| Summary: | Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2001. === Includes bibliographical references (p. 37). === An experimental study was performed to determine a simultaneous visual and electrocardiogram measurement of zebrafish embryos. One zebrafish embryo was placed between two electrodes and the electrical signal was amplified 100 times, then a computer recorded the data. The visual reading of the zebrafish heart rate was obtained by viewing the embryo under a microscope. A variety of approaches were investigated to determine the heart rate including amplification, noise filtering and data manipulation. Noise was a significant obstacle in determining the zebrafish embryo's heart rate. Therefore, the signal was smoothed, digitally filtered, and a system transfer function was determined to extract the heart rate from the noisy signal. After the data manipulation, the electrical signal appeared to correspond to the visual reading of the heart rate. Providing a simultaneous visual and electrical measurement of the heart rate can lead to a better understanding of cardiological genetic mutations. This method of measuring the heart rate can supply information on the strength and pattern of the heartbeat, and also detect irregularities in the beat, which could lead to further understanding of cardiological genetic mutations and other related health problems in the future. === by Elizabeth A. Ellingson. === S.B.
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