Ultra-Low Power Wake Up Receiver For Medical Implant Communications Service Transceiver

This thesis explores the specific requirements and challenges for the design of a dedicated wake-up receiver for medical implant communication services equipped with a novel “uncertain-IF†architecture combined with a high – Q filtering MEMS resonator and a free running CMOS ring oscillator as the RF LO. The receiver prototype, implements an IBM 0.18μm mixed-signal 7ML RF CMOS technology and achieves a sensitivity of -62 dBm at 404MHz while consuming \u3c100 μW from a 1 V supply

Home Automation via Smart Technology

Problem Statement The idea of an ‘Internet of Everything’ has been floating around for a while, but beyond mere buzzword this concept carries with it immense, and unfortunately as of yet untapped potential. The idea of complete interconnectivity most typically conjures images of home automation; smart appliances capable of self-regulation, self-setting thermostats, etc., but with this connectivity comes with it not only the capacity to remotely monitor an existing system but to control it as well (be it with a smart phone, online application, what have you). There exists ‘smart technologies’ which incorporate user’s smart phones in the operation and monitoring of home appliances, but rarely has this extended beyond novelty. The technology has failed to take off with the general public, be it due to the design not being given serious consideration (again, capitalization on mere novelty), limited functionality, or in perhaps the more obnoxious of scenarios unnecessary ‘bundling’. Without addressing the issue, the technology, and the potential it brings with it, will descend further into the realm of novelty and make serious consideration just that more difficult. Rationale There is a niche available to produce a system which can be easily incorporated into a future design which takes into consideration this interconnectivity; a highly flexible, highly portable system would ideally, help this technology, and the ideas which inspired it, finally take off in the capacity we feel it capable. Approach The approach taken by the team will be to construct an embeddable system which can detect parameters vital to the operation of a given appliance/component of the home as well as communicate remotely with the end user those parameters and adjust conditions accordingly. Anticipated Results and Conclusions The anticipated results of our project is a system capable of receiving and interpreting a set of signals relevant to a given system, respond to the signals according to a program set by the manufacturer, and deliver those metrics to the end user while allowing for remote control. To better illustrate the concept, our intention is to design an iPhone app which allows for the control of a circuit constructed for demonstration purposes, and can receive updates/warnings should the circuit behave in a way unintended for the system.https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/capstone/1044/thumbnail.jp

Mutually avoiding Eulerian circuits

Two Eulerian circuits, both starting and ending at the same vertex, are avoiding if at every other point of the circuits they are at least distance 2 apart. An Eulerian graph which admits two such avoiding circuits starting from any vertex is said to be doubly Eulerian. The motivation for this definition is that the extremal Eulerian graphs, i.e. the complete graphs on an odd number of vertices and the cycles, are not doubly Eulerian. We prove results about doubly Eulerian graphs and identify those that are the `densest' and `sparsest' in terms of the number of edges.Comment: 22 pages; 9 figure

Design approaches and materials processes for ultrahigh efficiency lattice mismatched multi-junction solar cells

In this study, we report synthesis of large area (>2cm^2), crack-free GaAs and GaInP double heterostructures grown in a multi-junction solar cell-like structure by MOCVD. Initial solar cell data are also reported for GaInP top cells. These samples were grown on Ge/Si templates fabricated using wafer bonding and ion implantation induced layer transfer techniques. The double heterostructures exhibit radiative emission with uniform intensity and wavelength in regions not containing interfacial bubble defects. The minority carrier lifetime of ~1ns was estimated from photoluminescence decay measurements in both double heterostructures. We also report on the structural characteristics of heterostructures, determined via atomic force microscopy and transmission electron microscopy, and correlate these characteristics to the spatial variation of the minority carrier lifetime

Mechanisms of inclined stress corrosion cracks

Inclined high pH stress corrosion cracking (SCC) is a type of intergranular environ- mental cracking in gas pipelines which di ers from typical SCC by propagating at an angle from axial-radial plane. Prior investigations of Australian and Canadian inclined SCC colonies have not provided a clear indicator of the mechanism be- hind the abnormal crack growth direction. This thesis addresses the issue of why SCC has inclined in the cases in Australia and Canada, as well as the implications of this inclination on industry management techniques. This research was also a project under the energy pipelines cooperative research centre as a collaboration between industry and university, with various publications and industry reports produced as a result of the work. The phenomenon of inclined SCC is investigated primarily through the use of simulations along with some supporting experiments. A survey of the literature is rst conducted to identify possible mechanisms that could cause inclined SCC. The simulations developed then have the aim of rst testing those mechanisms for feasibility with a developed crack path model validated with existing eld data, and then clarifying the e ect of that mechanism on SCC crack growth rates and interaction. Key results include that the likely mechanism governing SCC inclination is crack- tip strain enhanced electrochemistry, where the highly strained areas around the crack tip cause an increase in current density and hence dissolution rate. Another result is that growth rates of inclined SCC should always be slower than straight SCC to a depth of approximately 1mm for the surveyed cases, but that the growth rates could be higher after the rst 1 mm depth of growth depending on the degree to which current density is a ected by strain. Lastly, existing SCC interaction guidelines were shown to still be valid for inclined SCC in the conditions reported in prior studies on SCC colonies from Australia and Canada. The simulations on inclined SCC interaction were also extended to consider conditions outside of those reported in prior studies to demonstrate the regions where existing interaction guidelines would be at risk of being unconservative. The ndings of this thesis not only add to the literature of SCC research with various publications, but also could be made use of with the real world applications of pipeline SCC management and pipeline manufacture to control inclination, as has been documented in various reports to industry. Future work which could bene t the knowledge gained from this work is also suggested. In particular, some experiments are suggested which could provide further information as to the sensitivity of crack inclination to the material, electrochem- istry, and loading conditions.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, School of Mechanical Engineering, 2016

Treatment for inclusion body myositis

Background Inclusion body myositis (IBM) is a late-onset inflammatory muscle disease (myopathy) associated with progressive proximal and distal limb muscle atrophy and weakness. Treatment options have attempted to target inflammatory and atrophic features of this condition (for example with immunosuppressive and immunomodulating drugs, anabolic steroids, and antioxidant treatments), although as yet there is no known effective treatment for reversing or minimising the progression of inclusion body myositis. In this review we have considered the benefits, adverse effects, and costs of treatment in targeting cardinal effects of the condition, namely muscle atrophy, weakness, and functional impairment. Objectives To assess the effects of treatment for IBM. Search methods On 7 October 2014 we search ed the Cochrane Neuromuscular Disease Group Specialized Register, the Cochrane Central Register for Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, and EMBASE. Additionally in November 2014 we searched clinical trials registries for ongoing or completed but unpublished trials. Selection criteria We considered randomised or quasi-randomised trials, including cross-over trials, of treatment for IBM in adults compared to placebo or any other treatment for inclusion in the review. We specifically excluded people with familial IBM and hereditary inclusion body myopathy, but we included people who had connective tissue and autoimmune diseases associated with IBM, which may or may not be identified in trials. We did not include studies of exercise therapy or dysphagia management, which are topics of other Cochrane systematic reviews. Data collection and analysis We used standard Cochrane methodological procedures. Main results The review included 10 trials (249 participants) using different treatment regimens. Seven of the 10 trials assessed single agents, and 3 assessed combined agents. Many of the studies did not present adequate data for the reporting of the primary outcome of the review, which was the percentage change in muscle strength score at six months. Pooled data from two trials of interferon beta-1a (n = 58) identified no important difference in normalised manual muscle strength sum scores from baseline to six months (mean difference (MD) -0.06, 95% CI -0.15 to 0.03) between IFN beta-1a and placebo (moderate-quality evidence). A single trial of methotrexate (MTX) (n = 44) provided moderate-quality evidence that MTX did not arrest or slow disease progression, based on reported percentage change in manual muscle strength sum scores at 12 months. None of the fully published trials were adequately powered to detect a treatment effect. We assessed six of the nine fully published trials as providing very low-quality evidence in relation to the primary outcome measure. Three trials (n = 78) compared intravenous immunoglobulin (combined in one trial with prednisone) to a placebo, but we were unable to perform meta-analysis because of variations in study analysis and presentation of trial data, with no access to the primary data for re-analysis. Other comparisons were also reported in single trials. An open trial of anti-T lymphocyte immunoglobulin (ATG) combined with MTX versus MTX provided very low-quality evidence in favour of the combined therapy, based on percentage change in quantitative muscle strength sum scores at 12 months (MD 12.50%, 95% CI 2.43 to 22.57). Data from trials of oxandrolone versus placebo, azathioprine (AZA) combined with MTX versus MTX, and arimoclomol versus placebo did not allow us to report either normalised or percentage change in muscle strength sum scores. A complete analysis of the effects of arimoclomol is pending data publication. Studies of simvastatin and bimagrumab (BYM338) are ongoing. All analysed trials reported adverse events. Only 1 of the 10 trials interpreted these for statistical significance. None of the trials included prespecified criteria for significant adverse events. Authors\u27 conclusions Trials of interferon beta-1a and MTX provided moderate-quality evidence of having no effect on the progression of IBM. Overall trial design limitations including risk of bias, low numbers of participants, and short duration make it difficult to say whether or not any of the drug treatments included in this review were effective. An open trial of ATG combined with MTX versus MTX provided very low-quality evidence in favour of the combined therapy based on the percentage change data given. We were unable to draw conclusions from trials of IVIg, oxandrolone, and AZA plus MTX versus MTX. We need more randomised controlled trials that are larger, of longer duration, and that use fully validated, standardised, and responsive outcome measures

Further biembeddings of twofold triple systems

We construct face two-colourable triangulations of the graph 2Kn in an orientable surface; equivalently biembeddings of two twofold triple systems of order n, for all n ξ 16 or 28 (mod 48). The biembeddings come from index 1 current graphs lifted under a group ℤn/4 × 4