Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

2016

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Articles 1 - 22 of 22

Full-Text Articles in Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering

A Proposal For A Wirelessly Powered, Implantable Pressure Sensor And Neural Stimulator For The Control Of Urinary Incontinence, Robert N. Tucker, Christopher J. Quinkert, Pedro P. Irazoqui Aug 2016

A Proposal For A Wirelessly Powered, Implantable Pressure Sensor And Neural Stimulator For The Control Of Urinary Incontinence, Robert N. Tucker, Christopher J. Quinkert, Pedro P. Irazoqui

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

47 to 53 percent of women over the age of 20 suffer from urinary incontinence, often caused by childbirth-related damage to the pelvic nerve. This uncertainty of when bladder voiding will occur causes social anxiety and can compromise quality of life. This study explores one method to restore the ability to sense the need to urinate and prevent unwanted voiding. We propose a device to measure pressure due to bladder content as the difference between pressure in the bladder and pressure in the abdominal cavity. Integrated circuits, biocompatible packaging, and wireless radiofrequency powering allow for a fully implantable device to …

Go to article

Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas For Food Applications, Michael V. Lauria, Russell S. Brayfield Ii, Ronald G. Johnson, Allen L. Garner Aug 2016

Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas For Food Applications, Michael V. Lauria, Russell S. Brayfield Ii, Ronald G. Johnson, Allen L. Garner

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Successfully distributing shelf food requires treatment to eliminate microorganisms. Current chemical methods, such as chlorine wash, can alter food quality while only being effective for a limited time. Cold atmospheric pressure plasmas (CAPs) can eradicate the microorganisms responsible for food spoilage and foodborne illness. Optimizing CAP treatments requires understanding the reactive species generated and relating them to eradication efficiency. Recent studies have used optical emission spectroscopy (OES) to determine the species generated in a sealed package that would hold food. In this study,we supplement the OES results with optical absorption spectroscopy (OAS) using the same gases (helium, nitrogen, compressed air, …

Go to article

Lysis And Amplifciation Of Neonatal Sepsis Causing Pathogens, Gregory Berglund, Elizabeth A. Phillips, Jacqueline C. Linnes Aug 2016

Lysis And Amplifciation Of Neonatal Sepsis Causing Pathogens, Gregory Berglund, Elizabeth A. Phillips, Jacqueline C. Linnes

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Neonatal sepsis, resulting from a bloodstream infection within the first few weeks of life, is the leading cause of newborn deaths worldwide. The gold standard of neonatal sepsis diagnosis requires a blood culture to identify the infecting bacteria, however require days of incubation, expensive equipment, and expertise. Any delay in diagnosis is critical, as the condition can be treated easily if appropriate antibiotics are administered promptly. A low-cost, rapid, and sensitive diagnostic test would enable more timely treatment and lead to better patient outcomes with fewer required resources. Point-of-care, nucleic acid amplification assays are a promising alternative to blood culture …

Go to article

Measurement Of Hydrogen Peroxide Influx Into Cells: Preparation For Measurement Using On-Chip Microelectrode Array, Hannah R. Kriscovich, Sarah M. Libring, Siddarth V. Sridharan, James K. Nolan, Jose F. Rivera, Jenna L. Rickus, David B. Janes Aug 2016

Measurement Of Hydrogen Peroxide Influx Into Cells: Preparation For Measurement Using On-Chip Microelectrode Array, Hannah R. Kriscovich, Sarah M. Libring, Siddarth V. Sridharan, James K. Nolan, Jose F. Rivera, Jenna L. Rickus, David B. Janes

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is commonly known as a toxic reactive oxidative species (ROS) for cells. Recent studies have found evidence that H2O2 is also an important cellular signalling molecule. Quantifying cellular influx of H2O2 will contribute to researchers’ understanding of the role H2O2 plays in healthy cells and cells involved in the progression of cancers and degenerative diseases. This work utilizes an assay kit and fluorescence techniques to evaluate cell lines and conditions to create a model biological system for measuring cellular H2O2 consumption. …

Go to article

Cartilage Engineering: Optimization Of Media For Chondrogenic Differentiation In Vitro, Evan Surma, Sherry L. Harbin, Hongji Zhang, Stacy Halum Aug 2016

Cartilage Engineering: Optimization Of Media For Chondrogenic Differentiation In Vitro, Evan Surma, Sherry L. Harbin, Hongji Zhang, Stacy Halum

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Lower back pain from intervertebral disc injury affects around 84% of the population at some point in their life, which at its worst may cause total immobilization. This pain can only be temporarily relieved by spinal fusion or intervertebral disc replacement; however, both of these cause loss of natural motion in patients by removing damaged fibrocartilage discs. While these techniques help mitigate pain briefly, no permanent solution exists currently to both relieve pain and preserve natural motion. My work may be a solution by eventually providing patient-specific implants that resemble native tissue in the regeneration process that could be absorbed …

Go to article

Development Of Standard Criteria To Evaluate The Effectiveness Of Helmets At Decreasing The Risk Of Concussions, Daniel Y. Shyu, Goutham N. Sankaran, Kevin G. Mciver, Nicolas Leiva, Eric A. Nauman Aug 2016

Development Of Standard Criteria To Evaluate The Effectiveness Of Helmets At Decreasing The Risk Of Concussions, Daniel Y. Shyu, Goutham N. Sankaran, Kevin G. Mciver, Nicolas Leiva, Eric A. Nauman

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

In many sports, such as American football, accumulations of mild traumatic brain injuries have been suggested as a possible link to neurodegeneration and future mental disorders. With head impacts occurring at all levels of competition and in different sports, it is critical to develop an accurate method for quantifying the effects of head impacts and determining the efficacy of helmets. This study examines the derivation of different dimensionless numbers and ascertains the critical factors needed to predict the effects of head impacts, specifically the resulting accelerations from an impact. Given a known force of impact, parameters such as peak translation …

Go to article

Ball Pressure Correlations With Peak Impact Force And The Potential For Cumulative Mtbi When Heading A Soccer Ball, Nicolas Leiva, Daniel Y. Shyu, Josh Auger, Eric Nauman Aug 2016

Ball Pressure Correlations With Peak Impact Force And The Potential For Cumulative Mtbi When Heading A Soccer Ball, Nicolas Leiva, Daniel Y. Shyu, Josh Auger, Eric Nauman

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Soccer is a unique sport in which athletes use their heads as tools for gameplay, which may ultimately cause cumulative traumatic brain injuries. Due to rising popularity of soccer in the United States alongside the increased occurrence of CTE and mTBI in other contact sports, there is a growing concern over how to keep the repetitive forces caused by heading, as low as possible. Different variables that can affect the peak force felt when heading a soccer ball can be simulated and compared with in-game data, however, this has never been properly tested before. In the present study two size …

Go to article

Lipid Detection In Pig Arteries Using Intravascular Photoacoustic Imaging, Jieying Mai, Yingchun Cao, Ayeeshik Kole, Michael Sturek, Ji-Xin Cheng Aug 2016

Lipid Detection In Pig Arteries Using Intravascular Photoacoustic Imaging, Jieying Mai, Yingchun Cao, Ayeeshik Kole, Michael Sturek, Ji-Xin Cheng

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide. Each year over 370,000 people died from coronary artery disease in America. As the primary form of coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis behaves as lipid-rich plaque development inside an artery wall. Vulnerable plaques are those prone to rupture, which may result in thrombus or even death. Typical hallmarks of a vulnerable plaque include thin fibrous cap, a large lipid-rich necrotic core and inflammatory infiltrate. The identification and accurate detection of these lipid depositions in the arterial wall is crucial in the diagnosis of atherosclerosis. However, none of …

Go to article

Nanobubbles Provide Theranostic Relief To Cancer Hypoxia, Christopher M. Long, Pushpak N. Bhandari, Joseph Irudayaraj Aug 2016

Nanobubbles Provide Theranostic Relief To Cancer Hypoxia, Christopher M. Long, Pushpak N. Bhandari, Joseph Irudayaraj

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Hypoxia is a common motif among tumors, contributing to metastasis, angiogenesis, cellular epigenetic abnormality, and resistance to cancer therapy. Hypoxia also plays a pivotal role in oncological studies, where it can be used as a principal target for new anti-cancer therapeutic methods. Oxygen nanobubbles were designed in an effort to target the hypoxic tumor regions, thus interrupting the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) regulatory pathway and inhibiting tumor progression. At less than 100nm, oxygen nanobubbles act as a vehicle for site-specific oxygen delivery, while also serving as an ultrasound contrast agent for advanced imaging purposes. Through in vitro and in vivo studies, …

Go to article

Fabrication And Evaluation Of Magnetic Micro Actuators For Implantable Self-Clearing Glaucoma Drainage Devices, Haritha Ramadorai, Hyunsu Park, Hyowon Lee Aug 2016

Fabrication And Evaluation Of Magnetic Micro Actuators For Implantable Self-Clearing Glaucoma Drainage Devices, Haritha Ramadorai, Hyunsu Park, Hyowon Lee

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

According to the World Health Organization, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world. It currently affects more than 2.7 million people in the United States alone and over 79.6 million people worldwide are estimated to be inflicted by this debilitating disease by 2020. Glaucoma patients are often characterized with elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) and are treated with implantation of glaucoma drainage devices (GDD) to maintain optimum IOP. Although initially effective at delaying glaucoma progression, contemporary GDD often lead to numerous complications and only 50% of implanted devices remain functional after 5 years. Biofouling is seen to …

Go to article

Development Of Micro-/Nano-Architectures For Intracellular Sensing Platform, Ryan M. Preston, Dae Seung Wie, Chi Hwan Lee Aug 2016

Development Of Micro-/Nano-Architectures For Intracellular Sensing Platform, Ryan M. Preston, Dae Seung Wie, Chi Hwan Lee

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Currently available nanotechnologies are capable of creating various nanostructures in controlled dimensions such as particles (0D), wires (1D), membranes (2D), and cubes (3D) by exploiting “top-down” or “bottom-up” methods. However, there exist limitations to systematically construct hierarchical nanostructures with geometric complexities. This study is focused on developing a novel nanofabrication strategy that can rationally produce a set of hierarchical nanostructures configured with precisely engineered facets, tip shapes, and tectonic motifs. We aim to identify a collection of optimal materials, array layouts, basic components, and nanofabrication techniques for the production of hierarchical nanostructures by exploiting device-grade semiconducting silicon materials. To accomplish …

Go to article

Cellular Model Of Hydrogen Peroxide Release: In Preparation For On-Chip Sensor Measurements, Sarah M. Libring, Hannah R. Kriscovich, James K. Nolan, Siddarth V. Sridharan, Jose F. Rivera, David B. Janes, Jenna L. Rickus Aug 2016

Cellular Model Of Hydrogen Peroxide Release: In Preparation For On-Chip Sensor Measurements, Sarah M. Libring, Hannah R. Kriscovich, James K. Nolan, Siddarth V. Sridharan, Jose F. Rivera, David B. Janes, Jenna L. Rickus

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Hydrogen peroxide is traditionally associated with cellular damage; however, recent studies show that low levels of H2O2 are released by cells as part of normal intercellular communication. The mechanisms of hydrogen peroxide transport, uptake and release, and biological effects are not yet well known but have important implications for cancer, stem cells, and aging. Standard H2O2 assays cannot make spatially or temporally resolved quantitative measurements at a cellular scale. Previously we developed a microelectrode array (MEA) and calibration methods for quantifying H2O2 gradients in space and time. The sensor was validated …

Go to article

Activity Of Protein Kinase A Attached To Magnetic Beads, Kevin P. Lin, Tamara L. Kinzer-Ursem, Mrugesh K. Parasa Aug 2016

Activity Of Protein Kinase A Attached To Magnetic Beads, Kevin P. Lin, Tamara L. Kinzer-Ursem, Mrugesh K. Parasa

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Development of high throughput assays is a crucial step in developing more efficient techniques that aid in many important areas of research today such as drug development or identification of protein structure function relationships. Integration of high throughput assays into more research efforts could drastically decrease the time and cost it takes for a new drug to hit the market. Protein Kinase A (PKA) is an extensively studied protein as it is highly upregulated in cancer and is a hot spot for drug targeting. In this work, azide-tagged PKA is covalently attached to magnetic beads using azide-alkyne cycloaddition, a well-known …

Go to article

Using Elastin-Like Polypeptides For Better Retention Of Biofuels, Yu Hong Wang, Ethan T. Hilman, Kevin V. Solomon Aug 2016

Using Elastin-Like Polypeptides For Better Retention Of Biofuels, Yu Hong Wang, Ethan T. Hilman, Kevin V. Solomon

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are synthetic molecules that exhibit an interesting property of inverse temperature phase transition; they exist as soluble monomers at low temperatures and form insoluble aggregates at higher temperatures. The transition temperature depends on the pH, salt concentration, and the amino acid sequence of the ELP. This unique and reversible behavior, along with their high biocompatibility has made them a strategic tool for various biomedical applications. However, their hydrophobic properties also make them a prime candidate for biofuel production. As high levels of many commercially important organic solvents are toxic to the cells that make them, ELPs can …

Go to article

Bone Tissue Engineering: Scalability And Optimization Of Densified Collagen-Fibril Bone Graft Substitute Materials, John G. Nicholas, Lauren E. Watkins, Sherry L. Voytik-Harbin Aug 2016

Bone Tissue Engineering: Scalability And Optimization Of Densified Collagen-Fibril Bone Graft Substitute Materials, John G. Nicholas, Lauren E. Watkins, Sherry L. Voytik-Harbin

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Over 240 million people missing teeth worldwide experience lingering problems such as difficulty speaking and eating, undesirable aesthetics, and resorption of bone supporting neighboring teeth. The gold standard of treatment utilizes grafts to attach a function-restoring implant to supporting bone. Current graft materials suffer from problems including autologous donor site morbidity, long resorption time, incomplete integration with the maxillae or mandible, and structural weakness. Patient-specific, cellularized bone grafts may be a solution to these issues by accelerating and improving the quality of regenerated bone. Recently, encapsulation of mesenchymal stem cells within self-assembling type I collagen oligomer matrices has been shown …

Go to article

3d Modeling Of Murine Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Quantification Of Segmentation And Volumetric Reconstruction, Paula A. Sarmiento, Amelia R. Adelsperger, Craig J. Goergen Ph.D. Aug 2016

3d Modeling Of Murine Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Quantification Of Segmentation And Volumetric Reconstruction, Paula A. Sarmiento, Amelia R. Adelsperger, Craig J. Goergen Ph.D.

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA) cause 5,900 deaths in the United States each year. Surgical intervention is clinically studied by non-invasive techniques such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. However, three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound imaging has become an inexpensive alternative and useful tool to characterize aneurysms, allowing for reconstruction of the vessel, quantification of hemodynamics through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, and possible prediction of aortic expansion and rupture. However, current analysis techniques for these images require the use of multiple software platforms for either modeling or simulation, prompting the need for alternatives to improve data processing. This study monitors the …

Go to article

Pathway By Which Vagus Nerve Stimulation Of B Fibers Affects Heart Rate, Kelsey Wasilczuk, Matthew Ward, Pedro Irazoqui Aug 2016

Pathway By Which Vagus Nerve Stimulation Of B Fibers Affects Heart Rate, Kelsey Wasilczuk, Matthew Ward, Pedro Irazoqui

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Heart failure (HF) affects over 5 million adults in the United States. Many HF patients have a high resting heart rate, which is correlated with a high mortality rate. In recent years, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has become an increasingly researched therapy to reduce the resting heart rate of HF patients. However, current dosage given during VNS is increased incrementally at the doctor’s office until side effects present themselves in a patient. In addition, the means by which the therapy works is not completely understood. To better understand the therapy’s mechanisms, the right cervical vagus nerve of several Long Evans …

Go to article

Role Of Sumoylation In Mitochondrial Division In Tetrahymena Thermophila, Ramya Modi, James Forney Aug 2016

Role Of Sumoylation In Mitochondrial Division In Tetrahymena Thermophila, Ramya Modi, James Forney

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

SUMOylation is a post translation modification that involves the addition of a small protein called SUMO, Small Ubiquitin-like MOdifier to a target protein. It is an important mechanism for the regulation of gene expression, the maintenance of genomic stability and in modifying nuclear proteins. More recently evidence has emerged for its importance in regulating mitochondrial fission and fusion in mammalian cells. This study evaluates the parameters for optimal staining of Tetrahymena thermophila mitochondria using two different dyes and then examines different cell lines with defects in the SUMOylation pathway. The first staining method uses Mitotracker Green, a vital stain that …

Go to article

Stimuli Responsive Fluidics Controls On A Paper-Based Bacterial Detection Platform, Siyu Zhao, Elizabeth Phillips, Jacqueline Linnes Aug 2016

Stimuli Responsive Fluidics Controls On A Paper-Based Bacterial Detection Platform, Siyu Zhao, Elizabeth Phillips, Jacqueline Linnes

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Infectious diseases are the leading causes of death around the world. Point-of-care devices using nucleic acid amplification are sensitive enough to diagnose these diseases, however, often require complex and time-intensive sample preparation steps that are not integrated with the detection process. A rapid, sensitive, and integrated sample-to-result diagnostic device will permit disease treatment planning at the point-of-care. Paper-based detection assays are a promising platform to integrate the sample preparation and detection, with minimal infrastructure, equipment, and user involvement. To integrate sample preparation with detection on paper-based assays, timing and delivery of sample fluid flow needs to be controlled. Here we …

Go to article

Bioconjugation Of N-Terminal Functionalized Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Ii (Camkii) On Magnetic Beads, Benjamin Moy, Aya Saleh, Tamara L. Kinzer-Ursem Aug 2016

Bioconjugation Of N-Terminal Functionalized Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Ii (Camkii) On Magnetic Beads, Benjamin Moy, Aya Saleh, Tamara L. Kinzer-Ursem

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Protein purification is a fundamental step that commonly precedes structural and functional characterization of proteins. Most of the current protein purification methods are laborious and time consuming due to the multistep nature of the process. Searching for alternative methods that are capable of shortening the purification time and simultaneously enhancing the purity of the purified proteins is therefore needed. The method described in this paper entails surface immobilization of the protein of interest on alkyne-functionalized magnetic beads following selective labeling of the protein’s N-terminus with an azide tag. The utility of this method was tested using Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II …

Go to article

Characterization Of Left-Ventricular Thrombus Formation Using High Frequency Ultrasound, Kelsey A. Bullens, Arvin H. Soepriatna, Pavlos P. Vlachos, Craig J. Goergen Aug 2016

Characterization Of Left-Ventricular Thrombus Formation Using High Frequency Ultrasound, Kelsey A. Bullens, Arvin H. Soepriatna, Pavlos P. Vlachos, Craig J. Goergen

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Heart failure is a leading cause of death in the United States, and cardiac thrombus, a common morbidity associated with heart failure, significantly increases a patient’s risk of embolic events. The objective of this project is to characterize left-ventricular (LV) thrombus development using high frequency ultrasound imaging in a murine model. C57BL/6J wild-type mice (n=6) were injected intraperitoneally with iron dextran five times a week for six weeks to increase oxidative stress in the heart. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) was subcutaneously injected daily during the second week to initiate stem cell migration and stimulate endothelial cell activation, thus increasing the …

Go to article

Mechanical Reliability Of Implantable Polyimide-Based Magnetic Microactuators For Biofouling Removal, Christian G. Figueroa-Espada, Qi Yang, Hyowon Lee Aug 2016

Mechanical Reliability Of Implantable Polyimide-Based Magnetic Microactuators For Biofouling Removal, Christian G. Figueroa-Espada, Qi Yang, Hyowon Lee

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Hydrocephalus is a neurological disorder that typically requires a long-term implantation of a shunt system to manage its symptoms. These shunt systems are notorious for their extremely high failure rate. More than 40% of all implanted shunt systems fail within the first year of implantation. On average, 85% of all hydrocephalus patients with shunt systems undergo at least two shunt-revision surgeries within 10 years of implantation. A large portion of this high failure rate can be attributed to biofouling-related obstructions and infections. Previously, we developed flexible polyimide-based magnetic microactuators to remove obstructions formed on hydrocephalus shunts. To test the long-term …

Go to article