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This page shows you the most recent publications within this specialty of the MedWorm directory. This is page number 37.

Equation Environment Coupling and Interference on the Electric-Field Intrabody Communication Channel
Wearable and implantable medical sensors have been investigated continuously in recent years to provide better diagnostics and monitoring for personal health care. Much attention has been drawn to the establishment of the ubiquitous body area network (BAN) to reliably connect the body sensors and collect the sensor data in real time. Electric-field intrabody communication (EF-IBC) is a promising physical link technology for the body area network. Compared to existing wireless technologies, EF-IBC fits the body characteristics better and is able to achieve higher data rate with less transmission power. EF-IBC relies on the ...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

A New Framework for Particle Detection in Low-SNR Fluorescence Live-Cell Images and Its Application for Improved Particle Tracking
Image denoising and signal enhancement are two common steps to improve particle contrast for detection in low-signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) fluorescence live-cell images. However, denoising may oversmooth features of interest, particularly weak features, leading to false negative detection. Here, we propose a robust framework for particle detection in which image denoising in the grayscale image is not needed, so avoiding image oversmoothing. A key to our approach is the new development of a particle enhancement filter based on the recently proposed particle probability image to obtain significantly enhanced particle feature...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Aggregate Input-Output Models of Neuronal Populations
An extraordinary amount of electrophysiological data has been collected from various brain nuclei to help us understand how neural activity in one region influences another region. In this paper, we exploit the point process modeling (PPM) framework and describe a method for constructing aggregate input–output (IO) stochastic models that predict spiking activity of a population of neurons in the “output” region as a function of the spiking activity of a population of neurons in the “input” region. We first build PPMs of each output neuron as a function of all input neurons, and then clust...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Precise Segmentation of 3-D Magnetic Resonance Angiography
Accurate automatic extraction of a 3-D cerebrovascular system from images obtained by time-of-flight (TOF) or phase contrast (PC) magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) is a challenging segmentation problem due to the small size objects of interest (blood vessels) in each 2-D MRA slice and complex surrounding anatomical structures (e.g., fat, bones, or gray and white brain matter). We show that due to the multimodal nature of MRA data, blood vessels can be accurately separated from the background in each slice using a voxel-wise classification based on precisely identified probability models of voxel intensities. To identify...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Quantifying Information Transfer Through a Head-Attached Vibrotactile Display: Principles for Design and Control
Vibrotactile displays can extend the perception capabilities of visually impaired persons. Placing such devices on the head promises easy attachment and detachment without reducing other interaction abilities. However, the effectiveness of head-attached vibrotactile displays has never been thoroughly tested. This paper presents the results obtained from experiments with 22 subjects equipped with a display containing 12 coin-type motors equally spaced in a horizontal plane around the upper head region. Our display allowed single- as well as multimotor activation with up to six simultaneously active motors. We identif...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Advances in Reflective Oxygen Saturation Monitoring With a Novel In-Ear Sensor System: Results of a Human Hypoxia Study
Pulse oximetry is a well-established, noninvasive photoplethysmographic method to monitor vital signs. It allows us to measure cardiovascular parameters, such as heart rate and arterial oxygen saturation, and is considered an essential monitoring tool in clinical routine. However, since many of the conventional systems work in transmission mode, they can only be applied to the thinner or peripheral parts of the body, such as a finger tip. This has the major disadvantage that, in case of shock-induced centralization and a resulting drop in perfusion, such systems cannot ensure valid measurements. Therefore, we developed a r...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Identification of Hemodynamically Optimal Coronary Stent Designs Based on Vessel Caliber
Coronary stent design influences local patterns of wall shear stress (WSS) that are associated with neointimal growth, restenosis, and the endothelialization of stent struts. The number of circumferentially repeating crowns $N_C$ for a given stent design is often modified depending on the target vessel caliber, but the hemodynamic implications of altering $N_C$ have not previously been studied. In this investigation, we analyzed the relationship between vessel diameter and the hemodynamically optimal $N_C$ using a derivative-free optimization algorithm coupled with computational fluid dynamics. The algorithm computed the o...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Graph-Based Optimization Algorithm and Software on Kidney Exchanges
Kidney transplantation is typically the most effective treatment for patients with end-stage renal disease. However, the supply of kidneys is far short of the fast-growing demand. Kidney paired donation (KPD) programs provide an innovative approach for increasing the number of available kidneys. In a KPD program, willing but incompatible donor–candidate pairs may exchange donor organs to achieve mutual benefit. Recently, research on exchanges initiated by altruistic donors (ADs) has attracted great attention because the resultant organ exchange mechanisms offer advantages that increase the effectiveness of KPD progr...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Galvanic Vestibular Stimulation Elicits Consistent Head–Neck Motion in Seated Subjects
This study explores the effect of GVS on head–neck kinematics and evaluates the approach to investigate the vestibular contribution to head–neck stabilization. GVS was applied to 11 seated subjects using seven different stimuli (single sinusoids and multisines) at amplitudes of 0.5–2 mA and frequencies of 0.4–5.2 Hz using a bilateral bipolar configuration while 3-D head and torso kinematics were recorded using motion capture. System identification techniques were used evaluating coherence and frequency response functions (FRFs). GVS resulted in significant coherence in roll, yaw and lateral tran...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Characterization and Experimental Results of a Novel Sensor for Measuring the Contact Force From Myenteric Contractions
The intraluminal pressures and traction forces associated with the migrating motor complex are well understood; however, the contact forces directly exerted by the bowel wall on a solid, or near solid, bolus have not previously been measured. Quantifying contact forces is an important component to understanding the net force experienced by an in vivo robotic capsule endoscope. In this paper, we develop a novel sensor, the migrating motor complex force sensor (MFS), for measuring the contact force generated by the contracting myenteron of the small intestine. The MFS consists of a perfused manometer connected to four torus-...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

flexTMS—A Novel Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation Device With Freely Programmable Stimulus Currents
We describe a novel TMS device with a full-bridge circuit topology incorporating four insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) modules and one energy storage capacitor to generate arbitrary waveforms. This flexible TMS (flexTMS ) device can generate magnetic pulses which can be adjusted with respect to pulse width, polarity, and intensity. Furthermore, the equipment allows us to set paired pulses with a variable interstimulus interval (ISI) from 0 to 20 ms with a step size of 10 $mu$s. All user-defined pulses can be applied continually with repetition rates up to 30 pulses per second (pps) or, respectively, u...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Fusion of Magnetometer and Gradiometer Sensors of MEG in the Presence of Multiplicative Error
Novel neuroimaging techniques have provided unprecedented information on the structure and function of the living human brain. Multimodal fusion of data from different sensors promises to radically improve this understanding, yet optimal methods have not been developed. Here, we demonstrate a novel method for combining multichannel signals. We show how this method can be used to fuse signals from the magnetometer and gradiometer sensors used in magnetoencephalography (MEG), and through extensive experiments using simulation, head phantom and real MEG data, show that it is both robust and accurate. This new approach works b...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Statistically Reliable and Fast Direct Estimation of Phase-Amplitude Cross-Frequency Coupling
This study offers a methodology called normalized direct PAC (ndPAC) for the rapid and statistically reliable estimation of PAC strength. A plain confidence limit formula, depending solely on data length and confidence level, is derived. Confidence level derivation is validated numerically. It is shown through simulations that ndPAC exhibits high specificity and sensitivity performances. The suggested methodology is also demonstrated on monkey electrocorticogram recorded during a visual task.
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Monitoring Respiration and Cardiac Activity Using Fiber Bragg Grating-Based Sensor
This paper shows the design of a fiber-based sensor for living activities in human body and the results of a laboratory evaluation carried out on it. The authors have developed a device that allows for monitoring the vibrations of human body evoked by living activities—breathing and cardiac rhythm. The device consists of a Bragg grating inscribed into a single mode optical fiber and operating on a wavelength of around 1550 nm. The fiber Bragg grating (FBG) is mounted inside a pneumatic cushion to be placed between the backrest of the seat and the back of the monitored person. Deformations of the cushion, invo...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Online 3-D Tracking of Suspension Living Cells Imaged with Phase-Contrast Microscopy
Neural stem cells/neural progenitors (NSCs/NPs) are cells that give rise to the main cell types of the nervous system: oligodendrocytes, neurons, and astrocytes. Studying NSCs/NPs with time-lapse microscopy is critical to the understanding of the biology of these cells. However, NSCs/NPs are very sensitive to phototoxic damage, and therefore, fluorescent dyes cannot be used to follow these cells. Also, since in most of NSC/NP-related experiments, a large number of cells neesd to be monitored. Consequently, the acquisition of a huge amount of images is required. An additional difficulty is related to our original suspension...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Evaluating the Noise in Electrically Evoked Compound Action Potential Measurements in Cochlear Implants
In this study, we evaluated the statistical properties of the background noise (BN) and the postaverage residual noise (RN) in ECAP measurements in order to determine an objective detection criterion. For the estimation of the BN and the RN, a method currently used in auditory brainstem response measurements was applied. The potential benefit of using weighted (Bayesian) averages was also examined. All estimations were performed with a set of approximately 360 ECAP measurements recorded from five human CI users of the CII or HiRes90K device (advanced bionics). Results demonstrated that the BN was normally distributed and t...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Biopsy Needle Artifact Localization in MRI-Guided Robotic Transrectal Prostate Intervention
Recently a number of robotic intervention systems for magnetic resonance image (MRI)-guided needle placement in the prostate have been reported. In MRI-guided needle interventions, after a needle is inserted, the needle position is often confirmed with a volumetric MRI scan. Commonly used titanium needles are not directly visible in an MRI, but they generate a susceptibility artifact in the immediate neighborhood of the needle. This paper reports the results of a quantitative study of the relationship between the true position of titanium biopsy needle and the corresponding needle artifact position in MRI, thereby providin...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Modeling Individual Human Motor Behavior Through Model Reference Iterative Learning Control
A computational model is proposed in this paper to capture learning capacity of a human subject adapting his or her movements in novel dynamics. The model uses an iterative learning control algorithm to represent human learning through repetitive processes. The control law performs adaptation using a model designed using experimental data captured from the natural behavior of the individual of interest. The control signals are used by a model of the body to produced motion without the need of inverse kinematics. The resulting motion behavior is validated against experimental data. This new technique yields the capability o...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

A Class of Monte-Carlo-Based Statistical Algorithms for Efficient Detection of Repolarization Alternans
Cardiac repolarization alternans is an electrophysiologic condition identified by a beat-to-beat fluctuation in action potential waveform. It has been mechanistically linked to instances of T-wave alternans, a clinically defined ECG alternation in T-wave morphology, and associated with the onset of cardiac reentry and sudden cardiac death. Many alternans detection algorithms have been proposed in the past, but the majority have been designed specifically for use with T-wave alternans. Action potential duration (APD) signals obtained from experiments (especially those derived from optical mapping) possess unique characteris...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Morphology-Based Automatic Seizure Detector for Intracerebral EEG Recordings
In this paper, a new seizure detection system aimed at assisting in a rapid review of prolonged intracerebral EEG recordings is described. It is based on quantifying the sharpness of the waveform, one of the most important electrographic EEG features utilized by experts for an accurate and reliable identification of a seizure. The waveform morphology is characterized by a measure of sharpness as defined by the slope of the half-waves. A train of abnormally sharp waves resulting from subsequent filtering are used to identify seizures. The method was optimized using 145 h of single-channel depth EEG from seven patients, and ...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Image Reconstruction Using Interval Simulated Annealing in Electrical Impedance Tomography
Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is an imaging technique that attempts to reconstruct the impedance distribution inside an object from the impedance between electrodes placed on the object surface. The EIT reconstruction problem can be approached as a nonlinear nonconvex optimization problem in which one tries to maximize the matching between a simulated impedance problem and the observed data. This nonlinear optimization problem is often ill-posed, and not very suited to methods that evaluate derivatives of the objective function. It may be approached by simulated annealing (SA), but at a large computational cost due...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

3-D Quantitative Vascular Shape Analysis for Arterial Bifurcations via Dynamic Tube Fitting
Reliable and reproducible estimation of vessel centerlines and reference surfaces is an important step for the assessment of luminal lesions. Conventional methods are commonly developed for quantitative analysis of the “straight” vessel segments and have limitations in defining the precise location of the centerline and the reference lumen surface for both the main vessel and the side branches in the vicinity of bifurcations. To address this, we propose the estimation of the centerline and the reference surface through the registration of an elliptical cross-sectional tube to the desired constituent vessel in...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Control-Relevant Models for Glucose Control Using A Priori Patient Characteristics
One of the difficulties in the development of a reliable artificial pancreas for people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is the lack of accurate models of an individual’s response to insulin. Most control algorithms proposed to control the glucose level in subjects with T1DM are model-based. Avoiding postprandial hypoglycemia ($<$60 mg/dl) while minimizing prandial hyperglycemia ($>$180 mg/dl) has shown to be difficult in a closed-loop setting due to the patient–model mismatch. In this paper, control-relevant models are developed for T1DM, as opposed to models that minimize a prediction error. T...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

EMG Prediction From Motor Cortical Recordings via a Nonnegative Point-Process Filter
A constrained point-process filtering mechanism for prediction of electromyogram (EMG) signals from multichannel neural spike recordings is proposed here. Filters from the Kalman family are inherently suboptimal in dealing with non-Gaussian observations, or a state evolution that deviates from the Gaussianity assumption. To address these limitations, we modeled the non-Gaussian neural spike train observations by using a generalized linear model that encapsulates covariates of neural activity, including the neurons’ own spiking history, concurrent ensemble activity, and extrinsic covariates (EMG signals). In order to...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Respiration Effect on Wavelet-Based ECG T-Wave End Delineation Strategies
The main purpose of this paper is to study the influence of the mechanical effect of respiration over the T-wave end delineation. We compared the performance of an automatic delineation system based on the wavelet transform (WT), considering single lead (SL), global delineation locations obtained from SL annotations (SLR), and multilead (ML) approaches. The linear relation between the variations on T-wave end locations obtained with each of the methods and the mechanical effect of respiration was quantified using spectral coherence and ARARX modeling both in simulated signals and in real data. We also explored the evolutio...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Improved Labeling of Subcortical Brain Structures in Atlas-Based Segmentation of Magnetic Resonance Images
Precise labeling of subcortical structures plays a key role in functional neurosurgical applications. Labels from an atlas image are propagated to a patient image using atlas-based segmentation. Atlas-based segmentation is highly dependent on the registration framework used to guide the atlas label propagation. This paper focuses on atlas-based segmentation of subcortical brain structures and the effect of different registration methods on the generated subcortical labels. A single-step and three two-step registration methods appearing in the literature based on affine and deformable registration algorithms in the ANTS and...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Simultaneous and Proportional Force Estimation in Multiple Degrees of Freedom From Intramuscular EMG
This letter investigates simultaneous and proportional estimation of force in 2 degree-of-freedoms (DoFs) from intramuscular electromyography (EMG). Intramuscular EMG signals from three able-bodied subjects were recorded along with isometric forces in multiple DoF from the right arm. The association between five EMG features and force profiles was modeled using an artificial neural network. Correlation coefficients between the measured and the estimated forces were 0.85 ± 0.056 and 0.88 ± 0.05 without and with post processing, respectively. The results showed that force can be estimated in 2 DoFs with ...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Reconstruction of Fluorescence Molecular Tomography Using a Neighborhood Regularization
In fluorescence molecular tomography, the highly scattering property of biological tissues leads to an ill-posed inverse problem and reduces the accuracy of detection and localization of fluorescent targets. Regularization technique is usually utilized to obtain a stable solution. Conventional Tikhonov regularization is based on singular value decomposition (SVD) and L-curve strategy, which attempts to find a tradeoff between the residual norm and image norm. It is computationally demanding and may fail when there is no optimal turning point in the L-curve plot. In this letter, a neighborhood regularization method is prese...
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Table of Contents
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering publication information
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Front Cover
Source: IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: research

Optimization of acquisition and contrast injection protocol for C-arm CT imaging in transcatheter aortic valve implantation: initial experience in a swine model
Abstract To determine the optimal C-arm computed tomography (CT) protocol for transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) in swine. In 6 swine, C-arm CT was performed using 5-s ungated acquisition during sinus rhythm with aortic root (Method 1) or peripheral (Method 2) injection, and during rapid ventricular pacing with root injection (Method 3). Additionally, 24-s ECG-gated acquisitions were performed during sinus rhythm with root (Method 4) or peripheral (Method 5) injection. Aortic root enhancement, presence of artifacts and contrast volumes were compared for all methods. Aortic root measurements were ...
Source: The International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging - June 20, 2012 Category: Radiology Tags: The International Journal of Cardiovascular Imaging (formerly Cardiac Imaging) Source Type: research

Determination of electrode to nerve fiber distance and nerve conduction velocity through spectral analysis of the extracellular action potentials recorded from earthworm giant fibers
Abstract Microneurography and the use of selective microelectrodes that can resolve single-unit nerve activity have become a tool to understand the coding within the nervous system and a clinical diagnostic tool to assess peripheral neural pathologies. Central to these techniques is the use of the differences in the shape of the extracellular action potential (AP) waveform to identify and discriminate units from one another. Theoretical modeling of the origins of these shape differences has shown that the position of the nerve fiber relative to the electrode and the conduction velocity of the unit contribute...
Source: Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Tags: Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing Source Type: research

The effects of intravenous anesthetics on mouse embryonic fibroblast viability and proliferation
Conclusion Our results showed that intravenous anesthetics may not affect mouse fibroblast proliferation and viability. Content Type Journal ArticleCategory Original ArticlePages 1-7DOI 10.1007/s00540-012-1427-1Authors Yoon Ji Choi, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan, Seoul, KoreaSe Keun Jeon, Hansarang Hospital, Ansan, KoreaJungjoo Kim, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Brain Korea 21 for Biomedical Science, College of Medicine, Korea University, Seoul, KoreaYongdoo Park, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Brain Korea 21 for Biomedical Scienc...
Source: Journal of Anesthesia - June 20, 2012 Category: Anesthesiology Tags: Journal of Anesthesia Source Type: research

Interested in the forthcoming peer review guide?
Soon to be published is a nuts and bolts guide to peer review written by members of the Voice of Young Science (VoYS) network of early career researchers. The writing team interviewed scientists, journal editors, grants body representatives, patient group workers and journalists in the UK and around the world to find out how peer review works, the challenges for peer review and how to get involved. If you are interested in receiving a copy of the guide once it’s published please email enquiries@senseaboutscience.org.
Source: Elsevier Updates: Engineering - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: news

Development of a novel microfluidic device for long-term in situ monitoring of live cells in 3-dimensional matrices.
Abstract Using the latest innovations in microfabrication technology, 3-dimensional microfluidic cell culture systems have been developed as an attractive alternative to traditional 2-dimensional culturing systems as a model for long-term microscale cell-based research. Most microfluidic systems are based on the embedding of cells in hydrogels. However, physiologically realistic conditions based on hydrogels are difficult to obtain and the systems are often too complicated. We have developed a microfluidic cell culture device that incorporates a biodegradable rigid 3D polymer scaffold using standard soft lithograph...
Source: Biomedical Microdevices - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Authors: Dånmark S, Gladnikoff M, Frisk T, Zelenina M, Mustafa K, Russom A, Finne-Wistrand A Tags: Biomed Microdevices Source Type: research

Automatic detection of AutoPEEP during controlled mechanical ventilation
Conclusions: The proposed platform provides an automatic early detection of AutoPEEP. Such functionalitycan be integrated in the currently used mechanical ventilator for continuous monitoring of thepatient-ventilator interface and, therefore, alleviate the clinician task.
Source: BioMedical Engineering OnLine - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Authors: Quang-Thang NguyenDominique PastorErwan L'Her Source Type: research

On the viability of implantable electrodes for the natural con- trol of artificial limbs: Review and discussion
The control of robotic prostheses based on pattern recognition algorithms is a widely studied subject that hasshown promising results in acute experiments. The long-term implementation of this technology, however,has not yet been achieved due to practical issues that can be mainly attributed to the use of surfaceelectrodes and their highly environmental dependency. This paper describes several implantable electrodesand discusses them as a solution for the natural control of artificial limbs. In this context "natural" is definedas producing control over limb movement analogous to that of an intact physiological system. This...
Source: BioMedical Engineering OnLine - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Authors: Max Ortiz-CatalanRickard BrånemarkBo HåkanssonJean Delbeke Source Type: research

Precise two-dimensional D-bar reconstructions of human chest and phantom tank via sinc-convolution algorithm
Conclusions: Parametric evaluation demonstrates the efficiency of sinc-convolution to reconstruct accurateconductivity images from experimental data. Excellent results in phantom and clinicalreconstructions using sinc-convolution support parametric assessment results and suggest thesinc-convolution to be used for precise clinical EIT applications.
Source: BioMedical Engineering OnLine - June 20, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Authors: Mahdi AbbasiAhmad-Reza Naghsh-Nilchi Source Type: research

Exploitation of marine bacteria for production of gold nanoparticles
Conclusion: The potential of marine organisms in biosynthesis of AuNPs are still relatively unexplored. Although, there are few reports of gold nanoparticles production using marine sponges and sea weeds however, there is no report on the production of gold nanoparticles using marine bacteria.The present work highlighted the possibility of using the marine bacterial strain of Marinobacter pelagius to achieve a fast rate of nanoparticles synthesis which may be of high interest for future process development of AuNPs. This is the first report of AuNP synthesis by marine bacteria.
Source: Microbial Cell Factories - June 20, 2012 Category: Microbiology Authors: Nishat SharmaAnil PinnakaManoj RajeAshish FNUMani Shankar BhattacharyyaAnirban Roy Choudhury Source Type: research

A novel EDA glove based on textile-integrated electrodes for affective computing
Abstract This paper reports on performance evaluation of a preliminary system prototype based on a fabric glove, with integrated textile electrodes placed at the fingertips, able to acquire and process the electrodermal response (EDR) to discriminate affective states. First, textile electrodes have been characterized in terms of voltage–current characteristics and trans-surface electric impedance. Next, signal quality of EDR acquired simultaneously from textile and standard electrodes was comparatively evaluated. Finally, a dedicated experiment in which 35 subjects were enrolled, aiming at discriminating d...
Source: Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing - June 19, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Tags: Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing Source Type: research

Numerical and experimental characterization of a novel modular passive micromixer.
Abstract This paper reports a new low-cost passive microfluidic mixer design, based on a replication of identical mixing units composed of microchannels with variable curvature (clothoid) geometry. The micromixer presents a compact and modular architecture that can be easily fabricated using a simple and reliable fabrication process. The particular clothoid-based geometry enhances the mixing by inducing transversal secondary flows and recirculation effects. The role of the relevant fluid mechanics mechanisms promoting the mixing in this geometry were analysed using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) for Reynolds nu...
Source: Biomedical Microdevices - June 19, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Authors: Pennella F, Rossi M, Ripandelli S, Rasponi M, Mastrangelo F, Deriu MA, Ridolfi L, Kähler CJ, Morbiducci U Tags: Biomed Microdevices Source Type: research

Development of a micro-mechanical valve in a novel glaucoma implant.
Abstract This paper describes methods for design, manufacturing and characterization of a micro-mechanical valve for a novel glaucoma implant. The implant is designed to drain aqueous humour from the anterior chamber of the eye into the suprachoroidal space in case of an elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). In contrast to any existing glaucoma drainage device (GDD), the valve mechanism is located in the anterior chamber and there, surrounded by aqueous humour, immune to fibrosis induced failure. For the prevention of hypotony the micro-mechanical valve is designed to open if the physiological pressure difference be...
Source: Biomedical Microdevices - June 19, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Authors: Siewert S, Schultze C, Schmidt W, Hinze U, Chichkov B, Wree A, Sternberg K, Allemann R, Guthoff R, Schmitz KP Tags: Biomed Microdevices Source Type: research

Read our report about UK research on Elsevier’s Authors’ Update!
Commissioned biannually since 2001, the UK's report on its competitive performance has historically tracked changes in publications, citations and patents in the UK. However, the recent International Comparative Performance of the UK Research Base - 2011 included new analysis: researcher mobility, collaborative behavior and a series of case studies highlighting some of the areas in which the UK has unique strengths.
Source: Elsevier Updates: Engineering - June 18, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: news

Biomechanical evaluation of three surgical scenarios of posterior lumbar interbody fusion by finite element analysis
Conclusions: The PCT model was inferior to the other two models. Both the PCP and PAIB models hadtheir own relative merits. The findings provide theoretical basis for the choice of a suitablesurgical scenario for different patients.
Source: BioMedical Engineering OnLine - June 18, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Authors: Zhitao ZiaoLiya WangHe GongDong Zhu Source Type: research

Quantitative video-based gait pattern analysis for hemiparkinsonian rats
This study utilized a simple, accurate, and reproducible method for quantifying the spatiotemporal and kinematic changes of gait patterns in hemiparkinsonian rats. A transparent walkway with a tilted mirror was set to capture underview footprints and lateral joint ankle images using a high-speed and high-resolution digital camera. The footprint images were semi-automatically processed with a threshold setting to identify the boundaries of soles and the critical points of each hindlimb for deriving the spatiotemporal and kinematic indices of gait. Following PD lesion, asymmetrical gait patterns including a significant ...
Source: Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing - June 16, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Tags: Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing Source Type: research

Interactive segmentation of plexiform neurofibroma tissue: method and preliminary performance evaluation
Abstract Plexiform neurofibromas (PNs) are a major manifestation of neurofibromatosis-1 (NF1), a common genetic disease involving the nervous system. Treatment decisions are mostly based on a gross assessment of changes in tumor using MRI. Accurate volumetric measurements are rarely performed in this kind of tumors mainly due to its great dispersion, size, and multiple locations. This paper presents a semi-automatic method for segmentation of PN from STIR MRI scans. The method starts with a user-based delineation of the tumor area in a single slice and automatically segments the PN lesions in the entire imag...
Source: Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing - June 16, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Tags: Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing Source Type: research

Effect of the degree of LAD stenosis on “competitive flow” and flow field characteristics in LIMA-to-LAD bypass surgery
Abstract The long-term patency of the left internal mammary artery (LIMA) in left anterior descending (LAD) coronary stenosis bypass surgery is believed to be related to the degree of competitive flow between the LAD and LIMA. To investigate the effect of the LAD stenosis severity on this phenomenon and on haemodynamics in the LIMA and anastomosis region, a numerical LIMA–LAD model was developed based on 3D geometric (obtained from a cast) and hemodynamic data from an experimental pig study. Proximal LAD pressure was used as upstream boundary condition. The model counted 13 outlets (12 septal arteries and ...
Source: Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing - June 16, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Tags: Medical and Biological Engineering and Computing Source Type: research

Could Spatial Heterogeneity in Human Vocal Fold Elastic Properties Improve the Quality of Phonation?
This study examines the spatial distribution of biomechanical properties in human vocal folds and explores the consequences of these properties on phonation. Vocal fold lamina propria specimens isolated from nine excised human male larynges were tested in uniaxial tension (six from non-smokers, three from smokers). An optical method was employed to determine the local stretch, from which the elastic modulus of three segments in the anterior-posterior direction was calculated. Several specimens exhibited a significant heterogeneity in the modulus with the middle segment stiffer than the other segments. It was concluded that...
Source: Annals of Biomedical Engineering - June 16, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Authors: Kelleher JE, Siegmund T, Chan RW Tags: Ann Biomed Eng Source Type: research

Elsevier and Universal Access in the Authors’ Update. Learn more about our vision and initiatives
Read about Elsevier’s universal access initiatives, including Research4Life, public access, open access journals, open archives, open access article options and manuscript posting.
Source: Elsevier Updates: Engineering - June 15, 2012 Category: Biomedical Engineering Source Type: news