Enrique Alvarez

• PhD Electrical Engineer
• Professor (Assistant) at University of North Dakota

In the past five years, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has evolved significantly, driven by advancements in device design, treatment protocols, software integration, and brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). This review evaluates how these innovations enhance the safety, efficacy, and accessibility of rTMS while identifying key cha...

Accurate non-invasive blood pressure measurements are vital in preventing and treating many cardiovascular diseases. The “gold standard” for non-invasive procedures is the auscultatory method, which is based on detecting Korotkoff sounds while deflating an arm cuff. Using this method as a “gold standard” requires highly-trained technicians and has...

This study describes a non-invasive medical device capable of measuring arterial blood pressure (BP) with a combination of inflationary and deflationary procedures. The device uses the pressure cuff pressure signal, arterial skin-surface acoustics, and photoplethysmography (PPG) to make a sensor-fusion estimation of blood pressure readings. We deve...

In Fall 2019, we taught a Cardiovascular Engineering course using a blended approach: a mix between online instruction and face-to-face environment. This course is an interdisciplinary Innovation Based Learning (IBL) class that combines both undergraduate, graduate students, face-to-face and distance education students from different institutions....

Our research group is currently engaged in an enhanced learning environment, within higher education, using Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) in combination with Innovation-Based Learning (IBL). Both approaches to learning when arranged correctly, improve students learning and engagement towards the course. When using IBL, one of the main problem...

MOOCs and virtualized educational media have enhanced the reach of specialized learning throughout the world. However, traditionally styled, lecture-based classrooms are lagging in incorporating 21 st -century teaching and learning methodology to develop innovative thinkers and problem solvers inside brick and mortar institutions. Using the blended...

Our research group presents lessons learned and a newly created web tool related to an Innovation-Based Learning course offered to college undergraduate and graduate students. The course incorporates a variety of modern instructional techniques including blended learning, MOOC instruction, project-based learning, just-in-time learning, remote digit...

MOOCs and Innovation-Based Learning (IBL) models are efficient individually, but they also contain points of friction that limit their potential. Our research team has developed a synergistic learning model that combines the scale and accessibility of MOOCs with the innovative thinking, research, and development of IBL. Together, these two models b...

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are allowing education to become accessible to all learners. However, computers are currently not able to provide the same individual expertise and support as a human instructor, making it difficult to tailor the course for each student. This work proposes using machine learning analytics to provide useful indivi...

The NDSU Center for Visual and Cognitive Neuroscience (COBRE P20 GM103505-08) is dedicated to the conduct of basic and translational research seeking to understand the neural bases of normal and disordered human sensation, perception, cognition, emotion, and action. The research of four Primary Project Directors, five Pilot Project Directors, and n...

The objective of the present work is to understand the human tissue dynamics using ultrasound imagery. A set of forces were applied to real human tissue, while, concurrently, ultrasound images and videos were taken in the area of interest. Then, an analysis of tissue displacement was performed using Image J and Matlab Image Processing Toolbox. Tiss...

The objective of this work is to develop an electronic tool capable of determining flicker fusion threshold. Flicker fusion threshold and other visual diagnostic tools have been widely used to characterize brain pathologies [1], [2]. A portable device can facilitate the diagnosis of such pathologies right after they happen, which could be of great...

The present paper shows the characteristics of a hardware/software display capable of presenting, at different spatial locations, multiple audio-visual stimuli in real-time. The system has been developed to provide a tool in neuroscience in event-related potential (ERP) studies, with presentation delays of less than one millisecond. The high time p...

According to the American Heart Association, approximately 166,200 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests occur each year. It is estimated that a victim's chances of survival are reduced by 7-10 percent for every minute that passes without treatment. Obviously, time is very critical in such situations. In most cardiac arrest cases, there is little to no w...

Parietal neuronal populations have been found which respond bimodally to visual and somatosensory input regarding one's own limbs or even perceived haptic input of a false limb (Graziano et al., Science 290:1782-1785, 2000). Further, neuronal populations have been observed which respond preferentially to visual stimuli presented in spatial congruen...