Engineering Commons^™

Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Balance And Walking Improvements In An Adolescent With Cerebral Palsy (Gmfcs Ii) And Autism After Motor-Assisted Elliptical Training, Guilherme Manna Cesar, Thad W. Buster, Judith M. Burnfield

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Purpose: To quantify the impact of motor-assisted elliptical (ICARE) training on cardiorespiratory fitness, balance and walking function of an adolescent with walking limitations due to cerebral palsy.

Materials and methods: A thirteen-year-old boy with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (Gross Motor Function Classification System II) and autism participated. Peak oxygen consumption (peak VO₂, primary outcome measure), oxygen cost of walking, Pediatric Balance Scale (PBS), modified Timed Up and Go (mTUG), 2-Minute Walk Test (2MWT), and gait characteristics (speed, cadence, step length, single support time) were assessed prior to and after completion of 24 sessions of moderate- to vigorous- intensity ICARE …

Dynamic Resource Allocation For Coordination Of Inpatient Operations In Hospitals, Najibesadat Sadatijafarkalaei

Wayne State University Dissertations

Healthcare systems face difficult challenges such as increasing complexity of processes, inefficient utilization of resources, high pressure to enhance the quality of care and services, and the need to balance and coordinate the staff workload. Therefore, the need for effective and efficient processes of delivering healthcare services increases. Data-driven approaches, including operations research and predictive modeling, can help overcome these challenges and improve the performance of health systems in terms of quality, cost, patient health outcomes and satisfaction.

Hospitals are a key component of healthcare systems with many scarce resources such as caregivers (nurses, physicians) and expensive facilities/equipment. Most hospital …

Development Of A Novel Cardiac Ischemia-Reperfusion Model In The Axolotl, Jeremy Tolentino Llaniguez

Wayne State University Dissertations

The Center for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics data for mortality from diseases of the heart show the age-adjusted death rate has fallen from almost 600 deaths in the 1950s to just over 190 deaths per 100,000 U.S. residents today. With the recognized limitations of pharmacotherapy of myocardial infarction (MI), cell-based therapies have been undergoing rapid development and clinical testing. However, there is still no consensus about cell types, delivery routes, dosing and treatment schedules and pretreatment conditioning of cells prior to administration. Furthermore, a fundamental question remains unanswered about the reasons for the poor capacity for myocardial …

Exploring The Nebraska Rural Poll, 2020, Rebecca Vogt, Cheryl A. Burkhart-Kriesel, Bradley Lubben, L.J. Mcelravy, Timothy Meyer, Steve Schulz, Jason L. Weigle

Rural Futures Institute: Publications

The Nebraska Rural Poll was initiated in 1996. Over the past 24 years, input has been gathered from over 64,000 nonmetropolitan Nebraskans. 102 separate reports have been produced covering 31 unique topics

Trend Analysis

Subgroup Comparisons

Some questions have been repeated at various intervals of time

Systemic Risk Management Plan For Electronic Medical Records (Emr): Why And How?, Ziniya Zahedi, Faisal Mahmud, Cesar Pinto

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Faculty Publications

Electronic patient data use and handling are critical issues in terms of privacy, confidentiality, security, and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations. The risks associated with electronic patient data are not limited to identity theft but rather include a person’s social, economic, and psychological well-being. However, there have not been many studies that have focused on the associated risk factors that could lead to these situations. This paper identifies those risks related to electronic patient data breaches by means of a grounded theory approach and develops a systemic risk management plan that enables engineering managers and risk …

Tolerance Intervals For Time Series Models And Specifying Trimming/Winsorizing Cutoffs, Kedai Cheng

Theses and Dissertations--Statistics

Confidence intervals are used to capture a parameter of interest, usually a mean or a quantile, at a specified confidence level. Prediction intervals are another practical interval that aim at making sound predictions of future values with some confidence. Although these are useful inference tools, neither of them gives people a plausible range of the sampled population. Tolerance intervals are such an inference tool that captures a specified proportion of the sampled population at a predetermined confidence level. In this dissertation, tolerance intervals for an autoregressive process with order p are constructed. In addition, a method of utilizing tolerance interval …

Mobile Health Technology To Enhance Healthcare Service Delivery In Developing Nations (Saudi Arabia), Nawaf Khan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Saudi Arabia is among the countries that have very high prevalence rates of diabetes and hypertension, with prevalence rates of almost 18% and 25%, respectively. The majority of patients with diabetes and hypertension fail to manage their diseases and to show up for their follow up appointments. Mhealth technology is among the interventions that have been recently adopted to overcome these issues and improve the quality of healthcare services. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a mobile phone application named diabetes and hypertension application (DHA Tracking) to promote adherence for patients with diabetes and hypertension in Mecca, Saudi …

A Computational Biomechanical Model-Based Optimization Of Fulcrum Support In Orthosis Enabled Closed Reduction Of Developmental Dysplasia Of The Hip, Christopher Rose

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-2023

Hip abduction orthosis devices (HAOD) are used to reduce the hip joint of infants affected by developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). HAOD have been successful for mild cases of DDH and ineffective for severe cases. Efforts in understanding the biomechanics of lower limbs have been made to improve the success rate of current treatment methods, especially for Grade IV dislocations (G4). The aim of this dissertation is twofold: first, it proposes the use of a varying fulcrum point (FP) located below the leg to improve DDH treatment; and secondly, it defines the optimal FP (OP) location for a broad …

Assessment Of Dobhoff Tube Malposition On Radiographs Using Deep Learning, Kevin George, Paras Lakhani, Md

Phase 1

Introduction: Dobhoff tubes (DHT) are narrow-bore flexible devices that deliver enteral nutrition for critically ill patients. Tracheobronchial insertion of DHTs presents a significant risk for pulmonary complications. Thus, DHT insertion requires radiologist confirmation of correct placement with chest x-ray (CXR), increasing clinical delays. To address this, we demonstrate the novel application of Deep Convolutional Neural Networks (DCNNs) to automatically and accurately identify DHTs in CXRs in real time.

Methods: 141 de-identified HIPAA compliant frontal view chest radiographs containing DHTs in various positions were obtained. The DHTs were first manually segmented and verified by a board certified radiologist. Images were split …

3d Convolutional Neural Networks For The Diagnosis Of 6 Unique Pathologies On Head Ct, Travis Clarke, Paras Lakhani, Md

Phase 1

Introduction: Head CT scans are a standard first-line tool used by physicians in the diagnosis of neurological pathologies. Recently, the development of deep learning models such as convolutional neural networks (CNNs) has allowed the rapid identification of bleeds and other pathologies on CT scans. This study aims to show that by training 3D CNNs with a larger, curated dataset, a more comprehensive list of potential diagnoses can be included in the detailed model.

Methods: A retrospective study was performed using a dataset of 66,000 head CT studies from the Thomas Jefferson University health system. Studies were acquired using a natural …

Off-Policy Q-Learning For Anti-Interference Control Of Multi-Player Systems, Jinna Li, Zhenfei Xiao, Tianyou Chai, Frank L. Lewis, Sarangapani Jagannathan

Electrical and Computer Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper develops a novel off-policy game Q-learning algorithm to solve the anti-interference control problem for discrete-time linear multi-player systems using only data without requiring system matrices to be known. The primary contribution of this paper lies in that the Q-learning strategy employed in the proposed algorithm is implemented in an off-policy policy iteration approach other than on-policy learning due to the well-known advantages of off-policy Q-learning over on-policy Q-learning. All of the players work hard together for the goal of minimizing their common performance index meanwhile defeating the disturbance that tries to maximize the specific performance index, and finally …

Automated Assessment Of Cardiothoracic Ratios On Chest Radiographs Using Deep Learning, Varun Danda, Paras Lakhani, Md

Phase 1

Introduction: The cardiothoracic ratio (CTR) is a quantitative measure of cardiac size that can measured from chest radiography (CXR). Although radiologists using digital workstations possess the ability to calculate CTR, clinical demands prevent calculation for every case. In this study, the efficacy of a deep convolutional neural network (dCNN) to assess CTR was evaluated.

Methods: 611 HIPAA-compliant de-identified CXRs were obtained from [institution blinded] and public databases. Using ImageJ, a board-certified radiologist (reader #1) and a medical student (reader #2), measured the CTR by marking four pixels on all CXRs: the right- and left-most chest wall, the right- and left-most …

Instructions To Authors, Academy Editors

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Interfacial Current Distribution Between Helium Plasma Jet And Water Solution, Sui Wang, Dingxin Liu, Zifeng Wang, Yifan Liu, Qiaosong Li, Xiaohua Wang, Michael G. Kong, Mingzhe Rong

Bioelectrics Publications

The plasma-liquid interaction holds great importance for a number of emerging applications such as plasma biomedicine, yet a main fundamental question remains about the nature of the physiochemical processes occurring at the plasma-liquid interface. In this paper, the interfacial current distribution between helium plasma jet and water solution was measured for the first time by means of the splitting electrode method, which was borrowed from the field of arc plasma. For a plasma plume in continuous mode, it was found that the mean absolute current distribution at the plasma-liquid interface typically had an annular shape. This shape could be affected …

The Hsp90 Inhibitor, Auy-922, Ameliorates The Development Of Nitrogen Mustard-Induced Pulmonary Fibrosis And Lung Dysfunction In Mice, Pavel Solopov, Ruben M.L. Colunga Biancatelli, Margarita Marinova, Christiana Dimitropoulou, John D. Catravas

Bioelectrics Publications

Increased levels of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) have been recently implicated in the pathogenesis of pulmonary fibrosis and the use of HSP90 inhibitors constitutes a potential therapeutic approach. Similarly, acute exposure to nitrogen mustard (NM) is related to the development of chronic lung injury driven by TNF-α, TGF-β, ERK and HSP90. Thus, we developed a murine model of NM-induced pulmonary fibrosis by instilling C57BI/6J mice with 0.625 mg/kg mechlorethamine hydrochloride. After 24 h, mice began receiving AUY-922, a second generation HSP90 inhibitor, at 1 mg/kg 2 times per week or 2 mg/kg 3 times per week, for either 10 …

Electrochemical Detection Of Neurotransmitters, Saikat Banerjee, Stephanie Mccracken, Md Faruk Hossain, Gymama Slaughter

Bioelectrics Publications

Neurotransmitters are important chemical messengers in the nervous system that play a crucial role in physiological and physical health. Abnormal levels of neurotransmitters have been correlated with physical, psychotic, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, dementia, addiction, depression, and schizophrenia. Although multiple neurotechnological approaches have been reported in the literature, the detection and monitoring of neurotransmitters in the brain remains a challenge and continues to garner significant attention. Neurotechnology that provides high-throughput, as well as fast and specific quantification of target analytes in the brain, without negatively impacting the implanted region is highly desired for the monitoring of the …

Thermal Analysis Of Infrared Irradiation-Assisted Nanosecond-Pulsed Tumor Ablation, James Hornef, Chelsea M. Edelblute, Karl H. Schoenbach, Richard Heller, Siqi Guo, Chunqi Jiang

Bioelectrics Publications

Nanosecond Pulsed Electric Fields (nsPEF) have the potential to treat a variety of cancer types including melanoma, pancreatic and lung squamous cancers. Recent studies show that nsPEF-based cancer therapy may be improved further with the assistance of moderate heating of the target. A feedbacklooped heating system, utilizing a 980-nm fiber optic laser, was integrated into nsPEF electrodes for tumor ablation. The laser beam profile was determined to be Gaussian using a knife-edge technique. Thermal properties of the biological target were evaluated based on the treatment area, penetration depth and thermal distribution due to laser irradiation with or without nsPEF. Synergistic …

Early Acid/Base And Electrolyte Changes In Permanent Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion: Aged Male And Female Rats, Sarah R. Martha, Lisa A. Collier, Stephanie M. Davis, Sarah J. Goodwin, David Powell, Doug Lukins, Justin F. Fraser, Keith R. Pennypacker

Neurosurgery Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Early changes in acid/base and electrolyte concentrations could provide insights into the development of neuropathology at the onset of stroke. We evaluated associations between acid/base and electrolyte concentrations, and outcomes in permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO) model.

METHODS: 18-month-old male and female Sprague-Dawley rats underwent pMCAO. Pre-, post- (7 min after occlusion), and at 72 hr of pMCAO venous blood samples provided pH, carbon dioxide, oxygen, glucose, hematocrit, hemoglobin, and electrolyte values of ionized calcium, potassium, and sodium. Multiple linear regression determined predictors of infarct and edema volumes from these values, Kaplan-Meier curve analyzed morality between males and …

Effet De L’Expertise Et Du Sexe Sur Les Contraintes À L’Épaule En Manutention, Etienne Goubault, Romain Martinez, Najoua Assila, Jennifer Dowling-Medley, Élodie Monga-Dubreuil, Sophie-Anne Scherrer, André Plamondon, Mickaël Begon

Rapports de recherche scientifique

L’atteinte de troubles musculosquelettiques (TMS) parmi les travailleurs et travailleuses au Québec était récemment estimée à 732 000 cas (Stock et al., 2014). Ces TMS sont associés aux activités professionnelles impliquant des efforts physiques prolongés, intenses et/ou répétitifs, telles que des tâches d’assemblage, de manutention, d’aide à la personne ou encore de maintien de posture prolongée sur un poste de travail. Les membres supérieurs, qui représentaient 30,1 % des cas de TMS déclarés et acceptés au Québec de 1998 à 2007 (Michel et al., 2010), sont les plus touchés après le dos. Plus particulièrement, l’épaule figure comme l’articulation …

Webexpo : Vers Une Meilleure Interprétation Des Mesures D'Exposition Professionnelle Aux Substances Chimiques Sur Les Lieux De Travail, Jérôme Lavoué, Lawrence Joseph, Tracy L. Kirkham, France Labrèche, Gautier Mater, Frédéric Clerc

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Une grande partie de l'activité des hygiénistes du travail consiste à mesurer les niveaux d'exposition professionnelle des travailleurs. La plupart des rapports d'évaluation de l'exposition font état d'une importante variabilité spatiale et temporelle quant à l'intensité de l'exposition, laquelle fluctue souvent du simple au décuple en dépit de conditions apparemment similaires. Il en résulte depuis toujours un défi de taille en ce qui concerne l'interprétation des niveaux mesurés par rapport aux valeurs limites d’exposition professionnelle (VLEP). Il existe désormais un cadre consensuel – issu d'une élaboration progressive au cours des deux dernières décennies – concernant l'analyse des niveaux d’exposition par …

Webexpo: Towards A Better Interpretation Of Measurements Of Occupational Exposure To Chemicals In The Workplace, Jérôme Lavoué, Lawrence Joseph, Tracy L. Kirkham, France Labrèche, Gautier Mater, Frédéric Clerc

Rapports de recherche scientifique

Une grande partie de l'activité des hygiénistes du travail consiste à mesurer les niveaux d'exposition professionnelle des travailleurs. La plupart des rapports d'évaluation de l'exposition font état d'une importante variabilité spatiale et temporelle quant à l'intensité de l'exposition, laquelle fluctue souvent du simple au décuple en dépit de conditions apparemment similaires. Il en résulte depuis toujours un défi de taille en ce qui concerne l'interprétation des niveaux mesurés par rapport aux valeurs limites d’exposition professionnelle (VLEP). Il existe désormais un cadre consensuel – issu d'une élaboration progressive au cours des deux dernières décennies – concernant l'analyse des niveaux d’exposition par …

The Journal Of Undergraduate Research: 2019

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

This is the complete issue of the South Dakota State University Journal of Undergraduate Research, Volume 17.

Applications Of Cloud-Based Quantum Computers With Cognitive Computing Algorithms In Automated, Evidence-Based Virginia Geriatric Healthcare, Henry Childs

AUCTUS: The Journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Scholarship

Quantum computers have recently headlined IBM’s next generation of products promoting computational evolution. After the successful release of the cloud-streaming quantum computer IBM Watson Q, the company has released projections for future development of quantum devices. Because of the incredible processing power of these machines and the expected integration into everyday life in the near future, what implications can this have in the healthcare field?

I am studying cloud-based quantum computers with natural language processing (NLP) algorithms and patient health record data because I want to understand automated, evidenced-based co-optimized treatment of home-bound geriatric patients in order to help my …

Mcnair Scholars Research Journal 2020, Michelle X. Bui, Chris Mcdaniels, Jacqueline Bazea-Rubio, Curtis Kizer-Pugh, Eman Alasadi, Ahmed Gure, Helen Hernandez, Archit Jaiswal, Dallas Johnson, Ephrem Kejela, Heather Lake, Charlene Mandimutsira, Paola A. Puentes, Anthony Sajik Ruiz, Richard D. Schargel, Thao-My Tran, Omar Yanouri

McNair Scholars Research Journal-Archive

No abstract provided.

Proceedings Of The 2020 Undergraduate Research Conference, Ryan C. Winters, Baylee E. Guillory, Baton Rouge Community College, Grambling State University, Louisiana College, Louisiana State University, Mcneese State University, Northwestern State University Of Louisiana, Southern University And A&M College, University Of Louisiana At Lafayette

Advance: Student Research Experience

Proceedings of the 2020 Undergraduate Research Conference, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, November 9-10, 2020.

Iot Devices In The Public Health Sector, Cayla Young

Cybersecurity Undergraduate Research Showcase

In this research, proper attention is drawn to privacy and security concerns with the integration of Internet of Things (IoT) devices in the public health sector. Often, not much attention is given to IoT devices and its vulnerabilities concerning the medical industry. Effects of COVID-19 contact tracing applications are explored through research of various source types. Mitigation techniques for these privacy and security issues is given. Focus is brought to topics outlining the risks associated with genetic testing companies and the vulnerabilities of data collection and data storage. Recommendations are provided to help consumers avoid these risks. Lastly, a comprehensive …

Formulation Strategies To Enhance Solubility And Permeability Of Small Molecules For Drug Delivery Applications, Pradeep Kumar Bolla

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

All the new chemical entities/drug molecules intended for therapeutic use must be administered using an appropriate delivery system/dosage form to achieve maximum bioavailability. However, designing a drug delivery system is complex as several factors such as lipophilicity, molecular mass, crystallinity, ionic charge, polymorphic forms and hydrogen bonding) affect the solubility and permeability of these molecules. Biopharmaceutics drug classification system (BCS) categorizes the existing drugs into four classes based on the aqueous solubility and membrane permeability and it is reported that >70% of the drugs are poorly soluble and belong to BCS class II and BCS class IV. Several physical, chemical …

Knee Joint Loading Following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Link To Patient Reported Outcomes And A Novel Method To Monitor With Wearable Sensors, Alex Spencer

Theses and Dissertations--Kinesiology and Health Promotion

Recovery from anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR) commonly results in undesirable physical and patient-reported outcomes (PROs). Identification of modifiable factors such as knee contact force (KCF) early in rehabilitation that can improve these outcomes is important due to the rapid decrease in function, quality of life, and joint health in this population. Additionally, if noninvasive measurement of KCFs outside of a traditional laboratory were possible, clinicians could optimize patient treatment with personalized care. Therefore, there are two primary aims to this thesis: 1) quantify the link between KCF and PROs which measure pain, ability to perform activities of daily living, …

Atv Dynamics And Pediatric Rider Safety, James T. Auxier Ii

Theses and Dissertations--Biomedical Engineering

It has been observed through numerous academic and governmental agency studies that pediatric all-terrain vehicle ridership carries significant risk of injury and death. While no doubt valuable to safety, the post-hoc approach employed in these studies does little to explain the why and how behind the risk factors. Furthermore, there has been no prolonged, widespread, organized, and concerted effort to reconstruct and catalog the details and causes of the large (20,000+) number of ATV-related injuries that occur each year as has been done for road-based motor vehicle accidents. This dissertation takes the opposite approach from a meta-analysis and instead examines …

Correlating The Physicochemical Properties Of Magnesium Stearate With Tablet Dissolution And Lubrication, Julie L. Calahan

Theses and Dissertations--Pharmacy

Magnesium stearate (MgSt) is the most commonly used pharmaceutical excipient and is present in over half the tablet formulations on the market. In spite of its popularity as an effective lubricant, it has been repeatedly recognized that there is significant variability between MgSt samples, which can cause inconsistent lubrication between batches of MgSt. The hypothesis of this research is that the batch-to-batch variability in tablet lubrication and dissolution observed in tablet formulations containing different MgSt samples can be correlated with differences in MgSt physicochemical properties (fatty acid salt composition, crystal hydrate form, particle size and surface area). Developing correlations between …