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The Interaction Of Angiotensin I And Ii On Calcified Aortic Valve Cells, Fah Sysavanh

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Cardiovascular diseases affect the older population with limited treatments available. Aortic valve stenosis is a cardiovascular disease in which the aortic valve narrows, causing blood flow constriction and calcification.¹ The only treatment is to replace the valve, which can be costly and lead to other health complications.

The renin-angiotensin system (RAS) is a pathway that helps with maintaining cardiovascular homeostasis. Angiotensin I (ANGI) and II (ANGII) are hormones in the RAS that cause an increase in inflammation, stress, and blood pressure by binding to the Angiotensin Type 1 Receptor (AT1R).¹ Gelatin-based valve thin film (vTF) platforms were fabricated to investigate …

Alternative Fixation Of Venous Valves For Bioprosthetic Applications, Makenzie Kapales

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Venous valve failure allows for the retrograde, or backward, flow of blood into the lower extremities, which leads to Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI). CVI infringes upon quality of life through ulceration and can result in death due to Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT), or blood clots, causing pulmonary embolism. A successful treatment of CVI restores valve function and prevents retrograde blood flow; however, current bioprosthetic venous valves exhibit low patency and high calcification. To improve upon bioprosthetic venous valves and CVI treatment, the University of Arkansas’s Cardiovascular Biomechanics Lab conducts studies with the purpose of comparing the properties and performance of …

Sequential Illumination In A Tomographic Microendoscopic Probe For Imaging Tumor Microvasculature, Zachariah Neumeier

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Knowledge of colorectal cancer biology is improving how we approach cancer treatment. Specifically, the tumor microenvironment and abnormal angiogenesis are of particular interest. Optical methods are a prime candidate for research of the tumor microenvironment due to their ability to quantitively assess tissue structure and perfusion in real time. Particularly, the “transport scattering regime” has been identified as a method of obtaining high-resolution images and reflectance spectroscopy data; this light scattering regime has been demonstrated compatible with endoscopic imaging systems. In this study, a proof-of-concept optical imaging system is presented, capable of resolving absorbers within scattering turbid media using a …

Mapping Of Electroencephalogram (Eeg) Responses To Newsvendor Decision Model And Cerebral Hemodynamic Responses To Transcranial Photobiomodulation (Tpbm) In Humans, Cong Dung Nghi Truong

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

Decision-making is one of the most critical activities of human beings. Various studies have investigated the brain responses to a variety of decision tasks by deploying the EEG data. The first aim of my dissertation was to investigate the neurocognitive mechanisms and correlations across multiple subjects when people make risky economic decisions. A decision-making task was designed based on the newsvendor problem (NP) with two scenarios: low-profit margins (LM) as the more challenging scenario and high-profit margins (HM) as the less difficult one. The EEG signals were acquired from healthy humans while subjects were performing the task. The Correlated Component …

Engineering Enzymatic Pathways In The Gut Microbiome To Control Dietary Isoflavone Metabolism, Lenaiya Allisen Kydd

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

ABSTRACT: Observing how plasmids persist within the gut can help us understand how newly introduced genes are transmitted within the gut microbiome. I sought to determine the persistence of genetic constructs introduced to the murine gut and then develop our own genetic system to be delivered to the gut to engineer the microbiome in its ability to convert certain dietary isoflavones. In my initial experiments, mice were given bacteria containing a genetically engineered plasmid and were examined for the persistence of the plasmid in the gut. I found long-term persistence of the plasmid in the gut for up to 2 …

Novel Nanocomposites For The Treatment Of Lung Infections, Uday Kumar Chintapula

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

Lung infections, especially lower respiratory tract infections and their associated pneumonias, are one of the leading causes of death, accounting for more than 4 million fatalities every year worldwide. Bacterial pathogens are involved in many lower respiratory tract infections including emerging antibiotic resistant respiratory pathogens such as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Current interventions for MRSA lung infections include systemic antibiotic treatments for an extended period leading to various side effects such as acute kidney injury, nephrotoxicity, and so on. To overcome these limitations, the goal of this dissertation research is to develop a drug delivery system, which includes pathogen-specific drug-loaded …

Development Of Algorithms To Analyze Electrogastrography (Egg) For Neonatal Gastrointestinal Development And Electroencephalography (Eeg) For Effects Of Led-Based Pre-Frontal Light Stimulation, Akhil Mahendra M Chaudhari

Bioengineering Dissertations - Archive

Algorithm development, and biological signal processing are the key components for new applications of successful medical diagnosis that can provide physiological and functional information to better understand human condition for either patients with certain diseases or healthy human beings. Neuroimaging tools, such as functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), and electrogastrography (EGG) have been used to investigate the gut maturity in diseased and healthy state; and electroencephalogram (EEG) have been used to investigate brain functions in response to neuromodulated or task-based interventions. Accordingly, my dissertation focused on algorithm development and signal processing for two major topics: (1) to outline EGG response …

Autonomous Aerial Vehicles Distributed Control And Interactive Games, Yusuf Kartal

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Dissertations - Archive

As the number of quadrotors and other Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) increases in industrial and urban areas, the development of reliable engineering methods to control their behavior as they interact with each other becomes of central interest in control research. With the increase in demand for UAVs to work together, several real-life challenges need to be addressed that include the implementation, test, and validation of the control algorithms in flight test experiments. On the one hand, the interests of UAVs may be in harmony to perform certain tasks such as transportation, surveillance and reconnaissance. On the other hand, the interests …

Leveraging Ai And Supply Chain Technologies With Thermal Imaging And Telemedicine For Early Detection And Prevention Of Covid-19 And Respiratory Infections In Urm Communities, Gohar Azeem

Industrial, Manufacturing, and Systems Engineering Dissertations - Archive

The underserved population could be at risk during the times of crisis, unless there is strong involvement from government agencies such as local and state Health departments and federal Center for Disease Control (CDC). The COVID-19 pandemic was a crisis of different proportion, creating a different type of burden on government agencies. Vulnerable communities including the elderly populations and communities of color have been especially hard hit by this pandemic. This forced these agencies to change their strategies and supply chains to support all populations receiving therapeutics. The National Science Foundation (NSF Award # 2028612) funded this research to help …

Microfluidic Flow Focusing Platforms For Optofluidic Droplet Laser Development, Chen Zhang

Electrical Engineering Dissertations - Archive

ABSTRACT: Optofluidic droplet lasers have been developed for different applications in biomedical sciences, such as biosensing, cell tracking, tissue imaging, on-chip spectroscopy, and flow cytometry. Utilizing different generation methods, droplet lasers can be categorized as either static droplet lasers or droplet lasers on the flow. Static droplet lasers, which are supported by a surface or levitated by an external force, can be optically probed for an extended period of time, and thus enabling continuous monitoring of the lasing emission. However, static droplet lasers suffer from low-throughput generation, large size distribution, and poor reproducibility. In contrast, droplet lasers on the flow …

Reactive Thin Film Polymers And Thin Film Composite Membranes For The Rapid Screening Of Uranium Isotopes, Abenazer W. Darge

All Dissertations

Traditional radiochemistry approaches for the detection of trace-level alpha-emitting radioisotopes in water require lengthy offsite sample preparations and do not lend themselves to rapid quantification. Therefore, a novel platform is needed that combines onsite purification, concentration, and isotopic screening with a fieldable detection system. My dissertation research objective was to develop novel reactive thin polymer films and thin film composite membranes for the selective separation of uranium from environmental water followed by direct isotopic analysis by alpha spectroscopy. Chapter 1 reviews progress made on uranium separation from aqueous matrices and discusses methods used for the determination of isotopic composition.

Chapter …

The Effects Of Microgravity On Human Endothelial Cells In Relation To Deep Vein Thrombosis, Allie Burgess

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a condition where blood clots form in one or more of the deep veins of the body, causing leg pain and/or swelling, potentially leading to pulmonary embolism and/or stroke. The incidence of DVT among astronauts serving on the International Space Station has been shown to be greater than that of the general population, calling into question the effects of microgravity on human thrombolytic processes. Additionally, microgravity conditions have been shown to cause muscular atrophy and a decrease in muscle strength and mobility. Because collagen composes a large portion of muscle tissue, this study also assessed …

Hydrogel Drug Delivery Platform Integrity And Utilization Analysis, Joshua Carson Adams

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) generally results in permanent sensorimotor dysfunction. This is due to failed axonal regeneration at the site of injury. Recent studies have highlighted the use of stem-cell based therapies embedded in hydrogel to treat SCI. Embedding cell therapies in hydrogel provides a platform that increases the survival of both integrated grafted cells and stem cells/stem cell progeny. There are a variety of drug delivery agents for treating SCI such as neuro-regenerative cells and Schwann cells, however, single agents are not promising for functional regeneration. We propose a combinatorial approach using sciatic nerve (SN) extracellular matrix (ECM), …

Characterizing The Expression Pattern And Function Of Tartan During Drosophila Development, Alaina Baggett

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The development of complex structures and organs by multicellular organisms relies on the ability of epithelial cells to self-organize. Epithelia are sheets of connected cells, and compartment boundaries are formed between certain epithelial cells to create distinct tissue compartments. Compartment boundaries are specialized cell-cell interfaces that are enriched for the cytoskeletal proteins actin and myosin, leading to straight cell edges under relatively high tension that act as fences keep cells from moving between compartments. In the model organism Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly), compartment boundaries in the early embryo are established in response to the non-uniform striped expression of the cell-surface …

Evaluation Of Triple Negative Breast Cancer Tumor Matrix, Alejandra Ham

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Sex On Proliferation And Maturation Of Primary Isolated Myoblasts, Elsa M. Bean

Biomedical Engineering

Peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) is caused by the buildup of atherosclerotic plaque causing restriction in blood flow in tissue, known as ischemia. It affects 8 million people in the United States and can hinder daily life through the onset of symptoms such as intermittent claudication and in extreme cases ulcers and gangrene. Surgical revascularization is not accessible to certain patient populations, such those of advanced age, highlighting a need for alternative therapies. For example, naturally occurring bypass arteries, called collateral blood vessels, can remodel and enlarge to bypass the occlusion. This process, known as arteriogenesis, has been studied as …

An Efficient End-To-End Deep Neural Network For Interstitial Lung Disease Recognition And Classification, Masum Shah Junayed, Afsana Ahsan Jeny, Md Baharul Islam, Ikhtiar Ahmed, Afm Shahen Shah

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

The automated Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILDs) classification technique is essential for assisting clinicians during the diagnosis process. Detecting and classifying ILDs patterns is a challenging problem. This paper introduces an end-to-end deep convolution neural network (CNN) for classifying ILDs patterns. The proposed model comprises four convolutional layers with different kernel sizes and Rectified Linear Unit (ReLU) activation function, followed by batch normalization and max-pooling with a size equal to the final feature map size well as four dense layers. We used the ADAM optimizer to minimize categorical cross-entropy. A dataset consisting of 21328 image patches of 128 CT scans with …

Rheological Behavior Of Dspc-, Dbpc-, And Dppc-Oxygen Microbubbles And Their Effectiveness In Improving Survival In A Rat Model Of Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, Riaz Ur Rehman Mohammed

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

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) causes 75,000 deaths in the U.S., annually. It is characterized by hypoxemia and damage to the lung alveoli. ARDS Management strategies involve extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) and mechanical ventilation, but none of these methods improve the mortality rates. Oxygen microbubbles (OMBs) consist of a lipid shell with an oxygen core and have potential to augment oxygenation to manage ARDS. Previous studies demonstrated significant improvements in systemic oxygenation and mortality upon administering OMBs.

We replicated an ARDS rat model by intratracheal administration of lipopolysaccharide at a 24 mg/kg dose. After inducing the disease in rats, the …

Isolation And Production Of Tandem Collagen Binding Domain From Clostridial Collagenase Colg And Developments In C1q Reagent Production For Future Molecule Characterization Work, Stephanie Beitle

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

This thesis covers a two part project: the production methods to create a double collagen binding domain molecule with a growth factor for wound healing applications and the development of a new in-house production method for isolating C1q from bovine blood. The wound healing molecule was created using transformation, sonication, and purification before being tested via electrophoresis SDS page and Western blots to confirm the molecule’s presence. The C1q in-house production method utilizes an ultrafiltration flow cell rather than dialysis at a critical point in the process, allowing for researchers to not only be able to use a single small …

Interval Observer-Based Supervision Of Nonlinear Networked Control Systems, Afef Najjar, Thach Ngoc Dinh, Messaoud Amairi, Tarek Raissi

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Networked control system (NCS) is a multidisciplinary area that attracts increasing attention today. In this paper, we deal with remote supervision of a nonlinear networked control systems class subject to network imperfections. Different from many existing researches that consider only the problem of small and/or constant communication delays, we focus on large and time-varying network delays problem in both measurement and control channels. The proposed method is a set-membership estimation-based predictor approach computing a guaranteed set of admissible state values when the uncertainties (i.e. measurement noises and system disturbances) are considered unknown but bounded with a priori known bounds. The …

Classification And Phenological Staging Of Crops From In Situ Image Sequences By Deep Learning, Uluğ Bayazit, Deni̇z Turgay Altilar, Ni̇lgün Güler Bayazit

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Accurate knowledge of crop type information is not only valuable for verifying the declaration of farmers to obtain subsidy or insurance for the grown crop, but also for generating crop type maps that serve a variety of purposes in land monitoring and policy. On the other hand, accurate knowledge of crop phenological stage can help farm personnel apply fertilization and irrigation regimes on a timely basis. Although deep learning based networks have been applied in the past to classify the type and predict the phenological stage of crops from in situ images of fields, more advanced deep learning based networks, …

Learning Target Class Eigen Subspace (Ltc-Es) Via Eigen Knowledge Grid, Sanjay Kumar Sonbhadra, Sonali Agarwal, P. Nagabhushan

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

In one-class classification (OCC) tasks, only the target class (class-of-interest (CoI)) samples are well defined during training, whereas the other class samples are totally absent. In OCC algorithms, the high dimensional data adds computational overhead apart from its intrinsic property of curse of dimensionality. For target class learning, conventional dimensionality reduction (DR) techniques are not suitable due to negligence of the unique statistical properties of CoI samples. In this context, the present research proposes a novel target class guided DR technique to extract the eigen knowledge grid that contains the most promising eigenvectors of variance-covariance matrix of CoI samples. In …

A Novel Deep Reinforcement Learning Based Stock Price Prediction Using Knowledge Graph And Community Aware Sentiments, Anil Berk Altuner, Zeynep Hi̇lal Ki̇li̇mci̇

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Stock market prediction has been an important topic for investors, researchers, and analysts. Because it is affected by too many factors, stock market prediction is a difficult task to handle. In this study, we propose a novel method that is based on deep reinforcement learning methodologies for the prediction of stock prices using sentiments of community and knowledge graph. For this purpose, we firstly construct a social knowledge graph of users by analyzing relations between connections. After that, time series analysis of related stock and sentiment analysis is blended with deep reinforcement methodology. Turkish version of Bidirectional Encoder Representations from …

A Novel Fault Detection Approach Based On Multilinear Sparse Pca: Application Onthe Semiconductor Manufacturing Processes, Riadh Toumi, Yahia Kourd, Dimitri Lefebvre

Turkish Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences

Batch processes are extremely important to researchers since they are widely used in many fields such as biochemistry, pharmacy, and semiconductors. The powerful batch detection method is critical to increase the performance of the overall equipment and to reduce the use of check wafers. Many techniques have been used in batch process monitoring. Among them, the multivariate statistical process control (MSPC) is very useful in batch process monitoring because of the large number of records data. Therefore, batch processes have certain characteristics, such as multimodal batch nonlinearity trajectories, which were challenged by these MSPCs. In this paper, a novel process …

Fixed-Bed Column Study Of Phosphate Adsorption Using Immobilized Phosphate-Binding Protein, Faten B. Hussein, Brooke K. Mayer

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Bio-adsorption using high-affinity phosphate-binding proteins (PBP) has demonstrated effective phosphorus removal and recovery in batch-scale tests. Subsequent optimization of design and performance of fixed-bed column systems is essential for scaling up and implementation. Here, continuous-flow fixed-bed column tests were used to investigate the adsorption of inorganic phosphate (orthophosphate, Pi) using phosphate-binding proteins immobilized on resin (PBP–NHS) targeting Pi removal to ultra-low levels followed by recovery. Time to breakthrough decreased with higher influent Pi concentration, smaller bed volume, and higher influent flow rates. The Thomas and Yoon-Nelson breakthrough models adequately described PBP-NHS resin performance with a correlation coefficient of R2 > 0.95. …

Insect Antennae As Bioinspirational Superstrong Fiber-Based Microfluidics, Griffin J. Donley

All Theses

Nature is frequently turned to for inspiration for the creation of new materials. Insect antennae are hollow, blood-filled fibers with complex shape, and are cantilevered at the head. The antenna is muscle-free, but the insect can controllably flex, twist, and maneuver it laterally. To explain this behavior, a comparative study of structural and tensile properties of the antennae of Periplaneta americana (American cockroach), Manduca sexta (Carolina hawkmoth), and Vanessa cardui (painted lady butterfly) was performed. These antennae demonstrate a range of distinguishable tensile properties, responding either as brittle fibers (Manduca sexta) or strain-adaptive fibers that stiffen when stretched (Vanessa cardui …

Quantifying Shear Stresses In Tissue Engineered Aortic Heart Valves, Raj Nitin Dave

All Theses

Present heart valve prosthesis have limitations such as capability to grow, repair and remodel post implantation. Tissue engineering offers to be a promising alternative to overcome these limitations. Maturation of seeded human cells on the valve subjected to favorable growth conditions in the bioreactor is critical to the success of tissue engineered heart valves. Mechanical stress and strain which results from the pressure and flow conditions in the bioreactor plays a critical role on the developing valve tissue and are currently unknown. The goal of this research is to relate the magnitude of wall shear stress (WSS) within the heart …

Design Of A Four Channel Pulsatile Perfusion Bioreactor For Ex-Vivo Study Of Vascular Grafts, Thomas M. Fair

All Theses

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death in the United States. Atherosclerosis in peripheral arteries is a major contributing factor. Autologous saphenous vein grafts are the most common bypass grafts for treating peripheral artery diseases. A quarter of these grafts fail within a year, and around half have failed within 10 years of the initial surgery. Graft failure is attributed to the development of intimal hyperplasia indicated by the migration and proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells, fibroblasts, and the deposition of extracellular proteins.

Increases in flow, pressure, the pulse frequency, and the differential of pressure that model an …

Portable U-Bent Optical Fiber Biosensor For Detecting Microcystin-Lr, Quan Dio Anh Le

All Theses

Cyanobacteria are the only known prokaryotes that can photosynthesize. Due to their unique ability, they are important entities in the global carbon and nitrogen cycles. However, two factors can turn cyanobacteria into a nuisance. In general, eutrophication is the process that supplies external nutrients that are needed for cyanobacteria blooms into bodies of water from the surrounding environment. Climate warming intensifies this process by producing carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide. With cyanobacteria blooms occurring worldwide, they are becoming a bigger threat to human health, and there has been increased interest in detecting cyanobacteria and their toxic byproducts.

For instance, …

Additive Manufacturing Of Variable Contrast Computed Tomography Anatomical Phantoms Using A Single Feedstock In Fused Filament Fabrication, Cory J. Darling

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Anatomical phantoms used in biomedical education and training benefit greatly from Fused filament fabrication’s (FFF) ability to rapidly produce complex and unique models. Current materials and methods used in FFF have limited ability to accurately produce phantoms that can mimic the radiological properties of multiple biological tissues. This research demonstrates that the CT contrast of FFF produced models can be modified by varying the concentration of bismuth oxide in acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) filaments and a tunable CT contrast that mimics the CT contrast ranging from fatty tissue to cortical bone using a single composite filament without introducing artificial image …