Modular and Portable System Design for 3D Imaging of Breast Tumors Using Electrical Impedance Tomography.

This paper presents a prototype of a portable and modular electrical impedance tomography (EIT) system for breast tumor detection. The proposed system uses MATLAB to generate three-dimensional representations of breast tissue. The modular architecture of the system allows for flexible customization and scalability. It consists of several interconnected modules. Each module can be easily replaced or upgraded, facilitating system maintenance and future enhancements. Testing of the prototype has shown promising results in preliminary screening based on experimental studies. Agar models were used for the experimental stage of this project. The 3D representations provide clinicians with valuable information for accurate diagnosis and treatment planning. Further research and refinement of the system is warranted to validate its performance in future clinical trials.

Kinect v2-Assisted Semi-Automated Method to Assess Upper Limb Motor Performance in Children.

The interruption of rehabilitation activities caused by the COVID-19 lockdown has significant health negative consequences for the population with physical disabilities. Thus, measuring the range of motion (ROM) using remotely taken photographs, which are then sent to specialists for formal assessment, has been recommended. Currently, low-cost Kinect motion capture sensors with a natural user interface are the most feasible implementations for upper limb motion analysis. An active range of motion (AROM) measuring system based on a Kinect v2 sensor for upper limb motion analysis using Fugl-Meyer Assessment (FMA) scoring is described in this paper. Two test groups of children, each having eighteen participants, were analyzed in the experimental stage, where upper limbs' AROM and motor performance were assessed using FMA. Participants in the control group (mean age of 7.83 ± 2.54 years) had no cognitive impairment or upper limb musculoskeletal problems. The study test group comprised children aged 8.28 ± 2.32 years with spastic hemiparesis. A total of 30 samples of elbow flexion and 30 samples of shoulder abduction of both limbs for each participant were analyzed using the Kinect v2 sensor at 30 Hz. In both upper limbs, no significant differences (p < 0.05) in the measured angles and FMA assessments were observed between those obtained using the described Kinect v2-based system and those obtained directly using a universal goniometer. The measurement error achieved by the proposed system was less than ±1° compared to the specialist's measurements. According to the obtained results, the developed measuring system is a good alternative and an effective tool for FMA assessment of AROM and motor performance of upper limbs, while avoiding direct contact in both healthy children and children with spastic hemiparesis.

Black-Box Mathematical Model for Net Photosynthesis Estimation and Its Digital IoT Implementation Based on Non-Invasive Techniques: Capsicum annuum L. Study Case.

Photosynthesis is a vital process for the planet. Its estimation involves the measurement of different variables and its processing through a mathematical model. This article presents a black-box mathematical model to estimate the net photosynthesis and its digital implementation. The model uses variables such as: leaf temperature, relative leaf humidity, and incident radiation. The model was elaborated with obtained data from Capsicum annuum L. plants and calibrated using genetic algorithms. The model was validated with Capsicum annuum L. and Capsicum chinense Jacq. plants, achieving average errors of 3% in Capsicum annuum L. and 18.4% in Capsicum chinense Jacq. The error in Capsicum chinense Jacq. was due to the different experimental conditions. According to evaluation, all correlation coefficients (Rho) are greater than 0.98, resulting from the comparison with the LI-COR Li-6800 equipment. The digital implementation consists of an FPGA for data acquisition and processing, as well as a Raspberry Pi for IoT and in situ interfaces; thus, generating a useful net photosynthesis device with non-invasive sensors. This proposal presents an innovative, portable, and low-scale way to estimate the photosynthetic process in vivo, in situ, and in vitro, using non-invasive techniques.

A Case Study in Breast Density Evaluation Using Bioimpedance Measurements.

(1) Background: As breast cancer studies suggest, a high percentage of breast density (PBD) may be related to breast cancer incidence. Although PBD screening is one of the strongest predictors of breast cancer risk, X-ray-based mammography evaluation is subjective. Therefore, new objective PBD measuring techniques are of interest. A case study analyzing the PBD of thirteen female participants using a bioimpedance-based method, the anomalies tracking circle (ATC), is described in this paper. (2) Methods: In the first stage, the breast bioimpedance of each participant was measured. Then, the participant breast density was determined by applying a mammogram just after the breast bioimpedance measurement stage. In the third stage, the ATC algorithm was applied to the measured bioimpedance data for each participant, and a results analysis was done. (3) Results: An ATC variation according to the breast density was observed from the obtained data, this allowed the use of classification techniques to determine the PBD. (4) Conclusions: The described breast density method is a promising approach that might be applied as an auxiliary tool to the mammography in order to obtain precise and objective results for evaluation of breast density and with that determine potential breast cancer risk.

Upper Limb Movement Measurement Systems for Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Literature Review.

Quantifying the quality of upper limb movements is fundamental to the therapeutic process of patients with cerebral palsy (CP). Several clinical methods are currently available to assess the upper limb range of motion (ROM) in children with CP. This paper focuses on identifying and describing available techniques for the quantitative assessment of the upper limb active range of motion (AROM) and kinematics in children with CP. Following the screening and exclusion of articles that did not meet the selection criteria, we analyzed 14 studies involving objective upper extremity assessments of the AROM and kinematics using optoelectronic devices, wearable sensors, and low-cost Kinect sensors in children with CP aged 4-18 years. An increase in the motor function of the upper extremity and an improvement in most of the daily tasks reviewed were reported. In the population of this study, the potential of wearable sensors and the Kinect sensor natural user interface as complementary devices for the quantitative evaluation of the upper extremity was evident. The Kinect sensor is a clinical assessment tool with a unique markerless motion capture system. Few authors had described the kinematic models and algorithms used to estimate their kinematic analysis in detail. However, the kinematic models in these studies varied from 4 to 10 segments. In addition, few authors had followed the joint assessment recommendations proposed by the International Society of Biomechanics (ISB). This review showed that three-dimensional analysis systems were used primarily for monitoring and evaluating spatiotemporal variables and kinematic parameters of upper limb movements. The results indicated that optoelectronic devices were the most commonly used systems. The joint assessment recommendations proposed by the ISB should be used because they are approved standards for human kinematic assessments. This review was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42021257211).

An analysis of electrical impedance measurements applied for plant N status estimation in lettuce (Lactuca sativa).

Nitrogen plays a key role in crop yields. Hence, farmers may apply excessive N fertilizers to crop fields, inducing environmental pollution. Crop N monitoring methods have been developed to improve N fertilizer management, most of them based on leaf or canopy optical-property measurements. However, sensitivity to environmental interference remains an important drawback. Electrical impedance has been applied to determine the physiological and nutritional status of plant tissue, but no studies related to plant-N contents are reported. The objective of this article is to analyze how the electrical impedance response of plants is affected by their N status. Four sets of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) with a different N-source concentrations per set were used. Total nitrogen and electrical impedance spectra (in a 1 to 100 kHz frequency range) were measured five times per set, three times every other day. Minimum phase angles of impedance spectra were detected and analyzed, together with the frequency value in which they occurred, and their magnitude at that frequency. High and positive correlation was observed between plant N content and frequency values at minimum phase angle with no significant variations detected between days of measurement. These results suggest that electrical impedance can be sensitive to plant N status.

A review of methods for sensing the nitrogen status in plants: advantages, disadvantages and recent advances.

Nitrogen (N) plays a key role in the plant life cycle. It is the main plant mineral nutrient needed for chlorophyll production and other plant cell components (proteins, nucleic acids, amino acids). Crop yield is affected by plant N status. Thus, the optimization of nitrogen fertilization has become the object of intense research due to its environmental and economic impact. This article focuses on reviewing current methods and techniques used to determine plant N status. Kjeldahl digestion and Dumas combustion have been used as reference methods for N determination in plants, but they are destructive and time consuming. By using spectroradiometers, reflectometers, imagery from satellite sensors and digital cameras, optical properties have been measured to estimate N in plants, such as crop canopy reflectance, leaf transmittance, chlorophyll and polyphenol fluorescence. High correlation has been found between optical parameters and plant N status, and those techniques are not destructive. However, some drawbacks include chlorophyll saturation, atmospheric and soil interference, and the high cost of instruments. Electrical properties of plant tissue have been used to estimate quality in fruits, and water content in plants, as well as nutrient deficiency, which suggests that they have potential for use in plant N determination.

Low-Cost Sensor for Lycopene Content Measurement in Tomato Based on Raspberry Pi 4.

Measuring lycopene in tomatoes is fundamental to the agrifood industry because of its health benefits. It is one of the leading quality criteria for consuming this fruit. Traditionally, the amount determination of this carotenoid is performed using the high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique. This is a very reliable and accurate method, but it has several disadvantages, such as long analysis time, high cost, and destruction of the sample. In this sense, this work proposes a low-cost sensor that correlates the lycopene content in tomato with the color present in its epicarp. A Raspberry Pi 4 programmed with Python language was used to develop the lycopene prediction model. Various regression models were evaluated using neural networks, fuzzy logic, and linear regression. The best model was the fuzzy nonlinear regression as the RGB input, with a correlation of R2 = 0.99 and a mean error of 1.9 × 10-5. This work was able to demonstrate that it is possible to determine the lycopene content using a digital camera and a low-cost integrated system in a non-invasive way.

Power Losses Models for Magnetic Cores: A Review.

In power electronics, magnetic components are fundamental, and, unfortunately, represent one of the greatest challenges for designers because they are some of the components that lead the opposition to miniaturization and the main source of losses (both electrical and thermal). The use of ferromagnetic materials as substitutes for ferrite, in the core of magnetic components, has been proposed as a solution to this problem, and with them, a new perspective and methodology in the calculation of power losses open the way to new design proposals and challenges to overcome. Achieving a core losses model that combines all the parameters (electric, magnetic, thermal) needed in power electronic applications is a challenge. The main objective of this work is to position the reader in state-of-the-art for core losses models. This last provides, in one source, tools and techniques to develop magnetic solutions towards miniaturization applications. Details about new proposals, materials used, design steps, software tools, and miniaturization examples are provided.

Electrical Impedance Tomography Technical Contributions for Detection and 3D Geometric Localization of Breast Tumors: A Systematic Review.

Impedance measuring acquisition systems focused on breast tumor detection, as well as image processing techniques for 3D imaging, are reviewed in this paper in order to define potential opportunity areas for future research. The description of reported works using electrical impedance tomography (EIT)-based techniques and methodologies for 3D bioimpedance imaging of breast tissues with tumors is presented. The review is based on searching and analyzing related works reported in the most important research databases and is structured according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) parameters and statements. Nineteen papers reporting breast tumor detection and location using EIT were systematically selected and analyzed in this review. Clinical trials in the experimental stage did not produce results in most of analyzed proposals (about 80%), wherein statistical criteria comparison was not possible, such as specificity, sensitivity and predictive values. A 3D representation of bioimpedance is a potential tool for medical applications in malignant breast tumors detection being capable to estimate an ap-proximate the tumor volume and geometric location, in contrast with a tumor area computing capacity, but not the tumor extension depth, in a 2D representation.

Assessment technique for acne treatments based on statistical parameters of skin thermal images.

Acne vulgaris as an inflammatory disease, with an excessive production of subdermal fat, modifies the dynamics of the bloodstream, and consequently temperature, on the affected skin zone. A high percentage of this heat interchange is manifested as electromagnetic radiation with far-infrared wavelengths, which can be captured through a thermal imaging camera. A technique based on thermal image analysis for efficiency assessment in acne vulgaris is described. The procedure is based on computing statistical parameters of thermal images captured from the affected skin zone being attended by an acne treatment. The proposed technique was used to determine the skin thermal behavior according to acne severity levels in different acne treatment stages. Infrared images of acne skin zones on eight patients, diagnosed with acne vulgaris and attended by one specific acne treatment, were weekly registered during 11 weeks. The infrared images were captured until no more improvement in affected zones was detected. The obtained results suggest a direct relationship between the used statistical parameters, particularly first- and second-order statistics, and the acne vulgaris severity level on the affected zones.

Study on simple reaction and choice times in patients with type I diabetes.

A study on simple reaction time (SRT) and choice reaction time in patients having diabetes is described in this paper. The study was applied to fourteen patients with type I diabetes, as well as to fourteen non-diabetic persons. The research is based on two visual signal perception experiments, both implemented on a computer based environment. The SRT experiment consisted on measuring participants' reaction times to a light change event in a simulated traffic light scenario. The choice reaction time was studied through the performance indexes (d') achieved by participants in a two alternative forced experiment, where a known visual signal is identified from two noisy images. According to the obtained results, the diabetic patients' SRTs were an average of 24% longer than the reaction time of non-diabetic persons, in the same way a significant average difference of 41% was obtained in the efficient index d' too. A positive correlation of 0.6594 between the time periods since diabetes has been diagnosed and the average SRTs of diabetic patients was obtained, also significant correlation differences between age of all experiments participants and resulting variables, SRTs and d', were observed; for instance the correlation factor between participants' ages and their average SRTs was -0.8529 for diabetic patients, meanwhile a value of -0.2905 was obtained for non-diabetic persons. The evidence suggests that the time period since diabetes has been diagnosed notably affects motor and sensorial systems maturity, and consequently conduction speed of sural and peroneal nerves.