Biomedical Devices and Instrumentation Commons^™

The Effect Of Neurostimulation On Ischemic Pain And Methods Of Assessing Pain, Kaylee Keck

Biomedical Engineering

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) impacts approximately eight million people in the United States [1]. Disease progression leads to chronic ischemic pain, hindering quality of life. Pharmaceuticals are a typical treatment for pain associated with PAD; but as few as 30% of patients have a significant reduction of pain (≥50%) [2].

Neurostimulation is commonly used as a treatment for various diseases and injuries, including Parkinson’s disease and sports-related back and knee injuries [2]. The objective of the study was to explore neurostimulation and its effect on pain and paresthesia for a model of acute peripheral ischemia in young college students.

Pain …

Feasibility Of Using Raman-Based Techniques For Breast Cancer Detection, Sara Mollamohammada

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Breast cancer is one of the common types of cancer among women all over the world. Early diagnosis is an effective way that improve the treatment process and gives the patients a better chance of survival. Many of the patients infected by breast cancer choose breast conservation surgery (BCS). However, some of those will be subjected to mastectomy, and many will have tumor recurrence as there is no precise technique to show the tumor margins. Raman-based methods are powerful techniques with potential to rapidly differentiate normal from tumor tissues and provides a solution to detect tumor margin. This is because …

Design And Development Of A Wearable Wireless Health Monitoring System: A Smart Watch Approach, Keerthi Paranikumar

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

According to Statistics, every year, about 610,000 people die because of heart disease in United States of America. (i.e. 1 in every 4 deaths.*) Heart disease is common for both men and women. Annually, about 370,000 people die because of coronary heart disease, which is the most common type of heart disease [1]. About 735,000 Americans have heart attack every year. In this, 210,000 people gets heart attack who already has heart problems and 525,000 people get heart attack for the first time [2]. Not many people know that they have heart problems. Around 47% of the people in United …

Prediction Of Rupture In Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm, Qusay Alfaori

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Studying the development of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) through quantification of its growth kinetics and rupture criteria is important to decrease the risk of this life-threatening event. Uniaxial and biaxial testing of healthy and time-dependent Type-I collagen degraded aortic specimens from pigs was performed. Stress-strain suitable mathematical models describing the behavior of abdominal aortic tissue were utilized to derive specific tissue properties and parameters. Reduction in Type-I collagen fraction was observed using picrosirius red staining method, bright field microscopy, and MATLAB. Finite Element Modeling (FEM) of healthy and time-dependent Type-I collagen degraded abdominal aortas were performed using ABAQUS finite element …

Icloudecg: A Mobile Cardiac Telemedicine System, David S. Clifford

Masters Theses

With rising healthcare costs and a substantially growing number of patients 65 or over, the benefits of telemedicine and patient self-monitoring systems are becoming increasingly evident. Patients, physicians, hospitals, and even insurance providers benefit from vigilant, cost-effective patient monitoring systems. This thesis describes the development of a portable, smart-phone connected system for continuous cardiac monitoring. The system is capable of continuously monitoring the conditions of the heart, automated detection of cardiac arrhythmias, and real-time notifying patients and physicians of the detected abnormalities. The system consists of four main subsystems: 1) a Bluetooth capable chest-strap ECG, 2) an Android-enabled mobile device, …

Image Processing And Visualization Of Terahertz Pulsed Imaging Of Breast Cancer Tumors, Yuhao Wu

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Terahertz imaging technology has grown substantially in recent years. With new advances made in the generation, manipulation, and detection of terahertz radiation, terahertz imaging has found its application as inspection tools in a wide range of areas including biomedicine, materials science, and aerospace industries. In the field of medical imaging, terahertz (THz) has emerged as a new imaging modality due to some fundamental physical properties of the THz wave. THz imaging has been used to examine various biological structures, and THz tomography has been developed to probe the 3D structures of those samples.

THz pulsed imaging (TPI) is one of …

Fundamentals Of The Biomechanical Characteristics Related To The Loading Of Reverse Total Shoulder Arthroplasty Implants And The Development Of A Wear Simulation Strategy, G Daniel G. Langohr

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

A greater understanding of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) in terms of articular contact mechanics and wear is essential for the optimization of current surgical technique and future implant design. Despite the prevalence of RTSA for shoulder reconstruction, there is little information in current literature regarding the effects of changes in implant parameters on articular contact mechanics and wear. The present work describes the use of in-vitro cadaveric studies, a computational model of the articular contact surfaces, and the development and implementation of a wear simulation strategy to assess RTSA contact mechanics and wear.

The articular loading characteristics of RTSA …

Label-Free Surface-Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy-Linked Immunosensor Assay (Slisa) For Environmental Surveillance, Vinay Bhardwaj

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The contamination of the environment, accidental or intentional, in particular with chemical toxins such as industrial chemicals and chemical warfare agents has increased public fear. There is a critical requirement for the continuous detection of toxins present at very low levels in the environment. Indeed, some ultra-sensitive analytical techniques already exist, for example chromatography and mass spectroscopy, which are approved by the US Environmental Protection Agency for the detection of toxins. However, these techniques are limited to the detection of known toxins. Cellular expression of genomic and proteomic biomarkers in response to toxins allows monitoring of known as well as …

Hockey Skating Kinematics And The Effect Of Skate Design And Technique Training, Rebecca Mae Tidman

Master's Theses (2009 -)

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of technique training and hockey skate design on hockey skating performance. Fourteen male subjects, aged 12-16 years, with no recent skate treadmill experience completed ten training sessions on a skating treadmill. Instruction emphasized maximizing stride width by pushing laterally with the skate pointed anteriorly. Subjects were randomly placed into one of two experimental groups based on initial skate type: traditional or Easton Mako. After completion of five sessions, skate type was switched so that skate design effects could be assessed. In contrast to a traditional hockey skate design, the Easton …

Mechanical Characterization Of Carbon Fiber And Thermoplastic Ankle Foot Orthoses, Amanda Wach

Master's Theses (2009 -)

The needs of an increasingly young and active orthotic patient population has led to advancements in ankle foot orthosis (AFO) design and materials to enable higher function. The Intrepid Dynamic Exoskeletal Orthosis (IDEO) is a custom energy-storing carbon fiber AFO that has demonstrated improved clinical function, allowing patients to return to high-intensity activities such as sports and military service. An improved understanding of AFO mechanical function will aid prescription and fitting, as well as assist in design modifications for different patient populations. This study investigated the mechanical properties of AFOs, specifically structural stiffness, rotational motion, and strut deflection, to discern …

Lpcoms: Towards A Low Power Wireless Smart-Shoe System For Gait Analysis In People With Disabilities, Ishmat Zerin

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Gait analysis using smart sensor technology is an important medical diagnostic process and has many applications in rehabilitation, therapy and exercise training. In this thesis, we present a low power wireless smart-shoe system (LPcomS) to analyze different functional postures and characteristics of gait while walking. We have designed and implemented a smart-shoe with a Bluetooth communication module to unobtrusively collect data using smartphone in any environment. With the design of a shoe insole equipped with four pressure sensors, the foot pressure is been collected, and those data are used to obtain accurate gait pattern of a patient. With our proposed …

Integrating Meal And Exercise Into Personalized Glucoregulation Models: Metabolic Dynamics And Diabetic Athletes, Sofie Schunk

Master's Theses (2009 -)

Diabetes affects nearly 26 million Americans, according to the American Diabetes Association, with as many as three million Americans who have Type 1 Diabetes (ADA, 2015). Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is autoimmune and characterized by little to no insulin production whereas Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) concerns insulin resistance and inability to use produced insulin. Factors contributing to current diabetes management and regulation include exercise type, daily movement activities, and distinct tissue compartment metabolism, each challenging to model in a robust and comprehensive manner. Past models are highly limited in regard to exercise and varying glucose fluctuations dependent on type, intensity, …

Noninvasive Assessment Of Photoreceptor Structure And Function In The Human Retina, Robert Francis Cooper

Dissertations (1934 -)

The human photoreceptor mosaic underlies the first steps of vision; thus, even subtle defects in the mosaic can result in severe vision loss. The retina can be examined directly using clinical tools; however these devices lack the resolution necessary to visualize the photoreceptor mosaic. The primary limiting factor of these devices is the optical aberrations of the human eye. These aberrations are surmountable with the incorporation of adaptive optics (AO) to ophthalmoscopes, enabling imaging of the photoreceptor mosaic with cellular resolution. Despite the potential of AO imaging, much work remains before this technology can be translated to the clinic. Metrics …

Computational Approaches For Remote Monitoring Of Symptoms And Activities, Ferdaus Kawsar

Dissertations (1934 -)

We now have a unique phenomenon where significant computational power, storage, connectivity, and built-in sensors are carried by many people willingly as part of their life style; two billion people now use smart phones. Unique and innovative solutions using smart phones are motivated by rising health care cost in both the developed and developing worlds. In this work, development of a methodology for building a remote symptom monitoring system for rural people in developing countries has been explored. Design, development, deployment, and evaluation of e-ESAS is described. The system’s performance was studied by analyzing feedback from users. A smart phone …

Biomechanical Characerization And Evaluation Of Conservative Clubfoot Correction, Tamara Loren Cohen

Dissertations (1934 -)

Congential talipes equinovarus, or clubfoot, affects approximately 200,000 newborns worldwide each year and presents with equinovarus of the hindfoot, as well as cavus and adduction of the midfoot. In addition to bone malformation and displacement, soft tissue contractures encapsulate the medial and posterior aspects of the affected foot. The Ponseti method is a conservative treatment that progressively repositions the clubfoot through weekly casting, followed by bracing. Concerns exist regarding the variability in outcomes, resistance to treatment, and risk of relapse, which occur in approximately 10% of the population. Potential factors contributing to variability and resistant clubfoot include cast material performance, …

Quantification Of Blood Flow Velocity Using Color Sensing, Aditya Deepak Sanghani

Master's Theses

Blood flow velocity is an important parameter that can give information on several pathologies including atherosclerosis, glaucoma, Raynaud’s phenomenon, and ischemic stroke [2,5,6,10]. Present techniques of measuring blood flow velocity involve expensive procedures such as Doppler echocardiography, Doppler ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging [11,12]. They cost from $8500-$20000. It is desired to find a low-cost yet equally effective solution for measuring blood flow velocity. This thesis has a goal of creating a proof of concept device for measuring blood flow velocity.

Finger blood flow velocity is investigated in this project. The close proximity to the skin of the finger’s arteries …

Effect Of Hemiarthroplasty Implant Contact Geometry And Material On Early Cartilage Wear, Alana Khayat

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Hemiarthroplasty is a minimally invasive, cost-effective alternative to total arthroplasty in joints of the upper limb. Though these procedures reduce patient morbidity while restoring joint kinematics, their longevity is limited by wear of the adjacent cartilage. This work investigates the roles of contact geometry and implant stiffness on cartilage wear with the aim of elucidating the mechanics that contribute to cartilage damage. An in vitro study examined the influence of implant geometry on cartilage wear using a pin-on-plate wear simulator. A significant decrease in volumetric wear was observed as contact area increased, which suggests that maximizing contact area should be …

Concept Frequency Distribution In Biomedical Text Summarization, Lawrence H. Reeve, Hyoil Han, Saya V. Nagori, Jonathan C. Yang, Tamara A. Schwimmer, Ari D. Brooks

Hyoil Han

Text summarization is a data reduction process. The use of text summarization enables users to reduce the amount of text that must be read while still assimilating the core information. The data reduction offered by text summarization is particularly useful in the biomedical domain, where physicians must continuously find clinical trial study information to incorporate into their patient treatment efforts. Such efforts are often hampered by the high-volume of publications. Our contribution is two-fold: 1) to propose the frequency of domain concepts as a method to identify important sentences within a full-text; and 2) propose a novel frequency distribution model …

Endoscopic Targeting Tasks Simulator: An Approach Using Game Engines, Shaun W. Carnegie

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

The pervasiveness of simulators used in professions requiring the skilled control of expensive machinery such as is the case in the aviation, mining, construction, and naval industries raises an intriguing question about the relatively poor adoption within the field of medicine. Certain surgical procedures such as neuro-endoscopic and laparoscopic lend themselves well to the application of virtual reality based simulators. This is due to the innate ability to decom- pose these complex macro level procedures into a hierarchy of subtasks that can be modelled in a software simulator to augment existing teaching and training techniques.

The research in this thesis …

The Role Of Biological Fluid And Dynamic Flow In The Behavior And Cellular Interactions Of Gold Nanoparticles, Emily K. Breitner, Saber M. Hussain, Kristen K. Comfort

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Publications

Background: Due to their distinctive physicochemical properties, nanoparticles (NPs) have proven to be extremely advantageous for product and application development, but are also capable of inducing detrimental outcomes in biological systems. Standard in vitro methodologies are currently the primary means for evaluating NP safety, as vast quantities of particles exist that require appraisal. However, cell-based models are plagued by the fact that they are not representative of complex physiological systems. The need for a more accurate exposure model is highlighted by the fact that NP behavior and subsequent bioresponses are highly dependent upon their surroundings. Therefore, standard in vitro models …