Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Detecting Suicide Risk From Wristworn Activity Tracker Data Using Machine Learning Approaches, Pallavi Atluri

Electrical Engineering Theses

Suicide is a prevalent cause of death worldwide and depression is a primary concern of many suicidal acts. It is possible that an individual during depression never has any suicidal thoughts at all. On the other hand, some individuals in stable condition with no apparent symptoms of depression feel urges to commit suicide (suicidal ideation). Many such individuals never let anyone know what they are feeling or planning. Suicidal ideation considered an important precursor to suicidal acts.

Detecting the suicide risk in individuals with mood disorders is a major challenge. The current clinical practice to assess suicide risk in these …

Integration And Cross-Coupling Of A Notched-Turbine Symbiotic Power Source For Implantable Medical Devices, Samuel Perez

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research is to design and integrate a symbiotic notched-turbine energy generator for implantation as a cross-coupled system capable of continuously and perpetually powering an electronic implantable medical device (IMD), which is a device designed to operate inside the body of a higher mammal to enhance, correct or provide the body with a function that has deviated from the norm or has stopped altogether. The list of IMDs available for implantation keeps growing every year, one of the newest being the VBLOC, produced by EnteroMedics®, and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on January 15th, …

3d Bioprinting Systems For The Study Of Mammary Development And Tumorigenesis, John Reid

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Understanding the microenvironmental factors that control cell function, differentiation, and stem cell renewal represent the forefront of developmental and cancer biology. To accurately recreate and model these dynamic interactions in vitro requires both precision-controlled deposition of multiple cell types and well-defined three-dimensional (3D) extracellular matrix (ECM). To achieve this goal, we hypothesized that accessible bioprinting technology would eliminate the experimental inconsistency and random cell-organoid formation associated with manual cell-matrix embedding techniques commonly used for 3D, in vitro cell cultures. The first objective of this study was to adapt a commercially-available, 3D printer into a 3D bioprinter. Goal-based computer simulations were …

Non-Invasive Picosecond Pulse System For Electrostimulation, Ross Aaron Petrella

Electrical & Computer Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Picosecond pulsed electric fields have been shown to have stimulatory effects, such as calcium influx, activation of action potential, and membrane depolarization, on biological cells. Because the pulse duration is so short, it has been hypothesized that the pulses permeate a cell and can directly affect intracellular cell structures by bypassing the shielding of the membrane. This provides an opportunity for studying new biophysics. Furthermore, radiating picosecond pulses can be efficiently done by a compact antenna because the antenna size is comparable to the pulse width. However, all of the previous bioelectric studies regarding picosecond pulses have been conducted in …

Embedded System Design Of Low-Power Wearable Bioelectronic Devices, Matthew S. Hopper

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The miniaturization of electronics in modern times has enabled the possibility of creating a “continuity of care” using small wearable bioelectronic devices. Using wearable devices, such as the Fitbit or Garmin fitness trackers, allows for the exchange of data between devices which can be used to improve the accuracy of data analysis and thus patient health.

In this thesis work, three wearable bioelectronic devices are proposed: an EOG-based eye-gaze tracking assistive technology device for the physically disabled to control a computer cursor, a battery-operated miniaturized polysomnograph that can store and transmit data wirelessly to sleep technicians and a trauma-detecting personal …

Identification Of Unique Features And Exploration Of Leap Motion Controller For Detecting Hand Hygiene Stages, Rashmi Bakshi, Jane Courtney, Damon Berry, Graham Gavin

Conference Papers

Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are contracted by the patients during the hospital stay. Antibiotic resistant microbes are the major cause and spread due to the contaminated medical equipment, crowded hospitals, frequent transfer of patients from one unit to another and poor hand hygiene. [1] In high income countries, approximately 30% of patients in intensive care units are affected by at least one HAI. [2] Hand hygiene is identified as a measure to prevent cross-transmission and to reduce the rate of HAI. [3] Technology is now used as a means of assessing hand hygiene compliance. Current approaches involve the use of …

Interactive Clinical Event Pattern Mining And Visualization Using Insurance Claims Data, Zhenhui Piao

Theses and Dissertations--Computer Science

With exponential growth on a daily basis, there is potentially valuable information hidden in complex electronic medical records (EMR) systems. In this thesis, several efficient data mining algorithms were explored to discover hidden knowledge in insurance claims data. The first aim was to cluster three levels of information overload(IO) groups among chronic rheumatic disease (CRD) patient groups based on their clinical events extracted from insurance claims data. The second aim was to discover hidden patterns using three renowned pattern mining algorithms: Apriori, frequent pattern growth(FP-Growth), and sequential pattern discovery using equivalence classes(SPADE). The SPADE algorithm was found to be the …

Study On Electrolyte-Gated Graphene Nanoelectronic Biosensors For Biomarker Detection, Jianbo Sun

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Biosensors are called upon to provide valuable benefits for human society in vital fields such as disease diagnosis, food inspection, environment monitoring, etc. Among the various biosensor architectures, the field effect transistor (FET) biosensors are promising as the next generation nanoelectronic biosensors, particularly attractive for point-of-care biomedical applications. The FET biosensors typically operate by measuring the conductance change of the semiconducting channel induced by the adsorption of the target biomolecules on it. The superior properties of graphene, including the unique electronic characteristics, facile functionalization and good biocompatibility, etc., make it an ideal building block for the FET biosensors. In this …

Effects Of Protein-Coated Nanofibers On Conformation Of Gingival Fibroblast Spheroids: Potential Utility For Connective Tissue Regeneration, Gili Kaufman, Ryan A. Whitescarver, Laiz Nunes, Xavier-Lewis Palmer, Drago Skrtic, Wojtek Tutak

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Deep wounds in the gingiva caused bytrauma or surgery require a rapid and robust healing of connective tissues. Wepropose utilizing gas-brushed nanofibers coated with collagen and fibrin for that purpose. Our hypotheses are that protein-coated nanofibers will: (i) attract and mobilize cells in various spatial orientations, and (ii) regulate the expression levels ofspecific extracellular matrix (ECM)-associated proteins, determining the initial conformational nature ofdense and soft connective tissues. Gingival fibroblast monolayers and3D spheroids were cultured onECMsubstrate and covered with gas-blown poly-(DL-lactide-co-glycolide)(PLGA) nanofibers (uncoated/coated with collagen and fibrin). Cell attraction and rearrangement was followed byF-actin staining and confocal microscopy. Thicknesses ofthe cell …

Eeg And Emg Sensorimotor Measurements To Assess Proprioception Following Acl Reconstruction, Teagan Frances Northrup

Honors Theses and Capstones

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is the primary source of rotational stability in the knee by preventing the tibia from sliding in front of the femur. When the ACL is torn, it typically must be repaired through reconstructive surgery which results in proprioceptive deficiencies in the knee. Proprioception plays an important role in understanding where one’s knee is in space, sensing movement and reacting accordingly. This study examines an alternative method of measuring proprioceptive responses to a stimulus (motion) by using electromyogram (EMG) and electroencephalogram (EEG) signals to observe muscle and brain activity. Two participants (one with an ACL reconstruction …

Power Mobility Sensor Data Collection Verified Through Standardized Pediatric Assessments, Ayshka Elise Rodriguez-Velez

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The collaboration between the School of Engineering and the Department of Physical Therapy at the University of North Florida has introduced the possibility of creating a new environment for pediatric physical therapy assessments. There are currently no methods for remotely monitoring children with impairments. However, with embedded sensor technology in the form of power mobility and accepted therapy assessment tools, remote monitoring can become a possibility. As a part of this work, a ride-on toy car was developed as a remote monitoring device and a case study with a child with a mobility impairment was used as a proof of …

Bio-Inspired Multi-Spectral And Polarization Imaging Sensors For Image-Guided Surgery, Nimrod Missael Garcia

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Image-guided surgery (IGS) can enhance cancer treatment by decreasing, and ideally eliminating, positive tumor margins and iatrogenic damage to healthy tissue. Current state-of-the-art near-infrared fluorescence imaging systems are bulky, costly, lack sensitivity under surgical illumination, and lack co-registration accuracy between multimodal images. As a result, an overwhelming majority of physicians still rely on their unaided eyes and palpation as the primary sensing modalities to distinguish cancerous from healthy tissue. In my thesis, I have addressed these challenges in IGC by mimicking the visual systems of several animals to construct low power, compact and highly sensitive multi-spectral and color-polarization sensors. I …

Reconstruction Algorithms For Novel Joint Imaging Techniques In Pet, Homayoon Ranjbar

McKelvey School of Engineering Graduate Student Theses & Dissertations

Positron emission tomography (PET) is an important functional in vivo imaging modality with many clinical applications. Its enormously wide range of applications has made both research and industry combine it with other imaging modalities such as X-ray computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The general purpose of this work is to study two cases in PET where the goal is to perform image reconstruction jointly on two data types.

The first case is the Beta-Gamma image reconstruction. Positron emitting isotopes, such as ¹¹C, ¹³N, and ¹⁸F, can be used to label molecules, and tracers, such …

Computer-Aided Diagnoses (Cad) System: An Artificial Neural Network Approach To Mri Analysis And Diagnosis Of Alzheimer's Disease (Ad), Berizohar Padilla Cerezo

Master's Theses

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a chronic and progressive, irreversible syndrome that deteriorates the cognitive functions. Official death certificates of 2013 reported 84,767 deaths from Alzheimer’s disease, making it the 6th leading cause of death in the United States. The rate of AD is estimated to double by 2050. The neurodegeneration of AD occurs decades before symptoms of dementia are evident. Therefore, having an efficient methodology for the early and proper diagnosis can lead to more effective treatments.

Neuroimaging techniques such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can detect changes in the brain of living subjects. Moreover, medical imaging techniques are the …

A High Accuracy Microwave Radiometric Thermometer To Measure Internal Body Temperature, Michael D. Grady

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released heat illness data which highlighted that ~29 heat stress hospitalizations and ~3 heat-related deaths occurred every day during the summer months within the US from years 2000 to 2014. Heatstroke- the most severe form of heat illness which oftentimes lead to death- has been cited to be entirely preventable if a timely intervention is introduced. This dissertation uses microwave radiometric thermometry to perform wireless non-invasive internal body temperature monitoring which can enable intervention methods that help to prevent deaths associated with heat-illness.

Overall, this dissertation develops a comprehensive closed-form analytical radiometric …

Rf Sensing System For Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring, Fabiola Araujo Cespedes

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to design a blood glucose sensing system based on the induced shift in the resonant frequency of an antenna patch operating in the ISM band (5.725 – 5.875 GHz). The underlying concept is the fact that when a person has variations in their blood glucose levels, the permittivity of their blood varies accordingly. This research analyzed the feasibility of using an antenna patch as a blood glucose sensing device in three configurations: 1) as an implantable active sensor, 2) as an implantable passive antenna sensor, and 3) as a non-invasive sensor. In the first …

Hierarchical Fusion Based Deep Learning Framework For Lung Nodule Classification, Kazim Sekeroglu

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Lung cancer is the leading cancer type that causes the mortality in both men and women. Computer aided detection (CAD) and diagnosis systems can play a very important role for helping the physicians in cancer treatments. This dissertation proposes a CAD framework that utilizes a hierarchical fusion based deep learning model for detection of nodules from the stacks of 2D images. In the proposed hierarchical approach, a decision is made at each level individually employing the decisions from the previous level. Further, individual decisions are computed for several perspectives of a volume of interest (VOI). This study explores three different …

Co-Existence Of Microbial Ecology In A Chemostat Using A Robust Feedback, Hector Puebla, Mariana Rodriguez-Jara, Margarita M. Gonzalez-Brambila, Eliseo Hernandez-Martinez, Alejandra Velasco-Perez, Ennio Piceno-Diaz

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Food Web Control And Synchronization Using A Robust Feedback, Hector Puebla, Mariana Rodriguez-Jara, Cesar S. Lopez-Monsalvo, Eliseo Hernandez-Martinez, Alejandra Velasco-Perez

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

Thermally Assisted Pulsed Electric Field Ablation For Cancer Therapy, James Michael Hornef

Biomedical Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Pulsed Electric Fields (PEF) have promised improved treatment results in a variety of cancer types including melanoma, pancreatic and lung squamous cancer. Recent studies show that PEF-based cancer therapy may be improved further with the assistance of moderate heating of the target. Experiments were performed to design, calibrate and implement a feedback-looped infrared laser irradiation system that could maintain specified temperatures during the treatment. The exact treatment area, penetration depth and thermal distribution of a 980-nm laser fiber were quantified using several methods, including the knife-edge technique and a tissue optical property study. In vivo and in vitro experiments using …

The Subject Librarian Newsletter, Engineering And Computer Science, Fall 2017, Buenaventura "Ven" Basco

Libraries' Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Gui For Mri-Compatible Neural Stimulator And Recorder, Soo Han Soon, Nishant Babaria, Ranajay Mandal, Zhongming Liu

The Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Symposium

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) are useful tools to analyze brain activities given active stimulation. However, the electromagnetic noise from the MRI distorts the brain signal recording and damages the subject with excessive heat generated on the electrodes attached to the skin. MRI-compatible recording and stimulation systems previously developed at LIBI lab were capable of removing the electromagnetic noise during the imaging process. Previously, the hardware systems had required the integrative software that could control both circuits simultaneously and enable users to easily change recording and stimulation parameters. Graphical user interface (GUI) programmed with computer language informed …

The Influence Of The Electrode Dimension On The Detection Sensitivity Of Electric Cell–Substrate Impedance Sensing (Ecis) And Its Mathematical Modeling, Xudong Zhang, William Wang, Anis Nurashikin Nordin, Fang Li, Sunghoon Jang, Ioana Voiculescu

Publications and Research

Detection sensitivity is a crucial criterion in the design and application of ECIS sensors. The influence of sensing electrode dimension on detection sensitivity is investigated in this paper. Eight types of ECIS sensors were fabricated, and their experimental results reveal that smaller-radius working electrodes generate more sensitive impedance shift to cell density change. Also, the smaller radius of working electrodes yield higher impedance values, which improves signal-to-noise ratio. In a range from 1.0 mm to 3.5 mm, the distance between the working and counter electrodes does not affect impedance measurements. However, the distance should be large enough to prevent the …

Optimization Of Prosthetic Hands: Utilizing Modularity To Improve Grip Force, Grasp, And Versatility, Jordan William Harris

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

It has been demonstrated that although many varieties of upper limb prosthetics exist, commercially available prosthetics are outdated and unsatisfactory. Ineffectiveness and limitations have led to some prosthesis wearers having to own multiple devices, whereas others have given up on them entirely. Even though ample research has been conducted to design and test new hand designs, the industry appears to rest in an overall stagnated state.

It was proposed here, that one problem with prosthetic research is an excess of variables involved in testing, and therefore the improper application of the scientific method. It seems that each time a research …

Defects In Skeletal Muscle Subsarcolmmal Mitochondria In A Non-Obese Model Of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Nicola Lai, China Kummitha, Charles Hoppel

Electrical & Computer Engineering Faculty Publications

Skeletal muscle resistance to insulin is related to accumulation of lipid-derived products, but it is not clear whether this accumulation is caused by skeletal muscle mitochondrial dysfunction. Diabetes and obesity are reported to have a selective effect on the function of subsarcolemmal and interfibrillar mitochondria in insulin-resistant skeletal muscle. The current study investigated the role of the subpopulations of mitochondria in the pathogenesis of insulin resistance in the absence of obesity. A non-obese spontaneous rat model of type 2 diabetes mellitus, (Goto-Kakizaki), was used to evaluate function and biochemical properties in both populations of skeletal muscle mitochondria. In subsarcolemmal mitochondria, …

Understanding The Surface Fouling Mechanism Of Ultrananocrystalline Diamond Microelectrodes Using Microfluidics For Neurochemical Detection, An-Yi Chang

Doctoral Dissertations

Electrochemical methods are widely used for chronic neurochemical sensing, but thus far, the organic solution redox reactions fouled the electrodes' surface. It caused the reduction of sensitivity and the electrodes' lifetime.

Here, we present the boron-doped nanocrystalline diamond microelectrodes (BDUNCD) as the next generation electrode material for neurochemical sensor development. To aid in long-term chronic monitoring of neurochemicals, they have a wide window of electrochemical potential, extremely low background current, and excellent chemical inertness. The main research goal is to reduce the rate of electrode fouling due to the reaction by-products, and significantly extend their useful lifetime.

We systematically characterize …

Characterization Of Surface Charges And Compensating Charges For Gene Delivery To Tissue, Ravi Shanmugha Preethi Vangapattu

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Ever since the discovery of DNA, there has been many pathologies identified effecting mankind. With the development in technology, there are many methods to alleviate these pathologies. One such is gene therapy or gene delivery. It is a process of introducing some foreign material into the body to correct the effected cells. In principle, it is a modern method to cure cells or a method to transfer nucleic acid into a cell to treat specific cells in the body. The process of delivering a genetic material is carried out using vectors, namely, viral vectors and non-viral vectors. In viral vectors, …

Vital Sensory Kit For Use With Telemedicine In Developing Countries, Alejandra Pacheco, Jose Hernandez, Antonio Maldonado-Liu, Natalie Arrizon

Interdisciplinary Design Senior Theses

In many developing countries, a large percentage of the population lacks access to adequate healthcare. This is especially true in India where close to 70% of the population lives in rural areas and has little to no access to hospitals or clinics. People living in rural India often times cannot afford to pay to see a doctor should they need to make the journey to a hospital. Telemedicine, a breakthrough in the past couple decades, has broken down the barrier between the patient and the physician. It has slowly been implemented in India to make doctors more available to patients …

Skin Tone Tracking Device (Chromaband), Ziyang Bian

Computer Engineering

It’s long been said that your skin is a window into your health and with many illnesses the first signs of trouble actually show up in your skin. So if we have this natural warning system, then why isn’t anyone able to effectively use it to predict changes in our health? The problem is that currently there is no reliable way to accurately measure the change in skin tone and how these changes may or may not change with variations in health. This project’s aim is to design and develop a device that will record the changes in a user’s …

Poly Drop, Zachary T. Scott, Lilly J. Paul

Computer Engineering

Poly Drop is a software interface to control an Open Drop digital micro-fluidics system. We obtained a hardware system from Gaudi labs. Our task was to create a Graphical User Interface that made the control of the device easier and more automated for better testing. We created software that had 3 parts: a control GUI, arduino code to control the hardware, and Image Analysis that gives the user information such as location and color of liquid drops as they move across the electrode grid of the Open Drop system. The GUI was developed using Java Swing. The communication between the …