Harnessing the power of gate control: interventions for procedural pain and anxiety

Medical and dental procedures present a minefield of opportunities for pain and anxiety. Many procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and palliation are performed either without comfort measures at all or with sedation/anesthesia. Yet, there are many ways of decreasing patients’ procedural pain and anxiety and of increasing physical and psychological comfort. Gate control theory explains how we can close the gate on pain transmission (and minimize opening the gate) through non-pharmacological means. An exploration of several bottom-up and top-down interventions will be discussed including breathing, mindfulness, gradual exposure, non-pain stimuli, distraction, touch, and postoperative communications. Interventions will be illustrated with pictures and short videos in the dental setting.

Configuring ADAS Platforms for Automotive Applications Using Metaheuristics

Modern Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) combine critical real-time and non-critical best-effort tasks and messages onto an integrated multi-core multi-SoC hardware platform. The real-time safety-critical software tasks have complex interdependencies in the form of end-to-end latency chains featuring, e.g., sensing, processing/sensor fusion, and actuating. The underlying real-time operating systems running on top of the multi-core platform use static cyclic scheduling for the software tasks, while the communication backbone is either realized through PCIe or Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN). In this paper, we address the problem of configuring ADAS platforms for automotive applications, which means deciding the mapping of tasks to processing cores and the scheduling of tasks and messages. Time-critical messages are transmitted in a scheduled manner via the timed-gate mechanism described in IEEE 802.1Qbv according to the pre-computed Gate Control List (GCL) schedule. We study the computation of the assignment of tasks to the available platform CPUs/cores, the static schedule tables for the real-time tasks, as well as the GCLs, such that task and message deadlines, as well as end-to-end task chain latencies, are satisfied. This is an intractable combinatorial optimization problem. As the ADAS platforms and applications become increasingly complex, such problems cannot be optimally solved and require problem-specific heuristics or metaheuristics to determine good quality feasible solutions in a reasonable time. We propose two metaheuristic solutions, a Genetic Algorithm (GA) and one based on Simulated Annealing (SA), both creating static schedule tables for tasks by simulating Earliest Deadline First (EDF) dispatching with different task deadlines and offsets. Furthermore, we use a List Scheduling-based heuristic to create the GCLs in platforms featuring a TSN backbone. We evaluate the proposed solution with real-world and synthetic test cases scaled to fit the future requirements of ADAS systems. The results show that our heuristic strategy can find correct solutions that meet the complex timing and dependency constraints at a higher rate than the related work approaches, i.e., the jitter constraints are satisfied in over 6 times more cases, and the task chain constraints are satisfied in 41% more cases on average. Our method scales well with the growing trend of ADAS platforms.

Examples on Simulation Model

A new methodology was developed Further real-time determination gate control operations of a river-reservoir system to minimize flooding conditions. The methodology is based upon an optimization-simulation model approach interfacing the genetic algorithm within simulation software for short-term rainfall forecasting, rainfall–runoff modeling (HEC-HMS), and a one-dimensional (1D), two-dimensional (2D), and combined 1D and 2D combined unsteady flow models (HEC-RAS). Both realtime rainfall data from next-generation radar (NEXRAD) and gaging stations, and forecasted rainfall are needed to make gate control decisions (reservoir releases) in real-time so that at timet, rainfall is known and rainfall over the future timeperiod(∆t)totimet+ ∆t can be forecasted. This new model can be used to manage reservoir release schedules (optimal gate operations) before, during, and after a rainfall event. Through real-time observations and optimal gate controls, downstream water surface elevations are controlled to avoid exceedance of threshold flood levels at target locations throughout a riverreservoir system to minimize the damage. In an example application, an actual river reach with a hypothetical upstream flood control reservoir is modeled in real-time to test the optimization-simulation portion of the overall model. Keywords: Simulation – Random numbers- Steps for simulation – Problems.

High-frequency rectifying characteristics of metallic single-electron transistor with niobium nanodots

Metallic single-electron transistors (SETs) with niobium nanodots were fabricated, and their high-frequency rectifying characteristics were evaluated. By reducing the gap size of the electrodes and film deposition area to nanometer scale, improved SET characteristics with gate control, and better frequency response of the rectifying current with gentler decrease than 1/f at high frequency were achieved. The comparison between the characteristics of micrometer- and nanometer-size devices are made, and the reason for their differences are discussed with a help of simulation based on the experimentally extracted parameters.

Application of Theory in Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Research and Clinical Practice

Introduction: Chronic pain has multiple aetiological factors and complexity. Pain theory helps us to guide and organize our thinking to deal with this complexity. The objective of this paper is to critically review the most influential theory in pain science history (the gate control theory of pain) and focus on its implications in chronic pain rehabilitation to minimize disability. Methods: In this narrative review, all the published studies that focused upon pain theory were retrieved from Ovoid Medline (from 1946 till present), EMBAS, AMED and PsycINFO data bases. Results: Chronic pain is considered a disease or dysfunction of the nervous system. In chronic pain conditions, hypersensitivity is thought to develop from changes to the physiological top-down control (inhibitory) mechanism of pain modulation according to the pain theory. Pain hypersensitivity manifestation is considered as abnormal central inhibitory control at the gate controlling mechanism. On the other hand, pain hypersensitivity is a prognostic factor in pain rehabilitation. It is clinically important to detect and manage hypersensitivity responses and their mechanisms. Conclusion: Since somatosensory perception and integration are recognized as a contributor to the pain perception under the theory, then we can use the model to direct interventions aimed at pain relief. The pain theory should be leveraged to develop and refine measurement tools with clinical utility for detecting and monitoring hypersensitivity linked to chronic pain mechanisms.

Investigation of Multi-Mesa-Channel-Structured AlGaN/GaN MOSHEMTs with SiO2 Gate Oxide Layer

In this study, an electron-beam lithography system was employed to pattern 80-nm-wide and 980-nm-spaced multi-mesa-channel for fabricating AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor high electron mobility transistors (MOSHEMTs). Since the structure of multi-mesa-channel could enhance gate control capabilities and reduce the self-heating effect in the channel, the performance of the MOSHEMTs could be obviously improved. The direct current performance metrics of the multi-mesa-channel-structured MOSHEMTs, such as a saturation drain-source current of 929 mA/mm, maximum extrinsic transconductance of 223 mS/mm, and on-resistance of 2.1 Ω-mm, were much better than those of the planar-structured MOSHEMTs. Moreover, the threshold voltage of the multi-mesa-channel-structured MOSHEMTs shifted toward positive voltage from −2.6 to −0.6 V, which was attributed to the better gate control capability. Moreover, the multi-mesa-channel-structured MOSHEMTs also had superior high-frequency and low-frequency noise performance. A low Hooge’s coefficient of 1.17 × 10−6 was obtained.

Effects of Acute and Chronic Stretching on Pain Control

ABSTRACT While muscle stretching has been commonly used to alleviate pain, reports of its effectiveness are conflicting. The objective of this review is to investigate the acute and chronic effects of stretching on pain, including delayed onset muscle soreness. The few studies implementing acute stretching protocols have reported small to large magnitude decreases in quadriceps and anterior knee pain as well as reductions in headache pain. Chronic stretching programs have demonstrated more consistent reductions in pain from a wide variety of joints and muscles, which has been ascribed to an increased sensory (pain) tolerance. Other mechanisms underlying acute and chronic pain reduction have been proposed to be related to gate control theory, diffuse noxious inhibitory control, myofascial meridians, and reflex-induced increases in parasympathetic nervous activity. By contrast, the acute effects of stretching on delayed onset muscle soreness are conflicting. Reports of stretch-induced reductions in delayed onset muscle soreness may be attributed to increased pain tolerance or alterations in the muscle's parallel elastic component or extracellular matrix properties providing protection against tissue damage. Further research evaluating the effect of various stretching protocols on different pain modalities is needed to clarify conflicts within the literature.

Contact spacing controls the on-current for all-carbon field effect transistors

All-carbon field-effect transistors, which combine carbon nanotubes and graphene hold great promise for many applications such as digital logic devices and single-photon emitters. However, the understanding of the physical properties of carbon nanotube (CNT)/graphene hybrid systems in such devices remained limited. In this combined experimental and theoretical study, we use a quantum transport model for field-effect transistors based on graphene electrodes and CNT channels to explain the experimentally observed low on currents. We find that large graphene/CNT spacing and short contact lengths limit the device performance. We have also elucidated in this work the experimentally observed ambipolar transport behavior caused by the flat conduction- and valence-bands and describe non-ideal gate-control of the contacts and channel region by the quantum capacitance of graphene and the carbon nanotube. We hope that our insights will accelerate the design of efficient all-carbon field-effect transistors.

LoRa Network Based Integrated Sluice Gates Group Automation Control System

A kind of gate automation group control system is designed based on LoRa networking, which is composed of intelligent gate control subsystems installed on all levels of channels, LoRa network and a cluster control system running in the monitoring centre. The system uses the water level and flow rate method, Doppler ultrasonic flowmeter, and laser water level gauge to realize the automatic metering function of the gate; the ultra-low power gate cluster control system based on LoRa network realizes the intelligent control and wireless remote communication of the gate terminal; Provides three different types of gate automatic control modes to meet the water supply needs of different types of irrigation areas; through the design of dual-circuit redundant power supply system design for solar power supply and mains power supply, the power supply problem of the gate field work is solved; remote dynamic water transfer control application software package realize the remote control, automatic control and system linkage of the gate.