Prevention of muscle disuse atrophy by low-frequency electrical stimulation in rats

When muscles lose neural drive, they atrophy rapidly. Neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMS) has been used in attempts to prevent or reverse the atrophy, but optimal stimulation programs and parameters are not well defined. In this study, we investigated the effects of four different stimulation patterns on disuse atrophy produced in the tibialis anterior, lateral gastrocnemius, and soleus muscles of rats paralyzed with tetrodotoxin for seven days. Stimulation paradigms differed from one another by their stimulation frequency (2 or 10 pulses/s) and by their stimulation period (2 or 10 h a day). Results showed that stimulation with 2 pulses/s, paradigms were more effective at preventing disuse muscle atrophy than higher-frequency stimulation. The most marked difference was in the slow soleus muscle, which had only 10% mean atrophy when stimulated at 2 pulses/s for 10 h, compared to 26% atrophy when stimulated at 10 pulses/s for either 2 or 10 h and 32% atrophy in unstimulated, paralyzed controls. The level of atrophic change was not correlated with the levels of serum creatine kinase, used as an index of muscle damage. Results suggest that remediation of disuse atrophy may be accomplished using unphysiologically low rates of motor-unit activation despite the relatively low force produced by such unfused contractions. This may have significant implications for the design of therapies for muscle paralysis consequent to upper-motoneuron lesions.     

The effect of random modulation of functional electrical stimulation parameters on muscle fatigue.

Muscle contractions induced by functional electrical stimulation (FES) tend to result in rapid muscle fatigue, which greatly limits activities such as FES-assisted standing and walking. It was hypothesized that muscle fatigue caused by FES could be reduced by randomly modulating parameters of the electrical stimulus. Seven paraplegic subjects participated in this study. While subjects were seated, FES was applied to quadriceps and tibialis anterior muscles bilaterally using surface electrodes. The isometric force was measured, and the time for the force to drop by 3 dB (fatigue time) and the normalized force-time integral (FTI) were determined. Four different modes of FES were applied in random order: constant stimulation, randomized frequency (mean 40 Hz), randomized current amplitude, and randomized pulsewidth (mean 250 micros). In randomized trials, stimulation parameters were stochastically modulated every 100 ms in a range of +/-15% using a uniform probability distribution. There was no significant difference between the fatigue time measurements for the four modes of stimulation. There was also no significant difference in the FTI measurements. Therefore, our particular method of stochastic modulation of the stimulation parameters, which involved moderate (15%) variations updated every 100 ms and centered around 40 Hz, appeared to have no effect on muscle fatigue. There was a strong correlation between maximum force measurements and stimulation order, which was not apparent in the fatigue time or FTI measurements. It was concluded that a 10-min rest period between stimulation trials was insufficient to allow full recovery of muscle strength.     

Variable patterned pudendal nerve stimuli improves reflex bladder activation.

We evaluated variable patterns of pudendal nerve (PN) stimuli for reflex bladder excitation. Reflex activation of the bladder has been demonstrated previously with 20-33 Hz continuous stimulation of PN afferents. Neuronal circuits accessed by afferent mediated pathways may respond better to physiological patterned stimuli than continuous stimulation. Unilateral PN nerve cuffs were placed in neurologically intact male cats. PN stimulation (0.5-100 Hz) was performed under isovolumetric conditions at bladder volumes up to the occurrence of distension evoked reflex contractions. Stimulus evoked reflex bladder contractions were elicited in eight cats. Across all experiments, bursting of 2-10 pulses at 100-200 Hz repeated at continuous stimulation frequencies evoked significantly larger bladder responses than continuous (single pulse) stimulation (52.0+/-44.5%). Bladder excitation was also effective at 1 Hz continuous stimuli, which is lower than typically reported. Variable patterned pulse bursting resulted in greater evoked reflex bladder pressures and increased the potential stimulation parameter space for effective bladder excitation. Improved bladder excitation should increase the efficacy of neuroprostheses for bladder control.     

A phase-correlated duo-binary waveform generation technique for millimeter-wave radar pulses

We propose a technique for generating millimeter-wave radar waveforms using edge-triggered pulse generator circuits. By synchronizing the chip rate to the oscillation frequency of a binary control signal, a phase shift is introduced in the generated pulses. This way, the millimeter-wave signal can be phase-modulated without the need of additional circuit elements. We show that high-resolution radar waveforms with low range side lobes can be generated with this technique. Using brute-force optimization, we evaluate all possible sequences up to a sequence length of 25 chips and identify optimal waveforms for each length. Optimal sequences with the energy centered at zero delay and side lobes not exceeding unity are presented. The optimized waveforms are measured and verified using an in-house resonant tunneling diode (RTD) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET) pulse generator. The matched filter response of the optimal waveforms is reproduced closely in the measurements. The results enable increased sensitivity in radar systems using coherent millimeter-wave pulse generators for low power applications, as for instance, radar gesture recognition in handheld devices. Using pulsed millimeter-wave radar systems with low duty cycles, continuously running oscillators can be avoided and systems with ultra-low power consumption are possible.     

Auto-correlation function of PD pulses under electrical treeingdegradation

Pulse correlation in PD signals was analyzed with auto-correlation function of PD pulses occurring in tree channels at 50 Hz ac voltage application as well as PD pulses occurring in several simple model electrodes. It was clarified that the auto-correlation function of PD pulse trains was strongly affected by void shape including tree length. It was found that even simple model electrodes, which showed very similar φ-q distribution patterns to those of tree channels, had different auto-correlation functions from those of PD pulse trains of tree channels. The results suggest that the auto-correlation function may give additional information about the PD mechanism to that given by the φ-q distribution patterns     

Electrical stimulation of the paralyzed orbicularis oculi in rabbit.

Dysfunction of the seventh cranial nerve often results in facial paralysis and loss of the ability to blink the eye, which can lead to corneal scarring, diminished vision, and potential loss of the eye. This study investigated the potential of electrical stimulation of the orbicularis oculi muscle as a means of restoring blink function. An animal model of orbicularis paralysis was created by sectioning the seventh cranial nerve in rabbit. Twenty paralyzed and five normal rabbits were acutely implanted with a subcutaneous stimulating electrode near the margin of the upper eyelid. Biphasic current controlled stimulation pulses were delivered between implanted contacts at the medial and lateral edges of the eyelid. Strength-duration curves for lid twitch threshold were generated, and quantitative measurements of lid closure were made for systematically varied parameters including pulse amplitude, pulse width, number of pulses delivered, and duration of paralysis prior to stimulation. Normal rabbits achieved a greater degree of lid closure due to electrical stimulation than rabbits that had been surgically paralyzed. Of rabbits that had been paralyzed, those demonstrating evidence of at least partial reinnervation achieved a greater degree of lid closure than those demonstrating persistent denervation. Trains of 10 ms biphasic pulses delivered at 50 Hz were found to be the most effective means of eliciting lid closure for the range of parameters tested.     

Test bed with force-measuring crank for static and dynamicinvestigations on cycling by means of functional electrical stimulation

Cycling by means of functional electrical stimulation (FES) is an attractive training method for individuals with paraplegia. The physiological benefits of FES are combined with the psychological incentive of independent locomotion. In addition, cycling has the advantage in that the generated muscle forces are converted into drive power with relatively high efficiency compared to other means of locomotion, e.g., walking. For the design of an appropriate cycling device and the development of optimal stimulation patterns, it has to be investigated how the geometry for FES cycling, influenced by individual parameters of the FES-generated drive torques and the magnitude of variations among subjects with paraplegia, can be optimized. This study shows the design of a freely adjustable test bed with additional motor drive which allows static and dynamic measurements of force components and drive torque at the crank. Furthermore, the influence of geometry and various individual parameters on FES pedaling can be tested for each subject individually. A pedal path realized by a three-bar linkage that was optimized according to preliminary simulations further increases leg cycling efficiency. Safety precautions avoid injuries in case of excessive forces, e.g., spasms. Test results illustrate the application of the test bed and measurement routines. A test series with four paraplegic test persons showed that the presented static and dynamic measurement routines allow to provide optimal stimulation patterns for individual paraplegic subjects. While pedaling with these optimal stimulation patterns only negligible negative active drive torques, due to active muscle forces, were applied to the crank and sufficient drive power was generated to power a cycle independently     

A predictive fatigue model. I. Predicting the effect of stimulation frequency and pattern on fatigue

Previously we developed a mathematical force- and fatigue-model system that could predict fatigue produced by a wide range of frequencies and pulse patterns. However, the models tended to overestimate the forces produced by higher frequency trains. This paper presents modifications to our previously developed force- and fatigue-model system to improve the accuracy in predicting forces during repetitive activation of human skeletal muscle. By comparing the predictions produced by the modified force and fatigue models to those by our previous models, the modification appears to be successful. The current force- and fatigue-model system accounts for about 93% variance in experimental data produced by fatigue protocols consisting of trains with a wide range of frequencies and pulse patterns. In addition, the present models successfully predict the effect of stimulation frequency and pulse pattern on muscle fatigue. The success of our current force- and fatigue-model system suggests its potential use in helping to identify the optimal activation pattern to use during the clinical application of functional electrical stimulation.     

Pulsed magnetization transfer for imaging and spectroscopic applications on whole-body imagers

Magnetization transfer contrast is a tool to obtain additional information on tissue using standard whole-body magnetic resonance (MR) units without any hardware extension. Short hard pulse sequences with a total duration of about 1 ms can provide selective saturation of protons with very short relaxation timesT ₂ of 1–10 µs. Comparatively high amplitude of the radio-frequency field is advantageous; on the other hand, this amplitude is limited for whole-body units. The presented approach to achieve adapted hard pulse sequences is mainly based on maximum RF amplitudes corresponding with pulse angles per millisecond of 360 °, or 720°. The pulse sequences must not influence the magnetization of free protons with longer relaxation timesT ₂>10 ms in a frequency range that depends on the circumstances of the application. This frequency range has to be markedly broader for imaging techniques than for localized spectroscopy. The number of pulses, the pulse durations and pulse angles, and the interpulse delays were systematically varied. The time intervals between repetitions of the hard pulse sequences in order to obtain stronger magnetization transfer contrast were also optimized experimentally for human skeletal muscle and brain.Additional reprints of this chapter may be obtained from the Reprints Department, Chapman & Hall, One Penn Plaza, New York, NY 10119.     

Analysis of muscle coordination strategies in cycling.

The functional significance of the stereotypical muscle activation patterns used in skilled multi-joint tasks is not well understood. Optimization methods could provide insight into the functional significance of muscle coordination. The purpose of this study was to predict muscle force patterns during cycling by pushing and pulling the pedal using different optimization criteria and compare the predictions with electromyographic (EMG) patterns. To address the purpose of the study, 1) the contribution of muscle length and velocity changes to EMG-muscle force relationships during cycling was examined by comparing joint moments calculated from EMG and inverse dynamics, 2) patterns of individual muscle forces during cycling of five subjects were predicted using 13 different optimization criteria, and 3) the properties of the criterion with the best performance in predicting the normalized EMG were used to explain the features and functional significance of muscle coordination in cycling. It was shown that the criterion that minimizes the sum of muscle stresses cubed demonstrated the best performance in predicting the relative magnitude and patterns of muscle activation. Based on this criterion, it was suggested that the functional significance of muscle coordination strategy in cycling may be minimization of fatigue and/or perceived effort.     

基于随机奇异值分解的局部放电脉冲提取及去噪技术

针对低信噪比下局部放电信号易漏检与传统奇异值分解算法在进行局放脉冲提取时计算量大的问题,提出一种基于随机奇异值分解的局部放电脉冲提取及去噪方法。该方法能有效提取局放脉冲及去除白噪声,且相较于传统SVD脉冲提取计算所需时间更短,更具工程实用价值。首先,利用滑动短时数据窗截取原始局放信号片段,采用随机奇异值分解法计算最大奇异值,并与全局最优奇异值阈值进行比较,确定脉冲信号的起止点;然后,利用奇异值分解法结合局部最优奇异值阈值,去除提取信号的白噪声。通过对典型局放模拟脉冲进行实验,验证了该算法在脉冲提取时的执行效率优越性。在工频电压下对实验室模拟电缆缺陷进行局放测试,分别采用所提方法、离散小波变换及自适应双阈值方法进行对比性实验,结果表明,所提方法局放信号漏检率低,去噪效果好。     

The role of neuromuscular properties in determining the end-point of a movement

How does the activation of several muscles combine to produce reliable multijoint movements? To study this question, we stimulated up to six sites in muscles, nerves, and the spinal cord. Flexion and extension of the hip, knee, and ankle were elicited in anesthetized and decerebrate cats. The movements occurred largely in the sagittal plane against a constant spring load and covered most of the passive range of motion of the cat's limb. The movements of the end-point (foot) were compared with predictions based on vectorial summation of end-point movements elicited by stimulating single electrodes. The lengths of the movements produced by stimulating more than one site exceeded what was expected from linear summation for small movements (<3 cm) and showed a less than linear summation for large movements (>11 cm). The data were compared with muscle and limb models. Since the deviations from linearity were predictable as a function of distance, adjustments might easily be learned by trial and error. The summation was less complete for spinal stimulation, compared to nerve and muscle stimulation, so spinal circuits do not appear to compensate for the nonlinearities. Movements were elicited from positions of the limb not only in a neutral position, but also in front and behind the neutral position. A degree of convergence was seen, even with stimulation of some individual muscles, but the convergence increased as more muscles were stimulated and more joints were actively involved. This suggests that convergence to an equilibrium-point arises at least partly from muscle properties. In conclusion, there are deviations from linear vectorial summation, and these deviations increase when more muscles are stimulated. The convergence to an equilibrium-point may simplify the computations needed to produce movements involving many muscles.     

Dynamic simulation of FES-cycling: influence of individual parameters

Cycling by means of functional electrical simulation (FES) is an attractive training method for spinal cord injured (SCI) subjects. FES-cycling performance is influenced by a number of parameters like seating position, physiological parameters, conditions of surface stimulation, and pedaling rate. The objective of this paper was the determination of the influence of the most important parameters on optimal muscle stimulation patterns and power output of FES-cycling on a noncircular pedal path. The rider-cycle system was modeled as a planar articulated rigid body linkage on which the muscle forces are applied via joint moments and implemented into a forward dynamic simulation of FES-cycling. For model validation, the generated drive torques that are predicted by the simulation were compared to measurements with an individual paraplegic subject. Then, a sensitivity analysis was carried out to determine the influences of the most important parameters for surface stimulation of gluteus maximus, quadriceps, hamstrings, and peroneus reflex. The results show how optimal stimulation patterns and the expected mean active power output can be estimated based on measured individual parameters and adjusted geometry and stimulation parameters for a particular SCI-subject. This can considerably improve FES-cycling performance and relieve the patients by shortening the time that is necessary for experimental adaptation of the stimulation patterns.     

Electrical stimulation in isolated rabbit retina.

Experiments were conducted to assess the effect of stimulating electrode parameters (size, position, and waveform shape) on electrically elicited ganglion cell action potentials from isolated rabbit retina. Thirty-eight isolated rabbit retinas were stimulated with bipolar stimulating electrodes (either 125 or 25 microm in diameter) positioned on either the ganglion or the photoreceptor side. Recording electrodes were placed between the optic disc and the stimulating electrodes. Cathodic-first, biphasic, current waveforms of varying pulse durations (0.1, 0.5, 1 ms) were used. For the four conditions tested (125-electrode and 25-microm electrode, ganglion cell, and photoreceptor positions) threshold currents ranged from 6.7 to 23.6 microA, depending on location and pulse duration. With 1-ms pulse duration, no statistically significant difference was seen between threshold currents when either size electrode was used to stimulate either the ganglion cell side or the photoreceptor side. For all groups, the threshold currents using the 1-ms pulse were lower than those using 0.1 ms, but the 0.1-ms pulses used less charge. These experiments provide a number of valuable insights into the relative effects of several stimulation parameters critical to the development of an implanted electronic retinal prosthesis.     

Ozone generation in dry air using pulsed discharges with andwithout a solid dielectric layer

Energy efficient generation of ozone is very important because ozone is being used increasingly in a wide range of industrial applications. Ozonizers usually use dielectric barrier discharges and employ alternating current (ac) with consequent heat generation, which necessitates cooling. In the present study, very short duration pulsed voltage is employed resulting in reduced heating of the gas and discharge reactor. A comparison of ozone generation in dry air using a coaxial concentric electrode system with and without a solid dielectric layer is reported. Two types of dielectric layers were employed, ceramic and polyvinylchloride (pvc). The effects of peak pulsed voltage (12.5 to 62 kV), reactor length (0.1 to 1 m), pulse repetition rate (25 to 400 pulses per second, pps), gas flow rate (1.5 to 3.0 1/min) and variation of the pitch length of the spiral wire forming the central electrode (5 to 10 mm) on the concentration and production yield of ozone (g/kWh) are reported. A comparison is made between the performance of discharge reactors with (ceramic reactor Type IIC and pvc reactor Type IIP) and without (reactor Type I) a dielectric layer, using the same electrode gap separation (15 mm) and reactor lengths (0.157 and 1 m). High production yields of ozone in dry air of ~125 52 and 60 g/kWh were obtained when using, respectively ceramic, pvc, and no dielectric layer, for a fixed pulse rate of 100 pps, 15 1/min now rate and for a relatively short length of the reactor of 157 mm     

基于优化PWM的定子磁链轨迹跟踪控制研究

在异步电机的高性能控制方案中,为了降低开关损耗,采用优化脉宽调制(PWM)实现低开关频率下较小的电流谐波畸变。但在调制模式频繁切换时,优化PWM会产生电流和转矩冲击。因此,研究了将优化脉冲在线移位的闭环定子磁链轨迹跟踪控制方法,提出了由基于自控电机的降阶观测器与电机电流模型观测器组成的双观测器模型,实现了基波分量观测。结合电流谐波最小脉宽调制（CHMPWM）开关角,利用其重构参考磁链与实际磁链的差值,实现定子磁链轨迹跟踪。提出了无差拍下修正开关角小于2时的脉冲模式调整方案,消除了系统的动态调制误差,实现了低开关频率下异步电机的高性能控制。在开关频率为300 Hz以下的NPC型三电平逆变器上的仿真和试验证明了定子磁链轨迹跟踪控制策略的有效性。     

一种基于零矢量调节的五桥臂逆变器调制方法

针对五桥臂逆变器传统调制方法存在的电压利用率低、有大量电压反向脉冲、开关损耗大等问题,提出一种基于零矢量调节的调制方法,该方法借鉴空间矢量脉宽调制(SVPWM)技术,通过调节整合两逆变器的零矢量分布,统合考虑公共桥臂脉宽需求,使其同时满足两台交流电机的需求。仿真和实验结果表明,该方法能实现两台交流电机在不同转速下的独立控制,且与传统调制方法相比,逆变器的电压利用率可提高一倍,电压反向脉冲和一个采样周期内开关动作次数均显著减少,从而验证了所提方法的有效性。     

Picosecond pulse amplification in AlGaAs flared amplifiers

Amplification of ultrashort pulses in a semiconductor flared amplifier is analyzed by using a two dimensional (2-D) time-domain BPM (beam propagation method) model including the effects of gain saturation, finite-gain bandwidth, self-phase modulation, index dispersion, carrier heating, and gain relaxation between successive pulses induced by carrier diffusion and recombination. The paper includes a presentation of the model and of the numerical resolution method, detailed analysis and discussion of the spatio-temporal pulse distortions in the case of picosecond and subpicosecond pulses and an evaluation of the device performance. The performance of the flared amplifier is evaluated considering the temporal length, the time-bandwidth product, the far field, the output energy as a function of the input energy, the injected current, and the repetition rate. While subpicosecond pulse amplification leads to strong distortions and to very low total gain, the flared amplifier is well adapted to the amplification of picosecond pulses at low-repetition rates     

Pattern identification and perceived stimulus quality as a function of stimulation waveform on a fingertip-scanned electrotactile display

The effect of stimulation waveform on pattern perception was investigated on a 49-point fingertip-scanned electrotactile (electrocutaneous) display. Waveform variables burst frequency (F), number of pulses per burst (NPB), and pulse repetition rate (PRR) were varied in a factorial design. Contrast reduction was used to limit performance of perceiving a 1-tactor gap defined within a 3 /spl times/ 3 tactor outline square. All three variables accounted for significant variations in performance with higher levels of F and NPB and lower levels of PRR, leading to better performance. In addition, we collected qualitative data on each waveform, and the qualitative differences were related to performance (e.g., waveforms perceived as having a more localized sensation were correlated with better pattern identification performance than those waveforms perceived as more broad). We also investigated the effect of stimulation contrast on pattern perception.     

Radiofrequency pulse design with numerical optimization in the Fourier domain

Objective and methods

A radiofrequency (RF) pulse design technique is presented that uses iterative constrained minimization to determine Fourier domain coefficients for an optimal time domain RF pulse. The design of new RF pulses is especially beneficial for field strengths of 7.0 T and above, where challenges pertaining to specific absorption rate (SAR) are exacerbated.

Results and conclusion

A pair of 90° and 180° spin-echo pulses was designed to lower SAR without the need for a variable slice gradient. The optimized pulses were deployed to a 7.0 T human scanner to demonstrate a reduction in SAR while retaining signal-to-noise (SNR) ratio.