DRUM Collection: Fischell Department of Bioengineering Theses and Dissertations

TASK SPECIFIC EVALUATION METHODOLOGY FOR CLINICAL FULL FIELD DIGITAL MAMMOGRAPHY

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Title: TASK SPECIFIC EVALUATION METHODOLOGY FOR CLINICAL FULL FIELD DIGITAL MAMMOGRAPHY Authors: Liu, Haimo Abstract: Purpose: The purpose of this dissertation is to evaluate the image quality of clinical Full Field Digital Mammography (FFDM) systems. This is done by evaluating image acquisition performance of clinical FFDM in a comprehensive way that accounts for scatter, focal spot un-sharpness, detector blur and anti-scatter grid performance using an anthropomorphic phantom. Additionally we intend to provide a limited evaluation of the effects that image processing in clinical FFDM has in signal detectability. Methodology: We explored different strategies and a variety of mathematical model observers in order to evaluate the performance of clinical FFDM systems under different conditions. To evaluate image acquisition performance, we tested a system-model-based Hotelling observer (SMHO) model on a bench-top system using a uniform anthropomorphic phantom for an signal known exactly background known exactly (SKE/BKE) task. We then applied this concept on two clinical FFDM systems to compare their performance. In a limited study to evaluate the effects of image processing in the detectability of FFDM, we implemented the channelized Hotelling observer (CHO) model on clinically realistic images of an anatomical phantom for an SKE/BKE task. Results: Even though the two systems use different detection technologies, there was no significant difference between their image acquisition performances quantified by the Contrast-Detail (CD) curves. We applied the CHO model to investigate the image processing algorithms used in GE Senographe DS FFDM system. For the particular SKE/BKE task with rotationally symmetric signals, the image processing tends to contribute to a non-significant reduction of system detectability. Conclusion: We provided a complete description of FFDM system performance including the image acquisition chain and post-acquisition image processing. We demonstrated the simplicity and effectiveness of both the MFHO and CHO methods in a clinical setting.

Mechanical, Structural and Biological Properties of Biopolymer-Based Hydrogels

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Title: Mechanical, Structural and Biological Properties of Biopolymer-Based Hydrogels Authors: Hyland, Laura Abstract: The aim of this dissertation was to begin to understand how biopolymer interactions affect mechanical and structural properties of biomaterials, and how those properties affect stem cell behavior. Polysaccharide, oligopeptide and oligopeptide-polysaccharide composite materials were made and then characterized using a range of techniques. It was found that chondroitin addition to chitosan-alginate networks improved both tensile and compressive strength. Increasing polysaccharide concentration also improved mechanical properties. Also, polysaccharide incorporation into peptide hydrogels increased biomaterial resistance to strain break. Structural analysis supported mechanical data, showing that incorporation of the peptides dramatically changed the morphology of the polysaccharide networks. Biopolymer chirality was also explored in this work. By incorporating polysaccharides and oligosaccharides into both L- and D-forms of peptide hydrogels, we observed differences in mechanical properties not seen in L- and D-oligopeptide hydrogels alone. Greater interactions between L-oligopeptides and D-saccharides lead to stronger materials with distinctively different structural characteristics from hydrogels made from D-oligopeptides and D-saccharides. This phenomenon, known as chiral selectivity, has previously only been seen at the molecular level. Here, we showed that chiral selectivity is another unique property of biopolymers that can be exploited to tune mechanical and structural properties of materials. Chiral selectivity was also observed in terms of stem cell behavior in this work. However another property, hydrogel charge, was used to diminish the effects of chiral selectivity in order to enhance the biocompatibility of D-oligopeptide hydrogels. It was found that negative charges significantly improved human mesenchymal stem cell attachment and proliferation in D-oligopeptide gels but had little effect on their interactions with L-oligopeptide gels. These results suggest that it is possible to use charge and other properties of biopolymers to engineer biomaterials whose chirality is distinct from that of natural biomaterials but whose performance is close to that of natural biomaterials. These oligopeptide-based biomaterials also offer new tools to investigate biohomochirality, an important and unresolved question in biology.

CMOS SINGLE-PHOTON AVALANCHE DIODES AND MICROMACHINED OPTICAL FILTERS FOR INTEGRATED FLUORESCENCE SENSING

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Title: CMOS SINGLE-PHOTON AVALANCHE DIODES AND MICROMACHINED OPTICAL FILTERS FOR INTEGRATED FLUORESCENCE SENSING Authors: Dandin, Marc Peralte Abstract: This dissertation presents a body of work that addresses the two most pressing challenges in the field of integrated fluorescence sensing, namely, the design of integrated optical sensors and the fabrication of high-rejection micro-scale optical filters. Two novel enabling technologies were introduced. They are: the perimeter-gated single-photon avalanche diode (PGSPAD), for on-chip photon counting, and the benzotriazole (BTA)-doped thin-film polymer filter, for on-chip ultraviolet light rejection. Experimental results revealed that the PGSPAD front-end, fabricated in a 0.5 μm standard mixed-signal CMOS process, had the capability of counting photons in the MHz regime. In addition, it was found that a perimeter gate, a structural feature used to suppress edge breakdown in the diode, also maximized the signal-to-noise-ratio in the high-count rate regime whereas it maximized sensitivity at low count rates. On the other hand, BTA-doped filters were demonstrated utilizing three commonly used polymers as hosts. The filters were patternable, utilizing the same procedures traditionally used to pattern the undoped polymer hosts, a key advantage for integration into microsystems. Filter performance was analyzed using a set of metrics developed for optoelectronic characterization of integrated fluorescence sensors; high rejection levels (nearing -40 dB) of UV light were observed in films of only 5 μm in thickness. Ultimately, BTA-doped filters were integrated into a portable sensor, and their use was demonstrated in two types of bioassays.

NANOPATTERNED BLOCK COPOLYMERS FOR USE AS VASCULAR BIOMATERIALS

Sun, 01 Jan 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Title: NANOPATTERNED BLOCK COPOLYMERS FOR USE AS VASCULAR BIOMATERIALS Authors: Silverstein, Joshua Scott Abstract: Manipulation of surface topography or chemistry has been a growing trend in efforts to enhance the properties of medical devices. Understanding the interactions of biomolecules with nanoengineered surfaces is vital to assess the safety and efficacy of devices that incorporate these structures. In this dissertation, a model block copolymer (BCP) system based on poly(styrene)-block-poly(1,2-butadiene) was systematically modified using photochemical thiol-ene chemistry. Poly(1,2-butadiene) molecular weight and thiol-ene ratios were systematically varied based on a model monomer, boc-cysteamine, to determine the efficiency of the reaction. The results demonstrate the polydispersity index of modified BCPs significantly increased when low thiol-ene ratios were employed and sometimes induced gelation of the reacted polymers. Using a tenfold excess of thiol, functionalizations between 60-90% were obtained for an acid, amine, amide, and a pharmaceutical with a pendant thiol. Calorimetry showed a 30-60 °C increase in the glass transition temperature of the daughter polymers. Subsequently, films were cast from solvents found suitable to forming self-assembled BCP thin films. The synthetic and processing approach allows for the formation of nanopatterned block copolymer films with controlled chemistries from a single source material. The BCPs were further characterized using water contact angle measurements and atomic force microscopy in liquid. Significantly decreased contact angles were caused by selective swelling of charged BCP domains. Protein (fibrinogen, albumin, cytochrome C, immunoglobulin G) adsorption experiments were conducted under static and dynamic conditions with a quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation. The results indicate that nanopatterned chemistry and experimental conditions strongly impact adsorption dynamics. Adsorption behavior was dependent both on protein structure and the characteristics of the surface. Depending on the structural stability of the protein, polyelectrolyte surfaces significantly increased adsorption over uncharged controls.