The design and evaluation of discrete wearable medical devices for vital signs monitoring

The observation, recording and appraisal of an individual’s vital signs, namely temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, respiratory rate and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), are key components in the assessment of their health and wellbeing. Measurements provide valuable diagnostic data, facilitating clinical diagnosis, management and monitoring. Respiratory rate sensing is perhaps the most under-utilised of all the vital signs, being routinely assessed by observation or estimated algorithmically from respiratory-induced beat-to-beat variation in heart rate. Moreover there is an unmet need for wearable devices that can measure all or most of the vital signs. This project therefore aims to a) develop a device that can measure respiratory rate and b) develop a wearable device that can measure all or most of the vital signs. An accelerometer-based clavicular respiratory motion sensor was developed and compared with a similar thoracic motion sensor and reference using exhalatory flow. Pilot study results established that the clavicle sensor accurately tracked the reference in monitoring respiratory rate and outperformed the thoracic device. An Ear-worn Patient Monitoring System (EPMS) was also developed, providing a discrete telemonitoring device capable of rapidly measuring tympanic temperature, heart rate, SpO2 and activity level. The results of a comparative pilot study against reference instruments revealed that heart rate matched the reference for accuracy, while temperature under read (< 1°C) and SpO2 was inconsistent with poor correlation. In conclusion, both of the prototype devices require further development. The respiratory sensor would benefit from product engineering and larger scale testing to fully exploit the technology, but could find use in both hospital and community-based The design and evaluation of discrete wearable medical devices for vital signs monitoring DG Pitts ii Cranfield University monitoring. The EPMS has potential for clinical and community use, having demonstrated its capability of rapidly capturing and wirelessly transmitting vital signs readings. Further development is nevertheless required to improve the thermometer probe and resolve outstanding issues with SpO2 readings

Remote Sensing of the Temperature during Magnetic Hyperthermia

The cancer therapy, magnetic hyperthermia, was proposed 60 years ago. Despite decades of efforts, this technique is still in its research stage. An ex-vivo experiment presented in Chapter 1 shows that one of the main barriers lies in its temperature measurement. The current gold standard is to insert a thermal probe into the target tumour. The measurement of which is invasive and point measurement only. Because of the inhomogeneous particle distribution, the accuracy of point measurement relies on accurate placement of the thermal probe, which is difficult to achieve. Thus, this study investigates two alternatives of point measurement. The first alternative is an existing technique, i.e., infra-red thermography and the second is a thermometry proposed in this study. The latter is termed as magnetic particle thermometry (MPT). Before discussing these two methods of temperature sensing, Chapter 2 reviews concepts such as the biological effects of heat, the mechanism of magnetic heating, and other remote sensing methods. Subsequent to this, Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 respectively present in-vitro and in-vivo experiments to evaluate the implementation of infra-red thermography in magnetic hyperthermia. In which, the effects of particle distribution and the thermal doses on hyperthermia are discussed. The result suggests that the infra-red thermography is applicable to studies involving subcutaneous tumours. When treating a deep-seated tumour, another sensing method is still desired. Chapter 5 then describes the principles of proposed MPT. The MPT assesses the average temperature of the target tumour by detecting the average temperature of the deposited magnetic nanoparticles. The MPT is possible because the temperature of magnetic nanoparticles would interfere the resonant frequency of the field applicator. By tracking the shift in resonant frequency of the field applicator, the average temperature of particles is estimated. The theory of which is carefully validated through a series of experiments presented in Chapter 6

Development of highly sensitive temperature microsensors for localized measurements

This paper presents the design, fabrication and characterization of temperature microsensors based on Resistance Temperature Detectors (RTDs) with a meander-shaped geometry. Numerical simulations were performed for studying the sensitivity of the RTDs according to their windings numbers as well as for optimizing their layout. These RTDs were fabricated using well-established microfabrication and photolithographic techniques. The fabricated sensors feature high sensitivity (0.3542 mV/°C), linearity and reproducibility in a temperature range of 35 to 45 °C. Additionally, each sensor has a small size with a strong potential for their integration in microfluidic devices, as organ-on-a-chip, allowing the possibility for in-situ monitoring the physiochemical properties of the cellular microenvironment.This work is the result of the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-029394, RTChip4Theranostics, and was supported by Programa Operacional Regional do Norte–Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement through the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER) and by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), IP, project reference PTDC/EMD-EMD/29394/2017. The authors also acknowledge the partial financial support by the projects UIDB/04436/2020 and UIDP/04436/2020

Control and readout electronics for miniaturized temperature sensors integrated with an organ-on-a-chip

Dissertação de mestrado em Engenharia Eletrónica Industrial e ComputadoresDe acordo com um estudo realizado pelo instituto de biomateriais e engenharia biomédica da Universidade de Toronto nos Estados Unidos da América, 4 em cada 1000 pacientes sofreram de efeitos adversos provocados por fármacos. Este problema surge devido ao facto de o teste de fármacos serem realizados em animais e, posteriormente em humanos. A utilização dos organ-on-a-chip aumentam a eficácia quando se inicia os testes em humanos porque são mais representiativos do que os testes em animais. A tecnologia organ-on-a-chip (OOC) surgiu com o objetivo de ser possível replicar aspetos importantes da fisiologia humana e deste modo poder superar as limitações dos procedimentos tradicionais, aumentando assim a segurança e eficácia de quem os toma. Apesar da tecnologia OOC fornecer uma série de vantagens comparativamente com as técnicas convencionais, esta ainda carece de sistemas para monitorização de multiparâmetros capazes de fornecer informações à microescala durante os testes de cultura de células bem como na testagem de novos fármacos. Neste sentido, torna-se muito importante o desenvolvimento de microssensores integrados em sistemas microfluídicos para monitorizar os diversos parâmetros celulares de modo a perceber que efeitos os fármacos provocam nas células. Parâmetros como temperatura, oxigénio, pH, nível de nutrientes, entre outros, são variáveis de interesse para a perceção global do metabolismo criado pela combinação de fármacos com células de múltiplos órgãos. Assim, o trabalho desenvolvido nesta dissertação tem como objetivo estudar e desenvolver a eletrónica de leitura e atuação de um microssensor de temperatura, baseado em resistance temperature detector (RTD), que será integrado na tecnologia OOC. O sistema desenvolvido para além de fornecer portabilidade e baixo custo, permite realizar leitura de vários microssensores com uma sensibilidade de 15mV/0.1°C. Foi também implementada uma componente gráfica que permite ao utilizador selecionar o sensor e acompanhar os resultados em tempo real.According to a study conducted by the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Toronto in the United States of America, 4 out of every 1,000 patients suffered from drug-related adverse effects. This problem arises because the drug test mostly performed on animals and, therefore, does not faithfully question the phenomena that occur at the level of the human being. Thus, the use of these drugs can lead to complications for humans as well as damage to the pharmaceutical industry. Organ-on-a-chip (OOC) technology has emerged with the aim of replicating important aspects of human physiology and thus being able to overcome the limitations of traditional procedures, thereby increasing the safety and efficacy of those who take them. Although OOC technology provides several advantages compared to conventional techniques, it still lacks multiparameter monitoring systems capable of providing microscale information during cell culture testing as well as testing for new drugs. In this sense, it is very important to develop microsensors integrated in microfluidic systems to monitor the various cellular parameters in order to understand what effects the drugs have on cells. Parameters such as temperature, oxygen, pH, number of nutrients, among others, are variables of interest for the overall perception of metabolism created by the combination of drugs with multiple organ cells. Thus, the work developed this dissertation aims to study and develop the electronic reading and actuation of a micro temperature sensor, based on resistance temperature detector (RTD), which will be integrated into OOC technology. The system developed in addition to providing portability and low cost, allows to perform reading of several micro sensors with a sensitivity of 15mV/0.1°C. A graphical component has also been implemented that allows the user to select the sensor and track the results in real time.This work results partially of the project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-029394, RTChip4Theranostics, supported by Programa Operacional Regional do Norte - Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), IP, project reference PTDC/EMD-EMD/29394/2017

05. 2009 IMSAloquium Student Investigation Showcase

https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/class_of_2010/1003/thumbnail.jp

2009 IMSAloquium, Student Investigation Showcase

SIR enables students to pursue solutions to problems that challenge our global community through partnerships with distinguished professionals at colleges and universities, research institutions, businesses, and museums.”https://digitalcommons.imsa.edu/archives_sir/1001/thumbnail.jp

Instrumentation and Analysis Miscellanea Regarding the Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor

The Cosmology Large Angular Scale Surveyor (CLASS) is an array of polarization-sensitive millimeter-wave telescopes that observes ~70% of the sky in frequency bands centered near 40 GHz, 90 GHz, 150 GHz, and 220 GHz from a high-altitude site in the Atacama desert of northern Chile. It seeks to measure polarization anisotropy in the cosmic microwave background (CMB), with a particular emphasis on measuring the optical depth due to reionization via large-angular-scale polarization E-modes, as well as searching for primordial polarization B-modes, a detection of which would provide strong evidence for cosmological inflation. This dissertation starts by providing an overview of physical cosmology, before describing the science goals and instrument design of CLASS. It then describes various instrument components that were developed, describes a novel 3D-printed millimeter-wave absorber, and describes the control and systems software used to operate the telescopes. Analysis efforts are then covered, specifically the modeling and detection of atmospheric circular polarization due to Zeeman-splitting of molecular oxygen emission lines in the geomagnetic field and a method of cleaning CMB foregrounds from full-sky maps that utilizes machine learning techniques

Recent Advances in Data Logging for Intertidal Ecology

Temperature is among the most ubiquitous determinants of organism growth, survival, and reproduction. Accurate recordings and predictions of how the temperatures of plants and animals vary in time and space are therefore critical to forecasting the likely impacts of global climate change. Intertidal zones have long served as a model ecosystem for examining the role of environmental stress on patterns of species distributions, and are emerging as models for understanding the ecological impacts of climate change. Intertidal environments are among the most physically demanding habitats on the planet, and excursions in body temperature of ectotherms can exceed 25°C over the course of a few hours. It is now well-known that the body temperatures of intertidal organisms can deviate significantly from the temperature of the surrounding air and substrate due to the influence of solar radiation, and that their size, color, morphology, and material properties markedly influence their temperatures. While many intertidal organisms are slow moving or almost entirely sessile, for others, behavior can play a significant role in driving vulnerability to temperature extremes. We explore datalogging methods used in intertidal zones and discuss the advantages and drawbacks of each. We show how measurements made in situ reveal patterns of thermal stress that otherwise would be undetectable using more remotely-sensed data. Additionally, we explore the idea that the relevant “grain size” of the physical environment, and thus the spatial scale that must be measured, is a function of (1) the size of the organism relative to local refugia; (2) an organism's ability to sense and to some degree predict near-term environmental conditions; and (3) an animal's movement speed and directionality toward refugia. Similarly, relevant temporal scales depend on the size, behavior, and physiological response of the organism. While miniaturization of dataloggers has significantly improved, several significant limitations still exist, many of which relate to difficulties in recording behavioral responses to changing environmental conditions. We discuss recent innovations in monitoring and modeling intertidal temperatures, and the important role that they have played in bridging ecological and physiological studies of ongoing impacts of climate change

Modern Telemetry

Telemetry is based on knowledge of various disciplines like Electronics, Measurement, Control and Communication along with their combination. This fact leads to a need of studying and understanding of these principles before the usage of Telemetry on selected problem solving. Spending time is however many times returned in form of obtained data or knowledge which telemetry system can provide. Usage of telemetry can be found in many areas from military through biomedical to real medical applications. Modern way to create a wireless sensors remotely connected to central system with artificial intelligence provide many new, sometimes unusual ways to get a knowledge about remote objects behaviour. This book is intended to present some new up to date accesses to telemetry problems solving by use of new sensors conceptions, new wireless transfer or communication techniques, data collection or processing techniques as well as several real use case scenarios describing model examples. Most of book chapters deals with many real cases of telemetry issues which can be used as a cookbooks for your own telemetry related problems