Automatic Pulse Research Articles

In‐memory multibit multiplication and accumulation based on an automatic pulse generation circuit

AbstractComputing‐in‐memory (CIM) is a promising technique for solving the ‘memory wall’ and ‘power consumption wall’ problems. However, calculations in the analog domain are limited in terms of accuracy and sensitivity to process, voltage, and temperature changes. In this study, the authors proposed a CIM multiply‐and‐accumulate (MAC) circuit in which the MAC result was reflected by the pulse edge and converted into the final digital output using a dual‐edge counter quantization circuit, thereby improving the accuracy of the MAC operation and reducing the difficulty of quantization. The performance of the proposed CIM circuit was evaluated using a 28‐nm process. It could achieve 4‐bit multiplication without errors, with an energy efficiency of 24.38 to 670.86 TOPS/W.

Serum Malondialdehyde-Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein Level Is Associated with Arterial Stiffness by Cardio-Ankle Vascular Index in Coronary Artery Bypass Graft Patients.

A high malondialdehyde-oxidized low-density lipoprotein (MDA-oxLDL) level is associated with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases and major adverse cardiovascular events. A higher cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI) is independently associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events, cardiovascular mortality, myocardial infarction, and stroke in patients with cardiovascular risk. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum MDA-oxLDL levels and CAVI in patients with triple-vessel coronary artery disease who underwent coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Fasting blood samples and baseline characteristics were obtained from 88 patients who had undergone CABG. A commercialized enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure MDA-oxLDL levels. An automatic pulse wave analyzer was used to measure CAVI values, and each side of CAVI values of ≥9 was designated as arterial stiffness. In total, 47 participants were assigned to the arterial stiffness group. More patients had diabetes mellitus, were older, and had higher serum MDA-oxLDL levels in the arterial stiffness group than in the control group. A multivariate logistic regression analysis disclosed that MDA-oxLDL and diabetes mellitus were independent predictors of arterial stiffness. Moreover, according to the Spearman's correlation analysis, the serum MDA-oxLDL level was positively associated with both left and right CAVI. Serum MDA-oxLDL levels were positively associated with arterial stiffness in patients who had undergone CABG.

Multichannel Flexible Pulse Perception Array for Intelligent Disease Diagnosis System.

Pressure sensors with high sensitivity, a wide linear range, and a quick response time are critical for building an intelligent disease diagnosis system that directly detects and recognizes pulse signals for medical and health applications. However, conventional pressure sensors have limited sensitivity and nonideal response ranges. We proposed a multichannel flexible pulse perception array based on polyimide/multiwalled carbon nanotube-polydimethylsiloxane nanocomposite/polyimide (PI/MPN/PI) sandwich-structure pressure sensor that can be applied for remote disease diagnosis. Furthermore, we established a mechanical model at the molecular level and guided the preparation of MPN. At the structural level, we achieved high sensitivity (35.02 kPa-1) and a broad response range (0-18 kPa) based on a pyramid-like bilayer microstructure with different upper and lower surfaces. A 27-channel (3 × 9) high-density sensor array was integrated at the device level, which can extract the spatial and temporal distribution information on a pulse. Furthermore, two intelligent algorithms were developed for extracting six-dimensional pulse information and automatic pulse recognition (the recognition rate reaches 97.8%). The results indicate that intelligent disease diagnosis systems have great potential applications in wearable healthcare devices.

Nocturia is associated with stiffer central artery and more likely development of major adverse cardiovascular events in men

ObjectivesTo study the association between nocturia and brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) [surrogate of central arterial stiffness (CAS)] in men and to explore this association on predicting major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).Methods246 consecutive men (mean age:68.1 ± 8.4, range 36-88) newly referred to urology clinic for male-lower urinary tract symptoms(mLUTS)/nocturia were recruited. Their bilateral baPWV were measured by automatic pulse waveform analyzer. The associations between baseline characteristics, mLUTS/nocturia and baPWV(>1800cm/sec) [significant CAS] were analyzed by multivariate logistic regression. We followed the cohort for a median period of 27.5 months. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis and Kaplan-Meier method were used to study factors predicting MACE.ResultsThe mean ( ± SE) baPWV of our cohort was 1820 ± 16cm/sec. For comparison, the reported value of the general population of similar age structure was~1650cm/sec. IPSS (total) was not associated with baPWV, whereas IPSS-Question.7(nocturia) was significantly increased with baPWV in men<70yo [nocturia=1.6 ± 1.14, 2.1 ± 1.08, 2.67 ± 1.33) for baPWV(cm/sec) <1400, 1400-1800, >1800 respectively] (P-trend=0.002). Age≥70yo (OR:2.70, 95%CI:1.52-4.76), diabetes mellitus (OR:2.26, 95%CI:1.06-4.83), hypertension (OR:1.95, 95%CI:1.10-3.45) and nocturia≥3x/night (OR:1.75, 95%CI:1.02-3.12) independently determined baPWV>1800cm/sec. The cumulative incidence rate of MACE was 46.8/1000 man-years(95%CI:30.96-68.16/1000). The addition of nocturia≥3x/night and baPWV>1800 cm/sec to the basic model improved the prediction of the development of MACE (difference in -2 log likelihood value: 11.219, p<0.001). Past history of ischemic heart (HR:5.67, 95%CI:2.02-15.88), nocturia≥3x/night (HR:2.87, 95%CI: 0.94-8.76) and baPWV>1800cm/sec (HR:5.16, 95%CI:1.79-14.90) independently predicted MACE in men.ConclusionMen attending the urology clinic for male-LUTS/nocturia had higher baPWV. This association was more pronounced in men<70yo. Men presented with both nocturia≥3x/night and baPWV>1800cm/sec showed significant predilection for developing MACE.

Correlation between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Level and Peripheral Arterial Stiffness in Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 3-5 Patients.

Vitamin D deficiency and high brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) are each independently associated with higher incidence of mortality and cardiovascular (CV) disease or CV events, respectively. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and baPWV in non-dialysis patients with stage 3–5 chronic kidney disease (CKD). We enrolled 180 CKD patients. A commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. BaPWV values were measured using an automatic pulse wave analyzer. Either left or right baPWV > 18.0 m/s was considered indicative of peripheral arterial stiffness (PAS). In this study, 73 (40.6%) patients were found to have PAS. Compared to those without PAS (control group), patients with PAS were older and had higher incidence of diabetes mellitus, higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, higher levels of intact parathyroid hormone, and C-reactive protein, and lower levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D. Multivariate logistic regression analysis found 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels (odds ratio [OR]: 0.895, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.828–0.968, p = 0.005) and old age (OR: 1.140, 95% CI 1.088–1.194, p < 0.001) to be independently associated with PAS in patients with stage 3–5 CKD. Lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and older age were associated with PAS in these patients.

MO140: Lower Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Levels are Associated with Peripheral Arterial Stiffness in Patients with Non‑Dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 3–5

Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIMS Vitamin D deficiency is associated with a higher mortality and incidence of cardiovascular disease. High brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is independently associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular events, cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality in atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and baPWV in patients with CKD stage 3 to 5. METHOD Fasting blood samples and baseline characteristics were obtained from 180 CKD stage 3 to 5 patients. A commercial enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to measure 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels. Automatic pulse wave analyzer (VaSera VS-1000) to measure baPWV values and both sides of baPWV value which is greater than 18.0 m/s was determined as peripheral arterial stiffness (PAS). RESULTS A total of 73 (40.6%) participants were assigned to the PAS group with baPWV of &amp;gt;18 m/s in CKD patients. There were more patients with diabetes mellitus (P = .036), old age (P &amp;lt; .001), higher systolic blood pressure (P &amp;lt; .001), diastolic blood pressure (P = .015), high serum intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) (P = .009), elevated C-reactive protein (P &amp;lt; .001) and lower 25-hydroxyvitamin D (P &amp;lt; .001) levels in the PAS group compared with the control group in CKD participants. A multivariate logistic regression analysis discloses that 25-hydroxyvitamin D [odds ratio (OR): 0.895, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.828–0.968, P = .005] and old age (OR: 1.140, 95% CI: 1.088–1.194, P &amp;lt; .001) were independently associated with PAS in in patients with CKD stage 3 to 5. Moreover, according to a multivariate forward stepwise linear regression analysis, OPN level is positively associated with cfPWV. By receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 25-hydroxyvitamin D level was 0.684 (95% CI: 0.611–0.751, P &amp;lt; .001) for predicting PAS in patients with CKD stage 3 to 5. CONCLUSION Lower serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels and older age were associated with PAS measured by baPWV in patients with CKD stage 3 to 5.

MO488: Serum P-CRESYL Sulfate Level is an Independent Marker of Peripheral Arterial Stiffness as Assessed Using Brachial-Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity in Patients With Non-Dialysis Chronic Kidney Disease Stage 3–5

Abstract BACKGROUND AND AIMS p-cresyl sulfate (PCS) is associated with inflammation and its contribution to cardiovascular damage in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) is a simple marker to assess the peripheral artery stiffness (PAS) and is a useful marker to predict future cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between serum PCS levels and PAS measured by baPWV values in patients with CKD stage 3–5. METHOD Fasting blood samples and baseline characteristics were obtained from 160 CKD stage 3–5 patients. Automatic pulse wave analyzer (VaSera VS-1000) to measure baPWV values, and both sides of baPWV value that was &amp;gt;18.0 m/s were determined as PAS. Serum total PCS levels were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry. RESULTS In the study cohort, 54 patients (33.8%) were in the PAS group. When compared with those in the control group, the PAS group had a high prevalence of hypertension (P = .021), older age (P &amp;lt; .001), lower height (P = .033) and body weight (P = .012), higher systolic blood pressure (P &amp;lt; .001), diastolic blood pressure (P = .008), serum calcium–phosphorus product levels (P = .030) and PCS levels (P = .008). The multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that serum levels of PCS {odds ratio (OR): 1.098, [95% confidence interval (95% CI): 1.029–1.171]; P = .005}, advanced age (OR: 1.105, 95% CI: 1.055–1.159; P &amp;lt; .001) and diastolic blood pressure (OR: 1.058, 95% CI: 1.002–1.118; P = .043) were independently associated with PAS in patients with CKD stage 3–5. CONCLUSION Higher serum PCS levels, diastolic blood pressure and advanced age were associated with PAS in patients with CKD stage 3–5.

Automatic pulse repetition pattern reconstruction of conventional radars

Signals of radars with fixed, stagger and other conventional pulse repetition intervals (PRI) occupy a large proportion in most radar reconnaissance datasets. Automatic and accurate reconstruction of the PRI patterns of these radars is an important task in realizing intelligent processing of radar reconnaissance data. In order to address this problem, this article proposes an automatic method based on the extraction and extension of frequent differential time-of-arrival (DTOA) items, which can be combined with other pulse parameters such as pulse width. The values and ordering of the frequent items are determined to reconstruct a complete PRI cycle, and the radar pulses are deinterleaved at the same time as a by-product. Compared with the commonly used one-dimensional radar reconnaissance parameters such as framework PRI or typical PRI set, the reconstructed PRI pattern contains more information about radar operational modes and can be applied to realize online and parallel pulse deinterleaving and more accurate radar type classification.

Assessment of Automatic Pulse Drip Irrigation Technique on Water Application Efficiency and Water Productivity of Cucumber Crop

Assessment of Automatic Pulse Drip Irrigation Technique on Water Application Efficiency and Water Productivity of Cucumber Crop

Static model of oil viscosity reduction for automatic pulse current exposure regulation system

The article considers an open automatic control system (ACS) with compensation based on a model of the viscosity reduction process. The model is implemented in the MATLAB system and takes into account the initial kinematic viscosity of the oil, its temperature, and density. Modeling of each block of the proposed ACS is performed. An example of the functioning of the ACS to compensate for temperature effect is considered.

Automatic Pulse Classification for Artefact Removal Using SAX Strings, a CENTER-TBI Study.

High-resolution, waveform-level data from bedside monitors carry important information about a patient's physiology but is also polluted with artefactual data. Manual mark-up is the standard practice for detecting and eliminating artefacts, but it is time-consuming, prone to errors, biased and not suitable for real-time processing.In this paper we present a novel automatic artefact detection technique based on a Symbolic Aggregate approXimation (SAX) technique which makes it possible to represent individual pulses as 'words'. It does that by coding each pulse with a specified number of letters (here six) from a predefined alphabet of characters (here six). The word is then fed to a support vector machine (SVM) and classified as artefactual or physiological.To define the universe of acceptable pulses, the arterial blood pressure from 50 patients was analysed, and acceptable pulses were manually chosen by looking at the average pulse that each 'word' generated. This was then used to train a SVM classifier. To test this algorithm, a dataset with a balanced ratio of clean and artefactual pulses was built, classified and independently evaluated by two observers achieving a sensitivity of 0.972 and 0.954 and a specificity of 0.837 and 0.837 respectively.

Association Between sRAGE and Arterial Stiffness in Women with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

sRAGE (soluble receptor for advanced glycation end products) is known to play a protective role in chronic inflammatory diseases, and has been found to be related to arterial stiffness in hypertensive or diabetic patients. This cross-sectional study was designed to study the potential association of sRAGE with arterial stiffness in systemic lupus erythematosus(SLE) patients. A total of 94 female SLE patients were enrolled. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was measured by an automatic pulse wave analyzer. The patients were divided into two groups according to the baPWV values, those with values greater than 1400cm/s were placed in the high arterial stiffness group. Biochemical parameters were compared between the two groups. Linear and logistic regression analysis was used to observe the association between sRAGE and arterial stiffness in these patients. Thirty-five patients were placed in the high arterial stiffness group in which sRAGE levels were lower (P<0.05). sRAGE levels were significantly related to baPWV(standardized β=1.18, P<0.01) by linear regression analysis. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that sRAGE, SLE duration, systolic blood pressure, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were independent predictors of arterial stiffness in these patients. The results revealed that sRAGE was negatively associated with arterial stiffness in Chinese female SLE patients.

PD44-02 NOCTURIA: A RED ALARM FOR CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS MEDIATED BY CENTRAL ARTERIAL STIFFNESS?

You have accessJournal of UrologyUrodynamics/Lower Urinary Tract Dysfunction/Female Pelvic Medicine: Non-neurogenic Voiding Dysfunction III (PD44)1 Apr 2020PD44-02 NOCTURIA: A RED ALARM FOR CARDIOVASCULAR EVENTS MEDIATED BY CENTRAL ARTERIAL STIFFNESS? Steffi Kar Kei Yuen*, Alex Qinyang Liu, Chi Kwok Chan, Crystal Li, Sze-Wan Kwok, Chi Hang Yee, Yuen Chun Jeremy Teoh, and Chi Fai Ng Steffi Kar Kei Yuen*Steffi Kar Kei Yuen* More articles by this author , Alex Qinyang LiuAlex Qinyang Liu More articles by this author , Chi Kwok ChanChi Kwok Chan More articles by this author , Crystal LiCrystal Li More articles by this author , Sze-Wan KwokSze-Wan Kwok More articles by this author , Chi Hang YeeChi Hang Yee More articles by this author , Yuen Chun Jeremy TeohYuen Chun Jeremy Teoh More articles by this author , and Chi Fai NgChi Fai Ng More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000000931.02AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationship between nocturia, brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) and cardiovascular (CV) events. Nocturia is closely interlinked with CV health. Central artery stiffness (CAS), quantified by baPWV, highly correlates with systemic atherosclerosis. baPWV >1800cm/s is shown to be a significant independent risk factor for future CV events. METHODS: We studied 246 consecutive men (mean age 68.1±8.4, range 39-87) via new urology clinic referrals for nocturia with baseline assessments, followed by measurement of bilateral baPWV with automatic pulse waveform analyser. We then longitudinally observe for any CV events, defined as acute myocardial infarction, acute coronary syndrome, cerebrovascular accidents. Men with aortic aneurysm, cardiac arrhythmia, peripheral vascular disease or hypothermia are excluded. Statistical tests comprise of analysis of variance, multivariate logistic regression, survival analysis. RESULTS: The mean baPWV 1820±16cm/s of our cohort is significantly higher than previously reported value of population of similar age structure (∼1650 cm/s). Fig 1 shows that baPWV significantly increases (worsening CAS) with nocturia. Multivariate logistic regression analysis shows that age (OR: 2.70, 95%CI: 1.52-4.76), diabetes (OR: 2.26, 95%CI: 1.06-4.83), hypertension (OR:1.95, 95%CI 1.10-3.45) and nocturia >2 per night (OR: 1.75, 95%CI: 1.02-3.12) are independent determining factors for baPWV >1800cm/s. Fig 2 depicts the CV events free survival curve stratified by severity of nocturia and baPWV, showing the group with nocturia ≥4 per night and baPWV >1800cm/s trending as most susceptible to encountering CV events (log rank test; p= 0.06), comparing to groups with less severe nocturia and baPWV, for a mean follow-up of 630 days. CONCLUSIONS: baPWV, reflecting CAS, is correlated positively with degree of nocturia in men. Those with nocturia ≥4 episodes and baPWV >1800cm/s are at highest risk of encountering CV events. These results suggest that nocturia in men may serve as an additional risk factor for CV health. Source of Funding: Nil © 2020 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 203Issue Supplement 4April 2020Page: e906-e907 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2020 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Steffi Kar Kei Yuen* More articles by this author Alex Qinyang Liu More articles by this author Chi Kwok Chan More articles by this author Crystal Li More articles by this author Sze-Wan Kwok More articles by this author Chi Hang Yee More articles by this author Yuen Chun Jeremy Teoh More articles by this author Chi Fai Ng More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...

A Machine Learning Framework for Pulse Detection During Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest

The availability of an automatic pulse detection during out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) would allow the rapid identification of cardiac arrest and the prompt detection of return of spontaneous circulation. The aim of this study was to develop a reliable pulse detection algorithm using the electrocardiogram (ECG) and thoracic impedance (TI), the signals available in most defibrilators. The dataset used in the study consisted of 1140 ECG and TI segments from 187 OHCA patients, whereof 792 were labelled as pulse-generating rhythm (PR) and 348 as pulseless electrical activity (PEA) by a pool of experts in OHCA. First, an adaptive filtering scheme was used to extract the impedance circulation component and its first derivative from the TI. Then, the wavelet decomposition of the ECG was carried out to obtain the different subband components and the denoised ECG. Pulse/no-pulse (PR/PEA) discrimination features were extracted from those signals and fed into a support vector machine (SVM) classifier that made the pulse/no-pulse decision. A quasi-stratified and patient wise nested cross validation procedure was used to select the best feature subset and to tune the SVM hyperparameters. This procedure was repeated 50 times to estimate the statistical distributions of the performance metrics of the method. The optimal solution consisted in a five feature classifier that yielded a mean (standard deviation) sensitivity, specificity, balanced accuracy and total accuracy of 92.4% (0.7), 93.0% (0.8), 92.7% (0.5) and 92.6% (0.5), respectively. When compared to available methods, our solution presented an improvement in balanced accuracy of at least 2.5 points. A reliable pulse detection algorithm for OHCA using the signals available in defibrillators was acomplished.

Comparative analysis between three forms of application of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation and its effect in college students with non-specific low back pain

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are a variety of ways to apply the transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) without an established way that provides better results in the treatment of nonspecific low back pain. The objective of this study was to evaluate which application of TENS has a better effect on the immediate reduction of the intensity of spontaneous and provoked pain in college students with nonspecific low back pain. METHODS: Quantitative, randomized and cross-sectional study. Twenty young individuals were divided into four groups and received a different intervention per week, totaling four weeks. The groups were Conventional TENS with the frequency of 100Hz, a pulse duration of 200µs; TENS with frequency and intensity variation with frequency variation and automatic pulse duration, TENS Burst with frequency modulated at 2Hz, pulse duration of 250µs; and placebo in which the subjects underwent a pacing protocol with no tingling sensation or muscle contraction. All sessions had a total application time of 20 minutes. They were evaluated for spontaneous pain through the application of the visual analog scale (VAS), and pain provoked by the algometer and cold pain through the application of solid ice directly to the skin, and VAS for the intensity of cold pain, all performed before and after each application of the electrotherapy. RESULTS: Only the visual analog scale of spontaneous pain showed significant results (p<0.05) when compared intragroups, in the three applied currents. CONCLUSION: The three forms used in the present study were able to reduce spontaneous pain after the intervention by electrostimulation.

High Brachial Ankle Pulse Wave Velocity as a Marker for Predicting Coronary Artery Stenosis in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

BackgroundWe evaluated the ability of brachial ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) to predict coronary artery stenosis (CAS) in patients with type 2 diabetes, and compared the predictive power of baPWV to that of well-known cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk calculators.MethodsThe study group included 83 consecutive patients over 30 years old with type 2 diabetes who complained of vague chest discomfort. An automatic pulse waveform analyzer was used to measure baPWV. CAS was measured using multi-slice computed tomographic (MSCT) angiography.ResultsAge, maximal baPWV, duration of diabetes, current smoking, the UK Prospective Diabetes Study (UKPDS) Risk Engine score, American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) risk estimator score, the Framingham risk calculator score, and coronary artery calcium score were greater in patients with CAS than in those without CAS. An area under the curve (AUC) indicative of a predictive value for CAS (≥20%) was found for several parameters. The AUC of maximal baPWV, the UKPDS Risk Engine, the ACC/AHA ASCVD risk estimator, and the Framingham risk calculator were 0.672 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.554 to 0.785; P=0.010), 0.777 (95% CI, 0.675 to 0.878; P<0.001), 0.763 (95% CI, 0.660 to 0.866; P<0.001), and 0.736 (95% CI, 0.629 to 0.843; P<0.001), respectively. The optimal cutoff value of baPWV for the detection of CAS was 1,650 cm/sec (sensitivity, 68.9%; specificity, 63.2%).ConclusionMaximal baPWV was closely related with CAS detected by MSCT coronary angiography in patients with type 2 diabetes. baPWV has the potential to be a useful, noninvasive screening tool for the prediction of occult CAS in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Automatic real-time adjustment of pulse signal of incremental photoelectric encoder

An automatic real-time pulse signal adjustment method for the incremental photoelectric encoder was designed in this study in an effort to ensure highly precise output speed pulse signals. The original moire fringe signal of the photoelectric sensor encoder output is first converted into a voltage signal through the digital potentiometer, then the voltage signal is converted into two orthogonal sinusoidal signals through the amplifier circuit, and finally the sinusoidal signal is subdivided into 10 segments via the subdividing chip and converted into a square wave pulse signal output. The numerical size of the digital potentiometer can be adjusted according to the collected sine signal amplitude value and square wave pulse signal error, which restrains the output error within a reasonable range. Experimental results showed that in high temperature conditions, the system can reduce the peak error of the encoder output square wave signal from 3.12″ to 0.52″; in low temperature conditions, the peak error can be reduced from 4.16″ to 0.56″.

Design and Development of Automatic Vertical Flow Pulse Thresher Suitable for Different Pulses

Semi-automatic and power operated vertical flow pulse thresher-cum-winnower was developed by the author 1 for efficient threshing and winnowing of matured crops of a variety of pulses having diverse physical characteristics, wherein threshing and winnowing operations were carried out separately. Therefore it was upgraded to a compact, hybrid and fully automatic pulse thresher-cum-winnower by the author 1 to overcome power constraints in villages as well as to obtain combined operations of threshing, crushing and winnowing together. Feeding of dry crop into thresher is manual, while rest of operations are automatic without human touch. Significant features are >99% threshing and winnowing efficiency, almost nil seed loss and seed breakage, crushing all crop residues into powdery animal fodder, dust free cleaning of seeds, and by 3 hp prime mover; either oil engine with simplest clutch arrangement and/or with single phase electric motor. Threshing and crushing actions are executed by multiple progressive shears and impacts through a set of radial rotary beater and stationary beater inside a vertical hopper, like in semi-automatic pulse thresher. The crops flow vertically downwards into shear zones by scissoring actions of the beaters and gravity. Seeds are separated and cleaned by an improved winnower-cum-grader, and the crushed crop residues are disposed from the machine by a combined mechanism of walker and flat air jet. Configuration and performance of this fully automated vertical flow thresher for threshing of different types of pulses are presented and discussed.

Artifact detection in accelerometer signals acquired from the carotid.

Manual pulse palpation is the common procedure to assess pulse in unconscious patients. This is an error prone procedure during cardiopulmonary resuscitation and therefore automatic pulse detection techniques are being investigated. Accelerometry is an interesting sensing modality for this type of applications. However, accelerometers are highly prone to movement artifacts. Hence, one challenge in designing a solution using accelerometers is to handle motion artifacts properly. In this paper we investigate computationally simple features and classifier to capture movement artifacts in accelerometer signals acquired from the carotid. In particular, based on data obtained from health subjects we show that it is possible to use simple features to achieve an artifact detection sensitivity and specificity higher than 90%.

Low serum adiponectin level is associated with metabolic syndrome and is an independent marker of peripheral arterial stiffness in hypertensive patients

BackgroundAdiponectin has been implicated in metabolic syndrome (MetS) and arterial stiffness (AS). We aim to determine the relationship between serum adiponectin concentration as well as peripheral AS in hypertensive patients.MethodsFasting blood samples were obtained from 101 hypertensive patients. Brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV) was measured with an automatic pulse wave analyzer. Serum adiponectin concentrations were determined by using an enzyme immunoassay kit. A baPWV >14.0 m/s was defined as high AS.ResultsMetS and high AS were present in 62.4 and 71.3% of the study population. Adiponectin was inversely associated with MetS and high AS (both P < 0.001). Serum higher high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) (P = 0.012), triglycerides (P = 0.001), C-reactive protein (P < 0.001), insulin (P = 0.027), body weight (P = 0.002), waist circumference (WC, P < 0.001), body mass index (P = 0.001) bilateral-baPWV (P < 0.001), systolic blood pressure (SBP, P < 0.001), diastolic blood pressure (DBP, P = 0.012), pulse pressure (P = 0.019), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA1-IR (P = 0.026) and HOMA2-IR (P = 0.020)) and lower glomerular filtration rate (GFR, P = 0.029) were significantly associated with high AS. Multivariate logistic regression analysis of the factors significantly associated with AS revealed that adiponectin [odds ratio: 0.932, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.881–0.985, P = 0.012], and SBP (odds ratio: 1.059, 95% CI 1.008–1.113, P = 0.022) were the independent predictors of arterial stiffness in hypertensive patients. Subgroup analysis revealed that SBP (odds ratio: 1.126, 95% CI 1.024–1.237, P = 0.014) and GFR (odds ratio: 0.858, 95% CI 0.739–0.996, P = 0.043) were the independent predictors of arterial stiffness in hypertensive patients without MetS; adiponectin (odds ratio: 0.909, 95% CI 0.931–0.996, P = 0.040) was the independent predictor of arterial stiffness in hypertensive patients with MetS.ConclusionsHypoadiponectinemia has positive association with MetS and peripheral AS in hypertensive patients.