MRI: Acquisition of a Wide Range Particle Spectrometer

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The proposal requests funds to acquire a Wide range Particle Spectrometer ( WPS) for characterizing a wide range (i.e., nano to micron sized ) aerosol particles. The device is needed to support aerosol inhalation experiments with subject specific airway model. The PI has used ScanIP image processing software to extract 3D images files of up to 8 airway generations with or without the oral cavity, which are then created by a fused deposition molding 3D rapid prototyping machine. Models are available for normal and diseased adult patients and for diseased pediatric patient airways. The prototypes are then placed in a testing chamber in the PI's Inhalation Aerosol Dynamics lab. With the exception of the WPS, all components, including a Vibrating Orifice Aerosol Generator and a Condensation Aerosol Generator, are available for the air flow experiments. Tidal volumes and breathing rates can be controlled to mimic sedentary and exercise states. Regional Deposition Measurements will be obtained by washing out pertinent sections of the lung models with ionized water and measuring the amount of uranine that was present in the deposited oil droplets. Though not described in the proposal, computational models created from the same 3D image files used to create the flow through prototypes would be developed for comparison with the experimental results. The PI, Sinjae Hyun, PhD (Mechanical Engineering, NCSU, 1998) is an Associate Prfoessor od Engineering and Director of the Engineering Research Program at Mercer University, where he has been since 2003. In 2010 he took a sabbatical leave at the US EPA Inhalation Dosimetry Study Lab to obtain training for inhalation aerosol transport and deposition experiments in the respiratory system. He and an undergraduate research assistant continued the training in the summer of 2011. A strong letter of support was included from Chong S, Kim, PhD, EPA, who promised collaboration and advice.