Reduction of Artifacts in Capacitive Electrocardiogram Signals of Driving Subjects

The development of smart cars with e-health services allows monitoring of the health condition of the driver. Driver comfort is preserved by the use of capacitive electrodes, but the recorded signal is characterized by large artifacts. This paper proposes a method for reducing artifacts from the ECG signal recorded by capacitive electrodes (cECG) in moving subjects. Two dominant artifact types are coarse and slow-changing artifacts. Slow-changing artifacts removal by classical filtering is not feasible as the spectral bands of artifacts and cECG overlap, mostly in the band from 0.5 to 15 Hz. We developed a method for artifact removal, based on estimating the fluctuation around linear trend, for both artifact types, including a condition for determining the presence of coarse artifacts. The method was validated on cECG recorded while driving, with the artifacts predominantly due to the movements, as well as on cECG recorded while lying, where the movements were performed according to a predefined protocol. The proposed method eliminates 96% to 100% of the coarse artifacts, while the slow-changing artifacts are completely reduced for the recorded cECG signals larger than 0.3 V. The obtained results are in accordance with the opinion of medical experts. The method is intended for reliable extraction of cardiovascular parameters to monitor driver fatigue status.     

Porous Al2O3/Al Metal Ceramics Prepared by the Oxidation of Aluminum Powder under Hydrothermal Conditions Followed by Thermal Dehydration: I. Composition and Macrocharacteristics of Composites

The macrotexture and mechanical properties of porous Al₂O₃/Al metal ceramics prepared by the hydrothermal treatment of aluminum powder in a closed space are studied using gravimetry, pycnometry, mercury porosimetry, and scanning electron microscopy. Analytical expressions that relate the porosity, density, and mechanical strength of parent materials and final products to the composite synthesis conditions are derived.     

CIDNP study of the Ni(acac)2-catalyzed reaction of triethylaluminum with chloroform

CIDNP effects were found in the Ni(acac)₂-catalyzed reaction of Et₃Al with CHCl₃. The effects appear in the products of transformation of the diffusion radical pair of the ethyl and dichloromethyl radicals. The radical route is a side process in this reaction, and the main products, Et₂AlCl, ethane, and ethylene, are formed by a nonradical route. A general mechanism of the reactions of Et₃Al with CHCl₃ and CCl₄ including radical and ioncoordination processes was suggested. Translated fromIzvestiya Akademii Nauk. Seriya Khimicheskaya, No. 5, pp. 1003–1006, May, 1999.     

Chemiluminescence during thermolysis of the (Ph3COOCPh3)n—Ph3C· peroxide containing captured triphenylmethyl radical

Chemiluminescence (CL) in the thermolysis of (Ph₃COOCPh₃)_n—Ph₃C^· containing the triphenylmethyl radical captured during the synthesis of Gomberg's peroxide was found. Two CL emitters were identified: the triplet state of benzophenone (³Ph₂CO*) and Ph₃C^·*. Ph₃C^·* is formed due to the energy transfer from the excited ³Ph₂CO* generated in the disproportion of thermolysis intermediates, Ph₃CO^· radicals. This Ph₃C^·* luminescence is the first example of CL activation by an organic radical. Chemiluminescence during the thermolysis of Ph₃COOCPh₃ containing no Ph₃C^· is resulted from the emission of one emitter, ³Ph₂CO*. The solid-phase CL was found during the oxidation of Ph₃C^· with dioxygen after the destruction of the crystalline lattice as a result of the thermolysis of the (Ph₃COOCPh₃)_n—Ph₃C^· peroxide.     

Imaging of Spontaneous Canine Mammary Tumors Using Fluorescent Contrast Agents

We present near-infrared frequency-domain photon migration imaging for the lifetime sensitive detection and localization of exogenous fluorescent contrast agents within tissue-simulating phantoms and actual tissues. We employ intensity-modulated excitation light that is expanded and delivered to the surface of a tissue or tissue-simulating phantom. The intensity-modulated fluorescence generated from within the volume propagates to the surface and is collected using a gain-modulated image-intensified charge-coupled device camera. From the spatial values of modulation amplitude and phase of the detected fluorescent light, micromolar volumes of diethylthiatricarbocyanine iodide (tau = 1.17 ns) and indocyanine green (ICG) (tau = 0.58 ns) embedded 1.0 cm deep in a tissue phantom are localized and discriminated on the basis of their lifetime differences. To demonstrate the utility of frequency-domain fluorescent measurements for imaging disease, we image the fluorescence emitted from the surface of in vivo and ex vivo canine mammary gland tissues containing lesions with preferential uptake of ICG. Pathology confirms the ability to detect spontaneous mammary tumors and regional lymph nodes amidst normal mammary tissue and fat as deep as 1.5 cm from the tissue surface.     

Active bead-linked immunoassay on protein microarrays

Protein microarrays are becoming a powerful tool in proteome, biochemical, and clinical studies. In addition to the quality of arrayed immobilized probe molecules, sensitivity of the microarray-based assay is highly dependent on the detection technique. Here we suggest four simple techniques for rapid detection of analytes bound to protein microarrays. The techniques employ functionalized magnetic and non-magnetic beads moved to, from, or along the array surface by external forces. In contrast to other labeling techniques actively controlled physical labels: (i) make detection extremely fast to allow microarray reading in seconds; (ii) provide a low background due to active removal of weakly bound beads; and (iii) provide a highly sensitive detection, since one antigen-antibody bond is capable of holding bead immobilized on the array surface. In combination with the electrophoretically assisted active immunoassay we described recently such active reading allows to reduce total indirect immunoassay time to 7-10 min while having sensitivity in the femtomolar concentration range. High speed, sensitivity, and specificity make active bead-linked detection an ideal choice in rapid high-throughput screening and in emergency diagnostics.     

A study of complex mixtures of natural substances by the defocusing and dadi methods. V. Steroid metabolites of the phytopathogenic fungusVerticillium dahliae

The mixture of steroid metabolites of the phytopathogenic fungusV. dahliae have been studied by high- and low-resolution mass spectrometry, metastable defocusing, and the direct analysis of daughter ions (DADI). On the basis of the analysis of the spectral results obtained for the mixtures themselves and for the products of their tosylation the presence in the samples studied of mixtures of -sitosterol, stigmasterol, and cholesterol has been established. Probable structures have been proposed for the components of the mixture with m/z values of the molecular ions of 426, 424, and 412.Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Academy of Sciences of the Uzbek SSR, Tashkent. V. I. Lenin Tashkent State University. Translated from Khimiya Prirodnykh Soedinenii, No. 2, pp. 227–232, March–April, 1985.