Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Near Infrared Quantitative Phase Imaging Of Cellular Manipulation Under Different Physio-Chemical Environments, Bipin Joshi

Bioengineering Theses - Archive

Quantitative phase imaging using Digital Holographic Microscopy (DHM) is emerging as a label-free and wide-field method of characterizing cells with high spatio-temporal resolution. In parallel, silicon based micromechanical and electronic devices are allowing both manipulation (e.g. electrical stimulation, mechanical actuation) as well as characterization (electrical and mechanical) of micro and nano-scopic samples. This has revolutionized development of lab-on-a-chip devices for high throughput analysis of cells and molecules for diagnosis of disease and screening of drug-effects. However, very little progress has been made in optical (e.g. fluorescence, Raman etc) characterization of samples on these silicon-based devices. Especially, wide-field high-resolution optical imaging …

Detecting Clinical Biomarkers Using Diffusion Tensor Imaging, Tejasvi Gundapuneedi

Bioengineering Theses - Archive

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), a modality of MRI that measures water diffusion properties noninvasively, is highly sensitive to subtle structural changes of white matter. It provides a unique and noninvasive method for delineating in-vivo architecture of human brain white matter. Four metrics derived from DTI, fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (AxD) and radial diffusivity (RD), have been widely used to quantitatively characterize the white matter disruption in mental disorders and degenerative diseases. An atlas-based approach incorporating a digital white matter atlas and registration and skeletonization functions of tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) has been developed recently. This approach …

Electrospun Biodegradable Polymeric Membranes For Post-Surgery Anti-Adhesion Applications, Pouriska Kivanany

Bioengineering Theses - Archive

Abdominal adhesion is a prevalent, troublesome condition occurring after surgical procedures and can cause a variety of side effects such as, abdominal pain with a highly associated cost ($1.3 billion annually for) for expensive surgical removal. Many companies and research groups have studied and developed techniques to prevent adhesion after surgery; however, none have been completely effective or practical for use. Current materials have many drawbacks, such as the inability to degrade, poor surgical handling, and attracting bacteria. Up to 93% of patients receiving abdominal surgeries will develop abdominal adhesions, and a viable treatment option needs to be developed to …

Involvement Of Mixed Lineage Leukemia And Homeobox Proteins In Dna Damage Recognition And Repair, Somdutta Chakraborty

Bioengineering Theses - Archive

Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) molecules are informational molecules, encoding genetic information which is indispensable in the development and functioning of living organisms. DNA encodes for most proteins essential for all bodily functions and a few of which are known to be involved in the DNA Damage Response/ Repair mechanism. DNA damage recognition and repair is crucial and the cell has an innate mechanism of repairing it. Unrepaired DNA damage leads to genetic mutation or even cancers, which are sustained by further cell division and genetic multiplication. Other researchers have already confirmed the involvement of several proteins and histones like PARP and …

Evaluation Of Tissue Response From The Regenerative Multielectrode Array (Remi) Implant Using Atf-3 And Cjun, Sarita Bhetawal

Bioengineering Theses - Archive

Currently available peripheral nerve regenerative interfaces such as the sieve and the micro-channel regenerative electrode, intended to be used for the control and natural feel from advanced robotic prosthetic devices, eventually fail due to nerve damage due to axonopathy. The Regenerative Multi-electrode array (REMI) developed in our lab overcomes this limitation by providing a non-obstructive pathway for regenerating axons. However, it is possible that the mismatch at the electrode-tissue interface may cause axonal injury during limb stretching. In order to determine if micro-motion at the REMI causes neuronal injury I evaluated the nuclear expression of Activating Transcription Factor 3 (ATF-3), …

Surface Modification Of Magnetic Nanoparticles For Formulation Of Photoluminescent Polymer-Coated Magnetic Nanoparticles To Detect And Treat Cancers, Tejaswi Dhanpal Kadapure

Bioengineering Theses - Archive

Cancer has been one of the leading causes of death worldwide that necessitates the development of theranostic systems for effective cancer management. Previously, we developed biodegradable-photoluminescent polymer coated magnetic nanoparticles (BPLP-MNPs) as a theranostic system for cancer management. These BPLP-MNPs were highly stable with excellent biocompatibility and consisted of magnetic targeting and imaging capabilities. However, these particles experienced reduced fluorescence due to the presence of dark/blackness of MNPs, which absorbs excited/emitted light. Therefore, it was hypothesized that surface modification on MNPs can overcome this limitation and enhance fluorescence for BPLP-MNPs.The goal of this research was therefore to employ various surface …

A Novel In-House Design Of A Bioreactor For The Modeling Of An In Vitro Blood Brain Barrier Model, Ian Mahaffey

Biomedical Engineering

The blood brain barrier is the protector of the central nervous system and a physical barrier that functions to regulate the substances that can pass in and out of the brain; it is the function and integrity of this system that keeps the homeostasis of the central nervous system. Yet this shield against foreign invaders in the blood also prevents drugs designed for treatment of various ailments of the central nervous system from reaching their target in the brain. Developing drugs that can pass through this barrier, and understanding it’s function has become an area of increasing interest. Many researchers …

Alternating Current Dielectrophoretic Manipulation Of Erythrocytes In Medical Microdevice Technology, Kaela M. Leonard

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Medical microdevices have gained popularity in the past few decades because they allow the medical laboratory to be taken out into the field and for disease diagnostics to happen with a smaller sample volume, at a lower cost and much faster. Blood is the human body's most readily available and informative diagnostic fluid because of the wealth of information it provides about the body's general health including enzymatic, proteomic and immunological states. The purpose of this project is to optimize operating conditions and study ABO-Rh erythrocytes dielectrophoretic responses to alternating current electric signals. The end goal of this project is …

Multimodal Imaging Evidence For Axonal And Myelin Deterioration In Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, Brian T. Gold, Yang Jiang, David K. Powell, Charles D. Smith

Neuroscience Faculty Publications

White matter (WM) microstructural declines have been demonstrated in Alzheimer's disease and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI). However, the pattern of WM microstructural changes in aMCI after controlling for WM atrophy is unknown. Here, we address this issue through joint consideration of aMCI alterations in fractional anisotropy, mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity, as well as macrostructural volume in WM and gray matter compartments. Participants were 18 individuals with aMCI and 24 healthy seniors. Voxelwise analyses of diffusion tensor imaging data was carried out using tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) and voxelwise analyses of high-resolution structural data was conducted using …

Complete Genome Sequence Of Clostridium Clariflavum Dsm 19732, Javier A. Izquierdo, Lynne Goodwin, Karen W. Davenport, Hazuki Teshima

Dartmouth Scholarship

Clostridium clariflavum is a Cluster III Clostridium within the family Clostridiaceae isolated from thermophilic anaerobic sludge (Shiratori et al, 2009). This species is of interest because of its similarity to the model cellulolytic organism Clostridium thermocellum and for the ability of environmental isolates to break down cellulose and hemicellulose. Here we describe features of the 4,897,678 bp long genome and its annotation, consisting of 4,131 protein-coding and 98 RNA genes, for the type strain DSM 19732.

Application Of The Human-Machine Interaction Model To Multiple Attribute Task Battery (Matb): Task Component Interaction And The Strategy Paradigm, Craig M. Walters

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The Multiple-Attribute Task Battery (MATB) is composed of four simultaneously running components to which a human operator responds. A prior report has quantified information content as a machine input baud rate using the Hick-Hyman and Fitt's Laws for three of the four components and defines a strategy function. This report covers methods to quantify information content of the fourth component, creating a single metric which describes overall task complexity and evaluates human performance and strategy. Six MATB task-scenarios (combinations of two, three, or all four MATB components) each at two input baud rates are evaluated. Subjects were also provided with …

Regulation Of The Transcription And Subcellular Localization Of The Tumor Suppressor Pten By Δnp63Α, Mary Kathryn Leonard

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) are the most common form of cancer in the United States with an estimated 3.5 million new cases each year. Surgical excision is the main treatment for NMSC, but leaves the potential for disfiguring scars and does not fully reduce the risk of recurrence since the surrounding tissue is also sun damaged and may contain tumor-promoting mutations. By understanding the molecular etiology of NMSC we may be able to expand treatment options to more than just resection. Normal epidermal development is dependent upon the expression of the transcription factor p63. Amplification of the ΔNp63α isoform is …

Decorin Expression, Straw-Like Structure, And Differentiation Of Human Costal Cartilage, Michael W. Stacey, Janna Grubb, Anthony Asmar, Julie Pryor, Hani Elsayed-Ali, Ali Beskok, Diganta Dutta, Annie Fecteau, Alice Werner, Dennis A. Darby, Robert Kelly

Bioelectrics Publications

Costal cartilage is much understudied compared with the load-bearing cartilages. Abnormally grown costal cartilages are associated with the inherited chest wall deformities pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum resulting in sunken and pigeon chests, respectively. A lack of understanding of the ultrastructural and molecular biology of costal cartilage is a major confounder in predicting causes and outcomes of these disorders. This study analyzed the structure of marginal human costal cartilage (ribs 6-10) through scanning electron and atomic force microscopes and identified the presence of straw-like structures running longitudinally. We also demonstrated that chondrocytes tend to occur singly or as doublets and …

Exploring Functional Networks Of The Brain Relating To Upper Extremity Motor Skill Using Graph Theory, Dominic Nathan, Stephen J. Guastello, Robert W. Prost, Dean C. Jeutter

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Optimization Of Wsu Total Ankle Replacement Systems, Bradley Jay Elliott

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Total ankle arthroplasty (TAR) is performed in order to reduce the pain and loss of ambulation in patients with various forms of arthritis and trauma. Although replacement devices fail by a number of mechanisms, wear in the polyethylene liner constitutes one of the dominating failure modes. This leads to instability and loosening of the implant. Mechanisms that contribute to wear in the liners are high contact and subsurface stresses that break down the material over time. Therefore, it is important to understand the gait that generates these stresses. Methods to characterize and decrease wear in Ohio TARs have been performed …

Predicting Success Or Failure Of Immunotherapy For Cancer: Insights From A Clinically Applicable Mathematical Model, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to create a clinically applicable mathematical model of immunotherapy for cancer and use it to explore differences between successful and unsuccessful treatment scenarios. The simplified predator-prey model includes four lumped parameters: tumor growth rate, g; immune cell killing efficiency, k; immune cell signaling factor, λ; and immune cell half-life decay, μ. The predator-prey equations as functions of time, t, for normalized tumor cell numbers, y, (the prey) and immunocyte numbers, x, (the predators) are: dy/dt = gy – kx and dx/dt = λxy – μx. A parameter estimation procedure that capitalizes on available clinical …

Optimizing Electrode Placement For Hemodynamic Benefit In Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: Research is needed to explore the relative benefits of alternative electrode placements in biventricular and left ventricular pacing for heart failure with left bundle branch block (LBBB). Methods: A fast computational model of the left ventricle, running on an ordinary laptop computer, was created to simulate the spread of electrical activation over the myocardial surface, together with the resulting electrocardiogram, segmental wall motion, stroke volume, and ejection fraction in the presence of varying degrees of mitral regurgitation. Arbitrary zones of scar and blocked electrical conduction could be modeled. Results: Simulations showed there are both sweet spots and poor spots …

Enhancing The Mechanical Properties Of A Hydroxyapatite-Collagen Bone Surrogate, Richard Franz Banglmaier

Wayne State University Dissertations

The synthesis of biomimetic hydroxyapatite-collagen composites is desirable from the perspective of graft elimination and load-bearing support when treating damaged or diseased bone. Bone is an organized network of carbonated hydroxyapatite mineralized collagen, whose strength and toughness is dependent on the organized array of mineralized collagen fibers that align with applied physiologic stresses. The apatitic calcium phosphate phase, hydroxyapatite, is promising for the biomimetic mineralization of collagen. Hydroxyapatite-collagen composites are osteoconductive and resorbable. However, the mechanical properties of these composites are one or more orders of magnitude less than bone. The aim of this study was to produce a bone-like …

Techniques For Sensor-Integrated Robotic Systems: Raman Spectra Analysis, Image Guidance, And Kinematic Calibration, Luke Anthony Reisner

Wayne State University Dissertations

Robotics and sensor technology have made impressive advancements over the years. There are now robotic systems that help perform surgeries or explore the surface of Mars, and there are sensors that detect trace amounts of explosives or identify diseased human tissue. The most powerful systems integrate robots and sensors, which are natural complements to each other. Sensors can provide information that might otherwise be unavailable due to indirect robotic manipulation (e.g., images of the target environment), and robots can provide suitably precise positioning of an analytical sensor.

To have an effective sensor-integrated robotic system, multiple capabilities are needed in the …

The Role Of Amp-Activated Protein Kinase (Ampk) In Hypoxic Chemotransduction By The Carotid Body, Heidi Lynn Jordan

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The carotid bodies are small sensory organs located along the bifurcation of the carotid arteries. They detect changes in blood gases and relay this information to the brain to allow for initiation of appropriate respiratory and cardiovascular responses. A decrease in oxygen (hypoxia) sensed by the carotid body results in an increase in firing of the carotid sinus nerve and ultimately a change in one's breathing pattern. An inability to respond to an acute hypoxic (low oxygen) episode via increased ventilation may result in death or lead to pathological or chronic conditions such as stroke and hypertension (Prabhakar et.al., 2005). …