Engineering Commons^™

Characterizing Complexes Of Dna And Elastin-Like Polypeptides, Bryce Noe

Undergraduate Research Posters 2018

Elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) are a class of environmental responsive materials. When prepared with a protein motif that selectively binds to nucleic acids, a nucleic acid-ELP complex can be formed, conferring the responsive properties of ELP onto the nucleic acid. One possible use for such a complex is in DNA origami, where nanoscaled assemblies of DNA can be transformed into nanomachines by using the ELP as an actuator. Other possible uses include the isolation and extraction of a selected strands of genetic material, or the delivery of genetic material to a cell. Using a bacterial expression system, our lab has prepared …

Surface Functionalization Of Pure-Chirality Carbon Nanotubes By Covalent And Noncovalent Chemistry, Fjorela Xhyliu, Niyousha Mohammad Shafie

Undergraduate Research Posters 2018

Single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are one-dimensional cylindrical nanostructures with distinct electronic and optical properties. With all its atoms on the surface, SWCNTs have been widely explored for chemical modification through noncovalent and covalent chemistry, which can provide promising applications in bioimaging and sensing. Here we investigated surface functionalization of purechirality SWCNTs with various glycopolymers, surfactants, and RPMI cell culture media with and without fetal bovine serum (FBS). Raman, vis-NIR absorption, and vis-NIR fluorescence spectra of SWCNTs in various solvent environments were monitored over time. While nanotube aggregation was not observed for incubation in FBS containing RPMI for 8 hours, interactions …

Efficient One‑Step Fusion Pcr Based On Dual‑Asymmetric Primers And Two‑Step Annealing, Yilan Liu, Jinjin Chen, Anders Thygesen

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Gene splicing by fusion PCR is a versatile and widely used methodology, especially in synthetic biology. We here describe a rapid method for splicing two fragments by one-round fusion PCR with a dual-asymmetric primers and two-step annealing (ODT) method. During the process, the asymmetric intermediate fragments were generated in the early stage. Thereafter, they were hybridized in the subsequent cycles to serve as template for the target full-length product. The process parameters such as primer ratio, elongation temperature and cycle numbers were optimized. In addition, the fusion products produced with this method were successfully applied in seamless genome editing. The …

Engineering Hyaluronic Acid Carbon Nanotube Nanofibers: A Peripheral Nerve Interface To Electrically Stimulate Regeneration, Elisabeth M. Steel

Wayne State University Dissertations

Peripheral nerve injuries annually affect hundreds of thousands of people globally. Current treatments like the gold standard autograft and commercially available nerve guide conduits (NGC) are insufficient to repair long gap peripheral nerve injuries. NGCs can aid recovery but lack key microenvironment cues that promote nerve regeneration. We hypothesized that providing topographical, mechanical, and electrical guidance cues through a nanofibrous composite biopolymer would result in improved neuron growth metrics using an in vitro model. We embedded hydrophilic carbon nanotubes (CNT) within hyaluronic acid (HA) nanofibers by electrospinning. The aims of this study were (1) to define the topographical, nanomechanical, and …

A Machine Learning Approach To Assess The Separation Of Seismocardiographic Signals By Respiration, Brian Solar

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The clinical usage of Seismocardiography (SCG) is increasing as it is being shown to be an effective non-invasive measurement for heart monitoring. SCG measures the vibrational activity at the chest surface and applications include non-invasive assessment of myocardial contractility and systolic time intervals. Respiratory activity can also affect the SCG signal by changing the hemodynamic characteristics of cardiac activity and displacing the position of the heart. Other clinically significant information, such as systolic time intervals, can thus manifest themselves differently in an SCG signal during inspiration and expiration. Grouping SCG signals into their respective respiratory cycle can mitigate this issue. …

Can A Comprehensive Transition Plan To Barefoot Running Be The Solution To The Injury Epidemic In American Endurance Runners?, Michael A. Scarlett

CMC Senior Theses

Fossils belonging to the genus Homo, dating as far back as two million years ago, exhibit uniquely efficient features suggesting that early humans had evolved to become exceptional endurance runners. Although they did not have the cushion or stability-control features provided in our modern day running shoes, our early human ancestors experienced far less of the running-related injuries we experience today. The injury rate has been estimated as high as 90% annually for Americans training for a marathon and as high as 79% annually for all American endurance runners. There is an injury epidemic in conventionally shod populations that …

Biom 4110/6110: The Science Of Medicine (Syllabus), Bradford D. Pendley

Biomedical Engineering Syllabi Archive

Course Description: Integration of fundamental principles from physics, chemistry, biology and mathematics, and applications of these principles to solve problems in medicine.

The Effects Of Emerging Technology On Healthcare And The Difficulties Of Integration, Skyler J. Pavlish-Carpenter

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Disruptive technology describes technology that is significantly more advanced than previous iterations, such as: 3D printing, genetic manipulation, stem cell research, innovative surgical procedures, and computer-based charting software. These technologies often require extensive overhauls to implement into older systems and must overcome many difficult financial and societal complications before they can be widely used. In a field like healthcare that makes frequent advancements, these difficulties can mean that the technology will not be utilized to its full potential or implemented at all.

Objective: To determine the inhibiting factors that prevent disruptive technology from being implemented in conventional healthcare.

Methods: …

Asymmetric Patterns Of Small Molecule Transport After Nanosecond And Microsecond Electropermeabilization, Esin B. Sözer, C. Florencia Pocetti, P. Thomas Vernier

Bioelectrics Publications

Imaging of fluorescent small molecule transport into electropermeabilized cells reveals polarized patterns of entry, which must reflect in some way the mechanisms of the migration of these molecules across the compromised membrane barrier. In some reports, transport occurs primarily across the areas of the membrane nearest the positive electrode (anode), but in others cathode-facing entry dominates. Here we compare YO-PRO-1, propidium, and calcein uptake into U-937 cells after nanosecond (6 ns) and microsecond (220 µs) electric pulse exposures. Each of the three dyes exhibits a different pattern. Calcein shows no preference for anode- or cathode-facing entry that is detectable with …

Damage Characterization Of Aircraft Fuselage Using Vibrothermography Technique-Review And Analysis, Abbasali Saboktakin

International Journal of Aviation, Aeronautics, and Aerospace

Vibrothermogrphy is a promising non-destructive technique that uses ultrasonic elastic waves to detect damages and is typically applied in the aerospace and automotive industries. This technique allows for defect selective imaging using thermal waves that are generated by ultrasound waves. In this paper, vibrothermography technique was applied to the aircraft fuselage to detect its damage. The influence of the damage on the temperature distribution at the damage region on the aluminum was investigated by finite element technique. Comprehensive understanding in edge crack in fuselage heating caused by local friction between crack surfaces was obtained.

Senior Design I, Alessandra Carriero, Luis Cardoso

Open Educational Resources

No abstract provided.

Lcd 3d Printing Of A Photocurable Elastomer For Tissue Engineering, Beatriz Luiza De Souza

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Three-dimensional scaffolding is an emerging research area in biomedical and tissue engineering. Scaffolds provide the possibility of growing tissues in a controlled environment, with desired characteristics and properties towards a specific application. A new method to 3D print biodegradable and biocompatible material called Polyglycerol Sebacate Acrylate (PGSA) is demonstrated. PGSA is essentially an acrylated form of PGS using photoinitiator to become a photocurable resin suitable for liquid crystal display (LCD) 3D printing. PGSA was selected because its rheological and crosslinking behavior (and hence its mechanical properties) can be controlled by changes in curing time, temperature, and pressure. This material has …

Alteration Of Metabolite Profiling By Cold Atmospheric Plasma Treatment In Human Myeloma Cells, Dehui Xu, Yujing Xu, Ning Ning, Qingjie Cui, Zhijie Liu, Xiaohua Wang, Dingxin Liu, Hailan Chen, Michael G. Kong

Bioelectrics Publications

BACKGROUND: Despite new progress of chemotherapy in multiple myeloma (MM) clinical treatment, MM is still a refractory disease and new technology is needed to improve the outcomes and prolong the survival. Cold atmospheric plasma is a rapidly developed technology in recent years, which has been widely applied in biomedicine. Although plasma could efficiently inactivate various tumor cells, the effects of plasma on tumor cell metabolism have not been studied yet.

METHODS: In this study, we investigated the metabolite profiling of He plasma treatment on myeloma tumor cells by gas-chromatography time-of-flight (GC-TOF) mass-spectrometry. Meanwhile, by bioinformatic analysis such as GO and …

Nano-Pulse Stimulation Ablates Orthotopic Rat Hepatocellular Carcinoma And Induces Innate And Adaptive Memory Immune Mechanisms That Prevent Recurrence, Brittany P. Lassiter, Siqi Guo, Stephen J. Beebe

Bioelectrics Publications

Nano-pulse stimulation (NPS), previously called nsPEFs, induced a vaccine-like effect after ablation of orthotopic N1-S1 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), protecting rats from subsequent challenges with N1-S1 cells. To determine immunity, immune cell phenotypes were analyzed in naïve, treated and protected rats. NPS provides a positive, post-ablation immuno-therapeutic outcome by alleviating immunosuppressive T regulatory cells (Treg) in the tumor microenvironment (TME), allowing dendritic cell influx and inducing dynamic changes in natural killer cells (NKs), NKT-cells and T-lymphocytes in blood, spleen and liver. NPS induced specific increases in NKs and NKT-cells expressing CD8 and activation receptors CD314-NKG2D and CD161 (NK1.1) in the TME …

Tumor Cell Death After Electrotransfer Of Plasmid Dna Is Associated With Cytosolic Dna Sensor Upregulation, Katarina Znidar, Masa Bosnjak, Nina Semenova, Olga N. Pakhomova, Loree Heller, Maja Cemazar

Bioelectrics Publications

Cytosolic DNA sensors are a subgroup of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) and are activated by the abnormal presence of the DNA in the cytosol. Their activation leads to the upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines and can also induce cell death. The presence of cytosolic DNA sensors and inflammatory cytokines in TS/A murine mammary adenocarcinoma and WEHI 164 fibrosarcoma cells was demonstrated using real time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), western blotting and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). After electrotransfer of plasmid DNA (pDNA) using two pulse protocols, the upregulation of DNA-depended activator of interferon regulatory factor or Z-DNA binding …

Nano-Pulse Stimulation For The Treatment Of Pancreatic Cancer And The Changes In Immune Profile, Sigi Guo, Niculina I. Burcus, James Hornef, Yu Jing, Chunqi Jiang, Richard Heller, Stephen J. Beebe

Bioelectrics Publications

A Pancreatic cancer is a notorious malignant neoplasm with an extremely poor prognosis. Current standard of care is rarely effective against late-stage pancreatic cancer. In this study, we assessed nanopulse stimulation (NPS) as a local treatment for pancreatic cancer in a syngeneic mouse Pan02 pancreatic cancer model and characterized corresponding changes in the immune profile. A single NPS treatment either achieved complete tumor regression or prolonged overall survival in animals with partial tumor regression. While this is very encouraging, we also explored if this local ablation effect could also result in immune stimulation, as was observed when NPS led to …

Objectively Measuring Effects Of Electro-Acupuncture In Parkinsonian Rhesus Monkeys, Rui Zhang, Anders H. Andersen, Peter A. Hardy, Eric Forman, April Evans, Yi Ai, Jin Yue, Guihua Yue, Don M. Gash, Richard Grondin, Zhiming Zhang

Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Center Faculty Publications

Acupuncture has increasingly been used as an alternative therapy for treatment of Parkinson’s disease (PD). However, the efficacy of acupunture for PD still remains unclear. The present study was designed to objectively and safely monitor anti-parkinsonian effects of electroacupuncture (EA) and brain activity in nonhuman primates modeling human PD. Six middle-aged rhesus monkeys were extensively studied by a computerized behavioral testing battery and by pharmacological MRI (phMRI) scans with specific dopaminergic drug stimulations. All animals were evaluated for behavior and phMRI responses under normal, parkinsonian, parkinsonian with EA treatment and parkinsonian after EA treatment conditions. Stable parkinsonian features were observed …

Automatic Image Processing And Conversion To Tactile Graphics, Tyler Ferro

Theses and Dissertations

Graphical information has become a critical method for portraying information for education, work and personal tasks and decisions. Unfortunately there are currently limited means of providing this information to individuals who are blind or visually impaired: alternate text is frequently missing, and accessible tactile diagrams tend to be time consuming to make and require expertise in order for them to be interpretable (which may be costly to the user and/or impossible to get). The aim of this project is to provide an accessible system to automatically generate tactile graphics for those who need to interpret information contained in visual images. …

Improving Realtime 3-D Tracking Of High Dose Rate Radiation Source Using A Flat Panel Detector, Leo Uchechukwu Udeji

Theses and Dissertations

Previous research ¹ on this subject tracked the presumed exact path the HDR source would follow in real-time, during breast brachytherapy treatments in other to ensure accurate dose delivery and effectively confirm actual source position. As a continuation, this research has three objectives. Firstly, we will extract information from patient DICOM file which will be used to perform evaluations, then we will establish communication between our C program and the new Varex Paxscan flat panel detector (FPD). Finally, we will try to embed our C codes into a MATLAB graphical user interface (GUI) This research will attempt to improve the …

Exogenous Fniii 12-14 Regulates Tgf-Β1-Induced Markers, Hilmi M. Humeid

Theses and Dissertations

The extracellular matrix protein Fibronectin (FN) plays an important role in cell contractility, differentiation, growth, adhesion, and migration. The 12th -14th Type III repeats of FN (FNIII 12-14), also referred to as the Heparin-II domain, comprise a highly promiscuous growth factor (GF) binding region. This binding domain aids in cellular signaling initiated from the ECM. Additionally, FN has the ability to assemble into fibrils under certain conditions, mostly observed during cell contractile processes such as those that initiate due to upregulation of Transforming Growth Factor Beta 1 (TGF-β1) [1], [2]. Previous work from our lab has shown that self-assembly of …

Decellularized Matrices Effect On The Adaptive Immune Response, Kegan Sowers

Theses and Dissertations

Decellularized extracellular matrices have been a growing area of interest in the biomedical engineering fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.As these materials move toward clinical applications, the immune response to these materials will be a driving force toward their success in clinical approaches. Fully digested decellularized matrix constructs derived from porcine liver, muscle and lung were created to test the adaptive immune response. Hydrogel characterization ensured that the materials had relatively similar stiffness levels to reduce variability, and in vitro studies were conducted. Each individual construct as well as a gelatin control were plated with a co-culture of macrophages …

Study Of Mri Signal In The Presence Of Discrete Spherical Magnetic Particles, Paul Kokeny

Wayne State University Dissertations

Simulating signal behavior in Magnetic Resonance imaging (MRI) is often a necessary step in being able to understand how signal relates to certain physiological parameters. One such parameter of interest in the body is magnetic susceptibility since it is related to iron content. The bulk magnetic susceptibility of an object is a property that describes how magnetized it becomes when placed in an external magnetic field. When the bulk susceptibility of an object arises from the presence of discrete magnetic inclusions, the MRI phase signal inside the object can no longer be determined analytically by assuming it has a continuous …

Optical Coherence Tomography Application To Alopecia In The Scalp, Elizabeth Melcher

Research Opportunities for Engineering Undergraduates (ROEU) Program 2017-18

Alopecia is the loss of hair, whether it be from the scalp or other regions of the body. Current techniques used to best diagnose and track alopecia are often invasive, requiring a biopsy for results. The use of the OCT, or optical coherence tomography, could drastically improve a patient’s experience in undergoing a diagnosis while proving accurate results. The objective of this study is to develop diagnostic algorithms for the rapid, non-invasive diagnosis of alopecia with OCT. The first step is collecting OCT images of a healthy scalp to understand the anatomical structures with the imaging technique.

Characterization Of Electroactive Nanofibers For Nerve Regeneration, Jean-Yves Azar

Research Opportunities for Engineering Undergraduates (ROEU) Program 2017-18

In the event of peripheral nerve injury, loss of function may occur as the result of a severed nerve. Hollow nerve gap conduits are used to provide a protected environment for nerves to reconnect and regain function, although therapies for nerve gaps larger than 3 cm lack a stable environment for nerves to reconnect. Development of a nerve guide conduit filler has been proposed to mimic the cell’s microenvironment. This would lead to increased functional regeneration. We are aiming to create a biomaterial to act as a filler for the hollow nerve gap conduits to promote functional regeneration of the …

Developing Vascular Graft From Adipose-Derived Stem Cells, Ashley C. Apil

Research Opportunities for Engineering Undergraduates (ROEU) Program 2017-18

This project aims to differentiate adipose-derived stem cells into fibroblasts through the addition of platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) into the culture media. Differentiation protocol will be optimized, then successful differentiation will be verified through PCR analysis. The ASC-fibroblasts will then be seeded into a ring construct as outlined by the protocol by Lam et al. The ring constructs will be tensile tested and analyzed through histology to characterize their strength and cellularity.

Regulation Of Pituitary Progenitor Differentiation By Β-Catenin, Julie Leann Youngblood

Theses and Dissertations

The pituitary gland is a critical organ that is necessary for many physiological processes, including growth, reproduction, and stress response. These vital processes are regulated through the secretion of pituitary hormones from specialized cell types. Pituitary hormone-producing cells arise from a common pool of pituitary progenitors in the developing Rathke’s pouch, and mutations that disrupt the formation and differentiation of pituitary progenitors often result in hypopituitarism, pituitary adenomas, or craniopharyngiomas. Thus, it is necessary to determine the mechanisms of pituitary development in order to understand the ways in which these congenital defects and tumors develop and disrupt pituitary function. Canonical …

Bioproducts From Bacteria: A Synthetic Biology Approach, Andrew Walters, Ron Sims, Charles Miller

Research on Capitol Hill

What can synthetic biology do?

Synthetic biology can solve many of Utah's problems:

1. Health: generate better medicines and treatments

- Insulin, Artemisinin (anti-malaria drug), Cancer

2. Fuel: augment petroleum with biofuels and biogas

3. Electricity: directly generate electricity from waste

4. Food: engineer more nutritious food with higher yields

- Golden rice, Arctic Apples, Corn, Soybeans, Cotton

5. Products: generate necessary products renewably

- Bioplastics, Spider silk, Adhesives, Pigments, Perfumes

A Collaborative Solution To Harmful Algal Blooms In Utah, Kyle Hillman, Bethany Jensen, Ammon Balle

Research on Capitol Hill

Harmful algal blooms (HABs)…

• affect Utah Lake, Scofield Reservoir, Jordanelle Reservoir, Mantua Lake, and other water bodies throughout Utah
• are toxic to public health, the environment, and the economy

Investigation Of The Ms2 Bacteriophage Capsid As An Mri-Capable, Brain-Targeted Nanoparticle Platform, Stephanie M. Curley

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Novel methods are needed to traverse the blood-brain barrier (BBB) and deliver drugs to specific targets in the brain. To this end, MS2 bacteriophage was explored as a multifunctional transport and targeting vector. The MS2 capsid exterior was modified with two different targeting moieties for delivery across the BBB and targeting specific regions of interest in the brain. Successful modification of MS2 capsids with a brain targeting peptide and NMDAR2D-targeting antibody was confirmed by immunoblotting and fluorescence detection. To measure transport efficiency of MS2 particles across an in vitro BBB model, a highly sensitive RT-qPCR protocol was developed and implemented. …

Inhibition Of Apoptosis Exacerbates Fatigue-Damage Tendon Injuries In An In Vivo Rat Model, R. Bell, M. A. Robles-Harris, M. Anderson, D. Laudier, M. B. Schaffler, E. L. Flatow, N. Andarawis-Puri

Publications and Research

Tendinopathy is a common and progressive musculoskeletal disease. Increased apoptosis is an end-stage tendinopathy manifestation, but its contribution to the pathology of the disease is unknown. A previously established in vivo model of fatigue-damage accumulation shows that increased apoptosis is correlated with the severity of induced tendon damage, even in early onset of the disease, supporting its implication in the pathogenesis of the disease. Consequently, this study aimed to determine: (1) whether apoptosis could be inhibited after fatigue damage and (2) whether its inhibition could lead to remodeling of the extracellular matrix (ECM) and pericellular matrix (PCM), to ultimately improve …