Analytical solutions are sought for optimal temperature distributions to control the interlaminar stresses near the free edges of composite laminates subjected to uniaxial loading. Optimal through-thickness temperature gradients are obtained by minimizing appropriate performance indices that are functions of the far-field properties, with respect to the through-thickness temperature differences...

A 19-year-old man presented with long lasting significant back and bilateral leg pain, and hypoesthesia on the lateral side of both his thighs for which he had undergone several courses of medication and bouts of physical therapy treatment. His urodynamic parameters were normal and lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed a low-lying conus at the L2-3 level with a thickened fatty filum,...

We present and compare the joint and dual variants of the extended Kalman filter for coupled state and parameter identification problems. With reference to nonlinear dynamics of layered composites, we assume that the elastic properties of the laminae are known, whereas the softening constitutive law of the interlaminar phases adopted to simulate delamination needs to be calibrated. Purpose of t...

Medial entorhinal cortex (MEC) plays an important role in physiological processes underlying navigation, learning, and memory. Excitatory cells in the different MEC layers project in a region-specific manner to the hippocampus. However, the intrinsic microcircuitry of the main excitatory cells in the superficial MEC layers is largely unknown. Using scanning photostimulation, we investigated the...

The interlaminar interface of a crossply carbon fiber epoxy-matrix composite was found to be an impact sensor, with sensitivity to impact from 0.8 mJ to 5 J (though no indentation was observed) and to multiple (up to 35) impacts at the same energy. However, the sensing of a small impact after a large one was not effective if the small impact was much lower in energy than the large one. The high...

Low back pain is an important medical, social, and economic problem involving approximately 15% to 39% of the population. Of the numerous therapeutic interventions available for treatment of chronic low back pain, including surgery, epidural administration of corticosteroids is one such intervention commonly used. Several approaches available to access the lumbar epidural space are the caudal, ...

Lumbar interlaminar and transforaminal epidural injections are used in the treatment of lumbar radicular pain and other lumbar spinal pain syndromes. Complications from these procedures arise from needle placement and the administration of medication. Potential risks include infection, hematoma, intravascular injection of medication, direct nerve trauma, subdural injection of medication, air em...

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of aging in either air or nitrogen on the residual interlaminar strains and stresses in unidirectional and woven graphite/polyimide composites. In order to accomplish this goal, XRD measurements have been made on embedded aluminum inclusions placed between the first and second plies of both unidirectional and fabric graphite /PMR-15 composite ...