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Infrared-terahertz (IRT) resonant absorption complies with unique biomolecule fingerprints, including neurotransmitters, proteins, ribonucleic acid, and deoxyribonucleic acid, rendering it a suitable technology to achieve conformational variations and functional adjustments. Recent research has preliminarily confirmed that IRT waves can reversibly and nonthermally regulate gene expression, transmit biological information, transform protein function, and intervene in the interchange of material at the molecular level. Regarding macroscopic effects, IRT waves can enhance cell motility, improve brain ability, and affect mood. This review article attempts to provide comprehensive insight to illustrate the application of IRT waves in biophysics. Some typical experiments and equipment are summarized to demonstrate how to conduct IRT biophysics research. This cutting-edge field involves interesting research topics spanning physics and biology and opens an avenue to the performance of interdisciplinary research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cancer is a devastating and life-threatening disease. It is the second leading cause of death worldwide after heart diseases. While science has significantly advanced to improve the treatment outcome and quality of life in cancer patients, there are still many issues with the current therapies, such as toxicity and the development of resistance to treatment. Among the novel tools to overcome these limitations is nonthermal plasma (NTP) and its treatment regimens. Recent progress in NTP devices with ion temperatures close to room temperature demonstrated significant potential in cancer therapy. NTP devices provide a unique combination of reactive oxygen species (ROS), reactive nitrogen species (RNS), photons, and electric fields that exhibit desirable properties of triggering cell death pathways, selectively for cancer cells. While in principle NTP is nonnecrotic and gentle to the tissue, but reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS)-triggered tumor cell death exhibited to have pro-immunogenic properties. Many in vitro and in vivo experiments have demonstrated antitumor effects of direct NTP, synergistic applications of NTP with anticancer drugs/treatments, and plasma-conditioned medium (PCM) applications against a variety of cancer cells. The latest results and findings in this field are the subject of this review along with a brief lay-reader-explanation of cancer and immunology. In this review, initially, we give an overview of the literature that deals with studies on the use of NTP for cancer treatment. Subsequently, we present typical results from that literature to illustrate the advances of NTP in oncology. Finally, we discuss some challenges and future scopes offered by NTP for cancer treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Needle-free jet injection is a drug delivery technique that uses the momentum of the fluid drug to break through the skin. This technique has recently also been applied to blood release, aiming to collect samples from capillaries in the skin without needing a lancet prick. This work provides new information about the wound geometry and tissue disruption caused by shallow jet injection with circular-shaped and slot-shaped jets. Methods: We use histological analysis to compare the disruption of tissue, including blood vessels, caused by lancet-pricking and jet injection with a circular-shaped jet and a lancet-inspired slot-shaped jet. Results: Intradermal injection into porcine skin using a slot-shaped jet disrupted more vascular endothelium in the tissue than a circular-shaped jet and did so at a smaller penetration depth with smaller wound volume. Our results suggest that shallow jet injections may have the potential to release more capillary blood than a lancet prick. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that a reversible jet injector might be used in diabetes management as a device to release and collect blood samples, in addition to being used to deliver insulin. Significance: Tissue disruption is crucial to consider when using jet injection to deliver drugs and release capillary blood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Cardiac pacemakers must be regularly replaced due to depleted batteries. A possible alternative is proposed by subcutaneous photovoltaic energy harvesting. The body's reaction to an implant can cause device encapsulation. Potential changes in spectral light transmission of skin can influence the performance of subcutaneous photovoltaic cells and has not yet been studied in large animal studies. Methods: Subcutaneous implants measuring changes in the light reaching the implant were developed. Three pigs received those implants and were analyzed for seven weeks. Spectral measurements with known irradiation were performed to identify possible changes in the transparency of the tissues above the implant during the wound healing process. A histological analysis at the end of the trial investigated the skin tissue above the subcutaneous photovoltaic implants. Results: The implants measured decreasing light intensity and shifts in the light's spectrum during the initial wound healing phase. In a later stage of tissue recovery, the implants measured a generally reduced light intensity compared to the healthy tissue after implantation. The spectral distribution of the measured light at the end of the trial was similar to the first measurements. The histological analysis showed subcutaneous granulation tissue formation for all devices. Conclusion: The varying reduction of light intensity reaching the implants means that safety margins must be sufficiently high to ensure the power. At the end of the wound healing process, the spectral distribution of the light reaching the implant is similar to healthy tissue. Significance: Optimizations of spectral sensitivity of photovoltaic cells are possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Surgical incision infection of multidrug-resistant microorganisms (e.g., methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA) is a severe cause of poor wound healing, which is prevalent in healthcare facilities and constitutes a huge infectious disease burden in the world. The purpose of this study is to investigate the medical application and possible mechanisms of the cold atmospheric plasma jet on infected wounds. In this article, the New Zealand rabbit in vivo wound infected with MRSA is used as the wound healing animal model. The helium atmospheric-pressure dielectric-barrier-discharge (AP-DBD) plasma jet is employed to treat the wounds infected with MRSA. The wound healing, histological, and cytokine analyses are conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the helium AP-DBD plasma jet on the MRSA-infected wound healing process. The experimental results show that the helium AP-DBD plasma jet treatment on the wounds infected with MRSA can regulate the secretion of the cytokines, limit the inflammatory response and cell excessive proliferation, accelerate the process of re-epithelialization, and consequently, promote the wound healing process and the inactivation of the bacteria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: an innovative non−thermal plasma (NTP) system constituted by a radiofrequency (RF) power generator directly coupled to a treatment probe is described and characterized. This system is intended to be applied as a medical device for therapeutic treatments. Methods: electrical characterization of the radiofrequency power generator supplying the treatment probe was performed. Meanwhile, generated NTP was optically analyzed. Obtained data were studied to establish the safety profile of plasma application on heat sensitive matter. Results: the NTP system was validated through bacterial deactivation trials, as well as, of being capable of deactivating carcinogenic cells. Besides promoting and accelerating wound closure in vivo performed in mice, demonstrating faster healing than that done with conventional treatments. Conclusion: the NTP system's characterization is an essential stage to determine the adequate application of the generated plasma over organic media. The therapeutic benefits of the NTP system were proved by the development of in vivo experiences involving laboratory mice. Significance: the generated NTP interacts with surrounding air particles producing reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, which, exhibit bactericidal and antiseptic effects due to their strong biochemical reactivity; functioning like critical mediators in animal physiology and promoting wound healing processes. These properties make the NTP system a feasible technology intended for therapeutic treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of effective surgical wound care cannot never be underestimated. Poorly managing surgical wounds may cause many serious complications. Thus, it raises the necessity to develop a patient-friendly self-care system which can help both patients and medical professionals to ensure the state of the surgical wounds without any special medical equipment. In this paper, a surgical wound assessment system for self-care is proposed. The proposed system is designed to enable patients capture surgical wound images of themselves by using a mobile device and upload these images for analysis. Combining image-processing and machine-learning techniques, the proposed method is composed of four phases. First, images are segmented into superpixels where each superpixel contains the pixels in the similar color distribution. Second, these superpixels corresponding to the skin are identified and the area of connected skin superpixels is derived. Third, surgical wounds will be extracted from this area based on the observation of the texture difference between skin and wounds. Lastly, state and symptoms of surgical wound will be assessed. Extensive experimental results are conducted. With the proposed method, more than 90% state assessment results are correct and more than 91% symptom assessment results consistent with the actual diagnosis. Moreover, case studies are provided to show the advantage and limitation of this system. These results show that this system could perform well in the practical self-care scenario. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on an innovative, fabric-based conformable, and easily fabricated electroceutical wound dressing that inhibits bacterial biofilm infections and shows significant promise for healing chronic wounds. Cyclic voltammetry demonstrates the ability of the electroceutical to produce reactive oxygen species, primarily HOCl that is responsible for bacterial inhibition. In vitro investigation with the lawn biofilm grown on a soft tissue mimic assay shows the efficacy of the dressing against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria in the biofilm form. In vivo, the printed electroceutical dressing was utilized as an intervention treatment for a canine subject with a non-healing wound due to a year-long persistent polymicrobial infection. The clinical case study with the canine subject exhibited the applicability in a clinical setting with the results showing infection inhibition within 11 days of initial treatment. This printed electroceutical dressing was integrated with a Bluetooth® enabled circuit allowing remote monitoring of the current flow within the wound bed. The potential to monitor wounds remotely in real-time with a Bluetooth® enabled circuit proposes a new physical biomarker for management of infected, chronic wounds. [2020-0129] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In wireless power transfer systems, coil design has a great impact on coil–coil efficiency. This article analyzes the relationship between coil–coil efficiency and design parameters (three geometric parameters of coupling coils and working frequency) under typical constraints, and the function between optimal working frequency and geometric parameters is derived. Hence, the solution space of design parameters is reduced from four dimensions (geometric parameters of the coil and frequency) to three dimensions (geometric parameters), and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm is applied to solve it. Moreover, a modified ac resistance evaluation method is proposed, in which conductive resistance is calculated with a frequency-dependent formula and proximity-effect resistance is calculated with a modified analytical method. Experimental results show that the modified method is precise for coils wound closely or sparsely. It is highlighted that extra finite element analysis software is not needed due to the modified calculation method of ac resistance, which makes the design process automatic and faster. Finally, a practical example is given, and two systems are designed with the PSO-based method and a conventional method, respectively. The coil–coil efficiency of the PSO-based method and the conventional method is 95.6% and 94.0%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chronic wounds are a major complication for diabetes mellitus (DM) patients, which cause discomfort and an increase in medical costs. The purpose of this study is to investigate the medical application and possible mechanisms of a cold atmospheric plasma jet in healing DM chronic wounds. In this paper, the genetic diabetic BKS.DB mice are used as the diabetic wound healing animal model, which have a stable glucose level and can avoid the effects or complications induced by surgical and chemical interventions. The helium atmospheric-pressure dielectric-barrier-discharge (AP-DBD) plasma jet is employed to treat the diabetic mice wounds with the fixed treatment time and distance of 15 s and 20.0 mm, respectively. The wound healing, histological, immunohistochemical, and cytokine analyses are conducted to evaluate the efficacy of the helium AP-DBD plasma jet on the chronic wound healing of the genetic diabetic mice. The experimental results show that the helium AP-DBD plasma jet treatment of wounds of genetic diabetic mice can regulate the secretion of transforming growth factor- $\beta $ (TGF- $\beta$) and fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), limit the inflammatory response and excessive cell proliferation, accelerate the process of re-epithelialization, and consequently, promote the chronic wound healing process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A plasma jet enhanced oil-based drug, named plasma-activated oil (PAO) is produced in sunflower oil by a single-step, room temperature, energy-efficient, and environment-friendly dry plasma jet enabled process. Plasma jets with two different working gas combinations, argon + air and argon + O2, were generated, namely PAO (air) and PAO (O2), respectively. Several hours of plasma jet treatment substantially increased the hydrogen peroxide and carboxylic acid concentrations in the PAO. Although the electrophilic fatty acid nitroalkenes produced by nitric oxide and nitrite of the argon + air plasma jet increased the acid value of PAO (air), similar sterilization and wound healing effect suggest that PAO (air) and PAO (O2) have similar concentrations of hydrogen peroxide and carboxylic acid. PAO killed the common Gram-positive bacteria [methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Micrococcus luteus] and Gram-negative bacteria (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli) efficiently. PAO accelerated the healing of infected wounds by 33%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper details the systematic approach used to develop a viable clinical prototype of a therapeutic ultrasound applicator and discusses the rationale and deliberations that led to the design strategy. The applicator was specifically devised to treat chronic wounds and—to the best of the author’s knowledge—is the first truly wearable device with a proven record of reducing healing time, directly translating to a reduction of healthcare costs. The prototype operates in the kHz (20–100) range of frequencies and uses noncavitational and nonthermal levels of ultrasound energy. Hence, in the absence of inertial cavitation and temperature elevation, the tissue-ultrasound interaction is considered to be dependent on stable cavitation (if any) and radiation force. The peak acoustic output pressure amplitude is limited to 55 kPa, corresponding to a spatial peak–temporal peak intensity of 100 mW/cm2. This level of intensity is considered to be safe to apply for extended (up to 4 h) periods of time. The patch-like applicator design is suitable to be embedded in wound dressing. With its lightweight (<20 g) and circular (40 mm dia) disk-shape architecture, the applicator is well suited for chronic wound treatment. A small ($n = 8$) pilot study on the effects of the applicator on diabetic ulcers (DUs) healing time is presented. The average time to wound closure was 4.7 weeks for subjects treated with the active ultrasound applicator, compared to 12 weeks for subjects treated with a sham applicator, suggesting that patients with DUs may benefit from the proposed treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this experiment is to enhance selected species in atmospheric pressure plasma jet (APPJ) that might be helpful for the wound healing purpose and to test the performance using basic diagnosis in plasma-treated liquid. A homemade APPJ device is driven by sinusoidal voltage with a excitation frequency of 25 kHz. Argon with admixture of small percentage of nitrogen, oxygen, and water vapor was selected to be carrier gas as the main sources of reactive species. Discharge power consumption is calculated by two approaches. Reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species in the excited states are characterized by optical emission spectroscopy (OES). Excitation temperature $T_{\mathrm {exc}}$ in argon plasmas is calculated to estimate the electron energy distribution. The results show that argon plasmas with small addition of nitrogen and oxygen in this jet configuration are more efficient to generate desired reactive species in terms of OES diagnosis and liquid acidification. Moreover, the distinct efficiency of liquid acidification between direct and indirect plasma treatment of liquid has also been observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, in order to make a clear principal cause in increasing iron loss of amorphous wound cores in processing, effects of bending stress on magnetic characteristics of a Fe-based amorphous wound core are clarified. The amorphous magnetic materials have been widely used as a core material of power transformers to reduce iron loss due to their excellent soft magnetic characteristics. However, the amorphous magnetic material has an issue that the building factor (B.F.) is very large in comparison with that of grain-oriented electrical steel sheets. The amorphous transformers usually use a wound core formed by stacking plural amorphous sheets in different lengths. Bending stress is, therefore, generated at each corner of the wound core in processing. Due to this bending stress, the magnetic characteristics of the wound core deteriorate. The deterioration of magnetic characteristics of the wound amorphous core is so large because of the large magnetostriction constant. As a result, the B.F. of this material becomes larger. In order to remove the residual stress, which is generated in the wound core including the bending stress, the amorphous wound core is usually annealed in a magnetic field, which is called “a magnetic annealing.” In this paper, the effect of the magnetic annealing on the magnetic properties is studied experimentally by evaluating some wound amorphous model cores. As a result, a suitable magnetic annealing condition is clarified and the iron loss of the wound amorphous model core is reduced by 65.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

VSC-HVDC power transmission systems based on extruded cables are being commissioned with higher rated voltages and longer distances in recent years. In China, the rated voltage of commissioned VSC-HVDC cable projects has been increased from 160 to 200 kV, and then to 320 kV in the past 5 years. To investigate the feasibility of discovering insulation defects of an XLPE HVDC cable system using partial discharge detection under DC voltage, a test cable loop was built using the same batch of 320 kV HVDC XLPE cable used to construct the Xiamen ± 320 kV VSC-HVDC project. Artificial defects of insulation wound and semi-conductive layer tips were designed and constructed at the joint. The two types of defects were effectively detected by the HVDC partial discharge test, and the measured results show distinguished discharge characteristics. Suggestions for determining trigger level and partial discharge inception voltage under DC voltage for partial discharge detection of extruded HVDC cables are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a new family of overhead traveling cranes based on variable radius drums (VRDs), called cable-based robotic cranes (CBRCs). A VRD is characterized by the variation of the spool radius along its profile. This kind of device is used, in this context, for the development of a cable-robot, which can support and move a load through a planar working area with just two degrees of freedom. First we present the kinematic analysis and the synthesis of the geometry of a VRD profile. Then, the schema of a bidimensional horizontal moving mechanism, based on the VRD theory, and an experimental prototype of a three-dimensional CBRC are presented. The features of this wire-based overhead crane and an analysis of cables tensions are discussed. Finally, the performance of this mechanism is evaluated, demonstrating a deviation between the end-effector and the nominal planar surface of less than $1 \%$ throughout the whole working area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma medicine is a rapidly advancing field. As one promising application, cold plasma has been ascribed a beneficial role in wound healing in which monocytes/macrophages play an important part. Wound healing and many other physiological and pathological processes are subject to redox control. Cold plasma expels reactive species of many kinds, thereby altering the redox state and mediating cell and tissue responses. Controlling this species efflux could be a valuable asset to control biological effects. We, therefore, investigated the biological response of a plasma treatment regimen that was gas shielded from the ambient environment. In this gas curtain, several N2:O2 ratios were investigated, and we discovered a modulation within the composition of active compounds (NO-2 , NO-3 , and H2O2) in physiological solutions. Using a human monocyte cell line, the cell's scavenging activity toward these molecules was assessed. With regard to cellular processes important in wound healing, such as cytokines release, O2 shielding provided stronger stimulation compared to N2 shielding. Altogether, the results support the idea that tuning the plasma-derived reactive species composition may be an interesting approach to improve plasma medical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

HTS coils designed to carry pulsed currents have been built and tested demonstrating fast charge and discharge times on the order of a second. Gaseous Helium from 40 to 80 K is used as a coolant. Losses due to ac, hysteresis, and transport currents associated with current entry into and exiting from HTS are small and do not produce thermal transients that induce current sharing or normal transitions for reasonable margins and operating temperatures. Short lengths of HTS and small coils show current sharing before normal transitions, whereas current sharing voltages are not identified in large coils since current sharing voltages are small compared to inductive and resistive voltages. Pulse shape, duration, and frequency are varied with no degradation in performance. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper describes an original statistical approach for the lifespan modeling of electric machine insulation materials. The presented models aim to study the effect of three main stress factors (voltage, frequency, and temperature) and their interactions on the insulation lifespan. The proposed methodology is applied to two different insulation materials tested in partial discharge regime. Accelerated ageing tests are organized according to experimental optimization methods in order to minimize the experimental cost while ensuring the best model accuracy. In addition to classical parametric models, the life-stress relationship is expressed through original nonparametric and hybrid models that have never been investigated in insulation aging studies before. These two models present the original contribution of this paper. For each material, models are computed from organized sets of experiments and applied on a randomly configured test set for validity checking. The different models are evaluated and compared in order to define their optimal use. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: The goal of this paper is to demonstrate and evaluate the potential efficacy of laser-generated shockwave (LGS) therapy on biofilm infected tissue. Methods: To demonstrate proof of concept, Staphylococcus epidermidis was allowed to proliferate on ex vivo pigskin, until mature biofilm formation was achieved, and then subjected to LGS. Bacterial load between control and treated samples was compared using the swab technique and colony counting. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was then used to visualize the biofilm growth and resulting reduction in biofilm coverage from treatment. Images were false colored to improve contrast of biofilm, and percent biofilm coverage was computed, along with biofilm cluster size. Results: LGS reduced bacterial load by 69% (p = 0.008). Imaging showed biofilm coverage reduced by 52% and significantly reduced average cluster size (p $<$ 0.001). Conclusion: LGS therapy reduced the burden of bacterial biofilm on ex vivo pigskin and can be visualized using SEM imaging. Significance: LGS therapy is a new treatment for infected wounds, allowing rapid disruption of biofilm to 1) remove bacteria and 2) increase susceptibility of remaining biofilm to topical antibiotics. This can lead to improved wound healing times, reduced patient morbidity, and decreased healthcare costs. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In waterjet surgery, a thin high-pressure jet is used for dissections and surface abrasion of soft tissue. This selective preparation method preserves nerves and vessels, whereas the surrounding soft tissue is washed away. Objective: The aim of this study is to enhance the application field of this technique by resolving technological limitations. Methods: A technical task definition of handling a hand-guided waterjet applicator is derived from the literature. All reported procedures require to follow a trajectory superimposed with an oscillating movement. By introducing a robotic system and a specialized kinematic approach, the limited dexterity of the waterjet applicator is increased. Additionally, the system provides assistance by automatically performing parts of the task. Results: The method is applied to two different procedures: a minimally invasive dissection and a surface abrasion for open medical treatments. On the basis of experiments with gelatine phantoms, the performance of the method is shown for both procedures. Conclusion: In the minimally invasive use case, the reachability limited by the conventional manual tools is extended by the capabilities of the robotic system. Simultaneously, the handling is simplified by automation of the superimposed oscillation. In the surface abrasion case, a dense coverage of the treated area is achievable. The risk of cross infections could be reduced by spatial separation of patient and staff. Significance: Thus, the waterjet technology can be fully integrated into robotic surgery systems and benefit from their inherent abilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alkali-free glasses, which exhibit high energy storage densities ( \sim 35 J/cc), present a unique opportunity to couple high temperature stability with high breakdown strength, and thus provide an avenue for capacitor applications with stringent temperature and power requirements. Realizing the potential of these materials in kilovolt class capacitors with >1 J/cc recoverable energy density requires novel packaging strategies that incorporate these extremely fragile dielectrics. In this paper, we demonstrate the feasibility of fabricating wound capacitors using 50- \mu \text{m} -thick glass. Two capacitors were fabricated from 2.8-m-long ribbons of thin (50 \mu \text{m}$ ) glass wound into 125–140-mm-diameter spools. The capacitors exhibit a capacitance of 70–75 nF with loss tangents below 1%. The wound capacitors can operate up to 1 kV and show excellent temperature stability to 150 °C. By improving the end terminations, the self-resonance can be shifted to above 1 MHz, indicating that these materials may be useful for pulsed power applications with microsecond discharge times. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a volume of autologous plasma that has a higher platelet concentration above baseline. It has already been approved as a new therapeutic modality and investigated in clinics, such as bone repair and regeneration, and oral surgery, with low cost-effectiveness ratio. At present, PRP is mostly prepared using a centrifuge. However, this method has several shortcomings, such as long preparation time (30 min), complexity in operation, and contamination of red blood cells (RBCs). In this paper, a new PRP preparation approach was proposed and tested. Ultrasound waves (4.5 MHz) generated from piezoelectric ceramics can establish standing waves inside a syringe filled with the whole blood. Subsequently, RBCs would accumulate at the locations of pressure nodes in response to acoustic radiation force, and the formed clusters would have a high speed of sedimentation. It is found that the PRP prepared by the proposed device can achieve higher platelet concentration and less RBCs contamination than a commercial centrifugal device, but similar growth factor (i.e., PDGF-ββ). In addition, the sedimentation process under centrifugation and sonication was simulated using the Mason–Weaver equation and compared with each other to illustrate the differences between these two technologies and to optimize the design in the future. Altogether, ultrasound method is an effective method of PRP preparation with comparable outcomes as the commercially available centrifugal products. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A new wireless sensor was designed, fabricated, and applied for in situ monitoring of tensile force at a wound site. The sensor was comprised of a thin strip of magnetoelastic material with its two ends connected to suture threads for securing the sensor across a wound repair site. Since the sensor was remotely interrogated by applying an ac magnetic field and capturing the resulting magnetic field, it did not require direct wire connections to an external device or internal battery for long-term use. Due to its magnetoelastic property, the application of a tensile force changed the magnetic permeability of the sensor, altering the amplitude of the measured magnetic field. This study presents two sensor designs: one for high and one for low-force ranges. A sensor was fabricated by directly adhering the magnetoelastic strip to the suture. This sensor showed good sensitivity at low force, but its response saturated at about 1.5 N. To monitor high tensile force, the magnetoelastic strip was attached to a metal strip for load sharing. The suture thread was attached to the both ends of the metal strip so only a fraction of the applied force was directed to the sensor, allowing it to exhibit good sensitivity even at 44.5 N. The sensor was applied to two ex vivo models: a sutured section of porcine skin and a whitetail deer Achilles tendon. The results demonstrate the potential for in vivo force monitoring at a wound repair site. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We report theoretically and experimentally a passive bidirectional current–voltage ( $I$ – $V$ ) converter, capable of converting input currents into output voltages, and conversely, input voltages into output currents, based on a multiphase heterostructured magnetoelectric (ME) ring. The ME ring has a coil-wound, intermagnetically biased magnetostrictive–piezoelectric (MS–PE) heterostructure, in which an axially polarized PZT PE ceramic ring is bonded between two circumferentially magnetized, intermagnetically biased Terfenol-D short-fiber/NdFeB magnet/epoxy three-phase MS composite rings. In $I$ – $V$ conversion, a current applied to the coil induces a vortex magnetic field to the ME ring, resulting in an open-circuit voltage from the ME ring because of the direct ME effect. In voltage–current ( $V$ – $I$ ) conversion, a voltage applied to the ME ring produces a circumferential magnetic induction due to the converse ME effect, leading to a short-circuit current from the coil. The converter exhibits simultaneously large $I$ – $V$ and $V$ – $I$ conversion factors of $\sim 0.3$ V/A and $\sim 0.2$ mA/V in a broad non-resonance frequency range up to 80 kHz as well as enhanced conversion factors of $\sim 7$ and $\sim 25$ times at the resonance frequency of 122 kHz, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Diabetic foot ulcers represent a significant health issue. Currently, clinicians and nurses mainly base their wound assessment on visual examination of wound size and healing status, while the patients themselves seldom have an opportunity to play an active role. Hence, a more quantitative and cost-effective examination method that enables the patients and their caregivers to take a more active role in daily wound care potentially can accelerate wound healing, save travel cost and reduce healthcare expenses. Considering the prevalence of smartphones with a high-resolution digital camera, assessing wounds by analyzing images of chronic foot ulcers is an attractive option. In this paper, we propose a novel wound image analysis system implemented solely on the Android smartphone. The wound image is captured by the camera on the smartphone with the assistance of an image capture box. After that, the smartphone performs wound segmentation by applying the accelerated mean-shift algorithm. Specifically, the outline of the foot is determined based on skin color, and the wound boundary is found using a simple connected region detection method. Within the wound boundary, the healing status is next assessed based on red–yellow–black color evaluation model. Moreover, the healing status is quantitatively assessed, based on trend analysis of time records for a given patient. Experimental results on wound images collected in UMASS—Memorial Health Center Wound Clinic (Worcester, MA) following an Institutional Review Board approved protocol show that our system can be efficiently used to analyze the wound healing status with promising accuracy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper investigates the optimal arrangement of the coils in a wound-type interphase reactor to avoid the decreased inductance due to local saturation in the core when operated with high dc current. In theory, the direct currents and the related magnetomotive forces in the two ways of an interphase reactor are equal, and this compensation leads one to conclude that the global flux in the yokes is zero. However, the dc currents in the coils produce a significant leakage flux that flows locally in the core. If the coils are not suitably arranged and if the dc current is high, the leakage flux causes local saturation, a drop in the inductance, and noticeable circulation of a triple harmonic current through the reactor. Such a phenomenon is investigated by means of both a simplified field model and three-dimensional magnetostatic simulations. A number of criteria for the arrangement of the coils to improve operation are derived and applied to a real rectification system used in an electrolysis plant. Some in situ operational measurements of both the original and the improved interphase reactor are reported. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We evaluated a nonthermal plasma jet for a respective use to prevent infections from bacteria and yeasts. The plasma jet is generated from the flow of ambient air with 8 slm through a microhollow cathode discharge assembly that is operated with a direct current of 30 mA. With these parameters, the temperature in the jet reaches 43 ^\circ\C at 10 mm from the discharge. Agar plates that were inoculated with Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Candida kefyr were treated at this distance, moving the plates through the jet in a meander that covered a 2 cm by 2 cm area. Different exposure times were realized by changing the speed of the movement and adjusting the distance between consecutive passes. S. aureus was most responsive to the exposure with a reduction in the number of colony forming units of 5.5 log steps in 40 s. All other microorganisms show a more gradual inactivation with exposure times. For all bacteria, a clearing of the treated area is achieved in about 2.5–3.5 min, corresponding to log-reduction factors of 5.5–6.5. Complete inactivation of the yeast requires about 7 min. Both S. aureus and C. kefyr show considerable inactivation also outside the immediate treatment area, while P. aeruginosa and A. baumannii do not. We conclude that differences in the morphologies of the membrane structures are responsible for the diverging results, together with a targeted response to different agents provided with the plasma jet. For the gram negative bacteria, we hold short-lived agents, acting across a short range, responsible, while for the other microorganisms, longer lived species seem more important. Our measurements show that neither heat, ultraviolet radiation, nor the generation of ozone can be responsible for the observed results. The most prominent long lived reaction product found is nitric oxide, which, by itself or through induced chemical reactions, might affect cell viability. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The design and the electric and emission characteristics of a handheld air plasma spray are presented. The plasma is generated by 60-Hz periodic discharges between two concentrically cylindrical electrodes. A ring magnet is used to rotate arc discharges, which sprays outward by an airflow. The rotation of arc discharges keeps the generated plasma in nonequilibrium state and at relatively low temperature (\sim \!\!55\ ^\circ\C). The plasma effluent still contains high-energy electrons which dissociate molecular oxygen into atomic oxygen. The emission spectroscopy of the plasma plume reveals that the plasma effluent, which carries abundant atomic oxygen, extends from the cap of the plasma spray about 25 mm. Using pigs as the animal model, in vivo tests of stopping wound bleeding and postoperative observation of wound healing by this air plasma spray were performed. The results show that the bleeding from a cut to an ear artery is stopped swiftly; this air plasma spray also shortens wound healing time to about half (from 14 days to 8 days) after stopping the bleeding of a cross-cut wound in the ham area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a practical view on industrially used magnetic cores wound from Ni-Fe tape. The discrepancies between various international suppliers are quite wide, which can have a significant impact on production and in effect on magnetic performance of the final devices. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper proposes a three-phase five legged wound transformer core constructed of two high permeability Si-Fe wound cores and two conventional Si-Fe wound cores. The two large internal wound cores are manufactured of high permeability, grain-oriented electrical steel. The two small outer wound cores are manufactured of conventional, grain-oriented electrical steel. The specific arrangement is based on experimental evidence concerning the peak flux density non-uniformity of the typical three-phase five legged wound transformer core, constructed of the high magnetization grain-oriented steel. Since the peak flux density of the two outer cores is lower than the two internal cores, low cost, low permeability, conventional grain-oriented electrical steel can be used for the outer cores. Losses, excitation currents, flux waveforms, and their harmonics contents are presented in this paper. A comparison of the mixed three-phase transformer core and the typical one is also carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In recent years, researchers have proposed transformerless solutions for connecting renewable-energy power plants to the grid. Apart from lack of efficiency and increased cost and weight of the transformer, one of the reasons is the dc input current that causes transformer saturation. The purpose of this paper is the development of a finite-element computational tool that is going to aid transformer manufacturers in designing distribution transformers specifically for the renewable-energy market. It is based on a generalized macroscopic representation of electrical steels used in the transformer manufacturing industry that enables the accurate evaluation of electromagnetic field distribution of transformer cores under heavily saturated conditions. Its advantages over conventional formulations include numerical stability, numerical accuracy, and reduction of iterations of the Newton–Raphson method. An experimental verification of the proposed method is carried out. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents the measured experimental results from a four-pole toroidally wound induction machine, where the stator is constructed as a prewound foldable strip. It shows that if the machine is axially restricted in length, the toroidally wound induction machine can have substantially shorter stator end windings than conventionally wound induction machines, and hence, it shows that a toroidally wound induction machine can have lower losses and a higher efficiency. This paper also presents the employed construction method, which emphasizes manufacturability, and highlights the advantages and disadvantages of this method. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper presents a sliding mode control for a wound rotor synchronous machine acting as an isolated generator. The standard dq model of the machine is connected to a resistive load. A switching function is defined in order to fulfill control objectives, and the ideal sliding dynamics is proved to be stable. From the desired surface, the standard sliding methodology is applied to obtain a robust and very simple controller. Numerical simulations and experimental results validate the control law and show good performance and a fast response to load and reference changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A floating magnetic rotor is synchronized to a rotating magnetic field in the developed pump. We cannot measure or calculate the magnetic torque using a general measurement method because the angle theta (\theta) represents the unknown factor between the magnetic field and the magnetic moment on the magnetic rotor. We have converted the relationship between the rotating magnetic field and the rotation of the magnetic rotor to an electrical signal using Faraday's law. Converted signals have a phase difference that is converted to the angle theta (\theta) in the magnetic torque. This has allowed us to calculate the magnetic torque. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The MgB2 coil wound with a parallel conductor composed of two MgB2 tapes with insulation has been developed. The tape is obtained by the rolling process from the round wire which is fabricated by in-situ method. The performances of tapes, such as critical current density and ac losses, are higher than that of round wires in case that the transverse magnetic fields are applied to the tape in direction of the parallel to the flat face of the tape. We proposed as a candidate of applying the tape to a conductor with large current capacity that the parallel conductor is composed of insulated tapes. We fabricated a tape with aspect ratio of two from a round wire with diameter of 0.8 mm as a strand for the conductor. The coil is composed of two coils that are jointed each other in series. At the joint, two strands are transposed to be identical the inductances of two strands. The inner and outer diameters of the coil are 65 mm and 107 mm, respectively. The length of the coil is 53 mm. The total turn number is 540 turn. The magnetic flux density at the center in the coil is 1.31 T when the transport current is 200 A. In this paper, the design and the test results of the MgB2 coil wound with the conductor are shown and the critical current properties and ac loss properties of the coil are discussed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces an alternative implementation of the traditional LC filter, called hybrid LC filter (HLCF). The construction described in this paper contains two foil windings that integrate inductance and capacitance into one unit. The main aspects of the HLCF design are considered. The experimental data show that the device proposed here can be used, instead of traditional LC filters, as an alternative solution for the mitigation of the adverse effects of the pulse-width modulation (PWM). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objectives of this paper arise through the investigation of a motor with a high starting torque, although with limited intensities, weak intensity variations depending on the load, controlled losses in no-load tests, and an acceptable performance in steady state, and with a good response in transient periods. All these requirements would have to be obtained without the help of power electronics; in this way, the motor would be more robust, longer lasting, and without the need for auxiliary equipment. In this paper, the operation principle, the characteristic parameters, and the obtained results for the spiral sheet motor are analyzed for three speed regimes, namely, 1000, 1500, and 3000 r/min. In addition, the spiral sheet motor is compared with the squirrel cage rotor, the solid rotor with rings, the wound rotor with additional resistances in the rotor circuit, and the hollow diamagnetic rotor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Plasma medicine is emerging worldwide, and some promising applications seem to be near the horizon. Direct therapeutic plasma application as the central field of plasma medicine will bring physical plasmas directly on or in a human (or animal) body. Campus PlasmaMed is a research association supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), concentrated in the northeast of Germany and founded to explore promising and safe applications of atmospheric-pressure plasmas in medical therapy based on systematic and interdisciplinary basic research on the interactions of plasma components with living systems. Whereas a broad spectrum of plasma sources dedicated for biomedical applications has been reported during recent years, mainly two basic principles of plasma sources are used in the Campus PlasmaMed: atmospheric-pressure plasma jets and dielectric barrier discharges. A comprehensive assessment of potential risk factors, such as gas temperature, power transfer from plasma to the target, (V)UV radiation emission, or the generation of toxic gases and its release into the adjacencies, which could be dangerous for patients and therapists, has to be done as a basic precondition before any biomedical experiments can be started or a potential therapeutic application can be taken into consideration. Despite the fact that the initial plasma-source characterization and optimization are in the main responsibility of plasma physicists and engineers, potential users from the biomedical field should be integrated as soon as possible to include special needs and constraints for specific applications during early steps of development. This multidisciplinary research cooperation among plasma scientists and engineers on the one side and life scientists and clinicians on the other is one of the main characteristics of the Campus PlasmaMed. Such interdisciplinary cooperation is more than ever required for the characterization of biological effects of plasma sources, which has to be realized by a multistep program, starting with the investigations of plasma–liquid interactions and including a broad spectrum of in vitro tests with cells, as well as cell and tissue cultures up to isolated tissues or organs to be proved finally with animal experiments and clinical trials. Because there are no standardized criteria so far according to which atmospheric-pressure plasma sources can be assessed as to their suitability for medical applications, interdisciplinary results from plasma medical research have to be transferred into rules and standards to guarantee successful and safe practical application, including economic exploitation of plasma-medical research results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the widespread use of digital cameras, freehand wound imaging has become common practice in clinical settings. There is however still a demand for a practical tool for accurate wound healing assessment, combining dimensional measurements and tissue classification in a single user-friendly system. We achieved the first part of this objective by computing a 3-D model for wound measurements using uncalibrated vision techniques. We focus here on tissue classification from color and texture region descriptors computed after unsupervised segmentation. Due to perspective distortions, uncontrolled lighting conditions and view points, wound assessments vary significantly between patient examinations. The main contribution of this paper is to overcome this drawback with a multiview strategy for tissue classification, relying on a 3-D model onto which tissue labels are mapped and classification results merged. The experimental classification tests demonstrate that enhanced repeatability and robustness are obtained and that metric assessment is achieved through real area and volume measurements and wound outline extraction. This innovative tool is intended for use not only in therapeutic follow-up in hospitals but also for telemedicine purposes and clinical research, where repeatability and accuracy of wound assessment are critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper propounds a practice of using cut cores with a distributed air gap in the production of magnetic circuits for high quality medium voltage instrument transformers. It discusses utilization, for this purpose, of both grain-oriented and non-oriented electrical steel sheets of different grades, hence of considerably different characteristics and cost. The magnetic properties of the transformers were enhanced, and substantial technical and economical benefits in the manufacture of the end product were realized. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A portable low temperature air plasma torch was used to control bleeding from wounds. As animal models, two pigs were used in the tests: one for the plasma treatment, and the other as the untreated control. Plasma effects on the bleeding times of three types of wounds (straight cut and cross cut in the ham area, and a hole in the saphenous vein of an ear) were examined. The results were that this plasma torch shortened the bleeding time for these three types of wounds from about 3 min to 18 s, about 4 min to 13 s, and 88 s to 15 s, respectively. Emission spectroscopy of the torch was performed to explore the reactive species carried by the plasma effluent of the torch. The results show that this torch carries abundant reactive atomic oxygen (RAO), which is the dominant reactive species in the plasma effluent. RAO can activate erythrocyte–platelet interactions to enhance blood coagulation for plug formation. The present tests indicate that RAO can also penetrate through the skin surrounding the wound to block capillary blood flow to the wound. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Ceramic-silver composite conductors have been fabricated in lengths greater than 200 meters using both powder-in-tube and dip-coated methods. Progress has been made in conductor uniformity through control of process steps including powder packing, tape coating, deformation, and heat treatment. Critical current density (J/sub c/) in lengths up to 100 meters has been evaluated by measuring end to end current in coils, both pancake wound and solenoid wound. These coils were made using a wind-and-react technique. J/sub c/ values greater than 10/sup 5/ A/cm/sup 2/ have been attained over 17 m lengths of conductor in these coils in self field at 4.2 K. The magnetic field dependence of 4.2 K J/sub c/ in fields its high as 17 T will be reported for these coils. Microstructural factors affecting J/sub c/ are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Long high critical current density Bi-2223/Ag tapes are required for the realization of cables and windings to be integrated in electric power devices. A cooperation agreement among CISE SpA, Europa Metalli and INFN, concerns the development of silver-sheathed multifilamentary Bi-2223/Ag tapes, over 100 meters long, produced by means of the Powder-In-Tube (PIT) technique. The Bi-2223/Ag tapes were thermomechanically processed and then wound into double pancakes by the React and Wind method. This article presents and discusses the electrical and magnetic characterization of the tapes, their degradation after winding as well as the performances of the pancakes tested after the final assembling. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Wires of Pb/sub 1-x/Sn/sub x/Mo/sub 6/S/sub 8/ (PSMS) using the powder-in-tube process have been carefully drawn and the critical current density J/sub c/ has been measured on small coils wound with wires of 1.5 meter in length in magnetic fields up to 24 tesla. At 1.9 K, we achieved an overall critical current density J/sub co/, exceeding slightly 100 A/mm/sup 2/ at 20 tesla and 63 A/mm/sup 2/ at 24 tesla. Below 18 tesla, we always observed an abrupt occurrence of the resistive state, indicating that in this region J/sub c/ is limited by local defects, generally located at the ends of the coil. Nevertheless, at 15 tesla and 4.2 K, J/sub c/ reaches 550 A/mm/sup 2/. These very good results are the consequence of a better choice of the materials forming the wire and of a full control of the synthesis of the PSMS powder, The analysis of the field dependence of J/sub c/ shows that the grains are well connected, but that the critical field B/sub c2/ is still too low at 4.2 K (31 tesla instead of 50 tesla). An optimization of the annealing conditions is expected to considerably increase J/sub c/ at high magnetic fields. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Bi-2212/Ag tapes have been produced using a continuous dip coating and partial melt processing technique. The role of the annealing and melt processing temperatures on the microstructure and current-carrying properties of the tapes are reported. In particular, the effect of a pre-anneal heat treatment on the residual carbon content from the organic binder has been investigated, in order to improve critical currents. These results have been used to optimise the temperature profile of a multiple-zone tube furnace through which continuous melt processing of the tape is possible. Multiple metre lengths of superconducting tape have been produced and wound into coils. Critical currents of 8.3 A in statically processed tapes and 1.9 A in continuously processed tapes have been achieved at 77 K, zero field. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Superconducting solenoids developed for the Fermilab Mu2e require an extended R&D on superconductor cables performance, working in strong field in the critical currents range. To test these cables, the Mu2e Cable Test Solenoid was designed and fabricated at Fermilab. The solenoid contains three coils (two Main coils, and one Test coil), connected in series. The Main coils are wound with the well known SSC NbTi cable. They are permanently attached to the solenoid top and bottom carbon steel flanges. The Test coil is replaceable, and meant to be installed between two Main coils. This coil can be wound with any superconductor cable which needs to be tested (the first Test coil was wound with RIKEN heavy aluminum stabilized NbTi cable). The cables cross section ratio in the Main Coils and the Test coil ensures operating of Main coils in the current ranges well below the critical value for their cable, while the Test coil always works near its critical current range. The solenoid design and some cable splicing issues are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe the construction of a thermomagnetic analyser that uses a microfurnace. The equipment can work in the temperature range of -30/spl deg/C up to 1000/spl deg/C, with heating/cooling rates as high as 50/spl deg/C/min. without temperature hysteresis. The design allows the use of excitation and pick-up coils with thousands of turns, working at room temperature. This gives a high sensitivity to the equipment as revealed by the measurement of magnetic transitions in thin films with masses in the order of 500 /spl mu/g. The reproducibility of the measurements is very good, and there is only noticeable drift in the most sensitive range. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A human-size magnetic shield of cylindrical structure (inner diameter: 92 cm, length: 220 cm) has been constructed with magnetic shaking enhancement. The weights of the magnetic materials used are 69 kg for Metglas 2705M amorphous tapes and 40 kg for Permalloy tapes and the total weight was about 250 kg. The shielding factor at the center was 4000 for a transverse magnetic field of 10 /spl mu/T, 1 Hz and residual dc magnetic field was as small as 1-2 nT when compensation for open ends was applied. The noise level of the shield measured, when open end compensation was off, by a SQUID magnetometer at the center of the shield was 54 fT//spl radic/Hz at 1 Hz and 23 fT//spl radic/Hz at 10 Hz. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Cold plasma treatment of wounds is gaining much interest, because it will offer a noncontact, painless, and harmless therapy to manage large-area lesions (burn wounds and chronic ulcerations). One of the important issues in plasma wound healing is the safety of the method. In this paper, we study in vitro the effects of plasma treatment on cell death, proliferation, and wound healing. We performed a parametric study of plasma-treated 3T3 fibroblast cells. For the treatment, a cold atmospheric plasma needle (13.56-MHz microjet in helium) was used. Cells were cultured in six well plates and subsequently deposited on the bottom of the well. As a wound model, a scratch was made in the cell culture. Then, the proliferation of the cells from the sidewalls into the scratch was observed by microscopy. It appeared that plasma treatment stimulates the proliferation of cells into the scratch. This suggests that plasma treatment could result in accelerated wound healing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]