Wireless Sensors and their Applications in Controlling Vibrations

As wireless devices are becoming more powerful, more flexible and less costly to produce, they are often being applied in new ways. Combining wireless technology with new types of sensors results in the ability to monitor and control the environment in ways not previously possible. For example, an intelligent wireless sensor system that consists of a sensor, digital processor and a transceiver can be mounted on a board the size of a coin. The data collected by these devices are then transmitted to a central unit which is able to thoroughly process and store this data. Not only can the central processing station provide reports about certain physical parameters in the environment, it can also control the environment and other parameters of interest. The design process of these wireless sensor platforms is a well-developed area of research that covers concepts like networking, circuit design, Radio-Frequency (RF) circuits and antenna design. The design of a wireless sensor can be as simple as putting together a microcontroller, a transceiver and a sensor chip or as complicated as implementing all the necessary circuitry into a single integrated circuit. One of the main applications of the sensors is in a control loop which controls physical characteristics in an environment. Specifically, if the objective of a control system is to limit the amount of vibrations in a structure, vibration sensors such as accelerometers are usually used. In environments where the use of wires is costly or impossible, it makes sense to use wireless accelerometers instead. Among the numerous applications that can use such devices are the automotive and medical vibration control systems. In the automotive industry it is desirable to reduce the amount of vibrations in the vehicle felt by the passengers. These vibrations can originate from the engine or the uneven road, but they are damped using passive mechanical elements like rubber, springs and shocks. It is possible however, to have a more effective vibration suppression using active sensor-actuator systems. Since adding and maintaining wires in a vehicle is costly, a wireless accelerometer can be put to good use there. A medical application for wireless accelerometers can be used with a procedure called Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS). DBS is a relatively new and very effective treatment for advanced Parkinson’s disease. The purpose of DBS is to reduce tremors in the patients. In DBS a set of voltages is applied to the brain of the patient as some optimum combinations of voltages will have a very positive effect on the tremors. Those optimum voltages are currently found by trial and error while a doctor is observing the patient for tremors. Wireless accelerometers with the use of a computer algorithm can assist in this process by finding the optimum voltages using the feedback provided by the accelerometers. The algorithm will assist the doctor in making decisions and has the potential of finding the optimums completely on its own

Saúde Mental e Integralidade na Atenção Básica: Vivências Micropolíticas na Graduação

Saúde Mental e Integralidadena Atenção Básica: Vivências Micropolíticasna Graduaçã

A Cytohesin Homolog in Dictyostelium Amoebae

Dictyostelium, an amoeboid motile cell, harbors several paralogous Sec7 genes that encode members of three distinct subfamilies of the Sec7 superfamily of Guanine nucleotide exchange factors. Among them are proteins of the GBF/BIG family present in all eukaryotes. The third subfamily represented with three members in D. discoideum is the cytohesin family that has been thought to be metazoan specific. Cytohesins are characterized by a Sec7 PH tandem domain and have roles in cell adhesion and migration. Dictyostelium SecG exhibits highest homologies to the cytohesins. It harbors at its amino terminus several ankyrin repeats that are followed by the Sec7 PH tandem domain. Mutants lacking SecG show reduced cell-substratum adhesion whereas cell-cell adhesion that is important for development is not affected. Accordingly, multicellular development proceeds normally in the mutant. During chemotaxis secG(-) cells elongate and migrate in a directed fashion towards cAMP, however speed is moderately reduced. The data indicate that SecG is a relevant factor for cell-substrate adhesion and reveal the basic function of a cytohesin in a lower eukaryote

Pilot testing the EARS-Vet surveillance network for antibiotic resistance in bacterial pathogens from animals in the EU/EEA

IntroductionAs part of the EU Joint Action on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) and Healthcare-Associated Infections, an initiative has been launched to build the European AMR Surveillance network in veterinary medicine (EARS-Vet). So far, activities included mapping national systems for AMR surveillance in animal bacterial pathogens, and defining the EARS-Vet objectives, scope, and standards. Drawing on these milestones, this study aimed to pilot test EARS-Vet surveillance, namely to (i) assess available data, (ii) perform cross-country analyses, and (iii) identify potential challenges and develop recommendations to improve future data collection and analysis.MethodsEleven partners from nine EU/EEA countries participated and shared available data for the period 2016–2020, representing a total of 140,110 bacterial isolates and 1,302,389 entries (isolate-antibiotic agent combinations).ResultsCollected data were highly diverse and fragmented. Using a standardized approach and interpretation with epidemiological cut-offs, we were able to jointly analyze AMR trends of 53 combinations of animal host-bacteria–antibiotic categories of interest to EARS-Vet. This work demonstrated substantial variations of resistance levels, both among and within countries (e.g., between animal host species).DiscussionKey issues at this stage include the lack of harmonization of antimicrobial susceptibility testing methods used in European surveillance systems and veterinary diagnostic laboratories, the absence of interpretation criteria for many bacteria–antibiotic combinations of interest, and the lack of data from a lot of EU/EEA countries where little or even surveillance currently exists. Still, this pilot study provides a proof-of-concept of what EARS-Vet can achieve. Results form an important basis to shape future systematic data collection and analysis

The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex

The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Heterogeneous contributions of change in population distribution of body mass index to change in obesity and underweight NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC)

From 1985 to 2016, the prevalence of underweight decreased, and that of obesity and severe obesity increased, in most regions, with significant variation in the magnitude of these changes across regions. We investigated how much change in mean body mass index (BMI) explains changes in the prevalence of underweight, obesity, and severe obesity in different regions using data from 2896 population-based studies with 187 million participants. Changes in the prevalence of underweight and total obesity, and to a lesser extent severe obesity, are largely driven by shifts in the distribution of BMI, with smaller contributions from changes in the shape of the distribution. In East and Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the underweight tail of the BMI distribution was left behind as the distribution shifted. There is a need for policies that address all forms of malnutrition by making healthy foods accessible and affordable, while restricting unhealthy foods through fiscal and regulatory restrictions

A cult engraving of the Early Iron Age from Altmark

Fragment of a vessels with an inside ornament found in a settlement at Arneburg, Kr. Stendal, is described. The engraving represents a stylized „figure of a toad", with mostly Neolithic analogies. Examples of motifs of this kind, occurring on pottery dating from the Bronze Age to the Migration period, are listed. Since the drawing is highly stylized it is not possible to be quite certain whether the archetype was a man or an animal. We do not know, either, if the prototype of these geometrically stylized drawing was identified in the same way by prehistoric man throughout the ages. If this weas the case, a cult lasting through millennia could be surmised. Skeletal remains of toads found in Hallstatt graves may have been linked with a cult. However, it is difficult to solve this problem conclusively.Zadanie pt. „Digitalizacja i udostępnienie w Cyfrowym Repozytorium Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego kolekcji czasopism naukowych wydawanych przez Uniwersytet Łódzki” nr 885/P-DUN/2014 dofinansowane zostało ze środków MNiSW w ramach działalności upowszechniającej naukę