Sparse Array DFT Beamformers for Wideband Sources

Sparse arrays are popular for performance optimization while keeping the hardware and computational costs down. In this paper, we consider sparse arrays design method for wideband source operating in a wideband jamming environment. Maximizing the signal-to-interference plus noise ratio (MaxSINR) is adopted as an optimization objective for wideband beamforming. Sparse array design problem is formulated in the DFT domain to process the source as parallel narrowband sources. The problem is formulated as quadratically constraint quadratic program (QCQP) alongside the weighted mixed $l_{1-\infty}$-norm squared penalization of the beamformer weight vector. The semidefinite relaxation (SDR) of QCQP promotes sparse solutions by iteratively re-weighting beamformer based on previous iteration. It is shown that the DFT approach reduces the computational cost considerably as compared to the delay line approach, while efficiently utilizing the degrees of freedom to harness the maximum output SINR offered by the given array aperture

Tracking of dynamic arm motion estimation and interaction with fuzzy control

Considerable effort has been put toward the development of intelligent and natural interfaces be- tween users and computer systems. In line with this endeavor, several modes of information (e.g., visual, au- dio, and pen) that are used either individually or in combination have been proposed. Multi-projector dis- play systems are gaining popularity for use in immersive virtual reality applications and scientific visualization. While recent work has addressed the issues of human interfaces to hide the distributed nature of those sys- tems, there has been relatively little work on natural interactive modalities. In this paper, based on the dis- crete characteristics of node distribution and the spatio- temporal coherence of the users movement, we propose a non-contact interactive solution for multi-projector display system. Utilizing a virtual three-dimensional interactive rectan- gular parallelepiped, we establish correspondence be- tween the virtual scene and the users arm position in- formation. For robustly tracking the users arm position, an arm motion estimation method is designed based on the fuzzy predictive control fuzzy Mamdani algorithm theory. To verify the efficiency and accuracy of the pro- posed method, we use a Kalman filter algorithm to test stabilize the output

Factors Associated With the General Public Knowledge and Awareness of Cardiovascular Diseases and its Risk Factors in Penang – Malaysia

Cardiovascular diseases(CVDs) are the top of the ten causes of hospital deaths in Malaysia. Increasing knowledge and awareness on CVDs and its risk factors is crucial for the prevention of CVDs. Identification of factors which are associated with the knowledge and awareness is important for the proper design of future awareness programs.This study was carried out to find out factors which are associated with the current knowledge and awareness of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and its risk factors among the general public in Penang-Malaysia

Metabolomics Analysis Of Blood And Urine To Identify Alcohol-Dependence Biomarkers

Penyalahgunaan alkohol boleh membinasakan kesihatan masyarakat dan mengakibatkan masalah sosial yang teruk.Kebergantungan alkohol merupakan fasa penyalahgunaan alkohol sebagai akibat pengambilan alkohol dalam kuantiti yang berlebihan dan sentiasa terdorong untuk mengambil alkohol secara berterusan. Alcohol misuse is a ravaging public health and social problem. Alcoholdependence (AD) is a phase of alcohol misuse in which the drinker consumes excessive amount of alcohol and have a continuous urge to consume alcohol

Identification of Alcohol-Dependence Biomarkers in plasma by using Metabolomics Analysis

The main clinical methods to diagnose Alcohol-dependence (AD) in clinical practice currently depend on AD assessment questionnaires and some biomarkers such as Carbohydrate-Deficient Transferrin (CDT), Gamma Glutamyl Transferase (GGT) and Phosphatidylethanol (PEth). These two methods have been shown to have lack of specificity and sensitivity. Metabolomics technique by using nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) of plasma can help us to identify novel biomarkers which could help in the more accurate diagnosis of AD

In vitro Transdermal Permeation of Fenoterol Hydrobromide

The aim of this study was to determine if transdermal penetration of fenoterol, a β-agonist drug, could be enhanced and controlled by formulation modification and formulation of transdermal patches. Pre-formulation studies were performed to determine the feasibility of a transdermal dosage form of fenoterol. Penetration of fenoterol was determined using the hairless guinea pig skin with unjacketed Franz diffusion cell. Transdermal patches were formulated using drug in-adhesive technique. Several enhancers were investigated for fenoterol skin penetration. Transcutol–oleic acid co-solvent gives the highest drug flux among all tested liquid formulations. Pretreatment of the skin with oleic acid 2 h before patch application significantly increases drug diffusion. Cis-oleic acid gives best results compared to oleic acid. Azone derivative (1-dodecyl-2-pyrrolidinone) gives the highest drug diffusion amongst all tested enhancers. Results of this study show the feasibility of using fenoterol formulated in transdermal delivery system in the treatment of chronic asthma to improve patient compliance, bioavailability and reduce the inter-subject variability

Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy based metabolomics to identify novel biomarkers of alcohol-dependence

Alcohol misuse is a ravaging public health and social problem. Its harm can affect the drinkers and the whole society. Alcohol-dependence is a phase of alcohol misuse in which the drinker consumes excessive amounts of alcohol and has a continuous urge to consume alcohol. Current methods of alcohol dependence diagnoses are questionnaires and some biomarkers. However, both methods lack specificity and sensitivity. Metabolomics is a scientific field which deals with the identification and the quantification of the metabolites present in the metabolome using spectroscopic techniques such as nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Metabolomics helps to indicate the perturbation in the levels of metabolites in cells and tissues due to diseases or ingestion of any substances. NMR is one of the most widely used spectroscopic techniques in metabolomics because of its reproducibility and speed. Some recent metabolomics studies were conducted on alcohol consumption and alcohol misuse in animals and humans. However, few focused on identifying alcohol dependence novel biomarkers. A sensitive and specific technique such as NMR based metabolomics applied to find novel biomarkers in plasma and urine can be useful to diagnose alcohol-dependence