Biomechanical Engineering Commons^™

The Affective Perceptual Model: Enhancing Communication Quality For Persons With Pimd, Jadin Tredup

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Methods for prolonged compassionate care for persons with Profound Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities (PIMD) require a rotating cast of import people in the subjects life in order to facilitate interaction with the external environment. As subjects continue to age, dependency on these people increases with complexity of communications while the quality of communication decreases. It is theorized that a machine learning (ML) system could replicate the attuning process and replace these people to promote independence. This thesis extends this idea to develop a conceptual and formal model and system prototype.

The main contributions of this thesis are: (1) proposal of …

Design & Delivery Of Automated Winston-Lutz Test For Isocentric & Off-Axis Delivery Stability Utilizing Truebeam Developer Mode & Electronic Portal Imaging Device, Mahmoud Mohammad Yaqoub

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The uncertainties in treatment delivery cannot be ignored in radiation therapy. Thus, the quality assurance QA tests are very important task of the medical physicist in clinical practice. Assuring the coincidence between the mechanical isocenter of the Linear Accelerator (LINAC) and its radiation beams isocenter is one of the most important qualities need to be tested, and the Winston Lust (WL) test is the

most popular technique to perform this task, especially for the treatment modalities which need high precision in beam delivery such as the stereotactic radiosurgery/stereotactic body radiotherapy (SRS/SBRT). The linear accelerator-based SRS/SBRT is a well-established method in …

Developing A 3d In Vitro Model By Microfluidics, Hung-Ta Chien

Dissertations and Theses

In vitro tissue models play an important role in providing a platform that mimics the realistic tissue microenvironment for stimulating and characterizing the cellular behavior. In particular, the hydrogel-based 3D in vitro models allow the cells to grow and interact with their surroundings in all directions, thus better mimicking in vivo than their 2D counterparts. The objective of this thesis is to establish a 3D in vitro model that mimics the anatomical and functional complexity of the realistic cancer microenvironment for conveniently studying the transport coupling in porous tissue structures. We pack uniform-sized PEGDA-GelMA microgels in a microfluidic chip to …

In-Shoe Plantar Pressure System To Investigate Ground Reaction Force Using Android Platform, Ahmed A. Mostfa

Theses and Dissertations

Human footwear is not yet designed to optimally relieve pressure on the heel of the foot. Proper foot pressure assessment requires personal training and measurements by specialized machinery. This research aims to investigate and hypothesize about Preferred Transition Speed (PTS) and to classify the gait phase of explicit variances in walking patterns between different subjects. An in-shoe wearable pressure system using Android application was developed to investigate walking patterns and collect data on Activities of Daily Living (ADL). In-shoe circuitry used Flexi-Force A201 sensors placed at three major areas: heel contact, 1st metatarsal, and 5th metatarsal with a PIC16F688 microcontroller …

Advantages Of A Finite Extensible Nonlinear Elastic Potential In Lattice Boltzmann Simulations, Tai-Hsien Wu, Dewei Qi

The Hilltop Review

A new structure, generalized lattice nonlinear spring model (GLNSM), which adopts non-linear FENE-LJ potential instead of harmonic potential, has been coupled with lattice Boltzmann simulation for solving fluid-solid interaction problem. In this article, a significant work is the relationship between the GLNSM (FENE-LJ potential) and Young’s modulus has been described in detail. A validation has also been presented to prove that GLNSM is reliable.

Designing A Biomimetic Testing Platform For Actuators In A Series-Elastic Co-Contraction System, Ryan Tyler Schroeder

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Actuators determine the performance of robotic systems at the most intimate of levels. As a result, much work has been done to assess the performance of different actuator systems. However, biomimetics has not previously been utilized as a pretext for tuning a series elastic actuator system with the purpose of designing an empirical testing platform. Thus, an artificial muscle tendon system has been developed in order to assess the performance of two distinct actuator types: (1) direct current electromagnetic motors and (2) ultrasonic rotary piezoelectric motors. Because the design of the system takes advantage of biomimetic operating principles such as …

A Method To Develop Neck Injury Criteria To Aid Design And Test Of Escape Systems Incorporating Helmet Mounted Displays, Jeffrey C. Parr

Theses and Dissertations

HMDs are becoming common human-machine interface equipment in manned military flight, but introducing this equipment into the overall aircraft escape system poses new and significant system design, development, and test concerns. Although HMDs add capabilities, which improve operator performance, the increased capability is often accompanied by increased head supported mass. The increased mass can amplify the risk of pilot neck injury during ejection when compared to lighter legacy helmets. Currently no adequate USAF neck injury criteria exist to effectively guide the requirements, design, and test of escape systems for pilots with HMDs. This research effort presents a novel method to …

Distal Placement Of An End-To-Side Bypass Graft Anastomosis: A 3d Computational Study, John Di Cicco, Ayodeji Demuren

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Faculty Publications

A three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics study of shear rates around distal end-to-side anastomoses has been conducted. Three 51% and three 75% cross-sectional area-reduced 6 mm cylinders were modeled each with a bypass cylinder attached at a 30-degree angle at different placements distal to the constriction. Steady, incompressible, Newtonian blood flow was assumed, and the full Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations, turbulent kinetic energy, and specific dissipation rate equations were solved on a locally structured multiblock mesh with hexahedral elements. Consequently, distal placement of an end-to-side bypass graft anastomosis was found to have an influence on the shear rate magnitudes. For the …

Distal Placement Of An End-To-Side Bypass Graft Anastomosis A 3-D Computational Study, John Robert Di Cicco

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics study of blood flow through stenotic arteries has been conducted. Flow phenomena, such as separation regions and turbulence, can be found distal to an arterial stenosis. Frequently, a bypass graft using an end-to-side technique is attached to a stenotic artery to restore adequate blood flow. However, a significant percentage of these grafts fail after thirty postoperative days due to intimal hyperplasia development around the distal anastomosis. Moreover, aberrant wall shear rates have been implicated as a factor in the development of intimal hyperplasia. Thus, the present study examines whether placement of the distal end of …

Synthesis Of An Efficient Band Mechanism For Robots And Prosthetic Devices, Run Chen Zhou

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

A noncircular pulley has been applied to improve the system efficiency of an electrical-powered elbow prosthesis. The dynamics of the motor and the prosthetic arm have been incorporated into the kinematic synthesis relationships for determining the pulley profile that maximizes the efficiency of the elbow prosthesis.

The nonlinear dynamic equations have been solved by the code Differential Equation (DE) while determining the motor power and efficiency which are the criteria in the nonlinear programming problem. The optimal design variables for determining the pulley profile along with some simulation results have been obtained from an optimization program (based on the Generalized …

Bulletin No 3883 - Dairying In W.A., Western Australian Department Of Agriculture

Bulletins - 3000 - 3999

Western Australia has a small dairy industry compared with its other rural production. However, the industry has consolidated over recent years.

Tree clearing and pasture development on existing holdings and the amalgamation of small dairy farms has led to a rapid increase in the area of pasture per farm. The trend in Western Australia is towards bigger herds, more efficient dairies, more fodder conservation and increasing production per cow and per· hectare.