Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

System And Process For Producing Biodiesel Fuel With Reduced Viscosity And A Cloud Point Below Thirty-Two (32) Degrees Fahrenheit , Hossein Noureddini

Papers in Biomaterials

Triglycerides are reacted in a liquid phase reaction with a homogeneous basic catalyst and alcohol, such as ethanol or methanol. The reaction yields a spatially separated two phase result with an upper located non-polar phase consisting principally of transesterified triglycerides and a lower located phase consisting principally of crude glycerol and residual transesterified triglycerides. The transesterified triglycerides and/or glycerol phase is/are optionally, each separately passed through strong cationic ion exchanger(s) to remove anions, resulting in neutral product(s). The crude glycerol is then flashed to remove alcohol and is reacted with an etherifying agent, such as isobutylene or isoamylene, in the …

Manure Impacts On Interrill Erosion, John E. Gilley, Bahman Eghball, J. M. Blumenthal, David D. Baltensperger

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Conference Presentations and White Papers

This study was conducted to measure runoff and erosion from interrill areas as affected by the long-term application of manure and fertilizer to a Tripp sandy loam soil located near Mitchell, Nebraska. Soil that had been removed from the top 0.1 m of the soil profile was placed in a 1 m² soil pan. Rainfall was then applied to the soil pan during initial and wet simulation events. Total runoff was similar on the manure and no-manure treatments. The long-term application of manure (55 years) at a rate of 27 Mg ha^-1 (wet basis) per year did not …

Is Extended Volume Of External Beam Irradiation Beneficial In Post-Esophagectomy High Risk Patients Receiving Combined Chemoradiation Therapy?, E. Yu, A. R. Dar, R. Ash, G. Videtic, P. Truong, L. Stitt, A. Tomiak, M. Vincent, R. Malthaner, I. Craig, E. Brecevic, W. Kocha, R. Inculet, M. Lefcoe

Oncology Presentations

OBJECTIVE: To assess the value of extended volume irradiation with anastomotic coverage in high risk resected esophageal cancer patients.

METHOD: A retrospective study was undertaken at LRCC from 1989-1999 for high risk resected esophageal cancer patients. Adjuvant treatments consisted of 4 cycles of chemotherapy (epirubicin/fluorouracil/cisplatin or cisplatin/fluorouracil), and local regional irradiation with or without coverage of the anastomotic site. Radiation dose ranged from 45-60Gy at 1.8-2.0 Gy/fraction given with initial anterior-posterior/posterior-anterior arrangement with either extended (with anastomotic coverage) or small (without anastomotic coverage) field followed by oblique fields for boost.

RESULT: One hundred eighty-eight charts were reviewed. Seventy-two patients were …

Application Of Digital Image Processing To Marker-Free Analysis Of Human Gait, Jane Courtney, David Burke, Annraoi Depaor

Articles

The standard method of human gait analysis in use in gait laboratories today invariably involves marker-based motion tracking systems. Although somewhat effective, these methods require accurate placement of awkward external markers. We report on an enhanced approach being researched and developed at the National Rehabilitation Hospital, Dublin based on marker-free motion tracking incorporating advanced digital image processing techniques.

Perioperative Nurse Training In Cardiothoracic Surgical Robotics, M. A. Connor, P. J. Handley, Jeffrey A. Reinbolt

Jeffrey A. Reinbolt

The exponential growth of OR technology during the past 10 years has placed increased demands on perioperative nurses. Proficiency is required not only in patient care but also in the understanding, operating, and troubleshooting of video systems, computers, and cutting edge medical devices. The formation of a surgical team dedicated to robotically assisted cardiac surgery requires careful selection, education, and handson practice. This article details the six-week training process undertaken at Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Sarasota, Ha, which enabled staff members to deliver excellent patient care with a high degree of confidence in themselves and the robotic technology.

Evaluation Of The Precision Of Magnetic Resonance Phase Velocity Mapping For Blood Flow Measurements, George P. Chatzimavroudis, John N. Oshinski, Robert H. Franch, Peter G. Walker, Ajit P. Yoganathan, Roderic I. Pettigrew

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Evaluating the in vivo accuracy of magnetic resonance phase velocity mapping (PVM) is not straightforward because of the absence of a validated clinical flow quantification technique. The aim of this study was to evaluate PVM by investigating its precision, both in vitro and in vivo, in a 1.5 Tesla scanner. In the former case, steady and pulsatile flow experiments were conducted using an aortic model under a variety of flow conditions (steady: 0.1–5.5 L/min; pulsatile: 10–75 mL/cycle). In the latter case, PVM measurements were taken in the ascending aorta of ten subjects, seven of which had aortic regurgitation. Each velocity …

Focal Osteolysis At The Junctions Of A Modular Stainless-Steel Femoral Intramedullary Nail, Darron M. Jones, Lawrence Marsh, James V. Nepola, Joshua J. Jacobs, Anastasia K. Skipor, Robert M. Urban, Jeremy L. Gilbert, Josheph A. Buckwater

Biomedical and Chemical Engineering - All Scholarship

Background:

During routine follow-up of patients treated with a three-piece stainless-steel modular femoral nail, osteolysis and periosteal reaction around the modular junctions of some of the nails were noted on radiographs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence, etiology, and clinical relevance of these radiographic findings.

Methods:

Forty-four femoral fractures or nonunions in forty-two patients were treated with a modular stainless-steel femoral intramedullary nail. Seventeen nails were excluded, leaving twenty-seven intramedullary nails in twenty-seven patients for this study. All patients had had a femoral diaphyseal fracture; nineteen had had an acute fracture and eight, a nonunion. These …

Biomechanics Of Heading A Soccer Ball: Implications For Player Safety, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

To better understand the risk and safety of heading a soccer ball, the author created a set of simple mathematical models based upon Newton’s second law of motion to describe the physics of heading. These models describe the player, the ball, the flight of the ball before impact, the motion of the head and ball during impact, and the effects of all of these upon the intensity and the duration of acceleration of the head. The calculated head accelerations were compared to those during presumably safe daily activities of jumping, dancing, and head nodding and also were related to established …

Consensus Evidence Evaluation In Resuscitation Research: Analysis Of Type I And Type Ii Errors, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Objective: This paper addresses the following statistical question: ‘if genuine improvements in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) were discovered that doubled the probability of resuscitation success in a series of randomized clinical trials, would they be recognized and incorporated into consensus guidelines?’ Methods: Statistical powers for hypothetical individual clinical trials comparing experimental and control CPR were computed as a function of the study N when the true probabilities for immediate survival, 24 h survival, and discharge survival in the experimental group were twice those in the control group. Next, the binomial distributions describing the numbers of statistically significant studies in a series …

Energy Loss And Stiffness Properties Of Dynamic Elastic Response Prosthetic Feet, Mark Geil

Faculty and Research Publications

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Compression Processing Parameters And Antioxidants On Molecular Degradation Of Biodegradable Poly-L-Lactide (Plla), Thomas J. Hannan Jr.

Masters Theses

The purpose of this research was to find a combination of poly (L-lactic acid), also known as poly-L-lactide or (PLLA) and antioxidants that would, together, produce a product whose degradation rate would be advantageous for use in biodegradable medical implants. Intrinsic viscosity tests were conducted on compression molded samples of PLLA that were molded at various processing parameters in order to find optimal parameters. The optimal processing parameters were found to be time 10 minutes, temperature 220°C, and pressure 1000 psi.

The molecular weight of PLLA sample was taken while pressure, time, and temperature were varied. As pressure increased, no …

Phosphorus Risk Assessment Index Evaluation Using Runoff Measurements, Bahman Eghball, John E. Gilley

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

An index to evaluate the phosphorus (P) pollution potential of agricultural fields was proposed by Lemunyon and Gilbert in 1993. Data from three rainfall simulation studies were used to evaluate the relative importance of the variables in the P index. These studies included plots containing sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.), winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), and corn (Zea mays L.) residues on which chemical fertilizer and composted or noncomposted beef cattle feedlot manure were applied under no-till and disked conditions. The factors of erosion, runoff, soil P level P application source, and method, and rate of P addition …

Tillage And Fallow Effects On Selected Soil Quality Characteristics Of Former Conservation Reserve Program Sites, John E. Gilley, John W. Doran, Bahman Eghball

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Tillage and fallow have been suggested as management options for converting Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) areas to cropland. This study was conducted to measure selected soil quality characteristics of former CRP sites in Mississippi, Nebraska, and South Dakota that were tilled and then left fallow for 21 or 22 months. Soil samples from depth intervals of 0-7.6 cm and 0-30.5 cm were collected for laboratory assessment of the following soil quality indicators: bulk density, EC, pH, total C, organic C, total N, NO₃-N, NH₄-N, PO₄-P, biomass C, biomass N, anaerobic NH₄-N, lab …

Construction Of A Derivative Of Agrobacterium Tumefaciens C58 That Does Not Mutate To Tetracycline Resistance, Zhao-Qing Luo, Thomas E. Clemente, Stephen K. Farrand

Nebraska Center for Biotechnology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Agrobacterium tumefaciens C58 mutates to tetracycline resistance at high frequency, complicating the use of many broad-host-range cloning and binary vectors that code for resistance to this antibiotic as the selection marker. Such mutations are associated with a resistant gene unit, tet_C58, that is present in the genome of this strain. By deleting the tet_C58 locus, we constructed NTL4, a derivative of C58 that no longer mutates to tetracycline resistance. The deletion had no detectable effect on genetic or physiological traits of NTL4 or on the ability of this strain to transform plants.

Postural Balance And Acceleration Threshold Detection For Anterior Horizontal Translation In Diabetic And Non-Diabetic Elderly, Venkatesh Balasubramanian

Doctoral Dissertations

Slips and falls, and even the fear of failing, can represent a major medical and functional deterrent to living independently, especially among the elderly population. Various groups of elders are at known risk for falling including, but not limited to, those with vestibular dysfunction, those with low visual acuity including visual neuropathies, and those with peripheral neuropathies. The first two groups are fairly well studied, but the relationship between the level of peripheral neuropathy and extent of falling has received relatively less attention.

In this study, using sliding linear investigative platform for analyzing lower limb stability (SLIP-FALLS), the psychophysical thresholds …

Ultrasonographic Measurement Of Periodontal Attachment Levels, John Edward Lynch

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

Periodontal disease is one of the two major causes of tooth loss today, and has been associated with several systemic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Unfortunately, the most widely used diagnostic tool for assessment of periodontal diseases, measurement of periodontal attachment loss with a manual probe, may overestimate attachment loss by as much as 2mm in untreated sites, while underestimating attachment loss by an even greater margin following treatment. Manual probing is also invasive, which causes patient discomfort.;This work describes the development and testing of an ultrasonographic periodontal probe designed to replace manual probing. …

Cationic Surfactant Mediated Hybridization And Hydrophobization Of Dna Molecules At The Liquid/Liquid Interface And Their Phase Transfer, Murali Sastry, Ashavani Kumar, Mrunalini Pattarkine, Vidya Ramakrishnan, Krishna N. Ganesh

Faculty Works

Hybridization of complementary oligonucleotides mediated by a cationic surfactant at the water/hexane interface leads to hydrophobic, double-helical DNA which may be readily phase transferred to the organic phase and cast into thin films on solid substrates.

Reducing Long-Term Atrazine Runoff From South Central Nebraska, Walter Scott Gorneau, Thomas G. Franti, Brian L. Benham, Steve D. Comfort

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Heavy reliance on chemical weed control in field crops of South Central Nebraska has resulted in the appearance of atrazine at concentrations greater than established drinking water standards. Our objective was to evaluate the best management practices for atrazine runoff for the tillage and herbicide management practices common to the region under study. Field experiments were performed to measure edge–of–field atrazine and water loss from disk–till, ridge–till, and slot plant (no–till) management systems. Results indicated less water runoff from no–till (34% less) and ridge–till (36% less) than from disk–till. Similarly, atrazine loss was also less: 24% less for no–till and …

Application Of Fuzzy Logic In Automated Cow Status Monitoring, R. M. De Mol, Wayne Woldt

Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Sensors that measure yield, temperature, electrical conductivity of milk, and animal activity can be used for automated cow status monitoring. The occurrence of false-positive alerts, generated by a detection model, creates problems in practice. We used fuzzy logic to classify mastitis and estrus alerts; our objective was to reduce the number of false-positive alerts and not to change the level of detected cases of mastitis and estrus. Inputs for the fuzzy logic model were alerts from the detection model and additional information, such as the reproductive status. The output was a classification, true or false, of each alert. Only alerts …