Other Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Hypoxic Incubator: Improving Robustness/Reliability And Demonstrating Physiological Efficacy, Damon Dennis Tan

Master's Theses

The Microphysiological Systems Laboratory aims to develop colorectal cancer tumor models under a hypoxic environment to assess model response to pharmaceutical compounds in vitro. To perform relevant studies, researchers have attempted to use different hypoxic inducing strategies such as a nitrogen pod and hypoxic incubator to recreate in vivo physiological responses to hypoxia. However, studies would be interrupted due to incubator functionality failure. To ensure successful and physiologically relevant studies, I improved and verified the robustness and reliability of a hypoxic incubator previously designed and manufactured in the lab. Through the testing and iterating design processes, I engineered and implemented …

Investigating The Effect Of Microwave Pretreatment On Bastnasite Grinding For Comminution Energy Reduction And Rare Earth Recovery, Kaveh Asgari, Qingqing Huang, Rick Q. Honaker, Edward Sabolsky

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

This study explored the impact of microwave pretreatment on the grinding efficiency of bastnaesite ore using a stirred mill. Bastnaesite ore was prepared using a staged crushing and sieving process, followed by microwave pretreatment in a specially designed microwave furnace system. Representative samples of the crushed ore underwent stirred mill grinding, with power draw measurements recorded and adjusted to reflect only the specific energy input required for grinding. Particle size distribution was analyzed periodically using laser particle size analysis. In addition, a Box–Behnken design was used to statistically assess the effects of various parameters on the results, ensuring a robust …

Investigation Of Distributed Additive Manufacturing For 3d Printed Headband Component During Global Supply Chain Disruptions, Elizabeth M. Mamros, Saketh Kantipudi, Matthew C. Eaton, Jinjin Ha, Brad L. Kinsey

Faculty Conference Papers and Presentations

During the COVID-19 global pandemic, a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) occurred. Manufacturers of these critical products were unable to keep up with the growing demands as the situation evolved. Most face shields, a common type of PPE, include a headband component to provide the appropriate fit for the user and curvature for the clear face shield attachment. To mitigate this shortage in the local region, the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) generated a computeraided design (CAD) file for the headband component and asked the University of New Hampshire (UNH) to manufacture it with all available 3D printers, including printers …

A Benchtop Analysis Of Pressure Offloading Associated With Custom Socket Inlays In Transtibial Prostheses, Sarah G. Hill

All Theses

Approximately 78% of people with lower limb amputations are dissatisfied with the comfort of their prostheses (Quintero-Quiroz & Perez 2019). In the case of lower limb amputations, the residual limb tissue bears far more weight than it was before the amputation. The pressure put on the soft tissue of the residual limb causes discomfort (Brown et al. 2021). In previous work, custom inlays were created, which fit inside the prosthesis and offload pressure, with the goal of helping to increase the comfort and satisfaction of the prosthesis user (Brown et al. 2021). In this project, a benchtop prosthetic socket loading …

The Role Of Kinases Signaling In Organogenesis, Fatemeh Nasehi

All Dissertations

Kinases are crucial regulators of organ development and differentiation. This thesis investi- gates the roles of TAK1, TGFbeta-Activate Kinase 1 (TAK1/Map3K7), and Akt3 kinases in skeletal, cardiac muscle, and cartilage. TAK1 is pivotal for the differentiation of various organ systems, including sinoatrial node and cartilage, and is responsible for phosphorylat- ing a diverse array of downstream kinases. We identified several novel proteins, including phospho-Akts, that are upregulated in response to TAK1 activation. We discovered severe Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM) and cartilage defects in Akt3 mutant mice. Although this mouse mutant has been studied for over two decades, we are the first …

Novel Meta-Materials Application For Pressure-Offloading Of Diabetic Foot Ulcers, Kyle Walker

All Dissertations

Diabetes and its associated complications have seen their prevalence sharply rise in the United States over the past few decades. In fact, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes has nearly doubled from 5.1% of the US population in 1988, to 9% in the most recent CDC report, which does not include the large percentage of the population with undiagnosed or prediabetes. Of this diabetic population, it is estimated that up to 34% will experience at least one foot ulcer during their lifetime. In worst case scenarios, these ulcers can become infected and eventually require amputation of a portion of, or the …

Creative Insights Into Motion: Enhancing Human Activity Understanding With 3d Data Visualization And Annotation, Isaac Browen, Hector M. Camarillo-Abad, Franceli L. Cibrian, Trudi Di Qi

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

This paper presents a novel 3D system for human motion analysis - Motion Data Visualization and Annotation (MoViAn). Designed to provide a comprehensive visual representation of 3D human motion data, MoViAn incorporates detailed visualization of gaze direction, hand movements, and object interactions, alongside an interactive interface for efficient data annotation. A user study involving eight participants indicates that MoViAn enables users to thoroughly explore and annotate human motion data, with System Usability Scale (SUS) results demonstrating a satisfactory usability level. The contribution of this paper lies in the development of an interactive and usable data analytics tool aimed at deepening …

Shape Memory Alloy Capsule Micropump For Drug Delivery Applications, Youssef Mohamed Kotb

Theses and Dissertations

Implantable drug delivery devices have many benefits over traditional drug administration techniques and have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. By delivering the medication directly to the tissue, they enable the use of larger localized concentrations, enhancing the efficacy of the treatment. Passive-release drug delivery systems, one of the various ways to provide medication, are great inventions. However, they cannot dispense the medication on demand since they are nonprogrammable. Therefore, active actuators are more advantageous in delivery applications. Smart material actuators, however, have greatly increased in popularity for manufacturing wearable and implantable micropumps due to their high energy …

Quantifying Variation Across 16s Rrna Gene Sequencing Runs In Human Microbiome Studies, Andrew J. Hoisington, Christopher E. Stamper, Joseph C. Ellis, Christopher A. Lowry, Lisa A. Brenner

Faculty Publications

Recent microbiome research has incorporated a higher number of samples through more participants in a study, longitudinal studies, and metanalysis between studies. Physical limitations in a sequencing machine can result in samples spread across sequencing runs. Here we present the results of sequencing nearly 1000 16S rRNA gene sequences in fecal (stabilized and swab) and oral (swab) samples from multiple human microbiome studies and positive controls that were conducted with identical standard operating procedures. Sequencing was performed in the same center across 18 different runs. The simplified mock community showed limitations in accuracy, while precision (e.g., technical variation) was robust …

Coolsplint: Inflammation Reduction Accessory, Laura C. Denney, Winston H. Giang, Aanchal Singh

Biomedical Engineering

This document outlines a project sponsored by Elizabeth Mentel and Michael Clausson that addresses the shortcomings in current splinting options, particularly for wrist fractures in elderly patients. Stakeholders include clinicians, patients, and emergency medical technicians. Multiple improvements can be made to current splinting options to help alleviate inflammation along with splint versatility, affordability, accessibility, and ease of use. After determining the critical customer requirements, the primary objective of this project was to find a way to manage inflammation. The project explores existing splinting solutions and proposes a new design that utilizes cooling rods to reduce inflammation. The document reviews various …

Foot And Ankle Exoskeleton, Janet M. Velasquez Cabral, Kathryn C. Hamilton, Grant R. Lautze

Biomedical Engineering

This paper presents a non-motorized foot and ankle exoskeleton to assist persons who have no lower limb or abdominal function. Exoskeletons are defined as “an artificial external supporting structure” [1], they are wearable devices that can be used to assist the capabilities of the human body. Although the exoskeleton must be used with crutches, plantarflexion and dorsiflexion will be implemented within the ankle joint to alleviate strain on the foot and ankle, strategically designed in a way that supports the user so their walking performance is as ideal as possible. Additionally, safety straps will be integrated into the foot portion …

Design And Development Of Contactless Capacitive Coupled Electrodes For Cardiovascular Signal Acquisition, Ramya Lakshmi Vs

Theses and Dissertations

In biosignal acquisition and physiological monitoring, developing advanced electrode technologies is crucial in enhancing signal quality, minimizing interference, and improving overall reliability. One such innovative approach is the utilization of capacitive-coupled electrodes, a cutting-edge solution that addresses some of the challenges associated with traditional electrodes in biosignal recording.

Capacitive-based sensors have become prominent in physiological signal measurement over the past decade. The electric field from the external affects both the human body and the electrode. The primary aim while designing the capacitive electrode is to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio. Hence, we introduce shielding and guarding techniques to improve the signal-to-noise …

Potential Impact Of Proposed Medical Device On Hospital Acquired Anemia, Sam Menzie

Masters Theses

Evacuated tubes are the industry standard for drawing blood and have improved phlebotomist and patient safety as well as paved the way for laboratory automation. Current practices using evacuated tubes do not allow caregivers to control the volume of blood drawn, leading to blood waste in hospital settings. This overdrawing of blood has led to the prevalence of iatrogenic anemia, or hospital acquired anemia (HAA). HAA represents a significant risk to patients, leading to increased adverse conditions, and a higher consumption of hospital resources. This study seeks to model the efficacy of a potential new medical device. The proposed device …

Utilizing Spatial Transcriptomics To Compare Gene Expression In Volumetric Muscle Loss Injury Recovery, Colton Gattis

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Volumetric Muscle Loss (VML) injuries are known to disrupt the normal regenerative process via fibrosis leading to an extensive permanent loss of muscle function. The specific causation of this disruption remains to be defined; however, with new developments in transcriptomics, genetic trends can be identified across regions of tissue over time. This study follows VML injuries within the tibialis anterior of a mouse model for fifteen days after initial injury to attempt to identify expected transitions in healing. Genetic presence began to become more diversified as recovery progressed from four to fifteen days post injury with spatial clusters becoming globalized …

Modeling Of Nk Cells In Pediatric Patients With Unusually Severe Or Recurrent Hsv Using High-Dimensional Flow Cytometry, Yunran Feng

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

HSV infection is broadly spread all over the world with some patients having severe and/or recurrent HSV infections. Our lab studies human Natural Killer (NK) cells, which are important in innate immune responses to viral infections and tumors. A publication in 2013 by Ornstein et al from our lab studied HSV+ pediatric patients and found some associations between severe infection and defects in NK cytolytic function. PLCG2 haploinsufficient variants found in 2 HSV patients causing PLCγ2 hypophosphorylation, and loss of cytolytic function in NK cells is a novel finding recently published by Alinger et al from our lab in 2023. …

The Determination Of Macrophage Localization In Muscle Injuries Using Spatial Transcriptomics, Julliana Renales

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The repair of traumatic muscle injury is often a long process which can in many cases be insufficient and incomplete. In such cases, scar tissue may form, leading to high risk of re-injury and the prevention of muscle regeneration. An important part of decreasing this risk is gaining a better understanding of the cellular complexities of injury repair. More specifically, macrophage cells are an important piece in the regulation of inflammation and repair. In this project, computational analysis spatial transcriptomic data was performed to examine mouse muscle injury and its development over time. This analysis was used to examine the …

Investigation Of Early Stage Wound Healing In Volumetric Muscle Loss, Sean Ong

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Volumetric muscle loss (VML) refers to the substantial removal of tissue from skeletal muscle due to surgery or lesions. This condition disrupts the normal regenerative process of injured muscles, leading to significant loss of muscle function. This study examines the progression of VML injury, approximately 20% of the muscle mass being removed, in the tibialis anterior (TA) muscle of a mouse model over a 15-day post-injury period. The injured muscles exhibited discoloration indicative of reduced blood flow and experienced a decrease in muscle mass throughout the study duration. Furthermore, the maximum force output of the injured TA was significantly lower, …

Advancing Brain Tumor Segmentation With Spectral–Spatial Graph Neural Networks, Sina Mohammadi, Mohamed Allali

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

In the field of brain tumor segmentation, accurately capturing the complexities of tumor sub-regions poses significant challenges. Traditional segmentation methods usually fail to accurately segment tumor subregions. This research introduces a novel solution employing Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), enriched with spectral and spatial insight. In the supervoxel creation phase, we explored methods like VCCS, SLIC, Watershed, Meanshift, and Felzenszwalb–Huttenlocher, evaluating their performance based on homogeneity, moment of inertia, and uniformity in shape and size. After creating supervoxels, we represented 3D MRI images as a graph structure. In this study, we combined Spatial and Spectral GNNs to capture both local and …

Investigating The Role Of Fluid Shear Stress During Metastasis On Enhanced Breast Cancer Extravasation, Alejandra M. Ham

LSU Master's Theses

In 2022, ~288,000 American women were diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer which was the leading cause of patient mortality with ~43,000 American women succumbing to the disease. Women can be diagnosed with four different molecular subtypes of breast cancer: luminal A, luminal B, human epithelial growth receptor type 2 enriched (HER2+), and triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). TNBC accounts for ~12% of all breast cancers, yet it has the worst outcomes. TNBC is highly invasive, with ~46% of TNBC patients developing metastatic disease. A further understanding of metastatic TNBC is needed to provide a greater understanding of how to treat this …

Biobesoothe, Noah M. Taylor, Jillian Trilevsky, Sam Rosenkranz

Biomedical Engineering

This document details the background, design process, and functional prototype for the BioBesoothe senior project. The project aimed to address difficulties with self-regulation in children with autism. It focused on encouraging even, slow breathing to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn lowers heart rate, blood pressure, and stress levels. The project was guided by research into ways to achieve an appropriate breathing rate. In addition to functionality, emphasis was placed on engagement, ergonomics, and affordability. It was highly important for this product to be engaging to hold the interest of its patients and allow for extended periods of …