Biological Engineering Commons^™

Investigating The Shelf Life Of Benzoyl Peroxide Coated Nozzles For Bone Cement Application, Alysen Leigh Demzik

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Two-solution bone cements (TSBC) were developed to address the limitations of current powder-liquid bone cements, however are characterized by a limited shelf life due to spontaneous free radical polymerization. As a solution to pre-polymerization concerns, the initiator benzoyl peroxide (BPO) was removed from the cement solution and incorporated into a thin film coating within the static mixing nozzle, allowing the BPO to integrate with the TSBC as it is mixed for use. Only short-term storage of BPO-coated nozzles and the subsequent effects on bone cement properties is known. The goal of this study was to investigate the effects of time, …

Controlling Bacterial Persister Cells With Low Level Electric Currents, Henry Lars Peterson

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Bacterial persister cells present a growing concern as they inherit the ability to tolerate high concentrations of antibiotics and repopulate after an antibiotic treatment leading to chronic diseases. Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes many human infections including skin infections and those associated with burn injuries, and implanted medical devices, and are associated with Cystic Fibrosis. Recently, the Ren Lab developed a novel approach to eliminate persister cells of P. aeruginosa, including those in biofilms, using low level electric currents. To evaluate the safety of this method and to better understand how the underlying elements, this study focused on the cytotoxicity of …

Design And Implementation Of A Shoulder Simulator, Chelsea Lynn Kowal

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

The main objective of this thesis project is to build a shoulder simulator to be able to understand the mechanics of the shoulder, specifically the rotator cuff and deltoid muscles. The shoulder simulator should be able to mimic the important motions of the human shoulder by pulling on tendons of cadaver shoulders and moving the shoulder in various specified motions. In my thesis project, I worked on creating a shoulder simulator that would control the rotator cuff muscles along with the three deltoid muscles. In order to do this, I needed to design and test the shoulder simulator using cadaver …

The Effect Of Maternal Diet On Fetal Development, Catherine Wilcox

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Using mice as a model system, this study aimed to compare the effect of a high fat diet (HFD), high sugar diet (HSD) and a control diet (CD) on fetal growth and development at the time of birth (post-natal day 0 or PND 0), post-natal day 7 (PND 7) and post-natal day 14 (PND 14). Published literature has documented the effects of a negative in-utero environment on fetal development, but currently there is limited research regarding the continued effects on development after birth. Mouse pups were harvested and then imaged in 3-D using a high-resolution micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) system. Total …

Liquid Crystalline Elastomers: Effects Of Substrate Anisotropy On Cell Behavior, Christine Depompeo

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

One of the major challenges in tissue engineering today is inducing organization at the cellular level in vitro. Most biological tissues exhibit anisotropic behavior. They perform differently and have different mechanical properties in different directions. This environment is difficult to mimic with traditional cell culturing methods. The development of anisotropic cell substrates may have the potential to encourage the organization required at the cellular level to induce in vitro tissue formation, an exciting prospect for the advancement of the field of tissue engineering.

It is well known that liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are highly organized polymers with temperature-dependent properties. …

Loss Of Visual Function In Light-Stressed Mice, Ana Stachowiak

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Because of the highly devastating effects of retinal degenerative diseases, the study of mechanisms of vision loss is imperative. Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading causes of blindness in the elderly. In this study I examined how extreme light exposure, which causes light stress in rodents, affects the visual and retinal function of 3 strains of mice. I hypothesized that, three strains of mice, C57BL/6J, ALR/Lj and BALB/c, would all show significant changes in visual and retinal function. I used behavior testing to assess visual acuity and contrast sensitivity as well as electroretinogram (ERG) recordings to assess retinal function. …

Possibilities Of Glutamate-Mediated Synaptic Like Activity In Somatosensory Mechanoreceptors Such As Pacinian Corpuscles?, Kevin Kopko

Renée Crown University Honors Thesis Projects - All

Pacinian Corpuscles (PCs) are somatosensory mechanoreceptors, composed of a central neurite, surrounded by layers of lamellae that make up the inner core, which are specialized glial cells, and fibroblast derived outer-core lamellae of the surrounding capsule. Several components specific to a chemical synapse (Vglut1, Vamp1, SNAP-23) were localized to both the neurite and the inner-core cells in feline mesenteric PCs using immunocytochemistry. However, it has long been postulated that the first synapse of the PC occurs at the dorsal column nuclei, or spinal cord, and that no classical synapse is present in the distal ending of the capsulated receptor. While …