Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Quantifying And Reversing Compensatory Movements By Persons Post-Stroke In The Ambient Setting, Aaron Miller

Doctoral Dissertations

Nearly 800,000 people in the United States suffer stroke annually. Following the onset of stroke, survivors will exhibit deficits, such as hemiplegia, which will limit their function and ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs). In order to regain independence, many stroke survivors will employ maladaptive compensatory strategies to help with the completion of tasks. Compensation is generally defined as any performance of a task that is different than the way it may have been performed before the onset of a neurodegenerative disorder. While for some severely impaired individuals, compensation may be necessary, for most these maladaptive strategies ultimately …

Final Design Report For The Bioburden Pre-Cleaning Device And Dr. Mark Rasnake At The University Of Tennessee Medical Center, Katherine Elizabeth Stiles, Megan Pitz, Kayla Franklin, Simran Dayal, Austin Bullock

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

The Hemo-Quik, Michelle Morin

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Reconstruction Of Patient-Specific Bone Models From X-Ray Radiography, Hatem Amin Abdel Fattah El Dakhakhni

Doctoral Dissertations

The availability of a patient‐specific bone model has become an increasingly invaluable addition to orthopedic case evaluation and planning [1]. Utilized within a wide range of specialized visualization and analysis tools, such models provide unprecedented wealth of bone shape information previously unattainable using traditional radiographic imaging [2]. In this work, a novel bone reconstruction method from two or more x‐ray images is described. This method is superior to previous attempts in terms of accuracy and repeatability. The new technique accurately models the radiological scene in a way that eliminates the need for expensive multi‐planar radiographic imaging systems. It is also …

Human Motion Analysis With Wearable Inertial Sensors, Xi Chen

Doctoral Dissertations

High-resolution, quantitative data obtained by a human motion capture system can be used to better understand the cause of many diseases for effective treatments. Talking about the daily care of the aging population, two issues are critical. One is to continuously track motions and position of aging people when they are at home, inside a building or in the unknown environment; the other is to monitor their health status in real time when they are in the free-living environment. Continuous monitoring of human movement in their natural living environment potentially provide more valuable feedback than these in laboratory settings. However, …

A Novel Imaging System For Automatic Real-Time 3d Patient-Specific Knee Model Reconstruction Using Ultrasound Rf Data, Rimon Adel Messiha Tadross

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation introduces a novel imaging method and system for automatic real-time 3D patient-specific knee model reconstruction using ultrasound RF data. The developed method uses ultrasound to transcutaneously digitize a point cloud representing the bone’s surface. This point cloud is then used to reconstruct 3D bone model using deformable models method.

In this work, three systems were developed for 3D knee bone model reconstruction using ultrasound RF data. The first system uses tracked single-element ultrasound transducer, and was experimented on 12 knee phantoms. An average reconstruction accuracy of 0.98 mm was obtained. The second system was developed using an ultrasound …

Development And Experimental Analysis Of Wireless High Accuracy Ultra-Wideband Localization Systems For Indoor Medical Applications, Michael Joseph Kuhn

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation addresses several interesting and relevant problems in the field of wireless technologies applied to medical applications and specifically problems related to ultra-wideband high accuracy localization for use in the operating room. This research is cross disciplinary in nature and fundamentally builds upon microwave engineering, software engineering, systems engineering, and biomedical engineering. A good portion of this work has been published in peer reviewed microwave engineering and biomedical engineering conferences and journals. Wireless technologies in medicine are discussed with focus on ultra-wideband positioning in orthopedic surgical navigation. Characterization of the operating room as a medium for ultra-wideband signal transmission …

Feasibility Of A Touch Sensitive Breast Phantom For Use In The Training Of Physicians In Clinical Breast Examination, Corinne Ashlie Davis, Katherine Lynn Mittura, Grace Elizabeth Copeland, Erica Martina Hawkins

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Irrigation, Fertigation And Plasticulture In Burley Tobacco, With A Focus On Yield, Quality And Tsna Reduction, Eric F. Caldwell

Masters Theses

Nitrogen fertilization is important in attaining high yielding, quality tobacco. However, practices that use excessive N can be uneconomical, threaten the environment and produce leaves that are high in nitrates. Leaves high in nitrates have been positively correlated with leaves that are high in tobacco specific nitrosamines (TSNA), which are considered potent carcinogens. Competition from cheaper, foreign leaf, increasing costs of fertilizers and new market structures which show purchasers seeking low TSNA leaf demand that producers become more efficient in their N use. The objective of this study is an examination of burley (TN 90) and dark (KY 171) tobacco …

Applied Fourier Transform Near-Infrared Techniques For Biomass Compositional Analysis, Lu Liu

Masters Theses

A new method for rapid chemical analysis of lignocellulosic biomass was developed using Fourier transform near-infrared (FT-NIR) spectroscopic techniques. The new method is less time-consuming and expensive than traditional wet chemistry. A mathematical model correlated FT-NIR spectra with concentrations determined by wet chemistry. Chemical compositions of corn stover and switchgrass were evaluated in terms of glucose, xylose, galactose, arabinose, mannose, lignin, and ash. Model development evaluated multivariate regressions, spectral transform algorithms, and spectral pretreatments and selected partial least squares regression, log(1/R), and extended multiplicative signal correction, respectively. Chemical composition results indicated greater variability in corn stover than switchgrass, especially among …

Design And Evaluation Of A Non-Intrusive Corn Population Sensor, Haizhou Li

Doctoral Dissertations

Specific objectives of this study were to develop, prototype, and test a corn population sensor. Both intrusive mechanical and non-intrusive capacitive techniques have been used to develop the stalk population sensors in previous research. However, neither could generate consistent performance. The mechanical method required high maintenance and resulted in significant underestimations of stalk counts. The performance of capacitive systems was limited by inadequate sensing distance, especially at low stalk moisture levels.

In this research, the sensitivity of the capacitive sensor was optimized for corn stalks. This system utilized a single-sided capacitive sensor, Wien bridge oscillator, phase-locked loop, and an operational …

Risk Analysis Of Decentralized Wastewater Design Flows, Patrick Andrew Dobbs

Masters Theses

Decentralized wastewater treatment systems are often designed at flows of either 284 L/person/d (75 gal/person/d) or 568 L/bedroom/d (150 gal/bedroom/d). Water use data suggest that designing systems at these flow rates can lead to overly conservative designs. A study quantifying the risk of failure (exceeding a system design flow) was needed to create a design basis for future systems. The objectives of the study were to quantify the risk of failure of decentralized system design flows depending on the number of residences served by a system and to develop new guidelines for design flows of cluster systems based on quantifiable …