Characterization and comparative evaluation of novel planar electromagnetic sensors

The characterization of three types of novel planar electromagnetic sensors: 1) meander; 2) mesh; and 3) interdigital configuration, has been studied and their comparative performance has been evaluated based on their areas of applications. All of them are suitable for inspection and evaluation of system properties without destroying them. The experiments on fabricated sensors have been conducted and the results are presented here. The target application is to use a mixture of different types of sensors to detect plasti

A low-cost sensing system for quality monitoring of dairy products

The dairy industry is in need of a cost-effective, highly reliable, very accurate, and fast measurement system to monitor the quality of dairy products. This paper describes the design and fabrication works undertaken to develop such a system. The techniques used center around planar electromagnetic sensors operating with radio frequency excitation. Computer-aided computation, being fast, facilitates on-line monitoring of the quality. The sensor technology proposed has the ability to perform volumetric penetrative measurements to measure properties throughout the bulk of the product

The white dwarf affair: Chandrasekhar, Eddington and the limiting mass.

A thesis describing and analysing the controversy between Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar and Arthur Stanley Eddington over the limiting mass of white dwarf stars. The aim of the thesis is to discover why the controversy occurred and to analyse the reasons behind Eddington's rejection of relativistic degeneracy and the limiting mass. The ultimate reason behind Eddington's attack on relativistic degeneracy was found to be Eddington's severe objection to singularities which was apparent long before Chandrasekhar's discovery of the limiting mass and occurred in three separate areas of research undertaken by Eddington during this period: astrophysics, cosmology, general relativity and Dirac's relativistic equation of the electron which led to Eddington's fundamental theory. The thesis will focus on the problem of the limiting mass of white dwarfs between 1929 and 1935 but will use the problem to analyse Eddington's view of singularities within the three different research areas spanning two decades from 1916 to 1936. The Chandrasekhar-Eddington controversy is set within Eddington's earlier controversies with James Jeans and Edward Arthur Milne who together with Eddington founded theoretical astrophysics during the 1920s. The thesis will examine the problem of white dwarfs within the context of the earlier controversies on stellar structure. As well as the technical analysis of the controversy, the thesis will also analyse the social dynamics and interactions within the astronomical community and their impact on the controversies. The aim of this thesis is to create a more complete picture of the Chandrasekhar-Eddington controversy by analysing Eddington's arguments for rejecting relativistic degeneracy, the limiting mass of white dwarfs and singularities not just within the context of astrophysics, but also cosmology, general relativity and quantum mechanics and to provide some new explanations as to why Eddington opposed relativistic degeneracy

A Novel Planar Electromagnetic type Bio-sensor for noncontact and noninvasive estimation of fat content in pork meat

金沢大学環日本海域環境研究センター生体機能計測研究部

Charactarization and Comparative Evaluation of Novel Planar Electoromagnetic Sensors

金沢大学環日本海域環境研究センター生体機能計測研究部

Cryptococcal meningitis presenting with bilateral complete ophthalmoplegia: a case report

BACKGROUND: Cryptococcus neoformans is saprophytic encapsulated yeast. Infection is acquired by inhalation of the organism and could be asymptomatic or limited to the lungs, specially in the immunocompetent host. Cryptococcal meningitis is a serious opportunistic infection among post transplant recipients. Cranial nerve palsies and ophthalmoplegia are well known complications of this disease, but bilateral complete ophthalmoplegia is a very rare presentation. CASE PRESENTATION: A Sri Lankan young male, who is a post kidney transplant recipient, presented with bilateral complete ophthalmoplegia and subsequently was diagnosed to have cryptococcal meningitis based on Indian ink stain and culture of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). His magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed bilateral multiple nodular lesions in both basal ganglia and thalami. Brainstem imaging was normal. CONCLUSIONS: Cryptococcal meningitis is a serious fungal infection in post transplant patients. It should be suspected in any immunocompromised patient with fever, headache and focal neurological signs. Bilateral thalamic lesions, inflammation and invasion of the cranial nerves and raised intracranial pressure were thought to be possible mechanisms resulting in bilateral complete ophthalmoplegia in this patient

Effect of immune stress on growth performance and immune functions of livestock: Mechanisms and prevention

Immune stress markedly affects the immune function and growth performance of livestock, including poultry, resulting in financial loss to farmers. It can lead to decreased feed intake, reduced growth, and intestinal disorders. Studies have shown that pathogen-induced immune stress is mostly related to TLR4-related inflammatory signal pathway activation, excessive inflammatory cytokine release, oxidative stress, hormonal disorders, cell apoptosis, and intestinal microbial disorders. This paper reviews the occurrence of immune stress in livestock, its impact on immune function and growth performance, and strategies for immune stress prevention

Single slice vs. volumetric MR assessment of visceral adipose tissue: reliability and validity among the overweight and obese.

To access publisher's full text version of this article. Please click on the hyperlink in Additional Links field.Visceral adipose tissue (VAT) is associated with abnormal cardiovascular and metabolic profiles. Total VAT volume of the abdominal compartment by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the gold-standard measurement for VAT but is costly and time consuming. Prior studies suggest VAT area on a single slice MR image may serve as a surrogate for total VAT volume but it is unknown if this relationship is maintained in overweight and obese men and women. Untreated sleep apnea subjects enrolled into the Icelandic Sleep Apnea Cohort (ISAC) underwent abdominal MRI. VAT area and subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) area at the L2-L3 and L4-L5 interspaces and total VAT and SAT volumes were determined by manual examination using image analysis software; 539 men and 129 women with mean ages of 54.1 and 58.8 years and mean BMI of 32.2 kg/m(2) and 33.7 kg/m(2), respectively, were studied. Mean total VAT volume was 40% smaller and mean total SAT was 25% larger among females compared with males. The correlation with VAT volume was significantly larger for L2-L3 VAT area (r = 0.96) compared to L4-L5 VAT area (r = 0.83). The difference in correlation coefficients was statistically significant (nonparametric bootstrap P < 0.001 with 95% confidence interval (CI) for the difference from 0.11 to 0.15. VAT area at L2-L3 was also significantly better correlated with VAT volume than traditional anthropometric variables. Linear regression analyses demonstrated that L2-L3 area alone was sufficient for predicting total VAT volume and that the nature of the linear association was maintained across all levels of obesity and in both genders.NIH HL070267 HL09430