Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Masseter Muscle Activity Resulting From Stimulation Of Hypothalamic Behavioral Sites : Wavelet Analysis, Anne Marie Petrock

Theses

Patterns of electromyographic (EMG) activity can give an insight into muscle activity associated with a given behavioral state. The masseter muscle is positioned closely to the temporomandibular joint and controls the position and movement of the jaw. The hypothalamus is the region of the brain associated with emotional behavior. In an effort to further understand the muscle activity underlying emotional display, the hypothalamus in two cats was stimulated to evoke a stereotyped emotional response, known as the "rage response." Unsheathing of the claws, retraction of the ears, significant pupillary dilation and vocalization (hissing) characterize this behavior. EMG data obtained at …

Quantitative Assessment Of Reflex Blood Pressure Regulation Using A Dynamic Model Of The Cardiovascular System, Tanha Patel

Theses

A quantitative understanding of the changes in coronary, pulmonary and systemic hemodynamic variables and their effects on the regulation mechanism is important to the better postoperative management of patients with impaired cardiac function. The arterial baroreflex plays a key role in blood pressure homeostasis, and its impairment may result in exaggerated blood pressure fluctuations and an increased risk of cardiovascular morbid events.

The objective of this work was to construct a mathematical model of the cardiovascular system, which will allow us to simulate the effects of the baroreceptor reflex regulation on sudden changes in blood pressure, caused by sudden changes …

Cortical Response To Facial Expressions Of Young Adult Males With Autism Spectrum Disorders And Controls Using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Fmri), Jagriti Arora

Theses

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is defined by deficits in social and emotional impairments and this study aims to identify specific brain regions involved during facial processing. The simple task of focusing on the face during social interactions for the normal group is found difficult by the autistic group.

In this study, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used as subjects performed two experimental tasks (EXPLICIT and IMPLICIT) in which a series of photographs of nine males and nine females displaying three affective states (6 fear, 6 happy and 6 neutral) and six scrambled- face control stimuli were presented …

Dimensional Study Of Desaminotyrosyl Polyarylates, Kalsank Vaishali Pai

Theses

Synthetic polymers have found widespread usage and acceptance in various areas of the medical device industry. The recognition that no polymeric biornaterials are truly biocompatible has led to the search for bioerodible materials with desirable biological and physical properties for use as tissue engineering scaffolds and to enable in-vivo devices. Several methodologies have been tried and tested to invent the "ideal" biopolymer. The ideal polymeric biomaterial would be one that offers a favorable response at both the cellular and the systemic level with minimum alteration to its mechanical properties and chemistry. The systematic investigation of process-structure-property space to determine the …

A Computational Model Of Spasticity Based On A Decoupling Of The Alpha And Gamma Efferents, Bruno A. Mantilla

Theses

It is generally accepted that spasticity results from changes in the excitability of the stretch reflex. This change lowers the threshold of the motoneurons of the spinal cord where the integration of a signal from velocity/position sensors is processed and then fed back to the contracting muscle (alphaextrafusal and gamma-intrafusal fibers). The stretch reflex depends on the initial length of the muscle, the stretch velocity and voluntary activity. The exact sequence of the triggering events remains unknown, is poorly understood and as a result is controversial. The clinical classification scales are mainly subjective and by definition, inaccurate.

This computational model …

Development Of A Method To Examine Shear Stress On Cardiomyocytes, Dhawal Desai

Theses

Cardiac hypertrophy is the remodeling or enlargement of the heart exhibited by individuals suffering from heart disease. Cardiac hypertrophy involves two mechanisms, mechanical stresses and humoral changes in the cardiac tissue. One such humoral change involves the Renin Angiotensin System (RAS). The primary fimction of RAS is maintenance of hemodynamics of the body mediated through an effector protein, Angiotensin 11. However, RAS has been shown to play a significant role in the pathophysiology of the heart; contributing to hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy and myocardial infarction. RAS acts through binding of Angiotensin 11 at its receptors. The two forms of Angiotensin 11 …

Study Of The Trajectories Of Visually Guided Movement Of Unimanual And Bimanual Tasks, Deepthi Anand

Theses

Restitution of upper limb mobility following stroke is one of the major challenges facing clinicians in the country today. The complexity of performing skilled tasks with fine movements makes restitution of mobility all the more complex for rehabilitation specialists. Although several techniques have been evolved for, limited success with transfer of training from the clinical environment to functional performance clearly indicates a need for research and development in the area of upper extremity rehabilitation.

Bimanual coordination has recently surfaced as a novel and effective way to fast and lasting recovery. The success of bimanually coordinated training encourages a better understanding …

Thermochemistry Of Vinyl Alcohol And Vinyl Ether Radical And Kinetic Analysis Of Neopentyl Radical Reaction With Molecular Oxygen, Chol-Han Kim

Theses

Vinyl alcohols and ethers are important intermediates in low-temperature combustion processes, such as in the initial stages of combustion and in the atmospheric photochemical oxidation of hydrocarbons. Knowledge of the thermodynamic parameters for these species is central to understanding and predicting their reaction pathways, rate constants, and equilibrium constants. The rapid interconversion of conformers and the instability of vinyl alcohols and ethers lead to complexities in studies of these species.

In this work, enthalpy,ΔH°f 298, entropy, S°298, and heat capacities, Cp(T), are determined for vinyl alcohol and vinyl methyl ether and the radicals corresponding to loss of a H atom …

A Real Time Frequency Analysis Of The Electroencephalogram Using Labview, Rupal Patel

Theses

The use of the Electroencephalogram (EEG) for diagnosis of brain related diseases is becoming a popular technique in the clinical and research environment. To achieve accurate reading of EEG, signal representation and classification becomes extremely important. The goal of this project was to develop a basic software program for acquiring and online processing of the electrical activity recorded from the brain. A program was developed using the LabVIEW programming software by National Instruments. Basic hardware components recorded the EEG signal and a software component divided the data into delta, theta, alpha and beta bands in the frequency domain. Emphasis was …

An Infrared Device To Measure The Eyeblink For The Study Of Classical Conditioning, Alka Patel

Theses

The classically conditioned eyeblink response is studied by various groups to study neurological functions. This is a form of associative leaming that has many features to help diagnose and learn about neurological diseases. Electromyogram traditionally is used to detect eyeblinks for this experimentation in human. However, EMG can be expensive and difficult to use. It involves the utilization of electrodes and produces only an indirect measure of eyelid closure. The goal of the project was to develop an infrared device to detect eyeblinks and replace the EMG. The project involved two major components, a hardware and a software component. The …