Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Understanding Control Of Metabolite Dynamics And Heterogeneity, Christopher John Hartline

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Microbes live in complex and continually changing environments. Rapid shifts in nutrient availability are a common challenge for microbes, and cause changes in intracellular metabolite levels. Microbial response to dynamic environments requires coordination of multiple levels of cellular machinery including gene expression and metabolite concentrations. This coordination is achieved through metabolic control systems, which sense metabolite concentrations and direct cellular activity in response. Several reoccurring control architectures are found throughout diverse metabolic systems, which suggests underlying evolutionary advantages for using these control systems to coordinate metabolism. One common, yet understudied, control architecture is the positive feedback metabolite uptake loop, which …

Labeling Melanoma Cells With Black Microspheres For Improved Sensitivity In Detection Via Photoacoustic Flow Cytometry, Tori Kocsis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Melanoma is an aggressive form of skin cancer known for developing into metastatic disease. Current clinical diagnostics, including medical imaging and tissue biopsy, provide a poor prognosis since the cancer is in the late stages of disease progression. In recent years, photoacoustic flow cytometry has allowed for the detection of circulating melanoma cells within patient blood samples in vitro. Although this method exploits the naturally-produced melanin within the cells, it has only successfully detected highly-pigmented melanoma cell lines. Since various forms of melanoma exist, each with varying melanin concentrations, this research aims to provide a novel method for detecting lightly-pigmented …

Nonordered Dendritic Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles As Promising Platforms For Advanced Methods Of Diagnosis And Therapies, S. Malekmohammadi, Riaz Ur Rehman Mohammed, H. Samadian, A. Zarebkohan, A. García-Fernández, G. R. Kokil, F. Sharifi, J. Esmaeili, M. Bhia, M. Razavi, M. Bodaghi, T. Kumeria, R. Martínez-Máñez

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Dendritic mesoporous silica nanoparticles (DMSNs) are a new generation of porous materials that have gained great attention compared to other mesoporous silicas due to attractive properties, including straightforward synthesis methods, modular surface chemistry, high surface area, tunable pore size, chemical inertness, particle size distribution, excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability, and high pore volume compared with conventional mesoporous materials. The last years have witnessed a blooming growth of the extensive utilization of DMSNs as an efficient platform in a broad spectrum of biomedical and industrial applications, such as catalysis, energy harvesting, biosensing, drug/gene delivery, imaging, theranostics, and tissue engineering. DMSNs are considered great …

Liquid-Phase Effects On Adsorption Processes In Heterogeneous Catalysis, Mehdi Zare, Mohammad S. Saleheen, Nirala Singh, Mark J. Uline, Muhammad Faheem, Andreas Heyden

Faculty Publications

Aqueous solvation free energies of adsorption have recently been measured for phenol adsorption on Pt(111). Endergonic solvent effects of ∼1 eV suggest solvents dramatically influence a metal catalyst's activity with significant implications for the catalyst design. However, measurements are indirect and involve adsorption isotherm models, which potentially reduces the reliability of the extracted energy values. Computational, implicit solvation models predict exergonic solvation effects for phenol adsorption, failing to agree with measurements even qualitatively. In this study, an explicit, hybrid quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical approach for computing solvation free energies of adsorption is developed, solvation free energies of phenol adsorption are computed, …

Novel 3d Bench Top Model For Vascular Calcification Research, Ursla-Marie K. Offiah

Theses and Dissertations

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of non-communicable disease in the whole world killing 17 million people in 2012. Among the many vascular diseases is vascular calcification (VC) which is the mineral build up in the walls of blood vessels. Medial calcification is the plaque buildup in the medial layer of the blood vesicle that is characterized by arterial stiffness and high blood pressure. Current calcification research involves two dimensional (2D) lab methods such as flat petri dishes to investigate the mechanism that causes and inhibits vascular calcification. Research has shown that the use of three-dimensional (3D) models can be …

Behavioral And Histological Inflammatory Analysis Of A Single, Mild Traumatic Brain Injury And Repeated Subconcussive Brain Injury Using A Rodent Model., Anna Marie Clay

Theses and Dissertations

Subconcussive (SC) impacts have become a growing concern within the neuroscience community regarding the immediate and long-lasting effects of sports-related injuries. While a single low-level impact, i.e., a subconcussion, may not cause cerebral perturbations, it has been increasingly recognized that repeated SC exposure can induce deleterious effects. Therefore, determining the lower limits of systematic perturbation resulting from multiple SC impacts is of critical importance in expanding our understanding of cerebral vulnerability and recovery. Currently, there is a lack of correlation between a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and repeated SC impacts with respect to injury biomechanics. Moreover, the cumulative threshold …

Energy Consumption Analysis Using Measured Data From A Net-Zero Energy Commercial Building In A Cold And Dry Climate, Sukjoon Oh, John F. Gardner

Mechanical and Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Zero-energy buildings have a critical role in reducing global energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. However, few studies have analyzed net-zero energy commercial buildings using measured energy use such as whole-building level and end-use level data. This paper presents an energy consumption analysis for the first net-zero energy commercial building in Idaho, U.S., in a cold and dry climate using measured end-use data from this building as well as measured whole-building energy use. Monthly bill data analysis, end-use data analysis, and Energy Use Intensity (EUI) analysis were conducted. The combined analysis of this study shows that the HVAC system was …

Smart Spine Tape: Active Wearable Posture Monitoring For Prevention Of Low Back Pain And Injury, Samuel J. Borda

Master's Theses

Back pain and injury are a global health issue and are a leading cause of work and activity absence. Prevention would not only save those affected from the burden of pain and discomfort, but would also save people from loss of over 290 million workdays annually and save the healthcare system billions of dollars in expenses per year. Successful research and development of a wearable technology capable of comprehensively monitoring spinal postures that are leading causes of back pain and injury can result in prevention of mild to severe back pain and injury for high-risk people. To accomplish this, the …

Optimizing Crispr/Cas9-Mediated Knockdown Of Angptl3 In Liver Cell Lines And Mouse Hepatocytes, Meredith Reeves

All Theses

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic condition characterized by elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) that leads to an increased risk of developing cardiac disease early in life (Shah et al., 2020). Current treatments such as statins and PCSK9 inhibitors have helped lower LDL-C levels, however they require repeated administration every 4-6 weeks to remain effective (Raal et al., 2018). Angiopoietin-like 3 (ANGPTL3) is an inhibitor of plasma lipid metabolism that has become a promising molecular target for the treatment of FH. Individuals with non-functional copies of ANGPTL3 demonstrate low levels of plasma LDL-C and triglycerides, indicating a protective …

Novel Nanoparticles To Stimulate Therapeutic Angiogenesis For The Treatment Of Peripheral Arterial Diseases, Tam Phung Nguyen

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is a severe impairment of arterial vessels resulting in obstruction of normal blood flow in the legs, leading to acute or chronic lower limb ischemia and subsequently high morbidity and mortality rates. Common treatments for PAD, such as medications and surgical revascularization, have several limitations. For instance, medications used to lower cholesterol, reduce high blood pressure, control blood sugar, prevent blood clots, and reduce/delay symptoms such as leg pains. Still, they cannot treat the established disease directly and often cause side-effects, including bleeding, headache, and diarrhea. Meanwhile, many elderly PAD patients cannot undergo surgical options. Therefore, …

Engineering Elastic And Functional Electrospun Nano-Fibers For Potential Heart Repair, Alan Mark Taylor

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

In the United States and around the world, cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been one of the main causes of death since 1921, responsible for approximately 1 in 4 deaths domestically. Myocardial infarction (MI), or commonly called a heart attack, is a subset of CVD that often ends in heart failure (HF). Cardiac cells are incapable of regeneration, leading to severe impacts on quality of life. Current treatments for MI fail to target left ventricular remodeling and therefore do little to address the progression towards HF. Cardiac scaffolds for tissue engineering (TE) are a prominent solution in recent research. Developing various …

Advancing The Radiation Oncology Clinic With Motion Management And Automatic Treatment Planning, Damon Anton Sprouts

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

The leading cause of premature death (death under the age of 70) is cancer. The top five cancers for both male and female are: lung, colorectum, pancreas, breast cancer, and prostate. In 2020 there was an estimated 19.3 million new cases with an estimated 9.9 million deaths. The cancer burden is expected to grow to 28.4 million by the year 2040. Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are the three pillars in the modern clinic for cancer treatment. In radiotherapy, ionizing radiation particles can travel through the patient body, deposit energy along the way and damage the DNA Structure. There needs to …

Electrophysiological, Hemodynamic, And Metabolic Effects Of Transcranial Photobiomodulation (Tpbm) On Topographical And Physiological Connectivity In The Human Brain, Sadra Shahdadian

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

Transcranial photobiomodulation (tPBM) targets the human brain with near-infrared (NIR) light and is shown to affect human cognitive performance and neural electrophysiological activity as well as concentration changes of oxidized cytochrome-c-oxidase ([CCO]) and hemoglobin oxygenation ([HbO]) in human brain. Brain topographical connectivity, which shows the communication between regions of the brain, and its alteration can be assessed to quantify the effects of external stimuli, diseases, and cognitive decline, in resting-state or task-based measurements. Furthermore, understanding the interactions between different physiological representations of neural activity, namely electrophysiological, hemodynamic, and metabolic signals in the human brain, has been an important topic among …

Restoring An Iso:5840-Compliant Pulse Duplicator Device For Hydrodynamic Performance Characterization Of Artificial Cardiac Valves, Denver Eagar

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

During the summer of 2021, I was employed as an intern at Dynatek Labs, an implantable prosthetics testing company located in southern Missouri. My primary project was to modernize an abandoned pulse duplicator device and protocol to allow the company to re-enter a market area which they left nearly 15 years prior: heart valve testing. The company halted this initiative due to changes in international testing standards in previous years. The International Standards Organization Cardiac Valves Working Group released the latest version of standards concerning artificial heart valve testing (ISO 5840) in January of 2021. Accordingly, my project required that …

Biodegradable Microneedle Patch For Delivery Of Meloxicam For Managing Pain In Cattle, David A. Castilla-Casadiego, Katherine A. Miranda-Munoz, Jesse L. Roberts, Anne D. Crowell, David Gonzalez-Nino, Dipankar Choudhury, Frank O. Aparicio-Solis, Shannon L. Servoss, Adrianne M. Rosales, Gary Prinz, Min Zou, Yuntao Zhang, Johann F. Coetzee, Lauren F. Greenlee, Jeremy Powell, Jorge Almodovar

Chemical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Microneedle patches are a promising source for transdermal diffusion of macromolecules and are designed to painlessly penetrate the skin. In this study, a biodegradable chitosan microneedle patch to deliver meloxicam for managing pain in cattle was tested. The potential of reuse of the polymeric solution to fabricate the patches, optimization of fabrication, morphological analysis of the microneedle patch and analysis of preservation of the chemical composition after sterilization were evaluated. In-vitro analysis consisted of studying in-vitro penetration mechanical properties, compression testing analysis of microneedle patch, and in-vitro drug release analysis. In-vivo studies were performed to analyze the dissolution capability of …

Utilization Of Finite Element Analysis Techniques For Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis Surgical Planning, Michael A. Polanco

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis, a three-dimensional deformity of the thoracolumbar spine, affects approximately 1-3% of patients ages 10-18. Surgical correction and treatment of the spinal column is a costly and high-risk task that is consistently complicated by factors such as patient-specific spinal deformities, curve flexibility, and surgeon experience. The following dissertation utilizes finite element analysis to develop a cost-effective, building-block approach by which surgical procedures and kinematic evaluations may be investigated. All studies conducted are based off a volumetric, thoracolumbar finite element (FE) model developed from computer-aided design (CAD) anatomy whose components are kinematically validated with in-vitro data. Spinal ligament stiffness …

The Relationship Between Cerebrovascular Reactivity And Cerebral Oxygenation During Hemodialysis, W. T. Richerson, Brian D. Schmit, D. F. Wolfgram

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Significance Statement

Patients with ESKD have a high burden of ischemic brain lesions related to decline in cerebral blood flow during hemodialysis. Preliminary studies in patients on hemodialysis noted impairment in cerebrovascular reactivity, a mechanism that regulates cerebral perfusion. We found that lower cerebrovascular reactivity was associated with greater decrease in cerebral oxygen saturation during hemodialysis, particularly when accounting for changes in systemic BP. These results suggest that testing cerebrovascular reactivity could be relevant to characterizing risk of cerebral ischemia during hemodialysis and the potential sequelae of brain injury and cognitive impairment over time.

Background

Patients with kidney failure treated …

Fluorescein Clearance Kinetics In Blood And Bile Indicates Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury In Rats, Joohyun Kim, Yongquiang Yang, Seung-Keun Hong, Jacek Zielonka, Ranjan K. Dash, Said H. Audi, Suresh N. Kumar, Amit Joshi, Michael W. Zimmerman, Johnny C. Hong

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Quantitative measurement of the degree of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is crucial for developing therapeutic strategies for its treatment. We hypothesized that clearance of fluorescent dye through bile metabolism may reflect the degree of hepatic IRI. In this study, we investigated sodium fluorescein clearance kinetics in blood and bile for quantifying the degree of hepatic IRI. Warm ischemia times (WITs) of 0, 30, or 60 min followed by 1 h or 4 h of reperfusion, were applied to the median and lateral lobes of the liver in Sprague-Dawley rats. Subsequently, 2 mg/kg of sodium fluorescein was injected intravenously, and blood …

Engineering Of Ideal Systems For The Study And Direction Of Stem Cell Asymmetrical Division And Fate Determination, Martina Zamponi

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The cellular microenvironment varies significantly across tissues, and it is constituted by both resident cells and the macromolecules they are exposed to. Cues that the cells receive from the microenvironment, as well as the signaling transmitted to it, affect their physiology and behavior. This notion is valid in the context of stem cells, which are susceptible to biochemical and biomechanical signaling exchanged with the microenvironment, and which plays a fundamental role in establishing fate determination and cell differentiation events. The definition of the molecular mechanisms that drive stem cell asymmetrical division, and how these are modulated by microenvironmental signaling, is …

Fabrication And Non-Covalent Functionalization And Characterization Of Graphene-Based Devices On Novel Substrate Cadmium Trithiophosphate (Iv) — Cdps, Abayomi Omotola Omolewu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

With graphene at the center of several application areas such as sensing, circuits, high-frequency devices for communication systems, etc., it is crucial to understand how the intrinsic properties of devices made from graphene and other materials like platinum and palladium nanoparticles affect the performance of such devices for the specific application area. Many graphene-based devices for different application areas have focused mainly on the material composition of the graphene-based devices and how it affects performance parameters for the specific application. However, it would be insightful to understand how the intrinsic electrical properties of the graphene devices for different applications affect …