Research on laser marking speed optimization by using genetic algorithm.

Laser Marking Machine is the most common coding equipment on product packaging lines. However, the speed of laser marking has become a bottleneck of production. In order to remove this bottleneck, a new method based on a genetic algorithm is designed. On the basis of this algorithm, a controller was designed and simulations and experiments were performed. The results show that using this algorithm could effectively improve laser marking efficiency by 25%.

Avaliação farmacognostica e da rotulagem das drogas vegetais boldo-do-chile (Peumus boldus Molina) e camomila (Matricaria recutita L. ) comercializadas em Fortaleza, CE / Pharmacognostic evaluation and analysis of labels of the medicinal plants Boldo-do-Chile (Peumus boldus Molina) and Chamomile (Matricaria recutita L. ), commercialized in Fortaleza, Ceará State, Brazil

RESUMO Boldo-do-chile (Peumus boldus) e camomila (Matricaria recutita) são plantas empregadas na fitoterapia principalmente para o tratamento de desordens hepáticas e intestinais, atuando também como anti-inflamatório e antiespasmódico, respectivamente. Por isso, o presente trabalho objetivou avaliar a qualidade farmacognostica dessas drogas vegetais comercializadas em Fortaleza (CE), além das informações de suas rotulagens. Quarenta e duas amostras de boldo, e quarenta e cinco amostras de camomila, procedentes de farmácias, de lojas de produtos naturais e de bancas de raizeiros, foram analisadas quanto à autenticidade, à pureza e às informações contidas na rotulagem desses produtos conforme legislação vigente. Na verificação de impurezas, 35,7% das amostras de boldo e 57,7% das amostras de camomila excederam o teor máximo de matéria estranha; no teor de cinzas totais, 33,3% das amostras de boldo foram reprovadas; rotulagens das amostras de boldo (100%) e de camomila (96,6%) apresentaram erros ou ausência de informações. Os resultados das análises confirmam, portanto, a necessidade urgente de melhor fiscalização e intervenção na produção e venda dessas e de outras drogas vegetais para adequação às normas vigentes.

ABSTRACT Boldo (Peumus boldus) and chamomile (Matricaria recutita) plants are mainly used in herbal medicine to treat hepatic and gastrointestinal diseases, having also anti-inflammatory and antispasmodic properties. This study aimed to evaluate the pharmacognostic quality of these herbal drugs sold in Fortaleza (CE), besides analyzing the information on their labeling. Forty-two samples of boldo, and forty-five samples of chamomile, brought from pharmacies, health food stores and newsstands were analyzed regarding their authenticity, purity, and the information contained in the labeling of the industrial products, to assure that it was in accordance with the current legislation. When verifying the impurities, 35.7% of the boldo samples and 57.7% of the chamomile ones exceeded the maximum level of strange organic matter allowed. Concerning the total ash content, 33.3% of boldo samples were rejected. The labels on the packages of boldo (100%) and chamomile (96,6%) contain errors or lack of information. The test results confirm the need for better surveillance and intervention in the production and sale of these and other drugs plants in order to meet the current standards.

An embedded laser marking controller based on ARM and FPGA processors.

Laser marking is an important branch of the laser information processing technology. The existing laser marking machine based on PC and WINDOWS operating system, are large and inconvenient to move. Still, it cannot work outdoors or in other harsh environments. In order to compensate for the above mentioned disadvantages, this paper proposed an embedded laser marking controller based on ARM and FPGA processors. Based on the principle of laser galvanometer scanning marking, the hardware and software were designed for the application. Experiments showed that this new embedded laser marking controller controls the galvanometers synchronously and could achieve precise marking.

Roll-to-roll gravure with nanomaterials for printing smart packaging.

Roll-to-roll (R2R) gravure is considered one of the highest throughput tools for manufacturing inexpensive and flexible ubiquitous IT devices called "smart packaging" in which NFC (near-field communication) transponder, sensors, ADC (analog-to-digital converter), simple processor and signage are all integrated on paper or plastic foils. In this review, we show R2R gravure can be employed to print smart packaging, starting from printing simple electrodes, dielectrics, capacitors, diodes and thin film transistors with appropriate nanomaterial-based inks on plastic foils.

Impact on storage quality of red blood cells and platelets by ultrahigh-frequency radiofrequency identification tags.

BACKGROUND: Compared to ISBT128 code labels, radiofrequency identification (RFID) tags have incomparable advantages and gradually applied in blood management system. However, there is no global standard for the uses of RFID frequency. Even though ISBT recommended high-frequency RFID with 13.56MHz, 820- to 960-MHz ultrahigh frequency (UHF) RFID technology in many ways has even more advantages. For this reason, we studied the effect of UHF RFID tags with 820- to 960-MHz exposure on storage quality of red blood cells (RBCs) and platelets (PLTs). STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Thirty units of collected and prepared suspended RBCs (sRBCs) and PLTs were divided into two bags, one each for the test and control groups. The sRBCs were stored in 4±2°C refrigerator and the PLTs in a 22±2°C rocking box. The test groups were exposed to RF reader continuously during storage. Sampling at different time points and biologic changes were tested. RESULTS: As the extension of storage and the pH and chlorine levels in the supernatant of sRBCs were reduced, free hemoglobin, potassium, and sodium increased, but were not significant between test and control groups (p>0.05). During the storage period, the pH levels, PLT count, and PLT aggregation rate were decreased in both test and control groups, but were not significant (p>0.05). CONCLUSION: When exposed to 820- to 960-MHz RF, the biologic and biochemical indexes are not found to be exacerbated during 35 days of storage for sRBCs and 5 days for PLTs, respectively.

RiBOMS: RFID-based object management system for home environments.

In this paper we introduce a RFID-based object management system, RiBOMS, for home environments. The system has an easy to use pictorial user interface aimed at older adults with associative memory impairments. The system technical correctness was successfully tested in a lab environment.

Feasibility of ultra-wideband SAW RFID tags meeting FCC rules.

We discuss the feasibility of surface acoustic wave (SAW) radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that rely on ultra-wideband (UWB) technology. We propose a design of a UWB SAW tag, carry out numerical experiments on the device performance, and study signal processing in the system. We also present experimental results for the proposed device and estimate the potentially achievable reading distance. UWB SAW tags will have an extremely small chip size (<0.5 x 1 mm(2)) and a low cost. They also can provide a large number of different codes. The estimated read range for UWB SAW tags is about 2 m with a reader radiating as low as <0.1 mW power levels with an extremely low duty factor.

Inline SAW RFID tag using time position and phase encoding.

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags are encoded according to partial reflections of an interrogation signal by short metal reflectors. The standard encryption method involves time position encoding that uses time delays of response signals. However, the data capacity of a SAW RFID tag can be significantly enhanced by extracting additional phase information from the tag responses. In this work, we have designed, using FEM-BEM simulations, and fabricated, on 128 degrees -LiNbO3, inline 2.44-GHz SAW RFID tag samples that combine time position and phase encoding. Each reflective echo has 4 possible time positions and a phase of 0 degrees , -90 degrees , -180 degrees , or -270 degrees. This corresponds to 16 different states, i.e., 4 bits of data, per code reflector. In addition to the enhanced data capacity, our samples also exhibit a low loss level of -38 dB for code reflections.

Z-path SAW RFID tag.

Surface acoustic wave (SAW) radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags are soon expected to be produced in very high volumes. The size and cost of a SAW RFID tag will be key parameters for many applications. Therefore, it is of primary importance to reduce the chip size. In this work, we describe the design principles of a 2.4-GHz SAW RFID tag that is significantly smaller than earlier reported tags. We also present simulated and experimental results. The coded signal should arrive at the reader with a certain delay (typically about 1 micros), i.e., after the reception of environmental echoes. If the tag uses a bidirectional interdigital transducer (IDT), space for the initial delay is needed on both sides of the IDT. In this work, we replace the bidirectional IDT by a unidirectional one. This halves the space required by the initial delay because all the code reflectors must now be placed on the same side of the IDT. We reduce tag size even further by using a Z-path geometry in which the same space in x-direction is used for both the initial delay and the code reflectors. Chip length is thus determined only by the space required by the code reflectors.

An investigation into the feasibility of locating portable medical devices using radio frequency identification devices and technology.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Portable medical devices represent an important resource for assisting healthcare delivery. The movement of portable devices often results in them being unavailable when needed. Tracking equipment using radiofrequency identification technology/devices (RFID) may provide a promising solution to the problems encountered in locating portable equipment. METHODS: An RFID technology trial was undertaken at Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley. This involved the temporary installation of three active readers and attaching actively transmitting radio frequency tags to different portable medical devices. The active readers and computer system were linked using a bespoke data network. Tags and readers from two separate manufacturers were tested. RESULTS: Reliability difficulties were encountered when testing the technology from the first manufacturer, probably due to the casing of the medical device interfering with the signal from the tag. Improved results were obtained when using equipment from the second manufacturer with an overall error rate of 12.3%. Tags from this manufacturer were specifically designed to overcome problems observed with the first system tested. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this proof of concept trial suggest that RFID technology could be used to track the location of equipment in a hospital.

Packaging design: basic principles.

This overview of the critical steps of the packaging design process highlights the effectiveness of design change and how it must be accommodated.

Productos de higiene infantil: la importancia de un correcto etiquetado / Infant hygiene products: the importance of correct labeling

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Orthogonal frequency coding for SAW tagging and sensors.

Surface acoustic wave (SAW)-based sensors can offer wireless, passive operation in numerous environments, and various device embodiments are used for retrieval of the sensed data information. Single sensor systems typically can use a single carrier frequency and a simple device embodiment because tagging is not required. In a multisensor environment, it is necessary to both identify the sensor and retrieve the sensed information. This paper presents the concept of orthogonal frequency coding (OFC) for applications to SAW sensor technology. The OFC offers all advantages inherent to spread spectrum communications, including enhanced processing gain and lower interrogation power spectral density (PSD). It is shown that the time ambiguity in the OFC compressed pulse is significantly reduced as compared with a single frequency tag having the same code length, and additional coding can be added using a pseudo-noise (PN) sequence. The OFC approach is general and should be applicable to many differing SAW sensors for temperature, pressure, liquid, gases, etc. Device embodiments are shown, and a potential transceiver is described. Measured device results are presented and compared with coupling of modes (COM) model predictions to demonstrate performance. Devices then are used in computer simulations of the proposed transceiver design, and the results of an OFC sensor system are discussed.

Micro- and nanotechnology fabrication processes for metals.

Many medical products are taking advantage of the developments in micro-and nanotechnology. Fabrication processes for metal products are reviewed here. Those featured include stents, surgical blades and needles, wound dressings and fluorescent labels for diagnostic testing.