Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Assessment Of The Correlation Between Memory Span Test Result And Attention Using A Wireless Eeg System, Yu Yu

Theses and Dissertations

The process to encode, retain and retrieve information is known as memory. Ever since models for short-term memory and working memory systems were proposed, the function and importance of the short-term memory and working memory systems have been explored by a number of studies which in part have examined factors which may affect memory capacity. Although there are many undetermined factors which may affect the result of these two different memory span test, recent studies have suggested a link between human mental condition and memory capacity. These studies show that the results of simple memory span tests are improved when …

A 3-D Multiplex Paper-Microfluidic Platform, Mitchell Patrick Young

Master's Theses

3-D paper-based microfluidic devices (micoPADs) are small and portable devices made out of paper that offer a promising platform for diagnostic applications outside of a laboratory. These devices are easy to use, low cost, require no power source, and capable of detecting multiple targets simultaneously. The work in this thesis demonstrated the ability of a 3-D paper-microfluidic platform to simultaneously detect 5 targets. Rubber cord stock was used in conjunction with an acrylic housing unit to apply pressure along the edge of the channel. The indirect pressure application was successful in promoting vertical fluid flow between layers. Average channel development …

Application Of Bioinstrumentation In Developing A Pressure Suit For Suborbital Flight, Pedro Llanos, Erik Seedhouse

Publications

This presentation features Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's U-2 pressure suit. Built to be light and cost-effective, this suit is comfortable, comes in multiple sizes, operates in pressures up to 5 PSID, has an active airflow-based cooling system, and features bio-instrumentation to measure heart rate, breathing rate, skin temperature and other vitals.

Rapid Generation Of 3d Microchannels Using A Multiphoton Laser System In Blended Hydrogels To Serve As Templates For Microvascular Generation, Stephanie Renée Burtch

Theses and Dissertations

Lack of scaffold microvascularization is one of the biggest problems facing graft survival and success within current tissue engineering applications. Fortunately, techniques aiming to form microchannels within three-dimensional scaffolds have shown promise in providing templates for tube-like cell formations. Unfortunately, many current patterning approaches are limited in the types of materials the technique can be applied to and lack the ability to form capillary-sized (<10 microns in diameter) networks. In this study, a multiphoton laser was used to create channels down to the micron level within an optically-clear hydrogel scaffold. Different percentages of poly (ethylene glycol) diacryate (PEGDA) and collagen were used to create different blends of hydrogels at 0%, 1%, 2%, and 3% collagen/PEGDA (w/w). Mechanical and transmittance testing were performed on all blends in order to determine which had optimal mechanical strength and optical clarity for laser subtractive printing. Swelling and degradation were measured to confirm the scaffolds served the tissue engineering requirement of eventual degradation. All gels with PEGDA incorporation showed an increase in mechanical stability and transparency when compared to pure collagen gels. Hydrogel blends showed resistance to degradation in phosphate-buffered saline, but appeared to exhibit collagen degradation in collagenase, although no statistical significance was seen. Cell viability tests within the hydrogels showed viability in cell-seeded hydrogels when compared to dead controls, although cells lacked some markers of healthy cells, such as spreading. In conclusion, results show that hydrogel blends provide a good matrix for subtractive optical micropatterning approaches, although other types of hydrogels may improve cell spreading and other cell responses.

Fabrication Of 3d Hydrogel-Based Microscale Tissue Analog Chip With Integrated Optofluidics, Venkatakrishnan Rengarajan

Dissertations

Lab-on-a-chip (LOC) is a device that integrates one or more laboratory functions in a single chip with dimensions ranging from a micrometer to a few millimeters. On-chip optofluidics, which combines microfluidics and tunable micro-optical components, is crucial for bio-sensing applications. However, recently reported optofluidic devices have only two-dimensional (2D) dielectric or metallic regions for sensing cellular activity, which fail to mimic the three-dimensional (3D) in vivo microenvironment of cells.

In this research, a 3D hydrogel-based micro-scale-tissue-analog-chip (µTAC) is fabricated with an integrated optofluidic design for biomedical applications. These 3D hydrogels act as a scaffold for the cellular studies and as …

Biomimetic And Vascularized 3-D Liver Cancer Model, Derek Yip

Dissertations

Anti-angiogenic drugs have failed to show significant extended mortality, except when co-administered with chemotherapy drugs in clinical trials. This should be predicted by in vitro models, and yet 2D in vitro models of liver cancer co-administered with these two types of drugs show increased cell viability, contradicting clinical trials. In vitro models should mimic clinical trials in order to accurately predict drug outcomes. 2D in vitro models fail because they lack features of the cancer environment such as presence of stromal cells and a vasculature.

In order to achieve a biomimetic and vascularized in vitro model that would better recapitulate …

A Multimodal Investigation In Eye Movements, Raj Jaswal

Dissertations

While functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) has identified which regions of interest (ROIs) are functionally active during a vergence movement (inward or outward eye rotation), task-modulated coactivation between ROIs is less understood. This study tests the following hypotheses: (1) significant task-modulated coactivation would be observed between the frontal eye fields (FEFs), the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), and the cerebellar vermis (CV); (2) significantly more functional activity and task-modulated coactivation would be observed in binocularly normal controls (BNCs) compared with convergence insufficiency (CI) subjects; and (3) after vergence training, the functional activity and task-modulated coactivation would increase in CIs compared with …

Diffuse Optical Measurements Of Head And Neck Tumor Hemodynamics For Early Prediction Of Chemoradiation Therapy Outcomes, Lixin Dong, Mahesh Kudrimoti, Daniel Irwin, Li Chen, Sameera Kumar, Yu Shang, Chong Huang, Ellis L. Johnson, Scott D. Stevens, Brent J. Shelton, Guoqiang Yu

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

This study used a hybrid near-infrared diffuse optical instrument to monitor tumor hemodynamic responses to chemoradiation therapy for early prediction of treatment outcomes in patients with head and neck cancer. Forty-seven patients were measured once per week to evaluate the hemodynamic status of clinically involved cervical lymph nodes as surrogates for the primary tumor response. Patients were classified into two groups: complete response (CR) (n = 29) and incomplete response (IR) (n = 18). Tumor hemodynamic responses were found to be associated with clinical outcomes (CR/IR), wherein the associations differed depending on human papillomavirus (HPV-16) status. In HPV-16 …

Somatic Stimulation Causes Frontoparietal Cortical Changes In Neonates: A Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study, Nasser H. Kashou, Irfaan Akram Dar, Kathryn Hasenstab, Ramzi W. Nahhas, Sudarshan R. Jadcherla

Biomedical, Industrial & Human Factors Engineering Faculty Publications

Palmar and plantar grasp are the foremost primitive neonatal reflexes and functions. Persistence of these reflexes in infancy is a sign of evolving cerebral palsy. Our aims were to establish measurement feasibility in a clinical setting and to characterize changes in oxyhemoglobin (HbO) and deoxyhemoglobin (HbD) concentration in the bilateral frontoparietal cortex in unsedated neonates at the crib-side using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). We hypothesized that bilateral concentration changes will occur upon somatic central and peripheral somatic stimulation. Thirteen preterm neonates (five males) underwent time 1, and six (two males) returned for time 2 (mean PMA ¼ 41.6 and 47.0 …

Dynamics Of Wrist And Forearm Rotation In 3dof, Allan Peaden

Biomedical Engineering Western Regional Conference

Healthy upper limb movement generally involves multiple degrees of freedom moving in synchrony. Although these movements often appear simple, there are complex underlying forces required to give them their grace. Understanding these forces will both aid in developing our understanding of human motor control, and provide insight for the design of ergonomic and therapeutic devices. One cause for the complexity of these forces is coupling between the various degrees of freedom (DOF), where a displacement or motion in one DOF will induce a force in another. Coupling therefore requires applied compensatory forces in joints not directly involved in an intended …

Effects Of Wrist Orthoses On Wrist Dynamics, Daniel Seegmiller

Biomedical Engineering Western Regional Conference

Wrist orthoses are commonly used to cope with the myriad of disorders associated with the hand and wrist. These orthoses can be complex or simple, physician-prescribed or self-administered, custom-made or off-the-shelf, but one thing they all have in common is the desired goal to alter wrist motion in order to allow healing and facilitate proper wrist function. Although wrist orthoses have been in use for a very long time, there is little to no quantitative research into how they affect the dynamics of the wrist joint. Because the dynamics of the wrist-orthosis system are unknown, it is impossible to predict …

Continuous Isolation Of Monocytes Using A Magnetophoretic-Based Microfluidic Chip, Jeff Darabi, Chuan Guo

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

Monocytes play an important role in the immune system and are responsible for phagocytizing and degrading foreign microorganisms in the body. The isolation of monocytes is important in various immunological applications such as in-vitro culture of dendritic cells. We present a magnetophoretic-based microfluidic chip for rapid isolation of highly purified, untouched monocytes from human blood by a negative selection method. This bioseparation platform integrates several unique features into a microfluidic device, including locally engineered magnetic field gradients and a continuous flow with a buffer switching scheme to improve the performance of the cell separation process. The results indicate high monocyte …

Low-Cost Compact Diffuse Speckle Contrast Flowmeter Using Small Laser Diode And Bare Charge-Coupled-Device, Chong Huang, Myeongsu Seong, Joshua Paul Morgan, Siavash Mazdeyasna, Jae Gwan Kim, Jeffrey Todd Hastings, Guoqiang Yu

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

We report a low-cost compact diffuse speckle contrast flowmeter (DSCF) consisting of a small laser diode and a bare charge-coupled-device (CCD) chip, which can be used for contact measurements of blood flow variations in relatively deep tissues (up to ∼8  mm). Measurements of large flow variations by the contact DSCF probe are compared to a noncontact CCD-based diffuse speckle contrast spectroscopy and a standard contact diffuse correlation spectroscopy in tissue phantoms and a human forearm. Bland–Altman analysis shows no significant bias with good limits of agreement among these measurements: 96.5% ± 2.2% (94.4% to 100.0%) in phantom experiments and 92.8% …

A Proposal For A Wirelessly Powered, Implantable Pressure Sensor And Neural Stimulator For The Control Of Urinary Incontinence, Robert N. Tucker, Christopher J. Quinkert, Pedro P. Irazoqui

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

47 to 53 percent of women over the age of 20 suffer from urinary incontinence, often caused by childbirth-related damage to the pelvic nerve. This uncertainty of when bladder voiding will occur causes social anxiety and can compromise quality of life. This study explores one method to restore the ability to sense the need to urinate and prevent unwanted voiding. We propose a device to measure pressure due to bladder content as the difference between pressure in the bladder and pressure in the abdominal cavity. Integrated circuits, biocompatible packaging, and wireless radiofrequency powering allow for a fully implantable device to …

Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas For Food Applications, Michael V. Lauria, Russell S. Brayfield Ii, Ronald G. Johnson, Allen L. Garner

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Successfully distributing shelf food requires treatment to eliminate microorganisms. Current chemical methods, such as chlorine wash, can alter food quality while only being effective for a limited time. Cold atmospheric pressure plasmas (CAPs) can eradicate the microorganisms responsible for food spoilage and foodborne illness. Optimizing CAP treatments requires understanding the reactive species generated and relating them to eradication efficiency. Recent studies have used optical emission spectroscopy (OES) to determine the species generated in a sealed package that would hold food. In this study,we supplement the OES results with optical absorption spectroscopy (OAS) using the same gases (helium, nitrogen, compressed air, …

Development Of Micro-/Nano-Architectures For Intracellular Sensing Platform, Ryan M. Preston, Dae Seung Wie, Chi Hwan Lee

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Currently available nanotechnologies are capable of creating various nanostructures in controlled dimensions such as particles (0D), wires (1D), membranes (2D), and cubes (3D) by exploiting “top-down” or “bottom-up” methods. However, there exist limitations to systematically construct hierarchical nanostructures with geometric complexities. This study is focused on developing a novel nanofabrication strategy that can rationally produce a set of hierarchical nanostructures configured with precisely engineered facets, tip shapes, and tectonic motifs. We aim to identify a collection of optimal materials, array layouts, basic components, and nanofabrication techniques for the production of hierarchical nanostructures by exploiting device-grade semiconducting silicon materials. To accomplish …

3d Modeling Of Murine Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms: Quantification Of Segmentation And Volumetric Reconstruction, Paula A. Sarmiento, Amelia R. Adelsperger, Craig J. Goergen Ph.D.

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms (AAA) cause 5,900 deaths in the United States each year. Surgical intervention is clinically studied by non-invasive techniques such as computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. However, three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound imaging has become an inexpensive alternative and useful tool to characterize aneurysms, allowing for reconstruction of the vessel, quantification of hemodynamics through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation, and possible prediction of aortic expansion and rupture. However, current analysis techniques for these images require the use of multiple software platforms for either modeling or simulation, prompting the need for alternatives to improve data processing. This study monitors the …

Bioconjugation Of N-Terminal Functionalized Ca2+/Calmodulin-Dependent Protein Kinase Ii (Camkii) On Magnetic Beads, Benjamin Moy, Aya Saleh, Tamara L. Kinzer-Ursem

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Protein purification is a fundamental step that commonly precedes structural and functional characterization of proteins. Most of the current protein purification methods are laborious and time consuming due to the multistep nature of the process. Searching for alternative methods that are capable of shortening the purification time and simultaneously enhancing the purity of the purified proteins is therefore needed. The method described in this paper entails surface immobilization of the protein of interest on alkyne-functionalized magnetic beads following selective labeling of the protein’s N-terminus with an azide tag. The utility of this method was tested using Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II …

Lipid Detection In Pig Arteries Using Intravascular Photoacoustic Imaging, Jieying Mai, Yingchun Cao, Ayeeshik Kole, Michael Sturek, Ji-Xin Cheng

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide. Each year over 370,000 people died from coronary artery disease in America. As the primary form of coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis behaves as lipid-rich plaque development inside an artery wall. Vulnerable plaques are those prone to rupture, which may result in thrombus or even death. Typical hallmarks of a vulnerable plaque include thin fibrous cap, a large lipid-rich necrotic core and inflammatory infiltrate. The identification and accurate detection of these lipid depositions in the arterial wall is crucial in the diagnosis of atherosclerosis. However, none of …

Cellular Model Of Hydrogen Peroxide Release: In Preparation For On-Chip Sensor Measurements, Sarah M. Libring, Hannah R. Kriscovich, James K. Nolan, Siddarth V. Sridharan, Jose F. Rivera, David B. Janes, Jenna L. Rickus

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Hydrogen peroxide is traditionally associated with cellular damage; however, recent studies show that low levels of H₂O₂ are released by cells as part of normal intercellular communication. The mechanisms of hydrogen peroxide transport, uptake and release, and biological effects are not yet well known but have important implications for cancer, stem cells, and aging. Standard H₂O₂ assays cannot make spatially or temporally resolved quantitative measurements at a cellular scale. Previously we developed a microelectrode array (MEA) and calibration methods for quantifying H₂O₂ gradients in space and time. The sensor was validated …

Pathway By Which Vagus Nerve Stimulation Of B Fibers Affects Heart Rate, Kelsey Wasilczuk, Matthew Ward, Pedro Irazoqui

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Heart failure (HF) affects over 5 million adults in the United States. Many HF patients have a high resting heart rate, which is correlated with a high mortality rate. In recent years, vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has become an increasingly researched therapy to reduce the resting heart rate of HF patients. However, current dosage given during VNS is increased incrementally at the doctor’s office until side effects present themselves in a patient. In addition, the means by which the therapy works is not completely understood. To better understand the therapy’s mechanisms, the right cervical vagus nerve of several Long Evans …

Nanobubbles Provide Theranostic Relief To Cancer Hypoxia, Christopher M. Long, Pushpak N. Bhandari, Joseph Irudayaraj

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Hypoxia is a common motif among tumors, contributing to metastasis, angiogenesis, cellular epigenetic abnormality, and resistance to cancer therapy. Hypoxia also plays a pivotal role in oncological studies, where it can be used as a principal target for new anti-cancer therapeutic methods. Oxygen nanobubbles were designed in an effort to target the hypoxic tumor regions, thus interrupting the hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) regulatory pathway and inhibiting tumor progression. At less than 100nm, oxygen nanobubbles act as a vehicle for site-specific oxygen delivery, while also serving as an ultrasound contrast agent for advanced imaging purposes. Through in vitro and in vivo studies, …

Fabrication And Evaluation Of Magnetic Micro Actuators For Implantable Self-Clearing Glaucoma Drainage Devices, Haritha Ramadorai, Hyunsu Park, Hyowon Lee

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

According to the World Health Organization, glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in the world. It currently affects more than 2.7 million people in the United States alone and over 79.6 million people worldwide are estimated to be inflicted by this debilitating disease by 2020. Glaucoma patients are often characterized with elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) and are treated with implantation of glaucoma drainage devices (GDD) to maintain optimum IOP. Although initially effective at delaying glaucoma progression, contemporary GDD often lead to numerous complications and only 50% of implanted devices remain functional after 5 years. Biofouling is seen to …

Bone Tissue Engineering: Scalability And Optimization Of Densified Collagen-Fibril Bone Graft Substitute Materials, John G. Nicholas, Lauren E. Watkins, Sherry L. Voytik-Harbin

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Over 240 million people missing teeth worldwide experience lingering problems such as difficulty speaking and eating, undesirable aesthetics, and resorption of bone supporting neighboring teeth. The gold standard of treatment utilizes grafts to attach a function-restoring implant to supporting bone. Current graft materials suffer from problems including autologous donor site morbidity, long resorption time, incomplete integration with the maxillae or mandible, and structural weakness. Patient-specific, cellularized bone grafts may be a solution to these issues by accelerating and improving the quality of regenerated bone. Recently, encapsulation of mesenchymal stem cells within self-assembling type I collagen oligomer matrices has been shown …

Characterization Of Left-Ventricular Thrombus Formation Using High Frequency Ultrasound, Kelsey A. Bullens, Arvin H. Soepriatna, Pavlos P. Vlachos, Craig J. Goergen

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Heart failure is a leading cause of death in the United States, and cardiac thrombus, a common morbidity associated with heart failure, significantly increases a patient’s risk of embolic events. The objective of this project is to characterize left-ventricular (LV) thrombus development using high frequency ultrasound imaging in a murine model. C57BL/6J wild-type mice (n=6) were injected intraperitoneally with iron dextran five times a week for six weeks to increase oxidative stress in the heart. Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) was subcutaneously injected daily during the second week to initiate stem cell migration and stimulate endothelial cell activation, thus increasing the …

Ball Pressure Correlations With Peak Impact Force And The Potential For Cumulative Mtbi When Heading A Soccer Ball, Nicolas Leiva, Daniel Y. Shyu, Josh Auger, Eric Nauman

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Soccer is a unique sport in which athletes use their heads as tools for gameplay, which may ultimately cause cumulative traumatic brain injuries. Due to rising popularity of soccer in the United States alongside the increased occurrence of CTE and mTBI in other contact sports, there is a growing concern over how to keep the repetitive forces caused by heading, as low as possible. Different variables that can affect the peak force felt when heading a soccer ball can be simulated and compared with in-game data, however, this has never been properly tested before. In the present study two size …

Role Of Sumoylation In Mitochondrial Division In Tetrahymena Thermophila, Ramya Modi, James Forney

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

SUMOylation is a post translation modification that involves the addition of a small protein called SUMO, Small Ubiquitin-like MOdifier to a target protein. It is an important mechanism for the regulation of gene expression, the maintenance of genomic stability and in modifying nuclear proteins. More recently evidence has emerged for its importance in regulating mitochondrial fission and fusion in mammalian cells. This study evaluates the parameters for optimal staining of Tetrahymena thermophila mitochondria using two different dyes and then examines different cell lines with defects in the SUMOylation pathway. The first staining method uses Mitotracker Green, a vital stain that …

Activity Of Protein Kinase A Attached To Magnetic Beads, Kevin P. Lin, Tamara L. Kinzer-Ursem, Mrugesh K. Parasa

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Development of high throughput assays is a crucial step in developing more efficient techniques that aid in many important areas of research today such as drug development or identification of protein structure function relationships. Integration of high throughput assays into more research efforts could drastically decrease the time and cost it takes for a new drug to hit the market. Protein Kinase A (PKA) is an extensively studied protein as it is highly upregulated in cancer and is a hot spot for drug targeting. In this work, azide-tagged PKA is covalently attached to magnetic beads using azide-alkyne cycloaddition, a well-known …

Cartilage Engineering: Optimization Of Media For Chondrogenic Differentiation In Vitro, Evan Surma, Sherry L. Harbin, Hongji Zhang, Stacy Halum

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Lower back pain from intervertebral disc injury affects around 84% of the population at some point in their life, which at its worst may cause total immobilization. This pain can only be temporarily relieved by spinal fusion or intervertebral disc replacement; however, both of these cause loss of natural motion in patients by removing damaged fibrocartilage discs. While these techniques help mitigate pain briefly, no permanent solution exists currently to both relieve pain and preserve natural motion. My work may be a solution by eventually providing patient-specific implants that resemble native tissue in the regeneration process that could be absorbed …

Mechanical Reliability Of Implantable Polyimide-Based Magnetic Microactuators For Biofouling Removal, Christian G. Figueroa-Espada, Qi Yang, Hyowon Lee

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Hydrocephalus is a neurological disorder that typically requires a long-term implantation of a shunt system to manage its symptoms. These shunt systems are notorious for their extremely high failure rate. More than 40% of all implanted shunt systems fail within the first year of implantation. On average, 85% of all hydrocephalus patients with shunt systems undergo at least two shunt-revision surgeries within 10 years of implantation. A large portion of this high failure rate can be attributed to biofouling-related obstructions and infections. Previously, we developed flexible polyimide-based magnetic microactuators to remove obstructions formed on hydrocephalus shunts. To test the long-term …