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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
A Low-Power Multichannel Telemetry System For High-Speed Wireless Neural Recordings, Yangguo Li
A Low-Power Multichannel Telemetry System For High-Speed Wireless Neural Recordings, Yangguo Li
All ETDs from UAB
The advances in microelectronics and wireless communication are going to change our lifestyles and benefit our healthcare system in the foreseeable future. New conception named "Ubiquitous Healthcare" has been proposed. It envisions a continuous, real-time, remote monitoring on the health conditions of people through the wireless communication network. Traditional biosignal monitoring devices need wire-connections for the recording, which may cause skin rupture and body infection. The physical connections also limited the number of the integrated recording channels. A low-power implantable multichannel telemetry system which can be implanted in the body and transmit recordings wirelessly can solve the problem of the …
High Spatiotemporal Resolution Mapping Of Retinal Physiology, Qiuxiang Zhang
High Spatiotemporal Resolution Mapping Of Retinal Physiology, Qiuxiang Zhang
All ETDs from UAB
The objective of my PhD dissertation research is to explore high resolution imaging of retinal function using transient intrinsic optical signals (IOSs) correlated with retinal physiological activation. The retina is responsible for capturing photons and preliminary visual information processing. Functional examination of retinal neural cells is important for eye disease detection and treatment evaluation. It is known that different diseases can target different retinal cell types, and thus high resolution imaging of retinal function is desirable. Fast IOSs with time courses comparable to retinal electroretinogram (ERG) kinetics can act as a unique biomarker to map physiological distortions correlated with eye …
Development Of A High-Throughput Self-Interaction Chromatography System, David Johnson
Development Of A High-Throughput Self-Interaction Chromatography System, David Johnson
All ETDs from UAB
The first recombinant human protein drug, insulin expressed in e.coli cells, was approved by the FDA in 1982. Since then, protein therapeutics have become the fastest growing segment of the pharmaceutical industry and include immunoglobulin-g (IgG) directed cancer and immune disorder treatments. A major difficulty to bring protein drugs to market is the requirement that they be concentrated up to 150 mg/ml without aggregation for efficacy in a small injection volume. One way to improve protein drug solubility is to include additives that reduce protein-protein attraction and increase protein-protein repulsion thereby preventing protein molecules from coming together to form aggregates. …
Nanodiamond Mediated Therapies For Prostate Cancer, Amanee Salaam
Nanodiamond Mediated Therapies For Prostate Cancer, Amanee Salaam
All ETDs from UAB
Enhancing therapeutic efficacy is essential for successful treatment of chemoresistant cancers such as metastatic hormone-refractory prostate cancer. Current chemotherapy regimens are plagued with issues such as toxicity, low bioavailability, and lack of specificity. To combat these issues, the feasibility of using nanodiamond particles (ND) to enhance the therapeutic efficacy of doxorubicin and resveratrol was investigated. The enhancement of chemotherapy using NDs was evaluated with three unique approaches: (1) drug mediation, (2) combination therapy, and (3) targeted drug delivery. The ND mediated doxorubicin system achieved a 50% improvement in therapeutic efficacy with over 60% cell death. The ND resveratrol combination therapy …
Fabrication And Characterization Of Functionalized Polymer Systems Using Dip-Pen Nanolithography, Carrie Schindler
Fabrication And Characterization Of Functionalized Polymer Systems Using Dip-Pen Nanolithography, Carrie Schindler
All ETDs from UAB
As more technology shifts from the microscale to the nanoscale, the demand for new fabrication and characterization methods to investigate material properties on the nanoscale significantly increases. Dip-pen nanolithography is an innovative printing technique with the precision to deposit a multitude of inks with nanoscale dimensions on a variety of substrates. This bottom-up approach of high-throughput printing has enabled the study of nanomaterials spanning the gamut of disciplines from nanoelectronics to single-cell interactions to drug delivery. However, the scalability and reproducibility of the dip-pen nanolithography platform has yet to reach full potential in terms of large-scale material production. Specifically, the …
Modeling Of Pollutant Transport In The Nile Delta, Egypt, Mohamed Khaled Elsayed Mostafa
Modeling Of Pollutant Transport In The Nile Delta, Egypt, Mohamed Khaled Elsayed Mostafa
All ETDs from UAB
Poor water quality is one of the biggest problems faced by most countries and especially by developing countries such as Egypt. The mismanagement of potable water resources constitutes one of the main reasons for the depletion of water. This research was carried out in the Nile River delta, a region in which toxic dumping and water quality degradation exist. The Nile delta receives pollution loads from industrial, agricultural, and domestic activities located along its path leading to the spread of water-related diseases such as hepatitis, typhoid, cholera, and kidney failure [Safe Drinking Water Foundation, 2009]. The main objective of this …
Quantum Computation Approach To Information Theoretic Modeling And Analysis Of Systems, Luai Najim
Quantum Computation Approach To Information Theoretic Modeling And Analysis Of Systems, Luai Najim
All ETDs from UAB
The modeling of systems has been addressed in the physical sciences from the perspective of Energy and matter. The 3rd original idea of Communication as a means of modeling systems has been established and applied. In this study, we apply the 3rd original idea of communication to systems on a quantum level. By marrying Shannon's noisy communication channel to Feynman QED and Quantum Computing, we realize a visual model for the representation of the entropy of a noisy communication channel on a quantum scale. We also use that visual representation concept to define a geometric view into the superposition of …
Exploring Intrinsic Biomarkers For Optical Assessment Of Outer Retina, Rongwen Lu
Exploring Intrinsic Biomarkers For Optical Assessment Of Outer Retina, Rongwen Lu
All ETDs from UAB
The retina suffers pathological changes after attacked by eye diseases. The objective of my PhD dissertation is to explore intrinsic biomarkers for noninvasive assessment of retinal morphological structure and physiological function. Fundus autofluorescence (FAF), optical coherence tomography (OCT), etc. have provided indispensable information for eye disease detection. However, better understanding of the intrinsic biomarkers in FAF and OCT is desirable for quantitative interpretation of clinical outcomes. The first specific aim of the dissertation research was to characterize FAF signals across the whole retinal depth using two-photon excitation. FAF signals are usually attributable to fluorophores from the choroidal vessel and the …
Impact And Feasibility Study Of Solutions For Doubling Heavy Vehicles, Adel Elfayoumy
Impact And Feasibility Study Of Solutions For Doubling Heavy Vehicles, Adel Elfayoumy
All ETDs from UAB
The use of heavy vehicles is the backbone of freight shipment and the corner stone of economic success in the United States. National projections predict that freight shipments will double in the next ten years. This increase in freight demand must be accommodated by increasing the number of trucks, increasing the weight of trucks, or both. It is quite obvious that increasing the number of heavy vehicles or the weight of heavy vehicles will inversely affect the bridge lifespan. Thus, congestion problem due to increased number of heavy vehicles must be addressed. Moreover, additional repetitive loading may cause fatigue cracking …
Imaging Biomarkers For Prediction Of Treatment Response In Schizophrenia, Jennifer Ann Hadley
Imaging Biomarkers For Prediction Of Treatment Response In Schizophrenia, Jennifer Ann Hadley
All ETDs from UAB
Schizophrenia affects approximately 1% of the population and is one of the top five causes of disability worldwide. Patient response to any particular drug is variable and currently unpredictable. Our overall goal is to identify imaging biomarkers that will distinguish patients with schizophrenia who will respond to an antipsychotic drug from those who will not. When considering potential biomarkers, it is important to note that schizophrenia is known to involve altered neuronal connections, thought to reflect pathologically relevant changes associated with the disease. We propose to utilize functional connectivity as a biomarker for treatment response to antipsychotic drugs in schizophrenia. …
Advancement Of The In-Situ Polymerization Process For Glass Fiber/Nylon-6 Laminates With Nanographite Platelets, Peter William Barfknecht
Advancement Of The In-Situ Polymerization Process For Glass Fiber/Nylon-6 Laminates With Nanographite Platelets, Peter William Barfknecht
All ETDs from UAB
The in-situ polymerization process of anionic polyamide-6 (APA-6) presents the opportunity for a new class of composite materials with excellent performance and wide applicability in the automotive, energy, transportation, and aerospace industries. Despite the inherent advantages of the process, industrial adoption is virtually nonexistent. The following work advances the APA-6 process in three distinct ways. First, the applicability of graphite-based nanoparticles to improve the processability and final performance of the material was evaluated. Nanographite platelets (NGPs) were selectively incorporated into a woven glass fiber/APA-6 laminate via a spraying technique. The polymerization kinetics were unaffected by the presence of NGPs. Mechanical …
Development Of A Concept Exploration Based Teaching Methodology For Undergraduate Chemistry Education, Nicole D. Gray
Development Of A Concept Exploration Based Teaching Methodology For Undergraduate Chemistry Education, Nicole D. Gray
All ETDs from UAB
Science in general has traditionally been noted as a difficult subject because of its specialized language, mathematical and abstract concepts, and the amount of content to be learned in a semester. In particular, students are believed to base their attitudes towards science-related disciplines on their perceived abilities in understanding or succeeding in a course. Other factors may also contribute to this lack of interest, such as students' metacognitive skills. Concept mapping and computer-aided tools may be used to assist students in building hierarchical knowledge bases that allow them to visually represent connections between concepts. Therefore, the purpose of this study …
Utilization Of Dual Energy Computed Tomography Based Metal Artifact Reduction To Improve Radiation Treatment Planning In Patients With Implanted High-Z Materials, Evan Thomas
All ETDs from UAB
High quality computed tomography (CT) scans are integral to the successful cancer radiation therapy treatment plan. Metal streak artifact in the CT image originates when a high density medical implant (dental, orthopedic, etc.) disproportionally attenuates the imaging beam and corrupts the imaging data. This impairs the physician's task of identifying important boundaries between tumor and healthy issue. The ability of treatment planning software to accurately compute vital radiation dosimetry metrics is also compromised. Many methods have been explored to mitigate the complications of streak artifact; however, none have been found effective and efficient for routine clinical use. This work explores …
Construction Of 3d Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Emergency Scenarios For First Responder Pre-Nursing Training On Stereoscopic Display Systems, Alanzo Deon Granville
Construction Of 3d Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Emergency Scenarios For First Responder Pre-Nursing Training On Stereoscopic Display Systems, Alanzo Deon Granville
All ETDs from UAB
In today's society there is a need to have well prepared medical staff, especially in cases of cardiac arrest, and nurses are one of the first lines of defenses against cardiac arrest. They play a crucial role as first responders to administer cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to patients in need of resuscitation, but CPR history has demonstrated CPR as a difficult process to learn for both medical professionals and laypersons. There are consistent recurring changes in guidelines to improve CPR practice which may promote changes within CPR knowledge, and the administration of CPR may also differ in complexity depending on the …
Corrosion Prevention And Control Training In An Immersive Virtual Learning Environment, Rustin Deane Webster
Corrosion Prevention And Control Training In An Immersive Virtual Learning Environment, Rustin Deane Webster
All ETDs from UAB
The majority of military education and training has not veered far from the days of chalk and talk instruction. Often with technological breakthroughs comes the proposal of the next revolution in multimedia instruction. Motion pictures to radios to educational television programs have all seemed to come and gone. The next wave of multimedia learning may involve more than a PowerPoint® presentation and lecture. Researchers continue to propose that Virtual Reality (VR) will find its true application and/or market in education and training. The objective of the project was to develop and provide a low-cost, scalable, and portable VR system containing …
Chloramination And Corrosion: Case Studies, Utility Experience, And Statistical Comparisons With Chlorination, Jason Heberling
Chloramination And Corrosion: Case Studies, Utility Experience, And Statistical Comparisons With Chlorination, Jason Heberling
All ETDs from UAB
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began implementing the Stage 2 Disinfectant By-products (DBP) Rule (Stage 2) in 2012. The purpose of this regulation is to protect water utility customers from potentially harmful DBP's, most importantly, total trihalomethanes (TTHM) and haloacetic acids (HAA). DBP's have been directly linked to health problems, especially bladder cancer. Regulated DBP's are formed by the chemical reaction of chlorine and naturally occurring organic matter. Chloramines do not produce TTHM's and HAA's and water utilities have used chloramines in place of chlorine in an attempt to meet Stage 2 rules. However, a possible problem of …
Sex Differences In Ss-Adrenergic Responsiveness Of Isolated Rabbit Hearts, Gregory Hoeker
Sex Differences In Ss-Adrenergic Responsiveness Of Isolated Rabbit Hearts, Gregory Hoeker
All ETDs from UAB
Stimulation of adrenergic receptors by catecholamines is the predominant regulatory mechanism for cardiovascular performance. Many cardiovascular diseases involve changes in ß-adrenergic signaling that often lead to decreased cardiac performance, cardiac arrhythmias, and/or sudden cardiac death. This has made ß-adrenergic receptors (ß-ARs) a significant therapeutic target in cardiovascular disease. Sex differences in ß-adrenergic responsiveness have been associated with cardioprotection in females, conferring a survival benefit in female patients with heart failure (HF). The heart contains three distinct ß-ARs: ß1-, ß2-, and ß3-AR. It is not known how each ß-AR subtype contributes to the sex differences in ß-responsiveness, let alone how this …