Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Development Of Simulation Platform For Oropharyngeal Airway Placement And Design Evaluation Of The Bardo Airway, Lewis On Hang Lee

Master's Theses

Off-label use of traditional Oropharyngeal Airway (OPA) as a bite-block, and the subsequential procedure of force exertion of the device by physician has caused many cases of patient’s teeth damage and monetary loss, as the patient’s incisors were damaged while clenching on the OPA during an adverse scenario called “Emergency Clenching”. To remedy this harmful situation, Bardo OPA was developed by Dr. Theodore Burdumy. The Bardo airway has unique design to transfer the clenching force from incisor to the molar. However, the Bardo OPA is one-sized, and cannot fit most of the patients like the commonly-used OPAs, such as the …

Measuring Impedance Of Tissues Using A Microfabricated Microelectrode Array, Ashwini Bhat

Master's Theses

MEASURING IMPEDANCE OF TISSUES USING A MICROFABRICATED MICROELECTRODE ARRAY By Ashwini Bhat

This thesis looks at the possibility of using impedance spectroscopy for differentiating tissue, using a microelectrode array (MEA). The thesis first discusses the background and the motivation for this thesis. It covers the certain basic concepts of the human skin starting from the top epidermis layer all the way to the deep dermis layers of the skin. Then it discusses different types of skin cancer and how they occur, in humans. It also discusses various microfabrication techniques such as oxidation, wet etching, sputtering and photolithography for the creation …

Responding To Dangerous Accidents Among The Elderly: A Fall Detection Device With Zigbee-Based Positioning, Michael R. Putnam

Master's Theses

The following paper describes a fall detection and activity monitoring system with position detection based on Zigbee transceivers.The main objective is to reduce the time taken for emergency personnel to respond to falls among the elderly. Especially when the victim is unconscious or delirious, position tracking reduces location determination time within a busy hospital or nursing home environment and facilitates immediate treatment. Reduced response times correlate to decreased morbidity and mortality rates. Background is provided on the major wireless network advances currently deployed in a healthcare setting for asset and personnel tracking, etiology of falls, and several methods of detecting …

Hydrodynamic Focused Passive Separation Under Continuous Flow In A Microfluidic Chip, Jad Kanbar

Master's Theses

A continuous flow, passive separation device was designed using an equivalent circuit to create variable flow rates for hydrodynamic focusing to drain channels and collection outlets. By varying the diameter of the sample inlet connection into the reservoir, the particle position was influenced significantly, which enabled desired separations. Additionally it was noted that the relative, horizontal position of the inlet also had a significant influence on particle position within the device. A dimensionless number, the Characteristic Sample Inlet, was developed to relate geometric properties of the inlet reservoir to downstream particle distribution. It was found that a 2:1 ratio between …

Development And Characterization Of An In-House Custom Bioreactor For The Cultivation Of A Tissue Engineered Blood-Brain Barrier, Amin Hadi Mirzaaghaeian

Master's Theses

The development of treatments for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease begins by understanding what these diseases affect and the consequences of further manifestation. One particular region where these diseases can produce substantial problems is the blood-brain barrier (BBB). The BBB is the selective diffusion barrier between the circulating blood and the brain. The barrier’s main function is to maintain CNS homeostasis and protect the brain from the extracellular environment. The progression of BBB research has advanced to the point where many have modeled the BBB in vitro with aims of further characterizing and testing the barrier. Particularly, …

Impedance Sensing Of N2a And Astrocytes As Grounds For A Central Nervous System Cancer Diagnostic Device, Fraser Traves Smith Grove

Master's Theses

This thesis utilizes previously described manufacturing and design techniques for the creation of a PDMS-glass bonded microfluidic device, capable of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). EIS has been used across various fields of research for different diagnostic needs. The major aim of this thesis was to capture cancerous and non-cancerous cells between micron sized electrodes within a microfluidic path, and to complete analysis on the measured impedances recorded from the two differing cell types. Two distinct ranges of impedance frequency were analyzed – the α dispersion range, which quantifies the impedance of the membranes of the cells of interest, and the …

A Kinetic Study Of Anti-Vegf-A Polyclonal Antibodies And Anti-Vegf-A Ssdna Aptamers, Heather A. Hedeen

Master's Theses

A new detection reagent that could possibly augment or replace antibodies research and diagnosis methods are aptamers. Aptamers are ssDNA, RNA or polypeptide constructs that function like active antibodies. Antibodies and aptamers both specifically bind to selected target molecules, and as such they enable the detection or targeting of the presence or absence of a specific antigen.

In order to ensure that ssDNA aptamers perform similarly to antibodies, anti-VEGF-A polyclonal antibody and anti-VEGF-A ssDNA aptamer were evaluated against vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) using Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). It was hypothesized that the anti-VEGF-A aptamer had the same, if …

A Comprehensive Methodology For Assessing Biomechanical Risks Associated With Hand Tool Use: Applied To Laparoscopic Surgical Instruments, Drew R. Seils

Master's Theses

Biomechanical risk factors are physical stressors that act on the neuromuscular structures of the human body and are present in all occupational settings. Repetition and intensity of tasks performed can magnify the effects of the biomechanical risks that a worker is exposed to.

After reviewing the current literature on ergonomics in laparoscopic surgery it was clear that a comprehensive approach to quantitatively reporting on the biomechanical risk factors associated with surgical hand tools had never been performed. Utilizing an opto-electronic motion capture system meant the exact surgeon posture was recorded during simulated surgical tasks. Electromyography was used to evaluate muscle …

Development Of A Standardized Method For Comparing Biomechanical Properties Of Various Sternal Closure Techniques, Ramzi P. Hawit

Master's Theses

Background:

33.6% of all deaths in America are caused by cardiovascular disease. An estimated 82.6 million adults (>1 in 3) in America have some form of cardiovascular disease. There were over 400,000 bypass surgeries requiring open-heart surgery. Sternal dehiscence is associated with a morbidity rate of over 47% if mediastinitis supervenes. A rigid closure is required to avoid healing complications, and wire, plates, and bands are all used in an attempt to make a better closure. The purpose of this study it to compare multiple closures and validate a new testing method.

Methods:

Polyurethane foam blocks will be used, …

Dc Dielectrophoretic Assisted Anti-Fouling Filtration System, Nathan M. Cohen

Master's Theses

Filtration processes, whether on the microfluidic, clinical treatment systems, or industrial scale (e.g., point-of-care diagnostics, dialysis, and biopharmaceutical manufacturing, respectively), are often inseparable from membrane clogging (fouling). As a consequence, most, if not all, filtration systems require frequent maintenance to maintain functionality and efficiency. The thesis of this project hypothesizes that Dielectrophoresis can be combined with standard filtration to reduce filter fouling, extending membrane life, and enabling continuous operation. This project investigates a method to reduce fouling, add specificity and efficiency, and decrease the cost and challenge of filtration based biofluid separations.

To substantiate this thesis, we designed, fabricated, and …

Second Generation Data-Logging System For Long-Duration Field Measurement Of Vibration Exposure And Grip Force, Robert H. Knapp Iii

Master's Theses

Millions of United States workers are exposed to vibration at their job, whether it is from a power tool that causes hand and arm vibration or from heavy machinery. These vibrations are known to result in physical disorders such as Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome, which can be debilitating to the point where workers can no longer do their job effectively. Research groups have taken an interest in finding what vibration characteristics are most harmful and choose to record vibration information using data-logging devices. Often, many devices, whether they are commercial or custom-built devices, use frequency weightings and full day estimations to …