Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
5-31-1988
Degree Name
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering - (M.S.)
Department
Electrical Engineering
First Advisor
Stanley S. Reisman
Second Advisor
Peter Engler
Third Advisor
W. H. Warren Ball
Fourth Advisor
Joseph B. Sia
Abstract
In order to measure the metabolic change in an animal due to the administration of anti-obesity drugs, an instrument was constructed which will allow the continuous sampling of twelve individual animals residing in enclosed chambers. The instrument is based on the principle of Indirect Calorimetry, which measures metabolic rate by sampling the inlet and outlet concentrations of respiratory gases (oxygen and carbon dioxide) of the chamber. The system is controlled by an IBM PC which will control six chambers or twelve chambers simultaneously.
The system assesses the metabolic rate of the animal by calculating the Respiratory Quotient (RQ) and the rate of oxygen consumption (RO2). RQ is the ratio of carbon dioxide production to oxygen consumption (RCO2 / RO2).
To insure that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the chamber will not be affected by the size of the animal the system is also equipped with an additional path for controlling the flow from the chamber. This allows the option of using increased flows in chambers containing larger animals. In this optional mode, the flow is selected, then adjusted automatically by the computer.
Performance tests were done on the system to determine the stability, flushing time and accuracy. Then an animal test was performed over a span of seven days to show the long term performance of the system. The results of these tests are presented to show the accuracy and usefulness of the system. The results show that the system can accurately measure the RQ of laboratory rats over an extended period of time. The tests also show the correlation of the computed values of the two systems.
Recommended Citation
Hartmann, David John, "Microcomputer-controlled respiratory rate monitor" (1988). Theses. 3101.
https://digitalcommons.njit.edu/theses/3101
