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An Experimental Study Of An Advanced Polymeric Material For Use In Total Knee Replacements Including Gait Analysis Of Mobile Knee Bearings, Lisa Ann Scott

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The primary objectives of this research were to clinically examine the New Jersey Low Contact Stress (LCS)™ Rotating Platform and Meniscal knee bearing systems and to investigate the tribological properties of a new polymer for potential application in total joint replacement. Thus, clinical studies were performed on subjects having the LCSTM Rotating Platform knee bearing and subjects having the LCS™ meniscal knee bearing. The results indicated that there was a statistically significant difference in the braking force for both implant groups when compared to a control group. There was also a statistically significant difference noted for the LCS™ Rotating Platform …

Characterization Of Rainfall Runoff Quality From A Shipyard Drydock, Peter Pommerenk

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Water quality and hydrological data were collected during seventeen rain events and additional data was obtained from laboratory experiments to characterize the quality of stormwater runoff from a drydock located on the Elizabeth River in Norfolk, Virginia.

The results indicated that the concentrations of dissolved constituents in drydock runoff increased with decreasing flow rate, while solids concentrations exhibited positive correlation to flow rate, suggesting that the mobilization of particulate matter is velocity driven. Approximating the runoff hydrograph due to a storm event using a simple model enabled derivation of the average time that rainwater resides on the drydock surface before …

A Continuous Process For The Conversion Of Vegetable Oils Into Biodiesel, Hossein Noureddini, D Harkey, V Medikonduru

Papers in Biomaterials

Over the last few years fatty acid methyl esters have assumed importance as research has intensified on the utilization of vegetable oils and animal fats derivatives from liquid fuels (better known as biodiesel).Traditional batch processing has been an still is the most widely used process for this coversion. New and more efficient processing schemes. for large scale production of biodiesel for fuelfile1 purposes, is a. key for commercialization of biodiesel. In this, study a continuous process for the transesterification of triglycerides to methyl esters was investigated. This process is based a combined high shear and motionless reactor system. The experimental …

Effective Doses Of Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 In Experimental Spinal Fusion, Harvinder Sandhu, Linda E.A. Kanim, J. Michael Kabo, Jeffrey M. Toth, Erik N. Zeegen, David Liu, Rick B. Delamarter, Edgar G. Dawson

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Study Design

Nineteen dogs underwent L4-L5 intertransverse process fusions with either 58 μg, 115 μg, 230 μg, 460 μg, or 920 μg of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 carried by a polylactic acid polymer. A previous study (12 dogs) compared 2300 μg of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2, autogenous iliac bone, and carrier alone in this model. All fusions subsequently were compared.

Objectives

To characterize the dose-response relationship of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 in a spinal fusion model.

Summary of Background Data

Recombinant osteoinductive morphogens, such as recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2, are effective in vertebrate diaphyseal defect and …

Affinity Purification Of Biologically Active Andinactive Forms Of Recombinant Human Protein C Produced In Porcine Mammary Gland, Kevin E. Van Cott, Barry Williams Department Of Chemical Engineering,Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, Va 24061, Usa, William H. Velander, Francis C. Gwazdauskas, Tim Lee Jerome Holland Laboratory, American Red Cross, Rockville, Md 20855, Usa, Henryk Lubon, William N. Drohan

Papers in Biotechnology

Recombinant human protein C (rhPC) secreted in the milk of transgenic pigs was studied. 'Ikansgenes having different regulatory elements of the murine milk protein, whey acidic protein, were used with cDNA and genomic human protein C (hPC) DNA sequences to obtain lower and higher expressing animals. The cDNA pigs had a range of expression of about 0.1-0.5 g/l milk. Two different genomic hPC pig lines have expressed 0.3 and 1-2 g/l, respectively. The rhPC was first purified at yields greater than 60 per cent using a monoclonal antibody (mAb) to the activation site on the heavy chain of hPC. Subsequent …

Measurement Of Pressure And Assessment Of Cavitation For A 22.5-Khz Intra-Arterial Angioplasty Device, I. R. S. Makin, E. Carr Everbach

Engineering Faculty Works

This study was performed to understand better the mechanisms of action of an (22.5 kHz) ultrasonic wire catheter device used to remove atheromatous plaque in diseased blood vessels (ultrasonic angioplasty). During a clinical procedure, the wire acts as an acoustic waveguide to transfer acoustic energy from a generator outside the body to the ball tip of the wire, which is inserted in the blood vessel. The acoustic field radiated by the vibrating ball tip (1.5- to 3.0-mm diameter), was mapped in a relatively large (600 L) water tank and compared to the field from a well-characterized simple source. A dipolelike …

In Vitro Fatigue Behavior Of The Equine Third Metacarpus: Remodeling And Microcrack Damage Analysis, R.B. Martin, V.A. Gibson, S.M. Stover, J.C. Gibeling, L.V. Griffin

Biomedical Engineering

We studied remodeling and microcrack damage in specimens of Thoroughbred racehorse third metacarpal bone that had been subjected to monotonic or fatigue failure. We asked three questions. What effects does mechanical loading have on histologically observable microcrack damage? Are there regional variations in remodeling of the equine cannon bone, and do these variations correlate with mechanical properties? To what extent are remodeling and microcrack damage age-dependent? Machined beams from the medial, lateral, and dorsal cortices were loaded to fracture in four-point bending monotonically, or cyclically at a load initially producing 10,000 microstrain. Specimens were then bulk-stained in basic fuchsin, and …

Pancreatic Expression Of Interleukin-4 Abrogates Insulitis And Autoimmune Diabetes In Nonobese Diabetic (Nod) Mice., Regula Mueller, Troy Krahl, Nora Sarvetnick

Journal Articles: Regenerative Medicine

Diabetes in nonobese diabetic (NOD) mice is a T cell-dependent autoimmune disease. The destructive activities of autoreactive T cells have been shown to be tightly regulated by effector molecules. In particular, T helper (Th) 1 cytokines have been linked to diabetes pathogenesis, whereas Th2 cytokines and the cells that release them have been postulated to be protective from disease. To test this hypothesis, we generated transgenic NOD mice that express interleukin (IL) 4 in their pancreatic beta cells under the control of the human insulin promoter. We found that transgenic NOD-IL-4 mice, both females and males, were completely protected from …

A Comprehensive Modeling Environment For The Simulation Of Groundwater Flow And Transport, S. J. Owen, Norman L. Jones, J. P. Holland

Faculty Publications

A comprehensive graphical modeling environment has been developed to address the needs of the computer simulation of groundwater flow and transport. The Department of Defense Groundwater Modeling Systems (GMS), developed at the Engineering Computer Graphics Laboratory at Brigham Young University, is part of a multi-year project funded through the Department of Defense, Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency. GMS is a graphically based software tool providing facility through all aspects of the groundwater flow and transport modeling process. Facilities include geometric modeling of hydrostratigraphy, two- and three-dimensional mesh generation, graphically based model input for specific flow and transport codes, …

Applications Of Artificial Neural Networks In Interactive Simulation, Payman Jula

Masters Theses

Although there have been many improvements in simulation technology over the past few years, it still suffers from many limitations. Simulation methods are usually time consuming and hence not suitable for the interactive decision making processes.

In this project, applications of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) to simulate manufacturing systems have been studied. The backpropagation Multiple Layer Perceptrons (MLPs) have been applied to simulate manufacturing systems. Some guidelines for developing appropriate ANNs have been presented. The results of ANN approach have been compared to those of conventional simulation methods.

A Multi-Institutional Cooperative Approach To Power Engineering Education, Anil Pahwa, Kraig J. Olejniczak, S. D. Sughoff, Shelli K. Starrett, Mariesa Crow

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper describes the multi-institutional cooperative effort between the University of Missouri--Rolla, Kansas State University, and the University of Arkansas to develop two new courses in flexible power system control.

38th Rocky Mountain Conference On Analytical Chemistry

Rocky Mountain Conference on Magnetic Resonance

Final program, abstracts, and information about the 38th annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Conference on Analytical Chemistry, co-sponsored by the Colorado Section of the American Chemical Society and the Rocky Mountain Section of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy. Held in Denver, Colorado, July 21-26, 1996.

Monoclonal Antibody Assay And Kit For Detecting Metal Cations In Body Fluids, Randall R. Carlson, Jay S. Stout, Dwane E. Wylie, Fred W. Wagner, Malcolm Riddell

Biological Process Development Facility: Staff Publications

The invention provides method and kits for detecting a metallic cation in a sample of a body fluid. The preferred method and kits include the use of at least two different types of antibodies having different specificities. In the preferred method, the sample of body fluid can be contacted with an effective amount of a capture antibody specific for a naturally occurring polypeptide that can bind the metallic cation to form a first antigen-antibody complex. An effective amount of an antibody specific for an epitope on a metallic cation-naturally occurring polypeptide complex or an antibody specific for a metallic cation …

A Review Of Prosthetic Interface Stress Investigations, Barbara Silver-Thorn, John W. Steege, Dudley S. Childress

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Over the last decade, numerous experimental and numerical analyses have been conducted to investigate the stress distribution between the residual limb and prosthetic socket of persons with lower limb amputation. The objectives of these analyses have been to improve our understanding of the residual limb/prosthetic socket system, to evaluate the influence of prosthetic design parameters and alignment variations on the interface stress distribution, and to evaluate prosthetic fit. The purpose of this paper is to summarize these experimental investigations and identify associated limitations. In addition, this paper presents an overview of various computer models used to investigate the residual limb …

Rectified Synthesis Of Coupler Driven Four Bar Mechanisms For Two And Three Position Motion Generation, Ramanujam Thiruvenkatachari

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Four-bar mechanisms are widely used in the industry to solve a variety of motion problems. Till recently, their design was based on fundamental kinematics and brute force techniques, resulting in impractical designs and spurious linkages that failed to perform their desired functions effectively.

Procedures have been developed and implemented to guide the rigid body of crank driven four-bar linkages, through a set of design positions with techniques to avoid their defects. However, the practical applications of linkages used in the industry are coupler driven, with primitive synthesis procedures based on trial and error. The opening and closing of the hood …

Polyelectrolyte Dna Conjugation And Genetic Transformation Of An Animal , William H. Velander

Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering: Patents

Improved cellulosic beads for use as supports in bioaffinity chromatography are produced by dissolution of cellulose in a chaotropic cellulose solvent, formation of the dissolved cellulose into droplets, and immersion of the droplets into a non-solvent capable of solvent interchange with the cellulose solvent to form generally spherical porous cellulose beads of narrow particle size distribution. The beads formed are preferably made with cellulose having a degree of polymerization between 100 and 200, and the resulting beads when saturated with water without drying contain between 1% and 7% cellulose by weight and have a particle size of at least about …

Development Of Accident Reduction Factors, Kenneth R. Agent, Nikiforos Stamatiadis, Samantha S. Jones

Kentucky Transportation Center Research Report

The objective of this project is to develop accident reduction factors associated with various types of highway safety improvements. These factors will be used in the cost-optimization procedure to rank safety improvements.

The basis of the accident reduction factors developed in this study is a survey of states and a review of literature. The recommended reduction factors are presented in a table which lists the percent reduction in all accidents or specific types of accidents for given types of improvements.

Il-10 Is Necessary And Sufficient For Autoimmune Diabetes In Conjunction With Nod Mhc Homozygosity., Myung-Shik Lee, Regula Mueller, Linda S. Wicker, Laurence B. Peterson, Nora Sarvetnick

Journal Articles: Regenerative Medicine

Contrary to expectations based on in vitro experiments, we previously found that pancreatic IL-10 did not inhibit autoimmune diabetes but accelerated it in an MHC-dependent manner. Therefore, the ability of IL-10 to overcome the absence of all non-MHC diabetes susceptibility (Idd) alleles was studied in transgenic mice expressing pancreatic IL-10 backcrossed to B10.H2g7 congenic mice, which have no Idd alleles other than NOD MHC (H2g7). IL-10 transgenic backcross 1 (BC1) mice with H2g7/g7 haplotype developed clear-cut insulitis and diabetes, but neither transgenic mice with the H2g/b haplotype nor nontransgenic BC1 mice did so. Further implicating IL-10 in autoimmune diabetes, anti-IL-10 …

Measurement Of The Electroencephalogram (Eeg) Coherence, Atmospheric Noise, And Schumann Resonances In Group Meditation, Douglas A. Newandee

Theses

Electrical activity in the human body was investigated using EEG and ECG measurements while subjects remained with eyes open, eyes closed and in a meditation state. During these measurements, additional antennas were attached to the equipment to record atmospheric noise and signal activity simultaneously. The obtained data was analyzed and various observations were made. Processed data based on antenna signals clearly showed the presence of man-made signals, having narrow spectral widths that could be treated as atmospheric noise in the frequency range up to 50 Hz. In addition, signals clustered around 7.8, 14.1, 20.3, 26.4, and 32.5 Hz were observed …

Advanced Characterization And Leaching Behavior Of Hexavalent And Trivalent Chromium From Waste Material, Erik Moerman

Theses

In this thesis we employed advanced characterization techniques such as XRF, XRD, XPS, SEM, and EDS to provide detailed information about the chromium waste _ specifically chromium valence states (Cr(VI) and Cr(III)), and their chemical association with other phases in the waste matrix.

The removal of Cr(VI) was accomplished by leaching with aqueous solutions containing inorganic anions such as Cl^-, SO₄^2-, PO₄^3- and others. Cr(VI) can be released from the waste by a combination of desorption and ion exchange processes. The efficiency and kinetics of displacing CrO₄^2- from the waste by …

A Mathematical Model Of Cardiovascular System With Feedback Control, Jiayu Gu

Theses

A mathematical model of human cardiovascular system is presented in this study. The closed-loop model is composed of twenty compartments which includes the left and right ventricles, and the systemic and pulmonary circulations. Two physiologic feedback control mechanisms, autoregulation of blood flow and baroreceptor reflex regulation of arterial pressure, are incorporated in the model. Autoregulation acts by changing local resistance to blood flow through metabolic and myogenic mechanisms, thereby insuring a match between oxygen supply and demand for any tissue or organ. Baroreceptors act through neural pathways to alter heart rate, contractility and peripheral resistance in order to return sudden …

A New Concept In Artificial Ligament And Tendons Modeling : Finite Element Analysis, Miroslaw Sokol

Theses

Reconstruction of the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) has been a major focus in sports medicine for over twenty years. Severe or unrepairable damage of the ACL due to sport injury is a major problem faced by orthopedic surgeons and engineers. To successfully replace or reconstruct an injured ACL, the mechanical properties as well as the dimensional limitation of the material used must be similar to the biological ligaments. Although excessive literature describes experimental investigation on the mechanical property and clinical application of the ligament material, there is no analytical study that describes strains, stresses, and endurance in the bone/ligament/bone complex. …

Acuta Enews May 1996, Vol. 25, No. 5

ACUTA Newsletters

In This Issue

From the President

DC at a Glance

Letter to FCC

High-Tech Crime

From ACUTA Headquarters

A Comparative Analysis Of Viable Solar Thermal Technologies For Solar Field Development And Commercialization, Sean M. Crawford

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Diminishing fossil fuels and concerns about the quality of the environment has lead the recent drive to establish a commercialized solar field in Southern Nevada. The competing solar thermal technologies for the Solar Enterprise Zone (SEZ) are Parabolic Dish-Stirling, Central Receiver Power Towers, and Parabolic Trough Systems. It is important to compare the technologies based on the guidelines set by the Corporation for Solar Technology and Renewable Resources. The variables weighted are solar conversion performances, initial capital investment, operation and maintenance costs, water and land use, and electricity production costs. All technologies have been proven to viable power sources and …

Organic Matter Characterization Of Virginia Rivers And Reservoirs, Susanne Margaret Lockhart

Civil & Environmental Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Research was conducted on characterizing the DOC characteristics and to discern whether spatial and temporal variations exist in these characteristics as impacted by seasonal, hydrologic or other factors. Data was cumulative of two studies: the State-Wide Survey in which water samples were taken in March and July 1995 from surface waters in four physiographic regions of Virginia and the James River Peninsula Survey concentrating on reservoirs and rivers on the James River Peninsula.

Results illustrate that the two largest fractions of DOC were the hydrophilic and hydrophobic acid fractions. An increase in DOC was observed between the mountains and the …

Toward A Balanced Strategy To Address Contaminated Groundwater Plumes At The Massachusetts Military Reservation, Richard C. Peralta

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

This document contains the findings and recommendations of the Technical Review and Evaluation Team (TRET) for the plume containment project at the Massachusetts Military Reservation (MMR). The findings and recommendations are in response to the 60 Percent Plume Containment Design, submitted by Operational Technologies (OpTech) in January 1996. In short, the TRET recommends the MMR depart substantially from the strategy of simultaneous, 100 percent containment and treatment that was assigned to OpTech for design in accordance with the Record of Decision (ROD) for Interim Action. This strategy guided the course of the plume containment project over the past two years

Space Trajectory Simulation For The Internet, Michael Selby, Patrick Newton

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Applying Photovoltaics To Disaster Relief, Florida Solar Energy Center, William Young

FSEC Energy Research Center®

Hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, and other disasters can happen at any time, often with little or no advance warning. They can be as destructive as Hurricane Andrew leaving several hundred-thousand people homeless or as minor as an afternoon thunderstorm knocking down local power lines to your home. Major disasters leave many people without adequate medical services, portable water, electrical service and communications. In response to a natural disaster, photovoltaic (solar electric) modules offer a source of quite, safe, pollution-free electrical power. Photovoltaic (PV) power systems are capable of providing the electrical needs for vaccine refrigerators, microscopes, medical equipment, lighting, radios, …

18th Conference On Senior Engineering Design Projects, College Of Engineering And Applied Sciences

Senior Engineering Design Conference

The 18th Conference on Senior Engineering Design Projects was held on April 9, 1996 at the College of Engineering and applied Sciences on the Parkview Campus of Western Michigan University. The college sponsors the conference to showcase the work of its graduating seniors, who are required to complete a capstone project that puts into practice what they have learned. Many of the projects are sponsored by business and industry.

Sensitivity Analysis And Optimization Of Aerodynamic Configurations With Blend Surfaces, Almuttil Mathew Thomas

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A novel (geometrical) parametrization procedure using solutions to a suitably chosen fourth order partial differential equation is used to define a class of airplane configurations. Inclusive in this definition are surface grids, volume grids, and grid sensitivity. The general airplane configuration has wing, fuselage, vertical tail and horizontal tail. The design variables are incorporated into the boundary conditions, and the solution is expressed as a Fourier series. The fuselage has circular cross section, and the radius is an algebraic function of four design parameters and an independent computational variable. Volume grids are obtained through an application of the Control Point …