Engineering Commons^™

Wearable Sensor-Based Gait And Balance In Elementary And Middle Schools, Sofie Zalatimo, Catherine Semaan

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

No abstract provided.

Significance Of Noninvasive Endothelial Dysfunction And Other Cardiovascular Measurements In Various Communities, Sofi Z. David, Lily Wilcox, Kalia Richard

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

This pilot study aims to raise awareness of endothelial dysfunction in underrepresented communities, where cardiovascular disease is prevalent. By delivering educational presentations and materials, the study seeks to increase participants' understanding and interest in endothelial dysfunction, potentially leading to proactive health behaviors. The results will inform future initiatives to enhance public knowledge and reduce the burden of cardiovascular disease in these communities.

In the future, there will also be a 3 vs 5-minute hyperemia study. Thirty participants without a history of cardiovascular disease will undergo testing using the Cordex SmartCuff™ device. If the three-minute hold proves to accurately measure endothelial …

Wearable Sensing Systems And Data Analytics For Pressure Sensing Socket Prostheses, Stacey Le, Mio Nakagawa

College of Engineering Summer Undergraduate Research Program

Prosthetics have been widely used as the primary solution for lower limb amputations, but residual limb volume fluctuations have posed challenges to the effectiveness and comfortability of these devices. In this project, we aim to observe pressure distribution patterns in the prosthetic socket during gait using sensing technology and investigate the performance of different machine learning algorithms on determining good or bad fit.

Radiopaque Femnn-Mo Composite Drawn Filled Tubing Wires For Braided Absorbable Neurovascular Devices, Adam J. Griebel, Petra Maier, Henry D. Summers, Benjamin Clausius, Isabella Kanasty, Weilue He, Nicholas Peterson, Carolyn Czerniak, Alexander A. Oliver, David F. Kallmes, Ramanathan Kadirvel, Jeremy E. Schaffer, Roger J. Guillory

Michigan Tech Publications

Flow diverter devices are small stents used to divert blood flow away from aneurysms in the brain, stagnating flow and inducing intra-aneurysmal thrombosis which in time will prevent aneurysm rupture. Current devices are formed from thin (∼25 μm) wires which will remain in place long after the aneurysm has been mitigated. As their continued presence could lead to secondary complications, an absorbable flow diverter which dissolves into the body after aneurysm occlusion is desirable. The absorbable metals investigated to date struggle to achieve the necessary combination of strength, elasticity, corrosion rate, fragmentation resistance, radiopacity, and biocompatibility. This work proposes and …

Assessing The Impact Of Femur Morphological Variations On Pediatric Hip Joint Biomechanics Using Statistical Shape Modeling, Tamara Chambers

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

This dissertation aimed to (1) quantify morphological variations in the pediatric hip joint and (2) evaluate the sensitivity of an infant musculoskeletal model (MSM) to these variations, considering hip joint center estimation errors. A shape statistical model (SSM) of decedent infant femurs from the Ortolani collection was created using ShapeWorks, capturing key morphological features, such as variations in the femoral neck-shaft and anteversion angles. Seven synthetic femurs were generated from the SSM to create SSM-informed MSMs, which were systematically evaluated through kinematics and kinetics analyses in OpenSim. Incorporating the SSM led to slight changes in the pediatric MSMs’ kinematics but …

Vascular Calcification In A Mouse Model Of Chronic Kidney Disease And In Human Peripheral Arterial Disease, Breanna Pederson

Theses and Dissertations

Vascular calcification is a process in which calcium and phosphate crystallize to form hydroxyapatite in the extracellular matrix of blood vessels. There are two forms of arterial calcification: intimal and medial, which occur via different etiologies. Intimal calcification is associated with atherosclerosis and occurs in the layer of endothelial cells adjacent to the artery lumen. Medial arterial calcification (MAC) is independent of atherosclerosis and occurs in the middle, muscular layer of the artery. MAC is strongly associated with aging, diabetes mellitus, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). MAC is frequently in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). Most studies to date …

Effect Of Storage Time And Temperature On Aggregation Of Alzheimer's Disease Amyloid-Β Protein, Amy Veihdeffer

Theses and Dissertations

Amyloid-β protein (Aβ) is widely studied due to its key role in Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. One characteristic of patients suffering from AD is the deposition of amyloid plaques comprised of Aβ aggregates, which are associated with synapse damage. Thus, studying Aβ aggregation and aggregation inhibition may provide pathological and therapeutic insights. Aggregation of Aβ is a nucleation dependent process that may be influenced by the presence of pre-formed Aβ aggregate seeds that can facilitate formation of protein aggregates. These seeds may appear during preparation or storage of monomer, posing impact on experiments that study the aggregation process and the …

The Accurate Conversion Of Biological Experiments From Cesium Irradiation To X-Ray Irradiation: The Significance, Problems, And The Future Of Experimental Radiation Research, Gretchen Carpenter

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Preclinical small animal irradiation studies, once conducted on Cesium irradiators, are increasingly being performed with X-ray-based irradiators. The transition stems from concerns regarding national security risks, making X-ray irradiators which are compact and easy to operate an enticing alternative. However, questions regarding the relative biological effectiveness between the two sources have revealed a lack of adequate dosimetric characterization of X-ray beams, standardized protocol for dose calibration, and thorough understanding of experimental biological parameters. A literature review conducted on orthovoltage irradiators has revealed that there are over 54 different types of beam structures used, a dramatic departure from the one uniform …

Intercellular Mitochondrial Transfer Contributes To Microenvironmental Fate Redirection Of Mammary Cancer Cells, Julie Sofie Bjerring

Biomedical Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The dynamic cellular microenvironment, made up of resident cells and various macromolecules, differs markedly across tissues in the body. The multidirectional signals that cells receive from this microenvironment, along with the signaling they send back, heavily influence their physiology and behavior. Recent important findings have further validated this notion as the mammary microenvironment has been shown to suppress tumor progression by redirecting cancer cells to adopt a normal mammary epithelial progenitor fate in vivo. However, the mechanism(s) driving changes in metabolic reprogramming and cancer fate redirection is understudied. The work presented in this dissertation focuses on exploring the impact of …

Real-Time Navigation System For Breast Cancer Surgery With Pre- And Intra-Operative Imaging Using Neural Networks, Motaz Alqaoud

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed malignancies in women worldwide, necessitating precise diagnosis and treatment. Breast-conserving surgery (BCS) is the primary treatment for nonpalpable cases, yet current approaches often lack accuracy due to the absence of real-time 3D imaging during surgery. This limitation impairs surgeons’ ability to visualize tumor locations, compromising outcomes and potentially leading to repeat surgeries with higher risks, undesirable cosmetic results, increased costs, and, in some cases, mastectomy. Thus, there is a critical need for a navigation system to facilitate accurate tumor excision in nonpalpable breast cancer through real-time patient-specific 3D tracking.

This study …

Editorial: Novel Computational Fluid Dynamics Methods For Diagnosis, Monitoring, Prediction, And Personalized Treatment For Cardiovascular Disease And Cancer Metastasis, Zahra Keshavarz Motamed, Nima Maftoon, Lakshmi Prasad Dasi, John F. Ladisa Jr.

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Lumbar Spine Orientation Affects Compressive Fracture Outcome, Rachel Cutlan, Muhammaed Khokhar, Nader Shammout, Alok Shah, Lance Frazer, Narayan Yoganandan, Barry S. Shender, James Sheehy, Glenn Paskoff, Daniel Nicolella, Timothy B. Bentley, Saman Shabani, Brian D. Stemper

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Purpose

Understanding how spinal orientation affects injury outcome is essential to understand lumbar injury biomechanics associated with high-rate vertical loading.

Methods

Whole-column human lumbar spines (T12–L5) were dynamically loaded using a drop tower to simulate peak axial forces associated with high-speed aircraft ejections and helicopter crashes. Spines were allowed to maintain natural lordotic curvature for loading, resulting in a range of orientations. Pre-test X-rays were used to quantify specimen orientation at the time of loading. Primary fracture types were identified (wedge, n = 6; burst, n = 4; hyperextension, n = 4) and compared for loading parameters and lumbar orientation. …

Talar And Calcaneal Coordinate Axes Definitions Across Foot Pathologies, Kassidy Knutson, Erika P. Muhlrad, Andrew C. Peterson, Thomas Leonard, Abigail M. Anderson, Katelyn C. Aragon, Zachary J. Eatough, Bruce A. Macwilliams, Karen M. Kruger, Amy L. Lenz

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

The understanding of foot and ankle biomechanics is improving as new technology provides more detailed information about the motion of foot and ankle bones with biplane fluoroscopy, as well as the ability to analyze the hindfoot under weightbearing conditions with weightbearing computed tomography. Three-dimensional anatomical coordinate systems are necessary to describe the 3D alignment and kinematics of the foot and ankle. The lack of standard coordinate systems across research study sites can significantly alter experimental data analyses used for pre-surgical evaluation and post-operative outcome assessments. Clinical treatment paradigms are changing based on the expanding knowledge of complex pes planovalgus morphologies …

Phenotypes Of Velopharyngeal Tube Law In Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Devesh Kumar, B. Tucker Woodson, Guilherme J.M. Garcia

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Objective

The biomechanics of upper airway collapse in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) remains poorly understood. The goal of this study is to compare the area-pressure relationship (tube law) of the velopharynx at peak inspiration and peak expiration.

Study Design

Cross-sectional.

Setting

Academic tertiary medical center.

Methods

The velopharyngeal tube law was quantified in a convenience sample of 20 OSA patients via step reductions in nasal mask pressure during drug induced sleep endoscopy (DISE). The velopharyngeal airspace cross-sectional area was estimated from endoscopy while luminal pressure was recorded with a catheter. The tube law was quantified for nasal mask pressures from …

Morphology Of The Normative Human Cone Photoreceptor Mosaic And A Publicly Available Adaptive Optics Montage Repository, Robert F. Cooper, Snega Kalaparambath, Geoffrey K. Aguirre, Jessica I. W. Morgan

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Adaptive optics ophthalmoscopy has enabled visualization of the in vivo human photoreceptor mosaic in health, disease and its treatment. Despite this, the clinical utility of the imaging technology has been limited by a lack of automated analysis techniques capable of accurately quantifying photoreceptor structure and a lack of an available normative image database. Here, we present a fully automated algorithm for estimating cone spacing and density over a complete adaptive optics montage along with a database of normative images and cone densities. We imaged the cone mosaics surrounding the fovea and along the horizontal and vertical meridians of fifty normal-sighted …

A Sophisticated Model Of Human Atherosclerosis On A Chip, Brandon J. Tefft

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

No abstract provided.

Realtime And Noninvasive Assessment Of Endotracheal Tube Displacement Using Near-Infrared And Visible Cameras, Tongtong Lu, Pawjai Khampang, Ahmed Beydoun, Rebecca Rodhe, Wenzhou Hong, Joseph E. Kerschner, Bing Yu

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Endotracheal tube (ETT) intubation is a medical procedure routinely used for achieving mechanical ventilation in critically ill patients. Appropriate ETT placement is crucial as undetected tube migration may cause multiple complications or even fatalities. Therefore, prompt detection of unplanned movement of the ETT and immediate action to restore proper placement are essential to ensure patient safety. Despite this necessity, there is not a widely adopted tool for real-time assessment of ETT displacement. We have developed a device, a dual-camera endotracheal tube or DC-ETT, to address this unmet clinical need. This device uses a near-infrared (NIR) LED and a side-firing optical …

Simultaneous Modulation Of Pulse Charge And Burst Period Elicits Two Differentiable Referred Sensations, T. R. Benigni, A. E. Pena, S. S. Kuntaegowdanahalli, J. J. Abbas, R. Jung

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

Objective. To investigate the feasibility of delivering multidimensional feedback using a single channel of peripheral nerve stimulation by complementing intensity percepts with flutter frequency percepts controlled by burst period modulation. Approach. Two dimensions of a distally referred sensation were provided simultaneously: intensity was conveyed by the modulation of the pulse charge rate inside short discrete periods of stimulation referred to as bursts and frequency was conveyed by the modulation of the period between bursts. For this approach to be feasible, intensity percepts must be perceived independently of frequency percepts. Two experiments investigated these interactions. A series of two alternative forced …

Nanopore Signal Deviations From Pseudouridine Modifications In Rna Are Sequence-Specific: Quantification Requires Dedicated Synthetic Controls, Amr Makhamreh, Sepideh Tavakoli, Ali Fallahi, Xinqi Kang, Howard Gamper, Mohammad Nabizadehmashhadtoroghi, Miten Jain, Ya-Ming Hou, Sara H Rouhanifard, Meni Wanunu

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Chemical modifications to mRNA respond dynamically to environmental cues and are important modulators of gene expression. Nanopore direct RNA sequencing has been applied for assessing the presence of pseudouridine (ψ) modifications through basecalling errors and signal analysis. These approaches strongly depend on the sequence context around the modification, and the occupancies derived from these measurements are not quantitative. In this work, we combine direct RNA sequencing of synthetic RNAs bearing site-specific modifications and supervised machine learning models (ModQuant) to achieve near-analytical, site-specific ψ quantification. Our models demonstrate that the ionic current signal features important for accurate ψ classification are sequence …

Multi-Functional Gelatin-Dithiolane Hydrogels For Tissue Engineering, Saad Asim, Cody Tuftee, Asma Talib Qureshi, Rachel Callaghan, Moira L. Geary, Mithun Santra, Vaibhav Pal, Ilayda Namli, Gary Hin Fai Yam, Ibrahim T. Ozbolat, Muhammad Rizwan

Michigan Tech Publications

Biomaterials that integrate multiple functionalities, mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) microenvironment to support cellular growth, and adhere robustly to damaged tissues are highly needed to advance tissue engineering. Protein-based biomaterials are promising due to their inherent biocompatibility, biomimicry, biodegradation, and cell-supportive properties. Herein, by leveraging the unique ability of dithiolanes to generate on-demand in situ thiols, a new class of dithiolane-modified, protein-based biomaterial that combines unique, seemingly opposing functions for tissue engineering is developed. Dithiolane-modified gelatin, a model protein used herein, enabled photoinitiator-free photo-crosslinking to form multi-functional gelatin-dithiolane (GelDT) hydrogels, which displayed exceptional long-term stability in cell culture media ( …

A Novel Model Of Autologous Tooth Transplantation For The Study Of Nerve Recruitment, Teresa E. Fowler, Doan T. Bloomquist, Caroline Glessner, Poonam Patel, Jeffrey N. James, Kathryn Bollinger, Lynnette P. Mccluskey, Ryan F. Bloomquist

School of Dentistry Faculty Publications

Background: Limited treatment options exist for damaged nerves and despite impressive advances in tissue engineering, scientists and clinicians have yet to fully replicate nerve development and recruitment. Innervation is a critical feature for normal organ function. While most organs are innervated prior to birth, a rare example of postnatal nerve recruitment occurs in the natural development of secondary teeth during adolescence. Many animals undergo postnatal shedding of deciduous teeth with development and eruption of secondary teeth, a process requiring recruitment of nerve and vasculature to each tooth pulp for viability. Here, the investigators created a novel model for the study …

Amino Acid-Based Protein-Mimic Hydrogel Incorporating Pro-Regenerative Lipid Mediator And Microvascular Fragments Promotes The Healing Of Deep Burn Wounds, Yan Lu, Shanchun Su, Chih Chang Chu, Yuichi Kobayashi, Abdul Razak Masoud, Hongying Peng, Nathan Lien, Mingyu He, Christopher Vuong, Ryan Tran, Song Hong

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

Pro-regenerative lipid mediator 1 (PreM1) is a specialized pro-resolving lipid mediator that promotes wound healing and regenerative functions of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), endothelial cells, and macrophages. The healing of third-degree (3°) burns and regenerative functions of MSCs are enhanced by ACgel1, an arginine-and-chitosan-based protein-mimic hybrid hydrogel. Adipose-tissue derived microvascular fragments (MVFs) are native vascularization units and a rich source of MSCs, endothelial cells, and perivascular cells for tissue regeneration. Here we describe an innovative PreM1-MVFs-ACgel1 construct that incorporated PreM1 and MVFs into ACgel1 via optimal design and fabrication. This construct delivered PreM1 to 3°-burn wounds at least up to …

Exploring The Identification Of Autoregression Model By General Least Deviation Method, Mostafa Abotaleb, Tatiana Makarovskikh, Ramadhan, Ali J

Al-Bahir

We are considering a novel method for analyzing time series data that relies on quasi-linear recurrence relations. Unlike neural networks, this approach allows for directly formulating high-quality quasi-linear difference equations that accurately represent the studied process. Techniques for determining the parameters of a single equation have been devised and validated. This work discusses and tests a technique for identifying the parameters of a quasi-linear recurrence equation. This approach is employed to tackle the issue of regression analysis including observable variables that are mutually dependent. It enables the utilization of the Generalized Least Deviations Method (GLDM). This model was utilized in …

3d Bioactive Thiol-Norbornene Hydrogels For Guiding Stem Cell Mechanosensing And Differentiation, Arielle Gsell

U-RISE Undergraduate Theses

Hydrogels are soft, highly hydrated polymeric networks commonly used as biomaterial scaffolds in tissue engineering. To mimic the extracellular matrix of tissues, hydrogels can be chemically modified to incorporate either bioactive molecules such as peptides, or physically modified with crosslinkers to alter hydrogel stiffness and degradation. Hydrogels with defined characteristics can be synthesized using chemical reaction schemes such as photo-click chemistry, which offers spatial and temporal control over biochemical and physical properties. The goal of this thesis is to leverage thiol-norbornene click chemistry, a subtype of photo-click chemistry, to develop 3D hydrogels with biochemical and biophysical cues that guide mesenchymal …

Development Of A Haptic System For Robot-Assisted Femur Fracture Surgery, Fayez H. Alruwaili

Theses and Dissertations

Robot-assisted surgery has emerged within the field of surgical technology, driven by the need for greater accuracy and speed in the ongoing evolution of healthcare. This advancement has influenced numerous areas requiring enhancements to achieve optimal surgical results. However, surgical robotics tends to lack the surgeon’s connection to the operation, creating a gap in the intuitive skill set required for successful operations. The gap is seen through the lack of sense of touch, which may result in tissue damage and additional injury when the robot interacts with the patient. Furthermore, challenges faced during femur fracture surgery have positioned robot-assisted surgery …

Injectable Hydrogels That Can Measure Radiation At Body Temperature, Daniel Joseph Ball

Theses and Dissertations

Hydrogel-based radiation dosimeters are used to calibrate and validate radiation delivered by linear accelerators used in radiotherapy. Specifically, Fricke hydrogel-based dosimeters containing ferrous ion complexes oxidize upon exposure to radiation, leading to a change in optical density that can be measured via a color change in a photometric reagent. While gelatin-based Fricke hydrogels are routinely used to measure radiation, these hydrogels are unstable at body temperature, and it is currently not possible to noninvasively measure radiation dose inside a patient. This study reports the synthesis and characterization of self-forming hydrogels containing Fricke components that are stable at body temperature. The …

Salicylhydroxamic Acid Containing Structural Adhesive, Md Saleh Akram Bhuiyan, Kan Wang, Seyedehfatemeh Razaviamri, Bruce Lee

Michigan Tech Publications

The feasibility of utilizing salicylhydroxamic acid (SHAM) as a new adhesive molecule for designing structural adhesives is investigated in this study. SHAM-containing polymers were prepared with a hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) or methoxyethyl acrylate (MEA) backbone and mixed with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). PVDF was included to increase the cohesive property of the adhesive through hydrogen bond (H-bond) formation with the adhesive polymers. SHAM-containing adhesive demonstrated lap shear adhesion strength (S ) greater than 0.9 MPa to glass, metal, and polymeric surfaces. Adhesive formulations with elevated SHAM-content also demonstrated increased adhesive properties with S values reaching as high as 4.8 MPa. Due …

Nanofiber-Hydrogel Composite Scaffold Fabrication Methods For Peripheral Nerve Regeneration, Jacob Lee Carter

Theses and Dissertations

Nerve graft conduits (NGCs) are a rapidly advancing field for treating peripheral nerve injuries that aim to guide the growth of regenerating axons across damaged gaps. A more effective NGC can be manufactured by combining the use of nanofibers to act as guidewires within a 3-D hydrogel that imitates the extracellular matrix of nerve tissue. Several methods have been developed to embed aligned nanofibers in an ordered architecture within a hydrogel matrix. The first method involves layer-by-layer additive manufacturing to create NGCs with rows of polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers surrounded by a gelatin methacrylate (GelMe) hydrogel in a 3-D structure. A …

Smart Toys For Sensing And Soothing Distress In Pediatric Patients, Jonathan Daniel Bonilla

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

This thesis develops and evaluates child-centered technologies to support remote monitoring of pediatric patients, with an emphasis on childhood cancer and pediatric chronic pain. For these and many other health conditions, current therapies tend to focus on treating physical symptoms yet neglect the psycho-emotional aspects of managing the illness. However, such mental states play a major role in recovery. Research has shown that cancer patients with better mental health have better prognoses, higher possibilities of remission, and faster healing processes, while chronic pain patients with better mental health report lower levels of pain. To enable more personalized, continuous, and scalable …

Finite Element Analysis Of The Bearing Component Of Total Ankle Replacement Implants During The Stance Phase Of The Gait Cycle, S J. Hazelwood, Mohammad N. Noori, Naudereh B. Noori, Timothy S. Jain, Amanda Anderson, Joseph Rencis

Biomedical Engineering

Total ankle arthroplasty (TAA) is a motion-preserving treatment for end-stage ankle arthritis. An effective tool for analyzing these implants’ mechanical performance and longevity in silico is finite element analysis (FEA). An FEA in ABAQUS was used to statically analyze the mechanical behavior of the ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) bearing component at varying dorsiflexion/plantarflexion ankle angles and axial loading conditions during the stance phase of the gait cycle for a single cycle. The von Mises stress and contact pressure were examined on the articulating surface of the bearing component in two newly installed fixed-bearing TAA implants (Wright Medical INBONE II and Exactech …