bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Replacing an Inpatient Electronic Medical Record
Authors: Paré G. , Moreault M.-P. , Lemay A. , Valiquette L. , Barkun J. , Sicotte C.
Published: December 2008

Objective: Since it is important to develop strategies for the successful implementation of electronic clinical information systems, the aim of this study is to explore where, and to what extent, users’ attitudes toward the former system that is being replaced may vary.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of 346 nurses and physicians practicing in two Canadian teaching hospitals resulted in a total response rate of 63%. User attitudes were measured in three dimensions: a) user satisfaction with the system’s quality attributes, b) perceived system usefulness, and c) perceived impact on quality of care and patient safety. The current system (the one being replaced) was analyzed as a dual system composed of both paper-based and electronic records.

Results: The results on user satisfaction demonstrate a wide variation in opinions, with satisfaction ranging from 4.2 to 7.7 on a 10-point disagree-agree, Likert scale. The quality attributes varied by record type, with differences that were systematically in favor of the electronic record component, which received higher scores. The results also highlighted large differences by user group. Physicians and nurses systematically rated the two record formats differently. The nurses were more satisfied with the attributes of the paper-based record. Multivariate regression analyses results also revealed strong interdependencies among the three dimensions of user attitudes, to the extent that perceived system usefulness was strongly correlated with system quality attributes and the system outcomes were also correlated, although less strongly, with the two former system dimensions.

Conclusion: Understanding users’ attitudes toward a clinical information system in use, both in its paper and electronic aspects, is crucial for developing more successful implementation strategies for electronic record systems.
Future Development of Medical Informatics from the Viewpoint of Health Telematics
Authors: Pfeiffer K. P.
Published: December 2008

Objectives: The transformation process of the health care systems in most countries in direction of integrated care needs the support of information and communication technology. The central element of this development is the electronic health care record. But there are many other applications around this record and the functionality and usability of these systems has to be improved and extended.

Methods: A system-analytic approach to integrated care is used to analyze the possibilities and the role of information and communication technology in current and future health and social care systems.

Results: The key elements of the improvements in the next years are the integration of evidence-based knowledge in the care process, the improvement of the usability for patients and health care providers, the development of pro-active systems for decision support, the support of the mobility of patients and the activities of daily living, the integration of data form molecular biology, semantic interoperability and last but not least the processing and analysis of these data. In a series of tables requirements of the functionality of eHealth applications are summarized.

Conclusion: Research in medical informatics has to focus on strategic concepts and how to transform the demands of a modern integrated health and social care system into user-friendly, secure and efficient ICT solutions and to support the citizen’s responsibility for her/his own healthcare. But there is also a high demand for research to improve the technology of ICT systems in health and social care.
Signal Informatics as an Advanced Integrative Concept in the Framework of Medical Informatics
Authors: Ungureanu M. , Ligges C. , Hemmelmann D. , Wüstenberg T. , Reichenbach J. , Astolfi L. , Babiloni F. , Leistritz L. , Witte H.
Published: December 2008

Objectives: The main objective is to show current topics and future trends in the field of medical signal processing which are derived from current research concepts. Signal processing as an integrative concept within the scope of medical informatics is demonstrated.

Methods: For all examples time-variant multivariate autoregressive models were used. Based on this modeling, the concept of Granger causality in terms of the time-variant Granger causality index and the time-variant partial directed coherence was realized to investigate directed information transfer between different brain regions.

Results: Signal informatics encompasses several diverse domains including: processing steps, methodologies, levels and subject fields, and applications. Five trends can be recognized and in order to illustrate these trends, three analysis strategies derived from current neuroscientific studies are presented. These examples comprise high-dimensional fMRI and EEG data. In the first example, the quantification of time-variant-directed information transfer between activated brain regions on the basis of fast-fMRI data is introduced and discussed. The second example deals with the investigation of differences in word processing between dyslexic and normal reading children. Different dynamic neural networks of the directed information transfer are identified on the basis of event-related potentials. The third example shows time-variant cortical connectivity networks derived from a source model.

Conclusions: These examples strongly emphasize the integrative nature of signal informatics, encompassing processing steps, methodologies, levels and subject fields, and applications.
BEGINNING THE FIFTH DECADE OF DEVELOPMENT
Authors: Zavadskas Edmundas Kazimieras
Published: December 2008

„Beginning the fifth decade of development" Journal of Civil Engineering and Management, 14(4), p. 213-215
MODELLING OF CORROSION PROTECTION FOR REINFORCED CONCRETE STRUCTURES WITH SURFACE COATINGS/GELŽBETONINIŲ KONSTRUKCIJŲ SU PAVIRŠINĖMIS DANGOMIS KOROZINĖS APSAUGOS MODELIAVIMAS
Authors: Kamaitis Zenonas
Published: December 2008

Corrosion is a serious problem for the durability of reinforced concrete structures. These structures need to be protected from corrosion in a variety of exposure conditions ranging from atmospheric to continuous immersion in water or chemicals. One of the ways to protect reinforced concrete structures from corrosion is to use protective coatings. The surface barriers of non‐degradable materials are able to slow down considerably the rate of deterioration of concrete structures and to overcome most durability problems associated with external attack. Design of durability of concrete structures with protective coatings needs to be established. In this paper a general framework for service life prediction and reliability evaluation of anticorrosion protective system (CPS), which is represented by protective surface barrier, concrete cover, and steel reinforcement itself of reinforced concrete structures, is presented. This approach is based on a reasonable understanding of the main degradation processes of all components ensuring protection ability and durability of concrete structures. The effect of repair of CPS components on extending the service life of a whole protective system is considered. Numerical example for reliability verification of CPS is also given. Santrauka Korozija yra svarbi gelžbetoninių konstrukcijų ilgaamžiškumo problema. Gelžbetonines konstrukcijas būtina apsaugoti nuo korozijos įvairiomis sąlygomis, pradedant nuo atmosferos iki nuolatinio mirkymo vandenyje ar chemikaluose. Vienas iš apsaugos būdų yra polimerinės apsauginės dangos. Atsparus paviršinis barjeras gali labai sulėtinti gelžbetonio irimą ir išspręsti daugelį problemų, susijusių su išorine aplinka. Reikia sukurti gelžbetoninių konstrukcijų su apsauginėmis dangomis projektavimo metodiką. Straipsnyje nagrinėjama antikorozinės apsauginės sistemos, susidedančios iš paviršiaus apsauginio barjero, apsauginio betoninio sluoksnio ir pačios plieninės armatūros, patikimumas ir spėjamas gyvavimo laikotarpis. Šis modelis remiasi apsauginio barjero, betonio sluoksnio ir armatūros irimo procesų samprata. Skaitinis pavyzdys rodo antikorozinės apsauginės sistemos patikimumo patikrą.
ENHANCEMENTS IN IDEALIZED CAPACITY CURVE GENERATION FOR REINFORCED CONCRETE REGULAR FRAMED STRUCTURES SUBJECTED TO SEISMIC LOADING/SEISMINE APKROVA VEIKIAMŲ GELŽBETONINIŲ RĖMINIŲ KONSTRUKCIJŲ LAIKOMOSIOS GALIOS IDEALIZUOTOS KREIVĖS GENERAVIMO TOBULINIMAS
Authors: Seifi Mehrdad , Noorzaei Jamaloddin , Jaafar Mohamed Saleh , Thanoon Waleed Abdulmalik
Published: December 2008

The designing of R/C framed structures subjected to seismic excitation generally is performed by linear elastic method, while current trend of codes of practice is moving toward increasing emphasis on evaluating the structures using non‐linear static pushover (NSP) approaches. Recently, several NSP approaches, with varying degree of vigor and success, have been proposed. In this study, initially a comparative study has been made among different non‐linear static methods for adopting the most suitable method of extracting the capacity curve of R/C framed structures. Then, a program was developed to overcome the difficulties of graphical iterative procedure of idealization proposed by FEMA‐356. Subsequently, the comparative tool, which is a combination of the detected superior NSP method and the developed program, was used to investigate the effects of significant structural variables on idealized parameters of capacity curves of population of R/C framed structures. Eventually, the applicability of replacing the time‐consuming NSP procedure by ANN for deriving the capacity curve was tested. The outcomes demonstrated the outperformance of interstorey‐based scaling adaptive pushover in addition to high precision of the developed program. Furthermore, the distinct effects of each of the considered structural variables on idealized parameters were unveiled. Finally, an acceptable performance of ANN as an alternative to NSP procedure was certified. Santrauka Seismine apkrova veikiamų gelžbetoninių rėminių konstrukcijų analizė paprastai atliekama taikant tiesinius tampraus skaičiavimo metodus. Vis dėlto daugelyje šiuolaikinių praktinio taikymo rekomendacijų šiai analizei atlikti siūloma taikyti netiesinius statinius skaičiavimus. Pasaulyje pasiūlyta keletas tokių netiesinių algoritmų. Darbe atlikta lyginamoji šių metodų analizė. Gelžbetonių rėminių konstrukcijų laikomosios galios kreivei gauti parinkta labiausiai tinkanti metodika. Idealizavimo grafinei iteracinei procedūrai realizuoti sukurta kompiuterinė programa taikant FEMA-356. Taikant pasirinktą netiesinio statinio skaičiavimo algoritmą ir sukurtą programą, atlikta konstrukcinių veiksnių, lemiančių gelžbetoninių rėminių konstrukcijų laikomosios galios kreivės formą, parametrinė analizė. Parodyta, kokią įtaką kiekvienas veiksnys turi idealizuotos kreivės parametrams. Papildomai išnagrinėtos alternatyvaus dirbtinių neuroninių tinklų procedūros taikymo galimybės. Atlikta analizė parodė didelį sukurtos kompiuterinės programos tikslumą. Taip pat parodyta, kad dirbtinių neuroninių tinklų modelis gali būti taikomas kaip alternatyva netiesiniam statiniam metodui.
OPTIMAL CRITERIA OF ALGERIAN BLENDED CEMENT USING LIMESTONE FINES/ALŽYRIETIŠKAS MIŠRUSIS CEMENTAS SU MALTU KALKAKMENIU
Authors: Guemmadi Z’hor , Resheidat Musa , Houari Hacéne , Toumi Belkacem
Published: December 2008

The effect of substitution of Portland cement by limestone up to 40% as well as its fineness on the physico‐mechanical properties of fresh and hardened cement pastes is studied. The binder was prepared by substitution of cement by limestone filler. Fillers were chosen of various particle sizes and with percentages from 5 to 40. Test results revealed that the replacement of Portland cement by the finest filler of limestone slightly decreases the consistency and the setting times (initial and final). The total porosity decreases and accordingly the compressive strength is improved with the content and fines of limestone. Although limestone has a little accelerating effect on the hydration process of Portland cement, but acts only as a filler reducing the porosity due to its compact structure, in which the compressive strength of the hardened cement paste is enhanced. The XRD and DTA analyses of samples cured up to 28 days showed that this amelioration is due to formation of new hydrated compounds. It is concluded that an addition of finely ground limestone filler only up to 15% gives a better strength.

Santrauka

Tirtos šviežios ir sukietėjusios cementinės tešlos, kurioje iki 40 % cemento pakeista įvairaus smulkumo maltu kalkakmeniu, savybės. Rišiklis buvo paruoštas dalį cemento pakeitus maltu kalkakmenio užpildu. Užpildo dalelės buvo įvairaus dydžio, o jų kiekis buvo keičiamas nuo 5 % iki 40 %. Tyrimai parodė, kad priedas leidžia sumažinti vandens kiekį, reikalingą tos pačios konsistencijos mišiniui gauti, taip pat cemento rišimosi pradžiai ir pabaigai paankstinti. Sumažėja cementinio akmens suminis poringumas ir atitinkamai padidėja stipris gniuždant cementinio akmens, kuriame yra kalkakmenio priedų. Nors kalkakmenio priedas nedaug pagreitina portlandcemenčio hidratacijos procesą, tačiau veikia kaip užpildas, sutankinantis struktūrą, dėl to labai padidėja sukietėjusio cementinio akmens stipris gniuždant. Bandinių, išlaikytų 28 dienas, rentgenostruktūrinė ir diferencinė terminė analizė parodė, kad pagerėjimas yra dėl susidariusių naujadarų. Apibendrinant galima teigti, kad 15 % malto kalkakmenio priedas turi didžiausią įtaką stiprumo rezultatams.
APPLICATIONS OF COLLAGEN IN MEDICAL DEVICES
Authors: RAMSHAW JOHN A. M. , VAUGHAN PAUL R. , WERKMEISTER JEROME A.
Published: December 2008

Collagen is the most abundant natural protein found in living systems. While there is a whole family of different collagen types, each differing in sequence, the properties that make this protein so attractive as the building blocks for medical devices, are reflected largely by the unique fibrillar structure of the molecule, as well as defined functional regions that interact with the surrounding cells and other matrix components. As a commercial medical product, collagen can be part of the natural tissue used in the device, or it can be fabricated as a reconstituted product from animal or recombinant sources. Both types of uses have distinct properties that convey advantages and disadvantages to the end product. This review examines the chemistry and biology of collagen and describes some well-documented examples of collagen-based medical devices produced in one or other of these formats.
KINEMATICAL STRATEGY TO REGAIN BALANCE DURING A FORWARD FALL ON A SLIPPERY FLOOR
Authors: CHOU PEI-HSI , CHOU YOU-LI , LEE SHANG-LIN , YOU JIA-YUAN , SU FONG-CHIN , CHEN HSIEH-CHIN
Published: December 2008

Slips and falls often occur in the industrial environments. They are not only caused by environmental hazards but also by some biomechanical factors related to deficient ability of postural control to arrest impending falls. The purpose of this study is to simulate the slip condition in human walking and to find out the possible related factors of biomechanics.

Eleven male and 9 female recruited were healthful without any musculoskeletal and neurological impairments. In order to provide different disturbance level, three lean angles of tilting boards were designed as 10, 20, 30 degrees with respect to horizontal plane. Subjects wore a safety harness, stood on the tilting board and were released without awareness. A forceplate applied a soap patch was in front of the tilting board to serve the slippery perturbation and to measure the fool/floor reactions. Movements of body segments were measured using the motion analysis system.

The results were shown that lean angle had a significant effect to all parameters except step length, response time, maximum ankle forward velocity, hip forward velocity, and ankle flex angle. The gender significantly affected on the step length, response time, maximum ankle forward velocity, and knee forward velocity. Larger lean angle made subjects to take a more rapid step. In order to absorb the shock in foot strike, subjects flexed more their knee and increased the foot landing angle in larger lean angle. Male tended to adopt the long step-length strategy to respond to the slippery perturbation and female tended to use the short step-length strategy instead. The results of maximum ankle forward velocity suggested that short step-length strategy could be belter to reduce the foot slip than long step-length strategy.
QUANTIFICATION OF TRUNK MOTION IN RESPONSE TO COMPLEX PLATFORM PERTURBATIONS WHILE HOLDING WEIGHTS IN AN UPRIGHT POSTURE
Authors: PARNIANPOUR MOHAMAD , GHOSH KAUSHIK , BARIN KAMRAN , MARRAS WILLIAM S.
Published: December 2008

This experiment investigated the role of the lumbar region in a simple load-holding situation for three asymmetric (0, 45 and 90 deg) platform perturbations for 18 normal, college age males. The platform perturbations included horizontal translation and rotation in addition to stable condition. The weight was 20% of the subjects' body weight. The Balance System (Chattecx Co.) was used to monitor balance performance while the Lumbar Motion Monitor was used to quantify low-back kinematics. The platform perturbation significantly affected both the lumbar motion parameters and the dispersion, an index of postural sway. The asymmetry of direction of perturbation also significantly affected both the postural sway and the lumbar motion involvement. Given the large mass of the spine, corrective/reactive fast movements to maintain the balance due to the unexpected perturbation to the base of support may lead to impulsive loading of the spine which is associated with the low back injuries. The study of postural stability, whilst an additional manual material handling task is being performed presents a more realistic and functional test than the traditional protocols used presently in Balance Clinics. This type of functional dual tasking is a rich paradigm that requires more research investigations.
THREE DIMENSIONAL SURFACE REPRESENTATION OF KNEE AND HIP JOINT TORQUE CAPABILITY
Authors: KHALAF K. A. , PARNIANPOUR M. , KARAKOSTAS T.
Published: December 2008

The need to develop objective functional muscle torque capability models has been a major concern for exercise scientists, rehabilitation therapists, as well as biomechanists and ergonomists, for many decades. This study provides a surface response normative database of 3-D dynamic torque capability profiles for the lower extremity knee and hip joints for twenty normal males and females. The results of the regression analyses were presented for each subject per direction of exertion for each joint depicting a wide range of adjusted R2 values for each of the two joints (knee flexion: .26-.91, knee extension: .23-.80; hip flexion: .33-81, hip extension: .31-.80). Furthermore, the results showed that joint torque capability was significantly influenced by dynamic parameters such as the angular velocity, and that the interaction between angular position and velocity was highly significant. Such 3-D representation may be used as a "performance capacity envelope" to comprehensively characterize an individual's dynamic joint torque capability. Potential applications cover a broad spectrum ranging from rehabilitation to ergonomic and biomechanical applications and have significant implications in terms of guiding job assignment, return to work, as well as prognosis during the rehabilitation processes.
PHASE STABILITY AND MICROSTRUCTURAL DEVELOPMENT OF Y-TZP–DOPED HYDROXYAPATITE
Authors: RAMESH S. , MURALITHRAN G.
Published: December 2008

Hydroxyapatite containing yttria-tetragonal zirconia polycrystals (Y-TZP) with different concentrations were prepared by using the conventional ball-milling technique. Samples prepared from these powders were compacted and sintered at three different temperatures (1250°C, 1400°C and 1600°C). The sintering behaviour of the composites were studied in terms of phase stability, densification and microstructural evolution. By X-ray diffraction, tetragonal zirconia as well as HA was identified as the major phases in the composites. In addition, small diffraction peaks corresponding to α-TCP was evident indicating sign of HA decomposition. Reaction between the zirconia and HA to form CaZrO2 was also detected in the composite system containing up to 20 wt% Y-TZP. SEM examination of the sintered composites at room temperature suggested the involvement of a reactive liquid phase during sintering. The presence of zirconia phase in hydroxyapatite matrix played an important role in the stability of the HA phase.
A NORMATIVE DATABASE OF ISOKINETIC UPPER-EXTREMITY JOINT STRENGTHS: TOWARDS THE EVALUATION OF DYNAMIC HUMAN PERFORMANCE
Authors: KHALAF K. A. , PARNIANPOUR M.
Published: December 2008

The objective of this study was to provide a normative database of dynamic upper-extremity (shoulder and elbow) joint strengths to fill the current void in literature for multidimensional strength capacity profiles. The isokinetic strength of the elbow and shoulder joints was tested for twenty normal males and females. The independent variables consisted of joint angular position, joint angular velocity, direction of exertion, and gender. The measured joint strength (torque, Nm) was the only defined dependent variable. The majority of existing joint strength prediction models and normative databases are static (isometric) in nature. The few available dynamic models are reported in the form of torque as a function of joint angle. Since joint strength is a function of both the joint angular position and angular velocity, descriptive models should take this interaction into consideration. The dynamic joint strengths of the subjects were studied using the KIN_COM 125E Plus. A second-order multiple regression analysis was used to model the dynamic 3-D strength surface response of each joint in each direction of exertion. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) with repeated measures design was used to test for the effects of gender, angular position, angular velocity, and direction on the dynamic strength of each joint, joint strength was significantly influenced by dynamic parameters such as the angular velocity. The interaction between angular position and velocity was highly significant. 3-D strength surface representation may be used as a "performance capacity envelope" to comprehensively characterize an individual's dynamic joint strength performance.
KINEMATICS PROPERTIES AND ENERGY COST OF BELOW-KNEE AMPUTEES
Authors: HUANG KUO-FENG , CHOU YOU-LI , SU FONG-CHIN , CHOU PEI-HIS
Published: December 2008

This study scientifically measures the dynamic gait characteristics and energy cost of six male below-knee amputees, three vascular and three traumatic, while wearing SACH, single axis and multiple axis prosthetic feet via six-camera motion analysis, metabolic measurement cart and heavy-duty treadmill. Subjective results are additionally determined via questionnaire after testing. Motion analysis showed statistically significant differences at p < 0.05 between the solid ankle cushion heel (SACH), single axis and multiple axis foot in the velocity, cadence, stride length end gait cycle. Significant differences were found in energy cost among the prosthetic feet tested, and significant changes in walking under different speeds and different inclines. Results provide quantitative and qualitative information about the dynamic performance of the various feet which can be helpful in prescribing the optimal prosthetic foot for individual amputees.
A NEURAL NETWORK SYSTEM WITH REINFORCEMENT LEARNING TO CONTROL A DYNAMIC ARM MODEL
Authors: ULUSOY ILKAY , PARNIANPOUR MOHAMAD , BERME NECIP , SIMON SHELDON R.
Published: December 2008

A neural network system is presented for controlling a two-link dynamic arm model where the task is to move the arm from any initial position to any final position in the sagittal plane. The controller produces joint torque-lime profiles that begin and end with equilibrium values at the initial and final positions, respectively. A memory type neural network is trained by supervised learning methods to predict the joint's static equilibrium torque values corresponding to joint angles. A reinforcement learning network is used to determine the parameters needed for synthesis of the torque-time profiles for each joint. The reinforcement signal is computed based on the distance between the desired end point position and velocity and the states achieved based on the generated torque profiles. The general pattern of the torque-time plots is decided a priori according to the literature. The methods of training and an illustrative example of the algorithm's performance are presented.
IN VIVO AND CLINICAL STUDY OF PHOENIX-7 TOTAL ARTIFICIAL HEART
Authors: HSU CHEUNG-HWA
Published: December 2008

This paper concerned with results of implantation of the Phoenix-7 total artificial heart (TAH) in the growing calves. Experimental study had been conducted 41 times in 41 calves. All the calves could breathe, stand, eat and void by themselves in two hours after operation. The causes of death essentially included respiratory failure, sepsis, hemorrhage shock, thrombo-embolism, and multiple organ failure. Autopsy was performed in all deaths. The phoenix hearts were opened and examined. Blood morphology and blood chemistry were welt analyzed. Deformation of the red blood cells was found in most of the cases. Cell destruction, however, was not obvious. Besides, there was no evidence of red blood cell aggregation.

Initial clinical experience was undertaken for a 46-year-old male who was in cardiogenic shock. The patient was indwelled with intra-aortic balloon counter-pulsation (IABP) and supported by extra-corporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO) before the implantation. With IABP and ECMO, the patient's blood pressure was maintained at 90/60mmHg, but oliguria persisted with the complication of hemolysis. The patient was then implanted with the Phoenix-7 TAH and the condition was improved tremendously. With the TAH, the patient's blood pressure was maintained at 90∼100mHg / 40∼50mmHg. Cardiac output was adequately maintained at 4.2~5.8 Llmin by an operating model on modifying the parameters of driving air pressure for both the right and left hearts, heart rate and systolic ratio. The patient had been on the device for 15 days until a successful simultaneous orthotopic heart and heterotopic kidney transplantation from a suitable donor was undertaken.
A MODULAR MECHATRONIC SYSTEM FOR AUTOMATIC BONE DRILLING
Authors: HSU YEH-LIANG , LEE SHIH-TSENG , LIN HAO-WEI
Published: December 2008

Drilling tools currently used in surgery depends only on the surgeon's manual skills to stop the penetration when completing a hole. This paper presents a modular mechatronic system for automatic bone drilling in surgery. The development of a “modular system” that is compatible with motor-driven drills that are commercially available, rather than developing a new surgical drill, is emphasized. A fuzzy controller analyzes the electric current consumed by the DC motor of the drill. When break-through is detected, the power will be cut and stops drilling in order to prevent excessive protrusion of the drill bit. In extensive drilling tests on real human skulls, there were no unexpected failure, and the overshoots of all tests were well less than 2mm.
ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF SMALL-ARTERY STRUCTURE
Authors: KAUR A. , FISH H. , THURSTON H. , SMITH P. R.
Published: December 2008

The assessment of vascular structure gives important information on pathological processes, particularly for the investigation of diseased vessels. In this study the Mulvany wire myogarph is adapted for spectroscopic examination of small arterial blood vessels obtained from hypertensive and normal rat specimens. An experimental study of 20 vessels obtained from adult Wistar rats and Goldblatt (one kidney one clip) hypertensive rats was carried out. Segments of small resistance arteries mounted under isometric conditions on a wire myograph and set to normalised conditions of passive force directly obtained from its circumferential length-tension relationship were morphologically examined and transmission spectra obtained. Features of the observed transmission spectra were extracted by means of an empirical non-linear model using the quasi-Newton method. These features were correlated for the first time with standard descriptors of vessel morplzology, media:lumen ratio and with arterial blood pressure. The extent and significance of such correlations are sufficient to distinguish the presence of hypertension in isolated arterial segments from hypertensive animals. This technique may provide an alternative to light microscopy as well as a potential new tool for the analysis of small blood vessels in the study of vascular disease.
CROSS-REFERENCE MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATE RECONSTRUCTION FOR POSITRON EMISSION TOMOGRAPHY
Authors: CHEN CHUNG-MING , LU HENRY HORNG-SHING , HSU YUN-PAI
Published: December 2008

Maximum likelihood estimate (MLE) is a widely used approach for PET image reconstruction. However, it has been shown that reconstructing emission tomography based on MLE without regularization would result in noise and edge artifacts. In the attempt to regularize the maximum likelihood estimate, we propose a new and efficient method in this paper to incorporate the correlated but possibly incomplete structure information which may be derived from expertise, PET systems or other imaging modalities. A mean estimate smoothing the MLE locally within each region of interest is derived according to the boundaries provided by the structure information. Since the boundaries may not be correct, a penalized MLE using the mean estimate is sought. The resulting reconstruction is called a cross-reference maximum likelihood estimate (CRMLE). The CRMLE can be obtained through a modified EM algorithm, which is computation and storage efficient. By borrowing the strength from the correct portion of boundary information, the CRMLE is able to extract the useful information to improve reconstruction for different kinds of incomplete and incorrect boundaries in Monte Carlo studies. The proposed CRMLE algorithm not only reduces the estimation errors, but also preserves the correct boundaries. The penalty parameters can be selected through human interactions or automatically data-driven methods, such as the generalized cross validation method.
INTERRELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CONTROL PARAMETERS AND TUMOR/BONE CONDITIONS FOR EXTERNAL ULTRASOUND HYPERTHERMIA
Authors: LIAUH CHIHNG-TSUNG , LIN WIN-LI , CHEN YUNG-YAW , YEN JIA-YUSH
Published: December 2008

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between the control parameters and the tumor/bone conditions, and also to determine the domain determined by the treatable tumor size and tumor depth for an external ultrasound hyperthermia. This work employs computer simulation programs based on a simplified model of a scanned ultrasound transducer power deposition, the steadystate bio-heat transfer equation, and a search algorithm. The low bounds of SR (specific absorption rate ratio) and f · SR (f : ultrasound frequency) are determined based on the temperature distributions for large ranges of blood perfusion and ultrasound frequencies. These low bounds of SR and f · SR are then used to investigate the relationship between the control parameters and the tumor/bone conditions and to determine the treatable domain. The control parameters considered are the acoustic window size, ultrasound frequency; and the tumor/bone conditions are tumor size, tumor depth, and the depth of post-target bone. Simulation results demonstrate that a) the low bounds of SR and f · SR are functions of blood perfusion; b) the ultrasound frequency to obtain the largest treatable tumor size depends on the tumor depth and the depth of post-target bone, however it is independent of the acoustic window size; and c) the treatable domain is proportional to the acoustic window size and the depth of post-target bone, and a proper frequency can result in a larger treatable domain. The results of this study can be a guideline for designing an optimal ultrasound heating system, arranging the transducers, and implementing further treatment planning for the external ultrasound hyperthermia.
STRESS ANALYSIS OF THE VASCULARIZED FIBULAR BONE TRANSPLANTATION IN LARGE TIBIA DEFECT RECONSTRUCTION: A FINITE ELEMENT STUDY
Authors: LIU SHIH-JUNG , LO WEI-JUNG , UENG STEVE WEN-NENG
Published: December 2008

Microsurgical vascularized bone graft has been successfully used to treat large tibial defects. The shape, size and length of the fibula make it a popular donor site for most tibia defects. The goat of this study is to numerically analyze the stress distribution in the transferred fibula and to evaluate the nature of the placement of the fibular graft and its relations to failure. A finite element analysis was conducted to investigate the stress distribution and to predict the stress fracture positions in transferred bones. The calculated results matched well with clinical observations. The simulation suggests that those grafts having a lower site transfer exhibit a higher level of stress distribution. The finite element model also suggests that the stress level of an obliquely placed graft is higher than that of a vertically placed graft, especially at the distal tibia-fibula junction. A longer period of protection is therefore recommended for the treatment of a lower site transfer or an obliquely placed grafted bone to avoid bone stress fracture.
SOME FRACTAL DIMENSION ESTIMATE ALGORITHMS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS TO ONE-DIMENSIONAL BIOMEDICAL SIGNALS
Authors: CHEN WEN-SHIUNG , YUAN SHANG-YUAN
Published: December 2008

Fractals can model many classes of time-series data. The fractal dimension is an important characteristic of fractals that contains information about their geometrical structure at multiple scales. The covering methods are a class of efficient approaches, e.g., box-counting (BC) method, to estimate the fractal dimension. In this paper, the differential box-counting (DBC) approach, originally for 2-D applications, is modified and applied to 1-D case. In addition, two algorithms, called 1-D shifting-DBC (SDBC-1D) and 1-D scanning-BC (SBC-1D), are also proposed for 1-D signal analysis. The fractal dimensions for 1-D biomedical pulse and ECG signals are calculated.
CHITOSAN/GELATIN NETWORK BASED BIOMATERIALS IN TISSUE ENGINEERING
Authors: YAO KANGDE , MAO JINSHU , YIN YUJI , LIU WENGUANG , CUI YUANLU , CAI KAIYONG , ZHAO FENG
Published: December 2008

Tissue can be looked upon as a cell composite, where cell expresses its functions, while extra cellular matrixes (ECMs) secreted provide cell information and do its matrix functions. Here ECMs are, physical and chemical networks consisted of proteins (e.g. collagen, fibronectin, laminin and vitronectin etc.) and glycosaminoglycans (GAGs, e.g. hyaluronic acid, chodroitin 4-sulfate, chodroitin 6-sulfate etc.). The idea cell-carrier should be the one, which most mimics the ECM. Therefore, chitosan in which the N-acetylglucosamine moiety is a structural feature also found in the GAGs, and gelatin, the partially denatured derivative of collagen were used to develop hiomaterials. They will exhibit related bioactivities, as their analogue and precursor, respectively.

Chitosan gelatin network based biomaterials can be applied as membrane, scaffold, surface modifier and non-viral vectorfor. DNA delivery in tissue engineering. Some of our activities were reported. These biomaterials have promising perspectives.
AN IMAGE PROCESSING ARCHITECTURE TO ENHANCE IMAGE CONTRAST
Authors: LIN YUE-DER , TSAO HEN-WEI , CHONG FOK-CHING
Published: December 2008

To have a good image contrast is an important issue in medical images. This paper introduces a feedback-type image processing architecture that can enhance image contrast without further digital image processing technique, e.g. histogram equalization. Compared with the conventional open-loop imaging system, the images derived by the proposed method has a full-range histogram without causing image distortion, and this is difficult to attain for open-loop imaging system.
ULTRAFAST OPTICS IMAGING BASED ON POLARIZATION-DISCRIMINATION TECHNIQUES IN FILAMENTOUS TISSUES
Authors: SUN CHIA-WEI , YANG C. C. , KIANG YEAN-WOEI , LIN CHII-WANN
Published: December 2008

In this paper, we first demonstrated the effectiveness of imaging in a tissue phantom with isotropic scattering by using polarization discrimination combined with the time gating method. In this situation with lean pork as targets and diluted milk as tissue phantom, the reduced scattering coefficient mapping manifests clear images. However, such an imaging technique became less effective in filamentous tissues, such as chicken breast tissues, because filamentous tissue had a deterministically anisotropic property. It led to coherent coupling between the two linear polarization components. In this situation, we employed the time-gated degree of polarization (DOP) imaging technique that based on the Stokes formalism. The results showed that the DOP measurement was quite effective in high-quality imaging of objects in filamentous tissues. The improvement of this method was attributed to the unchanged polarization part under the coupling processes of various polarization components. Because the Stokes vector provides complete polarization information of transmitted light, this technique is quite effective for imaging and characterization in filamentous tissues.
EFFECTS OF HELIUM-NEON LASER ON HUMAN MELANOMA CELL MIGRATION
Authors: SWEN SHU-PING , WU CHING-SHUANG , YU HSIN-SU
Published: December 2008

Recent studies have demonstrated that a low-energy laser is a potential therapeutic instrument for a variety of clinical treatments. Light-mediated reaction in low-energy laser irradiation is referred to as biostimulation. Attachment of cells to extracellular matrix (ECM) and migration of cells over the ECM are mediated by the binding of domains of the matrix proteins with integrin receptors on the cell surface. α3β1integrin is critical for the migration of melanoma cells on fibronectin. Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) localizes to sites of transmembrane integrin receptor clustering and its phosphorylation facilitates intracellular integrin-stimulated signals for cell migration. The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of helium-neon laser ( He - Ne laser, 632.8nm) on cell migration. Two human melanoma cell lines were used. A375 is a cell line that is highly proliferative whereas A2058 is a cell line with a mobile nature. He - Ne laser irradiation stimulated a significant increase in A375 cell migration along with the expression of α3β1integrin, FAK phosphorylation and F-actin. In contrast, He - Ne laser demonstrated no significantly stimulatory effects on the expression α3β1, FAK phosphorylation and F-actin as well as cell migration in A2058. However, cell proliferation was stimulated. The distinctive responses in A375 (migration) and A2058 (proliferation) strongly suggest that He - Ne laser induced different signalings in different cells.
MATHEMATICAL REPRESENTATION ON THE HUMAN ARTICULAR SURFACES WITH APPLICATION OF THE THIN PLATE THEORY
Authors: WANG XISHI , ZHANG LI-QUN
Published: December 2008

In this paper, a new technique is developed for representing 3-D articular surface, which is based on an analogy method with application of the thin plate theory in the solid mechanics. The method is suitable to represent the scattered data points. On the other word, it does not involve the surface patches and measuring preparation in experimentally. This means the new technique is more easy and convenient than the traditional one.
NONCONTACT MONITORING OF RESPIRATION BASED ON AN ULTRASONIC PHASE-SHIFT RECONSTRUCTION METHOD
Authors: HUANG K. N. , LI Y. C. , YOUNG M. S.
Published: December 2008

We have developed a novel noncontact respiration monitoring that utilized an ultrasonic phase-shift reconstruction method for measuring the normal vibration of chest-wall. In this paper, a simple but efficient method for vibration measurement is adopted for the sleep apnea syndrome. The instrument consists of a pair of 40 kHz ultrasonic transducers which are used in a transmit-receive mode to get the motion of a point on a vibration object. The relative motion of the object modulates the phase angle between transmitted and received ultrasound signals. We have also developed an ingenious method to reconstruct the relative motion of an object from the acquired data of the phase angle changes. The measurement accuracy of the system in the reported experiments is within +/− 0.07 mm. The main advantages of this vibration measurement system are high resolution, low cost, and noncontact measurement.
A NEURAL-NETWORK-BASED APPROACH TO RECOGNIZING 3D ARM MOVEMENTS
Authors: SU MU-CHUN , ZHAO YU-XIANG , LAI EUGENE
Published: December 2008

Gesture recognition is needed for a variety of applications. One particular application of gesture-based systems is to implement a speaking aid for the deaf. Among several factors constituting a hand gesture, the arm movement pattern is one of the most challenging features to recognize. In this paper, we propose a neural-network-based approach to recognition of spatio-temporal patterns of nonlinear 3D arm movements. Compared to Hidden-Markov-Model-based methods, the most appealing property of the proposed method is its simplicity. The effectiveness of this method is evaluated by a database consisted of 10 persons.
BIOMECHANICAL ANALYSIS OF KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS PATIENTS AFTER THE TREATMENT OF GLUCOSAMINE
Authors: CHOU PEI-HSI , CHEN SHEN-KAI , CHOIA YOU-LI , LEE SIU-WAI , SU FONG-CHING , LIN TING-SHENG
Published: December 2008

Osteoarthritis (OA) encompassed a large and heterogeneous number of disorders affecting joints and bones, which culminate in a joint failure. In general, OA can be defined as a degenerative disease characterized by biomechanical and architectural deteriorations of the articular cartilage. After the age of 60 years, more than 80% of the people have radiological signs of OA in the knee, and 20% of the people suffer from pain and movement limitations. Currently used pharmacologic treatments, including acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, do not slow or reverse the degenerative process in osteoarthritis. Glucosamine, a chondro-protective substance, has recently received a great deal of attention from the public as a potential treatment of osteoarthritis, prompting healthcare professionals to investigate its clinical usefulness and potential for adverse effects. Improvement in the symptoms of osteoarthritis associated with the use of glucosamine has been observed in clinical trials. The purpose of this study was to better define the efficacy of these chondro-protective agents in treating OA. The short term and long term results were evaluated with pain score, and the most importantly, we proposed to objectively evaluate the muscle strength, and the joint motion with gait and sit-to-stand analysis. These data will warrant a better understanding of the efficacy of these chondro-protective agents in treating osteoarthritic patients.
AN ADVISORY SYSTEM FOR PROPOFOL ANAESTHESIA AFTER DETERMINING THE SENSITIVITY OF THE PATIENT DURING THE INDUCTION STAGE
Authors: SHIEH JIANN-SHING , LINKENS DEREK ARTHUR , PEACOCK JOHN E.
Published: December 2008

Determining the sensitivity of the patient (SOP) during the induction stage is important because it is related to the confidence of the anaesthetist in controlling this system. Not only does this stage involve no surgical disturbances or artifacts, it is also fast and dynamic and very suitable for identifying the response of the patient to the drug. Eight patients underwent major abdominal surgery during intravenous anaesthesia and were all classified as ASA physical status category 1 or 2. A personal computer was connected via the RS232 ports for the Dinamap (i.e., Critikon, Inc., USA) and the Graseby 3400 syringe pump (i.e., Graseby Medical Limited, UK). All the trials measured patients' systolic arterial pressure (SAP) and heart rate (HR) using a Dinamap instrument. The clinical signs (i.e., sweating (SW), lacrimation (LA), and pupil response (PR)) were observed and input regularly about 5 min by the anaesthetist. A Graseby 3400 syringe pump which can pump from 0.1 to 1200 ml/hr was used to infuse propofol. Fentanyl was injected manually by syringe according to the rule-base. Also, a hierarchical fuzzy logic monitoring and rule-based control advisory system is tested in this paper to assess the determining the patient's sensitivity in the induction stage. The patient sensitivity of the elicited rule-base from anaesthetists' experience has been tested with the 8 patients during induction stage. Therefore, the good recovery time between acceptable and fast was 75 % in 8 patients. And, the mean (SD) of recovery time was 8.13 ± 5.94 min. Furthermore, the monitoring depth of anaesthesia (DOA) in terms of deciding of the confidence of depth of anaesthesia (CDOA) has also been tested with the 8 patients during maintenance stage. The mean (SD) of the mean CDOA in 8 patients was 93.55 ± 5.80 %. We conclude that determining the SOP in the induction stage is important because it is related to the confidence of the anaesthetist in controlling this advisory system. But a longer series of patients is needed to refine the rule-bases of the SOP, and to see how widely they are applicable.
PET-MRI IMAGE REGISTRATION AND FUSION USING ARTIFICIAL NEURAL NETWORKS
Authors: WANG WOEI-FUH , NGO FRANK QH , CHEN JYH-CHENG , HUANG RAY-MING , CHOU KUO-LIANG , LIU REN-SHYAN
Published: December 2008

Multi-modality image registration and fusion play an increasingly important role in medicine. 3-D image reconstruction, object recognition, and medical imaging analysis, are just a few examples. Medical images provide essential information for clinical diagnosis. Good image quality can yield more accurate patient information, which can then be used for better clinical decision making.

X-ray computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), positron emission tomography (PET), and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) are clinically established imaging modalities. Among them, CT and MRI images are anatomical imaging with high spatial resolutions. However their physiological information is limited. On the other hand, although SPECT and PET can provide physiological information, both spatial resolutions are too poor to provide clear anatomical information. Thus, it would be advantageous to combine images from multi-modality images so that the resulting image can provide both physiological and anatomical information with high spatial resolution for use in clinical diagnosis and therapy.

In order to generate an overlapping image from different-modality images, image registration and various fusion techniques have been employed. In the past studies, artificial neural network (ANN) has been used in registration and fusion of multi-modality remote sensing data for the reconstruction of 3-D models of terrain regions and medical images. In this study, we apply multilayer back propagation (BP) and conjugate gradient back propagation (CGBP) NN model to train PET and MRI images. We use Matlab and Borland C++ Builder to implement the network training frame and find out the optimal training model for accurate image registration. Further, we evaluate the accuracy of the image registration using NN by phantom images. Our study shows that, the registration errors are less than 5mm, and using appropriate opacity is better to show the fusion image than using interleaved pixels with independent color scale. Finally, we use Borland C++ Builder to implement a user-friendly window-based interface for image registration and fusion system.