A Non Invasive Heart Rate and Blood Pressure Remote Monitoring System

Health monitoring systems have become an important research field today. Research on health monitoring were developed for many applications such as in home care units, emergency monitoring systems etc. This paper proposes the design of a non invasive wireless heart rate and blood pressure remote monitoring system based on an embedded board and Bluetooth wireless technology. The real time biomedical signal is sensed and measured using an optical measurement circuit based on Photoplethysmography technique. Blood pressure and heart rate readings are calculated on the basis of the developed algorithm and are displayed on the LCD screen. Moreover these numerical values of heart rate, systolic and diastolic pressure can be transmitted to any bluetooth enabled computer or smart phone via Bluetooth wireless technology

Thermostat for non-equilibrium multiparticle collision dynamics simulations

Multiparticle collision dynamics (MPC), a particle-based mesoscale simulation technique for com- plex fluid, is widely employed in non-equilibrium simulations of soft matter systems. To maintain a defined thermodynamic state, thermalization of the fluid is often required for certain MPC variants. We investigate the influence of three thermostats on the non-equilibrium properties of a MPC fluid under shear or in Poiseuille flow. In all cases, the local velocities are scaled by a factor, which is either determined via a local simple scaling approach (LSS), a Monte Carlo-like procedure (MCS), or by the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution of kinetic energy (MBS). We find that the various scal- ing schemes leave the flow profile unchanged and maintain the local temperature well. The fluid viscosities extracted from the various simulations are in close agreement. Moreover, the numerically determined viscosities are in remarkably good agreement with the respective theoretically predicted values. At equilibrium, the calculation of the dynamic structure factor reveals that the MBS method closely resembles an isothermal ensemble, whereas the MCS procedure exhibits signatures of an adi- abatic system at larger collision-time steps. Since the velocity distribution of the LSS approach is non-Gaussian, we recommend to apply the MBS thermostat, which has been shown to produce the correct velocity distribution even under non-equilibrium conditions.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures in Phys. Rev. E, 201

Hydrodynamic correlations in shear flow: A Multiparticle--Collision--Dynamics simulation study

The nonequilibrium hydrodynamic correlations of a Multiparticle-Collision-Dynamics (MPC) fluid in shear flow are studied by analytical calculations and simulations. The Navier-Stokes equations for a MPC fluid are linearized about the shear flow and the hydrodynamic modes are evaluated as an expansion in the momentum vector. The shear-rate dependence and anisotropy of the transverse and longitudinal velocity correlations are analyzed. We demonstrate that hydrodynamic correlations in shear flow are anisotropic, specifically, the two transverse modes are no longer identical. In addition, our simulations reveal the directional dependence of the frequency and attenuation of the longitudinal velocity correlation function. Furthermore, the velocity autocorrelation functions of a tagged fluid particle in shear flow are determined. The simulations results for various hydrodynamic correlations agree very well with the theoretical predictions.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figure

Cortical Reorganisation in Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS)

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a debilitating pain condition of unknown aetiology, usually occurring post-traumatically. Early diagnosis of CRPS remains a challenge with adverse implications on rehabilitation and recovery. The main goals of my research were to help develop clinically useful bedside tests as well as objective biomarkers to improve the early diagnosis of CRPS. The first research project in this thesis, ‘Novel signs in CRPS and their diagnostic clinical utility’ was a prospective observational cohort study which defined the four novel signs (finger misperception, abnormal hand laterality, astereognosis and abnormal body scheme report) in CRPS, examined their prevalence in CRPS and other chronic pain conditions and assessed their diagnostic utility (Sensitivity, Specificity, Predictive values and Likelihood ratios) for identifying patients at risk of CRPS within a Fracture cohort. This study demonstrates that novel signs are present in the majority of CRPS patients and can be reliably detected following simple training. They are practical and have significant clinical utility in diagnosing persistent pain in a fracture group. They can be used to identify patients at high risk of developing chronic pain post-fracture thereby allowing targeted early intervention. Cortical reorganisation, defined as structural and functional changes within the cerebral cortex, is implicated in many chronic pain conditions including CRPS. The second research project in this thesis ‘Cortical reorganisation and finger misperception in CRPS- a high density electroencephalogram study’ was a prospective case control design study which investigated the EEG parameters suggestive of cortical reorganisation in CRPS patients by studying the somatosensory ERPs (Event Related Potentials) elicited on painless finger stimulation. There was no significant difference in the GFP (Global Field Power) latency in the patient group compared to healthy subjects or between affected and unaffected sides of the patient group suggesting there was no impairment of somatosensory conduction from the periphery to the somatosensory cortex. However, GFP amplitude corresponding to P300 was significantly higher in the patient affected side compared to the healthy subjects suggesting cognitive dysfunction possibly related to increased allocation of attentional resources

Ensemble Equivalence for Counterion Condensation on a Two Dimensional Charged Disc

We study the counterion condensation on a two dimensional charged disc in the limit of infinite dilution, and compare the energy-temperature relation obtained from the canonical free energy and microcanonical entropy. The microcanonical entropy is piecewise linear in energy, and is shown to be concave for all energies. As a result, even though the interactions are long-ranged, the energy-temperature relation and hence the counterion condensation transition points are identical in both the ensembles.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Phase transitions of a single polyelectrolyte in a poor solvent with explicit counterions

Conformational properties of a single flexible polyelectrolyte chain in a poor solvent are studied using constant temperature molecular dynamics simulation. The effects of counterions are explicitly taken in to account. Structural properties of various phases and the transition between these phases are studied by tracking the values of asphericity, radius of gyration, fraction of condensed counterions, number of non-bonded neighbours and Coulomb interaction energies. From our simulations, we find strong evidence for a first-order phase transition from extended to collapsed phase consistent with earlier theoretical predictions. We also identify a continuous phase transition associated with the condensation of counterions and estimate the critical exponents associated with the transition. Finally, we argue that previous suggestions of existence of an independent intermediate phase between extended and collapsed phases is only a finite size effect.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure

Time correlation functions in the Lebwohl-Lasher model of liquid crystals

Time correlation functions in the Lebwohl-Lasher model of nematic liquid crystals are studied using theory and molecular dynamics simulations. In particular, the autocorrelation functions of angular momentum and nematic director fluctuations are calculated in the long-wavelength limit. The constitutive relations for the hydrodynamic currents are derived using a standard procedure based on non-negativity of the entropy production. The continuity equations are then linearized and solved to calculate the correlation functions. We find that the transverse angular momentum fluctuations are coupled to the director fluctuations, and are both propagative. The propagative nature of the fluctuations suppress the anticipated hydrodynamic long-time tails in the single-particle autocorrelation functions. The fluctuations in the isotropic phase are however diffusive, leading to $t^{-d/2}$ long-time tails in $d$ spatial dimensions. The Frank elastic constant measured using the time-correlation functions are in good agreement with previously reported results

B-mode and Doppler ultrasound features of mammary neoplasms and their comparison with normal mammary glands in dogs

Canine mammary neoplasms are naturally occurring non-homogenous group of tumours with many resemblances to human breast cancer. In female dogs mammary tumours are of great clinical relevance due to the high prevalence and mortality rate, which varies according to the histopathological classification and clinical stage. The aim of the study was to compare the ultrasonographic features of the normal mammary gland with benign and malignant mammary neoplasms in dogs, through assessed by B-mode and Doppler mode ultrasonography. Ultrasonographic examination of seven normal mammary glands along with six benign and 12 malignant mammary neoplasms were performed. Among the parameters evaluated by B-Mode ultrasonography, significant differences were found (p < 0.01) in the tumour margin and invasiveness of neoplasms, where malignant tumours were invasive with uncircumscribed margin. Significant difference was also found in the presence of posterior acoustic enhancement (p<0.05) between benign and malignant mammary neoplasms. Elevated peak systolic velocity of blood flow within the tumour vessels in malignant mammary neoplasm was the only feature assessed with Doppler mode having significant difference