Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Redesigning Nasogastric Feeding Tubes To Prevent Dislodgement, Sydney Ruth Rester, Shelby Lynn Berry

Honors Theses

Seniors at the University of Mississippi studying biomedical engineering complete a senior project that seeks to solve a problem in healthcare. Our team, composed of Sydney Rester, Shelby Berry, Andrew Ulmer, and Alex Bromley, sought to improve care associated with nasogastric feeding tubes. We identified two major problems: clogging and tube dislodgement. To address the problem of dislodgement, the team crafted a new feeding tube design with a balloon attachment. The attachment prevents a patient from pulling the feeding tube out and keeps the tube from dislodging due to normal patient movement. We further determined that our tube should be …

Implementation Of Methods For Cell Therapy Research And Assessment Of The Impact Of Cryopreservation, Samantha Lynes

Master's Theses

Cell therapy is the administration of living cells into a patient to prevent or treat a variety of diseases and illnesses. The cell therapy industry is rapidly expanding, and continued research is necessary for manufacturing safe and effective therapies. Although cell therapy manufacturing generally involves cryopreservation processes for storage, there are limited standards for cryopreservation processes and assays required to evaluate cell therapies post-thaw, and limited understanding exists about how a recovery period post-thaw could impact cell health. The overall goal of this thesis was to evaluate the effect of cryopreservation and potential subsequent recovery time on cell viability.

Because …

A Proof Of Concept For Detection Of Palato-Lingual Contact Without Intraoral Electrodes In A Human Participant, Amitava Biswas

Master's Theses

The author of this thesis conceived and investigated an unexpected electrical signal that may not be noticed during regular electroglottography (EGG) when electrodes are conventionally placed on the anterior surface of the throat. It appears that there is a measurable electrical signal from the EGG equipment when electrodes are placed over the frontal cheek (belly of zygomatic muscle), and the tongue is elevated to contact the hard palate, or the tongue is lowered to break the contact. Therefore, this phenomenon is designated as unconventional electroglottography (UEGG, Dr. Steven Cloud, private communication, July 17, 2022).

Two distinctive patterns of waveforms were …

Assesment Of Structure, Function, And Microevolutionary Dynamics Of Extrachromosomal Circular Dna In Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells, Dylan Chitwood

All Dissertations

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell lines are among the most popular expression hosts used in biopharmaceutical manufacturing due to relative ease of culture, capacity to perform human-like post-translational modifications, and non-susceptibility to viruses. However, the intrinsic plasticity of the CHO genome can lead to undesired genetic rearrangements, phenotypic shifts, reduced product quality, and early culture termination that prevents continuous biomanufacturing. A characteristic of plastic and unstable genomes that is poorly understood in CHO cells is extrachromosomal circular DNA (eccDNA). EccDNAs are focal amplifications of the genome that reside in the extranuclear space. These plasmid-like entities are structurally complex and are …

Investigating The Effect Of Pancreatic Cancer Tumor-Derived Extracellular Vesicles On Schwann Cell Activation, Isabel Powers

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Pancreatic cancer is one of the deadliest diseases because it is hard to identify in its early stages, has high chemoresistance, and early metastasis. Because of these traits, it is often associated with perineural invasion (PNI), where the cancer travels to the nervous system. Schwann cells (SC) are associated with both metastasis and PNI when activated. The purpose of this study was to determine if and how pancreatic tumor-derived extracellular vesicles (TEVs) can activate SC in PNI. This experiment was performed by embedding Schwann cells in a hydrogel to model the tumor microenvironment and treating them with isolated extracellular vesicles …

Development Of 3d Ovarian Cancer Spheroids In Vitro And Investigation Of Their Physiological Relevance As Models Of Inherent Chemoresistance, Amanda Murray

Honors College Theses

Ovarian cancer is the sixth leading cause of death among women worldwide, with an average 5-year survival rate of less than 48%. Current clinical treatment methods for this disease are often deemed ineffective because of the innate chemoresistance of tumors due to their microenvironment and architecture. Accurately mimicking chemoresistance with traditional 2D cultures is difficult; therefore, recent years have seen an increase in 3D culturing methods that create cellular spheroids. These spheroids can serve as models of in vivo tumor characteristics due to their hypoxic core, acidic microenvironment, and increased cell-to-cell interactions. This research aims to (1) refine a 3D …

Motion Analysis Of Feeding Tasks: Brachial Plexus Versus Control Subjects, Madison M. Lovette

ETD Archive

Brachial plexus birth injuries (BPBI) occur in about 0.4 to 4.6 of every 1000 live births due to stretching or tearing of the nerves. Children with BPBI often struggle to perform daily living activities without assistance, including feeding themselves. Upper extremity function is commonly assessed in children with BPBI using the modified Mallet classification, a set of positions representing activities of daily living that are scored according to ability. The hand to mouth position is a Mallet position and is often used to represent feeding tasks in the BPBI population. Establishing this normative data will provide a baseline for comparison …

Investigating The Impact Of International Education On Cultural Understanding, Health Disparities And Collaboration Through Project-Based Learning, Breanna Kilgore

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Global health is an interdisciplinary field emphasizing international health issues, causes, and solutions based on cultural and global understanding. We have all witnessed how crucial global health is with the global COVID-19 crisis that has affected everyone. To effectively work to solve global health issues, people from different backgrounds must work together to complete a common goal. Before problem solving begins, gaining a basic understanding of cultural differences and collaborating with different people is an essential skill to have. Previous studies have demonstrated the usefulness of study abroad experiences and international service-learning opportunities in promoting collaborations, cultural competency and personal …

Correlation Of Intracellular Metabolites With Optical Metabolic Imaging In Polarized Macrophages As Indicators Of Metabolic Reprogramming, Abby Claire Denison, Shelby Bess

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Macrophages are a type of immune cell that are characterized by their ability to differentiate into various active phenotypes based on environmental stimuli. They can generally be classified as one of two extremes: inflammatory/M1 or wound-healing/M2. Macrophage populations in vivo, however, are rarely homogenous, and since macrophages play vital roles in the immune response, particularly in the context of the tumor microenvironment (TME), it’s important to be able to investigate and understand heterogenous macrophage populations to develop more effective treatments. Recently, autofluorescence imaging such as multiphoton microscopy and fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) of metabolic cofactors NADH and FAD have …

Optimizing Three-Dimensional Bioengineered Co-Cultures For The Study Of Fibrotic Spinal Cord Injury, Sarah Aly

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) have major physical implications on those affected^[1]. There are two main types of scarring that occur after injury; they are known as the glial and fibrotic scar. The injured site causes an altered micro-environment which transforms astrocytes from their normal to reactive state, thus inhibiting axonal regeneration. The effect of reactive astrocytes on fibrotic scarring is not fully understood due to limited study^[2,3]. Using Three-Dimensional (3D) bioengineered co-cultures of astrocytes and neuroblasts the pathological environment can be replicated and manipulated to further the study of fibrotic scarring. Temperature casted co-cultures were successfully …

An In Vivo Biocompatibility Analysis Of A Novel Tissue Regeneration Matrix Using A Pig Model, Shamar Thomas

All Theses

The goal of this project is to develop an injectable bead scaffold to promote tissue regeneration in the void created by lumpectomy and to alleviate post lumpectomy problems by preventing local recurrence and minimizing surgical-related infections. Microbeads were synthesized from collagen type I and crosslinked with tannic acid to form the basis for this injectable therapeutic. Tannic acid acts as a therapeutic anticancer agent. The action mechanisms of tannins in breast cancer cells have been studied with studies showing tannins to be cytotoxic to cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner. Tannic acid induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells via caspase …

Physiological Analyses Of Broadband Near-Infrared Spectroscopy And Electrophysiological Measurements In Vivo For Biomedical Applications, Haylea Renguul

Bioengineering Theses - Archive

My thesis concerns analysis of data from optical and electrophysiological measurement tools for calculate potential biomarkers in three biomedical applications: (1) the gastrointestinal immaturity of infants of different ages, (2) prefrontal connectivity in healthy older adults, and (3) hemodynamic-metabolic coherence during vascular occlusion. The first application relied on electrogastrogram (EGG) measurements taken on 81 newborns in a neonatal intensive care unit. Of the 81 babies, 77 were born prematurely. By separating these babies into different gestational age groups and analyzing their EGG data, I was able to find population differences in common EGG analysis parameters. In particular, we found that …

A Comparative Biomechanical Investigation Of Porcine Neonatal And Adult Left Ventricular Tissues, Timothy R. Eastep

Bioengineering Theses - Archive

A current trend in cardiac muscle regeneration and repair is to recreate the biophysical and biomechanical environment of the neonatal hearts, which has been shown to promote cardiac regeneration. This translational need requires thorough understanding of the biomechanical properties of the neonatal hearts. In this study, we aim to (i) characterize the dynamic viscoelastic properties of the neonatal porcine left ventricular (LV) muscle and compare with the adult tissue behavior using a rheometer; (ii) perform histological assessment to identify the cellular and extracellular (ECM) microstructures that contribute to the observed biomechanical differences, and (iii) develop a light sheet imaging protocol …

Exploring The Effects Of Microarchitecture On Astrocyte Behavior And Vascular Remodeling In Spinal Cord Injury, Devin Gerber

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a common condition and is characterized by traumatic and progressive damage that results in limited neuron regeneration and thus a restricted recovery. In SCI, the vasculature is also severely damaged, which exacerbates inflammation at the injury site. Specifically, insufficient angiogenesis occurs at the site of injury due to the fibrotic pathological microenvironment1 . SCI also leads to the formation of a fluid-filled cavity and thus gliosis and fibrosis, forming a dense glial and fibrotic scar around the cavity. The microenvironment at the injury site plays a significant role in astrocyte behavior, promoting the transformation of …

Study Of The Stability Of Heparin/Collagen Layer-By-Layer Coatings, Hector M. Apodaca Reyes

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Pairing heparin with collagen-based medical implants has opened a whole new area of research for enhancing the desired effect of current implants. In fact, heparin (HEP) and collagen (COL) layer-by-layer (LbL) coatings have shown impressive results in forming polyelectrolyte multilayers. It has been already seen on skin grafts, nerve guide conduits (NGCs), and drug delivery devices yielding promising results. Due to being a simple, cost-efficient, and versatile option to fabricate thin biomimetic films, this self-assembly technique is one of the most effective methods to immobilize extracellular matrix (collagen and heparin) onto medical devices and implants. Even though previous studies have …

An Integrated Experimental And Modeling Approach To Design Rotating Algae Biofilm Reactors (Rabrs) Via Optimizing Algae Biofilm Productivity, Nutrient Recovery, And Energy Efficiency, Gerald Benjamin Jones

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Microalgae biofilms have been demonstrated to recover nutrients from wastewater and serve as biomass feedstock for bioproducts. However, there is a need to develop a platform to quantitatively describe microalgae biofilm production, which can provide guidance and insights for improving biomass areal productivity and nutrient uptake efficiency. This paper proposes a unified experimental and theoretical framework to investigate algae biofilm growth on a rotating algae biofilm reactor (RABR). The experimental laboratory setups are used to conduct controlled experiments on testing environmental and operational factors for RABRs. We propose a differential-integral equation-based mathematical model for microalgae biofilm cultivation guided by laboratory …

Automation Of Life Cycle Assessment, Jacob Hickman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

An automation program, named Jacob LCA, was created to help perform life cycle assessment (LCA). The program uses a template file to perform controlled and consistently ordered actions with the LCA program, SimaPro, and effectively removes the need for manual user input. It can be set to run using data from one or more life cycle inventory (LCI) files, which allows for rapid iteration and testing of data. It also partially addresses some of the limitations of LCA by establishing a procedure through which temporal and spatial variations in data can be integrated into LCI files and then passed to …

Development Of Medical Device For Volume Status Assessment Using Peripheral Venous Pressure, Audra Beneux

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The severe side effects of acute dehydration and blood loss may be prevented if assessed and treated quickly. As amplifier technology has improved, small peripheral venous pressure (PVP) signals collected using a transducer on an intravenous catheter can be analyzed to monitor patient volume status. This thesis details the development of an embedded system prototype that quickly and accurately assesses volume status using PVP analysis. The volume prediction algorithm classified 10 seconds of PVP data as “dehydrated” or “resuscitated”. The hardware design consisted of four primary areas: analog signal conditioning, processing, user interaction, and power. After data collection, the signal …

Blood Flow Regulates Atherosclerosis Progression And Regression, Morgan A. Schake

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Atherosclerosis is the most prevalent pathology of cardiovascular disease with no known cure. Despite the many systemic risk factors for atherosclerosis, plaques do not form randomly in the vasculature. Instead, they form around bifurcations and the inner curvature of highly curving arterial segments that contain so-called disturbed blood flow that is low in magnitude and multidirectional over the cardiac cycle. Conversely, straight, non-bifurcated arterial segments that contain moderate-to-high and unidirectional (i.e., normal) blood flow are protected from plaque development. Thus, blood flow is a key regulator of atherosclerosis that may be able to be leveraged to develop new therapeutics. Towards …

Trace Dna Detection Using Diamond Dye: A Recovery Technique To Yield More Dna, Leah Davis

Master's Theses

This study aspires to find a new screening approach to trace DNA recovery techniques to yield a higher quantity of trace DNA from larger items of evidence. It takes the path of visualizing trace DNA on items of evidence with potential DNA so analysts can swab a more localized area rather than attempting to recover trace DNA through the general swabbing technique currently used for trace DNA recovery. The first and second parts consisted of observing trace DNA interaction with Diamond Dye on porous and non-porous surfaces.

The third part involved applying the Diamond Dye solution by spraying it onto …