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Full-Text Articles in Mechanical Engineering
Microfluidic Platform For Impedance Characterization Of Endothelial Cells Under Fluid Shear Stress., Vanessa Velasco
Microfluidic Platform For Impedance Characterization Of Endothelial Cells Under Fluid Shear Stress., Vanessa Velasco
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Endothelium dysfunction has been associated with many pathophysiological processes leading to cardiovascular diseases. Studying endothelium behavior is vital to understand the onset, prevention, and treatment of such diseases. Electrical impedance spectroscopy has been shown to provide a real-time in vitro evaluation of cell behavior including cell monolayer permeability. However, the majority of published work has been primarily with static cell culture models or macro-scale models that do not properly represent the physiological sizes, structures, and environmental conditions of human blood vessels. Within this dissertation, the design, fabrication, characterization, and application of a microfluidic impedance platform is presented for the in …
Statistical Modeling To Investigate Anatomy And Function Of The Knee, Lowell Matthew Smoger
Statistical Modeling To Investigate Anatomy And Function Of The Knee, Lowell Matthew Smoger
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
The natural knee is a hinge joint with significant functional requirements during activities of daily living; as a result, acute and chronic injuries can occur. Pathologies are influenced by joint anatomy and may include patellar maltracking, cartilage degeneration (e.g. osteoarthritis), or acute injuries such as meniscal or ligamentous tears. Population variability makes broadly applicable conclusions about etiology of these conditions from small-scale investigations challenging. The work presented in this dissertation is a demonstration of statistical modeling approaches to evaluate population variability in anatomy of the knee and function of its tibiofemoral (TF) and patellofemoral (PF) joints. Three-dimensional (3D) computational models …
Finite Element And Probabilistic Analysis Of Soft Tissue Structures Of The Human Lumbar Spine, Dana Joseph Coombs
Finite Element And Probabilistic Analysis Of Soft Tissue Structures Of The Human Lumbar Spine, Dana Joseph Coombs
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Human lumbar spine mechanics are influenced by soft tissue structures. Understanding and properly modeling these structures can help determine pathology, treatment, and implant design and performance. Finite element models of the L4-L5 level of the lumbar spine are often used, which include a representation of the intervertebral disc and spinal ligaments. Validation of these models are typically based on torque rotation data from a single subject or the models use average properties reported in literature. However, experimental testing reports variation up to 40% in ligament stiffness and even greater variability for annulus fibrosis properties. Probabilistic approaches enable consideration of the …