Large enhanced dielectric permittivity in polyaniline passivated core-shell nano magnetic iron oxide by plasma polymerization

Commercial samples of Magnetite with size ranging from 25–30nm were coated with polyaniline by using radio frequency plasma polymerization to achieve a core shell structure of magnetic nanoparticle (core)–Polyaniline (shell). High resolution transmission electron microscopy images confirm the core shell architecture of polyaniline coated iron oxide. The dielectric properties of the material were studied before and after plasma treatment. The polymer coated magnetite particles exhibited a large dielectric permittivity with respect to uncoated samples. The dielectric behavior was modeled using a Maxwell–Wagner capacitor model. A plausible mechanism for the enhancement of dielectric permittivity is proposed

Revisión sistemática de la literatura: efecto de la radiofrecuencia como tratamiento de la lipodistrofia ginecoide (celulitis)

Introducción: La lipodistrofia ginecoide, es una condición de la piel distintiva del sexo femenino, estéticamente no aceptada y uno de los principales motivos de consulta en la Medicina Estética. Uno de los equipos médicos-estéticos más utilizados en su tratamiento es la radiofrecuencia, sin embargo su aplicación no siempre lleva a resultados satisfactorios para los pacientes. Métodos: Revisión sistemática de la literatura de artículos obtenidos a partir de bases de datos y búsqueda manual en revistas de dermatología estética entre los años 2004 y 2010 que suministraran la mejor evidencia. Se realizó evaluación de calidad metodológica y los estudios incluidos se organizaron en tablas de evidencia. Resultados: De 38 estudios, se seleccionaron 17 artículos. Los estudios disponibles fueron clasificados según nivel de evidencia como IIA, IB y IIB. Se encontró concordancia en resultados histológicos, evidenciando por aumento de lipólisis, cambios estructurales del adipocito y aumento del colágeno dérmico. La mejoría de la apariencia, fue similar con los diferentes tipos de radiofrecuencia. La disminución de la circunferencia parece ser dependiente del número de sesiones realizadas. Los efectos secundarios principales son eritema y equimosis. Las complicaciones están relacionadas con equipos combinados. No hay evidencia de resultados perdurables en el tiempo. Conclusión: Primera revisión sistemática de la literatura sobre los efectos de la radiofrecuencia en la lipodistrofia ginecoide. La radiofrecuencia sola o combinada es una tecnología segura y efectiva para el manejo de la lipodistrofia ginecoide. La presencia de complicaciones es operario dependiente. Es necesaria la realización de estudios que permitan mayor nivel de evidencia.

Tecnología RFID en Colombia, un negocio con muchas oportunidades

Este trabajo busca identificar y definir porque la tecnología RFID puede ser un buen negocio de oportunidad en el mercado Colombiano, cada vez esté, está más enfocado en generar procesos de mejora continua que produzcan eficiencia al interior de las organizaciones, actualmente el uso de la tecnología es una herramienta clave para que las organizaciones se mantengan a la vanguardia. Con base en el estudio vemos que la tecnología RFID, genera eficiencia en el flujo de la información, mejora el control de inventarios y genera seguridad en estos, además de la disminución en los procesos y operaciones, e incrementa la velocidad en la toma de decisiones, por otro lado existe un mercado a explotar que es el de los hoteles, en la medida en que estos pueden controlar sus inventarios de objetos como sabanas, cobijas, etc. Evitando perder estos productos por robos. Un problema de esta tecnología son los altos costos, que impiden que empresas medianas y pequeñas puedan invertir en estos procesos.

Caracterización de las variantes anatómicas de las venas pulmonares en pacientes candidatos a aislamiento de venas pulmonares en Colombia

Introducción y objetivos: El conocimiento de la anatomía de las venas pulmonares y de la aurícula izquierda es fundamental para la planeación y prevención de posibles complicaciones durante la ablación de las venas pulmonares, procedimiento realizado para el manejo de la fibrilación auricular. Este estudio pretende caracterizar la anatomía (tamaño y forma) de las venas pulmonares y determinar las variantes anatómicas más comunes de las mismas. Métodos: Se analizaron 277 estudios de angioresonancia tridimensional y tomografía computarizada realizados previo al procedimiento de aislamiento de venas pulmonares. Se evaluaron los diámetros de la aurícula izquierda, de los ostia de las venas pulmonares y se determinaron la presencia de venas pulmonares comunes, accesorias y ramificaciones tempranas. Resultados: 75% de nuestros pacientes presentaron la anatomía normal de dos venas pulmonares derechas y dos izquierdas. En un 10,1% de los casos se encontraron venas supernumerarias y en un 11,2% se encontró un tronco común. En un 61% de los pacientes se encontraron ramas ostiales, las cuales en un 39,4% de los casos se presentaron en la vena pulmonar inferior derecha. Conclusiones: La evaluación de la morfología de la aurícula derecha y las venas pulmonares por medio de angioresonancia o tomografía computarizada, es necesaria para la realización de ablación por radiofrecuencia dada la alta frecuencia de variantes anatómicas y presencia de ramas ostiales.

Análisis de los componentes de la cadena de suministro y su relación con el desempeño superior de la organización en el sector manufacturero

En este documento se evidencia como el desempeño organizacional de una empresa, entendido como el rendimiento superior de la misma, se ve modificado por las prácticas o metodologías utilizadas, aplicadas e integradas a cada uno de los componentes de la Cadena de suministros. Es así que el propósito principal es demostrar cual es la relación entre los componentes de la Cadena de Suministros y su gestión sobre los rendimientos económicos de la empresa. De esa manera se encontraron múltiples actividades que toman lugar en los procesos característicos de cada uno de los componentes de la cadena de suministros y que al final nos presentan una variabilidad sobre los rendimientos de la empresa. Cabe recalcar que la investigación se realizó con respecto a empresas pertenecientes al sector manufacturero y abarca una buena parte de este. La importancia que tiene la investigación, es el haber entregado como resultado, el conocimiento sobre algunas de las practicas más utilizadas en el sector en cada uno de sus componentes, lo cual hace de la Cadena de suministros, un factor por excelencia para ser tratado e implementado con el fin de alcanzar mayores rendimientos económicos a nivel de empresa. En la investigación se utilizaron los casos de empresas reales tanto nacionales como internacionales y se encontraron situaciones claves que evidenciaban la hipótesis de la relación entre la cadena de suministros y el desempeño organizacional. Es por ello, que si bien es ahora cierto, que las actividades desarrolladas en los componentes de la Cadena de Suministros de las empresas influyen en el incremento de los rendimientos, es importante que las empresas conozcan de esta información para tener una idea de cómo desarrollar ventajas competitivas que los posicionen como empresa y les genere entonces mayores rendimientos, o por el contrario, les genere ahorros en costos y por ende altos beneficios y nuevas inversiones en prácticas que a la larga volverá a la empresa en un organismo eficientes y próspero.

RF Energy Harvesting in WSNs

As a vital factor affecting system cost and lifetime, energy consumption in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) has been paid much attention to. This article reviews existing energy harvesting technology applied in WSNs, and analyzes advantages of harvesting radio frequency (RF) energy in WSNs.

How could construction supply chain benefit from RFID/GPS integration: a knowledge management perspective

Construction materials and equipment are essential building blocks of every construction project and may account for 50-60 per cent of the total cost of construction. The rate of their utilization, on the other hand, is the element that most directly relates to a project progress. A growing concern in the industry that inadequate efficiency hinders its success could thus be accommodated by turning construction into a logistic process. Although mostly limited, recent attempts and studies show that Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) applications have significant potentials in construction. However, the aim of this research is to show that the technology itself should not only be used for automation and tracking to overcome the supply chain complexity but also as a tool to generate, record and exchange process-related knowledge among the supply chain stakeholders. This would enable all involved parties to identify and understand consequences of any forthcoming difficulties and react accordingly before they cause major disruptions in the construction process. In order to achieve this aim the study focuses on a number of methods. First of all it develops a generic understanding of how RFID technology has been used in logistic processes in industrial supply chain management. Secondly, it investigates recent applications of RFID as an information and communication technology support facility in construction logistics for the management of construction supply chain. Based on these the study develops an improved concept of a construction logistics architecture that explicitly relies on integrating RFID with the Global Positioning System (GPS). The developed conceptual model architecture shows that categorisation provided through RFID and traceability as a result of RFID/GPS integration could be used as a tool to identify, record and share potential problems and thus vastly improve knowledge management processes within the entire supply chain. The findings thus clearly show a need for future research in this area.

Pervasive technologies for workplace management

Purpose – Facilities managers have less visibility of how buildings are being used due to flexible working and unpredictable workers. The purpose of this paper is to examine the current issues in workspace management and an automatic solution through radio frequency identification (RFID) that could provide real time information on the volume and capacity of buildings. Design/methodology/approach – The study described in this paper is based on a case study at a facilities management (FM) department. The department is examining a ubiquitous technology in the form of innovative RFID for security and workspace management. Interviews and observations are conducted within the facilities department for the initial phase of the implementation of RFID technology. Findings – Research suggests that work methods are evolving and becoming more flexible. With this in mind, facilities managers face new challenges to create a suitable environment for an unpredictable workforce. RFID is one solution that could provide facilities managers with an automatic way of examining space in real time and over a wider area than currently possible. RFID alone for space management is financially expensive but by making the application multiple for other areas makes more business sense. Practical implications – This paper will provide practicing FM and academics with the knowledge gained from the application of RFID in this organisation. While the concept of flexible working seems attractive, there is an emerging need to provide various forms of spaces that enable employees' satisfaction and enhance the productivity of the organisation. Originality/value – The paper introduces new thinking on the subject of “workspace management”. It highlights the current difficulties in workspace management and how an RFID solution will benefit workspace methods.

Energy saving in intelligent buildings - via energy harvesting in wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) have been widely used in pervasive systems such as intelligent buildings. As a vital factor of product cost, energy consuming in WSN has been focused upon, but only via energy harvesting can the problem be overcome radically. This article presents a new approach to harvesting electromagnetic energy for WSN from useless radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted in WSN, with a quantitative analysis showing its feasibility.

ENABLE: a wrist worn device with integrated accessible services to support old people living independently and safely at home

This RTD project, 2007-2009, is partly funded by the European Commission, in Framework Programme 6. It aims to assist elderly people for living well, independently and at case. ENABLE will provide a number of services for elderly people based on the new technology provided by mobile phones. The project is developing a Wrist unit with both integrated and external sensors, and with a radio frequency link to a mobile phone. Dedicated ENABLE software running on the wrist unit and mobile phone makes these services fully accessible for the elderly users. This paper outlines the fundamental motivation and the approach which currently is undertaken in order to collect the more detailed user needs and requirements. The general architecture and the design of the ENABLE system are outlined.

ENABLE - a view on user's needs

The ENABLE project, which is partly funded by the European Commission, aims to assist elderly people to live well, independently and at case. In this project a wrist unit with both integrated and external sensors, and with a radio frequency link to a mobile phone. will be developed. ENABLE will provide a number of services for elderly people. among them also a remote control service for the home environment. This paper briefly describes the project in general and then focuses on the initial user needs investigation which was carried Out in early 2007 in six different European countries. The provisional findings are discussed and an outlook on the ongoing and future project work is given. A special focus of this paper is on the environmental control service.

Design, implementation and evaluation of broadband low noise amplifier (LNA) for radiometer

The two major applications of microwave remote sensors are radiometer and radar. Because of its importance and the nature of the application, much research has been made on the various aspects of the radar. This paper will focus on the various aspects of the radiometer from a design point of view and the Low Noise Amplifier will be designed and implemented. The paper is based on a study in radio Frequency Communications engineering and understanding of electronic and RF circuits. Some research study about the radiometer and practical implementation of Low Noise Amplifier for Radiometer will be the main focus of this paper. Basically the paper is divided into two parts. In the first part some background study about the radiometer will be carried out and commonly used types of radiometer will be discussed. In the second part LNA for the radiometer will be designed.

Pervasive technologies for workspace management

Purpose – Facilities managers have less visibility of how buildings are being used due to flexible working and unpredictable workers. The purpose of this paper is to examine the current issues in workspace management and an automatic solution through radio frequency identification (RFID) that could provide real time information on the volume and capacity of buildings. Design/methodology/approach – The study described in this paper is based on a case study at a facilities management (FM) department. The department is examining a ubiquitous technology in the form of innovative RFID for security and workspace management. Interviews and observations are conducted within the facilities department for the initial phase of the implementation of RFID technology. Findings – Research suggests that work methods are evolving and becoming more flexible. With this in mind, facilities managers face new challenges to create a suitable environment for an unpredictable workforce. RFID is one solution that could provide facilities managers with an automatic way of examining space in real time and over a wider area than currently possible. RFID alone for space management is financially expensive but by making the application multiple for other areas makes more business sense. Practical implications – This paper will provide practicing FM and academics with the knowledge gained from the application of RFID in this organisation. While the concept of flexible working seems attractive, there is an emerging need to provide various forms of spaces that enable employees’ satisfaction and enhance the productivity of the organisation. Originality/value – The paper introduces new thinking on the subject of “workspace management”. It highlights the current difficulties in workspace management and how an RFID solution will benefit workspace methods.

Analysis of a DVB-T compliant receiver simulation under various multipath conditions

Since 1966, coded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (COFDM) has been investigated to determine the possibility of reducing the overall throughput of a digitally modulated terrestrial television channel. In the investigations, many assumptions have emerged. One common misconception is that in a terrestrial environment, COFDM has an inherent immunity to multipath interference. A theoretical analysis of a multipath channel, along with simulation results has shown that this assumption does not hold the information is considered when including the radio frequency modulation and demodulation. This paper presents a background into the inception of COFDM, a mathematical analysis of the digitally modulated television signal under multipath conditions and the results of a European Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DVB-T) compliant simulation model with MPEG-2 bitstreams transmitted under various multipath conditions.

A new algorithm for tracking people in a pervasive mining environment

This paper analyze and study a pervasive computing system in a mining environment to track people based on RFID (radio frequency identification) technology. In first instance, we explain the RFID fundamentals and the LANDMARC (location identification based on dynamic active RFID calibration) algorithm, then we present the proposed algorithm combining LANDMARC and trilateration technique to collect the coordinates of the people inside the mine, next we generalize a pervasive computing system that can be implemented in mining, and finally we show the results and conclusions.