In this paper, a new auto-scoring algorithm that automatically evaluates the Berg balance scale (BBS) tasks is proposed. The BBS can be used as an indicator for patients to analyze their rehabilitation status by themselves. In the proposed method, the patient must use a wearable inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensor, and the result of the patient’s BBS task execution would be scored automatically

The functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) technology is an optical imaging technology that applies near-infrared light to measure the oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin concentration alteration in cortical brain structures. It has the ability to directly measure changes in the blood oxygen level of the high temporal resolution associated with neural activation. Thus, it has been utilized

The TLD-100H readout system performance under various radioactive I-131 exposure doses was optimized by four key factors via the revised Taguchi dynamic quality loss function. Taguchi dynamic analysis and the orthogonal array reorganizing the essential factors are crucial for the optimization of the thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) readout system given strict criteria of multiple irradiated environments

Pedicle screw placement is a common internal fixation technology used in spine surgery, with preoperative planning and assessment being one of the most important steps. Preoperative planning mainly refers to determining the path and parameters of screws, and preoperative assessment mainly refers to effects during and after operations (i.e., firmness, etc.). Technologies available at present lack effective

Hearing loss in people is increasing because of a rise in the usage of wireless audio multimedia devices. Hearing aids are used as representative hearing rehabilitation devices. Bone conduction hearing aids are recommended for problems in the eardrum and middle ear. Bone conduction is classified according to the driving method into two types, electromagnetic and piezoelectric. Electromagnetic bone

Understanding the relationship between the changes in the axonal transport of the optic nerve (ON) and lamina cribrosa (LC) deformation will be helpful to estimate the degree of axonal transport block by measuring the LC deformation in vivo. First, the changes in the axonal transport of the ON were studied using an acute high intraocular pressure (IOP) model, which was established by perfusing saline

It is very useful in the human computer interface to quickly and accurately recognize human hand movements in real time. In this paper, we aimed to robustly recognize hand gestures in real time using Convolutional Recurrent Neural Network (CRNN) with pre-processing and overlapping window. The CRNN is a deep learning model that combines Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) for time-series information classification

Proximal humerus fracture is a common injury and is usually treated using an internal fixation. However, clinical studies have reported that such treatments are associated with problems such as varus deformity and screw penetration. Therefore, to solve these problems, a surgical method using fibular allografts (FAs) is recently reported. Thus, this study is aimed to confirm the effective insertion

Plantar pressure refers to the interfacial contact pressure between the foot and the supporting surface during daily locomotor activities. Information derived from plantar pressure measures is essential in gait and posture research for diagnosing patho-mechanics associated with the musculoskeletal diseases. In particular, it is compulsory to reduce the abnormally high plantar pressure in people with

More of power wheelchair users’ needs have to be met in the making of power wheelchairs. However, there has been no usability scale for the power wheelchair that is specifically focusing on the users’ needs. The purpose of this study was to test and validate a usability scale for power wheelchairs (USPW). The USPW has been developed through interviews with power wheelchair and consultations with a

As the number of wheelchair users increases, safety accidents related to wheelchairs are increasing. Wheelchair training has been emphasized as a way to deal with this problem. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a wheelchair training structure as an adjustable type and verify its usefulness. Methods: In order to develop the wheelchair training structure as an adjustable type, idea meetings were

This study investigated changes in gait symmetry with trunk displacement during phase-shifted auditory paced treadmill walking for effective training with auditory cueing provided in conventional gait training. Eighteen able-bodied participants walked at a comfortable speed on a treadmill and the measured cadence was set at 100% (baseline). The phase-shifted auditory cue was set to both phase advance

The overall survival (OS) prediction for nonsmall cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) patients of clinical IIIA-N2 stage undergone various treatments was investigated through a refined Taylor series expansion algorithm. The model was created according to a population-based study in Taiwan. The proposed prediction algorithm is based on the well-known hit and target model adopted for analyzing the cell death

The study was to compare an off-loading cushion, designed for individuals with spinal cord injury, with air cushion to analyze the effect of pressure on skin injury and user satisfaction. The off-loading cushion can reduce the incidence of pressure ulcers by minimizing the pressure of the ischial tuberosity and coccyx. Because anatomical structures of each participant are different, 3D scanning is

This study investigated the quantitative scaling properties of the center of pressure (COP) as well as the spatial-temporal properties of the COP to elucidate the postural control behavior of healthy elderly (HE) adults and adults with Parkinson’s disease (PD) during quiet standing. Eighteen adults with PD and eighteen HE adults participated in this study. The COP movements were recorded while participants

Cable-driven parallel robots (CDPR) have been well used in the rehabilitation field. However, the cables can provide the tension in a single direction, there is a pseudo-drag phenomenon of the cables in the CDPR, which will have a great impact on the safety of patients. Therefore, the novelty of this work is that a bionic muscle cable is used to replace the ordinary cable in the CDPR, which can solve

This paper reports the design, fabrication and calibration results of a miniature cross-shaped three-axial piezoresistive force sensor, which can simultaneously detect three force components in orthogonal directions. MEMS technology was used to fabricate the sensor structure and deposit a phosphosilicate layer on the silicon wafer to form piezoresistive resistors. Using the finite element simulation

In this study, a new instance selection method that combines the neural network with weighted fuzzy memberships (NEWFM) and Takagi–Sugeno (T–S) fuzzy model was proposed to improve the classification accuracy of healthy people and Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. In order to evaluate the proposed instance selection for the classification accuracy of healthy people and PD patients, foot pressure data

The purpose of this study was to design and validate a new bilateral instrumented wheel system (IWS) to measure triaxial handrim forces and torques simultaneously during the wheelchair propulsion. The designed and implemented system measures the force applied to the handrims on both sides of a manual wheelchair using 6-axis force/torque sensors. In addition, a user interface receives the measurements

This study intends to develop a system for managing the health of the spinal joints of elderly people who mainly live on Korean floor heating (Ondol). The spine health management system consists of a seat cushion-type posture balance device that can measure the sitting posture, an application for smart devices capable of real-time collection of posture balance data, and a database server for analysis

Although noninvasive ventilation has been increasingly used in clinics and homes to treat respiratory diseases, the problem of air leaks should not be neglected because they may affect the performance of the ventilation and even pose a threat to life. The detection and estimation of the leakage are required to implement auto-compensation, which is important in the development of intelligent ventilation

Proprioception while standing is important for the balance control, but the proprioception has not been investigated in the unconstrained standing conditions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of age and gender on the thresholds of perception and muscle response in response to the support surface rotation. The experiment was designed so that the thresholds depend mainly on the

In this study, the correlation between triggered timing for head and neck CT angiography (TT CTA) scanning and the average of CT values of both left and right arterial to upper sinuses (LRA/US) reaching a maximal ratio was surveyed and explored using the inverse problem algorithm according to a six-factor semi-quantitative analysis of 251 patients. Six risk factors, namely TT CTA, mean arterial pressure

Muscle strength may vary depending on the pathological issues and static life habits. These conditions lead to abnormal spinal loads and change muscle strength as well as activation patterns, thereby causing spinal disorders. In this study, the effects of muscle strength on the spine stabilization exercise were analyzed using a whole-body tilt device. Musculoskeletal modeling was performed and the

Skeletal muscle energy metabolism plays a very important role in controlling movement of the whole body and has important theoretical guidance for making exercise training plans and losing weight. In this paper, we developed a mathematical model of skeletal muscle excitation–contraction pathway based on the energy metabolism that links excitation to contraction to explore the effects of different metabolic

This paper presents a new urethral valve to deal with severe urinary incontinence (UI) caused by sphincter injury or dysneuria. This valve consists of a wireless power transfer system and a valve body structure driven by SMA (shape memory alloy) spring. The mechanical model of SMA spring and coupling model of wireless energy transfer are derived. Special attention is also given to the biological effects

This paper proposed a novel real-time algorithm for electrocardiogram (ECG) signal analysis using the first derivative and automatic threshold to locate the R-peaks. First, the ECG signals are filtered by Butterworth low pass filter to reduce the high frequency noise. Then, the first 10s datasets of the first derivative of ECG signal are analyzed to search the maximum value. Three process thresholds

Background: Several analytical models have been developed in the past to analyze the specific role of osteocytes in the process of bone remodeling, which can be considered as the response of bone material to functional requirements. Most of them considered both the number of osteocytes and their spatial distribution in one area of influence, while others suggested in addition to include considerations

In recent years, the number of cardiac disease patients has been increasing. Modern medical research has shown that the complexity of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals is related to cardiovascular diseases. This paper investigates the difference in complexity of ECG data from the people with different cardiovascular diseases, such as atrial fibrillation (AF), ventricular arrhythmia (VA) and congestive

Rehabilitation of major mandibular defects after tumor resection has become a serious challenge for surgeons. In this research, four various models were designed to repair a critical mandibular lateral defect. Biomechanical behavior of the models was assessed by Finite Element Method. These models are including Fibular-Free Flap (FFF), Customized Prosthesis (CP), Tray Implant without Bone Graft (TI-wo-BG)

Multi-channel mechanomyography (MMG) signals were acquired from the forearm when the subjects were performing eight classes of hand movements related to rehabilitation training. Ten time domain (TD) features and wavelet packet node energy (WPNE) features were extracted from each channel of MMG, and the hand movements were classified by support vector machine (SVM), extreme learning machine (ELM), linear

This paper deals with the numerical simulation of a model of blood glucose level control of a diabetic person using an electrodynamic transducer. Two mathematical models describing the dynamics of the couple glucose–insulin are used: the Bergman’s and the Cheng’s models. First, the adaptive control is applied on the dynamics of a reservoir opener by an electrodynamic transducer. Then it is applied

Objectives: This study will evaluate the results of parameters measured during a treadmill exercise test to predict marathon performances. Methods: We studied 171 Chinese recreational athletes who participated in marathons or half-marathons (42.2k or 21.1k, respectively) between October 2016 and December 2017. The participants completed a survey that included questions about demographics and training

Magnetically guided capsule endoscopy is a promising technology for clinical application. A platform that simulates the magnetic capsule endoscope system is built to study the deformation process of the colon when its lumen suffers local forces. Force-displacement curves of the porcine large intestine under various experiment conditions, including different loading positions (haustra or taeniae coli)

A left ventricular assist device (LVAD) is a surgically implanted mechanical pump being used for patients with end-stage heart failure (HF). One of the significant clinical challenges in using LVADs is its remarkable changes in hemodynamic parameters during a change in body position from supine to standing. In standing position, vasodilatation of veins occurs in the legs, which decreases left ventricular

The main objective of this work is to study the effect of blood pressure and viscosity on flow in a pathological and healthy anatomy. The method chosen for this project is the numerical simulation of fluid dynamics. First, a radiological database from Tlemcen hospital was studied in order to select a patient whose aortic anatomy is representative of the pathology studied in this research project. The

Quantification of segment-inertial uniqueness can provide a relevant foundation for motion analysis, biomechanical modeling and human motor skill optimization of both normal and amputated athletes. It is known that previous studies focused on quantifying Body Segment Inertial Parameters (BSIP) of non-amputated people in order to establish regression equations for calculating BSIPs. Until now, no anthropometrical

The morbidity of cardiovascular disease increasingly rises, which makes great impact upon people’s health and life. Electrocardiogram (ECG) beat classification is of great significance to clinical diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases. Traditional ECG signal classification algorithm relies heavily on the accuracy of feature extraction or increases the complexity of the calculation process by means of

The biofilm wrinkle evolution is the growth mechanism by which bacteria regulate their physiological state in response to the environmental change. We use the parameter of surface complexity to describe different wrinkle patterns. The surface complexity is defined that the biofilm surface area contact with the air is divided by the projected area of the biofilm. We find that the biofilm surface complexity

Complication rates of anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL-R) were reported to be around 15%. Although it is a very common arthroscopic surgery with good outcomes, breakage and migration of fixators are still possible to occur due to stability issue. One of the factors that affects the mechanical stability of fixators is its length. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to analyze the biomechanical

Background: Patellar height has been related to anterior knee pain and Osgood–Schlatter disease. To study the influence of patellar height on knee biomechanics, a bidimensional photoelastic prototype of the patellofemoral joint was developed. Methods: Nine tests were performed at different knee flexion angles and patellar heights. A free body diagram was constructed for each test. The following parameters

Recently, we introduced magnetophoretic circuits, composed of overlaid magnetic and metallic layers, as a novel single-cell analysis (SCA) tool. We showed the ability of these circuits in organizing large single-particle and particle-pair arrays. Assembling the cells in microarrays is performed with the ultimate goal of running temporal phenotypic analyses. However, for long-term studies, a suitable

Skeletal muscle energy metabolism plays a very important role in controlling movement of the whole body and has important theoretical guidance for making exercise training plans and losing weight. In this paper, we developed a mathematical model of skeletal muscle excitation–contraction pathway based on the energy metabolism that links excitation to contraction to explore the effects of different metabolic

The CT scan protocol optimization for peripheral arterial occlusive disease (PAOD) syndrome was performed by organizing seven CT factors [kVp, mAs, pitch, field of view (FOV) (mm), time of rotation (s), slice thickness (mm), and matrix size] into Taguchi unique L18 orthogonal array. The minimum detectable difference (MDD) in the optimizing process was quantified by adopting a customized line group

Mobile robots working in special environment have to adapt for unknown and complex environment characteristics, so high mobility, functional versatility and robustness of mobile robots are required. Different from specialized robot designed for single function in single environment, single unit of modular reconfigurable robots has simple mechanical structure, flexible movement and maneuverability;

Background: Recently, new methods have emerged that encourage voluntary participation by allowing patients to perform tasks, including exercises or treatments, in a virtual reality (VR) environment. Aim: This study aimed to examine the effects of full immersion virtual reality training on balance and knee function in patients who had undergone total knee replacement. Design: Single blind randomized

Rehabilitation robots are playing an important role in restoring movement ability of hemiplegic patients. However, most of these robots adopt motors as actuators. Considering human body is a flexible organism, rigid motors lack compliance when getting in touch with patients. This paper designs an ankle rehabilitation robot by employing pneumatic muscle actuators which are soft and have similar compliance

We aimed to investigate the effect of basic fitness function according to whole-body vibration (WBV) stimulus with slope during deadlift in adults. A total of 15 subjects performed deadlift exercise with a sound-wave vibrator. The subjects consisted of three groups: no slope and WBV group (control), WBV only group (group 1), and slope and WBV group (group 2). Slope was set at 5∘, and the frequency

Hyperpronation of the foot is believed to contribute to ankle hypermobility and associated stiffness reduction, but the underlying biomechanical mechanisms remain unknown. This study aimsed to investigate multidirectional ankle displacement and associated stiffness when a posterior–anterior impact force was applied to the posterior knee compartment. Forty healthy adults with and without foot hyperpronation

Objective: Animal experiments and clinical trials were carried out to evaluate the efficiency of a new stent for the treatment of iliac vein stenosis. Methods: The new iliac vein stent and the control stent were implanted, respectively, into the 12 experimental pigs. Digital Subtraction Angiography was done separately at the same day, 14th, 30th, 60th and 90th day after stent implantation to observe

In this study, we compare the effects of vibration on the knee and ankle torques after performing leg-press exercises for four weeks. A total of 20 participants were randomly assigned to a group for leg-press with vibration (VLP group; nine males, one female, 25.8 years old, 172.3cm, and 73.8kg) and another group for regular leg-press (LP group; eight males, two females, 25.6 years old, 169.6cm, and

This study proposes a method to distinguish between healthy people and Parkinson’s disease patients using sole pressure sensor data, neural network with weighted fuzzy membership (NEWFM), and preprocessing techniques. The preprocessing techniques include fast Fourier transform (FFT), Euclidean distance, and principal component analysis (PCA), to remove noise in the data for performance enhancement

The high-order nonlinear terms are applied to express the strain–stress curves of shape memory alloy (SMA) materials, and a new type of SMA model is proposed. Cough process is regarded as a strong stochastic process, and the mechanical model of an SMA tracheal stent in cough process is proposed where the large deformation caused by cough is considered. The system’s natural frequency is obtained, and

In this study, lift chair was developed to reduce safety accidents in the daily lives of elderly people with reduced muscle strength as the importance of health and well-being of the elderly was emphasized by the increase in the elderly population. In addition, muscle strength characteristics of the elderly and those in their 20s were compared and analyzed when using lift chair. The lift chair used

This study proposes the inverse problem algorithm (IPA) with five risk factors applied to the semi-quantitative analysis of carotid stenosis 272 patients with suspected ischemic stroke. The IPA is known to provide a substantiated machine learning-based prediction of the expected outcomes by solving an inverse matrix of variable coefficients. In case of carotid stenosis prediction, such risk factors

Objective: The present study analyzed the fetal−placental hemodynamic parameters in women with severe preeclampsia in second- and third-trimester pregnancy with a view to developing effective predictive indicators for preeclampsia and providing support for the prenatal clinical treatment of preeclampsia. Materials and Methods: From January 2015 to January 2019, 160 pregnant women diagnosed with severe

Based on the standard Marching Cubes (MC) algorithm, this paper proposes an improved MC algorithm. First, the original 15 topological configurations in the MC algorithm are increased to 24, which effectively avoid the generation of voids phenomenon. To further improve the speed of three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction, in this paper, the midpoint selection method is used instead of the linear interpolation

Gait assessment is important for identification of potential faller among the elderly populations. Slope walking is associated with fall risk factor and elderly women have higher fall rate compared with elderly men. Therefore, this study investigated gait characteristics of elderly women in overground and slope walkway conditions. Thirty healthy elderly women (15 younger-elderly women and 15 older-elderly

In sliding mechanics, resistance to sliding (RS), including friction, binding, and notching, generated at a wire-bracket interface has a bearing on the force transmitted to the teeth and further influences the biomechanical behavior associated with tooth movement efficiency. Objective: This study aimed to propose and verify the insertion of a rectangular thin-walled sleeve between an archwire and a

Differentiating scans without evidence of dopaminergic deficits (SWEDDs) from Parkinson’s disease (PD) is very important to avoid costly and inappropriate interventions. The postural balance strategy patients with SWEDDs are not clear. This study investigates the difference in static postural balance between patients with SWEDDs and PD. Twenty-two patients (11 SWEDDs and 11 PD groups) and 11 control