Refine
Labor/Institute
- BIOMEMS Lab (5) (remove)
Keywords
- Bioink (1)
- Biomaterial (1)
- Bioprinting (1)
- Energy-Harvesting (1)
- Fusion Bonding (1)
- In Vitro, Ultrasound, Neuromodulation, Neuron (1)
- In vitro cell systems (1)
- MEMS (1)
- Micro-Heater (1)
- Mikrosystemtechnik (1)
Document Type
- Other (5) (remove)
Language
- English (5)
Has Fulltext
- yes (5)
Nickel-iron (NiFe) nanowires with a high contentof nickel and large aspect-ratio show promising characteris-tics for applications in modern micro-systems. In this study,nanowires with well-controlled diameter, height and compo-sition are fabricated using nanoporous poly-carbonate (PC)and anodized aluminum-oxide (AAO) membranes. Differ-ences between potentiostatic and pulsed deposition methodswere studied with regard to their flexibility and a recommen-dation for the best use of the individual types is given. Withthe application of the presented processes, future technolo-gies as magnetic energy-harvesting or nano-fluxgate sensorscan be improved.
Applying technologies of additive manufacturing to the field of tissue engineering created a pioneering new approach tomodelcomplex cell systemsartificially. Regarding its huge potential, bioprinting is still in its infancies and many questions are still unanswered. To address this issue, an extrusion-based bioprinting process was used to deposit human embryonic kidney (HEK) cellsin a defined pattern.It wasshownthat cells remained viable in the bioprinted construct for up to 8 days after printing (DAP). This work displays a proof of principle for a controlled cell formation which shall later be appliedtoin vitro drug screening tests.
Understanding the complexity of biological neural
networks like the human brain is one of the scientific
challenges of our century. The organization of the brain
can be described at different levels, ranging from small neural
networks to entire brain regions. Existing methods for
the description of functionally or effective connectivity are
based on the analysis of relations between the activities of
different neural units by detecting correlations or information
flow. This is a crucial step in understanding neural disorders
like Alzheimer’s disease and their causative factors.
To evaluate these estimation methods, it is necessary to refer
to a neural network with known connectivity, which is
typically unknown for natural biological neural networks.
Therefore, network simulations, also in silico, are available.
In this work, the in silico simulation of large scale neural
networks is established and the influence of different topologies
on the generated patterns of neuronal signals is investigated.
The goal is to develop standard evaluation methods
for neurocomputational algorithms with a realistic large
scale model to enable benchmarking and comparability of
different studies.
MEMS-based Micro-Heaters, in combination with thin-film temperature sensors, are often used for providing the necessary amount of thermal energy for sensor-applications. In this work, we propose an integrated micro-heater as actuator for fusion bonding of polymers, which can optimize the production process of electret-based micro-energy-harvesters. By adjusting the design parameters of thermoforming-molds, we can implement thin-film micro-heaters that are capable of generating temperatures of above 300°C for numerous cycles. Utilizing the integrated micro-heater allows local fusion bonding of Fluoroethylenepropylene (Teflon-FEP) foils on a micrometer-scale while reducing unnecessary thermal stress. This is beneficial for the longevity of the micro-energy-harvesters, while simultaneously improving its performance.
In Vitro Platform for Acoustic and Electrophysiological Investigations of Ultrasound Neuromodulation
(2017)
The quality of life has increased dramatically over the past decades. Approximately one billion individuals worldwide will be aged 65 years or older by 2030. With the increasing age of human population, prevalence of neurodegenerative ailments, such as Parkinson’s disease or Alzheimer’s disease, increases. Brain pacemakers are proposed to treat their symptoms. They provide the electrical stimulation of neuronal regions of the central or peripheral nervous system. But for the implantation of brain pacemakers, surgery is needed. Those surgical interventions can be avoided by using transcranial stimulation methods such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS). However, magnetic fields lack the possibility of focusing. Ultrasound (US) offers transcranial characteristics as well and allows focusing on a specific target area in the brain. Over 60 years ago, the Hodgkin-Huxley (H-H) model was presented to simulate the electrophysiological activity of neurons but it lacks to describe the impact of mechanical soundwaves on action potentials in a neuron.