Biomedical Devices and Instrumentation Commons^™

Comparative Analysis Of Takagi-Sugeno And Mamdani Fuzzy Inference Architectures With Anfis-Based Automated Rule Generation For Eeg-Based Cognitive State Monitoring, Amina Radončić, Mehrija Hasičić, Jasmin Kevrić

Communications of the IIMA

Fuzzy inference systems have demonstrated considerable promise for EEG-based cognitive state monitoring in neurodegenerative conditions. However, two design decisions significantly influence system performance and clinical applicability: the choice of inference architecture (Takagi-Sugeno vs Mamdani) and the method of rule and membership function generation (manual expert-driven vs data-driven automated). This paper presents a comparative analysis of both dimensions in the context of an EEG-based Alzheimer’s disease monitoring system operating on the ds004504 OpenNeuro dataset (88 subjects: 36 AD, 23 FTD, 29 HC). A Takagi-Sugeno system, implemented as a hybrid FSM-Fuzzy architecture, is compared against a Mamdani equivalent across four axes: inference …

Transcranial Ac Modulation Of Cerebellar Nuclear Activity In Awake Animals, Nuran Kavakli

Dissertations

Entrainment of cerebellar nuclear (CN) cells via cerebellar transcranial alternating current stimulation (ctACS) has been reported in animals under ketamine/xylazine anesthesia. Our main objective was to demonstrate modulation of CN activity in unanesthetized, freely moving animals using ctACS. Multi-channel carbon-fiber electrodes were implanted into the interpositus nucleus for recording multi-unit (MU) activity, and thin-film electrodes were implanted subcutaneously over the posterior cerebellum for stimulation. A frequency-domain-based metric was developed to quantify modulation from MU signals. The results demonstrated modulation in a wide range of frequencies (4 Hz-300 Hz) as in anesthetized animals. In contrast, the amplitude of the peak in …

Development Of A Non-Faradaic Impedimetric Biosensor Based On Reduced Graphene Oxide For The Detection Of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (Bdnf), Mariana N. Martins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Neurological disorders affect millions of people worldwide. In the case of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the rising number of cases significantly increases global healthcare costs. Therefore, early detection of biomarkers at the onset of the disease is essential for early diagnosis. This study presents an electrochemical biosensor designed for the detection of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) in human plasma, incorporating reduced graphene oxide (rGO) to enhance signal sensitivity. Dielectrophoresis (DEP) was employed to deposit rGO flakes on the electrode surface, improving conductivity and sensor performance. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) was used to monitor changes in impedance associated with BDNF binding events, …

A Smart System For Detecting Anatomic And Histological Symptoms Of Diseased Agricultural Plants, Rustam Baratov, Himola Sunnatillayeva, Alimardon Mamatovich Mustafoqulov

Chemical Technology, Control and Management

This study describes a novel agricultural plant disease detecting smart system, capable of handling measured plant body parameters and images received by high resolution camera at the same time. The proposed plant disease detection method is based on evaluation of the signals received by measured and controlled plant body physical parameters like resistance, temperature and capacitance of the plant stem and image processing. An analogue plant model based on an electrical circuit with distributed parameters was developed. In addition, in the article the block diagram of the smart system for the early detection of plant diseases, the circuit diagram, its …

Evervital Patch: The Design And Development Of A Continuous Cardiac Monitoring Device For Post-Operative, In-Hospital Patients, Abigail Moeller, Jonathan Seid

Honors Theses

In the United States, due to the increasing prevalence of cardiovascular disease, over 900,000 cardiac surgeries are performed annually, with projections exceeding 1.3 million by 2029. Many post-surgical patients require continuous in-hospital cardiac monitoring, which is typically conducted using electrocardiograms (EKGs). However, traditional EKG systems such as bedside cardiac monitors and cardiac telemetry monitors rely on wired leads that can easily tangle, degrade signal quality, and require frequent readjustments or replacements due to wire breakage, and for the patient, this can cause discomfort from prolonged use. To overcome these challenges, our company, CardioSync, aims to develop a wireless cardiac monitoring …

Peripheral Vagus Nerve Stimulation (Pvns) Device For Epilepsy, Logan P. Beckstrand, Alexander P. Crary, Grace E. Heller

Biomedical Engineering

Our research team developed a PVNS for Epilepsy device which is intended to act as a preventative measure against seizures for patients with epilepsy. The device is a less invasive alternative to the VNS device on the market using electroacupuncture at the Shenmen and Xin points along the posterior pinna to stimulate the vagus nerve.

Advancing Electrical Stimulation: Full-Head Mri Segmentation For Abnormal Brain Anatomy With Tdcs, Andrew Birnbaum

Dissertations and Theses

Evaluating the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is essential for guiding its integration into therapeutic and performance-enhancement applications. In our laboratory, we investigate the efficacy of tDCS across multiple experimental models, including both animal and human studies. I have contributed significantly to the execution and analysis of these experiments, which include studies in rats and healthy human participants aimed at evaluating whether electrical stimulation of the motor cortex can enhance motor learning. These studies assess improvements in fine motor performance resulting from tDCS. In stroke patients, I contribute to our investigation of tDCS as a rehabilitative intervention, particularly …

Development And Clinical Validation Of The Sensor-E Exoskeleton For Objective Hand Function Assessment In Stroke Rehabilitation, Madison Bates

Theses and Dissertations--Biomedical Engineering

Hand function is often impaired following neurological trauma or in conditions such as stroke, limiting independence and the ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs). Current clinical assessments rely heavily on subjective rating scales that lack the resolution to detect subtle changes in motor performance, which can limit access to rehabilitation. Recent advances in wearable technologies highlight the potential for hand-worn devices to provide objective, real-time measures of hand function. However, most systems focus solely on kinematics and rarely capture both movement and exerted force. Moreover, integration into rehabilitation frameworks and brain-computer interface (BCI) protocols remains limited. To address …

Cost-Effective Hierarchical Cobalt Nanostructured Laser-Induced Graphene For Enhanced Uric Acid Detection, Anju Joshi, Gymama Slaughter

Center for Bioelectronics Publications

This study presents an innovative, cost-effective strategy to develop a flexible, enzyme-free biosensor for the sensitive detection of uric acid (UA). Utilizing electrochemically modified cobalt nanostructured on laser-induced graphene electrodes (CoNCs/LIG), this approach surpasses traditional noble metal-based electrocatalysts in sensitivity and affordability. The one-step electrochemical modification method is efficient and straightforward, enabling the uniform deposition of hierarchical flower-like cobalt nanostructures. These structures synergistically enhance the performance of the LIG, resulting in a broad detection range of 5 to 700 µM with a sensitivity of 6.75 µA µM^-¹ cm^-² and a low detection limit of 3.66 µM for UA. …

Wearable Disposable Elecetrotherapy, Mohamad Fallahrad

Dissertations and Theses

Non-invasive electrotherapies offer promising treatments for a wide range of conditions such as pain, headaches, depression, addiction, cognitive decline, wound healing, and drug delivery. However, patient compliance remains low due to the high initial cost, cumbersomeness and inconvenience of existing technology compared to pharmaceuticals. Current electrotherapy devices are often bulky and require users to connect disposable electrodes, initiate programs, and manage charging cycles, which hinders widespread adoption.

We address these challenges by designing and validating a novel electrotherapy platform that is single-use, disposable, low-cost, and wearable. Activated automatically upon skin contact, the device delivers a preset dose of controlled electrical …

Comparative Analysis Of Electrode Encapsulation Reliability: Planar Vs. Thermoformed Interdigitated Neural Electrodes In Biomedical Engineering, Tatum Peyerl

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Durable dielectric encapsulation is crucial for the long-term function of implantable neural electrodes; however, the reliability of curved, thermoformed coatings remains underexplored. This study addresses that gap by comparing planar (non-thermoformed) and thermoformed interdigitated neural electrodes (IDEs) encapsulated in Polyimide-2611. Both device types underwent accelerated in vitro aging in phosphate‑buffered saline (PBS) at 67 °C for approximately 91 days, simulating two years of physiological exposure. Post-accelerated aging evaluation included electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) from 0.1 Hz to 100 kHz to monitor moisture‑induced leakage, and high‑voltage breakdown testing under saline immersion to assess dielectric strength. After aging, all electrodes maintained impedance …

Finite Element Modeling And Experimental Characterization Of Overmolded Gold-Palladium Composite Leads And Their Mechanical Behavior Under Cyclic Fatigue For Long-Term Implant Applications, Tanner Davis

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Auditory Nerve Interface (ANI) devices, currently in developmental stages, represent an emerging neuroprosthetic approach to restore hearing in severe sensorineural loss patients by directly stimulating the auditory nerve via the Utah Slanted Electrode Array (USEA). Conventional implant leads are comprised of multiple wires made from materials such as platinum-iridium and MP35N stainless steel that are overmolded in an insulative material. These materials are not possible to bond with to electrode array used in the ANI device, necessitating the evaluation of a new material like Au-Pd to ensure its functionality and durability under cyclic stresses. This gap necessitates characterization of alternative …

Interfacing Neural Models: Biocompatibility And Fabrication Of A Flexible, Self-Folding Microelectrode Array, Fernando A. Pesantez Torres

Electronic Theses & Dissertations (2024 - present)

Neurodegenerative diseases pose a formidable challenge in modern medicine, necessitating the development of advanced research tools that can elucidate their complex pathophysiology. Recent advancements in neurodegenerative disease research have led to the development of three-dimensional (3D) neurodegenerative organoids using human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs). These organoids closely mimic human brain architecture and functionality, providing a valuable tool for understanding complex diseases. Additionally, the ability to generate and study brain organoids consistently and in large quantities holds potential for a controlled in vitro setting and high-throughput drug screening. However, these models are complex systems requiring specialized maintenance, analysis, and manipulation …

Microwell Fabrication For Impedance And Ac Measurements Of Isolated Ventricular Cardiomyocytes, Fallon Wenck

Multidisciplinary Studies Theses and Dissertations

Electrophysiological behavior of human hearts have been extensively studied for hundreds of years. Even with elucidation of not just biological function, but also time and frequency-dependent current flow, the sheer intricacy of in vivo cardiac tissue function remains somewhat enigmatic. All while heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the United States for over a century, with its rates of occurrence still increasing annually [1]. Thus, new research techniques and tools to quantify cardiac function are still being pursued at smaller and smaller scales to decrease research/innovation time, cost, and diagnostic ambiguity. In fact, it remains incredibly …

Use Of Electrical Bone Growth Stimulators In High-Risk Patients Following Spinal Fusion, Soumya Malhotra, Khavir Sharieff

HCA-NSU MD Research Day

Title: Use of Electrical Bone Growth Stimulators in High-Risk Patients Following Spinal Fusion Authors: Soumya Malhotra, BA., MS1 & Khavir Sharieff, DO, MBA2 1Class of 2027, Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Fort Lauderdale, FL 2Assistant Professor of Surgery, Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Tampa Bay, FLNova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine Objective: This study aimed to elucidate the advantages of EBGSs following high-risk spinal fusions. Background: Pseudarthrosis is a condition where bones fail to fuse after an injury or surgery. It causes significant …

Design Of A Portable Fast Scan Cyclic Voltammetry Device Utilizing Pulse Width Modulation For Waveform Generation, Nora Szymkowski

Masters Theses

Fast Scan Cyclic Voltammetry (FSCV) is a widely used electrochemical technique for real-time measurement of the brain’s chemical messengers, including the molecule dopamine, with high temporal resolution. Currently the financial burden of performing FSCV is quite high, ranging from $8,000 to $20,000+ making the barrier to entry nearly insurmountable for laboratories and classrooms at small institutions. The purpose of this project was to develop a Do-It-Yourself (DIY), portable, and cost-effective FSCV system for use in laboratory and classroom settings. The project aimed to create a compact and cost-effective system that could be used by researchers and educators to study dopamine …

Epidural Stimulation For Urogenital Dysfunction In The Spinal Cord Injured Rat., Natasha Lorraine Wilkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating, life changing event that greatly impacts quality of life. SCI can have body-wide, multi-system consequences including dysfunction within the urogenital system. Challenges with the urinary system include urinary incontinence, urine retention, and detrusor-sphincter dyssynergia all of which require maintenance through the regular use of catheters. Sexual dysfunction in men, who comprise nearly 80% of the SCI population, includes erectile dysfunction, anejaculation, retrograde ejaculation, poor expulsive force during ejaculation, and poor sperm quality. The treatment for sexual function in SCI men is focused more on fertility through the collection of sperm for insemination procedures …

Shape Memory Alloy Capsule Micropump For Drug Delivery Applications, Youssef Mohamed Kotb

Theses and Dissertations

Implantable drug delivery devices have many benefits over traditional drug administration techniques and have attracted a lot of attention in recent years. By delivering the medication directly to the tissue, they enable the use of larger localized concentrations, enhancing the efficacy of the treatment. Passive-release drug delivery systems, one of the various ways to provide medication, are great inventions. However, they cannot dispense the medication on demand since they are nonprogrammable. Therefore, active actuators are more advantageous in delivery applications. Smart material actuators, however, have greatly increased in popularity for manufacturing wearable and implantable micropumps due to their high energy …

Hand Movement Analysis For Surgical Suturing Skill Assessment, Amir Mehdi Shayan

All Theses

To enhance patient safety, surgical education is increasingly incorporating simulation for formative skills assessment and training. However, many standardized assessment tools rely on human raters for performance assessment, which is resource-intensive and subjective. Simulators that provide automated and objective metrics from sensor data can address this limitation. This thesis presents an instrumented bench suturing simulator, patterned after the Clock Face (CF) radial suturing model from the Fundamentals of Vascular Surgery (FVS), for automated and objective assessment of open suturing skills by particularly focusing on biomechanical analysis of hand movements. For this research, 97 participants (35 attending surgeons and fellows, 32 …

Toward Electrical Impedance Sensing Surgical Drill For Tissue Boundary Detection, Harshavardhan Devaraj

Dartmouth College Ph.D Dissertations

Dental implantation is an increasingly common procedure used to treat missing teeth. However, surgical drilling to place the implant poses a high risk of injury to critical anatomy, such as inferior alveolar nerve injury or maxillary sinus perforation. A real-time surgical feedback system sensing proximity of these critical anatomy could reduce injury risks. This dissertation investigates the development of such a system that incorporates an electrical impedance sensor into the tip of a surgical drill.

A simulation framework based on finite element method (FEM) was developed to optimize the sensor as it approached a high impedance boundary. The accuracy of …

Optimizing Transcranial Focused Ultrasound: Calibration, Neuro Navigation, And Bold Fmri Evidence Of Neuromodulation, Amilcar J. Malave

Dissertations and Theses

This thesis presents the development, calibration, and initial implementation of transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS) for neuromodulation in a human study. The primary objectives were to design a system capable of delivering precise and safe ultrasound stimulation to targeted brain regions and to conduct preliminary trials to assess its effects on brain activity. A custom calibration device was developed to ensure accurate measurement of acoustic pressure, addressing challenges such as voltage alterations caused by changes in system impedance. Additionally, a neuro-navigation tool was created to facilitate precise targeting of the right subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (right sgACC), enabling accurate placement of …

Multi-Magnetic Material Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Coils Development And Electric Field Measurement & Modeling Using Machine Learning, Mohannad Tashli

Theses and Dissertations

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) is a safe, effective, and non-invasive therapy for treating several psychiatric and neurological disorders. TMS is Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved treatment and is commonly applied to patients who do not respond to medications for the treatment of clinical depression, smoking cessation, obsessive-compulsive disorder and migraine. Recently, there has been an increase in the development of electromagnetic neuromodulation techniques targeted at enhancing the effectiveness of TMS devices for the treatment of mental diseases. In TMS stimulation, focality is an important factor which determines the specificity of the pulses induced in different brain tissues. The electromagnetic …

Tissue-Engineered Models For Investigating Nerve Infiltration In Fibrotic Microenvironments, Nikolas Ala-Kokko

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Neuron infiltration is involved in a multitude of diseased states and is critical in the regeneration of physiologic conditions. Modeling of innervation in three-dimensional, heterogenous, environments would allow early investigation in the crosstalk of neurons and native cells in normal and pathophysiologic microenvironments to gain an understanding of mechanistic functions. This would allow for greater insight into the role of metabolism, cell adhesion, microenvironmental alternations, cellular crosstalk, and signaling pathways that play a role in the promotion and prevention of neurite growth. In this thesis, with the construction of collagen-based hydrogels as the foundation for cell culture, we investigate cell …

Controlled Radiation Capsule For Precision And Rapid Cancer Treatment, Hoseon Lee, Zsolt Kollar, Bailey R. White, Junia Nguyen, David Roque, Sowjanya Palagani

Symposium of Student Scholars

This research aims to transform cancer treatment through the optimization of brachytherapy, with a focus on reducing treatment duration, setup complexities, and financial burdens, all while emphasizing patient safety. Patients living at a distance from radiation clinics, particularly those undergoing extended Low Dose Radiation brachytherapy, often struggle with the formidable financial challenges associated with securing nearby accommodations. In response to these issues, the research introduces a radiation capsule designed to condense the conventional six-month treatment period to approximately just one week, thereby significantly reducing the duration of required accommodations. This capsule is especially relevant considering the construction cost of $40 …

A Novel Brain Computer Interface Design, Steven Vogan

Senior Honors Theses

A brain computer interface (BCI) is a system which connects neural signals to a computer system. They have been used for controlling systems including robotics, on-screen computer control such as mouse movement, typing, and synthesizing audio signals. Invasive, or implanted, systems are often long-term medical solutions, or used for research where very clear signal is required. Non-invasive systems usually rely on exterior signals gathered through a headset using one or more electrode sensors. These signals are composed of sums of neuron activation potentials from brain activity and can be used to determine particular aspects of brain function. All BCIs rely …

Characterization And Estimation Of Musculoskeletal Pain Using Machine Learning, Boluwatife Faremi

Master's Theses

Traditional scales utilized for recording pain are known to be highly subjective and biased due to inaccuracies in recollecting actual pain intensities. As a result, machine learning (ML) models that are trained using these scores as ground truth are reported to have low performance for objective pain classification because of the huge disparity between what was felt in moments of pain and the scores recorded afterward.

In the present study, two devices were designed for gathering real-time, continuous in-session subjective pain scores and the recording of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) altered endodermal (EDA) activity. 24 participants were recruited to …

Analytical Pipeline To Facilitate Electroencephalography Pain State Identification In Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain, Emma Katharina Jacobs

Master's Theses

Chronic low back pain (cLBP) affects the quality of life of over 23% of American adults and places an immense burden on the economy.^1–3 To more effectively diagnose and treat cLBP, quantitative biomarkers are needed to objectively measure pain and better identify the underlying mechanisms of cLBP. The overarching goal of this work is to create an analytical pipeline to investigate brain activity patterns measured with electroencephalogram (EEG) data of cLBP patients treated with transcutaneous spinal cord stimulation (tSCS). The specific aims of this project are to 1) investigate whether there is a difference between baseline EEG measurements and …

Cerebral Blood Flow Measured By Diffuse Correlation Spectroscopy For Monitoring Depth Of Anesthesia In Piglets, Mert Deniz Polat, Kurtulus Izzetoglu, Randolph Sinahon, Meltem Izzetoglu, Shadi Malaeb

St. Chris Research Day

No abstract provided.

A Proof Of Concept For Detection Of Palato-Lingual Contact Without Intraoral Electrodes In A Human Participant, Amitava Biswas

Master's Theses

The author of this thesis conceived and investigated an unexpected electrical signal that may not be noticed during regular electroglottography (EGG) when electrodes are conventionally placed on the anterior surface of the throat. It appears that there is a measurable electrical signal from the EGG equipment when electrodes are placed over the frontal cheek (belly of zygomatic muscle), and the tongue is elevated to contact the hard palate, or the tongue is lowered to break the contact. Therefore, this phenomenon is designated as unconventional electroglottography (UEGG, Dr. Steven Cloud, private communication, July 17, 2022).

Two distinctive patterns of waveforms were …

Advancing Prosthetic Design Using Neural And Mechanical Dynamics, Kacie E. Hanna

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Limb loss poses a significant challenge to mobility and the performance of daily activities. Currently, nearly half of the amputees using powered prosthetics abandon their device due to inadequate limb coordination and movement control abilities. In the healthy system, passive and neural dynamics facilitate the synchronized activation of muscles necessary for coordinated movement. However, in the amputee, the system is disrupted. The goal of this research is to use neural and mechanical dynamics to inform the design of prosthetic devices in order to restore intuitive control and coordinated limb movement.

The first aim of this research is to investigate neural …