Engineering Commons^™

Altered Skeletal Muscle Excitation-Contraction Coupling In The R6/2 Transgenic Mouse Model For Huntington's Disease, Daniel R. Miranda

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Huntington’s disease (HD) has classically been categorized as a neurodegenerative disorder. However, the expression of the disease-causing mutated huntingtin gene in skeletal muscle may contribute to the symptoms of HD, namely those that involve involuntary muscle contraction. In the R6/2 transgenic mouse model of HD, we previously observed ion channel defects that could contribute to involuntary muscle contraction. Here, in R6/2 muscle we investigated the consequence of these ion channel defects on action potentials (APs), the first step in excitation-contraction (EC) coupling. We found that the ion channel defects were associated with depolarizing the baseline membrane potential during AP trains. …

Augmenting Structure/Function Relationship Analysis With Deep Learning For The Classification Of Psychoactive Drug Activity At Class A G Protein-Coupled Receptors, Hannah Willow Shows

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) initiate intracellular signaling pathways via interaction with external stimuli. [1-5] Despite sharing similar structure and cellular mechanism, GPCRs participate in a uniquely broad range of physiological functions. [6] Due to the size and functional diversity of the GPCR family, these receptors are a major focus for pharmacological applications. [1,7] Current state-of-the-art pharmacology and toxicology research strategies rely on computational methods to efficiently design highly selective, low toxicity compounds. [9], [10] GPCR-targeting therapeutics are associated with low selectivity resulting in increased risk of adverse effects and toxicity. Psychoactive drugs that are active at Class A GPCRs used …

Acute Oxygen-Sensing By The Carotid Bodies : The Thermal Microdomain Model, Ryan Joseph Rakoczy

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The carotid bodies (CB) are peripheral chemoreceptors that detect changes in arterial oxygenation and, via afferent inputs to the brainstem, correct the pattern of breathing to restore blood gas homeostasis. Elucidating the “signal” that couples carotid body sensory type I cell (CBSC) hypoxic mitochondrial inhibition with potassium channel closure has proven to be an arduous task; to date, a multitude of oxygen-sensing chemotransduction mechanisms have been described and altercated (Varas, Wyatt & Buckler, 2007; Gao et al, 2017; Rakoczy & Wyatt, 2018). Herein, we provide preliminary evidence supporting a novel oxygen-sensing hypothesis suggesting CBSC hypoxic chemotransductive signaling may in part …

Exploring Rapid Solidification And Equal Channel Angular Pressing In The Fabrication Of Mg-Based Alloys For Medical Applications, Emily Tom

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The development of magnesium bioresorbable implants has become increasingly popular due to the increased need for temporary implants and magnesium’s excellent biocompatibility and suitable elastic modulus. Even though magnesium is an excellent candidate, when alloyed with other metals magnesium’s corrosion rate becomes too rapid for bioresorbable medical applications. The investigation into novel processing techniques to control the formation of precipitates to improve mechanical strength and ductility as well as corrosion rates has become of interest. This work investigates the combination of two nonequilibrium processing techniques, rapid solidification (RS) and equal channel angular pressing (ECAP), and the effects it has on …

Machine Learning Approach For Vigilance State Classification In Mice, Anik Muhury

Theses and Dissertations--Electrical and Computer Engineering

Sleep has a significant impact on cognitive abilities such as memory, reaction time, productivity, and creative thinking; however, there are many aspects of this important activity that are not clearly understood. Over the last century, researchers have developed technology and animal models to assist in the study of sleep. Manual sleep scoring is time consuming, reduces productivity, and is impacted by human scorer subjectivity. On the other hand, automatic sleep stage categorization can enhance consistency and reliability, aiding professionals in identifying sleep related health problems.

In recent times various studies reported significant achievements for automatic vigilance detection and overcome the …

Biocybersecurity: A Converging Threat As An Auxiliary To War, Lucas Potter, Orlando Ayala, Xavier-Lewis Palmer

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Biodefense is the discipline of ensuring biosecurity with respect to select groups of organisms and limiting their spread. This field has increasingly been challenged by novel threats from nature that have been weaponized such as SARS, Anthrax, and similar pathogens, but has emerged victorious through collaboration of national and world health groups. However, it may come under additional stress in the 21st century as the field intersects with the cyberworld-- a world where governments have already been struggling to keep up with cyber attacks from small to state-level actors as cyberthreats have been relied on to level the playing field …

Osteocyte Activity And Skeletal Muscle Relative Gene Expression Profiling After Short-Term Muscle Paralysis, Michelle Gelbs

Dissertations and Theses

Mechanical loading is essential for maintaining bone tissue. Reduced mechanical loading has been shown to have a negative effect on bone, and can result in the development of disuse osteoporosis. Disuse models of muscle inactivity and immobilization, like the Botox model used in this study, result in changes in the bone microarchitecture, the mechanisms behind which are not fully understood. In a previous four-week Botox disuse study, skeletally mature 20- week-old rats experienced degradation of intracortical bone, increased vascular porosity, and decreased osteocyte lacunar density in the tibiae. The focus of this study was to explicate a potential source of …

Development Of An Injectable Methylcellulose Hydrogel System For Nucleus Pulposus Repair And Regeneration, Nada A. Haq-Siddiqi

Dissertations and Theses

Low back pain is the most common cause of disability in the world and is often caused by degeneration or injury of the intervertebral disc (IVD). The IVD is a complex, fibrocartilaginous tissue that allows for the wide range of spinal mobility. Disc degeneration is a progressive condition believed to begin in the central, gelatinous nucleus pulposus (NP) region of the tissue, for which there are few preventative therapies. Current therapeutic strategies include pain management and exercise, or surgical intervention such as spinal fusion, none of which address the underlying cause of degeneration. With an increasingly aging population, the socioeconomic …

Development Of Light Actuated Chemical Delivery Platform On A 2-D Array Of Micropore Structure, Hojjat Rostami Azmand, Hojjat Rostami Azmand

Dissertations and Theses

Localized chemical delivery plays an essential role in the fundamental information transfers within biological systems. Thus, the ability to mimic the natural chemical signal modulation would provide significant contributions to understand the functional signaling pathway of biological cells and develop new prosthetic devices for neurological disorders. In this paper, we demonstrate a light-controlled hydrogel platform that can be used for localized chemical delivery in a high spatial resolution. By utilizing the photothermal behavior of graphene-hydrogel composites confined within micron-sized fluidic channels, patterned light illumination creates the parallel and independent actuation of chemical release in a group of fluidic ports. The …

Restoration Of Bone Material And Microstructural Properties After Long-Term Remodeling Suppression, Abigail A. Coffman

Dissertations and Theses

Anti-resorptive drugs, principally bisphosphonates (BPs), are the mainstay of osteoporosis treatment. They work by inhibiting bone resorption/remodeling, thus preventing bone loss. However, long-term suppression of bone resorption adversely affects bone tissue mechanical properties, even while conserving bone mass. Lack of remodeling leads to accumulation of fatigue-induced microdamage, altered matrix mineralization and reduction in normal bone tissue heterogeneity, causing impaired strength and fracture toughness. The most severe consequence to patients, while rare, is Atypical Femur Fractures (i.e., complete fatigue fractures of the femoral shaft). To counteract the effects of long-term remodeling suppression, a temporary break in BP treatment (a "drug holiday) …

When The Brain Plays A Game: Neural Responses To Visual Dynamics During Naturalistic Visual Tasks, Jason Ki

Dissertations and Theses

Many day-to-day tasks involve processing of complex visual information in a continuous stream. While much of our knowledge on visual processing has been established from reductionist approaches in lab-controlled settings, very little is known about the processing of complex dynamic stimuli experienced in everyday scenarios. Traditional investigations employ event-related paradigms that involve presentation of simple stimuli at select locations in visual space and discrete moments in time. In contrast, visual stimuli in real-life are highly dynamic, spatially-heterogeneous, and semantically rich. Moreover, traditional experiments impose unnatural task constraints (e.g., inhibited saccades), thus, it is unclear whether theories developed under the reductionist …

Development Of A Biaxial Testing System For Research Of Soft Tissue Biomechanics Using Laboratory Models, Tariq Shameen

Dissertations and Theses

The rupture of the cap tissue layer of a fibroatheroma in human coronary vessels is considered the key event leading to the formation of a thrombus and myocardial infarction, resulting in more than half a million deaths in the US every year. In this study, we are interested in investigating the biomechanics of different elastomer materials that can be used as laboratory models to replicate coronary arteries’ ultimate tensile stress (0.2 - 2.08 MPa). To this end, we developed a biomechanical testing system that allows us to characterize the material properties of small samples with high accuracy and precision. We …

Safety Analysis Of Battery-Powered Adaptive Ride-On Toys For Children With Disabilities, Abbey Fraser

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Modified battery-powered ride-on toy cars, or adaptive ride-on toys, represent novel rehabilitation tools and developmental aids for children with disabilities. Studies have shown that children are benefiting socially and developmentally from their use. However, the use of these toys by children with disabilities potentially poses a risk of injury and it is vitally important to ensure the safe use of these toys, particularly for the benefit of those with developmental challenges.

Within this context, the purpose of the first study was to determine whether modifications to ride-on toys are sufficient to prevent common modes of injury such as falls, passenger …

Assessing Heart Rate Using Consumer Technology Association Standards, Joel D. Reece, Jennifer A. Bunn, Minsoo Choi, James W. Navalta

Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences Faculty Research

It is difficult for developers, researchers, and consumers to compare results among emerging wearable technology without using a uniform set of standards. This study evaluated the accuracy of commercially available wearable technology heart rate (HR) monitors using the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) standards. Participants (N = 23) simultaneously wore a Polar chest strap (criterion measure), Jabra Elite earbuds, Scosche Rhythm 24 armband, Apple Watch 4, and Garmin Forerunner 735 XT during sitting, activities of daily living, walking, jogging, running, and cycling, totaling 57 min of monitored activity. The Apple Watch mean bias was within ±1 bpm, and mean absolute percent …

Position-Scanning Peptide Libraries As Particle Immunogens For Improving Cd8+ T-Cell Responses, Michael C. Vega

Faculty Articles, Papers, and Other Scholarship

Short peptides reflecting major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I (MHC-I) epitopes frequently lack sufficient immunogenicity to induce robust antigen (Ag)-specific CD8⁺ T cell responses. In the current work, it is demonstrated that position-scanning peptide libraries themselves can serve as improved immunogens, inducing Ag-specific CD8⁺ T cells with greater frequency and function than the wild-type epitope. The approach involves displaying the entire position-scanning library onto immunogenic nanoliposomes. Each library contains the MHC-I epitope with a single randomized position. When a recently identified MHC-I epitope in the glycoprotein gp70 envelope protein of murine leukemia virus (MuLV) is assessed, only one …

Optimization Of Gelatin-Based Cellular Coating Of Msc For Myocardial Infarction Therapy, Kara Amelle Davis

Theses and Dissertations--Chemical and Materials Engineering

Cardiovascular disease remains the number one threat to American lives. During an acute myocardial infarction (AMI), blood flow is blocked and results in the formation of scar tissue. As the body’s immune system responds, inflammatory signaling causes an increase in both scar tissue size and the patient’s risk for further chronic heart failure. In order to reduce the risk of continued heart disease inflammatory signaling must be reduced. Stem cell therapies have the ability to alter the immune system’s pro-inflammatory signal. However, stem cell retention is limited due to blood flow shear. Gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) based coatings have been shown …

Biom 3710: Physiological Systems And Modeling (Syllabus), Aaryani Sajja

Biomedical Engineering Syllabi Archive

Course Description: Fundamentals of control theory and mathematical modeling and analysis as applied to physiological systems.

Engr 1010: Engineering Problem Solving (Syllabus), Stephen Strain

Biomedical Engineering Syllabi Archive

Course Description: Introduction to the methods of engineering problem solving. Application of mathematical concepts to solve engineering problems.

A Mechanism Behind The Mechanotransduction Of Surface Characteristics In Osteoblasts, Otto J. Juhl Iv

Theses and Dissertations

Biomaterials for use in bone regeneration and healing range from metal and metal alloy implants to hydrogel-based solutions. These materials can be optimized to increase bone healing and integration by improving the mechanical and biological properties. Regardless of the material itself, the cell-substrate interaction is key to the success of the biomaterial once implanted. Substrate surface characteristics such as roughness, wettability, and particle density are well-known contributors to a substrate’s overall osteogenic potential, and therefore the substrate's overall success. Unfortunately, it is still unknown how these substrate surface characteristics are transduced into intracellular signals by cells, preventing specific tailoring of …

Barcode Biosensors Based On Surface Plasmon Resonance, Sneha Ramesh

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Affordable and easy to use biological assays are the current need of the day owing to the rising cost of health care within the US and worldwide. The goal of this thesis is to develop a sensitive label-free biosensing scheme exploiting surface plasmon resonance (SPR) that yields the sensor output in an easy-to-read optical bio-barcode format for high through put and multiplexed medical diagnostics. Through this research, we would like to investigate if SPR phenomena can be achieved by fabricating SP supporting metallic structures over a nanoporous dielectric layer whose optical constants are progressively varied across the substrate in a …

Clinical Applications And Feasibility Of Proton Ct And Proton Radiography, Christina Marie Sarosiek

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Proton therapy is a form of radiation treatment for cancer that utilizes the Bragg peak to create conformal high dose regions around the tumor volume. However, the use of x-ray computed tomography (CT) and x-ray radiography for treatment planning and pre-treatment quality assurance procedures improves the achievable effectiveness of proton treatment plans (using proton CT) and the pretreatment verification (using proton radiography). Errors in the conversion from x-ray Hounsfield units (HU) to proton relative stopping powers (RSP) leads to errors in the predicted proton range. To account for the errors, 3.5% margins are included in the treatment plan. This means …

Fmri Feature Extraction Model For Adhd Classification Using Convolutional Neural Network, Senuri De Silva, Sanuwani Udara Dayarathna, Gangani Ariyarathne, Dulani Meedeniya, Sampath Jayarathna

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Biomedical intelligence provides a predictive mechanism for the automatic diagnosis of diseases and disorders. With the advancements of computational biology, neuroimaging techniques have been used extensively in clinical data analysis. Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a psychiatric disorder, with the symptomology of inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity, in which early diagnosis is crucial to prevent unwelcome outcomes. This study addresses ADHD identification using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data for the resting state brain by evaluating multiple feature extraction methods. The features of seed-based correlation (SBC), fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF), and regional homogeneity (ReHo) are comparatively applied to …

Combining Cryo-Em Density Map And Residue Contact For Protein Secondary Structure Topologies, Maytha Alshammari, Jing He

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Although atomic structures have been determined directly from cryo-EM density maps with high resolutions, current structure determination methods for medium resolution (5 to 10 Å) cryo-EM maps are limited by the availability of structure templates. Secondary structure traces are lines detected from a cryo-EM density map for α-helices and β-strands of a protein. A topology of secondary structures defines the mapping between a set of sequence segments and a set of traces of secondary structures in three-dimensional space. In order to enhance accuracy in ranking secondary structure topologies, we explored a method that combines three sources of information: a set …

Studies On Protein Solubility, Ke Li

Doctoral Dissertations

"Solubility is a critical factor of protein-based drugs during processing and patient administration. This study focused on two aspects of solubility: one was the poly (ethylene) glycol (PEG) precipitation of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and another was crystallins aggregation that is associated with cataracts. Protein precipitation by PEG is a common technique for downstream processing. The effects of pH, ionic strength and the exclude volume effect on the protein precipitation by PEG were extensively studied, but the effects of glycosylation on protein precipitation by PEG has not been examined. Protein aggregation is not only a problem in downstream processing, but it …

การเปรียบเทียบวิธีประเมินการจำแนกเสียงพูดโดยใช้ศักย์ไฟฟ้าสมองสัมพันธ์กับเหตุการณ์, พิมพ์วิภา จารุธำรง

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

การจำแนกเสียงพูดคือความสามารถในการจำแนกระหว่างเสียงพยางค์หรือคำ คนที่มีความสามารถในการจำแนกเสียงพูดต่ำมักจะมีปัญหาในการแยกระหว่างคำที่มีเสียงคล้ายกัน โดยปกติการจำแนกเสียงพูดถูกประเมินโดยนักโสตสัมผัสวิทยาทำให้เข้าถึงการประเมินได้ยากเนื่องจากมีนักโสตสัมผัสวิทยาจำนวนไม่มาก นอกจากนี้การประเมินอาจใช้เวลานานหรือไม่สะดวกสำหรับผู้ป่วยบางกลุ่ม เพื่อลดปัญหาเหล่านี้จึงมีการพัฒนาวิธีประเมินการจำแนกเสียงพูดโดยใช้ศักย์ไฟฟ้าสมองสัมพันธ์กับเหตุการณ์ (Event-Related Potentials) วิธีหนึ่งที่มีการใช้คือการสังเกตองค์ประกอบ Mismatch Negativity (MMN) ระหว่างทำการทดลองการฟังแบบ Oddball ต่อมามีการเสนอวิธีใหม่โดยนำสิ่งกระตุ้นทางสายตาที่เป็นตัวอักษรมาใช้ร่วมกับสิ่งกระตุ้นทางเสียง งานวิจัยนี้เสนอวิธีการประเมินโดยใช้ภาพที่แสดงถึงความหมายของคำโดยแบ่งออกเป็นสามแบบที่มีจำนวนภาพและลำดับในการทดลองแตกต่างกัน วิธีใช้ภาพความหมายของคำแต่ละแบบรวมทั้งวิธีที่ใช้การฟังแบบ Oddball และวิธีที่ใช้ตัวอักษรถูกนำมาทดสอบโดยใช้คำสองคำที่มีเสียงพยัญชนะต่างกันแต่มีเสียงสระและเสียงวรรณยุกต์เหมือนกันเพื่อเปรียบเทียบระหว่างแต่ละวิธีโดยนำรูปคลื่นที่ได้มาสร้างเป็นชุดคุณลักษณะแล้วใช้เทคนิคการเรียนรู้ของเครื่อง (Machine Learning) เพื่อจำแนกระหว่างแต่ละเงื่อนไขในการทดลองซึ่งตัวจำแนกที่ใช้ได้แก่ Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) และ Support Vector Machine (SVM) จากการเปรียบเทียบพบว่ามีวิธีที่สามารถนำมาใช้สองวิธี ได้แก่วิธีใช้ภาพความหมายของคำแบบภาพเดียวและวิธีไม่ใช้ภาพ ทั้งสองวิธีนี้ให้ความแม่นยำในการจำแนกสูงกว่า 80% และใช้เวลาหรือสมาธิในการทดลองน้อยกว่าวิธีอื่น การประเมินการจำแนกเสียงพูดโดยใช้วิธีเหล่านี้สามารถนำไปใช้เป็นเครื่องมือคัดกรองอัตโนมัติที่ช่วยประเมินและแนะนำว่าผู้ป่วยควรจะถูกส่งต่อเพื่อตรวจยืนยันกับนักโสตสัมผัสวิทยาหรือไม่ซึ่งสามารถช่วยลดภาระงานของนักโสตสัมผัสวิทยาและทำให้การประเมินเข้าถึงได้ง่ายขึ้น

การพัฒนาเพื่อเพิ่มสมรรถนะของอุปกรณ์ทดสอบภูมิแพ้ทางผิวหนังประเภทพลาสติก, มุธิตา เจียระไนรุ่งโรจน์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

โรคภูมิแพ้ (Allergy) เป็นโรคที่พบได้บ่อยและมีผลกระทบสูงทั้งทางเศรษฐกิจและสังคม กระบวนการวินิจฉัยโรคภูมิแพ้ที่เป็นที่นิยมที่สุดในปัจจุบันคือการทดสอบที่ผิวหนังด้วยวิธี Skin prick test (SPT) อย่างไรก็ดีประสิทธิภาพของการทดสอบ SPT ขึ้นอยู่กับความเชี่ยวชาญ และ ประสบการณ์ของแพทย์ผู้ทำการทดสอบ ซึ่งพบว่ามีปัจจัยหลายประการที่ส่งผลต่อประสิทธิภาพในการทดสอบ เช่น ประเภทของอุปกรณ์ ประเภทของวัสดุ และแรงกด เป็นต้น ดังนั้นงานวิจัยจึงมีวัตถุประสงค์ในการศึกษาถึงผลกระทบของปัจจัยต่างๆ ที่ส่งผลต่อประสิทธิภาพในการทดสอบ SPT เพื่อการพัฒนาต่อยอดอุปกรณ์ทดสอบภูมิแพ้ที่มีประสิทธิภาพสูงโดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งที่สร้างจากพลาสติก โดยผู้วิจัยได้ทำการศึกษาเปรียบเทียบประสิทธิภาพของอุปกรณ์ทดสอบภูมิแพ้ทางผิวหนังที่มีจำหน่ายในท้องตลาดจำนวน 2 ชนิด คือ ALK lancet และ Feather Lancet และ อุปกรณ์ที่สร้างขึ้นจากการฉีดพลาสติกจำนวน 2 ชนิด (Prototype) ด้วยแรงกด 3 แรง คือ 30, 45 และ 60 กรัม กับอาสาสมัครจำนวน 12 คนโดยผู้ทดสอบเพียงคนเดียวในลักษณะสุ่มจุดเจาะ และเปรียบเทียบกับวิธีการมาตรฐานที่ใช้ ALK และ Needle ในการสะกิดโดยแพทย์ผู้เชี่ยวชาญ โดยใช้สารควบคุมบวก Histamine ความเข้มข้น 10 มก./มล และสารควบคุมลบคือ Normal Saline จากการทดลองกับผู้เข้ารับการทดสอบทั้งสิ้น 12 คน พบว่า ขนาดเฉลี่ยของตุ่มบวมโดยใช้อุปกรณ์ทั้ง 4 ประเภทมีขนาดที่เพิ่มขึ้นตามแรงกด โดยที่แรง 30, 45 และ 60 กรัม ตุ่มบวมมีขนาด 2.70 - 4.31 มม., 3.81 - 4.80 มม. และ 4.30 - 5.28 มม. ตามลำดับ และขนาดของตุ่มบวมของมีความแปรปรวนต่ำ ในขณะที่ขนาดเฉลี่ยของตุ่มบวมโดยวิธีการมาตรฐานทั้ง 2 วิธี คือ ALK และ Needle มีขนาดที่ใหญ่กว่าที่ 5.49 …

Improving Patient-Specific Assessments Of Regional Aortic Mechanics Via Quantitative Magnetic Resonance Imaging With Early Applications In Patients At Elevated Risk For Thoracic Aortopathy, Patrick A. Jones

Theses and Dissertations

Unstable aortic aneurysms and dissections are serious cardiovascular conditions associated with high mortality. The current gold standards for assessment of stability, however, rely on simple geometric measurements, like cross-sectional area or increased diameter between follow-up scans, and fail to incorporate information about underlying aortic mechanics. Displacement encoding with stimulated echoes (DENSE) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been used previously to determine heterogeneous circumferential strain patterns in the aortas of healthy volunteers. Here, I introduce technical improvements to DENSE aortic analysis and early pilot application in patients at higher risk for the development of aortopathies. Modifications to the DENSE aortic postprocessing …

Rheological Analysis Of The Mechanical Properties Of Murine Lungs Over The Lifespan, Olajumoke Olufunke Harrison

Theses and Dissertations

To study the effects of aging in murine lungs, we characterized C57Bl6j mice from neonatal to 24-month-old mice. Samples were divided into two groups: Young Mice (YM) and Middle Age/Old Age Mice (MOM). The YM group included the neonatal and 6-10week. The MOM group included 7- and 22–24-month-old mice. Rheological testing was performed using a TA Instruments DHR-2 Rheometer to collect the mechanics of each mice sample. Utilizing a 20-mm parallel plate fixture, a gap of 0.8-1.0-mm, and a temperature setting of 25C, we conducted a frequency sweep. Samples were the decellularized over a four-day process then lyophilized for mass …

Therapeutic Modalities For Preventing Osteoarthritis Following Trauma To The Knee, Kayla M. Scott

Theses and Dissertations

Over 32.5 million adults in the United States and 300 million worldwide have osteoarthritis (OA). To date, there are no disease-modifying therapeutics, only strategies to slow OA progression through pain management, regenerative medicine approaches, and ultimately joint replacement.

On a microscale, a phenotypic shift of the normally quiescent articular chondrocytes leads to aberrant expression of pro-inflammatory and catabolic pathways, which are hypothesized to contribute to OA progression. Of note, interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and WNT/β-catenin signaling are key players disrupting cartilage homeostasis and driving inflammatory pathway activation. These pathways become dysregulated and form a positive feedback loop, increasing …

Evaluating Neuromuscular Function Of The Biceps Brachii After Spinal Cord Injury: Assessment Of Voluntary Activation And Motor Evoked Potential Input-Output Curves Using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Thibault Roumengous

Theses and Dissertations

Activation of upper limb muscles is important for independent living after cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) that results in tetraplegia. An emerging, non-invasive approach to address post-SCI muscle weakness is modulation of the nervous system. A long-term goal is to develop neuromodulation techniques to reinnervate (i.e. resupply nerve to) muscle fiber and thereby increase muscle function in individuals with tetraplegia. Towards this goal, developing monitoring techniques to quantify neuromuscular function is needed to better direct neurorehabilitation. Assessment of voluntary activation (VA) is a promising approach because the location of the stimulus can be applied cortically using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) …