1,002 research outputs found
Motion Capture System for Finger Movement Measurement in Parkinson Disease
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disorder that affects almost 1% of the population in the age group above 60 years. The key symptom in PD is the restriction of mobility. The progress of PD is typically documented using the Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), which includes a finger-tapping test. We created a measurement tool and a methodology for the objective measurement of the finger-tapping test. We built a contactless three-dimensional (3D) capture system using two cameras and light-passive (wireless) reflexive markers. We proposed and implemented an algorithm for extracting, matching, and tracing markers. The system provides the 3D position of spherical or hemispherical markers in real time. The system’s functionality was verified with the commercial motion capture system OptiTrack. Our motion capture system is easy to use, saves space, is transportable, and needs only a personal computer for data processing—the ideal solution for an outpatient clinic. Its features were successfully tested on 22 patients with PD and 22 healthy control subjects
UMTS Network Model for Interference Analysis - Optimization of Spreading Codes Order
This article deals with mathematical modeling of UMTS network. The presented model is designed for interference analysis in this network. The paper presents the set of simulations based on an idea of a specific order of Walsh codes. In the first part the mathematical model is presented. This model is designed for Matlab and is based on 3GPP specifications. The second part describes the method of specific ordering of Walsh spreading codes. The specific order can decrease the interference level in the radio network of UMTS which is caused by multipath propagation. The simulation results are presented, too
Spatially resolved pump-probe study of single-layer graphene produced by chemical vapor deposition
Carrier dynamics in single-layer graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition
(CVD) is studied using spatially and temporally resolved pump-probe
spectroscopy by measuring both differential transmission and differential
reflection. By studying the expansion of a Gaussian spatial profile of carriers
excited by a 1500-nm pump pulse with a 1761-nm probe pulse, we observe a
diffusion of hot carriers of 5500 square centimeter per second. We also observe
that the expansion of the carrier density profile decreases to a slow rate
within 1 ps, which is unexpected. Furthermore, by using an 810-nm probe pulse
we observe that both the differential transmission and reflection change signs,
but also that this sign change can be permanently removed by exposure of the
graphene to femtosecond laser pulses of relatively high fluence. This indicates
that the differential transmission and reflection at later times may not be
directly caused by carriers, but may be from some residue material from the
sample fabrication or transfer process.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure
THERMAL PROPERTIES AND HOMOGENITY RANGE OF Bi24+xCo2-xO39 CERAMICS
Samples with different Bi2O3/Co2O3 ratio were prepared by ceramic route. Based on the results of DTA, XRD and SEM – EDX a section of phase diagram of the Bi–Co–O diagram in air atmosphere was calculated using the FactSage software. The sillenite structure of Bi24+xCo2-xO39 was confirmed and described. The Rietveld analysis confirmed SEM – EDX results. The heat capacity and enthalpy increments of Bi24Co2O39 were measured by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) from 258 K to 355 K and by the drop calorimetry from 573 K to 973 K. Above room temperature the temperature dependence of the molar heat capacity in the form Cpm = (1467.87 + 0.299410 · T – 15888378 · T-2) J K-1 mol-1 was derived by least-squares method from the experimental data
Reshaping cortical activity with subthalamic stimulation in Parkinson's disease during finger tapping and gait mapped by near infrared spectroscopy
Exploration of motor cortex activity is essential to understanding the pathophysiology in Parkinson's Disease (PD), but only simple motor tasks can be investigated using a fMRI or PET. We aim to investigate the cortical activity of PD patients during a complex motor task (gait) to verify the impact of deep brain stimulation in the subthalamic nucleus (DBS-STN) by using Near-Infrared-Spectroscopy (NIRS). NIRS is a neuroimaging method of brain cortical activity using low-energy optical radiation to detect local changes in (de)oxyhemoglobin concentration. We used a multichannel portable NIRS during finger tapping (FT) and gait. To determine the signal activity, our methodology consisted of a pre-processing phase for the raw signal, followed by statistical analysis based on a general linear model. Processed recordings from 9 patients were statistically compared between the on and off states of DBS-STN. DBS-STN led to an increased activity in the contralateral motor cortex areas during FT. During gait, we observed a concentration of activity towards the cortex central area in the "stimulation-on" state. Our study shows how NIRS can be used to detect functional changes in the cortex of patients with PD with DBS-STN and indicates its future use for applications unsuited for PET and a fMRI
Brief communication: Identification of tundra topsoil frozen/thawed state from SMAP and GCOM-W1 radiometer measurements using the spectral gradient method
From 2015 to 2020, using the spectral gradient
radiometric method, the possibility of the frozen/thawed (FT) state
identification of tundra soil was investigated based on Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) and Global Change Observation Mission – Water Satellite 1 (GCOM-W1) satellite observations of 10 test sites located in the Arctic regions of
Canada, Finland, Russia, and the USA. It is shown that the spectral
gradients of brightness temperature and reflectivity (measured in the
frequency range from 1.4 to 36.5 GHz with horizontal polarization, a
determination coefficient from 0.775 to 0.834, a root-mean-square error from
6.6 to 10.7 d and a bias from −3.4 to +6.5 d) make it
possible to identify the FT state of the tundra topsoil. The spectral gradient
method has a higher accuracy with respect to the identification of the FT state of
tundra soils than single-frequency methods based on the
calculation of polarization index.</p
Irreversible Aging Dynamics and Generic Phase Behavior of Aqueous Suspensions of Laponite
In this work we study the aging behavior of aqueous suspension of Laponite
having 2.8 weight % concentration using rheological tools. At various salt
concentration all the samples demonstrate orientational order when observed
using crossed polarizers. In rheological experiments we observe inherent
irreversibility in the aging dynamics which forces the system not to rejuvenate
to the same state in the shear melting experiment carried out at a later date
since preparation. The extensive rheological experiments carried out as a
function of time elapsed since preparation demonstrate the self similar trend
in the aging behavior irrespective of the concentration of salt. We observe
that the exploration of the low energy states as a function of aging time is
only kinetically affected by the presence of salt. We estimate that the energy
barrier to attain the low energy states decreases linearly with increase in the
concentration of salt. The observed superposition of all the elapsed time and
the salt concentration dependent data suggests that the aging that occurs in
low salt concentration systems over a very long period is qualitatively similar
to the aging behavior observed in systems with high salt concentration over a
shorter period.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figures. Langmuir, in pres
Second-harmonic generation induced by electric currents in GaAs
We demonstrate a new, nonlinear optical effect of electric currents. First, a
steady current is generated by applying a voltage on a doped GaAs crystal. We
demonstrate that this current induces second-harmonic generation of a probe
laser pulse. Second, we optically inject a transient current in an undoped GaAs
crystal by using a pair of ultrafast laser pulses, and demonstrate that it
induces the same second-harmonic generation. In both cases, the induced
second-order nonlinear susceptibility is proportional to the current density.
This effect can be used for nondestructive, noninvasive, and ultrafast imaging
of currents. These advantages are illustrated by the real-time observations of
a coherent plasma oscillation and spatial resolution of current distribution in
a device. This new effect also provides a mechanism for electrical control of
the optical response of materials.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure
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