Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Indirect Structural Connectivity As A Biomarker For Stroke Motor Recovery, Miguel Renato Sotelo Munoz

Dissertations (1934 -)

In this dissertation project, we demonstrated that diffusion magnetic resonance imaging and measures of indirect structural brain connectivity are sensitive to changes in fiber integrity and connectivity to remote regions in the brain after stroke. Our results revealed new insights into the effects local lesions have on global connectivity—in particular, the cerebellum—and how these changes in connectivity and integrity relate to motor impairment. We tested this methodology on two stroke groups—subacute and chronic—and were able to show that indirect connectivity is sensitive to differences in connectivity during stroke recovery. Our work can inform clinical methods for rehabilitating motor function in …

Developing A Skin Phantom For The Testing Of Biowearables, Tawni Henderson, Ju Young Lee, Matthew Placide, Kiran Sutaria

Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses

There is a demonstrated need in the biowearables industry for a benchtop model that can accurately emulate the perspiration mechanism and corresponding impedance vs. frequency spectra of skin. This model, or skin phantom, could increase the efficiency and accuracy of early-stage testing of biowearables, as well as minimize animal, human, and cadaver testing.

The objective of this project is to develop a skin phantom that can emulate the perspiration mechanism and impedance spectrum behavior of human skin for the testing of biowearables in the 2,000 - 20,000 Hz range. We also endeavored to create computer-simulated models to aid in the …

The Use Of Natural Anthraquinone Emodin As A Primary And Complementary Therapeutic In The Treatment Of Colorectal Cancer, Alexander-Jacques Theodore Sougiannis

Theses and Dissertations

5 Fluorouracil (5FU) chemotherapy is widely used in the treatment of colorectal cancer (CRC), and has been the first-choice chemotherapy drug for CRC for many years. However, nearly 10% of patients receiving chemotherapy die during the first 30 days of treatment. Further, it is estimated that 70% of surviving patients will develop non-specific toxicities as a result of chemotherapy treatment. We characterize these toxicities in an animal model of chemotherapy treatment and show that perturbations in the gut microbiome might be exacerbate the prolonged effects of chemotherapy. A compound that could attenuate the multiple non-selective toxicities associated with chemotherapy could …

Using Human Granulosa Cells To Select The Most Competent Embryos For Uterine Transfer In In Vitro Fertilization Cycles, Richard John Kordus

Theses and Dissertations

Infertility is a worldwide epidemic often treated with in vitro fertilization. The success of in vitro fertilization is directly dependent upon the quality of oocytes produced during the controlled stimulation of the patient’s ovaries. There is a need for improved methods to allow embryologists to select the most viable embryos with the highest probability of leading to live births since in vitro fertilization success is far from optimal.

Oocyte and subsequent embryo quality are intimately influenced by the granulosa cells which surround the oocyte during follicular maturation. The oocytes require proper signaling and energy production form the surrounding granulosa cells …

Development Of B-Type And Multi-Ion Doped Carbonated Hydroxyapatite Bioceramics, Safarzadeh Marjan

Student Works (2020-2029)

The present research is aimed to investigate the effect of varying the carbonate to phosphate (CO32−/ PO43‒) molar ratios from 0.5 to 5 on the physical and mechanical properties of carbonated hydroxyapatite (CHA) synthesized by a wet chemical method. The sintering was performed under dry carbon dioxide atmosphere at 900 °C to maintain the B-type CHA structure. It was found that increases in CO32−/ PO43‒ ratio was accompanied by an increase in the c/a lattice ratio. The diffraction peaks of the synthesized 0.5-5 CHA powders exhibited a single phase material except for 5CHA which revealed the some minor calcite or …

Poly(Vinyl Alcohol)/Α-Chitin/Nanocellulose Composites Developed From Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch (Opefb) For Removal Of Cationic Dyes, Chun Fah Mok

Student Works (2020-2029)

In search of an eco-friendly polymeric adsorbent for dye effluent treatment application, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/chitin/nanocellulose composites were synthesized. The composites were reinforced by oil palm empty fruit bunch fibers (OPEFB)-derived nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC). With addition of 1 wt.% NCC, a maximum improvement of 57.64% and 50.66% in tensile strength and Young’s Modulus were achieved, respectively. However, the PVA-based composites exhibited low resistance in aqueous medium. Hence, maleic acid (MA) was incorporated, in view of modifying PVA-based composites through cross-linking reactions. The effect of varying chitin content (10 wt.%-30 wt.%) and MA content (10%-50% based on total solid content of composite) …

The Role Of Acute And Chronic Neuroinflammation In Depression: Uncovering The Relationship Between Histamine And Serotonin Transmission, Melinda Hersey

Theses and Dissertations

Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Disorders of the brain, including depression, are notoriously difficult to treat because the basic pathology underlying behavioral outcomes remains undefined. Robust chemical biomarkers of these diseases have not been identified, nor are there reliable methods to measure brain chemicals. Depression is associated with chemical and inflammatory changes in the brain that are predicted to contribute to the pathology. By studying the serotonin and histamine systems we aim to better define the neurochemical basis of depression. Serotonin has long been hypothesized to play a role in depression since selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) …

Effect Of Cannabinoid Treatment On Immune Cell Functions During Acute Lung Injury, Amira Kamil Mohammed

Theses and Dissertations

Staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) is a highly potent CDC select agent that can trigger acute lung injury (ALI) via robust T cell proliferation and differentiation, and massive cytokine and chemokine release. Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is a psychoactive ingredient found in Cannabis sativa. In the current study, we investigated the effects of treatment with THC on SEB-induced acute lung injury. To this end, acute lung injury was induced by a dual dose of SEB in C3H/HeJ mice, which were then treated with vehicle or THC. THC-treatment led to survival of all the SEB-administered mice when compared to vehicle-treated. This corroborated with THC-induced …

Nitric Oxide Expression With Age And Diet In The Arterial Wall Of Apoe Knockout Mice, Kara Cooper

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Hypertension is a dangerous condition that precedes many cardiovascular events including myocardial infarction, stroke, transient cerebral ischemic attack and symptomatic aortoiliac occlusive disease. While it is universally accepted that arteries stiffen with age, the physiological reason for this is debated. In a previous study, by Dr. Shana Roach Watson it was shown that collagen fibers re-orient themselves in a circumferential direction, resulting in increased arterial stiffness. The study hypothesized that this collagen remodeling could be a result of decreased nitric oxide production.

Methods: This study measured nitric oxide in two different ways, indirectly via Immunoperoxidase staining for eNOS and …

Advanced Geometric Analyses In Vascular Disease And Interventions, Dara Ahmadi Azar

Theses and Dissertations

The central function of the vascular system is the transportation and distribution of blood throughout the body. Occurrence of various forms of vascular disease, in which this central function is compromised, is associated with high mortality and morbidity rates. Vascular disease is an active and multifactorial process causing changes in local hemodynamics and blood vessel wall mechanics. The work presented here aims to advance the current knowledge on the role of local geometrical parameters in vascular disease and endovascular intervention modalities. In our first set of studies, we develop a computational framework to understand the role of aortic geometry in …

Biphasic Gene Electrotransfer Enhances Gene Delivery In Vitro, John Bui

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The application of short, pulsed electric fields to eukaryotic cells and tissues has been shown to permeabilize cells. This phenomenon has been used for clinical applications for irreversible electroporation of cancer cells or for molecule delivery for drug or gene therapies. Typically, a monophasic (monopolar) pulse train is used; however, recent studies have explored the possibility of using biphasic (often referred to as bipolar) pulses, primarily for irreversible electroporation (IRE), which report reduced muscle contraction during pulse train application compared to monophasic pulses. Additional studies show improved transfection efficiency using biphasic pulses, conversely, with low cell viability. The purpose of …

Flexible Electrochemical Lactate Sensor, Peyton Miesse

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Lactic acid is a vital indicator for shock, trauma, stress, and exercise intolerance. It is a key biomarker for increases in stress levels and is the primary metabolically produced acid responsible for tissue acidosis that can lead to muscle fatigue and weakness. During intensive exercise, the muscles go through anerobic metabolism to produce energy. This leads to decreases in the blood flow of nutrients and oxygen to the muscles and increases in lactate production, which in turn cause lactic acidosis. Currently, changes in blood lactate concentrations are monitored by sensors that can be invasive via blood or wearable based sensors …

Impedance Analysis Of Tissues In Nspef Treatment For Cancer Therapy, Edwin Ayobami Oshin

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Nanosecond pulsed electric field (nsPEF) for cancer therapy is characterized by applications of high voltage pulses with low pulsed energy to induce non-thermal effects on tissues such as tumor ablation. It nonthermally treats tissues via electroporation. Electroporation is the increase in permeabilization of a cell membrane due to the application of high pulsed electric field. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of nsPEF on tissue by monitoring the tissue’s impedance in real-time. Potato slices (both untreated and electroporated), and tumors extracted from female BALBc mice were studied. 100ns, 1-10kV pulses were applied to the tissues using …

System Reliability Analysis Of The Scoliosis Disorder., Fatemeh Nouri, Seyed Hooman Ghasemi, Ji Yun Lee

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

BACKGROUND: Scoliosis is a spine abnormal deviation, which is an idiopathic disorder among children and adolescents. As a matter of the fact, distribution of loads on the patient's spine and load-carrying capacity of the vertebral column are both random variables. Therefore, the probabilistic approach may consider as a sophisticated method to deal with this problem.

METHOD: Reliability analysis is a probabilistic-based approach to consider the uncertainties of load and resistance of the vertebral column. The main contribution of this paper is to compare the reliability level of a normal and scoliosis spinal. To do so, the numerical analyses associated with …

Modern Model For Assessing The Efficiency Of Investments Attracted In Railway Transport, M.S. Saitkamolov, Z.T. Gaibnazarova, J. Cowie

Technical science and innovation

The article analyzes the modern model for evaluating the improvement of investment activity efficiency and provides conclusions on the level of development of the current state of railway transport in the Republic of Uzbekistan.

The economic effect of intensive investments is the equivalent of the costs and benefits of the difference between the result and the costs of achieving it.

The economic efficiency of intensive investments is defined as the ratio of investment costs to achieving a profitable result (economic effect).

The indicators characterizing the economic efficiency of intensive investments: the integrated effect, the need for additional financing, the internal …

A Micro-Optic Stalk (Muos) System To Model The Collective Migration Of Retinal Neuroblasts, Stephanie Zhang, Miles Markey, Caroline D. Pena, Tadmiri Venkatesh, Maribel Vasquez

Publications and Research

Contemporary regenerative therapies have introduced stem-like cells to replace damaged neurons in the visual system by recapitulating critical processes of eye development. The collective migration of neural stem cells is fundamental to retinogenesis and has been exceptionally well-studied using the fruit fly model of Drosophila Melanogaster. However, the migratory behavior of its retinal neuroblasts (RNBs) has been surprisingly understudied, despite being critical to retinal development in this invertebrate model. The current project developed a new microfluidic system to examine the collective migration of RNBs extracted from the developing visual system of Drosophila as a model for the collective motile processes …

Fibration Symmetries Uncover The Building Blocks Of Biological Networks, Flaviano Morone, Ian Leifer, Hernán A. Makse

Publications and Research

A major ambition of systems science is to uncover the building blocks of any biological network to decipher how cellular function emerges from their interactions. Here, we introduce a graph representation of the information flow in these networks as a set of input trees, one for each node, which contains all pathways along which information can be transmitted in the network. In this representation, we find remarkable symmetries in the input trees that deconstruct the network into functional building blocks called fibers. Nodes in a fiber have isomorphic input trees and thus process equivalent dynamics and synchronize their activity. Each …

Development Of A Monolithic Implantable Neural Interface From Cubic Silicon Carbide And Evaluation Of Its Mri Compatibility, Mohammad Beygi

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

One of the main issues with micron-sized intracortical neural interfaces (INIs) is their long-term reliability, with one major factor stemming from device material failure caused by the heterogeneous integration of multiple materials used to realize the implant. Single crystalline cubic silicon carbide (3C-SiC) is a semiconductor material that has been long recognized for its mechanical robustness and chemical inertness. It has the benefit of demonstrated biocompatibility, which makes it a promising candidate for chronically-stable, implantable INIs. In the first section of this dissertation, the fabrication and initial electrochemical characterization of a monolithic, Michigan-style 3C-SiC microelectrode array (MEA) probe is reported. …

Design Of An Affordable Rotating Drum Electrospinner For Classroom Education, Peder Solberg

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Electrospinning is a technology used to generate small fibers down to nano-scale size. This method of fiber creation has been around for many years. However, in recent years electrospinning has found increased applications, especially in the area of tissue engineering due to its ability to create fibers with properties similar to the extracellular matrix in tissue. An electrospinning platform can illustrate concepts of engineering, electro-mechanical system design, manufacturing, and biomedical applications in one single package. Hence, it provides an excellent opportunity to integrate into secondary (middle and high school) and post-secondary (undergraduate) technology education.

Furthermore, just as integration of 3D …

Application Of 3-D Printing To Multiple Sclerosis: Lesion Detection And Brain Modeling, Makenzie Fogle, Micheho Guitierrez-Carpio

Research Horizons Day Posters

No abstract provided.