Bioelectrical and Neuroengineering Commons^™

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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

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 …

Automated Microscopy Platform For High-Throughput Analysis Of Cellular Characteristics, Hussam Ibrahim

Physics: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Existing microscopy platforms allow analysis post-hoc, but not in real time. This is an issue in the world of Bioengineering because you are limited to performing further analysis on specimen. The aim of my research was to design a sophisticated system whereby information can be exchanged between the software which acquires images and software that analyzes the images immediately after acquisition. In this system, images would be acquired by the microscope and analyzed by customized scripts (MATLAB, Mathworks) in real time. Specifically, MATLAB would wait for new images to be saved on the hard drive, import these images, and perform …

Characterizing Neurotransmitter Receptor Activation With A Perturbation Based Decomposition Method, Stephen Gregory Jue

Master's Theses

The characterization of postsynaptic potentials, in terms of neurotransmitter receptor activation, is of clinical significance because information associated with receptor activation can be used in the diagnosis and study of neurological disorders. Single-unit recordings provide a method of measuring postsynaptic potentials in neurons using a microelectrode system, but yield no detailed information regarding the neurotransmitter receptors that contribute to the potential. To determine the types of neurotransmitter receptors that result in a compound postsynaptic potential from a microelectrode reading, decomposition of the potential is necessary. In this work, a perturbation-based decomposition method developed by R. Szlavik is evaluated for this …

Using Mathematical Modeling To Unmask The Concealed Nature Of Long Qt-3 Syndrome, Steven Poelzing, Amara Greer-Short, Seth H. Weinberg

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Micellular Electrokinetic Chromatography For Studying Amyloid Beta Oligomer Membrane Affinity, Andrew Bryson

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Amyloid Beta (Aβ) was the major focus of this study. It is a peptide that is present in the brain with a high tendency to self-aggregate. When this protein aggregates, it forms oligomers and protofibrils which in turn are deposited as senile plaques in the brain. The reason for the concern with these plaques is their association with the neurological disorder Alzheimer’s disease. It has been found that the most dangerous oligomers are formed in a portion of the plasma membrane known as lipid rafts. The purpose of this study was to understand how micelles affect the aggregation properties of …

Analysis Of Breath-Holding Index As An Assessment Of Cerebrovascular Reactivity, Allison P. Porter, Madison Burger, Mohammed Alwatban, Benjamin Hage, Greg Bashford

UCARE: Research Products

Cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) is a key factor in regulating blood flow into the brain, and a marker for vascular disease. If the brain's regulatory system is not working, a patient may be in serious trouble. Testing of CVR is one method of assessing the brain's regulatory capabilities. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) is one tool to measure CVR. In this method, carbon dioxide in the blood is transiently increased (such as with the holding of breath), and the resulting blood flow in the brain is measured. In this study, we are going to measure the variability of the breathholding index.

Within …

Exploring Oculomotor Trends In Collegiate Athletes, Brett Whorley, Julie A. Honaker

UCARE: Research Products

Collaborative efforts to improve athlete safety without significantly hindering the rules of the games aim to develop a novel system to better measure and diagnose concussions. Provided that common signs of concussions include blurred vision, distant gaze, and dizziness, the Dizziness and Balance Disorders Lab at UNL believes that the simple oculomotor exam studied in this project may be applied to this procedure. Within the broader goal to better understand the causes, signs, symptoms, and prognosis of concussions, researchers desired to further investigate the results of this oculomotor test. The aim was to identify and interpret correlations between collegiate athlete …

Utilizing Brain-Computer Interfacing To Control Neuroprosthetic Devices, Cheyne J. Angy

Senior Honors Theses

Advances in neuroprosthetics in recent years have made an enormous impact on the quality of life for many people with disabilities, helping them regain the functionality of damaged or impaired abilities. One of the main hurdles to regaining full functionality regarding neuroprosthetics is the integration between the neural prosthetic device and the method in which the neural prosthetic device is controlled or manipulated to function correctly and efficiently. One of the most promising methods for integrating neural prosthetics to an efficient method of control is through Brian-computer Interfacing (BCI). With this method, the neuroprosthetic device is integrated into the human …

Structural-Functional Brain Connectivity Underlying Integrative Sensorimotor Function After Stroke, Benjamin Thomas Kalinosky

Dissertations (1934 -)

In this dissertation research project, we demonstrated the relationship between the structural and functional connections across the brain in stroke survivors. We used this information to predict arm function in stroke survivors, suggesting that the tools developed through this research will be useful for prescribing individualized rehabilitation strategies in people after stroke. Current clinical methods for rehabilitating sensorimotor function after stroke are not based on the locus of injury in the brain. Instead, therapies are generalized, treating symptoms such as weakness and spasticity. This results in outcomes that are highly variable, with severity of impairment immediately following stroke as the …

Cytosolic Dna Sensor Upregulation Accompanies Dna Electrotransfer In B16.F10 Melanoma Cells, Katarina Znidar, Masa Bosnjak, Maja Cemazar, Loree C. Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

In several preclinical tumor models, antitumor effects occur after intratumoral electroporation, also known as electrotransfer, of plasmid DNA devoid of a therapeutic gene. In mouse melanomas, these effects are preceded by significant elevation of several proinflammatory cytokines. These observations implicate the binding and activation of intracellular DNA-specific pattern recognition receptors or DNA sensors in response to DNA electrotransfer. In tumors, IFN β mRNA and protein levels significantly increased. The mRNAs of several DNA sensors were detected, and DAI, DDX60, and p204 tended to be upregulated. These effects were accompanied with reduced tumor growth and increased tumor necrosis. In B16. F10 …

Analysis Of Ca²⁺ Mobilization Of Nanosecond Pulses In Cells, Iurii Semenov

Bioelectrics Publications

Exposure to nanosecond electric pulses (nsEPs) evokes transient rise of cytosolic free Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]i) in the cells. We quantified the external Ca²⁺ uptake, intracellular Ca²⁺ release and uncover interplay of these processes for CHO-K1 cells upon exposure to single 60 ns pulse in the range of amplitudes from 0 to 30 kV/cm. NsEPs are distinguished by the ability to electroporate intracellular membranes. We studied how duration of nsEPs is related to efficiency of intracellular membranes electroporation comparing ability of single 300-, 60- and 10 ns pulses to recruit Ca²⁺ from endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in respect to the uptake of …

Computational Assessment Of Neural Probe And Brain Tissue Interface Under Transient Motion, Michael Polanco, Sebastian Bawab, Hangsoon Yoon

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The functional longevity of a neural probe is dependent upon its ability to minimize injury risk during the insertion and recording period in vivo, which could be related to motion-related strain between the probe and surrounding tissue. A series of finite element analyses was conducted to study the extent of the strain induced within the brain in an area around a neural probe. This study focuses on the transient behavior of neural probe and brain tissue interface with a viscoelastic model. Different stages of the interface from initial insertion of neural probe to full bonding of the probe by astro-glial …

Closed-Loop Afferent Nerve Electrical Stimulation For Rehabilitation Of Hand Function In Subjects With Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury, Christopher J. Schildt

Theses and Dissertations--Biomedical Engineering

Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) is commonly used to promote use-dependent cortical plasticity for rehabilitation of motor function in spinal cord injury. Pairing transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) with PNS has been shown to increase motor evoked potentials most when the two stimuli are timed to arrive in the cortex simultaneously. This suggests that a mechanism of timing-dependent plasticity (TDP) may be a more effective method of promoting motor rehabilitation. The following thesis is the result of applying a brain-computer interface to apply PNS in closed-loop simultaneously to movement intention onset as measured by EEG of the sensorimotor cortex to test whether …

Noninvasive Measurement Of Electrical Events Associated With A Single Chlorovirus Infection Of A Microalgal Cell, Seung-Woo Lee, Eun-Hee Lee, Gerhard Thiel, James L. Van Etten, Ravi Saraf

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Chlorovirus Paramecium bursaria chlorella virus 1 (PBCV-1) contains a viral-encoded K⁺ channel imbedded in its internal membrane, which triggers host plasma membrane depolarization during virus infection. This early stage of infection was monitored at high resolution by recording the cell membrane depolarization of a single Chlorella cell during infection by a single PBCV-1 particle. The measurement was achieved by depositing the cells onto a network of one-dimensional necklaces of Au nanoparticles, which spanned two electrodes 70 μm apart. The nanoparticle necklace array has been shown to behave as a single-electron device at room temperature. The resulting electrochemical field-effect transistor …

Intracellular Ros Mediates Gas Plasma-Facilitated Cellular Transfection In 2d And 3d Cultures, Dehui Xu, Biqing Wang, Yujing Xu, Zeyu Chen, Qinjie Cui, Yanjie Yang, Hailan Chen, Michael G. Kong

Bioelectrics Publications

This study reports the potential of cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) as a versatile tool for delivering oligonucleotides into mammalian cells. Compared to lipofection and electroporation methods, plasma transfection showed a better uptake efficiency and less cell death in the transfection of oligonucleotides. We demonstrated that the level of extracellular aqueous reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by gas plasma is correlated with the uptake efficiency and that this is achieved through an increase of intracellular ROS levels and the resulting increase in cell membrane permeability. This finding was supported by the use of ROS scavengers, which reduced CAP-based uptake efficiency. In …

Using Convolutional Neural Networks For Fine Grained Image Classification Of Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, Richard K. Sipes

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a cancer of bone marrow stems cells that results in the overproduction of lymphoblasts. ALL is diagnosed through a series of tests which includes the minimally invasive microscopic examination of a stained peripheral blood smear. During examination, lymphocytes and other white blood cells (WBCs) are distinguished from abnormal lymphoblasts through fine-grained distinctions in morphology. Manual microscopy is a slow process with variable accuracy that depends on the laboratorian's skill level. Thus automating microscopy is a goal in cell biology. Current methods involve hand-selecting features from cell images for input to a variety of standard machine …