherosclerosis that may be able to be leveraged to develop new therapeutics. Towards …

Development Of A Fish Robot Equipped With Novel 3d-Printed Soft Bending Actuators, Steven Steele, Jorge Diaz Rodriguez, Sharun Sripathy, Turaj Ashuri, Saleh Gharaie, Yusun Chang, Amir Ali Amiri Moghadam

Symposium of Student Scholars

This paper reports on design and fabrication of a novel soft fish robot. Application of soft actuators for the fish tail will generates continuum bending motion which resembles the natural motion of the fish. However, most soft actuator mechanisms are complex and have low efficiency. Thus, to address this issue we have developed a 3D printed soft bending actuator which can be actuated with an electromotor. The basic design idea of the soft bending actuator is explained, and iteration of the design showed to create the desired motion for the soft tail. The soft actuator has been successfully integrated with …

Estimating Rotator Cuff Injury Risk During Rear-End Vehicle Collisions Using Opensim, Brandon Fugger

Health and Kinesiology Theses

Automobile collisions in the United States lead to a staggering number of fatalities and injuries every year. Rear-end collisions account for over a quarter of all injury-producing collisions and often involve shoulder injuries. There is little, if any, research utilizing modern computational human body models to analyze rotator cuff injury risk during rear-end impacts. The goal of this research is to simulate rear-end impact crash forces using OpenSim and analyze the injury mechanism and risk to the rotator cuff muscles. OpenSim is an open-source software used for biomechanical modeling and simulation that enables the analysis of muscle behaviors that are …

Time Evolution Is A Source Of Bias In The Wolf Algorithm For Largest Lyapunov Exponents, Kolby Brink, Tyler Wiles, Nicholas Stergiou, Aaron Likens

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Human movement is inherently variable by nature. One of the most common analytical tools for assessing movement variability is the largest Lyapunov exponent (LyE) which quantifies the rate of trajectory divergence or convergence in an n-dimensional state space. One popular method for assessing LyE is the Wolf algorithm. Many studies have investigated how Wolf’s calculation of the LyE changes due to sampling frequency, filtering, data normalization, and stride normalization. However, a surprisingly understudied parameter needed for LyE computation is evolution time. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the LyE changes as a function of evolution time …

Using Statistics, Computational Modelling And Artificial Intelligence Methods To Study And Strengthen The Link Between Kinematic Impacts And Mtbis, Andrew Luke Mcconnell Patterson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBIs) are frequently occurring, yet poorly understood, injuries in sports (e.g., ice hockey) and other physical recreation activities where head impacts occur. Helmets are essential pieces of equipment used to protect participants’ heads from mTBIs. Evaluating the performance of helmets to prevent mTBIs using simulations on anatomically accurate computational head finite element models is critically important for advancing the development of safer helmets. Advancing the level of detail in, and access to, such models, and their continued validation through state-of-the-art brain imaging methods and traditional head injury assessment procedures, is also essential to improve safety. The …

Development Of A Crosslinked Osteochondral Xenograft And A Collagen Stabilizing Intra-Articular Injection To Remediate Cartilage Focal Lesions To Prevent Osteoarthritis, Mark Lewis Mosher

Theses and Dissertations

Osteoarthritis is one of the most common causes of disability in adults in America. It is a progressive and degenerative disease where the articular cartilage is broken down and lost from the surfaces of bones causing chronic pain and swelling in the joints, and currently has no cure. The most commonly osteoarthritis starts from a focal lesion on the cartilage surface, which will expand on the surface and downwards through the thickness of the tissue. The current gold standard for correcting cartilage focal lesions is the osteochondral autograft/allograft transplantation (OAT), which replaces the defect with a fresh osteochondral graft. The …

Tibial Compression During Activities Of Daily Living In Young And Older Adults, Elijah Miles Walker

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Stress fracture, particularly in the tibia, is a growing concern among older adults (greater than 65 years). Older adults may have inherent stress fracture risk from ageing-related changes to their musculoskeletal system. Specifically, older adults reduced ankle neuromuscular function may impair their ability to attenuate repetitive compressive forces experienced during daily locomotor tasks and increase the likelihood of suffering bone damage from decreased bone tissue elasticity. Yet, it is currently unknown if older adults exhibit greater tibial compression than their younger counterparts during locomotor tasks. Purpose: This study sought to quantify tibial compression for older and younger adults when …

In Vitro Bioreactor For Mechanical Control And Characterization Of Tissue Constructs, Samuel Coeyman

All Dissertations

Heart failure (HF) currently affects over 6 million Americans, 50% of whom die within 5 years of their initial diagnosis. A major contributor to the onset of HF is cardiac fibrosis in the myocardium, which arises when fibroblasts (FBs) are activated in response to heightened mechanical stress from overload conditions like hypertension. Activated FBs remodel the extracellular matrix (ECM) and secrete ECM proteins including collagen. FB remodeling has been studied in the past by applying forces and/or deformations to three-dimensional, cell-seeded gels and tissue constructs in vitro. Unfortunately, previous stretching platforms have traditionally not enabled mechanical property assessment to be …

Interactive Software-Based Modeling For Gait Analysis Of Musculoskeletal Structures, Nada Masood Mirza, Adnan Ali, Mohamad Khairi Ishak

Makara Journal of Technology

Software for interactive musculoskeletal modeling applies diverse scientific and technological concepts to stimulate the movement of musculoskeletal figures. Several tools are available for biomechanical analysis in studying motion and capturing the musculoskeletal representation data to facilitate further evaluation for muscle activation. Musculoskeletal software, such as the OpenSim model, animates, and measures in 3D the structural movement of bones, muscles, joints, ligaments, and such structures in the human body. Users apply graphical interfaces to manipulate the movement science for fast and accurate analysis. OpenSim simulation software features a user-friendly interface to allow the proper clinical application in biomechanics and rehabilitation research. …

Morphology Of The Acromion And Scapular Spine With Special Interest In The Strength & Failure Prediction After Reverse Total Shoulder Replacement, Andrei M. Matusa, Cole Fleet, George S. Athwal, James A. Johnson

Undergraduate Student Research Internships Conference

Scapular spine fractures following a reverse arthroplasty are a significant clinical concern. This ongoing study looks at the morphology of the acromion and scapular spine with an interest in the strength and failure prediction of the bone. Digital 3D models of the scapular spine were created from cadaver CTs, then bone density and distribution data was obtained. It was found that the cortical bone was most dense just medial of the lateral angle. The cross-sectional area here was also the largest and decreased medially. This has important implications for implant fixation hardware as cortical bone --compared to cancellous bone-- is …

A Two-Layer Continuous-Capillary Oxygen Transport Model: Development And Application To Blood Flow Regulation In Resting Skeletal Muscle., Keith C. Afas

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

In skeletal muscle (SM), the microcirculation distributes blood flow to capillary networks to meet local oxygen (O₂) demand. Experiments using intra-vital video microscopy (IVVM) have quantified blood flow and O₂ supply in capillary networks, and using an O₂ exchange chamber have measured local changes in blood flow believed due to O₂-dependent regulation. However, IVVM is unable to simultaneously measure capillary O₂ supply and SM O₂ content, implying the need for theoretical models to understand how flow regulation and SM oxygenation interact. In this thesis, a novel blood-tissue O₂ transport model using …

Effect Of Dorsal Quadrant Or Ventral Quadrant Spinal Cord Injury On Gait Features During Locomotion., Anya Nicole Trell

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In the Unites States, approximately 1.5 million people currently have a spinal cord injury and suffer permanent sensory and motor loss due to the disruption of the spinal cord. Due to the significant morbidity, it is vital to understand the functional impact of disrupting neural descending pathways that modulate spinal neurons involved in intermuscular coordination critical for gait behaviors. Tasks that are more difficult require additional input from these neural pathways; therefore, fourteen feline subjects were familiarized with level overground locomotion and stair descent gait tasks. After collection of baseline kinematic data, the subjects received either a dorsal or ventral …

Characterization Of Thermal Gelation Properties In Bioresorbable Thermally Activated Hydrogel Polymers For Hernia Surgery Applications, Alexander Mayfield

All Theses

Hydrogel adhesives are a new class of materials with excellent biocompatibility, which makes them very attractive for biomaterial applications. It has been previously shown that Tetronic T1107, a four-arm poly (propylene oxide)-poly (ethylene oxide) (PPO-PEO) block copolymer, is useful as a chemical crosslinking thermo-responsive hydrogel for bioadhesive applications. The end groups of this polymer are modified with acrylate and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) functional groups. The acrylate end group gives the polymer cohesive properties with long-range chemical crosslinking using dithiothreitol (DTT), while the NHS end group gives the polymer adhesive properties through bonding with amines found in organic tissue. It was found …

Predicting Surgical Outcome In Patients With Recurrent Patellar Dislocation, Dario De Caro

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Introduction

Lateral dislocation of the patella is a common injury in active adolescents and young adults. Patients who are ultimately managed surgically have a significantly lower risk of recurrent dislocation. However, determining the optimal surgical treatment remains a challenge, with patients sometimes undergoing multiple surgeries prior to successful stabilization. The aim of this study is to computationally evaluate patients that have undergone multiple surgeries to correct for recurrent lateral patellar dislocation and predict their clinical outcome.

Methods

Our patient cohort consisted of 16 patients with patella dislocation. Patient-specific imaging were used to create three-dimensional (3D) finite element (FE) models of …

Restoring An Iso:5840-Compliant Pulse Duplicator Device For Hydrodynamic Performance Characterization Of Artificial Cardiac Valves, Denver Eagar

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

During the summer of 2021, I was employed as an intern at Dynatek Labs, an implantable prosthetics testing company located in southern Missouri. My primary project was to modernize an abandoned pulse duplicator device and protocol to allow the company to re-enter a market area which they left nearly 15 years prior: heart valve testing. The company halted this initiative due to changes in international testing standards in previous years. The International Standards Organization Cardiac Valves Working Group released the latest version of standards concerning artificial heart valve testing (ISO 5840) in January of 2021. Accordingly, my project required that …

Using In Vitro, In Silico, And In-Classroom Techniques To Address The Gender Data Gap In Health Care, Kelsey Watts

All Dissertations

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide in males (XY) and females (XX). Prior to menopause, females have a relative protection against serious cardiac pathologies compared to age-matched males. This phenomenon is widely attributed to the ovarian hormone estrogen. Unfortunately, hormone replacement therapy to maintain estrogen levels in postmenopausal females has overall adverse effects, and it is not recommended for long-term use or as a preventative measure for eCVDs. A major driver of CVDs, specifically heart failure, is cardiac fibrosis: the continued buildup of scar tissue that reduces the heart’s ability to pump. There are currently no …

The Development And Analysis Of Methods Used To Evaluate American Football Facemasks, Alexander Bina

All Dissertations

The motivation for this Ph.D. dissertation is to provide football equipment managers, coaches, parents, athletes, and relevant industry personnel with an understanding of the implication a chosen football facemask design will have on the safety of the athlete. As athletes have increased their capacity for speed, size, and strength, so too has the head injury risk increased in American football. To align with the increase in head impact injury in American football, the protective head impact community must expand its capacity to evaluate protective equipment systems. This dissertation focuses specifically on one helmet system component: the football facemask. This dissertation …

Development Of A Reverse Engineered, Parameterized, And Structurally Validated Computational Model To Identify Design Parameters That Influence American Football Faceguard Performance, William Ferriell

All Dissertations

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) continues to have the greatest incidence among athletes participating in American football. The headgear design research community has focused on developing accurate computational and experimental analysis techniques to better assess the ability of headgear technology to attenuate impacts and protect athletes from TBI. Despite efforts to innovate the headgear system, minimal progress has been made to innovate the faceguard. Although the faceguard is not the primary component of the headgear system that contributes to impact attenuation, faceguard performance metrics, such as weight, structural stiffness, and visual field occlusions, have been linked to athlete safety. To improve …

Multi-Scale Vertebral-Kinematics Based Simulation Pipeline Of The Human Spine With Application To Spine Tissues Analysis, Mohd Jaradat

All Dissertations

This study developed an analytical tool for understanding spine tissues’ behavior in response to vertebral kinematics and spine pathology over a range of body postures. It proposed a novel pipeline of computational models based on predicting individual vertebral kinematics from measurable body-level motions, using musculoskeletal dynamics simulations to drive the vertebrae in corresponding spine FEMs.

A reformulated elastic surface node (ESN) lumbar model was developed for use in MSD simulations. The ESN model modifies the lumbar spine within an existing MSD model by removing non-physiological kinematic constraints and including elastic IVD behavior. The model was scaled using subject-specific anthropometrics and …