Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) using FPGA

FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Arrays) are finding wide acceptance in medical systems for their ability for rapid prototyping of a concept that requires hardware/software co-design, for performing custom processing in parallel at high data rates and be programmed in the field after manufacturing. Based on the market demand, the FPGA design can be changed and no new hardware needs to be purchased as was the case with ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuit) and CPLDs (Complex Programmable Logic Device). Medical companies can now move over to FPGAs saving cost and delivering highly-efficient upgradable systems. ECG (Electrocardiogram) is considered to be a must have feature for a medical diagnostic imaging system. This project attempts at implementing ECG heart-rate computation in an FPGA. This project gave me exposure to hardware engineering, learning about the low level chips like Atmel UC3A3256 micro-controller on an Atmel EVK1105 board which is used as a simulator for generating the ECG signal, the operational amplifiers for amplifying and level-shifting the ECG signal, the A/D converter chip for analog to digital conversion of the ECG signal, the internal workings of FPGA, how different hardware components communicate with each other on the system and finally some signal processing to calculate the heart rate value from the ECG signal

False Binaries: Recentering South Asian Identity for Healing

Many thoughts emerge attempting to define South Asian, Asian, Desi, or Indian. One approach refers to a country, the other cultural norms, and yet another, a racial and ethnic category far too vast. For the sake of this article, South Asian and Desi refer to the composition of individuals with ancestry in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, and India. Indian refers to individuals with ancestry solely in India. Asian is the larger United States racial construct for all individuals from the continent of Asia, more specifically South and East Asia such as Japanese, Thai, or Indian. South Asians have a broad definition in terms of racial and ethnic categorization and are one of the fastest-growing minorities in the U.S. (Census, 2012). South Asians, as a racial group, experience a great deal of complexity regarding racial and ethnic constructs in the U.S. These include processes of assimilation, meaning making within the Black and White racial binary, and confronting the stereotypical ‘model minority myth’ as unwavering truth. Because South Asians exist in a racial gray space, they are stereotyped in a contradictory manner as both “model minority” and “dangerous.” Wingfield (2016) describes model minority as “a group whose hard work, initiative, personal responsibility, and success offer proof that American meritocracy works as intended” (para. 1). These challenges positively and negatively affect their narrative. South Asians have started to take political office, to change the societal climate, and to affect the future of the United States. This shift of South Asians being visible in the U.S. is dramatically different from the historic conflict of whether or not South Asians identified as Black or White in their first days of settlement in America. South Asians still face many challenges that immigrants face in the U.S., but these challenges are not necessarily uniquely associated to South Asian identity. The dynamic of living on the margins and responding to systemic oppression and racial categorization demands greater attention to understand South Asian identity as in-between.Educatio

Projects for Pallet Recycling in a Solid Modeling Course

The main objective of the projects in our solid modeling course was to find innovative ways of recycling pallets. Pallets are the single largest consumer of hardwood lumber in the United States. Recovered pallet lumber has been proposed as a potential source of material for value added wood products. This recycling activity creates jobs, decreases the volume of pallets going into landfills, and eases the demand that new pallet manufacture places on timber resources. Recycling is important due to low cost of entry into recycling, and increasing environmental concerns regarding resource use and waste disposal.Cockrell School of Engineerin

Alzheimer\u27s Disease and Down\u27s Syndrome: An Overview

The association between Alzheimer\u27s Disease and Down\u27s Syndrome is well recognized through clinical observations and genetic studies. However, the exact nature and the implications of this link is far from clear as yet. The challenge of diagnosis, genetics and the differences in clinical presentations of Alzheimer\u27s Disease in relation to the Down\u27s Syndrome are reviewed here. Promising areas of research are pointed out and importance of relevant family history is emphasized. A current knowledge in the subject through various studies is presented