IEEE 30th Annual Northeast Bioengineering Conference, 2004. Proceedings of the

This study correlates the elastic modulus of equine cortical bone with porosity. Measurements were also made of the elastic modulus in cancellous bone. View full abstract»

Since bone mass based measurements have demonstrated limited success in predicting age-related increase in fracture incidence, recent emphasis has been placed on quantification of bone quality. The current study reports the multiaxial failure characteristic of bone (quality) by conducting fatigue tests on human cortical bone specimens under physiologically relevant axial-torsional loading. Our res... View full abstract»

The goal of this study is to better understand the thermal characteristics and molecular behavior of two poly(desaminotyrosyl arylates). TGA, DSC and TSPC studies were conducted on poly(12,10) and poly(2,2) after the samples were exposed to various conditions. The TGA of poly(12,10) shows low water uptake at 25C, higher water uptake at 80C. Water uptake for poly(2,2) at 25C is similar to poly(12,1... View full abstract»

This project will allow for physically handicapped persons to access the Internet using a single switch interface from a personal data assistant (PDA) or personal computer. Using specially created software, a person with limited movement capabilities will be able to browse the Internet and send emails using a single or multiple switches. The product consists of several elements: the switch interfa... View full abstract»

Previous studies have shown that NaOH-treated two-dimensional PLGA films enhanced chondrocyte functions. In this in vitro study, a three-dimensional PLGA scaffold was fabricated and treated with NaOH. Articular chondrocyte function was then examined. Results show, for the first time, greater cell numbers and enhanced subsequent cellular functions (such as select intracellular protein synthesis) on... View full abstract»

The effect of copper ions on the blood coagulation time was determined. In the experiment that was performed in vitro, there were three different aliquots for each blood sample. The three aliquots were composed of the control, 0.05 mM CuSO4, and 0.1 mM CuSO4. Thirty two microliters of 0.1 M CaCl2 was then added to each aliquot to initiate blood coagulation. When th... View full abstract»

Tissue factor (TF) is a transmembrane glycoprotein and the main triggering element for blood coagulation. Expression of TF on the cell surfaces and its appearance as a soluble molecule are characteristic features of acute and chronic inflammation in conditions such as arteriosclerosis leading to stroke and myocardial infection. A study was performed on human citrated whole blood, by separating pla... View full abstract»

The goal of this paper is to design and create a tissue culture perfusion bioreactor to enhance mesenchymal stem cell differentiation and cell-mediated mineralization of collagen scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. To achieve this goal, type I collagen scaffolds were tailored for optimal cell viability and mechanical integrity. The flow perfusion system, when loaded with an osteoblast seeded po... View full abstract»

The demand for higher throughput and lower cost DNA sequencing did not dissipate with the successful completion of the first human genome but, instead, is actually accelerating in a period of functional genomics. We have developed a high-throughput DNA sequencing instrument utilizing MEMS technology to sequence DNA samples in 384 separate channels in parallel. The performance of the system relies ... View full abstract»

Kidney damage and/or failure caused by urinary obstruction affects thousands of patients each year. It has been hypothesized that hypoxia and/or elevated levels of hydrostatic pressure within the kidney during obstruction contribute to renal failure. However, little research has been performed to verify this claim. Investigators have examined the effects of a single stimuli, hypoxia or elevated pr... View full abstract»

As part of a larger study to investigate the complications of diabetes, this study was aimed at developing the materials and methods for measuring nerve conduction velocity in the rat sciatic nerve. Using a specially designed nerve conduction velocity chamber, we measured action potential waveforms in an ex vivo sciatic nerve preparation at two locations along the nerve following upstream electric... View full abstract»

We investigated a bioactive composite of hydroxyapatite (HA) and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) as a mandible replacement. We introduced a coupling agent to improve the adhesion properties at the HA/PMMA interface. Via the application of nano-indentation onto various positions of the cross section of composite, we will be able to determine the influence of the coupling agent on the local mechanical... View full abstract»

SKN-B-E(2)C neuroblastoma cells were cultured on poly[(methoxyethoxyethoxy)1.0(cinammyloxy)1.0] phosphazene coated indium-tin-oxide (ITO) glass slides for a period of 35 days. Electrical activity was recorded periodically using a custom fabricated flow chamber. At 35-days of culture, "pacemaker" field potentials of 30 microvolts, 1-4 sec-1 rate were measured from t... View full abstract»

It has been one of our long-standing commitments to aid the social integration of the deaf community into the mainstream of society. One such means to this end is the development of assistive techniques to automatically translate sign language. This paper discusses a technique for translating English into its visual counterpart, Signed English. Such an endeavor requires the creation of an applicat... View full abstract»

Rat odontoblast-like cell differentiation was studied in collagen type I based scaffolds. Collagen crosslinking has an effect on cell viability and differentiation as indicated by osteocalcin and alkaline phosphatase expression. View full abstract»

The use of a voice-coil actuator (VCA) in an elastance-based mock circulatory system (MCS) was investigated. Two VCA models, an ideal linear model and a non-linear model, were compared for use in the design of the control scheme. Data for parameter estimation was acquired by exciting the VCA with a sine wave input. VCA parameters were then identified using least-squares estimation (LSE) and curve-... View full abstract»

As most health technology managers have noticed, there's no question that medical equipment used today for patient care has become more reliable. As technology has improved and continues to improve, the number and types of medical devices requiring preventive maintenance (PM), is being questioned amidst the pressure to reduce costs in the healthcare industry. The question now is how far should a c... View full abstract»

Battlefield triage is a dangerous and life-threatening task. The growing interest in the development of military telemedicine applications utilizing physiological sensing is meant to facilitate remote triage on injured soldiers. This paper describes a portable wireless setup for comparing transmittance and reflectance type pulse oximeters for future field testing applications resembling simulated ... View full abstract»

A sophisticated biomedical engineering (BME) laboratory course was designed to integrate state-of-the-art technology with a hands on learning approach in a flexible, virtual-based, clinical application setting. BME education requires hands on learning with cutting edge technology to produce students ready to solve clinical problems in research and industry. Exposing students to a wide range of BME... View full abstract»

Many hydrogels have been tested as articular cartilage replacements and other tissue replacements. In the present study, the effect of load and lubricant on the tribological characteristics of poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVA/PVT) hydrogels have been investigated in a pin-on-disk setup under physiologic loading conditions. Cobalt-chromium pins were articulated against PVA/PVT hydro... View full abstract»

The goal of this project is to develop a real-time cell-based biosensor using Toll-like receptors (TLRs) for pathogen detection. Existing biosensors rely on technologies that recognize only specific target analytes, requiring prior knowledge of the possible contaminating agents. Innate immune cells express TLRs that recognize conserved pathogen-associated molecular patterns on bacteria, viruses, p... View full abstract»

The vergence oculomotor system is used in viewing objects moving in depth, such as when a baseball player tracks a ball moving towards him. Based on the dual mode theory it is composed of two components; a fast preprogrammed initiating component and a slow feedback-controlled sustaining component. The initiating component is described using open-loop control and the sustaining component is describ... View full abstract»

Previous research has shown that increasing the nanometer surface roughness of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) films promotes vascular endothelial and smooth muscle cell adhesion. The goal of this in vitro research was to understand the mechanism(s) behind these observed responses. In order to elucidate the adhesive factors for vascular cell adhesion on nano-structured PLGA, substrates of var... View full abstract»

This paper provides a graphical evaluation of continuous cardiac baroreceptor measurement during a 45-minute 70-degree head-up tilt (HUT) of five groups of subjects suffering the following: chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), CFS with fibromyalgia (CFS-FM), CFS with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (CFS-POTS), controls with POTS (CON-POTS), and controls (CON). The full duration of the test wa... View full abstract»

Since the late 1990s, provisional patent applications have provided a streamlined and valuable patent application process that has solved a number of perplexing and expensive challenges facing new and established inventors. The recent changes in patent law have addressed a number of issues regarding patent applications by making the requirements for a provisional patent application quite different... View full abstract»