Influence of a neck compression collar on cerebrovascular and autonomic function in men and women

Objective Neck compression collars have been proposed to reduce injury to the brain caused by head impacts. Our objective was to test if compression of the carotid artery affected the baroreflex and influenced blood pressure control. Methods Cerebrovascular and autonomic responses of healthy young men and women (n = 8 each) to paced deep breathing, Valsalva, and 70o head-up tilt with or without use of a Q-collar were determined. Continuous measurements of heart rate, beat-to-beat blood pressure, transcranial Doppler, and end-tidal gases were obtained. Heart rate variability was measured during supine rest and head-up tilt. Carotid artery and jugular vein cross-sectional area were measured at end-inhalation and end-exhalation using cross-sectional ultrasound images at diastole. Results Wearing the collar reduced carotid cross-sectional area (CSA; P = 0.022; η2 = 0.03) and increased jugular CSA (P = 0.001; η 2 = 0.30). In both men and women, wearing the collar increased systolic blood pressure during Valsalva (P0.05), and there were no effects of the collar on cerebrovascular function, hemodynamics, cardiovagal baroreceptor sensitivity, or heart rate variability (P>0.05) during upright tilt. Conclusion Use of the Q-collar compresses both the jugular vein and carotid artery influencing sympathetic nerve activity in both men and women while influencing brain blood flow in women.York University Librarie

Dispersion Compensation and Power Optimization using Multi Stage SOA in Association with DCF and FBG

Now a day�s optical communication is a popular technique to transmit the data. In daily life we share our useful data by using optical network. We face a common problem that is dispersion and power. Dispersion Compensating Fiber (DCF) and Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG) are widely used dispersion compensation techniques for optical communication systems. In proposed work we have Fiber optic frameworks are of the basis to advanced correspondence systems. The high transfer speed and information rates given by fiber optics can genuinely be used by work of WDM (wavelength division multiplexing) procedures. The WDM framework can take into account a superfluity of incorporated broadband administrations consolidating voice, information, video, mixed media administrations and VAS (Value Added Services). WDM framework long broadly utilized as a part of huge separation lines experiences issues, for example, a scattering and weakening which comes about corrupted framework execution. Scattering remuneration and optical power enhancement are basic parameters in WDM frameworks. This work is about the use of multistage SOA (Semiconductor optical Amplifier) framework to increase control and reduce scattering and accomplish higher SNR (Signal Noise Ratio) .It is additionally basic that by position of EDFA pre and post FBG, consider a request of greatness increment in SNR and accomplish Phenomenal DC (Dispersion Compensation) in WDM frameworks

Collaborative Landscape and Knowledge Dynamics in IoT and Blockchain Research: A Bibliometric Analysis

This research article presents a bibliometric analysis of the intersection between Internet of Things (IoT) and Blockchain, utilizing data sourced from the Web of Science database. The analysis employs the VOSviewer tool to investigate cocitation, co-occurrence, and bibliometric correlations among the publications. The findings indicate a surge in publications, with the highest number recorded in 2022, reflecting the growing interest and significance of this research area. Moreover, the analysis reveals China as the leading country in terms of research output, underscoring its active involvement in IoT and Blockchain research. Additionally, the study identifies IEEE Access as the leading publisher, indicating its prominence in disseminating relevant research. Notably, the analysis of keywords reveals "blockchain" as the most frequently occurring term, highlighting its central role in the field. These findings contribute to a better understanding of the research landscape in IoT and Blockchain, providing insights into collaboration patterns, influential countries, leading publishers, and the prominence of blockchain as a research topic

As-Built and Post-treated Microstructures of an Electron Beam Melting (EBM) Produced Nickel-Based Superalloy

The microstructures of an electron beam melted (EBM) nickel-based superalloy (Alloy 718) were comprehensively investigated in as-built and post-treated conditions, with particular focus individually on the contour (outer periphery) and hatch (core) regions of the build. The hatch region exhibited columnar grains with strong 〈001〉 texture in the build direction, while the contour region had a mix of columnar and equiaxed grains, with no preferred crystallographic texture. Both regions exhibited nearly identical hardness and carbide content. However, the contour region showed a higher number density of fine carbides compared to the hatch. The as-built material was subjected to two distinct post-treatments: (1) hot isostatic pressing (HIP) and (2) HIP plus heat treatment (HIP + HT), with the latter carried out as a single cycle inside the HIP vessel. Both post-treatments resulted in nearly an order of magnitude decrease in defect content in hatch and contour regions. HIP + HT led to grain coarsening in the contour, but did not alter the microstructure in the hatch region. Different factors that may be responsible for grain growth, such as grain size, grain orientation, grain boundary curvature and secondary phase particles, are discussed. The differences in carbide sizes in the hatch and contour regions appeared to decrease after post-treatment. After HIP + HT, similar higher hardness was observed in both the hatch and contour regions compared to the as-built material

Multilabel land cover aerial image classification using convolutional neural networks

Classifying the remote sensing images requires a deeper understanding of remote sensing imagery, machine learning classification algorithms, and a profound insight into satellite images’ know-how properties. In this paper, a convolutional neural network (CNN) is designed to classify the multispectral SAT-4 images into four classes: trees, grassland, barren land, and others. SAT-4 is an airborne dataset that captures the images in 4 bands (R, G, B, infrared). The proposed CNN classifier learns the image’s spectral and spatial properties fromthe ground truth samples provided. The contribution of this paper is three-fold. (1) A classification framework for feature extraction and normalization is built. (2) Nine different architectures of models are built, and multiple experiments are conducted to classify the images. (3) A deeper understanding of the image structure and resolution is captured by varying different optimizers inCNN. The correlation between images of varying classes is identified. The experimental study shows that vegetation health is predicted most accurately by the proposed CNN models. It significantly differentiates the grassland vegetation from tree vegetation, which is better than other classical methods. The tabulated results show that a state-of-the-art analysis is done to learn varying landcover classification models

A lived experience co-designed study protocol for a randomised control trial: the Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Program (ASSIP) or Brief Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as additional interventions after a suicide attempt compared to a standard Suicide Prevention Pathway (SPP)

BACKGROUND: Despite being preventable, suicide is a leading cause of death and a major global public health problem. For every death by suicide, many more suicide attempts are undertaken, and this presents as a critical risk factor for suicide. Currently, there are limited treatment options with limited underpinning research for those who present to emergency departments with suicidal behaviour. The aim of this study is to assess if adding one of two structured suicide-specific psychological interventions (Attempted Suicide Short Intervention Program [ASSIP] or Brief Cognitive Behavioural Therapy [CBT] for Suicide Prevention) to a standardised clinical care approach (Suicide Prevention Pathway [SPP]) improves the outcomes for consumers presenting to a Mental Health Service with a suicide attempt. METHODS: This is a randomised controlled trial with blinding of those assessing the outcomes. People who attempt suicide or experience suicidality after a suicide attempt, present to the Gold Coast Mental Health and Specialist Services, are placed on the Suicide Prevention Pathway (SPP), and meet the eligibility criteria, are offered the opportunity to participate. A total of 411 participants will be recruited for the study, with 137 allocated to each cohort (participants are randomised to SPP, ASSIP + SPP, or CBT + SPP). The primary outcomes of this study are re-presentation to hospitals with suicide attempts. Presentations with suicidal ideation will also be examined (in a descriptive analysis) to ascertain whether a rise in suicidal ideation is commensurate with a fall in suicide attempts (which might indicate an increase in help-seeking behaviours). Death by suicide rates will also be examined to ensure that representations with a suicide attempt are not due to participants dying, but due to a potential improvement in mental health. For participants without a subsequent suicide attempt, the total number of days from enrolment to the last assessment (24 months) will be calculated. Self-reported levels of suicidality, depression, anxiety, stress, resilience, problem-solving skills, and self- and therapist-reported level of therapeutic engagement are also being examined. Psychometric data are collected at baseline, end of interventions, and 6,12, and 24 months. DISCUSSION: This project will move both ASSIP and Brief CBT from efficacy to effectiveness research, with clear aims of assessing the addition of two structured psychological interventions to treatment as usual, providing a cost-benefit analysis of the interventions, thus delivering outcomes providing a clear pathway for rapid translation of successful interventions. TRIALS REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.govNCT04072666. Registered on 28 August 201

The International Natural Product Sciences Taskforce (INPST) and the power of Twitter networking exemplified through #INPST hashtag analysis

Background: The development of digital technologies and the evolution of open innovation approaches have enabled the creation of diverse virtual organizations and enterprises coordinating their activities primarily online. The open innovation platform titled "International Natural Product Sciences Taskforce" (INPST) was established in 2018, to bring together in collaborative environment individuals and organizations interested in natural product scientific research, and to empower their interactions by using digital communication tools. Methods: In this work, we present a general overview of INPST activities and showcase the specific use of Twitter as a powerful networking tool that was used to host a one-week "2021 INPST Twitter Networking Event" (spanning from 31st May 2021 to 6th June 2021) based on the application of the Twitter hashtag #INPST. Results and Conclusion: The use of this hashtag during the networking event period was analyzed with Symplur Signals (https://www.symplur.com/), revealing a total of 6,036 tweets, shared by 686 users, which generated a total of 65,004,773 impressions (views of the respective tweets). This networking event's achieved high visibility and participation rate showcases a convincing example of how this social media platform can be used as a highly effective tool to host virtual Twitter-based international biomedical research events

Sex differences in the ventilatory and cardiovascular response to supine and tilted metaboreflex activation

Abstract Women have attenuated exercise pressor responses compared to men; however, their cerebrovascular and ventilatory responses have not been previously measured. Furthermore, recent evidence has shown that posture change can influence the response of the metaboreflex but this has only been tested in men. Young and healthy men (n = 14; age: 21 ± 2) and women (n = 11; age: 19 ± 1) underwent 40% MVC static handgrip exercise (HG) for 2 min followed by 3 min of post‐exercise circulatory occlusion (PECO) in the supine and 70° tilted postures. In supine position during HG and PECO only men had an increase in ventilation (Men: Baseline: 12.5 ± 1.7 L/min, HG: 18.6 ± 5.3 L/min, PECO: 17.7 ± 10.3 L/min; Women: Baseline: 12.0 ± 1.5 L/min, HG: 12.4 ± 1.2 L/min, PECO: 11.5 ± 1.3 L/min; Sex × Time interaction P = 0.037). In supine position during HG and PECO men and women had similar reductions in cerebrovascular conductance (Men: Baseline: 0.79 ± 0.13 cm/sec/mmHg, HG: 0.68 ± 0.18 cm/sec/mmHg, PECO: 0.61 ± 0.19 cm/s/mmHg; Women: Baseline: 0.87 ± 0.13 cm/sec/mmHg, HG: 0.83 ± 0.14 cm/sec/mmHg, PECO: 0.75 ± 0.17 cm/sec/mmHg; P < 0.015 HG/PECO vs. baseline). When comparing the response to PECO in the supine versus upright postures there was a significant attenuation in the increase in mean arterial pressure in both men and women (Supine posture: Men: +23.3 ± 14.5 mmHg, Women: +12.0 ± 7.3 mmHg; Upright posture: Men: +15.7 ± 14.1 mmHg, Women: +7.7 ± 6.7 mmHg; Main effect of sex P = 0.042, Main effect of posture P < 0.001). Our results indicate sexually dimorphic ventilatory responses to HG and PECO which could be due to different interactions of the metaboreflex and chemoreflex. We have also shown evidence of attenuated metaboreflex function in the upright posture in both men and women