Biomechanics and Biotransport Commons^™

Development Of Novel Inks And Approaches For Printing Tissues And Organs, Shen Ji

Dissertations

Tissue engineering is a multidisciplinary field that investigates and develops new methods to repair, regenerate and replace damaged tissues and organs, or to develop biomaterial platforms as in vitro models. Tissue engineering approaches require the fabrication of scaffolds using biomaterials or fabrication of living tissues using cells. As the demands of customized, implantable tissue/organs are increasing and becoming more urgent, conventional scaffold fabrication approaches are difficult to meet the requirements, especially for complex large-scale tissue fabrication. In this regard, three-dimensional (3D) printing attracted more interest over the past decades due to its unrivaled ability to fabricate highly customized tissues or …

The Effects Of Solution Condition On Virus Filtration Performance, Fnu Namila

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Virus filtration is an integral part of the downstream purification of mammalian cell culture-derived biotherapeutics to assure the viral safety of the products. Virus filtration membranes remove viruses based on a size-exclusion mechanism. Commercial parvovirus filers possess unique membrane structure and are designed to remove smaller non-enveloped parvoviruses with size 18-26 nm. However, some filters face issues, such as pre-mature fouling, the decline of filtrate flux, and reduction in virus retention. This doctoral dissertation focused on identifying the factors that influence the filtrate flux and the virus retention capability of commercial virus filters. The effects of solution pH and ionic …

Ventilation And Recirculation Airway Design For An Autonomous, Climate Controlled, Hydroponic Demonstration Unit, Nicholas Cross

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

For this Honors Thesis project, I designed and fabricated a ventilation and recirculation airway sub-system prototype for a hydroponic demonstration unit to be used as an educational demonstration for prospective students, illustrating the capabilities of biological engineers. This thesis focuses on the design of an autonomous air system that toggles between ventilation and recirculation modes based upon sensor output. In the literature review I discuss how ventilation can be used to achieve a targeted climate, the benefits of hands-on projects for education, and the optimum parameters for growing herbs in a hydroponic system.

In the design and fabrication process, every …

Biomechanical And Biophysical Properties Of Breast Cancer Cells Under Varying Glycemic Regimens, Diganta Dutta, Xavier-Lewis Palmer, Jose Ortega-Rodas, Vasundhara Balraj, Indrani Ghosh Dastider, Surabhi Chandra

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Diabetes accelerates cancer cell proliferation and metastasis, particularly for cancers of the pancreas, liver, breast, colon, and skin. While pathways linking the 2 disease conditions have been explored extensively, there is a lack of information on whether there could be cytoarchitectural changes induced by glucose which predispose cancer cells to aggressive phenotypes. It was thus hypothesized that exposure to diabetes/high glucose alters the biomechanical and biophysical properties of cancer cells more than the normal cells, which aids in advancing the cancer. For this study, atomic force microscopy indentation was used through microscale probing of multiple human breast cancer cells (MCF-7, …

Investigating The Combined Effects Of Whole Body Vibration And Vestibular Stimulation On Spasticity And Dystonia In Cerebral Palsy, Peter A. Michael

Dissertations

This study identifies and addresses three voids and potential shortcomings associated with the classification, assessment and management of Cerebral Palsy (CP). These concerns should not undermine the significant advancement that has been made in this specific branch of rehabilitation, but addressing them is necessary. Cerebral Palsy is a group of motor impairments due to hypoxic-ischemic brain damage around the time of birth and very commonly manifests as excessive muscle tone and poor motor control. There are classifications within CP including spasticity and dystonia.

First, a level of discrepancy is present in the classification of CP between the clinical and research …

Dectin-1 Mediated Mechanical Force Generation In Candida Albicans Fungal Pathogen Recognition, Rohan Choraghe

Biomedical Engineering ETDs

Candida spp. pathogens continue to be a major health care burden with high mortality and exceeding a billion dollars in terms of healthcare cost. Candidainfection ranges from superficial dermatological infection to more serious blood stream infection in debilitated patients. One of the major lines of innate immune defense against Candidais phagocytosis. Dectin-1 is the antifungal receptor in myeloid cells responsible for most immune responses against fungi including phagocytosis. We looked into the signaling pathway coordinating this mechanical process downstream of Dectin-1. We found that Dectin-1 activation gives rise to a significant mechanical force generation mediated through RHOA-ROCK-MyosinII pathway. …

Multiphysics Computational Model Of Fluid Flow And Mass Transport In Aneurysm, Tanja Cupac

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The abdominal aortic aneurysm is progressive, asymptomatic, and can eventually lead to rupture which is a catastrophic event leading to massive internal bleeding and possibly death. AAA cases have been characterized by the development of an intraluminal thrombus (ILT). The ILT correlates with the progression of hypoxia in the arterial wall. The extent that ILT presence reduces oxygen flux to the wall has not been quantified and there is rather a poor understanding of key parameters that can affect thrombus-mediated oxygen transport in AAA. The purpose of this study is to address this gap and to assess the effects of …

Biomechanical Investigation Of Individual With Over-Pronation And Over-Supination Foot During Walking, Ghani Nur Saibah

Student Works (2020-2029)

Over-pronation and over-supination foot conditions are foot deformity that can lead to unstable ankle and subtalar joint during walking. They are define as condition where the foot roll in and out excessively from its neutral line and can lead to misalignment of the foot and leg in human in which can create abnormal gait cycle. Therefore, the purposes of this study are to analyze the foot-ankle joint biomechanical behavior including the range of motion, joint moment, joint power and GRF in a complete gait cycle for all subjects in this study and to compare the foot-ankle biomechanical behavior between normal …

Do Different Pathologies Affect The Relationship Between The Stiffness Of The Plantar Fascia And The Function Of The Mtp Joint?, Madeline Ryan Pauley

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Compared to healthy individuals, individuals with plantar fasciitis and diabetes experience material and structural property changes to soft tissues in the feet. The purpose of this study was to compare the relationship between material properties, power absorption, and energy storage characteristics to metatarsal power between healthy, plantar fasciitis symptomatic and asymptomatic, and diabetic participants. Investigating material change differences as well as energy storage and transfer trends in different pathology groups can lead to a better overall understanding of power transfer at the metatarsophalangeal joint (MTP). Participants were recruited for kinematic gait analysis and lower extremity shear wave elastography analysis and …

Utilizing Neural Networks And Wearables To Quantify Hip Joint Angles And Moments During Walking And Stair Ascent, Megan V. Mccabe

ENGS 88 Honors Thesis (AB Students)

Wearable sensors were leveraged to develop two methods for computing hip joint angles and moments during walking and stair ascent that are more portable than the gold standard. The Insole-Standard (I-S) approach replaced force plates with force-measuring insoles and achieved results that match the curvature of results from similar studies. Peaks in I-S kinetic results are high due to error induced by applying the ground reaction force to the talus. The Wearable-ANN (W-A) approach combines wearables with artificial neural networks to compute the same results. Compared against the I-S, the W-A approach performs well (average rRMSE = 18%, R^{2 …}

Smartphone-Tape Method For Calculating Body Segment Inertial Parameters For Analysis Of Pitching Arm Kinetics, Jay Sterner

Master's Theses

The objectives of this study were to (1) develop a non-invasive method (referred to as Smart Photo-Tape) to calculate participant-specific upper arm, forearm, and hand segment inertial properties (SIPs) (e.g. mass, center of mass, and radii of gyration) and (2) use those Smart Photo-Tape properties in inverse dynamics (ID) analyses to calculate injury-related pitching arm kinetics. Five 20- to 23- year-old baseball pitchers were photographed holding a baseball and analyzed using the Smart Photo-Tape method to obtain 3-D inertial properties for their upper arm, forearm, and hand. The upper arm and forearm segments were modelled as stacked elliptic cylinders and …

Design Of Prototype Prosthesis For A Canine With A Right Front Limb Deformity As An Alternate Approach To Stabilize Gait And Withstand Gait Forces, Tayler R. Kastlunger

Master's Theses

Congenital and developmental limb deformities in canines are rare and can occur as a genetic disorder or be caused by extrinsic factors. Without surgery to correct the deformity, conservative management can be implemented to manage exercise and restrict high-intensity activity of the canine. However, any alteration to the normal gait and locomotive biomechanics of a canine can have significant long-term effects on the musculoskeletal health and quality of life of the canine. To improve quality of life and provide an alternative and more cost-effective approach to surgery, a custom prosthetic was designed and developed for a canine born with a …

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 …

Development Of A Matlab Gui To Assist The Active Comprehension Of Biomedical Transport Phenomena Using A Visual Aid, Pranav Suri

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Studies show that inductive teaching methods for Biomedical Transport Phenomena greatly benefit from an accompanying visual aid. The following project aimed to develop a MATLAB GUI application that illustrates steady-state heat transfer with a graph and heat map using user-defined boundary conditions and numerical parameters. The application was evaluated using a survey that first familiarized the user with the GUI by running through heat transfer exercises, then allowed the user to experiment with the application, and finally asked users about their experiences using a questionnaire. The responses indicate that the GUI was received positively overall, and that a MATLAB component …

The Response Of Astrocytes To Mechanical Stimuli, Courtney Bahan

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Traumatic brain injuries are a common cause of injury and result from a blow to the head whether it be blunt, penetrating, or inertial. TBIs are typically obtained in a fall, while playing a sport, or in a car crash. TBIs can be diagnosed as mild (commonly referred to as a concussion), moderate, or severe based upon their score from the Glasgow coma scale. TBIs can also lead to other risks such as epilepsy or Alzheimer’s Disease as well as increasing the risk of suffering another TBI. Astrocytes are heterogeneous glial cells in the brain that alter their response based …

Redesign And Quantitative Assessment Of An Accelerated Venous Valve Fatigue Apparatus, Megan Kueh

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) is a form of cardiovascular disease that is caused when valves in the leg become incompetent. Current treatment methods serve to manage symptoms, but there are currently no ways to treat the underlying cause of CVI. A venous valve prosthetic made from a xenograft of a bovine jugular vein is one possible treatment method currently in the research phase. Prosthetic valves must be tested with an accelerated wear tester prior to approval for clinical testing. Although such testers exist for heart valves, physiological differences between heart and venous valves restrict the use those testers on venous …

Evaluating The Effects Of Muscle Force Production Strategies And Anterior Cruciate Ligament Forces (Strain) On Gait Patterns During Running, Amanda Astrologo

Honors Scholar Theses

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries are among the most common injuries experienced by athletes in the United States. Even after reconstruction surgery individuals have been known to develop complications much later in life, including long-term or permanent alterations to their gait, which may lead to early-onset knee osteoarthritis. This thesis work sought to define these alterations as they pertain specifically to running. Using results and parameters from previous studies, the goal of this study is to compare muscle force production strategies, as they relate to ACL force and strain, of injured and non-injured individuals. These values, muscle forces and ACL …

Mechanical Analysis Of In Vitro Tbi Models, Dana Hamed

Honors Scholar Theses

This work details the damage done to cells when mechanically hit. The goal was to mechanically analyze in vitro traumatic brain injury (TBI) models. Parts were designed in SolidWorks to create the machine that is used to induce this damage on the cells. A force applicator that uses a 3D-printed micro-hammer to apply force on the brain cells that are being tested was created. Mechanical trauma experimentation was performed with the force applicator, while a high-speed camera recorded the damage, in order to analyze TBI models. Displacement along the scaffold can be tracked from multiple video frames. With these results, …

Multiphysics Computational Model Of Fluid Flow And Mass Transfer In Aneurysm, Tanja Cupac

Graduate Student Research Symposium

The abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) mostly affects men between the ages 65-85 and is very common with more than 3 million cases in the United States per year. AAA is defined as the weakening of the arterial wall producing a blood-filled bulge in the body’s largest blood vessel. AAA is progressive, asymptomatic, and can eventually lead to rupture which is a catastrophic event leading to massive internal bleeding and possibly death. Of the males within this age range, 1-3% will die from this disease. About 75% of AAA cases will be characterized by the development of an intraluminal thrombus (ILT). …

Walking Kinematics In Young Children With Limb Loss Using Early Versus Traditional Prosthetic Knee Prescription Protocols, Mark Daniel Geil, Zahra Safaeepour, Brian Giavedoni, Colleen Coulter

Faculty Articles

The traditional treatment protocol for young children with congenital or acquired amputations at or proximal to the knee prescribes a prosthesis without a working knee joint, based in part on the assumption that a child learning to walk cannot properly utilize a passively flexing prosthetic knee component. An alternative to this Traditional Knee (TK) protocol is an “Early Knee” (EK) protocol, which prescribes an articulating prosthetic knee in the child’s first prosthesis, during development of crawling and transitioning into and out of upright positions. To date, no study has compared samples of children with limb loss at or proximal to …

The Natural Historian’S Guide To The Ct Galaxy: Step-By-Step Instructions For Preparing And Analyzing Computed Tomographic (Ct) Data Using Cross-Platform, Open Access Software, T. J. Buser, O. F. Boyd, A. Cortés, Cassandra M. Donatelli, M. A. Kolmann, J. L. Luparell, J. A. Pfeiffenberger, B. L. Sidlauskas, A. P. Summers

Engineering Faculty Articles and Research

The decreasing cost of acquiring computed tomographic (CT) data has fueled a global effort to digitize the anatomy of museum specimens. This effort has produced a wealth of open access digital three-dimensional (3D) models of anatomy available to anyone with access to the Internet. The potential applications of these data are broad, ranging from 3D printing for purely educational purposes to the development of highly advanced biomechanical models of anatomical structures. However, while virtually anyone can access these digital data, relatively few have the training to easily derive a desirable product (e.g., a 3D visualization of an anatomical structure) from …

Autocorrelation And Probability Distributions In Gait-Metronome Synchronization, Charles Sloan

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Recent research has shown that the structure of different pacing signals influences gait dynamics during coordination to those signals. Those studies, however, have not looked at the impact that probability distribution functions play in influencing our gait. This study looks at how both autocorrelation functions and probability distribution has in noisy metronomes to look for sources of synchronization. 10 healthy subjects volunteered to complete this study. The participants were required to wear custom-built glasses with a small screen projected on the lens. The screen showed a visual stimulus that correlated with various signals. The results of the study suggest that …

Effects Of Novel Tool Use: Cortical And Functional Measures In Children Using A Prosthetic Simulator, Chris Copeland

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

As of 2005, there were a total of 1.6 million people living with the loss of a limb, with this population projected to double to 3.6 million by 2050 [1]. While prostheses aim to enhance the function of these individuals, it is estimated that 45% of pediatric prosthetic users reject their prosthesis [2]. The literature which describes the neurological control mechanisms of prosthetic use is sparse and often low-powered due to an inadequate number of participants. However, prosthetic simulators may be a solution to chronically low-powered prosthetic-centric studies by serving as functional homologues, though this has yet to be tested. …

Subject-Specific Finite Element Models Of The Human Knee For Transtibial Amputees To Analyze Tibial Cartilage Pressure For Gait, Cycling, And Elliptical Training, Jonathon Stearns

Master's Theses

It is estimated that approximately 10-12% of the adult population suffers from osteoarthritis (OA), with long reaching burdens personally and socioeconomically. OA also causes mild discomfort to severe pain in those suffering from the disease. The incidence rate of OA for individuals with transtibial amputations is much than average in the tibiofemoral joint (TF). It is well understood that abnormal articular cartilage stress, whether that be magnitude or location, increases the risk of developing OA. Finite element (FE) simulations can predict stress in the TF joint, many studies throughout the years have validated the technology used for this purpose. This …

Solostand, Hau Nhat Doan, Sydney Gray, Celina Dioso

Biomedical Engineering

The purpose of this scope of work is to highlight the progress and development of SoloStand sponsored by Derek Herrera, chief technical officer and founder of SpinalSingularity. SoloStand is an attachment to a wheelchair that will benefit paraplegics that use wheelchairs. A portable and customizable attachment to a wheelchair will allow the user to do everyday tasks without transferring into a separate standing wheelchair and travel more easily. This document outlines everything that has been done in fulfillment of our senior project requirements.

Skier's Edge: Biomechanical Analysis, Benjamin T. Johannes

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Skier’s Edge: Biomechanical Analysis

Benjamin T. Johannes

The Skier’s Edge trainer can be used by novice or expert skiers. Testing was performed to analyze if the use of the Skier’s Edge could reduce in shear forces of the valgus moment on the knee joint and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) due to lesser fatigue of muscle and a higher hamstring to quadricep (H/Q) ratio activity. This leads to a reduction of improper form and an increase in balance. Experiments performed observed the change in muscle activity with the use of the Skier’s Edge over time when compared to other forms …

Cumulative Shear In Vitro Model, Jared Olson, Alex Deppe, Braden Andrews

Biomedical Engineering

The purpose of our project is to find a reliable method of Subclinical Atherosclerosis detection by measuring the pressure drop across an artery. This model is intended to display how a pressure change correlates with arterial shear rate, and how a decrease in shear rate is ultimately related to atherosclerosis wherein early detection could prove life saving for millions of patients worldwide.

On-Body Pressure For Subcutaneous Infusion Of Drug, Hannah Cole, Kayla Meacham, Eleanor Moran, Kaylee Voss

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Electromechanics Modelling Of The Effects Of Myocardial Infarction On Left Ventricular Remodelling, Chin Neng Leong

Student Works (2020-2029)

Myocardial infarction (MI) is one of the diseases with the highest mortality rate. Following MI, myocardium experiences abrupt changes in its loading condition due to the presence of infarct. In response to such changes, myocytes undergo adaptations to maintain homeostasis. However, maladaptation can happen and lead to remodelling, in which the left ventricle (LV) gradually loses its function and eventually turns into heart failure. Nevertheless, the mechanisms underlying LV remodelling are still poorly understood. In this study, a generic LV model was developed, incorporating realistic fibre orientation and excitable contracting myocardium. It was demonstrated that the developed model is capable …

Finite Element Simulation Of Head Impacts In Mixed Martial Arts, Stephen Tiernan, Aidan Meagher, David O'Sullivan Dr, Eoin O'Kelly Dr

Articles

This study determined brain stress and strain in an unhelmeted sport and correlated this with concussive injuries. Thirteen MMA athletes were fitted with the MiG2.0 Stanford instrumented mouthguard. The mouthguard records linear acceleration and angular velocity in 6 degrees of freedom. Angular acceleration was calculated by differentiation. All events were video recorded, time stamped and reported impacts confirmed. 298 impacts above 10g were recorded during sparring sessions and 153 impacts in competitive events. The competitive events resulted in five concussions which were diagnosed by a medical doctor. The impact with the highest angular acceleration from each sparring session and competitive …