5 research outputs found
Towards Vision-Based Smart Hospitals: A System for Tracking and Monitoring Hand Hygiene Compliance
One in twenty-five patients admitted to a hospital will suffer from a
hospital acquired infection. If we can intelligently track healthcare staff,
patients, and visitors, we can better understand the sources of such
infections. We envision a smart hospital capable of increasing operational
efficiency and improving patient care with less spending. In this paper, we
propose a non-intrusive vision-based system for tracking people's activity in
hospitals. We evaluate our method for the problem of measuring hand hygiene
compliance. Empirically, our method outperforms existing solutions such as
proximity-based techniques and covert in-person observational studies. We
present intuitive, qualitative results that analyze human movement patterns and
conduct spatial analytics which convey our method's interpretability. This work
is a step towards a computer-vision based smart hospital and demonstrates
promising results for reducing hospital acquired infections.Comment: Machine Learning for Healthcare Conference (MLHC
Investigation of Phase Separation Behavior and Formation of Plasmonic Nanocomposites from Polypeptide-Gold Nanorod Nanoassemblies
Genetically engineered elastin-like polypeptides (ELP)
can be interfaced
with cetyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (CTAB)-stabilized gold nanorods
(GNRs) resulting in the formation of stable dispersions (nanoassemblies).
Increasing the dispersion temperature beyond the ELP transition temperature
results in phase separation and formation of solid-phase ELP-GNR matrices
(nanocomposites). Here, we investigated different physicochemical
conditions that influence nanocomposite formation from temperature-induced
phase separation of ELP-GNR nanoassemblies. The presence of cetyltrimethyl
ammonium bromide (CTAB), used to template the formation of gold nanorods,
plays a significant role in the phase separation behavior, with high
concentrations of the surfactant leading to dramatic enhancements
in ELP transition temperature. Nanocomposites could be generated at
37 °C in the presence of low CTAB concentrations (<1.5 mM);
higher concentrations of CTAB necessitated higher temperatures (60
°C) due to elevated transition temperatures. The concentration
of gold nanorods, however, had minimal influence on the phase separation
behavior and nanocomposite formation. Further analysis of the kinetics
of nanocomposite formation using a mathematical model indicated that
CTAB largely influenced the early event of coacervation of ELP-GNR
nanoassemblies leading to nanocomposites, but had minimal effect on
nanocomposite maturation, which is a later-stage longer event. Finally,
nanocomposites prepared in the presence of low CTAB concentrations
demonstrated a superior photothermal response following laser irradiation
compared to those generated using higher CTAB concentrations. Our
results on understanding the formation of plasmonic/photothermal ELP-GNR
nanocomposites have significant implications for tissue engineering,
regenerative medicine, and drug delivery
Laser Welding of Ruptured Intestinal Tissue Using Plasmonic Polypeptide Nanocomposite Solders
Approximately 1.5 million people suffer from colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease in the United States. Occurrence of leakage following standard surgical anastomosis in intestinal and colorectal surgery is common and can cause infection leading to life-threatening consequences. In this report, we demonstrate that plasmonic nanocomposites, generated from elastin-like polypeptides (ELPs) cross-linked with gold nanorods, can be used to weld ruptured intestinal tissue upon exposure to near-infrared (NIR) laser irradiation. Mechanical properties of these nanocomposites can be modulated based on the concentration of gold nanorods embedded within the ELP matrix. We employed photostable, NIR-absorbing cellularized and noncellularized GNR–ELP nanocomposites for <i>ex vivo</i> laser welding of ruptured porcine small intestines. Laser welding using the nanocomposites significantly enhanced the tensile strength, leakage pressure, and bursting pressure of ruptured intestinal tissue. This, in turn, provided a liquid-tight seal against leakage of luminal liquid from the intestine and resulting bacterial infection. This study demonstrates the utility of laser tissue welding using plasmonic polypeptide nanocomposites and indicates the translational potential of these materials in intestinal and colorectal repair