Biological Engineering Commons^™

Comprehensive Mechatronic Design Methodology For 6-Dof Stationary Lower Limb Rehabilitation Exoskeleton Robot With Safety-Integrated Control Architecture, Javlonbek Rakhmatillaev Mr., Nodirbek Kimsanboyev Mr., Umidjon Takabaev Mr., Zafar Juraev3 Dr.

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

This paper presents the mechatronic design of a proposed six-degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) stationary lower limb rehabilitation exoskeleton (SLLRE) robot, developed through a comprehensive mechatronic design methodology that includes mechanical design, actuator and sensor selection, and the development of a control structure based on a safety-oriented control approach. The proposed 6-DOF SLLRE mechanical design introduces a comprehensive mechanical structure comprising bilateral hip, knee, and ankle joints, degrees of freedom, joint ranges of motion, human parameters for rehabilitation training, as well as the frames and structural elements of the proposed system. Furthermore, the selection of appropriate sensors, actuators, and control architecture for the …

Reproducibility In Modeling Of Knee Joint Mechanics, Maryam Nazem

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Computational modeling of knee joint biomechanics can provide valuable insights into joint function, injury mechanisms, and patient outcomes, and can support surgical planning and informed clinical decision-making. However, achieving consistent and repeatable results, or reproducibility, is a significant challenge that affects the credibility of these models. This thesis addresses reproducibility through two studies related to the KneeHub Project, which is a multi-institutional collaboration designed to investigate reproducibility in finite-element modeling of the knee.

The first study involved model benchmarking, where predicted results of the calibrated models were compared with the experimental data to evaluate model reproducibility. While all models replicated …

Influence Of Obesity On Knee Joint Mechanics: A Subject-Specific Musculoskeletal Modeling Approach, Ryan C. Knowles

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Obesity has been consistently linked to knee osteoarthritis (KOA), a debilitating joint disease. While prior work has shown that obese individuals often walk with altered biomechanics compared to normal-weight (NW) individuals, which may accelerate KOA progression, less is known about how these mechanics affect load distribution between the medial and lateral tibiofemoral (TF) compartments, particularly during higher-demand activities. This study developed subject-specific musculoskeletal models of five obese and five NW individuals, incorporating CT-based bone measurements and individualized joint contact points. Simulations were driven by six degree-of-freedom (6DOF) kinematics obtained from high-speed stereo radiography (HSSR) to predict TF loading and associated …

Simplified Molecular Diagnostics Methods For Environmental Testing Of Pathogens And Other Applications, Mohammad Dehghan Banadaki

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Environmental Surveillance (ES) has emerged as a powerful tool to monitor the emergence and persistence of a pathogen within a facility or community using wastewater/water analysis. Over the past four years, implementation of ES has experienced an explosive acceleration, driven by efforts to monitor the spread of SARS-CoV-2, which has made ES a routinely used public health tool in many locations. We can now use ES to measure the emergence/presence/abundance of different viruses (e.g., SARS-CoV-2, influenza, mpox), bacteria (e.g., E. coli, V. cholerae, antibiotic-resistant strains), fungi (e.g., C. auris), and other biological markers indicative of infectious diseases. However, its broad …

Direct Numerical Simulation Of Pulsating Flow In Curved Pipes: Insights Into Aortic Dissection In Humans, Gokul Anugrah Gopakumar

Theses and Dissertations--Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

This dissertation investigates the hemodynamics of pulsating blood flow in curved vessels through direct numerical simulations (DNS), with the overarching aim of uncovering fluid dynamic mechanisms linked to the onset and progression of aortic dissection in humans. The work is structured in two parts: (i) fundamental studies in idealized geometries and (ii) preliminary investigations in patient-specific anatomies. In the first part, curved pipe models representing the aortic arch are used to isolate the effects of pulsation frequency, amplitude ratio, and curvature ratio on transitional and turbulent flow dynamics. The simulations reveal that curvature-driven centrifugal forces shift the peak velocity toward …

Jovial Family Farm Facilitates Intergenerational Learning Opportunities Through Urban Farming, Maera Williams

Purdue Journal of Service-Learning and International Engagement

Maera Williams is a sophomore in Environmental and Ecological Engineering at Purdue University. She joined the Engineering Projects in Community Service (EPICS) Urban Farming team as a freshman and now serves as project manager of ten undergraduate students collaborating with Jovial Family Farm to design and develop three indoor hydroponics systems for a laboratory space on their property in Broad Ripple, IN. Jovial Family Farm is a nonprofit organization founded by Drs. Bobbie and Brian Jellison with the mission to provide senior citizens, their families, and their communities with meaningful engagement opportunities on an intergenerational scale through urban agricultural activities. …

Hypoxic Incubator: Improving Robustness/Reliability And Demonstrating Physiological Efficacy, Damon Dennis Tan

Master's Theses

The Microphysiological Systems Laboratory aims to develop colorectal cancer tumor models under a hypoxic environment to assess model response to pharmaceutical compounds in vitro. To perform relevant studies, researchers have attempted to use different hypoxic inducing strategies such as a nitrogen pod and hypoxic incubator to recreate in vivo physiological responses to hypoxia. However, studies would be interrupted due to incubator functionality failure. To ensure successful and physiologically relevant studies, I improved and verified the robustness and reliability of a hypoxic incubator previously designed and manufactured in the lab. Through the testing and iterating design processes, I engineered and implemented …

3d Printed Microfluidic Fabrication Methodology, Characterization, Mechanical Design, And Applications In Electrostatic Artificial Muscles And Benthic Microbial Fuel Cells, Terak B. Hornik

Master's Theses

The fabrication of microfluidic devices often requires specialized methods. The development of these methods requires careful characterization and understanding of the processes involved. Using primarily PolyJet 3D printing technology, microfluidics offers a wide scope of applications such as microfluidic benthic microbial fuel cells (MBMFCs) and electrostatic artificial muscles. MBMFCs benefit from the confinement of the microbes resulting in close proximity between the electrode and the organisms. Using a modular design called the Sponge, assembly and upscaling is possible. Electrostatic artificial muscles benefit from a microfluidic approach due to the non-linearity of electrostatic attraction creating disproportionate benefits when miniaturized. When designed …

Shape Memory Alloy Capsule Micropump For Drug Delivery Applications, Youssef Mohamed Kotb

Theses and Dissertations

Implantable drug delivery devices have many benefits over traditional drug administration techniques and have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. By delivering the medication directly to the tissue, they enable the use of larger localized concentrations, enhancing the efficacy of the treatment. Passive-release drug delivery systems, one of the various ways to provide medication, are great inventions. However, they cannot dispense the medication on demand since they are nonprogrammable. Therefore, active actuators are more advantageous in delivery applications. Smart material actuators, however, have greatly increased in popularity for manufacturing wearable and implantable micropumps due to their high energy …

Statistical Modeling Of Knee Morphology And Material Properties Considering Diverse Populations, Gabrielle Jeannine Kindy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) is a widely performed surgical procedure aimed at alleviating pain and restoring function in patients with severe knee osteoarthritis. Despite its general success, disparities in postoperative outcomes have been observed across different racial and ethnic groups, with minority populations often experiencing less favorable results. One potential avenue for improving the generalizability of orthopaedic implants is using Statistical Shape and Intensity Models (SSIMs), which can be used to incorporate patient variability directly into the orthopaedic medical device development workflow through population-based finite element analysis.

This work aimed to construct an SSIM from a diverse subject set, incorporating …

Creating A Collapsible Sling Lift Capable Of Transporting Patients Between Various Locations, Cameron Delaney Hillman, Macey Jewell Ross, Lydia Noel Miller

Honors Theses

As Senior Biomedical Engineering students at the University of Mississippi, we, Lainey Hillman, Lydia Miller, and Macey Ross, are required to complete a final senior capstone for our department. This project aims to provide a solution to a current unmet clinical need in the healthcare industry, thus our team sought to improve the lack of transportability of sling lifts. The current sling lifts on the market display numerous issues: heavy, bulky, use confined to certain areas, and use specific for only one type of transportation. To combat these problems, we designed a sling lift that was lightweight, collapsible, safe, and …

Air-Jet Bioprinting Of Stem Cell-Encapsulated Alginate Micro-Droplets For Organoid Biomanufacturing, Mirabella B. Stump

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biomanufactured 3D-organoids show promise for modeling and treating various conditions, particularly insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (type-1 diabetes). Pancreatic islet organoids serve as sustainable sources of insulin-producing β-cells, potentially restoring insulin regulation in patients and providing a long-term solution for diabetes. Hydrogel droplet printing is an emerging technique in regenerative medicine due to its advantageous tunability and biocompatibility; however, challenges of consistency, quality control, and scalability persist. To address these issues, we developed a novel air-jetting based droplet bioprinting system for the generation of monodispersed alginate micro-droplets. The objective of this project was to incorporate human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) into …

Hypoxic Incubation Chamber, Simone Lisette Helfrich, Makenzie Nicole Jones

Biomedical Engineering: Graduate Reports and Projects

This paper describes the design, manufacturing, and testing of a novel controllable hypoxic incubator with fully functional oxygen gas control and temperature control in a humid environment. On the current market, a majority of the few hypoxic incubators use pre-mixed gas that does not offer precise control over gas concentration. The objective for this project was to create a chamber that allows the user to set the O2 concentration to varying set points of % O2 while maintaining the chamber at a constant body temperature, CO2 level, humidity, and sterility. To start the project, multiple concepts were developed for the …

Atomic Force Microscopy Based Dna Sensing And Manipulation, Matthew Shubert

Mechanical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Sequencing DNA provides a positive impact for the biomedical community by understanding a wide variety of applications such as human genetics, disease, and pathogens. The reason the Arkansas Micro & Nano Systems lab is involved with research in DNA sequencing is due to the current, leading industry method. Nanopore sequencing was developed by Oxford Nanopore Technology in which its sequencing method separates double stranded DNA to electrically characterize individual nucleotides traveling through a charged nanopore. Unfortunately, nanopore sequencing uses biological materials that require a shelf life and drives high cost. Therefore, the Arkansas Micro & Nano Systems lab has developed …

Improving Quantification Of Mitral Regurgitation Through Computational Fluid Dynamics And Ex Vivo Testing, Alexandra Flowers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is a prominent cardiac disease affecting more than two million people in the United States alone. In order for patients to receive proper therapy, regurgitant volume must first be quantified. As there are an array of methods to do so, the proximal isovelocity surface area (PISA) method continues to be the most accurate and clinically used method. However, there are some difficulties obtaining the necessary measurements need for this when performing transthoracic echocardiography. This study aims to evaluate and present techniques that may be used to more accurately quantify regurgitation through ex vivo testing and computational fluid …

A Survey Of Stainless Steel In Medical And Surgical Application, Noah Slack, Clint Balch

ME 4133/6133 Mechanical Metallurgy

Stainless steels can be separated into four families based on the microstructure of the material: Austenitic, Ferritic, Martensitic, and Duplex. Each family provides a specific set of advantages and disadvantages, and material selection should be based on the specific application the material will be used for. For this study, the processing, microstructure, and performance of the four families of stainless steels will be compared in the context of medical device applications. The most important factors in medical device materials are biocompatibility, surface properties, mechanical properties and life span/corrosion resistance. This study will focus on medical devices that will be permanently …

A Single Cell Pair Mechanical Interrogation Platform To Study Cell–Cell Adhesion Mechanics, Amir Monemianesfahani

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Cell-cell adhesion complexes are macromolecular adhesive organelles that integrate cells into tissues. Perturbations of the cell-cell adhesion structure or relatedmechanotransduction pathways lead to pathological conditions such as skin and heart diseases, arthritis, and cancer. Mechanical stretching has been used to stimulate the mechanotransduction process originating from the cell-cell adhesion and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) complexes. The current techniques, however, have limitations on their ability to measure the cell-cell adhesion force directly and quantitatively. These methods use a monolayer of cells, which makes it impossible to quantify the forces within a single cell-cell adhesion complex. Other methods using single cells or cell …

Performance And Economics Of Solar Inverters And Module Level Power Electronics In A 1 Mw Photovoltaic System, Maxwell Criswell

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Photovoltaic solar panels convert sunlight to electricity in the form of direct current; therefore, a necessary component of every photovoltaic system is an inverter to convert the electricity to usable alternating current. There are various commercially available inverter technologies manufactured today such as microinverters, string inverters, and central inverters, as well as module level power electronic devices such as DC optimizers that are capable of improving system performance in string and central inverter systems. This thesis compares the performance and economics of five different inverter and module level power electronic systems through model simulation using Helioscope software. The five alternatives …

Tibial Strains And Tray-Bone Micromotions After Total Knee Arthroplasty: Computational Studies Evaluating The Tibial Fixation, Huizhou Yang

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cemented and cementless fixation in total knee arthroplasty (TKA) have been successfully used for decades. As the number of younger and more active patients treated with TKA continues to increase, long-term implant survivorship is of increasing importance. One of the most common complications and hence the reason for revision is mechanical loosening (23.1% of all revised TKA). The loosening mechanisms have been proposed for different fixation types. For cemented fixation, bone remodeling after surgery is regulated by the changes in strain energy density (SED). The recruitment of osteoclasts and osteoblasts is controlled by SED-related signals. Insufficient stimuli can promote bone …

Development Of Light Actuated Chemical Delivery Platform On A 2-D Array Of Micropore Structure, Hojjat Rostami Azmand, Hojjat Rostami Azmand

Dissertations and Theses

Localized chemical delivery plays an essential role in the fundamental information transfers within biological systems. Thus, the ability to mimic the natural chemical signal modulation would provide significant contributions to understand the functional signaling pathway of biological cells and develop new prosthetic devices for neurological disorders. In this paper, we demonstrate a light-controlled hydrogel platform that can be used for localized chemical delivery in a high spatial resolution. By utilizing the photothermal behavior of graphene-hydrogel composites confined within micron-sized fluidic channels, patterned light illumination creates the parallel and independent actuation of chemical release in a group of fluidic ports. The …

Blast Shock-Wave Characterization In Experimental Shock Tubes, Sudeepto Kahali

Dissertations

Blast-induced traumatic brain injuries have affected U.S. soldiers deployed for extended periods in the gulf and Afghanistan wars. To identify the biomechanical and biochemical mechanisms of injury, critical in the identification of diagnostic and therapeutic tools, compressed gas-driven shock tubes are used by investigators to study shockwave-animal specimen interactions and its biological consequences. However, shock tubes are designed and operated in a variety of geometry with a range of process parameters, and the quality of shock wave characteristics relevant to field conditions and therefore the study of blast-induced traumatic brain injuries suffered by soldiers is affected by those conditions. Lab-to-lab …

Design Of A 3d Printed Bioreactor For Bone Cancer Research, Brooklyn K. Vanderwolde, Katelyn Hillson

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Bone cancer is an aggressive disease and has peak occurrence during physiological stimulation of growth and aging. Astronauts who undergo long-term space missions also acquire an increased risk of bone tissue degeneration and cancer. Few in-vitro models currently exist capable of reproducing the complex microenvironment of bone tissue to support multicellular activity in a three-dimensional structure. This limits the ability to understand disease progression and develop suitable treatment strategies. Therefore, developing a bone tissue model and an associated bioreactor is critical to understand the risks associated with cancer progression and improve treatment and preventions related to those risks. The goal …

Maximizing And Modeling Malonyl-Coa Production In Escherichia Coli, Tatiana Thompson Silveira Mello

LSU Master's Theses

In E. coli, fatty acid synthesis is catalyzed by the enzyme acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC), which converts acetyl-CoA into malonyl-CoA. Malonyl-CoA is a major building block for numerous of bioproducts. Multiple parameters regulate the homeostatic cellular concentration of malonyl-CoA, keeping it at a very low level. Understanding how these parameters affect the bacterial production of malonyl-CoA is fundamental to maximizing it and its bioproducts. To this end, competing pathways consuming malonyl-CoA can be eliminated, and optimal nutritional and environmental conditions can be provided to the fermentation broth. Most previous studies utilized genetic modifications, expensive consumables, and high-cost quantification methods, making …

Stability Analysis Of A More General Class Of Systems With Delay-Dependent Coefficients, Chi Jin, Keqin Gu, Islam Boussaada, Silviu-Iulian Niculescu

SIUE Faculty Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activity

This paper presents a systematic method to analyse the stability of systems with single delay in which the coefficient polynomials of the characteristic equation depend on the delay. Such systems often arise in, for example, life science and engineering systems. A method to analyze such systems was presented by Beretta and Kuang in a 2002 paper, but with some very restrictive assumptions. This work extends their results to the general case with the exception of some degenerate cases. It is found that a much richer behavior is possible when the restrictive assumptions are removed. The interval of interest for the …

The Subject Librarian Newsletter, Engineering And Computer Science, Fall 2017, Buenaventura "Ven" Basco

Libraries' Newsletters

No abstract provided.

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 …

Application Of Limited Mixing In The Hele–Shaw Geometry In Fabrication Of Janus Hydrogels, Md Mahmudur Rahman

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

It is widely accepted that cells behave differently responding to the stiffness of their extracellular matrix (ECM). Such observations were made by culturing cells on hydrogel substrates of tunable stiffness. However, it was recently proposed that cells may sense how strongly they are tethered to ECM, not the local stiffness of ECM. To investigate both hypotheses, we developed a method to fabricate Janus polyacrylamide (PAAM) gels. We squeeze two drops of different concentrations in the Hele-Shaw geometry to generate radial Stokes flow. When the drops coalesce, limited mixing occurs at the interface due to the narrow confinement, and diffusion normal …

Stent Graft Blush, Vanessa Barrett, Thomas Matzinger, Mike Morelli

Mechanical Engineering

In order to better understand Type IV endoleaks (“blush”), the Cal Poly Senior Project team GraftTest has developed a blush evaluation system able to mimic several of the aorta’s environmental parameters. Capable of both pressure and flow rate control, this bench top system accommodates Medtronic’s wide range of abdominal and thoracic aortic stent grafts. Having researched endoleaks, stent grafts, and numerous other factors affecting stent graft blush, a system was developed with the aim of assessing and comparing the performance of Medtronic’s stent grafts with regard to blush. Furthermore, this system has been designed to provide reliable and repeatable results …

Beach Wheelchair Project, Rory Aronson, Joshua Marcum, Samuel Coyne, Alex Hayes, Alexa Colburn, Max Hessel, Benedikt Strauss, Marvin Rimmele, Marco Pietsch

Mechanical Engineering

The Beach Wheelchair, Sandcrawler, is a machine intended to help give people with disabilities the full beach experience. The non-profit organization Bridge II Sports sponsored this project, and tasked us with developing the design and fabricating a prototype. This chair has several features including a linkage mechanism that raises and lowers a chair relative to an external frame, hand crank drive with Gates Carbondrive belt and sprockets, buoyant Wheeleez balloon tires, and much more.

Computational Analysis Of Hybrid Norwood Circulation With Distal Aortic Arch Obstruction And Reverse Blalock-Taussig Shunt, Andres Ceballos, I. Ricardo Argueta-Morales, Eduardo Divo, Ruben Osorio, Christopher A. Caldarone, Alain J. Kassab, William M. Decampli

Mechanical Engineering - Daytona Beach

BACKGROUND: The hemodynamics characteristics of the hybrid Norwood (HN) procedure differ from those of the conventional Norwood and are not fully understood. We present a multi-scale model of HN circulation to understand local hemodynamics and effects of aortic arch stenosis and a reverse Blalock-Taussig shunt (RBTS) on coronary and carotid perfusion. METHODS: Four 3-dimensional models of four HN anatomic variants were developed, with and without 90% distal preductal arch stenosis and with and without a 4-mm RBTS. A lumped parameter model of the circulation was coupled to a local 3-dimensional computational fluid dynamics model. Outputs from the lumped parameter model …