Minimizing Stimulus Current in a Wearable Pudendal Nerve Stimulator Using Computational Models.

After spinal cord injury, functions of the lower urinary tract may be disrupted. A wearable device with surface electrodes which can effectively control the bladder functions would be highly beneficial to the patients. A trans-rectal pudendal nerve stimulator may provide such a solution. However, the major limiting factor in such a stimulator is the high level of current it requires to recruit the nerve fibers. Also, the variability of the trajectory of the nerve in different individuals should be considered. Using computational models and an approximate trajectory of the nerve derived from an MRI study, it is demonstrated in this paper that it may be possible to considerably reduce the required current levels for trans-rectal stimulation of the pudendal nerve compared to the values previously reported in the literature. This was corroborated by considering an ensemble of possible and probable variations of the trajectory. The outcome of this study suggests that trans-rectal stimulation of the pudendal nerve is a plausible long term solution for treating lower urinary tract dysfunctions after spinal cord injury

Computational Study on Transcutaneous Frontal Nerve Stimulation: Simplification of Human Head Model

Migraine is a highly disabling disorder of the brain which may affect patients both socially and economically. The pharmaceutical and invasive treatment methods may have undesirable side effects and associated risks. It has recently been shown that transcutaneous supraorbital neuromodulation may suppress episodic migraine attacks. However, results have indicated low efficacy. This inconclusive response may be associated with neuro-anatomical variations in patients which may be investigated using computational models. Model complexity is a limiting factor in implementing such techniques. This paper investigates the effect of model complexity on fiber activation estimates in transcutaneous frontal nerve stimulation. It is shown that the model can be simplified while minimally affecting the outcome

A922 Sequential measurement of 1 hour creatinine clearance (1-CRCL) in critically ill patients at risk of acute kidney injury (AKI)

Meeting abstrac

Searches for pair production of third-generation squarks in root s=13 TeV pp collisions

Peer reviewe

Pleomorphic adenoma originating from submandibular salivary gland in an 8-year-old girl: A case report

Pleomorphic adenoma (PA) typically presents as a benign slow growing, painless neoplasm of the parotid gland. PA arising from the submandibular gland in the paediatric age group is rare. Surgical excision is the treatment of choice. A case of PA in an 8-yearold Malay girl is presented. Clinically she presented with a painless right submandibular mass measuring 2x2cm. A diagnosis of Pleomorphic adenoma was made on Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC). She underwent submandibulectomy uneventfully. Postoperatively after two years follow up, she is asymptomati

Steam reforming of acetic acid over Ni/Al2O3 catalyst: Correlation of calcination temperature with the interaction of nickel and alumina

This study investigated the interaction of nickel species with alumina versus calcination temperature and nickel loading. A total of 22 Ni/Al 2 O 3 catalysts, calcined at the temperature from 500 to 1000 °C at a 50 °C increment, were employed for the study. High calcination temperature led to the formation of nickel–alumina spinel via the solid phase reaction, which shifted the reduction temperature to higher ranges. The catalyst, however, still achieved good activity after full reduction of the nickel–alumina spinel. Nevertheless, the high calcination temperature led to the collapse of the small pores and the formation of the big one, resulting in the significant decrease of specific surface area. At higher nickel loadings, more nickel species weakly interacted with alumina formed as the reactive center of alumina was saturated. With the increase of nickel loading, the catalytic activities were not varied much but the catalytic stability and the resistivity towards coking enhanced. The coke produced over the catalyst at low nickel loading tended to be amorphous, while the coke produced at the high nickel loading was more fibrous. Furthermore, the coke produced at the low loading contained more small aromatic rings and more oxygen-containing functional groups. The higher nickel loading possibly promoted the catalytic cracking reactions to form more catalytic coke while the low nickel loading probably favored the polymerization reactions to form the polymeric coke. In addition, the calcination at the higher temperature could enhance the stability of the catalysts, which might be related to the enlarged pore sizes