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Full-Text Articles in Engineering
Mathematical Model Of Plasma Membrane Electrophysiology In A Single Pericyte Cell, Asad Mirza, Arash Moshkforoush
Mathematical Model Of Plasma Membrane Electrophysiology In A Single Pericyte Cell, Asad Mirza, Arash Moshkforoush
Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference
A mathematical model of a single pericyte cell was developed based on data available in literature. The model incorporates the dynamic behavior of 1) plasma membrane currents; 2) release and uptake of Ca2+ by the sarcoplasmic reticulum; 3) tracking of cytosolic Ca2+, K+, Na+, and Cl-; and 4) electrophysiological response due to norepinephrine (NE) stimulus. Current and voltage data attained from literature review was fitted to known equations for these channels. Coupled differential equations were then used along with these parameters to show the dynamic change of ion concentrations, membrane voltage, and gating variables. Validation was done using available literature …
Integrating A Raspberry Pi 3 With A Hand-Made Smart Meter, Ruben Munoz
Integrating A Raspberry Pi 3 With A Hand-Made Smart Meter, Ruben Munoz
Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference
Becoming more connected with the devices around us thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT) concept enables us to gather more data to analyze to make our lives easier and use the sources more efficiently. Since energy resources are limited and scarce, need to become smarter in our usage. In our current demand-response grid we enable power generation plants to generate power based on the peak demand instead of consumers demand, which is wasteful since excess power is not stored. Smart meters allow for calculation of real time data the power that is being consumed to obtain that data you …
Eco-Mated Irrigation System, Omar Iglesias, Jose Sotomayor, Daniel Sotomayor, Elvis Fernandez
Eco-Mated Irrigation System, Omar Iglesias, Jose Sotomayor, Daniel Sotomayor, Elvis Fernandez
Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference
The continuous dramatic growth of the world population demands an increase in the world of agricultural production to satisfy the increasing need for food of current periods. At the same time, to help satisfy the increase of the agricultural production, larger and more efficient irrigation systems need to be implemented. However, most current irrigation systems consume a lot of fuelbased energy while they lack water management capabilities. To help solve this problem, a prototype irrigation system that combines the use of renewable energy with environmental data obtained from censoring devices was built. The objective of the project is to provide …
Adipose Stem Cell Culture Efficacy On Graphene-Polymer Composite Substrates, Nidhi Suthar, Brittany Gonzalez, Jennifer Bustillos, Pranjal Nautiyal
Adipose Stem Cell Culture Efficacy On Graphene-Polymer Composite Substrates, Nidhi Suthar, Brittany Gonzalez, Jennifer Bustillos, Pranjal Nautiyal
Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference
It is hypothesized that graphene can influence stem cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation towards osteoblasts. This property is highly desirable since it may promote faster healing and reconstructions of bone defects. In addition, graphene polymer composites can facilitate cell growth and differentiation of the cells depending on specific cell-to-substrate stiffness interaction. An attractive of these types of composites is that the graphene material properties can be tailored with polymers to yield scaffold properties can be tailored with polymers to yield scaffold properties desirable for tissue engineering, while at the same time retain high strength, which is important for musculoskeletal application. …
Weekly Monitoring Of Hemodynamic Changes In Diabetic Foot Ulcers, Cristianne Fernandez, Rebecca Kwasinski, Kevin Leiva, Richard Schutzman, Edwin Robledo
Weekly Monitoring Of Hemodynamic Changes In Diabetic Foot Ulcers, Cristianne Fernandez, Rebecca Kwasinski, Kevin Leiva, Richard Schutzman, Edwin Robledo
Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference
Diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs) affect approximately 25% of the estimated 29.1 million people diagnosed with diabetes. Patients with diabetic foot ulcers report an overall lower quality of life and a 5-year mortality rate of 40%. For doctors treating patients with these ulcers, it is important to evaluate the blood oxygenation in the wound and peri-wound regions, as oxygen is vital for wound healing. DFUs were imaged using a Near Infrared Optical Scanner (NIROS) that utilizes near infrared light at different wavelengths to obtain hemodynamic maps of the wound and peri-wound tissue. DFU patients from Podiatry Care Partners and the University …
Convection Enhanced Delivery Brain Phantom Gel, Agnes Arrinda, Kacie Kaile, Glen Saunders, Jose Garundo, Nashra Phanor
Convection Enhanced Delivery Brain Phantom Gel, Agnes Arrinda, Kacie Kaile, Glen Saunders, Jose Garundo, Nashra Phanor
Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference
Methods for Convection Enhanced Delivery (CED) of pharmaceuticals directly into brain tissue need to be verified for market approval. Current in-vitro testing is conducted on hydrogels that commonly results in mechanical failure and compromises data. In order to design a new hydrogel capable of providing desired results, a model that relates monomer properties to overall brittle fracture strength within hydrogels was developed. Known hydrogel materials were examined individually for their ability to improve the hydrogel fracture, and to observe the general trend of fracture mechanics. Two important monomer features were found from the model: smaller Van der Waals volume and …
Clamp Fixture For Computer Navigated Total Hip Arthroplasty, Lauren Aguilar, Juan Lizardi, Dionis Perez, Angie Estrada
Clamp Fixture For Computer Navigated Total Hip Arthroplasty, Lauren Aguilar, Juan Lizardi, Dionis Perez, Angie Estrada
Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference
During total hip arthroplasty, surgeons insert a prosthetic femur head onto the femur bone, as well as inserting a prosthetic acetabular cup so both prosthetic components can cope with one other. Surgeons also insert pins onto the hip and femur bones to track the movement of those bones via infrared arrays, using computer navigated software, in order to mitigate surgical error. In the US there is more than 310,000 total hip replacement surgeries conducted per year, most of which are over the age of 45. Hip replacement surgery is needed for individuals who have osteoarthritis, avascular necrosis, and/or trauma. The …
Simple Auto-Tuning Sliding Mode Control For Inductive Power Transfer Systems, Andres Cavada
Simple Auto-Tuning Sliding Mode Control For Inductive Power Transfer Systems, Andres Cavada
Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference
Self-tuning controllers for inductive power transfer (IPT) systems based on a simple sliding-mode control (SMC) method is proposed in this paper. The SMCs are designed based on the energyinjection and free-oscillation techniques and they are able to regulate the resonant current around a reference current autonomously. The proposed controllers automatically synchronize the switching operations of the power electronic converters to the resonance current of the IPT system. As a result, this feature eliminates any potential need for manual frequency tuning and maximizes the that we could extract from this system. Also, it enables soft-switching operations (zero-current switching) which will improve …
Hybrid Spectroscopy Imaging System For In-Vivo Tissue Investigation, Juan Giraldo
Hybrid Spectroscopy Imaging System For In-Vivo Tissue Investigation, Juan Giraldo
Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference
Improvements for a hybrid spectroscopy imaging system were performed in order to make it more applicable to a surgical environment. The hybrid spectroscopy imaging system holds great value for in-vivo tissue investigation since it is able to quantify optical absorption and scattering properties of tissue. These properties are highly useful for the study of tissue functionality, tissue injury, and tissue pathology due to the fact that they share a direct relationship with tissue structural and compositional characteristics. In this study, integration of the point spectroscopic modality of the system with a surgical microscope was carried out to allow intra-operative use. …
Healing Vs. Non- Healing Hemodynamic Differences In Venous Leg Ulcers, Rebecca Kwasinski, Cristianne Fernandez, Kevin Leiva, Richard Schutzmand, Edwin Robledo
Healing Vs. Non- Healing Hemodynamic Differences In Venous Leg Ulcers, Rebecca Kwasinski, Cristianne Fernandez, Kevin Leiva, Richard Schutzmand, Edwin Robledo
Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference
Venous leg ulcers (VLUs) account for over 90% of all ulcer cases and it is estimated that ~ 1 in 50 people over the age of 80 are affected. Although the standard for clinical assessment is visual inspection, there is a need to develop a physiological approach that differentiates tissue oxygenation in and around the wound region. Herein, the Optical Imaging Laboratory (OIL) developed a portable, non-contact near-infrared optical scanner (NIROS) for sub-surface imaging of wounds. VLUs were imaged using NIROS on a weekly basis at the University of Miami Wound Care Center and Podiatry Care Partners Clinic. The near …
Improving Prosthetic Fitting For Orthopro Prosthetics: Static Fitting Platform, Lance Petalio, Alejandra Daviglus, Natalie Matos, Christian Castillo, Marco Zamora
Improving Prosthetic Fitting For Orthopro Prosthetics: Static Fitting Platform, Lance Petalio, Alejandra Daviglus, Natalie Matos, Christian Castillo, Marco Zamora
Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference
Lower limb amputations make up about 71% of dysvascular amputations, or amputations caused by problems in the blood vessels. These lower limb amputations are one of two types, transtibial (below the knee) and transfemoral (above the knee). This means that the patient is either wheelchair bound or needs a prosthetic leg. Currently, many prosthetics companies employ the use of a stool or chair to assist in the fitting process for amputees. This though, is both unprofessional and unsafe for patients as they are often unstable and have a tendency to move around, increasing the likelihood of falling and causing further …
Complete Offloading Cushion For Wheelchair Bound Patients, Dayana Manganese, Juan Medina, David Collazos, Tidjan Simpson
Complete Offloading Cushion For Wheelchair Bound Patients, Dayana Manganese, Juan Medina, David Collazos, Tidjan Simpson
Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference
Mobility compromised patients are at risk of developing pressure ulcers due to non-ideal interactions with the surfaces they are resting upon. This project aims to mitigate the onset and development of pressure ulcers in wheelchair bound patients. A cushion capable of controlling surface pressure was developed. The cushion detects local pressure magnitude through pressure sensors distributed on its surface and inflates/deflates to alleviate damaging levels of pressure to the patient’s skin. Pressure exerted on the body should be no more than 80 mmHg. Foam was chosen to reduce friction. A micro air-pump was chosen to distribute air into and inflatable …
Modification Of Niros For Hemodynamic Imaging Of Large Wounds, Edwin A. Robledo, Richard Schutzman, Mia L. Boloix
Modification Of Niros For Hemodynamic Imaging Of Large Wounds, Edwin A. Robledo, Richard Schutzman, Mia L. Boloix
Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference
A near-infrared optical scanner (NIROS) has been developed for non-contact sub-surface imaging of wounds. The current device, NIROS, employs a light source system of different wavelengths to image the same region during diabetic foot imaging studies. However, the illumination region by the system had produced small area of illumination and weak signal intensity, limiting the extraction of oxy- (HbO) and deoxy-hemoglobin (HbR) signals from entire areas of the wound and peri-wound. Herein, the source system of NIROS was modified to assess the changes in blood flow, in terms of changes in HbO and HbR, with maximum illumination between the different …
Mueller Matrix Colposcope For The Characterization Of Cervical Collagen Anisotropy, Karla Alejandra Montejo
Mueller Matrix Colposcope For The Characterization Of Cervical Collagen Anisotropy, Karla Alejandra Montejo
Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference
Preterm birth (PTB) presents a serious medical heath concern in both economically developed and developing nations. There is a high incidence of PTB ranging from 11%-15% worldwide, and 18% in Miami-Dade County. The causes of PTB are numerous, but always results in compromised cervical structure. Changes in cervical collagen bundle orientation and distribution may prove to be a predictor of PTB. Polarization imaging is an effective means to measure optical anisotropy in birefringent extracellular matrix tissue such as those rich in collagen. Non-invasive, full-field Mueller Matrix polarimetry (MMP) imaging methodologies, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and second harmonic generation (SHG) microscopy …
Cpm For Developmentally Delayed Infants, Afra Toma
Cpm For Developmentally Delayed Infants, Afra Toma
Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference
A continuous passive motion (CPM) device can help with the formation of the acetabular cup with the femoral limb in the pelvis. However, in the current biomedical market, such a device with adequate freedom of motion is not available for infants with developmental delays of hip (DDH). With the physical therapy department as a $2.4 billion industry2 and a projected 4% of children with DDH1, there is increased awareness to help promote early intervention to reduce future complications. Without proper physical therapy, an impediment of hip dysplasia can occur, causing the individual to be completely wheelchair bound …
Satori Trainer A Wearable Exercising Tracking Device Taking Your Fitness Goals To The Next Level, Emmalie Morisseau
Satori Trainer A Wearable Exercising Tracking Device Taking Your Fitness Goals To The Next Level, Emmalie Morisseau
Undergraduate Research at FIU (URFIU) Conference
With the increasing emphasis on health in the United States coupled with the continuing growth of technology across the world, the fitness technology industry has significantly soared over the years. Wearable exercising equipment's such as smart watches and step counters have become quite popular. In this project we aim to design a wearable tracking motion system that will be integrated into an exercising gear. This product will obtain user's motion and body postures to provide real-time feedback via an interface on how to correct movements and perform the right exercise. With this product, amateurs and professionals will be able to …