Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Assessment Of Electrospinning As An In-House Fabrication Technique For Blood Vessel Mimic Cellular Scaffolding, Colby M. James

Master's Theses

Intravascular devices, such as stents, must be rigorously tested before they can be approved by the FDA. This includes bench top in vitro testing to determine biocompatibility, and animal model testing to ensure safety and efficacy. As an intermediate step, a blood vessel mimic (BVM) testing method has been developed that mimics the three dimensional structure of blood vessels using a perfusion bioreactor system, human derived endothelial cells, and a biocompatible polymer scaffold used to support growth of the blood vessel cells. The focus of this thesis was to find an in-house fabrication method capable of making cellular scaffolding for …

The Effect Of Particle Surface Area To Volume Ratio On Ion Release From Cocr Spheres, Darin J. Grandfield

Master's Theses

In 2005, over 200,000 Americans underwent a hip arthroplasty, the replacement of a hip joint with an artificial prosthesis. Of these arthroplasties, metal-on-metal type implants represent an increasing usage percentage. Metal-on-metal implants are selected largely for their low volumetric wear rate, durability, and resistance to corrosion. In spite of these advantages, little is known concerning the long-term consequences of heavy metal alloy use in the body, although early research indicates potentially carcinogenic results. This thesis is a preliminary investigation into these long term effects and their root causes.

An improved comprehension of the corrosion kinetics and the rate of ion …

Evaluating The Electrical Response Of Polyaniline To Mechanical Strain, Matthew L. Goebel

Master's Theses

This thesis focuses on the electrical output of polyaniline films subjected to uniaxial strain in hydrochloric acid solutions. Polyaniline belongs to novel class of materials known as conducting polymers. Alternating single and double bonds in the backbone of conducting polymers allow them to transmit electric charge when they are doped with negatively charged ions. Modifying the degree of doping and other electrical/chemical treatments allow conducting polymers to exhibit conducting, semi-conducting, or insulating electrical properties. Resilient mechanical properties, good processability, and low cost make conducting polymers good candidates for applications traditionally held by metals and semi-conductors.

When tensile strain is applied …

Functionalized Nanoparticles For Biological Imaging And Detection Applications, Bing C Mei

Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014

Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) have gained tremendous attention in the last decade as a result of their size-dependent spectroscopic properties. These nanoparticles have been a subject of intense study to bridge the gap between macroscopic and atomic behavior, as well as to generate new materials for novel applications in therapeutics, biological sensing, light emitting devices, microelectronics, lasers, and solar cells. One of the most promising areas for the use of these nanoparticles is in biotechnology, where their size-dependent optical properties are harnessed for imaging and sensing applications. However, these nanoparticles, as synthesized, are often not stable …

Effect Of Filler Incorporation On The Fracture Toughness Properties Of Denture Base Poly(Methyl Methacrylate), Nidal Elshereksi

Nidal Elshereksi

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is the material of choice for denture base construction. In spite of its many good qualities, the application of PMMA as an ideal dental base material is still restricted by a few limitations. One of these is the difficulty in achieving intrinsic radiopacity in the material. The aim of the present study is to investigate the possibility of using barium titanate (BaTiO3) as a radiopacifier in PMMA. The formulation used in this study composed of PMMA 89.5 wt%, BaTiO3 10 wt% and benzoyl peroxide (BPO) 0.5 wt% as an initiator, methyl methacrylate (MMA) 90 wt% as a …

Effect Of Filler Incorporation On The Fracture Toughness Properties Of Denture Base Poly(Methyl Methacrylate), Nidal Elshereksi

Nidal Elshereksi

Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is the material of choice for denture base construction. In spite of its many good qualities, the application of PMMA as an ideal dental base material is still restricted by a few limitations. One of these is the difficulty in achieving intrinsic radiopacity in the material. The aim of the present study is to investigate the possibility of using barium titanate (BaTiO3) as a radiopacifier in PMMA. The formulation used in this study composed of PMMA 89.5 wt%, BaTiO3 10 wt% and benzoyl peroxide (BPO) 0.5 wt% as an initiator, methyl methacrylate (MMA) 90 wt% as a …

Three-Dimensional Hydrogel Cell Culture Systems For Modeling Neural Tissue, John P. Frampton

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Two-dimensional (2-D) neural cell culture systems have served as physiological models for understanding the cellular and molecular events that underlie responses to physical and chemical stimuli, control sensory and motor function, and lead to the development of neurological diseases. However, the development of three-dimensional (3-D) cell culture systems will be essential for the advancement of experimental research in a variety of fields including tissue engineering, chemical transport and delivery, cell growth, and cell-cell communication. In 3-D cell culture, cells are provided with an environment similar to tissue, in which they are surrounded on all sides by other cells, structural molecules …