Development of vital signs detection system with ground noise cancellation

This study provides an experimental procedure and a noise immunity method for detecting the vital signs of a person in a vehicle. Velocity sensors that are convenient and accurate at acquiring data are adopted to detect the involuntary body vibrations. Two kinds of algorithms were proposed for detecting the vital signs in different environments with various ground noise level. To reduce the ground noise effect generated from extreme environments, a ground sensor also is used to measure the vibration amplitude of ground surface for calculating the car body response to provide excellent noise cancelling method. Measuring and processing the vibrations are effective methods for detecting people concealed in a vehicle. The complete detecting system was verified through experiment conducted with a passenger car

The application of vital signs detection system for detecting in a truck with noise cancellation method

This research proposes an experimental procedure and ground noise cancellation method for detecting the presence of a person in a 3.5 ton truck, in an environment with high levels of ground noise. This study addresses the need for non-intrusive detection system that involves using velocity sensors placed on the chassis-frame to detect the weak vibrations generated by any human inside the vehicle. An additional velocity ground sensor is placed near the front tire to collect the ground noise signals that are used to estimate the ground noise response of the truck by manipulating a 2-DOF (degree of freedom) equivalent truck model. To increase the discriminative rate in the context of two scenarios, a person present and a person absent from the vehicle, a valid algorithm is proposed that decreases the ground noise effect emanating from the environment. Furthermore, two types of sensor location are discussed to promote the practicability of the proposed system

pH effect on the formation of THM and HAA disinfection byproducts and potential control strategies for food processing

Chlorine-based sanitizers have seen wide spread use in food sanitation. The reaction of chlorine species with organic matter is a concern for two reasons. Available chlorine can be “used up” by organic compounds resulting in a lower amount of chlorine available for disinfection. Another concern is that some forms of chlorine can react with some organic compounds to form toxic halogenated disinfection byproducts (DBPs). Many studies have been conducted to evaluate the role of hypochlorous acid (HOCl) and hypochlorite ion (OCl−) in the production of DBPs with a particular interest in the production of trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs). Since most of the chlorine reactions are pH dependent, pH is found to have a significant effect on the formation of chlorine DBPs. In many cases, the concentration of THMs decreases and HAAs increases as pH decreases. pH also plays an important role in the determination of the type and amount of DBPs formed, with lower, more acidic, pHs resulting in the formation of less chloroform. This review summarizes the information from the literature on the role of chlorine-based sanitizers as affected by pH in the formation of different types of DBPs. Alternative novel strategies to minimize the formation of DBPs are also discussed

THE EFFECT OF INSULIN AND CARBOHYDRATE SUPPLEMENTATION ON GLYCOGEN REPLENISHMENT AMONG DIFFERENT HINDLIMB MUSCLES IN RATS FOLLOWING PROLONGED SWIMMING

In the present study we investigated the interactive effects of insulin and carbohydrate on glycogen replenishment in different rat hindlimb muscles. Forty male Sprague Dawley rats were assigned to 5 groups, including 1) sedentary control with carbohydrate supplement (2 g glucose · kg body wt-1), 2) sedentary rats with 16 hours recovery, carbohydrate and insulin (0.5 U · kg body wt-1), 3) swimming without recovery, 4) swimming with 16 hours recovery and carbohydrate supplement, and 5) swimming with 16 hours recovery, carbohydrate and insulin. The swimming protocol consisted of two 3 h swimming sections, which were separated by a 45 min rest. The insulin and carbohydrate were administered to the rats immediately after exercise. At the end of the experiment, the soleus (S), plantaris (P), quadriceps (Q) and gastrocnemius (G) were surgically excised to evaluate glycogen utilization and replenishment. We observed that glycogen utilization was significantly lower in G and Q than S and P during swimming (p <0.05), and S showed the greatest capacity of glycogen resynthesis after post-exercise recovery (p <0.05). In the sedentary state, the glycogen synthesis did not differ among hindlimb muscles during insulin and carbohydrate treatments. Interestingly, with insulin and carbohydrate, the glycogen resynthesis in S and P were significantly greater than in Q and G following post-exercise recovery (p <0.05). We therefore concluded that the soleus and plantaris are the primary working muscles during swimming, and the greatest glycogen replenishment capacity of the soleus during post-exercise recovery is likely due to its highest insulin sensitivity

Prediction of Ball Placement Using Computer Simulation for Wheelchair Players in Table Tennis Singles

Because wheelchair table tennis players are physically limited by their handicap, they have to be trained efficiently for acquiring excellent skills and remarkable performance. Two integral skills they must possess are the control of ball placement and t

Hyperbaric oxygen upregulates cochlear constitutive nitric oxide synthase

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a known adjuvant for treating ischemia-related inner ear diseases. Controversies still exist in the role of HBOT in cochlear diseases. Few studies to date have investigated the cellular changes that occur in inner ears after HBOT. Nitric oxide, which is synthesized by nitric oxide synthase (NOS), is an important signaling molecule in cochlear physiology and pathology. Here we investigated the effects of hyperbaric oxygen on eardrum morphology, cochlear function and expression of NOS isoforms in cochlear substructures after repetitive HBOT in guinea pigs.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Minor changes in the eardrum were observed after repetitive HBOT, which did not result in a significant hearing threshold shift by tone burst auditory brainstem responses. A differential effect of HBOT on the expression of NOS isoforms was identified. Upregulation of constitutive NOS (nNOS and eNOS) was found in the substructures of the cochlea after HBOT, but inducible NOS was not found in normal or HBOT animals, as shown by immunohistochemistry. There was no obvious DNA fragmentation present in this HBOT animal model.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The present evidence indicates that the customary HBOT protocol may increase constitutive NOS expression but such upregulation did not cause cell death in the treated cochlea. The cochlear morphology and auditory function are consequently not changed through the protocol.</p

Enhanced photo-excitation and angular-momentum imprint of gray excitons in WSe2_{2} monolayers by spin-orbit-coupled vector vortex beams

A light beam can be spatially structured in the complex amplitude to possess orbital angular momentum (OAM), which introduces a new degree of freedom alongside the intrinsic spin angular momentum (SAM) associated with circular polarization. Moreover, super-imposing two twisted lights with distinct SAM and OAM produces a vector vortex beam (VVB) in non-separable states where not only complex amplitude but also polarization are spatially structured and entangled with each other. In addition to the non-separability, the SAM and OAM in a VVB are intrinsically coupled by the optical spin-orbit interaction and constitute the profound spin-orbit physics in photonics. In this work, we present a comprehensive theoretical investigation, implemented on the first-principles base, of the intriguing light-matter interaction between VVBs and WSe$_{2}$ monolayers (WSe$_{2}$-MLs), one of the best-known and promising two-dimensional (2D) materials in optoelectronics dictated by excitons, encompassing bright exciton (BX) as well as various dark excitons (DXs). One of the key findings of our study is the substantial enhancement of the photo-excitation of gray excitons (GXs), a type of spin-forbidden dark exciton, in a WSe$_2$-ML through the utilization of a twisted light that possesses a longitudinal field associated with the optical spin-orbit interaction. Our research demonstrates that a spin-orbit-coupled VVB surprisingly allows for the imprinting of the carried optical information onto gray excitons in 2D materials, which is robust against the decoherence mechanisms in materials. This observation suggests a promising method for deciphering the transferred angular momentum from structured lights to excitons

Pulsed laser deposition of hexagonal GaN-on-Si(100) template for MOCVD applications

Growth of hexagonal GaN on Si(100) templates via pulsed laser deposition (PLD) was investigated for the further development of GaN-on-Si technology. The evolution of the GaN growth mechanism at various growth times was monitored by SEM and TEM, which indicated that the GaN growth mode changes gradually from island growth to layer growth as the growth time increases up to 2 hours. Moreover, the high-temperature operation (1000°C) of the PLD meant no significant GaN meltback occurred on the GaN template surface. The completed GaN templates were subjected to MOCVD treatment to regrow a GaN layer. The results of X-ray diffraction analysis and photoluminescence measurements show not only the reliability of the GaN template, but also the promise of the PLD technique for the development of GaN-on-Si technology

Differential expression of centrosomal proteins at different stages of human glioma

BACKGROUND: High-grade gliomas have poor prognosis, requiring aggressive treatment. The aim of this study is to explore mitotic and centrosomal dysregulation in gliomas, which may provide novel targets for treatment. METHODS: A case-control study was performed using 34 resected gliomas, which were separated into low- and high-grade groups. Normal human brain tissue was used as a control. Using immunohistochemical analysis, immunofluorescent microscopy, and RT-PCR, detection of centrins 1 and 2, γ-tubulin, hNinein, Aurora A, and Aurora B, expression was performed. Analysis of the GBM8401 glioma cell line was also undertaken to complement the in vivo studies. RESULTS: In high-grade gliomas, the cells had greater than two very brightly staining centrioles within large, atypical nuclei, and moderate-to-strong Aurora A staining. Comparing with normal human brain tissue, most of the mRNAs expression in gliomas for centrosomal structural proteins, including centrin 3, γ-tubulin, and hNinein isoforms 1, 2, 5 and 6, Aurora A and Aurora B were elevated. The significant different expression was observed between high- and low-grade glioma in both γ-tubulin and Aurora A mRNA s. In the high-grade glioma group, 78.6% of the samples had higher than normal expression of γ-tubulin mRNA, which was significantly higher than in the low-grade glioma group (18.2%, p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Markers for mitotic dysregulation, such as supernumerary centrosomes and altered expression of centrosome-related mRNA and proteins were more frequently detected in higher grade gliomas. Therefore, these results are clinically useful for glioma staging as well as the development of novel treatments strategies