Three-dimensional human movement tracking has long been an important topic in medical and engineering field. Complex camera systems such as Vicon can be used to retrieve very precise motion data. However, the system is more commercial-oriented with a high cost. Besides, it would also be tedious and cumbersome to wear the special markers and suits for tracking. Therefore, there's an urgent need to investigate a cost-effective and markless tool for motion tracking. Microsoft Kinect provides a promising solution with a vast variety of libraries, allowing quick development of 3-D spatial modeling and analysis such as moving skeleton possible. For example, the kinematics of the joints such as acceleration, velocity, and angle changes can be deduced from the spatial position information acquired by the camera. In order to validate whether the Kinect system is sufficient for the analysis in practice, a micro-controller platform Arduino along with Intel® Curie™ IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) module is developed. In particular, the velocity and Euler angels of joint movements, as well as head orientations are measured and compared between the two systems. In this paper, the goal is to present (i) the use of Kinect Depth sensor for data acquisition, (ii) post-processing with the retrieved data, (iii) validation of the Kinect camera. Results show that the RMS error of the velocity tracking ranges from 1.78% to 23.34%, presenting a good agreement of measurement between the two systems. Moreover, the relative error of the angle tracking is between 4.0% and 24.3%. The results of the head orientations tracking are hard to perform a mathematical analysis due to the noise and invalid data from the camera caused by the loss of tracking. Overall, the accuracy of joint movement tracked by the Kinect camera, particularly velocity, is proved to be acceptable and the depth camera has been found to be an effective tool for kinematic measurement as a cost-effective option. A platform and workflow are now established, thus making future work regarding validation and application possible when the advanced hardware is available. / Tre dimensionell rörelse spårning har alltid varit ett viktigt ämne inom medicinska och tekniska områden. Komplexa kamerasystem så som Vicon kan användas för att hämta exakta data för olika rörelser. Dessa system är dock mer kommersiellt orienterade, och är oftast dyra. Systemen är dessutom besvärliga eftersom man är tvungen att bära speciella dräkter med markörer, för att kunna spåra rörelser. Därav finns det ett stort intresse av att undersöka ett kostnadseffektivt och markörfria verktyg för rörelsespårning. Microsoft Kinect är en lovande lösning med en mängd olika bibliotek som möjliggör en snabb utveckling av 3D spatial modellering och analys. Från den spatiala positionsinformationen kan man få fram information om ledernas acceleration, hastighet och vinkelförändring. För att kunna validera om Kinect är passande för analysen, utvecklades en mikro-styrplattform Ardunino tillsammans med Intel R CurieTM IMU (tröghetsmätningsenhet). Hastigheten och Eulers vinkel vid rörelse av lederna, samt orienteringen av huvudet mättes och jämfördes mellan dessa två system. Målet med detta arbete är att presentera (i) användningen av Kinect Depth sensor för datainsamling, (ii) efterbehandling av inhämtad data, (iii) validering av Kinect Kamera. Resultatet visade att RMS-errorn av hastighetsspårningen varierade mellan 1.78% och 23.34%, vilket påvisar en god likhet mellan mätningarna av de två systemen. Det relativa felet i vinkelspårningen är mellan 4.0% och 24.3%. Resultatet för orienteringen av huvudet var svår att ta fram genom matematisk analys eftersom brus och invalid data från kameran uppstod pga förlust av spårning. Noggrannheten av ledrörelsen detekterad av Kinect kameran bevisas vara acceptabel, speciellt för hastighetsmätningar. Djupkameran har visat vara ett effektivt verktyg för kinematiks mätning som ett kostnadseffektivt alternativ. En plattform och arbetsflöde har tagits fram, vilket möjliggör validering och tillämpning när den avancerade hårdvaran är tillgänglig.

Healthcare demands staff working around-the-clock for their patients. Healthcare staff is increasingly dependent on technology for performing their profession in the most adequate way possible. However, technology fails occasionally, and thus requires service. As medicine is increasingly dependent on technical device, there is also an increasing need for support beyond office hours. The current service-level agreements at Philips imaging systems and patient monitoring systems include service during office hours. In this project, the need of expanding the hours, in which support is offered, is investigated. The project is carried out through interviews with medical technicians and users of the medical device. The respondents include technicians and clinicians working with medical imaging and patient monitoring, respectively. The aim is to map the need for off-hour support, e.g. support during evenings, nights, weekends, and holidays. The results show that there is a need for off-hour support. However, the need differs depending on the receiver of the support.

This study investigated the contractile properties of the plantar-and dorsi-flexor muscles controlling the ankle joint. The purpose of this study was to investigate how the muscle strength and muscle architecture change after stroke, and how the muscle strength and architecture are correlated. 13 typically developed (TD) subjects and 8 post-stroke (PS) individuals participated in this study where they performed maximal isometric tests (MVC) at 4 angles and isokinetic tests at 2 velocities. Torque-angle and torque-angular velocity relations were created to examine the muscle group strength. Third order polynomial and rectangular hyperbola were used to fit the torque-angle and torque-angular velocity relations, respectively. In addition, a maximum isometric torque and an optimal angle were reported for the healthy and stroke survivors. Ultrasonography system was used to study the muscle architecture at rest and maximal voluntary isometric conditions in the healthy and post-stroke groups. Fascicle length, muscle thickness and pennation angle of the medial gastrocnemius (MG) and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles were measured and compared between the two tested groups. Second order polynomial was used to study the correlation between the muscle strength and muscle architecture at MVC condition. A reduced range of motion and decreased maximal isometric torque were reported in the PS group. In addition, shorter fascicle lengths and smaller muscle thickness were obtained at rest and maximal voluntary contraction states in the stroke survivors compared to the healthy group. Pennation angle increased in the maximal voluntary isometric state compared to the rest condition. Decreased pennation angle was found in the MG, but it was increased in TA at the MVC state in the PS group compared to the healthy group. In the MG muscle, a positive correlation was found between the muscle strength with fascicle length and with muscle thickness in the healthy and post-stroke groups, but negative correlation was found with the pennationa angle in the two groups. In the TA muscle, positive correlation was found between muscle strength and fascicle length and negative correlation with the pennation angle in the TD and PS groups. However, negative correlation was obtained between muscle strength and muscle thickness in the TD group and no clear correlation in the PS group. / Technology

Muscle morphological and mechanical properties play a crucial role in explaining the mechanisms underlying the development and progression of muscle weakness, joint stiffness, muscle contraction, and the resultant loss of motor function in children. Information in the literature about how muscle architecture correlate with muscle force production in passive and active conditions in children is very limited. Therefore, new information regarding muscle mechanics and morphology has the possibility to contribute to the improvement of more targeted and more effective treatments for children. The goal of this project is to develop a feasible experimental method to examine passive and active muscle force production capacity in the lower limbs in healthy children and to analyse the correlations of muscle morphological parameters obtained from diffusion tensor images(DTI) and force generation capacity in passive and active conditions. For this project, 10 healthy children were recruited and tested in Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital. The chosen muscles to examine was medial gastrocnemius, soleus, and tibialis anterior. Neuroflexor device was used for the passive force measurements. A fixed version of a hand-held dynamometer was utilized for the active measurements. In order to capture the muscle activities during the movement, surface electromyography was collected simultaneously. The findings from both measurements gave consistent results. In terms of the passive resistance force measured by NF, the characteristic force peaks can be further analyzed to separate different contributions for more informative results. Regarding the correlations, stable and high correlations were determined between the volume(v) and both force measurements except the medial posterior SOL for MVC. Fascicle length (FL) correlations showed more of a variety since high correlation was observed for PF and FL while negligible correlation was found between P3 and FL. Further research with more parameters is needed to obtain more reliable results. Overall, not only healthy subjects but also children who suffer from muscle weakness and disabilities should be investigated for further examination.

While the rodent model has long been used in brain research, there exists no standardisedprocessing routine that can be employed for analysis and investigation of disease models. Thepresent thesis attempts to investigate a diseased brain model by implementing a collection ofscripts, combined with algorithms from existing neuroimaging software, and adapting themto the rodent brain, in an attempt to examine when and how monaural canal atresia affectsthe functional connectivity of the brain. We show that it is possible to use software tailoredto the human brain to pre-process the rodent model. Following conventional pipelines andresting state functional MRI (rs-fMRI)-specific strategies, the developed processing routineimplements the most basic steps suggested in literature. On the single-subject level, skullstripping was done using Mialite software, motion correction and distortion correction werebased on FMRIB software library (FSL) algorithms and motion artefacts were removed usingICA-based Automatic Removal Of Motion Artifacts (ICA-AROMA). Following denoising,normalisation to standard space, smoothing and temporal filtering, group level analysis wasperformed. A univariate, hypothesis-driven method and a multivariate, data-driven methodwere used for group comparison and statistical inference. While seed-based correlationanalysis (SCA) did not return any significant results, independent component analysis (ICA) identified two components that show activation in areas of interest. / Djurmodeller med gnagare (råtta och mus) har länge använts i hjärnforskning. Men ännu finns det ingen standardiserad rutin för analys och utvärdering av bilddata från sådana sjukdomsmodeller. Detta arbete använder en råttmodell av sjukdomen ensidig hörselgångsatresi, som innebär att yttre hörselgången är igensatt på ena sidan. Detta görs genom att mjukvaruverktyg som utvecklats för att analysera bilddata från magnetkameraundersökning av den mänskliga hjärnan anpassas för att användas på motsvarande bilddata från råtta för att studera hur ensidig hörselgångsatresi påverkar hjärnans funktionella konnektivitet, dvs hur mönstren i hjärnaktivering samvarierar mellan olika delar av hjärnan (rs-fMRI). Vi visar att det är möjligt att använda mjukvara avsedd för människans hjärna för att förbehandla bilder av råtthjärna. Med hjälp av etablerade arbetsflöden och särskilda procedurer för rs-fMRI kunde den utvecklade proceduren implementera de viktigaste stegen i analysen. För varje individ avgränsades hjärnan med programmet Mialite, rörelsekorrigering och korrigering av rumsdistorsion gjordes med FSL, och rörelseartefakter avlägsnades med ICA-AROMA. Sedan brus tagits bort, och bilddata standardiserats till en standardanatomi och genomgått filtrering i rum och tid, gjordes analys på två grupper, med och utan artificiell hörselgångsatresi. En univariat, hypotesdriven metod och en multivariat, data-driven metod användes för gruppjämförelse och statistisk analys. Frö-baserad korrelationsanalys (SCA) gav inga signifikanta resultat, men oberoende-komponent-analys (ICA) påvisade två anatomiska områden med aktivering relaterad till skillnader mellan grupperna.

A lot of laser medical devices have been developed over the past half-century. Particularly these days, low-level near-infrared laser devices that illuminate epidermal tissue have been rapidly innovated. Especially. it has been reported that less than 5 W/cm2 infrared light stimulates our immune system and is expected to be applied in clinical usage. In terms of the safety and efficacy of the therapies or the treatments, an accurate heat damage criterion is required. We showed the damage threshold of heat generated by infrared laser irradiation with cultivated human epidermal keratinocytes. These results define the safe combinations of temperature and laser duration.

Analysis of blood samples is one of the major steps in diagnosing pathological conditions like cancer. The upstream sample preparation for the pathological cell analysis from complex biological fluid like blood, involves selective cell sorting. It can be achieved using fluorescently activated or magnetically activated cell sorters. Another way is to sort them using acoustophoresis which is cheaper, gives better spatial control and is also rapid apart from the fact that, it does not affect the cellular viability.6,9 In acoustophoresis, particles depending upon their density and compressibility relative to the suspended medium migrate to either pressure anti-nodes or nodes, when subjected to acoustic field. Poly vinyl alcohol-based microbubbles have a strong negative acoustic contrast factor and hence migrate to the anti-nodes in a standing ultrasonic wave. Previously, this property was utilized for cell separation by conjugating the bubbles to cells and subjecting them to ultrasonic waves in a silicon glass based microfluidic channel.55 A protocol for coating the microbubbles with avidin, so that these can readily attach to the cells has been developed in this work. However, microfluidic channel is obtained from a master mold which is developed in a clean room facility using photolithography. A cost-effective way has been developed for the production of a mold using a Computerized Numerical Control system (where the positive master for the microfluidic channel is drilled onto a PMMA sheet) for continuous separation of cancer cells. Alternate methods like a cutting plotter (which uses a double sided adhesive tape as a positive master) and a 3-D printer have been investigated, in order to be used as a mold for the microfluidic channel. As a proof, microbubbles-cell complex was focused in a PDMS based microfluidic channel, by utilizing standing Bulk acoustic waves. At flow rate of 10µl/min, efficiency greater than 80% has been achieved. This technique is low cost and can be implemented in places without a clean room facility for size independent cell sorting.

Abstract Background Ergonomists are interested in measuring the work postures and movements workers perform during their workday. The most common evaluation method to date, is observational studies, where the ergonomist visits the workplace and performs an evaluation. This is time consuming and different ergonomists tend to have low correlation between their evaluations. To make objective evaluations and speed up the process, a system to capture the work postures and movements would be helpful. Optical motion capture (OMC) systems have shown to have high accuracy and precision for capturing work postures and movements, but OMC systems are quite costly and often need a whole laboratory to be set up. This is not feasible in most workplaces. Inertial sensors on the other hand, enable sufficient capturing of the motions but still have the convenience of being mobile and easy to set up. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the development of a motion capture system, based on inertial sensors. Methods An existing Android application was modified for measuring the working postures of the trunk. To evaluate the construct validity, measurements of the inertial sensors were compared to an OMC system, which was used as a gold standard. Three different sensor-placements of the inertial sensors for the trunk was tested. The positions were above the C7, T4 and L1/S5 vertebrates and at the Sternum. The relative angle between L5/S1 and the Sternum, called SaSt, was calculated. Twelve participants performed a validation experiment, following a protocol for motions in a pace set by a metronome to 20 BPM. Four of the participants repeated the validation experiment wearing a Smart shirt. The participants performed a “Posture test”, where the participants were instructed to perform the uniaxially movements flexion/extension, lateral bending and rotation. Also, the participants performed two “Work-task tests”, called symmetrical- and asymmetrical lifting. Results In the Posture test’s result showed that the mean Root Mean Square Difference (RMSD) of all inertial sensors for all types of movements performed, was 4.1˚ and the inter-system correlation was generally high (≥0.782), compared to the OMC system. Symmetrical lifting, showed in the same manner, a mean RMSD of 13˚. The correlation was high (≥0.990) in flexion/extension (over the axis where movement occurred). Asymmetrical lifting, showed a mean RMSD of 26˚. The correlation was high (≥0.732) for all types of movements. Discussions and Conclusions For the Posture test, the sensor-placements T4 and C7 had the lowest RMSD for flexion/extension and lateral bending, compared to the OMC system, but SaSt had the least RMSD when the participants were performing rotation. For the symmetrical lifting task, T4 and C7 showed much lower RMSD than SaSt for flexion/extension. The same applies for asymmetrical lifting, but this time both for flexion/extension and lateral bending. To place the inertial sensors in a Smart shirt instead of on the skin, did not affect the accuracy for the movements flexion/extension and rotation. Only lateral bending was affected, probably because the shirt does not fit tight when lateral bending is performed. The tested inertial sensor-based motion capture system is comparable to an OMC system for uniaxially movements. The inertial sensors had high correlation and low RMSD compared to the OMC system, which is impaired when the participants combined movements over two or more planes. / Technology

Executive Summary The Complete Blood Count (CBC) is considered one of the most commonly performed screening tests in medical diagnostics. The CBC is performed using a hematological analyzer, which counts the numbers and types of different cells within the blood. However, due to the high concentration of cells in the blood samples to be counted, the dilution process is considered an essential factor for obtaining accurate counting results. Below is an investigation for an invention of a unique method and device for blood sample dilution in hematology analyzers. As mentioned, before starting an analysis a hematology cell counter device must dilute a precise defined volume of a whole blood sample with a diluent reagent (in this study 20ml of a blood sample is diluted with 4,5ml of diluent reagent). This dilution process must be accurate and repeatable with a high precision to produce the target dilution ratio (here 1:200). Exclusive to almost all hematology analyzers today, shear values (SV) are used to obtain highly precise volumes. These SV components are however very costly and add a higher complexity to the systems. This thesis was therefore aimed as an experimental evaluation for a novel passive dilution tool called shearing block (SB), which could possibly then replace the SV and be used in the coming Haematology Analyzer Devices manufactured by Boule Medical AB. The SB has the advantages of being low cost, having a simple mechanism, being much more flexible for integration with any microfluidic system and also eliminates the need for complex control systems or equipment, thereby lowering the need for calibration and maintenance. If a SB could replace the SV with an equally precise accuracy on the 20ml blood volume it would be highly beneficial.   The set hypothesis was that the dilution process via the SB, will only be affected by blood viscosity. Through changing the blood’s viscosity, via changing the hematocrit concentration (HCT) and blood sample temperature, this study aimed to conclude if this gave a significant effect on the blood sample dilution via the SB. This was achieved through two performed experiments both including the same control group (CG) along with a test group (TG). All tests were performed using the same blood sample, the same reference measuring device (Medonic M32) and experimental setup. The experimental setup included the control group, CG, (N=30) consisting of 20µl blood samples aspirated through an electronic pipette in room temperature condition being mixed with 4,5ml of diluent reagent that had been automatically dispensed by the Medonic M32 instrument. The 20µl blood together with the 4,5ml diluent resulted in the targeted 1:200 dilution ratio. The test group, TG, (where N=30 for each respective group) was diluted through the SB through a fully automated process for the targeted 1:200 dilution. All diluted blood samples were then analyzed on the Medonic M32 for all hematology parameters and the hemoglobin (HGB) parameter was used as an indicator to quantify the blood volume in the TG runs as compared to the CG reference runs. Two test groups (TG) were analyzed: the first investigating the effect of the HCT and the second of the sample temperature on the blood volume (before dilution) in the SB. The HCT concentration levels were tested at 15%, 27%, 33% and 58% with samples and test run and kept at a constant 25°C. The second test group investigated the effect of 15°C, 25°C, 35°C and 39°C on a blood sample with a constant HCT of 33%. The main aim of this experimental study was to validate the SB simulation. However, the experiments results, showed that the diluted blood volume via SB was strongly influenced by changes in hematocrit concentration and that the unwanted additional blood volume, was increasing directly proportionally with hematocrit concentration.  On the other hand, there seemed to be no apparent change in the blood volume on the SB diluted samples for the various temperature differences between 15-35°C. To conclude, the experiments results were not consistent with predictions of SB simulation model and there are two reasons that could explain that. Firstly, in the simulation the blood was approximated with a homogeneous fluid with a given viscosity. The second reason is the mismatch between the dilution process via the SB and the simulation (the simulation started with an idealized initial status, whereas the SB channel was prefilled by blood). This means that the simulation excluded any effect that may occur as a convection effect during blood flow inside the channel and whilst encountering diluent reagent. These two reasons explain why the results of the simulation was not consistent with that of the experiments, regarding the unwanted blood volume. Therefore, a new simulation is required. Recommendations for future actions: undoubtedly there are several optimizations that may increase the accuracy of the proposed SB design such as; removing the diluent's reservoir for eliminating the effect of bubbles, changing the geometrical angles or use a smaller diameter for the inlets and outlets of the microchannels to reduce the convection and diffusion effect, (which in turn would reduce the unwanted blood volume). Therefore, determining the best SB's microchannel structure to perform the dilution process with minimum unwanted blood volume remains a near future next step follow-up project. / Abstract Föreliggande uppfinning avser en unik metod och anordning för blodprovspädning i hematologiska analysatorer. Innan en analys startas, måste en hematologicellräknare utspäda exakt definierad volym helblodsprov med ett utspädningsreagens. (i detta fall 20ml av ett blodprov med 4,5 ml utspädningsreagens). Denna spädnings process måste vara repeterbar med en extremt hög prestanda och spädningsratio (i detta fallet 1:200). I de flesta fall används så kallade vridventiler (”shear valves”) för att göra mycket exakta blod volymsbeskäringar. Dessa komponenter är i hematologisystemen dock oftast extremt kostsamma och utger en mycket högre komplexitet på systemet på många sätt. Denna avhandling var därmed en utredningsstudie för att undersöka en ny passiv avskavnings mekanism och metod så kallad ”shear block”, (SB) som skulle kunna ersätta nuvarande vridventiler i Boules nuvarande hematologisystem. Denna metod har många fördelar så som lägre kostnad, simplifierad mekanism, flexibilitet inför integration med microfluidiska system samt att färre komplexa kontrollsystem och utrustning vilket minskar kalibrering och underhållsbehov. Hypotesen inför denna studie är därmed att Shear Block spädningsmetoden endast påverkas av blodets viskositet. Genom förändringar av blodets viskositet, via hematokrit- och temperaturändringar, försökt påvisa om det skapar en signifikant effekt på spädnings processen i SB. Detta testades genom två experiment som vardera innehöll två testgrupper: en kontrollgrupp (KG) och en testgrupp (TG). Alla tester genomfördes med samma blodprov, mätdonsinstrument (Medonic M32) och test uppsättning. I testuppsättningen var KG (N=30) 20ul uppmätta blodprover som med hjälp av en elektronisk pipette aspirerats under rumstemperatur innan det sedan blandats med 4,5ml spädningsreagens som automatiskt dispenseras från Medonic M32 instrumentet. Denna 20ul blod med 4,5ml reagens skapar den 1:200 spädningsratio. TG (var N=30 för varje respektive testgrupp) var spätt genom SB med en fullt automatiserad process för den 1:200 spädningen. Alla spädda prover var sedan analyserade på Medonic M32 för alla hematologiparametrar och HGB värdet användes som en indikator för att kvantifiera spädningsprovernas blodvolym i TG körningarna med KG värden som referens.  TG bestod av två grupper: Den första undersökte påverkan av HCT och den andra temperaturen på blodets volym, innan spädningen, i SB. HCT nivåer på 15, 27, 33 samt 58 % testades först under en konstant 25°C. Andra testgruppen undersökte sedan effekten av 15, 25, 35 och 39°C på ett prov med HCT=33%. Poängen med dessa TG var att validera SB funktionen. Utfallet visade dock att blodprover spädda genom SB var högst påverkade av HCT koncentrationen och därmed den oönskade extrablodvolymen var direkt proportionerlig med den ökade HCT koncentrationen. Däremot var det ingen volympåverkan på prover spädda via SB med temperaturskillnader mellan 15 till 35°C. Sammanfattningsvis var tyvärr inte experimentets resultat konsekventa med våra förutsägelser för SB simulatorn då SB inte innefattade och tog hänsyn till hela spädningsprocessen.

Endovascular surgery is a relatively new, rapidly growing, clinical technique and research area. A new endovascular tool has been developed by Endovascular Development AB, the Liungman Guidewire Fixator (LGF) that secures the distal position of a guidewire. The design of the LGF resembles a nitinol (Nickel-Titanium) stent and exerts a radial force against the blood vessel wall. It is desirable to have a well-founded understanding of all the mechanical characteristics of the product from a medical technology safety perspective.   There are different methods for uniformly measure the radial force of an object, i.e. where one single total radial force represents the entire object. This report investigates the possibility for segmented radial force measurement by the development of a new measuring instrument. A prototype of the measuring instrument has been produced to test if the proposed method can be implemented or not.   The prototype has been designed, developed and constructed to measure the radial force of individual segments of the stent. The stent segments were created using iris diaphragms and their resistance to radial change were measured using strain gauges. The concept was to measure the radial force differences between each segment with respect to the diameter of the stent. The results show a large and high intensity variation of data due to the strain gauge application. The variation is due to disturbances and flaws in the manufacturing process. On the other hand, one can see that the values for the radial forces of the segments for them different LGFs provide reasonable magnitudes. Some experiments also presents results similar to previous experiments. However, at the same time, no statistically significant conclusion can be drawn. The concept and the theory should work if the errors are changed. In summary, the proposal is to further develop the prototype and complement the experiment using finite element analysis.