Previous data from our laboratory have demonstrated that uterine blood flow (UBF) and uterine arterial smooth muscle tone vary regularly during the estrous cycle of the cow. Uterine blood flow is highest and uterine arterial tone is lowest at estrus, whereas UBF is lowest and uterine arterial tone is highest during the luteal phase of the cycle. Blood flow through arteries is highly pulsatile; changes in arterial wall properties affect shape of the velocity waveform. This study was conducted to evaluate changes in uterine arterial velocity waveforms throughout the estrous cycle of the cow and to relate these changes to fluctuations in UBF and concentrations of estrogen and(or) progesterone in systemic blood. Pulsatile velocity waveforms were obtained daily from pulsed-wave ultrasonic probes placed surgically on the middle uterine artery of five beef cows exhibiting estrous cycles of normal duration (d 0 = day of estrus). Velocity waveforms varied regularly during the estrous cycle of each cow in association with changes in UBF and steroid concentrations. Further, two distinct velocity waveform shapes were observed during the estrous cycle. The first waveform shape, which was observed during periods of high UBF (d -4 to +4 of the estrous cycle), was characteristic of a highly compliant vessel and was associated with a high estrogen:progesterone ratio. The second waveform shape, which was observed from d 7 to 14 of the estrous cycle, was characteristic of a less compliant vessel and was associated with a depressed estrogen:progesterone ratio. These data suggest that compliance of the uterine artery changes during the estrous cycle in association with the changing estrogen:progesterone ratio in blood.
Little experimental data has been reported on the biomechanics of head collisions with drywall sections. The dynamics of head collisions with rigid structures are well documented. However, impacts with compliant, composite structures are more difficult to analyze. The study objective was to correlate the severity of a head impact with damage to the drywall. A human head analog was instrumented with a tri-axial accelerometer and a uniaxial load cell was placed along the cervical spine axis. A randomized block design of drop height and head orientation was utilized. The test results indicated a primarily linear correlation between drop height and peak head acceleration, as well as correlation between drop height and the geometry of the indentation to the drywall. Head posture had little influence on wall damage, however, head extension resulted in a stiffer head-spine complex compared to a flexed posture. A two-factor ANOVA determined a statistically significant correlation between damage severity and impact velocity. The results obtained can be used by accident reconstructionists to approximate the impact severity of a head impacting drywall. The study data are limited to drywall sections of known, similar geometry, and does not apply to scenarios with a support beam directly beneath the drywall. Further studies are needed to investigate additional head postures.
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