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Research on Biomedical Engineering, Volume: 31, Número: 4, Publicado: 2015
  • Thank you for a wonderful 2015 Editorial

    Soares, Alcimar B
  • Detection of movement intention using EEG in a human-robot interaction environment Original Articles

    Lana, Ernesto Pablo; Adorno, Bruno Vilhena; Tierra-Criollo, Carlos Julio

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Introduction : This paper presents a detection method for upper limb movement intention as part of a brain-machine interface using EEG signals, whose final goal is to assist disabled or vulnerable people with activities of daily living. Methods EEG signals were recorded from six naïve healthy volunteers while performing a motor task. Every volunteer remained in an acoustically isolated recording room. The robot was placed in front of the volunteers such that it seemed to be a mirror of their right arm, emulating a Brain Machine Interface environment. The volunteers were seated in an armchair throughout the experiment, outside the reaching area of the robot to guarantee safety. Three conditions are studied: observation, execution, and imagery of right arm’s flexion and extension movements paced by an anthropomorphic manipulator robot. The detector of movement intention uses the spectral F test for discrimination of conditions and uses as feature the desynchronization patterns found on the volunteers. Using a detector provides an objective method to acknowledge for the occurrence of movement intention. Results When using four realizations of the task, detection rates ranging from 53 to 97% were found in five of the volunteers when the movement was executed, in three of them when the movement was imagined, and in two of them when the movement was observed. Conclusions Detection rates for movement observation raises the question of how the visual feedback may affect the performance of a working brain-machine interface, posing another challenge for the upcoming interface implementation. Future developments will focus on the improvement of feature extraction and detection accuracy for movement intention using EEG data.
  • Statistical evaluation of a novel SSVEP-BCI stimulation setup based on depth-of-field Original Articles

    Cotrina, Anibal; Benevides, Alessandro Botti; Castillo-Garcia, Javier; Ferreira, Andre; Bastos Filho, Teodiano Freire

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Introduction The main drawback of a Brain-computer Interface based on Steady-State Visual Evoked Potential (SSVEP-BCI) that detects the emergence of visual evoked potentials (VEP) in reaction to flickering stimuli is its muscular dependence due to users must redirect their gaze to put the target stimulus in their field of view. In this work, a novel setup is evaluated in which two stimuli are placed together in the center of users' field of view, but with dissimilar distances from them, so that the target selection is performed by focus shifting instead of head, neck and/or eyeball movements. Methods A model of VEP generation for the novel setup was developed. The Spectral F-test based on Bartett periodogram was used to evaluate the null hypothesis of absence of effects of the non-focused stimulus (NFS) within the VEP elicited by the focused stimulus (FS). To reinforce that there is not statistical evidence to support the presence of NFS effects, the PSDA detection method was employed to find the frequency of FS. Electroencephalographic signals of nine subjects were recorded. Results Approximately in 80% of the tests, the null hypothesis with 5% level of significance was non-rejected at the fundamental frequency of NFS. The average of the accuracy rate attained with PSDA detection method was 79.4%. Conclusion Results of this work become further evident to state that if the focused stimulus (FS) will be able to elicit distinguishable VEP pattern regardless the non-focused stimulus (NFS) is also present.
  • The influence of subcutaneous fat in the skin temperature variation rate during exercise Original Articles

    Neves, Eduardo Borba; Moreira, Tiago Rafael; Lemos, Rui Jorge; Vilaça-Alves, José; Rosa, Claudio; Reis, Victor Machado

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Introduction: Thermography records the skin temperature, which can be influenced by: muscle mass and subcutaneous fat layer. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the influence of subcutaneous fat layer in the skin temperature variation rate, during exercise. Methods This is a short-longitudinal study that involved 17 healthy male trained volunteers. Volunteers were divided in two groups. The first called GP1 with nine volunteers (biceps brachii skinfold thickness < 4 mm) and the second called GP2 with eight volunteers (biceps brachii skinfold thickness from 4 to 8 mm). Both groups performed three sets with 16 repetitions of unilateral biceps brachii bi-set exercise with dominant arm (eight repetitions of biceps curls and another eight of biceps hammer curls, with dumbbells), and with load of 70% of 1RM. The rest time between sets was 90s. Results The skin temperature variation rate (variation of temperature / time) was 3.59 × 10-3 ± 1.47 × 10-3 °C/s for GP1 and 0.66 × 10-3 ± 4.83 × 10-3 °C/s for GP2 (p = 0.138) considering all moments. For the period after set 1 until the end of set 3, skin temperature variation rate was 5.11 × 10-3 ± 2.57 × 10-3 °C/s for GP1 and 1.88 × 10-3 ± 3.60 × 10-3 °C/s for GP2 (p = 0.048). Subcutaneous fat layer also influences the skin temperature at resting (p = 0.044). Conclusion Subjects with lower subcutaneous fat layer have a higher skin temperature variation rate during exercise than those with higher subcutaneous fat layer.
  • Investigation of the influence of design details on short implant biomechanics using colorimetric photoelastic analysis: a pilot study Original Articles

    Zielak, João César; Archetti, Felipe Belmonte; Scotton, Ricardo; Filietaz, Marcelo; Storrer, Carmen Lucia Mueller; Giovanini, Allan Fernando; Deliberador, Tatiana Miranda

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Introduction : The clinical survival of a dental implant is directly related to its biomechanical behavior. Since short implants present lower bone/implant contact area, their design may be more critical to stress distribution to surrounding tissues. Photoelastic analysis is a biomechanical method that uses either simple qualitative results or complex calculations for the acquisition of quantitative data. In order to simplify data acquisition, we performed a pilot study to demonstrate the investigation of biomechanics via correlation of the findings of colorimetric photoelastic analysis (stress transition areas; STAs) of design details between two types of short dental implants under axial loads. Methods Implants were embedded in a soft photoelastic resin and axially loaded with 10 and 20 N of force. Implant design features were correlated with the STAs (mm2) of the colored fringes of colorimetric photoelastic analysis. Results Under a 10 N load, the surface area of the implants was directly related to STA, whereas under a 20 N load, the surface area and thread height were inversely related to STA. Conclusion A smaller external thread height seemed to improve the biomechanical performance of the short implants investigated.
  • A bilinear elastic constitutive model applied for midpalatal suture behavior during rapid maxillary expansion Original Articles

    Serpe, Larissa Carvalho Trojan; Las Casas, Estevam Barbosa de; Toyofuku, Ana Cláudia Moreira Melo; González-Torres, Libardo Andrés

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Introduction : This study aims to evaluate the influence of the biomechanical behavior of the midpalatal suture (MPS) during the rapid maxillary expansion (RME) when modeled by the Finite Element Method. Methods Four simulation alternatives are discussed and, for each analysis, the suture is considered as a functional unit with a different mechanical behavior: (i) without MPS elements, (ii) MPS with Young's modulus (E) equal to 1 MPa, (ii) MPS with E equal to 0.01 MPa and (iv) MPS with bilinear elastic behavior. Results The stress analysis showed that, when MPS is not considered in the model, stress peaks are reduced in magnitude and their distribution is restricted to a smaller area when compared to the model with the inclusion of MPS (E=1 MPa). The increased suture stiffness also has a direct influence on MPS displacements after 30 expander activations. Conclusion The consideration of the MPS in RME computer models influences greatly the calculated displacements between the suture bone ends, even as the stress levels in maxillary structures. Furthermore, as proposed for the described model, the elastic bilinear behavior assigned to MPS allows coherent prediction of stresses and displacements results, being a good representation for this suture overall behavior.
  • Numeric reconstruction of 2D cellular actomyosin network from substrate displacement Original Articles

    Nishitani, Wagner Shin; Carbonari, Ronny Calixto; Alencar, Adriano Mesquita

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Introduction: One of the fundamental structural elements of the cell is the cytoskeleton. Along with myosin, actin microfilaments are responsible for cellular contractions, and their organization may be related to pathological changes in myocardial tissue. Due to the complexity of factors involved, numerical modeling of the cytoskeleton has the potential to contribute to a better understanding of mechanical cues in cellular activities. In this work, a systematic method was developed for the reconstruction of an actomyosin topology based on the displacement exerted by the cell on a flexible substrate. It is an inverse problem which could be considered a phenomenological approach to traction force microscopy (TFM). Methods An actomyosin distribution was found with a topology optimization method (TOM), varying the material density and angle of contraction of each element of the actomyosin domain. The routine was implemented with a linear material model for the bidimensional actomyosin elements and tridimensional substrate. The topology generated minimizes the nodal displacement squared differences between the generated topology and experimental displacement fields obtained by TFM. The structure resulting from TOM was compared to the actin structures observed experimentally with a GFP-attached actin marker. Results The optimized topology reproduced the main features of the experimental actin and its squared displacement differences were 11.24 µm2, 27.5% of the sum of experimental squared nodal displacements (40.87 µm2). Conclusion This approach extends the literature with a model for the actomyosin structure capable of distributing anisotropic material freely, allowing heterogeneous contraction over the cell extension.
  • Morphological and mechanical characterization of chitosan-calcium phosphate composites for potential application as bone-graft substitutes Original Articles

    van de Graaf, Guilherme Maia Mulder; De Zoppa, Andre Luis do Valle; Moreira, Rodrigo Crispim; Maestrelli, Sylma Carvalho; Marques, Rodrigo Fernando Costa; Campos, Maria Gabriela Nogueira

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Introduction: Bone diseases, aging and traumas can cause bone loss and lead to bone defects. Treatment of bone defects is challenging, requiring chirurgical procedures. Bone grafts are widely used for bone replacement, but they are limited and expensive. Due to bone graft limitations, natural, semi-synthetic, synthetic and composite materials have been studied as potential bone-graft substitutes. Desirable characteristics of bone-graft substitutes are high osteoinductive and angiogenic potentials, biological safety, biodegradability, bone-like mechanical properties, and reasonable cost. Herein, we prepared and characterized potential bone-graft substitutes composed of calcium phosphate (CP) - a component of natural bone, and chitosan (CS) - a biocompatible biopolymer. Methods CP-CS composites were synthetized, molded, dried and characterized. The effect of drying temperatures (38 and 60 °C) on the morphology, porosity and chemical composition of the composites was evaluated. As well, the effects of drying temperature and period of drying (3, 24, 48 and 72 hours) on the mechanical properties - compressive strength, modulus of elasticity and relative deformation-of the demolded samples were investigated. Results Scanning electron microscopy and gas adsorption-desorption analyses of the CS-CP composites showed interconnected pores, indicating that the drying temperature played an important role on pores size and distribution. In addition, drying temperature have altered the color (brownish at 60 °C due to Maillard reaction) and the chemical composition of the samples, confirmed by FTIR. Conclusion Particularly, prolonged period of drying have improved mechanical properties of the CS-CP composites dried at 38 °C, which can be designed according to the mechanical needs of the replaceable bone.
  • Parameter estimation of an artificial respiratory system under mechanical ventilation following a noisy regime Original Articles

    Victor Júnior, Marcus Henrique; Forgiarini Junior, Luiz Alberto; Kinjo, Toru Miyagi; Amato, Marcelo Britto Passos; Yoneyama, Takashi; Tanaka, Harki

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Introduction: This work concerns the assessment of a novel system for mechanical ventilation and a parameter estimation method in a bench test. The tested system was based on a commercial mechanical ventilator and a personal computer. A computational routine was developed do drive the mechanical ventilator and a parameter estimation method was utilized to estimate positive end-expiratory pressure, resistance and compliance of the artificial respiratory system. Methods The computational routine was responsible for establishing connections between devices and controlling them. Parameters such as tidal volume, respiratory rate and others can be set for standard and noisy ventilation regimes. Ventilation tests were performed directly varying parameters in the system. Readings from a calibrated measuring device were the basis for analysis. Adopting a first-order linear model, the parameters could be estimated and the outcomes statistically analysed. Results Data acquisition was effective in terms of sample frequency and low noise content. After filtering, cycle detection and estimation took place. Statistics of median, mean and standard deviation were calculated, showing consistent matching with adjusted values. Changes in positive end-expiratory pressure statistically imply changes in compliance, but not the opposite. Conclusion The developed system was satisfactory in terms of clinical parameters. Statistics exhibited consistent relations between adjusted and estimated values, besides precision of the measurements. The system is expected to be used in animals, with a view to better understand the benefits of noisy ventilation, by evaluating the estimated parameters and performing cross relations among blood gas, ultrasonography and electrical impedance tomography.
  • The use of single point incremental forming for customized implants of unicondylar knee arthroplasty: a review Review

    Bhoyar, Pankaj Kailasrao; Borade, Atul Bhaskarrao

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Abstract Introduction The implantable devices are having enormous market. These products are basically made by traditional manufacturing process, but for the custom-made implants Incremental Sheet Forming is a paramount alternative. Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF) is a manufacturing process to form intricate, asymmetrical components. It forms the component using stretching and bending by maintaining materials crystal structure. SPIF process can be performed using conventional Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling machine. Review This review paper elaborates the various manufacturing processes carried on various biocompatible metallic and nonmetallic customised implantable devices. Conclusion Ti-6Al-4V alloy is broadly used for biomedical implants, but in this alloy, Vanadium is toxic so this alloy is not compatible for implants. The attention of researchers is towards the non toxic and suitable biocompatible materials. For this reason, a novel approach was developed in order to enhance the mechanical properties of this material. . The development of incremental forming technique can improve the formability of existing alloys and may meet the current strict requirements for performance of dies and punches.
  • Application of post-discharge region of atmospheric pressure argon and air plasma jet in the contamination control of Candida albicans biofilms Technical Communications

    Doria, Anelise Cristina Osório Cesar; Sorge, Camila Di Paula Costa; Santos, Thaisa Baesso; Brandão, Jhonatan; Gonçalves, Polyana Alves Radi; Maciel, Homero Santiago; Khouri, Sônia; Pessoa, Rodrigo Sávio

    Resumo em Inglês:

    Introduction:Candida species are responsible for about 80% of hospital fungal infections. Non-thermal plasmas operated at atmospheric pressure are increasingly used as an alternative to existing antimicrobial strategy. This work investigates the action of post-discharge region of a non-thermal atmospheric plasma jet, generated by a gliding arc reactor, on biofilms of standard strain of Candida albicans grown on polyurethane substrate. Methods Samples were divided into three groups: (i) non-treated; (ii) treated with argon plasma, and (iii) treated with argon plus air plasma. Subsequently to plasma treatment, counting of colony-forming units (CFU/ml) and cell viability tests were performed. In addition, the surface morphology of the samples was evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and optical profilometry (OP). Results Reduction in CFU/ml of 85% and 88.1% were observed in groups ii and iii, respectively. Cell viability after treatment also showed reduction of 33% in group ii and 8% in group iii, in comparison with group i (100%). The SEM images allow observation of the effect of plasma chemistry on biofilm structure, and OP images showed a reduction of its surface roughness, which suggests a possible loss of biofilm mass. Conclusion The treatment in post-discharge region and the chemistries of plasma jet tested in this work were effective in controlling Candida albicans biofilm contamination. Finally, it was evidenced that argon plus air plasma was the most efficient to reduce cell viability.
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