Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Information Extraction From Primary Care Visits To Support Patient-Provider Interactions, Daniel Baruch Gutstein

College of Computing and Digital Media Dissertations

The extent of electronic health record systems usage in clinical settings has affected the dynamic between clinicians and patients and has thus been connected to physician morale and the quality of care patients receive. Recent research has also uncovered a correlation between physician burnout and negative physician attitudes electronic health record systems. In order to begin exploring the nature of the relationship between electronic health record usage, physician burnout, and patient care, it is necessary to first analyze patient-provider interactions within the context of verbal features such as turn-taking and non-verbal features such as eye-contact. While previous works have sought …

Rescue Of Hearing And Protection Of Auditory Structures From Noise-Induced Hearing Loss, Reza Amanipour

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Hearing loss due to exposure to high level sound is a major health problem that causes permanent hearing impairment and has a significant impact on job productivity and quality of life. A large population suffers from noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL), a disorder for which there is currently no FDA-approved prevention, treatment or cure. The goal of my dissertation work is to provide insights into the effects of noise trauma on hearing abilities of normal hearing subjects, and determine how a new therapeutic compound (mGlu7 modulator) can protect and/or prevent loss of, or damage to sensory cells and brain neurons, including …

Microarray Embedding/Sectioning For Parallel Analysis Of 3d Cell Spheroids., Jonathan Gabriel, David Brennan, Jennifer H Elisseeff, Vincent Beachley

Henry M. Rowan College of Engineering Departmental Research

Three-dimensional cell spheroid models can be used to predict the effect of drugs and therapeutics and to model tissue development and regeneration. The utility of these models is enhanced by high throughput 3D spheroid culture technologies allowing researchers to efficiently culture numerous spheroids under varied experimental conditions. Detailed analysis of high throughput spheroid culture is much less efficient and generally limited to narrow outputs, such as metabolic viability. We describe a microarray approach that makes traditional histological embedding/sectioning/staining feasible for large 3D cell spheroid sample sets. Detailed methodology to apply this technology is provided. Analysis of the technique validates the …

Post-Acquisition Processing Confounds In Brain Volumetric Quantification Of White Matter Hyperintensities, Ahmed A. Bahrani, Omar M. Al-Janabi, Erin L. Abner, Shoshana H. Bardach, Richard J. Kryscio, Donna M. Wilcock, Charles D. Smith, Gregory A. Jicha

Neurology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Disparate research sites using identical or near-identical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) acquisition techniques often produce results that demonstrate significant variability regarding volumetric quantification of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) in the aging population. The sources of such variability have not previously been fully explored.

NEW METHOD: 3D FLAIR sequences from a group of randomly selected aged subjects were analyzed to identify sources-of-variability in post-acquisition processing that can be problematic when comparing WMH volumetric data across disparate sites. The methods developed focused on standardizing post-acquisition protocol processing methods to develop a protocol with less than 0.5% inter-rater variance.

RESULTS: A series …

Label-Free Microrna Optical Biosensors, Meimei Lai, Gymama Slaughter

Bioelectrics Publications

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play crucial roles in regulating gene expression. Many studies show that miRNAs have been linked to almost all kinds of disease. In addition, miRNAs are well preserved in a variety of specimens, thereby making them ideal biomarkers for biosensing applications when compared to traditional protein biomarkers. Conventional biosensors for miRNA require fluorescent labeling, which is complicated, time-consuming, laborious, costly, and exhibits low sensitivity. The detection of miRNA remains a big challenge due to their intrinsic properties such as small sizes, low abundance, and high sequence similarity. A label-free biosensor can simplify the assay and enable the direct detection …

Enhancing Single Walled Carbon Nanotube Deposition For The Study Of Extracellular Analytes, Joseph A. Stapleton

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Extracellular signaling is a dynamic process responsible for coordinating large scale biological processes. As such, understanding extracellular signaling is important to our determination of normal function and pathophysiological development. High resolution spatial and temporal information are critical to completely understanding these processes. Unfortunately, current methods of detection are lacking in either spatial or temporal resolution of extracellular products, limiting researchers’ ability to understand complex biological processes. A new group of sensors based on fluorescent single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNT) have shown the potential to provide both high quality spatial and temporal resolution for the sensing of analytes. However, while SWNT …

A Review Of Materials For Managing Bone Loss In Revision Total Knee Arthroplasty, Romina Shafaghi, Omar Rodriguez, Emil H. Schemitsch, Paul Zalzal, Stephen D. Waldman, Marcello Papini, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In 2014–2015, 61,421 total knee arthroplasties (TKAs) were performed in Canada; an increase of about 20% over 2000–2001. Revision total knee arthroplasties (rTKAs) accounted for 6.8% of TKAs performed between 2014 and 2015, and this is estimated to grow another 12% by 2025. rTKAs are typically more complicated than primary TKAs due to the significant loss of femoral and tibial bone stock. The escalating demand and limitations associated with total knee arthroplasty and their revision drives the development of novel treatments. A variety of materials have been utilized to facilitate regeneration of healthy bone around the site of a knee …

Factors Affecting Cardiovascular Physiology In Cardiothoracic Surgery: Implications For Lumped-Parameter Modeling, Joshua Kaufmann, Ethan Kung

Publications

Cardiothoracic surgeries are complex procedures during which the patient cardiovascular physiology is constantly changing due to various factors. Physiological changes begin with the induction of anesthesia, whose effects remain active into the postoperative period. Depending on the surgery, patients may require the use of cardiopulmonary bypass and cardioplegia, both of which affect postoperative physiology such as cardiac index and vascular resistance. Complications may arise due to adverse reactions to the surgery, causing hemodynamic instability. In response, fluid resuscitation and/or vasoactive agents with varying effects may be used in the intraoperative or postoperative periods to improve patient hemodynamics. These factors have …

Review Of Naturally Occurring Ammonia In Groundwater And Its Effect On Using Chloramines For Drinking Water Disinfection In Louisiana, Athena Lindsay

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Pharmacokinetics Of 99mTc-Hmpao In Isolated Perfused Rat Lungs, Anne V. Clough, Katherine Barry, Benjamin Michael Rizzo, Elizabeth R. Jacobs, Said H. Audi

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Lung uptake of technetium-labeled hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime (HMPAO) increases in rat models of human acute lung injury, consistent with increases in lung tissue glutathione (GSH). Since ^99mTc-HMPAO uptake is the net result of multiple cellular and vascular processes, the objective was to develop an approach to investigate the pharmacokinetics of ^99mTc-HMPAO uptake in isolated perfused rat lungs. Lungs of anesthetized rats were excised and connected to a ventilation-perfusion system. ^99mTc-HMPAO (56 MBq) was injected into the pulmonary arterial cannula, a time sequence of images was acquired, and lung time-activity curves were constructed. Imaging was repeated with a range …

Role Of The Cortex In Visuomotor Control Of Arm Stability, Dylan B. Snyder, Scott A. Beardsley, Brian D. Schmit

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Whereas numerous motor control theories describe the control of arm trajectory during reach, the control of stabilization in a constant arm position (i.e., visuomotor control of arm posture) is less clear. Three potential mechanisms have been proposed for visuomotor control of arm posture: 1) increased impedance of the arm through co-contraction of antagonistic muscles, 2) corrective muscle activity via spinal/supraspinal reflex circuits, and/or 3) intermittent voluntary corrections to errors in position. We examined the cortical mechanisms of visuomotor control of arm posture and tested the hypothesis that cortical error networks contribute to arm stabilization. We collected electroencephalography …

Estimating Cognitive Workload In An Interactive Virtual Reality Environment Using Eeg, Christoph Tremmel, Christain Herff, Tetsuya Sato, Krzysztof Rechowicz, Yusuke Yamani, Dean J. Krusienski

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

With the recent surge of affordable, high-performance virtual reality (VR) headsets, there is unlimited potential for applications ranging from education, to training, to entertainment, to fitness and beyond. As these interfaces continue to evolve, passive user-state monitoring can play a key role in expanding the immersive VR experience, and tracking activity for user well-being. By recording physiological signals such as the electroencephalogram (EEG) during use of a VR device, the user's interactions in the virtual environment could be adapted in real-time based on the user's cognitive state. Current VR headsets provide a logical, convenient, and unobtrusive framework for mounting EEG …

A Dual-Modality Smartphone Microendoscope For Quantifying The Physiological And Morphological Properties Of Epithelial Tissues, Xiangqian Hong, Tongtong Lu, Liam Fruzyna, Bing Yu

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

We report a nonconcurrent dual-modality fiber-optic microendoscope (named SmartME) that integrates quantitative diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS) and high-resolution fluorescence imaging (FLI) into a smartphone platform. The FLI module has a spatial resolution of ~3.5 µm, which allows the determination of the nuclear-cytoplasmic ratio (N/C) of epithelial tissues. The DRS has a spectral resolution of ~2 nm and can measure the total hemoglobin concentration (THC) and scattering properties of epithelial tissues with mean errors of 4.7% and 6.9%, respectively, which are comparable to the errors achieved with a benchtop spectrometer. Our preliminary in vivo studies from a single healthy human subject …

Morphometry And Density Analysis Of The Fifth Metacarpal, Amrita Unnikumaran

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The fifth metacarpal bone fracture is a common type of fracture among the young male population. With the increasing demand for early recovery from such fractures with surgical reduction, the medical manufacturers and clinicians are interested in designing a better intramedullary device for fixation. This study is an attempt to investigate the dimensional parameters of the fifth metacarpal bone and its intramedullary canal, using 3D CT scan images of cadaveric hands. The algorithm used for measurement applies principal component analysis on the subject bone, to control the information loss and normalize the spatial position of the subject. This analysis provides …

Invertebrate Retinal Progenitors As Regenerative Models In A Microfluidic System, Caroline D. Pena, Stephanie Zhang, Robert Majeska, Tadmiri Venkatesh, Maribel Vazquez

Publications and Research

Regenerative retinal therapies have introduced progenitor cells to replace dysfunctional or injured neurons and regain visual function. While contemporary cell replacement therapies have delivered retinal progenitor cells (RPCs) within customized biomaterials to promote viability and enable transplantation, outcomes have been severely limited by the misdirected and/or insuffcient migration of transplanted cells. RPCs must achieve appropriate spatial and functional positioning in host retina, collectively, to restore vision, whereas movement of clustered cells differs substantially from the single cell migration studied in classical chemotaxis models. Defining how RPCs interact with each other, neighboring cell types and surrounding extracellular matrixes are critical to …

The Combined Effect Of Heat And Corona Charge On Molecular Delivery To A T-Cell Line In-Vitro, Molly A. Skinner

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Gene therapy and immunotherapy are new up and coming fields in cancer treatment. In August of 2017, the first gene therapy was FDA approved called CAR-T cell therapy("FDA approval brings first gene therapy to the United States," 2017). This therapy uses the patient’s

own T-cells that are genetically modified to attack the cancerous cells. Currently, it takes 4-6 weeks to genetically modify these T-cells, which can be the difference between life and death for a cancer patient (Cheng, Jun, Jiang, & Xi, 2017). There is evidence that gene electrotransfer can help expedite the genetic modification process by having an easy …

Development And Validation Of Wireless Sensors For Applications To Human Head Angular And Mechanical Motions, Karthick Natesan

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

In this project, we programmed a 9 degree of freedom Razor sensor, which incorporates an accelerometer and gyroscope to measure the head linear and angular motions produced by activities of daily living (ADL). The majority of studies concentrate on linear accelerations, so the purpose of this study is to determine the importance of both linear and angular components of acceleration in everyday activities and find interlinked relation between them. The sensor was validated using another calibrated and validated system. The general size and wireless nature make this sensor very suitable for use with human subjects. After obtaining informed consent, we …

Vibration Propagation On The Skin Of The Arm, Valay A. Shah, Maura Casadio, Robert A. Scheidt, Leigh A. Mrotek

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Vibrotactile interfaces are an inexpensive and non-invasive way to provide performance feedback to body-machine interface users. Interfaces for the upper extremity have utilized a multi-channel approach using an array of vibration motors placed on the upper extremity. However, for successful perception of multi-channel vibrotactile feedback on the arm, we need to account for vibration propagation across the skin. If two stimuli are delivered within a small distance, mechanical propagation of vibration can lead to inaccurate perception of the distinct vibrotactile stimuli. This study sought to characterize vibration propagation across the hairy skin of the forearm. We characterized vibration propagation by …

Diagnostic Sequence Detection Against A Complex Background Using A Dna Molecular Computation Framework, Adan Leon Myers Y Gutierrez

Nanoscience and Microsystems ETDs

Diagnostic assays are designed to detect a unique analyte profile in a disease of interest. Nucleic acids contain an information-dense sequence, and thus are ideal candidates for unique analytes. The gold-standard of nucleic-acid-based detection is PCR which has high sensitivity, but involves time, expertise, and cost. DNA molecular logic technology holds much promise as an alternative molecular detection method due to the potential to save cost and expertise, while also achieving a high sensitivity. However, nucleic acid detection in biomedical applications carries with it the difficulty of choice of appropriate sequence and potential biological sample background.

This work describes the …

Novel Green Micro-Synthesis Of Graphene-Titanium Dioxide Nano- Composites With Photo-Electrochemical Properties, Nourwanda M. Serour, Ahmed S.E. Hammad, Ahmed H. El-Shazly, Dina A. El-Gayar, Shaaban A. Nosier

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Publications

Background: Graphene-Titanium dioxide nano-composite forms a very promising material in the field of photo-electrochemical research.

Methods: In this study, a novel environment-friendly synthesis method was developed to produce well-distributed anatase nano-titanium dioxide spherical particles on the surface of graphene sheets. This novel method has great advantages over previously developed methods of producing graphenetitanium dioxide nanocomposites (GTNCs). High calcination temperature 650°C was used in the preparation of nano titanium dioxide, and chemical exfoliation for graphene synthesis and GTNC was performed by our novel method of depositing titanium dioxide nanoparticles on graphene sheets using a Y-shaped micro-reactor under a controlled pumping rate …

Multidisciplinary Education And Research In Biomathematics For Solving Global Challenges, Padmanabhan Seshaiyer

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Plant Cell-Derived Growth Factors For Ex Vivo Mass Production Of Red Blood Cells, Xiaoting Wang

Student Theses and Dissertations

Generation of red blood cells from hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) used for blood transfusion represents one of the focus in regenerative medicine. Erythropoietic growth factors (eGFs), including stem cell factor (SCF), erythropoietin (EPO) and interleukin 3 (IL-3) are vital for proliferation and differentiation of HSCs into mature red blood cells (RBCs) ex vivo. However, massive production of RBCs requires significant quantity and high quality of eGFs, making manufacturing at large scale cost prohibitive. Plant cell culture is proposed to be a promising bioproduction platform for growth factors based on the advantages of, fast growing, no risk of human pathogen, and …

Application Of Halloysite Nanotubes In Bone Disease Remediation And Bone Regeneration, Yangyang Luo

Doctoral Dissertations

Customized patient therapy has been a major research focus in recent years. There are two research fields that have made a significant contribution to realizing individualized-based treatment: targeted drug delivery and three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. With benefit from the advances in nanotechnology and biomaterial science, various drug delivery systems have been established to provide precise control of therapeutic agents release in time and space. The emergence of three-dimensional (3D) printing technology enables the fabrication of complicated structures that effectively mimic native tissues and makes it possible to print patient-specific implants. My dissertation research used a clay nanoparticle, halloysite, to develop …

Electrolytic Metallization Of Halloysite Nanotubes And Antimicrobial Applications, Ahmed Humayun

Doctoral Dissertations

Due to increased reports of infections and biofouling arising from the use of invasive medical devices, novel antimicrobial agents with suitable anti-biofouling properties are critically needed. Transition metals exhibit substantial antimicrobial activity; however, their use is limited because of their inherent toxicity to eukaryotic cells. In this regard, naturally occurring halloysite clay nanotubes (HNTs) show significant promise. HNTs possess a high surface area for adsorption while its hollow lumen can be used for loading different materials.

Herein, we demonstrate an electrolytic method for generating and depositing metal nanoparticles (NPs) on the HNTs outer surface and we propose an optimized method …

From Experimental Studies To Coarse-Grained Modeling: Characterization Of Surface Area To Volume Ratio Effects On The Swelling Of Poly (Ethylene Glycol) Dimethacrylate Hydrogels, Gabriel Zahm

Master's Theses

Understanding the performance of widely applied nanoscale hydrogel biomaterials is an unmet need within the biomedical field. The objective of this master’s thesis project was to evaluate the effects size and surface area has on the in vivo behavior of nanoscale hydrogels. The hypothesis tested was that at the nanoscale, the increased surface area to volume effects of nanoscale hydrogels play and important role in the overall swelling of hydrogels, such that nanoscale hydrogels swell to a greater degree than their bulk counterparts. To investigate this, the bulk swelling behavior of a series of neutral poly (ethylene glycol) di-methacrylate (PEGDMA) …

Synthesis And Secretome Release By Human Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cell Spheroids Within Three-Dimensional Collagen Hydrogels: Integrating Experiments And Modelling, Jyotsna Joshi, Mohammadreza Dehghan Abnavi, Chandrasekhar R. Kothapalli

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Myocardial infarction results in loss of cardiac cell types, inflammation, extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, and fibrotic scar. Transplantation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) is being explored as they could differentiate into cardiomyocyte-like cells, integrate into host tissue, and enhance resident cell activity. The ability of these cells to restore lost ECM, remodel the inflammatory scar tissue, and repair the injured myocardium remains unexplored. We here elucidated the synthesis and deposition of ECM (e.g., elastin, sulfated glycosaminoglycans, hyaluronan, collagen type III, laminin, fibrillin, lysyl oxidase, and nitric oxide synthases), matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their inhibitors (TIMPs), and other secretome …

Paper-Based Flexible Electrode Using Chemically-Modified Graphene And Functionalized Multiwalled Carbon Nanotube Composites For Electrophysiological Signal Sensing, Md Faruk Hossain, Jae Sang Heo, John Nelson, Insoo Kim

Bioelectrics Publications

Flexible paper-based physiological sensor electrodes were developed using chemically-modified graphene (CG) and carboxylic-functionalized multiwalled carbon nanotube composites (f@MWCNTs). A solvothermal process with additional treatment was conducted to synthesize CG and f@MWCNTs to make CG-f@MWCNT composites. The composite was sonicated in an appropriate solvent to make a uniform suspension, and then it was drop cast on a nylon membrane in a vacuum filter. A number of batches (0%~35% f@MWCNTs) were prepared to investigate the performance of the physical characteristics. The 25% f@MWCNT-loaded composite showed the best adhesion on the paper substrate. The surface topography and chemical bonding of the proposed CG-f@MWCNT …

Biophysical And Biomechanical Properties Of Neural Progenitor Cells As Indicators Of Developmental Neurotoxicity, Gautam Mahajan, Moo-Yeal Lee, Chandrasekhar R. Kothapalli

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Conventional in vitro toxicity studies have focused on identifying IC50 and the underlying mechanisms, but how toxicants influence biophysical and biomechanical changes in human cells, especially during developmental stages, remain understudied. Here, using an atomic force microscope, we characterized changes in biophysical (cell area, actin organization) and biomechanical (Young's modulus, force of adhesion, tether force, membrane tension, tether radius) aspects of human fetal brain-derived neural progenitor cells (NPCs) induced by four classes of widely used toxic compounds, including rotenone, digoxin, N-arachidonoylethanolamide (AEA), and chlorpyrifos, under exposure up to 36 h. The sub-cellular mechanisms (apoptosis, mitochondria membrane potential, DNA damage, glutathione …

The Effect Of Tantalum Incorporation On The Physical And Chemical Properties Of Ternary Silicon–Calcium–Phosphorous Mesoporous Bioactive Glasses, Andrew Mendonca, Md Saidur Rahman, Adel Alhalawani, Omar Rodriguez, Reid C. Gallant, Heyu Ni, Owen M. Clarkin, Mark R. Towler

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Synthesis and characterization of the first mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs) containing tantalum are reported here, along with their potential application as hemostats. Silica MBGs were synthesized using with the molar composition of (80-x)% Si, 15% Ca, 5% P, and x% Ta. It was found that incorporation of >1 mol % Ta into the MBGs changes their physical and chemical properties. Increasing Ta content from 0 to 10 mol % causes a decrease in the surface area and pore volume of ~20 and ~35%, respectively. This is due to the increase in nonbridging oxygens and mismatch of thermal expansion coefficient which …

Differential Cortical Activation During The Perception Of Moving Objects Along Different Trajectories, Finnegan J. Calabro, Scott A. Beardsley, Lucia M. Vaina

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Detection of 3D object-motion trajectories depends on the integration of two distinct visual cues: translational displacement and looming. Electrophysiological studies have identified distinct neuronal populations, whose activity depends on the precise motion cues present in the stimulus. This distinction, however, has been less clear in humans, and it is confounded by differences in the behavioral task being performed. We analyzed whole-brain fMRI, while subjects performed a common time-to-arrival task for objects moving along three trajectories: moving directly towards the observer (collision course), with trajectories parallel to the line of sight (passage course), and with trajectories perpendicular to the line of …