Acquisition Of Signs Research Articles

Comparison of Camera-Acquired Vital Signs to Conventional Vital Signs in a Space-Analog Environment.

Vital sign acquisition is a key component of modern medical care. In wilderness and space medical settings, vital sign acquisition can be a difficult process because of limitations on available personnel or lack of access to the patient. Camera-acquired vital signs could address each of these difficulties. Healthy volunteers used software designed by Presage Technologies to acquire heart rate and respiratory rate at the HI-SEAS space-analog site in Mauna Loa, Hawai'i. Camera-acquired vital signs were compared to more conventionally acquired vital signs. Camera-acquired heart rate showed high correlation to conventionally acquired heart rate (R ∼ 0.95). Camera-acquired respiratory rate showed moderate correlation (R ∼ 0.65). These results show that camera acquisition of vital signs is theoretically feasible in wilderness and space-analog environments. HR may be highly accurate even using current technology. Additional studies will be needed to further validate other types of camera sensors and other potential environments such as partial gravity and microgravity.

Diagnostic Risk Percentage Based on Vital Signs Readings on Health Monitoring Devices

The development of the field of health technology has progressed rapidly - especially in the aspect of being connected to the Internet and also allowing the storage and monitoring of vital signs data utilizing IoT features. However, there is no health monitoring that contains advanced check-up analysis referring to the acquisition of vital signs data that has been stored in the health data record. This is exactly where additional parameters beyond the vital signs have not been integrated in health monitoring. The purpose of this independent research is to find a gap between industry and academia in the form of additional parameters that are not yet available in the industrial world. The additional parameter is the percentage value of health diagnostic risk. The selection of this parameter is based on the need to analyze the level of diagnostic risk through the acquisition of vital signs that have available readings in health monitoring device equipment. The algorithm mechanism itself revolves around mapping for the diagnosis of health conditions referring to the normal limits of vital signs utilizing the decision tree algorithm. The goal is none other than to simplify the flow in determining the patient's advanced health diagnosis. Regarding the diagnostic risk percentage parameter, the diagnosis and calculation include five vital signs that are the main indicators: heart rate, oxygen saturation (SPO2), body temperature (TBody) supplemented with skin temperature (TSkin), and respiratory rate.

Low-Profile Textile Antenna for Bioradar Integration Into Car Seat Upholstery: Wireless acquisition of vital signs while on the road

Recently, radar systems have been widely explored as a remote way to monitor vital signs. The potential of such technology may increase with the ability to be fully embedded in customized applications, providing a low-profile appearance. Thus, it is possible to streamline the industrialization process and simultaneously guarantee the comfort of the subject being monitored. In this work, the ability to fully integrate a bioradar system in a car seat, aiming to monitor the respiratory signal of the driver, is studied. For this purpose, textile antennas were developed to be embedded into the upholstery, using a new approach to wirelessly acquire vital signs by positioning the antennas in the side lumbar support of the car seat. Considering the final aspect of the prototype and its performance, alternative options for the antenna feeding were explored, and an electromagnetic insulation solution was implemented. Finally, the vital signs of six subjects were acquired with the final prototype. The obtained results were compared with certified measuring equipment, demonstrating the prototype effectiveness.

Impact and Classification of Body Stature and Physiological Variability in the Acquisition of Vital Signs Using Continuous Wave Radar

The Bio-Radar system, useful for monitoring patients with infectious diseases and detecting driver drowsiness, has gained popularity in the literature. However, its efficiency across diverse populations considering physiological and body stature variations needs further exploration. This work addresses this gap by applying machine learning (ML) algorithms—Support Vector Machine (SVM), K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), and Random Forest—to classify subjects based on gender, age, Body Mass Index (BMI), and Chest Wall Perimeter (CWP). Vital signs were collected from 92 subjects using a Continuous Wave (CW) radar operating at 5.8 GHz. The results showed that the Random Forest algorithm was the most accurate, achieving accuracies of 76.66% for gender, 71.13% for age, 72.52% for BMI, and 74.61% for CWP. This study underscores the importance of considering individual variations when using Bio-Radar, enhancing its efficiency and expanding its potential applications.

Executive Summary: Society of Critical Care Medicine Guidelines on Recognizing and Responding to Clinical Deterioration Outside the ICU.

Clinical deterioration of patients hospitalized outside the ICU is a source of potentially reversible morbidity and mortality. To address this, some acute care facilities have implemented systems aimed at detecting and responding to such patients. To provide evidence-based recommendations for hospital clinicians and administrators to optimize recognition and response to clinical deterioration in non-ICU patients. The 25-member panel included representatives from medicine, nursing, respiratory therapy, pharmacy, patient/family partners, and clinician-methodologists with expertise in developing evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. We generated actionable questions using the Population, Intervention, Control, and Outcomes format and performed a systematic review of the literature to identify and synthesize the best available evidence. We used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation approach to determine certainty in the evidence and to formulate recommendations and good practice statements (GPSs). The panel issued 10 statements on recognizing and responding to non-ICU patients with critical illness. Healthcare personnel and institutions should ensure that all vital sign acquisition is timely and accurate (GPS). We make no recommendation on the use of continuous vital sign monitoring among "unselected" patients due to the absence of data regarding the benefit and the potential harms of false positive alarms, the risk of alarm fatigue, and cost. We suggest focused education for bedside clinicians in signs of clinical deterioration, and we also suggest that patient/family/care partners' concerns be included in decisions to obtain additional opinions and help (both conditional recommendations). We recommend hospital-wide deployment of a rapid response team or medical emergency team (RRT/MET) with explicit activation criteria (strong recommendation). We make no recommendation about RRT/MET professional composition or inclusion of palliative care members on the responding team but suggest that the skill set of responders should include eliciting patients' goals of care (conditional recommendation). Finally, quality improvement processes should be part of a rapid response system (GPS). The panel provided guidance to inform clinicians and administrators on effective processes to improve the care of patients at-risk for developing critical illness outside the ICU.

Society of Critical Care Medicine Guidelines on Recognizing and Responding to Clinical Deterioration Outside the ICU: 2023.

Clinical deterioration of patients hospitalized outside the ICU is a source of potentially reversible morbidity and mortality. To address this, some acute care hospitals have implemented systems aimed at detecting and responding to such patients. To provide evidence-based recommendations for hospital clinicians and administrators to optimize recognition and response to clinical deterioration in non-ICU patients. The 25-member panel included representatives from medicine, nursing, respiratory therapy, pharmacy, patient/family partners, and clinician-methodologists with expertise in developing evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines. We generated actionable questions using the Population, Intervention, Control, and Outcomes (PICO) format and performed a systematic review of the literature to identify and synthesize the best available evidence. We used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation Approach to determine certainty in the evidence and to formulate recommendations and good practice statements (GPSs). The panel issued 10 statements on recognizing and responding to non-ICU patients with critical illness. Healthcare personnel and institutions should ensure that all vital sign acquisition is timely and accurate (GPS). We make no recommendation on the use of continuous vital sign monitoring among unselected patients. We suggest focused education for bedside clinicians in signs of clinical deterioration, and we also suggest that patient/family/care partners' concerns be included in decisions to obtain additional opinions and help (both conditional recommendations). We recommend hospital-wide deployment of a rapid response team or medical emergency team (RRT/MET) with explicit activation criteria (strong recommendation). We make no recommendation about RRT/MET professional composition or inclusion of palliative care members on the responding team but suggest that the skill set of responders should include eliciting patients' goals of care (conditional recommendation). Finally, quality improvement processes should be part of a rapid response system. The panel provided guidance to inform clinicians and administrators on effective processes to improve the care of patients at-risk for developing critical illness outside the ICU.

Sign Language Recognition Using the Electromyographic Signal: A Systematic Literature Review.

The analysis and recognition of sign languages are currently active fields of research focused on sign recognition. Various approaches differ in terms of analysis methods and the devices used for sign acquisition. Traditional methods rely on video analysis or spatial positioning data calculated using motion capture tools. In contrast to these conventional recognition and classification approaches, electromyogram (EMG) signals, which measure muscle electrical activity, offer potential technology for detecting gestures. These EMG-based approaches have recently gained attention due to their advantages. This prompted us to conduct a comprehensive study on the methods, approaches, and projects utilizing EMG sensors for sign language handshape recognition. In this paper, we provided an overview of the sign language recognition field through a literature review, with the objective of offering an in-depth review of the most significant techniques. These techniques were categorized in this article based on their respective methodologies. The survey discussed the progress and challenges in sign language recognition systems based on surface electromyography (sEMG) signals. These systems have shown promise but face issues like sEMG data variability and sensor placement. Multiple sensors enhance reliability and accuracy. Machine learning, including deep learning, is used to address these challenges. Common classifiers in sEMG-based sign language recognition include SVM, ANN, CNN, KNN, HMM, and LSTM. While SVM and ANN are widely used, random forest and KNN have shown better performance in some cases. A multilayer perceptron neural network achieved perfect accuracy in one study. CNN, often paired with LSTM, ranks as the third most popular classifier and can achieve exceptional accuracy, reaching up to 99.6% when utilizing both EMG and IMU data. LSTM is highly regarded for handling sequential dependencies in EMG signals, making it a critical component of sign language recognition systems. In summary, the survey highlights the prevalence of SVM and ANN classifiers but also suggests the effectiveness of alternative classifiers like random forests and KNNs. LSTM emerges as the most suitable algorithm for capturing sequential dependencies and improving gesture recognition in EMG-based sign language recognition systems.

The Pi-CON Methodology Applied: Operator Errors and Preference Tracking of a Novel Ubiquitous Vital Signs Sensor and Its User Interface

Remote Patient Monitoring has enjoyed strong growth to new heights driven by several factors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic or advances in technology, allowing consumers and patients to continuously record health data by themselves. This does not come without its challenges, however. A literature review was completed and highlights usability gaps when using wearables or home use medical devices in a virtual environment. Based on these findings, the Pi-CON methodology was applied to close these gaps by utilizing a novel sensor that allows the acquisition of vital signs at a distance, without any sensors touching the patient. Pi-CON stands for passive, continuous and non-contact, and describes the ability to acquire vital signs continuously and passively, with limited user interaction. The preference of vital sign acquisition with a newly developed sensor was tested and compared to vital sign tests taken with patient generated health-data devices (ear thermometer, pulse oximeter) measuring heart rate, respiratory rate and body temperature. In addition, the amount of operator errors and the user interfaces were tested and compared. Results show that participants preferred vital signs acquisition with the novel sensor and the developed user interface of the sensor. Results also revealed that participants had a mean error of .85 per vital sign measurement with the patient-generated health data devices and .33 with the developed sensor, confirming the beneficial impact available when using the developed sensor based on the Pi-CON methodology.

SYSTEM INTEGRATION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF ENTERPRISES: CONCEPTUAL AND THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS

Abstract. The article is devoted to the development of system integration in the management of enterprises. A qualitative analysis of the development directions of system integration was carried out. Research methods were used: analogies and synthesis to highlight and combine signs of integration and self-organization of management; induction and deduction in the study of the processes of integration and disintegration; an abstract logical generalization of the experience of creating integrated management systems and qualitatively meaningful identification of the basic system elements to ensure the systems acquire an integrative status. The results of research work are summarized and a conceptual approach to system integration is developed. The essence of the approach is to achieve integrated status by the management system of the enterprise based on its acquisition of integration signs. The substantive essence of the approach is based on the symbiosis of cybernetic and synergistic approaches to management. This determines the combination of integration and self-organization of management. Such a conceptual synthesis has an applied application, which consists in using the integration basis of the management system. The basis will produce system integration signs during the integration process. Integrative signs will be connected with self-organizing signs in the management process. The implementation of the integration basis will involve the use of unified management elements in the integration process. Such elements are justified as common for the introduction of management systems (subsystems) that will be integrated, and reporting of an integrative nature. Integration signs will be practically embodied in integrated management solutions, combined with self-organizing signs, thanks to this approach. The basic theoretical provisions for the implementation of the conceptual approach to system integration will be based on the study of: integration and economic states, using complementary indicators of activity and integration signs, effect and degree of integration; informational and economic images of reflective business entities for the acquisition of integration signs in business processes; sufficiency of integrative quality in the informational presentability of integration signs in the interrelationships of economic, social, and environmental activities of enterprises. Keywords: integration sign, integration basis, reflection, self-organization, management system, state of the business entity, unified management elements

Improving Discharge Safety in a Pediatric Emergency Department.

Discharge from the emergency department (ED) involves a complex series of steps to ensure a safe transition to home and follow-up care. Preventable, discharge-related serious safety events (SSEs) in our ED highlighted local vulnerabilities. We aimed to improve ED discharge by implementing a standardized discharge process with emphasis on multidisciplinary communication and family engagement. At a tertiary children's hospital, we used the model for improvement to revise discharge care. Interventions included a new discharge checklist, a provider huddle emphasizing discharge vital signs, and a scripted discharge review of instructions with families. We used statistical process control to evaluate performance. Primary outcomes included elimination of preventable, discharge-related SSEs and Press Ganey survey results assessing caregiver information for care of child at home. A secondary outcome was number of days between preventable low-level (near-miss, no or minimal harm) events. Process measures included discharge checklist adoption and vital sign acquisition. Balancing measures were length of stay (LOS) and return rates. Over the study period, there were no preventable SSEs and low-level event frequency improved to a peak of >150 days between events. Press Ganey responses regarding quality of discharge information did not change (62%). Checklist use was rapidly adopted, reaching 94%. Vital sign acquisition increased from 67% to 83%. There was no change in the balancing measures of median LOS or return visit rates. The development and implementation of a standardized discharge process led to the elimination of reported discharge-related events, without increasing LOS or return visits.

Contactless Vital Signs Acquisition Using Video Photoplethysmography, Motion Analysis and Passive Infrared Thermography Devices During Emergency Department Walk-In Triage in Pandemic Conditions

BackgroundContactless vital signs (VS) measurement with video photoplethysmography (vPPG), motion analysis (MA), and passive infrared thermometry (pIR) has shown promise. ObjectivesTo compare conventional (contact-based) and experimental contactless VS measurement approaches for emergency department (ED) walk-in triage in pandemic conditions. MethodsPatients' heart rates (HR), respiratory rates (RR), and temperatures were measured with cardiorespiratory monitor and vPPG, manual count and MA, and contact thermometers and pIR, respectively. ResultsThere were 475 walk-in ED patients studied (95% of eligible). Subjects were 35.2 ± 20.8 years old (range 4 days‒95 years); 52% female, 0.2% transgender; had Fitzpatrick skin type of 2.3 ± 1.4 (range 1‒6), Emergency Severity Index of 3.0 ± 0.6 (range 2‒5), and contact temperature of 36.83°C (range 35.89–39.4°C) (98.3°F [96.6‒103°F]). Pediatric HR and RR data were excluded from analysis due to research challenges associated with pandemic workflow. For a 30-s, unprimed "Triage" window in 377 adult patients, vPPG-MA acquired 377 (100%) HR measurements featuring a mean difference with cardiorespiratory monitor HR of 5.9 ± 12.8 beats/min (R = 0.6833) and 252 (66.8%) RR measurements featuring a mean difference with manual RR of −0.4 ± 2.6 beats/min (R = 0.8128). Subjects' Emergency Severity Index components based on conventional VS and contactless VS matched for 83.8% (HR) and 89.3% (RR). Filtering out vPPG-MA measurements with low algorithmic confidence reduced VS acquired while improving correlation with conventional measurements. The mean difference between contact and pIR temperatures was 0.83 ± 0.67°C (range −1.16–3.5°C) (1.5 ± 1.2°F [range −2.1–6.3°F]); pIR fever detection improved with post hoc adjustment for mean bias. ConclusionContactless VS acquisition demonstrated good agreement with contact methods during adult walk-in ED patient triage in pandemic conditions; clinical applications will need further study.

TV program “Svit navyvorit” as a project in Ukrainian travel-journalism form

Unlike the last century journalism, the modern one greatly simplifies the communication between the author and his recipient by using the ability to travel and to transmit the information the last user, the recipient, very quickly. Besides technologies, the format chosen by the author of the information message contributes to this. The main objective of the study and the subject of the research is the TV program “Svit navyvorit”. It is a sample of media tourism, which represents distant and little-known cultures and the population of different countries for the Ukrainian recipient in reportage issues. This is popular and relevant for the modern recipient type of media product. This thesis is proved according to the information provided in the study for the number of views by the project in the Internet. The scientific problem is to clarify the format of transmission in today conditions of the widespread phenomenon of genre syncretism. The aim of the article is to define the genre characteristics of “Svit navyvorit”, to find a classification niche for the format. Therefore, the article pays attention to the analysis of features and characteristics of the project, which is manifested in the examples of different series by the program. This is the novelty of the study. With the help of reflections caused by these features, the article attempts to find out what the “Svit navyvorit” is: a travel show, a report, a review, a road story, etc. The format of the program, which has no analogues in the Ukrainian media space, can be defined as an original travel show, a syncretic phenomenon in the genre aspect. This is confirmed by the following features and peculiarities: reports from the scene, eyewitness comments, author’s remarks and direct impressions, communication, drama, eventfulness, contrast, the acquisition of signs of news discourse, lifestyle journalism. The array of seasons and issues of the program “Svit navyvorit” considered in the article combines the features of informativeness, journalism, analytics, art and entertainment. The following general scientific methods are used in the article: comparative, descriptive, comparative-typological, historical-functional, and systemic; method of analysis, synthesis. The prospect of further research is to develop ways to study the paradigm of the format of Ukrainian travel journalism with mandatory rating control based on the number of views.

INTENSITY OF HYBRID THREATS TO NATIONAL ECONOMIES

Background. In the context of growing tendencies to hybridize interstate conflicts, hybrid threats become especially important, which, in contrast to direct military threats, are difficult to identify and have their own logic of emergence and escalation. The hidden nature of hybrid aggression and the focus on the most vulnerable parties necessitate a proactive response of the object state based on a thorough assessment of the potential impact of hybrid confrontation on the development of the national economy. The aim of the article isto substantiate the criteria for the intensity of the impact of hybrid threats on the national economy in order to further assess the risks of threats to the state-object of hybrid aggression. Materials and methods. Methods of analysis and synthesis are used to determine the relationship of basic concepts of risk in the context of the study of socio-economic processes; method of mathematical modeling – to formalize the criterion of the intensity of the destructive impact of hybrid threats on the national economy; method of graphical modeling – to visualize the dynamics of escalation of the destructive effects of hybrid threats. The research was performed on the basisof scientific publications, materials of the State Statistics Service of Ukraine and European analytical services. Results. It is substantiated that the transformation of modern interstate conflicts takes place in the direction of their acquisition of signs of hybridization, provided that it is understood as a process of using various means of pressure, mostly of a non-military nature. It is proved that the high destructive potential of hybrid threats requires the definition of criteria for the intensity of their impact on the national economy in order to further assess the risks of threats to the state-object of hybrid aggression. The author's interpretation of the relationship between the basic concepts of risk in the context of the study of socio-economic processes, which are arranged by the level of escalation in the following order: potential danger, potential threat, real threat, risk situation, real danger. Based on the definition of the specifics of hybrid threats, their key characteristics are systematized and the destructive impact on the national economy is structured. It is substantiated that the generalizing characteristics of the destructive impact of hybrid threats on the national economy should be recognized as the level of its intensity, which is determined by the probability of the threat realization and potential losses. It is proved that the escalation of hybrid threats to economically weak and vulnerable states to the level of real danger is almost inevitable if their interests conflict with the ambitions of leading geopolitical actors. Conclusion. Interval assessment of the criteria for the intensity of hybrid threats allows structuring their destructive impact on the national economy from the minimum (potential danger) to the maximum (real danger) level of escalation. The structuring of the destructive impact of hybrid threats creates a basis for assessing the risks of threats to the state-object of hybrid aggression depending on the level of their intensity and overcoming the negative consequences for the economy of the state-object of hybrid aggression.

Smart Check - COVID-19 triage system: Evaluation of the impact on the screening time and identification of clinical manifestations of SARS-CoV-2 infection in a public health service.

IntroductionMost patients with COVID‐19 have mild or moderate manifestations; however, there is a wide spectrum of clinical presentations and even more severe repercussions that require high diagnostic suspicion. Vital sign acquisition and monitoring are crucial for detecting and responding to patients with COVID‐19.ObjectiveThus, we conducted this study to demonstrate the impact of using a tool called Smart Check on the triage time of patients with suspected COVID‐19 and to identify the main initial clinical manifestations in these patients.MethodologyWe assessed triage times before and after the use of Smart Check in 11 466 patients at Hospital Nossa Senhora da Conceição in Porto Alegre, Brazil, from 1 June to 31 July 2020. In this group, we identified 220 patients for the identification of COVID‐19 clinical manifestations in a case–control analysis.ResultsSmart Check was able to decrease the triage time by 33 seconds on average (P < .001), with 75% of the exams being performed within 5 minutes, whereas with the usual protocol these steps were performed within 6 minutes. A range of clinical presentations made up the COVID‐19 initial manifestations. Those with the highest frequency were dry cough (46.4%), fever (41.3%), dyspnoea (35.8%), and headache (31.8%). Loss of appetite was the manifestation that had a statistically significant association with the SARS‐CoV‐2 presence (univariate analysis). When analysed together, loss of appetite associated with dyspnoea and/or ageusia and/or fever was related to the diagnosis of COVID‐19.ConclusionsSmart Check, a simple clinical evaluation tool, along with the targeted use of rapid PCR testing, can optimise triage time for patients with and without COVID‐19. In triage centres, a number of initial signs and symptoms should be cause for SARS‐CoV‐2 infection suspicion, in particular the association of respiratory, neurological, and gastrointestinal manifestations.

Emblematic gestures learning in Spanish as L2/FL: Interactions between types of gestures and tasks

The acquisition of communicative competence in second and foreign languages requires the incorporation of verbal and non-verbal elements. Notwithstanding, few studies have performed empirical research into the acquisition of non-verbal signs. This research studies the learning of emblematic gestures for students of Spanish in the USA using an evolutionary analysis after instruction. Interactions between types of gestures ( common, different, and unique) based on the similarities with the first language and learning mechanisms in free and guided comprehension and production tasks are taken into account. The results indicate that although the detection and production of emblems improve with instruction, the progress is unequal: the categories different and unique obtain a higher rate of improvement than common emblems in specific tasks. In conclusion, it is essential for the teaching of gestures and non-verbal communication to consider, along with the non-verbal target language code, the non-verbal mother tongue code.

Self-monitoring Method for Improving Health-related Quality of Life: Data Acquisition, Monitoring, and Analysis of Vital Signs and Diet

Vital signs are a series of clinical measurements and important to health-related quality of life. To establish a method for self-monitoring and management of vital signs and diet, a self-monitoring method (SMM) including wireless body area network and mobile technology was proposed in this paper. The study population comprised a total of 180 participants. Differences between measurements taken using the SMM and traditional instruments were analyzed with respect to accuracy and reproducibility. Participant measurements before and after intervention were used to evaluate the validity of the SMM. There was no statistically significant difference between our SMM and traditional instruments for measuring vital signs (p&gt;0.05). The relative standard deviation of the SMM (0.38%) indicated good repeatability. These findings suggest that the SMM had a clear effect of promoting improvement in health habits, health condition monitoring, and disease prevention (p&lt;0.05). Statistical analysis indicated that our SMM contributed to improve monitoring of vital signs and diet, and improved the health-related quality of life among study participants to a certain degree.

MONITORING OF NON-INVASIVE VITAL SIGNS FOR DETECTION OF SLEEP APNEA

Sleep apnea (SA) syndrome is a respiratory disorder that occurs during the sleep. Polysomnography (PSG) has been widely applied by clinicians as a gold standard in the clinical diagnosis of SA syndrome. However, the use of PSG is inconvenient, intrusive, and significantly affects the sleep quality of patient. In this paper, we provide a nonintrusive solution for SA detection. Specifically, a force sensor was employed for the noninvasive vital sign acquisition during the patient’s sleep, where the respiratory signal was extracted adaptively by using the morphological filter. It was observed that the morphological variations before and during the occurrence of the SA events were significant for the SA discrimination. By taking advantage of the differential features with respect to the respiratory signal, the recognition of the SA event was performed using classifiers. For validation, the all-night PSG recordings of 12 volunteers with 8 SA syndrome patients were obtained from the National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease. Numerical results showed that the proposed scheme achieved an averaged accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of 83.67%, 58.57% and 85.13%, respectively, for the SA recognition.

Effects of dopamine receptor antagonism and amphetamine-induced psychomotor sensitization on sign- and goal-tracking after extended training

The dopamine system is important for incentive salience attribution, where motivational value is assigned to conditioned cues that predict appetitive reinforcers. However, the role of dopamine in this process may change with extended training. We tested the effects of dopamine D1-like and D2-like receptor antagonism on the expression of sign-tracking and goal-tracking conditioned responses following extended Pavlovian conditioned approach (PCA) training. We also tested if amphetamine-induced psychomotor sensitization accelerates the enhanced acquisition of sign-tracking that is observed with extended training. In experiment 1, 24 male Long-Evans rats received 20 PCA sessions in which one lever (CS+, 10 s) predicted 0.2 ml sucrose (10 %, w/v) delivery and the other lever (CS–) did not. SCH-23390 (D1-like antagonist) or eticlopride (D2-like antagonist) were administered before non-reinforced behavioural tests at doses of 0, 0.01, and 0.1 mg/kg (s.c.). In experiment 2, rats received vehicle or 2 mg/kg amphetamine (i.p.) for 7 days (n = 12/group). Ten days later, they received 16 PCA training sessions. Both doses of SCH-23390 reduced sign- and goal-tracking, but also reduced locomotor behaviour. A low dose of eticlopride (0.01 mg/kg) selectively reduced goal-tracking, without affecting sign-tracking or locomotor behaviour. Amphetamine produced psychomotor sensitization, and this did not affect the acquisition of sign- or goal-tracking. Following extended PCA training, dopamine D2-like receptor activity is required for the expression of goal-tracking but not sign-tracking. Psychomotor sensitization to amphetamine did not impact incentive salience attribution; however, more selective manipulations of the dopamine system may be needed.

Textile Antenna for Bio-Radar Embedded in a Car Seat.

A bio-radar system is presented for vital signs acquisition, using textile antennas manufactured with a continuous substrate that integrates the ground plane. Textile antennas were selected to be used in the RF (Radio Frequency) front-end, rather than those made of conventional materials, to further integrate the system in a car seat cover and thus streamline the industrial manufacturing process. The development of the novel substrate material is described in detail, as well as its characterization process. Then, the antenna design considerations are presented. The experiments to validate the textile antennas operation by acquiring the respiratory signal of six subjects with different body structures while seated in a car seat are presented. In conclusion, it was possible to prove that bio-radar systems can operate with textile-based antennas, providing accurate results of the extraction of vital signs.

THE TERM SYSTEM OF MODERN JURIDICAL LINGUISTICS: A CATEGORY OF PREMEDITATION

The need to form one’s own conceptual and categorical framework is an obligatory condition for the stable development of any research area of focus. The arrangement of the term system is 1) complex manifestations of indicators of accumulated scientific experience and applied research data, as well as 2) the most important tool for conducting cognitive and research activities. That is why this task is on the current agenda of modern juridical linguistics. Legal linguistics actively uses the definitions of both linguistic theory and its directions, and jurisprudence. However, a complete calquing of the meaning of terminological units does not allow solving problems associated, first of all, with the construction of expert procedures for analyzing a text for the presence of signs of delinquent speech behavior in its content. The article gives proof of the necessity of introducing the category of premeditation into the terminological thesaurus of jurisprudence. The significance of this concept is due to the following factor: intention is not only one of the forms of guilt, but also an identification feature of some crimes committed verbally. Expert determination of this feature of speech activity is impossible in the absence of a juristic terminological definition. The principle of trans-terminologization, which is the basis for the arrangement; of the formulization of the category of premeditation, implies the acquisition of previously unusual characteristics in a new scientific and research vocabulary. In the legal linguistic direction, these characteristics include the intensional dependence of speech activity, as well as the absence of markers for the expression of subjective opinion in the text, in other words, factolagy. On this basis, we understand premeditation as speech activity determined by intention and not subjectified by evaluative characteristics. The proposed terminological definition does not only enter into dissonance with the legal interpretation of premeditation, but also allows, using verified methods, to conduct a special linguistic study for the acquisition of appropriate signs in the text.