Biomechanics and Biotransport Commons^™

Ultrasonic And Stereo-Optical Characterization Techniques For Applications In Mechanical Testing, Jonathan M. Hein

Department of Engineering Mechanics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This thesis considers methods developed based on ultrasonic reflections from interfaces and stereo-optical surface strain measurements to study the mechanical characterization of materials and bodies. The ultrasonic method is used to characterize wave speed and attenuation for highly attenuating samples. The stereo-optical strain measurements are used to characterize the effects of genes on mechanical properties of bone, and the dynamic characterization of blast waves in the UNL Shock Wave Trauma Mechanics facility.

A method is described and developed for characterizing the wave speed and attenuation spectrums from reflected waves from the contact surface with an unknown material. The method is …

Investigation Of Pmma Cement Penetration In Prepared Femoral Heads With A Longitudinal Slot For Hip Resurfacing Arthroplasty, Scott Snyder

Biomedical Engineering

Hip resurfacing arthroplasty is becoming increasingly popular in younger, active patients due to its preservation of natural biomechanics. Failure of these implants can be very traumatic and potentially life threatening. The role of cement penetration in early implant failure is not yet known, and must be investigated. This study specifically investigates the effects of a 5mm by 5mm longitudinal channel on cement penetration into the femoral head. High-density open-cell reticulated vitreous carbon foam cylinders and Huntsman Pro-cast® 20 implants based on the Birmingham Hip Resurfacing implant were used. It was determined cement penetration was increased in the area immediately surrounding …

Custom-Molded Foot-Orthosis Intervention And Multisegment Medial Foot Kinematics During Walking, Mark Geil

Faculty Articles

No abstract provided.

Estimation Of The Centre Of Mass From Motion Capture And Force Plate Recordings: A Study On The Elderly, Sebastien Cotton, Michele Vanoncini, Philippe Fraisse, Nacim Ramdani, Emel Demircan, Andrew P. Murray, Thierry Keller

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

The estimation of the centre of mass position in humans is usually based on biomechanical models developed from anthropometric tables. This method can potentially introduce errors in studies involving elderly people, since the ageing process is typically associated with a modification of the distribution of the body mass. In this paper, an alternative technique is proposed, and evaluated with an experimental study on 9 elderly volunteers. The technique is based on a virtual chain, identified from experimental data and locating the subject's centre of mass. Its configuration defines the location of the centre of mass, and is a function of …

Analysis Of The Performance Of Peanut Fame In A Single Cylinder Idi Engine And Investigations Of Neat Methyl Ester Influence On Fuel Quality, Jeffery Lewis

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's abstract: To meet evolving standards set forth by the U.S. EPA and U.S. Energy Policy it is necessary to consider a variety of feedstock for biofuels synthesis and to understand the role individual fatty acids contribute to the overall performance. It is the belief of the authors that excess peanut production would provide an excellent source for high quality biodiesel feedstock, and the complete property and combustion analysis of the fatty acid components will provide insight for future biofuel developments. The preliminary investigations of the project focused on the combustion performance and thermal efficiency of peanut FAME and its …

Distal Radioulnar Joint Biomechanics And Forearm Muscle Activity, Joseph Scott Bader

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Optimal management of fractures, post-traumatic arthritis and instability of the distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) requires an understanding of the forces existing across this joint as a function of the activities of daily living. However, such knowledge is currently incomplete. The goal of this research was to quantify the loads that occur at the DRUJ during forearm rotation and to determine the effect that individual muscles have on those loads.

Human and cadaver studies were used to analyze the shear (A-P), transverse (M-L) and resultant forces at the DRUJ and to determine the role that 15 individual muscles had on those …

Personal Navigation Via High-Resolution Gait-Corrected Inertial Measurement Units, Özkan Bebek, Michael A. Suster, Srihari Rajgopal, Michael J. Fu, Xuemei Huang, M. Cenk Çavu¸So˘Glu,, Darrin J. Young, Mehran Mehregany, Antonie J. Van Den Bogert, Carlos H. Mastrangelo

Mechanical Engineering Faculty Publications

In this paper, a personal micronavigation system that uses high-resolution gait-corrected inertial measurement units is presented. The goal of this paper is to develop a navigation system that uses secondary inertial variables, such as velocity, to enable long-term precise navigation in the absence of Global Positioning System (GPS) and beacon signals. In this scheme, measured zerovelocity duration from the ground reaction sensors is used to reset the accumulated integration errors from accelerometers and gyroscopes in position calculation. With the described system, an average position error of 4 m is achieved at the end of half-hour walks.

Rapid Cell Extraction In Aqueous Two-Phase Microdroplet Systems, Kalpana Vijayakumar, Shelly Gulati, Andrew J. De Mello, Joshua B. Edel

All Faculty Articles - School of Engineering and Computer Science

Distinguishing specific cells is an essential technique in cell research and clinical diagnostics. We report a novel method to passively isolate and extract cells in a microfluidic device. We utilise a droplet-based microfluidic system to generate an aqueous two phase system in which aqueous droplets consist of two phases in the form of a double emulsion. Specifically, we generate PEG droplets that completely encapsulate DEX droplets within a microfluidic channel. Target cells can be introduced directly into the droplets and driven to partition to the more favourable phase, whilst still being contained within the aqueous droplet. Human T lymphoma cells, …

3d Micro-Mr And Micro-Ct Models For Determining In-Vivo Function In The Guinea Pig Knee Model Of Osteoarthritis (Oa), Kristoffer W. Dean

Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a debilitating disease that affects an estimated 27 million adults in the United States. OA causes damage to cartilage in the joints resulting in bones that rub together. This creates pain, swelling, loss of motion of the joint, and bone spurs. As the number of adults above 65 grows (an estimated 72 million people by 2030) even more people will be at high risk for OA. It is the most common type of arthritis by far yet very little is known about it including relationships between joint structure and function. In 2004, the NIH created the Osteoarthritis …

Integration Of Microfluidics With Surface Plasmon Resonance, Scott B. Fratzke

Master's Theses

This thesis successfully integrates laminate microfluidic devices with an analytic Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) instrument. Integration was accomplished at low-cost using materials such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), Tygon tubing, and a 3-way stopcock. The main components of this thesis are the design and fabrication of the low-cost, in-house fluidics that can integrate with upstream microfluidics and the validation of the in-house fluidics using the Biosensing Instruments BI-2000 SPR instrument. The low-cost fluidics was designed and fabricated “in-house” using a novel investment casting technique that required the use of laser cutting technology to make a master cast, and candle …

Using The Continuous Wavelet Transform To Characterize Differences Between Impact Signals From Non-Cleated And Cleated Turf Shoes, Wayne Robert Fischer

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The continuous wavelet transform was used to characterize the time-frequency differences between impact forces from non-cleated and cleated turf shoes among male football athletes who perform cut and run activities. This research is significant because it elucidates how athletes experience different impact force and torque frequency content based on the type of shoe they are wearing. The complex Morlet mother wavelet was used to analyze all ground reaction force and vertical ground reaction moment signals to create time-frequency power spectrum plots. For each signal, a statistical confidence interval was calculated and displayed along with the cone of influence caused by …

Effects Of Static Stretching On Foot Velocity During The Instep Soccer Kick, Craig D. Workman

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to assess the acute effects of static stretching on foot velocity at impact with a soccer ball. Eighteen Division I female soccer athletes underwent two test conditions separated by 48 hr. Each condition was randomly assigned and began by placing four retro-reflective markers on bony landmarks of the ankle (total of eight markers, four on each ankle). One condition was the no-stretch condition, in which each participant performed a self-paced jog for 5 min as a warm-up, and then sat quietly for 6 min before performing three maximal instep kicks into a net. The …

Modeling The Long Term Effects Of Alendronate On Bone Mass Preservation Of The Femur With Articular Surface And Total Hip Replacements, Trevor J. Hryce

Master's Theses

Calculating femoral bone density changes after hip arthroplasty is of interest to researchers and clinicians for predicting the longevity of the prosthetic implant and the surrounding bone. Recently clinicians have been administering bisphosphonate drugs in an attempt to reduce the bone resorption due to stress shielding caused by these implants. Current strain-adaptive computational models with bisphosphonate treatment don’t predict the long term effects or look at treatment with hip resurfacing implants. The main goal of this study was to create and validate a computer model of the human femur incorporating a bone remodeling algorithm based on biological remodeling processes and …

An Investigation Of Humeral Stress Fractures In Racing Thoroughbreds Using A 3d Finite Element Model In Conjunction With A Bone Remodeling Algorithm, Ryan James Moore

Master's Theses

The humerus of a racing horse Thoroughbred is highly susceptible to stress fractures at a characteristic location as a result of cyclic loading. The propensity of a Thoroughbred to exhibit humeral fracture has made equines useful models in the epidemiology of stress fractures. In this study, a racing Thoroughbred humerus was simulated during training using a 3D finite element model in conjunction with a bone remodeling algorithm. Nine muscle forces and two contact forces were applied to the 3-dimensional finite element model, which contains four separate load cases representing fore-stance, mid-stance, aft-stance, and standing. Four different training programs were incorporated …

Reflections Of College Students Promoting Engineering Through Biomechanical Outreach Activities Indicate Dual Benefits, Kimberly Edginton Bigelow

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

Recent work by the National Academy of Engineering revealed that the public has a poor understanding of what engineers actually do on a day-to-day basis. This issue is compounded for non-traditional fields in engineering, such as biomechanical engineering. This is particularly problematic as such fields could draw interest from students not interested in traditional engineering careers, resulting in increased diversity.

To address this, mechanical engineering students taking an elective course, Biomechanical Engineering, were given an outreach assignment to teach at least one individual under the age of 18 about the field of biomechanical engineering through a hands-on activity. Students worked …

Nonequilibrium Thermodynamics Modeling Of Coupled Biochemical Cycles In Living Cells, Yaşar Demirel

Yaşar Demirel Publications

Living cells represent open, nonequilibrium, self organizing, and dissipative systems maintained with the continuous supply of outside and inside material, energy, and information flows. The energy in the form of adenosine triphosphate is utilized in biochemical cycles, transport processes, protein synthesis, reproduction, and performing other biological work. The processes in molecular and cellular biological systems are stochastic in nature with varying spatial and time scales, and bounded with conservation laws, kinetic laws, and thermodynamic constraints, which should be taken into account by any approach for modeling biological systems. In component biology, this review focuses on the modeling of enzyme kinetics …

Motion Of The Multisegmental Foot In Hallux Valgus, Karl Canseco, Leah Rankine, Jason T. Long, Thomas Smedberg, Richard Marks, Gerald F. Harris

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Hallux valgus is a common condition characterized by lateral deviation of the large toe and medial deviation of the first metatarsal. While some gait analyses of patients with hallux valgus have been performed using plantar pressures, very little is known about the kinematics of gait in this population. The purpose of this study was to evaluate triplanar kinematics in patients with hallux valgus using a multisegmental foot model. Materials and Methods: A 15-camera Vicon Motion Analysis System was used to evaluate the gait of 38 feet in 33 patients with mild to severe hallux valgus. The Milwaukee foot model was …

Mechanical Simulation Of Articular Cartilage Based On Experimental Results, Kevin Matthew Stewart

Master's Theses

Recently, a constituent based cartilage growth finite element model (CGFEM) was developed in order to predict articular cartilage (AC) biomechanical properties before and after growth. Previous research has noted limitations in the CGFEM such as model convergence with growth periods greater than 12 days. The main aims of this work were to address these limitations through (1) implementation of an exact material Jacobian matrix definition using the Jaumann-Kirchhoff (J-K) method and (2) quantification of elastic material parameters based upon research findings of the Cal Poly Cartilage Biomechanics Group (CPGBG). The J-K method was successfully implemented into the CGFEM and exceeded …

Trunk Response Analysis Under Sudden Forward Perturbations Using A Kinematics-Driven Model, B. Bazrgari, A. Shirazi-Adl, Christian Larivière

Études primaires

No abstract provided.

An Engineering Evaluation Of Ankle Prosthetics, Christopher Thian, Stephen Tiernan, Fiona Mcevoy, Robert Flavin

Conference Papers

There are a wide range of different types of ankle replacements on the market today each with a
different mechanical design. Unfortunately the results of ankle replacements are not as good as hip
and knee replacements; this is due to the complexity of the ankle joint. In the early days of ankle
replacements some of the prosthetics only lasted 4 months. Recent developments have improved the
longevity of the replacements although, there are still many complications and failures of the
replacements, these include; the prosthetic components migrating into the bone, the components
failing due to stresses induced by the forces …

An Approach To Identifying The Biomechanical Differences Between Intercostal Cartilage In Subjects With Pectus Excavatum And Normals In Vivo: Reconstruction And Ct Registration, Zhenzhen Yan

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Pectus excavatum (PE) is a congenital chest wall deformity affecting the ribs and sternum and exhibiting a concave appearance in the anterior chest wall. In this thesis, we describe a study to investigate in vivo differences in the pectus excavatum rib cage and outline steps using normals and pectus patients data in developing models and methods to be used in carrying out the study. We propose methods to develop reconstructed models in order to enable proper registration between data collection points (DCPs) on the 3D CT rib cage model and CT skin surface model and registration between CT surrogate models …

Polyelectrolyte Mediated Scalable Synthesis Of Highly Stable Silver Nanocubes In Less Than A Minute Using Microwave Irradiation, Subrata Kundu, Vivek C. Maheshwari, Sanjun Niu, Ravi F. Saraf

Ravi Saraf Publications

Silver nanocubes were synthesized for the first time in large quantities on gold seed in the presence of a polyelectrolyte using microwave heating for 60–120 s. Our experiment indicates that the polyelectrolyte directs the growth of the particle in a specified crystallographic direction resulting in the faceted particle, i.e. a nanocube. The nanocubes are stable for at least 2 months in ambient conditions.

Self-Assembly Of A Micrometers-Long One-Dimensional Network Of Cemented Au Nanoparticles, Vivek C. Maheshwari, Jennifer Kane, Ravi F. Saraf

Ravi Saraf Publications

One-dimensional Au nanoparticles connected by ionic linkers self-assemble into a micrometer-scale network. Reactions between linker ions reinforce the assembly and lead to the formation of a continuous network. This continuous network demonstrates room temperature Coulomb-blockade characteristics that are indicative of electron transport along the 1D pathways.

Analytical Modeling With Decoupled Optimal Control Of Biomechanical Sit -To -Stand Movement, Asif Mahmood Mughal

Theses and Dissertations

Biomechanical movements with multiple degrees of freedom exhibit complex coordination and control mechanisms in the presence of physiological constraints. A human body biomechanical model which can mimic diverse 3D physiological movements is a challenging task. In this study, we develop a mathematical framework to study human sit-to-stand (STS) movement using 2D biomechanical models. This analytical framework models the physiological system for feedback controller design. A 2D 4-segment biomechanical model with optimal feedback controller design provides a motivation to extend this scheme for analytical 3D bipedal modeling. We used a newly developed mathematical modeling toolbox (Maple’s DynaFlexPro) to generate 3D 8-segment …

Linear Tactile Nanodevice With Resolution On Par With Human Finger, Ravi F. Saraf, Vivek C. Maheshwari, Chieu Nguyen

Ravi Saraf Publications

A large area thin-film nanodevice made by self-assembly containing electroluminescent nanoparticles is reported. The ~100 nm thick device on application of potential across the top and bottom surface of the film converts local pressure to light. The intensity of the electroluminescent light is linearly proportional to the applied local compressive stress. By imaging the light, the stress distribution over the area of contact is obtained at resolution on par with human finger.

A Distributed Model Of Carbohydrate Transport And Metabolism In The Liver During Rest And High-Intensity Exercise, E Chalhoub, L. Xie, V. Balasubramanian, Joanne M. Belovich

Chemical & Biomedical Engineering Faculty Publications

A model of reaction and transport in the liver was developed that describes the metabolite concentration and reaction flux dynamics separately within the tissue and blood domains. The blood domain contains equations for convection, axial dispersion, and transport to the surrounding tissue; and the tissue domain consists of reactions representing key carbohydrate metabolic pathways. The model includes the metabolic heterogeneity of the liver by incorporating spatial variation of key enzymatic maximal activities. Simulation results of the overnight fasted, resting state agree closely with experimental values of overall glucose uptake and lactate output by the liver. The incorporation of zonation …

Selective Assembly Of Nanoparticles On Block Copolymer By Surface Modification, Sanjun Niu, Ravi F. Saraf

Ravi Saraf Publications

We have developed a method to selectively deposit nanoparticles on the ordered nanoscale elements of PS–PI–PS (polystyrene– polyisoprene–polystyrene) block copolymer film. The process utilizes reactive ion plasma to selectively modify the PS surface with amine groups to electrostatically attract negatively charged Au nanoparticles. In spite of the strong interparticle Coulombic repulsion, the deposition on PS domains is significantly high. It is observed that the deposition at the edges of the domain is particularly high, forming a percolating nanoparticle necklace. The latter may lead to interesting avenues to fabricate electronic devices.

High-Resolution Thin-Film Device To Sense Texture By Touch, Vivek C. Maheshwari, Ravi F. Saraf

Ravi Saraf Publications

Touch (or tactile) sensors are gaining renewed interest as the level of sophistication in the application of minimum invasive surgery and humanoid robots increases. The spatial resolution of current large-area (greater than 1 cm²) tactile sensor lags by more than an order of magnitude compared with the human finger. By using metal and semiconducting nanoparticles, a ~100-nm-thick, large-area thin-film device is self-assembled such that the change in current density through the film and the electroluminescent light intensity are linearly proportional to the local stress. A stress image is obtained by pressing a copper grid and a United States …

The Effect Of Physiological Cyclic Stretch On The Cell Morphology, Cell Orientation And Protein Expression Of Endothelial Cells, V. Barron, Claire Brougham, K. Coghlan, C. Stenson-Cox, D. O'Mahoney, P.E. Mchugh

Articles

In vivo, endothelial cells are constantly exposed to pulsatile shear and tensile stresses. The main aim of this study was to design and build a physiological simulator, which reproduced homogenous strain profiles of the tensile strain experienced in vivo, and to investigate the effect of this cyclic tensile strain on the cell morphology, cell orientation and protein expression of endothelial cells. The biological response of human umbilical vein endothelial cells to a uniaxial cyclic stretch, in this newly developed simulator, was examined experimentally using immunohistostaining and confocal imaging and it was

found that the cells elongated and oriented at 58.9± …

Intracellular Signaling Networks In The Immune Response: Pathways Activated By Interleukin-2 And-4 Receptors And Their Roles In T Cell Proliferation, Kristen K. Comfort

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Cells sense and respond to chemical and physical stimuli through signal transduction pathways, which mediate cell proliferation, differentiation, migration, and survival. The cytokines interleukin-2 (IL-2) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) are key regulators of the adaptive immune system, particularly influencing the clonal expansion and differentiation of T cells. At least in culture, both synergistic and antagonistic effects of IL-2 and -4 co-stimulation have been reported; the antagonism, when observed, is thought to arise from the utilization of a common subunit shared by IL-2 and IL-4 receptors. We have sought to characterize IL-2 and IL-4 signaling at the level of intracellular pathways activated …