Design of a measurement tool for objective stiffness measurements in the MCP joints of rheumatoid arthritis patients

<b>Background</b><br/>Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a progressive, chronic, inflammatory, autoimmune disorder, affecting 0.5-1.5% of the world's population. Current RA disease activity assessment methods rely on subjective, labor-intensive methods. Therefore, an unmet need exists for objectively assessing RA disease activity through a low-labor...

Parametric design of a grid shell roof over existing buildings​, with a focus on connection design

The motivation of the thesis relates to designing grid shells over existing buildings. Grid shell roofs are a way to enclose an existing space structurally efficiently and have minimal interference with the surroundings from an architectural and environmental perspective. The solution results in less material usage than shell structures, and...

Load carrying capacity of multiple fastener steel to bamboo joints loaded parallel to the fibre direction

Laminated bamboo could be a promising material when it comes to large span roofing structures where often truss structures are adopted. It is assumed that connection design used for timber trusses can also be applied in laminated bamboo trusses. For this research truss nodes with slotted-in steel plates are considered. This research will focus...

Short range stiffness elastic limit depends on joint velocity

Muscles behave as elastic springs during the initial strain phase, indicated as short range stiffness (SRS). Beyond a certain amount of strain the muscle demonstrates a more viscous behavior. The strain at which the muscle transits from elastic- to viscous-like behavior is called the elastic limit and is believed to be the result of breakage of...