Natural and Technological Hazards in Urban Areas

Natural hazard events and technological accidents are separate causes of environmental impacts. Natural hazards are physical phenomena active in geological times, whereas technological hazards result from actions or facilities created by humans. In our time, combined natural and man-made hazards have been induced. Overpopulation and urban development in areas prone to natural hazards increase the impact of natural disasters worldwide. Additionally, urban areas are frequently characterized by intense industrial activity and rapid, poorly planned growth that threatens the environment and degrades the quality of life. Therefore, proper urban planning is crucial to minimize fatalities and reduce the environmental and economic impacts that accompany both natural and technological hazardous events

Enhancing wireless sensor networks functionalities

 The main objective of this thesis is to develop solutions for the existing research problems in wireless sensor networks that negatively influence their performances. To achieve that four main research gaps from collecting, aggregating and transferring data with considering different deployment methods of sensor nodes were addressed

High-Performance Modelling and Simulation for Big Data Applications

This open access book was prepared as a Final Publication of the COST Action IC1406 “High-Performance Modelling and Simulation for Big Data Applications (cHiPSet)“ project. Long considered important pillars of the scientific method, Modelling and Simulation have evolved from traditional discrete numerical methods to complex data-intensive continuous analytical optimisations. Resolution, scale, and accuracy have become essential to predict and analyse natural and complex systems in science and engineering. When their level of abstraction raises to have a better discernment of the domain at hand, their representation gets increasingly demanding for computational and data resources. On the other hand, High Performance Computing typically entails the effective use of parallel and distributed processing units coupled with efficient storage, communication and visualisation systems to underpin complex data-intensive applications in distinct scientific and technical domains. It is then arguably required to have a seamless interaction of High Performance Computing with Modelling and Simulation in order to store, compute, analyse, and visualise large data sets in science and engineering. Funded by the European Commission, cHiPSet has provided a dynamic trans-European forum for their members and distinguished guests to openly discuss novel perspectives and topics of interests for these two communities. This cHiPSet compendium presents a set of selected case studies related to healthcare, biological data, computational advertising, multimedia, finance, bioinformatics, and telecommunications

연성 및 생재흡수성 전자소자용 비휘발성 메모리 소자와 집적센서 구현

학위논문 (박사)-- 서울대학교 대학원 : 화학생물공학부, 2015. 8. 김대형.Over years, major advances in healthcare have been made through research in the fields of nanomaterials and microelectronics technologies. However, the mechanical and geometrical constraints inherent in the standard forms of rigid electronics have imposed challanges of unique integration and therapeutic delivery in non-invasive and minimally invasive medical devices. Here, we describe two types of multifunctional electronic systems. The first type is wearable-on-the-skin systems that address the challenges via monolithic integration of nanomembranes fabricated by top-down approach, nanotubes and nanoparticles assembled by bottom-up strategies, and stretchable electronics on tissue-like polymeric substrate. The system consists of physiological sensors, non-volatile memory, logic gates, and drug-release actuators. Some quantitative analyses on the operation of each electronics, mechanics, heat-transfer, and drug-diffusion characteristic validated their system-level multi-functionalities. The second type is a bioresorbable electronic stent with drug-infused functionalized nanoparticles that takes flow sensing, temperature monitoring, data storage, wireless power/data transmission, inflammation suppression, localized drug delivery, and photothermal therapy. In vivo and ex vivo animal experiments as well as in vitro cell researches demonstrate its unrecognized potential for bioresorbable electronic implants coupled with bioinert therapeutic nanoparticles in the endovascular system. As demonstrations of these technologies, we herein highlight two representative examples of multifunctional systems in order of increasing degree of invasiveness: electronically enabled wearable patch and endovascular electronic stent that incorporate onboard physiological monitoring, data storage, and therapy under moist and mechanically rigorous conditions.Contents Abstract Chapter 1. Introduction 1.1 Organic flexible and wearable electronics.................................................. 1 1.2 Inorganic flexible and wearable electronics............................................... 14 1.3 Flexible non-volatile memory devices.......................................................... 25 1.4 Bioresorbable materials and devices........................................................... 34 References Chapter 2. Multifunctional wearable devices for diagnosis and therapy of movement disorders 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................. 45 2.2 Experimental Section ......................................................................... 49 2.3 Result and Discussion ........................................................................ 65 2.4 Conclusion ................................................................................... 95 References Chapter 3. Stretchable Carbon Nanotube Charge-Trap Floating-Gate Memory and Logic Devices for Wearable Electronics 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................ 101 3.2 Experimental Section ........................................................................ 104 3.3 Result and Discussion ....................................................................... 107 3.4 Conclusion .................................................................................. 138 References Chapter 4. Bioresorbable Electronic Stent Integrated with Therapeutic Nanoparticles for Endovascular Diseases 4.1 Introduction ................................................................................ 148 4.2 Experimental Section ........................................................................ 151 4.3 Result and Discussion ....................................................................... 173 4.4 Conclusion .................................................................................. 219 References 국문 초록 (Abstract in Korean) .................................................................. 230Docto

Textile-Based Sensors and Smart Clothing System for Respiratory Monitoring

Long-term respiratory monitoring provides valuable information for diagnostic and clinical treatment. Traditional measures of respiration require a mouthpiece or a mask, neither of which can be used as ubiquitous healthcare equipment. Using a smart clothing system seems to be a better alternative. Researchers in the field of smart textiles have focused on the development of health-related products since the 1990s, and textile-based sensors used for respiratory measurements have been discussed in several projects. Although the soft and flexible characteristics of textile-based sensors make them attractive, the flexibility of the materials also affects the signal quality. In a laboratory situation, where each sensor is tested as a single element, this is not as critical as in a user situation, where the sensor is integrated into the clothing and worn by different users engaging in different activities. The principal objective of this thesis was to explore the possibility of performing reliable respiratory monitoring using a clothing platform. The research began by investigating the possible methods and materials that can be used to produce textile-based sensors for respiratory monitoring applications. The aim was to determine the most suitable method for integrating the sensing function into the clothing system. Study results have shown that sensors made with a conductive coating demonstrated superior performance in terms of sensitivity, stability, and reliability. Therefore, five prototype systems based on conductive coating technique were developed. Sensor placement, signal collection techniques, and the clothing system configuration were the main concerns, while issues related to the sensor wearability, maintenance, and aesthetic appearance, as well as the environment and health, were also discussed. Knitting was found to be the most economical method for producing the textile-based sensors; however, sensors made of knit fabric do not perform as well as the coated ones. Therefore, elastic-conductive hybrid yarns have been created to improve the electro-mechanical properties of knitted-based sensors, and eventually, a prototype with two sensors and a built-in data-bus was made by fully-fashion knitting technique. Two smart clothing system prototypes, based on conductive coating technique, were tested systematically by ten subjects. The first prototype consisted of one sensing element, and the results show that the smart clothing system could successfully monitor the subjects’ breathing patterns during sitting, standing, and different forms of running. The system has also proven to be useful in the observation of sleep apnea disorder symptoms. The second prototype consisted of two sensing elements. Apart from all the characteristics of the first prototype system, a system with two sensing elements can be used to determine the relationship between the rib cage and abdomen compartments, which provides information for certain diseases, e.g., cardiac arrhythmias. The second smart clothing system prototype was compared with a conventional respiratory belt for validation. Signals from the clothing system and the respiratory belt were collected simultaneously with a self-designed LabVIEW program, and further processed with MATLAB. Quantitative analyses were conducted based upon different comparison techniques, such as Pearson’s correlation, ANOVA and Fast Fourier Transform analysis. The results demonstrate that the smart clothing system can provide reliable respiratory measurements, with signals of comparable quality to the conventional respiratory belt. In addition, the wearability and user acceptance were studied by means of a survey. The survey results indicate that users were more comfortable with the smart clothing system and that most believe that using a smart clothing system will improve both health condition and quality of life