A Concise Model and Analysis for Heat-Induced Withdrawal Reflex Caused by Millimeter Wave Radiation

In this study, we consider the heat-induced withdrawal reflex caused by exposure to an electromagnetic beam. We propose a concise dose-response relation for predicting the occurrence of withdrawal reflex from a given spatial temperature profile. Our model is distilled from sub-step components in the ADT CHEETEH-E model developed at the Institute for Defense Analyses. Our model has only two parameters: the activation temperature of nociceptors and the critical threshold on the activated volume. When the spatial temperature profile is measurable, the two parameters can be determined from test data. We connect this dose-response relation to a temperature evolution model for electromagnetic heating. The resulting composite model governs the process from the electromagnetic beam deposited on the skin to the binary outcome of subject’s reflex response. We carry out non-dimensionalization in the time evolution model. The temperature solution of the non-dimensional system is the product of the applied power density and a parameter-free function. The effects of physical parameters are contained in non-dimensional time and depth. Scaling the physical temperature distribution into a parameter-free function greatly simplifies the analytical solution, and helps to pinpoint the effects of beam spot area and applied power density. With this formulation, we study the theoretical behaviors of the system, including the time of reflex, effect of heat conduction, biological latency in observed reflex, energy consumption by the time of reflex, and the strategy of selecting test conditions in experiments for the purpose of inferring model parameters from test data.

Effect of Depth-Dependent Nociceptor Density on the Heat-Induced Withdrawal Reflex

Previously we introduced a concise dose-response model for the heat-induced withdrawal reflex caused by millimeter wave radiation. The model predicts the occurrence of withdrawal reflex from the given spatial temperature profile. It was formulated on the assumption that the density of nociceptors in skin is uniform, independent of the depth. The model has only two parameters: the activation temperature of heat-sensitive nociceptors and the critical threshold on the activated volume for triggering withdrawal reflex. In this study, we consider the case of depth-dependent nociceptor density in skin. We use a general parametric form with a scaling parameter in the depth direction to represent the nociceptor density. We analyze system behaviors for four density types of this form. Based on the theoretical results, we develop a methodology for 1) identifying from test data the density form of nociceptors distribution, 2) finding from test data the scaling parameter in the density form, and 3) determining from test data the activation temperature of nociceptors.

Thermal Effect of a Revolving Gaussian Beam on Activating Heat-Sensitive Nociceptors in Skin

We consider the problem of inducing withdrawal reflex on a test subject by exposing the subject’s skin to an electromagnetic beam. Heat-sensitive nociceptors in the skin are activated wherever the temperature is above the activation temperature. Withdrawal reflex occurs when the activated volume reaches a threshold. Previously we studied static beams with 3 types of power density distribution: Gaussian, super-Gaussian, and flat-top. We found that the flaptop is the best and the Gaussian is the worst in their performance with regard to 1) minimizing the time to withdrawal reflex, 2) minimizing the energy consumption and 3) minimizing the maximum temperature increase. The less-than-desirable performance of Gaussian beams is attributed to the uneven distribution of power density resulting in low energy efficiency: near the beam center the high power density does not contribute proportionally to increasing the activated volume;outside the beam effective radius the low power density fails to activate nociceptors. To overcome the drawbacks of Gaussian beams, in this study, we revolve a Gaussian beam around a fixed point to make the power density more uniformly distributed. We optimize the performance over two parameters: the spot size of static beam and the radius of beam revolution. We find that in comparison with a static Gaussian beam, a revolving Gaussian beam can reduce the energy consumption, and at the same time lower the maximum temperature.

Non-Dimensional Analysis of Thermal Effect on Skin Exposure to an Electromagnetic Beam

We consider the problem of inducing withdrawal reflex on a test subject by exposing the subject’s skin to an electromagnetic beam. Heat-sensitive nociceptors in the skin are activated wherever the temperature is above the activation temperature. Withdrawal reflex occurs when the activated volume reaches a threshold. We non-dimensionalize the problem to write the temperature as the product of a parameter-free function of non-dimensional variables and a function of beam parameters. This formulation allows studying beam parameters without knowing skin material parameters. We examine the effects of spot size, total power and distribution type of the electromagnetic beam on 3 quantities at reflex: 1) the time to reflex, 2) the maximum temperature increase, and 3) the total energy consumption. We find that the flat-top beam is the best, with the lowest energy consumption and the smallest maximum temperature increase. The Super-Gaussian beam is only slightly inferior to the flat-top. The Gaussian beam has by far the worst performance among these three.

The role of endothelial biomarkers in predicting damp-heat syndrome in diabetic kidney disease

Objective:To explore the role of endothelial biomarkers in predicting damp-heat syndrome in diabetic kidney disease(DKD).Methods:A total of 183 patients with DKD were divided into 3 groups:the early DKD group,established DKD group,and advanced DKD group.All patients were classified according to traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)syndrome type,and clinical indexes were collected for statistical analysis.Results:A total of 183 DKD patients were included in this study.Fibroblast growth factor 23(FGF23),chitinase-3-like protein 1(CHI3L1),endocan,tumor necrosis factor receptor 1(TNFR1),secretory leukocyte protease inhibitor(SLPI),and vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGF-A)were increased in advanced DKD.FGF23,CHI3L1,endocan,SLPI,and TNFR1 showed a negative correlation with estimated glomerular filtration rate(eGFR),while they had a positive correlation with 24 h urine protein.After adjusting for age,gender,diabetes duration,body mass index(BMI),hemoglobin,glucose,uric acid,24 h urine protein,cholesterol,triglyceride,low-density lipoprotein,and hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c),the multiple regression analysis showed that FGF23,endocan,TNFR1,and SLPI significantly correlated with eGFR.Conclusions:FGF23,endocan,TNFR1,and SLPI are elevated in advanced DKD compared with early stage,and they may take part in the pathogenesis and progression of DKD.Our study provides useful biomarkers for predicting the appearance of damp-heat syndrome,including FGF23,endocan,TNFR1,and SLPI.

Heat Induced Gels from Coconut Press Cake Proteins

Freeze-dried coconut press cake powder (CPP), 43% w/w protein, was used to investigate the heat-induced gelation by heating in rheometer to 75℃ in a wide range of pH values, from 4 to 9. Low strain oscillatory method applied the measure visco-elastic propertieson 15% w/w CPP. The gel strength was also assessed by a texture analyzer. SDS-PAGE electrophoresis was conducted to identify the proteins evolved in the gel network structure and the gel micro-structure was also evaluated. At low pH, the CPP proteins formed soft (elastic modulus <100 Pa) particulate gels prone to syneresis, with aggregate size of the order of 4.2 micrometers. In the alkaline region, homogenous gels were induced by heating. Gel strength started to increase dramatically from 64℃ to 67℃, for pH 9 and pH 8 respectively, reaching the maximum gel elastic modulus over 1000 Pa at pH 9. The SDS-PAGE showed that the polypeptide sub-unities at 24, 32 - 34 and 53 kDa were the most prominent in gelation.