A precise sensor fault detection technique using statistical techniques for wireless body area networks

One of the major challenges in wireless body area networks (WBANs) is sensor fault detection. This paper reports a method for the precise identification of faulty sensors, which should help users identify true medical conditions and reduce the rate of false alarms, thereby improving the quality of services offered by WBANs. The proposed sensor fault detection (SFD) algorithm is based on Pearson correlation coefficients and simple statistical methods. The proposed method identifies strongly correlated parameters using Pearson correlation coefficients, and the proposed SFD algorithm detects faulty sensors. We validated the proposed SFD algorithm using two datasets from the Multiparameter Intelligent Monitoring in Intensive Care database and compared the results to those of existing methods. The time complexity of the proposed algorithm was also compared to that of existing methods. The proposed algorithm achieved high detection rates and low false alarm rates with accuracies of 97.23% and 93.99% for Dataset 1 and Dataset 2, respectively.     

Rheological cure characterization of phosphazene–triazine polymers

Cyclomatrix phosphazene–triazine network polymers were synthesized by co‐curing a blend of tris(2‐allylphenoxy), triphenoxy cyclotriphosphazene (TAP), and tris(2‐allylphenoxy) s‐triazine (TAT) with bis(4‐maleimido phenyl) methane (BMM). The co‐curing of the three‐component resin was investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis using rheometry. The cure kinetics of the Diels–Alder step was studied by examining the evolution of the rheological parameters, such as storage modulus (G′), loss modulus (G″), and complex viscosity (η*), for resins of varying compositions at different temperatures. The curing conformed to an overall second‐order phenomenological equation, taking into account a self‐acceleration effect. The kinetic parameters were evaluated by multiple‐regression analysis. The absence of a definite trend in the cure process with blend composition ratio was attributed to the occurrence of a multitude of competitive reactions whose relative rates depend on the reactant ratio and the concentration of the products formed from the initial phase of reaction. The cure was accelerated by temperature for a given composition, whereas the self‐acceleration became less prominent at higher temperature. Gelation was accelerated by temperature. The gel conversion decreased with increase in maleimide concentration and, for a given composition, it was independent of the cure temperature. The activation energy for the initial reaction and the crosslinking process were estimated for a composition with a maleimide‐to‐allyl ratio of 2 : 1. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 88: 908–914, 2003     

Autoimmunity caused by disruption of central T cell tolerance. A murine model of drug-induced lupus

A side effect of therapy with procainamide and numerous other medications is a lupus-like syndrome characterized by autoantibodies directed against denatured DNA and the (H2A-H2B)-DNA subunit of chromatin. We tested the possibility that an effect of lupus-inducing drugs on central T cell tolerance underlies these phenomena. Two intrathymic injections of procainamide-hydroxylamine (PAHA), a reactive metabolite of procainamide, resulted in prompt production of IgM antidenatured DNA antibodies in C57BL/6xDBA/2 F1 mice. Subsequently, IgG antichromatin antibodies began to appear in the serum 3 wk after the second injection and were sustained for several months. Specificity, inhibition and blocking studies demonstrated that the PAHA-induced antibodies showed remarkable specificity to the (H2A-H2B)-DNA complex. No evidence for polyclonal B cell activation could be detected based on enumeration of Ig-secreting B cells and serum Ig levels, suggesting that a clonally restricted autoimmune response was induced by intrathymic PAHA. The IgG isotype of the antichromatin antibodies indicated involvement of T cell help, and proliferative responses of splenocytes to oligonucleosomes increased up to 100-fold. As little as 5 microM PAHA led to a 10-fold T cell proliferative response to chromatin in short term organ culture of neonatal thymi. We suggest that PAHA interferes with self-tolerance mechanisms accompanying T cell maturation in the thymus, resulting in the emergence of chromatin-reactive T cells followed by humoral autoimmunity.     

Cure of malignant ascites and generation of protective immunity by monoclonal antibody-targeted activation of a glucuronide prodrug in rats

We examined the in vivo efficacy of targeting beta-glucuronidase (betaG) to activate a glucuronide prodrug (BHAMG) of p-hydroxyaniline mustard (pHAM) at hepatoma ascites in Sprague-Dawley rats. Injection i.p. of 500 microg RH1-betaG, a conjugate formed between recombinant betaG and monoclonal antibody RH1 with specificity for an antigen expressed on AS-30D rat hepatoma cells, into rats bearing AS-30D ascites resulted in the accumulation of 54 microg conjugate per 10(9) tumor cells after 2 hr. Ascites fluid and serum contained 0.53 and 0 microg/ml, respectively, RH1-betaG 2 hr after injection of the conjugate. Conjugate binding to AS-30D cells was heterogeneous and non-saturated, as determined by flow cytometry. BHAMG was less toxic than pHAM to SD rats based on measures of animal mortality, weight loss and hematological toxicity. Treatment of rats bearing established hepatoma ascites with 500 microg RH1-betaG followed 2 hr later with a single i.p. injection of 30 mg/kg BHAMG or 3 i.p. injections of 10 mg/kg BHAMG 2, 3 and 4 hr later resulted in the cure of 6/8 and 8/8 animals, respectively. Treatment with BHAMG or pHAM alone did not produce cures, whereas treatment with a control antibody-betaG conjugate and BHAMG produced significantly greater hematological toxicity compared to treatment with RH1-betaG and BHAMG. All cured rats were completely protected from rechallenge with 2 x 10(7) AS-30D cells, indicating that successful treatment of animals induced protective immunity.     

Partial congenital defect of the left pericardium: angiographic diagnosis and treatment by thoracoscopic pericardiectomy: case report

Twenty-six patients with an intracardiac myxoma underwent surgical resection at our institution from 1977 through 1992. Left atrial myxoma was diagnosed in 22 patients, left ventricular in 1, right atrial in 2, and right ventricular in 1. Six patients were asymptomatic; preoperative symptoms included dyspnea, arrhythmias, embolic episodes, and syncope. The diagnosis was established with transthoracic echocardiography in all cases but one. Surgery was performed in all cases with the aid of cardiopulmonary bypass with moderate hypothermia and cold crystalloid cardioplegia. One patient with a left ventricular myxoma died in a comatose state during the immediate postoperative period. Long-term clinical and echocardiographic evaluation was performed in 19 patients; results were excellent (all the patients were in New York Heart Association functional class I or II), and no recurrences were documented. The clinical characteristics, diagnostic methods, and surgical approach are presented and discussed.     

A user-friendly tool for image analysis

A new graphical tool (Multimedia University’s RSIMANA—Remote-Sensing Image Analyzer) developed for image analysis is described in this paper. MATLAB and ENVI are some of the commercially available tools in the market that aid in image processing and analysis. But their current versions are of limited assistance in image analysis; for example, MATLAB can extract the area of irregular objects and patterns in images, but not their length. ENVI is more focused on image processing than on image analysis functions. Other commercially available tools are also prohibitively expensive. This indicates the need to develop a userfriendly graphical tool that meets research objectives in the educational environment. The text was submitted by the author in English. Hema Nair. Born 1965. Educational qualifications: B.Tech. (Electrical Engineering) from Government Engineering College affiliated to University of Calicut, Kerala State, India, 1986; MSc (Electrical Engineering) from National University of Singapore, 1993; MSc (Computer Science) from Clark Atlanta University, USA, 1996. Previous employment: Researcher and Project Leader in AT & T, New Jersey, USA, for about 5 years. Also worked in Bangalore, India, before that in Apple Information Technology Ltd. as Teaching Faculty. Current employment: lecturer, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Multimedia University, Malaysia. Current research: the final stages of her PhD in Computer Science at Multimedia University. Scientific interests are image analysis, pattern recognition, databases, AI, data mining. Member of IEEE (USA) since 1997, Professional Member of ACM (USA) since 1997, Member of Institution of Engineers (India) since 1986. Reviewer for IASTED International Conference 2004. Current PhD project entitled “Pattern Extraction and Concept Clustering in Linguistic Terms from Mined Images” is funded by an Intensive Research in Priority Area (IRPA) grant from Government of Malaysia. Research for MSc in Computer Science from USA was funded by a research grant from the US Army. Author of three International Conference papers accepted in Portugal, Belgium, and India.     

High char‐yielding poly[acrylonitrile‐co‐(itaconic acid)‐co‐(methyl acrylate)]: synthesis and properties

Polyacrylonitrile terpolymers of various compositions consisting of acrylonitrile (AN), itaconic acid (IA) and methyl acrylate (MA) were synthesized by solution polymerization in dimethylsulfoxide. Increase in concentration of either IA or MA retarded the overall polymerization rate and the polymer molecular weight. The system consisting of AN + MA and varying IA concentration was more prone to retardation in comparison with the system composed of AN + IA with variable MA concentration. The retardation factors were quantified. Minor quantities of MA boost the reactivity of IA in the terpolymer system. The terpolymer was richer in MA vis‐à‐vis the feed. The thermal characteristics of the terpolymer were examined as a function of its composition. In contrast to the copolymer of AN and IA requiring 1–1.5 mol% IA, the terpolymer required an IA content of approximately 2.5 mol% for optimum thermal stability. The polymer with 90 mol% AN, 2.5 mol% IA and 7.5 mol% MA exhibited reasonably good char‐forming characteristics and thermal stability. The overall crystallinity and crystallite size of the polymers were found to decrease on incorporation of the comonomers. The ‘aromatization index’ of the copolymer increased with the temperature of pyrolysis through re‐organization of the tetrahydropyridine ladder structure. Copyright © 2005 Society of Chemical Industry     

High yield formation of carbon nanotubes using a rotating cathode in open air

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been synthesized using the arc discharge method with a rotating graphite disc as the cathode. Arcing was carried out in open air and without the use of catalysts. The current density was maintained constant through out the experiment, while, the rate of rotation of the cathode and atmosphere under which arcing was carried out were changed during experimentation. Characterization of the samples produced indicates that rotation of the cathode has a significant impact on the quality and yield of the process. It is proposed that rotation of the cathode drags plasma formed between two electrodes away from high temperature region. This results in a sudden quenching of the reactive plasma. The time available for nucleation and growth phenomena is significantly reduced and thus leads to the formation of highly graphitic multi walled CNTs (yield 60%) and traces of double walled CNTs.