Other Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

In Vivo Efficacy Of Chitosan/Interleukin-12 In Controlling Lung Metastasis In 4t1 Breast Cancer Model, Jimmy Vo

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a leading front in cancer treatment. In contrast to other treatment methods such as radiation and surgery, immunotherapy trains the patient's body to recognize and eliminate tumors, thus preventing reoccurrence of secondary tumors. IL-12 has been shown to display a potent anti-tumor immune response in mice; however, when clinical trials were conducted, it was shown to be toxic and in some cases fatal when administered systemically.1,2 Because of this, local delivery of IL-12 is under investigation. Our lab has shown that when paired with the polymer chitosan, local, intratumoral (i.t.) injections of IL-12 are retained …

Highly Sensitive Method For Detecting And Separating Pathogens Using Paramagnetic Particles And A Micro-Fluidic System, William Ryan

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Water is one of the most important compounds on Earth. If a water supply is contaminated with a pathogen, it can have devastating results to an individual or a community. This research is directed at constructing an easily reproducible procedure that could increase the sensitivity of detecting and separating bacteria from the current limits of about 100 cells to 10-20 cells per sample with a ultimate goal of a single cell detection. Here, we report a micro-fluidic system to magnetically capture pathogenic bacteria in water followed by rapid impedance detection using Escherichia coli K-12 as a model bacterium. Paramagnetic beads …

Comparing Decellularized Muscle Tissue With An Engineered Muscle Biomaterial, Katelin Cherry

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Decellularized tissues composed of extracellular matrix are commonly used for tissue transplantations but this method has many limitations. An alternative approach is to create an extracellular matrix by seeding degradable foams with cells, culturing these foams to allow extracellular matrix to be secreted from the cells, then washing away the degradable foam to collect the material that is produced. This study was interested in comparing decellularized skeletal muscle tissue to an engineered biomaterial that was seeded with skeletal muscle myoblast cells. Collagen content of decellularized tissue and engineered biomaterial were quantified using a hydroxyproline assay to compare the two samples. …

Rapid Detection And Quantification Of Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Using Single-Based Extension And Capillary Electrophoresis, Anh Vu

Biomedical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

In 1993, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared tuberculosis (TB) a global emergency. Since then, more than 30 million lives have been claimed by that world-wide epidemic. In 2011, 8.7 million people “felt ill” because of TB and not all TB cases were reported to clinicians. Therefore, it is important to accurately identify TB patients by developing a diagnostic method that is sensitive, fast, and cost-effective. However, conventional methods have not met those criteria because they either require lengthy procedures or may misdiagnose TB cases. Hence, the automated Xpert MTB/RIF, endorsed by WHO in 2010, was developed and so …

Intrinsic Mode Function Synchronization Measures For The Anticipation Of Seizures In Epilpsy, Daniel William Moller

Doctoral Dissertations

Epileptic seizures affect as many as 50 million people and often occur without warning or apparent provocation. We explore the applicability of noise-assisted Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition (EEMD) for patient-specific seizure anticipation synchronization measures as applied to the EEMD intrinsic mode function (IMF) output. Intracranial EEG data were obtained from pre-surgical monitoring at the Epilepsy Center of the University Hospital of Freiburg. Data from twenty patients were analyzed. For each recorded channel, non-overlapping time windows were submitted to the EEMD algorithm, producing twelve levels of IMFs. IMF synchronization measures (mean and maximum coherence, mean and maximum cross-correlation, correlation coefficient and …

A Microfluidic Pretreatment Isoelectric Focusing Dc-Field Assisted H-Filter For The Separation Of Charged Particles, Cameron Sean Carroll

Biomedical Engineering

Microfluidic devices are small portable diagnostic chips that allow for analysis of a biologic sample at relatively low cost. This makes them ideal for settings where a hospital is unavailable. The microfluidic pretreatment isoelectric focusing DC-field assisted H-filter is a device that allows for the separation of differently charged particles in a biologic sample. It does this by employing the concepts of diffusion, electrophoresis, and isoelectric focusing. This is perfect for isolation of a desired analyte or separation of waste from a sample in order to achieve better diagnostic results. The device was first modeled mathematically and visually using Comsol. …

Effects Of Ovariectomy And Anatomical Location On Osteonal Encroachment In Adult Cortical Ovine Bone, Paige Brell Ryan

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study is to further quantify adult ovine ovariectomized bone for new remodeling characteristics to obtain a better understanding of how remodeling is occurring and the effectiveness of this animal model for the study of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Postmenopausal osteoporosis is a major health concern and animal models to test new treatment options are needed. The ovine model is a good option because the ewes undergo Haversian remodeling, are a large sized animal, and have a similar hormone profile to humans. Ewes, however, do not undergo a natural menopause, so an ovariectomy surgery was conducted in the sheep …

Finite Element Analysis Of Balloon-Expandable Coronary Stent Deployment: Influence Of Angioplasty Balloon Configuration, David Martin, Fergal Boyle

Articles

Today, the majority of coronary stents are balloon-expandable and are deployed using a balloon-tipped catheter. To improve deliverability, the membrane of the angioplasty balloon is typically folded about the catheter in a pleated configuration. As such, the deployment of the angioplasty balloon is governed by the material properties of the balloon membrane, its folded configuration and its attachment to the catheter. Despite this observation, however, an optimum strategy for modelling the configuration of the angioplasty balloon in finite element studies of coronary stent deployment has not been identified, and idealised models of the angioplasty balloon are commonly employed in the …

The Effects Of Hydrostatic Pressure On Early Endothelial Tubulogenic Processes, Ryan M. Underwood

Theses and Dissertations--Biomedical Engineering

The effects of mechanical forces on endothelial cell function and behavior are well documented, but have not been fully characterized. Specifically, fluid pressure has been shown to elicit physical and chemical responses known to be involved in the initiation and progression of endothelial cell-mediated vascularization. Central to the process of vascularization is the formation of tube-like structures. This process—tubulogenesis—is essential to both the physiological and pathological growth of tissues. Given the known effects of pressure on endothelial cells and its ubiquitous presence in the vasculature, we investigated pressure as a magnitude-dependent parameter for the regulation of endothelial tubulogenic activity. To …

Evaluation Of Endogenous Allergens For The Safety Evaluation Of Genetically Engineered Food Crops: Review Of Potential Risks, Test Methods, Examples And Relevance, Richard E. Goodman, Rakhi Panda, Harsha Ariyarathna

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

The safety of food produced from genetically engineered (GE) crops is assessed for potential risks of food allergy on the basis of an international consensus guideline outlined by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (2003). The assessment focuses on evaluation of the potential allergenicity of the newly expressed protein(s) as the primary potential risk using a process that markedly limits risks to allergic consumers. However, Codex also recommended evaluating a second concern, potential increases in endogenous allergens of commonly allergenic food crops that might occur due to insertion of the gene. Unfortunately, potential risks and natural variation of endogenous allergens in non-GE …

A Depolymerization Based Model Of Neuron Growth Cone Shape And Motility, Neerajha Nagarajan

Master's Theses

Cell migration is a ubiquitous process underlying critical biological mechanisms like wound healing, cancer metastasis and even neuron growth cone motility. It is a critical process for the living organisms as it ensures proper functioning of the system, for example, crawling fibroblasts endure closure of wounds during wound healing. Here we focus our interest on neuron growth cones, a sensory and motile organelle present at the tip of extending neurites, like the axons, in neurons. These are responsible for neuron pathfinding onto specific targets and synapses, in responses to various guidance cues. Interestingly, the motility of the growth cones is …

Application Of Response Surface Methodology And Central Composite Design For 5p12-Rantes Expression In The Pichia Pastoris System, Frank M. Fabian

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Pichia pastoris has demonstrated the ability to express high levels of recombinant heterologous proteins. Protein expression is enhanced during fermentation at high cell density. However, the level of expression is mainly regulated by fermentation operation factors. This research is directed to investigate the effect of methanol growth rate, temperature and pH in the expression of the total 5P12-Rantes concentration, expression of active 5P12-Rantes and Specific yield using the response surface methodology and central composite design.

The response surface methodology, RSM, has been used successfully used by Zhang, W. and Ian, M. to optimize the cell density and fermentation process. The …

Morphometric, Biochemical, And Raman Spctral Analyses Of Muscle Damage In Patients With Peripheral Arterial Disease: Provising Objective Criteria For Diagnosis And Treatment Monitoring, Kim Cluff

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

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), which affects approximately 10 million Americans, is characterized by atherosclerosis of the non-coronary arteries. PAD produces a progressive accumulation of ischemic injury to the limbs that is reflected in a gradual worsening in the myofiber morphology and oxidative damage in the gastrocnemius muscle. In this study, we evaluated the hypothesis that quantitative morphological and biochemical parameters of gastrocnemius myofibers change in a consistent manner during the progression of PAD, provide an objective grading of muscle degeneration in the ischemic limb, and correlate to clinical stage of PAD. Myofiber morphometrics were determined precisely with mathematical equations that …

Comparing Anti-Vegf Antibodies And Aptamers On Paper Microfluidic-Based Platforms, Katherine Noel Clayton

Master's Theses

The field of microfluidics is expanding into what is known as paper microfluidics. This uses a paper platform rather than materials (i.e. PDMS, PMMA) that are commonly used in microfluidics research. Current devices require an expensive manufacturing process and external sources to power the device. Such devices are not practical in low resource environments. As a consequence, it is the goal of this Thesis to develop a three-dimensional, multiplexed assay chip using nitrocellulose membranes. This device comprises of multiple layers of nitrocellulose membranes with defined fluidic channels. The multiple layers are bound together using double backed tape, and imbedded between …

Characterization Of Raw Milk Fouling On Plate-Type Heat Exchangers Using Different Alloys And Cow Phenotypes, Stephen Ernest Nelson

Master's Theses

ABSTRACT

Characterization Of Raw Milk Fouling On Plate-Type Heat Exchangers Using Different Alloys And Cow PhenotypeS

Stephen Ernest Nelson

Milk and other dairy products are widely used in many households today. Milk is a popular beverage that is seen as a healthy alternative to other synthetic beverages such as soda pop and other sugar based drinks. It became law that milk, and milk products are pasteurized before its release to the general public (FDA 2003). Pasteurization is a thermal process where the intent is to lower the concentration of microorganisms in the milk to render it safe to drink with …

Development Of A Protocol To Measure Gene Expression In The Mouse Tibia, Daniel Hoover

Biomedical Engineering

Numerous molecular factors active in bone tissue direct fracture repair and remodeling which can be altered by disease conditions such as Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD) and Osteoporosis. Methods of molecular biology are commonly applied to investigate the expression and role of these molecular factors. This project presents a robust three-step protocol for examining gene expression in the mouse tibia. The protocol begins with isolating RNA from a flash frozen tibia sample. The isolated RNA is reverse transcribed into cDNA. Finally, PCR is performed to indentify expressed genes. Establishing this protocol will allow further research into the mechanisms of bone remodeling …

A Kinetic Study Of Anti-Vegf-A Polyclonal Antibodies And Anti-Vegf-A Ssdna Aptamers, Heather A. Hedeen

Master's Theses

A new detection reagent that could possibly augment or replace antibodies research and diagnosis methods are aptamers. Aptamers are ssDNA, RNA or polypeptide constructs that function like active antibodies. Antibodies and aptamers both specifically bind to selected target molecules, and as such they enable the detection or targeting of the presence or absence of a specific antigen.

In order to ensure that ssDNA aptamers perform similarly to antibodies, anti-VEGF-A polyclonal antibody and anti-VEGF-A ssDNA aptamer were evaluated against vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) using Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR). It was hypothesized that the anti-VEGF-A aptamer had the same, if …

Hydraulically Driven Mechanical Representation Of A Biological System, Andrea Argouarch, Michael Mceachern, Brandon Parham

Biomedical Engineering

No abstract provided.

Nitrocellulose Paper Based Microfluidic Platform Development And Surface Functionalization With Anti-Ige Aptamers, Jennifer Guerin Ward

Master's Theses

The purpose of this thesis project was to demonstrate the ability to utilize the capabilities of aptamers so that they may act as capture reagents for paper microfluidic devices. Several characterization experiments were conducted as a precursor before the final experimentation was performed. Paper characterization, manufacturing protocols for printing and heating, as well as 3D chip fabrication were all performed and analyzed. The results confirmed that the control of fluid through a 3D microfluidic device based in nitrocellulose is possible.

For the biochemistry portion of this thesis report, antibodies and aptamers were chosen to react with IgE, an antibody that …

Improvement Of Statistical Process Control At St. Jude Medical's Cardiac Manufacturing Facility, Christopher Lance Edwards

Master's Theses

Sig sigma is a methodology where companies strive to reproduce results ending up having a 99.9996% chance their product will be void of defects. In order for companies to reach six sigma, statistical process control (SPC) needs to be introduced. SPC has many different tools associated with it, control charts being one of them. Control charts play a vital role in managing how a process is behaving. Control charts allow users to identify special causes, or shifts, and can therefore change the process to keep producing good products, free of defects.

There are many factories and manufacturing facilities having implemented …

A New Computational Model To Augment The Design Of Microfluidic Separations: Electric Field Assisted, Hydrodynamic Chromatography, Jeffrey D. Wells

Master's Theses

This project encompasses the implementation of a computational model to simulate the microfluidic separation of like-charged particles in a continuous flow environment. By accomplishing this task the model can be used to optimize future fractionations by tailoring the process parameters to the properties of the target particles. The primary goal of this project is to develop a vectorized code within Matlab® that captures a sufficient quantity of the physics in separations to assist with the optimization and design of microfluidic systems.

This project differs from other computational models in that it utilizes a personal computer to run the simulation in …

The Characterization Of Biofilm Attachment To Metal Interfaces: Effects Of Substratum Properties, Marcel D. Mendes

Master's Theses

Bacteria are among the most abundant microorganisms on earth, and can be found in essentially every environment. When a clean surface is exposed to media containing planktonic bacteria, the bacterial cells will attach to the surface and aggregate to form what is known as a biofilm. Biofilms have been shown to negatively affect many industries including medical, industrial, and food science applications. While biofilms have been well characterized from a microbiology perspective, there has been much less research from a materials science standpoint. It is hypothesized that the material properties of the substratum (such as the micro-structure) have a significant …

Development And Application Of A Portable System To Reliably Measure Grip Forces Using Thin-Film Force Sensors, Shane Vincent Tornifoglio

Master's Theses

Accurate tracking of hand grip force is an important consideration needed for a robust understanding in the study of human biomechanics. One aspect where it proves useful is in hand-arm vibration, such as from gripping a power tool. Depending on how firmly the user is gripping the tool, they may change their exposure levels to the tool vibration, which can lead to potential disorders such as Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS).

A small, battery powered portable force unit has been developed to supply power to, and condition, the signals from eight thin-film force sensors. This gives a better understanding of the …

The Presence Of Regional Accents In Electrolarynx Speech And The Resultant Effect On Overall Intelligibility., Brian Madden, Eugene Coyle

Conference Papers

During voiced speech, the larynx provides quasi-periodic acoustic excitation of the vocal tract. In most electrolarynxes, mechanical vibrations are produced by a linear electromechanical actuator, the armature of which percusses against a metal or plastic plate at a frequency within the range of glottal excitation. In this paper, a phonological analysis of a section of results from an online perceptual intelligibility test was performed which compared speech produced using a novel hands-free electrolarynx and a commercially available electrolarynx. A portion of the test consisted of a closed-set format containing a selection of four sets of four random CVC audio samples …

Safety, Ergonomics And Human Factors Engineering On Biomedical Devices Design, Alejandra Sandoval Vazquez^, Noe Vargas Hernandez*

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2012

No abstract provided.

The Influence Of Heterogeneous Meninges On The Brain Mechanics Under Primary Blast Loading, Linxia Gu, Mehdi S. Chafi, Shailesh Ganpule, Namas Chandra

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

In the modeling of brain mechanics subjected to primary blast waves, there is currently no consensus on how many biological components to be used in the brain–meninges–skull complex, and what type of constitutive models to be adopted. The objective of this study is to determine the role of layered meninges in damping the dynamic response of the brain under primary blast loadings. A composite structures composed of eight solid relevant layers (including the pia, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), dura maters) with different mechanical properties are constructed to mimic the heterogeneous human head. A hyper-viscoelastic material model is developed to better represent …

Evaluation Of Decellularization Procedures For Porcine Arteries, Charles Clapp

Biomedical Engineering

Coronary artery disease has become the leading cause of death in the United States, with over 425,000 deaths in 2006. Stenting has evolved into the preferred preventative technique for myocardial infarction by opening up an occluded artery, due to its low invasiveness compared to the alternative of coronary artery bypass grafting. Bare metal stents have been improved by coating with anti-proliferative drugs to advance their effects, but even drug eluting stents still have a risk of restenosis, thrombus formation, and necessary revascularization. Continual advancement in stent design necessitates faster, effective pre-clinical evaluation techniques. Kristen Cardinal, Ph.D., developed the blood vessel …

A Thousand Tiny Pieces: The Federal Circuit’S Fractured Myriad Ruling, Lessons To Be Learned, And The Way Forward, Jonathan R. K. Stroud

IP Theory

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Therapeutic Effect Of 630 Nm Light-Emitting Diodes Irradiation On The Recovery Of Exercise-Induced Hand Muscle Fatigue With Surface Electromyogram, Dandan Yang, Xiaoying Wu, Wensheng Hou, Xiaolin Zheng, Jun Zheng, Yingtao Jiang

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Research

This paper aims to investigate the effect of light emitting diode therapy (LEDT) on exercise-induced hand muscle fatigue by measuring the surface electromyography (sEMG) of flexor digitorum superficialis. Ten healthy volunteers were randomly placed in the equal sized LEDT group and control group. All subjects performed a sustained fatiguing isometric contraction with the combination of four fingertips except thumb at 30% of maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) until exhaustion. The active LEDT or an identical passive rest therapy was then applied to flexor digitorum superficialis. Each subject was required to perform a re-fatigue task immediately after therapy which was the same …

Impact Of Collateral Enlargement On Smooth Muscle Phenotype, Alexander Jerome Bynum

Master's Theses

Peripheral Artery Disease is a very serious disease characterized by an arterial occlusion due to atherosclerotic plaques. In response to an arterial occlusion, arteriogenesis occurs, causing smooth muscle cells to transition from a contractile to synthetic state. Also following an arterial occlusion, functional impairment was seen in the collateral circuit. An immunofluorescence protocol was developed in order to assess the impact of collateral enlargement (arteriogenesis) on smooth muscle phenotype at various time points. Smooth muscle α-actin was used to mark all smooth muscle cells, Ki-67 was used to label proliferating smooth muscle cells, and a fluorescent nuclear stain was used …