Smart vest for respiratory rate monitoring of COPD patients based on non-contact capacitive sensing

In this paper, a first approach to the design of a portable device for non-contact monitoring of respiratory rate by capacitive sensing is presented. The sensing system is integrated into a smart vest for an untethered, low-cost and comfortable breathing monitoring of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) patients during the rest period between respiratory rehabilitation exercises at home. To provide an extensible solution to the remote monitoring using this sensor and other devices, the design and preliminary development of an e-Health platform based on the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) paradigm is also presented. In order to validate the proposed solution, two quasi-experimental studies have been developed, comparing the estimations with respect to the golden standard. In a first study with healthy subjects, the mean value of the respiratory rate error, the standard deviation of the error and the correlation coefficient were 0.01 breaths per minute (bpm), 0.97 bpm and 0.995 (p < 0.00001), respectively. In a second study with COPD patients, the values were -0.14 bpm, 0.28 bpm and 0.9988 (p < 0.0000001), respectively. The results for the rest period show the technical and functional feasibility of the prototype and serve as a preliminary validation of the device for respiratory rate monitoring of patients with COPD.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación PI15/00306Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación DTS15/00195Junta de Andalucía PI-0010-2013Junta de Andalucía PI-0041-2014Junta de Andalucía PIN-0394-201

Shear-promoted drug encapsulation into red blood cells: a CFD model and μ-PIV analysis

The present work focuses on the main parameters that influence shear-promoted encapsulation of drugs into erythrocytes. A CFD model was built to investigate the fluid dynamics of a suspension of particles flowing in a commercial micro channel. Micro Particle Image Velocimetry (μ-PIV) allowed to take into account for the real properties of the red blood cell (RBC), thus having a deeper understanding of the process. Coupling these results with an analytical diffusion model, suitable working conditions were defined for different values of haematocrit

Aerospace medicine and biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes (supplement 390)

This bibliography lists 102 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA Scientific and Technical Information System. Subject coverage includes: life sciences (general), aerospace medicine, behavioral sciences, man/system technology and life support, and space biology

Space life sciences: A status report

The scientific research and supporting technology development conducted in the Space Life Sciences Program is described. Accomplishments of the past year are highlighted. Plans for future activities are outlined. Some specific areas of study include the following: Crew health and safety; What happens to humans in space; Gravity, life, and space; Sustenance in space; Life and planet Earth; Life in the Universe; Promoting good science and good will; Building a future for the space life sciences; and Benefits of space life sciences research

NASA SBIR abstracts of 1990 phase 1 projects

The research objectives of the 280 projects placed under contract in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) 1990 Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase 1 program are described. The basic document consists of edited, non-proprietary abstracts of the winning proposals submitted by small businesses in response to NASA's 1990 SBIR Phase 1 Program Solicitation. The abstracts are presented under the 15 technical topics within which Phase 1 proposals were solicited. Each project was assigned a sequential identifying number from 001 to 280, in order of its appearance in the body of the report. The document also includes Appendixes to provide additional information about the SBIR program and permit cross-reference in the 1990 Phase 1 projects by company name, location by state, principal investigator, NASA field center responsible for management of each project, and NASA contract number

Naturalistic monitoring of the affect-heart rate relationship: A Day Reconstruction Study

Objective: Prospective studies have linked both negative affective states and trait neuroticism with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. However, identifying how fluctuations in cardiovascular activity in day-to-day settings are related to changes in affect and stable personality characteristics has remained a methodological and logistical challenge. Design - In the present study, we tested the association between affect, affect variability, personality and heart rate (HR) in daily life. Measures: We utilized an online day reconstruction survey to produce a continuous account of affect, interaction, and activity patterns during waking hours. Ambulatory HR was assessed during the same period. Consumption, activity, and baseline physiological characteristics were assessed in order to isolate the relationships between affect, personality and heart rate. Results: Negative affect and variability in positive affect predicted an elevated ambulatory HR and tiredness a lower HR. Emotional stability was inversely related to HR, whereas agreeableness predicted a higher HR. Baseline resting HR was unrelated to either affect or personality. Conclusion: The results suggest that both state and trait factors implicated in negative affectivity may be risk factors for increased cardiovascular reactivity in everyday life. Combining day reconstruction with psychophysiological and environmental monitoring is discussed as a minimally invasive method with promising interdisciplinary relevance.heart rate, negative affect, affect variability, Big Five, Day Reconstruction Method

Portable multi-sensor air quality monitoring platform for personal exposure studies

© 1998-2012 IEEE. Poor air quality is considered among the main causes of millions of premature deaths annually, about 8 million in 2012 according to the World Health Organization [1]. Several epidemiological studies have found a relationship between exposure beyond specified limits and burden of disease [2]. These and many more have led to an increased and urgent need to both monitor and consequently limit personal exposure to harmful pollutants [3]. There is a generalized attention from different governmental agencies globally to limit anthropogenic emissions via legislations and policies. City councils, including for instance in Cambridge, UK, promote new policies that help accelerate switching from combustion engines to electric vehicles both for public and for private transport, accompanied by installation of a distributed urban network of rapid charging points by 2020 [4], along with imposition of road taxes, and exemption from the same based on vehicles' emission of polluting gases and smaller particulate matter (PM2.5). Besides, reduction of indoor wood burning for heating, as one of the largest sources of indoor particulate matter, also has the potential to drastically reduce PM2.5 exposure levels. Citizens are nowadays more conscious of and attentive to their personal exposure to polluting agents and environments and prone to adopt cleaner solutions for living, transport, energy generation and heating. Adoption of personal exposure monitoring devices on an individual level therefore offers multiple benefits and is motivated by the willingness to continue making healthier choices in everyday life consistently. Access to high resolution data of personal exposure with high space and time accuracy is however difficult to achieve with currently available centralized or public network of monitoring stations. Providing individuals with portable devices for air quality monitoring that operate in real time and allow them to monitor and record their personalized exposure levels in combination with conventional geolocation offering a half-meter or less space resolution may become a unique instrument and breakthrough, not only for the individuals, but also for the city councils, and other government agencies to shape and fine-tune their policies for control of air quality in urban, industrial and rural areas. This is possible with the use of both existing and emerging technologies for autonomous sensors, data communication and modern mobile networks, including Internet of Things