Arterial pulse wave pressure transducer

An arterial pulse wave pressure transducer is introduced. The transducer is comprised of a fluid filled cavity having a flexible membrane disposed over the cavity and adapted to be placed on the skin over an artery. An arterial pulse wave creates pressure pulses in the fluid which are transduced, by a pressure sensitive transistor in direct contact with the fluid, into an electric signal. The electrical signal is representative of the pulse waves and can be recorded so as to monitor changes in the elasticity of the arterial walls

An economical arterial-pulse-wave transducer

Transducer records arterial pulses externally. Device uses thin plastic membrane which is fluid coupled to pressure sensitive transistor. Transistor is connected to amplifier which, in turn, is connected to recorder. End section is threaded to accept suitable holder and contains pressure relief vent allowing transistor to sense only pressure levels greater than atmospheric

Addressing business agility challenges with enterprise systems

It is clear that systems agility (i.e., having a responsive IT infrastructure that can be changed quickly to meet changing business needs) has become a critical component of organizational agility. However, skeptics continue to suggest that, despite the benefits enterprise system packages provide, they are constraining choices for firms faced with agility challenges. The reason for this skepticism is that the tight integration between different parts of the business that enables many enterprise systems\u27 benefits also increases the systems\u27 complexity, and this increased complexity, say the skeptics, increases the difficulty of changing systems when business needs change. These persistent concerns motivated us to conduct a series of interviews with business and IT managers in 15 firms to identify how they addressed, in total, 57 different business agility challenges. Our analysis suggests that when the challenges involved an enterprise system, firms were able to address a high percentage of their challenges with four options that avoid the difficulties associated with changing the complex core system: capabilities already built-in to the package but not previously used, leveraging globally consistent integrated data already available, using add-on systems available on the market that easily interfaced with the existing enterprise system, and vendor provided patches that automatically updated the code. These findings have important implications for organizations with and without enterprise system architectures

Effects of natural soiling and weathering on cool roof energy savings for dormitory buildings in Chinese cities with hot summers

Roofs with high-reflectance (solar reflectance) coating, commonly known as cool roofs, can stay cool in the sun, thereby reducing building energy consumption and mitigating the urban heat island. However, chemical-physical degradation and biological growth can decrease their solar reflectance and the ability to save energy. In this study, the solar spectral reflectance of 12 different roofing products with an initial albedo of 0.56–0.90 was measured before exposure and once every three months over 32 months. Specimens were exposed on the roofs of dormitory buildings in Xiamen and Chengdu, each major urban areas with hot summers. The albedos of high and medium-lightness coatings stabilized in the ranges 0.45–0.62 and 0.36–0.59 in both cities, respectively. This study yielded albedo loss exceeded those reported in the latest Chinese standard by 0.08–0.15. Finally, DesignBuilder (EnergyPlus) simulations estimate that a new cool roof with albedo 0.78 on a six-story dormitory building will yield annual site energy savings (heating and cooling) for the top floor, which are 8.01 kWh/m2 (24.2%) and 9.12 kWh/m2 (26.3%) per unit floor area in Xiamen and Chengdu, respectively; while an aged cool roof with albedo 0.45 and 0.56 will yield the annual savings by 5.12 kWh/m2 (15.4%) and 2.47 kWh/m2 (10.5%) in these two cities