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Objective. Sleep apnea is a common sleep breathing disorder that can significantly decrease sleep quality and have major health consequences. It is diagnosed based on the apnea hypopnea index (AHI). This study explored a novel, generalized algorithm for the automatic diagnosis of sleep apnea employing airflow (AF) and oximetry (SpO2) signals. Approach. Of the 988 polysomnography records, 45 were randomly selected for developing the automatic algorithm and the remainder 943 for validating purposes. The algorithm detects apnea events by a per-sample encoding process applied to the peak excursion of AF signal. Hypopnea events were detected from the per-sample encoding of AF and SpO2 with an adjustment to time lag in SpO2. Total recording time was automatically processed and optimized for computation of total sleep time (TST). Total number of detected events and computed TST were used to estimate AHI. The estimated AHI was validated against the scored data from the Sleep Heart Health Study. Main results. Intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.94 was obtained between estimated and scored AHIs. The diagnostic accuracies were 93.5%, 92.4%, and 96.6% for AHI cut-off values of ≥5, ≥15, and ≥30 respectively. The overall accuracy for the combined severity categories (normal, mild, moderate, and severe) and kappa were 83.4% and 0.77 respectively. Significance. This new automatic technique was found to be superior to the other existing methods and can be applied to any portable sleep devices especially for home sleep apnea tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cu and Zn are frequently added to livestock diets as additives to increase feed efficiency and production. This practice resulted in the higher contents of Cu and Zn in excrement of livestock. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of Cu and Zn concentration of manure compost and its application rates on the production and quality of pakchoi and rice. The pot experiments were conducted and the six manure compost were applied at 3 rates (20, 40, and 80 ton/ha), including the control and chemical fertilizer treatments. Results showed that the yield of the crops was enhanced by the compost application, and the Cu and Zn concentration in the edible part of crops were in normal range (pakchoi: Cu 1.8-10.4 mg/kg, Zn 39-160 mg/kg; rice grain: Cu 0.6-4.0 mg/kg, Zn 58-79 mg/kg). The potential risk of long-term manure compost application on soil quality was also evaluated. The total Zn concentration in soils may reach the regulation standard after 22 years of manure compost application at the rate of 40 ton/ha/year.

Objective. Sleep apnea significantly decreases the quality of life. The apnea hypopnea index (AHI) is the main indicator for sleep apnea diagnosis. This study explored a novel automatic algorithm to diagnose sleep apnea from nasal airflow (AF) and pulse oximetry (SpO2) signals. Approach. Of the 988 polysomnography (PSG) records from the sleep heart health study (SHHS), 45 were randomly selected for the development of an algorithm and the remainder for validation (n = 943). The algorithm detects apnea events by a digitization process, following the determination of the peak excursion (peak-to-trough amplitude) from AF envelope. Hypopnea events were determined from the AF envelope and oxygen desaturation with correction to time lag in SpO2. Total sleep time (TST) was estimated from an optimized percentage of artefact-free total recording time. AHI was estimated from the number of detected events divided by the estimated TST. The estimated AHI was compared to the scored SHHS data for performance evaluation. Main results. The validation showed good agreement between the estimated and scored AHI (intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.95 and mean ±95% limits of agreement of −1.6 ±12.5 events h−1). The diagnostic accuracies were found: 90.7%, 91%, and 96.7% for AHI cut-off ≥5, ≥15, and ≥30 respectively. Significance. The new algorithm is accurate over other existing methods for the automatic diagnosis of sleep apnea. It is applicable to any portable sleep screeners especially for the home diagnosis of sleep apnea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context and objectives. Synthetic cannabinoids are illegal drugs of abuse known to cause adverse neurologic and sympathomimetic effects. They are an emerging health risk: 11% of high school seniors reported smoking them during the previous 12 months. We describe the epidemiology of a toxicologic syndrome of acute kidney injury associated with synthetic cannabinoids, review the toxicologic and public health investigation of the cluster, and describe clinical implications of the cluster investigation. Materials and methods. Case series of nine patients affected by the toxicologic syndrome in Oregon and southwestern Washington during May-October 2012. Cases were defined as acute kidney injury (creatinine > 1.3 mg/dL) among persons aged 13-40 years without known renal disease who reported smoking synthetic cannabinoids. Toxicology laboratories used liquid chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry to test clinical and product specimens for synthetic cannabinoids, their metabolites, and known nephrotoxins. Public health alerts informed clinicians, law enforcement, and the community about the cluster and the need to be alert for toxidromes associated with emerging drugs of abuse. Results. Patients were males aged 15-27 years (median, 18 years), with intense nausea and flank or abdominal pain, and included two sets of siblings. Peak creatinine levels were 2.6-17.7 mg/dL (median, 6.6 mg/dL). All patients were hospitalized; one required dialysis; none died. No alternate causes of acute kidney injury or nephrotoxins were identified. Patients reported easily purchasing synthetic cannabinoids at convenience, tobacco, and adult bookstores. One clinical and 2 product samples contained evidence of a novel synthetic cannabinoid, XLR-11 ([1-(5-fluoropentyl)-1H-indol-3-yl](2,2,3,3-tetramethylcyclopropyl)methanone). Discussion and conclusion. Whether caused by direct toxicity, genetic predisposition, or an as-yet unidentified nephrotoxin, this association between synthetic cannabinoid exposure and acute kidney injury reinforces the need for vigilance to detect new toxicologic syndromes associated with emerging drugs of abuse. Liquid chromatography and time-of-flight mass spectrometry are useful tools in determining the active ingredients in these evolving products and evaluating them for toxic contaminants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A multi-monopole-antenna system capable of generating two wide operating bands with good input matching by a voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) of 1.5 to cover the 2.4 GHz (2400-2484 MHz), 5.2 GHz (5150-5350 MHz), and 5.8 GHz (5725-5825 MHz) bands for wireless local area network (WLAN) applications is introduced. The design mainly comprised three, metal-plate monopole antennas symmetrically located on a main, hexagonal ground plane and backed by vertical, step-shaped grounds protruding thereon. The step- shaped grounds not only facilitated the attaining of wide impedance bandwidth but also good port isolation. In addition, directional antenna radiation was also produced. Further, a triangular-cylinder shielding wall was placed in the center of the main ground plane for integration of the wireless, surveillance-camera module into the proposed antenna system. Details of the design prototype are described and discussed in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A patch microstrip antenna with an inverted-V ground plane capable of improving radiation performance for a wireless local area network (WLAN) access point in the 2.4-GHz band is presented. By using a feeding structure composed of a step-shaped feeding strip in the air substrate and a coplanar strip in the narrow radiating patch, the proposed antenna can reduce cross-polarisation radiation (less than -20 dB) for frequencies across the 2.4 GHz WLAN band. The inverted-V ground plane comprises a narrow central ground portion for setting the 50 Ω subminiature version (SMA) connector for the patch antenna and two bent ground portions to control the broadening of the antenna's horizontal radiation pattern. By selecting the proper dimensions, the proposed antenna can have a wide horizontal radiation pattern of about 152° (3 dB beamwidth) with vertical polarisation, which is very suitable for WLAN access-point applications where uniform radiation in one direction or one half-space is required. Experimental results of a constructed prototype suitable for application in the 2.4 GHz WLAN access point are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A standalone, printed monopole antenna with a two-branch shorting strip and a grounding wire to achieve a small size and yet multi-band operation for penta-band wireless wide area network (WWAN) operation (824-960/1710-2170 MHz) is presented. The antenna was formed on a low-cost, single-layered dielectric substrate with the dimensions 10mm x 50 mm. By applying the proposed grounding wire and the dual-shorting strip, two resonant modes in close proximity in the antenna's lower band were obtained to cover the GSM850/900 operation. Further, the proposed shorting strip led to two additional, higher-order resonance excitation at about 1700 and 1800MHz to assist in the formation of a wide upper band to cover the GSM1800/1900/UMTS operation. The proposed antenna also showed good radiation properties. Details of the design are described and discussed in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel, tri-band, planar plate-type antenna made of a compact metal plate for wireless local area network (WLAN) applications in the 2.4GHz (2400-2484MHz), 5.2GHz (5150- 5350MHz), and 5.8GHz (5725-5825MHz) bands is presented. The antenna was designed in a way that the operating principle includes dipole and loop resonant modes to cover the 2.4/5.2 and 5.8GHz bands, respectively. The antenna comprises a larger radiating arm and a smaller loop radiating arm, which are connected to each other at the signal ground point. The antenna can easily be fed by using a 50 Ω mini-coaxial cable and shows good radiation performance. Details of the design are described and discussed in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A compact patch antenna suitable for mounting above a conducting plate for WLAN operation in the 2.4 GHz band is presented. It is demonstrated that, by introducing a supporting metal plate connected to the antenna ground below, the proposed antenna in free space can easily be mounted at the corner of a conducting plate of various dimensions without rapidly deteriorating the antenna bandwidth. With a compact size of 20×20×6 mm, the antenna can be placed very close to a conducting plate of side length varied from 20 to 200 mm for application in a PC peripheral device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A technique that can reliably monitor exercise intensity plays an important role for the effectiveness and safety of an exercise prescription. A universal algorithm for the recursive estimation of exercise rate during a variety of aerobic exercises using measurements from a body-mounted triaxial accelerometer (TA) is proposed. Information about the type of exercise is not required by the algorithm and the TA can be mounted at the same location regardless of the exercise type. The algorithm involves period detection and data fusion. Experimental results demonstrate that the algorithm is effective for common aerobic exercises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A new compact patch antenna, which is arranged perpendicular to a circular ground plane, for WLAN operation is presented. The antenna consists mainly of one driven patch and one shorted parasitic patch, both of which wind along two concentric circles. A constructed prototype covering the 2.4 and 5 GHz WLAN bands is demonstrated. Good broadside radiation characteristics are obtained across the operating bands. Details of the proposed patch antenna and experimental results are presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Sleep apnea (SA), a common sleep disorder, can significantly decrease the quality of life, and is closely associated with major health risks such as cardiovascular disease, sudden death, depression, and hypertension. The normal diagnostic process of SA using polysomnography is costly and time consuming. In addition, the accuracy of different classification methods to detect SA varies with the use of different physiological signals. If an effective, reliable, and accurate classification method is developed, then the diagnosis of SA and its associated treatment will be time-efficient and economical. This study aims to systematically review the literature and present an overview of classification methods to detect SA using respiratory and oximetry signals and address the automated detection approach., Approach: Sixty-two included studies revealed the application of single and multiple signals (respiratory and oximetry) for the diagnosis of SA., Main Results: Both airflow and oxygen saturation signals alone were effective in detecting SA in the case of binary decision-making, whereas multiple signals were good for multi-class detection. In addition, some machine learning methods were superior to the other classification methods for SA detection using respiratory and oximetry signals., Significance: To deal with the respiratory and oximetry signals, a good choice of classification method as well as the consideration of associated factors would result in high accuracy in the detection of SA. An accurate classification method should provide a high detection rate with an automated (independent of human action) analysis of respiratory and oximetry signals. Future high-quality automated studies using large samples of data from multiple patient groups or record batches are recommended.

In order to accurately regulate cardiovascular response to exercise for individual exerciser, this study proposes a modelling and control integrated approach based on ε-insensitive Support Vector Regression (SVR) and switching control strategy. Firstly, a control oriented modelling approach is proposed to depict nonlinear behaviours of cardiovascular response at both onset and offset of treadmill exercises by using support vector machine regression. Then, based on the established nonlinear time-variant model, a novel switching Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithm has been proposed for the optimisation of exercise efforts. The designed controller can take into account both coefficient drifting and parameter jump by embedding the identified model coefficient into the optimiser and adopting switching strategy during the transfer between onset and offset of exercises. The effectiveness of the proposed modelling and control approach was shown from the regulation of dynamical heart rate response to exercise through simulation using MATLAB.

In this study we aimed to establish the usefulness of the time constant of heart rate recovery (Tr) in the evaluation of cardiovascular fitness. 15 male subjects exercised on recumbent bicycle at three different workloads (75 W, 100 W 125 W) where R-R intervals were monitored to determine Tr. In order to find the maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) of each subject, oxygen consumption rate (VO2) was recorded throughout the treadmill exercise (10 km/h). Based on VO2max, we classified the subjects into two groups: the "fit" group and the "unfit" group. We found a significant difference in Tr between these two groups only existed when the workload was 75 W (

A computer-controlled treadmill and related data collection and processing systems have been developed for the control of heart rate during treadmill exercise. Minimizing deviations of heart rate from a preset profile is achieved by controlling the speed and/or the gradient of the treadmill. A simple and practical heart rate measurement algorithm has been developed to robustly measure the variations of heart rate. Both conventional Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) control and fuzzy Proportional-Integral (PI) control approaches have been employed for the controller design. The fuzzy Proportional-Integral algorithm achieved better heart rate tracking performance. Finally, a heart rate based exercising protocol was successfully implemented on the newly designed exercise system.

This paper investigates the effects of orientation error in the positioning of triaxial accelerometers on the assessment of energy expenditure. Four subjects walked on a treadmill at varying velocities ranging from 4km.h -1 to 5km.h -1 . During each test, a triaxial accelerometer attached to the lower back at arbitrary orientations to record body accelerations. Energy expenditure was estimated by the sum of the integrals of the absolute value of accelerometer output from all the three measurement directions. Based on theoretical analysis and experimental observations, it is concluded that small orientation errors (< 3°) have no distinguishable effects on the estimation of energy expenditure. We propose an efficient method to compensate for larger orientation errors. The experimental results verified the effectiveness of this proposed compensation method.

Energy expenditure can be calculated via measurement of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production. Precise measurement of expired gas concentrations and volume is required for this determination. For a given gas concentration measurement system, the establishment of a model is a good way to effectively use the equipments and achieve more accurate energy expenditure calculations. This paper proposes a simple but effective approach for the modeling of a gas concentration measurement system.

Following kainic acid (KA)-induced status epilepticus (SE), the ketogenic diet (KD) retards the development of epileptogenesis, with fewer spontaneous recurrent seizures (SRS) and less mossy fiber sprouting than rats on a normal diet. In this study, we investigated whether there is a critical period for initiation of the KD, in terms of the diet's effectiveness in reducing SRS. In addition, we investigated whether early treatment with the KD prevents the deficits in spatial learning and memory that ordinarily follow KA-induced SE. Young rats (P30) underwent KA-induced SE, followed by assignment to one of three treatment groups: control diet ('KA'), KD begun 2 days after SE ('KD2'), and KD begun fourteen days after SE ('KD14'). For 12 weeks following SE, rats were monitored by closed circuit video recording (12 h/wk) to detect SRS. KD2 rats had significantly fewer SRS than rats in the control or KD14 groups. On water maze testing to assess spatial learning and memory, KD2 rats had significantly poorer acquisition of place learning than control (KA alone) or KD14 rats. KD2 rats also failed to gain weight well. There was no difference between groups on routine histologic examination of the hippocampus. In summary, P30 rats placed on the KD 2 days after SE were relatively protected from recurrent seizures, but showed behavioral and physical impairment. Rats placed on the KD 14 days after KA-induced SE did not differ from controls with regard to spontaneous seizure rate.

Background: Early division of the pedicled groin flap can be achieved by using ischemic preconditioning. The goal of this study was to investigate the devices available for ischemic preconditioning and determine which device is the most effective and results in lowest patient discomfort., Methods: Rubber bands, custom-made Orthoplast sheets, long-nose locking pliers, intestinal clamps, and a pneumatic tourniquet device were used for ischemic preconditioning on 13 patients who sustained severe hand injuries with reconstruction of pedicled groin flaps. The devices were compared by using laser Doppler flowmetry and the patient's local pain levels., Results: Twelve of 13 flaps were successfully divided at a mean period of 8.3 days by using a custom-made Orthoplast sheet or a pneumatic tourniquet device. All devices except the rubber bands could result in a biologic zero flow level., Conclusion: The pneumatic tourniquet device is the most desirable ischemic preconditioning device, having the advantages of excellent ischemic effect, easy application, and minimal discomfort.

The novel mutant streptokinase, SK-K59E, can activate human plasminogen as efficiently as the purified commercially available streptokinase. Several peptide bonds including Lys59-Ser60 in native streptokinase were hydrolyzed in reaction with plasmin and peptides of small molecular masses were generated. The plasminogen activator activity of native streptokinase in reaction with human plasmin declined to 25% of the original activity in a 120-min incubation. On the other hand, the NH2-terminal peptide of SK-K59E remained intact in reaction with plasmin and the activator activity of streptokinase decreased to 75% of the original activity in 120 min. The major degraded peptide fragments of native streptokinase in reaction with plasmin had molecular masses of 36 and 30 kDa. However, two major peptide fragments of 42 and 34 kDa were observed in the reaction of SK-K59E with human plasmin. The 42 kDa peptide fragment, which contained NH2-terminal of streptokinase, could activate human plasminogen as efficiently as the native streptokinase. SK-K59E can induce greater degree of caseinolysis and fibrinolysis than the native streptokinase. In conclusion, the results demonstrate that the prevention of cleavage at Lys59 of streptokinase prolongs the half-life of streptokinase in complex with plasmin and that the NH2-terminal of streptokinase (Ile1-Lys59) plays an important role in maintaining its stability.

We have reviewed retrospectively the records of 157 patients, less than or equal to 30 years of age with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) from 218 such cases identified in the tumor registry files of three major teaching hospitals in Taipei, Taiwan. These cases were diagnosed between 1 January 1982 and 31 December 1985, with a minimum follow-up of 2 years. The average age was 25, with a male/female ratio of 1.67. The TNM (tumor size, nodes, metastases) classification of 127 patients showed T1, 22%; T2, 33.1%; T3, 23.6%; T4, 21.3%; N0, 26%; N1, 16.5%; N2, 27.6%; N3, 30%; and M1, 13.4%. Antibody titer to Epstein-Barr virus capsular antigen (EBVCA) were elevated in 45 of 48 patients tested. Of the 29 patients who had hepatitis B (HB) viral survey done 34.5% were positive for HB surface antigen (HBsAg). Of 13 patients with elevated EBVCA antibody who were also tested for HB, six were HBsAg carrier. Actuarial survival rates of 2 and 3 years are 70 and 62%, respectively, among the 90 patients who were followed regularly or to death. HBsAg carriers and patients with M1 disease had a shorter survival time. We concluded that patients less than 30 years of age seemed to have an increased incidence of NPC, compared to that in an earlier report. Our patients frequently presented with advanced stage and poor prognosis. The high rate of HB carrier raises the possibility that HBV may play a role in the carcinogenesis and tumor growth in some NPC patients. Future prospective studies are needed.

The mouse monoclonal antibodies, prepared with rat beta H-crystallin as parent antigen, show cross-reactivity to specific subunits in beta H-, beta L1-, and beta L2-crystallin but no reactivity to either alpha- or gamma-crystallins. Antigenic homology among the beta-crystallin subunits was demonstrated by comparison of the topographic distributions of peptides on two-dimensional electrophoretograms subjected to either staining or an ELISA of the immunoblots.

Soluble proteins of individual human normal and nuclear cataractous lenses of 60-70-year-old subjects were collected for this investigation. The average wet weights of both the normal and nuclear cataractous lenses were found to be essentially identical, approximately 230 mg. When the lens proteins, either cortical or nuclear, were subjected to fractionation by Sephadex G-200 sf chromatography, six fractions (F-I to F-VI) were obtained and their respective molecular weights approximated. F-I, which contains alpha-crystallin and high molecular weight aggregates, was subsequently fractionated through a series of Bio-gel A chromatographic columns. The quantities of the proteins and the molecular weights of each fraction were obtained. All the proteins fractionated were subjected to SDS gel electrophoresis by which the molecular weights of the subunits were obtained. The distribution and molecular weights of proteins smaller than 0.2 X 10(6) showed certain changes, more noticeable in the nucleus than in the cortex, between the normal lens and nuclear cataractous lens. For the high-molecular-weight protein aggregates, the major fraction in the lens cortex was found to be in the 5-1.5 X 10(6) range, representing 10 and 12% of the total protein in the normal and cataractous lenses, respectively. The major fraction in the nucleus was found to be greater than 150 X 10(6), representing 11 and 19% for the normal and cataractous lenses respectively. The above data are presented for the first time to show the differences in distribution of the high-molecular-weight proteins in the cortical and nuclear regions, and their respective changes in cataractogenesis. Based upon these data, we are able to calculate the average molecular weights of (1) the soluble cortical and nuclear proteins and (2) the total soluble protein, in the normal and cataractous human lenses.