| 4 | Successful use of closed-loop allostatic neurotechnology for post-traumatic stress symptoms in military personnel: self-reported and autonomic improvements显示文摘Background:Military-related post-traumatic stress(PTS)is associated with numerous symptom clusters and diminished autonomic cardiovascular regulation.Highresolution,relational,resonance-based,electroencephalic mirroringis a noninvasive,closed-loop,allostatic,acoustic stimulation neurotechnology that produces realtime translation of dominant brain frequencies into audible tones of variable pitch and timing to support the autocalibration of neural oscillations.We report clinical,autonomic,and functional effects after the use offor symptoms of military-related PTS.Methods:Eighteen service members or recent veterans(15 active-duty,3 veterans,most from special operations,1 female),with a mean age of 40.9(SD=6.9)years and symptoms of PTS lasting from 1 to 25 years,undertook19.5(SD=1.1)sessions over 12 days.Inventories for symptoms of PTS(Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist–Military version,PCL-M),insomnia(Insomnia Severity Index,ISI),depression(Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale,CES-D),and anxiety(Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale,GAD-7)were collected before(Visit1,V1),immediately after(Visit2,V2),and at 1 month(Visit3,V3),3(Visit4,V4),and 6(Visit5,V5)months after intervention completion.Other measures only taken at V1 and V2 included blood pressure and heart rate recordings to analyze heart rate variability(HRV)and baroreflex sensitivity(BRS),functional performance(reaction and grip strength)testing,blood and saliva for biomarkers of stress and inflammation,and blood for epigenetic testing.Paired t-tests,Wilcoxon signed-rank tests,and a repeated-measures ANOVA were performed.Results:Clinically relevant,significant reductions in all symptom scores were observed at V2,with durability through V5.There were significant improvements in multiple measures of HRV and BRS[Standard deviation of the normal beat to normal beat interval(SDNN),root mean square of the successive differences(rMSSD),high frequency(HF),low frequency(LF),and total power,HF alpha,sequence all,and systolic,diastolic and mean arterial pressure]as well as reaction testing.Trends were seen for improved grip strength and a reduction in C-Reactive Protein(CRP),Angiotensin II to Angiotensin 1–7 ratio and Interleukin-10,with no change in DNA n-methylation.There were no dropouts or adverse events reported. Conclusion:Service members or veterans showed reductions in symptomatology of PTS,insomnia,depressive mood,and anxiety that were durable through 6 months after the use of a closed-loop allostatic neurotechnology for the autocalibration of neural oscillations.This study is the first to report increased HRV or BRS after the use of an intervention for service members or veterans with PTS.Ongoing investigations are strongly warranted.Trial registration:NCT03230890,retrospectively registered July 25,2017. | Catherine L.Tegeler Lee Gerdes Hossam A.Shaltout Jared F.Cook Sean L.Simpson Sung W.Lee Charles H.Tegeler | 2018 | Military Medical Research2018,5,1: | 0 |
| 5 | Predicting strength distributions of MEMS structures using flaw size and spatial density显示文摘The populations of flaws in individual layers of microelectromechanical systems(MEMS)structures are determined and verified using a combination of specialized specimen geometry,recent probabilistic analysis,and topographic mapping.Strength distributions of notched and tensile bar specimens are analyzed assuming a single flaw population set by fabrication and common to both specimen geometries.Both the average spatial density of flaws and the flaw size distribution are determined and used to generate quantitative visualizations of specimens.Scanning probe-based topographic measurements are used to verify the flaw spacings determined from strength tests and support the idea that grain boundary grooves on sidewalls control MEMS failure.The findings here suggest that strength controlling features in MEMS devices increase in separation,i.e.,become less spatially dense,and decrease in size,i.e.,become less potent flaws,as processing proceeds up through the layer stack.The method demonstrated for flaw population determination is directly applicable to strength prediction for MEMS reliability and design. | Robert F.Cook Frank W.DelRio Brad L.Boyce | 2019 | Microsystems & Nanoengineering2019,5,1: | 0 |