Broadband Bioimpedance Spectroscopy Based on a Multifrequency Mixed Excitation and Nuttall Windowed FFT Algorithm

Bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) has become an important clinical indicator for monitoring the pathological status of biological tissues, and multifrequency simultaneous measurement of BIS may provide more accurate diagnostic information compared with the traditional frequency-sweep measurement technology. This paper proposes a BIS multifrequency simultaneous measurement method based on multifrequency mixed (MFM) signal excitation and a Nuttall windowed interpolation FFT algorithm. Firstly, the excitation source adopts the nine-frequency MFM signal f(9,t), which has excellent spectral characteristic and is very suitable for BIS measurement. On this basis, a Nuttall window is adopted to truncate sample data, and an interpolation FFT algorithm based on Nuttall window is built to perform spectral analysis, in which the parameter correction formula is provided based on polynomial approximation. A BIS measurement simulation experiment is performed on an RC three-element equivalent circuit, and results on the 9 primary harmonic frequencies ranging from 3.9 kHz to 1 MHz show a high accuracy with the impedance amplitude relative error |Ez|<0.3%, and the phase absolute error |Ep|<0.1°. This paper validates the feasibility of BIS multifrequency simultaneous measurement method and establishes an algorithm foundation for the development of practical broadband BIS measurement system

Development of a Stair-Step Multifrequency Synchronized Excitation Signal for Fast Bioimpedance Spectroscopy

Wideband excitation signal with finite prominent harmonic components is desirable for fast bioimpedance spectroscopy (BIS) measurements. This work introduces a simple method to synthesize and realize a type of periodical stair-step multifrequency synchronized (MFS) signal. The Fourier series analysis shows that the p-order MFS signal f(p,t) has constant 81.06% energy distributed equally on its p  2nth primary harmonics. The synthesis principle is described firstly and then two examples of the 4-order and 5-order MFS signals, f(4,t) and f(5,t), are synthesized. The method to implement the MFS waveform based on a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) and a digital to analog converter (DAC) is also presented. Both the number and the frequencies of the expected primary harmonics can be adjusted as needed. An impedance measurement experiment on a RC three-element equivalent model is performed, and results show acceptable precision, which validates the feasibility of the MFS excitation

A novel method: ionic liquid-based ultrasound-assisted extraction of polyphenols from Chinese purple yam

<p>Chinese purple yam is famous for therapeutic and nutritional values in lowering blood glucose, blood pressure and even preventing and treating cardiovascular diseases. However, traditional extraction techniques for the functional polyphenolic compounds mostly utilise unfriendly organic solvent and easily cause degradation of polyphenols. In this study, a novel ionic liquid-based ultrasound-assisted extraction (IL-UAE) technique was utilised to obtain polyphenols. The optimal extraction condition included: solid–liquid ratio (0.05 g/mL), ionic liquid concentration (1.05 M), extraction temperature (67°C) and ultrasonic time (37 min). The maximum free radical scavenging activity (86.21%) and total antioxidant activity (2.21 mM) were achieved and matched well with the predicted values, superior to that of the extract from regular ethanol-based UAE. IL-UAE could be a rapid and green technique for efficient extraction of polyphenols from purple yam with low solvent consumption and few structural deterioration, exhibiting application potential in food and pharmaceutical industries.</p

A phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate redistribution-based sensing mechanism initiates a phagocytosis programing

Phagocytosis is one of the earliest cellular functions, developing approximately 2 billion years ago. Although FcR-based phagocytic signaling is well-studied, how it originated from ancient phagocytosis is unknown. Lipid redistribution upregulates a phagocytic program recapitulating FcR-based phagocytosis with complete dependence on Src family kinases, Syk, and phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3K). Here we show that in phagocytes, an atypical ITAM sequence in the ancient membrane anchor protein Moesin transduces signal without receptor activation. Plasma membrane deformation created by solid structure binding generates phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) accumulation at the contact site, which binds the Moesin FERM domain and relocalizes Syk to the membrane via the ITAM motif. Phylogenic analysis traces this signaling using PI3K and Syk to 0.8 billion years ago, earlier than immune receptor signaling. The proposed general model of solid structure phagocytosis implies a preexisting lipid redistribution-based activation platform collecting intracellular signaling components for the emergence of immune receptors.</p