This paper presents a virtual measurement instrument for detection and analysis of power quality disturbances in voltage supply using wavelets. The instrument developed can operate in different working modes depending on the type of power quality disturbance to be detected and analyzed. In each mode different wavelet analysis (discrete or wavelet-packet transform), with different mother wavelet...

An automated laparoscopic instrument capable of non-invasive measurement of tip/tissue interaction forces for direct application in robotic assisted minimally invasive surgery systems is introduced in this paper. It has the capability to measure normal grasping forces as well as lateral interaction forces without any sensor mounted on the tip jaws. Further to non-invasive actuation of the tip, ...

BACKGROUND Health care costs in Canada continue to rise. As a result of this relentless increase in healthcare spending, ways to increase efficiency and decrease cost are constantly being sought. Surgical treatment is the mainstay of therapy for many conditions in the field of Otolaryngology- Head and Neck Surgery. The evidence suggests that room exists to optimize tray efficiency as a novel me...

One of the most common procedures performed in orthopedics is knee arthroscopy, and a variety of complications are found with this procedure. One of the most avoidable complications is that of retained instruments. This article describes the case of a patient in the private practice orthopedic setting who returned 6 years after a knee arthroscopic procedure reporting acute onset pain. It was di...

An instrument is demonstrated that can be used for optical detection of honeybees in a cluttered environment. The instrument uses a continuous-wave diode laser with a center wavelength of 808 nm and an output power of 28 mW as the laser transmitter source. Light scattered from moving honeybee wings will produce an intensity-modulated signal at a characteristic wing-beat frequency (170-270 Hz) t...

A simple analytical system suitable for nephelometric measurements is introduced in this article. The electronic and optical components are simplified so that the apparatus is easily assembled from materials that are generally available. This instrument is designed for the efficient measurement of anions, and microgram quantities of ions may be determined by a convenient method of titration...

Surgical instrument catalogues are valuable documents, which help in both the identification and dating of instruments. A rare copy of the first British illustrated surgical catalogue was offered for sale in 2003. This paper gives brief details of the catalogue and its author, JH Savigny.

For the PAT application of microbial monitoring instruments in pharmaceutical field, certain performance features of a detector technology are highly desirable, among them are: (1) real time microbial detection; (2) capability of continuous monitoring of microbial level in the environment; (3) broad detection range of microbes; (4) freedom from sample preparation and (5) ease of operation. To p...

We design an instrument with a novel embedded adaptive stochastic resonance (SR) algorithm that consists of a SR module and a digital zero crossing detection module for on-line weak signal detection in digital signal processing applications. The two modules are responsible for noise filtering and adaptive parameter configuration, respectively. The on-line weak signal detection can be stably ach...

There is no comprehensive screening programme for atrial fibrillation (AF) in either the UK or the US. This paper describes a simple new technology that could contribute to such a universal screening programme. The work analyses the utility of a new instrument that uses plethysmographic analysis of finger-tip pulse in the detection of AF. Comparative analysis of the instrument with the 'gold-st...