Engineering Commons^™

Modernization Of House #3: Improving Greenhouse Cut Flower Production And Students' Experience By Modernizing House #3, Kristina Anton

Biomedical Engineering

This paper documents the modernization of the black cloth, lighting, shade, and support systems in one of Cal Poly's on-campus, student operated cut flower production greenhouses. Problems with the old system are examined along with design requirements for a new system. Alternate designs are considered along with the installation process of the chosen design.

Testing And Validation Of An Autostainer, Nicholas Hanne

Biomedical Engineering

Histology performed by Cal Poly students for research projects and labs are currently performed by hand using a dipping technique. This technique is time consuming, expensive, imprecise, and often unrepeatable. Central Coast Pathology donated a Dako Autostainer to the Biomedical Engineering Department that can perform immunohistological stains of up to 48 samples simultaneously using tightly controlled reagent volumes and incubation times. Protocols are programmed into the machine and can be repeated under the same conditions every time with minimal preparation and exposure to potentially dangerous reagents. The autostainer was repaired and validated by comparing PECAM & BBI stains performed on …

Esem Analysis Of Mice Femurs With Varying Sost Levels, Patrick K. Mcclay

Biomedical Engineering

This project’s goal was to analyze the properties of the cortical femur on 100 mice bones from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Analysis was limited to imaging which determined the ratio of bone volume to total volume (BV/TV) and osteocyte lacunae density. Mice were altered to knock out their SOST gene: a negative regulator of bone formation. Twelve groups were created to differentiate their treatment, duration, and phenotype. Transgenic (TG) mice had an overexpression of the SOST gene: they carried a bacterial artificial chromosome. Mice with limb defects (DEF) were the offspring of two TG mice and carried twice the amount …

Rfid For Inventory Of Medical Records, Johny Wu

Biomedical Engineering

The purpose of this project is to explore the feasibility and economic viability of the implementation of a radio frequency identification (RFID) system in a large-scale, medical office setting. Practitioners in fields such as; medicine, chiropractic, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy, allied health, and other care providers do not have a sufficient method for tracking filing forms. RFID has the potential to reduce wait time, improve checking-in time, and decrease the possibility of interchanging documents between patients.

The purpose of this RFID system is to improve upon the filing system already in place in any office setting. The major consideration behind this …

Hydraulically Driven Mechanical Representation Of A Biological System, Andrea Argouarch, Michael Mceachern, Brandon Parham

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Development And Characterization Of Plga And Eptfe Blood Vessel Mimics Using Gene Expression Analysis, Michael Gibbons, Sarah Ur

Biomedical Engineering

Tissue engineered blood vessels (TEBV’s) have the potential to act not only as a replacement for diseased vessels, but also as a testing platform for intravascular devices such as stents. To this end, the goal of this study was to develop protocols for the construction of TEBV’s composed of human vascular cells and either expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (ePTFE) or poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA), as well as a protocol for gene expression in those TEBV’s. Initial experiments involved only human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC’s), but after low cell confluency and spreading in single-sodded vessels a second cell type, human umbilical vein smooth …

Development Of A Protocol To Measure Gene Expression In The Mouse Tibia, Daniel Hoover

Biomedical Engineering

Numerous molecular factors active in bone tissue direct fracture repair and remodeling which can be altered by disease conditions such as Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) and Osteoporosis. Methods of molecular biology are commonly applied to investigate the expression and role of these molecular factors. This project presents a robust three-step protocol for examining gene expression in the mouse tibia. The protocol begins with isolating RNA from a flash frozen tibia sample. The isolated RNA is reverse transcribed into cDNA. Finally, PCR is performed to indentify expressed genes. Establishing this protocol will allow further research into the mechanisms of bone remodeling …

Development Of A Blood Flow Measurement Protocol Using Particle Image Velocimetry, Jennifer Chi-Ying Go

Biomedical Engineering

Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease (PAOD) is an acquired inflammatory disease where a peripheral artery becomes occluded due to the buildup of atherosclerotic plaques. In patients that possess collateral arteries, an occlusion can lead to shear induced outward remodeling, arteriogenesis, of these collaterals, partially restoring blood flow. However, newly remodeled collaterals exhibit reduced functional vasodilation, which may impair normal activity, such as ambulation. To model chronic ischemia and arteriogenesis in collaterals, a femoral artery ligation in a murine hindlimb is commonly performed. Previous efforts by our group involved measurements of collateral artery diameter to assess the impact of arteriogenesis on functional …

Evaluation Of Decellularization Procedures For Porcine Arteries, Charles Clapp

Biomedical Engineering

Coronary artery disease has become the leading cause of death in the United States, with over 425,000 deaths in 2006. Stenting has evolved into the preferred preventative technique for myocardial infarction by opening up an occluded artery, due to its low invasiveness compared to the alternative of coronary artery bypass grafting. Bare metal stents have been improved by coating with anti-proliferative drugs to advance their effects, but even drug eluting stents still have a risk of restenosis, thrombus formation, and necessary revascularization. Continual advancement in stent design necessitates faster, effective pre-clinical evaluation techniques. Kristen Cardinal, Ph.D., developed the blood vessel …

Ql+ Body Temperature Regulating Vest, Melissa Goss, Brittnee Cubero, Dillon Lynch, Greg Olsen, Julian Jazayeri

Biomedical Engineering

The purpose of this project is to design a thermal vest to be worn by individuals with spinal injuries to help regulate their core body temperature. Individuals with spinal injuries have impaired thermoregulation abilities which increase their susceptibility to succumbing to either heat stroke or hypothermia. This project focused on preventing heat stroke by inducing a cooling mechanism. To provide this cooling mechanism, a thermoelectric cooler was used to chill water in a reservoir. This water is then pumped through tubing sewn into the vest. The chilled water will absorb heat from the human body and return to the reservoir. …

A Novel In-House Design Of A Bioreactor For The Modeling Of An In Vitro Blood Brain Barrier Model, Ian Mahaffey

Biomedical Engineering

The blood brain barrier is the protector of the central nervous system and a physical barrier that functions to regulate the substances that can pass in and out of the brain; it is the function and integrity of this system that keeps the homeostasis of the central nervous system. Yet this shield against foreign invaders in the blood also prevents drugs designed for treatment of various ailments of the central nervous system from reaching their target in the brain. Developing drugs that can pass through this barrier, and understanding it’s function has become an area of increasing interest. Many researchers …