Engineering Commons^™

Enhanced Iot-Based Electrocardiogram Monitoring System With Deep Learning, Jian Ni

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Due to the rapid development of computing and sensing technologies, Internet of Things (IoT)-based cardiac monitoring plays a crucial role in providing patients with cost-efficient solutions for long-term, continuous, and pervasive electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring outside a hospital setting. In a typical IoT-based ECG monitoring system, ECG signals are picked up by sensors located on the edge, and then uploaded to the remote cloud servers. ECG interpretation is performed for the collected ECGs in the cloud servers and the analysis results can be made instantly available to the patients as well as their healthcare providers.In this dissertation, we first examine the …

Automated Approach For The Enhancement Of Scaffolding Structure Monitoring With Strain Sensor Data, Sayan Sakhakarmi

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Construction researchers have made a significant effort to improve the safety of scaffolding structures, as a large proportion of workers are involved in construction activities requiring scaffolds. However, most past studies focused on design and planning aspects of scaffolds. While limited studies investigated scaffolding safety during construction, they are limited to simple cases only with limited failure modes and simple scaffolds. In response to this limitation, this study aims to develop an automated scaffold monitoring approach capable of monitoring large scaffolds. Accordingly, this study developed an automated scaffold safety monitoring framework that leverages sensor data collected from a scaffold, scaffold …

Designs And Outcomes Of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (Tms) And Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (Rtms) Circuits, Daniel Senda

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis reports the design and outcomes of several circuits intended for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) research. In simple terms, TMS circuits are composed of four main blocks: high voltage power source, energy storage bank, control switch, and coil. Each one of these blocks has characteristics that influence how well the circuit will perform for TMS procedures. A successful TMS research circuit must have the ability to emit controlled electromagnetic pulses through a coil connected to it. For the first block, voltages ranging from 50 V to 2 kV were used. In the second …

Validation Of Novel Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment With Silicone Gel Experimental Models, Dustin Walter Burd

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Predictive modeling to increase treatment success rates for surgical procedures is becoming more common in the scientific community. For obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), modeling has been predominately performed using computers as opposed to experimental models. Computer simulation saves time by eliminating the need to fabricate complex experimental models but comes at the expense of insight gained through physical observations made in real time. Experimental models for studying OSA are needed to validate computational work, provide perspective on anatomical scale and demonstrate complex deformations in real time. This work addresses prior hurdles in experimental model fabrication with a novel process using …

Carbon Management And Volatile Fatty Acid Production In Primary Clarifiers At A Wastewater Treatment Plant, Brittany Nicole Radke

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An increasing number of treatment plants are required to remove nutrients from domestic wastewater to lessen the impact of nutrient loading to water bodies. Enhanced Biological Phosphorus Removal (EBPR) is one of the processes commonly used to remove phosphorus from domestic wastewater. The presence of an adequate quantity of volatile fatty acids (VFA) in the wastewater influent to EBPR is important for process efficiency and stability. The objective of this research was to investigate the production of VFAs through fermentation of sludge in primary clarifiers as it related to improving nutrient removal, primarily targeting phosphorus.

The research tested, in full-scale, …

Design & Delivery Of Automated Winston-Lutz Test For Isocentric & Off-Axis Delivery Stability Utilizing Truebeam Developer Mode & Electronic Portal Imaging Device, Mahmoud Mohammad Yaqoub

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The uncertainties in treatment delivery cannot be ignored in radiation therapy. Thus, the quality assurance QA tests are very important task of the medical physicist in clinical practice. Assuring the coincidence between the mechanical isocenter of the Linear Accelerator (LINAC) and its radiation beams isocenter is one of the most important qualities need to be tested, and the Winston Lust (WL) test is the

most popular technique to perform this task, especially for the treatment modalities which need high precision in beam delivery such as the stereotactic radiosurgery/stereotactic body radiotherapy (SRS/SBRT). The linear accelerator-based SRS/SBRT is a well-established method in …

Parents' Perceptions Of Smartphone Use And Parenting Practices, David Jackson Johnson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The present study is a qualitative examination aiming to gain insight into parents’ perceptions of their smartphone use and the effects it may be having on their children as well as parenting practices. Participants (N=12) were smartphone using parents that consisted mostly of young college-educated females. Thematic analysis of individual interviews resulted in five primary themes: (1) Disengagement, (2) Concern for Future, (3) Change in Social Norms, (4) Boundaries, and (5) Cognitive Dissonance. These findings indicate significant effects parental smartphone use is having in the lives of study participants. These thematic findings call for additional research examining the impact parental …

The Effects Of Cryopreservation On Human Dental Pulp-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Allison Elaine Tomlin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Many studies have demonstrated clinical applications for the use of dental pulp stem cells (DPSC) for the treatment of various conditions. This has driven medical and scientific interest in the collection, isolation and banking of DPSC tissues for research into these potential therapies. Few studies to date have evaluated the viability of DPSC following long-term cryopreservation. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of cryopreservation on dental pulp-derived stem cells (DPSC) viability over a period of three years. Dental pulp-derived stem cells were isolated and cultured from thirty-one healthy teeth. DPSC isolates were assessed for doubling-time and …

A Study On Automated Process For Extracting White Blood Cellular Data From Microscopic Digital Injured Skeletal Muscle Images, Bibek Karki

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Skeletal muscle injury is one of the common injuries caused by high-intensity sports activities, military related works, and natural disasters. In order to discover better therapies, it is important to study muscle regeneration process. Muscle regeneration process tracking is the act of monitoring injured tissue section over time, noting white blood cell behavior and cell-fiber relations. A large number of microscopic images are taken for tracking muscle regeneration process over multiple time instances. Currently, manual approach is widely used to analyze a microscopic image of muscle cross section, which is time consuming, tedious and buggy.

Automation of this research methodology …

The Design, Build, And Validation Of A Hybrid Tower Used To Conduct Helmet Impact Tests, Darren Benn

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) was established to enlist research directed towards the reduction of head injuries in organized sports. The function of the test methods developed by NOCSAE is to provide the blueprint for reliable and repeatable procedures to measure the evaluation of various types of protective sports headgear and projectiles. In addition, the methods also govern hardware such as testing apparatus and data acquisition instrumentation. In helmet testing, the method dictates whether the impact is induced by a projectile system or by a drop tower system with an anvil at the base. Altogether, …

Induction Of Differentiation Of Dental Pulp-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (Dpsc), Aubrey Young

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mesenchymal stem cells are derived from a variety of human tissues and are being bioengineered and studied for possible uses in the advancement of medicine. Recent efforts are being focused on Dental Pulp Stem Cells (DPSC's) due to the accessibility of this tissue. Many factors influence DPSC quality and quantity, including the specific methods used to isolate, collect, concentrate, and store these isolates once they are removed. Ancillary factors, such as the choice of media, the selection of early versus late passage cells, and cryopreservation techniques may also influence the differentiation potential and proliferative capacity of DPSC isolates.

The objective …

Gate Monte Carlo Simulations In A Cloud Computing Environment, Blake Austin Rowedder

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The GEANT4-based GATE is a unique and powerful Monte Carlo (MC) platform, which provides a single code library allowing the simulation of specific medical physics applications, e.g. PET, SPECT, CT, radiotherapy, and hadron therapy. However, this rigorous yet flexible platform is used only sparingly in the clinic due to its lengthy calculation time. By accessing the powerful computational resources of a cloud computing environment, GATE's runtime can be significantly reduced to clinically feasible levels without the sizable investment of a local high performance cluster. This study investigated a reliable and efficient execution of GATE MC simulations using a commercial cloud …

Biomechanical Analysis Of Gait Kinetics Resulting From Use Of A Vacuum Socket On A Transtibial Prosthesis, Maria De Lourdes Ramos Gonzalez

Honors College Theses

The technology and design of lower limb prosthetics have evolved greatly since their introduction. The current study proposed to compare the effects of a conventional pin socket attachment and a vacuum socket attachment for a transtibial amputee. Whereas traditional measurements of gait utilize force plates and camera systems, this study made use of a small tri-axial load cell located at the base of the socket to measure the forces and moments exerted during a regular gait cycle. The hypothesis tested stated that a vacuum pump socket attachment, when compared to a non-vacuum (pin) socket, will have a significant effect on …

Design And Testing Of Novel Mouthguard With Intermediate Nitinol And Foam Layers, Adam Kessler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

It is the aim of this study to investigate a novel mouthguard design that incorporates the use of a nickel-titanium (Nitinol) layer and thin foam layer in addition to EVA layers. It is thought that the Nitinol layer can distribute the force of an impact and that the thin foam layer may absorb this distributed force better than a solid EVA mouthguard of the same thickness. Rectangular, flat coupons representative of several mouthguard configurations were constructed for testing using an instrumented drop-weight impact tower. The coupon configurations include a control made of laminated EVA, a group of laminated EVA and …

Closed Loop Control Of A Cylindrical Tube Type Ionic Polymer Metal Composite (Ipmc), Benjamin Mead

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The goal of this research is to provide a framework for the integration of tube type, cylindrical Ionic Polymer Metal-Composite (IPMC) into conventional devices. IPMCs are one of the most widely used types of electro-active polymer actuator, due to their low electric driving potential and large deformation range. For this research a tube type IPMC was investigated. This IPMC has a circular cross section with four separate electrodes on its surface and a hole through the middle. The four electrodes allow for biaxial bending and accurate control of the tip location. One of the main advantages of using this type …

The Design And Testing Of A Solar Autoclave With Broad Spectrum Sterilization Capabilities, Sarah S. Trabia

Honors College Theses

Energy is difficult to come by in developing countries and this interferes with the ability of doctors to provide good healthcare to their patients. Without decent sterilization, patients can become infected and diseases can spread throughout hospitals. This study involves designing a solar autoclave for developing countries that is as efficient as electrical autoclaves. The design is intended to not require any electrical input and to be affordable to those who cannot afford advanced medical equipment. Once the solar autoclave is designed, it will be tested to determine if it can sterilize equipment against a variety of different bacteria, including …

The Use Of A Pylon Mounted Transducer For Investigating The Gait Of Transtibial Amputees, Justin Robert Brink

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Two areas of research interest in the design and use of lower limb prosthetic devices are how foot performance varies with design and how prosthesis alignment affects gait. The current study addressed both of these areas through the use of the JR3 triaxial transducer mounted at the base of the socket. The transducer is an innovative form of instrumentation that measures forces and moments at the end of the socket. Traditional measurement of gait uses a force plate buried in the floor of a gait laboratory. The study established that the transducer offers a viable means of instrumentation for amputee …

Determining The Validity Of The Nintendo Wii Balance Board As An Assessment Tool For Balance, Sabrina Mae Deans

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Context. Application of the Nintendo Wii-fit balance board and its games have been used in Physical Therapy clinics, showing success in individuals with neurological disorders, and has been recommended as a minimum baseline assessment of a symptoms checklist and standardized cognitive and balance assessments for concussion management by the NCAA. However, it still faces challenges of being considered a reliable and consistent tool for producing normative data in the allied healthcare. Because there is little to no evidence for the Wii-fit balance board as a valid balance assessment tool for clinical and/or research usage, the significance of this study is …

Development Of Software To Estimate Pressures On The Residual Limbs Of Amputees By Means Of A Pylon Mounted Transducer, Malli K. Yalamanchili

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The alignment of prosthesis has been recognized as one of the main factors that determine successful prosthetic outcomes for trans-tibial amputees. Alignment is defined as the relative position and orientation of the prosthetic components. Misalignment can result in changes in the position and orientation of the joints of the leg and moments experienced by them during gait, increases in energy use, and discomfort or even tissue breakdown at the socket/stump interface. Hence it is very important to align the prosthesis in correct manner. Gait analysis can be used to examine the effects of incorrect alignment of the prosthesis during gait. …

Macrophages Loaded With Gold Nanoshells For Photothermal Ablation Of Glioma: An In Vitro Model, Amani Riad Makkouk

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The current median survival of patients with glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), the most common type of glioma, remains at 14.6 months despite multimodal treatments (surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy). This research aims to study the feasibility of photothermal ablation of glioma using gold nanoshells that are heated upon laser irradiation at their resonance wavelength. The novelty of our approach lies in improving nanoshell tumor delivery by loading them in macrophages, which are known to be recruited to gliomas via tumor-released chemoattractive agents. Ferumoxides, superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) nanoparticles, are needed as an additional macrophage load in order to visualize macrophage accumulation in …

Investigation Of Magnetic Resonance Imaging And Spectroscopy For The Detection Of Breast Cancer, Robert Thomas Etnire

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the breast offers an alternative to screening mammography which may benefit those women at high risk for breast cancer, women under the age of 40, and those with dense breast tissue. One concern with MRI is the number of high false positives. Coupling MRI with magnetic resonance spectroscopy(MRS) may lower the number of false positives, and thus improve the diagnostic capabilities of MRI for the clinician. MRS for breast imaging focuses on the total choline containing compounds in the spectra in the suspected breast lesion to analyze areas of concern. The results of the study …

Spectral Analysis Of Pathological Acoustic Speech Waveforms, Priyanka Medida

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Biomedical engineering is the application of engineering principles and techniques to the medical field. The design and problem solving skills of engineering are combined with medical and biological science, which improves medical disorder diagnosis and treatment. The purpose of this study is to develop an automated procedure for detecting excessive jitter in speech signals, which is useful for differentiating normal from pathologic speech. The fundamental motivation for this research is that tools are needed by speech pathologists and laryngologists for use in the early detection and treatment of laryngeal disorders. Acoustical analysis of speech was performed to analyze various features …