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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Freezing-Induced Deformation Of Biomaterials In Cryomedicine, Altug Ozcelikkale
Freezing-Induced Deformation Of Biomaterials In Cryomedicine, Altug Ozcelikkale
Open Access Dissertations
Cryomedicine utilizes low temperature treatments of biological proteins, cells and tissues for cryopreservation, materials processing and cryotherapy. Lack of proper understanding of cryodamage that occurs during these applications remains to be the primary bottleneck for development of successful tissue cryopreservation and cryosurgery procedures. An engineering approach based on a view of biological systems as functional biomaterials can help identify, predict and control the primary cryodamage mechanisms by developing an understanding of underlying freezing-induced biophysical processes. In particular, freezing constitutes the main structural/mechanical origin of cryodamage and results in significant deformation of biomaterials at multiple length scales. Understanding of these freezing-induced …
Optimizing The Neural Response To Electrical Stimulation And Exploring New Applications Of Neurostimulation, Kurt Yuqin Qing
Optimizing The Neural Response To Electrical Stimulation And Exploring New Applications Of Neurostimulation, Kurt Yuqin Qing
Open Access Dissertations
Electrical stimulation has been successful in treating patients who suffer from neurologic and neuropsychiatric disorders that are resistant to standard treatments. For deep brain stimulation (DBS), its official approved use has been limited to mainly motor disorders, such as Parkinson's disease and essential tremor. Alcohol use disorder, and addictive disorders in general, is a prevalent condition that is difficult to treat long-term. To determine whether DBS can reduce alcohol drinking in animals, voluntary alcohol consumption of alcohol-preferring rats before, during, and after stimulation of the nucleus accumbens shell were compared. Intake levels in the low stimulus intensity group (n=3, 100&mgr;A …
The Role Of Death-Associated Protein Kinase In Endothelial Apoptosis Under Fluid Shear Stress, Keith R. Rennier
The Role Of Death-Associated Protein Kinase In Endothelial Apoptosis Under Fluid Shear Stress, Keith R. Rennier
Open Access Dissertations
Endothelial cells are the interface between hemodynamic fluid flow and vascular tissue contact. They actively translate physical and chemical stimuli into intracellular signaling cascades which in turn regulate cell function, and endothelial dysfunction leads to inflammation and diseased conditions. For example, atherosclerosis, a chronic vascular disease, favorably develops in regions of disturbed fluid flow and low shear stress. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, must be properly regulated to maintain homeostasis in the vascular wall. The loss of apoptosis control, as seen in low shear stress regions, is implicated in various diseases such as atherosclerosis and cancer. Death-associated protein kinase, DAPK …
The Pathological Role Of Acrolein In Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis And Multiple Sclerosis, Melissa A. Tully
The Pathological Role Of Acrolein In Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis And Multiple Sclerosis, Melissa A. Tully
Open Access Dissertations
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune demyelinating neuropathy that affects nearly 2.5 million people worldwide. Despite substantial efforts, few treatments are currently available largely due to limited knowledge of pathogenic mechanisms underlying the disease. The immune-inflammatory nature of the pathology has prompted investigation of the role of oxidative stress in disease development and progression; however targeting reactive oxygen species for neutralization has had marginal success therapeutically, suggesting that an alternate oxidative stress-related target would prove beneficial. Recently, our lab has implicated acrolein, a highly reactive aldehyde that is both a byproduct and catalyst of lipid peroxidation, as a potential therapeutic …
Surface Modification Of Traditional And Bioresorbable Metallic Implant Materials For Improved Biocompatibility, Emily Kristine Walker
Surface Modification Of Traditional And Bioresorbable Metallic Implant Materials For Improved Biocompatibility, Emily Kristine Walker
Open Access Dissertations
Due to their strength, elasticity, and durability, a variety of metal alloys are commonly used in medical implants. Traditionally, corrosion-resistant metals have been preferred. These permanent materials can cause negative systemic and local tissue effects in the long-term. Permanent stenting can lead to late-stent thrombosis and in-stent restenosis. Metallic pins and screws for fracture fixation can corrode and fail, cause loss of bone mass, and contribute to inflammation and pain at the implant site, requiring reintervention. Corrodible metallic implants have the potential to prevent many of these complications by providing transient support to the affected tissue, dissolving at a rate …
A Three Constituent Mixture Theory Model Of Cutaneous And Subcutaneous Tissue In The Context Of Neonatal Pressure Ulcer Etiology And Prevention, Anne Dye Zakrajsek
A Three Constituent Mixture Theory Model Of Cutaneous And Subcutaneous Tissue In The Context Of Neonatal Pressure Ulcer Etiology And Prevention, Anne Dye Zakrajsek
Open Access Dissertations
Localized ischemia, impaired interstitial fluid flow, and sustained mechanical loading of cells have all been hypothesized as mechanisms of pressure ulcer (PrU) etiology. Time-varying loading has experimentally been shown to increase fluid flow in human skin in vivo. Towards the design of prophylactic protocols and treatment modalities for PrU management there is a need for an analytical model to investigate the local fluid flow characteristics of skin tissue under time-varying loading. In this study, a triphasic mixture theory model with constituents of extracellular matrix, interstitial fluid, and blood was calibrated and validated and used to investigate stress and fluid velocity …
A Novel In Vivo Tumor Oxygen Profiling Assay: Combining Functional And Molecular Imaging With Multivariate Mathematical Modeling, Chung-Wein Lee
A Novel In Vivo Tumor Oxygen Profiling Assay: Combining Functional And Molecular Imaging With Multivariate Mathematical Modeling, Chung-Wein Lee
Open Access Dissertations
Purpose: The objective of this study is to develop and test a novel high spatio-temporal in vivo assay to quantify tumor oxygenation and hypoxia. The assay implements a biophysical model of oxygen transport to fuse parameters acquired from in vivo functional and molecular imaging modalities. ^ Introduction: Tumor hypoxia plays an important role in carcinogenesis. It triggers pathological angiogenesis to supply more oxygen to the tumor cells and promotes cancer cell metastasis. Preclinical and clinical evidence show that anti-angiogenic treatment is capable of normalizing the tumor vasculature both structurally and functionally. The resulting normalized vasculature provides a more efficient and …
Synthesis And Characterization Of A Lubricin Mimic (Mlub) To Reduce Friction On The Articular Cartilage Surface, Alexandra May Lawrence
Synthesis And Characterization Of A Lubricin Mimic (Mlub) To Reduce Friction On The Articular Cartilage Surface, Alexandra May Lawrence
Open Access Theses
The lubricating proteoglycan, lubricin, facilitates the remarkable low friction and wear properties of articular cartilage in the synovial joints of the body. Lubricin lines the joint surfaces and plays a protective role as a boundary lubricant in sliding contact; down-regulation of lubricin is associated with cartilage degradation and the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis. An unmet need for early osteoarthritis treatment is the development of therapeutic molecules that mimic lubricin function and yet are also resistant to enzymatic degradation common in the damaged joint. Here, we engineered a lubricin mimic (mLub) that resists enzymatic degradation and binds to the articular surface to …
Cerebrovascular Reactivity Alterations Due To Subconcussive Repetitive Head Trauma In Asymptomatic High School Football Players, Chetas Joshi
Open Access Theses
Chronic neurological damage as a result of chronic repetitive head trauma is a major concern for football athletes today. Repetitive concussions have been linked to many neurological disorders. Recently, it has been reported that repetitive subconcussive events can contribute to long-term neurodegeneration. For these reasons, it is important to understand the effect repetitive subconcussive head trauma has on brain health in young athletes. Past research has demonstrated that cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), an important mediator of cerebrovascular regulation, is impaired following mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). This impairment increases susceptibility to secondary injury following mTBI. In this study, Breath-Hold (BH) task …
Characterization And Evaluation Of Head Impact Sensors And Varsity Football Helmets, Brian R. Cummiskey
Characterization And Evaluation Of Head Impact Sensors And Varsity Football Helmets, Brian R. Cummiskey
Open Access Theses
An increased understanding of the effects of brain injury in recent years has led to greater attention being given to the topic. A desire to investigate the causal agents of these injuries in athletes has led to the development and use of several devices that track head impacts as well as improving helmet technology to protect players from said impacts. In order to determine which devices are able to best measure head impacts, a Hybrid III headform was used to quantify the accuracy for translational and angular accelerations. Testing was performed by means of administering impacts to a helmet on …
High Density Collagen Fibril Constructs With Tunable Mechano-Biology In Acellular And Cellular Configurations, Kevin Blum
Open Access Theses
Collagen has long been used as a material for tissue engineering due to its prevalence in the extracellular matrix of connective tissues. However, traditional collagen materials utilizing atelocollagen and acid solubilized telocollagen have lacked the mechanical integrity and collagen fibril density found in the in vivo state. Here, we utilize collagen oligomers and confined compression to forcibly remove a portion of the fluid phase component. Materials were created with controlled, substantially increased material properties, including order of magnitude increases in collagen fibril density, elastic modulus, compressive modulus,and resistance to proteolytic degradation. The technique was found to be amenable to cell …
Individual Analysis Of T2*-Weighted Gradient Echo Imaging In Asymptomatic And Symptomatic Athletes, Xianglun Mao
Individual Analysis Of T2*-Weighted Gradient Echo Imaging In Asymptomatic And Symptomatic Athletes, Xianglun Mao
Open Access Theses
Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a commonly occurred sports-related injury, especially in contact sports like football and soccer. Hemorrhage will appear as hypointense lesions on T2 *-weighted images, resulting from mTBI. Thus, T 2*-weighted gradient echo pulse sequence can be used to generate magnitude susceptibility-weighted (SW) images, and to further detect negative intensity changes of different regions of interests (ROIs) inside human brains. Our goal was to investigate how the ROI-specific intensity changes in each individual sports athlete over a single competition season and to interrogate whether these changes are correlated with repetitive subconcussive or …
Measurement, Characterization, And Effects Of Head Impacts In Women's Soccer, Emily C. Mccuen
Measurement, Characterization, And Effects Of Head Impacts In Women's Soccer, Emily C. Mccuen
Open Access Theses
The potential for long term neurological deficits resulting from repetitive head trauma is a major concern for collision sport athletes. Research conducted on football played has found neurophysiologic changes in the absence of concussion in athletes as early as high school age. Given that female soccer players show the highest rate of concussion for female athletes and a higher rate of concussion than their male counterparts, it is important to characterize the types of impacts female soccer athletes receive and assess female soccer athletes for neurophysiologic changes due to these impacts. This work paired head impact sensors with functional MRI …
Magnetic Manipulation And Multimodal Imaging For Single Cell Direct Mechanosensing, Robert L. Wilson
Magnetic Manipulation And Multimodal Imaging For Single Cell Direct Mechanosensing, Robert L. Wilson
Open Access Theses
The study of internal mechanics of single cells is paramount to understand mechanisms of mechanoregulation. External loading and cell-mediated force generation result in changes in cell shape, rheology, and the deformation of subcellular structures such as the nucleus. Moreover, alterations in the processes that regulate these responses have been further correlated to specific pathologies. Cellular deformation is often studied through application of forces in the environment of the cell, relying on strain and stress transfer through focal adhesions and the cytoskeletal system. However, the transfer of these external forces to internal mechanics can introduce uncertainties in the interpretation of subcellular …
Unveiling The Mechanical Behavior Of The Rod-Like Microstructure In The Radular Teeth Of Cryptochiton Stelleri, Enrique Escobar De Obaldia
Unveiling The Mechanical Behavior Of The Rod-Like Microstructure In The Radular Teeth Of Cryptochiton Stelleri, Enrique Escobar De Obaldia
Open Access Dissertations
Natural ceramics provided with high volume fractions of mineralized materials that are surrounded by a weak organic interface combine the stiff mechanical behavior of building blocks, like hydroxyapatite or aragonite, and the compliance of the organic surroundings. Unique mechanical properties (e.g. light density and toughness) distinguish bio-composites from common engineering materials. A key example is the highly mineralized shell of the radular teeth of the Crypochiton stelleri. Nature has provided the radular teeth with a highly oriented rod-like microstructure of nano-scale dimensions embedded in a matrix of chitin sheaths. Compared to other biological materials, the external iron oxide layer of …
Wireless Tools For Neuromodulation, Steven T Lee
Wireless Tools For Neuromodulation, Steven T Lee
Open Access Dissertations
Epilepsy is a spectrum of diseases characterized by recurrent seizures. It is estimated that 50 million individuals worldwide are affected and 30% of cases are medically refractory or drug resistant. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) and deep brain stimulation (DBS) are the only FDA approved device based therapies. Neither therapy offers complete seizure freedom in a majority of users. Novel methodologies are needed to better understand mechanisms and chronic nature of epilepsy. Most tools for neuromodulation in rodents are tethered. The few wireless devices use batteries or are inductively powered. The tether restricts movement, limits behavioral tests, and increases the risk …
Instrumentation And Development Of A Mass Spectrometry System For The Study Of Gas-Phase Biomolecular Ion Reactions, Ziqing Lin
Open Access Dissertations
Gas-phase reactions of biomolecular ions are highly relevant to the understanding of structures and functions of the biomolecules. Mass spectrometry is a powerful tool in investigating gas-phase ion chemistry. Various mass spectrometers have been developed to explore ion/molecule reactions, ion/ion reactions, ion/photon reactions, ion/radical reactions etc., both at atmospheric pressure and in vacuum. In-vacuum reactions have an advantage of involving pre-selecting the ions for the reactions using a mass analyzer. Over the decades, a variety of mass analyzers have been employed in the research of ion chemistry. Hybrid configurations, such as quadrupole ion trap with a time-of-flight and or a …