Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

The Development Of A Rapid Fiber-Based Immunoassay As A Point-Of-Care Or In-Home Diagnostic Test, Christopher Waddell

All Theses

Early diagnosis of conditions allows for physicians to treat patients earlier, and ultimately improve patient outcomes. Two conditions of particular interest for earlier and cheaper diagnosis are the influenza virus and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Antiviral treatment administered within the first 48 hours of influenza infection decreases symptom severity, risk of complications, and reduced healthcare costs. Early diagnosis of HIV can decrease the risk of transmission of the virus to HIV negative individuals and allow for earlier administration of highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART), improving patient quality of life and patient outcomes.
Currently, the 'gold standard' for detection of both …

Young's Modulus And Volume Porosity Relationships For Additive Manufacturing Applications, M. Barbara Silver-Thorn

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Recent advancements in additive manufacturing (or rapid prototyping) technologies allow the fabrication of end-use components with defined porous structures. For example, one area of particular interest is the potential to modify the flexibility (bending stiffness) of orthopedic implants through the use of engineered porosity (i.e., design and placement of pores) and subsequent fabrication of the implant using additive manufacturing processes. However, applications of engineered porosity require the ability to accurately predict mechanical properties from knowledge or characterization of the pore structure and the existence of robust equations characterizing the property–porosity relationships. As Young’s modulus can be altered by variations in …

Reducing Radiation Dose To The Female Breast During Ct Coronary Angiography: A Simulation Study Comparing Breast Shielding, Angular Tube Current Modulation, Reduced Kv, And Partial Angle Protocols Using An Unknown-Location Signal-Detectability Metric, Franco Rupcich, Andreu Badal, Lucretiu M. Popescu, Iacovos Kyprianou, Taly Gilat Schmidt

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose:

The authors compared the performance of five protocols intended to reduce dose to the breast during computed tomography (CT) coronary angiography scans using a model observer unknown-location signal-detectability metric.

Methods:

The authors simulated CT images of an anthropomorphic female thorax phantom for a 120 kV reference protocol and five “dose reduction” protocols intended to reduce dose to the breast: 120 kV partial angle (posteriorly centered), 120 kV tube-current modulated (TCM), 120 kV with shielded breasts, 80 kV, and 80 kV partial angle (posteriorly centered). Two image quality tasks were investigated: the detection and localization of 4-mm, 3.25 mg/ml and …

In Vivo Imaging Of Human Retinal Microvasculature Using Adaptive Optics Scanning Light Ophthalmoscope Fluorescein Angiography, Alexander Pinhas, Michael Dubow, Nishit Shah, Toco Y.P. Chui, Drew Scoles, Yusufu N. Sulai, Rishard Weitz, Joseph B. Walsh, Joseph Carroll, Alfredo Dubra, Richard B. Rosen

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) allows visualization of microscopic structures of the human retina in vivo. In this work, we demonstrate its application in combination with oral and intravenous (IV) fluorescein angiography (FA) to the in vivo visualization of the human retinal microvasculature. Ten healthy subjects ages 20 to 38 years were imaged using oral (7 and/or 20 mg/kg) and/or IV (500 mg) fluorescein. In agreement with current literature, there were no adverse effects among the patients receiving oral fluorescein while one patient receiving IV fluorescein experienced some nausea and heaving. We determined that all retinal capillary …

Problems In The Study And Use Of Ac Dielectrophoresis And Their Consequences: A Study Based On Comsol Multiphysics Modeling, Vandana Devi Pandian Babu

All Theses

Dielectrophoresis (or DEP) is an important phenomenon which is induced when a dielectric particle is placed in a non-uniform electric field. The force generated by DEP has been exploited for various micro and nano fluidics applications like positioning, sorting and separation of particles involved in medical diagnostics, drug discovery, cell therapeutics, biosensors, microfluidics, nanoassembly, particle filtration etc. The integration of DEP systems into the microfluidics enables inexpensive, fast, highly sensitive, highly selective, label-free detection and also the analysis of target bioparticles.

This work aims to provide a complete compilation of the factors affecting the DEP force. It elucidates the underlying …

Experimental Development And Analysis Of A Novel Setup For Insulated Dielectrophoresis, Johnie Hodge

All Theses

Dielectrophoresis has long been studied and utilized for the manipulation of microscale particles in solution. This phenomenon is due to the induced polarization of dielectric particles subjected to an electric field. When the field is also inhomogeneous in terms of the distribution of its strength through space, the polarized particles move and come to rest in certain areas due to the relationship between their and the solvent's relative permittivities. If the electric field is homogenous, such as within a parallel plate capacitor, the particles are polarized according to their permittivity and the field's frequency, but they will not move.
These …

Extraction Of Antioxidants From Animal Blood And Its Potential Application As A Pet Food Preservative, Chengyi Tu

All Theses

Nowadays, more and more people are having pets as members of their family. To the year of 2012, there are 78.2 million dogs and 86.4 million cats owned in the U.S according to the report of the Humane Society of the U.S. The pet food industry as a result has been prosperous, with an estimated market size of $21 billion in the year of 2013. However, there is a common problem for the industry - fat rancidification. Pet foods usually contain relatively high levels of fat, which, if not well protected, are prone to oxidation and generate unfavorable products including …

Computational Biomechanical Modeling Of The Human Knee During Kneeling, Tariq R. Abo-Alhol

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total knee replacement benefits patients who suffer from severe knee pain or joint stiffness and other joint related illnesses that limit everyday activities. There has been an increase in the number of procedures performed each year and a need to evaluate the performance of these implants during specialized activities such as kneeling. Most computational studies lack insight into inter-patient variability and the results do not apply to large population. This study developed: (1) three-dimensional explicit finite element (FE) models to investigate natural and implanted knee joint kinematics and bone strain and (2) a platform to enable population-based evaluation by combining …

Multimodal Wearable Sensors For Human-Machine Interfaces, Mark Nolan

Doctoral

Certain areas of the body, such as the hands, eyes and organs of speech production, provide high-bandwidth information channels from the conscious mind to the outside world. The objective of this research was to develop an innovative wearable sensor device that records signals from these areas more conveniently than has previously been possible, so that they can be harnessed for communication. A novel bioelectrical and biomechanical sensing device, the wearable endogenous biosignal sensor (WEBS), was developed and tested in various communication and clinical measurement applications.

One ground-breaking feature of the WEBS system is that it digitises biopotentials almost …

Young’S Modulus And Volume Porosity Relationships For Additive Manufacturing Applications, John Anthony Choren, Stephen M. Heinrich, M. Barbara Silver-Thorn

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Recent advancements in additive manufacturing (or rapid prototyping) technologies allow the fabrication of end-use components with defined porous structures. For example, one area of particular interest is the potential to modify the flexibility (bending stiffness) of orthopedic implants through the use of engineered porosity (i.e., design and placement of pores) and subsequent fabrication of the implant using additive manufacturing processes. However, applications of engineered porosity require the ability to accurately predict mechanical properties from knowledge or characterization of the pore structure and the existence of robust equations characterizing the property–porosity relationships. As Young’s modulus can be altered by variations in …

Utilizing Municipal And Industrial Wastes For The Production Of Bioproducts: From Metagenomics To Bioproducts, Joshua T. Ellis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Developing renewable sources of energy is gaining interest due to limited supplies, rising costs, and environmental impacts of exploiting fossil fuels. Biosolvents such as acetone, butanol, and ethanol are attractive sources of fuel which can aid in replacing our dependence on foreign oil. Butanol is of particular interest due to its ability to directly replace gasoline, thus considered a drop-in-fuel. Biological hydrogen and methane gas are also attractive energy sources that can lower dependence on fossil energy.

This research focused on incorporating DNA sequencing technologies in parallel with fermentation methods for understanding and producing energy. The natural environment provides diverse …

The Effects Of Variation In Collagen D-Spacing On Compact Bone Viscoelasticity: A Finite Element Analysis, Miguel A. Mendoza

Master's Theses

The D-spacing that is characteristic of collagen and its structural arrangement was previously thought to be a constant value. Much research is revealing that it is actually a distribution of values in biological tissues. Recent ovine experimentation has also shown that the D-spacing distribution is significantly altered following estrogen depletion. While ewes contain some major biological differences between their human counterparts, they are an economical and robust large animal model for postmenopausal osteoporosis. So, the exploration of the possible implications that D-spacing has on the mechanical properties of the whole bone utilizing animal models and computational methods is warranted. Six …

A Lateral Flow Smart Phone Image Analysis Diagnostic, Christina Holly Tyrrell

Master's Theses

A low cost compact diagnostic has many implications in today’s society. Smart phone technology has exponentially grown and with it the imaging capabilities associated with smart phones. The goals of this research are i) to determine the feasibility of combining in the field smart phone images with color dependent assay results, ii) to develop a MatLab® image analysis code to analyze these results, and iii) compare limits of detection between the un-aided eye and MatLab® image analysis software.

Orange G dye is used to create a stock solution and subsequent titers for analysis. Autocad is used to design an assay …

Hybrid Nanostructured Textile Bioelectrode For Unobtrusive Health Monitoring, Pratyush Rai

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Coronary heart disease, cardiovascular diseases and strokes are the leading causes of mortality in United States of America. Timely point-of-care health diagnostics and therapeutics for person suffering from these diseases can save thousands of lives. However, lack of accessible minimally intrusive health monitoring systems makes timely diagnosis difficult and sometimes impossible. To remedy this problem, a textile based nano-bio-sensor was developed and evaluated in this research. The sensor was made of novel array of vertically standing nanostructures that are conductive nano-fibers projecting from a conductive fabric. These sensor electrodes were tested for the quality of electrical contact that they made …

Stochastic Reconstruction Of Multiple Source Atmospheric Contaminant Dispersion Events, Derek Wade, Inanc Senocak

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reconstruction of intentional or accidental release of contaminants into the atmosphere using concentration measurements from a sensor network constitutes an inverse problem. An added complexity arises when the contaminant is released from multiple sources. Determining the correct number of sources is critical because an incorrect estimation could mislead and delay response efforts. We present a Bayesian inference method coupled with a composite ranking system to reconstruct multiple source contaminant release events. Our approach uses a multi-source data-driven Gaussian plume model as the forward model to predict the concentrations at sensor locations. Bayesian inference with Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling …

Design Of A Compliant Underactuated Robotic Finger With Coordinated Stiffness, Etienne Dessauw

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The concept of underactuation has been previously developed in the robotic field for grasping applications. For these anthropomorphic grippers, the minimization of the number of input signals, or in other words underactuation, is the most expected characteristic. This method has become very popular in recent decades. Indeed, by minimizing the number of input signals, it minimizes the complexity of the system’s control and at the same time avoids increased weight and cost. The inconvenience of such a technique is that the design of this type of system remains a difficult task if the behavior of the underactuated set of joints …

Finite Element Analysis And Validation Of Hip Joints With The Main Types Of Femoroacetabular Impingement, Kevin Lucas Mitchell

Master's Theses

Current research suggests that femoroacetabular impingement can be a cause of osteoarthritis. Femoroacetabular impingement is a condition that can affect both the femur and the pelvis of an individual. Femoroacetabular impingement can cause damage to the hip joint and its surrounding tissues. The articular cartilage and the labrum are both affected by this condition. A cam impingement is where a bony protrusion develops at the femoral head/neck junction. A pincer impingement is where a bony protrusion develops at the acetabular rim. Often, patients are seen with a combination of both impingements. The main goal of this study was to computationally …

Fibrinogen-Conjugated Gold-Coated Magnetite Nanoparticles For Antiplatelet Therapy, Evan Schuerer Krystofiak

Theses and Dissertations

Ischemic stroke is the world's second leading cause of death and accounts for 2-4% of total worldwide healthcare costs. Ischemic stroke is caused by the occlusion of arteries responsible for supplying blood to the brain, which can result in disability or death. Arterial blood clots consist of aggregates of activated platelets wrapped in a mesh of fibrin. Tissue plasminogen activator, the only current FDA-approved treatment for ischemic stroke, functions by lysing fibrin in a blood clot. Unfortunately, tissue plasminogen activator significantly increases bleeding risks, which restricts its use. Alternatively, targeting and disrupting platelets within a clot could improve stroke outcome. …

Spatial Control Of Magnetic Nanoparticles Integrated With Cellular Spheroids As Tissue Engineered Building Blocks, Brandon Mattix

All Dissertations

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been investigated in tissue engineering applications to provide in situ imaging, drug delivery, and tissue patterning, but direct and prolonged interaction between cells and MNPs can have adverse effects on cell function. Therefore, methods which reduce or limit the interaction of MNPs with cells, or utilize more biocompatible MNP-based strategies will improve upon the commonly used iron oxide MNPs. We investigated a variety of methods to improve upon the use of MNPS in tissue engineering.
Cell aggregates, or spheroids, have been used as tissue engineered building blocks that can closely mimic the native three-dimensional in vivo …

Computational Design Optimization For Microfluidic Magnetophoresis, Brian Plouffe, Laura Lewis, Shashi Murthy

Shashi K. Murthy

Current macro- and microfluidic approaches for the isolation of mammalian cells are limited in both efficiency and purity. In order to design a robust platform for the enumeration of a target cell population, high collection efficiencies are required. Additionally, the ability to isolate pure populations with minimal biological perturbation and efficient off-chip recovery will enable subcellular analyses of these cells for applications in personalized medicine. Here, a rational design approach for a simple and efficient device that isolates target cell populations via magnetic tagging is presented. In this work, two magnetophoretic microfluidic device designs are described, with optimized dimensions and …