Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Taxonomy Of Corynebacterium Plant Pathogens, Including A New Pathogen Of Wheat, Based On Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis Of Cellular Proteins, Randall R. Carlson, Anne K. Vidaver

Biological Process Development Facility: Staff Publications

The known extant plant pathogenic Corynebacterium species were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of their cellular proteins. The patterns of the protein bands of 13 species and a new corynebacterial wheat pathogen showed seven distinct groups. Five of these groups consisted of only one species each, one group contained four species, and the last group contained the new wheat pathogen and the remaining four species. The pathogens that could not be distinguished by the polyacrylamide gel analysis differed in phenotypic characteristics, including pathogenic specificity. Thus, for these bacteria we propose recognition of the following taxa: Corynebacterium fascians (Tilford) Dowson, Corynebacterium …

Bacterial Mosaic, A New Corynebacterial Disease Of Wheat, Randall R. Carlson, Anne K. Vidaver

Biological Process Development Facility: Staff Publications

Bacterial mosaic is a foliar disease of wheat; characteristic symptoms are small yellow lesions, more or less uniformly distributed over the leaf. It was discovered in Nebraska in the spring of 1976. By 1979, the pathogen was distributed over an 800-km range and had been isolated from 16 cultivars of winter wheat. The pathogen is Corynebacterium michiganense subsp. tessellarius, a Gram-positive coryneform. Wheat was the only host that showed symptoms after inoculation. The pathogen reached high population levels (> 10' colony-forming units per gram of fresh weight) without apparent symptoms in tomato and in six of nine gramineous plants …

Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation With Interposed Abdominal Compression In Dogs, Sandra H. Ralston, Charles F. Babbs, Mark J. Niebauer

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

This study was conducted to evaluate the hemodynamic effectiveness of a new modification of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), termed interposed abdominal compression- CPR (IAC-CPR). IAC-CPR utilizes all the steps of standard CPR with the addition of abdominal compressions interposed during the release phase of chest compression. Ventricular fibrillation was induced electrically in 10 anesthetized dogs, and either IAC-CPR or standard CPR was initiated while arterial and venous blood pressures and cardiac output were monitored. The two CPR methods were alternated every three minutes over a period of thirty minutes. The addition of interposed abdominal compressions to standard CPR improved arterial pressures …

Characterization Of The Oscillometric Method For Measuring Indirect Blood Pressure, L A. Geddes, M Voelz, C Combs, D Reiner, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

In this study, human subjects and dogs were used to determine the ability of the oscillometric method to indicate systolic and diastolic pressure. In the human studies, the auscultatory method was used as the reference. In the animal studies, directly recorded blood pressure was used as the reference. The ability of the sudden increase in cuff pressure oscillations during cuff deflation to indicate systolic pressure was examined and found to overestimate systolic pressure slightly in man, but more in animals. Systolic pressure was encountered when the cuff pressure oscillations were about one half of their maximum amplitude. However, in both …

Hydralazine-Enhanced Selective Heating Of Transmissible Venereal Tumor Implants In Dogs, William D. Voorhees Iii, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that vasodilator drugs can enhance selective heating of solid tumors by producing a favorable redistribution of blood flow between tumor and normal tissues. Subcutaneous transmissible venereal tumor implants were heated by inductive diathermy using Helmholtz coils in 8 dogs. The temperature rise in tumor and adjacent muscle was measured before and after giving hydralazine (0.5 mg/kg i.v.). Blood flow to the tumors and underlying muscle was measured with radioactive tracer microspheres. Before hydralazine treatment mean muscle blood flow was about one-third tumor blood flow (0.11  0.02 vs. 0.28  0.09 ml/min/g), …

Biology Of Local Heat Therapy For Cancer, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Successful cancer therapy must selectively destroy tumor tissue while sparing the host's normal tissues. Local heat treatment can have such a selective effect because abnormalities in tumor blood vessels supply less oxygen to heat-stressed tumor cells and are less efficient in cooling tumor tissue by blood perfusion.

Equipment For Local Hyperthermia Therapy Of Cancer, Charles F. Babbs, James R. Oleson, John A. Pearce

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Rapid improvements in hyperthermia apparatus are being achieved by industrial and university-based research groups that have already led to the marketing of a variety of commercial systems for heat therapy of malignancy. These tissue heating systems employ microwaves, capacitively or inductively coupled radiofrequency current, or high intensity ultrasound to produce controlled local heating of tumor tissues. No single system is superior to others in all applications; each has its limitations.

Theoretical Feasibility Of Vasodilator-Enhanced Local Tumor Heating, Charles F. Babbs, David P. Dewitt, William D. Voorhees, Janet S. Mccaw, Rosanna C. Chan

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Normal arterioles, in contrast to the abnormal microvasculature of many solid tumors, provide a target for selective drug action that can enhance local heat treatment of the tumors. Measurements of tissue blood flow with radioactive microspheres and estimates of changes in blood flow with thermal clearance methods revealed that vasodilator drugs either decreased or did not alter blood flow in hamster melanoma, rat hepatoma, and canine transmissible venereal tumor, while increasing perfusion in adjacent normal tissues 2 to 4-fold. Solutions of the bio-heat transfer equation, which take into account such selective effects of vasodilators on blood flow in normal tissues, …

Tillage Factors Affecting Corn Seed Spacing, Paul J. Jasa, Elbert C. Dickey

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

An on-farm survey was conducted in Nebraska to determine factors affecting corn seed spacing uniformity. Statistical analysis indicated that relative surface roughness, amount of residue present, amount of preplant tillage, and tillage system were important factors affecting uniformity. Subsequently, replicated tillage plots at eight locations were used to evaluate seed spacing uniformity with different planters and tillage systems. Seed spacing coefficient of variation and a planter index developed showed conservation tillage does not significantly reduce seed spacing uniformity.

Bioassays- Procedures And Results, A. F. Maciorowski, L. W. Little, Ronald C. Sims, J. L. Sims

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

Bioassay procedures to describe, evaluate, and predict potential hazard of toxic materials to organisms, ecosystems, and health-related aspects of polluted waters continue to receive widespread attention. However, synthesizing these diverse theoretical, methodological, and procedural entities into an integrated multidisciplinary approach to evaluate environ mental hazards of toxic substances remains difficult. Symposia proceedings pertinent to the toxic substances management in ecosystems have appeared¹ and provide an overview of major problems and emerging solutions, including chapters on new bioassay protocols development, and multiple exposure toxicity paradigms. Conclusions and recommendations resulting from a toxicity testing workshop² discussed current state-of-the-art, identified needed …

Investigation Of Blood Pressure Measurement Using A Hydraulic Occlusive Cuff, Kusha R. Bhattarai

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis presents an improved oscillotonometric system for the measurement of human blood pressure. The study included:

1. The design of a hydraulic occlusive cuff,

2. The investigation of the wave forms taken from the blood pressure measurements, and

3. The design of a mechanism for the simulation of human blood pressure pulse.

In this study, an experimental system consisting of a rigid shell occlusive cuff, a constant volume displacement pump, a transducer, and a chart recorder was designed and used for data collection.

Field Evaluation Of Calibration Accuracy For Pesticide Application Equipment, A. R. Rider, Elbert C. Dickey

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

A 1979 field survey was conducted in Nebraska and western Iowa of 152 private and commercial pesticide applicators. The survey showed that only one out of every four cooperators were applying pesticides within 5 percent of their estimated application rate. Incorrect calibration accounted for the greatest amount of application errors and ranged from nearly 60 percent under application to more than 90 percent over application. Uniformity of the application was also in error. The coefficient of variation among nozzles for liquid applicators averaged 21.9 percent whereas granular applicators averaged 4. 7 percent among boxes. The survey also showed that the …