Thesis (M.S.)--California Polytechnic State University, 2010. / Title from PDF title page; viewed on May 3, 2010. Major professor: Robert S. Crockett, Ph.D. "Presented to the faculty of California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo." "In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree [of] Master of Science in Engineering, with a Specialization in Biomedical Engineering." "March 2010." Includes bibliographical references (p. 39-41).

During development and testing of the pacemaker and defibrillator device functionality, engineers in the cardiac rhythm management industry use a patient simulator to ensure device functionality properly before device is tested with an animal or a human. The patient simulator is also used in the formal device product testing. In St. Jude Medical, a patient simulator called Simulation Test Tool (STT) has been developed and used by engineers in the company. While the Heart Simulator (HS) feature based on physiological heart model in the STT has been served as a main cardiac rhythm simulation feature, there has been an increasing need of a new feature in the STT for engineers to create heart rhythm scenarios more easily and effectively. This thesis covers the design and implementation of the new STT feature, called Event Stream, which allows users to create heart rhythm scenarios using simple text string based syntax for testing device functionality.

The performance of the heart after a valve replacement operation will greatly depend on the flow character downstream the mitral valve thus a better understanding of the flow character is essential. Most in vitro studies of the flow downstream of a MHV have been conducted with the valve in the aortic position. Researchers reported detailed measurements most of which were obtained by Laser Doppler Velocimetry (LDV) in rigid models of the aorta. Digital Particle Image Velocimetry (DPIV) has also been utilized to reveal intricate patterns of interacting shed vortices downstream of the aortic valve. The orientation of the valves may considerably affect the flow development and slight difference may produce significant differences in the ventricular flow fields. Two orientations, respectively anatomical and anti-anatomical, of the St. Jude Medical (SJM) bileaflet valve are presented and compared with the SJM Biocor porcine valve, which served to more closely represent the natural valve. In this effort, we employ a powerful tool to monitor the velocity field in a flexible, transparent LV and study the evolution of large eddies and turbulence through a complete cardiovascular cycle. Both time average and instantaneous results of velocity, vorticity, and turbulent kinetic energy distributions are presented. The presence and location of vortical structures were deduced as well as the level of coherence of these structures. The presence of three distinct flow patterns were identified, by the location of vortical structures and level of coherence, for the three configurations corresponding to significant differences in the turbulence level distribution inside the LV. / Master of Science

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In the mid 1990's, Aarhus University's Per Bilde detailed a new hypothesis of how Judaism, Christianity and Gnosticism were connected. Bilde suggested that Christianity acted as a catalyst, propelling Jewish Apocalypticism into Gnosticism. This dissertation applies the epistle of Jude to Per Bilde's theory. Although Bilde is not the first to posit Judaism as a factor in the emergence of Gnosticism, his theory is unique in attempting to frame that connection in terms of a religious continuum. Jewish Apocalypticism, early Christianity, and Gnosticism represent three stages in a continual religio-historical development in which Gnosticism became the logical conclusion. I propose that Bilde is essentially correct and that the epistle of Jude is written evidence that the author of the epistle experiences the phenomena. The author of Jude (from this point on referred to as Jude) sits in the middle of Bilde's progression and may be the most perceptive of New Testament writers in responding to the crisis. He looks behind to see the Jewish association with the Christ followers and seeks to maintain it. He looks forward to what he perceives as a shift from early orthodoxy and battles that shift. My thesis is to use the text of the epistle of Jude to uncover its historical situation. I posit that it portrays an early church leader grounded in Jewish Apocalypticism and facing the beginnings of a new "heretical" movement. This is a thesis of connections, and the work lies in using the epistle of Jude to illustrate those connections. This study is significant in two respects. First, it will clarify background issues of Jude. Earlier scrutiny of Jude focused on its unique aspects, such as Jude's use of the non-canonical texts of 1 Enoch and the Testament of Moses. More recent scholarship has centered on the literary and rhetorical analysis of the text. I will concentrate on using the text of Jude within the context of this theory in order to determine a clearer view of the historical setting in which Jude wrote. Second, this work will further the theory of connections between Jewish Apocalypticism, early Christianity, and Gnosticism. Although much work has been done to validate the connections between Judaism and Gnosticism, less has been done specifically with regard to Jewish Apocalypticism and even less with Per Bilde's theory of the critical middle role of early Christianity. And no one has used Jude in this particular discussion. / Religion

Biblical and Ancient Studies / D. Th. (New Testament)

Native heart valves that have limited functionality due to cardiovascular disease or congenital birth defects are commonly replaced by prosthetic heart valves. Bileaflet mechanical heart valves (BMHV) are the most commonly implanted valve design due to their long-term durability. However, their unnatural hemodynamics promote thrombosis and thromboembolic events. Clinical reports and in vitro experiments suggest that the thrombogenic complications in bileaflet valves are related to the stress imposed on blood by the valves during the closing phase. Additionally, animal and clinical studies have shown that BMHV in the aortic position demonstrate reduced failure rates compared to identical valves in the mitral position. The present study aimed to investigate the leakage, hinge, and near hinge flow fields of two BMHV under simulated physiologic aortic flow conditions and to compare these results with previous findings in the mitral position to better understand how the implant location influences the valve performance and the subsequent risk of blood damage. Two and three-component Laser Doppler Velocimetry techniques were used to quantify the velocity and turbulent shear stress fields in both the hinge and the upstream leakage flow regions. The study focused on the 23 mm St. Jude Medical Regent (SJM) and the 23 mm CarboMedics (CM) valves. Although they were tested under similar physiologic conditions, shape and location of the leakage jets were dependent on valve design. Nevertheless, turbulent shear stress levels recorded within all jets were well above the threshold shear stress for the onset of blood cell damage. Within the hinge region, the flow fields were complex and unsteady. The angulated hinge recess of the CM valve appeared to promote blood damage while the streamlined geometry of the SJM valve contributed to better washout of the hinge region. Animations of the velocity flow fields are given in QuickTime or MPEG format. Comparison of the present findings with previously published results for the mitral position suggests that the superior clinical results of the mechanical valves in the aortic position may be due to less severe leakage flow upon valve closure as well as to enhanced hinge washout during the forward flow phase.

The Sirens episode in The Odyssey is comparably short, but it is one of the most memorable scenes in the epic. Sirens are trying to stop the male narrative, the male quest of Odysseus with their own female "narrative power" (Doherty 82). They are the quintessential marginalized, calling for a voice, a presence, an audience in the text of patriarchy. The knowledge they promise, though, comes with the price of death. They are covertly sexual in Classical antiquity, but since the rise of Christianity, a new Siren emerged from the depths of the sea; instead of the sexually ambiguous embodiment of knowledge, she became fleshy, bestial, and lustful (Lao 113). In his Jude the Obscure, Thomas Hardy creates a Victorian Siren in the form of Arabella Donn, who personifies all of the misogynistic qualities of womanhood. She is deceptive, bestial, lecherous, and aligned with death and destruction. Intentionally or not, however, Hardy's Arabella is also paradoxically a bearer of truth and wisdom. This thesis will further textual study of Jude the Obscure and provide a new reading of Arabella Donn.

Zugl.: Kiel, Univ., Diss., 2008

Biblical and Ancient Studies / D. Th. (New Testament)