Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Development Of A Protocol To Measure Gene Expression In The Mouse Tibia, Daniel Hoover

Biomedical Engineering

Numerous molecular factors active in bone tissue direct fracture repair and remodeling which can be altered by disease conditions such as Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) and Osteoporosis. Methods of molecular biology are commonly applied to investigate the expression and role of these molecular factors. This project presents a robust three-step protocol for examining gene expression in the mouse tibia. The protocol begins with isolating RNA from a flash frozen tibia sample. The isolated RNA is reverse transcribed into cDNA. Finally, PCR is performed to indentify expressed genes. Establishing this protocol will allow further research into the mechanisms of bone remodeling …

Development Of A Blood Flow Measurement Protocol Using Particle Image Velocimetry, Jennifer Chi-Ying Go

Biomedical Engineering

Peripheral Arterial Occlusive Disease (PAOD) is an acquired inflammatory disease where a peripheral artery becomes occluded due to the buildup of atherosclerotic plaques. In patients that possess collateral arteries, an occlusion can lead to shear induced outward remodeling, arteriogenesis, of these collaterals, partially restoring blood flow. However, newly remodeled collaterals exhibit reduced functional vasodilation, which may impair normal activity, such as ambulation. To model chronic ischemia and arteriogenesis in collaterals, a femoral artery ligation in a murine hindlimb is commonly performed. Previous efforts by our group involved measurements of collateral artery diameter to assess the impact of arteriogenesis on functional …

Novel Platform Development Using An Assembly Of Carbon Nanotube, Nanogold And Immobilized Rna Capture Element Towards Rapid, Selective Sensing Of Bacteria, Elizabeth I. Maurer, Kristen K. Comfort, Saber M. Hussain, John J. Schlager, Sharmila M. Mukhopadhyay

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

This study examines the creation of a nano-featured biosensor platform designed for the rapid and selective detection of the bacterium Escherichia coli. The foundation of this sensor is carbon nanotubes decorated with gold nanoparticles that are modified with a specific, surface adherent ribonucleic acid (RNA) sequence element. The multi-step sensor assembly was accomplished by growing carbon nanotubes on a graphite substrate, the direct synthesis of gold nanoparticles on the nanotube surface, and the attachment of thiolated RNA to the bound nanoparticles.

The application of the compounded nanomaterials for sensor development has the distinct advantage of retaining the electrical behavior …

Virtual Reality Visual Feedback And Its Effect On Brain Excitability, Soha Saleh

Dissertations

This dissertation examines manipulation of visual feedback in virtual reality (VR) to increase excitability of distinct neural networks in the sensorimotor cortex. The objective is to explore neural responses to visual feedback of motor activities performed in complex virtual environments during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and to identify sensory manipulations that could further optimize VR rehabilitation of persons with hemiparesis. In addition, the effects of VR therapy on brain reorganization are investigated. An MRI-compatible VR system is used to provide subjects with online visual feedback of their hand movement. First, the author develops a protocol to analyze variability in …

Upper Extremity Rehabilitation Using Interactive Virtual Environments, Qinyin Qiu

Dissertations

Stroke affects more than 700,000 people annually in the U.S. It is the leading cause of major disability. Recovery of upper extremity function remains particularly resistant to intervention, with 80% to 95% of persons demonstrating residual upper extremity impairments lasting beyond six months after the stroke. The NJIT Robot Assistive Virtual Rehabilitation (NJIT-RAVR) system has been developed to study optimal strategies for rehabilitation of arm and hand function. Several commercial available devices, such as HapticMaster™, Cyberglove™, trakSTAR™ and Cybergrasp™, have been integrated and 11 simulations were developed to allow users to interact with virtual environments. Visual interfaces used in these …

Quantifying Prehension In Persons With Stroke Post Rehabilitation, Saumya Sara Puthenveettil

Theses

This study describes the analysis of reaching and grasping abilities of the hemiparetic arm and hand of patients post stroke after a series of interactive virtual reality (VR) simulated training sessions and conventional physical therapy of similar intensity. Six subjects participated in VR training and five subjects in clinical rehabilitation for two weeks. Subjects’ finger joint angles were measured during a kinematic reach to grasp test using CyberGlove® and arm joint angles were measured using the trackSTARTM system prior to training and after training. Downward force applied to the object during grasping was assessed using Nano17TM, a force/torque sensor system …

Alterations In Brain Connectivity After Spinal Cord Injury Using Functional Mri, Yamin Ahmed Noor

Theses

Every year, approximately 50 people per million of inhabitants are inflicted by Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). The long-term impairment of the SCI patients has led researchers to investigate different rehabilitation and treatment efforts that require careful observations to be made on reliable markers. Presently, a number of neuropsychological assessments are used for SCI rehabilitation and research purposes. However, there is a need for the discovery of sensitive biomarkers that can be used to characterize SCI. Altered functional connectivity in the brain has been observed in a number of neurological patient populations. Hence, it was hypothesized that such alterations in brain …

Experimental Evaluation Of Near Infrared Light Penetration Into Neural Tissue, Ujwal Anil Parikh

Theses

Near infrared (NIR) lasers find applications in medicine both for diagnostic and treatment purposes. Penetration depth into the tissue is a critical parameter to be considered in these NIR laser applications. Published data on the optical properties of rodent neural tissue are rare, despite the frequent use of rats as animal models. The aim of this study was to directly measure the light intensity profile inside the rat brain gray matter that is illuminated by an NIR laser beam. The local light intensities were sampled using an optical fiber inserted into the brain. The intensity profile in the axial direction …

Fmri Assessment Of Ischemic Stroke In Humans, Rui Yuan

Theses

Cerebral ischemia, or brain ischemia is a kind of stroke where the blood flow is insufficient to the metabolic demand of brain. The lack of oxygen supply will directly lead to the death of brain tissue. There are two major injury regions: the infarct and penumbra. Mostly, since the infarct regions became dead tissues rapidly after stroke, there is a tiny possibility to rescue them in time. But penumbra parts are different. Tissues there will be viable for hours after ischemia. Hence, both theoretically and practically, it is possible to salvage those cells in the penumbra region. Diffusion weighted image …

Analysis Of Tissue Engineering Strategies For Bone-Related Applications, Timothy Buirkle

Theses

Over the past few decades, tissue engineering approaches have pushed their way to the forefront of biotechnological research and development, serving a wide variety of applications. This research utilizes quantitative methods to analyze the outcome of two bone tissue engineering studies. In an in vivo study, the use of Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) in combination with stem cell-loaded scaffolds was investigated for the repair of large bone defects. Quantitative histological analysis was performed by determining both the percentage of cells proliferating (BrdU), as well as cells expressing bone-specific markers of alkaline phosphatase (A L P) in the defect. Total …

Plant-Made Influenza Virus-Like Particles: For Pandemic And Beyond, Nathalie Charland

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.

Mutiply Activated Vlp Influenza Vaccines, James Swartz, Yuan Lu, John Welsh, Wei Chan

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.

Novel Glycoconjugate Vaccines Based On Rationally Designed Synthetic Carbohydrate Antigens, Stwewart Campbell

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.

Purification Of Cell-Based Influenza H5n1 Viruses By Liquid Chromatography Technologies, Alan Yung-Chih Hu

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.

Flunisyn: Advanced Development Of A Synthetic Universal Influenza T-Cell Vaccine, Campbell Bunce

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.

Viral Sensitizer Technology Improves Yield Of Modified Vaccinia Ankara From Available Cell Substrates, Facrice Le Boeuf

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.

Monolithic Columns For Purification And In-Process Control Of Viruses And Virus-Like Particles, Lidija Urbas, Milos Barut

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.

Endotoxin-Free E. Coli Hosts For Vaccine Discovery And Production, David Bramhill

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.

Bacterium-Like Particles As Delivery Vehicles For Multimeric Antigens, Kees Leenhouts

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.

Utilizing ‘Omics Tools To Investigate The Impact Of Process Changes On Product Quality In Cell Culture-Based Influenza Vaccine Production, E. Rapp, J. Rodig, J. Schwarzer, D. Hoeper, R. Hennig, Y. Genzel, U. Reichl

Vaccine Technology IV

No abstract provided.