Evaluation of two cooling systems under a firefighter coverall

Firemen often suffer from heat strain. This study investigated two chest cooling systems for use under a firefighting suit. In nine male subjects, a vest with water soaked cooling pads and a vest with water perfused tubes were compared to a control condition. Subjects performed 30 min walking and 10 min recovery in hot conditions, while physiological and perceptual parameters were measured. No differences were observed in heart rate and rectal temperature, but scapular skin temperature and fluid loss were lower using the perfused vest. Thermal sensation was cooler for the perfused vest than for the other conditions, while the cool pad vest felt initially cooler than control. However, comfort and RPE scores were similar. We conclude that the cooling effect of both tested systems, mainly providing a (temporally) cooler thermal sensation, was limited and did not meet the expectations.     

Cation interdiffusion between thick film of YBa2Cu3O7-δ and ceramic substrate

Thick films of superconducting oxides, YBa₂Cu₃O_7-, were successfully made by conventional screen-printing technology on Al₂O₃, MgO, and ZrO₂ substrates. Interdiffusion between the superconductive film and substrate was investigated using analytical electron microscopy. The results indicate that MgO and ZrO₂ are superior to Al₂O₃ for substrate materials.     

A STUDY OF THE STRESS CORROSION CRACKING OF SENSITIZED 1Cr18Ni9Ti STAINLESS STEEL IN HIGH TEMPERATURE HIGH PRESSURE WATER

从环境角度研究了敏化1Cr18Ni9Ti不锈钢在高温水中的腐蚀行为.研究指出,在一定浓度Cl~-和(或)O_2存在情况下,在酸性和中性高温高压水中都会出现应力腐蚀破裂.断口电子金相表明,在氯离子为主的环境中,破裂系晶间型;在氧为主的环境中,破裂系以解理为主的混合型.给出了1Cr18Ni9Ti在高温水中腐蚀的表观和真实动力学曲线,表明腐蚀包含溶解和湿氧化两部分,而以湿氧化为主.借Mossbauer内转换电子谱研究了氧化膜结构与腐蚀的关系,指出在一般腐蚀条件下,膜的主要组分为Fe_3O_4,而在应力腐蚀条件下,膜的主要组分为Fe_2O_3,并且系Fe_2O_3和Fe_3O_4多层重叠结构.当水中添加了一定量的硼,在氧化膜中会局部出现FeBO_3相,既不会引起也不会抑制应力腐蚀.硼的这种“惰性”作用和膜结构中Fe_3O_4相的非化学计量比,膜具有阴离子选择性有关.根据腐蚀电化学,认为应力腐蚀系发生在钝化/过钝化区域,增高Cl~-或O_2含量,从不同角度都会使合金的电位接近过钝化区.Cl~-的作用在于改变阳极极化曲线,O_2的作用在于改变阴极极化曲线.在含Cl~-水中,晶界TiC的迅速溶解是应力腐蚀的主要原因,而在含氧水中,晶粒Fe-Cr-Ni中Cr的选择性溶解是应力腐蚀的主要原因.在分析应力腐蚀的特征后,指出应力既是某些严重腐蚀点形     

A study of optimal viewing distance in a parallax barrier 3D display

The optimal viewing distance was proposed as a parameter for designing a parallax barrier 3D display. It can be designed based on simple geometric method and by considering the pitches of image display pixels and parallax barrier, or even including the aperture ratios of the image display pixels and parallax barrier. It can be analyzed by using ray tracing method. By considering the optical refraction index of the cover glass, the angular behavior of the system becomes more realistic; however, the geometric method is difficult to be used. We propose a revised method for estimating the view distance and angular behavior. In this paper, we have demonstrated a designated eye position (DEP) for each view and shown that multiple DEPs make a circular curve around the center of the display. We prove the new concept by comparing the optical ray tracing calculations and optical measurement.     

A kinect-based vocational task prompting system for individuals with cognitive impairments

Difficulties in executing daily living tasks hamper the quality of life of many individuals with cognitive impairments who are otherwise physically mobile. With sufficient and appropriate support on the job, many people with developmental disabilities and cognitive impairments are capable of participating in the world of work to various levels. Kinect is used as assistive technology for individuals with cognitive impairments to achieve the goal of performing task steps independently. In a community-based rehabilitation program under the guidance of three job coaches, a task prompting system called Kinempt was designed to assist four participants involving pre-service food preparation training. The study assessed the effectiveness of Kinempt in terms of precision and recall. A follow-up comparative study then evaluated a baseline method and the system of least prompts against the Kinempt system. Results indicate that for participants with cognitive disabilities, acquisition of job skills may be facilitated by use of Kinempt in conjunction with operant conditioning strategies. Our findings suggest that the image recognition technology may be able to facilitate task prompts needed by people with cognitive impairments. Therefore, the system may be helpful for pre-service training while increasing independence in the process of community integration.     

十个好玩的微博应用

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Integration of independent component analysis and neural networks for ECG beat classification

In this paper, we propose a scheme to integrate independent component analysis (ICA) and neural networks for electrocardiogram (ECG) beat classification. The ICA is used to decompose ECG signals into weighted sum of basic components that are statistically mutual independent. The projections on these components, together with the RR interval, then constitute a feature vector for the following classifier. Two neural networks, including a probabilistic neural network (PNN) and a back-propagation neural network (BPNN), are employed as classifiers. ECG samples attributing to eight different beat types were sampled from the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database for experiments. The results show high classification accuracy of over 98% with either of the two classifiers. Between them, the PNN shows a slightly better performance than BPNN in terms of accuracy and robustness to the number of ICA-bases. The impressive results prove that the integration of independent component analysis and neural networks, especially PNN, is a promising scheme for the computer-aided diagnosis of heart diseases based on ECG.     

Solvent effect on ageing of silica gels

The structure of silica gels derived from tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) with molar compositions of TEOSH₂OHNO₃=1100.4 and then aged in various solvents, was studied. The effect of various solvents having different physical properties on the gel structure, as well as the relationship between the solvent properties and the dried gel structure, were investigated. The density, surface area and pore-size distribution were measured. The results of the pore structure and SEM showed the aged gels to have a slit-shaped micropore, narrow pore-size distribution, and homogeneous microstructure. The density, surface area, pore size and pore volume of dried gels changed as the gels were subjected to ageing in various solvents. The surface area could be related to the polarity parameter of the ageing solvent.     

Process simulation and fabrication of advanced multi-step three-dimensional braided preforms

The fundamentals of multi-step braiding for the fabrication of three-dimensional fibre preforms for composites have been studied. To facilitate the understanding of the complex multi-step braiding processes, a computer simulation algorithm has been developed. The simulation acts as a tool to allow the identification of individual yarn paths, number and location of yarn groups, and braid geometry. It was found that individual control of the rows and columns of yarn carriers on a Cartesian braiding bed allows for the fabrication of advanced multi-step braids; the micro-structural possibilities of three-dimensional braids are thus greatly extended. Some basic relationships of the braiding parameters have been identified. It has been concluded that the traditional four-step and two-step braidings are special cases of multi-step braidings. To verify the feasibility of the structures, experimental investigations have also been carried out. Innovative braid architectures have been designed and fabricated using a prototype multi-step braiding machine.