Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Measuring Brain Activation Through Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (Fmri) During Visual Task Learning, Mohd Saif Usmani

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to understand the brain activity associated with learning a visual task by utilizing the applications of functional magnetic resonance imaging in cognitive neuroscience. The study was performed using two visual tasks referred to as aircraft and control, respectively. We compared the brain activation of these two visual tasks to understand the learning process of the participants. Fifteen young adults, ten males and five females, ranging in age from 19 to 35 years, participated in a ten-week study. Eight participants dropped out either voluntarily or were excluded for different reasons. The data analysis was completed …

Multi-Surface Simplex Spine Segmentation For Spine Surgery Simulation And Planning, Rabia Haq

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Theses & Dissertations

This research proposes to develop a knowledge-based multi-surface simplex deformable model for segmentation of healthy as well as pathological lumbar spine data. It aims to provide a more accurate and robust segmentation scheme for identification of intervertebral disc pathologies to assist with spine surgery planning. A robust technique that combines multi-surface and shape statistics-aware variants of the deformable simplex model is presented. Statistical shape variation within the dataset has been captured by application of principal component analysis and incorporated during the segmentation process to refine results. In the case where shape statistics hinder detection of the pathological region, user-assistance is …

Primary Cilia Mechanotransduction And Microtubule Stability In Mechanically Stretched Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells, Monika Rassi Radhika

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study is to investigate the role of microtubule based organelle, the primary cilia in lung adenocarcinoma by i) Quantifying the presence of primary cilia in several Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) cell lines in response to mechanical stimuli, ii) Attempting to determine the role of primary cilia in cell migration, iii) Investigating the effects of Paclitaxel(Taxol) resistance in lung cancer cells, iv) Analyzing the response of lung cancer cells to Smoothened Inhibitors and v) Determining the effects of Transforming Growth Factor Beta-1(TGF-β1) induced Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition(EMT) in lung cancer cells. To ascertain the effects …

Generation And Delivery Of Charged Aerosols To Infant Airways, Landon T. Holbrook

Theses and Dissertations

The administration of pharmaceutical aerosols to infants on mechanical ventilation needs to be improved by increasing the efficiency of delivery devices and creating better ways of evaluating potential therapies. Aerosolized medicines such as surfactants have been administered to ventilated infants with mixed results, but studies have shown improvement in respiratory function with a much lower dose than with liquid instillation through an endotracheal tube (ETT). An aerosolized medicine must be transported through the ventilation tubing and deposit in the lungs to have the desired therapeutic response.

This work has taken a systematic approach to (i) develop new devices for the …

Evaluation Of A Novel Myoelectric Training Device, Joshua A. Arenas

Theses and Dissertations

Recent technological developments have implemented the use of proportional control in prosthetic hands, giving rise to the importance of appropriate myoelectric control. EMG models in the past have assumed a linear proportionality to simplify the EMG-force relationships. However, it has been shown that a non-linear EMG-force relationship may be a more effective model. This study focused on evaluating three different control algorithms for a novel myoelectric training device, consisting of a toy car controlled by EMG signals from the distal muscles in the arm. Sixteen healthy adult subjects (5 male and 11 female) with an average age of 23.6 years …

The Effects Of Fatigue On Lower Extremity Kinetics And Kinematics In Subjects With Known Ankle Instability, Lindsay E. Clayton

Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to evaluate biomechanical differences between healthy subjects and those with ankle instability during the gradual onset of lower extremity fatigue from a landing activity. An understanding of these differences is needed in order to prevent future injury to or further debilitation in individuals with ankle instability. A functional fatiguing activity was designed to focus fatigue on the quadriceps muscles, as those are the muscles most frequently fatigued during sport. Measures were taken throughout the progression of fatigue with a force plate and a motion tracking system and included vertical ground reaction force and lower …

Peracetic Acid: A Practical Agent For Sterilizing Heat-Labile Polymeric Tissue-Engineering Scaffolds, William R. Trahan

Theses and Dissertations

Advanced biomaterials and sophisticated processing technologies aim to fabricate tissue-engineering scaffolds that can predictably interact within a biological environment at a cellular level. Sterilization of such scaffolds is at the core of patient safety and is an important regulatory issue that needs to be addressed prior to clinical translation. In addition, it is crucial that meticulously engineered micro- and nano- structures are preserved after sterilization. Conventional sterilization methods involving heat, steam and radiation are not compatible with engineered polymeric systems because of scaffold degradation and loss of architecture. Using electrospun scaffolds made from polycaprolactone (PCL), a low melting polymer, and …

Modification And Evaluation Of A Brain Computer Interface System To Detect Motor Intention, Christopher V. Hagerty-Hoff

Theses and Dissertations

It is widely understood that neurons within the brain produce electrical activity, and electroencephalography—a technique used to measure biopotentials with electrodes placed upon the scalp—has been used to observe it. Today, scientists and engineers work to interface these electrical neural signals with computers and machines through the field of Brain-Computer Interfacing (BCI). BCI systems have the potential to greatly improve the quality of life of physically handicapped individuals by replacing or assisting missing or debilitated motor functions. This research thus aims to further improve the efficacy of the BCI based assistive technologies used to aid physically disabled individuals. This study …

Femtosecond Laser Beam Propagation Through Corneal Tissue: Evaluation Of Therapeutic Laser-Stimulated Second And Third-Harmonic Generation, William R. Calhoun Iii

Theses and Dissertations

One of the most recent advancements in laser technology is the development of ultrashort pulsed femtosecond lasers (FSLs). FSLs are improving many fields due to their unique extreme precision, low energy and ablation characteristics. In the area of laser medicine, ophthalmic surgeries have seen very promising developments. Some of the most commonly performed surgical operations in the world, including laser-assisted in-situ keratomileusis (LASIK), lens replacement (cataract surgery), and keratoplasty (cornea transplant), now employ FSLs for their unique abilities that lead to improved clinical outcome and patient satisfaction.

The application of FSLs in medical therapeutics is a recent development, and although …

Calibration And Validation Of An In Vitro Ultrasound Device To Deliver Targeted Thermal Enhancement Of Hmsc Osteogenesis, Dionne Dawkins

Dissertations and Theses

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a disease that affects millions of people annually, often the elderly, and limits their physical abilities. Current methods of treating OA are often very invasive, and expensive, costing the Medicare system billions of dollars annually. A minimally invasive therapy that can be localized to the affected area that provides both relief and a short recovery time is optimal for treating the disease. For targeted therapy and clinical use, therapeutic ultrasound in the 0.7 MHz to 3 MHz frequency range can provide relief and is convenient, portable and localized. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) has been proven in clinical …

Chemotaxis Of Central Nervous System-Derived Tumor Cells Within Controlled Microenvironments, Jennifer Rico Varela

Dissertations and Theses

Medulloblastoma (MB) is a malignant pediatric brain tumor known for its aggressive metastatic potential. Despite the well-documented migration of MB cells to other parts of the brain and spinal column, MB chemotaxis is poorly understood. Herein, we examined the in vitro migratory and cellular responses of MB-derived cells to external signaling of Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF), hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF-BB), and the stromal cell-derived factors 1-alpha (SDF-1). Experiments utilized transwell assays and immunocytochemistry to identify receptor activation in MB migration, and used a microfluidic platform to examine directionality, trajectory, and gradient- dependence of motile cells. Data …

Computational Modeling To Assess Surgical Procedures For The Treatment Of Adult Acquired Flatfoot Deformity, Brian A. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Several surgically corrective procedures are considered to treat Adult Acquired Flatfoot Deformity (AAFD) patients, relieve pain, and restore function. Procedure selection is based on best practices and surgeon preference. Recent research created patient specific models of Adult Acquired Flatfoot Deformity (AAFD) to explore their predictive capabilities and examine effectiveness of the surgical procedure used to treat the deformity. The models’ behavior was governed solely by patient bodyweight, soft tissue constraints, and joint contact without the assumption of idealized joints. The current work expanded those models to determine if an alternate procedure would be more effective for the individual. These procedures …

Biom 3110: Medical Physiology (Syllabus), Bradford D. Pendley

Biomedical Engineering Syllabi Archive

Course Description: Basic principles of human physiology and how these are applied in medicine and biomedical engineering problem and devices; physiological principles using appropriate mathematical and engineering models to construct an understanding of how the body works as an integrated system.

Computer Aided Diagnosis Of Oral Cancer: Using Time-Step Ct Images, Jonathan T. Scott

Masters Theses

"In medical imaging it is a very common practice to use a technique known as Time-Step imaging in patients who might develop cancer. Time-Step imaging it a very powerful technique, however it can lead to unmanageable amounts of image data. Previously the only way to search all of this data was to manually look through all of the files. This had to be done by trained professionals who knew what to look for within the images and make a judgment about the patient based on the images. This paper discusses the development of an algorithm to have a computer search …

Freeform Extrusion Fabrication Of Titanium Fiber Reinforced 13-93 Bioactive Glass Scaffolds, Albin Thomas

Masters Theses

"Although implants made with bioactive glass have shown promising results for bone repair, their application in repairing load-bearing long bones is limited due to their poor mechanical properties as compared to human bones. This thesis study is on freeform extrusion fabrication of silicate based 13-93 bioactive glass scaffolds reinforced with titanium fibers. A composite paste was prepared with 13-93 bioactive glass filled with titanium fibers (~16 µm in diameter and aspect ratio of ~250) having 0.1 to 0.4 vol. % of the bioactive glass scaffold. This paste was then filled into a syringe manually, and then extruded through a nozzle …

In Vitro Study Of Wound-Healing Capabilities Of Bioactive Glass Fibers Under Various Culture Conditions, Sisi Chen

Masters Theses

"Bioactive borate glass has been recognized to have both hard and soft tissue repair and regeneration capabilities through stimulating both osteogenesis and angiogenesis. However, the underlying physiological and cellular mechanism behind this function remains unclear. In this study, in vitro dynamic flow modules were designed to mimic the micro-environment near the vascular depletion and hyperplasia area in wound-healing regions, and were used to investigate the biocompatibility and functionality of borate glass nano-/micro-fibers. Glass-cell interactions were investigated either by dosing fibers to the upstream of or co-cultured with cells, and two types of borate glasses (with or without CuO/ZnO doped were …

Bioactive Lipid Coating Of Bone Allografts Direct Engraftment And Fate Determination Of Bone Marrow-Derived Cells In Rat Gfp Chimeras, Anusuya Das, Claire E. Segar, Yihsuan Chu, Tiffany W. Wang, Yon Lin, Chunxi Yang, Roy C. Ogle

School of Medical Diagnostics & Translational Sciences Publications

Bone grafting procedures are performed to treat wounds incurred during wartime trauma, accidents, and tumor resections. Endogenous mechanisms of repair are often insufficient to ensure integration between host and donor bone and subsequent restoration of function. We investigated the role that bone marrow-derived cells play in bone regeneration and sought to increase their contributions by functionalizing bone allografts with bioactive lipid coatings. Polymer-coated allografts were used to locally deliver the immunomodulatory small molecule FTY720 in tibial defects created in rat bone marrow chimeras containing genetically-labeled bone marrow for monitoring cell origin and fate. Donor bone marrow contributed significantly to both …

Design And Creation Of A Device To Induce Vergence Eye Movements, Jacob B. Jaminet, Paul A. Wetzel

UROP Posters

Automated eye-tracking systems can detect and analyze eye movements as a means to accurately diagnose more than 20 neurological diseases including mild traumatic brain injury. Mild traumatic brain injury is an occurrence of injury to the head resulting from blunt trauma or from acceleration or deceleration forces. Eye movement refers to the voluntary or involuntary movement of the eyes, helping in acquiring, fixating and tracking visual stimuli. There are three types of voluntary eye movement to track objects: smooth pursuit, vergence shifts and saccades. Vergence shifts are eye movements where the eyes move in opposite directions: moving to the midline …

Non-Invasive Right Ventricular Efficiency Using 4d Flow Mri, Alejandro Roldán-Alzate, Scott Grogan, Heidi Kellihan, Alessandro Bellofiore, Naomi Chesler, Oliver Wieben, Christopher Francois

Faculty Publications

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PH) is a progressive disease of increased resistance to flow through the lungs, leading to right ventricular (RV) failure [1]. MRI is increasingly used to assess right ventricular (RV) function in PH. RV stroke work (SW) based on invasive pressure and volume measurements, is used to assess ventricular work. Determining RV work from MRI could enable a more complete characterization of RV and PA interactions in PH. The purpose of this study was to non-invasively estimate RV work from simultaneously acquired RV volume (VRV) and pulmonary artery flow (QPA) using a 4D flow-sensitive MRI sequence …

Brainstorm Radiation Systems Inc, Calia Battista, Leah Krichbaum, Lauren Wickert, Cody George, Ryan Manges

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Many different designs have been created to immobilize patients for radiation therapy of the head and neck. Options exist which result in varying degrees of patient comfort, radiation attenuation, and limitation of movement. While one requirement can be met effectively, it is difficult to design a system which adequately meets all requirements for radiation therapy. Brainstorm Radiation Systems aims to address all of these variables and transform the patient and technician experience during radiation treatment. The requirements for our head and neck immobilization design were to immobilize the patient within 3mm of movement for at least 30 minutes, and must …