Nesting chinstrap penguins accrue large quantities of sleep through seconds-long microsleeps.

Microsleeps, the seconds-long interruptions of wakefulness by eye closure and sleep-related brain activity, are dangerous when driving and might be too short to provide the restorative functions of sleep. If microsleeps do fulfill sleep functions, then animals faced with a continuous need for vigilance might resort to this sleep strategy. We investigated electroencephalographically defined sleep in wild chinstrap penguins, at sea and while nesting in Antarctica, constantly exposed to an egg predator and aggression from other penguins. The penguins nodded off >10,000 times per day, engaging in bouts of bihemispheric and unihemispheric slow-wave sleep lasting on average only 4 seconds, but resulting in the accumulation of >11 hours of sleep for each hemisphere. The investment in microsleeps by successfully breeding penguins suggests that the benefits of sleep can accrue incrementally.

INSA Wound Mapping System: II. Preliminary Porcine Results.

In the first paper, a versatile wound monitoring system, capable of mapping the extent of a wound and characterizing the tissues involved without removing the dressing, was presented. This was achieved through electrical impedance measurements, made via an electrode matrix embedded within the wound dressing.In this second paper, we present early mapping results obtained on porcine models. It was found that there was a good correlation between wound areas derived using digital image planimetry and those using a 49-electrode impedimetric electrode array.

Localised impedance monitoring device for the remote clinical assessment of home-based dialysis patients.

BioImpedance Spectroscopy (BIS) has been clinically used to determine the hydrational status of patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD). In the present project we are developing a calf-localised, integrated impedimetric device to periodically and conveniently measure and transmit information on the hydrational status of home-based patients to a remote clinic. Surprisingly, we have found that simple postural changes before or during measurement lead to significant fluid shifts in the lower leg that are as important and as long lasting as the effects of haemodialysis. These must be taken into account if potentially hazardous errors are not to be made in assessing a patient's hydrational status.

Wearable impedance monitoring system for dialysis patients.

This paper describes the development and the validation of a prototype wearable miniaturized impedance monitoring system for remote monitoring in home-based dialysis patients. This device is intended to assess the hydration status of dialysis patients using calf impedance measurements. The system is based on the low-power AD8302 component. The impedance calibration procedure is described together with the Cole parameter estimation and the hydric volume estimation. Results are given on a test cell to validate the design and on preliminary calf measurements showing Cole parameter variations during hemodialysis.

Wearable sensor systems: the challenges.

Given the soaring costs associated with the treatment of ever more prevalent chronic disease, it is widely agreed that a revolution is required in health care provision. It is often thought that the necessary technology already exists for the home-based monitoring of such patients and that it is other factors which are holding back the more widespread clinical uptake of these new tools. The authors suggest that the necessary sensor-related technologies are often not as advanced as may first appear; certainly they are generally not adequate for the robust, long-term monitoring of patients under real-life conditions. An additional problem is the evident efforts to apply a given sensor and related technology platform to any and all monitoring scenarios without sufficient consideration of patient needs and the clinical requirements. The authors review the key sensing platforms and suggest the applications for which they are best suited.

Thermal parameters measurement on fire fighter: improvement of the monitoring system.

Real time monitoring of the thermal parameters on firefighter when operating is one of the ProeTEX project goals. The newly developed equipments in the framework of this project, integrate one temperature sensor and one heat flux sensor in the rescuer's outer garment. The environment in which firefighters operate is dangerous and the thermal risks can occur everywhere. Consequently the heat flux is so not necessarily symmetrical. To improve the thermally at risk situation detection, a modified platinum sensors array was integrated in the jacket in order to monitor simultaneously heat flux and temperature surrounding the rescuer. The sensors were placed in the most exposed area (shoulders and chest) to monitor thermal parameter in different directions. The heat flux is calculated from the temperature difference. This sensors array enables the detection of temperature increases and heat flux even when the heat source is localized on one side.