Susan Rae Smith

Bio: Susan Rae Smith is an academic researcher from University of Pennsylvania. The author has an hindex of 2, co-authored 2 publications receiving 215 citations.

Dielectric properties of low-water-content tissues

Abstract: The dielectric properties of two low-water-content tissues, bone marrow and adipose tissue, were measured from 1 kHz to 1 GHz. From 1 kHz to 13 MHz, the measurements were performed using a parallel-plate capacitor method. From 10 MHz to 1 GHz, a reflection coefficient technique using an open-ended coaxial transmission line was employed. The tissue water contents ranged from 1 to almost 70% by weight. The dielectric properties correlate well with the values predicted by mixture theory. Comparison with previous results from high-water-content tissues suggests that bone marrow and adipose tissues contain less motionally altered water per unit dry volume than do the previously studied tissues with lower lipid fractions. The high degree of structural heterogeneity of these tissues with lower lipid fraction. The high degree of structural heterogeneity of these tissues was reflected in the large scatter of the data, a source of uncertainty that should be considered in practical applications of the present data.

Dielectric Properties of VX-2 Carcinoma Versus Normal Liver Tissue

Abstract: The bulk electrical properties of an implanted VX-2 carcinoma in rabbit liver tissue were measured from 1 kHz to 13 MHz, together with those of normal rabbit liver tissue. At the lower end of the frequency range, the conductivity of the tumor tissue was 6-7.5 times higher and its permittivity was 2-5 times lower than that of the normal tissue. The increased conductivity of the tumor tissue is believed to arise from the presence of widespread necrosis in the tumor nodules. Such differences, if generally present between tumor and surrounding normal tissues, could be used to advantage in clinical applications of electromagnetic fields.

The dielectric properties of biological tissues: I. Literature survey

Abstract: The dielectric properties of tissues have been extracted from the literature of the past five decades and presented in a graphical format. The purpose is to assess the current state of knowledge, expose the gaps there are and provide a basis for the evaluation and analysis of corresponding data from an on-going measurement programme.

Compilation of the Dielectric Properties of Body Tissues at RF and Microwave Frequencies.

Abstract: : Knowledge of the dielectric properties of biological materials is of importance in solving electromagnetic interaction problems. There is, as yet, no consensus on such data among scientists dealing with these issues. This project is geared towards producing a database of dielectric data based on measurements using recently developed techniques. This has been achieved through measurement over a wide frequency range. The new data were evaluated by comparison with corresponding data from the literature where available. To facilitate the incorporation of the dielectric data in numerical solutions, their frequency dependence was modelled to a spectrum characterised by 4 dispersion regions. The conductivity of tissues below 100 Hz was estimated from the recent measurements mitigated by data from the literature and used to estimate the body and of various body parts.

Dielectric properties of breast carcinoma and the surrounding tissues

Abstract: Relative permittivity of infiltrating breast carcinoma and the surrounding tissue was measured. The experiments were performed at frequencies from 20 kHz to 100 MHz at 37 degrees C using an automatic network analyzer and an end-of-the-line capacitive sensor. Cole-Cole dielectric parameters were calculated by curve fitting using a computer program. Three main categories of tissues were considered: the central part of the tumor, the tumor surrounding tissue, and the peripheral tissue. Within each category, the large spread of the dielectric data for different specimens suggests structural and cellular inhomogeneities of the tumor tissue. However, certain consistency has been found in the dielectric relaxation time and the coefficient of the distribution of the relaxation time within each category. The results seem to indicate that RF impedance imaging can potentially be used as a diagnostic modality for the detection of human breast carcinoma. >

The passive electrical properties of biological systems: their significance in physiology, biophysics and biotechnology

Abstract: The following topics are discussed: a summary of dielectric theory; amino acids, peptides, proteins and DNA; bound water in biological systems; biological electrolytes; membranes and cells; tissues.

Electric properties of tissues

Abstract: 1. INTRODUCTIONThe electrical properties of biological tissues and cell sus-pensions have been of interest for over a century for manyreasons. They determine the pathways of current flowthrough the body and, thus, are very important in theanalysis of a wide range of biomedical applications such asfunctional electrical stimulation and the diagnosis andtreatment of various physiological conditions with weakelectric currents, radio-frequency hyperthermia, electro-cardiography, and body composition. On a more funda-mental level, knowledge of these electrical properties canlead to an understanding of the underlying basic biologicalprocesses. Indeed, biological impedance studies have longbeen important in electrophysiology and biophysics; one ofthe first demonstrations of the existence of the cell mem-brane was based on dielectric studies on cell suspensions(1).To analyze the response of a tissue to electric stimula-tion, we need data on the specific conductivities and rel-ative permittivities of the tissues or organs. A microscopicdescription of the response is complicated by the variety ofcell shapes and their distribution inside the tissue as wellas the different properties of the extracellular media.Therefore, a macroscopic approach is most often used tocharacterize field distributions in biological systems.Moreover, even on a macroscopic level, the electrical prop-erties are complicated. They can depend on the tissue ori-entation relative to the applied field (directionalanisotropy), the frequency of the applied field (the tissueis neither a perfect dielectric nor a perfect conductor), orthey can be time- and space-dependent (e.g., changes intissue conductivity during electropermeabilization).2. BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS IN AN ELECTRIC FIELDThe electrical properties of any material, including bio-logical tissue, can be broadly separated into two catego-ries: conducting and insulating. In a conductor, theelectric charges move freely in response to the applicationof an electric field, whereas in an insulator (dielectric), thecharges are fixed and not free to move. A more detaileddiscussion of the fundamental processes underlying theelectrical properties of tissue can be found in Foster andSchwan (2).If a conductor is placed in an electric field, charges willmove within the conductor until the interior field is zero.In the case of an insulator, no free charges exist, so netmigration of charge does not occur. In polar materials,however, the positive and negative charge centers in themolecules do not coincide. An electric dipole moment, p,issaid to exist. An applied field, E