Sensor sem fios para monitorização da temperatura intra-corporal

A aplicação de novas contribuições científicas para a análise de processos fisiológicos deu origem a uma nova era na medicina, introduzindo técnicas e dispositivos para medição e monitorização de parâmetros fisiológicos. Este trabalho tem como objectivo a apresentação de um novo sensor de temperatura para medição e monitorização da temperatura intra-vaginal. Esta monitorização irá permitir estudar as variações deste parâmetro biológico ao longo de determinado período de tempo, como por exemplo, ao longo de todo um ciclo menstrual ou durante um dos dias desse ciclo. O conhecimento do comportamento deste parâmetro biológico poderá ser extremamente útil do ponto de vista clínico. Com base nesse conhecimento e nas suas correlações com determinados estados sintomáticos da fisiologia feminina, poderá ser possível estudar e propor novos métodos para combater a infertilidade dos casais, antecipar e monitorizar o período fértil (podendo ser usado, tanto para ajudar a favorecer a gravidez como apoio a métodos de anti-concepção), propor e ajustar terapêuticas de tratamento de inúmeras doenças ginecológicas, desenvolver novos métodos anti-concepcionais e ajuda à prevenção de partos pré-termo. O protótipo do sistema foi testado e validado com sucesso, estando pronto para utilização

Intra-body temperature monitoring using a biofeedback solution

“Copyright © [2010] IEEE. Reprinted from 2nd International Conference on eHealth, Telemedicine, and Social Medicine . ISBN: 978-0-7695-3950-8. This material is posted here with permission of the IEEE. Internal or personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution must be obtained from the IEEE by writing to [email protected]. By choosing to view this document, you agree to all provisions of the copyright laws protecting it.”Body Area Sensor can enable healthcare monitoring in an unobtrusive way. Medical and healthcare research has been striving to find relationships between core body temperature at female genitals and certain health conditions, such as ovulation period. This paper presents a solution for intra-body temperature monitoring based on a new intra-body sensor, communication and desktop application tool. This new biosensor provides data collection that may be used to study the relation between temperature variations and women health conditions, such as, ovulation period (for both natural contraception and in vitro fertilization purposes) among others. The motivation for this work focuses on the creation of this e-Health solution that will fill the gap we realize in medical technology. The proposal was tested and validated by a medical team and it was concluded that this new biosensor performs perfectly

Sensor sem fios para monitorização da temperatura intra-corporal

A aplicação de novas contribuições científicas para a análise de processos fisiológicos deu origem a uma nova era na medicina, introduzindo técnicas e dispositivos para medição e monitorização de parâmetros fisiológicos. Este trabalho tem como objectivo a apresentação de um novo sensor de temperatura para medição e monitorização da temperatura intra-vaginal. Esta monitorização irá permitir estudar as variações deste parâmetro biológico ao longo de determinado período de tempo, como por exemplo, ao longo de todo um ciclo menstrual ou durante um dos dias desse ciclo. O conhecimento do comportamento deste parâmetro biológico poderá ser extremamente útil do ponto de vista clínico. Com base nesse conhecimento e nas suas correlações com determinados estados sintomáticos da fisiologia feminina, poderá ser possível estudar e propor novos métodos para combater a infertilidade dos casais, antecipar e monitorizar o período fértil (podendo ser usado, tanto para ajudar a favorecer a gravidez como apoio a métodos de anti-concepção), propor e ajustar terapêuticas de tratamento de inúmeras doenças ginecológicas, desenvolver novos métodos anti-concepcionais e ajuda à prevenção de partos pré-termo. O protótipo do sistema foi testado e validado com sucesso, estando pronto para utilização

Core-Body Temperature Acquisition Tools for Long-term Monitoring and Analysis

The detection of fertile and ovulation periods may be performed by women’s body temperature variations. These variations are more accurate if a core-body temperature for their detection is used. Previous medical studies concluded that the use of skin temperature could be influenced by environmental conditions. Since the increasing of the body temperature in this period is only about 0.5 ºC, it is crucial that measurements should be the most accurate as possible. Due to the lack of solutions to realize that in order to measure and analyze the core-body temperature, this paper presents a system to capture, display, and monitoring core-body temperature. It is considered a hardware solution (sensor) to be placed inside cervix and a computer application to communicate and gather the collected data by the sensor. Bluetooth is used to perform the communication between a computer and the sensor. The system evaluation is performed by a medical team in several volunteer women. Furthermore, the collected data by the sensor may be used to study the relation between temperature variations and women health conditions

Core-body temperature acquisition tools for long-term monitoring and analysis

The detection of fertile and ovulation periods may be performed by women’s body temperature variations. These variations are more accurate if a core-body temperature for their detection is used. Previous medical studies concluded that the use of skin temperature could be influenced by environmental conditions. Since the increasing of the body temperature in this period is only about 0.5 ºC, it is crucial that measurements should be the most accurate as possible. Due to the lack of solutions to realize that in order to measure and analyze the core-body temperature, this paper presents a system to capture, display, and monitoring core-body temperature. It is considered a hardware solution (sensor) to be placed inside cervix and a computer application to communicate and gather the collected data by the sensor. Bluetooth is used to perform the communication between a computer and the sensor. The system evaluation is performed by a medical team in several volunteer women. Furthermore, the collected data by the sensor may be used to study the relation between temperature variations and women health conditions

Core-Body Temperature Acquisition Tools for Long-term Monitoring and Analysis

International audienceThe detection of fertile and ovulation periods may be performed by women’s body temperature variations. These variations are more accurate if a core-body temperature for their detection is used. Previous medical studies concluded that the use of skin temperature could be influenced by environmental conditions. Since the increasing of the body temperature in this period is only about 0.5 ºC, it is crucial that measurements should be the most accurate as possible. Due to the lack of solutions to realize that in order to measure and analyze the core-body temperature, this paper presents a system to capture, display, and monitoring core-body temperature. It is considered a hardware solution (sensor) to be placed inside cervix and a computer application to communicate and gather the collected data by the sensor. Bluetooth is used to perform the communication between a computer and the sensor. The system evaluation is performed by a medical team in several volunteer women. Furthermore, the collected data by the sensor may be used to study the relation between temperature variations and women health conditions

Ultraviolet-B Radiation and Nitrogen Affect Nutrient Concentrations and the Amount of Nutrients Acquired by Above-Ground Organs of Maize

UV-B radiation effects on nutrient concentrations in above-ground organs of maize were investigated at silking and maturity at different levels of applied nitrogen under field conditions. The experiment simulated a 20% stratospheric ozone depletion over Portugal. At silking, UV-B increased N, K, Ca, and Zn concentrations, whereas at maturity Ca, Mg, Zn, and Cu increased and N, P and Mn decreased in some plant organs. Generally, at maturity, N, Ca, Cu, and Mn were lower, while P, K, and Zn concentrations in stems and nitrogen-use efficiency (NUE) were higher in N-starved plants. UV-B and N effects on shoot dry biomass were more pronounced than on nutrient concentrations. Nutrient uptake decreased under high UV-B and increased with increasing N application, mainly at maturity harvest. Significant interactions UV-B x N were observed for NUE and for concentration and mass of some elements. For instance, under enhanced UV-B, N, Cu, Zn, and Mn concentrations decreased in leaves, except on N-stressed plants, whereas they were less affected by N nutrition. In order to minimize nutritional, economical, and environmental negative consequences, fertiliser recommendations based on element concentration or yield goals may need to be adjusted

Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp.) Metabolomics: Osmoprotection as a Physiological Strategy for Drought Stress Resistance and Improved Yield

Plants usually tolerate drought by producing organic solutes, which can either act as compatible osmolytes for maintaining turgor, or radical scavengers for protecting cellular functions. However, these two properties of organic solutes are often indistinguishable during stress progression. This study looked at individualizing properties of osmotic adjustment vs. osmoprotection in plants, using cowpea as the model species. Two cultivars were grown in well-watered soil, drought conditions, or drought followed by rewatering through fruit formation. Osmoadaptation was investigated in leaves and roots using photosynthetic traits, water homoeostasis, inorganic ions, and primary and secondary metabolites. Multifactorial analyses indicated allocation of high quantities of amino acids, sugars, and proanthocyanidins into roots, presumably linked to their role in growth and initial stress perception. Physiological and metabolic changes developed in parallel and drought/recovery responses showed a progressive acclimation of the cowpea plant to stress. Of the 88 metabolites studied, proline, galactinol, and a quercetin derivative responded the most to drought as highlighted by multivariate analyses, and their correlations with yield indicated beneficial effects. These metabolites accumulated differently in roots, but similarly in leaves, suggesting a more conservative strategy to cope with drought in the aerial parts. Changes in these compounds roughly reflected energy investment in protective mechanisms, although the ability of plants to adjust osmotically through inorganic ions uptake could not be discounted

Characterization of Functional Coatings on Cork Stoppers with Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy Imaging

Evaluating the efficiency of surface treatments is a problem of paramount importance for the cork stopper industry. Generically, these treatments create coatings that aim to enhance the impermeability and lubrification of cork stoppers. Yet, current methods of surface analysis are typically time-consuming, destructive, have poor representativity or rely on indirect approaches. In this work, the use of a laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) imaging solution is explored for evaluating the presence of coating along the cylindrical surface and in depth. To test it, several cork stoppers with different shaped areas of untreated surface were analyzed by LIBS, making a rectangular grid of spots with multiple shots per spot, to try to identify the correspondent shape. Results show that this technique can detect the untreated area along with other features, such as leakage and holes, allowing for a high success rate of identification and for its performance at different depths, paving the way for future industry-grade quality control solutions with more complex surface analysis