Sensor system and related models to determine irregular shaped 3-D objects

This work comprises several parts, the initial part o f which is a review o f the techniques in use at present for measuring shape and characterising products. The major work details a ring sensor system, which consists o f a large number o f transmitters and receivers alternately arranged on the circumference o f a metal annulus. Using a modified polar co-ordinate system and trigonometric functions, two enveloping spirals o f an object can be determined. One or both spirals can then be used for further data analysis. Each spiral consists o f intersections between enveloping chords and parts o f the chords. The area surrounding the object is segmented and properties such as volume and axis measurements can be determined. A mode! was developed to simulate artificial objects o f various shapes. Simulation tests were carried out to determine the limits o f the system concerning position within the ring, shape and speed o f the object and resolution o f the ring. A ring was manufactured for actual tests, which were carried out mainly on potatoes to confirm the possible use in practice and to show the relative merits compared with existing systems. Interesting side issues are introduced, such as the low number of primary data, possibilities of further reduction using differential coding, and the consumption time of the algorithms. Finally, a model for the simulation o f more than one object in the ring at the same time is introduced and a possible way o f separation is investigated

Flow rate variance of a fully implantable pump for the delivery of intravenous treprostinil in pulmonary arterial hypertension

Implantable infusion pumps might improve the convenience and safety of intravenous treprostinil for pulmonary arterial hypertension. The LENUS Pro (R) pump (approved in Europe) has a fixed flow rate. Based on 126 pumps and 2853 refills, we retrospectively analyzed the actual flow rate from 09/2010 to 09/2018. A relevant flow rate variance is evident after three years; therefore, flow rate monitoring and dose adjustment are mandatory

Nanodomain coupling at an excitatory cortical synapse.

The coupling distance between presynaptic Ca(2+) influx and the sensor for vesicular transmitter release determines speed and reliability of synaptic transmission. Nanodomain coupling (<100 nm) favors fidelity and is employed by synapses specialized for escape reflexes and by inhibitory synapses involved in synchronizing fast network oscillations. Cortical glutamatergic synapses seem to forgo the benefits of tight coupling, yet quantitative detail is lacking. The reduced transmission fidelity of loose coupling, however, raises the question whether it is indeed a general characteristic of cortical synapses. Here we analyzed excitatory parallel fiber to Purkinje cell synapses, major processing sites for sensory information and well suited for analysis because they typically harbor only a single active zone. We quantified the coupling distance by combining multiprobability fluctuation analyses, presynaptic Ca(2+) imaging, and reaction-diffusion simulations in wild-type and calretinin-deficient mice. We found a coupling distance of <30 nm at these synapses, much shorter than at any other glutamatergic cortical synapse investigated to date. Our results suggest that nanodomain coupling is a general characteristic of conventional cortical synapses involved in high-frequency transmission, allowing for dense gray matter packing and cost-effective neurotransmission.Journal ArticleResearch Support, Non-U.S. Gov'tSCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe