The emerging research field of Brain Computer Interfaces (BCIs) has created an invasive type of BCI, the Cortical Motor Prosthetic (CMP) or invasive BCI (iBCI). The goal is to restore lost motor function via prosthetic control signals to individuals who have long-term paralysis. The development of the CMP consists of two major entities: the implantable, chronic microelectrode array (MEA) and the data acquisition hardware (DAQ) specifically the decoder. The iBCI's function is to record primary motor cortex (M1) neural signals via chronic MEA and translate into a motor command via decoder extraction algorithms that can control a prosthetic to perform the intended movement. The ultimate goal is to use the iBCI as a clinical tool for individuals with long-term paralysis to regain lost motor functioning. Thus, the iBCI is a beacon of hope that could enable individuals to independently perform daily activities and interact once again with their environment. This review seeks to accomplish two major goals. First, elaborate upon the development of the iBCI and focus on the advancements and efforts to create a viable system. Second, illustrate the exciting improvements in the iBCI's use for reaching and grasping actions and in human clinical trials. The ultimate goal is to use the iBCI as a clinical tool for individuals with long-term paralysis to regain movement control. Despite the promise in the iBCI, many challenges, which are described in this review, persist and must be overcome before the iBCI can be a viable tool for individuals with long-term. iBCI future endeavors aim to overcome the challenges and develop an efficient system enhancing the lives of many living with paralysis. Standard terms: Intracortical Brain Computer Interface (iBCI), Intracortical Brain Machine Interface (iBMI), Cortical Motor Prosthetic (CMP), Neuromotor Prostheses (NMP), Intracortical Neural Prosthetics, Invasive Neural Prosthetic all terms used interchangeably

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xiii, 79 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Traumatic brain injury has reached epidemic levels, and yet there are still large questions that need to be addressed regarding the underlying pathology and the related behavioral deficits. Adequately measuring the neurological sequelae associated with TBI in vivo requires the use of sophisticated imaging procedures, while quantifying behavioral deficits requires precise, sensitive testing procedures. The current analysis examined three potential biomarkers of TBI using MRI technology, as well as examining both fine motor and psychological function on a cohort of TBI participants at least 12 months post-injury. Ten participants with a history of traumatic brain injury and ten matched controls were recruited for the present analysis. All participants completed a series of four MRI scans, as well as a simple motor task and a cognitive test battery. Between group analysis revealed that the two groups could be differentiated based on two MRI measures (BOLD and FA), and on three behavioral measures (Fitts motor task, self-reported symptoms, and impulse control). A within group correlation analysis of the TBI participants did not reveal any significant relationship between the MRI data and behavioral deficits. A group-wide regression analysis, however, revealed that MRI markers of cortical damage significantly predicted deterioration in the Fitts motor task performance. The results of the current study suggest that the long-term effects of TBI are not confined to executive function, and that one's performance of a fine motor task has diagnostic potential. / Adviser: Paul van Donkelaar

Cortical bone tissue - one of the most intriguing materials found in nature - demonstrate some fascinating behaviours that have attracted great attention of many researchers from all over the world. In contrast to engineering materials, bone has its unique characters: it is a material that has both sufficient stiffness and toughness to provide physical support and protection to internal organs and yet adaptively balanced for its weight and functional requirements. Its structure and mechanical properties are of great importance to the physiological functioning of the body. Still, our understanding on the mechanical deformation processes of cortical bone tissue is rather limited. Penetration into a bone tissue is an intrinsic part of many clinical procedures, such as orthopaedic surgery, bone implant and repair operations. The success of bone-cutting surgery depends largely on precision of the operation and the extent of damage it causes to the surrounding tissues. The anisotropic behaviour of cortical bone acts as a distinctive protective mechanism and increases the difficulty during cutting process. A comprehensive understanding of deformation and damage mechanisms during the cutting process is necessary for improving the operational accuracy and postoperative recovery of patients. However, the current literature on experimental results provides limited information about processes in the vicinity of the cutting tool-bone interaction zone; while; numerical models cannot fully describe the material anisotropy and the effect of damage mechanisms of cortical bone tissue. In addition, a conventional finite-element scheme faces numerical challenges due to large deformation and highly localised distortion in the process zone. This PhD project is aimed at bridging the gap in current lack of understanding on cutting-induced deformation and fracture processes in the cortical bone tissue through experimental and numerical approaches. A number of experimental studies were accomplished to characterise the mechanical behaviour of bovine cortical bone tissue and to analyse deformation and damage mechanisms associated with the cutting process II along different bone axes in four anatomic cortices, namely, anterior, posterior, medial and lateral. These experiments included: (1) a Vickers hardness test to provide initial assessments on deformation and damage processes in the cortical bone tissue under a concentrated compressive load; (2) uniaxial tension and compression tests, performed to understand the effect of orientation and local variability of microstructure constituents on the macroscopic material properties of cortical bone; (3) fracture toughness tests, aimed at elucidating the anisotropic character of fracture toughness of cortical bone and its various fracture toughness mechanisms in relation to different orientations; (4) penetration tests, conducted to evaluate and validate mechanisms involved in bone cutting as well as orientation associated anisotropic deformation and damage processes at various different cortex positions. Information obtained in these experimental studies was used to assist the development of advanced finite-element models: (1) the effective homogenised XFEM models developed in conjunction with three-point bending test to represent a macroscopically, anisotropic elasticplastic fracture behaviour of cortical bone tissue; (2) three microstructured XFEM models to further investigate the effect of the randomly distributed microstructural constituents on the local fracture process and the variability of fracture toughness of cortical bone; (3) a novel finite-element modelling approach encompassing both conventional and SPH elements, incorporating anisotropic elastic-plastic material properties and progressive damage criteria to simulate large deformation and damage processes of cortical bone under penetration. The established models can adequately and accurately reflect large deformations and damage processes during the penetration in bone cutting. The results of this study made valuable contributions to our existing understanding of the mechanics of cortical bone tissue and most importantly to the understanding of its mechanical behaviours during the cutting process.

Bones are the principal structural components of a skeleton; they provide the body with unique roles, such as its shape maintenance, protection of internal organs and transmission of muscle forces among body segments. Their structural integrity is vital for the quality of life. Unfortunately, bones can only sustain loads until a certain limit, beyond which it fails. Usually, the reasons for bone fracture are traumatic falls, sports injuries, and engagement in transport or industrial accidents. The stresses imposed on a bone in such activities can be far higher than those produced during normal daily activities and lead to fracture. Understanding deformation and fracture behaviours of bone is necessary for prevention and diagnosis of traumas. Even though, in principle, studying bone's deformation and fracture behaviour is of immense benefit, it is not possible to engage volunteers in in-vivo investigations. Therefore, by developing adequate numerical models to predict and describe its deformation and fracture behaviours, a detailed study of reasons for, and ways to prevent or treat bone fracture could be implemented. Those models cannot be formulated without a set of experimental material data. To date, a full set of bone's material data is not implemented in the material data-base of commercial finiteelement (FE) software. Additionally, no complete set of data for the same bone can be found in the literature. Hence, a set of cortical bone's material data was experimentally measured, and then introduced into the finite-element software. A programme of experiments was conducted to characterise mechanical properties of the cortical bone tissue and to gain a basic understanding of the spatial variability of those properties and their link to the underlying microstructure. So, several types of experiments were performed in order to quantify mechanical properties of the studied bone tissue at macro- and microscales under quasi-static and dynamic loading regimes for different cortex positions called anterior, posterior, medial and lateral. Those experiments included: (1) uniaxial tension and creep tests to obtain its elastic, plastic and viscoelastic properties; (2) nanoindentation tests to characterise its microstructural elastic-plastic properties; (3) Izod tests to investigate its fracture properties under impact bending loading; (4) tensile-impact tests to characterise its impact strength and fracture force when exposed to a longitudinal loading regime. All the experiments were performed for different cortex positions and different directions (along the bone axis and perpendicular to it) when possible. Based on the results of those experiments, a number of finite-element models were developed in order to analyse its deformation and fracture using the extended finiteelement method (X-FEM) at different length scales and under various loading conditions. Those models included: (1) two-dimensional (2D) FE models to simulate its fracture and deformation at microscale level under quasi-static tensile loading. Additionally, the effect of the underlying microstructure on crack propagation paths was investigated; (2) 2D and three-dimensional (3D) FE models to simulate its fracture and deformation at macroscale level for the Izod impact test setup. In addition, the applicability of different constitutive material models was examined; (3) 3D FE models to simulate its fracture and deformation at macroscale level for tensile-impact loading conditions. The developed models provided high-quality results, and most importantly, they adequately reflected the experimental data. The main outcome of this thesis is a comprehensive experimental analysis and numerical simulations of the deformation and fracture of the cortical bone tissue at different length scales in response to quasi-static and dynamic loading. Recommendations on further research developments are also suggested.

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Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:29:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2009-02-19Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:58:54Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 gottardi_fp_me_jabo.pdf: 551122 bytes, checksum: 296df34d2ff79346b4bafb7a4da03dc9 (MD5) / Facta / Butirolactona I (Bl-I) pode ser utilizada em sistemas PIV de embriões para bloquear a meiose durante o transporte de oócitos obtidos de OPU. O objetivo deste estudo foi verificar a concentração de BL-I eficaz durante o transporte de oócito bovinos. Oócitos (n=4581) foram pré-maturados em criotubos contendo meio com 10 ou 100μM de Bl-I, acrescido ou não de HEPES (20mM), no período de 5 horas em estufa portátil Minitub e transferidos para incubadora com atmosfera e temperatura controlada, permanecendo por mais 19 horas. Em seguida foram maturados a 38,5ºC em atmosfera de 5% de CO2 durante 20 horas, fecundados e os zigotos cultivados. Foram avaliadas a maturação nuclear e a maturação citoplasmática após pré-MIV e MIV (24h.-controles e 20h.-tratados). A fertilização foi avaliada após 18 h. da inseminação. Os embriões foram analisados quanto ao seu desenvolvimento e qualidade. Os dados foram avaliados por ANOVA (p<o,o5). A maioria dos oócitos tratados permaneceu em GV e após MIV houve a reversão do bloqueio, mas a eficiência foi menor com 10 μM de Bl-I. A maturação citoplasmática foi beneficiada de acordo a distribuição das mitocôndrias, no entanto, quanto à distribuição dos grânulos corticais apenas o bloqueio realizado com 100 μM Bl-I permitiu uma maturação. A taxa de fecundação foi prejudicada pelo tempo de transporte, mesmo nos oócitos tratados. A ocorrência de polispermia foi correlacionada à porcentagem de oócitos com grânulos corticais imaturos. O desenvolvimento embrionário sofreu um atraso pela utilização de 100μM de Bl-I, porém boa porcentagem de blastocistos de qualidade foi atingida. Assim, o bloqueio com 100μM de Bl-I possui efeitos benéficos na PIV de embriões de oócitos transportados por longo tempo. / Butirolactone-I (Bl-I), can be used in systems for in vitro production (IVP) of embryos to block meiosis during the transport of oocytes from OPU. The objective of this study is to assess the concentration of BL-I more efficient during the transport of bovine oocytes. Oocytes (n = 4581) were prematured in criotubes containing medium with 10 or 100 μM of Bl-I with or without HEPES (20mM) in a portable incubator at 38,5°C without CO2 equilibration in the first 5 h, being later transferred to a incubator at 38.5°C and 5% CO2 in humidified air during the 19 hours remaining. Following were matured, fertilized and the zygotes cultured at 38.5°C and 5% CO2. Were evaluated the nuclear maturation and the cytoplasmic maturation after pre-IVM and after IVM (24h. controls and 20 h. treatments). Fertilization was assessed 18 hours after insemination. The embryos development and quality were analyzed. The data were evaluated by ANOVA (P< 0, 05). Most remained in GV oocytes treated and after IVM was the reversal of the blockage, but the efficiency was lower with 10 μM of Bl-I. The cytoplasmic maturation during the time of meiosis blockage was benefited from the distribution agreement and potential of mitochondria, however, about the distribution of cortical granules only blocking conducted with 100μM Bl-I had a complete maturation. The rate of fertilization was damage by the time of transport, and the meiosis blockage with Bl-I did not improve the percentage of fertilized oocytes. The occurrence of polispermia was correlated with the percentage of oocytes with immature cortical granules. The embryo developmentb was delayed by the use of 100μM of Bl-I, but a good percentage of blastocysts of good quality reached. So, the use of 100μM of Bl-I has beneficial effects on the IPV of embryos from oocytes transported at a long time.

Orientador: Wilter Ricardo Russiano Vicente / Banca: Camila Infantosi Vannucchi / Banca: Lúcia Daniel Machado da Silva / Banca: Maria Denise Lopes / Banca: Marion Burkhardt Koivisto / Resumo: Este estudo foi realizado com o intuito de avaliar comparativamente os efeitos do emprego de meios seqüenciais com hormônios no desenvolvimento meiótico e citoplasmático de oócitos caninos durante o período de cultivo de 72 horas. Os oócitos foram coletados de 49 cadelas hígidas submetidas à ovariosalpingo-histerectomia ou ovariectomia, divididas em três grupos de acordo com seu status reprodutivo (fase folicular, lútea e anestro). Os óocitos foram aleatoriamente distribuídos em quatro sistemas de cultivo diferentes sendo o meio básico (MB) o TCM 199 suplementado. Os demais consistiam: no sistema A (controle) os oócitos foram maturados por 72 horas no (MB) com 10 UI/mL de hCG, 1 mg/mL de progesterona (P4) e 1 mg/mL de estradiol (E2), ou seja, expostos de forma contínua à estes hormônios; no sistema seqüenciado B os oócitos foram maturados no meio base com hCG por 48 horas e nas 24 horas adicionais no MB com P4; no sistema seqüenciado C os oócitos foram maturados no MB com hCG, P4 e E2 por 48 horas e nas 24 horas adicionais no MB com P4; no sistema D (controle) os oócitos foram maturados no MB, sem hormônios. Nos meios B e C, os hormônios foram suplementados nas mesmas concentrações empregadas no sistema A. Os resultados evidenciaram efeito positivo dos meios seqüenciais na progressão da meiose e na maturação citoplasmática (P<0,05). Não houve influência da condição reprodutiva das fêmeas doadoras nas taxas de maturação oocitária (P>0,05). A presença de espermatozóides nos meios de cultivo não teve efeito benéfico sobre as taxas de MII; em contrapartida, a porcentagem de oócitos degenerados aumentou consideravelmente (P>0,05). / Abstract: The aim of this work was to study the influence of different bi-phasic systems with gonadotrophins and steroids on meiotic and cytoplasmic development of canine oocytes cultured for 72 hours. Oocytes were collected after ovariohysterectomy or ovariectomy from 49 healthy bitches, divided into 3 groups according to their reproductive status (follicular, luteal and anestrous stages). Oocytes were randomly allocated in four different culture systems with the base medium (BM) consisting of TCM-199. The systems were as follows: in system A oocytes were matured for 72 h in BM with 10 UI/mL hCG, 1 mg/mL progesterone (P4), 1 mg/mL estradiol (E2); in bi-phasic system B oocytes were matured for 48 h in BM with hCG and for 24 h in BM with P4; in bi-phasic system C oocytes were matured for 48 h in BM with hCG, P4 and E2, and for 24 h in BM with P4. In system D (control), oocytes were cultured in BM without hormones. In sytems B and C hormones were supplemented at the same doses as in system A. The results suggest that the use of bi-phasic systems was beneficial for oocyte meiosis and cytoplasmic maturation (P<0,05). No difference was noticed with regards to the influence of reproductive status on maturation rates (P>0,05). The addition of spermatozoa to the medium had no benefit on MII stage rates (P>0,05); however, the percentage of degenerated oocytes has significantly increased. / Doutor

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Submitted by Lucelia Lucena (lucelia.lucena@ufpe.br) on 2015-03-10T18:40:10Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação Mariana BC.pdf: 1108807 bytes, checksum: b6027737332aea938781adee1ee56a01 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-10T18:40:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 1232 bytes, checksum: 66e71c371cc565284e70f40736c94386 (MD5) Dissertação Mariana BC.pdf: 1108807 bytes, checksum: b6027737332aea938781adee1ee56a01 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-02-15 / CNPq / A depressão alastrante cortical (DAC) e a potenciação de longa duração (LTP) são fenômenos neurais relacionados com a excitabilidade do cérebro. Recentemente, descrevemos uma potenciação da atividade elétrica cortical espontânea (eletrocorticograma – ECoG), in vivo, em ratos machos adultos que tinham sido submetidos à DAC (SOUZA et al, 2011; Exp. Brain Res. v. 214, p. 463–469). No entanto, não há informações disponíveis sobre esse efeito no cérebro feminino. Os hormônios ovarianos têm papel importante na excitabilidade cerebral, provocando um aumento significante na indução da DAC e da LTP. Condições favoráveis e desfavoráveis de lactação podem influenciar o desenvolvimento e parâmetros eletrofisiológicos cerebrais. Neste trabalho, investigou-se a influência do gênero (machos versus fêmeas) e de distintas condições de lactação (grandes ninhadas versus pequenas) sobre a potenciação da atividade elétrica do córtex cerebral dependente da DAC. Ratos Wistar adultos machos (M) e fêmeas (F) foram amamentados em ninhadas de 6 ou 12 filhotes (Grupos L6 e L12, com 10M e 13F em cada condição de lactação). Aos 90-120 dias de idade, foi registrado o ECoG em duas regiões parietais: anterior (a) e posterior (p), por um período contínuo de quatro horas. As duas primeiras horas do registro transcorreram sem que a DAC fosse deflagrada (Período Basal) e nas duas horas finais, a DAC foi deflagrada, a cada 20-30min, pela estimulação com KCl a 2% (Período DAC). Amostras dos registros em papel foram digitalizadas, em cada hora, e analisadas por meio de um algoritmo específico. As amplitudes do ECoG foram convertidas em unidades relativas e comparadas, no mesmo animal, antes e após a presença da DAC, como base para analisar a ocorrência da potenciação da atividade elétrica espontânea. Dois grupos controle de animais L6, de ambos os sexos, denominados DAC¯ e DAC+, foram acrescentados ao estudo: (10 machos e 7 fêmeas em cada grupo). Nos grupos DAC+ a DAC foi deflagrada nas 3 últimas horas de registro para verificar se um maior período de estimulação modificou o padrão das amplitudes do ECoG. Nos grupos DAC¯ as 4 horas do registro transcorreram sem deflagração da DAC para determinar se o tempo de registro – e não a DAC – influenciou as mudanças de amplitudes do ECoG. Em comparação com os valores basais, as amplitudes no período DAC aumentaram significantemente (p<0,05; Teste t pareado) no ponto a, nos grupos L6M, L6F, L12M e L12F, (aumentos de 19% a 38%), e no ponto p, apenas nos grupos L12 (aumentos de 22% e 50% para machos e fêmeas, respectivamente). Os grupos DAC+ apresentaram aumento significante nas amplitudes do ECoG no ponto a (aumentos de 27% e 34% para machos e fêmeas, respectivamente). Os grupos DAC¯, nos quais não se provocou a DAC, apresentaram amplitudes semelhantes durante as 4 horas do registro. Os resultados: (1) indicam que no rato a DAC potencia a atividade elétrica cortical “in vivo”, sugerindo efeito semelhante à LTP; (2) corroboram a existência de diferenças regionais no tecido cortical, quanto à potenciação; (3) sugerem que essa potenciação é modulada pela interação gênero / condição de lactação.