Design And Analysis Of A 3d-Printed, Thermoplastic Elastomer (Tpe) Spring Element For Use In Corrective Hand Orthotics,
2018
University of Kentucky
Design And Analysis Of A 3d-Printed, Thermoplastic Elastomer (Tpe) Spring Element For Use In Corrective Hand Orthotics, Kevin Thomas Richardson
Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
This thesis proposes an algorithm that determine the geometry of 3D-printed, custom-designed spring element bands made of thermoplastic elastomer (TPE) for use in a wearable orthotic device to aid in the physical therapy of a human hand exhibiting spasticity after stroke. Each finger of the hand is modeled as a mechanical system consisting of a triple-rod pendulum with nonlinear stiffness at each joint and forces applied at the attachment point of each flexor muscle. The system is assumed quasi-static, which leads to a torque balance between the flexor tendons in the hand, joint stiffness and the design force applied to …
Engineering A Molecular Missile For Pancreatic Cancer Detection: Vector Design,
2018
Santa Clara University
Engineering A Molecular Missile For Pancreatic Cancer Detection: Vector Design, Sophia Castillo, Zhiwen Zhang
Helene Lafrance Library Undergraduate Research Award
Pancreatic cancer, though rare, is expected to be the second-leading cause of cancer-related death by 2030 (Rahib et al., 2014). CA 19-9 is currently the most widely used biomarker for pancreatic cancer detection, but detection of CA 19-9 relies on the use of monoclonal antibodies, a technology that entails an expensive, lengthy, and ethically problematic manufacturing process. This paper presents the design of a DNA vector that can be used to program E. coli to produce a “molecular missile” that targets CA 19-9. Through the site-specific incorporation of an unnatural amino acid (L-DOPA), this peptide can be engineered to bind …
Interactive Clinical Event Pattern Mining And Visualization Using Insurance Claims Data,
2018
University of Kentucky
Interactive Clinical Event Pattern Mining And Visualization Using Insurance Claims Data, Zhenhui Piao
Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science
With exponential growth on a daily basis, there is potentially valuable information hidden in complex electronic medical records (EMR) systems. In this thesis, several efficient data mining algorithms were explored to discover hidden knowledge in insurance claims data. The first aim was to cluster three levels of information overload(IO) groups among chronic rheumatic disease (CRD) patient groups based on their clinical events extracted from insurance claims data. The second aim was to discover hidden patterns using three renowned pattern mining algorithms: Apriori, frequent pattern growth(FP-Growth), and sequential pattern discovery using equivalence classes(SPADE). The SPADE algorithm was found to be the …
Targeting Ovarian Cancer And Endothelium With An Allosteric Ptp4a3 Phosphatase Inhibitor,
2018
Old Dominion University
Targeting Ovarian Cancer And Endothelium With An Allosteric Ptp4a3 Phosphatase Inhibitor, Kelley E. Mcqueeney, Joseph M. Salamoun, James C. Burnett, Nektarios Barabutis, Paula Pekic, Sophie L. Lewandowski, Danielle C. Llaneza, Robert Cornelison, Yunpeng Bai, Zhong-Yin Zhang, John D. Catravas
Bioelectrics Publications
Overexpression of protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP4A oncoproteins is common in many human cancers and is associated with poor patient prognosis and survival. We observed elevated levels of PTP4A3 phosphatase in 79% of human ovarian tumor samples, with significant overexpression in tumor endothelium and pericytes. Furthermore, PTP4A phosphatases appear to regulate several key malignant processes, such as invasion, migration, and angiogenesis, suggesting a pivotal regulatory role in cancer and endothelial signaling pathways. While phosphatases are attractive therapeutic targets, they have been poorly investigated because of a lack of potent and selective chemical probes. In this study, we disclose that a potent, …
Transport Of Charged Small Molecules After Electropermeabilization - Drift And Diffusion,
2018
Old Dominion University
Transport Of Charged Small Molecules After Electropermeabilization - Drift And Diffusion, Esin B. Sözer, C. Florencia Pocetti, P. Thomas Vernier
Bioelectrics Publications
Background: Applications of electric-field-induced permeabilization of cells range from cancer therapy to wastewater treatment. A unified understanding of the underlying mechanisms of membrane electropermeabilization, however, has not been achieved. Protocols are empirical, and models are descriptive rather than predictive, which hampers the optimization and expansion of electroporation-based technologies. A common feature of existing models is the assumption that the permeabilized membrane is passive, and that transport through it is entirely diffusive. To demonstrate the necessity to go beyond that assumption, we present here a quantitative analysis of the post-permeabilization transport of three small molecules commonly used in electroporation research-YO-PRO-1, propidium, …
Wearable Hearing Accessory Technology,
2018
The University of Akron
Wearable Hearing Accessory Technology, Tyler Cindea, Jaime Alcorn, Brooke Draper, Kyle Glascott, Ben Hanna, Robert Thoerner
Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects
We set out in August 2017 to develop an active noise suppressing device that would be usable both in military and civilian activities. Due to constraints in knowledge and time, we decided our best course of action was to divide the project into two equal projects with the hope to be able to combine them into a single project at the end of the allotted time. This consisted of an active noise suppression device and a passive noise suppression device. The passive device would have no electronic components and the active device would be pure circuitry with no housing. This …
Identification Of Streptococcus Pyogenes Using Raman Spectroscopy,
2018
Wayne State University
Identification Of Streptococcus Pyogenes Using Raman Spectroscopy, Ehsan Majidi
Wayne State University Dissertations
Despite the attention that Raman Spectroscopy has gained recently in the area of pathogen identification, the spectra analyses techniques are not well developed. In most scenarios, they rely on expert intervention to detect and assign the peaks of the spectra to specific molecular vibration. Although some investigators have used machine-learning techniques to classify pathogens, these studies are usually limited to a specific application, and the generalization of these techniques is not clear. Also, a wide range of algorithms have been developed for classification problems, however, there is less insight to applying such methods on Raman spectra. Furthermore, analyzing the Raman …
The Impact Of Gallium Content On Degradation, Bioactivity, And Antibacterial Potency Of Zinc Borate Bioactive Glass,
2018
Missouri University of Science and Technology
The Impact Of Gallium Content On Degradation, Bioactivity, And Antibacterial Potency Of Zinc Borate Bioactive Glass, Alireza Rahimnejad Yazdi, Lawrence Torkan, Wendy Stone, Mark R. Towler
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works
Zinc borate glasses with increasing gallium content (0, 2.5, 5, 10, and 15 Wt % Ga) were synthesized and their degradation, bioactivity in simulated body fluid (SBF), and antibacterial properties were investigated. ICP measurements showed that increased gallium content in the glass resulted in increased gallium ion release and decreased release of other ions. Degradability declined with the addition of gallium, indicating the formation of more symmetric BO3 units with three bridging oxygens and asymmetric BO3 units with two bridging oxygens in the glass network as the gallium content in the series increased. The formation of amorphous Ca-P …
Molded Features In Pdms For Fabricating Bacterial Cellulose For Various Geometries,
2018
The University of Akron
Molded Features In Pdms For Fabricating Bacterial Cellulose For Various Geometries, Mitchell Habegger
Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects
The purpose of producing features on bacterial cellulose (BC) is to facilitate the elongation and alignment for cells, in this case Normal Human Dermal Fibroblast (NHDF) cells. The elongated cells have applications in wound healing, tissue engineering, disease diagnostics, and many other fields. Experiments were run to test the effectiveness of transferring features to BC sheets from features induced by fracturing on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and those duplicated from molds with existing features. The features were duplicated to BC sheets by either air drying or Guided Assembly-Based Biolithography (GAB). The research results showed that fracture inducing on PDMS produced very small …
A Novel Approach For Cancer Characterization Using Latent Dirichlet Allocation And Disease-Specific Genomic Analysis,
2018
Wright State University
A Novel Approach For Cancer Characterization Using Latent Dirichlet Allocation And Disease-Specific Genomic Analysis, Hima Bindu Yalamanchili
Browse all Theses and Dissertations
Two challenging problems in the clinical study of cancer are the characterization of cancer subtypes and the classification of individual patients according to those subtypes. Further, understanding the role of differential gene expression in the development of and molecular response to cancer is a complex problem that remains challenging, in part due to the sheer number of genes and gene products involved. Traditional statistical approaches addressing these problems are hindered by within-class heterogeneity and challenges inherent in data integration across high-dimensional data. In addition, many current machine learning methods do not lend themselves to biological interpretation. We have developed a …
M1 To M2 Macrophage Induction Using Retinoic Acid And Mesenchymal Stem Cells Loaded On An Electrospun Pullulan/Gelatin Scaffold To Promote Healing Of Chronic Wounds,
2018
Wright State University
M1 To M2 Macrophage Induction Using Retinoic Acid And Mesenchymal Stem Cells Loaded On An Electrospun Pullulan/Gelatin Scaffold To Promote Healing Of Chronic Wounds, Kaivon Assani
Browse all Theses and Dissertations
Modulation of macrophage polarization is required for effective tissue repair and regenerative therapies. Conversion of macrophages from inflammatory M1 to fibrotic M2 phenotype could help in diseases such as chronic wound which are stuck in inflammatory state. During the inflammatory phase, macrophages are of the inflammatory phenotype (M1) and distribute pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF-a and IL1[beta] which are microbicidal and recruit/activate cells. In normal wound healing macrophages then switch to a fibrotic phenotype (M2) promoting wound closure by angiogenesis, and matrix deposition. Chronic wounds are a major biological and financial burden to both patients and the health care system, costing …
Effect Of Dimensionality On In Vitro Growth Environment And Mesenchymal Stem Cell Function,
2018
Wright State University
Effect Of Dimensionality On In Vitro Growth Environment And Mesenchymal Stem Cell Function, Fatema Tuj Zohora
Browse all Theses and Dissertations
The use of the standard two dimensional (2D) cell culture has laid down the fundamentals of molecular and cell biology. However, recent advances in cell-based regenerative medicine raises the concern on deconstructing cellular behaviors in more physiologically relevant three dimensional (3D) microenvironments. Differences in cell response in 2D versus 3D systems arise from the perturbations in gene expression patterns that stem from how cells sense their underlying 2D or surrounding 3D matrices and adjust their phenotypes accordingly. Thus, cells are no longer considered as a solitary entity of genome but a context arises from a combinatorial interactions of cell-ECM, cell-cell, …
Novel Auto-Calibrating Neural Motor Decoder For Robust Prosthetic Control,
2018
Wright State University
Novel Auto-Calibrating Neural Motor Decoder For Robust Prosthetic Control, Andrew Earl Montgomery
Browse all Theses and Dissertations
The overarching goal of this project is to develop novel neural motor decoders for prosthetic control. EMG decoders measure the activity from an intact but non-target muscle. Neural motor decoders transform the signal measured from the severed motor axons of the target muscle. A multi-scale, highly-realistic computer model of a spinal motor pool was developed (Allen & Elbasiouny, 2018) to serve as a computational platform for decoder development and testing. A firing rate-based algorithm was developed to transform the aggregate discharge of the motor pool into a command signal to control the simulated prosthetic MuJoCo hand. This algorithm was informed …
Study On Electrolyte-Gated Graphene Nanoelectronic Biosensors For Biomarker Detection,
2018
West Virginia University
Study On Electrolyte-Gated Graphene Nanoelectronic Biosensors For Biomarker Detection, Jianbo Sun
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)
Biosensors are called upon to provide valuable benefits for human society in vital fields such as disease diagnosis, food inspection, environment monitoring, etc. Among the various biosensor architectures, the field effect transistor (FET) biosensors are promising as the next generation nanoelectronic biosensors, particularly attractive for point-of-care biomedical applications. The FET biosensors typically operate by measuring the conductance change of the semiconducting channel induced by the adsorption of the target biomolecules on it. The superior properties of graphene, including the unique electronic characteristics, facile functionalization and good biocompatibility, etc., make it an ideal building block for the FET biosensors. In this …
Development Of Novel Models To Study Deep Brain Effects Of Cortical Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation,
2018
Virginia Commonwealth University
Development Of Novel Models To Study Deep Brain Effects Of Cortical Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Farheen Syeda
Theses and Dissertations
Neurological disorders require varying types and degrees of treatments depending on the symptoms and underlying causes of the disease. Patients suffering from medication-refractory symptoms often undergo further treatment in the form of brain stimulation, e.g. electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), deep brain stimulation (DBS), or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). These treatments are popular and have been shown to relieve various symptoms for patients with neurological conditions. However, the underlying effects of the stimulation, and subsequently the causes of symptom-relief, are not very well understood. In particular, TMS is a non-invasive brain stimulation therapy which uses time-varying magnetic …
Non-Targeted Colonization By
The Endomycorrhizal Fungus,
Serendipita Vermifera, In Three
Weeds Typically Co-Occurring
With Switchgrass,
2018
Noble Research Institute, LLC
Non-Targeted Colonization By The Endomycorrhizal Fungus, Serendipita Vermifera, In Three Weeds Typically Co-Occurring With Switchgrass, Prasun Ray, Yingqing Guo, Jaydeep Kolape
Nebraska Center for Biotechnology: Faculty and Staff Publications
Serendipita vermifera (=Sebacina vermifera; isolate MAFF305830) is a mycorrhizal fungus originally isolated from the roots of an Australian orchid that we have previously shown to be beneficial in enhancing biomass yield and drought tolerance in switchgrass, an important bioenergy crop for cellulosic ethanol production in the United States. However, almost nothing is known about how this root-associated fungus proliferates and grows through the soil matrix. Such information is critical to evaluate the possibility of non-target effects, such as unintended spread to weedy plants growing near a colonized switchgrass plant in a field environment. A microcosm experiment was conducted …
Changes Of Dispersal Ability In An Isolated Population,
2018
University of South Carolina - Columbia
Changes Of Dispersal Ability In An Isolated Population, Connor Bacon
Theses and Dissertations
Dispersal is a core mechanism in the maintenance of metapopulations. It maintains genetic diversity by connecting subpopulations and generates new populations to replace those that die out. However, as populations become more isolated, as occurs in habitat fragmentation, dispersal becomes more difficult. This should lead to selective pressure against dispersive individuals, causing a reduction in dispersal traits. Over time, this can lead to variation in dispersal traits among populations. We examine this idea using an extreme case of isolation in Euphydryas gillettii, a population that has remained completely isolated for forty years. By comparing this population to a baseline established …
Automatic Image Processing And Conversion To Tactile Graphics,
2018
Virginia Commonwealth University
Automatic Image Processing And Conversion To Tactile Graphics, Tyler Ferro
Theses and Dissertations
Graphical information has become a critical method for portraying information for education, work and personal tasks and decisions. Unfortunately there are currently limited means of providing this information to individuals who are blind or visually impaired: alternate text is frequently missing, and accessible tactile diagrams tend to be time consuming to make and require expertise in order for them to be interpretable (which may be costly to the user and/or impossible to get). The aim of this project is to provide an accessible system to automatically generate tactile graphics for those who need to interpret information contained in visual images. …
Nuclear Rupture In Progeria Expressing Cells,
2018
Virginia Commonwealth University
Nuclear Rupture In Progeria Expressing Cells, Kranthidhar Bathula
Theses and Dissertations
Cells regularly take on various types of force in the body. They have structures that are able to mediate, transfer and respond to the forces. A mutation in force regulating proteins such as lamin in the nucleus or the KASH domain which connects the nucleus to the cytoskeleton of the cell can cause catastrophic events to occur. The aims of this study were to better understand the response of the nucleus when structural proteins are mutated or are not present while under force. Progeria, a rare disease where an additional farnesyl group is attached to lamin was used in this …
Fibronectin Mechanics And Signaling In Tgf-Β1-Induced Epithelial To Mesenchymal Transition,
2018
Virginia Commonwealth University
Fibronectin Mechanics And Signaling In Tgf-Β1-Induced Epithelial To Mesenchymal Transition, Lauren Griggs
Theses and Dissertations
Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) is a dynamic process by which a distinct change in the phenotype and function of epithelial cells render them as mesenchymal cells. Characteristics of mesenchymal cells include the ability to invade, increased migratory kinetics and heightened resistance to apoptosis. Therefore, there is a strong need to fully understand the mechanism for the induction of EMT in pathological conditions such as carcinoma progression. Recent advances highlight two pivotal contributors, soluble growth factor (gf) signals, and mechanical signals, in the process. However, to date, no clear mechanism exists linking the two in epithelial transdifferentiation. Transforming Growth Factor-β1 …
