Other Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Multicolor Fluorescence Guided Surgery For Head And Neck Cancer, Dani Szafran-Reeder

University Honors Theses

This project aims to take a novel, NIR nerve-specific fluorophore LGW05-75⁴ and test its compatibility with a tumor-targeting affibody molecule, ABY-029⁶ that has been labeled with IRDye800CW. The overall goal is to show that these two molecules can be co-administered to show the nerves and tumor cells in real-time to better assist surgeons in a full resection while avoiding iatrogenic nerve damage.

Study Of Cardiovascular Dynamics During Graded Head-Up Tilt Test In The Young With Syncope Tendency, Martin A. Miranda Sr

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Developing New Crutch Tip Design For Overall Increased Stability And Improved Movement On Different Terrains, Lauren Skinner

Honors Theses

Crutches are a mobility assistive device that are often used in various situations, such as post- surgical rehabilitation and recovery after injury. The current crutch tip design that is used on today’s crutches are often unstable and do not provide quality movement on different terrains, such as snow, ice, mud, and wet surfaces. These problems would be solved with a new tip design that could be attached to existing crutches or manufactured with the crutch itself. The team’s solution to this problem is a crutch tip with modular parts. The tip would attach to the shaft of the crutch like …

Th1, Th2, And Th17 Inflammatory Pathways Predict Cardiometabolic Protein Expression In Serum Of Covid-19 Patients, James Richard Michels

Honors Theses

A predominant source of complications in SARS-CoV-2 patients arises from severe systemic inflammation contributed to by Helper T-cell associated cytokines, potentially leading to tissue damage and organ failure. The high inflammatory burden of this viral infection often results in cardiovascular comorbidities. A better understanding of the interaction between the cytokine storm and cardiovascular proteins might inform medical decisions and therapeutic approaches. We hypothesized that all major helper T-cell inflammatory pathways (Helper T 1, Helper T 2 and Helper T 17) synergistically contribute to cardiometabolic pathways in serum of COVID-19 patients, and that both of these factors correlate to COVID-19 severity. …

Surface Laser Texturing Of Cocrmo Alloys, Gabriel Dharwadker

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Artificial orthopedic implants such as hip joints suffer from excessive wear due to excess friction between the polyethylene and cobalt-chromium-molybdenum surfaces of the device. This increase in friction causes a fraction of them to give out within ten years. Therefore, to minimize the probability of this happening, recent research has been conducted regarding laser surface texturing of the cobalt-chromium-molybdenum alloy components of artificial joints. These surface textures serve to mimic the native lubrication mechanisms of cartilage in natural joints, which, in a natural joint, lowers the friction. However, the production of these laser surface textures is still a field of …

Developing A Semester-Long Project In A Biomechanical Engineering Course To Instill The Entrepreneurial Mindset In The Next-Generation Biomedical Engineering Students, Loren Hedgecock

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Entrepreneurial-Minded Learning (EML) is an emerging pedagogy progressively gaining popularity in the engineering education community. Coincided with project-based learning (PBL), EML illustrates an essential dimension to the instruction of next-generation engineers, equipping them with various perspectives and approaches to relate societal challenges with technical concepts. Nationwide initiatives, such as the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN), have developed a learning framework specifically designed to create engineers such as these. The implementation of EML aims to stimulate connections, create value, and ignite curiosity. This study introduced a semester-long project based on these EML skillsets in a sophomore-level biomechanical engineering course. To evaluate …

Virtual Reality As An Education Tool In Biomedical Engineering, Megan Wilkerson

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Virtual Reality (VR) has become more accessible in recent years, both to experience and to create. Various studies have shown that incorporating VR in an educational setting can yield positive results. Virtual reality videos created using course-specific content could prove to be a beneficial educational tool. VR videos were implemented in a remote biomolecular engineering laboratory course. 180° VR videos of lab procedures were recorded and viewed by students using a Google Cardboard headset and their smartphones. After viewing all the VR lab videos, students were given a survey to report their experiences. The survey contained questions used to measure …

Development And Application Of 3d Kinematic Methodologies For Biomechanical Modelling In Adaptive Sports And Rehabilitation, Anne Marie Severyn

All Dissertations

Biomechanical analysis is widely used to assess human movement sciences, specifically using three-dimensional motion capture modelling. There are unprecedented opportunities to increase quantitative knowledge of rehabilitation and recreation for disadvantaged population groups. Specifically, 3D models and movement profiles for human gait analysis were generated with emphasis on post-stroke patients, with direct model translation to analyze equivalent measurements while horseback riding in use of the alternative form of rehabilitation, equine assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) or hippotherapy (HPOT). Significant improvements in gait symmetry and velocity were found within an inpatient rehabilitation setting for patients following a stroke, and the developed movement …

The Influence Of Mmp14 On Angiogenesis In Chemotherapy-Treated Tumors, Abdussaboor Muhammad

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in the world, and it is the fourth most common cause of cancer related death (1). There have been many significant advancements regarding the treatment of cancer which aim to shrink the size of tumors in patients. However, there is still more that needs to be understood about the many different factors that play a role in colorectal cancer development.

Angiogenesis is the process of forming new blood vessels from existing ones and it requires breaking down and remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in order to allow endothelial cells to migrate …

Nonlinear Optical Microscopy Assessment Of Tissue Structure And Chondrocyte Viability Of Articular Cartilage, Michael Le

All Theses

Articular cartilage functions to protect the ends of bones by providing a surface that can withstand compressive forces and minimize friction during movement. Collagen fibers form the organizational backbone of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in cartilage. Proteoglycans within the ECM function to retain water and provide the tissue with the swelling pressure needed to withstand compressional forces. Chondrocytes, the only type of cell found in articular cartilage, produces these collagen fibers and proteoglycans to maintain the tissue structure and function. Significant injuries to articular cartilage can damage the chondrocytes and disrupt their ability to maintain homeostasis in the tissue. Therefore, …

Additive Manufacturing Of Variable Contrast Computed Tomography Anatomical Phantoms Using A Single Feedstock In Fused Filament Fabrication, Cory J. Darling

University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Anatomical phantoms used in biomedical education and training benefit greatly from Fused filament fabrication’s (FFF) ability to rapidly produce complex and unique models. Current materials and methods used in FFF have limited ability to accurately produce phantoms that can mimic the radiological properties of multiple biological tissues. This research demonstrates that the CT contrast of FFF produced models can be modified by varying the concentration of bismuth oxide in acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) filaments and a tunable CT contrast that mimics the CT contrast ranging from fatty tissue to cortical bone using a single composite filament without introducing artificial image …

A Modeling Platform To Predict Cancer Survival And Therapy Outcomes Using Tumor Tissue Derived Metabolomics Data., Hunter Allan Miller

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cancer is a complex and broad disease that is challenging to treat, partially due to the vast molecular heterogeneity among patients even within the same subtype. Currently, no reliable method exists to determine which potential first-line therapy would be most effective for a specific patient, as randomized clinical trials have concluded that no single regimen may be significantly more effective than others. One ongoing challenge in the field of oncology is the search for personalization of cancer treatment based on patient data. With an interdisciplinary approach, we show that tumor-tissue derived metabolomics data is capable of predicting clinical response to …

Quantifying Shear Stresses In Tissue Engineered Aortic Heart Valves, Raj Nitin Dave

All Theses

Present heart valve prosthesis have limitations such as capability to grow, repair and remodel post implantation. Tissue engineering offers to be a promising alternative to overcome these limitations. Maturation of seeded human cells on the valve subjected to favorable growth conditions in the bioreactor is critical to the success of tissue engineered heart valves. Mechanical stress and strain which results from the pressure and flow conditions in the bioreactor plays a critical role on the developing valve tissue and are currently unknown. The goal of this research is to relate the magnitude of wall shear stress (WSS) within the heart …

Structural Health Monitoring Of Bioprinted Materials, Kathryn H. Mcintosh

Honors College Theses

Bioprinting is a new method that utilizes additive manufacturing to construct organs, tissues, and other biostructures. This method presents endless possibilities - less reliance on organ donors (according to the Health Resources and Services Administration, 17 people die each day waiting for an organ transplant in the U.S.), more transplant opportunities, and the ability to save significantly more lives. While bioprinting has opened a new frontier in the biomedical field, there may be some research issues that need to be addressed. For example, numerous researchers have focused on creating novel approaches to print complicated geometries. However, the structural integrity or …

Breaks In Longitudinal Elastic Fibers Of Human Femoropopliteal Arteries, Elham Zamani

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Breaks in Longitudinal Elastic Fibers of Human Femoropopliteal Arteries

Elham Zamani1, Majid Jadidi1

1 Department of Biomechanics, University of Nebraska Omaha, Omaha, NE

Introduction: Elastin is a major protein in the body with half-life >50 years. It is thought that elastic fibers are formed before the postnatal period. In the femoropopliteal artery (FPA), the main artery in the leg, longitudinal elastic fibers are present in External Elastic Lamina (EEL). Our team has studied more than 1000 cadaveric human FPA and has noticed that there are big breaks in their longitudinal elastic fibers in some subjects. Our goal in this work …

Effects Of Lower Limb Cycling Training On Different Components Of Force And Fatigue In Individuals With Parkinson’S Disease, Yen-Po Lin, Rou-Shayn Chen, Vincent Chiun-Fan Chen, Chun-Hsien Liu, Hsiao-Lung Chan, Ya-Ju Chang

Engineering Science Faculty Publications

The strength of lower extremity is important for individuals to maintain balance and ambulation functions. The previous studies showed that individuals with Parkinson’s disease suffered from fatigue and strength loss of central origin. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of lower extremities’ cycling training on different components of force and fatigue in individuals with Parkinson’s disease. Twenty-four individuals (13 males, 11 females, mean age: 60.58 ± 8.21 years) diagnosed with idiopathic Parkinson’s disease were randomized into training and control groups. The maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) force, voluntary activation level (VA), and twitch force of knee extensors …

Feverdots, Kameryn Laureano, Heidi Silk, Rita Grigorian

Biomedical Engineering

FeverDots are wearable temperature sensitive stickers that change color from black to pink at 99°F when placed on the temple or forehead. The objective of this project was to develop an efficient manufacturing method for FeverDots, and manufacture a device along with it. To create the FeverDots manufacturing device, the full design process was executed. The team went through a thorough ideation phase before ultimately defining and specifying the scope of the project.

The key customer requirements of this device include that it is lightweight, portable, durable, simple to assemble, easy to use, and able to generate uniform ink and …

Bone And Cartilage Compression Simulator, Karoline M. Wucherer, Benjamin A. Parmentier, Thomasina E. Hinkle

Biomedical Engineering

A device was developed that delivers mechanical loads to bone and soft tissue samples under physiological conditions to aid in the research of tissue engineering bone and cartilage. To begin the design process, a Network Diagram and Gantt Chart were produced to create a general timeline for the project to follow. This allowed us to measure our progress and determine what effects (if any) delays could have on our project.

Voluntary Control Of Breathing According To The Breathing Pattern During Listening To Music And Non-Contact Measurement Of Heart Rate And Respiration, Dibyajyoti Biswal

Theses and Dissertations--Biomedical Engineering

We investigated if listening to songs changes breathing pattern which changes autonomic responses such as heart rate (HR) and heart rate variability (HRV) or change in breathing pattern is a byproduct of listening to songs or change in breathing pattern as well as listening to songs causes changes in autonomic responses. Seven subjects (4 males and 3 females) participated in a pilot study where they listened to two types of songs and used a custom developed biofeedback program to control their breathing pattern to match the one recorded during listening to the songs.

Coherencies between EEG, breathing pattern and RR …

Improving The Early Detection Of Cardiovascular Toxicity Secondary To Radiotherapy For Lung Cancer Via Patient-Specific Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Alireza Omidi

Theses and Dissertations

Purpose: To assess the cardiopulmonary-induced dose variation on the left ventricle (LV) and evaluate the spatiotemporal evolution of cardiac/aortic function following radiotherapy (RT).

Methods: 8 lung cancer patients who were scheduled to receive RT were recruited for this study. Each patient underwent one 4D-CT at baseline. MRI scans including cine GRE, T1/T2, LGE, and 4D-flow were acquired at baseline, 3-months and 6-months post-RT to evaluate the cardiac/aortic function. Finally, image registration was used to assess the cardiopulmonary-induced dose variation on the LV.

Results: Mean RT-dose was minimum during inspiration and systole (at expiration). No significant differences were found in the …