The purpose of this system is to establish virtual medical school (VMS) as the platform of e-lear... more The purpose of this system is to establish virtual medical school (VMS) as the platform of e-learning center, which integrates collaborative and self-directed learning environment by virtual group, classroom and library, and automatically converts valuable clinical case from Hospital Information System (HIS) database into virtual patient by online authoring tools for problem-based e-learning. In this system, the VMS provides a problem-based e-learning environment, and utilizes HIS to capture and store valuable clinical cases. All medical students and residents now have the opportunity to learn from these typical cases online. The VMS at National Taiwan University has the potential to develop into a national medical education network for the meditation and provision of comprehensive medical resources. The system will use the international standard SCORM 1.2 to develop teaching material and assist with the HL7 v2.4, CDA v1.0 standards to connect Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems in the hospital. It can provide resources sharing among medical centers by using high transportation ability of Grid Computing integrated with the broadband video platform, Access Grid, and personal multiple point videoconference platform, Multi-video, to popularize the application of e-learning in clinical medical education.
Background and Purpose: Sonophoresis is a noninvasive ultrasound-based method for the transdermal... more Background and Purpose: Sonophoresis is a noninvasive ultrasound-based method for the transdermal delivery of drugs. However, the importance of the thermal effects in sonophoresis via therapeutic ultrasound remained unclear. In this study, an animal study was used to evaluate the contribution of thermal effects in 1MHz ultrasound mediated transdermal drug delivery. Method: Rats in the ultrasound-treatment, heat-treatment, and control groups received ultrasound treatments (1MHz, 2W/cm^2, 100% duty cycle, 5 min), heat treatment (tail in 50ā water-bath for 10 min), and no treatment, respectively, before applying eutectic mixture of local anesthetics (EMLA) cream. Sensory conduction in the tail nerve was investigated before and every 5 min after treatment for 60 min. Results: There was no significant difference between the control and heat-treatment groups in the latency to the reduction in sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV) or in the sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude. The latency for the SNCV to decrease by 20% was significantly lower in the ultrasound-treatment group than in the control and thermal-treatment groups. Compared with control group and thermal treatment group, using ultrasound could reduce the latency for an EMLA reaction from 60 min to less than 20 min. Conclusion: In this study, the thermal effect seemed less important than the mechanical effects in sonophoresis via therapeutic ultrasound.
... Further experiments on people in coma or in vegetarian states is a task to pursue next. ... W... more ... Further experiments on people in coma or in vegetarian states is a task to pursue next. ... Wearablemulti-sensor systems are closer to our approach. ... 142Ā149. [12] N. Kern, B. Schiele, and A. Schmidt, ĀMulti-sensor activity context detection for wearable computing,Ā in Proc. ...
Owing to the increasing number of disabled individuals, technical aids are acting more aggressive... more Owing to the increasing number of disabled individuals, technical aids are acting more aggressively in the era of modern medicine. The M3S (Multiple Master Multiple Slave) system developed for the physically challenged, utilizes intelligent transmission and integration mechanisms to arrange all hooked-up devices with proper control. To overcome certain limitations of the system (e.g. distance), an RF (Radio Frequency) wireless module would be in charge of the wireless communication between a remote bus and a local bus. It is demonstrated here as assistance for parking assistive vehicles (e.g. powered wheelchair) located in a remote region, which also includes monitoring and usage of accessorial data transmissions shown in our man-machine interface.
This article describes a low-cost, portable real-time DSP-based speech controller system to provi... more This article describes a low-cost, portable real-time DSP-based speech controller system to provide radio interface control command applications for the blind. The system recognizes spoken Mandarin Chinese words on a DSP chip (TMS320C31) using a hidden Markov model. The function of the radio set, which includes a tuner, tape, and compact disc, were evaluated under both noisy and noiseless environments. Four subjects took part in the experiment and achieved 83 and 90% mean recognition rates under noisy and noiseless conditions, respectively. In addition, because this system is based on a DSP chip, it can easily be programmed to execute speaker-independent algorithms.
BACKGROUND: Recent advances in technology have warranted the use of wearable sensors to monitor g... more BACKGROUND: Recent advances in technology have warranted the use of wearable sensors to monitor gait and posture. However, the psychometric properties of using wearable devices to measure gait-related outcomes have not been fully established in patients with Parkinsonās disease (PD). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the test-retest reliability of body-worn sensors for gait evaluation in people with PD. Additionally, the influence of disease severity on the reliability was determined. METHODS: Twenty individuals with PD were recruited. During the first evaluation, the participants wore inertial sensors on their shoes and walked along a walkway thrice at their comfortable walking speed. The participants were then required to return to the lab after 3ā5 days to complete the second evaluation with the same study procedure. Test-retest reliability of gait-related outcomes were calculated. To determine whether the results would be affected by disease severity, reliability was re-calculated by subdividing the participants into early and mid-advanced stages of the disease. RESULTS: The results showed moderate to good reliability (ICCā=ā0.64ā0.87) of the wearable sensors for gait assessment in the general population with PD. Subgroup analysis showed that the reliability was higher among patients at early stages (ICCā=ā0.71ā0.97) compared to those at mid-advanced stages (ICCā=ā0.65ā0.81) of PD. CONCLUSIONS: Wearable sensors could reliably measure gait parameters in people with PD, and the reliability was higher among individuals at early stages of the disease compared to those at mid-advanced stages. Absolute reliability values were calculated to act as references for future studies.
Healthcare services integration is a critical task as it attempts to reform the user practices. I... more Healthcare services integration is a critical task as it attempts to reform the user practices. In response to the request of facilities upgrade, we perform a usability evaluation of the mobile medical treatment carts (MMTC) installed in the Emergency Medicine Department of our healthcare enterprise. A survey conducted in August 2006 identified that our experimental area needs some improvements to support the MMTC adoption. For example, the MMTC can accompany with several popular nursing care items. Follow-up several undertaken investigations indicated that our expectation of the MMTC solution had been reached. Given the evident heterogeneity of viewpoints, it is imperative for a healthcare enterprise to broadly ascertain the requirements of end users before investing in any information technologies.
To improve the operating speed of the traditional row-column scanning computer keyboard-mouse com... more To improve the operating speed of the traditional row-column scanning computer keyboard-mouse composite panel controlled using a single key. Using a single mouse input control window can avoid scanning unnecessary keyboard characters, thereby increasing the speed in performing mouse commands. In addition, the surface electromyographic (SEMG) sensing input can also be used to provide an input option for the disabled. Eleven volunteers operated the single mouse input control window using the SEMG input and the traditional computer keyboard-mouse composite panel controlled using a single key. The average operating times were 121.3+/-8.9 sec and 208.6+/-10.7 sec, respectively. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). The row-column scanning method with the single mouse control window using SEMG input can effectively decrease the operating time. Through this system, the disabled can operate a computer and lead an independent life.
International Conference on Control, Automation and Systems, Dec 31, 2012
ABSTRACT Exercise dosage is proven to be an important factor in the physical treatment. Robot ass... more ABSTRACT Exercise dosage is proven to be an important factor in the physical treatment. Robot assistive approach can improve the rehabilitation quality and evaluate patient's recovery quantitatively. This paper presents kinematic structure, assistive control system, and integrated F/T sensor for an upper limb rehabilitation robot. By using the human arm dynamic, there are three rehabilitation modes presented in this paper: active mode, assistive mode, and passive mode. In assistive mode, we have two strategies to implement it. One is to amplify interactive torque, and the other is to apply assist-as-needed concept. The goal of this mode is to assist patients to finish motion tasks. The rehabilitation robot under investigation has 7 degree of freedom (DOF) actuated by DC motors, which are programmed to drive the robot arm in the 3D space. To validate our control design, some realistic experiments are conducted and its satisfactory performance is demonstrated. This work is approved clinical testing by the Department of Health, Executive Yuan, R.O.C. So far, we are demonstrating the effect of our controller.
This paper proposes the development of a surface electromyographic (SEMG)-controlled telephone in... more This paper proposes the development of a surface electromyographic (SEMG)-controlled telephone interface for the disabled. The system is composed of three major components: (1) a SEMG receiving/signal-processing module; (2) a row-column scanning interface for the telephone dialling pad; and (3) a main controller, the Intel-8951 microprocessor. The design concept was based on the idea of using a SEMG generated by the disabled and converting it into a trigger pulse. This could allow convenient control of the dialing motion in the row-column scanning keys of a telephone dialling pad. People with disabilities are competent for certain kinds of work such as being a telephone operator. The increase of opportunities to perform a job for the disabled would help them live independently.
Medical Problems of Performing Artists, Jun 1, 2010
The current study examined the effects of applying relaxation breathing training (RBT) as a means... more The current study examined the effects of applying relaxation breathing training (RBT) as a means to reduce music performance anxiety (MPA) in young, talented musicians. A group of 59 young musicians from 3rd to 6th grade participated in this study, and all of them started RBT twice a week for 2 months prior to the examination. Four tests--2 mos, 1 mos, half an hour and 5 min before the examination--were conducted to examine the level of MPA after the application of RBT. Results show that the degree of MPA 5 min before the trial was lower than the degree of performance anxiety half an hour before the jury (t = -3.683, p < 0.01), which indicated that the RBT was associated with a decrease in MPA. Although a series of RBT exercises was applied, results indicated that when approaching the date of examination, the degree of performance anxiety still increased and reached its maximum half an hour before the jury. The recommendation for future studies is to combine the application of RBT with other methods to expand its effect in reducing MPA.
The purpose of this system is to establish virtual medical school (VMS) as the platform of e-lear... more The purpose of this system is to establish virtual medical school (VMS) as the platform of e-learning center, which integrates collaborative and self-directed learning environment by virtual group, classroom and library, and automatically converts valuable clinical case from Hospital Information System (HIS) database into virtual patient by online authoring tools for problem-based e-learning. In this system, the VMS provides a problem-based e-learning environment, and utilizes HIS to capture and store valuable clinical cases. All medical students and residents now have the opportunity to learn from these typical cases online. The VMS at National Taiwan University has the potential to develop into a national medical education network for the meditation and provision of comprehensive medical resources. The system will use the international standard SCORM 1.2 to develop teaching material and assist with the HL7 v2.4, CDA v1.0 standards to connect Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems in the hospital. It can provide resources sharing among medical centers by using high transportation ability of Grid Computing integrated with the broadband video platform, Access Grid, and personal multiple point videoconference platform, Multi-video, to popularize the application of e-learning in clinical medical education.
Background and Purpose: Sonophoresis is a noninvasive ultrasound-based method for the transdermal... more Background and Purpose: Sonophoresis is a noninvasive ultrasound-based method for the transdermal delivery of drugs. However, the importance of the thermal effects in sonophoresis via therapeutic ultrasound remained unclear. In this study, an animal study was used to evaluate the contribution of thermal effects in 1MHz ultrasound mediated transdermal drug delivery. Method: Rats in the ultrasound-treatment, heat-treatment, and control groups received ultrasound treatments (1MHz, 2W/cm^2, 100% duty cycle, 5 min), heat treatment (tail in 50ā water-bath for 10 min), and no treatment, respectively, before applying eutectic mixture of local anesthetics (EMLA) cream. Sensory conduction in the tail nerve was investigated before and every 5 min after treatment for 60 min. Results: There was no significant difference between the control and heat-treatment groups in the latency to the reduction in sensory nerve conduction velocity (SNCV) or in the sensory nerve action potential (SNAP) amplitude. The latency for the SNCV to decrease by 20% was significantly lower in the ultrasound-treatment group than in the control and thermal-treatment groups. Compared with control group and thermal treatment group, using ultrasound could reduce the latency for an EMLA reaction from 60 min to less than 20 min. Conclusion: In this study, the thermal effect seemed less important than the mechanical effects in sonophoresis via therapeutic ultrasound.
... Further experiments on people in coma or in vegetarian states is a task to pursue next. ... W... more ... Further experiments on people in coma or in vegetarian states is a task to pursue next. ... Wearablemulti-sensor systems are closer to our approach. ... 142Ā149. [12] N. Kern, B. Schiele, and A. Schmidt, ĀMulti-sensor activity context detection for wearable computing,Ā in Proc. ...
Owing to the increasing number of disabled individuals, technical aids are acting more aggressive... more Owing to the increasing number of disabled individuals, technical aids are acting more aggressively in the era of modern medicine. The M3S (Multiple Master Multiple Slave) system developed for the physically challenged, utilizes intelligent transmission and integration mechanisms to arrange all hooked-up devices with proper control. To overcome certain limitations of the system (e.g. distance), an RF (Radio Frequency) wireless module would be in charge of the wireless communication between a remote bus and a local bus. It is demonstrated here as assistance for parking assistive vehicles (e.g. powered wheelchair) located in a remote region, which also includes monitoring and usage of accessorial data transmissions shown in our man-machine interface.
This article describes a low-cost, portable real-time DSP-based speech controller system to provi... more This article describes a low-cost, portable real-time DSP-based speech controller system to provide radio interface control command applications for the blind. The system recognizes spoken Mandarin Chinese words on a DSP chip (TMS320C31) using a hidden Markov model. The function of the radio set, which includes a tuner, tape, and compact disc, were evaluated under both noisy and noiseless environments. Four subjects took part in the experiment and achieved 83 and 90% mean recognition rates under noisy and noiseless conditions, respectively. In addition, because this system is based on a DSP chip, it can easily be programmed to execute speaker-independent algorithms.
BACKGROUND: Recent advances in technology have warranted the use of wearable sensors to monitor g... more BACKGROUND: Recent advances in technology have warranted the use of wearable sensors to monitor gait and posture. However, the psychometric properties of using wearable devices to measure gait-related outcomes have not been fully established in patients with Parkinsonās disease (PD). OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the test-retest reliability of body-worn sensors for gait evaluation in people with PD. Additionally, the influence of disease severity on the reliability was determined. METHODS: Twenty individuals with PD were recruited. During the first evaluation, the participants wore inertial sensors on their shoes and walked along a walkway thrice at their comfortable walking speed. The participants were then required to return to the lab after 3ā5 days to complete the second evaluation with the same study procedure. Test-retest reliability of gait-related outcomes were calculated. To determine whether the results would be affected by disease severity, reliability was re-calculated by subdividing the participants into early and mid-advanced stages of the disease. RESULTS: The results showed moderate to good reliability (ICCā=ā0.64ā0.87) of the wearable sensors for gait assessment in the general population with PD. Subgroup analysis showed that the reliability was higher among patients at early stages (ICCā=ā0.71ā0.97) compared to those at mid-advanced stages (ICCā=ā0.65ā0.81) of PD. CONCLUSIONS: Wearable sensors could reliably measure gait parameters in people with PD, and the reliability was higher among individuals at early stages of the disease compared to those at mid-advanced stages. Absolute reliability values were calculated to act as references for future studies.
Healthcare services integration is a critical task as it attempts to reform the user practices. I... more Healthcare services integration is a critical task as it attempts to reform the user practices. In response to the request of facilities upgrade, we perform a usability evaluation of the mobile medical treatment carts (MMTC) installed in the Emergency Medicine Department of our healthcare enterprise. A survey conducted in August 2006 identified that our experimental area needs some improvements to support the MMTC adoption. For example, the MMTC can accompany with several popular nursing care items. Follow-up several undertaken investigations indicated that our expectation of the MMTC solution had been reached. Given the evident heterogeneity of viewpoints, it is imperative for a healthcare enterprise to broadly ascertain the requirements of end users before investing in any information technologies.
To improve the operating speed of the traditional row-column scanning computer keyboard-mouse com... more To improve the operating speed of the traditional row-column scanning computer keyboard-mouse composite panel controlled using a single key. Using a single mouse input control window can avoid scanning unnecessary keyboard characters, thereby increasing the speed in performing mouse commands. In addition, the surface electromyographic (SEMG) sensing input can also be used to provide an input option for the disabled. Eleven volunteers operated the single mouse input control window using the SEMG input and the traditional computer keyboard-mouse composite panel controlled using a single key. The average operating times were 121.3+/-8.9 sec and 208.6+/-10.7 sec, respectively. The difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). The row-column scanning method with the single mouse control window using SEMG input can effectively decrease the operating time. Through this system, the disabled can operate a computer and lead an independent life.
International Conference on Control, Automation and Systems, Dec 31, 2012
ABSTRACT Exercise dosage is proven to be an important factor in the physical treatment. Robot ass... more ABSTRACT Exercise dosage is proven to be an important factor in the physical treatment. Robot assistive approach can improve the rehabilitation quality and evaluate patient's recovery quantitatively. This paper presents kinematic structure, assistive control system, and integrated F/T sensor for an upper limb rehabilitation robot. By using the human arm dynamic, there are three rehabilitation modes presented in this paper: active mode, assistive mode, and passive mode. In assistive mode, we have two strategies to implement it. One is to amplify interactive torque, and the other is to apply assist-as-needed concept. The goal of this mode is to assist patients to finish motion tasks. The rehabilitation robot under investigation has 7 degree of freedom (DOF) actuated by DC motors, which are programmed to drive the robot arm in the 3D space. To validate our control design, some realistic experiments are conducted and its satisfactory performance is demonstrated. This work is approved clinical testing by the Department of Health, Executive Yuan, R.O.C. So far, we are demonstrating the effect of our controller.
This paper proposes the development of a surface electromyographic (SEMG)-controlled telephone in... more This paper proposes the development of a surface electromyographic (SEMG)-controlled telephone interface for the disabled. The system is composed of three major components: (1) a SEMG receiving/signal-processing module; (2) a row-column scanning interface for the telephone dialling pad; and (3) a main controller, the Intel-8951 microprocessor. The design concept was based on the idea of using a SEMG generated by the disabled and converting it into a trigger pulse. This could allow convenient control of the dialing motion in the row-column scanning keys of a telephone dialling pad. People with disabilities are competent for certain kinds of work such as being a telephone operator. The increase of opportunities to perform a job for the disabled would help them live independently.
Medical Problems of Performing Artists, Jun 1, 2010
The current study examined the effects of applying relaxation breathing training (RBT) as a means... more The current study examined the effects of applying relaxation breathing training (RBT) as a means to reduce music performance anxiety (MPA) in young, talented musicians. A group of 59 young musicians from 3rd to 6th grade participated in this study, and all of them started RBT twice a week for 2 months prior to the examination. Four tests--2 mos, 1 mos, half an hour and 5 min before the examination--were conducted to examine the level of MPA after the application of RBT. Results show that the degree of MPA 5 min before the trial was lower than the degree of performance anxiety half an hour before the jury (t = -3.683, p < 0.01), which indicated that the RBT was associated with a decrease in MPA. Although a series of RBT exercises was applied, results indicated that when approaching the date of examination, the degree of performance anxiety still increased and reached its maximum half an hour before the jury. The recommendation for future studies is to combine the application of RBT with other methods to expand its effect in reducing MPA.
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Papers by Jer-Junn Luh