Ambient Life

Health Monitoring applications and devices are becoming very useful tools for people that want to take a more active role in their personal health. However, no current health-monitoring device is capable of harvesting its own power for operation. In our Senior Design project, we use an energy harvesting wireless sensor system that is designed to be easily worn on the wrist, or on the foot of an infant, in order to help people monitor their temperature and pulse rate. Our personal health-monitoring device operates using an Arduino pro mini microcontroller that reads in data from our sensors and passes them onto a Bluetooth module. The data that is recorded by the system is then sent over via Bluetooth to a laptop that will present the patient’s results. The device is powered by a battery that can be charged by USB power, or through our RF energy harvesting system

Potential Ciliary Neurotrophic Factor Application in Dental Stem Cell Therapy

Neurotrophic factors have long been considered growth factors that promote survival and growth of various neuronal tissues. Recent studies showed that neurotrophic factors are also present in dental pulp and periodontal ligament. This paper reviews the literature about the ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), a member of the neurotrophic factor family, and indicates the potential clinical application of CNTF in dental stem cell therapy

Thermal and Transport Behavior of Single Crystalline R2CoGa8 (R = Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Lu and Y) Compounds

The anisotropy in electrical transport and thermal behavior of single crystalline R$_{2}$CoGa$_{8}$ series of compounds is presented. These compounds crystallize in a tetragonal structure with space gropup P4/mmm. The nonmagnetic counterparts of the series namely Y$_{2}$CoGa$_{8}$ and Lu$_{2}$CoGa$_{8}$show a behavior consistent with the low density of states at the fermi level. In Y$_{2}$CoGa$_{8}$, a possibility of charge density wave transition is observed at $\approx$ 30 K. Gd$_{2}$CoGa$_{8}$ and Er$_{2}$CoGa$_{8}$ show a presence of short range correlation above the magnetic ordering temperature of the compound. In case of Gd$_{2}$CoGa$_{8}$, the magnetoresistance exhibits a significant anisotropy for current parallel to {[}100{]} and {[}001{]} directions. Compounds with other magnetic rare earths (R = Tb, Dy, Ho and Tm) show the normal expected magnetic behavior whereas Dy$_{2}$CoGa$_{8}$ exhibits the possibility of charge density wave (CDW) transition at approximately same temperature as that of Y$_{2}$CoGa$_{8}$. The thermal property of these compounds is analysed on the basis of crystalline electric field (CEF) calculations.Comment: 10 Pages 14 Figures. Submitted to PR

Preparation and characterization of bamboo-based activated carbons as electrode materials for electric double layer capacitors

ArticleCarbon. 44(8):1592-1595 (2006)journal articl

Nonextensive thermodynamics of the two-site Hubbard model

Thermodynamical properties of canonical and grand-canonical ensembles of the half-filled two-site Hubbard model have been discussed within the framework of the nonextensive statistics (NES). For relating the physical temperature $T$ to the Lagrange multiplier $\beta$, two methods have been adopted: $T=1/k_B \beta$ in the method A [Tsallis {\it et al.} Physica A {\bf 261} (1998) 534], and $T=c_q/k_B \beta$ in the method B [Abe {\it et al.} Phys. Lett. A {\bf 281} (2001) 126], where $k_B$ denotes the Boltzman constant, $c_q= \sum_i p_i^q$, $p_i$ the probability distribution of the $i$th state, and $q$ the entropic index. Temperature dependences of specific heat and magnetic susceptibility have been calculated for 1 \lleq q \lleq 2, the conventional Boltzman-Gibbs statistics being recovered in the limit of $q = 1$. The Curie constant $\Gamma_q$ of the susceptibility in the atomic and low-temperature limits ($t/U \to 0, T/U \to 0$) is shown to be given by $\Gamma_q=2 q 2^{2(q-1)}$ in the method A, and $\Gamma_q=2 q$ in the method B, where $t$ stands for electron hoppings and $U$ intra-atomic interaction in the Hubbard model. These expressions for $\Gamma_q$ are shown to agree with the results of a free spin model which has been studied also by the NES with the methods A and B. A comparison has been made between the results for canonical and grand-canonical ensembles of the model.Comment: 22 pages, 7 figures, accepted in Physica A with minor change

High-performance electric double-layer capacitors using mass-produced multi-walled carbon nanotubes

The original publication is available at www.springerlink.com.https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-005-3398-7 | https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-005-3398-7ArticleApplied Physics A. 82(4):559-565 (2006)journal articl

Study to transit of achievement motivations in psychiatric social worker\u27s training

本研究の目的は,精神保健福祉援助実習前後での実習生の達成動機の変化を明らかにするとともに,達成動機に影響を与える要因について検討することであった.調査の結果,(1)自己充実的達成動機の平均値は実習前で51.72点,実習後で53.33点であり,実習後に上昇することが示された.また,非参加群との比較においても両群の間に有意な差が認められ,参加群で自己充実的達成動機が高いことが明らかとなった.(2)競争的達成動機の平均値は実習前で33.13点,実習後で33.62点であり,実習前後では有意な変化は認められなかった.しかし,非参加群との比較においては両群の間に有意な差が認められ,参加群で競争的達成動機が高いことが明らかとなった.(3)実習生の達成動機に影響を与える要因として,「実習に対する不安」と「精神保健福祉ボランティア等の事前体験学習の有無」の2つの項目で関連性が認められ,実習不安が高いほど「自己充実的達成動機」は低下し,また,精神保健福祉ボランティア等の事前体験学習を経験した学生で「自己充実的達成動機」が上昇することが明らかとなった.以上の結果を踏まえて,実習において達成動機(特に自己充実的達成動機)を高める可能性のある目標設定モデルを用いた現場実習指導のあり方,さらには学生への教育的支援の方法について論じた

The analysis of evaluation with social welfare student\u27s commumication skills in practical training

本研究では,精神保健福祉援助実習に参加した学生を対象に,コミュニケーション技術評価尺度を用いてコミュニケーション技術の達成度を測定し,実習前後での変化を明らかにすることが目的であった.調査の結果,(1)コミュニケーション技術を評価する全25項目のうち,11項目で変化がみられ,いずれも実習後に肯定的な評価であった.(2)コミュニケーション技術評価の5つの下位因子のうち,「コミュニケーションの基本技術」「非言語的コミュニケーション技術」「クライエントの感情の明確化」の3つで技術の向上がみられた.(3)5つの下位因子のうち「コミュニケーションによる自己成長についての理解」でのみ,「友人のサポート」と「実習中の相談相手の有無」の関連性が確認された.以上の結果を踏えて,コミュニケーション技術評価を実習後の振り返り学習に活かす実習指導のあり方,学生への具体的な教育的支援について論じた

A study of feeling and needs on victims

本稿は,一般に人々がどのような犯罪被害等に遭遇しているか,また,犯罪被害等に遭遇した際の被害直後の感情や,被害後の支援ニーズについて,人々がどのように認識をしているかについて調査したものである.今回の調査結果より,自然災害や交通事故に遭遇している者は多かったが,PTSD症状は呈していない傾向にあった.一方,死亡などの家族の出来事で衝撃を受けたり,暴行や意に反した不快な性的体験に遭遇した場合は,PTSD症状を呈しており,今回のアンケートのPTSD症状面の項目に回答することも不快に感じていた.なお,被害者等で何らかのPTSD症状を呈している者は,「誰かにいてほしい」と思わず,「人に会いたくない」状態になっている状況が明らかとなった.犯罪被害者等の支援を考える際に,被害者もそれぞれの状況,感情面,ニーズに違いがあり,それらの被害者等の真の感情,ニーズを見極めることが,支援をする上で重要であることが明らかとなった