Mechanical ventilation (MV) is a life-saving therapy in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a condition that affects 3000 patients/year in Sweden with a mortality rate of about 40%. However, MV may induce or worsen lung injury causing “ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI)”. From a mechanical perspective strain (deformation, or relative change in lung volume) and stress (tension) have been postulated as main determinants of VILI. High respiratory rate is potentially another factor that may exacerbate VILI by amplifying the total energy transmitted to the lungs during MV. In this thesis in animal ARDS models the hypotheses were that 1) lung parenchyma inhomogeneities concentrate stress and amplify lung damage and inflammation, 2) higher respiratory rates increase lung inflammation and lung edema in heterogeneous ARDS, and 3) local lung deformation is related to local inflammation. First, in a rat model the effect on inflammation and structural damage of regional lung collapse on the healthy surrounding lung tissue was assessed. Second, in porcine models the effect of respiratory rate on lung edema and inflammation was studied during two ventilatory modes; a) a permissive collapse mode and b) a homogenized lung parenchyma mode. Finally, lung deformation was correlated with lung inflammation assessed by positron emission tomography using 18F-FDG uptake. It was found that; 1) local inhomogeneities can act as stress amplifiers, increasing lung tissue inflammation and damage in the healthy surrounded lung. 2) high respiratory rate increases lung edema but decreases lung inflammation when permissive lung collapse is used and that these effects are prevented with lung parenchyma homogenization; 3) local lung deformation and inflammation are well correlated. In conclusion, lung inhomogeneities may aggravate VILI, respiratory rate may affect in different ways VILI progression depending on the ventilatory strategy, and finally, lung deformation is closely related to lung inflammation. With the caveat that the studies are performed in animal models, the results suggest that using ventilator strategies that homogenize the lungs, i.e., open collapsed lung regions and prevent re-collapse in ARDS will reduce VILI and in the end may decrease morbidity and the high mortality in this condition.

Student Number : 9102778K - MSc(Eng) dissertation - School of Chemical and Metallurgical Engineering - Faculty of Engineering and the Built Environment / Strain ageing anisotropy, a surprising property of iron, implies that interstitials, which are non-lattice obstacles, can give non-symmetrical opposition to glide. Al- though this has been investigated by others, it is shown that it is di±cult to eliminate extraneous residual stresses during testing. An Avery torsion machine was adapted for the study of strain ageing anisotropy through the design of a torque and twist measurement system. This required the optimization of sensitivity, stiffness and me- chanical stability criteria, while ensuring practicality. When a ¯ne-grained sample with circumferential groove was tested a sharp yield point and lack of yield after ageing in the reverse direction was observed. Although more testing is required, it con¯rms the results of other researchers. In testing it was found that the quality of the sample machining was critical in achieving an accurate yield, and the groove design must be reviewed and improved. While the system measured to the required torque resolution, the strain measurement system could be improved by redesign and better calibration statistics.

Thesis advisor: Ellen Mahoney / The diagnosis of a primary malignant brain tumor (PMBT) can be devastating for individuals and their families due to the limited treatment options and poor prognosis. Patients often rely on family members to manage their care; however, many caregivers feel under-prepared and overwhelmed by the experience. Though caring for a person with a PMBT is challenging and complex, little research has addressed the family caregiver's performance. The purpose of this study was to identify the extent to which preparedness and caregiver role strain explained the family caregiver’s performance in symptom management. An adapted theoretical framework, The Theory of Unpleasant Symptoms for Family Caregivers, guided this study. The study employed a descriptive, correlational research design in which the researcher obtained cross-sectional data during one collection period. The participants were adults who identified themselves as family caregivers of persons with a PMBT. Forty caregivers were enrolled in the study at the Brain Tumor Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Results from the regression analyses indicated that caregiver role strain and preparedness explained 31% of the variance (adjusted R2) in perceived psychological symptom distress and 29% (adjusted R2) of the variance in perceived physical symptom distress. Caregiver role strain was the major contributor to psychological (B=.68, p=.000) and physical symptoms (B=.48, p=0.001), indicating that higher levels of caregiver role strain were predictive of higher levels of perceived symptom distress and this relationship was strong. Preparedness contributed less to the explained variance in psychological (B=-.24, p=.20) and physical symptoms (B=-.21, p=.14). The negative beta indicates that higher preparedness was related to lower perceived symptom distress, but this relationship was small when compared with role strain. This study informs clinicians in neuro-oncology that care giver role strain is often high in family caregivers of patients with a PMBT and can have a negative impact on caregiver performance. These findings also support the need for more tailored nursing interventions to assist caregivers with ways to decrease caregiver role strain and improve caregiver preparedness. / Thesis (PhD) — Boston College, 2008. / Submitted to: Boston College. Connell School of Nursing. / Discipline: Nursing.

Initial investigations were conducted to determine the feasibility of applying a post solution heat treatment stress relief stretching operation to near-net-shaped taper rolled aerospace aluminium plate, in terms of the possible process window and the impact on key mechanical properties. Finite element modelling (FEM) and simulations, validated using digital image correlation to measure the strain distribution in flat tapered tensile specimens, have demonstrated the existence of a suitable process window for the production of near-net-shape wing skin blanks. It was revealed that the limits of the available taper geometry are dictated by the work hardening behaviour of the specific aluminium alloy. In addition, in the case of two typical upper wing skin alloys AA2195 and AA7055, tensile and toughness testing revealed that the resultant strain gradient offers the potential for graded mechanical properties suited to this application, with a higher level of toughness at the wing root and an increase in the yield strength of the material at the wing tip. Further, investigations explore the effect of increased tensile pre-stretching, to the maximum achievable before tensile instability, on the strength, microstructure, and precipitation kinetics seen during ageing alloys AA2195 and AA7055. Subsequently, in both alloys, microstructure data have been used to deconvolute and model the effects of increasing pre-strain on the main strengthening components that contribute to the T8 yield strength of the material. In the case of the AA2195 alloy, the T8 yield strength was observed to increase continually as a function of pre-strain to a maximum value of ~670MPa at 15%. It was shown that refinement of the T1 phase continued to the maximum obtainable pre-strain, which was predicted to result in a reduction in the precipitate strengthening contribution. The increase in the T8 yield strength resulting from high levels of pre-strain was attributed to a large increase in residual strain hardening following artificial ageing, owing to a low level of recovery. In the AA7055 alloy, increased pre-strain led to a substantial increase in the T3 yield strength, which was revealed to be due to the dynamic precipitation of GP-Zones. In the T8 temper the yield strength of the alloy increased continually as a function of pre-strain to a maximum of ~607MPa at 24%. Increasing pre-strain was shown to result in a continual and significant increase in the residual strain hardening contribution to the alloys T8 yield strength, due to the occurrence of limited recovery. However, it was also shown that increasing pre-strain led to a progressive reduction in the precipitate strengthening contribution from the eta prime phase, due to an increase in the volume fraction of precipitate free zones (PFZs) with increased dislocation density. Therefore, the increase in the T8 yield strength, as a function of pre-strain, is attributed to an increased residual strain hardening contribution which outweighs a smaller progressive reduction in the precipitate strengthening contribution.

Several aspects of the stress-strain behaviour of rubber, important for evaluating its properties for finite element analysis and engineering applications, are investigated. Measurements of the deformation behaviour of an elastomer containing a compressible filler are used to assess theoretical equations for the compression modulus of rubber pads bonded to rigid endplates. The volume fraction of filler is estimated from a simple model. The first cycle stress-strain behaviour of filled and unfilled rubbers is characterised from uniaxial tests and by measuring both non-zero principal stresses with a novel pure shear technique. Various theoretical forms for the strain energy density function are assessed. The results support the assumption that the strain energy of filled natural rubber is a function only of the first strain invariant. Finite element modelling of the behaviour of a hyperelastic material in simple shear reveals that the proximity of the free edges in conventional simple shear testpieces strongly influences the stresses and deflections in the thickness direction. These finding are qualitatively supported by experiment. The effect of free edges on the shear modulus is also assessed. Deviations from hyperelastic behaviour are investigated through experimental studies of stress relaxation, cyclic stress softening and the superposition of a torsion on a uniaxial extension. Anisotropic deformations can result in corresponding differences in the amounts of stress relaxation or stress softening in different directions. Isotropic models cannot model these features but may be adequate for most practical applications. The relationship between the modulus and crystallinity of partially crystalline rubber is determined experimentally. The reinforcing effect of the crystals is found to be approximately independent of their morphology and of the modulus of the amorphous rubber. Studies of yielding of partially crystalline rubber show that the yield stress increases with increasing amounts of crystallization whereas the yield strain remains roughly constant.

The goal of this study is to try to understand multi-strain diseases with the presence of cross-immunity by using mathematical models and other mathematical tools. Cross-immunity occurs when a host who is exposed to one disease, or one strain of a disease, develops resistance or partial resistance to related diseases or strains. It is an important factor in the epidemiology of diseases prone to mutation. This work includes modelling influenza in both presence and absence of controls. It also includes modelling malaria when cross-species immunity is present. In addition, vector-bias of mosquitoes to infected humans is also studied in the single-strain malaria model.

Le fluage asismique des failles dans la croûte supérieure est un mécanisme de déformation crucial le long des limites des plaques tectoniques. Il contribue au bilan énergétique du cycle sismique, retardant ou déclenchant le développement des grands tremblements de terre. Un enjeu majeur est de comprendre quels sont les paramètres qui contrôlent la partition entre déformations sismiques et asismiques dans les failles actives tels que la lithologie ou les transformations sous contrainte à toutes échelles et comment cette partition évolue dans le temps. Des observations géologiques réalisées dans ce travail le long de la Faille Nord Anatolienne en Turquie, combinées à des analyses de laboratoire et des traitements d’images, permettent de donner un éclairage nouveau sur ces mécanismes de fluage. En plus, les relations entre déformation finie et transfert de matière ont été utilisées en parallèle avec des données géodésiques pour comprendre l’évolution de ces mécanismes de fluage depuis le début du déplacement de cette faille.Une corrélation claire est observée entre fluage superficiel et composition des gouges de la faille : les segments sismiques sont composés de calcaires massifs sans gouge de faille argileuse alors que les segments asismiques qui fluent comprennent des gouges argileuses résultant de la transformation progressive de roches volcaniques. Dans ces zones de fluage une schistosité espacée se développe durant le premier stade de la déformation conduisant à un litage tectonique de type foliation, au début oblique puis subparallèle à la faille, qui accommode une part de la déformation asismique par dissolution cristallisation sous contrainte. En conséquence, les minéraux solubles comme le quartz et les feldspaths sont dissous conduisant à la concentration passive des phyllosilicates dans les gouges de failles qui sont ensuite altérés par des circulations de fluides produisant des minéraux argileux à faible friction. Dans le même temps les zones endommagées autour de la gouge sont fracturées et les fractures scellées par des carbonates. Ces transformations minérales et structurales amollissent les gouges de failles et durcissent les zones endommagées conduisant à une évolution de la déformation sismique – asismique de diffuse à localisée.Des modèles qui intègrent déformation finie et transfert de matière révèlent deux échelles d’espace de la déformation qui correspondent à une alternance de deux types de bandes de cisaillement avec une schistosité soit oblique soit subparallèle à la faille. Diverses valeurs de la déformation finie ont été estimées pour calculer la proportion de déplacement asismique par rapport au déplacement total sismique et asismique de la faille (80 km). Cette proportion qui dépend de la lithologie de la zone de faille varie de 0.002% dans les zones sismiques calcaires et évolue dans le temps dans les zones asismiques des roches volcaniques de 59% pour les stades précoces à 18% pour les stages récents. / Aseismic fault creep in the upper crust is a key deformation process along tectonic plate boundaries. It contributes to the energy budget during the seismic cycle, delaying or triggering the occurrence of large earthquakes. One of the greatest challenges is to understand which parameters control the partition between seismic and aseismic deformation in active faults, such as lithology or stress-driven transformations at all scales and how this partition evolves with time. Geological observations along the North Anatolian Fault in Turkey combined with laboratory analyses and imaging techniques performed in the present study shed new light on these mechanisms of fault creep. Moreover, the relationship between finite strain and mass change was compared with geodesy data in order to understand the evolution of these creep mechanisms since the beginning of this fault displacement.A clear correlation is shown between shallow creep and near-surface fault gouge composition: seismic segments of the fault are mostly composed of massive limestone without clay gouges, whereas aseismic creeping segments comprising clay gouges result from a progressive change of volcanic rocks. Within these creeping zones, anastomosing cleavage develops during the first stage of deformation, leading to tectonic layering that forms a foliation, oblique at first and then sub-parallel to the fault. This foliation accommodates part of the aseismic creep by pressure solution. Consequently, the soluble minerals such as quartz and feldspars are dissolved, leading to the passive concentration of phyllosilicates in the gouges where alteration transformations by fluid flow produce low friction clay minerals. At the same time damage zones are fractured and fractures are sealed by carbonates. As a result, these mineralogical and structural transformations weaken the gouge and strengthen the damage zone leading to the change from diffuse to localized seismic-aseismic zones.Models integrating finite strain and mass change reveal two spatial scales of strain that correspond to the alternation of two types of shear bands, with cleavages oriented either oblique or sub-parallel to the fault zone. Various total strain values were estimated in order to calculate the aseismic part of the total 80 km displacement along the locked and creeping sections. The aseismic strain fraction of the total tectonic strain in the fault depends on the fault lithology and varies from 0.002% in seismic zones made of limestone and evolves with time in the creeping zones made of volcanic rocks from 59% in the early stages of fault development to 18% in the recent times.

O assentamento passivo tem sido considerado um dos mais importantes requisitos para o sucesso de próteses implanto-suportada. Este estudo in vitro investigou a deformação do intermediário de prótese implantosuportada após o aperto do parafuso tanto do cilindro de Paládio-Prata como de Cobalto-Cromo. Um modelo mestre foi usado para simular uma mandíbula humana com cinco implantes. Extensômetros foram colados nas faces mesial e distal de cada intermediário para registrar as deformações causadas pelos cilindros após o aperto dos parafusos. Os intermediários foram montados sobre as réplicas dos implantes e os parafusos foram apertados com um torque de 20 Ncm e as leituras foram gravadas. Após este passo, os parafusos tanto dos cilindros de Paládio-Prata como de Cobalto-Cromo foram apertados com um torque de 10 Ncm e as leituras também foram gravadas. Estas medições foram repetidas por cinco vezes. O teste estatístico de Mann-Whitney foi aplicado aos resultados. Nenhuma diferença estatística foi encontrada entre as tensões geradas tanto pelos cilindros de Paládio-Prata como os de Cobalto-Cromo. No entanto, existiram diferenças com relação à qualidade da tensão. A deformação gerada pelo aperto dos parafusos dos cilindros de Cobalto-Cromo foi de compressão e o aperto dos parafusos dos cilindros de Paládio-Prata gerou forças de compressão e tração. / Passive fit has been considered one of the most important requirements for the success of implant supported prostheses. This in vitro study investigated the abutment deformation of an implant-supported prosthesis after screw tightening of palladium-silver and cobalt-chromium prosthetic cylinder. A master model was used to simulate a human mandible with five implants. The Strain gauges were attached on the sides of each abutment to capture deformations because of the cylinders screws after was tightened. The abutments were mounted onto implant replicas and the screws were tightened to a 20 Ncm torque, and the readings were recorded. After this step, palladiumsilver and cobalt-chromium prosthetic cylinders were tightened to a 10 Ncm torque and the readings were recorded. The measurements were repeated five times. Mann-Whitney statistical test was applied to the results. No statistical differences were found between the deformation generated by palladium-silver and cobalt-chromium prosthetic cylinders. However, there were differences relative to the quality of the strain. The deformation generated by screw tightness of the cobalt-chromium prosthetic cylinders was compressive while palladium-silver prosthetic cylinders generated compressive and tensile strain.

Vibration-based damage detection (VBDD) methods are used to detect damage in structural members non-evasively. This investigation began with two objectives: to prove a VBDD method could detect damage using strain gauges both analytically and experimentally, and to then use that method to determine the distance from a damaged area that strain gauges could be effective. Work began simultaneously using finite element software and physical experiments. It was determined that a VBDD method could detect damage with strain gauges in both settings. A parametric study was then completed that used probabilistic methods to identify an effective range for strain gauges over the length of the structural member.

Crystallite (or grain) size and strain within a polycrystalline material may have a profound influence on its physical properties, eg. the fracture toughness, wear and thermal shock resistance. A diffraction pattern for a material conveys information about the strain through the strain-induced changes in the shapes of the Bragg peaks and also through peak shifts. Crystallite size effects also influence the peak shape. Therefore, it is possible, in principle, to extract descriptions of crystallite size and strain from the peak broadening of a diffraction pattern. Various methods for size and strain evaluations have been proposed for extraction of the size and strain information in metals and ceramic powders. However, there appear to be no detailed amounts in the literature to be on the development of models appropriate for sintered ceramic materials. The objectives for this study were to critically examine the existing models for crystallite size and strain assessments and then to develop a new physically-based model which might be appropriate for sintered ceramics. The principal steps for the research, designed to fulfill the study objectives, were (1) acquiring high-quality diffraction data with synchrotron radiation, laboratory x-ray and neutron diffraction techniques for model evaluation; (2) performing preliminary evaluation using the existing models; (3) developing a new model and the non-linear least-squares calculation software; and (4) performing peak profile analyses using the existing and new models to evaluate the effectiveness of the new model. A convolution model for crystallite size and strain determination from diffraction line broadening has been developed with particular reference to the characterisation of sintered ceramics. / The size profile component function for the convolution model involves the modal size and the size distribution appropriate for `normal' crystallite growth according to the mean-field theory, as proposed recently in a seminal publication by Dr. Brian York of IBM. A Gaussian strain profile component function was considered in the study on the basis that it has been widely used for specimens which exhibit small microstrain (ca. 10-3 or less). The overall profile describing the diffraction pattern involves convolution of the instrument, size and strain effects. A non-linear least-squares refinement program entitled MOZAIX has been developed for profile fitting with the model. Data simulations were performed with the model, and non-linear least-squares optimisations for fitting the simulated data showed that the calculations were reasonable for low-strain sintered ceramics. The convolution model for size and strain assessments from diffraction line broadening has been evaluated with synchrotron and laboratory x-ray radiation diffraction data (SRD and XRD, respectively). The study made use of MgO ceramics with three different purity levels which had been sintered at a range of temperatures in order to provide diffraction data with a range of microstructural strain and size effects. The cubic symmetry of MgO provided isotropic size and strain effects as had been anticipated. The Voigt function, a convolution of the Gaussian and Lorentzian functions, is widely used to extract crystallite size and strain information from powder diffraction data using (1) Fourier transforms, (2) the Rietveld method and (3) integral breadth methods. Size and strain model evaluation carried out using the Voigt-based Rietveld and integral breadth methods assumes that the size effect contributes only to the Lorentzian component and the strain contributes only to the Gaussian component. / Size and strain assessment using the Voigt integral breadth single-line and Rietveld methods has been examined in this study with diffraction data for MgO ceramics. Two major outcomes from the evaluation confirmed impressions gained from the literature that: 1. the integral-breadth single-line method can be used as a reliable technique for size and strain analysis; 2. analysis using the Voigt function has no physical basis, is inappropriate for profiles with 'super-Lorentzian' character and is inadequate for size-strain analysis since the function does not take into account the size distribution parameter. There has been a strong trend recently towards whole-pattern size and strain evaluations which are progressively replacing single-line methods. However, due to time constraints, this study was confined to single-line analysis with the focus being on the development of the model, and with an expectation that the single-line model would readily be extended in the future to use with whole-powder pattern data. The size-strain analysis results using the convolution model showed that sintering (1) promotes crystallite growth and (2) relieves residual strains in low density sintered ceramics and introduces strains in dense ceramics, presumably due to grain-grain shear interactions. The effect of sintering on the size distribution clearly depends on the crystallite growth behaviour. Comparing the SRD convolution size results with those from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) showed that (1) the "grains" imaged using SEM contain clusters of crystallites and (2) the SEM-derived and convolution size distributions are in a satisfactory agreement. / In general, despite the larger uncertainties due to instrument resolution, the XRD results are in agreement with those from SRD. The size and strain values obtained with the convolution model were compared with those calculated using the Voigt single-line integral-breadth method. The comparison showed that size and strain results for both methods were dependent upon the character of the diffraction peak shapes. The convolution model improves the Voigt model in terms of (1) reliability of models from a physical point of view, (2) the additional size distribution parameter and (3) its applicability to `super-Lorentzian' profiles. Subsequent research is suggested to further improve the model in dealing with large microstrains and developing a whole powder fitting procedure.