Modelling Dynamically Re-sizeable Electrodes (DRE) for Targeted Transcutaneous Measurements in Impedance Plethysmography

Impedance plethysmography of extremities typically uses band electrodes around limbs to monitor changes in blood volume. This often causes monitored blood variations to only generate minuscule impedance values relative to the measured baseline, attributed to the tissue surrounding the artery or vein of interest. Smaller, ECG type electrodes can provide a larger signal, however their output is very easily affected by the placement of the electrodes relative to the targeted vasculature. This paper presents a novel method to adjust the active surface of electrodes, introducing Dynamically Re-sizeable Electrodes (DRE), to only target the exact area of interest, forming localised electrodes, without having to manually re-position them. Elongated rectangular electrodes were partitioned into smaller electrode segments, interconnected through custom circuitry. For the development and assessment of the DRE system, work was carried out both experimentally in-vitro on gelatine phantoms using custom switching circuits and through finite element modelling (FEM) simulations in COMSOL. A scanning sequence made use of DRE in single segment variable tetra-pole (SSVT) mode proved capable to identify the transcutaneous location of the blood vessel of interest and the specific electrode segments located in its vicinity. Impedance measurements were then taken using these segments connected to form localised electrodes only placed over the targeted vessel. The resulting localised electrodes exhibited up to 28% increased sensitivity to blood variations relative to larger electrodes

Photon signature analysis using template matching

We describe an approach to detect improvised explosive devices (IEDs) by using a template matching procedure. This approach relies on the signature due to backstreaming ? photons from various targets. In this work we have simulated cylindrical targets of aluminum, iron, copper, water and ammonium nitrate (nitrogen-rich fertilizer). We simulate 3.5 MeV source photons distributed on a plane inside a shielded area using Monte Carlo N-Particle (MCNP TM) code version 5 (V5). The 3.5 MeV source gamma rays yield 511 keV peaks due to pair production and scattered gamma rays. In this work, we simulate capture of those photons that backstream, after impinging on the target element, toward a NaI detector. The captured backstreamed photons are expected to produce a unique spectrum that will become part of a simple signal processing recognition system based on the template matching method. Different elements were simulated using different sets of random numbers in the Monte Carlo simulation. To date, the sum of absolute differences (SAD) method has been used to match the template. In the examples investigated, template matching was found to detect all elements correctly

Vitamin B, Relative Nutritive Value and Palatability of Germinated Com (Zea mays L.) 1

Changes in the riboflavin, niacin, thiamin and Relative Nutritive Value (RNV) in germinated com were studied. The corn were germinated for four days at 30°C and then dried at 50°C and ground. The vitamins were analysed by microbiological methods. The RNV was analysed by using Tetrahymena pyriformis W ATCC 10542. Acceptability was evaluated on corn chips made from germinated com. The three vitamins and the Relative Nutritive Value of the corn chips were also analysed

From Nanostructure to Nano Biosensor: Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering (INEE), UniMAP Experience

Nanostructure is defined as something that has a physical dimension smaller than 100 nanometers, ranging from clusters and/or to dimensional layers of atoms. There are three most important nanostructures that are extensively studied and researched in various organizations including Institute of Nano Electronic Engineering (INEE) in UniMAP. These include quantum dot, nanowire, and nanogap, which have been successfully designed and fabricated using in-house facilities available. These are subsequently used as a main sensing component in nanostructures based biosensor. This fabrication, characterization and testing job were done within four main interlinked laboratories namely microfabrication cleanroom, nanofabrication cleanroom, failure analysis laboratory and nano biochip laboratory. Currently, development of Nano Biosensor is the main research focus in INEE. In principle, biosensor is an analytical device which converts a biological response into an electrical signal.

Thermal effect of wind generation on conventional generator in a microgrid

In order to reduce CO2 emissions, which is one of the key strategy in combatting global warming, development of wind energy technology as source of renewable energy has become more important globally. However, the variability of the wind speeds leads to the intermittent nature of wind power generation. The conventional generators in the system must be able to compensate this fluctuation to maintain system stability and meet the load demand in the grid. This in turn may increase the temperature of the conventional generators beyond what normally occurs without wind generation in the grid. The aim of the paper is to inestigate the effect of thermal heating of the generators due to the variable output of wind generation in different time of the year in a microgrid by proposing proper modelling in the simulation. The simulations are done in 24 hours period in four different time of the years corresponding to different seasons of the year

Retrospective Study of Midazolam Protocol for Prehospital Behavioral Emergencies

Introduction: Agitated patients in the prehospital setting pose challenges for both patient care and emergency medical services (EMS) provider safety. Midazolam is frequently used to control agitation in the emergency department setting; however, limited data exist in the prehospital setting. We describe our experience treating patients with midazolam for behavioral emergencies in a large urban EMS system. We hypothesized that using midazolam for acute agitation leads to improved clinical conditions without causing significant clinical deterioration.Methods: We performed a retrospective review of EMS patient care reports following implementation of a behavioral emergencies protocol in a large urban EMS system from February 2014–June 2016. For acute agitation, paramedics administered midazolam 1 milligram (mg) intravenous (IV), 5 mg intramuscular (IM), or 5 mg intranasal (IN). Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Levene’s test for assessing variance among study groups, and t-test to evaluate effectiveness based on route.Results: In total, midazolam was administered 294 times to 257 patients. Median age was 30 (interquartile range 24–42) years, and 66.5% were male. Doses administered were 1 mg (7.1%) and 5 mg (92.9%). Routes were IM (52.0%), IN (40.8%), and IV (7.1%). A second dose was administered to 37 patients. In the majority of administrations, midazolam improved the patient’s condition (73.5%) with infrequent adverse events (3.4%). There was no significant difference between the effectiveness of IM and IN midazolam (71.0% vs 75.4%; p = 0.24).Conclusion: A midazolam protocol for prehospital agitation was associated with reduced agitation and a low rate of adverse events

Workplace assessment of naphtha exposure in a tire manufacturing industry.

A qualitative and quantitative workplace assessment was carried out to determine naphtha exposure in a tyre manufacturing industry. A qualitative chemical health risk assessment was conducted to identify naphtha hazard at the workplace. Quantitative assessment using Portable VOC Monitor, Automatic Sampling Pump and personal air sampling pump was used to determine VOC concentrations, organic solvents, and individual air naphtha respectively. The risk rating of naphtha was estimated to be 5. The mean VOC concentration was in the range of 2.43 to 92.93 ppm. Repair area had the highest VOC concentration while the lowest was in the moulding area. Each work station had significant differences for VOC concentrations (p < 0.001). Laboratory analysis found various solvents including 2-methyl pentane, hexane, methyl cyclopentane, heptane, cyclohexane and toluene which were present in the liquid naphtha. Only xylene has been detected in the making and moulding areas with a range of 2 to 5 ppm. Meanwhile, the air naphtha concentrations of the exposed workers were significantly higher than those unexposed. The risk of naphtha exposure was qualitatively significant and not adequately controlled. Naphtha was detected in all work stations since it is the main solvent used. The “Repair Area” was significantly more contaminated than the other area

The effects of thickness on biomechanical behavior of articular cartilage: a finite element analysis

It is important to study joint contact mechanics in order to understand the human joint function and degeneration. In previous studies, the cartilage behavior was investigated using computational method assuming the cartilage to be flat and an ideal thickness. But, this assumption may not appropriate because the joint is naturally curved and the cartilage thickness varies across the articular cartilage. In this study, finite element (FE) analysis was performed to investigate the effect of cartilage thickness on contact pressure and pore pressure of cartilage in indentation test. An axisymmetric FE model of cartilage was developed according to the thickness and radius measured in the experiment. The cartilage was modeled as biphasic material to describe the properties of cartilage. Based on the result, the lowest cartilage thickness of 0.3 mm thickness generated 48% higher in contact pressure and 59% higher in pore pressure, compared to the highest thickness cartilage. This could indicate that the cartilage thickness does affect the contact pressure and pore pressure