Technology and Health Care - Volume 23, issue s2

Authors: Wu, Yanping | Duan, Huilong | Du, Shufeng

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: In recent years, the use of the fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering techniques in medical diagnosis has steadily increased, because of its effectiveness in recognizing systems in the medical database to help medical experts diagnosing diseases. However, its performance is highly dependent on the randomly initialized cluster centroids which may allow the diagnosis to be trapped into the problem of the local optimum. OBJECTIVE: This paper proposes a multiple fuzzy c-means (MFCM) algorithm for medical diagnosis. METHODS: The new method optimizes the initial optimizing cluster centers by comparing the Euclidean distance between …patient data. Further, this paper assigns a set of weights to the features of a certain disease to equalize their difference influence as a substitute for data normalization. RESULTS: The performance of proposed MFCM algorithm was demonstrated through dividing complex primary headache data into Migraine, Tension-Type Headache (TTH), Trigeminal Autonomic Cephalalgias (TACs) and other primary headache disorders. In addition the superiority of MFCM algorithm was proven by comparing analytical results with other state-of-the-art clustering methods. CONCLUSIONS: This MFCM method has shown a new application in medical diagnosis. Show more

Keywords: Fuzzy c-means, medical diagnosis, primary headache

DOI: 10.3233/THC-150989

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 23, no. s2, pp. S519-S527, 2015

Authors: Ryu, Jeseong | Son, Jongsang | Ahn, Soonjae | Shin, Isu | Kim, Youngho

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: A massage can be beneficial to relieve muscle tension on the neck and shoulder area. Various massage systems have been developed, but their motions are not uniform throughout different body parts nor specifically targeted to the neck and shoulder areas. OBJECTIVE: Pressure pattern and finger movement trajectories of the circular friction hand massage on trapezius, levator scapulae, and deltoid muscles were determined to develop a massage system that can mimic the motion and the pressure of the circular friction massage. METHODS: During the massage, finger movement trajectories were measured using a …3D motion capture system, and finger pressures were simultaneously obtained using a grip pressure sensor. RESULTS: Results showed that each muscle had different finger movement trajectory and pressure pattern. The trapezius muscle experienced a higher pressure, longer massage time (duration of pressurization), and larger pressure-time integral than the other muscles. CONCLUSIONS: These results could be useful to design a better massage system simulating human finger movements. Show more

Keywords: Circular friction hand massage, finger pressure, motion analysis

DOI: 10.3233/THC-150990

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 23, no. s2, pp. S529-S534, 2015

Authors: Jung, Gu-In | Kim, Ji-Sun | Lee, Tae-Hee | Choi, Ju-Hyeon | Oh, Han-Byeol | Kim, A-Hee | Kim, Jun-Sik | Park, Jong-Rak | Chung, Soon-Cheol | Yeom, Dong-Il | Kim, Hyung-Sik | Jun, Jae-Hoon

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: As the most abundant protein in human tissues, the use of collagen is essential in the fields of biological science and medicine. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the mechanical effect of pulsed laser irradiation on collagen tissue. METHODS: With various laser parameters such as peak power, pulse width, and repetition rate, the induced stresses on samples were measured and analyzed. Monte Carlo simulation was performed to investigate the effect of laser parameters on the collagen sample. RESULTS: The results indicated that the magnitude of …mechanical stress could be controlled by various laser parameters. CONCLUSIONS: This study can be used in biostimulation for therapy and mechanoreceptor stimulation for tactile application. Show more

Keywords: Biostimulation, laser-tissue interaction, photomechanical effect, recoil pressure, thermoelastic effect

DOI: 10.3233/THC-150991

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 23, no. s2, pp. S535-S541, 2015

Authors: Jeong, In Cheol | Finkelstein, Joseph

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Individuals with mobility impairment may benefit from passive exercise mode which can be subsequently enhanced by an active exercise program. However, it is unclear which exercise mode promotes higher adherence to prescribed exercise intensity. OBJECTIVE: The goal of this project was to compare adherence to prescribed speed during passive and active cycling exercise. METHODS: We used cross-over study design in which subjects followed the same cycling intensity prescription for passive and active exercise modes in a random sequence. Coefficient of variation (CV) and speed differences were used to estimate extent of …deviation from the prescribed trajectory. RESULTS: CV varied from 5.2% to 20.4% for the active mode and from 2.8% to 4.5% for the passive mode respectively. Though the CV differences did not reach statistical significance, analysis of cycling speed adherence of 120-second periods showed significantly higher cycling adherence during passive mode for each target cycling speed. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicated that the passive mode may promote exercise safety and efficacy by helping patients who have safety concerns such as the frail elderly, patients with cardiovascular conditions or people with other contraindications for excessive exertion during exercise, in following the optimal intensity trajectory prescribed by their provider. Show more

Keywords: Telerehabilitation, cross-over design, exercise, personal health systems, self-management

DOI: 10.3233/THC-150992

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 23, no. s2, pp. S543-S549, 2015

Authors: An, Zhen | Xiang, Chaoqun | Wang, Jinming | Dong, Liping | Hao, Lina

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: During the process of cell micro operation, the contact force between the entry needle and the cell membrane is usually a very small area to be tested. OBJECTIVE: These two features have been utilized to design a high precision micro force sensor to provide a force feedback in the process of cell micro operation. METHODS: However, PVDF (Polyvinylidene Fluoride) has continued to display both a wide range of frequency response and a highly sensitive transform between force and electricity. In this paper a charge signal is obtained. In order to transform …the charge signal into a voltage signal, a signal processing circuit was designed. The data acquisition card PCI-6221 (National Instruments) was used. It was employed to collect the voltage signal. RESULTS: The resultant micro force sensor was calibrated by using a rating test. CONCLUSIONS: The experimental test results demonstrated that the sensitivity and linearity of the designed micro force sensor were higher than the sensitivity and linearity of a traditional piezoelectric sensor. Show more

Keywords: Cell micro-operation, micro force sensor, PVDF, charge amplifier

DOI: 10.3233/THC-150993

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 23, no. s2, pp. S551-S558, 2015

Authors: Park, Sung Yun | Kim, Sung Min

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Artificial neural networks is one of pattern analyzer method which are rapidly applied on a bio-medical field. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this research was to propose an appendicitis diagnosis system using artificial neural networks (ANNs). METHODS: Data from 801 patients of the university hospital in Dongguk were used to construct artificial neural networks for diagnosing appendicitis and acute appendicitis. A radial basis function neural network structure (RBF), a multilayer neural network structure (MLNN), and a probabilistic neural network structure (PNN) were used for artificial neural network models. The Alvarado clinical scoring …system was used for comparison with the ANNs. RESULTS: The accuracy of the RBF, PNN, MLNN, and Alvarado was 99.80%, 99.41%, 97.84%, and 72.19%, respectively. The area under ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve of RBF, PNN, MLNN, and Alvarado was 0.998, 0.993, 0.985, and 0.633, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed models using ANNs for diagnosing appendicitis showed good performances, and were significantly better than the Alvarado clinical scoring system (p < 0.001). With cooperation among facilities, the accuracy for diagnosing this serious health condition can be improved. Show more

Keywords: Alvarado clinical scoring system, acute appendicitis, clinical scoring system, artificial neural network

DOI: 10.3233/THC-150994

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 23, no. s2, pp. S559-S565, 2015

Authors: Yang, Xiuxia | Zhao, Guorong | Liu, Di | Zhou, Weiei | Zhao, Hewei

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Comprehensive analysis of the inherent laws and the biomechanic principles of human walking with load carriage and building kinematics, and kinematics model of human walking with load carriage, are very meaningful for the development of devices and apparatus that are related to human walking with load carriage, such as a lower limb exoskeleton. OBJECTIVE: The gait experiment of human walking with load carriage is designed and performed in this paper. METHODS: The obtained video is marked and analyzed by using SIMI motion analytical software. The space motion coordinates at each body's …mark point that is needed in the kinematics model of established human walking with load carriage is obtained. Based on inverse kinematics, a dynamic model of human walking with load carriage is established. The SPSS statistical analysis software is used for statistical processing for determining key gait parameters. RESULTS: The influence of load and speed on the walking gait parameters is analyzed systematically. CONCLUSIONS: The method provides a theoretical basis for the design of an exoskeleton. Show more

Keywords: Human walking with load carriage, load experiment, biomechanics model, gait parameter

DOI: 10.3233/THC-150995

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 23, no. s2, pp. S567-S575, 2015

Authors: Chen, Duanduan | Ren, Jun | Mei, Yuqian | Xu, Yuanqing

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Respiratory ciliary motion is enabled by dynein/microtubule activity. Current observation techniques can hardly capture the dynein activation pattern in moving cilia. Here we introduce a computational model to mimic the ciliary ultrastructure and simulate the dynein-driven ciliary motion. METHODS: A three-dimensional model is established to mimic the ``9 + 2'' ciliary ultrastructure. The dynein force is simulated as point loads embedded along the microtubules. The dynein-triggered ciliary motion is solved by using the Finite Element Method along with grid deformation techniques. RESULTS: By comparing the simulated ciliary movement to the observation …results, the rationality of different dynein activity hypotheses are evaluated and the dynein activation pattern that can produce the planar beating of lung cilia is proposed. The results also reveal that the dynein force alone can only generate longitudinal microtubule sliding and ciliary bending; to produce the ciliary `curl-up' movement, transverse forces (possibly induced by radial spokes) need to be considered. CONCLUSION: This model provides a platform to investigate various assumptions of dynein activity, facilitating us to evaluate their rationality and propose possible dynein activation patterns. Show more

Keywords: Respiratory cilia, dynein, ultrastructure, finite element method

DOI: 10.3233/THC-150996

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 23, no. s2, pp. S577-S586, 2015

Authors: Liu, Shoubin | Zhou, Yanming

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Because protons in fat do not exhibit a temperature-dependent frequency shift, proton resonance frequency shift (PRFS)-based MR thermometry always suffers from disturbances due to the presence of fats or lipids. OBJECTIVE: A new fat suppression method for PRFS-based MR thermometry is proposed to obtain accurate variation of phase angle. METHODS: Similar to the approach of separating fat and water with the two-point Dixon technique, we first scan a complex MR image for reference and then scan another complex image varying with temperature at the same TE point. Based on the …conventional PRFS method, we use geometric relationships to remove the effect of fat on the variation of the phase angle. RESULTS: Two phantoms with different water-to-fat ratios are involved in the temperature mapping test. Experimental results show that the temperature images of two phantoms are approximated under the same conditions. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed fat suppression method is simple and effective for PRFS-based MR thermometry. Show more

Keywords: MR thermometry, PRFS, fat suppression, geometric model

DOI: 10.3233/THC-150997

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 23, no. s2, pp. S587-S592, 2015

Authors: Li, Mi | Lu, Shengfu | Zhong, Ning

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Although many previous studies have focused on statistical graph comprehension in cognitive psychology, there is no consensus among them. OBJECTIVE: Brain neuroimaging studies on the statistical graph comprehension are useful to account for the cognitive mechanism of interpreting statistical graphic information. METHODS: The present study used two experimental conditions, a statistical graph (SG) and a statistical graph with text (SGT), and one control condition, a text (ST), where the ST task was a verbal description of the information from the SG, and when the SGT is a mixed graph + textual …description. We used fMRI to investigate the brain activity of 36 normal subjects while they passively viewed the statistical information presented in visual forms as SG, ST or SGT. RESULTS: The results showed that compared with the control tasks, both SG and SGT consistently activated ventral and dorsal streams and that compared with SGT, SG significantly activated the ventral stream but not the dorsal stream. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the portions of the ventral and dorsal streams related to object recognition are commonly involved in statistical graph comprehension. These findings provide neuroimaging evidence for the cognitive processing of statistical graphs. Show more

Keywords: fMRI, statistical graph, statistical graph with text, ventral stream, dorsal stream

DOI: 10.3233/THC-150998

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 23, no. s2, pp. S593-S601, 2015

Authors: Yang, Fan | Yang, Qing | Liu, Xingxing | Wang, Pan

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Susceptible-Infected-Susceptible (SIS) infectious disease outbreaks are hazardous events. However, if governments sectors do not adequately supervise such outbreaks, these infectious diseases could spread significantly, resulting in large economic losses and social issues. OBJECTIVE: In this paper, an evolutionary game and simulation model based on the interactions between strategies and states was proposed, and the game between the public and government sectors and its impact on epidemic situations was discussed. METHODS: Replicator dynamics equations and the multi-agent model simulation were used for analysis. RESULTS: According to replicator dynamics equations …as well as the multi-agent model simulation, the public all eventually adopted the mobility strategy. In addition, the supervision strength of the governmental sectors was equal to 0 after the strength fluctuated at a low level under the trigger strategy. Ultimately, the entire public shifted to the S state throughout the course of the emergency. CONCLUSIONS: Social order was maintained and social loss was controlled to a certain extent in the final analysis. Show more

Keywords: SIS evolution, evolutionarily stable strategy, evolution game, replicator dynamics equations, cellular automata, multi-agent simulation

DOI: 10.3233/THC-150999

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 23, no. s2, pp. S603-S613, 2015

Authors: Shi, Han | Du, Dong | Xu, JianFeng | Su, Zhihong | Peng, Qiyu

Article Type: Research Article

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Despite being the conventional choice, whole body PET cameras with a 76 cm diameter ring are not the optimal means of human brain imaging. OBJECTIVE: In fact, a dedicated brain PET with a better geometrical structure has the potential to achieve a higher sensitivity, a higher signal-to-noise ratio, and a better imaging performance. METHODS: In this study, a polyhedron geometrical dedicated brain PET (a dodecahedron design) is compared to three other candidates via their geometrical efficiencies by calculating the Solid Angle Fractions (SAF); the three other candidates include a spherical cap …design, a cylindrical design, and the conventional whole body PET. RESULTS: The spherical cap and the dodecahedron have an identical SAF that is 58.4% higher than that of a 30 cm diameter cylinder and 5.44 times higher than that of a 76 cm diameter cylinder. The conceptual polygon-shape detectors (including pentagon and hexagon detectors based on the PMT-light-sharing scheme instead of the conventional square-shaped block detector module) are presented for the polyhedron PET design. Monte Carlo simulations are performed in order to validate the detector decoding. CONCLUSIONS: The results show that crystals in a pentagon-shape detector can be successfully decoded by Anger Logic. The new detector designs support the polyhedron PET investigation. Show more

Keywords: Positron emission tomography (PET), brain imaging, polyhedron geometry

DOI: 10.3233/THC-151000

Citation: Technology and Health Care, vol. 23, no. s2, pp. S615-S623, 2015