20,147 research outputs found
Heart Rate Extraction from Novel Neck Photoplethysmography Signals.
This paper demonstrates for the first time how heart rate (HR) can be extracted from novel neck photoplethysmography (PPG). A novel algorithm is presented, which when tested in neck PPG signals recorded from 9 subjects at different respiratory rates, obtained good precision with respect to gold standard ECG signals. Mean absolute error (MAE), standard deviation error (SDAE) and root-mean-square error (RMSE) resulted in 1.22, 1.54 and 1.98 beats per minute (BPM), respectively. HRneck estimation showed strong correlation (R=0.94) with reference HRECG. Good agreement between both techniques was also demonstrated by Bland-Altman analysis. The bias between mean HR paired differences was -0.16 BPM and 95% limits of agreement (LoA) were (-4.7, 4.4). Comparatively, for widely used finger PPG, errors were slightly smaller (MAE=0.38 BPM, SDAE=0.48 BPM, RMSE=0.62BPM) and the correlation with reference ECG was also very close to 1 (R=0.99). Bias of -0.04 BPM and 95% LoA (-1.5, 1.4), also showed high degree of agreement. However, these findings show the potential the neck could have as an alternative body location for wearable monitors, aiming to reduce the number of sensing sites whilst still providing access to a wide variety of physiological parameters
Jupiter as an exoplanet: UV to NIR transmission spectrum reveals hazes, a Na layer and possibly stratospheric H2O-ice clouds
Currently, the analysis of transmission spectra is the most successful
technique to probe the chemical composition of exoplanet atmospheres. But the
accuracy of these measurements is constrained by observational limitations and
the diversity of possible atmospheric compositions. Here we show the UV-VIS-IR
transmission spectrum of Jupiter, as if it were a transiting exoplanet,
obtained by observing one of its satellites, Ganymede, while passing through
Jupiter's shadow i.e., during a solar eclipse from Ganymede. The spectrum shows
strong extinction due to the presence of clouds (aerosols) and haze in the
atmosphere, and strong absorption features from CH4. More interestingly, the
comparison with radiative transfer models reveals a spectral signature, which
we attribute here to a Jupiter stratospheric layer of crystalline H2O ice. The
atomic transitions of Na are also present. These results are relevant for the
modeling and interpretation of giant transiting exoplanets. They also open a
new technique to explore the atmospheric composition of the upper layers of
Jupiter's atmosphere.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ Letter
Implications of a Sub-Threshold Resonance for Stellar Beryllium Depletion
Abundance measurements of the light elements lithium, beryllium, and boron
are playing an increasingly important role in the study of stellar physics.
Because these elements are easily destroyed in stars at temperatures 2--4
million K, the abundances in the surface convective zone are diagnostics of the
star's internal workings. Standard stellar models cannot explain depletion
patterns observed in low mass stars, and so are not accounting for all the
relevant physical processes. These processes have important implications for
stellar evolution and primordial lithium production in big bang
nucleosynthesis. Because beryllium is destroyed at slightly higher temperatures
than lithium, observations of both light elements can differentiate between the
various proposed depletion mechanisms. Unfortunately, the reaction rate for the
main destruction channel, 9Be(p,alpha)6Li, is uncertain. A level in the
compound nucleus 10B is only 25.7 keV below the reaction's energetic threshold.
The angular momentum and parity of this level are not well known; current
estimates indicate that the resonance entrance channel is either s- or d-wave.
We show that an s-wave resonance can easily increase the reaction rate by an
order of magnitude at temperatures of approximately 4 million K. Observations
of sub-solar mass stars can constrain the strength of the resonance, as can
experimental measurements at lab energies lower than 30 keV.Comment: 9 pages, 1 ps figure, uses AASTeX macros and epsfig.sty. Reference
added, typos corrected. To appear in ApJ, 10 March 199
Quantization of Weyl invariant unimodular gravity with antisymmetric ghost fields
The enforcement of the unimodularity condition in a gravity theory by means
of a Lagrange multiplier leads, in general, to inconsistencies upon
quantization. This is so, in particular, when the classic linear splitting of
the metric between the background and quantum fields is used. To avoid the need
of introducing such a Lagrange multiplier while using the classic linear
splitting, we carry out the quantization of unimodular gravity with extra Weyl
symmetry by using Becchi-Rouet-Stora-Tyutin (BRST) techniques. Here, two gauge
symmetries are to be gauge-fixed: transverse diffeomorphisms and Weyl
transformations. We perform the gauge-fixing of the transverse diffeomorphism
invariance by using BRST transformations that involve antisymmetric ghost
fields. We show that these BRST transformations are compatible with the BRST
transformations needed to gauge-fix the Weyl symmetry, so that they can be
combined in a set of transformations generated by a single BRST operator.
Newton's law of gravitation is derived within the BRST formalism we put forward
as well as the Slavnov-Taylor equation.Comment: 24 pages, 1 table, 1 figur
Caracterização do mercado de manga na União Europeia.
O objetivo desta pesquisa foi fazer a caracterização do mercado de manga na União Europeia, que é o principal mercado importador da manga brasileira. O método utilizado para a execução desta pesquisa foi a entrevista de profundidade, que contemplou importadores, atacadistas, supervisores do setor de produtos hortifrutícolas de supermercados e gerentes de lojas de frutas da Espanha, além de agentes comerciais de outros países comunitários. Os resultados do estudo revelaram que a tendência atual do mercado de manga na União Europeia é de ampliação do consumo. No tocante à conduta de mercado das principais variedades de mangas ali comercializadas se constatou que a Tommy Atkins tem em termos de seu ciclo de vida comercial duas fases: a de maturidade com tendência descendente e a de declínio. A Kent tem a fase de maturidade com tendência ascendente. As variedades Haden e Keitt estão na fase de maturidade estável, enquanto as variedades Palmer, Maya e Shelly encontram-se na fase de crescimento. Com referência à segmentação de mercado de manga fresca, o estudo aponta quatro segmentos bem definidos: o composto pelos consumidores, que priorizam a relação qualidade/preços competitivos, o segmento dos consumidores de produtos prêmios, o segmento dos consumidores de produtos orgânicos e o segmento dos consumidores de produtos minimamente processados ou de quarta gama.bitstream/item/56818/1/BPD92.pd
An improved discrete bat algorithm for symmetric and asymmetric traveling salesman problems
Bat algorithm is a population metaheuristic proposed in 2010 which is based on the echolocation or bio-sonar characteristics of microbats. Since its first implementation, the bat algorithm has been used in a wide range of fields. In this paper, we present a discrete version of the bat algorithm to solve the well-known symmetric and asymmetric traveling salesman problems. In addition, we propose an improvement in the basic structure of the classic bat algorithm. To prove that our proposal is a promising approximation method, we have compared its performance in 37 instances with the results obtained by five different techniques: evolutionary simulated annealing, genetic algorithm, an island based distributed genetic algorithm, a discrete firefly algorithm and an imperialist competitive algorithm. In order to obtain fair and rigorous comparisons, we have conducted three different statistical tests along the paper: the Student's -test, the Holm's test, and the Friedman test. We have also compared the convergence behaviour shown by our proposal with the ones shown by the evolutionary simulated annealing, and the discrete firefly algorithm. The experimentation carried out in this study has shown that the presented improved bat algorithm outperforms significantly all the other alternatives in most of the cases
The circumstellar environment of HD50138 revealed by VLTI/AMBER at high angular resolution
HD50138 is a Herbig B[e] star with a circumstellar disc detected at IR and mm
wavelength. Its brightness makes it a good candidate for NIR interferometry
observations. We aim to resolve, spatially and spectrally, the continuum and
hydrogen emission lines in the 2.12-2.47 micron region, to shed light on the
immediate circumstellar environment of the star. VLTI/AMBER K-band observations
provide spectra, visibilities, differential phases, and closure phases along
three long baselines for the continuum, and HI emission in Br and five
high-n Pfund lines. By computing the pure-line visibilities, we derive the
angular size of the different line-emitting regions. A simple LTE model was
created to constrain the physical conditions of HI emitting region. The
continuum region cannot be reproduced by a geometrical 2D elongated Gaussian
fitting model. We estimate the size of the region to be 1 au. We find the
Br and Pfund lines come from a more compact region of size 0.4 au. The
Br line exhibits an S-shaped differential phase, indicative of
rotation. The continuum and Br line closure phase show offsets of
-255 and 2010, respectively. This is evidence of an
asymmetry in their origin, but with opposing directions. We find that we cannot
converge on constraints for the HI physical parameters without a more detailed
model. Our analysis reveals that HD50138 hosts a complex circumstellar
environment. Its continuum emission cannot be reproduced by a simple disc
brightness distribution. Similarly, several components must be evoked to
reproduce the interferometric observables within the Br, line.
Combining the spectroscopic and interferometric data of the Br and
Pfund lines favours an origin in a wind region with a large opening angle.
Finally, our results point to an evolved source.Comment: accepted for publication in A&
Wiping DNA Methylation: Wip1 Regulates Genomic Fluidity on Cancer
Wip1 phosphatase plays an important role in cancer by inactivating p53 and INK4a/ARF pathways. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Filipponi and colleagues further connect the oncogenic role of Wip1 with heterochromatin dynamics, transposable element expression, and a mutation-prone environment that may enhance heterogeneity and ultimately contribute to tumor evolution
Using phage Lytic Enzymes to Control Pathogenic Bacteria
Our laboratory has developed phage lytic enzymes to prevent infection by specifically destroying disease bacteria on mucous membranes and in blood. Enzymes specific for S. pneumoniae and S. pyogenes have been developed to be used nasally and orally to control these organisms in environments such as hospitals and nursing homes to prevent or markedly reduce serious infections by these pathogens. In addition, a B. anthracis-specific enzyme was developed to kill the vegetative forms of these bacteria in the blood of infected individuals. In animal studies, >80% of mice colonized mucosally or infected intravenously with pathogenic bacteria were decolonized or survived after a single enzyme treatment delivered to the same site of colonization or infection
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