Engineering Commons^™

Targeted Multistage Delivery Of Nanoparticles To The Bone Marrow, Aman Mann

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Bone marrow is a target organ site involved in multiple diseases including myeloproliferative disorders and hematologic malignancies and metastases from breast and prostate. Most of these diseases are characterized with poor quality of life, and the treatment options are only palliative due to lack of delivery mechanisms for systemically injected drugs which results in dose limitation to protect the healthy hematopoietic cells. Therefore, there is a critical need to develop effective therapeutic strategies that allow for selective delivery of therapeutic payload to the bone marrow. Nanotechnology-based drug delivery systems provide the opportunity to deliver drugs to the target tissue while …

In-Vivo Ct Dosimetry During Virtual Colonoscopy, Jonathon W. Mueller

Dissertations and Theses (Open Access)

Virtual colonoscopy (VC) is a minimally invasive means for identifying colorectal polyps and colorectal lesions by insufflating a patient’s bowel, applying contrast agent via rectal catheter, and performing multi-detector computed tomography (MDCT) scans. The technique is recommended for colonic health screening by the American Cancer Society but not funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) partially because of potential risks from radiation exposure. To date, no in‐vivo organ dose measurements have been performed for MDCT scans; thus, the accuracy of any current dose estimates is currently unknown.

In this study, two TLDs were affixed to the inner …

Evaluating The Capacity Of A Proton Therapy Facility, Ridvan Gedik

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A relatively new consideration in proton therapy planning is the requirement that the mix of patients treated satisfy desired percentages. Since it is very dicult to satisfy an integer number of patients in light of these requirements, deviations from patient mix preferences and their impacts on operational capabilities are of particular interest to healthcare planners. Therefore, we propose a bicriteria mathematical programming model that determines an outpatient schedule maximizing the number of fractions and minimizing the deviations from the patient mix ratios over the planning horizon. The tradeos between the two objectives are identied through analysis of ecient frontiers. Our …

An Empirical Investigation Of Supply Chain Excellence In Healthcare, Brian Keith Smith

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research is motivated by opportunities to improve the cost and quality of healthcare delivery through improved supply chain processes. This research assesses the quality of the healthcare supply chain and identifies factors that are driving supply chain excellence among organizations in the healthcare industry. The first objective of this research is to assess the state of quality measurement in the healthcare supply chain. The achievement of this first objective is presented in Chapter 3 of this dissertation in the form of a manuscript accepted for publication in The Quality Management Journal. The second research objective is to develop …

Applying Inventory Control Practices Within The Sisters Of Mercy Health Care Supply Chain, Server Apras

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research lays a foundation for the better understanding of the application and acceptance of more advanced inventory control practices within the health care supply chain. The demand characteristics and optimal control policies for pharmaceutical items within a multi-echelon provider network are examined within the framework of a case study. Demand forecasting algorithms were applied to forecast demand for inventory control procedures. A spreadsheet-based inventory planning tool was used to minimize the inventory holding and ordering costs subject to fill rate constraints. The costs of inventory control models are compared to the current ordering and inventory control strategies to document …

Nanofabrication Of Halloysite-Pcl Composite Scaffolds And Functionalization Of Titanium For Tissue Regeneration, Shraddha Parshottambhai Patel

Doctoral Dissertations

Major medical needs may be achieved through regenerative medicine. Nanotechnology has triggered a research revolution in many important areas such as the biomedical sciences and bioengineering at the molecular level which has grown significantly due to the availability of new analytical applications and tools based on nanotechnology. Clinical conditions and diseases being targeted by nanotechnology research include burns, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease, implant failure, improved wound healing, birth defects, osteoporosis and congestive heart defects. Therapeutic use of growth factors and drugs to stimulate the production and/or function of endogenous cells represents a key area of regenerative medicine. The development of …

Using Modeling And Simulation To Improve Oral Health Services Delivery In Hampton Roads, Virginia, Mohammad J. Alzahrani

Health Services Research Dissertations

The purpose of this study is to examine the system performance in delivering oral health services in a public health district based on the Conceptual Framework to Measure Performance of the Public Health System (PHS). Using modeling and simulation, a predictive model based on the conceptual framework dimensions: mission, structural capacity, processes, and outcomes was developed to predict the performance of public health district in delivering oral health services.

This is a retrospective longitudinal study. The main objective of this study is to use a modeling and simulation approach to predict the performance of public health district dental clinic in …

Cyberknife Radiation Modeling: Effects Of Relaxed Translational And Rotational Constraints On Healthy Tissue Irradiation, Sudha Bhavaroop Potineni

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The Cyberknife system is a robotic radio surgery instrument that is used to treat cancers in different parts of the human body. Because of its accuracy and precision, it has become one of the best radio surgery systems in the world. However, even with Cyberknife the treatment time for one session takes from 30 minutes up to 120 minutes depending on the size, shape, and position of the tumor in the human body. In this research, a solution is presented to aid in reducing this long treatment time. An algorithm is developed which simulates the amount of the healthy tissue …

A System Dynamics Model Of Pharmaceutical Opioids: Medical Use, Diversion, And Nonmedical Use, Teresa Schmidt, Wayne Wakeland, J. David Haddox

Complex Systems Faculty Publications and Presentations

A dramatic rise in the nonmedical of pharmaceutical opioids has presented the United States with a substantial public health problem. Nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers has become increasingly prevalent in the US over the last two decades, and diversion of medicines obtained by prescription is assumed to be a major source of supply for nonmedical opioid use. Policymakers striving to protect population health by ameliorating the adverse outcomes of nonmedical use of opioid analgesics could benefit from a systems-level model which reflects the complexity of the system and incorporates the full range of available data. To address this need, …

A Comparison Of Two Headless Compression Screws For Operative Treatment Of Scaphoid Fractures, Ruby Grewal, Joseph Assini, David Sauder, Louis Ferreira, Jim Johnson, Kenneth Faber

Surgery Publications

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the interfragmentary compression force across a simulated scaphoid fracture by two commonly used compression screw systems; the Acutrak 2 Standard and the 3.0 mm Synthes headless compression screw.

METHODS: Sixteen (8 pairs; 6 female, 2 male) cadaver scaphoids were randomly assigned to receive either the Acutrak 2 or Synthes screw with the contralateral scaphoid designated to receive the opposite. Guide wires were inserted under fluoroscopic control. Following transverse osteotomy, the distal and proximal fragments were placed on either side of a custom load cell, to measure interfragmentary compression. Screws were placed …

Temperature Control Device With A Flexible Temperature Control Surface, Phil D. Belgrader, Christopher G. Cooney, Robert D. Doebler, Anna D. Hickerson, Bruce D. Irvine, Ali D. Nadim, James D. Sterling, Reza Miraghale

Business and Information Technology Faculty Research & Creative Works

A device for controlling temperature in a reaction chamber is disclosed. The device comprises: a bladder assembly comprising a housing dimensioned to hold a reaction chamber disposed within an interior Volume of the housing; and a first temperature-control bladder disposed within the housing, the first temperature-control bladder is configured to receive a temperature-control fluid and comprises a flexible, heat conductive Surface that comes in contact with at least a portion of an exterior surface of the reaction chamber after receiving the temperature-control fluid. Also disclosed are a bladder thermal cycler, a temperature-control bladder assembly and methods for producing a thermal …

Use Of Imaging Biomarkers To Assess Perfusion And Glucose Metabolism In The Skeletal Muscle Of Dystrophic Mice, Nabeel Ahmad, Ian Welch, Robert Grange, Jennifer Hadway, Savita Dhanvantari, David Hill, Ting-Yim Lee, Lisa M Hoffman

Robarts Imaging Publications

BACKGROUND: Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a severe neuromuscular disease that affects 1 in 3500 boys. The disease is characterized by progressive muscle degeneration that results from mutations in or loss of the cytoskeletal protein, dystrophin, from the glycoprotein membrane complex, thus increasing the susceptibility of contractile muscle to injury. To date, disease progression is typically assessed using invasive techniques such as muscle biopsies, and while there are recent reports of the use of magnetic resonance, ultrasound and optical imaging technologies to address the issue of disease progression and monitoring therapeutic intervention in dystrophic mice, our study aims to validate …

Determining A Method For Rendering Low Cost Cdse(Zns) Core(Shell) Quantum Dots Aqueous Soluble Via Amphiphilic Polymer Wrapping, Patrick Mcbride

Materials Engineering

Herein is described the procedure of two amphiphilic polymer wrapping techniques that may be employed for obtaining aqueous soluble quantum dots (QDs) for use in biological fluorescent imaging applications. The advent of QDs has led to new nanoscale fluorescent materials that exhibit unparalleled quantum yields (QYs), high resistance to photobleaching, tunable emissions, and
absorption over a large optical range. However, the QD synthesis employed here at Cal Poly to obtain bright, photostable CdSe(ZnS) core(shell) QDs involves the use of organic solvents and surfactants, leading to hydrophobic QDs. Since all of biology relies on aqueous solubility, this hydrophobicity creates a major …

Ischemia Impairs Vasodilation In Skeletal Muscle Resistance Artery, Kyle Remington Struthers

Master's Theses

Functional vasodilation in arterioles is impaired with chronic ischemia. We sought to examine the impact of chronic ischemia and age on skeletal muscle resistance artery function. To examine the impact of chronic ischemia, the femoral artery was resected from young (2-3mo) and adult (6-7mo) mice and the profunda femoris artery diameter was measured at rest and following gracilis muscle contraction 14 days later using intravital microscopy. Functional vasodilation was significantly impaired in ischemic mice (14.4±4.6% vs. 137.8±14.3%, p<0.0001 n=8) and non-ischemic adult mice (103.0±9.4% vs. 137.8±14.3%, p=0.05 n=10). In order to analyze the cellular mechanisms of the impairment, a protocol was developed to apply pharmacological agents to the experimental preparation while maintaining tissue homeostasis. Endothelial and smooth muscle dependent vasodilation were impaired with ischemia, 39.6 ± 13.6% vs. 80.5 ± 11.4% and 43.0 ± 11.7% vs. 85.1 ± 10.5%, respectively. From this data, it can be supported that smooth muscle dysfunction is the reason for the observed impairment in arterial vasodilation.

Rfid Techniques For Passive Electronics, Ryan Behr, David Cobos

Electrical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Dissolution Of Disintegrating Solid Dosage Forms In A Modified Dissolution Testing Apparatus 2, Shrutiben Rameshbhai Parekh

Theses

Dissolution tests are routinely carried out in the pharmaceutical industry to determine the dissolution rate of solid dosage forms. Dissolution testing serves as a surrogate for drug bioavailability through in vitro–in vivo correlation (IVIVR), and it additionally helps in guiding the development of new formulations and in assessing lot-to-lot consistency, thus ensuring product quality. The United States Pharmacopoeia (USP) Dissolution Testing Apparatus 2 is the device most commonly used for this purpose. Despite its widespread use, dissolution testing using this apparatus remains susceptible to significant error and test failures. There is documented evidence that this apparatus is sensitive to several …

Dissolution Testing Of Prednisone And Salicylic Acid Calibrator Tablets At Different Tablet Locations, Anandhavalavan Arulmozhi

Theses

Dissolution testing is routinely carried out in the pharmaceutical industry to determine the rate of dissolution of solid dosage forms. This test is one of the several tests that pharmaceutical companies typically conduct on oral dosage formulations (e.g., tablets) to determine compliance. The USP Dissolution Testing Apparatus 2 is the most common of the apparatuses listed in the USP. However, it has been shown previously that the dissolution profile of a tablet undergoing dissolution in the USP Dissolution Apparatus 2 can be affected by the tablet location in the apparatus.

In this work, the dissolution rates of both non-disintegrating tablets …

Transdermal And Transbuccal Delivery Of Lidocaine And Nicotine : Combined Effects Of Iontophoresis And Chemical Enhancers, Ran Wei

Theses

This study focused on the effects of iontophoresis and chemical enhancers on drug release. The transport of Lidocaine HCl (LHCl) and Nicotine Hydrogen Tartrate (NHT) through the skin and mucosa was evaluated for potential clinical applications. These two potential delivery routes have the advantage of avoiding first-pass effect. Samples were pretreated with enhancer solutions for one hour before the experiments. Passive or 0.3 mA iontophoresis-assisted drug diffusion was conducted for 8 hours to monitor the cumulative amount of drug released. Graphical methods and mathematical optimization techniques were implemented to analyze the data. The effects of chemical enhancers on the delivery …

The Yin And Yang Actions Of North American Ginseng Root In Modulating The Immune Function Of Macrophages, Chike Godwin Azike, Paul Abrahams Charpentier, Jirui Hou, Hua Pei, Edmund Man King Lui

Physiology and Pharmacology Publications

BACKGROUND: Immuno-modulatory effects of ginseng, including both immuno-stimulatory and immuno-suppressive effects, have been widely reported. This study aims to determine whether the paradoxical immuno-modulatory effect is related to unique phytochemical profiles of different North American (NA) ginseng, namely aqueous (AQ) and alcoholic (ALC) extracts.

METHODS: AQ and ALC extracts were prepared and their immuno-bioactivity were studied in vitro in murine macrophages (Raw 264.7) through measuring the direct stimulatory production of pro-inflammatory mediator and cytokines as well as the suppression of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulatory response by the two extracts. Gel permeation chromatography was used to fractionate and isolate phytochemicals for characterization of …

A Review Focused On The Psychological Effectiveness Of Tai Chi On Different Populations, Long Zhang, Thomas Lowder, Jian Liu

Computer Sciences and Electrical Engineering Faculty Research

As a popular exercise form, Tai Chi (TC) has been investigated to determine its contributions to an active and healthy lifestyle. There are an increasing number of researchers who focus on exploring the potential physiological and psychological benefits of TC but only a few systematic reviews of these benefits to a variety of populations. The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively evaluate the reported psychological benefits associated with practicing TC. Although many investigators have reported possible psychological benefits of TC for children, young adults, older healthy adults, and for a variety of patient populations, many of the reports suffer …

The Use Of Motion Analysis Technology As An Alternative Means Of Assessing Spinal Deformity In Patients With Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis, Matthew J. Solomito

Master's Theses

Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis (AIS) is a three dimensional deformity of the spine that causes abnormal curvatures in the coronal and sagittal planes and abnormal vertebral rotations. The gold standard for diagnosing and tracking the progression of the deformity is through the use of repeated radiography and a patient can receive upwards of fifteen radiographic series over the course of treatment, which exposes this population to an increased risk of radiation-dependent complications.

This thesis presents the necessary calculations and the marker set required to make the motion capture technology a viable alternative to radiographs, in an effort to reduce the patient’s …

2011 - The Sixteenth Annual Symposium Of Student Scholars

Symposium of Student Scholars Program Books

The full program book from the Sixteenth Annual Symposium of Student Scholars, held on April 26, 2011. Includes abstracts from the presentations and posters.

Event Program, Carl Reiber, Nicholle Booker

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

UNLV Undergraduates from all departments, programs and colleges participated in a campus-wide symposium on April 16, 2011. Undergraduate posters from all disciplines and also oral presentations of research activities, readings and other creative endeavors were exhibited throughout the festival.

Wright State University Celebration Of Research, Scholarship And Creative Activities Book Of Abstracts Friday, April 8, 2011, Wright State University Office Of Undergraduate Research And Stemm Activities

Celebration of Undergraduate & Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

The student abstract booklet is a compilation of abstracts from students' oral and poster presentations at Wright State University's second annual Celebration of Research, Scholarship and Creative Activities on April 8, 2011.

Flight Physician - April, 2011, Civil Aviation Medical Association

Browse all Civil Aviation Medical Association Newsletters

A sixteen page newsletter of the Civil Aviation Medical Association. The newsletter provided news about civil aviation medicine and information related to the organization.

Santa Clara Magazine, Volume 52 Number 4, Winter 2011, Santa Clara University

Santa Clara Magazine

16 - LIFE CYCLE A Photo Essay By Susan Middleton '70. Luminous beauty drawn from two remarkable projects-Evidence of Evolution and Spineless. And a sneak peek at a show by this Guggenheim fellow opening in April at SCU's de Saisset Museum.

20 - CAN NEWSPAPERS & JOURNALISM SURVIVE THE DIGITAL AGE? DOES IT MATTER? By Jeff Brazil '85. A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist goes looking for answers, talking to industry veterans, and taking stock of the new forms of journalism arising.

30 - REVEALED! THE TRUTH BEHIND NO NAME! By Sam Scott '96. On today's Rock Report: the story (and real …

Topscholar®, Creating Opportunities [Brochure], Connie Foster, Jennifer Wilson

TopSCHOLAR® Presentations and Reports

No abstract provided.

Ultrasonic Assisted Layer-By-Layer Assembly For Stable Nanocolloids Of Curcumin And Paclitaxel, Zhiguo Zheng

Doctoral Dissertations

Researchers have been trying to fight cancer with synthesis of new bioactive compounds but many of these novel drugs have low solubility in water and it is difficult to deliver them into a patient's body. One way of solving this particular problem is to use nanoscale drug delivery systems. In this dissertation, we describe using an ultrasonic assisted layer-by-layer encapsulation process to prepare anti-cancer drugs with 50∼200 nm particle size with designed coating to achieve sustained release and target delivery.

Two methods for systematic manufacture of low solubility anti-cancer drug nanoparticles were proposed: I) Top-down approach to breakdown larger drug …

Role Of The 3'Lghrr In Tcdd-Induced Suppression Of The Immunoglobulin Heavy Chain, Jayharsh L. Panchal, Eric J. Romer, David Ellis, Tharu Fernando, Courtney E. W. Sulentic

Celebration of Undergraduate & Graduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities Materials

2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) inhibits antibody secretion and immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgH) expression. Our previous work has shown that a possible mechanism for inhibition of IgH expression could be inhibition of the 3’IgH regulatory region (3’IgHRR). The 3’IgHRR has four enhancer regions (hs3a; hs1,2; hs3b; hs4) which are purported to control IgH gene expression. Previously we demonstrated a sensitive inhibition by TCDD of LPS-induced 3’IgHRR activity which is correlated with an inhibition of LPS-induced hs1,2 enhancer activity; however, the hs4 enhancer showed TCDD-induced activation following the co-treatment of TCDD and LPS. Therefore, the objective of the current study was to determine if …

Evaluation Of A Novel Non-Penetrating Electrode For Use In Dna Vaccination, Amy Donate, Domenico Coppola, Yolmari Cruz, Richard Heller

Bioelectrics Publications

Current progress in the development of vaccines has decreased the incidence of fatal and non-fatal infections and increased longevity. However, new technologies need to be developed to combat an emerging generation of infectious diseases. DNA vaccination has been demonstrated to have great potential for use with a wide variety of diseases. Alone, this technology does not generate a significant immune response for vaccination, but combined with delivery by electroporation (EP), can enhance plasmid expression and immunity. Most EP systems, while effective, can be invasive and painful making them less desirable for use in vaccination. Our lab recently developed a non-invasive …