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In order to solve the problem of metal impurities mixed in the production line of wood pulp nonwoven raw materials, intelligent metal detection and disposal automation equipment is designed. Based on the principle of electromagnetic induction, the precise positioning of metal coordinates is realized by initial inspection and multidirectional re-inspection. Based on a geometry optimization driving algorithm, the cutting area is determined by locating the center of the circle that covers the maximum area. This approach aims to minimize the cutting area and maximize the use of materials. Additionally, the method strives to preserve as many fabrics at the edges as possible by employing the farthest edge covering circle algorithm. Based on a speed compensation algorithm, the flexible switching of upper and lower rolls is realized to ensure the maximum production efficiency. Compared with the metal detection device in the existing production line, the designed automation equipment has the advantages of higher detection sensitivity, more accurate metal coordinate positioning, smaller cutting material areas and higher production efficiency, which can make the production process more continuous, automated and intelligent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cardiovascular disease persists as the primary cause of human mortality, significantly impacting healthy life expectancy. The routine electrocardiogram (ECG) stands out as a pivotal noninvasive diagnostic tool for identifying arrhythmias. The evolving landscape of fabric electrodes, specifically designed for the prolonged monitoring of human ECG signals, is the focus of this research. Adhering to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) statement and assimilating data from 81 pertinent studies sourced from reputable databases, the research conducts a comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis on the materials, fabric structures and preparation methods of fabric electrodes in the existing literature. It provides a nuanced assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of diverse textile materials and structures, elucidating their impacts on the stability of biomonitoring signals. Furthermore, the study outlines current developmental constraints and future trajectories for fabric electrodes. These insights could serve as essential guidance for ECG monitoring system designers, aiding them in the selection of materials that optimize the measurement of biopotential signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents a wearable plant tattoo sensor array designed for continuous monitoring of leaf temperature, relative water content, and biopotential. Current plant wearable sensor technologies often require relatively bulky substrates for sensor support and adhesives for leaf attachment, which potentially can hinder plant growth and affect long‐term measurements. The multifunctional tattoo sensor array overcomes these issues by adhering directly to the leaf surface without the need for additional supporting structures or glues. This array includes a biopotential electrode, a resistive temperature sensor, and an impedimetric water content sensor, all constructed using laminated gold‐on‐polymer thin‐film patterns. Due to their mechanical flexibility, stretchability, and conformability, the sensors can seamlessly attach to leaves via van der Waals force. Performances of these sensors are evaluated to explore plant responses under diverse growth environments. This sensor array is capable of both short‐term and long‐term monitoring, offering continuous data and detailed insights into plant physiological responses to various stress conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statistically significant violations of the Clauser–Horne–Shimony–Holt (CHSH) inequality are the "gold standard" test for quantum entanglement between spatially separated systems. Here, we report an experimental design that implements a CHSH test between bioelectric state variables for a human subject and bioelectric and/or biochemical state variables for cultured human cells in vitro. While we were unable to obtain evidence for entanglement with this design, observing only classical correlation, we report lessons learned and suggest possible avenues for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The experimental bioelectrochemical current source based on the concentration gradient of charge carriers in the root environment of plants has been created. A potential difference of about 70 mV is observed in the nutrient solution. It is gradually decreasing due to equalization of concentrations. The voltage increases to 200 mV when plant are placed in a cultivation system as the root system develops due to the intensification of diffusion processes. The potential-forming role of nitrate forms of nitrogen is shown on the example of lettuce grown according to the panoponics technology. The separation of electrical charges by the root system during the life of plants can become an alternative source of green energy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to find base materials for dry electrode fabrication with high accuracy and without reducing electrode performance for long-term bioelectric potential monitoring after electroless silver plating. Most applications of dry electrodes that have been developed in the past few decades are restricted by low accuracy compared to commercial Ag/AgCl gel electrodes, as in our previous study of PVDF-based dry electrodes. In a recent study, however, nanoweb-based chlorinated polyisoprene (CPI) and poly(styrene-b-butadiene-b-styrene) (SBS) rubber were selected as promising candidates due to their excellent elastic properties, as well as their nanofibril nature, which may improve electrode durability and skin contact. The electroless silver plating technique was employed to coat the nanofiber web with silver, and silver nanoweb(AgNW)-based dry electrodes were fabricated. The key electrode properties (contact impedance, step response, and noise characteristics) for AgNW dry electrodes were investigated thoroughly using agar phantoms. The dry electrodes were subsequently tested on human subjects to establish their realistic performance in terms of ECG, EMG monitoring, and electrical impedance tomography (EIT) measurements. The experimental results demonstrated that the AgNW dry electrodes, particularly the SBS-AgNW dry electrodes, performed similarly to commercial Ag/AgCl gel electrodes and were outperformed in terms of long-term stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resting membrane potential is a bioelectric property of all cells. Multiple players govern this property, the ion channels being the most important. Ion channel dysfunction can affect cells’ resting membrane potential and could be associated with numerous diseases. Therefore, the drug discovery focus on ion channels has increased yearly. In addition to patch-clamp, cell-based fluorescent assays have shown a rapid and reliable method for searching new ion channel modulators. Here, we used a cell-based membrane potential assay to search for new blockers of the Kv10.1, a potassium channel strongly associated with cancer progression and a promising target in anticancer therapy. We found that fluoxetine and miconazole can inhibit the Kv10.1 channel in the micromolar range. In contrast, BL-1249 potentiates Kv10.1 currents in a dose-dependent manner, becoming the first molecule described as an activator of the channel. These results demonstrate that cell-based membrane potential assay can accelerate the discovery of new Kv10.1 modulators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Various methods have been used to treat bone defects caused by genetic disorders, injury, or disease. Yet, there is still great need to develop alternative approaches to repair damaged bone tissue. Bones naturally exhibit piezoelectric potential, or the ability to convert mechanical stresses into electrical impulses. This phenomenon has been utilized clinically to enhance bone regeneration in conjunction with electrical stimulation (ES) therapies; however, oftentimes with critical‐sized bone defects, the bioelectric potential at the site of injury is compromised, resulting in less desirable outcomes. In the present study, the potential of a 3D‐printed conductive polymer blend to enhance bone formation through restoration of the bioelectrical microenvironment was evaluated. A commercially available 3D printer was used to create circular, thin‐film scaffolds consisting of either polylactide (PLA) or a conductive PLA (CPLA) composite. Preosteoblast cells were seeded onto the scaffolds and subjected to direct current ES via a purpose‐built cell culture chamber. It was found that CPLA scaffolds had no adverse effects on cell viability, proliferation or differentiation when compared with control scaffolds. The addition of ES, however, resulted in a significant increase in the expression of osteocalcin, a protein indicative of osteoblast maturation, after 14 days of culture. Furthermore, xylenol orange staining also showed the presence of increased mineralized calcium nodules in cultures undergoing stimulation. This study demonstrates the potential for low‐cost, conductive scaffolding materials to support cell viability and enhance in vitro mineralization in conjunction with ES. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long-term bioelectric potential recording requires highly reliable wearable dry electrodes. Laser-induced graphene (LIG) dry electrodes on polyimide (PI) films are difficult to conform to the skin due to the non-stretchability and low flexibility of PI films. As a result, high interface impedance and motion artifacts can occur during body movements. Transferring LIG to flexible substrates such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and Ecoflex allows for stretchability and flexibility. However, the transfer process produces a significant loss of conductivity destroying the structural function and electron conduction properties of the LIG. We found robust physical and chemical bonding effects between LIG and styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS) thermoplastic elastomer substrates and proposed a simple and robust low-conductivity loss transfer technique. Successfully embedded LIG onto SEBS to obtain high stretchability, high flexibility, and low conductivity losses. Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):polystyrenesulfonic acid (PEDOT:PSS) on LIG forms an ultrathin polymer conductive coating. The deposition thickness of the conductive polymer is adjusted by controlling the EPD deposition time to achieve optimal conductivity and chemical stability. SEBS/LIG/PEDOT:PSS (SLPP) dry electrodes have high conductivity (114 Ω/Sq), stretchability (300%) and reliability (30% stretch, 15,000 cycles), and low electrode-skin impedance (14.39 kΩ, 10 Hz). The detected biopotential signal has a high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of 35.78 dB. Finally, the feasibility of SLPP dry electrodes for long-term biopotential monitoring and biopotential-based human-machine interface control of household appliances was verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The interaction of zirconocene dichloride with the heterocyclic β-diketones (LH) and flexible N-protected α/ β-amino acids (AH) in the presence of triethylamine in 1:1:1:2 molar ratio in refluxing dry THF has been resulted in the formation of zirconocene complexes of the general formula [ZrCp2(RCOC:C(O)N(C6H5)N:CCH3)(O2CCHR'NC(O)C6H4C(O))](where R= -CH3, -CH2CH3, p-ClC6H4-, - and CHR' = - = -CH2CH2and R' = CH(CH3)2). These newly generated zirconocene incorporated organic-inorganic hybrid products have been characterized by FTIR, NMR (¹H and 13C) and mass spectrometry. Some of these complexes and their corresponding ligands have been tested for their antimicrobial activity to examine the biopotential activity-structure relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrocorticography signals, the intracranial recording of electrical signatures of the brain, are recorded by non-penetrating planar electrode arrays placed on the cortical surface. Flexible electrode arrays minimize the tissue damage upon implantation. This work shows the design and development of a 32-channel flexible microelectrode array to record electrocorticography signals from the rat's brain. The array was fabricated on a biocompatible flexible polyimide substrate. A titanium/gold layer was patterned as electrodes, and a thin polyimide layer was used for insulation. The fabricated microelectrode array was mounted on the exposed somatosensory cortex of the right hemisphere of a rat after craniotomy and incision of the dura. The signals were recorded using OpenBCI Cyton Daisy Biosensing Boards. The array faithfully recorded the baseline electrocorticography signals, the induced epileptic activities after applying a convulsant, and the recovered baseline signals after applying an antiepileptic drug. The signals recorded by such fabricated microelectrode array from anesthetized rats demonstrate its potential to monitor electrical signatures corresponding to epilepsy. Finally, the time–frequency analyses highlight the difference in spatiotemporal features of baseline and evoked epileptic discharges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrical stimulation therapy is effective in promoting wound healing by rescuing the decreased endogenous electrical field, where self-powered and miniaturized devices such as nanogenerators become the emerging trends. While high-voltage and unidirectional electric field may pose thermal effect and damage to the skin, nanogenerators with lower voltages, pulsed or bidirectional currents, and less invasive electrodes are preferred. Herein, we construct a polydopamine (PDA)-modified poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) /MXene (PDMP/MXene) nanofibrous composite membrane that generates piezoelectric voltages matching the transepithelial potential (TEP) to accelerate wound healing. PDA coating not only enhances the piezoelectricity of PLLA by dipole attraction and alignment, but also increases its hydrophilicity and facilitates subsequent MXene adhesion for electrical conductivity and stability in physiological environment. When applied as wound dressings in mice, the PDMP/MXene membranes act as a nanogenerators with reduced internal resistances and satisfactory piezoelectric performances that resemble bioelectric potentials (~10 mV) responding to physical activities. The membrane significantly accelerates wound closure by facilitating fibroblast migration, collagen deposition and angiogenesis, and suppressing the expression of inflammatory responses. This piezoelectric fibrous membrane therefore provides a convenient solution for speeding up wound healing by sustained low voltage mimicking bioelectricity, better cell affinity. PDMP/MXene composite membrane that mimics biological electric potentials is developed to enhance wound healing. Polydopamine improves the piezoelectricity and hydrophilicity of PLLA, aiding MXene adhesion for stability and consistent voltage output. MXene also adds antibacterial properties and acts as an electrode. Our findings show improved piezoelectric response, antibacterial activity, fibroblast migration, and faster healing compared to PLLA alone. [Display omitted] • MXene and dopamine coating enhances the piezoelectric output of PLLA by one fold. • PDMP/MXene dressing on mouse generates biomimicking low-voltage electrical pulses by daily movements. • PDMP/MXene accelerates wound closure by facilitating fibroblast migration, collagen deposition and angiogenesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An electrocardiogram (ECG) uses electrodes to monitor the heart rhythm and identify minute electrical changes that occur with each beat. It is employed to investigate particular varieties of aberrant heart activity, such as arrhythmias and conduction problems. One of the most essential tools for detecting heart problems is the electrocardiogram (ECG). The majority of ECG records are still on paper. Manual ECG paper record analysis can be difficult and time-consuming. It is possible to digitally digitize these paper ECG recordings for automated analysis and diagnosis. In this paper, we proposed a system to digitize the ECG paper, automatically detecting R peaks, calculating the average heart rate, and sending SMS to the doctor via cloud in the event of detection of abnormality. The method of the system is uploading an ECG image, then dimensionality reduction, feature extraction in the form of digital signals, and saving it in a CSV file format using the MATLAB programming language. After that, the system retrieves the signals for further processing of the raw signals. We used the fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm to calculate R peaks and calculate the heart rate. If the heart rate is abnormal, the system sends SMS messages to doctors via a technology platform (Twilio) using the Python programming language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conductive hydrogels have been extensively studied because of flexibility and skin-like capability to be used as biopotential electrodes for wearable health monitoring. However, they may suffer from poor mechanical properties and stability problems when used in practical applications caused by water evaporation. Herein, we prepared self-adhesive, transparent, flexible and robust ionic gels that can conformal contact with the skin used as biopotential electrodes for precise health monitoring. Cellulose based iogels were prepared by dissolving cellulose using [Bmim]Cl at 100 °C followed by in situ Ultraviolet light photopolymerization of acrylic acid by adding a mixture of acrylic acid and 2-hydroxy-2-methylpropiophenone. Cellulose/polyacrylic acid-based ionic gels-2 (BCELIG-2) has a Young's modulus of 0.2 MPa, a strain at break of 226 %, a modulus of elasticity of 0.1 MPa, and a toughness of 22.5 MJ m−3. Fixing the strain at 40 %, the ionic gels can recover to their original length after ten tensile-unloading cycles. They can accurately detect subtle physical motions such as arterial pulsations, which can provide important cardiovascular information. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wearable electrocardiogram (ECG) systems should be comfortable, non-stigmatizing, and capable of producing high-quality data. Many different designs of wearable textile ECG systems have recently emerged. Some of them are not considered to be smart garments, whereas most of the others present only the electronic side of the system. Our research work introduces a comprehensive study for an improved single-lead ECG smart shirt to identify automatically premature ventricular contraction as a common form of arrhythmia. For artifact-free results, Marvelous Designer is implemented to design our optimized relaxed slim fit shirt. In addition, a weft-knitted fabric of 80% nylon–20% spandex is used to manufacture the outer part of the shirt. Moreover, lightweight and small size electronic components are integrated to the outer part via low-resistance dry textile electrodes and 100% cotton fabric as an inner layer for easy transmission of weak ECG signals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By guiding cell and chemical migration and coupling with genetic mechanisms, bioelectric networks of potentials influence biological pattern formation and are known to have profound effects on growth processes. An abstract model that is amenable to exact analysis has been proposed in the circuit tile assembly model (cTAM) to understand self-assembled and self-controlled growth as an emergent phenomenon that is capable of complex behaviors, like self-replication. In the cTAM, a voltage source represents a finite supply of energy that drives growth until it is unable to overcome randomizing factors in the environment, represented by a threshold. Here, the cTAM is extended to the axon or alternating cTAM model (acTAM) to include a circuit similar to signal propagation in axons, exhibiting time-varying electric signals and a dependence on frequency of the input voltage. The acTAM produces systems of circuits whose electrical properties are coupled to their length as growth proceeds through self-assembly. The exact response is derived for increasingly complex circuit systems as the assembly proceeds. The model exhibits complicated behaviors that elucidate the interactive role of energy, environment, and noise with electric signals in axon-like circuits during biological growth of complex patterns and function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soft, stretchable, and flexible electrodes offer a unique and nonintrusive option to monitor essential biopotential signals from the skin, which can be related to the functioning and status of different organs including the heart. Such stretchable electrodes, by forming an intimate contact to the human skin, not only increase the signal-to-noise ratio of the recorded biopotentials and reduce eventual signal artifacts, but are also more pleasant to wear. We developed a stretchable electrode patch for electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring utilizing the medical-grade, transparent, and stretchable material Styrene-ethylene-butylene-styrene (SEBS). Our fabrication process is compatible with standard micro- and nano clean room processes and could be up-scaled accordingly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bioelectrical signals are often pulse-shaped with superimposed interference signals. In this context, accurate identification of features such as pulse onsets, peaks, amplitudes, and duration is a frequent problem. In this paper, we present a versatile method of rather low computational complexity to robustly identify such features in real-world signals. For that, we take use of two straight-line models fit to the observations by minimizing a quadratic cost term, and then identify desired features by tweaked likelihood measures. To demonstrate the idea and facilitate access to the method, we provide examples from the field of cardiology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work is devoted to the creation of plant-microbial fuel cell (PMFC). A design of а PMFC has been developed, which makes it possible to study the effect of the configuration and material of electrode systems on the values of bioelectric potentials (BEP) generated in the system of root environment-plant. The possibility of using the developed technology for measuring BEP to create long-term plant-microbial fuel cells based on the use of plants electrical activity as an electromotive force is shown. The electrodes were made of various carbon materials and stainless steel. The created experimental PMFCs are capable of generating voltages at the level of 230 mV in soil systems and 150 mV in hydroponic ones. The output power was about 50 mW/m2 at a load of 10 kΩ, which did not cause significant deviations in the state of the plants. The calculated possible yield of hydrogen per m3 of the root environment was 0.2 mmol/day. Thus, PMFC can become a promising source of green energy that can be combined with significant production processes for obtaining plant products or hydrogen. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under certain conditions in radio-frequency (rf) plasmas, the amplitude of the low-energy peak in ion energy distributions (IEDs) measured at an electrode depends sensitively on the velocity at which ions approach the sheath. By measuring IEDs, incident ion velocities can be determined. Here, IEDs were measured in inductively coupled plasmas in 1.3 Pa of CF4, at rf sheath voltages up to 100V at 1 MHz, obtained by biasing a counterelectrode. From measured IEDs and sheath voltages, we determined the incident velocities of all significant positive ions: CF4+, CF2+, CF+, and F+. At higher bias voltages, we detected essentially the same velocity for all four ions, suggesting that some collisional process keeps different ions at the same velocity as they emerge from the presheath. For all four ions, measured velocities were significantly lower than the Bohm velocity uB and the electropositive ion sound speed cs, because of negative ion effects. From the measured velocities, an upper bound for negative ion temperature is obtained. The velocities determined here do not agree with boundary conditions that have been previously proposed, because the latter neglect either the reduction in ion sound speed due to negative ions or the acceleration that occurs as ions pass from the point where quasineutrality is violated to the point where electron density becomes negligible. Both of these effects are treated to fair approximation, for collisionless sheaths, by setting the initial velocity to twice the ion sound speed modified by negative ions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated how aerobic exercise during encoding affects hippocampus-dependent memory through a source memory task that assessed hippocampus-independent familiarity and hippocampus-dependent recollection processes. Using a within-participants design, young adult participants performed a memory-encoding task while performing a cycling exercise or being seated. The subsequent retrieval phase was conducted while sitting on a chair. We assessed behavioral and event-related brain potential measures of familiarity and recollection processes during the retrieval phase. Results indicated that source accuracy was lower for encoding with exercise than for encoding in the resting condition. Event-related brain potential measures indicated that the parietal old/new effect, which has been linked to recollection processing, was observed in the exercise condition, whereas it was absent in the rest condition, which is indicative of exercise-induced hippocampal activation. These findings suggest that aerobic exercise during encoding impairs hippocampus-dependent memory, which may be attributed to inefficient source encoding during aerobic exercise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/aim: Anesthetics are often used in animal experiments to achieve immobilization and relieve pain. However, many anesthetics can alter the dynamics of cardiovascular systems. We aimed to compare the effects of two frequently used anesthetics agents on heart rate variability (HRV) parameters in mice. Materials and methods: This observational study was performed between May and June 2014 in 21 male BALB/c mice aged 16-20 weeks. The animals were divided into three groups: pentobarbital (P), (n = 7); pentobarbital+fentanyl (P+F), (n = 7); and ketamine+xylazine (K+X), (n = 7). Surface electrocardiography (ECG) electrodes were placed in lead II configuration. The tachogram of RR intervals was obtained after R waves were detected using the Pan-Tompkins real-time QRS recognition algorithm. Frequency-domain, time-domain, and nonlinear HRV analyses were performed. Results: The bradycardia effect was higher in the K+X group (p < 0.01). Time-domain indices were higher in group K+X compared to group P (p < 0.01) and group P+F (p < 0.001). Very low frequency (VLF) power was significantly lower in group K+X compared to group P and group P+F (p < 0.01). Low frequency (LF) power, low frequency/high frequency (LF/HF) ratio, and total power (TP) were higher in group K+X compared to group P (p < 0.01) and group P+F (p < 0.001). The detrended fluctuation analysis short-term parameter (DFAα1) was significantly higher in group K+X compared to group P+F (p < 0.05) and the long-term parameter (DFAα2) was lower in group K+X compared to group P (p < 0.05). Standard deviations SD1 and SD2 were higher in group K+X compared to group P (p < 0.001) and group P+F (p < 0.001), SD2/SD1 ratio was lower in group K+X compared to group P (p < 0.05) and group P+F (p < 0.05). Entropy measures did not differ between groups. Conclusion: HRV analyses, including nonlinear methods, indicated that a K+X combination reduces imbalance and disorder in the regulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in comparison to both P and the P+F combination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern sleep monitoring development is shifting towards the use of unobtrusive sensors combined with algorithms for automatic sleep scoring. Many different combinations of wet and dry electrodes, ear-centered, forehead-mounted or headband-inspired designs have been proposed, alongside an ever growing variety of machine learning algorithms for automatic sleep scoring. Objective: Among candidate positions, those in the facial area and around the ears have the benefit of being relatively hairless, and in our view deserve extra attention. In this paper, we seek to determine the limits to sleep monitoring quality within this spatial constraint. Methods: We compare 13 different, realistic sensor setups derived from the same data set and analysed with the same pipeline. Results: All setups which include both a lateral and an EOG derivation show similar, state-of-the-art performance, with average Cohen’s kappa values of at least 0.80. Conclusion: If large electrode distances are used, positioning is not critical for achieving large sleep-related signal-to-noise-ratio, and hence accurate sleep scoring. Significance: We argue that with the current competitive performance of automated staging approaches, there is a need for establishing an improved benchmark beyond current single human rater scoring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pulsed power water dissociation method applying a couple of a porous-ceramic electrode, wetted with water, and an opposite dry electrode in the atmospheric air was studied. The basic concept for this study is composed of "pulsed power activation of high water particle density liquid state at the porous electrode creepage" and "subsequent non-thermal equilibrium plasma reactions of these particles diffusing into the low water particle density gas state." The deionized water (DIW) dissociation experiments were performed by applying the Reverse Tailing Pulse (RTP) method, where the forward pulse voltage of 10 kV level with the rising up ratio (dV/dt) of 1011 V s-1 level is applied. To examine the electric polarity contribution, four kinds of reactors were studied. H2 was detected in one reactor which is composed of an anode electrode made by porous-ceramic, wetted with DIW, and a cathode electrode made from a dry fine-ceramic. The H2 generation efficiency, close to the theoretical prediction, was obtained when "Tanzanite" colored plasma was detected. These features may be due to the "RTP" reformation of the high water particle density liquid state in the wetted porous-electrode creepage and their continuous diffusion into the gas plasma space with the help of "Fick's law of diffusion" and "pulsed ion wind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this letter, for the first time, we propose a unified framework based on attentive cycle-generative adversarial network for the synthesis of electrocardiogram (ECG) signals from the seismocardiogram (SCG) signals. The proposed attentive cycle generative adversarial network exploits dual generators and dual discriminators to learn the pattern for the synthesis of ECG from SCG and vice versa. The proposed framework is evaluated on publicly available combined measurement of ECG, breathing and seismocardiogram (CEBS) database. Subjective visual analysis and objective performance metrics demonstrate that the proposed framework can accurately derive the ECG signal from SCG signal. Since, the SCG can be recorded using a wearable and non-adhesive modality, it can provide comfort to the patients by avoiding adhesive ECG electrodes. Further, the derived ECG can help in better cardiac rhythm and arrhythmia analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To investigate the effects of a fixed dose of atipamezole (AT), flumazenil (FL), and 4‐aminopyridine (AP), both alone and in combination, on changes in arterial blood pressure and heart rate induced by medetomidine (ME), midazolam (MI), and ketamine (KE) under isoflurane anesthesia with controlled ventilation in healthy cats. Design: Prospective experimental study. Setting: University animal research facility. Animals: Healthy adult mixed‐breed cats were used for 8 investigation groups (6 cats per group), with ≥2 weeks between interventions. Interventions: Cats were anesthetized with an end‐tidal isoflurane concentration of 2% under controlled ventilation. A catheter was inserted into the right or left femoral artery for arterial pressure monitoring and blood gas sampling, and ECG electrodes were placed. Upon completed preparations, cats were administered a mixture of ME (0.05 mg/kg) and MI (0.5 mg/kg), followed 10 minutes later by intramuscular KE (10 mg/kg). Twenty minutes after KE injection, the cats received IV injection with either a physiological saline solution at 0.1 mL/kg (control), or 1 of 7 variations of experimental drugs, alone or in combination: AT (0.2 mg/kg), FL (0.1 mg/kg), AP (0.5 mg/kg), AT+FL, FL+AP, AT+AP, and AT+FL+AP. Arterial blood pressure and heart rate were continuously measured over 120 minutes after administration of potential antagonists. Measurements and Main Results: ME+MI+KE induced an increase in blood pressure and bradycardia. Potential antagonists alone or in combination did not significantly alter the bradycardia. FL, AP alone, and FL+AP did not significantly alter the changes in blood pressures induced by ME+MI+KE. Meanwhile, administration of AT alone or in combination reversed the increase in blood pressure induced by ME+MI+KE but transiently caused excessive hypotension. Conclusion: These results revealed that AT alone or in combination is effective for antagonizing hypertension induced by ME+MI+KE; however, attention should be paid to temporary hypotension in cats anesthetized with isoflurane. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Underwater electrocardiography (ECG) monitoring, which can monitor cardiac autonomic changes and arrhythmias during diving, is essential for sports management and healthcare. However, it is crucial yet rather challenging to achieve ECG monitoring in an aquatic environment because the interface electrodes may lose their functionality underwater. Here, an ionogel with tailorable mechanical properties is prepared by a facile one‐step polymerization and used as water‐resistant electrode. The Young's modulus and strain at break of the ionogel can be modulated in the range of 0.22–337 MPa and 349 to >10 000%, respectively. The hydrophobic polymer networks inside the ionogel endow this ionogel with excellent stability, adhesion, and self‐healing ability underwater. The ionic conductivity imparted by the free ionic groups inside the ionogel allows the ionogel to detect and transmit physiological electrical signals. Compared with commercial gel electrodes, this ionogel electrode demonstrates better adhesion ability, conductivity, and stability underwater. The ionogel electrode can collect real‐time ECG signals effectively both in the air and underwater, and the data can be used to warn users of the potential risk of a heart attack. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This study investigated the impact of semantic relevance on the ability to comprehend the appearance and function of a product, as presented in images. Methods: The images used the constructs of Simile, Metaphor and Analogy to correspond to congruent, related and incongruent semantic structures, and measured the amplitude of Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) to compare these images with Landscape images. Sixteen participants with design-related educational backgrounds were invited to join in the ERP experiment. Results: The results found that the image depicting the Metaphor showed a stronger N600 amplitude in the right anterior region of the brain than the Landscape image and the Analogy image induced a stronger N600 effect in the left anterior and right anterior part of the brain than the Landscape image. However, the Simile image did not trigger the N600. The N600 was triggered when the meaning of the Metaphor and Analogy being presented could not be understood. This indicates that a greater processing effort to comprehend them than was required for Simile. Analogy has a wider N600 distribution than Metaphor in the anterior area, suggesting that Analogy would require higher-level thinking processes and more complex semantic processing mechanisms than Metaphor. Conclusions: The N600 implicated that an assessment method to detect the semantic relationship between appearance and function of a product would assist in determining whether a symbol was suitable to be associated with a product. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To measure the heart rate of unrestrained sea turtles, it has been believed that a probe must be inserted inside the body owing to the presence of the shell. However, inserting the probe is invasive and difficult to apply to animals in the field. Here, we have developed a non-invasive heart rate measurement method for some species of sea turtles. In our approach, an electrocardiogram (ECG) was performed using an animal-borne ECG recorder and two electrodes--which were electrically insulated from seawater--pasted on the carapace. Based on the measured ECG, the heartbeat signals were identified with an algorithm using a band-pass filter. We implemented this algorithm in a user-friendly program package, ECGtoHR. In experiments conducted in a water tank and in a lagoon, we successfully measured the heart rate of loggerhead, olive ridley and black turtles, but not green and hawksbill turtles. The average heart rate of turtles when resting underwater was 6.2 ± 1.9 beats min-1 and that when moving at the surface was 14.0 ± 2.4 beats min-1. Our approach is particularly suitable for endangered species such as sea turtles, and has the potential to be extended to a variety of other free-ranging species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ratiometric genetically encoded calcium indicators (GECIs) record neural activity with high brightness while mitigating motion-induced artifacts. Recently developed ratiometric GECIs primarily employ cyan and yellow-fluorescent fluorescence resonance energy transfer pairs, and thus fall short in some applications that require deep tissue penetration and resistance to photobleaching. We engineered a set of green-red ratiometric calcium sensors that fused two fluorescent proteins and calcium sensing domain within an alternate configuration. The best performing elements of this palette of sensors, Twitch-GR and Twitch-NR, inherited the superior photophysical properties of their constituent fluorescent proteins. These properties enabled our sensors to outperform existing ratiometric calcium sensors in brightness and photobleaching metrics. In turn, the shot-noise limited signal fidelity of our sensors when reporting action potentials in cultured neurons and in the awake behaving mice was higher than the fidelity of existing sensors. Our sensor enabled a regime of imaging that simultaneously captured neural structure and function down to the deep layers of the mouse cortex. Zhang, Redington & Gong develop FRET-based ratiometric calcium sensors with pairs of green and red fluorescent proteins. Their best performers, Twitch-GR and Twitch-NR inherit the superior photophysical properties of their constituent fluorescent proteins, enabling them to outperform existing ratiometric calcium sensors in brightness, photobleaching, and signal fidelity metrics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Autonomic dysregulation in preterm infants requires continuous monitoring of vital signs such as heart rate over days to months. Unfortunately, common surface electrodes are prone to electrocardiography (ECG) signal artifacts and cause serious skin irritations during long-term use. In contrast, esophageal ECG is known to be very sensitive due to the proximity of electrodes and heart and insensitive to external influences. This study addresses if multichannel esophageal ECG qualifies for heart rate monitoring in preterm infants. Methods: We recorded esophageal leads with a multi-electrode gastric feeding tube in a clinical study with 13 neonates and compared the heartbeat detection performance with standard surface leads. A computationally simple and versatile ECG wave detection algorithm was used. Results: Multichannel esophageal ECG manifested heartbeat sensitivity and positive predictive value greater than 98.5% and significant less false negative (FN) ECG waves as compared to surface ECG due to site-typical electrode motion artifacts. False positive bradycardia as indicated with more than 13 consecutive FN ECG waves was equally expectable in esophageal and surface channels. No adverse events were reported for the multi-electrode gastric feeding tube. Conclusion: Heart rate monitoring of preterm infants with multiple esophageal electrodes is considered as feasible and reliable. Less signal artifacts will improve the detection of bradycardia, which is crucial for immediate interventions, and reduce alarm fatigue. Significance: Due to the possibility to integrate the multichannel ECG into a gastric feeding tube and meanwhile omit harmful skin electrodes, the presented system has great potential to facilitate future intensive care of preterm infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Innovative electro-biotechnology of plant–microbial fuel cell involves the use of electrodes for the collection of bioelectricity produced by soil rhizosphere microorganisms, utilizing products of photosynthesis and plant residues compounds. The performance of plant–microbial electro-biosystem is highly dependent on the electrode materials and their configurations. Various materials as electrodes for electro-biosystems were analyzed, conducting experiments in laboratory with indoor plants and in situ with forest and garden plants. Graphite wastes of electric transport as cathodes and perforated zinc-galvanized steel plates as anodes were selected as electrodes for plant–microbial fuel cell due to their electro-efficiency, low cost and sustainability in environment. To design multi-electrode system, electrodes were connected each other by copper wires into cathode and anode system. The use of graphite wastes and polyvinyl chloride-insulated copper wires promoted reduction of the cost of electro-biotechnology. Multi-electrode plant–microbial fuel cells with 12 anodes and 11 cathodes with Caltha palustris plants at 10 Ω produced current of 40.98 mA that is 10.1 times more than mono-electrode plant–microbial fuel cells. The parallel connection of two multi-electrode electro-biosystems was resulted in 2.1-fold increase in current compared to the current generated by the one multi-electrode electro-biosystem. The serial connection of three multi-electrode plant–microbial fuel cells was led to an increase in the bioelectric potential in 2.9 times; at the same time, their parallel connection did not increase voltage. Variations of parallel–serial connections of several multi-electrode plant–microbial fuel cells as energy subunits into one complex multi-electro-biosystem were appeared the way to maximize the receiving of plant–microbial bioelectricity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predictive coding models can simulate known perceptual or neuronal phenomena, but there have been fewer attempts to identify a reliable neural signature of predictive coding for complex stimuli. In a pair of studies, we test whether the N300 component of the event-related potential, occurring 250-350-ms poststimulus-onset, has the response properties expected for such a signature of perceptual hypothesis testing at the level of whole objects and scenes. We show that N300 amplitudes are smaller to representative ("good exemplars") compared with less representative ("bad exemplars") items from natural scene categories. Integrating these results with patterns observed for objects, we establish that, across a variety of visual stimuli, the N300 is responsive to statistical regularity, or the degree to which the input is "expected" (either explicitly or implicitly) based on prior knowledge, with statistically regular images evoking a reduced response. Moreover, we show that the measure exhibits context-dependency; that is, we find the N300 sensitivity to category representativeness when stimuli are congruent with, but not when they are incongruent with, a category pre-cue. Thus, we argue that the N300 is the best candidate to date for an index of perceptual hypotheses testing for complex visual objects and scenes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluating the effectiveness of different bone conduction (BC) transducers with controlled coupling force to elicit cervical and ocular vestibular evoked myogenic potentials (cVEMPs, oVEMPs) in healthy subjects by comparing response rates, amplitudes, latencies, thresholds and asymmetry ratios. Prospective experimental study including healthy participants. VEMPs were measured to different stimulation modes; the BC transducer coupling force was controlled to 5.4 (± 0.5) Newton. cVEMPs: to bone conducted vibration (BCV) with the B81 transducer on the mastoid; oVEMPs: to BCV with the B81 on the mastoid, BCV with the B81 on the forehead, and BCV with the Mini-Shaker 4810 on the forehead. Air conducted sound (ACS) with insert earphones was used as reference. Data of 24 normal subjects (mean age 25.3 (± 3.0) years) were analyzed. ACS and BCV with the B81on the mastoid evoked cVEMPs in 100% of ears. The highest oVEMP response rates were obtained with the B81 on the mastoid (83–92%), the lowest with the B81 on the forehead (17–22%). The Mini-Shaker elicited lower response rates (65%) compared to results from the literature without coupling force control and compared to ACS (78–87%). Amplitudes were higher for BCV than ACS. ACS and BCV on the mastoid caused higher asymmetry compared to BCV forehead stimulation. The B81 was feasible to elicit VEMPs with mastoid placement and can be used as an approved medical device to measure BCV VEMPs in a clinical set-up. Normative asymmetry values have to be established due to higher variability for mastoid stimulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study developed a smart cane with remote electrocardiogram (ECG) and fall detection. The cane comprises a self-developed ECG detection circuit, fall detection module composed of a three-axis gyroscope and three-axis accelerator, and two wireless transmission modules. The data reception end features a human–machine interface with self-developed ECG analysis and fall detection programs, providing reference data for identifying an abnormal situation. The hardware of the proposed system is divided into two parts. First, ECG detection is achieved using a copper column-shaped detector in place of conventional ECG electrodes. The self-developed sensor circuit amplifies the collected signals and filters unwanted noise to generate complete ECG signals. An Arduino MEGA microcontroller board and the two wireless transmission modules then transmit the signals to the human–machine interface. Second, fall detection is achieved using the aforementioned fall detection module to collect numerical data, which are then transmitted to the human–machine interface through the Arduino MEGA and wireless transmission modules. The proposed system can be applied to real-time monitoring and provide reference data for health care professionals and nursing personnel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The electrogenic properties of plant–microbial fuel cells (P-MFCs) assembled into a battery are studied. The operation of a single cell is studied experimentally in comparison with parallel and series connections of cells, which are two options for connection in an electrical circuit. A potential difference of ~70 mV, which gradually vanishes, is registered in a P-MFC that does not include a plant organism. We hypothesize that the root system, with involvement of electrogenic chemoorganotrophic microorganisms, gives rise to diffusional electromotive force. We show that in series connection of three fuel cells the bioelectric potential generated by an individual cell, which is 170 mV, increases only by a factor of 1.5. In parallel connection of three cells, the current produced under a load increases, but also only by a factor of 1.5, and this takes place at later developmental stages of the plants, which is presumably caused by triggering certain compensatory mechanisms that diminish the electrogenic properties of the plants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper concerns influence of water distribution on the bioelectric potential in the soil–plant system. Two methods for measuring bioelectric potentials (BEPs) of plants have been compared, namely an invasive installation of needle electrodes (a) and a noninvasive method of providing contact due to root intergrowth through a metal grid (b). It has been shown that needle electrode installation into plant tissue leads to a decrease in the biopotential difference from 70 mV to a noise level within ~ 30 minutes; in fact, this means measuring the potentials generated by the plant organism due to the stress caused by the damage. On the contrary, noninvasive electrode installation provides long-term measurements for months and even longer. A specific system is suggested for automated electrophytogram based on the noninvasive method. It allows one long-term measurement of the plant electrophysiological signal directly under normal living conditions for the rhizosphere; it indicates the current functional state of a plant. An equivalent BEP measurement scheme has been proposed accounting for both electrical properties of the plant and root–inhabited medium. BEPs have been measured under conditions of varying water content in the root zone and water movement along and against the root growth direction. The biopotential is constant on average and fluctuates stochastically in the range from 245 to 275 mV at 60–70% of the total water capacity of the soil substrate. The bioelectric potential decreases almost twice when the soil dries. It is restored after irrigation and the restoration delay time increases with increasing water-deficit period. A model is proposed describing the effects in the system during a water-deficiency regime and irrigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) with polypyrrole (Ppy) attachment were selected to play the role of supporter to accommodate hemoglobin (Hb). Metalloprotein-based electrode was prepared on the basis of MWCNTs-Ppy nano-complex with hemoglobin entrapment via conventional wet-coating. Morphology, formation parameters and physio-chemical characteristics of nano-complex with hemoglobin detainment were systematically characterized and analyzed by microscopy, spectrometry and electro-chemistry. Results from measurements and tests implied that the direct electron transferring of Hb-based electrode could be achieved with redox group in Ppy as primary electro-active site and heme sites of Hb in coordination with Ppy as intra-molecular relay. Redox process for heme site of Hb in ligation with Ppy should be attributed to a surface-controlling quasi-reversible electro-chemical reaction with 2 H+ and 2 electron involvement. Such abutting complexation would not impose considerable negative effect on the kinetics of substrate (H2O2) combination and subsequent its transformation. The efficiency of Hb-induced catalysis was limited by the step of substrate diffusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous multi-channel monitoring of biopotential signals is vital in understanding the body as a whole, facilitating accurate models and predictions in neural research. The current state of the art in wireless technologies for untethered biopotential recordings rely on radiative electromagnetic (EM) fields. In such transmissions, only a small fraction of this energy is received since the EM fields are widely radiated resulting in lossy inefficient systems. Using the body as a communication medium (similar to a 'wire') allows for the containment of the energy within the body, yielding order(s) of magnitude lower energy than radiative EM communication. In this work, we introduce Animal Body Communication (ABC), which utilizes the concept of using the body as a medium into the domain of untethered animal biopotential recording. This work, for the first time, develops the theory and models for animal body communication circuitry and channel loss. Using this theoretical model, a sub-inch 3 [1″ × 1″ × 0.4″], custom-designed sensor node is built using off the shelf components which is capable of sensing and transmitting biopotential signals, through the body of the rat at significantly lower powers compared to traditional wireless transmissions. In-vivo experimental analysis proves that ABC successfully transmits acquired electrocardiogram (EKG) signals through the body with correlation > 99 % when compared to traditional wireless communication modalities, with a 50 × reduction in power consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A wearable armband electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor has been used for daily life monitoring. The armband records three ECG channels, one electromyogram (EMG) channel, and tri-axial accelerometer signals. Contrary to conventional Holter monitors, the armband-based ECG device is convenient for long-term daily life monitoring because it uses no obstructive leads and has dry electrodes (no hydrogels), which do not cause skin irritation even after a few days. Principal component analysis (PCA) and normalized least mean squares (NLMS) adaptive filtering were used to reduce the EMG noise from the ECG channels. An artifact detector and an optimal channel selector were developed based on a support vector machine (SVM) classifier with a radial basis function (RBF) kernel using features that are related to the ECG signal quality. Mean HR was estimated from the 24-hour armband recordings from 16 volunteers in segments of 10 seconds each. In addition, four classical HR variability (HRV) parameters (SDNN, RMSSD, and powers at low and high frequency bands) were computed. For comparison purposes, the same parameters were estimated also for data from a commercial Holter monitor. The armband provided usable data (difference less than 10% from Holter-estimated mean HR) during 75.25%/11.02% (inter-subject median/interquartile range) of segments when the user was not in bed, and during 98.49%/0.79% of the bed segments. The automatic artifact detector found 53.85%/17.09% of the data to be usable during the non-bed time, and 95.00%/2.35% to be usable during the time in bed. The HRV analysis obtained a relative error with respect to the Holter data not higher than 1.37% (inter-subject median/interquartile range). Although further studies have to be conducted for specific applications, results suggest that the armband device has a good potential for daily life HR monitoring, especially for applications such as arrhythmia or seizure detection, stress assessment, or sleep studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The acquisition of biopotentials can be seen as a very important practice in the search for understanding about biological systems. Recent advances in biopotential analysis, such as electroencephalography (EEG) signals, allow to construct new brain machine interfaces (BMI), capable of offering alternative solutions for disabled individuals. Once it is possible to identify some brainwave patterns, such as an individual blinking or with eyes closed, this study proposes to acquire EEG signals of individuals in these two situations, using a digital signal processor and a firmware, for their processing and analysis. Therefore, the measurements were carried out using a OpenBCI™ Ganglion GS board. The software performs digital filtering of the accquired data, and analyzes them in the time and frequency domains. This analysis enables the identification of brainwave patterns associated with eye movement. From these results, future work might apply the solutions in acquisition of EEG signals and BMIs, using neural networks such as extreme learning machines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding how a network of interconnected neurons receives, stores, and processes information in the human brain is one of the outstanding scientific challenges of our time. The ability to reliably detect neuroelectric activities is essential to addressing this challenge. Optical recording using voltage-sensitive fluorescent probes has provided unprecedented flexibility for choosing regions of interest in recording neuronal activities. However, when recording at a high frame rate such as 500 to 1,000 Hz, fluorescence-based voltage sensors often suffer from photobleaching and phototoxicity, which limit the recording duration. Here, we report an approach called electrochromic optical recording (ECORE) that achieves label-free optical recording of spontaneous neuroelectrical activities. ECORE utilizes the electrochromism of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT:PSS) thin films, whose optical absorption can be modulated by an applied voltage. Being based on optical reflection instead of fluorescence, ECORE offers the flexibility of an optical probe without suffering from photobleaching or phototoxicity. Using ECORE, we optically recorded spontaneous action potentials in cardiomyocytes, cultured hippocampal and dorsal root ganglion neurons, and brain slices. With minimal perturbation to cells, ECORE allows long-term optical recording over multiple days. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The development of wearable health monitoring systems is garnering tremendous interest in research, technology and commercial applications. Their ability of providing unique capabilities in continuous, real-time, and non-invasive tracking of the physiological markers of users can provide insights into the performance and health of individuals. Electrocardiogram (ECG) signals are of particular interest, as cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death globally. Monitoring heart health and its conditions such as ventricular disturbances and arrhythmias can be achieved through evaluating various features of ECG such as R-peaks, QRS complex, T-wave, and P-wave. Despite recent advances in biosensors for wearable applications, most of the currently available solutions rely solely on a single system attached to the body, limiting the ability to obtain reliable and multi-location biosignals. However, in engineering systems, sensor fusion, which is the optimal integration and processing of data from multiple sensors, has been a common theme and should be considered for wearables. In recent years, due to an increase in the availability and variety of different types of sensors, the possibility of achieving sensor fusion in wearable systems has become more attainable. Sensor fusion in multi-sensing systems results in significant enhancements of information inferences compared to those from systems with a sole sensor. One step towards the development of sensor fusion for wearable health monitoring systems is the accessibility to multiple reliable electrophysiological signals, which can be recorded continuously.Results: In this paper, we develop a textile-based multichannel ECG band that has the ability to measure ECG from multiple locations on the waist. As a proof of concept, we demonstrate that ECG signals can be reliably obtained from different locations on the waist where the shape of the QRS complex is nearly comparable with recordings from the chest using traditional gel electrodes. In addition, we develop a probabilistic approach-based on prediction and update strategies-to detect R-peaks from noisy textile data in different statuses, including sitting, standing, and jogging. In this approach, an optimal search method is utilized to detect R-peaks based on the history of the intervals between previously detected R-peaks. We show that the performance of our probabilistic approach in R-peak detection is significantly better than that based on Pan-Tompkins and optimal-threshold methods.Conclusion: A textile-based multichannel ECG band was developed to track the heart rate changes from multiple locations on the waist. We demonstrated that (i) the ECG signal can be detected from different locations on the waist, and (ii) the accuracy of the detected R-peaks from textile sensors was improved by using our proposed probabilistic approach. Despite the limitations of the textile sensors that might compromise the quality of ECG signals, we anticipate that the textile-based multichannel ECG band can be considered as an effective wearable system to facilitate the development of sensor fusion methodology for pervasive and non-invasive health monitoring through continuous tracking of heart rate variability (HRV) from the waist. In addition, from the commercialization point of view, we anticipate that the developed band has the potential to be integrated into garments such as underwear, bras or pants so that individuals can use it on a daily basis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Insomnia is a disorder to start, maintain, and wake up from sleep, has many sufferers in the world. For patients in remote locations who suffer from insomnia, which requires testing, the gold standard performed requires patients to take the time and travel to the health care center. By making alternatives to remote sleep insomnia testing using electrocardiography and electromyography connected to the internet of things can solve the problem of patients' access to treatment. Delivery of patient data to the server is done to make observations from the visualization of patient data in real-time. Furthermore, using artificial neural networks was used to classify EMG, ECG, and combine patient data to determine patients who have Insomnia get resulted in patient classification errors around 0.2% to 2.7%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The maturation of brain structures and their connections and the improvement of verbal skills are the two key processes forming the central mechanisms of verbal activity; it is almost impossible to evaluate their separate contributions. Apart from age, gender has a significant effect on the structural and functional characteristics of the brain and cognitive activity. Despite the fact that the influence of gender is less pronounced than that of age, it cannot be ignored. We studied the effect of age and gender characteristics of the neurophysiological mechanisms of perception of oral and written texts on the spatial organization of brain bioelectric potentials. Spatial synchronization of brain bioelectric potentials (SSBP) was evaluated in 143 subjects (children aged 8–11 years, adolescents aged 12–14 years and 15–17 years, and adults) based on the changes in the integral indicator "volume" of 20 EEG vectors and the degree of connections of EEG signals. It was found that there was a gradual increase in the spatial synchronization of brain bioelectric potentials with age, both during quiet wakefulness and verbal activity, while the level of SSBP in all age groups during verbal task performance was lower than in the background state. In adolescents, gender-related differences included the changes in the levels of SSBP during verbal activity (for oral perception, at the age of 12 years; for reading, at the age of 15 years). Males and females had different trajectories of the formation of distant EEG connections, which had zonal specificity for the studied types of verbal activity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study describes the relationship of the chronophysiological organization of the lateral teeth occlusion and the parameters of the chewing unit of the human dentofacial system (bioelectric potentials, the force of the masticatory muscles, masticatory efficiency) which should be considered in modeling of prosthesis occlusal surfaces.Materials and Methods: Examination of 200 respondents with a "day" chronotype, with Angle class I bilateral occlusion at the age of 18-35 years was conducted daily for 3 days. From 8.00 to 20.00, every 4 hours, the amplitude of the electromyography, the jaw muscles' force, the masticatory efficiency, the area of the occlusal contacts, and the near-contact zones were determined.Results: The activity of the masticatory muscles increased during the period from 12.00 to 16.00, which coincided with the escalation of the masticatory efficiency and of the occlusal contacts area. The relationship between the occlusal surfaces' relief and masticatory efficiency is described by two types of occlusal surfaces' topography - smoothed and pronounced, differing by the ratio of the areas of the occlusal contacts and the near-contact zones in 0.25- and 1-mm wide.Conclusion: The modeling of the occlusal surface of the permanent prosthetic restorations for patients with the "day" chronotype should be carried out with the area values of occlusal contacts and near-contact zones corresponding to the period of masticatory muscles activity from 12.00 to 16.00 and in accordance with the characteristic type of the occlusal surfaces' relief. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The examination of the fetal heart in mid-pregnancy is by ultrasound examination. The quality of the examination is highly dependent on the skill of the sonographer, fetal position and maternal body mass index. An additional tool that is less dependent on human experience and interpretation is desirable. The fetal electrocardiogram (ECG) could fulfill this purpose. We aimed to show the feasibility of recording a standardized fetal ECG in mid-pregnancy and explored its possibility to detect congenital heart disease (CHD). Materials and methods: Women older than 18 years of age with an uneventful pregnancy, carrying a healthy singleton fetus with a gestational age between 18 and 24 weeks were included. A fetal ECG was performed via electrodes on the maternal abdomen. After removal of interferences, a vectorcardiogram was constructed. Based on the ultrasound assessment of the fetal orientation, the vectorcardiogram was rotated to standardize for fetal orientation and converted into a 12-lead ECG. Median ECG waveforms for each lead were calculated. Results: 328 fetal ECGs were recorded. 281 were available for analysis. The calculated median ECG waveform showed the electrical heart axis oriented to the right and inferiorly i.e. a negative QRS deflection in lead I and a positive deflection in lead aVF. The two CHD cases show ECG abnormalities when compared to the mean ECG of the healthy cohort. Discussion: We have presented a method for estimating a standardized 12-lead fetal ECG. In mid-pregnancy, the median electrical heart axis is right inferiorly oriented in healthy fetuses. Future research should focus on fetuses with congenital heart disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to demonstrate the applicability of three dimensional-carbon-nanotubes (3D-CNT) micro-electrode array for electrocardiogram (ECG) study on the premier vertebrate model zebrafish. The small-feature size and vectorial array of 3D-CNT micro-electrodes were designed to detect ECG signals with high spatial resolution. With 30 μm–85 μm spacing between electrodes, it enables to detect the directionality of the ECG signals, the change of the characteristic ECG wave-forms at different locations of an adult zebrafish heart. Besides, the preliminary drug response tests using 3D-CNT micro-electrode were also carried out, which validated the capability of real-time observation on drug-induced ECG signal changes. The 3D-CNT micro-electrode array is thus feasible for ECG research and cardiac drug screenings, and holds high potential for studying bioelectric signals of other living organisms in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]