Heart Rate Extraction from Novel Neck Photoplethysmography Signals.

This paper demonstrates for the first time how heart rate (HR) can be extracted from novel neck photoplethysmography (PPG). A novel algorithm is presented, which when tested in neck PPG signals recorded from 9 subjects at different respiratory rates, obtained good precision with respect to gold standard ECG signals. Mean absolute error (MAE), standard deviation error (SDAE) and root-mean-square error (RMSE) resulted in 1.22, 1.54 and 1.98 beats per minute (BPM), respectively. HRneck estimation showed strong correlation (R=0.94) with reference HRECG. Good agreement between both techniques was also demonstrated by Bland-Altman analysis. The bias between mean HR paired differences was -0.16 BPM and 95% limits of agreement (LoA) were (-4.7, 4.4). Comparatively, for widely used finger PPG, errors were slightly smaller (MAE=0.38 BPM, SDAE=0.48 BPM, RMSE=0.62BPM) and the correlation with reference ECG was also very close to 1 (R=0.99). Bias of -0.04 BPM and 95% LoA (-1.5, 1.4), also showed high degree of agreement. However, these findings show the potential the neck could have as an alternative body location for wearable monitors, aiming to reduce the number of sensing sites whilst still providing access to a wide variety of physiological parameters

Jupiter as an exoplanet: UV to NIR transmission spectrum reveals hazes, a Na layer and possibly stratospheric H2O-ice clouds

Currently, the analysis of transmission spectra is the most successful technique to probe the chemical composition of exoplanet atmospheres. But the accuracy of these measurements is constrained by observational limitations and the diversity of possible atmospheric compositions. Here we show the UV-VIS-IR transmission spectrum of Jupiter, as if it were a transiting exoplanet, obtained by observing one of its satellites, Ganymede, while passing through Jupiter's shadow i.e., during a solar eclipse from Ganymede. The spectrum shows strong extinction due to the presence of clouds (aerosols) and haze in the atmosphere, and strong absorption features from CH4. More interestingly, the comparison with radiative transfer models reveals a spectral signature, which we attribute here to a Jupiter stratospheric layer of crystalline H2O ice. The atomic transitions of Na are also present. These results are relevant for the modeling and interpretation of giant transiting exoplanets. They also open a new technique to explore the atmospheric composition of the upper layers of Jupiter's atmosphere.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter

Shape evolution and shape coexistence in Pt isotopes: comparing interacting boson model configuration mixing and Gogny mean-field energy surfaces

The evolution of the total energy surface and the nuclear shape in the isotopic chain $^{172-194}$Pt are studied in the framework of the interacting boson model, including configuration mixing. The results are compared with a self-consistent Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov calculation using the Gogny-D1S interaction and a good agreement between both approaches shows up. The evolution of the deformation parameters points towards the presence of two different coexisting configurations in the region 176 $\leq$ A $\leq$ 186.Comment: Submitted to PR

Extracting the jugular venous pulse from anterior neck contact photoplethysmography

The jugular venous pulse (JVP) is the reference physiological signal used to detect right atrial and central venous pressure (CVP) abnormalities in cardio-vascular diseases (CVDs) diagnosis. Invasive central venous line catheterization has always been the gold standard method to extract it reliably. However, due to all the risks it entails, novel non-invasive approaches, exploiting distance cameras and lasers, have recently arisen to measure the JVP at the external and internal jugular veins. These remote options however, constraint patients to very specific body positions in front of the imaging system, making it inadequate for long term monitoring. In this study, we demonstrate, for the first time, that reflectance photoplethysmography (PPG) can be an alternative for extracting the JVP from the anterior jugular veins, in a contact manner. Neck JVP-PPG signals were recorded from 20 healthy participants, together with reference ECG and arterial finger PPG signals for validation. B-mode ultrasound imaging of the internal jugular vein also proved the validity of the proposed method. The results show that is possible to identify the characteristic a, c, v pressure waves in the novel signals, and confirm their cardiac-cycle timings in consistency with established cardiac physiology. Wavelet coherence values (close to 1 and phase shifts of ±180°) corroborated that neck contact JVP-PPG pulses were negatively correlated with arterial finger PPG. Average JVP waveforms for each subject showed typical JVP pulses contours except for the singularity of an unknown "u" wave occurring after the c wave, in half of the cohort. This work is of great significance for the future of CVDs diagnosis, as it has the potential to reduce the risks associated with conventional catheterization and enable continuous non-invasive point-of-care monitoring of CVP, without restricting patients to limited postures

Developmental effects in the online use of morphosyntactic cues in sentence processing: Evidence from Tagalog

Children must necessarily process their input in order to learn it, yet the architecture of the developing parsing system and how it interfaces with acquisition is unclear. In the current paper we report experimental and corpus data investigating adult and children's use of morphosyntactic cues for making incremental online predictions of thematic roles in Tagalog, a verb-initial symmetrical voice language of the Philippines. In Study 1, Tagalog-speaking adults completed a visual world eye-tracking experiment in which they viewed pictures of causative actions that were described by transitive sentences manipulated for voice and word order. The pattern of results showed that adults process agent and patient voice differently, predicting the upcoming noun in the patient voice but not in the agent voice, consistent with the observation of a patient voice preference in adult sentence production. In Study 2, our analysis of a corpus of child-directed speech showed that children heard more patient voice- than agent voice-marked verbs. In Study 3, 5-, 7-, and 9-year-old children completed a similar eye-tracking task as used in Study 1. The overall pattern of results suggested that, like the adults in Study 1, children process agent and patient voice differently in a manner that reflects the input distributions, with children developing towards the adult state across early childhood. The results are most consistent with theoretical accounts that identify a key role for input distributions in acquisition and language processin

Role of Mo in catalysts based on noble metals in hydrodeoxygenation reactions

The use of bio-energy as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels is nowadays attracting more and more attention. The bio-fuel from biomass seems to be a potential energy substitute for fossil fuels since it is a renewable resource that could contribute to sustainable development and global environmental preservation and it appears to have significant economic potential1. The problem is its high oxygen content, which gives undesirable properties for combustion. To remove oxygen, catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reactions are carried out. Monometallic Mo/Si, Pt/Si as well as bimetallic PtMo/Si catalysts were prepared and evaluated in the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO)reaction of dibenzofurane (DBF) as a model molecule in biomass derived bio-oil.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Fault Diagnosis for Complex Systems Using Coloured Petri Nets

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