Bio-Inspired Hierarchical Carbon Nanotube Yarn with Ester Bond Cross-Linkages towards High Conductivity for Multifunctional Applications

The cross-linked hierarchical structure in biological systems provides insight into the development of innovative material structures. Specifically, the sarcoplasmic reticulum muscle is able to transmit electrical impulses in skeletal muscle due to its cross-linked hierarchical tubular cell structure. Inspired by the cross-linked tubular cell structure, we designed and built chemical cross-links between the carbon nanotubes within the carbon nanotube yarn (CNT yarn) structure by an esterification reaction. Consequently, compared with the pristine CNT yarn, its electrical conductivity dramatically enhanced 348%, from 557 S/cm to 1950 S/cm. Furthermore, when applied with three voltages, the electro-thermal temperature of esterified CNT yarn reached 261 °C, much higher than that of pristine CNT yarn (175 °C). In addition, the esterified CNT yarn exhibits a linear and stable piezo-resistive response, with a 158% enhanced gauge factor (the ratio of electrical resistance changing to strain change ~1.9). The superconductivity, flexibility, and stable sensitivity of the esterified flexible CNT yarn demonstrate its great potential in the applications of intelligent devices, smart clothing, or other advanced composites.

Machine Algorithm for Heartbeat Monitoring and Arrhythmia Detection Based on ECG Systems

Cardiac arrhythmia is an illness in which a heartbeat is erratic, either too slow or too rapid. It happens as a result of faulty electrical impulses that coordinate the heartbeats. Sudden cardiac death can occur as a result of certain serious arrhythmia disorders. As a result, the primary goal of electrocardiogram (ECG) investigation is to reliably perceive arrhythmias as life-threatening to provide a suitable therapy and save lives. ECG signals are waveforms that denote the electrical movement of the human heart (P, QRS, and T). The duration, structure, and distances between various peaks of each waveform are utilized to identify heart problems. The signals’ autoregressive (AR) analysis is then used to obtain a specific selection of signal features, the parameters of the AR signal model. Groups of retrieved AR characteristics for three various ECG kinds are cleanly separated in the training dataset, providing high connection classification and heart problem diagnosis to each ECG signal within the training dataset. A new technique based on two-event-related moving averages (TERMAs) and fractional Fourier transform (FFT) algorithms is suggested to better evaluate ECG signals. This study could help researchers examine the current state-of-the-art approaches employed in the detection of arrhythmia situations. The characteristic of our suggested machine learning approach is cross-database training and testing with improved characteristics.

MULTITRAIT ANALYSIS EXPANDS GENETIC RISK FACTORS IN CARDIOEMBOLIC STROKE

Background and Purpose: The genetic architecture of cardioembolic stroke (CES) is still poorly understood. Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the main cause of CES, with which it shares heritability. We aimed to discover novel loci associated with CES by performing a Multitrait Analysis of the GWAS (MTAG) with atrial fibrillation genetic data. Methods: For the MTAG analysis we used the MEGASTROKE cohort, which comprises European patients with CES and controls (n=362,661) and an AF cohort composed of 1,030,836 subjects. Regional genetic pleiotropy of the significant results was explored using an alternative Bayesian approach with GWAS-pairwise method. A replication was performed in an independent European cohort comprising 9,105 subjects using a Genome Wide Association Study (GWAS). Results: MTAG-CES analysis revealed 40 novel and significant loci (p-value<5x10-8) associated with CES, four of which had not previously been associated with AF. A significant replication was assessed for eight novel loci: CAV1, IGF1R, KIAA1755, NEURL1, PRRX1, SYNE2, TEX41 and WIPF1, showing a p-value<0.05 in the CES vs controls independent analysis. KIAA1755, a locus not previously described associated with AF. Interestingly, 51 AF risk loci were not associated with CES according to GWAS-pairwise analysis. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis revealed that these exclusive AF genes from the 51 loci participate in processes related mainly to cardiac development, whereas genes associated with AF and CES participate mainly in muscle contraction and the conduction of electrical impulses. Conclusions: We found eight new loci associated with CES. In addition, this study provides novel insights into the pathogenesis of CES, highlighting multiple candidate genes for future functional experiments.

Unusual Suspects: “Allies in the Park, Are Closer Than They Appear”

One season, 1039 hours, as a Park Ranger at Mesa Verde National Park. Interps we are called, observing, telling stories, being stewards of the past, present and future of wildness. Wildness in the animal world is reserved to only 4% of the planets millions of animals, Wildness is why people come to the National Parks, they are the last stronghold of beauty that bears presence in each of our souls. As a Field Scientist it is all about observation over time, and if you are lucky even, at the right time in the right place, a story makes itself known. This year, 2021, finally after the unlucky stall of 2020, we were back at work in the park and I am the lucky one to tell this story of how nature is working together as allies to regrow the burned forests of this place. Who are the characters in nature that are regenerating this burned landscape?I call them the “Unusual Suspects” and use the adage that we all have seen on our review mirrors “Objects in Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear.” I have rewritten those words as “Allies in the Park Are Closer Than They Appear.” Those allies, in this case, the Yucca baccata (banana yucca), the most important plant of cultural use by the Ancient Pueblo People at Mesa Verde, the Pinyon-Juniper forest and particularly the Juniperus utahensis, Pack rats and horses. There is much more than is visible going on, but these are the key players to the questions I asked: Why are the burned Juniper trees still standing after twenty years, some 90 years ago burned, still standing, how? And where are the new saplings, it appears that the trees are not growing back. The last 20 years the forests have stood still like an eerie Tim Burton movie. This field report includes my daily observations on the mesas over six months, data collection on 175 trees and new discoveries found that indeed new trees are growing back, with the help of their allies, the unusual suspects working together in regenerating life after wildfires. I can say for certain that regeneration takes communication, and in this case it is between nature through chemical signals, electrical impulses and heartbeats, neural networks working under the surface, deep in the earth that are keeping the ecosystem intact, strong and diverse. I’ve offered insight from these types of communication in ecology that we are just learning to understand that are intriguing and calling for all humans to pay attention.

Analytical Method of Human Systemic and Global Circulation

The human circulatory system is one of the admirable rhythms of nature. The heart and the vasculature are constitutive structures. The vasculature consists of arterial and venous appurtenances which are arranged in an idealized network capable of enhancing circulation. The crux of this study is the representation of the cardiovascular system as a network in which electrical constraints apply. As a network, the system is amenable to graph analytic treatment; as edge-nodal parameters ensue, topological constraints apply. In virtue of cardiac auto-rhythmicity, electrical impulses are driven through the vessels to the body cells. As a rule, the vessels must elicit a modicum of resistance. This work weaponized the elements of graph theory and electrical properties of the heart in elucidating the flow mechanism associated with the cardio-vascular system. The voltage drop across the connecting vessels (idealized as wires) was carefully depicted and analyzed by the method of matrices. When the cardiac function is within physiological definition a vascular compartment may be a liability in the event of poor circulation. Therefore the knowledge of vascular resistive capacities, which this work portrayed, is a sine-qua-non to the assessment of flow integrity of the system under consideration. MSC 2010 No.: 05C21, 92C42, 92B25. Keywords: Cardiovascular, Network, Matrices, Flow, Circuit, Edges and Nodes, Wave propagation, Bifurcation.

Modern trends in the development of electrical discharge machining

The current time is characterized by the rapid development of modern production methods. These modern production methods are in many cases closely linked to progressive production methods, including EDM. The required high productivity and product quality is the reason for using such production methods. In addition to flawless production processes and highly sophisticated production equipment, these requirements can only be met using high-quality production tools. This paper, therefore, aims to describe the results of the analysis of current approaches in the field of modern trends in the development of electrical discharge machining, closely focusing on the development of control systems for generating electrical impulses in connection with the development of advanced tool electrodes. The performed analysis is also supplemented by the definition of mutual relations between selected properties of wire tool electrodes, their cutting power, and the achieved quality of the machined surface after electrical discharge machining. This should significantly help in increasing the quality level of the machined surface during wire electrical discharge machining and at the same time higher productivity of the electroerosive process. This will make this technology more competitive compared to other advanced technologies.

Concept Design and Analysis of Self Sustainable Triboelectric Pacemaker

The heart is one of the most crucial organs for the functioning of the human body. Due to aging and various other ailments like cardiomyopathy and congestive heart failure, the functioning of the heart tends to drop or stop in serious conditions. In such conditions, a bio-medical device called the cardiac pacemaker is used. The pacemaker is a small device that will be placed in the dysfunctional heart that sends electrical impulses to the heart muscles whenever the functioning decreases or ceases. But the pacemaker existing in the market has a low battery life and has to be replaced every few years which is a painful process for the people using it. Therefore, to overcome this predicament in this study we have designed and developed a self-sustaining pacemaker that can generate its electricity from the pacing of the heart itself thereby increasing its battery life generously. This pacemaker works on the principle of tribe-electricity. The model of this pacemaker is designed using SolidWorks and the electrical circuit for the same is simulated using Simulink.

Benchmarking functional connectivity by the structure and geometry of the human brain

The brain’s structural connectivity supports the propagation of electrical impulses, manifesting as patterns of co-activation, termed functional connectivity. Functional connectivity emerges from the underlying sparse structural connections, particularly through poly-synaptic communication. As a result, functional connections between brain regions without direct structural links are numerous, but their organization is not completely understood. Here we investigate the organization of functional connections without direct structural links. We develop a simple, data-driven method to benchmark functional connections with respect to their underlying structural and geometric embedding. We then use this method to re-weigh and re-express functional connectivity. We find evidence of unexpectedly strong functional connectivity within the canonical intrinsic networks of the brain. We also find unexpectedly strong functional connectivity at the apex of the unimodal-transmodal hierarchy. Our results suggest that both phenomena – functional modules and functional hierarchies – emerge from functional interactions that transcend the underlying structure and geometry. These findings also potentially explain recent reports that structural and functional connectivity gradually diverge in transmodal cortex. Collectively, we show how structural connectivity and geometry can be used as a natural frame of reference with which to study functional connectivity patterns in the brain.

Transcriptome profile of the sinoatrial ring reveals conserved and novel genetic programs of the zebrafish pacemaker

Background Sinoatrial Node (SAN) is part of the cardiac conduction system, which controls the rhythmic contraction of the vertebrate heart. The SAN consists of a specialized pacemaker cell population that has the potential to generate electrical impulses. Although the SAN pacemaker has been extensively studied in mammalian and teleost models, including the zebrafish, their molecular nature remains inadequately comprehended. Results To characterize the molecular profile of the zebrafish sinoatrial ring (SAR) and elucidate the mechanism of pacemaker function, we utilized the transgenic line sqet33mi59BEt to isolate cells of the SAR of developing zebrafish embryos and profiled their transcriptome. Our analyses identified novel candidate genes and well-known conserved signaling pathways involved in pacemaker development. We show that, compared to the rest of the heart, the zebrafish SAR overexpresses several mammalian SAN pacemaker signature genes, which include hcn4 as well as those encoding calcium- and potassium-gated channels. Moreover, genes encoding components of the BMP and Wnt signaling pathways, as well as members of the Tbx family, which have previously been implicated in pacemaker development, were also overexpressed in the SAR. Among SAR-overexpressed genes, 24 had human homologues implicated in 104 different ClinVar phenotype entries related to various forms of congenital heart diseases, which suggest the relevance of our transcriptomics resource to studying human heart conditions. Finally, functional analyses of three SAR-overexpressed genes, pard6a, prom2, and atp1a1a.2, uncovered their novel role in heart development and physiology. Conclusion Our results established conserved aspects between zebrafish and mammalian pacemaker function and revealed novel factors implicated in maintaining cardiac rhythm. The transcriptome data generated in this study represents a unique and valuable resource for the study of pacemaker function and associated heart diseases.

Rhabdomyolysis After Implementing Whole-Body Electromyostimulation: A Case Study

Whole-body electromyostimulation is a new approach used to achieve weight loss and build muscles by activating different muscles groups through voluntary contractions generated by electrical impulses. This alternative approach is operated by a certified personal trainer, regulating the intensity of the electrical impulses to aid the muscular system to contract. Unaccustomed use of this technique leads to muscle destruction and a rise in creatine kinase level. A 25-year-old female began this therapy and experienced right flank tenderness associated with elevated serum creatine kinase (CK) levels. An impression of Rhabdomyolysis in the Emergency Department was given, followed by intravenous (IV) fluid administration. The patient consequently improved and was discharged with instructions. The study was projected to spread awareness regarding Whole-body electromyostimulation, which is tremendously promoted in Bahrain. This therapy may aid in client monitoring and improve the prognosis. Keywords: Adult; Electric stimulation therapy; Muscle; Musculoskeletal physiological phenomena; Rhabdomyolysis; Weight loss