Smartphone-Attachable Vascular Compliance Monitoring Module (스마트폰 탈착형 혈관 탄성 모니터링 모듈)
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- Journal of IKEEE
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- v.28 no.2
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- pp.221-227
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- 2024
This paper presents a smartphone-attachable vascular compliance monitoring module. The proposed sensor module measures photoplethysmogram (PPG) and reconstructs an accelerated PPG waveform. The feature points are extracted from the accelerated PPG waves, and vascular compliance is estimated using these extracted features. The module is powered via the smartphone's USB terminal and transmits the acquired waveforms along with vascular compliance values through Bluetooth. The transmitted waveforms and vascular compliance value are displayed through the smartphone application. This work proposes an assessment method for consistency of PPG instrumentation, and it was implemented in a processor of sensor module. The proposed sensor module can be easily attached to smartphone that does not support PPG instrumentation, providing simple measurment and numerical analysis of vascular compliance. To verify the performance of the implemented sensor module, we acquired vascular compliance and pulse pressure data from 29 subjects. Pulse pressure, which serves as a representative indicator of vascular compliance, was obtained using a commercial blood pressure monitor. The analysis results showed that the Pearson coefficient between vascular compliance and pulse pressure was 0.778, confirming a relatively high correlation between two metrics.
Reinforced concrete bridge decks are the first to be damaged by vehicle loads and rain infiltration. Concrete deterioration primarily occurs owing to the corrosion of rebars and other metal components by chlorides used for snow and ice melting. The structural condition and concrete deterioration of the bridge decks within the pavement were evaluated using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) survey data. To evaluate concrete deterioration in bridges, it is necessary to develop GPR data analysis techniques to accurately identify deteriorated locations and rebar positions. GPR exploration involves the acquisition of reflection and diffraction wave signals due to differences in radar wave propagation velocity in geotechnical media. Therefore, a full-waveform inversion (FWI) method was developed to evaluate the deterioration of reinforced concrete bridge decks by estimating the radar wave propagation velocity in geotechnical media using GPR data. Numerical experiments using a GPR velocity model confirmed the deterioration phenomena of bridge decks, such as concrete delamination and rebar corrosion, verifying the applicability of the developed technology. Moreover, using the synthetic GPR data, FWI facilitates the determination of rebar positions and concrete deterioration locations using inverted velocity images.
This case report presents the effectiveness of Korean medicine in the treatment of occipital neuralgia. The patient with occipital neuralgia was treated with acupuncture. Acupuncture treatment was administered to the occipital nerve area, which is commonly used in occipital nerve blocks by western medicine doctors. The severity of the symptoms was assessed daily using the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) score of pain. The patient received outpatient treatment a total of 7 times, and only received acupuncture treatment each time. According to the patient, his symptoms decreased by about 90% two days after acupuncture treatment, and the frequency and duration of the symptoms also decreased. Seven days after all acupuncture treatments, the severity of pain was reduced from NRS 6 to NRS 0. The findings of this case report suggest that treatment with Korean medicine can be an effective option for treating occipital neuralgia. Acupuncture can be a good treatment method for occipital neuralgia, along with western drug treatment and occipital nerve block.
Analyzing the collapse behavior of thin-walled steel structures holds significant importance in ensuring their safety and longevity. Geometric imperfections present on the surface of metal materials can diminish both the durability and mechanical integrity of steel shells. These imperfections, encompassing local geometric irregularities and deformations such as holes, cavities, notches, and cracks localized in specific regions of the shell surface, play a pivotal role in the assessment. They can induce stress concentration within the structure, thereby influencing its susceptibility to buckling. The intricate relationship between the buckling behavior of these structures and such imperfections is multifaceted, contingent upon a variety of factors. The buckling analysis of thin-walled steel shell structures, similar to other steel structures, commonly involves the determination of crucial material properties, including elastic modulus, shear modulus, tensile strength, and fracture toughness. An established method involves the emulation of distributed geometric imperfections, utilizing real test specimen data as a basis. This approach allows for the accurate representation and assessment of the diversity and distribution of imperfections encountered in real-world scenarios. Utilizing defect data obtained from actual test samples enhances the model's realism and applicability. The sizes and configurations of these defects are employed as inputs in the modeling process, aiding in the prediction of structural behavior. It's worth noting that there is a dearth of experimental studies addressing the influence of geometric defects on the buckling behavior of cylindrical steel shells. In this particular study, samples featuring geometric imperfections were subjected to experimental buckling tests. These same samples were also modeled using Finite Element Analysis (FEM), with results corroborating the experimental findings. Furthermore, the initial geometrical imperfections were measured using digital image correlation (DIC) techniques. In this way, the response of the test specimens can be estimated accurately by applying the initial imperfections to FE models. After validation of the test results with FEA, a numerical parametric study was conducted to develop more generalized design recommendations for the stainless-steel shell structures with the initial geometric imperfection. While the load-carrying capacity of samples with perfect surfaces was up to 140 kN, the load-carrying capacity of samples with 4 mm defects was around 130 kN. Likewise, while the load carrying capacity of samples with 10 mm defects was around 125 kN, the load carrying capacity of samples with 14 mm defects was measured around 120 kN.
Background: Among the various pain-related diseases that can be encountered at the clinic, there is a neuropathic pain that is difficult to treat. Numerous methods have been proposed to treat neuropathic pain, such as taking medication, nerve block with lidocaine, or neurolysis with alcohol or phenol. Recently, a method of perineural injection using dextrose instead of lidocaine was proposed. This study was designed to compare the effects of perineural injection therapy (PIT) with buffered 5% dextrose or 0.5% lidocaine on neuropathic pain. Methods: The data were collected from the database of pain clinic from August 1st, 2019 to December 31st, 2022 without any personal information. The inclusion criteria were patients diagnosed with postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), trigeminal neuralgia (TN), complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), or peripheral neuropathy (PN), and patients who had undergone PIT with buffered 5% dextrose (Dextrose group) or 0.5% lidocaine (Lidocaine group) for pain control. The data of patients, namely sex, age, and pain score (numerical rating scale, NRS) were collected before PIT. The data of NRS, side effects, and satisfaction grade (excellent, good, fair, or poor) were collected one week after each of the four PIT, and two weeks after the last PIT. Results: Overall, 112 subjects were enrolled. The Dextrose group included 89 and Lidocaine group included 23 patients. Because the number of patients in the Lidocaine group was too small to allow statistical analysis, the trend in Lidocaine group was just observed in each disease. There were no significant side effects except for a few bruise cases on the site of injection in all groups. The NRS in most Dextrose groups except CRPS were reduced significantly; however, the Lidocaine group showed a trend of pain reduction only in PHN. The Dextrose group except CRPS showed increased satisfaction two weeks after the final PIT. Conclusion: From the results, it is suggested that PIT with buffered 5% dextrose may have a good effect for neuropathic pain without any side effect except for patients with CRPS. This may offer a window into a new tool that practitioners can employ in their quest to help patients with neuropathic pain.
The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) converts people's judgment criteria into objective numerical values using pairwise comparisons. However, the need for an excessive number of pairwise comparisons poses a problem. To mitigate this issue, most existing studies have utilized the process separation approach. The method of process separation devised in this study is a "separation and integration approach," where 1) the standard AHP process is used for evaluating judgment criteria, and 2) the Multi-Attributive Utility Technique (MAUT) is applied for comparing alternatives. This AHP-MAUT Hybrid model was applied to a real analysis case, specifically analyzing the transportation choices of commuters between Bundang and Gangnam Station in Gyeonggi Province. The results showed that the computational process was reduced by 42.03% when applying the Hybrid model compared to using the AHP model alone. Furthermore, the choice results of residents using the Hybrid model were compared with those using the standard AHP. The consistency between the two models' choices was 82.1%, indicating a significant level of consistency. In conclusion, this study contributes by presenting a simpler, more convenient, yet equally effective Hybrid model as a new decision-support system alternative to AHP.
Background: This study investigated the effects on the range of motion, pain, disability index, and quality of life when applying thoracic mobility exercise in middle-aged women with chronic back pain. Design: pretest-posttest control group design Methods: The study subjects were 32 patients with chronic back pain of 3 months or more among middle-aged women divided 2 groups. All groups were tested thrice a week for 30 minutes per session for four weeks. Each subject was evaluated using the thoracic rotation Range of Motion, the numerical pain rating scale and pressure pain threshold, Disability Index(Oswestry Disability Index), the Quality of Life(SF-36) before and after treatment. Results: As a result of the study, the range of motion at T1 and T2 of the exercise group to which thoracic mobility exercise was applied was significantly increased in both left and right rotations(p<0.05). In the evaluation of pain, the number pain rating scale(NPRS) score decreased significantly(p<0.05), and the pressure pain threshold was significantly increased (p<0.05), but there was no significant difference from the control group. In the evaluation of the disorder index, the Oswestry disorder index decreased significantly after the experiment (p<0.05), and there was a significant difference in group comparison with the control group (p<0.05). In quality of life, there was a significant increase in PCS of SF-36(p<0.05), but there was no significant difference from the control group. Conclusion: Through this study, thoracic mobility exercise can be used as an effective exercise therapy intervention method to improve and promote physical factors of range of motion, pain and disability index, and physical components of quality of life when treating middle-aged women with chronic back pain in the future.
Shape memory alloy (SMA)-textile actuators have attracted significant attention across various fields, including soft robotics and wearable technology. These smooth actuators are developed by combining SMA and simple textile fibers and then knitting them into two loop patterns known as the knit (K-loop) and plain (P-loop) patterns. Both loops are distinguished by opposite bending characteristics owing to loop head geometry. However, the knitting processes for these actuator sheets require expertise and time, resulting in high production costs for knitted loop actuation sheets. This study introduces a novel method by which to assess the strain in SMA textile-based actuators, which experience large deformations when subjected to voltage. Owing to the highly nonlinear constitutive equations of the SMA material, developing an analytical model for numerical analysis is challenging. Therefore, this study employs a novel approach that utilizes a linear constitutive equation to analyze large deformations in SMA material with nonlinear geometry considerations. The user-defined material (UMAT) subroutine integrates the linear constitutive equation into the ABAQUS software suite. This equivalent unit cell (EUC) model is validated by comparing the experimental bending actuation results of K-loops and P-loops.
The wall shear stress in the vicinity of end-to end anastomoses under steady flow conditions was measured using a flush-mounted hot-film anemometer(FMHFA) probe. The experimental measurements were in good agreement with numerical results except in flow with low Reynolds numbers. The wall shear stress increased proximal to the anastomosis in flow from the Penrose tubing (simulating an artery) to the PTFE: graft. In flow from the PTFE graft to the Penrose tubing, low wall shear stress was observed distal to the anastomosis. Abnormal distributions of wall shear stress in the vicinity of the anastomosis, resulting from the compliance mismatch between the graft and the host artery, might be an important factor of ANFH formation and the graft failure. The present study suggests a correlation between regions of the low wall shear stress and the development of anastomotic neointimal fibrous hyperplasia(ANPH) in end-to-end anastomoses. 30523 T00401030523 ^x Air pressure decay(APD) rate and ultrafiltration rate(UFR) tests were performed on new and saline rinsed dialyzers as well as those roused in patients several times. C-DAK 4000 (Cordis Dow) and CF IS-11 (Baxter Travenol) reused dialyzers obtained from the dialysis clinic were used in the present study. The new dialyzers exhibited a relatively flat APD, whereas saline rinsed and reused dialyzers showed considerable amount of decay. C-DAH dialyzers had a larger APD(11.70
The wall shear stress in the vicinity of end-to end anastomoses under steady flow conditions was measured using a flush-mounted hot-film anemometer(FMHFA) probe. The experimental measurements were in good agreement with numerical results except in flow with low Reynolds numbers. The wall shear stress increased proximal to the anastomosis in flow from the Penrose tubing (simulating an artery) to the PTFE: graft. In flow from the PTFE graft to the Penrose tubing, low wall shear stress was observed distal to the anastomosis. Abnormal distributions of wall shear stress in the vicinity of the anastomosis, resulting from the compliance mismatch between the graft and the host artery, might be an important factor of ANFH formation and the graft failure. The present study suggests a correlation between regions of the low wall shear stress and the development of anastomotic neointimal fibrous hyperplasia(ANPH) in end-to-end anastomoses. 30523 T00401030523 ^x Air pressure decay(APD) rate and ultrafiltration rate(UFR) tests were performed on new and saline rinsed dialyzers as well as those roused in patients several times. C-DAK 4000 (Cordis Dow) and CF IS-11 (Baxter Travenol) reused dialyzers obtained from the dialysis clinic were used in the present study. The new dialyzers exhibited a relatively flat APD, whereas saline rinsed and reused dialyzers showed considerable amount of decay. C-DAH dialyzers had a larger APD(11.70