Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Engineering Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering

Institution
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 5161 - 5190 of 11502

Full-Text Articles in Engineering

Degradability Of Poly(Ethylene) Based Microgels And Methods Of Improving High Polydispersity Index, Abrar Alniemi Jan 2018

Degradability Of Poly(Ethylene) Based Microgels And Methods Of Improving High Polydispersity Index, Abrar Alniemi

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In order to improve upon the utilization of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) microgel-based scaffolds in drug delivery applications, this work explores the use of degradable and non-degradable PEG for tunable scaffolds. Previously, issues concerning the required uniformity in microgel size and low polydispersity index have been encountered. As such, methods of refining polymer synthesis, microgel fabrication, and microgel size separation were explored. Overall, no solution has been found to correct the issue for the microgels were still observed to have high polydispersity index regardless of varied troubleshooting alterations.

Go to article

Development Of Entubulation Strategies For Treating Central Nervous System Injuries, Ivy Brosch Jan 2018

Development Of Entubulation Strategies For Treating Central Nervous System Injuries, Ivy Brosch

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

According to the McKnight Brain Institute, at least 10,000 people annually in the USA suffer from a central nervous system (CNS) injury. These injuries can cause serve disabilities including paralysis. Due to the complexity of the spinal cord, it is common that potential CNS treatments are first applied to an optic nerve crush (ONC) model in rats. Two proposed treatments were employed; one where nerve growth factor (NGF) was immobilized to a chitosan substrate to stimulate axonal regeneration, and the other using pentadecafluorooctanoyl chloride modified methacrylamide chitosan (MAC(Ali15)F) hydrogel to enhance local oxygenation. The two different treatments were formed into …

Go to article

Wearable Hearing Accessory Technology, Tyler Cindea, Jaime Alcorn, Brooke Draper, Kyle Glascott, Ben Hanna, Robert Thoerner Jan 2018

Wearable Hearing Accessory Technology, Tyler Cindea, Jaime Alcorn, Brooke Draper, Kyle Glascott, Ben Hanna, Robert Thoerner

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

We set out in August 2017 to develop an active noise suppressing device that would be usable both in military and civilian activities. Due to constraints in knowledge and time, we decided our best course of action was to divide the project into two equal projects with the hope to be able to combine them into a single project at the end of the allotted time. This consisted of an active noise suppression device and a passive noise suppression device. The passive device would have no electronic components and the active device would be pure circuitry with no housing. This …

Go to article

Identification Of Streptococcus Pyogenes Using Raman Spectroscopy, Ehsan Majidi Jan 2018

Identification Of Streptococcus Pyogenes Using Raman Spectroscopy, Ehsan Majidi

Wayne State University Dissertations

Despite the attention that Raman Spectroscopy has gained recently in the area of pathogen identification, the spectra analyses techniques are not well developed. In most scenarios, they rely on expert intervention to detect and assign the peaks of the spectra to specific molecular vibration. Although some investigators have used machine-learning techniques to classify pathogens, these studies are usually limited to a specific application, and the generalization of these techniques is not clear. Also, a wide range of algorithms have been developed for classification problems, however, there is less insight to applying such methods on Raman spectra. Furthermore, analyzing the Raman …

Go to article

Restoring Cholesterol Homeostasis In Familial Hypercholesterolemia Cell Line Model, Lubna Hindi Jan 2018

Restoring Cholesterol Homeostasis In Familial Hypercholesterolemia Cell Line Model, Lubna Hindi

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an autosomal dominant disorder that results in elevated levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). This increase in serum cholesterol level has been shown to result in premature coronary artery disease (CAD) with devastating symptoms from a young age. Today, the prevalence of heterozygous FH (HeFH) and homozygous FH (HoFH) is estimated to be 1 in 320 and 1 in 160,000 people, respectively. FH is referred to as an underdiagnosed disease due to the large number of mutations that continues to grow. These mutations often exist in one of or a combination of three genes: low-density lipoprotein …

Go to article

Optimization Of Plga And Plga-Dasatinib Particles Through A Taguchi Design Approach, Rayeanne N Balgemann Jan 2018

Optimization Of Plga And Plga-Dasatinib Particles Through A Taguchi Design Approach, Rayeanne N Balgemann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Proliferative vitreoretinopathy (PVR) is a disease of the retina in the human eye. Retinal pigment epithelium cells (RPE) undergo an epithelial to mesenchymal transition in response to retinal trauma. This transition gives the cells mobility and allows them to potentially infiltrate the vitreous chamber and deposit on either side of the retina. Once cell deposition has occurred, along with several other transformed cells derived from cell types such as Müller glia, these migratory cells can form a membrane contiguous with the retinal extracellular matrix and, upon contraction, cause wrinkling of the retina. If left untreated PVR can lead to traction …

Go to article

Cementless Tibial Base Micromotion During Activities Of Daily Living, Hayden Wilson Jan 2018

Cementless Tibial Base Micromotion During Activities Of Daily Living, Hayden Wilson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Initial stability of cementless total knee replacement (TKR) components is directly related to long-term fixation and success, as excess motion hinders bony ingrowth. To assess implant stability, there is a need for more physiologically accurate loading conditions, incorporating forces and displacements in all 6 degrees-of-freedom found in the knee joint, as well as understanding the impact of femoral flexion on conformity of tibiofemoral articulation. Understanding how different activities of daily living generate tibial micromotion yields insight into surgical technique considerations, and rehabilitation strategies post-operatively. ASTM F3141-15, which specifies knee flexion, Internal-External moment, Medial-Lateral, Anterior-Posterior and Superior-Inferior forces during gait and …

Go to article

Molded Features In Pdms For Fabricating Bacterial Cellulose For Various Geometries, Mitchell Habegger Jan 2018

Molded Features In Pdms For Fabricating Bacterial Cellulose For Various Geometries, Mitchell Habegger

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of producing features on bacterial cellulose (BC) is to facilitate the elongation and alignment for cells, in this case Normal Human Dermal Fibroblast (NHDF) cells. The elongated cells have applications in wound healing, tissue engineering, disease diagnostics, and many other fields. Experiments were run to test the effectiveness of transferring features to BC sheets from features induced by fracturing on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and those duplicated from molds with existing features. The features were duplicated to BC sheets by either air drying or Guided Assembly-Based Biolithography (GAB). The research results showed that fracture inducing on PDMS produced very small …

Go to article

Modification Of Bacterial Cellulose Using Organosilanes To Enhance Cell Adhesion And Growth, Kristi Ferrato Jan 2018

Modification Of Bacterial Cellulose Using Organosilanes To Enhance Cell Adhesion And Growth, Kristi Ferrato

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

In this project, drying bacterial cellulose (BC) to maintain its structural integrity, and treating BC with organosilanes 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and (3-Mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) as well as with various concentration of gelatin to increase the cells per area was studied. Drying BC with hexamethyldisilazane (HMDS) by soaking the BC in ascending concentrations of ethanol and HMDS did not protect the structural integrity of the BC grown in lab but did for the BC grown in Dr. Siriporn Taokaew’s lab. Freeze drying also did not fully protect the structural integrity as the BC was placed in a freezer for several hours at -20oC …

Go to article

A Novel Approach For Cancer Characterization Using Latent Dirichlet Allocation And Disease-Specific Genomic Analysis, Hima Bindu Yalamanchili Jan 2018

A Novel Approach For Cancer Characterization Using Latent Dirichlet Allocation And Disease-Specific Genomic Analysis, Hima Bindu Yalamanchili

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Two challenging problems in the clinical study of cancer are the characterization of cancer subtypes and the classification of individual patients according to those subtypes. Further, understanding the role of differential gene expression in the development of and molecular response to cancer is a complex problem that remains challenging, in part due to the sheer number of genes and gene products involved. Traditional statistical approaches addressing these problems are hindered by within-class heterogeneity and challenges inherent in data integration across high-dimensional data. In addition, many current machine learning methods do not lend themselves to biological interpretation. We have developed a …

Go to article

M1 To M2 Macrophage Induction Using Retinoic Acid And Mesenchymal Stem Cells Loaded On An Electrospun Pullulan/Gelatin Scaffold To Promote Healing Of Chronic Wounds, Kaivon Assani Jan 2018

M1 To M2 Macrophage Induction Using Retinoic Acid And Mesenchymal Stem Cells Loaded On An Electrospun Pullulan/Gelatin Scaffold To Promote Healing Of Chronic Wounds, Kaivon Assani

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Modulation of macrophage polarization is required for effective tissue repair and regenerative therapies. Conversion of macrophages from inflammatory M1 to fibrotic M2 phenotype could help in diseases such as chronic wound which are stuck in inflammatory state. During the inflammatory phase, macrophages are of the inflammatory phenotype (M1) and distribute pro-inflammatory cytokines including TNF-a and IL1[beta] which are microbicidal and recruit/activate cells. In normal wound healing macrophages then switch to a fibrotic phenotype (M2) promoting wound closure by angiogenesis, and matrix deposition. Chronic wounds are a major biological and financial burden to both patients and the health care system, costing …

Go to article

Effect Of Dimensionality On In Vitro Growth Environment And Mesenchymal Stem Cell Function, Fatema Tuj Zohora Jan 2018

Effect Of Dimensionality On In Vitro Growth Environment And Mesenchymal Stem Cell Function, Fatema Tuj Zohora

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The use of the standard two dimensional (2D) cell culture has laid down the fundamentals of molecular and cell biology. However, recent advances in cell-based regenerative medicine raises the concern on deconstructing cellular behaviors in more physiologically relevant three dimensional (3D) microenvironments. Differences in cell response in 2D versus 3D systems arise from the perturbations in gene expression patterns that stem from how cells sense their underlying 2D or surrounding 3D matrices and adjust their phenotypes accordingly. Thus, cells are no longer considered as a solitary entity of genome but a context arises from a combinatorial interactions of cell-ECM, cell-cell, …

Go to article

Novel Auto-Calibrating Neural Motor Decoder For Robust Prosthetic Control, Andrew Earl Montgomery Jan 2018

Novel Auto-Calibrating Neural Motor Decoder For Robust Prosthetic Control, Andrew Earl Montgomery

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The overarching goal of this project is to develop novel neural motor decoders for prosthetic control. EMG decoders measure the activity from an intact but non-target muscle. Neural motor decoders transform the signal measured from the severed motor axons of the target muscle. A multi-scale, highly-realistic computer model of a spinal motor pool was developed (Allen & Elbasiouny, 2018) to serve as a computational platform for decoder development and testing. A firing rate-based algorithm was developed to transform the aggregate discharge of the motor pool into a command signal to control the simulated prosthetic MuJoCo hand. This algorithm was informed …

Go to article

Reversibly Switching Adhesion Of Smart Adhesives Inspired By Mussel Adhesive Chemistry, Ameya R. Narkar Jan 2018

Reversibly Switching Adhesion Of Smart Adhesives Inspired By Mussel Adhesive Chemistry, Ameya R. Narkar

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Catecholic groups in mussel adhesive proteins transition from being strongly adhesive in a reduced state under acidic conditions to being weakly adhesive in an oxidized state under basic conditions. Here, we exploit this pH responsive behavior of catechol and demonstrate that its oxidation state can be manipulated by incorporation of boronic acid to facilitate reversible transitions between strong and weak adhesion. Our first approach involved the addition of 3- acrylamido phenylboronic acid (APBA) to dopamine methacrylamide (DMA) containing adhesives. The synthesized adhesives showed strong adhesion to quartz surface in an acidic medium (pH 3), while weak adhesion was observed on …

Go to article

Development Of Novel Models To Study Deep Brain Effects Of Cortical Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Farheen Syeda Jan 2018

Development Of Novel Models To Study Deep Brain Effects Of Cortical Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Farheen Syeda

Theses and Dissertations

Neurological disorders require varying types and degrees of treatments depending on the symptoms and underlying causes of the disease. Patients suffering from medication-refractory symptoms often undergo further treatment in the form of brain stimulation, e.g. electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), deep brain stimulation (DBS), or transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). These treatments are popular and have been shown to relieve various symptoms for patients with neurological conditions. However, the underlying effects of the stimulation, and subsequently the causes of symptom-relief, are not very well understood. In particular, TMS is a non-invasive brain stimulation therapy which uses time-varying magnetic …

Go to article

Integration Of Biology, Ecology And Engineering For Sustainable Algal‑Based Biofuel And Bioproduct Biorefinery, James Allen, Serpil Unlu, Yaşar Demirel, Paul N. Black, Wayne R. Riekhof Jan 2018

Integration Of Biology, Ecology And Engineering For Sustainable Algal‑Based Biofuel And Bioproduct Biorefinery, James Allen, Serpil Unlu, Yaşar Demirel, Paul N. Black, Wayne R. Riekhof

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Faculty Publications

Despite years of concerted research efforts, an industrial-scale technology has yet to emerge for production and conversion of algal biomass into biofuels and bioproducts. The objective of this review is to explore the ways of possible integration of biology, ecology and engineering for sustainable large algal cultivation and biofuel production systems. Beside the costs of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorous, and fresh water, upstream technologies which are not ready for commercialization both impede economic feasibility and conflict with the ecological benefits in the sector. Focusing mainly on the engineering side of chemical conversion of algae to biodiesel has also …

Go to article

Multiple Factors Drive Variation Of Forest Root Biomass In Southwestern China, Hao Zhang, Kelin Wang, Zhaoxia Zeng, Zhigang Zou, Yanfang Xu, Fuping Zeng Jan 2018

Multiple Factors Drive Variation Of Forest Root Biomass In Southwestern China, Hao Zhang, Kelin Wang, Zhaoxia Zeng, Zhigang Zou, Yanfang Xu, Fuping Zeng

Nebraska Center for Biotechnology: Faculty and Staff Publications

The roots linking the above-ground organs and soil are key components for estimating net primary productivity and carbon sequestration of forests. The patterns and drivers of root biomass in forest have not been examined well at the regional scale, especially for the widely distributed forest ecosystems in southwestern China. We attempted to determine the spatial patterns of root biomass (RB, Mg/ha), annual increment root biomass (AIRB, Mg/ha/year), ratio of root and above-ground (RRA), and the relative contributions of abiotic and biotic factors that drive the variation of root biomass. Forest biomass and multiple factors (climate, soil, forest types, and stand …

Go to article

Diversity And Functional Evolution Of Terpene Synthases In Dictyostelid Social Amoebae, Xinlu Chen, Tobias G. Kollner, Gad Shaulsky, Qidong Jia, Jeroen S. Dickschat, Jonathan Gershenzon, Feng Chen Jan 2018

Diversity And Functional Evolution Of Terpene Synthases In Dictyostelid Social Amoebae, Xinlu Chen, Tobias G. Kollner, Gad Shaulsky, Qidong Jia, Jeroen S. Dickschat, Jonathan Gershenzon, Feng Chen

Nebraska Center for Biotechnology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Dictyostelids, or social amoebae, have a unique life style in forming multicellular fruiting bodies from unicellular amoeboids upon starvation. Recently, dictyostelids were found to contain terpene synthase (TPS) genes, a gene type of secondary metabolism previously known to occur only in plants, fungi and bacteria. Here we report an evolutionary functional study of dictyostelid TPS genes. The number of TPS genes in six species of dictyostelids examined ranges from 1 to 19; and the model species Dictyostelium purpureum contains 12 genes. Using in vitro enzyme assays, the 12 TPS genes from D. purpureum were shown to encode functional enzymes with …

Go to article

Non-Targeted Colonization By The Endomycorrhizal Fungus, Serendipita Vermifera, In Three Weeds Typically Co-Occurring With Switchgrass, Prasun Ray, Yingqing Guo, Jaydeep Kolape Jan 2018

Non-Targeted Colonization By The Endomycorrhizal Fungus, Serendipita Vermifera, In Three Weeds Typically Co-Occurring With Switchgrass, Prasun Ray, Yingqing Guo, Jaydeep Kolape

Nebraska Center for Biotechnology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Serendipita vermifera (=Sebacina vermifera; isolate MAFF305830) is a mycorrhizal fungus originally isolated from the roots of an Australian orchid that we have previously shown to be beneficial in enhancing biomass yield and drought tolerance in switchgrass, an important bioenergy crop for cellulosic ethanol production in the United States. However, almost nothing is known about how this root-associated fungus proliferates and grows through the soil matrix. Such information is critical to evaluate the possibility of non-target effects, such as unintended spread to weedy plants growing near a colonized switchgrass plant in a field environment. A microcosm experiment was conducted …

Go to article

Effects Of Protein-Coated Nanofibers On Conformation Of Gingival Fibroblast Spheroids: Potential Utility For Connective Tissue Regeneration, Gili Kaufman, Ryan A. Whitescarver, Laiz Nunes, Xavier-Lewis Palmer, Drago Skrtic, Wojtek Tutak Jan 2018

Effects Of Protein-Coated Nanofibers On Conformation Of Gingival Fibroblast Spheroids: Potential Utility For Connective Tissue Regeneration, Gili Kaufman, Ryan A. Whitescarver, Laiz Nunes, Xavier-Lewis Palmer, Drago Skrtic, Wojtek Tutak

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Deep wounds in the gingiva caused bytrauma or surgery require a rapid and robust healing of connective tissues. Wepropose utilizing gas-brushed nanofibers coated with collagen and fibrin for that purpose. Our hypotheses are that protein-coated nanofibers will: (i) attract and mobilize cells in various spatial orientations, and (ii) regulate the expression levels ofspecific extracellular matrix (ECM)-associated proteins, determining the initial conformational nature ofdense and soft connective tissues. Gingival fibroblast monolayers and3D spheroids were cultured onECMsubstrate and covered with gas-blown poly-(DL-lactide-co-glycolide)(PLGA) nanofibers (uncoated/coated with collagen and fibrin). Cell attraction and rearrangement was followed byF-actin staining and confocal microscopy. Thicknesses ofthe cell …

Go to article

Knockdown Of Heparan Sulfate Via Ndst1 Knockout Does Not Inhibit Mouse Aortic Endothelial Cell Alignment In-Vivo, John Diaz De Leon Iii Jan 2018

Knockdown Of Heparan Sulfate Via Ndst1 Knockout Does Not Inhibit Mouse Aortic Endothelial Cell Alignment In-Vivo, John Diaz De Leon Iii

Dissertations and Theses

Atherosclerotic plaque localizes in predictable areas such as arches and bifurcations which are characterized by disturbed flow patterns and the resulting damage and dysfunction to the endothelium. Endothelial cells (ECs) under sustained laminar flow align in the direction of flow; however, under disturbed flow conditions, ECs sustain damage to their glycocalyx (GCX) which results in unaligned and rounder cells. An investigation into the role of NDST1 sulfation of heparan sulfate (HS), a key component of many proteoglycans which make up the GCX, was conducted. The descending aortas (DAs) of transgenic mice with conditional knockouts (KOs) of NDST1 in vascular ECs …

Go to article

Developing A 3d In Vitro Model By Microfluidics, Hung-Ta Chien Jan 2018

Developing A 3d In Vitro Model By Microfluidics, Hung-Ta Chien

Dissertations and Theses

In vitro tissue models play an important role in providing a platform that mimics the realistic tissue microenvironment for stimulating and characterizing the cellular behavior. In particular, the hydrogel-based 3D in vitro models allow the cells to grow and interact with their surroundings in all directions, thus better mimicking in vivo than their 2D counterparts. The objective of this thesis is to establish a 3D in vitro model that mimics the anatomical and functional complexity of the realistic cancer microenvironment for conveniently studying the transport coupling in porous tissue structures. We pack uniform-sized PEGDA-GelMA microgels in a microfluidic chip to …

Go to article

Collective Chemotaxis Of Retinal Neural Cells From Drosophila Melanogaster In Controlled Microenvironments, Stephanie Zhang Jan 2018

Collective Chemotaxis Of Retinal Neural Cells From Drosophila Melanogaster In Controlled Microenvironments, Stephanie Zhang

Dissertations and Theses

More than 172 million people are influenced by a retinal disorder that stems from either age-related or developmental causes. Of those, 1.5 million people endure a developmental retinal disorder. In the developing retina, neural cells undergo a series of highly complicated differentiation and migration process. A main cause of these diseases is abnormal collective migration of neural progenitors hindering the retinogenesis process. However, our grasp of collective migration and signaling molecules, critical to the developing retina, is incompletely understood. Understanding the molecular mechanisms, such as the fibroblast growth factor pathway, that regulate glial and neuronal migration provides decisive insights in …

Go to article

Biomedical Informatics Applications For Precision Management Of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Justin B. Miller, Guogen Shan, Joseph Lombardo, Gustavo Jimenez-Maggoria Jan 2018

Biomedical Informatics Applications For Precision Management Of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Justin B. Miller, Guogen Shan, Joseph Lombardo, Gustavo Jimenez-Maggoria

School of Public Health Faculty Research

Modern medicine is in the midst of a revolution driven by “big data,” rapidly advancing computing power, and broader integration of technology into healthcare. Highly detailed and individualized profiles of both health and disease states are now possible, including biomarkers, genomic profiles, cognitive and behavioral phenotypes, high-frequency assessments, and medical imaging. Although these data are incredibly complex, they can potentially be used to understand multi-determinant causal relationships, elucidate modifiable factors, and ultimately customize treatments based on individual parameters. Especially for neurodegenerative diseases, where an effective therapeutic agent has yet to be discovered, there remains a critical need for an interdisciplinary …

Go to article

Review Of Emerging Approaches In Non- Or Minimally Invasive Glucose Monitoring And Their Application To Physiological Human Body Fluids, Sunghoon Jang, Chen Xu Jan 2018

Review Of Emerging Approaches In Non- Or Minimally Invasive Glucose Monitoring And Their Application To Physiological Human Body Fluids, Sunghoon Jang, Chen Xu

Publications and Research

The frequent blood glucose monitoring by the diabetics and physicians is a very essential step in the management of the diabetes because this devastating disease can lead the patients to blindness, kidney disease, nervous & circulatory system disease, limb amputations, stroke and cardiovascular disease (CVD). There have been numerous attempts to develop viable painless non- or minimally invasive blood glucose monitoring techniques over the last five decades in order to replace all existing methods of home blood glucose monitoring require drawing a blood sample by piercing the skin. This review describes the principles of two main emerging general technologies such …

Go to article

The Pattern Of Sensory Axonal Endings Together With Synaptic Transmission Influence The Development Of Proprioceptive Circuits In The Spinal Cord, Yiyun Dai Jan 2018

The Pattern Of Sensory Axonal Endings Together With Synaptic Transmission Influence The Development Of Proprioceptive Circuits In The Spinal Cord, Yiyun Dai

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Proprioceptive circuits provide information regarding limb position and movement status, and are essential to producing correctly executed motor behaviors. Exploring the mechanisms underlying the formation of proprioceptive circuits is therefore critical for understanding neurological disorders with altered motor coordination and for restoring circuits damaged by injury. One important proprioceptive circuit, the stretch reflex circuit, is formed between proprioceptive sensory neurons (PSNs) and motor neurons (MNs) that innervate the same muscle. Progress has been made in understanding the spatial organization of MNs based on their muscle-specific subpopulation identities, which contributes to the specificity of stretch reflex circuit formation. However, whether PSNs …

Go to article

Electroceutical Therapy In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Novel Preliminary Study, Morgan Michelle Highlander Jan 2018

Electroceutical Therapy In Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: A Novel Preliminary Study, Morgan Michelle Highlander

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal, neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by the death of motoneurons. Life expectancy is only 3-5 years from diagnosis and current treatments only extend survival by 2-3 months. The mechanism of motoneuron death in ALS is still largely unknown, but abnormal motoneuron excitability has been extensively documented. Because the intrinsic excitability of a motoneuron is a defining measure of its normal function, characterizing and regulating motoneuron excitability has become one of the primary aims of ALS research. Although not previously explored in ALS, other clinical applications show the ability of certain electroceutical techniques to …

Go to article

Regulation Of The Motor Output Of The Spinal Cord: Burst Firing Generation And Sensorimotor Integration, Amr A. Mahrous Jan 2018

Regulation Of The Motor Output Of The Spinal Cord: Burst Firing Generation And Sensorimotor Integration, Amr A. Mahrous

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Spinal motoneurons are the final common path for motor signals. Thus, the firing activity recorded from spinal motoneurons or their axons in the ventral roots represents the motor output of the nervous system. This dissertation investigates two major phenomena that help generate and shape the neuronal motor output. Specialized groups of spinal neurons called central pattern generators (CPGs) are capable of orchestrating rhythmic bursting activity without involvement of the brain. This activity underlies stereotyped movements such as locomotion. If known, the ionic mechanisms responsible for generating this activity can offer new pharmacological interventions to restore walking in paralyzed patients with …

Go to article

Consequences Of Trpm7 Kinase Inactivation In Immune Cells, Pavani Beesetty Jan 2018

Consequences Of Trpm7 Kinase Inactivation In Immune Cells, Pavani Beesetty

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

The characteristic feature of ubiquitously expressed transient receptor potential melastatin 7 (TRPM7) protein is the presence of a C-terminal atypical kinase domain fused to a cation channel domain. Even though this protein has been implicated in a number of physiological and pathological processes, the mechanisms regulating TRPM7 channel activity are poorly understood. In the present study, regulation of TRPM7 channel by its kinase activity was investigated using the TRPM7 kinase-dead knock-in mouse (KD mouse). These mice have a point mutation Lys1646Arg in the kinase region abrogating the kinase activity. Examining TRPM7 channel activity in KD peritoneal macrophages revealed that TRPM7 …

Go to article

Mechanical And Material Characterization Of Advanced Materials For Tissue Regeneration, Bailey Kylara Ricketts Jackson Jan 2018

Mechanical And Material Characterization Of Advanced Materials For Tissue Regeneration, Bailey Kylara Ricketts Jackson

Theses and Dissertations

In natural disasters and military deployment operations, injury to long bone can cause extensive damage and be difficult to treat and heal quickly. Explosive devices and trauma often produce long-bone (>2-cm length) wounds that are more complicated than common fractures. Due to the size and complexity of these injuries, they can be difficult to treat in a battlefield environment and take a long time to heal completely and properly. Even after the long healing period, these injuries often require rehabilitation to strengthen the muscles that have weakened in the wounded limb. For military applications especially, these effects can put …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last