Biomedical Engineering Department Research Articles

Colorectal Cancer Diagnosis through Breath Test Using a Portable Breath Analyzer-Preliminary Data.

Screening methods available for colorectal cancer (CRC) to date are burdened by poor reliability and low patient adherence and compliance. An altered pattern of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in exhaled breath has been proposed as a non-invasive potential diagnostic tool for distinguishing CRC patients from healthy controls (HC). The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of an innovative portable device containing a micro-gas chromatograph in enabling rapid, on-site CRC diagnosis through analysis of patients' exhaled breath. In this prospective trial, breath samples were collected in a tertiary referral center of colorectal surgery, and analysis of the chromatograms was performed by the Biomedical Engineering Department. The breath of patients with CRC and HC was collected into Tedlar bags through a Nafion filter and mouthpiece with a one-way valve. The breath samples were analyzed by an automated portable gas chromatography device. Relevant volatile biomarkers and discriminant chromatographic peaks were identified through machine learning, linear discriminant analysis and principal component analysis. A total of 68 subjects, 36 patients affected by histologically proven CRC with no evidence of metastases and 32 HC with negative colonoscopies, were enrolled. After testing a training set (18 CRC and 18 HC) and a testing set (18 CRC and 14 HC), an overall specificity of 87.5%, sensitivity of 94.4% and accuracy of 91.2% in identifying CRC patients was found based on three VOCs. Breath biopsy may represent a promising non-invasive method of discriminating CRC patients from HC.

CONTEMPORARY AND FUTURE DEVELOPMENT OF 3D PRINTING TECHNOLOGY IN THE FIELD OF ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY, ORTHOTICS AND PROSTHETICS

3D printing is considered as a helpful technology that facilitates innovative assistive technology, orthotics, and prosthetics development. This technology could likely contribute to positive treatment outcomes. It could also mitigate the challenges encountered when using the traditional methods. Our team’s research in the application of 3D printing in prosthetics, orthotics and biomedical technology has shown beneficial results in its use. This article gives a general description on application of CAD/CAM, digitalization and 3d printing in this industry followed by short description of two spinal-related projects conducted in our research team. Technological and clinical challenges on utilization of this technology have been listed. Finally, this manuscript provides recommendation for broader applications and developments of the aforementioned technology through interdisciplinary practices. A glimpse into the future of 3D printing in the healthcare industry shows that this industry is poised to continue having a significant impact in this sector. It should be emphasized that assistive technology, orthotics, and prosthetics require a human touch and connection, and no digital tool or technology can replace such requirements. Indeed, multi-disciplinary collaboration is the key to the success of applications of 3D printing. Article PDF Link: https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/cpoj/article/view/42225/32491 How To Cite: Hassan Beygi B, Wong M.S. Contemporary and future development of 3D printing technology in the field of assistive technology, orthotics and prosthetics. Canadian Prosthetics & Orthotics Journal. 2023; Volume 6, Issue 2, No.10. https://doi.org/10.33137/cpoj.v6i2.42225 Corresponding Author: M.S. WONG, PhDThe Department of Biomedical Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.E-Mail: m.s.wong@polyu.edu.hkORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4157-9528

METHODOLOGY TO INVESTIGATE EFFECT OF PROSTHETIC INTERFACE DESIGN ON RESIDUAL LIMB SOFT TISSUE DEFORMATION

BACKGROUND: Residual limb discomfort and injury is a common experience for people living with lower limb amputation. Frequently, inadequate load distribution between the prosthetic device and the residual limb is the root cause of this issue. To advance our understanding of prosthetic interface fit, tools are needed to evaluate the mechanical interaction at the prosthetic interface, allowing interface designs to be evaluated and optimised. OBJECTIVES: Present a methodology report designed to facilitate comprehension of the mechanical interaction between the prosthetic interface and the residual limb. As a pilot study, this methodology is used to compare a hands-on and hands-off interface for a single transtibial prosthesis user using secondary Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data. METHODOLOGY: MRI data of the residual limb while wearing a prosthetic interface is segmented into a hard tissue and a skin surface model. These models are exported as stereolithography (STL) files. Two methods are used to analyse the interface designs. Firstly, CloudCompare software is used to compute the nearest vertex on the skin surface for every vertex on the compiled internal bony surface for both interface types. Secondly, CloudCompare software is used to compare registered skin surfaces of the residual limb while wearing the hands-on and hands-off interfaces. FINDINGS: The maximum and minimum nearest distances between the internal bony surface and skin surface were similar between interface types. However, the distribution of nearest distances was different. When comparing the skin surface while wearing both interfaces, where the fit is more compressive can be visualized. For the dataset used in this study, the classic features of a hands-on Patella Tendon Bearing interface and hands-off pressure cast interface could be identified. CONCLUSION: The methodology presented in this report may give researchers a further tool to better understand how interface designs affect the soft tissues of the residual limb. Layman's Abstract If a person loses all or part of their leg because of injury or disease, they may use a replacement limb to help them walk again. The replacement limb is attached to their remaining leg using a rigid shell and flexible liner. Sometimes, the skin, muscles, and other tissues of their remaining leg are damaged while wearing the replacement limb. Often, this is because the replacement limb fits poorly to their remaining leg. In order to design replacement limbs that do not cause injury, a better understanding of replacement limb fit is required. In this study, a method to understand how replacement limbs deform remaining limb skin, muscles, and other tissues, is presented. 3D medical images are taken of a person’s remaining leg while they wear two different types of replacement limbs. These images are processed into 3D models and then analysed to investigate deformation. Firstly, deformation of the remaining leg, caused by the replacement limb, is calculated based on the distance between the bone surface and skin surface of the remaining leg. Secondly, the shape of the outer surface of the remaining leg while wearing the different replacement limbs is compared. When this method was used to compare the remaining leg of a person while wearing two different types of replacement limb, using previously acquired medical 3D images, differences in the shape of the remaining limb were found. This method may be useful to help design better replacement limbs that do not cause injury in the future. Article PDF Link: https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/cpoj/article/view/42196/32357 How To Cite: Arnstein T, Buis A. Methodology to investigate effect of prosthetic interface design on residual limb soft tissue deformation. Canadian Prosthetics & Orthotics Journal. 2023; Volume 6, Issue 1, No.7. https://doi.org/10.33137/cpoj.v6i1.42196 Corresponding Author: Arjan Buis, PhD Department of Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland.E-Mail: arjan.buis@strath.ac.ukORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3947-293X

Considerations for Ionic Diffusion in Slurry Electrolytes for Redox Flow Batteries

Slurry electrodes have been proposed as a means to enhance the scalability of hybrid redox flow battery (RFB) chemistries for better usability in utility scale energy storage applications1–3. In conventional hybrid RFB’s, scalability is limited due the spatial constraints of the flow cell and the metal deposited by the negative half-reaction on charge1. By using a slurry electrode, the solid metal can be deposited onto electrically conductive particles dispersed in the electrolyte instead of on the stationary electrode within the flow cell. In this way, hybrid RFB chemistries can achieve the same scalability as more commonly studied true RFB chemistries, such as all-vanadium. Due to the high abundance, low cost, and low toxicity of iron electrolytes, the all-iron RFB chemistry is of particular interest for use with a slurry electrode2,4. The usefulness of the slurry electrode depends on the current distribution of the plating reaction. To successfully decouple the storage and power capacities of the RFB and thus enhance its scalability5, the faradaic current of the plating reaction must occur predominantly on the mobile slurry particles, as opposed to on the stationary current collector1. This current distribution is dependent on a variety of factors, such as the applied overpotential, the electrical conductivity of the slurry, the ionic conductivity of the electrolyte, the kinetics of the reaction, and the rate of ionic mass transport to reaction sites. Ionic mass transport in electrolytes containing slurry electrodes may differ from ionic transport in neat electrolyte in interesting and important ways. Due to the volume fraction of the electrolyte occupied by solid particles, the effective concentration of the ionic species may be lower than in neat electrolyte. Further, the solid particle volume fraction hinders ionic diffusion by introducing diffusion path tortuosity. This effect is more severe in higher slurry particle loadings.In this work, the effect of varying dispersed solid particle loading on ionic diffusivity is investigated via voltammetry using a rotating disk electrode. The diffusivities of ionic iron species are measured as a function of the volume fraction of solids dispersed in the electrolyte. Comparisons with the Bruggeman correlation6,7 are made and amendments to the Levich equation are considered.(1) Petek, T. J.; Hoyt, N. C.; Savinell, R. F.; Wainright, J. S. Slurry Electrodes for Iron Plating in an All-Iron Flow Battery. J. Power Sources 2015, 294, 620–626. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2015.06.050.(2) Petek, T. J. Enhancing the Capacity of All-Iron Flow Batteries: Understanding Crossover and Slurry Electrodes. Ph.D. Thesis 2015, No. May.(3) Narayanan, T. M.; Zhu, Y. G.; Gençer, E.; McKinley, G.; Shao-Horn, Y. Low-Cost Manganese Dioxide Semi-Solid Electrode for Flow Batteries. Joule 2021, 5 (11), 2934–2954. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2021.07.010.(4) Dinesh, A.; Olivera, S.; Venkatesh, K.; Santosh, M. S.; Priya, M. G.; Inamuddin; Asiri, A. M.; Muralidhara, H. B. Iron-Based Flow Batteries to Store Renewable Energies. Environ. Chem. Lett. 2018, 16 (3), 683–694. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10311-018-0709-8.(5) Weber, A. Z.; Mench, M. M.; Meyers, J. P.; Ross, P. N.; Jeffrey, T.; Liu, Q. Redox Flow Batteries , a Review Environmental Energy Technologies Division , Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory , Department of Mechanical , Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering , University of Tennessee , Department of Chemical Engineering , McGill Un. 1–72.(6) Tjaden, B.; Cooper, S. J.; Brett, D. J.; Kramer, D.; Shearing, P. R. On the Origin and Application of the Bruggeman Correlation for Analysing Transport Phenomena in Electrochemical Systems. Curr. Opin. Chem. Eng. 2016, 12, 44–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coche.2016.02.006.(7) Chung, D. W.; Ebner, M.; Ely, D. R.; Wood, V.; Edwin García, R. Validity of the Bruggeman Relation for Porous Electrodes. Model. Simul. Mater. Sci. Eng. 2013, 21 (7). https://doi.org/10.1088/0965-0393/21/7/074009.

In Response.

South Shore University Hospital, Department of Anesthesiology, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University / Northwell Health Bay Shore, New York, [email protected], Department of Biomedical Engineering, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan

What Surgeons Need to Know About the Recent Updates to the CHEST Guidelines on Antithrombotic Therapy for Venous Thromboembolic Disease and Perioperative Management of Antithrombotic Therapy.

*Department of Surgery †Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Virginia School of Medicine The authors report no conflicts of interest. [email protected]

Using ChatGPT and other AI‐assisted tools to improve manuscripts readability and language

International Journal of Imaging Systems and TechnologyEarly View EDITORIAL Using ChatGPT and other AI-assisted tools to improve manuscripts readability and language Mohamed L. Seghier, Corresponding Author Mohamed L. Seghier [email protected] Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE Healtcare Engineering Innovation Center (HEIC), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE Correspondence Mohamed L. Seghier, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author Mohamed L. Seghier, Corresponding Author Mohamed L. Seghier [email protected] Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE Healtcare Engineering Innovation Center (HEIC), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE Correspondence Mohamed L. Seghier, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author First published: 26 April 2023 https://doi.org/10.1002/ima.22902Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. Early ViewOnline Version of Record before inclusion in an issue RelatedInformation

Abstract 6531: Point of care test for cervical cancer screening

Abstract Cervical cancer is a lethal gynecological malignancy and the fourth most common cancer among women. Most high-grade cervical pre-cancers and cancer cases are linked to infection with high-risk human papillomaviruses (HPV). There is an inequity between high-income countries (HICs) and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) in cervical cancer burden; according to the World Health Organization, the estimated mortality rate of cervical cancer is 342,000 women worldwide in 2020, and 90% of these women reside in low- and middle-income nations where the human papillomavirus vaccine is unavailable and access to early detection testing are either unavailable or too expensive. This study aims to develop a simple and affordable point-of-care test based on four critical biomarkers for screening high-risk pre-cancer and invasive cervical cancer in collaboration with the biomedical engineering department. A cervical cancer swab will be used in the test. The swab will be placed on a paper-based device that looks for four protein biomarkers critical for the progression of noninvasive cervical cancer into invasive cervical cancer by combining two approaches using proteomics and lateral flow immunochromatography technology. We have validated the markers' expression in cervical cancer and precancerous tissues. The four markers were expressed in squamous cell carcinoma, glassy cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, clear cell carcinoma cancer tissues, and the high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia. This point-of-care test will be affordable and implementable, especially in low and middle-income countries. Citation Format: Samrin Farouk Idris Habbani, Sayeh Jalali Dowlatshahi, Monisha Elumalai, Scott Charles Bolton, Lucy Teberh Tecle, Pankti Rajesh Thakkar, Jacqueline C Linnes, Sulma I Mohammed. Point of care test for cervical cancer screening [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 6531.

Recycled Carbon Fibre Composites in Automotive Manufacturing

Article Recycled Carbon Fibre Composites in Automotive Manufacturing Jean-Baptiste R. G. Souppez 1, * , and Geethanjali S. Pavar 2 1 Department of Mechanical, Biomedical and Design Engineering, School of Engineering and Technology, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK. 2 Institute for Energy Systems, School of Engineering, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JW, UK. * Correspondence: j.souppez@aston.ac.uk Received: 9 January 2023 Accepted: 22 February 2023 Published: 6 March 2023 Abstract: The contemporary need for lightweight and sustainable materials in automotive manufacturing has made recycled carbon fibre an attractive option. Yet, aspects such as the mechanical properties of short fibre composites need to be characterised to fully identify the capabilities and opportunities for recycled carbon fibre in the automotive industry. Consequently, this paper aims to ascertain the potential of recycled carbon fibre materials for automotive manufacturing by considering mechanical properties, design implications, and resulting costs and sustainability. Destructive testing is employed to characterise the mechanical properties of virgin carbon fibre (VCF), recycled carbon fibre (RCF) using pyrolysis, and blended recycled carbon fibre (BRCF) comprising 50% polypropylene fibre. Here we quantify (i) the reduction in mechanical properties, namely the tensile modulus and breaking strength, (ii) the resulting increase in required thickness and therefore mass for manufactured parts and (iii) the reduction in cost and embodied energy achieved for RCF and BRCF compared to VCF, based on both a stiffness- and a strength-driven design criterion. Furthermore, we present a decision-making methodology revealing BRCF as the most cost-effective solution, while RCF proves to be the most sustainable alternative. These results provide a novel quantitative assessment of recycled carbon fibre for automotive manufacturing and may contribute to future developments in sustainable composite manufacturing in the automotive industry.

Vascular Biology of Dementia.

HomeStrokeVol. 54, No. 3Vascular Biology of Dementia No AccessReview ArticleRequest AccessFull TextAboutView Full TextView PDFView EPUBSections ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload citationsTrack citationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InMendeleyReddit Jump toNo AccessReview ArticleRequest AccessFull TextVascular Biology of Dementia Marilyn J. Cipolla, PhD and Nabil J. Alkayed, MD, PhD Marilyn J. CipollaMarilyn J. Cipolla Correspondence to: Marilyn J. Cipolla, PhD, Department of Neurological Sciences, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405. Email E-mail Address: [email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9172-5941 Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine, Burlington (M.J.C.). Department of Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, University of Vermont, Burlington (M.J.C.). Search for more papers by this author and Nabil J. AlkayedNabil J. Alkayed https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3489-4730 Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Medicine and Knight Cardiovascular Institute, Portland, OR (N.J.A.). Search for more papers by this author Originally published27 Feb 2023https://doi.org/10.1161/STROKEAHA.123.042298Stroke. 2023;54:646–647is accompanied byDetection of Cardioembolic Sources With Nongated Cardiac Computed Tomography Angiography in Acute Stroke: Results From the ENCLOSE StudyCerebral Small Vessel Disease–Related Dementia: More Questions Than AnswersHippocampal Vascular Supply and Its Role in Vascular Cognitive ImpairmentBlood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction in Normal Aging and Neurodegeneration: Mechanisms, Impact, and Treatments"Vascular Biology of Dementia." Stroke, 54(3), pp. 646–647FootnotesFor Sources of Funding and Disclosures, see page 646.Correspondence to: Marilyn J. Cipolla, PhD, Department of Neurological Sciences, Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405. Email marilyn.[email protected]edu

To Include or Not to Include: Quantification of Mitral Regurgitation in Patients with Mitral Valve Prolapse Using Cardiac MRI.

HomeRadiology: Cardiothoracic ImagingVol. 5, No. 1 PreviousNext CommentaryTo Include or Not to Include: Quantification of Mitral Regurgitation in Patients with Mitral Valve Prolapse Using Cardiac MRIJeesoo Lee, Michael Markl Jeesoo Lee, Michael Markl Author AffiliationsFrom the Department of Radiology, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, 737 N Michigan Ave, Suite 1600, Chicago, IL 60611 (J.L., M.M.); and Department of Biomedical Engineering, Northwestern University McCormick School of Engineering, Evanston, Ill (M.M.).Address correspondence to M.M. (email: [email protected]).Jeesoo LeeMichael Markl Published Online:Feb 16 2023https://doi.org/10.1148/ryct.230007MoreSectionsFull textPDF ToolsImage ViewerAdd to favoritesCiteTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked In

The Official Journal of ATTD Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes Conference 22‐25 February 2023 I Berlin & Online

The Official Journal of ATTD Advanced Technologies & Treatments for Diabetes Conference 22‐25 February 2023 I Berlin & Online

End-Expiratory Lung Impedance Measured With Electrical Impedance Tomography at Different Days Are Not Comparable.

1 Department of Critical Care Medicine, State Key Lab of Respiratory Diseases, Guangzhou Institute of Respiratory Health, Guangzhou Medical University, the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, China 2 Department of Biomedical Engineering, Fourth Military Medical University, Xi’an, China 3 Institute of Technical Medicine, Furtwangen University, VS-Schwenningen, Germany The study was supported by the Emergency Key Program of Guangzhou Laboratory (Grant No. EKPG21-17). Dr. Zhao receives a consulting fee from Dräger Medical. Dr. Sang has disclosed that he does not have any potential conflicts of interest.

An Innovative Design for the Vaginal Speculum.

The main objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a newly designed vaginal speculum, the Bouquet Speculum, in-vitro. The setting of this study was at Florida International University and involved four senior students in the Department of Biomedical Engineering. A phantom vaginal model was used to test three variables of the Bouquet Speculum (Visibility, Pressure and Gynecologic Tools tests). As this was bench-lab testing with simulated models, no human participants were involved in this study. The results of this in-vitro study are as follows: The visibility test demonstrated statistically better visualization of the cervix and the cervical os (sampling area for pap tests) with the Bouquet Speculum over the existing 2-bladed speculum at all intrapelvic pressures; The pressure test demonstrated an equal radial distribution of force, without breakage, across the Bouquet Speculum; The gynecologic tools test demonstrated that the Bouquet Speculum is compatible with the existing speculum and standard gynecologic tools in terms of retrieving samples and accessing the cervical os and entire cervix during gynecologic procedures and screening. The gynecologic screening and procedural value of this innovative change in the design of the vaginal speculum could save hundreds of thousands of lives every year, provide a more comfortable exam for the patient, and result in a more efficient and user-friendly provider experience.

A conversation with Dr. Paul Marasco, PhD, Laboratory for Bionic Integration, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic

A conversation with Dr. Paul Marasco, PhD, Laboratory for Bionic Integration, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic

Biomedical Engineering Profession – An Overview and Global Comparison of Staffing Criteria and Workforce

Introduction: Biomedical Engineering is a specialized profession that incorporates engineering, science, technology, and medicine competence and responsibilities. A biomedical engineer who works at hospital and manages the biomedical engineering department by integrating all the health care technologies for patient safety is called a clinical engineer.Methodology: Rapid literature on the workforce as well as staffing criterion has been done by searching in PubMed, google scholar and relevant websites.Results: Variations in the staffing criteria exist across all the world. There are multiple staffing criterions put forward by various health system agencies. However, a standardised staffing criterion is lacking in many countries. The conventional staffing pattern developed primarily on the basis of number of patients needs to be modified by incorporating multiple components such as the nature of care delivery, number of biomedical devices used, average number of maintenance work orders received etc. The procurement and maintenance of biomedical devices are often get disrupted in developing countries due to inadequate staffing. Low-income countries depend on donations for procurement of medical devices, however most of these devices will stop working within a period of 5 years due to lack of maintenance.Conclusion: Developing an appropriate job description specific to the county and adopting a standardised staffing pattern could contribute immensely to the medical workforce as well as improving the quality of medical care.Manuscript HighlightsThis paper provides an overview of considerations used to develop staffing criteria for biomedical engineers across the globe. The paper also does a multicounty comparison on biomedical workforce published by the World Health Organisation in order to determine the various factors to be considered for developing a staffing criterion. High income countries like Australia, Canada and USA follows standards according to their requirements whereas the LMICs doesn’t follows a framed criterion. The paper discusses various models available in place which are used by various health administrative agencies to consider developing and regulating the staffing standards of biomedical engineers in their respective regions. The paper examines the health regulations considering the biomedical engineer staffing criterions developed by regulatory and administrative agencies from different countries. Based on all these analyses, recommendations are made on criterions to be considered for developing staffing pattern and implementing regulatory body for biomedical engineering profession.

Preparing a successful Special Issue proposal

International Journal of Imaging Systems and TechnologyVolume 33, Issue 1 p. 3-5 EDITORIAL Preparing a successful Special Issue proposal Mohamed L. Seghier, Corresponding Author Mohamed L. Seghier [email protected] Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE Healthcare Engineering Innovation Center (HEIC), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE Correspondence Mohamed L. Seghier, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author Mohamed L. Seghier, Corresponding Author Mohamed L. Seghier [email protected] Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE Healthcare Engineering Innovation Center (HEIC), Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE Correspondence Mohamed L. Seghier, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Khalifa University of Science and Technology, Abu Dhabi, UAE. Email: [email protected]Search for more papers by this author First published: 01 December 2022 https://doi.org/10.1002/ima.22834Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL No abstract is available for this article. Volume33, Issue1January 2023Pages 3-5 RelatedInformation

Estimation of Attention Indices in IVA Tests Using Optical Flow in ERP Brain Maps

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Mashhad Branch, Islamic Azad University, Mashhad, Iran , makhlilzadeh@mshdiau.ac.ir

A Prediction of Fingertip Force and Joint Kinematics of Individual Fingers using Motoneuron Firing Activities

<h3>Research Objectives</h3> Advanced assistive robotic hands can help individuals with hand impairment to perform daily activities. The detection of intended motor output of individual fingers, however, remains a challenge. The objective of this study was to develop a decoding method to continuously and simultaneously predict fingertip forces and joint kinematics of individual fingers using motoneuron firing frequency. <h3>Design</h3> Blind source separation method was applied to EMG signals to obtain motor unit (MU) firing activities. MU refinement procedure was used to determine finger- and task-specific MU pools. Obtained MU pools were tested on different datasets involving both isometric and dynamic tasks (combined). Populational MU firing frequencies were calculated to estimate the fingertip forces and joint angles concurrently using regression models. Model performance was compared with conventional EMG amplitude-based approach. <h3>Setting</h3> The study was carried out at the NC State/UNC Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering. <h3>Participants</h3> Seven healthy volunteers (Age: 28±7) participated in this study. No participant had any prior neuro-muscular ailments. All participants provided an informed consent. <h3>Interventions</h3> Not applicable. <h3>Main Outcome Measure(s)</h3> Concurrent and continuous prediction of finger kinetics and kinematics via motoneuron activities. <h3>Results</h3> MU approach led to better performance (higher correlation between the predicted and measured output and lower prediction error) in predicting both joint angles and fingertip forces than the EMG amplitude approach. <h3>Conclusion(s)</h3> MU pools can be identified for specific finger-task combinations, which allows concurrent control of fingertip forces and joint angles with assistive robot hands. Separation matrix derived from single finger trials was used applied to combined trials to avoid the computationally intensive nature of HD-EMG decomposition and to determine its usability in real-time. Further development of this method could provide concurrent and continuous control of individual finger movements of highly dexterous robotic hands.

The Biomedical Engineering Labor Market in Greece: A Survey Investigating Job Outlook, Satisfaction and Placement

In this study, we have evaluated the real-world conditions, the job outlook and the job satisfaction in the Biomedical Engineering (BME) sector in Greece on the basis of the experience of about 12% of the graduates of the BME Department of the University of West Attica, Greece. An anonymous online questionnaire, implemented on the Microsoft Forms platform using multiple choice questions, short text answers and Likert-based scales, became publicly available to the graduates of the BME department. About 12% of the department’s graduates responded to the survey. Results show that the time to first employment is very fast for both men and women. About 51.4% of men and 69.4% of women find their first job employment in the BME sector even before their graduation. The internship is considered important for first job placement by more than 50.6% of participants. BME jobs are perceived as most interesting (73.6%), in a good environment (71.9%), with satisfactory career prospects (45.9%), with satisfactory monthly net salary (44.2%) and satisfactory working hours (52.8%). Men are mostly employed in Service (40.5%), whereas women are mostly employed in Sales (33.3%). Most graduates with BSc degree are employed in Service (39.1%) and Sales (21.8%), most graduates with MSc degree are employed in Service (34.6%) and Hospitals/Health care centers (21.2%), and most graduates with PhD degree are employed in Academia and R&D (62.5%). Most well-paid participants (>1500 euros net salary) were PhD holders (71.5%), followed by MSc holders (25%) and BSc holders (16.2%). Maximum monthly salaries were found for those with more than 10 years of experience. In terms of BME sector, most well-paid participants (>1500 euros monthly net salary) are those working with R&D (86.7%), Sales (86.7%) and Management (60%). There is a high demand for biomedical engineers in the labor market in Greece, despite the continuing economic recession that the country is suffering from the past 12 years.