Extensions and enhancements are proposed for a previously developed system to remotely monitor patient vital signs. This previously developed network utilizes Crossbow MICAz motes to create a wireless network to gather data, which is sent to a central monitoring station. It includes a graphical user interface to store and display incoming measurements for all patients being monitored. Here the range of the network is extended by interfacing a GSM modem to the wireless sensor base station, allowing critical data to be forwarded anywhere in the world and providing a remote query mechanism via the existing cellular infrastructure. Text messaging using short message service is used as the communication interface. A priority message handling layer is added to the current protocol to insure delivery of critical data to the monitoring station and from there to medical personnel via the existing cellular infrastructure.
A system to remotely monitor a patientpsilas oxygen saturation (%SpO 2 ) levels is described. The data was continuously measured using a pulse oximeter and then transferred to a central monitoring station via a wireless sensor network for storage and display. Crossbow MICAz motes were programmed to serve as the network nodes. One mote was interfaced to the pulse oximeter for data acquisition and the others were utilized to route the %SpO 2 data to the monitoring station. A user-friendly graphical user interface was developed to capture and display incoming measurements for all patients being monitored. Test results indicated high accuracy in the measurements.
Obesity is a worldwide epidemic and is an underlying cause for most major chronic diseases. In majority of cases the underlying cause for obesity is a greatly skewed imbalance between the food intake and the number of calories burnt by the patient. One of the first steps in managing obesity is the correct recording of food and fluids that are ingested in the body. Traditional methods like food diaries have generally produced grossly inaccurate results. In order to automate the process of capturing ingestion, a method for detecting, analyzing, and recording sounds related to ingestion is being developed. In this paper, preliminary swallow sound analysis is presented with the intention of implementing automated ingestion detection as part of an obesity and overweight management system. Three basic algorithmic approaches are discussed as well as filtering options. More complex methods for analysis are explored as well, which include nonlinear analysis and the use of Self Organizing Maps (SOM).
Abstract The fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology of a recurrent multifocal extracardiac adult rhabdomyoma is described, and the literature is reviewed. The patient presented with dysphagia and bilateral palpable neck masses 21 yr after resection of a rhabdomyoma of the tongue. The clinical differential diagnoses included ptotic submandibular glands and lymphadenopathy. The aspiration smears and cytospin preparations contained large polygonal cells with abundant granular cytoplasm with indistinct borders and uniform, peripherally located nuclei. Cross‐striations were identified within the cytoplasm of some cells on Papanicolaou and modified Wright‐Giemsa stains. This case represents only the fourth description of the cytology of this entity and the first reported case of a recurrence diagnosed by FNA. The characteristic cytomorphologic features enabled a definitive diagnosis to be made 21 yr after the original resection, sparing a poor‐risk patient a debilitating surgical procedure for a benign, slow‐growing neoplasm.
The paper presents a theory for the unsteady aerodynamics of deformable thin airfoils. It extends the theory developed by Theodorsen and Garrick, which is restricted to rigid body motion. Frequency-domain lift, pitching moment, and thrust expressions are derived for an airfoil undergoing harmonic oscillations and deformation in the form of the Chebychev polynomials. The first two polynomials give the rigid body motion, whereas the rest represent the deformation. The results are verified with the time-domain unsteady aerodynamic theory of Peters. Numerical results are presented for several combinations of airfoil motion, which identify various possibilities for thrust generation using a deformable airfoil.
ANY ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF A PROPOSED HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENT MUST INCLUDE AN APPRAISAL OF THE EXPECTED BENEFITS TO BE DERIVED FROM THE PROJECT, AS COMPARED TO THE ESTIMATED COST OF THE IMPROVEMENT. IN THE AASHO REPORT, A BENEFIT-COST RATIO IS DESCRIBED. THIS RATIO REPRESENTS THE AMOUNT OF SAVINGS TO HIGHWAY USERS FOR EACH DOLLAR INVESTED IN THE HIGHWAY FACILITY. THE BASIC FORMULA CALLS FOR THE COMPUTATION OF HIGHWAY COSTS AND ROAD USER COSTS, FROM WHICH ROAD USER BENEFITS CAN BE DETERMINED. THIS METHOD WHICH INCLUDES A SYSTEMATIC SUMMATION OF ESTIMATED COSTS AND A LOGICAL MEANS FOR COST ITEMS PROVIDES A SOUND APPROACH FOR MAKING A ROUTINE ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF A PROPOSED CONSTRUCTION PROJECT. THE ESTIMATED COST TO THE ROAD USERS ARE COMPUTED BY ESTABLISHING THE UNIT COSTS PER MILE, WHICH ARE MULTIPLIED BY THE AVERAGE ANNUAL TRAFFIC VOLUME FOR THE ANALYSIS PERIOD, AND THE TOTAL LENGTH OF THE ANALYSIS SECTION. UNIT OPERATING COSTS ARE AFFECTED BY THE FOLLOWING FACTORS: (1) TYPE OF HIGHWAY DESIGN, TYPE AND CONDITION OF SURFACE, (2) TYPE OF TRAFFIC OPERATION (FREE, NORMAL OR RESTRICTED), (3) SPEED, (4) GRADIENTS, (5) CURVATURE, AND (6) TYPE OF VEHICLE. HIGHWAY COSTS ARE COMPUTED ON AN ANNUAL BASIS AND THEY INCLUDE THE AMORTIZED ANNUAL COST OF CONSTRUCTION AND ANNUAL MAINTENANCE CHARGES. COST-BENEFIT RATIOS ARE USED TO APPRAISE THE SOUNDNESS OF A PROPOSED HIGHWAY INVESTMENT OR TO AID IN THE SELECTION OF AN ALTERNATE LOCATION OR DESIGN. THE PROCEDURES OUTLINED ARE INTENDED TO PROVIDE ONLY ONE INDICATION OF THE SOUNDNESS OF AN INVESTMENT OR THE ADVANTAGES OF ONE LOCATION AND DESIGN ALTERNATE OVER ANOTHER. SPECIFIC CHANGES TO REFLECT THE INCREASES IN CERTAIN UNIT PRICES SINCE 1952 ARE BEING PROPOSED FOR A CURRENT REPUBLICATION OF THE REPORT. THESE CHANGES INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING: GASOLINE, OIL, DEPRECIATION, MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS, AND TIME.
Obesity is a global epidemic that imposes a financial burden and increased risk for a myriad of chronic diseases. Presented here is an overview of a prototype automated ingestion detection (AID) process implemented in a health monitoring system (HMS). The automated detection of ingestion supports personal record keeping which is essential during obesity management. Personal record keeping allows the care provider to monitor the therapeutic progress of a patient. The AID-HMS determines the levels of ingestion activity from sounds captured by an external throat microphone. Features are extracted from the sound recording and presented to machine learning classifiers, where a simple voting procedure is employed to determine instances of ingestion. Using a dataset acquired from seven individuals consisting of consumption of liquid and solid, speech, and miscellaneous sounds, > 94% of ingestion sounds are correctly identified with false positive rates around 9% based on 10-fold cross validation. The detected levels of ingestion activity are transmitted and stored on a remote web server, where information is displayed through a web application operating in a web browser. This information allows remote users (health provider) determine meal lengths and levels of ingestion activity during the meal. The AID-HMS also provides a basis for automated reinforcement for the patient.
The paper presents a theory for the unsteady aerodynamics of deformable thin airfoils. It extends the theory developed by Theodorsen and Garrick, which is restricted to rigid body motion. Frequency-domain lift, pitching moment, and thrust expressions are derived for an airfoil undergoing harmonic oscillations and deformation in the form of the Chebychev polynomials. The first two polynomials give the rigid body motion, whereas the rest represent the deformation. The results are verified with the time-domain unsteady aerodynamic theory of Peters. Numerical results are presented for several combinations of airfoil motion, which identify various possibilities for thrust generation using a deformable airfoil.
