Other Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Effect Of Injury Mechanism And Severity On The Molecular Pathophysiology Of Traumatic Brain Injury, Brandon Mcdonald

Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) mechanism and severity are heterogenous clinically, resulting in a multitude of physical, cognitive, and behavioral deficits. However, approximately 80% suffer from milder injuries. Thus, examining pathophysiological changes associated with mild TBI is imperative for improving clinical translation and evaluating the efficacy of potential therapeutic strategies. Through this work, we developed models of TBI, ranging in both injury mechanism and severity, using an electromagnetic controlled cortical impact (CCI) device. First, we characterized and optimized a closed head, mild TBI model (DTBI) to determine the clinical translatability and practicality of producing repeated mild injuries. Interestingly, we determined that …

Blast-Induced Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Through Ear Canal: A Finite Element Study, Praveen Akula, Yi Hua, Linxia Gu

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Purpose The role of ear canal in transmitting blast waves to the brain is not clear. The goal of this work is to characterize the influence of ear canal on blast-induced mild traumatic brain injury through a computational approach.

Methods A three-dimensional human head model with single-side ear canal details was reconstructed from computed tomography images. The ear canal was positioned either facing the incident blast wave or facing away from the blast wave.

Results The blast wave-head interaction has demonstrated that the overpressure within the ear canal was substantially amplified when the ear directly faced the blast wave. When …

Head Impact Exposure In Male And Female Collegiate Ice Hockey Players, Bethany J. Wilcox, Jonathan G. Beckwith, Richard M. Greenwald, Jeffrey J. Chu, Thomas W. Mcallister, Laura A. Flashman, Arthur C. Maerlender, Ann-Christine Duhaime, Joseph J. Crisco

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to quantify head impact exposure (frequency, location and magnitude of head impacts) for individual male and female collegiate ice hockey players and to investigate differences in exposure by sex, player position, session type, and team. Ninety-nine (41 male, 58 female) players were enrolled and 37,411 impacts were recorded over three seasons. Frequency of impacts varied significantly by sex (males: 287 per season, females: 170, p < 0.001) and helmet impact location (p < 0.001) but not by player position (p = 0.088). Head impact frequency also varied by session type; both male and female players sustained more impacts in games than in practices (p < 0.001), however the magnitude of impacts did not differ between session types. There was no difference in 95th percentile peak linear acceleration between sexes (males: 41.6 g, females: 40.8 g), but 95th percentile peak rotational acceleration and HITsp (a composite severity measure) were greater for males than females (4424, 3409 rad/s2, and 25.6, 22.3, respectively). Impacts to the back of the helmet resulted in the greatest 95th percentile peak linear accelerations for males (45.2 g) and females (50.4 g), while impacts to the side and back of the head were associated with the greatest 95th percentile peak rotational accelerations (males: 4719, 4256 rad/sec², females: 3567, 3784 rad/sec², respectively). It has been proposed that reducing an individual’s head impact exposure is a practical approach for reducing the risk of …

Selecting For Random Drug Testing At Union Pacific Railroad, Jennifer Meyer, Paul Savory

Department of Industrial and Management Systems Engineering: Faculty Publications

Many industries have recently implemented programs to detect and deter the use of recreational drugs in the workplace. The transportation industry has received careful government attention, particularly where the safety of the public may be seriously affected by employees who use drugs. Following federal guidelines, Union Pacific Railroad first implemented a random drug-testing plan in 1990. Because the assigned jobs, shifts, and work locations of many railroad employees change frequently, defining the selection population was particularly challenging. In its continuing efforts to validate and improve this plan, Union Pacific Railroad sought an external evaluation to determine the fairness of its …