Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Increasing Ph In Cancer: Enabling A New Therapeutic Paradigm Using Novel Carbonate Nanoparticles, Avik Som

McKelvey School of Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Enormous progress has been made to treat cancer, and yet the mortality rate of cancer remains unacceptably high. High clinical resistance to molecularly targeted therapeutics has pushed interest again towards inhibiting universal biochemical hallmarks of cancer. Recent evidence suggests that malignant tumors acidify the local extracellular environment to activate proteases for degrading the tumor matrix, which facilitates metastasis, and explains why more aggressive tumors are more acidic. Current therapies have only focused on using the low pH for enhancing drug release in tumors, thereby still relying on the traditional paradigm of intracellular inhibition of pathways, a method that continues to …

Developing A Risk Assessment Protocol To Quantify Distribution And Uptake Of Persistent Organic Pollutants In Glacial Outflows, Kimberley Rain Miner

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Pollutants released by industrialized nations between 1960 and 2004 have been transported northward through atmospheric processes and deposited into glaciated alpine ecosystems. Many of these chemicals retain their original structure and are absorbed into the biota thousands of miles away from where they were originally utilized. With a warming climate increasing the melt of alpine glaciers, these glaciers may be introducing growing amounts of toxins into the watershed. While studies have demonstrated the existence of resident pollutants within glaciated ecosystems, no one has developed a risk assessment to identify sources and quantity of risk posed by these compounds when released …

Assessment Of Risk In Preterm Infants Using Point Process And Machine Learning Approaches, Venkata Naga Sai Apurupa Amperayani

Electrical Engineering Theses

Preemies, infants who are born too soon, have a higher incidence of Life-Threatening Events (LTE’s) such as apnea (cessation of breathing), bradycardia (slowing of heart rate) and hypoxemia (oxygen desaturation) also termed as ABD (Apnea, Bradycardia, and Desaturation) events. Clinicians at Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU) are facing the demanding task of assessing the risk of infants based on their physiological signals. The aim of this thesis is to develop a risk stratification algorithm using a machine-learning framework with the features related to pathological fluctuations derived from point process model that will be embedded into the current physiological recording system …

Real-Time Detection Of Cravings In Individuals With Substance Abuse Using Wearable Biosensors And Machine Learning, Keerthi Kumar Chintha

Electrical Engineering Theses

Deaths in the US have drastically increased over the past decade due to addictive behaviors and drugs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in 20 adults between the age of 15 and 64 years are addicted to at least one illicit drug; globally, 29 million people are suffering from drug use disorder. The addiction of narcotics alters a person’s primary function as well as critical areas of the brain due to multiple reasons like genetics, hereditary, stress or pressure, and mental health conditions. It not only affects an individual but also their families. Intensive research has been launched …

Design Of A Homeopathic Solution For Chronic Cough, Jacob Ziemke

Senior Honors Projects, 2010-2019

Chronic cough is most commonly defined as a cough that persists for more than eight weeks and is estimated to affect more than 30 million people in the United States at any given time. Diseases contributing to the onset of chronic cough include asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, lung cancer, postnasal drip, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), and bronchitis, and may include lifestyle choices such as smoking. For those who seek medical advice, pharmaceuticals and speech therapy are two common methods of combating chronic cough but serve to mask the symptoms rather than treat the problem; frequently, chronic cough is misdiagnosed or cannot …

A Study Of Acoustically Activated Nanodroplets, Songita Choudhury

Theses & Dissertations

Current treatment of acute myocardial infarction (AMI), which is the main pathophysiological event leading to death in the United States, has advanced considerably with the introduction of emergent percutaneous interventions, but there remains an urgent need for novel techniques to rapidly and accurately detect infarcted or ischemic tissue that results from AMI. Ultrasound contrast agents, also known as microbubbles (MB), have become commonplace in echocardiography. However, MBs are purely intravascular tracers and unable to cross endothelial barriers due to size. The limitations of MBs, namely size and short circulation times within the human body, led to the development of phase-change …

Designing Synthetic Environments To Control Valvular Interstital Cells In Vitro, Kent E. Coombs

Biomedical Sciences ETDs

Aortic valve disease (AVD) is a large contributor to health costs in the United States affecting 2.8% of the population greater than 75 years old. With a growing elderly population due to medical advances, AVD will continue to rise in prevalence over time. Current treatments for AVD are insufficient due to a lack of preventative therapies and the bioprosthetic valves used for surgical replacement have major limitations. Tissue engineered heart valves (TEHVs) present an ideal solution to current AVD needs because of their biocompatibility, capability to integrate with the host’s tissue, and ability to utilize the natural repair mechanisms of …

The Effects Of Surface Pace In Baseball, Jason Farlow

Senior Theses

A baseball travels across different surfaces at different paces. The goal of this experiment is to find a percentage difference in speeds the ball will reflect off a given surface. The energy lost on the turf surface was far more significant than on dirt surface as the turf lost an average of 26% of its energy as compared to just 16% of the energy on dirt. In the Northwest conference, teams play on four turf-based infields and five dirt-based infields. The results of this study suggest that kinetic friction forces are more significant in reducing ball rebound speed than in …

Extraction And Analysis Of Vector Flow Imaging Data In A Pediatric Population, Bailey Stinnett

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Vector flow imaging (VFI) is a new ultrasound technology that provides real time, angle-independent visualization of flow velocities in the heart and great vessels. Thus far, VFI has been used for superficial applications due to the limited penetration depth of available transducer probes; however, this depth in smaller pediatric patients enables adequate aortic views. In this project, VFI was used to study pediatric aortic stenosis (PAS)—a congenital heart defect that results in the narrowing of the aorta and/or aortic valve. The decision to refer PAS patients for surgical or catheter-based intervention is initially based on Doppler ultrasound. VFI is potentially …

Role Of Local Renin-Angiotensin System In Altering Valve Interstitial Cell Phenotype, Sophia Scalise

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Hypertension is a disorder prevalent in adults around the world and is a common attributable cause of heart disease and mortality [1]. Calcification is much more common in the aortic valve than the other three heart valves [2]. Aortic valve interstitial cells (VICs), the principal cell type found in the human aortic valve, have been linked to disease development when they change in phenotype to become osteoblast like cells [3]. The phenotypes of these cells play a role in the development of calcification in the aortic valves [4].

Angiotensin II is a hormone in the body that has been implicated …

In-Vitro Simulation Of Acute Ischemic Stroke, Paolo Garcia

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a condition that involves the occlusion of a blood vessel within the brain, effectively preventing the passage of oxygen and nutrients. AIS is highly prevalent in the United States, where nearly 795,000 strokes happen per year and 87% of those are ischemic. From a medical standpoint, the obstructing clot can be removed with the use of a stroke retrieval device. However, a need arises for testing the aforementioned devices on a patient’s specific vascular geometries in order to increase the likelihood of a successful procedure. Outlined is a process for developing a physical simulation of …

Comparison Of Varying Tissue Freezing Methods On Murine Colonic Tissue, James Hughes

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Histology often requires a tissue specimen to be embedded so that it may be sectioned, stained, and mounted on a microscope slide for viewing. One common method of tissue embedding for rapid histology is freezing, since freezing allows tissue to be stored without the need for fixing. Frozen tissue is often embedded in a medium such as Optimal Cutting Temperature (OCT) compound so that it can be sectioned using a cryostat. However, factors such as ice-crystal formation during the freezing process can cause damage to the tissue. As such, the protocol used to freeze the tissue can affect the quality …

Immunostimulatory Effects Of Antigen-Conjugated Inp/Zns Quantum Dot Nanoparticles In An Avian Model, Christopher Lyle

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Due to their unique physicochemical and enhanced immunostimulatory properties, quantum dot (QD) nanoparticles have shown increasing promise in biomedical research applications including bioimaging, drug delivery, and as vaccine adjuvants. Toxicity, however, remains a concern for the use of QD in these applications and thus, there is an increased demand for effective in vitro and in vivo systems to measure the bioactivity of QD. In this study in vitro and in vivo chicken models were used to investigate the effects of QD on innate and adaptive immunity. Chicken macrophage cultures were treated in vitro with QD to measure macrophage activation and …

Sex Differences In Lower Limb Biomechanics During A Single-Leg Cut With Body Borne Load, Auralea Carylon Fain

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Musculoskeletal injuries are ever-increasing in military personnel, particularly females. These musculoskeletal injuries are attributed to adaptations in lower limb biomechanics while performing routine military tasks, such as a single-leg cut, with the addition of body borne load. However, it is unknown if females and males exhibit similar lower limb biomechanics with the addition of body borne load during these tasks. This study sought to compare the lower limb biomechanical adaptations exhibited by females and males performing a single-leg cut with body borne load. Methods: Eleven females and 17 males had lower limb biomechanics quantified during a single-leg cut with …

Quantification Of Tumor-Associated Macrophages Following Immunomodulation Therapy In A Murine Allograft Model Of Colorectal Carcinoma, Caroline Spainhour

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Colorectal Carcinoma (CRC) is one of the deadliest cancers in the world, with 150,000 new cases annually in the United States. Traditional treatments include chemotherapy and invasive surgery; however, research has shown that only 25% of patients that undergo traditional treatment have a positive result. Immunotherapy is an emerging form of cancer treatment that utilizes the patients’immune system to fight cancer cells by targeting inflammation, which plays a large role in the proliferation and metastasis of cancer cells.

Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) are immune cells that affect the inflammatory microenvironment of tumors. TAMs are M1 in the early stages of tumors, …

Transportation And Distribution Of Strategic National Stockpile Supplies In A Public Health Emergency, Olivia A. Goss

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

In the event of a public health emergency in the United States, it is important that public

authorities are equipped to distribute medical supplies to every person in need as quickly as

possible. Federal guidelines state that all persons in an area affected by a public health

emergency should receive their medical countermeasures within 48 hours of the emergency’s

declaration. While the CDC has determined a general dispensing plan for each state and county

to follow, it is ultimately up to the state and county to formalize and implement detailed plans.

A body of academic literature focuses on optimizing the …

Dispensing Medical Countermeasures In Public Health Emergencies Via Home Health Agencies And Points Of Distribution, Anna Hudgeons

Industrial Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

A major concern regarding emergency preparedness on the state government level involves the handling and dispensing of the Strategic National Stockpile (SNS) of medicinal supplies. Each state is required to update and maintain a plan of action for dispensing SNS materials that would effectively provide care to the state’s population in times of distress. This research evaluates a state’s ability to dispense an adequate amount of medicine to her population in a timely manner, specifically after it has been received by the state government. Although simulation modeling has previously been utilized to replicate the dispensing process at pre-designated points of …

An Area Based Fan Beam Projection Model, Richard E. Steele, Jiehua Zhu

Honors College Theses

Area based projection models for computed tomography mitigate raw data errors by treating X-Rays as beams, whereas traditional line based projection models treat an X-Ray like a line, thus generating significant error. In an existing area based fan beam projection model, a rotation matrix, Q, simulates the rotation of the emitter detector pair to reduce computational load, but this introduces approximations by using an approximated rotation matrix. We eliminate approximations by deriving an exact formula for the entries of Q. Using a rotation of axes and by considering the neighboring cells' contributions to the area, the result has formulations for …

Nanoparticle Penetration Of Respirator Masks At Construction Sites, Jefferson W. Doehling

Honors College Theses

This experimental investigation studies the effectiveness of N95 respirators at blocking particles between 11.5 and 154 nm in diameter during 4 different construction activities. It is well known that large amounts of dust and debris are generated during construction activities. New research has found that significantly more nanoparticles are generated during construction activities than previously thought. Consequently, the N95 respirators commonly worn to protect against these particles are only rated to block 95% particles larger than 0.3 microns in size. In this investigation, two respirator models were tested, a NIOSH TC-84A-0007 pleated N95 respirator and a NIOSH 42CFR84 foldable N95 …

Investigation Of Reactive Oxygen Species Production In The Rat Lung Using Optical Imaging, Nina Friedly

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Oxidative stress, the imbalance between production of oxidants or reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant activity, plays a key role in the pathogenesis of acute and chronic lung diseases. The objective of this thesis was to develop a robust protocol for measuring the rate of H2O2 production in isolated perfused rat lungs and to determine the cellular sources of that rate using Amplex Red (AR). For a given lung, AR (25 mM) along with horseradish peroxidase (5 U/ml) and ascorbate oxidase (1U/ml) were added to a perfusate reservoir that was recirculated through the lungs and sampled at 5 minute intervals …

Neural Mechanisms Of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation In The Treatment Of Tinnitus, Andrea S. Lowe

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Millions of people suffer from tinnitus, a disorder for which there is currently no effective treatment or cure. My dissertation work provides insight into the neural correlates of this pervasive hearing disorder and examines how a newly emerging therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), affects the central auditory system in the generation of the tinnitus percept. This work has a multifold focus of: i) developing and modeling the function of a miniature magnetic coil that can be used for TMS in rodents, ii) establishing a reliable mouse model of tinnitus that can be used for assessing TMS treatment-induced changes, iii) measuring …

Multi-Scale Fluid Flow Analysis Of The Cardiovascular System, Zaid Mahmood

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

The hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) is one of the rarest congenital heart diseases affecting infants. Out of 150 babies born, one baby suffers from congenital heart disease. Furthermore, nine percent out of those suffering from congenital heart disease specifically suffer from hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS). To this end, the Fontan operation which is a procedure to generate a harmonic blood flow in single functioning ventricle patients has been executed to palliate HLHS patients. In this operation, the inferior vena cava (IVC) and the superior vena cava (SVC), carrying the low-oxygenated blood returning from the lower and upper body …

Integration Of A Sensory Driven Model For Hand Grasp Function In 3d Printed Prostheses, Austin T. Hetherington

Senior Theses

My Honors Thesis was completed through the Biomedical Engineering senior design project I worked on. Our project took a mechanically operated 3D printed prosthetic hand and automated the process by which it makes a grasp. The purpose of this project was to provide an affordable, automatic prosthetic hand to those either capable and incapable of wrist flexion. The current 3D printed prosthetic models require users to bend their wrist to initiate a simple grasp. However, our design took an alternative approach by using an EMG sensor placed on the ventral side of the forearm to record muscle activity, which, upon …

Role Of Rigidity And Flexibility Of Functional Groups Within The Interior Of Supramolecular Assemblies And Their Implications, Oyuntuya Munkhbat

Doctoral Dissertations

Engineering of supramolecular assemblies at molecular level renders functional nanomaterials that present explicit response to certain environmental changes. Systematic structure-property correlation studies will unravel the fundamental design constraints of these functional nanomaterials that fulfill the emergent need. This dissertation will primarily focus on understanding the role of rigidity and flexibility of functional groups within amphiphilic assemblies and employing this basic concept in drug delivery and diagnostics applications. Supramolecular assemblies formed by amphiphilic dendrimers and polymers are preferred for this study as they exhibit high thermodynamic stability and structural flexibility. The role of aromatic interaction on the unimer-aggregate dynamic equilibrium was …

Design And Implementation Of A Ferrocement Improved Cookstove In Rural Panama, Josh Donegan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Household air pollution contributes to the premature death of more than 4 million people annually. Improved cookstoves are one technological intervention that can potentially reduce exposure to household air pollution. However, improved cookstove implementation programs need to consider measures to increase sustainability and promote long-term adoption. The objectives of this research were 1) to develop and implement a new ferrocement cookstove for Peña Blanca, a rural indigenous community in the Ngäbe-Bugle region of Panama, 2) to evaluate its potential sustainability in comparison to the most common cooking technologies observed in the community, 3) to prepare a construction manual for the …

Effectiveness Of Biocide Substitution And Management Plan Implementation For The Control Of, Adelmarie Bones

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

After the notorious outbreak and discovery of Legionella bacteria in 1976, the waterborne pathogen was added to the list of disease-causing agents associated with the built environment. Legionella pneumophila was discovered when it was identified as the agent that caused 34 deaths and an outbreak of pneumonia-like symptoms in several attendees of the 1976 American Legion Convention held in Philadelphia (OSHA, 2017).

Recently published data from the year 2015 reported more than 6,000 Legionnaires’ cases identified in the United States (CDC, 2016). This is a concerning number given that one in every ten infected persons will die of the disease. …

Occupational Noise Dose Reduction Via Behavior Modification Using In-Ear Dosimetry Among Usaf Personnel Exposed To Continuous Impulse Noise, Jesse A. Trawick

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to investigate the use of in-ear noise dosimetry and worker feedback to reduce noise exposures among combat arms instructors and heavy equipment operators in the Air Force. Specifically, this thesis sought to determine how effectively hearing protection devices (HPDs) are being utilized currently, and whether providing at-ear noise exposure data to workers results in reduced noise exposures or changes in worker attitude. These questions were addressed by performing a six-month field study using dosimeters to record worker noise exposures under HPDs. Subjects served as their own control, receiving feedback in only the latter half …

Proactive Coordination In Healthcare Service Systems Through Near Real-Time Analytics, Seung Yup Lee

Wayne State University Dissertations

The United States (U.S.) healthcare system is the most expensive in the world. To improve the quality and safety of care, health information technology (HIT) is broadly adopted in hospitals. While EHR systems form a critical data backbone for the facility, we need improved 'work-flow' coordination tools and platforms that can enhance real-time situational awareness and facilitate effective management of resources for enhanced and efficient care. Especially, these IT systems are mostly applied for reactive management of care services and are lacking when they come to improving the real-time "operational intelligence" of service networks that promote efficiency and quality of …

Data-Driven Modeling For Decision Support Systems And Treatment Management In Personalized Healthcare, Milad Zafar Nezhad

Wayne State University Dissertations

Massive amount of electronic medical records (EMRs) accumulating from patients and populations motivates clinicians and data scientists to collaborate for the advanced analytics to create knowledge that is essential to address the extensive personalized insights needed for patients, clinicians, providers, scientists, and health policy makers. Learning from large and complicated data is using extensively in marketing and commercial enterprises to generate personalized recommendations. Recently the medical research community focuses to take the benefits of big data analytic approaches and moves to personalized (precision) medicine. So, it is a significant period in healthcare and medicine for transferring to a new paradigm. …

The Impact Of Machine Learning Algorithms On Benchmarking Process In Healthcare Service Delivery, Egbe-Etu Emmanuel Etu

Wayne State University Theses

Currently, organizations have adopted and implemented a variety of innovative quality management philosophies, approaches, and techniques to stay competitive in an ever-changing global economy. Benchmarking is one of such techniques deployed by organizations to stay competitive. The motivation for this research stems from a real-world problem being faced by hospitals in the healthcare industry who have amassed a ton of data and want to embark on benchmarking project to assess the performance of the emergency departments due to challenges faced with poor management of operations which has led to high patient boarding rates, high patient wait-times, poor quality service, low …