Engineering Commons^™

Three Dimensional Diaphragm Simulation Model For The Relationship Of The Tension, Pressure And Shape, Zhangming He

Theses

Weakness of inspiratory muscles is a major cause of respiratory failure. There are many clinical circumstances in which it may occur. The diaphragm is a major respiratory muscle. It has been difficult to quantify its shape, curvature and length.

To solve this question, a three dimensional diaphragm equation was derived on the, assumption that the diaphragm is only attached at its periphery to the rib cage and the abdomen is filled with fluid. Computer programs were developed to fit the equation to the diaphragm contours obtained from plane X rays.

The results indicate that the ratio of transdiaphragmatic pressure to …

Reconstruction And Enhancement Of Medical Computed Tomography Images, Manoj K. Pattahil

Theses

The aim of Computed Tomography is to obtain information regarding the nature of the materials occupying precise positions inside the body. But due to errors in the projection data, which arise due to errors in measurement, beam hardening, missing data and noise, the reconstructed image has artifacts which reduces its diagnostic value. Thus the image obtained has to be processed to remove these artifacts and to improve the quality of the image. This is achieved by iterative reconstruction along with different post-reconstruction processing. Iterative reconstruction is done by repeating the process of projecting the image and creating new projection data …

Contour Extraction From Hvem Image Of Microvessel Using Active Contour Models, Manping Xiao

Theses

This thesis reports the research results on automatic contour extraction from high voltage electron microscope (HVEM) image of thick cross section montages of small blood vessels. The previous work on this subject, which was based on the conventional edge detection operations combined with edge linking, has proven inadequate to describe the inner structural compartments of microvessels. In this thesis, an active contour model (commonly referred to as "Snakes") has been applied to advance the previous work. Active contour models have proven themselves to be a powerful and flexible paradigm for many problems in image understanding, especially in contour extraction from …

Patient, Disease And Surgical Parameters In The Prediction Of Histologic Nodes And Recurrence Of Squamous Cell Carcinoma, Adolfo A. Ferreira

Theses

This research explores the impact of a variety patient, disease and lesion parameters upon the probability of post surgery recurrence of squamous cell carcinoma and the involvement of histologic nodes. It was found that parameters such as number of nodes, Lymph Vascular Space Invasion (LVS), figo stage, growth rate and host response as well as tumor thickness, depth of invasion and lesion size are good predictors. Other parameters such as cell type and condylomas were found to correlate minimally with recurrence and histologic nodes. Surgical parameters such as surgical margin and distance surgical margin were found to have poor correlation …

Biomechanical Comparison Of Interosseous And Subperiosteal Flexor Tendon Reattachment, Alisa Beth Olin

Theses

This study was undertaken to biomechanically compare the interosseous and subperiosteal distal flexor tendon reattachment techniques. Twenty New Zealand white rabbits underwent division of the right second and third hind limb profundus flexor tendon distal to the insertion of the superficial flexor. All tendons were repaired using the Kleinnert-Bunnell configuration with a 5-0 nylon tied over a cotton pad on the dorsum of the digit. In half of the animals, the second profundus was reattached into a hole in the middle phalanx and the third profundus was reattached after periosteal stripping of the middle phalanx. The other animals underwent subperiosteal …

Intergranular Corrosion-Fatigue Failure Of Cobalt-Alloy Femoral Stems. A Failure Analysis Of Two Implants, Jeremy L. Gilbert, Christine A. Buckley, Joshua J. Jacobs, Kim C. Bertin, Michael R. Zernich

Biomedical and Chemical Engineering - All Scholarship

Two modular hip implants with a cobalt-alloy head and a cobalt-alloy stem were retrieved after a fracture had occurred in the neck region of the femoral component, eighty-five and seventy months after implantation. Both implants failed less than one millimeter distal to the taper junction between the head and the stem (outside of the taper). The fracture surfaces of the implant were investigated with the use of scanning electron microscopy, to determine the nature of the failure process. The fractures occurred at the grain boundaries of the microstructure and appeared to be the result of three factors: porosity at the …

The Evolution Of Abdominal Compression In Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Charles F. Babbs

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

Objective: To review the history of external abdominal compression as an adjunct to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), tracking the development of five major themes over the course of the 20th century: 1) augmentation of peripheral resistance by physical means, 2) risk of hepatic injury with abdominal compression, 3) counterpulsation vs. sustained compression, 4) the abdominal pump mechanism, and 5) contact compression techniques. Methods: Literature retrieved from successive MEDLINE English-language searches was reviewed with a special emphasis on work and concepts highlighted by participants at the First Purdue Conference on Interposed Abdominal Compression-CPR, September 1992. Results: External abdominal compression of one form …

Interposed Abdominal Compression As An Adjunct To Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, Charles F. Babbs, Jeffrey B. Sack, Karl B. Kern

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

The addition of interposed abdominal compression (IAC) to otherwise standard CPR provides external pressure over the abdomen in counterpoint to the rhythm of chest compression. Interposed abdominal compression is a simple manual technique that can supplement the use of adrenergic drugs to increase both coronary perfusion pressure and total blood flow during CPR. Mechanistically, manual abdominal compressions induce both central aortic and central venous pressure pulses. However, owing to differences in venous versus arterial capacitance, the former are usually greater than the latter, so that systemic perfusion pressure is enhanced. Moreover, practical experience and theoretical analysis have suggested subtle refinements …

Darcy-Weisbach Roughness Coefficients For Selected Crops, John E. Gilley, E. R. Kottwitz

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Total hydraulic resistance on an upland agricultural site may be influenced by several factors including standing vegetation. In this laboratory study, Darcy-Weisbach roughness coefficients were measured for corn, cotton, sorghum, soybeans, sunflower, and wheat vegetation. Experimental variables used in this investigation in addition to crop type included plant population, row spacing, row orientation, and flow rate. For some of the experimental tests, a single row of vegetation was oriented within a flume parallel to the principal flow direction. For the remainder of the tests, rows of vegetation were placed perpendicular to the flow using row spacings and plant populations recommended …

Water Vapor Permeability And Mechanical Properties Of Grain Protein-Based Films As Effected By Mixtures Of Polyethylene Glycol Amd Glycerin Plasticizers, H. J. Park, J. M. Bunn, Curtis L. Weller, P. J. Vergano, R. F. Testin

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Grain protein-based films containing mixtures of glycerin and polyethylene glycol (PEG) as plasticizers were prepared and evaluated for water vapor permeability (WVP), tensile strength (TS), and elongation (E). Changes in mechanical properties during storage were also studied. The PEG produced opposite trends in E of wheat gluten and corn-zein films. The TS of wheat gluten films increased and E of the films decreased as the ratio of glycerin/PEG decreased. Corn-zein films containing only glycerin were very brittle (E of 4%), and E of the films improved to 94% when the ratio of mL PEG/g protein was 0.39. The WVP of …

Long Term Tillage Effects On Grain Yield And Soil Properties In A Soybean/Grain Sorghum Rotation, Elbert C. Dickey, Paul J. Jasa, Robert Grisso

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

In Nebraska, early adopters of conservation tillage, especially those using no-till planting, had some concerns regarding planter performance, early season weed control, and possible yield reductions. Selected tillage and planting systems were used long term to evaluate effects on soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and grain sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] yield, soil properties, and residue cover in a non-irrigated rotation. The six tillage and planting systems selected for evaluation were: no-till, no-till with row-crop cultivation, disk, double disk, chisel, and plow. In 1981, two sets of field plots were established near Lincoln, NE, on a Sharpsburg silty …

Tillage And Planting System, Stalk Chopper, And Knife Applicator Influences On Corn Residue Cover, David P. Shelton, Stephen D. Kachman, Elbert C. Dickey, K.T. Fairbanks, Paul J. Jasa

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Percent corn (Zea mays L.) residue cover remaining on the soil surface after planting was measured for 11 tillage and planting systems that included combinations of the use, and timing, of a stalk chopper and/or a knife-type fertilizer applicator. Tillage, as well as use of a stalk chopper or knife applicator, significantly reduced residue cover. Only 27 of the 69 stalk chopper/knife applicator/tillage and planting system treatment combinations that were evaluated could be classified as conservation tillage by having at least 30% residue cover remaining after planting.

Moisture Adsorption By Grain Protein Films, A. Gennadios, Curtis L. Weller

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Grain protein films plasticized with glycerol were prepared from corn zein (CZ), wheat gluten (WG), and a 2.3:1 mixture of wheat gluten and soy protein isolate (WG/SPI). Moisture adsorption curves of the three types of protein films at 25° C and within an approximate water activity range of 0.11 to 0.84 were obtained using a static gravimetric method. The Smith, Oswin, Halsey, and Guggenheim-Anderson-de Boer (GAB) models were applied to collected data. For all protein films, the GAB model showed the best fit over the entire studied water activity range yielding mean deviation modulus values (P) of 4.69, 3.44, and …

Hycrest Crested Wheatgrass Accelerates The Degradation Of Pentachlorophenol In Soil, A. Ferro, Ronald C. Sims, B. Bugbee

Biological Engineering Faculty Publications

We investigated the effects of vegetation on the fate of pentachlorophenol (PCP) in soil using a novel high-flow sealed test system. Pentachlorophenol has been widely used as a wood preservative, and this highly toxic biocide contaminates soil and ground water at many sites. Although plants are known to accelerate the rates of degradation of certain soil contaminants, this approach has not been thoroughly investigated for PCP. The fate of [14C]PCP, added to soil at a concentration of 100 mg/kg, was compared in three unplanted and three planted systems. The plant used was Hycrest, a perennial, drought-tolerant cultivar of crested wheatgrass …

The Afit Multielectrode Array For Neural Recording And Simulation: Design, Testing, And Encapsulation, James R. Reid Jr

Theses and Dissertations

A two-dimensional, X-Y addressable, multiplexed array of 256 electrodes (16 x 16) has been fabricated using conventional semiconductor processing techniques. The individual electrodes are 16O microns x 160 microns, approximating the size of the cortical columns; the overall array size is 3910 microns x 3910 microns. The array has been fitted to a chronically implantable package and tested for several days in a simulated neural environment. EEG-like data were collected successfully from individual electrodes in the array. This array improves on a previous design of a 16 electrode (4 x 4) array that was chronically implanted on the cortex of …

Creation Of Prototype Aircrew Protection Equipment Based On Face Anthropometry, Martin E. Piccus, Gary A. Smith, Brian K. Standley, Tami L. Volk, Linda B. Wildes

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research is to develop a process which will analyze and group human faces, concentrating on the oxygen mask seal area, into a minimum number of generic yet distinct face types. The shape and size, or form, of the face is described by bending energies. This bending energy provides the features for the grouping of similar face types, while distinguishing representatives for each cluster. The face tariffs are the percentage of faces grouped under a representative face. The representative faces are then transformed Into three-dimensional solids using computer-aided design. A rapid prototype creates the solids or plugs …

Toward Virtual Digital Mammograms For Research And Training In Tumor Detection, Charles F. Babbs, Leslie A. Geddes

Weldon School of Biomedical Engineering Faculty Working Papers

Research in the processing, compression, transmission, and interpretation of digital radiographic images requires evaluation of a wide variety of test images, varying in format, in spatial resolution, and in anatomic content. To evaluate the diagnostic performance of observers using novel versus conventional image formats, large numbers of test images containing known abnormalities are required. This report describes a method for creating high resolution, virtual digital mammograms from computational models of the human breast that include branched lobulated ducts and suspensory ligaments embedded in fatty subcutaneous tissue. Breast phantoms may include any of three types of simulated tumors (fibroadenomas, invasive ductal …

Nitric Oxide Production: A Mechanism For Inhibition Of Chlamydia Trachomatis Replication, Bojun Chen

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) replicates in macrophages, but is inhibited by IFN-$\gamma$ or LPS. IFN-$\gamma$ and/or LPS induced nitrite production in mouse peritoneal macrophages, macrophage cell lines (RAW264.7 and J774A.1) and McCoy cells. Kinetic studies indicated that peak production occurred 48 hours post-treatment. CT infection itself was insufficient to induce nitrite production, but resulted in enhancement of nitrite production in IFN-$\gamma$-treated cells. Treatment with IFN-$\gamma$ or LPS resulted in significant inhibition of CT replication in these cells. Strong correlation between nitrite production and inhibition of CT replication was observed in RAW264.7 and J774A.1 cells (correlation coefficients: $-$0.93 and $-$0.94, p $<$ 0.001). N$\sp{\rm g}$- monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) specifically inhibited nitrite production and partially reversed inhibition of CT replication in macrophage cell lines. NOS mRNA was measured in RAW264.7 cells by Northern blot and Dot blot hybridization. Strong correlation between NOS mRNA expression and inhibition of CT replication (correlation coefficient: $-$0.97, p $<$ 0.05) was observed. Anti-TNF-$\alpha$ antibody completely neutralized the biological activity of TNF-$\alpha$ secreted by LPS-treated RAW264.7 cells, yet the antibody neither reduced nitrite production nor restored CT replication. Combination of the antibody and L-NMMA significantly enhanced restoration of CT replication. In peritoneal macrophages, inhibition of CT replication induced by IFN-$\gamma$ was partially restored by L-NMMA or anti-TNF-$\alpha$ antibody. In McCoy cells, inhibition of CT replication induced by IFN-$\gamma$ and LPS was not significantly restored by L-NMMA. Great restoration of CT replication by 1 mM L-NMMA was observed in LPS-treated J774A.1 cells (31%), but not in IFN-$\gamma$-treated cells (5%). Our data indicate that (1) NO production is one of the mechanisms for inhibition of CT replication in IFN-$\gamma$-activated peritoneal macrophages and RAW264.7 cells; (2) NO plays a significant role in CT inhibition in LPS-treated macrophage cell lines, but not peritoneal macrophages; (3) TNF-$\alpha$ may be associated with inhibition, but the mechanism(s) may not involve NO production; (4) NO production may not be the mechanism for CT inhibition in McCoy cells treated with IFN-$\gamma$ and LPS.

An Analysis Of A Custom Expanding Total Femoral Prosthesis With A Rotating Hinge Knee, Ramarao Gundlapalli, V. Gundlapalli

Theses

Osteosarcoma is the most common malignant bone tumor in the pediatric age group. This thesis presents the analysis of a total femoral prosthesis implanted in a 9 year old black male. The design includes a bipolar, expanding mid-shaft component, and a rotating hinge knee used in the reconstruction of the patient's right lower limb after surgical resection of the femur. The areas being analyzed are (i) the trochanteric attachment, (ii) the expanding component, and (iii) the rotating hinge knee. The stresses acting on the cables reconnecting the greater and lesser trochanter were determined for bipedal stance, single-legged stance, stance phase …

Optimization Of Flow In The Collecting Duct During The Concentrating Mode And The Diluting Mode In A Nephron Population Of Two Different Length With The Renin Angiotensin System And Adh Mechanism, Sivakumar Subramanian

Theses

Our present study is to find out how the short and long nephrons are interacting in the human kidney to adjust the flow in the collecting duct to have the maximum flow during the diluting mode and minimum flow during the concentrating mode. The best lengths for the short nephron and long nephron are calculated during the concentrating mode and the diluting mode by using the Newton-Raphson method. If one wants the kidney to perform only the above mentioned functions, a design criteria for an artificial kidney has been proposed. These studies have provided qualitative information regarding the concentrating mechanism …

Computer Assisted Molecular Modeling Of Thymidine Nucleoside Analog Inhibitors Of Hiv-1 Reverse Transcriptase, Mark A. Fisher

Theses

An active analog approach to receptor mapping was used to identify the three dimensional structural characteristics associated with a series of thymidine nucleoside analog inhibitors of HIV-1 reverse transcriptase (RT) that may be essential for their activity. Atomic substitutions at the 5 and 3' positions of nucleoside analogs confer global structural and electrostatic changes that result in either increased or diminished inhibitory activity. From a structural perspective, the activity differences can be attributed to the presentation of select atoms in three dimensional motifs that are common to all active compounds and absent or distorted in inactive/poorly active compounds.

The identification …

Closure To "Darcy-Weisbach Roughness Coefficients For Gravel And Cobble Surface", John E. Gilley, Eugene R. Kottwitz, Gary A. Wieman

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

The writers appreciate the interest expressed by the discussers in this manuscript, and are pleased to have the opportunity to further discuss this material. The discussion states that the writers have generally examined a condition already investigated in other previous studies. Reynolds number values and roughness element size for the articles referenced by the discussers are shown in Table 5. Since flow rate and Reynolds number values were not given by Ferro and Giordano (1991), data from this study are not included in Table 5.
It can be seen from Table 5 that the roughness element sizes examined by Bathurst …

The Effects Of Luminance Boundaries On Color Perception, Richard E. Kronauer, Charles F. Stromeyer Iii, Alex Chaparro

Publications

The luminance and red-green chromatic detection mechanisms respond to, respectively, the sum and difference of the long-wave (L) and middle-wave (M) zone contrast signals. The most-detectable stimulus is not a small patch of luminance drifting grating, as suggested by others, but rather a small, foveal red-green chromatic flash. Even at the smallest test size examined, 2.3' diameter, the red-green mechanism i~s more sensitive than the luminance mechanism, which has profound implication for visual physiology. When a suprathreshold luminance flash (a pedestal) occurs coincidentally with a red-green chromatic flash, detection of color is facilitated ~2-fold, regardless of spot size, as shown …

Leukocyte Extravasation Into The Pancreatic Tissue In Transgenic Mice Expressing Interleukin 10 In The Islets Of Langerhans., Lise Wogensen, Xiaojian Huang, Nora Sarvetnick

Journal Articles: Regenerative Medicine

Transgenic expression of interleukin 10 (IL-10) in the islets of Langerhans leads to a pronounced pancreatic inflammation, without inflammation of the islets of Langerhans and without diabetes. A scattered infiltration of macrophages (M pi) precedes localized accumulations of CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, B lymphocytes, and M pi. This recruitment of inflammatory cells to the pancreas is somewhat surprising, since the biological activities of IL-10 in vitro indicate that IL-10 is a powerful immunosuppressive cytokine. Since endothelial cells play a major role in leukocyte extravasation, we examined if vascular changes and extralymphoid induction of peripheral and mucosal type vascular addressins …

Comparison Of Heart Rate With Chest Wall Vibrations, Kofi M. Arbuah

Theses

A study is done using a Microwave Interferometer as a computer-assisted non-invasive cardiopulmonary monitor. The Microwave Interferometer is used to record the mechanical vibration of the anterior chest wall by recording the velocity of the displacement of the chest wall. The objective is to first, record mechanical vibrations of the anterior chest wall at different heart rates, and second, attempt to identify the relation between heart rate and chest wall vibration.

The system uses two channels, the first signal produced by the Microwave Interferometer is a record of the velocity of the displacement of the chest wall caused by the …

A Review Of Acetabular Prostheses For Total Hip Arthroplasty, Jennifer Anne Citarella

Theses

This study explores the evolution, design, and clinical progress of contemporary prostheses used in orthopaedic reconstruction of the socket of the hip joint. A literature search was performed to study acetabular implants, as used in total hip arthroplasty. The history of the design of these implants is chronicled. Next, the anatomy of the acetabular region and the surgical technique performed to replace the hip socket are presented. A comprehensive discussion of the design features, rationale, and clinical results for commercially available cemented and cementless prostheses follows.

Hydroxyapatite, a bioceramic which has just recently been approved for applications in total hip …

Computer Simulation Of Intracranial Hemodynamics During The Induction Phase Of Anesthesia, Gopinath P. Sundaram

Theses

The induction of general anesthesia is associated with severe hemodynamic compromises which, in turn, may cause acute elevation of intracranial pressure (ICP). Quantitative assessment of cerebrovascular responses arising from multiple mechanical and pharmacological interventions occurring in a short time interval require a large number of human studies which are difficult to perform. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effect of various stimuli on the intracranial hemodynamics during induction using a mathematical model of cerebrovascular circulation.

A five compartmental model of the cerebrovascular system is used for our simulation. Autoregulation is modeled by adjusting arterial-arteriolar resistance in order …

Blur Identification And Restoration Of Images Of Coronary Microvessel, Kuen Tak Wong

Theses

The objective of this research was to identify the blur characteristics of the blurred images of the rat coronary microvessel, and the information of the blur characteristics was used to restore the blurred images. The blur characteristics were analyzed by using the image power cepstrum. The Wiener filter was implemented to restore the images. There were two types of point spread functions proposed and studied for the restoration. They were: defocus blur PSF and motion blur PSF. The images were transferred from HP A900 system to an AVS workstation. The images were processed and manipulated by the AVS, and showed …

Study Of Emg Frequency Behavior, Mark Steven Fiedorowicz

Theses

It has previously been determined that the power spectral density of an electromyogram shifts towards lower frequencies over time during an isometric contraction. In this study the power spectral density curve was examined to see if changes would occur over a period of time as a subject walked on a treadmill at various speeds. The shapes of the power spectral densities recorded from the soleus shifted to the lower frequencies over time. The parameters associated with the curves showed trends. One of the parameters, zero crossing, demonstrated adaptation and fatigue in all four patients, for the first portion of the …

An Experimental Investigation Of Wear Behavior Of Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene Under Sliding Motion, Elham Zand-Moghaddam

Theses

This project investigates the effect of sliding motion on the materials that are used as bearing surfaces of human total-joint replacement prostheses.

The tests are performed with a specially designed equipment based on pin-on-disk machine. The testing machine is designed and constructed to reproduce sliding motion, applied to spherical ended metal "Canine-Head" components such as dog hip acting on a flat polyethylene surface. The sliding motion is performed by applying different constant loads for 5,000,000 cycles. The tests are carried out with the wear specimen lubricated by deionized water.

The purpose is to produce delamination, which is the severe wear …