Low-cost Compact System Research Articles

On the Suitability of Low-Cost Compact Instrumentation for Blood Impedance Measurements

This paper shows the feasibility of the blood analysis based on the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) using compact low-cost instrumentations. This paper presents the measurement problem and some models for the interpretation of blood impedance spectra. The requirements for ad-hoc instrumentation are derived, and the implementation of a compact, low-cost, and reliable impedance measurement system operating in the frequency range 1 kHz–2.2 MHz is described, which is an improved version of the one presented in a previous work. To prove the potentialities of the EIS-based blood analysis, some parameters relevant to medical diagnosis such as hematocrit, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, and reactive oxygen species levels in blood are extracted from the impedance spectra measured with the two instruments. The presented results indicate that the application of low-cost compact systems for blood impedance measurements can reduce time and costs of the blood analysis and open new perspectives, especially for point-of-care diagnostics.

An Intelligent FPGA Based Anti-Sweating System for Bed Sore Prevention in a Clinical Environment

Bed sores, a common problem among immobile patients occur as a result of continuous sweating due to increase in skin to bed surface temperature in patients lying on same posture for prolonged period. If left untreated, the skin can break open and become infected. Currently adopted methods for bed sores prevention include: use of two hourly flip chat for repositioning patient or use of air fluidized beds. However, the setbacks of these preventive measures include either use of costly equipment or wastage of human resources. This paper introduces an intelligent low cost FPGA based anti-sweating system for bed sores prevention in a clinical environment. The developed system consists of bed surface implanted temperature sensors interfaced with an FPGA chip for sensing the temperature change in patient’s skin to bed surface. Based on the temperature change, the FPGA chip select the - mode (heater/cooler) and speed of the fan module. Furthermore, an alarm module was implemented to alert the nurse to reposition the patient only if patient’s skin to bed surface temperature exceeds a predefined threshold thereby saving human resources. By integrating the whole system into a single FPGA chip, we were able to build a low cost compact system without sacrificing processing power and flexibility.

An intelligent FPGA based anti-sweating system for bed sore prevention in a clinical environment

Bed sores, a common problem among immobile patients occur as a result of continuous sweating due to increase in skin to bed surface temperature in patients lying on same posture for prolonged period. If left untreated, the skin can break open and become infected. Currently adopted methods for bed sores prevention include: use of two hourly flip chat for repositioning patient or use of air fluidized beds. However, the setbacks of these preventive measures include either use of costly equipment or wastage of human resources. This paper introduces an intelligent low cost FPGA based anti-sweating system for bed sores prevention in a clinical environment. The developed system consists of bed surface implanted temperature sensors interfaced with an FPGA chip for sensing the temperature change in patient's skin to bed surface. Based on the temperature change, the FPGA chip select the-mode heater/cooler and speed of the fan module. Furthermore, an alarm module was implemented to alert the nurse to reposition the patient only if patient's skin to bed surface temperature exceeds a predefined threshold thereby saving human resources. By integrating the whole system into a single FPGA chip, we were able to build a low cost compact system without sacrificing processing power and flexibility.

Large-field High Resolution X-ray Monochromatic Microscope,Based on Spherical Crystal and High-repetition-rate FemtosecondLaser-produced Plasma

The combination of a table-top laser produced plasma X-ray sourceand a spherically bent crystal for the soft X-ray region is used intraditional X-ray microscopy schemes. The X-ray source is welllocalized both spatially ( ∼ 20µm) and temporally ( ∼ 1ps)and is spectrally tunable in a relatively wide range(6–14Å). High quality monochromatic(δλ/λ ∼ 10-5–10-4)images with high spatial resolution (up to ∼ 4µm) and in alarge field of view (few mm) are presented. For many applications,this low-cost compact system can offer a simple alternative to thelarger installations, which are usually used. The spherically bentcrystals can be used in a wide range of reflection angles, thusallowing wavelength selection.

A Compact 250-kV Injector System for PIGMI

A 250-kV proton injector to be used in the development of a linac suitable for medical applications has been constructed. This injector utilizes a spherical Pierce geometry to produce a converging beam. A gas insulated accelerating column is cantilevered on a grounded vacuum system, with a separate high voltage equipment dome connected to a 300-kV Cockcroft-Walton power supply. The injector can be operated locally or remotely, with the remote control accomplished by a microprocessor system linked to a central control minicomputer. This injector has been designed as a low-cost compact system. The design details and the data obtained during initial operation are presented.