A compact large voltage-compliance high output-impedance programmable current source for implantable microstimulators

A new CMOS current source is described for biomedical implantable microstimulator applications, which utilizes MOS transistors in deep triode region as linearized voltage controlled resistors (VCR). The VCR current source achieves large voltage compliance, up to 97% of the supply voltage, while maintaining high output impedance in the 100 MOmega range to keep the stimulus current constant within 1% of the desired value irrespective of the site and tissue impedances. This approach improves stimulation efficiency, extends power supply lifetime, and saves chip area especially when the stimulation current level is high in the milliampere range. A prototype 4-channel microstimulator chip is fabricated in the AMI 1.5-microm, 2-metal, 2-poly, n-well standard CMOS process. With a 5-V supply, each stimulating site driver provides at least 425-V compliance and > 10 MOmega output impedance, while sinking up to 210 microA, and occupies 0.05 mm2 in chip area. A modular 32-site wireless neural stimulation microsystem, utilizing the VCR current source, is under development.     

Compressive behavior of concrete actively confined by metal strips,part B: analysis

This paper presents analytical part of an investigation on the application of prestressed strips for concrete confinement. In this paper, an analytical model is proposed to predict the compressive stress–strain curve of strapped concrete as a function of the confinement level. The model was calibrated based on the experimental data of compressive tests which were described in part A of this paper. Various parameters are considered in the proposed model including volumetric ratio, yield strength and ultimate strain of confining material, shape of cross section, strength of plain concrete. Three key points were defined on the stress–stress curve of strapped concrete columns and applied in model definition including critical, yield and ultimate points. The model showed good capability in predicting the compressive stress–strain curve of tested strapped concrete specimens. The model is also compared to some of the conventional confinement models in prediction of the strength gained by post-tensioned strips. In addition, a plasticity model was applied in the nonlinear finite element analysis of prismatic and cylindrical tested specimens with various levels of confinement. It is shown that these models are able to predict the experimental results, reasonably.     

New correlations to predict fracture conductivity based on the formation lithology

Acid fracturing is one of the most important well stimulation methods. Acid fracture conductivity, which represents the available capacity of the fluid pass in fractures, is one the main parameters for designing acid fracturing process. The volume of dissolved rock, rock strength, and closure stress on the fracture are the effective parameters on the acid fracturing conductivity. In this study, regarding above parameters and formation lithology, Genetic Algorithm was used to develop a robust intelligent model to estimate the fracture conductivity by considering experimental data of different formations. Results showed that formation lithology plays a considerable role in fracture conductivity prediction.     

Developing a monitoring psychological stress index system via photoplethysmography

The purpose of this work was to assess the psychological stress index (PSI) by using oxyhemoglobin saturation by SpO₂ [i.e., the plethysmograph (PPG) signal], which can be measured easily and conveniently. We use the plethysmograph amplitude (PPGA) and the heart-beat interval (HBI) extracted from the SpO₂ waveform to obtain the stress index and to quantify it from 0 to 100. The respiration rate can also be extracted from the heart-rate interval, as shown in our previous research. Therefore, the PPG signal can display the heart rate, SpO₂ waveform, SpO₂ concentration, respiration rate, and psychological stress index. This methodology was tested on nine volunteer Taiwanese students under the stress of an English presentation. The experiment, which takes 30 min for each student, was separated into three stages: preparation, presentation, and discussion, and relaxation. The PSI values of these three stages were 49 ± 10, 60 ± 11, and 56 ± 10, respectively. The results were very successful, and showed PSI values changing from low, to high, and back to low during these three stages. In the near future, we hope to implement this system into a robotic wheelchair in order to monitor the PSI of elderly patients in a nursing home, and to evaluate their psychological condition based on this method.     

Modeling of localization and fracture phenomena in strain and stress space for sheet metal forming

In this study, a model based on a strain localization level to overcome the shortcomings of the well-established Forming Limit Diagram (FLD) in predicting the physical phenomenon of necking is introduced. An optical measurement system was used to capture the strain history of the Nakazima experiment until rupture occurred. In order to measure the fracture strain more accurately, a further method is introduced, which is based on the microscopic measurements of ruptured regions. This model is validated using a 3-point bending test. The results show the ability of the method to predict failure under bending conditions as well. Additionally, failure is investigated based on the pressure sensitivity and the Lode dependency. The results show that the triaxiality at the failure point is independent of the loading path.     

Experimental Study of Air Pressure Effects on Natural Convection From a Horizontal Cylinder

The topic of this research is the importance of convection heat transfer coefficient and the effect that ambient pressure has on it. Toward this end, an experimental study was performed to investigate the effects of air pressure on natural convection heat transfer from a horizontal cylinder. Pressure was varied from 1 to 220 kPa and the convection coefficient was obtained in the temperature range from 50 to 100°C. Various diagrams and tables were obtained to show the dependence of natural convection on pressure. A correlation was derived to describe the heat transfer coefficient and Nusselt number as a function of pressure and Knudsen number or Rayleigh and Knudsen number. The rate of heat transfer by radiation was also compared with convection at different temperatures and pressures.     

Optimization of Data Coils in a Multiband Wireless Link for Neuroprosthetic Implantable Devices

We have presented the design methodology along with detailed simulation and measurement results for optimizing a multiband transcutaneous wireless link for high-performance implantable neuroprosthetic devices. We have utilized three individual carrier signals and coil/antenna pairs for power transmission, forward data transmission from outside into the body, and back telemetry in the opposite direction. Power is transmitted at 13.56 MHz through a pair of printed spiral coils (PSCs) facing each other. Two different designs have been evaluated for forward data coils, both of which help to minimize power carrier interference in the received data carrier. One is a pair of perpendicular coils that are wound across the diameter of the power PSCs. The other design is a pair of planar figure-8 coils that are in the same plane as the power PSCs. We have compared the robustness of each design against horizontal misalignments and rotations in different directions. Simulation and measurements are also conducted on a miniature spiral antenna, designed to operate with impulse-radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) circuitry for back telemetry.     

Evaluation of a smartphone platform as a wireless interface between tongue drive system and electric-powered wheelchairs

Tongue drive system (TDS) is a new wireless assistive technology (AT) for the mobility impaired population. It provides users with the ability to drive powered wheelchairs (PWC) and access computers using their unconstrained tongue motion. Migration of the TDS processing unit and user interface platform from a bulky personal computer to a smartphone (iPhone) has significantly facilitated its usage by turning it into a true wireless and wearable AT. After implementation of the necessary interfacing hardware and software to allow the smartphone to act as a bridge between the TDS and PWC, the wheelchair navigation performance and associated learning was evaluated in nine able-bodied subjects in five sessions over a 5-week period. Subjects wore magnetic tongue studs over the duration of the study and drove the PWC in an obstacle course with their tongue using three different navigation strategies; namely unlatched, latched, and semiproportional. Qualitative aspects of using the TDS-iPhone-PWC interface were also evaluated via a five-point Likert scale questionnaire. Subjects showed more than 20% improvement in the overall completion time between the first and second sessions, and maintained a modest improvement of ～9% per session over the following three sessions.     

Ensembled neural networks applied to modeling survival rate for the patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

The purpose of this study is to use ensembled neural networks (ENN) to model survival rate for the patients with out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA). We also use seven different sensitivity analyses to find out the important variables to establish a comprehensive and objective assessment method for the OHCA patients. After pre-filtering, we obtained 4,095 data for building this ENN model. The data have been divided into 60?% data for training, 20?% data for validation, and 20?% data for testing. The 11 inputs, including response time, on-scene time, patient transfer time, time to cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), CPR on the scene, using drugs, age, gender, using airway, using automated external defibrillator (AED), and trauma type, and one output variable have been selected as ENN model structure. The results have been shown that ENN can model the OHCA patients and CPR on the scene, using drugs, on-scene time, and using airway in the top 4 of these 11 important variables after 7 different sensitivity analyses. Moreover, these four variables have also been shown significant differences when we use traditional one variable statistics analysis for these variables.