The cervical spine poses many complex challenges that require complex solutions. Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) has been one such technique often employed to address such issues. In order to address the problems with ACDF and assess the modifications that have been made to the technique over time, finite element analyses (FEA) have proven to be an effective tool. The variations of cervical spine FEA models that have been produced over the past couple of decades, particularly more recent representations of more complex geometries, have not yet been identified and characterized in any literature. Our objective was to present material property models and cervical spine models for various simulation purposes. The outlining and refinement of the FEA process will yield more reliable outcomes and provide a stable basis for the modeling protocols of the cervical spine.

Using first principle calculations, the effect of Ce with different doping concentrations in the network of Zirconium dioxide (ZrO₂) is studied. The ZrO₂ cell volume linearly increases with the increasing Ce doping concentration. The intrinsic band gap of ZrO₂ of 5.70 eV reduces to 4.67 eV with the 2.08% Ce doping. In 4.16% cerium doped ZrO₂, the valence band maximum and conduction band minimum come closer to each other, about 1.1 eV, compared to ZrO₂. The maximum band gap reduction of ZrO₂ is observed at 6.25% Ce doping concentration, having the value of 4.38 eV. No considerable shift in the band structure is found with further increase in the doping level. The photo-response of the ZrO₂ is modulated with Ce insertion, and two distinct modifications are observed in the absorption coefficient: an imaginary part of the dielectric function and conductivity. A 2.08% Ce-doped ZrO₂ modeled system reduces the intensities of peaks in the optical spectra while keeping the peaks of intrinsic ZrO₂. However, the intrinsic peaks related to ZrO₂ completely vanish in 4.16%, 6.25%, 8.33%, and 12.5% Ce doped ZrO₂, and a new absorption hump is created.

Over the past few decades, there has been a growing popularity in utilizing finite element analysis to study the spine. However, most current studies tend to use one specimen for their models. This research aimed to validate multiple finite element models by comparing them with data from in vivo experiments and other existing finite element studies. Additionally, this study sought to analyze the data based on the gender and age of the specimens. For this study, eight lumbar spine (L2–L5) finite element models were developed. These models were then subjected to finite element analysis to simulate the six fundamental motions. CT scans were obtained from a total of eight individuals, four males and four females, ranging in age from forty-four (44) to seventy-three (73) years old. The CT scans were preprocessed and used to construct finite element models that accurately emulated the motions of flexion, extension, lateral bending, and axial rotation. Preloads and moments were applied to the models to replicate physiological loading conditions. This study focused on analyzing various parameters such as vertebral rotation, facet forces, and intradiscal pressure in all loading directions. The obtained data were then compared with the results of other finite element analyses and in vivo experimental measurements found in the existing literature to ensure their validity. This study successfully validated the intervertebral rotation, intradiscal pressure, and facet force results by comparing them with previous research findings. Notably, this study concluded that gender did not have a significant impact on the results. However, the results did highlight the importance of age as a critical variable when modeling the lumbar spine.