Engineering Commons^™

Epithelial Sheet Response To External Stimuli, Yashar Bashirzadeh

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Mechanical communication of adherent cells with their micro-environment is mediated by cytoskeletal and adhesion proteins. These mechanical links aid tissues in maintaining their coherence in the context of the surrounding extra cellular matrix (ECM). Epithelial tissues exert force on the ECM through integrin-based junctions and maintain their coherency through E-cadherin-based cell-cell junctions while dynamically undergoing collective migration. Such a complex network of communication involving the cell cytoskeleton and adhesion proteins modulates the tissue's response to external cues. Two distinct forms of such external stimuli are those of electrical and mechanical origin.

Epithelial tissues quickly respond to physiologically relevant electric fields …

Using Eeg-Validated Music Emotion Recognition Techniques To Classify Multi-Genre Popular Music For Therapeutic Purposes, Dejoy Shastikk Kumaran

The International Student Science Fair 2018

Music is observed to possess significant beneficial effects to human mental health, especially for patients undergoing therapy and older adults. Prior research focusing on machine recognition of the emotion music induces by classifying low-level music features has utilized subjective annotation to label data for classification. We validate this approach by using an electroencephalography-based approach to cross-check the predictions of music emotion made with the predictions from low-level music feature data as well as collected subjective annotation data. Collecting 8-channel EEG data from 10 participants listening to segments of 40 songs from 5 different genres, we obtain a subject-independent classification accuracy …

Super‐Resolution Imaging Of Amyloid Structures Over Extended Times By Using Transient Binding Of Single Thioflavin T Molecules, Kevin Spehar, Tianben Ding, Yuanzi Sun, Niraja Kedia, Jin Lu, George R. Nahass, Matthew D. Lew, Jan Bieschke

Electrical & Systems Engineering Publications and Presentations

Oligomeric amyloid structures are crucial therapeutic targets in Alzheimer's and other amyloid diseases. However, these oligomers are too small to be resolved by standard light microscopy. We have developed a simple and versatile tool to image amyloid structures by using thioflavin T without the need for covalent labeling or immunostaining. The dynamic binding of single dye molecules generates photon bursts that are used for fluorophore localization on a nanometer scale. Thus, photobleaching cannot degrade image quality, allowing for extended observation times. Super‐resolution transient amyloid binding microscopy promises to directly image native amyloid by using standard probes and record amyloid dynamics …

A Model Of Motor And Sensory Axon Activation In The Median Nerve Using Surface Electrical Stimulation, Jessica L. Gaines, Kathleen E. Finn, Julia P. Slopsema, Lane A. Heyboer, Katharine H. Polasek

Faculty Publications

Surface electrical stimulation has the potential to be a powerful and non-invasive treatment for a variety of medical conditions but currently it is difficult to obtain consistent evoked responses. A viable clinical system must be able to adapt to variations in individuals to produce repeatable results. To more fully study the effect of these variations without performing exhaustive testing on human subjects, a system of computer models was created to predict motor and sensory axon activation in the median nerve due to surface electrical stimulation at the elbow. An anatomically-based finite element model of the arm was built to accurately …

Effects Of Body Temperature And General Anesthetics On Intraocular Pressure In Rats, Aditi Pillai

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ocular hypertension has been identified as the fundamental risk factor in glaucoma which is the leading cause for irreversible blindness in the world. Understanding the different factors that affect IOP is of utmost importance in clinical management as IOP is considered as the fundamental factor in assessing the efficiency of glaucoma medications. Several studies have attempted to assess factors that could affect IOP including age, body position, blood pressure, anesthetics commonly used during eye operations, etc. However, in most of these studies IOP is measured under anesthesia using rodent models and these anesthetics could affect the IOP measurements directly or …

Weighting Function Effects In A Direct Regularization Method For Image-Guided Near-Infrared Spectral Tomography Of Breast Cancer., Jinchao Feng, Shudong Jiang, Brian W. Pogue, Keith Paulsen

Dartmouth Scholarship

Structural image-guided near-infrared spectral tomography (NIRST) has been developed as a way to use diffuse NIR spectroscopy within the context of image-guided quantification of tissue spectral features. A direct regularization imaging (DRI) method for NIRST has the value of not requiring any image segmentation. Here, we present a comprehensive investigational study to analyze the impact of the weighting function implied when weighting the recovery of optical coefficients in DRI based NIRST. This was done using simulations, phantom and clinical patient exam data. Simulations where the true object is known indicate that changes to this weighting function can vary the contrast …

Compensation For Inertial And Gravity Effects In A Moving Force Platform, Sandra K. Hnat, Ben J.H. Van Basten, Antonie J. Van Den Bogert

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

Force plates for human movement analysis provide accurate measurements when mounted rigidly on an inertial reference frame. Large measurement errors occur, however, when the force plate is accelerated, or tilted relative to gravity. This prohibits the use of force plates in human perturbation studies with controlled surface movements, or in conditions where the foundation is moving or not sufficiently rigid. Here we present a linear model to predict the inertial and gravitational artifacts using accelerometer signals. The model is first calibrated with data collected from random movements of the unloaded system and then used to compensate for the errors in …

A Study Of Scalability And Cost-Effectiveness Of Large-Scale Scientific Applications Over Heterogeneous Computing Environment, Arghya K. Das

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Recent advances in large-scale experimental facilities ushered in an era of data-driven science. These large-scale data increase the opportunity to answer many fundamental questions in basic science. However, these data pose new challenges to the scientific community in terms of their optimal processing and transfer. Consequently, scientists are in dire need of robust high performance computing (HPC) solutions that can scale with terabytes of data.

In this thesis, I address the challenges in three major aspects of scientific big data processing as follows: 1) Developing scalable software and algorithms for data- and compute-intensive scientific applications. 2) Proposing new cluster architectures …

Using Eeg-Validated Music Emotion Recognition Techniques To Classify Multi-Genre Popular Music For Therapeutic Purposes, Dejoy Shastikk Kumaran

The International Student Science Fair 2018

Music is observed to possess significant beneficial effects to human mental health, especially for patients undergoing therapy and older adults. Prior research focusing on machine recognition of the emotion music induces by classifying low-level music features has utilized subjective annotation to label data for classification. We validate this approach by using an electroencephalography-based approach to cross-check the predictions of music emotion made with the predictions from low-level music feature data as well as collected subjective annotation data. Collecting 8-channel EEG data from 10 participants listening to segments of 40 songs from 5 different genres, we obtain a subject-independent classification accuracy …

Design And Testing Of A Passive Prosthetic Ankle Foot Optimized To Mimic An Able-Bodied Gait, Millicent Schlafly

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Currently there are nearly 2 million people living with limb loss in the United States [1]. Many of these individuals are either transtibial (below knee) or transfemoral (above knee) amputees and require an ankle-foot prosthesis for basic mobility. While there are an abundance of options available for individuals who require an ankle-foot prosthesis, these options fail to mimic an intact ankle when it comes to key evaluation criteria such as range of motion, push-off force, and roll over shape. The roll over shape is created by plotting the center of pressure during a step in a shank-based coordinate system. To …

Correcting For Targeted And Control Agent Signal Differences In Paired-Agent Molecular Imaging Of Cancer Cell-Surface Receptors, Negar Sadeghipour, Scott C. Davis, Kenneth M. Tichauer

Dartmouth Scholarship

Paired-agent kinetic modeling protocols provide one means of estimating cancer cell-surface receptors with in vivo molecular imaging. The protocols employ the coadministration of a control imaging agent with one or more targeted imaging agent to account for the nonspecific uptake and retention of the targeted agent. These methods require the targeted and control agent data be converted to equivalent units of concentration, typically requiring specialized equipment and calibration, and/or complex algorithms that raise the barrier to adoption. This work evaluates a kinetic model capable of correcting for targeted and control agent signal differences. This approach was compared with an existing …

A Novel Multiscale Mathematical Model For Building Bone Substitute Materials For Children, Abdennasser Chekroun, Laurent Pujo-Menjouet, Jean-Philippe Berteau

Publications and Research

Bone is an engineering marvel that achieves a unique combination of stiffness and toughness exceeding that of synthesized materials. In orthopedics, we are currently challenged for the child population that needs a less stiff but a tougher bone substitute than adults. Recent evidence suggests that the relationship between inter-molecular connections that involve the two main bone building blocks, TropoCollagen molecules (TC) and carbonated Hydroxyapatite (cAp), and bone macroscopic mechanical properties, stiffness and toughness, are key to building bone substitute materials for children. The goal of our study is to establish how inter-molecular connections that occur during bone mineralization are related …

Distribution And Localization Of Novel Iodine Nanoparticles In The Human Glioma 1242 Growing In The Brains Of Mice, Benjamin Billings

Honors Scholar Theses

Observing and designing the in vivo distribution and localization of therapeutic nanoparticles is an essential aspect of developing and understanding novel nanoparticle- based medical treatments. This study investigates novel PEGylated Iodine-based nanoparticles (INPs), an alternate composition to the more widely researched gold nanoparticles (AuNPs), which may help avoid adverse effects associated with AuNPs, such as potential toxicity and skin discoloration, when used in similar applications. Determining the localization of the novel INPs within murine brains containing human glioma U-1242MG cells is critical in assisting the development of radiation dose enhancement therapy for this aggressive cancer. Radiation dose enhancement utilizes the …

Effects Of 8-Week Sensory Electrical Stimulation Combined With Motor Training On Eeg-Emg Coherence And Motor Function In Individuals With Stroke, Li-Ling Hope Pan, Wen-Wen Yang, Mei-Wun Tsai, Shun-Hwa Wei, Felipe Fregni, Vincent Chiun-Fan Chen, Li-Wei Chou

Engineering Science Faculty Publications

The peripheral sensory system is critical to regulating motor plasticity and motor recovery. Peripheral electrical stimulation (ES) can generate constant and adequate sensory input to influence the excitability of the motor cortex. The aim of this proof of concept study was to assess whether ES prior to each hand function training session for eight weeks can better improve neuromuscular control and hand function in chronic stroke individuals and change electroencephalography-electromyography (EEG-EMG) coherence, as compared to the control (sham ES). We recruited twelve subjects and randomly assigned them into ES and control groups. Both groups received 20-minute hand function training twice …

Effects Of 8-Week Sensory Electrical Stimulation Combined With Motor Training On Eeg-Emg Coherence And Motor Function In Individuals With Stroke, Li-Ling Hope Pan, Wen-Wen Yang, Chung-Lan Kao, Mei-Wun Tsai, Shun-Hwa Wei, Felipe Fregni, Vincent Chiun-Fan Chen, Li-Wei Chou

Engineering Science Faculty Publications

The peripheral sensory system is critical to regulating motor plasticity and motor recovery. Peripheral electrical stimulation (ES) can generate constant and adequate sensory input to influence the excitability of the motor cortex. The aim of this proof of concept study was to assess whether ES prior to each hand function training session for eight weeks can better improve neuromuscular control and hand function in chronic stroke individuals and change electroencephalography-electromyography (EEG-EMG) coherence, as compared to the control (sham ES). We recruited twelve subjects and randomly assigned them into ES and control groups. Both groups received 20-minute hand function training twice …

Metabolic Patterning On A Chip: Towards In Vitro Liver Zonation Of Primary Rat And Human Hepatocytes, Young Bok (Abraham) Kang, Jinsu Eo, Safak Mert, Martin L. Yarmush, O. Berk Usta

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

An important number of healthy and diseased tissues shows spatial variations in their metabolic capacities across the tissue. The liver is a prime example of such heterogeneity where the gradual changes in various metabolic activities across the liver sinusoid is termed as “zonation” of the liver. Here, we introduce the Metabolic Patterning on a Chip (MPOC) platform capable of dynamically creating metabolic patterns across the length of a microchamber of liver tissue via actively enforced gradients of various metabolic modulators such as hormones and inducers. Using this platform, we were able to create continuous liver tissues of both rat and …

Metabolic Patterning On A Chip: Towards In Vitro Liver Zonation Of Primary Rat And Human Hepatocytes, Young Bok Abraham Kang, Jinsu Eo, Safak Mert, Martin L. Yarmush, O. Berk Usta

Faculty Publications - Biomedical, Mechanical, and Civil Engineering

An important number of healthy and diseased tissues shows spatial variations in their metabolic capacities across the tissue. The liver is a prime example of such heterogeneity where the gradual changes in various metabolic activities across the liver sinusoid is termed as “zonation” of the liver. Here, we introduce the Metabolic Patterning on a Chip (MPOC) platform capable of dynamically creating metabolic patterns across the length of a microchamber of liver tissue via actively enforced gradients of various metabolic modulators such as hormones and inducers. Using this platform, we were able to create continuous liver tissues of both rat and …

Wearable Assistive Technologies For Autism: Opportunities And Challenges, Emma Mansouri Benssassi, Juan-Carlos Gomez, Louanne E. Boyd, Gillian R. Hayes, Juan Ye

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

Autism is a lifelong developmental condition that affects how people perceive the world and interact with others. Challenges with typical social engagement, common in the autism experience, can have a significant negative impact on the quality of life of individuals and families living with autism. Recent advances in sensing, intelligent, and interactive technologies can enable new forms of assistive and augmentative technologies to support social interactions. However, researchers have not yet demonstrated effectiveness of these technologies in long-term real-world use. This article presents an overview of the social and sensory challenges of autism, which offer great opportunities and challenges for …

Production Of Living Nanoparticles For Blood Cancer Therapy, Michael Pierotti, Matthew Piro, Peter Mitchell

Bioengineering Senior Theses

Current cancer therapies leave much to be desired because they are very harmful to the patient and cause a significant decrease in quality of life. Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CAR) are a promising novel approach for treating specific types of leukemia due to their binding affinity for proteins expressed solely on leukemia B cells. This approach increases specificity of how cells receive treatment, thus allowing for the destruction of cancerous cells while leaving the healthy cells unharmed. In this experiment, we show that production of CAR expressing exosomes (liposome like vesicles produced naturally by human cells) is possible through cell transfection. …

The Effect Of Nd On Mechanical Properties And Corrosion Performance Of Biodegradable Mg-5%Zn Alloy, Lilach Elkaiam, Orly Hakimi, Jeremy Goldman, Eli Aghion

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Mg based implants are limited by their poor strength, ductility, and corrosion performance in physiological environments, drawbacks further compounded by their premature loss of mechanical integrity and evolution of harmful hydrogen gas. Neodymium additions to magnesium have been shown to improve mechanical properties through precipitation and solid solution hardening. Therefore, the present study incorporated Nd additions (up to 3%) into a promising Mg-5%Zn-0.13%Y-0.35%Zr alloy to improve mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. The microstructure evaluation of a series of alloys was performed using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction analysis. The mechanical properties were examined in terms of …

Medical Perspective Articles To Stimulate The Field For Needs-Finding, Brian W. Pogue

Dartmouth Scholarship

This editorial by the journal's Editor in Chief, Brian Pogue, explains the need for a new type of paper.

New Algorithms For Compressed Sensing Of Mri: Wtwts, Dwts, Wdwts, Srivarna Settisara Janney

Master of Science in Computer Science Theses

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is one of the most accurate imaging techniques that can be used to detect several diseases, where other imaging methodologies fail. MRI data takes a longer time to capture. This is a pain taking process for the patients to remain still while the data is being captured. This is also hard for the doctor as well because if the images are not captured correctly then it will lead to wrong diagnoses of illness that might put the patients lives in danger. Since long scanning time is one of most serious drawback of the MRI modality, reducing …

Influence Of Silica Nanoparticle Density And Flow Conditions On Sedimentation, Cell Uptake, And Cytotoxicity, Mostafa Yazdimamaghani, Zachary B. Barber, Seyyed Pouya Hadipour Moghaddam, Hamidreza Ghandehari

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Careful evaluation of the toxicological response of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) as a function of physicochemical properties can aid in the design of safe platforms for biomedical applications including drug delivery. Typically, in vitro ENM cytotoxicity assessments are performed under conventional static cell culture conditions. However, such conditions do not take into account the sedimentation rate of ENMs. Herein, we synthesized four types of similar size silica nanoparticles (SNPs) with modified surface roughness, charge, and density and characterized their cytotoxicity under static and dynamic conditions. Influence of particle density on sedimentation and diffusion velocities were studied by comparing solid dense silica …

Regulation Of Cellular Patterning Through The Extracellular Matrix, Lewis Scott, Lauren Griggs, Vani Narayanan, Daniel Conway Phd, Seth H. Weinberg Phd, Christopher Lemmon Phd

Biology and Medicine Through Mathematics Conference

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Macromolecular Crowding And Confinement On Enzyme Activity And Structure Under Native And Denaturing Conditions, Steven Long, Jeffrey Kunkel, Prashanth Asuri

Bioengineering

It is now well appreciated that both crowding and confinement influence enzyme structure and function due to excluded volume effects; however, the relative efficacies of these environments on protein fates remain unclear due to a lack of direct comparison studies. In this study, we explore the use of the biopolymer alginate to develop an in vitro platform to investigate the effects of both crowding and confinement on the behavior of two model enzymes - horseradish peroxidase and β-galactosidase. Alginate, in its solution phase, can be used as a crowding agent and, in its gel phase by crosslinking using divalent cations, …

Fixing Vertebral Compression Fractures With Medtronic, Kelly Fitzgerald, Trevor Bingham, Alex Denbaugh, Jordan Tang, Jon Stearns

Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

No abstract provided.

Lysosomal Delivery Of Bioactive Proteins To Living Human Cells Via Engineered Exosomes, Daniel Levy

Bioengineering Master's Theses

Exosomes are naturally secreted nanovesicles derived from mammalian cells that are used for intercellular communication in vivo. As a result, they can potentially be used for intracellular delivery of therapeutics for disease treatment. We have developed an exosome pseudotyping approach using vesicular stomatitis virus glycoprotein (VSVG) to produce protein chimeras that optimize production of modified exosomes containing protein therapeutics and facilitate effective delivery to their target cells. To the VSVG transmembrane scaffold, we have fused both fluorescent and luminescent reporters for exosome tracking/visualization and quantification of activity respectively. Through our design, we have shown the biogenesis of VSVG modified exosomes …

Engineering Nanoscale Exosomes For Lysosomal Delivery Of Bioactive Enzymes, Mai Anh Do

Bioengineering Master's Theses

There are at least 50 lysosomal storage diseases that are caused by accumulation of a substrate due to a defective enzyme. Although some treatment options are available, low efficacy, high cost, and immunogenicity are main challenges of current treatments. To overcome those limitations, we use cell-derived nanoparticles to deliver biologically active cargos into lysosomes. Naturally produced exosomes can deliver proteins without triggering an immune response. Additionally, exosome have an intrinsic ability to cross blood brain barrier benefiting patients at a late disease stage that affects the brain. After fusing either Gaussia luciferase (gLuc) or puromycin resistant protein (puro) onto a …

Active Auxetic Heel Support For Achilles Tendon Therapy, Anna Hinrichs, Kseniya Malukhina, Ishaan Sharma, Micaela Vierra

Bioengineering Senior Theses

The Achilles tendon, which stretches from the calf to the ankle, can be injured due to repeated daily activities or overstretching. In severe cases a tear in the tendon can prevent athletes from performing in games as well as individuals from completing their daily tasks. Achilles tendon injuries affect millions of people. The severe pain that occurs upon injury can take months to improve and for the Achilles tendon to heal. Our goal is to design an auxetic support to provide comfort, help heal the tendon, and allow the individual to continue to be active through the natural healing process. …

Engineered Living Nanoparticles For The Treatment Of Inflammatory Diseases, Annie Brown, Alex Campanelli, Adarsh Tantry

Bioengineering Senior Theses

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a widespread, debilitating autoimmune disease characterized by painful inflammation of the joints. Current treatments for RA are either ineffective, expensive, or have undesirable effects, such as an adverse immune response. To mitigate these effects, we have designed an exosome-based treatment for inflammation. We chose to utilize exosomes for their longer half-life in the body, better penetrative capacity, and biocompatibility, thus improving upon previous RA treatments. To do this, we created a stable cell line to produce exosomes modified at the surface to express a tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR), which possesses the ability to act as …