Engineering Commons^™

An Introduction To The Comparison Of Seismocardiography And Phonocardiography, Anna C. Voyatzoglou

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to lay groundwork for examining the relationship between seismocardiography (SCG) and phonocardiography (PCG). Both are methods of measuring and describing heart mechanical function. SCG is described as chest vibrations while the heart beats, and PCG is described as acoustic chest surface signal believed to represent the heart valves opening or closing. SCG and PCG have both been used separately in clinical and research settings, but there is currently no clear comparison between the two. Therefore, there has been no way at the present to understand how one signal might inform the other. This study …

Physicians And Their Patience: Redefining Healthcare Relationships Through Readability Optimization, Rachel V. Ball

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The present study takes legibility research and extends it to the medical setting. Internal Medicine Physicians from UCF developed six passages of medical text detailing a History of Present Illness (HPI) Report from an emergency department as well as comprehension questions for the purpose of our study. In our study, we first presented non-medical passages and comprehension questions in six common fonts to identify participants' individual fastest and slowest fonts. We then gave participants medical passages in both their best and worst fonts while measuring reading speed and comprehension. This study was delivered to a population of Amazon Mechanical Turk …

Electromyographic And Mechanomyogrpahic Signal Changes With Fatigue In Adults, Rehana Koilpillai

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Surface electromyography (sEMG) and mechanomyography (MMG) are well-studied signals that can reveal information about the physiological behavior of muscles during contraction. The purpose of this study was to quantify, characterize, and analyze the electrical and mechanical muscle responses to submaximal, isometric contractions in the rectus femoris in adults. Previous studies have investigated the use of EMG to monitor muscle fatigue. However, more information appears to be needed about the use of MMG to measure muscle fatigue during submaximal isometric contraction in the rectus femoris. In this study, the utility of MMG as a measure of muscle fatigue or muscle state …

Heart Rate Variability In Adults During 24-Hours With A Focus On Sleep Period, Ankur Ravikanth

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The objective of this study is to investigate heart rate variability (HRV) over a period of 24 hours with special focus on patterns during the sleep period. Comparisons were made between sleep and the full 24-hour data. The Polar M430 watch was used to record heart rate (HR) data for about 24 hours, and the subject kept a journal of the activities they performed throughout the day. The data was visualized as heart rate in beats per minute (BPM) as a function of time. To check the accuracy of the Polar watch, a 7-minute recording of HR from the watch …

Targeting T Cell Glycolysis To Mitigate Graft-Versus-Host Disease, Kevin Ezhakunnel

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Hematological cancers account for nearly ten percent of cancer cases diagnosed annually in the United States. Patients who fail to respond to chemotherapy or radiotherapy must often undergo a bone marrow transplant to treat their malignancy. A significant complication following this procedure is Graft versus Host Disease (GvHD), which occurs when donor T cells mount an immune response against recipient tissues. Immunological research has highlighted the role of aberrant T cell metabolism, specifically a shift toward aerobic glycolysis, as a key driver behind the occurrence of this condition. The transcription factor FoxK1 has been revealed to be a key regulator …

Using A Lubricin Reporter Cell To Test Current Vs. Optimized Media Compositions, Sean M. Kennedy

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Osteoarthritis is a joint disease characterized by the breakdown of articular cartilage. The field of tissue engineering is interested in developing methods to produce biological alternatives to current orthopedic procedures. Lubricin is a molecule which is important in the proper lubrication of articular cartilage. It is a challenge in the field of tissue engineering to produce cartilage with sufficient lubricin expression. Developing a reporter cell for lubricin allowed for a more efficient investigation of the conditions wh­­­ich may influence its expression. By comparing "optimized" and traditional media solutions, it was determined that the use of a previously reported type II …

The Effects Of Emerging Technology On Healthcare And The Difficulties Of Integration, Skyler J. Pavlish-Carpenter

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Background: Disruptive technology describes technology that is significantly more advanced than previous iterations, such as: 3D printing, genetic manipulation, stem cell research, innovative surgical procedures, and computer-based charting software. These technologies often require extensive overhauls to implement into older systems and must overcome many difficult financial and societal complications before they can be widely used. In a field like healthcare that makes frequent advancements, these difficulties can mean that the technology will not be utilized to its full potential or implemented at all.

Objective: To determine the inhibiting factors that prevent disruptive technology from being implemented in conventional healthcare.

Methods: …

Recognizing Pain Using Novel Simulation Technology, Justin C. Grace

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Effective pain management and time to treatment is essential in patient care. Despite scientific evidence supporting the need to treat pain and an emphasis on addressing pain as a priority, pain management continues to be an unresolved issue. As a member of the health care team, nurses are integral to optimal pain management. Currently, nursing schools have limited innovative or alternative methods for teaching pain assessment and management. Simulation in nursing education provides a unique opportunity to expose students to realistic patient situations and allow them to learn and make mistakes without causing harm. However, modern low- and high-fidelity simulation …