117 research outputs found

    Incorporation of Radio Frequency Identification Tag in Dentures to Facilitate Recognition and Forensic Human Identification

    Get PDF
    Forensic identification using odontology is based on the comparison of ante-mortem and post mortem dental records. The insertion of a radio frequency identification (RFId) tag into dentures could be used as an aid to identify decomposed bodies, by storing personal identification data in a small transponder that can be radio-transmitted to a reader connected to a computer. A small passive, 12 x 2,1 mm, read-only RFId-tag was incorporated into the manufacture of three trial complete upper dentures and tested for a signal. The aim of this article is to demonstrate the feasibility of manufacturing such a dental prosthesis, the technical protocols for its implantation in the denture resin and its working principles. Future research and tests are required in order to verify human compatibility of the tagged denture and also to evaluate any potential deterioration in strength when subjected to high temperatures, or for damage resulting from everyday wear and tear. It should also be able to withstand the extreme conditions resulting from major accidents or mass disasters and procedures used to perform a forensic identification

    Developing Biosensor Technology to Monitor Biofilm Formation on Voice Prosthesis in Throat Cancer Patients Following Total Laryngectomy

    Get PDF
    Voice prostheses (used to replace an excised larynx in laryngectomy patients) are often colonised by the yeast Candida albicans, yet no monitoring technology for C. albicans biofilm growth until these devices fail. With the current interest in smart technology, understanding the electrical properties of C. albicans biofilm formation is necessary. There has been great interest in Passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) for use with implantable devices as they provide a cost-effective approach for sensing. The main drawback of RFID sensors is the need to overcome capacitive loading of human tissue and, thus, low efficiency to produce a high read range sensor design. This is further complicated by the size restriction on any RFID design to be implemented within a voice prosthesis as this medical device is limited to less than 3 cm in overall size. In order to develop such a voice prosthesis sensor, we looked at three separate aspects of C. albicans colonisation on medical devices within human tissue. To understand if it is possible to detect changes within a moist environment (such as the mouth), we developed a sensor capable of detecting minute dielectric changes (accuracy of ± 0.83 relative permittivity and ± 0.05 S·m-1 conductivity) within a closed system. Once we understood that detection of dielectric changes within a liquid solution were possible, to overcome human tissue capacitive loading of RFID sensors. Adjusting backing thickness or adding a capacitive shunt into the design could limit this tissue effect and even negate the variability seen between human tissues. Without developing these methods, implementation of any RFID device would be difficult as human tissue variability would not be compensated for properly. Finally, biofilm growth in terms electrical properties. As C. albicans biofilm matures, there is a loss in capacitance (the biofilm becomes increasingly hydrophobic) prior to 24 hours after which the biofilm thickness shifts the resonance leading to a slow gain in capacitance. Understanding all of these aspects allowed us to develop two final voice prosthesis sensors producing read ranges above 60 cm and 10 cm within a tissue phantom. Ultimately, this showed the possibility of developing cost-effective passive RFID sensor technology for monitoring microbial biofilm formation within human tissue, leading to more effective real-time clinical care

    Biomedical Engineering

    Get PDF
    Biomedical engineering is currently relatively wide scientific area which has been constantly bringing innovations with an objective to support and improve all areas of medicine such as therapy, diagnostics and rehabilitation. It holds a strong position also in natural and biological sciences. In the terms of application, biomedical engineering is present at almost all technical universities where some of them are targeted for the research and development in this area. The presented book brings chosen outputs and results of research and development tasks, often supported by important world or European framework programs or grant agencies. The knowledge and findings from the area of biomaterials, bioelectronics, bioinformatics, biomedical devices and tools or computer support in the processes of diagnostics and therapy are defined in a way that they bring both basic information to a reader and also specific outputs with a possible further use in research and development

    Responses of partially edentulous subjects to variations in denture forms as determined by intra-oral force measurements

    Get PDF
    The purpose of this investigation was to study patients' responses to changes in denture forms as determined by intra oral force measurements. A group of subjects was selected requiring treatment with complete upper and partial lower Kennedy class 1 dentures. In addition to recording medical and dental histories, tests of oral stereognostic and motor ability were employed, together with a Clinical Interview Schedule, so as to exclude those with characteristics reported as reducing oral adaptability. An impression procedure was evolved, assessed and used to record the neutral zone in the test subjects. A complete upper and two lower dentures were made, the second being the test prosthesis. Its flanges were initially contoured to fill the neutral zone, and it was capable of being altered both buccally and lingually to fill more of the available space in the mouth. A miniature force transducer was developed, such that eight devices could be inserted into the test prosthesis to record simultaneously forces on the anterior and posterior aspects of the buccal and lingual flanges with a computer-based system. A regimen of tests was developed to examine the forces exerted on the varied shapes of the denture. The magnitude and the nature of the forces were analysed in relation to activity, location, head-angulation, time-interval and thickness. Marked differences in force patterns were observed. Swallowing forces were predominantly higher than those when speaking, chewing, sucking and resting. Forces related to location were significantly different. No correlation was found between force value and head-angulation. Forces recorded when contours were changed were found to be reduced significantly a fortnight later. Forces recorded on the original contours, at the beginning and end of the experiment, showed no significant difference. It was found that the inclusion of eight transducers made possible a more accurate record of oral muscular activity than has been possible previously and it is confirmed that the subjects selected showed considerable ability to adapt to changes in denture profile

    Engineering@Nebraska - Spring 2008

    Get PDF
    Table of Contents: Front & Center Engineering Students Enjoy Spain Firsthand: With Nebraska Engineering’s focus on international education, “live and learn” happens in amazing settings. Warm up to the wonders of winter break in Spain. Spring Break at 35,000 Feet: Nebraska Engineering’s undergraduate research reaches new heights in service to NASA. Ride along with blog posts from an uplifting experience in microgravity. UNL Experts Build Better Bridges: Atorod Azizinamini—professor of Civil Engineering, researcher and director of UNL\u27s National Bridge Research Organization (NABRO)—leads a team in applying a $2 million grant for safer spans. Tiny Fibers, Huge Potential: The longterm research of UNL’s Yuris Dzenis is developing super nanocomposites. Along the way, the R. Vernon McBroom Professor of Engineering Mechanics has created continuous nanofibers to toughen conventional laminated composites, and the journal Science has taken notice. New Tractor Test Track Impresses: Tour a time-honored tradition enhanced by recent upgrades. Online Programs Provide Flexibility for Working Engineers: Studying engineering is rigorous, especially when you’re working. However, UNL’s online opportunities not only feature convenience and great faculty, but also develop collaboration and technology skills. Accomplishments Passages Class Notes Steel or Concrete: A professor for 36 years at the University of Texas-Austin, Jim Jirsa \u2760 CIVE, focuses on the performance of structures in earthquakes or corrosive environments. Schorr Center Transforms CSE Facilities: With raw muscle on the field and now computing power beneath, Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium is even more formidable. After Hours: As the academic year winds down, the Nebraska Engineering community once again gathers excellence and excitement in E-Week activities

    Beyond Disability: Extraordinary Bodies in the Work of William Gibson

    Get PDF
    This dissertation conceptualizes figurations of disability in the work of contemporary U.S.-American writer William Gibson arguing that there is a distinct development in the representation of the manner and effect of corporeality from the Sprawl to the Bigend trilogy. In the Sprawl trilogy, prosthetic repair and rehabilitation are depicted as a common cultural practice, whereas in the Bigend trilogy the medical cure of the characters’ “deficiencies” for purposes of normative alignment is no longer a desired measure. By adopting a disability studies framework, I argue that this transition is not primarily related to a shift in genre, which does exist, but instead that it is motivated by a changing attitude toward the “broken” body that seeks restoration. A main concern of this book is, therefore, to understand the formal qualities of Gibson’s writing with regard to the forms and functions of the disabled figure, and to further demonstrate how this literary style and underlying ideology changes in parallel with the advancement of cultural conceptions of disability. This thesis distinguishes two major shifts over the course of the novels, one on the level of genre and the other on the conceptual level. I show how Gibson’s depiction of characters draws increasingly on a processual understanding of the human body, and decreasingly on traditional prosthetic technologies. This conceptual trajectory from prostheses to processes corresponds with the genre-specific shift in Gibson’s work that I classify as one from technoromanticism to new realism. The analysis is methodologically met with a theoretical triad that feeds on the socio-historical developments of the concept of disability, drawing specifically on the theory of intersectionality, new materialism, and actor-network theory

    The Emerging Clusters Project Final Report

    Get PDF

    Advanced Applications of Rapid Prototyping Technology in Modern Engineering

    Get PDF
    Rapid prototyping (RP) technology has been widely known and appreciated due to its flexible and customized manufacturing capabilities. The widely studied RP techniques include stereolithography apparatus (SLA), selective laser sintering (SLS), three-dimensional printing (3DP), fused deposition modeling (FDM), 3D plotting, solid ground curing (SGC), multiphase jet solidification (MJS), laminated object manufacturing (LOM). Different techniques are associated with different materials and/or processing principles and thus are devoted to specific applications. RP technology has no longer been only for prototype building rather has been extended for real industrial manufacturing solutions. Today, the RP technology has contributed to almost all engineering areas that include mechanical, materials, industrial, aerospace, electrical and most recently biomedical engineering. This book aims to present the advanced development of RP technologies in various engineering areas as the solutions to the real world engineering problems
    • 

    corecore