Biomedical Devices and Instrumentation Commons^™

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, …

Silver Coated Bioactive Glass Particles For Wound Healing Applications, P. Hassanzadeh, A. W. Wren, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Hench and colleagues discovered that bone could bond chemically to certain glass compositions in 1969 [1]. This group of glasses is known as bioactive glasses [1]. Some special compositions of bioactive glasses will bond to soft tissues as well as bone [1]. One of the important characteristics of bioactive glasses is their ability to release beneficial ions such as Ca²⁺, Na⁺, Zn²⁺, Sr²⁺, and PO 43- in the body, which promote self-healing [2]. Bioactive glasses generally contain much less glass former (e.g., SiO₂, B₂O₃ etc.) than conventional …

The Structural Characterization Of Ga 2o 3-Na 2o-Cao-Zno-Sio 2 Bioactive Glasses, T. J. Keenan, A. W. Wren, A. Coughlan, M. M. Hall, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The characterization of bioactive glasses in which zinc (Zn) has been incrementally replaced by gallium (Ga). © 2012 IEEE.

Gallium Containing Glass Polyalkenoate Bone Cements: Glass Characterization And Physical Properties, L. Placek, A. W. Wren, A. Coughlan, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Gallium (Ga) glasses were developed to formulate a Glass Polyalkenoate Cement (GPC) series with both E9 and E11 polyacrylic acid (PAA) at 50, 55 and 60wt% additions. Working times (T w), setting times (T s), compression (σ c), and biaxial flexural (σ f) strength testing were evaluated to determine the GPCs potential use in orthopedics. © 2012 IEEE.

Increasing The Quantity Of Silver In Zinc-Based Glass Polyalkenoate Cement: Is There An Improvement In Antibacterial Efficacy?, A. Coughlan, S. M. Breed, C. Ashraf, J. A. Cardinale, M. M. Hall, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Bone cements should have the ability to chemically bond to both bone and surgical metals, exhibit no chemical or thermal necrosis, and have no significant shrinkage or exotherm upon setting. Taking these properties into consideration, glass polyalkenoate cements (GPCs) have potential as bone cements. GPCs are formed by the reaction between an ion-leachable glass and an aqueous solution of polyacrylic acid (PAA) [1] and have proven antibacterial and cariostatic properties [2], which are related to their ability to release beneficial amounts of ions over time [3, 4]. The GPCs can be formulated to release ions that can have a therapeutic …

A Wireless And Digital Electrode Bus Topology For Biopotential Measurement, Mark Nolan, Edward Burke, Eugene Coyle

Conference Papers

The conventional biopotential measurement configuration utilises long lead wires which connect measuring electrodes to signal conditioning circuitry. The majority of bioelectric signals that are measured from the human body have a tiny signal amplitude (5µV-5mV range) and thus any interference that is induced on the lead wires can have a detrimental effect on the original signal. In this paper, we present an alternative configuration, in which digitisation occurs on the electrode, potentially providing enhanced signal measurement as well as significant benefits in terms of the simplification of the physical interconnections between electrodes. Multiple electrodes are combined to form a digital …

Polygrasp: Reach; Myoelectric Prosthetic Hand Iteration, Devon Patrick Augustus, Mighells Blaed Deuel, Ian Noel Fraser, Nicholas Philip Moesser

Mechanical Engineering

Amputations are a common occurrence in soldiers returning home who have suffered the effects of IED and munitions explosions. For upper limb amputees, trans-radial amputations are the most common. Traditional hook devices do not offer an adequate level of normalcy for users, prompting the use of myoelectric devices. While current myoelectric devices do offer a more natural experience, they come with a host of other problems that makes their adoption by service personnel not desirable or not permitted by the VA. PolyGrasp Reach seeks to reduce weight and cost and improve performance. This addresses several of the issues with devices …

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 …

Testing And Validation Of An Autostainer, Nicholas Hanne

Biomedical Engineering

Histology performed by Cal Poly students for research projects and labs are currently performed by hand using a dipping technique. This technique is time consuming, expensive, imprecise, and often unrepeatable. Central Coast Pathology donated a Dako Autostainer to the Biomedical Engineering Department that can perform immunohistological stains of up to 48 samples simultaneously using tightly controlled reagent volumes and incubation times. Protocols are programmed into the machine and can be repeated under the same conditions every time with minimal preparation and exposure to potentially dangerous reagents. The autostainer was repaired and validated by comparing PECAM & BBI stains performed on …

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 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 …

Improving Health Care Quality And Safety: The Development And Assessment Of Laparoscopic Surgery Instrumentation, Practices And Procedures, Bernadette Mccrory

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Adverse events due to medical errors are a leading cause of death in the United States exceeding the mortality rates of motor vehicle accidents, breast cancer and AIDS. Improvements can and should be made to reduce the rates of preventable surgical errors since they account for nearly half of all adverse events within hospitals. Although minimally invasive surgery has proven patient benefits such as reduced postoperative pain and hospital stay, its operative environment imposes substantial physical and cognitive strain on the surgeon increasing the risk of error. In order to mitigate errors and protect patients, a multidisciplinary approach was taken …

Silver Coated Bioactive Glass Particles For Wound Healing Applications, A. W. Wren, A. Coughlan, P. Hassanzadeh, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Bioactive glass particles (0.42SiO₂-0.15CaO-0.23Na ₂O-0.20ZnO) of varying size (<90 >μm and 425-850 μm) were synthesized and coated with silver (Ag) to produce Ag coated particles (PAg). These were compared against the uncoated analogous particles (Pcon.). Surface area analysis determined that Ag coating of the glass particles resulted in increased the surface area from 2.90 to 9.12 m²/g (90 μm) and 1.09-7.71 m²/g (425-850 μm). Scanning electron microscopy determined that the Ag coating remained at the surface and there was little diffusion through the bulk. Antibacterial (Escherichia coli - 13 mm and Staphylococcus epidermidis …

The Use Of A Pylon Mounted Transducer For Investigating The Gait Of Transtibial Amputees, Justin Robert Brink

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Two areas of research interest in the design and use of lower limb prosthetic devices are how foot performance varies with design and how prosthesis alignment affects gait. The current study addressed both of these areas through the use of the JR3 triaxial transducer mounted at the base of the socket. The transducer is an innovative form of instrumentation that measures forces and moments at the end of the socket. Traditional measurement of gait uses a force plate buried in the floor of a gait laboratory. The study established that the transducer offers a viable means of instrumentation for amputee …

The Presence Of Regional Accents In Electrolarynx Speech And The Resultant Effect On Overall Intelligibility., Brian Madden, Eugene Coyle

Conference Papers

During voiced speech, the larynx provides quasi-periodic acoustic excitation of the vocal tract. In most electrolarynxes, mechanical vibrations are produced by a linear electromechanical actuator, the armature of which percusses against a metal or plastic plate at a frequency within the range of glottal excitation. In this paper, a phonological analysis of a section of results from an online perceptual intelligibility test was performed which compared speech produced using a novel hands-free electrolarynx and a commercially available electrolarynx. A portion of the test consisted of a closed-set format containing a selection of four sets of four random CVC audio samples …

Safety, Ergonomics And Human Factors Engineering On Biomedical Devices Design, Alejandra Sandoval Vazquez^, Noe Vargas Hernandez*

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2012

No abstract provided.

Design And Realization Of A Piezoelectric Ink Jet Head And Driver For Medical Diagnostics In Remote Areas, Alejandra Hernandez^, Annagiulia Morachioli, Julio Rincon, Sylvia Natividad, Thomas Boland*

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2012

No abstract provided.

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 …