BACKGROUND Punch instrument is a circular blade that can be used for many diagnostic and therapeutic purposes in different medical and surgical specialties. Punch surgery (or biopsy) is achieved by using this versatile punch blade under local anesthesia. Basic punch surgery is quick and easy to learn. Complications such as bleeding and infection are minimal. Diagnostic punch surgery can obtain ...

background: onchocerciasis is endemic in the imo river basin, nigeria. this study was aimed at assess­ing the prevalence and intensity of microfilaria of onchocerca volvulus in the area. methods: a cross-sectional study was carried out in the okigwe local government area, imo state, nige­ria. two skin snips (one from the waist and another from the shoulder) were taken from 1024 individu­als exa...

in this study, the formation of different parts of a cup during deep drawing process has been investigated analytically using the geometrical relationships. for a given punch travel, the effects of the bending angle, and those of the die and shoulder radii on the flange and die shoulder strains were examined. in addition, different components of the deformation force were calculated and the pun...

An experimental study has been conducted on the penetration of silicone rubbers and human skin in vivo by sharp-tipped and flat-bottomed cylindrical punches. A penetrometer was developed to measure the penetration of human skin in vivo, while a conventional screw-driven testing machine was used to penetrate the silicone rubbers. The experiments reveal that the penetration mechanism of a soft so...

Micromechanical models are developed for the deep penetration of a soft solid by a flat-bottomed and by a sharp-tipped cylindrical punch. The soft solid is taken to represent mammalian skin and silicone rubbers, and is treated as an incompressible, hyperelastic, isotropic solid described by a one-term Ogden strain energy function. Penetration of the soft solid by a flat-bottomed punch is by the...

The Purdue University Network Computing Hubs of Indiana, or PUNCH(I), is an Internet-based software infrastructure under development that enables students and faculty at all Purdue campuses in the state of Indiana to use and share unique computational resources. It leverages an existing software infrastructure, the Purdue University Network Computing Hubs (PUNCH). This paper explains the need f...

OBJECTIVES This study sought to investigate the patterns of injury resulting from a punch mechanism and to investigate the associated psychopathology present in patients with these injuries. METHODS Retrospective analysis of patients with hand radiographs ordered from the emergency department allowed for identification of patients with a punch mechanism. We recorded injury patterns and querie...

The effect of punch tilting on the mechanism of punch penetration in the die of a rotary tablet machine during the compression cycle was evaluated by installing four displacement transducers on one station of a rotary machine. Two transducers were symmetrically positioned beside the upper punch in the upper turret, and the other two transducers were similarly placed beside the lower punch in th...

BACKGROUND The colposcopy-directed punch biopsy is widely used in the management of women with abnormal cervical cytology; however, its accuracy compared with definitive histology from an excision biopsy is not well established. OBJECTIVES To assess the accuracy of the colposcopy-directed punch biopsy to diagnose high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) by performing a systematic r...

In this paper a new electromechanically actuated punch (EAP) is presented. This punch can apply forces up to 10 kN and has a stroke up to 4mm. Due to the high dynamics drive-concept, the ram’s kinematics is changeable during the punch process and backlashes are non-existent. Therefore, the punch is especially qualified for manufacturing micro-components demanding high accuracy and high stroke r...