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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
91

Epidemiology of bovine viral diarrhoea virus and bovine herpesvirus type1 infections in dairy cattle herds : evidence of self-clearance and detection of infection with a new atypical pestivirus /

Kampa, Jaruwan, January 2006 (has links) (PDF)
Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv., 2006. / Härtill 5 uppsatser.
92

A study of bovine coronavirus (BCV) and bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) infections in dairy herds in Sweden /

Rajabimoghaddam Bidokhti, Mehdi, January 2008 (has links) (PDF)
Thesis (M.Sc.) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniv. / Härtill 1 uppsatser.
93

Monitoring the control methods of Heterobasidion annosum s.l. root rot /

Samils, Nicklas, January 2008 (has links) (PDF)
Diss. (sammanfattning) Uppsala : Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet, 2008. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.
94

Investigating the Economic Impact of Mandatory Electronic Prescribing Requirements in the United States

Kent, Michelle January 2017 (has links)
Magister Scientiae - MSc (Pharmacy Administration and Policy Regulation) / Technological advancements applied to healthcare may holistically improve the economic burden of prescription medication costs. United States legislative actions requiring utilization of electronic prescribing (e-prescribing) will drive provider utilization to decrease healthcare spending. Federal and state e-prescribe requirements have been met with resistance by the prescribing community, due to claims that the requirements create an economic burden for them. This research intends to demonstrate the long-term economic value of electronic prescribing regulations across the healthcare spectrum.
95

Enxertia hipocotiledonar e convencional de maracujazeiro-amarelo sobre três porta-enxertos /

Cavichioli, Jose Carlos. January 2008 (has links)
Orientador: Luiz de Souza Corrêa / Banca: Aparecida Conceição Boliani / Banca: Shizuo Seno / Banca: João Carlos de Oliveira / Banca: Aloísio Costa Sampaio / Resumo: A cultura do maracujazeiro-amarelo (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa Deg.) tem sofrido com várias doenças, o que tem comprometido severamente a produção, determinando a migração da cultura. Dentre as doenças, a morte prematura de plantas tem se destacado, causando prejuízos nas lavouras do Estado de São Paulo. Essa doença tem sido associada a fungos do solo, como Fusarium oxysporum f. passiflorae, Fusarium solani, Phytophthora sp. e também a bactéria, como Xanthomonas axonopodis f. passiflorae. As medidas de controle da morte prematura são preventivas, e, uma vez afetada pelos patógenos, a planta morrerá, pois não há controle curativo. A aplicação de defensivos químicos não tem sido eficiente na solução do problema da morte prematura de plantas. A enxertia do maracujazeiro-amarelo em portaenxerto resistente é uma técnica promissora para o controle desta doença. Esse trabalho teve como objetivo verificar o desempenho de plantas de maracujazeiro-amarelo (Passiflora edulis f. flavicarpa) enxertadas em três diferentes espécies de maracujazeiro, em dois sistemas de enxertia, em área com e sem histórico de morte prematura. Foram conduzidos três experimentos, sendo dois em viveiro e um no campo, no município de Adamantina, SP, na região da Nova Alta Paulista, no período de dezembro de 2005 a julho de 2007. Pelos resultados verificou-se que os dois métodos de enxertia utilizados foram bem sucedidos para as três espécies de maracujazeiros estudadas. A utilização de P. giberti e P. alata como portaenxerto para P. edulis Sims f. flavicarpa são medidas promissoras para o controle da morte prematura de plantas. Plantas enxertadas sobre P. giberti apresentaram menor vigor a partir dos 180 dias, menor porte vegetativo, frutos com menor diâmetro e peso e menor produtividade. / Abstract: The yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis Sims f. flavicarpa Deg.) has been suffering with many diseases, what have been severely compromising the crop yield, determining the migration of the culture. Amongst the diseases, the premature death of plants has detached, causing crop losses the State of São Paulo. This disease has been associated with soil fungi, as Fusarium oxysporum f. passiflorae, Fusarium solani, Phytophthora sp, and also bacteria, as Xanthomonas axonopodis f. passiflorae. Measures to control premature death of plants are preventive, and, once affected by pathogens, the plant will die because there is no curative control. The application of chemical defensives has not been effective to solve the plants premature deaths. The grafting of yellow passion fruit in resistant rootstock is a promising technique for this disease control. This work aimed to evaluate the performance of yellow passion fruit grafted on three rootstocks, in two systems of grafting, cultivated in sites with or without disease history. Three experiments were carried out, two in nursery and one in the field, in Adamantina, SP, from December 2005 to July 2006. It was concluded that the two methods of grafting utilized were successful for the three species of Passiflora. The use of P. giberti and P. alata as rootstocks for P. edulis f. flavicarpa are promising measures for the control of premature death of plants. Plants grafting on P. giberti presented lower vigor form the 180 days, lower vegetative growth, fruits with lower diameter and weight and lower yield. / Doutor
96

Silício e bioagentes na supressão da brusone foliar em arroz / Calcium and magnesium silicate and bioagents interaction in rice leaf blast suppression

Souza, Alan Carlos Alves de 24 February 2014 (has links)
Submitted by Cássia Santos (cassia.bcufg@gmail.com) on 2015-03-20T12:56:47Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Alan Carlos Alves de Souza - 2014.pdf: 1318444 bytes, checksum: 0ecebb757edfdc4bb5ddcc76cbb631df (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Luciana Ferreira (lucgeral@gmail.com) on 2015-03-20T13:41:35Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Alan Carlos Alves de Souza - 2014.pdf: 1318444 bytes, checksum: 0ecebb757edfdc4bb5ddcc76cbb631df (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-20T13:42:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Dissertação - Alan Carlos Alves de Souza - 2014.pdf: 1318444 bytes, checksum: 0ecebb757edfdc4bb5ddcc76cbb631df (MD5) license_rdf: 23148 bytes, checksum: 9da0b6dfac957114c6a7714714b86306 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-02-24 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / Rice is considered a cereal that has the potential to eradicate hunger and malnutrition. However, during its cultivation, is submitted to biotic and abiotic stresses, which lowers productivity in key growing regions, followed by the rising cost of inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides. The aim of this work was to study the effect of silicon, alone and in combination with bioagents on growth promotion and leaf blast suppression of on upland rice. Two experiments, E1 and E2 were conducted in a factorial design in the greenhouse conditions. E1: aimed to select the best treatments for plant growth promotion and rice blast (Magnaporthe oryzae) suppression. It was composed by 5 plots (control; 1 ton SiCaMg.ha-1; 2 ton SiCaMg.ha-1; 4 ton SiCaMg.ha-1; 8 ton SiCaMg.ha-1), 5 subplot (control; Burkholderia pyrrocinia; Pseudomonas fluorescens, Trichoderma asperellum; mixture of all these three bioagents) and 8 replication. E2: aimed to investigate the defense mechanisms of the best treatment selected in E1. It was composed of 2 plots (control; 2 ton SiCaMg.ha-1) and subplot 3 (control; Trichoderma asperellum; mixture of all these three bioagents) and 4 replication. Silicon fertilization and bioagents interaction proved to be promising. In E1, T. asperellum combined with 2 ton.ha-1 of SiCaMg plant fertilization increased 45.63% of plant growth and, the combination of all three bioagents with 2 ton ha of SiCaMg plants fertilization was the best treatment reducing 96% of leaf blast. In E2, the two best treatments in E1 statistically increased QUI, GLU, POX and FAL activity as well AS content in the absence of Magnaporthe oryzae. However, 24 and 48 hours after challenger inoculation with M. oryzae, only QUI and GLU activity and AS content statistically increased in the treatment that combined all three bioagents and 2 ton.ha-1 of SiCaMg plants fertilization. Leaf blast reduction through the activation of defense mechanisms elected the combination silicon fertilization and bioagents as important strategies for sustainable rice disease management. / O arroz é considerado o cereal que possui potencial para a erradicação da fome e da má nutrição. Porém, durante seu cultivo, é submetido a estresses bióticos e abióticos, o que diminui a produtividade nas principais regiões de cultivo, acompanhado do aumento dos custos com insumos, como fertilizantes e agrotóxicos. O objetivo deste trabalho foi estudar o efeito do silício, isoladamente e em combinação com bioagentes, na supressão de brusone foliar em plantas de arroz de terras altas. Foram realizados dois experimentos, em delineamento fatorial, em casa de vegetação (E1 e E2). E1: composto de 5 tratamentos (controle; 1 ton SiCaMg.ha-1; 2 ton SiCaMg.ha-1;4 ton SiCaMg.ha-1; 8 ton SiCaMg.ha-1), 5 subtratamentos (controle; Burkholderia pyrrocinia; Pseudomonas fluorescens; Trichoderma asperellum; mistura dos três bioagentes) e 8 repetições, com o objetivo de selecionar os melhores tratamentos, através da severidade de brusone (Magnaporthe oryzae) nas folhas. E2: composto por 2 tratamentos (controle; 2 ton SiCaMg.ha-1), 3 subtratamentos (controle; Trichoderma asperellum; mistura dos três bioagentes) e 4 repetições, com o objetivo de investigar o efeito dos melhores tratamentos, para a promoção de crescimento das plantas e supressão de brusone foliar e na ativação dos mecanismos de defesa da planta. A interação entre a adubação silicatada e os bioagentes mostrou-se promissora. Em E1, o melhor tratamento para a redução de brusone foliar foi a combinação entre os três bioagentes e plantas adubadas com 2 ton SiCaMg.ha-1, suprimindo a doença em 96%. Em E2, as combinações entre T. asperellum e plantas adubadas com 2 ton SiCaMg.ha-1 e, a mistura dos bioagentes em plantas adubadas com 2 ton SiCaMg.ha-1 aumentaram significativamente a atividade das enzimas quitinase, β-1,3 glucanase, peroxidase, fenilalanina amônia-liase, e o teor de ácido salicílico na ausência de Magnaporthe oryzae. A mistura dos três bioagentes, em plantas adubadas com 2 ton SiCaMg.ha-1 proporcionou o aumento expressivo das enzimas quitinase, β-1,3 glucanase e o teor de ácido salicílico às 24 e 48 horas após a inoculação com M. oryzae. A redução da brusone foliar acompanhada da participação ativa dos mecanismos de defesa elegem a adubação silicatada e os bioagentes como estratégias importantes para o manejo sustentável.
97

Growth, and Development of Care for Leprosy Sufferers Provided by Religious Institutions from the First Century AD to the Middle Ages

Meek, Philippa Juliet 20 May 2016 (has links)
This thesis aims to outline the causes, symptoms, and treatments related to leprosy, and how it can be diagnosed in patients and identified in human remains. The thesis also aims to demonstrate the ways in which care for leprosy sufferers developed as the disease became more prevalent and more commonly, and correctly identified. It analyses the social stigmas inflicted upon sufferers, and the medical care and attention provided for them by religious institutions when other groups or organisations shunned those suffering from leprosy. The rationale for this study is to identify trends surrounding the social stigmas attached to leprosy and care from the first identifiable case of strain three of Mycobacterium leprae in the 1st century AD to the late Middle Ages when the number of cases of leprosy appears to begin to decline. Using archaeological evidence, historical records, and the published research of experts in the field, this thesis demonstrates that as leprosy spread throughout the Middle East and Europe, religious organisations often took on the role as care givers for leprosy sufferers through the ideal of religious, often Christian, charity; to look after the poor, sick, and needy. As the trends presented in this study have yet to be published elsewhere in this way, this thesis aims to contribute via an interdisciplinary approach to the fields of religious archaeology, anthropology and bioarchaeology.
98

Viabilidade de controle de mancha púrpura e efeitos nos aspectos físicos, químicos e biológicos do solo e na produção do alho pelos microrganismos eficazes /

Verzignassi, Jaqueline Rosemeire. January 2000 (has links)
Resumo: Com o objetivo da redução da aplicação de fungicidas na produção de alho, foram estudados os efeitos dos Microrganismos Eficazes (E.M.-4 e E.M.-5) sobre o controle da mancha púrpura, a produção da cultura e as propriedades físicas, químicas e biológicas do solo. Os experimentos foram conduzidos, em condições de campo, por dois e três anos, na Fazenda de Ensino, Pesquisa e Produção da Unesp em São Manuel, SP. O E.M. foi aplicado nos bulbilhos de alho antes do plantio, adicionado ao material orgânico incorporado ao solo e pulverizado nas plantas após incubação ou não com melaço. A utilização do E.M. + melaço (não incubado) não proporcionou controle da doença nos experimentos. No entanto, com a incubação do E.M. + melaço houve redução na severidade da mancha púrpura em um experimento e incremento na emergência e número de folhas verdes por planta em ambos os experimentos. A altura das plantas, superbrotamento, produção, bulbos de maior valor comercial (classes 5+6+7) e as propriedades físicas (densidade do solo, condutividade hidráulica, estabilidade dos agregados, resistência à penetração e infiltração de tinta), químicas e biológicas do solo (conteúdo de polissacarídeos, carbono da biomassa microbiana do solo e atividade da desidrogenase) não foram alteradas pela utilização do E.M. A adição de material orgânico ao solo promoveu maior agregação do solo (estabilidade dos agregados), independentemente dos tratamentos empregados. No entanto, a densidade do solo, a condutividade hidráulica e a resistência à penetração não sofreram alterações com a adição do material orgânico. / Abstract: With the purpose to reduce fungicides application for garlic production, the effects of Effective Microorganisms (E.M.-4 and E.M.-5) were studied on the control of garlic purple blotch, garlic yield and physical, chemical and biological properties of the utilized planting soil. Experiments were carried out under field conditions, for two and three years, an experimental farm, belonging to São Paulo State University, located in São Manuel, São Paulo, Brazil. E.M. was applied on garlic cloves before planting, additioned to the incorporated organic matter and sprayed on garlic aerial part after incubation or not with molasse. When E.M. plus molasse (not incubated) was utilized the control of purple blotch was not observed in two experiments. However, with the incubation of E.M. with molasse, the results showed a reduction of purple blotch severity in one experiment as well as an increment of seedling emergency and number of green leaves per plant in two experiments. Plant height, bulbil sprouting, yield, bulbs with higher market grades (classes 5+6+7) and soil physical (bulk density, hidraulic conductivity, stable soil aggregates, resistance to soil penetration and tint infiltration) chemical and biological (polyssacharides, carbon of microbial biomass and dehydrogenase content) proprieties were not affected by E.M. utilization. Organic matter addition promoted soil agreggation in all treatments, however, soil bulk density, hidraulic conductivity and resistance to soil penetration was not changed by organic matter addition. / Orientador: Chukichi Kurozawa / Coorientador: Roberto Lyra Villas-Bôas / Banca: Chukichi Kurozawa / Banca: Julio Nakagawa / Banca: Rumy Goto / João Batista Vida / Hasime Tokeshi / Doutor
99

Livestock production and animal health management systems in communal farming areas at the wildlife-livestock interface in southern Africa

Van Rooyen, Jacques January 2016 (has links)
Development of transfrontier conservation areas (TFCAs) in southern Africa depends, among other, on the ability of stakeholders to find practical and sustainable solutions for wildlife‐livestock integration in the conservation landscape. Due to the presence of buffalo Syncerus caffer in most of the TFCAs in southern Africa, foot‐and‐mouth disease (FMD) has to be controlled in susceptible livestock species sharing the rangelands with wildlife. Conventional FMD control measures act as an additional burden on communal livestock producers and may hamper rural development and wildlife‐livestock integration even further. However, commodity‐based trade in the form of an integrated approach to the control of both food safety and disease risk along the entire beef value chain has been proposed as a more favourable alternative for ensuring market access for beef produced at the wildlife‐livestock interface. Such a non‐geographic based approach could allow for trade to continue despite high risk of FMD if appropriate disease risk and food safety measures are implemented by farmers and subsequent role players along the value chain and hence, could promote greater wildlife‐livestock compatibility. / The objective of the present study was to analyse beef production, health and trade systems of farmers at the wildlife‐livestock interface within foot‐and‐mouth disease (FMD) protection zones in order to identify challenges, risks and limitations that may limit compliance with proposed commodity‐based trade prerequisites as well as value chain participation. Based on the findings of this study a holistic, integrated approach is proposed at the village level that could be implemented to serve as an incentive for equitable participation by farmers whilst 1) addressing the risks and limitations of a farming system, 2) ensuring greater wildlife‐livestock compatibility, and 3) promote consistent market access by fulfilling the requirements of an integrated value chain approach based on commodity‐based trade standards. / A farming systems approach was used to investigate beef production, health and trade systems in FMD protection zones mainly within the Zambezi Region (ZR) of Namibia, which is situated within the KAZA TFCA (Kavango‐Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area), but also the Mnisi study area (MSA) in South Africa adjacent to the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area (GLTFCA). A combined qualitative and quantitative approach was used to assess and describe farmers’ perceptions in selected study areas about beef production, trade, and wildlife conservation. Secondary data obtained from state veterinary services, the Meatco abattoir in Katima Mulilo, as well as previous studies were analysed and modelled to describe spatial‐temporal trends in trade as well as cattle distribution in relation to resource availability. / The results indicate that beef production systems in some of the most remote areas of the ZR as well as in the MSA resemble a typical low‐input low‐output production system, mainly due to the high level of risk farmers had to cope with and the limited opportunity to offset losses. The major challenges within livestock farming in all the areas studied were animal diseases, grazing competition, predation, stock theft and contact with wildlife, although the importance of each varied between study areas. Herd size effect in the MSA significantly explained the variation in attitude towards trade, production and management of cattle between farmers with below average and farmers with above average herd sizes. In the MSA, home slaughter contributed significantly more to direct household food security in households with larger herd sizes than in households with smaller herd sizes, and in the ZR farmers with smaller herd sizes were discouraged from participation in formal trade. / The attitudes and perceptions of farmers In the ZR towards wildlife and conservation often varied between survey areas as a consequence of the variation in the geophysical properties of the landscape, proximity to conservation areas, as well as the form of the interface with conservation areas. The perceived spatial‐temporal movement of buffalo varied between survey areas in the ZR. However, the frequency and nature of buffalo‐cattle interaction was generally high and intimate. Most farmers associated buffalo with risk of disease, especially FMD, but some were more concerned about grazing competition and the negative effect on husbandry practises. Farmers readily deployed traditional risk mitigation tactics in the form of kraaling at night and herding at day to control the movement of their animals and to reduce risks. Herding was found to be a potential strategy to specifically mitigate cattlebuffalo contact despite the lack of evidence that an overall strategic approach to herding exist. Although the majority of farmers in the ZR were in favour of conservation and its benefits, the negative impact of increasing wildlife numbers on farmers’ attitudes was an indication that the generally positive sentiment was changing and may in future deter conservation efforts. / Indications are that the cattle population in the ZR at its estimated density and distribution had reached the ecological capacity of the natural resource base in the ZR and animal performance and survival was therefore subjected to increased variability in resource availability linked to climate change. The cattle population’s existence at ecological capacity and the inability of farmers to offset the loss of condition in the dry season with supplementary feed were reflected in the changes in carcass quality and grades across seasons. However, there was sufficient forage produced in the ZR to sustain animal performance to some extent throughout the year, but those areas with surplus forage existed beyond the assumed grazing range around villages and perennial rivers where most cattle and wildlife concentrate. The future ability of farmers to access such underutilised grazing resources in order to strategically counter the negative consequences of climate change and growing wildlife numbers could be an important coping and risk management mechanism linked to commodity‐based trade and sustained animal quality. / Regular FMD outbreaks had a significant impact on the consistency with which the Meatco abattoir in the ZR operated between the years 2007‐2011, with negative consequences to both farmers and the abattoir itself. It was found that the formal trade system in the ZR discriminated against farmers with below average herd sizes, and that the disposition held by farmers with smaller herd sizes are most significant in areas further than approximately 55km away from quarantine camps. Vegetation type and possible contact with buffalo or previous FMD outbreaks in the area did not significantly affect market participation nor off‐take rates at a crush‐pen level in the ZR. The negative effect that distance from a quarantine station had on formal off‐take rate and the level of sales to Meatco at crush‐pen level, was the most significant in the winter months and crush‐pens situated beyond 55km from a quarantine station. The results indicate that the trade range of the Meatco abattoir was less than its trade threshold which contributed to its struggle to sustain throughput and profitability. / Finally the loss of income farmers experienced in both the ZR and the MSA during simultaneous FMD outbreaks in the year 2012 was quantified, as well as the impact it had on livelihoods in the ZR. A commodity‐based trade approach may have reduced the impact on farmers’ income significantly. However, we farmers are unable to comply with the proposed requirements for mitigating risk and ensuring food safety and quality in such communal systems in the absence of interventions to build the necessary capacity and awareness. It is recommended that at the wildlife‐livestock interface such as those investigated in this study, an integrated value chain approach to trade could serve as a catalyst to incentivise and enable farmer participation in holistic, integrated rangeland and livestock management practises that will promote conservation and rural development. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2016. / The Institute for Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium / University of Pretoria / National Research Foundation of South Africa / Veterinary Tropical Diseases / PhD / Unrestricted
100

Determining Brain Mechanical Properties and Presenting a New Computational Paradigm for Post-traumatic Cerebral Edema

Basilio, Andrew Vasco January 2023 (has links)
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major problem with an estimated cost of $76 billion per year in the US alone. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) documented 2.53 million TBI-related emergency department visits, with approximately 288,000 TBI-related hospitalizations and 56,800 TBI-related deaths in 2014 in the US. The lack of FDA-approved treatment strategies for TBI drives the need for novel therapeutic and preventative measures. In a quest to reduce TBI-related injuries and deaths, automotive companies have focused their efforts to make safer cars for both occupants and pedestrians. Computational finite element (FE) models have been used to advance research efforts in automotive safety systems engineering in hopes of ameliorating the burden caused by TBI. The current use of FE models in the automotive industry focuses on predicting stresses and strains that occur during the accident itself to predict primary injury. However, contemporary models lack the appropriate mechanical properties required to make accurate predictions of brain tissue deformation after injury and lack the ability to model secondary injuries such as cerebral edema (brain swelling). With cerebral edema being a major cause of death and disability after TBI, and with the pattern and magnitude of cerebral edema being dependent on the initiating strain field in brain tissue during TBI, automotive safety systems could be further improved if 1) FE head models contained more accurate mechanical properties and 2) if FE models could simulate secondary injuries such as cerebral edema. Therefore, the driving purpose of this thesis is two-fold: 1) to determine the mechanical properties of different regions of the brain and 2) to present a new computational methodology that allows for modeling of cerebral edema to better predict patient outcome following TBI. The use of FE models requires appropriate constitutive formulations and associated parameters to accurately model and predict the initial mechanical response of the brain to injury loading conditions. Since patient outcome is dependent on the resulting strain field within brain tissue post-injury, accurate modeling of brain tissue deformation is important for testing the efficacy of engineered automotive safety systems using FE simulations. To address this need, the first aim of this thesis employed an inverse FE approach to characterize mechanical properties of the human hippocampus (CA1, CA3, dentate gyrus), cortex white matter, and cortex gray matter. Anatomical regions were significantly different in their mechanical properties. Although no sex dependency was observed, there were trends indicating that some male brain regions were generally stiffer than corresponding female regions. In addition, mechanical properties were not dependent on age within the examined age range (4-58 years old). Ultimately, this study provides a structure-specific description of fresh human brain tissue mechanical properties, which will be an important step toward explicitly modeling the heterogeneity of brain tissue deformation during TBI using FE modeling. Fatal brain injuries may also result from physiological changes in the brain that occur after the primary injury that immediately occurs during head injury. Secondary injuries such as cerebral edema are associated with poor outcome. Despite the severe consequences of cerebral edema, its mechanism is not fully understood. The second aim of this thesis, therefore, was to elucidate the driving mechanism of cerebral edema by demonstrating that cleavage of intracellular fixed-charge density (FCD) reduces brain swelling pressure and to measure the FCD content of rat and pig brain tissue. Thin brain samples were placed into a confined pressure chamber, and FCD content was calculated from measured swelling pressure and the Gibbs-Donnan equation. We observed that cleavage of FCD using enzymes reduced swelling pressure in rat brain tissue samples and determined that pig cortex gray matter contains more FCD than pig cortex white matter. These results demonstrate that cerebral edema may occur in accordance with principles of triphasic swelling biomechanics and demonstrates the plausibility of computationally modeling cerebral edema with triphasic material formulations. Cerebral edema leads to increased intracranial pressure (ICP) as the brain swells within the fixed volume of the skull, and there is overwhelming evidence of ICP as a powerful predictor of patient outcome following TBI. Current industry standards of patient outcome evaluation use tissue-level metrics solely from primary injury such as maximum principal strain (MPS) or cumulative strain damage measure (CSDM), but these methods can be improved especially in regards to predicting mortality. Therefore, the third aim of this thesis was to develop a new FE head model and computational methodology incorporating triphasic swelling biomechanics to simulate brain swelling following impact to improve patient outcome predictions. Patient outcome was predicted by simulating swelling and calculating the resulting ICP, which is a strong indicator of patient mortality. Calculating ICP in addition to predicting primary injury metrics such as MPS and CSDM may allow automotive safety engineers to make better predictions of patient outcome following TBI so they can develop better safety systems. Another common indicator of poor outcome following TBI is acute subdural hematoma (ASDH). ASDH is an intracranial bleed that often results from TBI because of stretching and tearing of the bridging veins which causes blood to collect in the innermost layer of the dura. Despite the poor prognosis associated with the presence of ASDH following TBI, the mechanism as to why its presence is associated with a higher likelihood of death remains uncertain. Current state of the art FE head models used in automotive safety engineering efforts do not consider ASDH, which may drastically reduce their effectiveness in predicting patient outcome following TBI. Therefore, the fourth and final aim of this thesis was to incorporate ASDH into our FE head model of swelling and elucidate the underlying secondary brain injury mechanism of ASDH that contributes to increased mortality in hopes of increasing the efficacy of current FE models to predict patient outcome and ultimately design better safety systems. Using our novel FE head model and methodology from aim 3, we showed that the higher likelihood of death associated with the presence of ASDH may be caused by exacerbated ischemic injury which increases ICP, demonstrating that modeling of ASDH is necessary for accurately modeling patient outcome following TBI. Despite decades of TBI research and FE head model improvements, more work is required to enhance the biofidelity of these models to better predict patient outcome. The work in this thesis is important, as it introduces a new tool that will allow automotive safety engineers to incorporate cerebral edema and ASDH, both of which may drastically influence patient outcome following TBI, into models of head injury to allow for better predictions of patient outcome. It is hoped that the work in this thesis lays the foundation for future work that aids in the design of improved automotive safety systems that will save countless human lives.

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