Biomechanical Engineering Commons^™

Application Of Pca To Cardiac Optical Mapping, Louis Woodhams

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Structural remodeling of the heart due to pathologies such as hypertension and myocardial infarction leads to the appearance of myofibroblasts, a phenotype largely absent in physiologic myocardium. While myofibroblasts are responsible for wound healing and structural repair of damaged myocardium, they are thought to have deleterious effects on electrical and mechanical properties of the heart. Understanding these effects is critical to developing effective treatments, and has motivated the development of a series of in vitro engineered heart tissues and cardiomyocyte-myofibroblast co-cultures whose mechanical and electrophysiological function can be deduced from video analysis. Electrophysiological properties are evident from changes in intensity …

Usa Boccia Ball Ramp For Athletes With Quadriplegia, Alissa A. Koukourikos, Matthew Lee, Nathan Bernards

Mechanical Engineering

In this report, the design process in creating an assistive device for Boccia Classification 3 (BC3) players is outlined. The initial research steps, including research into the rules of the game, capabilities of the players, and existing products is documented to show where ideas for the product stemmed from. This transitions into requirements that the sponsor requested, and preliminary designs and ideas for the product. Finally, this report explains the details of the final design, which has been analyzed for safety, ease of use, and ability to function under different conditions. The processes of manufacturing and testing will also be …

Material Properties Design Using Simulations And Experiments For Powder Injection Molding Of Lead Zirconate Titanate (Pzt)., Bhushan Pramod Bandiwadekar

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Powder injection molding (PIM) process simulations can be performed to minimize the number of injection molding experiments by estimating material properties necessary for PIM simulations. In current work, lead zirconate titanate (PZT) powder-polymer binder feedstock was compounded for 45 vol. % and 52 vol. % solids loading. PIM experiments on designed micro-pillar array geometry were performed using 52 vol. % PZT. Using PIM experiments results as basis, PIM simulations were performed on designed micro-pillar array geometries to understand the effectiveness of PIM simulations with the use of estimated feedstock properties in predicting molding behavior that have micro-features. Additionally, PIM simulations …

Nonlinear Model-Based Control For Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation, Ruzhou Yang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) is a technology where skeletal muscles are externally stimulated by electrodes to help restore functionality to human limbs with motor neuron disorder. This dissertation is concerned with the model-based feedback control of the NMES quadriceps muscle group-knee joint dynamics. A class of nonlinear controllers is presented based on various levels of model structures and uncertainties. The two main control techniques used throughout this work are backstepping control and Lyapunov stability theory.

In the first control strategy, we design a model-based nonlinear control law for the system with the exactly known passive mechanical that ensures asymptotical tracking. …

Multiple Consecutive Recapture Of Rigid Nanoparticles Using A Solid-State Nanopore Sensor, Jungsoo Lee

Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations

Solid‐state nanopore sensors have been used to measure the size of a nanoparticle by applying a resistive pulse sensing technique. Previously, the size distribution of the population pool could be investigated utilizing data from a single translocation, however, the accuracy of the distribution is limited due to the lack of repeated data. In this study, we characterized polystyrene nanobeads utilizing single particle recapture techniques, which provide a better statistical estimate of the size distribution than that of single sampling techniques. The pulses and translocation times of two different sized nanobeads (80 nm and 125 nm in diameter) were acquired repeatedly …

Hip Joint Function In People With Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome, Philip Malloy

Dissertations (1934 -)

Femoroacetabular impingement syndrome (FAIS) is a clinical hip disorder that represents symptomatic contact between the proximal femur and rim of the acetabulum during normal hip range of motion. FAIS has been described as a precursor to hip joint osteoarthritis (OA), and results in physical impairments and functional limitations in young individuals and active adults. Despite tremendous growth in arthroscopic hip surgery for FAIS, little is known about how this disorder affects dynamic hip joint function. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate hip joint function, during clinical and functional activities, both before and after arthroscopic hip surgery for FAIS. …

Design Of A Passive Ankle Prosthesis With Energy Return That Increases With Increasing Walking Velocity, Alexander J. Folz

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Patients who undergo a transtibial (below the knee) amputation are often met with a difficult decision: selection of a prosthesis. Limitations of currently available prostheses motivate work on a new solution, the EaSY Walk, a passive device that mimics two key aspects of the natural ankle: non-linear rotational stiffness through implementation of a stiffening flexure mechanism and rotational work output that varies as a function of walking velocity to propel the user forward. To achieve the latter, a strategy to convert the maximum available translational energy acquired from deflection along the leg into rotational energy about the ankle joint through …

Cancer Diagnosis By Bioimpedance Spectroscopy And Computer-Assisted Pattern Recognition, Shahriar Shams

Mechanical Engineering Research Theses and Dissertations

The field of cancer diagnostics has always been one of the most complex and challenging areas in biomedical research, and there has been an increasing demand for more advanced clinical diagnostic equipment over the past four decades. In this thesis, a custom-made coaxial bioimpedance sensor was used, in combination with computer-aided pattern recognition tools, to identify cancer in tissue samples obtained from the formalin-fixed kidney of a 60 year-old male patient. Impedance data was collected using the coaxial sensor at 401 logarithmically-spaced frequency points ranging from 10 kHz to 100 MHz. Principle Component Analysis and Naive Bayes Classification techniques were …

Intrinsic Regulators Of Actomyosin Contractility Engendering Pulsatile Behaviors, Qilin Yu, Jing Li, Taeyoon Kim

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Actomyosin contractility regulates various biological processes including cell migration, muscle contraction, and tissue morphogenesis. Cell cortex underlying a membrane, which is a representative actomyosin network in eukaryote cells, exhibits dynamic contractile behaviors. Interestingly, the cell cortex shows reversible aggregation of actin and myosin called pulsatile contraction in diverse cellular phenomena, such as embryogenesis and tissue morphogenesis. While contractile behaviors have been studied in several in vitro experiments and computational studies, none of them demonstrated the pulsatile contraction of actomyosin networks observed in vivo. Here, we used an agent-based computational model based on Brownian dynamics to identify factors facilitating the pulsatile …

A Parametric Study Of The Mechanics Of Different Skin Flap Techniques, Steven J. Meza, Adrián Tepole Buganza

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

In modern day plastic and reconstructive surgeries numerous skin flap designs have been developed and are used to close open wounds. Skin flaps are developed with the intention of imposing minimal tension in skin closure. Excessive tension can lead to poor blood flow that result in post-surgery complications such as necrosis. Currently there is no standard in choosing a skin flap design and a surgeon's choice is based personal experience. A comparison of the mechanical loading in these various designs has not yet been done. We have developed a parametric study, using finite element analysis, of two advancement skin flaps …

Bacterial Motility And Its Role In Biofilm Formation, Clayton J. Culp, Arezoo M. Ardekani, Adib Ahmadzadegan

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Bacterial biofilms are known to cause millions of dollars in damage in the medical industry per year via infection of central venous catheters, urinary catheters, and mechanical heart valves. Unfortunately, there are some characteristics of biofilm formation that are yet to be fully understood. Recently much work has been done to investigate the motility characteristics of bacteria with hopes of better understanding the phenomena of biofilm formation. Still, one of the least understood stages is bacterial attachment or adhesion, a process designed to anchor bacteria in an advantageous environment. Providing a better understanding of bacterial motility near solid interfaces will …

Comparative Analysis Of Impact Attenuation Properties From Soccer Headgear, Kevin G. Mciver, Goutham N. Sankaran, Justin J. Markel, Tom M. Talavage, Larry J. Leverenz, Eric A. Nauman

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Athletes suffering from long-term neurocognitive deficiency due to subconcussive impacts is a major concern for football and soccer players today. Football players wear helmets that can help reduce injury risks like skull fractures, and these helmets must meet standard criteria that determinines how well a functional helmet should reduce accelerations of the player’s head. Currently no standard exists for testing soccer headgear despite studies demonstrating soccer players experience similar magnitudes of impacts. In this study, a modal impact hammer was used in conjunction with a Hybrid III 50th percentile test dummy head to simulate impacts experienced by soccer players to …

A Functional Subnetwork Approach To Designing Synthetic Nervous Systems That Control Legged Robot Locomotion, Nicholas Szczecinski, Alexander J. Hunt, Roger Quinn

Mechanical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications and Presentations

A dynamical model of an animal’s nervous system, or synthetic nervous system (SNS), is a potentially transformational control method. Due to increasingly detailed data on the connectivity and dynamics of both mammalian and insect nervous systems, controlling a legged robot with an SNS is largely a problem of parameter tuning. Our approach to this problem is to design functional subnetworks that perform specific operations, and then assemble them into larger models of the nervous system. In this paper, we present networks that perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, differentiation, and integration of incoming signals. Parameters are set within each subnetwork to …

Biomechanical Testing Of An Exercise For Strengthening The Proximal Femur., Alyssa Osbourne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Based on the principles of cutting edge bone remodeling research, a unique therapeutic exercise device was designed specifically to improve bone quality at the most critical location of the proximal femur prone to fracture: the superior-lateral femoral neck where the fracture first initiates during a fall. The exercise/device is intended to work by inducing enough strain in the bone to stimulate the body’s natural bone remodeling mechanisms to increase bone density in the proximal femur and consequently prevent a fracture from arising if a fall to the side does occur.

In order to test the proposed exercise, experiments simulating the …

Optimization Of Prosthetic Hands: Utilizing Modularity To Improve Grip Force, Grasp, And Versatility, Jordan William Harris

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

It has been demonstrated that although many varieties of upper limb prosthetics exist, commercially available prosthetics are outdated and unsatisfactory. Ineffectiveness and limitations have led to some prosthesis wearers having to own multiple devices, whereas others have given up on them entirely. Even though ample research has been conducted to design and test new hand designs, the industry appears to rest in an overall stagnated state.

It was proposed here, that one problem with prosthetic research is an excess of variables involved in testing, and therefore the improper application of the scientific method. It seems that each time a research …

The Effect Of Bone And Ligament Morphology Of Ankle Joint Loading In The Neutral Position, Jinhyuk Kim

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Computational modeling of joints is used to investigate the effect of injuries, to plan surgeries, and to answer questions about joints that cannot be answered experimentally. Existing models of the ankle joint are moving toward being able to model specific patients, however, they do not include all of the anatomy (e.g., bones and/or ligaments) and have restrictive boundary conditions. These simplification in anatomy are made to minimize pre-processing and computation time. Because biomechanical modeling is increasingly focused on the implementation of patient specific cases, the effects of including more anatomical structures and determining how they affect the model results is …

Self-Powered Ankle Prosthetic, Corina M. Espelien, Kelsey Pietzsch, Anna Sullivan

Mechanical Engineering

Originating from QL+'s customer requirements, the main technical specifications were to have 80% physiological range of motion, elastic energy return, impact absorption, and no external power sources. Based on the background research conducted and the discussions with experts in the field, the project team decided to focus on designing a prosthetic that focused on plantarflexion and dorsiflexion for a more comfortable gait. The main components of the final design are a hydraulic shock absorber, cam, torsion springs, heel, stopper, and separated keel. The heel, front and back keels, and stopper were manufactured out of carbon fiber. The link, lever, attachment …

A Computational Fluid Dynamics Study On Bidirectional Glenn Shunt Flow With An Additional Pulsatile Flow Through A Modified Blalock-Taussig Shunt, Seda Aslan

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

The blood flow through the Bidirectional Glenn shunt (BGS) and modified Blalock-Taussig shunt (mBTS) to the pulmonary arteries (PAs) was analyzed using Computational Fluid Dynamics. This study consisted of the steady and pulsatile cases. In case one, the results of blood flow through the BGS for the Newtonian and non-Newtonian viscosity models were compared. Case two focused on having an additional pulsatile blood flow through the mBTS using the non-Newtonian Carreau viscosity model. The geometries were created based on the angiograms. In case one, boundary conditions to be specified at the inlets were obtained from the flow rate measurements via …

Development And Evaluation Of A Biocompatible Electroactive Sensor For Continuous Blood Pressure Measurement., Scott D. Cambron

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Piezo-active composites have been implemented for sensing and transduction for decades. The 0-3 ceramic/polymer composite is one of the most common composite types used for sensing applications, owing to their tailorable properties of the two-phase composition, consisting of a three-dimensionally connected polymer/rubber matrix (inactive phase) with a dispersion of isolated piezo-ceramic particles (active phase). This thesis describes a method to develop novel biocompatible perivascular band comprised of a two-phase piezo-active composite to be fabricated using simple manufacturing processes. Biomaterials such as tissue scaffolds comprised of silk fibroin (SF) and chitosan (CS), and biocompatible soft rubbers will be implemented as the …

Design And Validation Of An In Vivo Long-Term Attachment Capsule Robot, Wanchuan Xie

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

The invention of capsule endoscopy (CE) made the non-invasive monitoring of the entire small bowel possible and became the primary means for diagnosing small bowel pathology. In the last decade, capsule robots have been transformed from diagnostic devices into a widely studied biomedical platform with the potential for active locomotion, drug delivery and therapeutic capabilities. To perform accurate on-site drug release and therapy, it is necessary for a capsule robot to be able to attach to the intestinal tissue and maintain its position long-term. Design challenges derive from the task of long-term mucosal adhesion which requires firm, quick-response attachment without …

Kinematics Of The Lower Extremities During Fundamental Martial Arts Tricking Techniques, Kevin P. Grassie

Honors Scholar Theses

Martial Arts Tricking (MAT) is a relatively new sport that combines martial arts, gymnastics, acrobatics, and breakdancing for the purposes of creating aesthetic and impressive combinations of kicks, flips and twists. It has been growing exponentially through social media and the overall athletic and entertainment communities. The sport is very unique in that the movements, with their blended influences, provide novel ways for athletes to generate and utilize their momentum in a creative way. The results often include off-axis flips and twists, single-leg landings, and complicated yet fluid techniques that easily chain together.

Due to the sport only being a …

Skin Strain Measurement To Predict Knee Joint Angles Through Nanocomposite Stain Gauges, Adin Martineau, James Tracy, Gavin Collins, Parker Rosquist, Dustin A. Bruening, Matt K. Seeley, David T. Fullwood, Anton E. Bowden

Biomedical Engineering Western Regional Conference

Explores the possibility of using high deflection nanocomposite strain gauges as knee joint angle sensor.

Characterization Of Essential Tremor In The Major Degrees Of Freedom Of The Upper Limb, Adam Pigg, David Standring, Steven Charles

Biomedical Engineering Western Regional Conference

No abstract provided.

Computational Characterization Of Blood Vessel Strain In Wire Myography, Sameer S. Nandikar, M Converse, K L. Monson

Biomedical Engineering Western Regional Conference

Blood vessels, and the mechanical forces that act on them, play a key role in both health and disease. As a consequence, the mechanical properties of vessels have been under study for over a century. A variety of approaches have been used to define vessel properties, including stretching of vessel rings to study circumferential behavior, a configuration commonly used in wire myography. The objective of the present study was to develop a finite element model to quantify strains throughout a vessel ring during such loading.

Using Optimization To Determine Tremor Propagation, Paul Curtis, Steven K. Charles

Biomedical Engineering Western Regional Conference

: Essential Tremor (ET) is one of the most common movement disorders, with millions affected in the US. Currently there are two main treatment options: medication and deep brain stimulation (DBS). Available medications are only 50% effective, and in only 50% of patients, and many patients consider DBS too invasive. The purpose of our research is to determine the origin and propagation of tremor throughout the upper limb.

Biophysical Tools To Study Cellular Mechanotransduction, Ismeel Muhamed, Farhan Chowdhury, Venkat Maruthamuthu

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The cell membrane is the interface that volumetrically isolates cellular components from the cell's environment. Proteins embedded within and on the membrane have varied biological functions: reception of external biochemical signals, as membrane channels, amplification and regulation of chemical signals through secondary messenger molecules, controlled exocytosis, endocytosis, phagocytosis, organized recruitment and sequestration of cytosolic complex proteins, cell division processes, organization of the cytoskeleton and more. The membrane's bioelectrical role is enabled by the physiologically controlled release and accumulation of electrochemical potential modulating molecules across the membrane through specialized ion channels (e.g., Na^⁺, Ca²⁺, K^⁺ channels). …

Piv Analysis Of Wake Structure Of Real Elephant Seal Whiskers, Joseph Antun Bunjevac

ETD Archive

Seals are able to accurately detect minute disturbances in the ambient flow
environment using their whiskers, which is attributed to the exceptional capability of
their whiskers to suppress vortex-induced vibrations in the wake. To explore potential applications for designing smart flow devices, such as high-sensitivity underwater
flow sensors and drag reduction components, researchers have studied how the role
of some key parameters of whisker-like morphology affect the wake structure. Due to
the naturally presented variation in size and curvature along the length of whiskers,
it is not well understood how a real whisker changes the surrounding flow and the
vortex …

Design And Control Of A Powered Rowing Machine With Programmable Impedance, Jose Humberto De La Casas Zolezzi

ETD Archive

Due to the rise of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, research in human performance and physical activity has received increased attention. Rowing machines are used for performance improvements through concentric exercises, however a combination of concentric and eccentric actions is known to improve the effectiveness of training. In this work, a conventional rowing machine was modified to include an electric motor and a robust impedance control system, enabling programmable impedance with concentric and eccentric capabilities. Eccentric exercises are known to contribute significantly to the efficacy of training and to diminish the detrimental effects of humans operating in microgravity for long …

Electroencephalographic Signal Processing And Classification Techniques For Noninvasive Motor Imagery Based Brain Computer Interface, Md Erfanul Alam

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

In motor imagery (MI) based brain-computer interface (BCI), success depends on reliable processing of the noisy, non-linear, and non-stationary brain activity signals for extraction of features and effective classification of MI activity as well as translation to the corresponding intended actions. In this study, signal processing and classification techniques are presented for electroencephalogram (EEG) signals for motor imagery based brain-computer interface. EEG signals have been acquired placing the electrodes following the international 10-20 system. The acquired signals have been pre-processed removing artifacts using empirical mode decomposition (EMD) and two extended versions of EMD, ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), and multivariate …

Bio Inspired Lightweight Composite Material Design For 3d Printing, Kaushik Thiyagarajan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Lightweight material design is an indispensable subject in product design. The lightweight material design has high strength to weight ratio which becomes a huge attraction and an area of exploration for the researchers as its application is wide and increasing even in every day-to-day product. Lightweight composite material design is achieved by selection of the cellular structure and its optimization. Cellular structure is used as it has wide multifunctional properties in addition to the lightweight characteristics. Applications of light weight cellular structures are wide and is witnessed in all industries from aerospace to automotive, construction to product design. In this …