Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

An Emg-Based Patient Monitoring System Using Zynq Soc Device, Farhad Fallahlalehzari

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This thesis describes the design, development, and testing of an EMG-based patient monitoring system using the Zynq device. Zynq is a system on chip device designed by Xilinx which consists of an ARM dual cortex-A9 processor as well as an FPGA integrated into one chip. This work also analyzes the performance of image-processing algorithms on this system and compares that performance to more traditional PC-based systems. Image processing algorithms, such as Sobel edge detection, dilation and erosion, could be used in conjunction with a camera for the patient monitoring purposes. These algorithms often perform sub-optimally on processors because of their …

A Multi-Channel 3d-Printed Bioreactor For Evaluation Of Growth And Production In The Microalga Dunaliella Sp, Cristian A. Cox

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

We explored the capabilities of additive manufacturing using a photo-cured jetted material 3D printer to manufacture a milli-microfluidic device with direct application in microalgae Dunaliella sp growth and intracellular compounds biosynthesis tests. A continuous microbioreactor for microalgae culture was CAD designed and successfully built in 1 hour and 49 minutes using black photopolymer cured by UV and a support material. The microreactor was made up of 2 parts including the bioreactor itself and a microchannel network for culture media fluids and microalgae. Both parts were assembled to form a single unit. Additional optical and auxiliar components were added. An external …

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 …

Radiation Therapy And Dosing Material Transport Methodology, Robert O'Brien

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

A technique is examined here that utilizes high energy beta decays from a short lived radioisotope to treat medical conditions such as shallow cancerous lesions. A major benefit of beta particle interaction in tissue is a fixed penetration depth for the charged particle, with dose limited to the ultimate range of the beta particle. This method improves on some current techniques of radioactive brachytherapy, where "seeds" are placed inside patients through temporary or permanent implantation in order to kill cancerous cells or inhibit growth of tissue. The use of low energy gamma-rays is the most common method of treatment currently …

Development Of A Portable Cmos Time-Domain Fluorescence Lifetime Imager, Hongtao Wang

Doctoral Dissertations

Modern laboratory equipments to measure the excited-state lifetime of fluorophores usually include an expensive picosecond pulsed-laser excitation source, a fragile photomultiplier tube, and a large instrument body for optics. A portable and robust device to make fluorescence lifetime measurement in nanosecond scale is of great attraction for chemists and biologists. This dissertation reports the development of a portable LED time-domain fluorimeter from an all-solid-state discrete-component prototype to its advanced CMOS integrated circuit implementation. The motivation of the research is to develop a multiplexed fluorimeter for point-of-care diagnosis. Instruments developed by this novel method have higher fill factor, are more portable, …

Microbubble Generation By Piezoelectric Transducers For Biomedical Studies, Mohammed Alkhazal

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Bubbles induced by blast waves or shocks are speculated as the major cause of damage in biological cells in mild traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Microbubble collapse was found to induce noticeable cell detachment from the cell substrate, changes in focal adhesion, and biomechanics. To better understand the bubble mechanism, a system needs to be constructed which allows clear differentiation on the impact of bubbles from that of shocks. Such a generator needs to be low profile in order to place under a microscope. A piezoelectric transducer system was designed to meet the need. The system uses either a flat or …

Adaptive Kernel Estimation For Enhanced Filtering And Pattern Classification Of Magnetic Resonance Imaging: Novel Techniques For Evaluating The Biomechanics And Pathologic Conditions Of The Lumbar Spine, Nicholas Vincent Battaglia

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation investigates the contribution the lumbar spine musculature has on etiological and pathogenic characteristics of low back pain and lumbar spondylosis. This endeavor necessarily required a two-step process: 1) design of an accurate post-processing method for extracting relevant information via magnetic resonance images and 2) determine pathological trends by elucidating high-dimensional datasets through multivariate pattern classification. The lumbar musculature was initially evaluated by post-processing and segmentation of magnetic resonance (MR) images of the lumbar spine, which characteristically suffer from nonlinear corruption of the signal intensity. This so called intensity inhomogeneity degrades the efficacy of traditional intensity-based segmentation algorithms. Proposed …

Portable High Throughput Digital Microfluidics And On-Chip Bacteria Cultures, Yiyan Li

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

An intelligent, portable, and high throughput digital microfluidic (DMF) system is developed. Chapter 1 introduces microfluidics and DMF systems. In Chapter 2, a low-cost and high resolution capacitive-to-digital converter integrated circuit is used for droplet position detection. A field-programmable gate array FPGA is used as the integrated logic hub of the system for highly reliable and efficient control of the circuit. In this chapter a fast-fabricating PCB (printed circuit board) substrate microfluidic system is proposed. Smaller actuation threshold voltages than those previously reported are obtained. Droplets (3 µL) are actuated using 200 V, 500 Hz DC pulses. Droplet positions can …

Validation Of A Confocal Light Sheet Microscope Using Push Broom Translation For Biomedical Applications, Joshua Hutcheson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

There exists a need for research of optical methods capable of image cytometry suitable for point-of-care technology. To propose am optical approach with no moving parts for simplification of mechanical components for the further development of the technology to the poin-of-care, a linear sensor with push broom translation method. Push broom translation is a method of moving objects by the sensor for an extended field of view. A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microfluidic chamber with a syringe pump was used to deliver objects by the sensor. The volumetric rate of the pump was correlated to the integration time of the sensor to …

Compressive Sensing Framework For Mass Spectrometry Data Analysis, Khalfalla Ahmad Kh. Awedat

Dissertations

Mass Spectrometry (MS) data is ideal for identifying unique bio-signatures of diseases. However, the high dimensionality of MS data hinders any promising MS-based proteomics development. The goal of this dissertation is to develop an accurate classification tool by employing compressive sensing (CS). Not only can CS significantly reduce MS data dimensionality, but it also will allow for full reconstruction of original data. The framework developed in this work is based on using L2 and a mixed L2-L1 norms, allowing an overdetermined system to be resolved. The results show that the L2- based algorithm with regularization terms has a better performance …

Point Of Care Diagnostics And Health Monitoring Devices, Akshaya Shanmugam

Doctoral Dissertations

Existing disease screening methods mostly rely on symptom based diagnosis. This is mainly because of lack of accessibility and cost associated with the tests. Testing for the presence of the disease after the onset of symptoms has a negative impact on chances of survival and treatment costs. Miniaturized low cost diagnostic devices that can be used outside the hospital setting can provide continuous health monitoring and aid in early diagnosis. This thesis presents techniques to develop such disease screening and health monitoring devices. The techniques presented here focus on medical devices that can benefit from microfluidic devices, fluorescence imaging, and …

Emlighten, Emily Mulvany

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This project is focused on creating a system to increase patient satisfaction in hospitals. My senior design team has been working hand in hand with the emergency department of Akron General to design this system called EMlighten. The goal is to create an experience for patients where they exit the hospital feeling more satisfied than they currently are. Patient satisfaction is a key performance indicator used by many hospitals to determine how much additional funding each hospital department is granted. If patients feel more satisfied, not only is that indicative of better care, but departments will receive extra funding. EMlighten …

Detection Of Electrical Alternans In Ventricular Depolarization Phase Of Human Electrocardiogram, David R. Wasemiller

Theses and Dissertations--Biomedical Engineering

T-wave Alternans (TWA) in an electrocardiogram (ECG) has received considerable interest as a potential predictor of sudden cardiac death (SCD). However, large clinical trials have shown that while TWA has a very high negative predictive value, its positive predictive value is poor. Results of previous studies suggest that arrhythmia onset can be affected by the phase relationship of alternans of the depolarization and repolarization phase of the action potentials of the ventricles. To assess this relationship, one would first need to establish that depolarization alternans can be detected and then develop methods to determine its relationship with repolarization alternans, which …

A Software Application For Cardiac-Gated Computerized Tomography Scanning, Stephen Caldwell, Trevor Engelsman

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Computerized tomography (CT) scans are a common clinical imaging procedure used worldwide. Operating in the X-Ray spectrum, these machines rotate scanners around a stationary body in order to compile two-dimensional images into a unified three-dimensional image. With adjustment to scan frequency and intensity, internal features such as muscles, organs, and tendons can easily be viewed. However, the heart has long evaded CT use due to its near-constant motion. Recently, cardiac-gated scans have entered the market as a technique to image the heart at a specific moment in time when it is nearly still - the quiescent period. Occurring during rapid …

Detecting, Segmenting And Tracking Bio-Medical Objects, Mingzhong Li

Doctoral Dissertations

"Studying the behavior patterns of biomedical objects helps scientists understand the underlying mechanisms. With computer vision techniques, automated monitoring can be implemented for efficient and effective analysis in biomedical studies. Promising applications have been carried out in various research topics, including insect group monitoring, malignant cell detection and segmentation, human organ segmentation and nano-particle tracking.

In general, applications of computer vision techniques in monitoring biomedical objects include the following stages: detection, segmentation and tracking. Challenges in each stage will potentially lead to unsatisfactory results of automated monitoring. These challenges include different foreground-background contrast, fast motion blur, clutter, object overlap and …

Assessment Of Optimized Electrode Configuration In Electrical Impedance Myography Study Using Genetic Algorithm Via Finite Element Model, Somen Baidya

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Electrical Impedance Myography (EIM) is a neurophysiologic technique in which high- frequency, low-intensity electrical current is applied via surface electrodes over a muscle or muscle group of interest and the resulting electrical parameters (resistance, reactance and phase) are analyzed to isolate diseased muscles from healthy ones. Beside muscle properties, some other anatomic and non-anatomic factors like muscle shape, subcutaneous fat (SF) thickness, inter-electrode distance, etc. also impact the major EIM parameters and thus affect the EIM analysis outcomes. The purpose of this study is to explore the effects of variation in some of these factors impose on EIM parameters and …