EXAMPLES OF MEDICAL SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE EXPERT SYSTEMS FOR DYSFUNCTION ANALYSIS AND TREATMENT

Paper present the recent research in DMCS. The medical and biometric research projects are presented. One of the key element is an image acquisition and processing. The paper presents research of diagnostic application of voice analysis for stroke patients with speech dysfunction, as well as the method for diagnosing and monitoring the effectiveness of medical rehabilitation of patients with dysfunction of the cervical spine. Then the method for sudden cardiac death risk stratification is elaborated

RECENT RESEARCH IN VLSI, MEMS AND POWER DEVICES WITH PRACTICAL APPLICATION TO THE ITER AND DREAM PROJECTS

Several MEMS (Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems) devices have been analysed and simulated. The new proposed model of SiC MPS (Merged PIN-Schottky) diodes is in full agreement with the real MPS devices. The real size DLL (Dynamic Lattice Liquid) simulator as well as the research on modelling and simulation of modern VLSI devices with practical applications have been presented. In the basis of experience in the field of ATCA (Advanced Telecommunications Computing Architecture) based systems a proof-of-concept DAQ (data acquisition) system for ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) have been proposed

Evaluation of Functionality of Warning System in Smart Protective Clothing for Firefighters

Recent achievements in the field of miniaturization of electronics have led to a significant interest in its application into the protective clothing for firefighters in order to improve their safety and health. However, up to now there are not any requirements and standardized test methods enabling confirmation of safety of use and functionality of these systems in work environment. In the paper, an importance of evaluation of such smart wearable system in predicted utility conditions is highlighted. Three variants of the specially developed personal warning systems (PWSs) for integration with either health status or environmental sensors to be used in smart protective clothing for firefighters are presented, i.e., with LCD display, LED diodes and vibrating element. For the purpose of evaluation a new testing methodology was developed. The PWSs were evaluated on a basis of perception of warning signals by firefighters in simulated utility conditions including temperature, light, noise, fog and performed activities. In the case of marching, even 75% of signals generated by PWS with LCD display were not received. Physical activity did not influence on functionality of PWS with vibrating element. For the PWS with LED diodes, the signal was received statistically significantly quicker than in the case of other PWS and the mean value of voice response time was below 3 s

Evaluation of Functionality of Warning System in Smart Protective Clothing for Firefighters

Recent achievements in the field of miniaturization of electronics have led to a significant interest in its application into the protective clothing for firefighters in order to improve their safety and health. However, up to now there are not any requirements and standardized test methods enabling confirmation of safety of use and functionality of these systems in work environment. In the paper, an importance of evaluation of such smart wearable system in predicted utility conditions is highlighted. Three variants of the specially developed personal warning systems (PWSs) for integration with either health status or environmental sensors to be used in smart protective clothing for firefighters are presented, i.e., with LCD display, LED diodes and vibrating element. For the purpose of evaluation a new testing methodology was developed. The PWSs were evaluated on a basis of perception of warning signals by firefighters in simulated utility conditions including temperature, light, noise, fog and performed activities. In the case of marching, even 75% of signals generated by PWS with LCD display were not received. Physical activity did not influence on functionality of PWS with vibrating element. For the PWS with LED diodes, the signal was received statistically significantly quicker than in the case of other PWS and the mean value of voice response time was below 3 s

Parametric study on utilization of PV-energy in residential microgrids with hot water heating

The seamless coexistence of distributed photovoltaics (PV) with the utility network may be maintained by focusing on higher energy autonomy of micro-grids.This may be approached by seeking any opportunities to increase local energy consumption, especially when legal regulations are cutting-down the benefits for energy overproduction.The microgrids combining PV with electric storage and heat pumps largely fail at satisfying local energy needs autonomously in winter periods and create excessive load of power network. Although the all-electric microgrid is a long term target, any improvements to the existing residential infrastructure with mixed-supply sources are worth revisiting as low-cost steps towards more conscious energy utilization.The concept of using Domestic Hot Water (DHW) heating to dump locally the excess of PV-energy is affordable method to improve energy autonomy of residential microgrids with minimal interference to their existing configuration and the advantage of no additional energy demand.The use of PV for DHW heating was studied in various configurations, but in contrast to former works, this paper presents the parametric analysis focusing on increasing the local consumption (goal A), minimizing the interference with utility grid (goal B) and optimal adjustment to net-metering accounting rules (goal C).The case study is the residential-type micro-grid in climate of Central Europe. The study uses both simulated (energy consumption profiles) and recorded (solar irradiance) data. The simulation is based on microgrid proportions and provides the results beyond reach of single experiments and conclusions applicable to similar cases, regardless the absolute size

A Thermal Model for Processing Data from Undergarment Sensors in Automatic Control of Actively Heated Clothing

Despite its recent growth in popularity, actively heated clothing still lacks the ability to cope with demanding user scenarios. As many of these deficiencies stem from an absence of automatic control, the authors propose a novel approach using a set of sensors embedded in the clothing to provide data about thermal comfort. Available sensors suffer from a lack of accuracy, as for practical reasons, they cannot be attached to the skin, whose temperature is usually used as a comfort indicator. To determine the magnitude of the problem, the authors conducted experiments, and a thermal model was proposed based on experimental findings; the output from the model was compared with the experimental reference data for three different upper body undergarments. The overall accuracy was found to be good: in most cases, the difference between the computed and reference skin temperatures did not exceed 0.5 °C. Furthermore, the model does not rely on unrealistic assumptions regarding the availability of parameters or measurement data. Our findings demonstrate that it is possible to create a thermal model that, when used for input data processing, allows undergarment temperature to be converted to skin temperature, allowing for automatic control of heating insets

Modeling and Experimental Verification of the Required Power for Electrically Heated Clothing

The article presents simple modeling and experimental verification of the power required for thermal comfort in electrically heated clothing. The clothing consists of a jumpsuit with embedded heating insets, controlled by a dedicated microprocessor system. The user is able to set heating power using a smartphone app. The experiments, conducted in a mobile freezing chamber, aimed at verification of the model of theoretical power (according to ISO 11079) required to maintain thermal comfort in ambient temperatures below 0 °C. Three participants were asked to adjust heating power to reach thermal comfort. The experiment revealed the required power to be only 40–60% of the theoretical one, meaning that the design of the electrically heating clothing relying solely on the theoretical models and standards would lead to oversizing of the heating system power. Further study indicated that the mean skin temperature by itself is not sufficient as an input to the algorithm for automatic maintaining of thermal comfort, even in stationary conditions

Wrodzony zespół zakotwiczonego rdzenia u dorosłych z towarzyszącym tłuszczakiem nici końcowej – opis przypadku

Congenital adult tethered cord syndrome (TCS) with accompanying lipoma is a rare disease in adults and difficult to diagnose. Surgical treatment is difficult and can lead to many complications. The authors present a case of a 26-year-old woman with a large filium terminale lipoma and tethered cord at the S2 level. The patient complained of pain in the lumbosacral region of the spine, moderate incontinence, and a right-sided foot drop with impaired sensation. Diagnostics were performed using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The patient underwent a surgical procedure untethering the spinal cord with a partial lipoma resection. Microsurgical techniques were used during the procedure and intraoperative neurophysiological monitoring was performed. In the postoperative observation, the pain in the lumbosacral region of the spine was reduced, and some of the sensory disturbances subsided. However, there was no significant improvement in the foot muscle strength. Long-term symptoms such as lumbosacral pain, sensory disturbances and poor urinary incontinence are not characteristic symptoms that clearly indicate tethered cord syndrome. Surgical treatment in this case is a difficult procedure due to the nature and location of changes in the environment of the cauda equina. Another serious problem is identifying the filium terminale. Surgical operation is associated with postoperative fluid fistula with impaired surgical wound healing. The outcome of the surgery is not always satisfactory for the patient, as the only treatment effect can be to stop the progressive neurological symptoms.Wrodzony zespół zakotwiczonego rdzenia u dorosłych (tethered cord syndrome – TCS) z towarzyszącym tłuszczakiem jest chorobą rzadko występującą u dorosłych i często sprawia problemy diagnostyczne. Leczenie operacyjne jest trudne i może prowadzić do licznych powikłań. Autorzy przedstawiają przypadek 26-letniej kobiety z olbrzymim tłuszczakiem nici końcowej i zakotwiczonym rdzeniem na poziomie S2. Pacjentka skarżyła się na bóle okolicy lędźwiowo-krzyżowej kręgosłupa. Ponadto obserwowano umiarkowanego stopnia nietrzymanie moczu i prawostronne opadanie stopy z zaburzeniami czucia. Diagnostykę przeprowadzono za pomocą rezonansu magnetycznego. Chora przeszła zabieg chirurgiczny uwolnienia rdzenia kręgowego z częściową resekcją tłuszczaka nici końcowej. Podczas zabiegu stosowano techniki mikrochirurgiczne oraz posiłkowano się neuromonitoringiem śródoperacyjnym. W obserwacji pooperacyjnej u chorej zmniejszyły się dolegliwości bólowe okolicy lędźwiowo-krzyżowej kręgosłupa, ustąpiły także częściowo zaburzenia czucia. Nie obserwowano natomiast znacznej poprawy siły mięśniowej stopy. Długo trwające objawy, takie jak bóle kręgosłupa w odcinku lędźwiowo-krzyżowym, zaburzenia czucia, a także słabo zaznaczone objawy nietrzymania moczu, nie są objawami jednoznacznie wskazującymi na zespół zakotwiczonego rdzenia. Leczenie operacyjne w takim przypadku jest procedurą trudną ze względu na charakter i lokalizację zmiany w otoczeniu ogona końskiego. Innym poważnym problemem jest identyfikacja nici końcowej. Zabieg operacyjny obarczony jest wystąpieniem pooperacyjnej przetoki płynowej z zaburzeniem gojenia rany operacyjnej. Wynik zabiegu operacyjnego nie zawsze jest dla chorego satysfakcjonujący, ponieważ jedynym efektem leczenia może być zatrzymanie postępujących objawów neurologicznych

Fully Automatic Fall Risk Assessment Based on a Fast Mobility Test

This paper presents a fall risk assessment approach based on a fast mobility test, automatically evaluated using a low-cost, scalable system for the recording and analysis of body movement. This mobility test has never before been investigated as a sole source of data for fall risk assessment. It can be performed in a very limited space and needs only minimal additional equipment, yet provides large amounts of information, as the presented system can obtain much more data than traditional observation by capturing minute details regarding body movement. The readings are provided wirelessly by one to seven low-cost micro-electro-mechanical inertial measurement units attached to the subject’s body segments. Combined with a body model, these allow segment rotations and translations to be computed and for body movements to be recreated in software. The subject can then be automatically classified by an artificial neural network based on selected values in the test, and those with an elevated risk of falls can be identified. Results obtained from a group of 40 subjects of various ages, both healthy volunteers and patients with vestibular system impairment, are presented to demonstrate the combined capabilities of the test and system. Labelling of subjects as fallers and non-fallers was performed using an objective and precise sensory organization test; it is an important novelty as this approach to subject labelling has never before been used in the design and evaluation of fall risk assessment systems. The findings show a true-positive ratio of 85% and true-negative ratio of 63% for classifying subjects as fallers or non-fallers using the introduced fast mobility test, which are noticeably better than those obtained for the long-established Timed Up and Go test