Design and Implementation of Leading Eigenvector Generator for On-chip Principal Component Analysis Spike Sorting System

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Recent Advances in Neural Recording Microsystems

The accelerating pace of research in neuroscience has created a considerable demand for neural interfacing microsystems capable of monitoring the activity of large groups of neurons. These emerging tools have revealed a tremendous potential for the advancement of knowledge in brain research and for the development of useful clinical applications. They can extract the relevant control signals directly from the brain enabling individuals with severe disabilities to communicate their intentions to other devices, like computers or various prostheses. Such microsystems are self-contained devices composed of a neural probe attached with an integrated circuit for extracting neural signals from multiple channels, and transferring the data outside the body. The greatest challenge facing development of such emerging devices into viable clinical systems involves addressing their small form factor and low-power consumption constraints, while providing superior resolution. In this paper, we survey the recent progress in the design and the implementation of multi-channel neural recording Microsystems, with particular emphasis on the design of recording and telemetry electronics. An overview of the numerous neural signal modalities is given and the existing microsystem topologies are covered. We present energy-efficient sensory circuits to retrieve weak signals from neural probes and we compare them. We cover data management and smart power scheduling approaches, and we review advances in low-power telemetry. Finally, we conclude by summarizing the remaining challenges and by highlighting the emerging trends in the field

Recent Advances in Water Harvesting: A Review of Materials, Devices and Applications

Water is essential for life. However, water scarcity is becoming one of the most severe issues worldwide in terms of its potential impacts. There are diverse forms of water on earth and water harvesting from them is quite feasible to access more fresh water for drinking, sanitation and irrigation. In this review, we summarize the recent technologies of various water harvesters, based on different forms of water resources, aiming to improve the water harvesting systems. We mainly address three points: forming principles of different water circumstance, working mechanism of typical water harvesters, and the challenges and future research orientations. This systemic review on recent technologies in water harvesting provides insight into the sustainable water resources, water supply, and water collecting systems for the future

Recent Advances in Water Harvesting: A Review of Materials, Devices and Applications

Water is essential for life. However, water scarcity is becoming one of the most severe issues worldwide in terms of its potential impacts. There are diverse forms of water on earth and water harvesting from them is quite feasible to access more fresh water for drinking, sanitation and irrigation. In this review, we summarize the recent technologies of various water harvesters, based on different forms of water resources, aiming to improve the water harvesting systems. We mainly address three points: forming principles of different water circumstance, working mechanism of typical water harvesters, and the challenges and future research orientations. This systemic review on recent technologies in water harvesting provides insight into the sustainable water resources, water supply, and water collecting systems for the future

A Production Inventory Model for Deteriorating Items with Collaborative Preservation Technology Investment Under Carbon Tax

The increase in carbon emissions is considered one of the major causes of global warming and climate change. To reduce the potential environmental and economic threat from such greenhouse gas emissions, governments must formulate policies related to carbon emissions. Most economists favor the carbon tax as an approach to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This market-based approach is expected to inevitably affect enterprises’ operating activities such as production, inventory, and equipment investment. Therefore, in this study, we investigate a production inventory model for deteriorating items under a carbon tax policy and collaborative preservation technology investment from the perspective of supply chain integration. Our main purpose is to determine the optimal production, delivery, ordering, and investment policies for the buyer and vendor that maximize the joint total profit per unit time in consideration of the carbon tax policy. We present several numerical examples to demonstrate the solution procedures, and we conduct sensitivity analyses of the optimal solutions with respect to major parameters for identifying several managerial implications that provide a useful decision tool for the relevant managers. We hope that the study results assist government organizations in selecting a more appropriate carbon emissions policy for the carbon reduction trend

Cone photoreceptor definition on adaptive optics retinal imaging

AIMS: To quantitatively analyse cone photoreceptor matrices on images captured on an adaptive optics (AO) camera and assess their correlation to well-established parameters in the retinal histology literature. METHODS: High resolution retinal images were acquired from 10 healthy subjects, aged 20–35 years old, using an AO camera (rtx1, Imagine Eyes, France). Left eye images were captured at 5° of retinal eccentricity, temporal to the fovea for consistency. In three subjects, images were also acquired at 0, 2, 3, 5 and 7° retinal eccentricities. Cone photoreceptor density was calculated following manual and automated counting. Inter-photoreceptor distance was also calculated. Voronoi domain and power spectrum analyses were performed for all images. RESULTS: At 5° eccentricity, the cone density (cones/mm(2) mean±SD) was 15.3±1.4×10(3) (automated) and 13.9±1.0×10(3) (manual) and the mean inter-photoreceptor distance was 8.6±0.4 μm. Cone density decreased and inter-photoreceptor distance increased with increasing retinal eccentricity from 2 to 7°. A regular hexagonal cone photoreceptor mosaic pattern was seen at 2, 3 and 5° of retinal eccentricity. CONCLUSIONS: Imaging data acquired from the AO camera match cone density, intercone distance and show the known features of cone photoreceptor distribution in the pericentral retina as reported by histology, namely, decreasing density values from 2 to 7° of eccentricity and the hexagonal packing arrangement. This confirms that AO flood imaging provides reliable estimates of pericentral cone photoreceptor distribution in normal subjects

Indocyanine Green-assisted Phacoemulsification in Cases of Complicated or Simple Advanced Cataracts

During phacoemulsification for advanced cataracts, particularly when complicated by anterior segment abnormalities, capsulorhexis is very difficult and carries a high risk of complications. This study investigated the efficacy and safety of indocyanine green (ICG)-assisted phacoemulsification in complicated or simple advanced cataracts. Methods: Thirty-two patients (35 eyes) underwent phacoemulsification for complicated advanced cataracts (group 1) or simple advanced (mature/hypermature) cataracts (group 2). Anterior segment abnormalities (corneal opacity, small pupil, or glaucoma) in group 1 complicated phacoemulsification. In both groups, 0.5% ICG was used for capsulorhexis, and subsequent procedures were performed in the same routine manner. Results: Group 1 included 15 patients (17 eyes) with a mean age of 60.0 years. Group 2 included 17 patients (18 eyes) with a mean age of 69.4 years (p 0.05). None of these were attributed to the use of ICG. Visual acuity improved in all eyes in group 2, but in only 11 (64.7%) in group 1 (p < 0.01). Conclusion: ICG-assisted phacoemulsification is safe and helpful for complicated or simple advanced cataracts. Differences between the two groups in patient age, intraoperative complications, and visual outcome could be explained by differences in the cause(s) of advanced cataracts