New device could allow your heartbeat to power pacemaker

Public release date: 4-Nov-2012
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Contact: Bridgette McNeill
bridgette.mcneill@heart.org
214-706-1173
American Heart Association

Abstract 15551

An experimental device converted energy from a beating heart to provide enough electricity to power a pacemaker, in a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012.

The findings suggest that patients could power their pacemakers eliminating the need for replacements when batteries are spent.

In a preliminary study, researchers tested an energy-harvesting device that uses piezoelectricity electrical charge generated from motion. The approach is a promising technological solution for pacemakers, because they require only small amounts of power to operate, said M. Amin Karami, Ph.D., lead author of the study and research fellow in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Piezoelectricity might also power other implantable cardiac devices like defibrillators, which also have minimal energy needs, he said.

Today's pacemakers must be replaced every five to seven years when their batteries run out, which is costly and inconvenient, Karami said.

"Many of the patients are children who live with pacemakers for many years," he said. "You can imagine how many operations they are spared if this new technology is implemented."

Researchers measured heartbeat-induced vibrations in the chest. Then, they used a "shaker" to reproduce the vibrations in the laboratory and connected it to a prototype cardiac energy harvester they developed. Measurements of the prototype's performance, based on sets of 100 simulated heartbeats at various heart rates, showed the energy harvester performed as the scientists had predicted generating more than 10 times the power than modern pacemakers require. The next step will be implanting the energy harvester, which is about half the size of batteries now used in pacemakers, Karami said. Researchers hope to integrate their technology into commercial pacemakers.

Two types of energy harvesters can power a typical pacemaker: linear and nonlinear. Linear harvesters work well only at a specific heart rate, so heart rate changes prevent them from harvesting enough power.

In contrast, a nonlinear harvester the type used in the study uses magnets to enhance power production and make the harvester less sensitive to heart rate changes. The nonlinear harvester generated enough power from heartbeats ranging from 20 to 600 beats per minute to continuously power a pacemaker. Devices such as cell phones or microwave ovens would not affect the nonlinear device, Karami said.

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Co-authors are David J. Bradley, M.D., and Daniel J. Inman, Ph.D. Author disclosures are on the abstract.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences funded the study.

Review the recent focused update to ACCF/AHA/HRS guidelines.

Follow news from the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012 via Twitter: @HeartNews.

Statements and conclusions of study authors that are presented at American Heart Association scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect association policy or position. The association makes no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at www. heart.org/corporatefunding.

Note: Actual presentation is 3 p.m., PT/ 6 p.m. ET, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012 in Kentia Hall.

All downloadable video/audio interviews, B-roll, animation and images related to this news release are on the right column of the release link at http://newsroom.heart.org/pr/aha/_prv-sunday-news-tips-november-4-2012-239559.aspx.

Video clips with researchers/authors of studies will be added to the release links after embargo.

General B-roll and Photos

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 4-Nov-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Bridgette McNeill
bridgette.mcneill@heart.org
214-706-1173
American Heart Association

Abstract 15551

An experimental device converted energy from a beating heart to provide enough electricity to power a pacemaker, in a study presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012.

The findings suggest that patients could power their pacemakers eliminating the need for replacements when batteries are spent.

In a preliminary study, researchers tested an energy-harvesting device that uses piezoelectricity electrical charge generated from motion. The approach is a promising technological solution for pacemakers, because they require only small amounts of power to operate, said M. Amin Karami, Ph.D., lead author of the study and research fellow in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

Piezoelectricity might also power other implantable cardiac devices like defibrillators, which also have minimal energy needs, he said.

Today's pacemakers must be replaced every five to seven years when their batteries run out, which is costly and inconvenient, Karami said.

"Many of the patients are children who live with pacemakers for many years," he said. "You can imagine how many operations they are spared if this new technology is implemented."

Researchers measured heartbeat-induced vibrations in the chest. Then, they used a "shaker" to reproduce the vibrations in the laboratory and connected it to a prototype cardiac energy harvester they developed. Measurements of the prototype's performance, based on sets of 100 simulated heartbeats at various heart rates, showed the energy harvester performed as the scientists had predicted generating more than 10 times the power than modern pacemakers require. The next step will be implanting the energy harvester, which is about half the size of batteries now used in pacemakers, Karami said. Researchers hope to integrate their technology into commercial pacemakers.

Two types of energy harvesters can power a typical pacemaker: linear and nonlinear. Linear harvesters work well only at a specific heart rate, so heart rate changes prevent them from harvesting enough power.

In contrast, a nonlinear harvester the type used in the study uses magnets to enhance power production and make the harvester less sensitive to heart rate changes. The nonlinear harvester generated enough power from heartbeats ranging from 20 to 600 beats per minute to continuously power a pacemaker. Devices such as cell phones or microwave ovens would not affect the nonlinear device, Karami said.

###

Co-authors are David J. Bradley, M.D., and Daniel J. Inman, Ph.D. Author disclosures are on the abstract.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology and National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences funded the study.

Review the recent focused update to ACCF/AHA/HRS guidelines.

Follow news from the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2012 via Twitter: @HeartNews.

Statements and conclusions of study authors that are presented at American Heart Association scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect association policy or position. The association makes no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at www. heart.org/corporatefunding.

Note: Actual presentation is 3 p.m., PT/ 6 p.m. ET, Sunday, Nov. 4, 2012 in Kentia Hall.

All downloadable video/audio interviews, B-roll, animation and images related to this news release are on the right column of the release link at http://newsroom.heart.org/pr/aha/_prv-sunday-news-tips-november-4-2012-239559.aspx.

Video clips with researchers/authors of studies will be added to the release links after embargo.

General B-roll and Photos

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-11/aha-ndc102412.php

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The undecided fringe and the man who could cost Romney

Pundits, campaign operatives and party strategists agree that the 2012 presidential election, like almost every election before it, is a race for the undecided voter--and they're mostly right. But these perpetually fascinating specimens aren't merely torn between President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney.

With Election Day hours away, there exists another universe of toss-up voters, one rarely mentioned: The Fringe Undecideds, who are torn between voting for a major-party nominee and a third-party candidate.

There are Fringe Undecideds on the left--and they may have cost Al Gore the presidency in 2000 when many of them voted for Ralph Nader. But in 2012, the Green Party's Jill Stein doesn't seem to be giving Obama much anxiety.

Instead, it is on the right--to use the term loosely--where the Fringe Undecideds may be kingmakers, if the race is close enough. These are libertarian voters who find themselves unexcited about Romney but horrified of the possibility of a second term for Obama. Their man this year is Gary Johnson, a two-term Republican governor of New Mexico who left the GOP and became the presidential nominee of the Libertarian Party.

Early polling data suggests the Libertarian Party nominee could take votes away from both major-party candidates. Liberals who are opposed to Obama's mass deportations, his drone war in Yemen and Pakistan or his crackdown on medical-marijuana dispensaries could find themselves drawn to Johnson's candidacy. But the best evidence that Johnson is likely to hurt Romney more than Obama is that Republicans worked hard to keep Johnson's name off state ballots.

In Michigan, to name one example, Johnson was barred from the ballot because his paperwork was filed three minutes after the deadline. On Election Day, 46 states and the District of Columbia will list the Libertarian candidate on the ballot.

Although Romney has done little to reach these undecideds--some would argue he has pushed them away--there has been a grassroots effort to bring them into the fold. An online search for "Why libertarians should support Mitt Romney" yields hundreds of? essays published in conservative publications and blogs that implore their unreliable brethren to support their candidate.

Still, an unscientific Reason Magazine survey of some of the most prominent libertarian writers found that none planned to support Obama or Romney. All either pledged support to Johnson or said they would not vote at all. (One writer was still undecided between Johnson or Romney, but leaned toward Johnson.)

"It's better to vote for what you want and not get it than to vote for what you don't want and get it," wrote David Boaz, the executive vice president of the libertarian Cato Institute, in his response to the survey.

Therein lies the heart of the debate. The counterargument from some conservatives: Even if Romney isn't the ideal candidate for libertarians, Obama would be worse. That's the argument Paul Ryan, Romney's running mate, made at a September campaign stop in Lima, Ohio, when asked pointedly why someone who might support a candidate like libertarian-leaning Republican Rep. Ron Paul should get behind the Romney-Ryan ticket. (Ryan's initial response--"Do you want Barack Obama to be re-elected? Then don't vote for Ron Paul"-- left something to be desired, but he later followed up with a more thorough argument.)

Beyond scare tactics, Romney's campaign seems to have done little to sway the hearts and minds of the Fringe Undecideds. The campaign has used Paul's son Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul as a surrogate, but sparingly. (Perhaps for good reason: The last time Rand Paul campaigned for Romney, he criticized his foreign policy.)

"I think they really went about it the wrong way," said Christopher Barron, a libertarian-leaning Republican and the co-founder of GOProud, an organization that represents gay conservatives. Barron did not support Romney during the Republican primaries. He chose Johnson instead, but recently made a public turnaround. Now he has joined the chorus of Republicans who are calling on libertarians to join him in abandoning Johnson in the ballot booth.

For years, Barron said, he scoffed at undecided voters. He found them baffling. Until he became one himself.

"I've never been an undecided voter. It was a phenomenon that I found hard to comprehend," Barron said. "Half of the election, I thought, Who are these yahoos switching between candidates in the last months of the race? How can you be undecided between two candidates? Yet somehow, that's where I found myself.

"At the end of the day, I can't in good conscience do anything that might help elect Barack Obama to another four years," he added. "Either Mitt Romney or Barack Obama is going to be president and I for myself had to decided, Do I want to be part of electing the next president?"

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/ticket/other-swing-voters-undecided-voters-occupy-political-fringes-141032898--election.html

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Lifetime CVD risk "high" even without risk factors | theheart.org

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Source: http://www.theheart.org/article/1470607.do

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'The Walking Dead': Lori Is Dead; T-Dog Dies Too (VIDEO)

This week's installment of "The Walking Dead" featured not one, but two shocking deaths. First, T-Dog was bitten whilst cut off from the group, sacrificing himself to the walkers so that Carol could escape.

But the episode's most painful scene came after Lori went into labor, when the heroic mom decided to have a C-section to save the baby, despite knowing that it would kill her.

After Maggie safely delivered Carl's new sibling, and Lori tearfully said goodbye to her son, Carl had to shoot his mom in the head to stop her from turning into a walker. We think we may be traumatized for life.

"The Walking Dead" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on AMC.

TV Replay scours the vast television landscape to find the most interesting, amusing, and, on a good day, amazing moments, and delivers them right to your browser.

What did you think of T-Dog and Lori's deaths? Do you think the show is getting too dark, or are you digging the high stakes? Weigh in below!

Related on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/04/walking-dead-lori-death-t-dog-video_n_2074341.html

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Open Handset Alliance turns five today

Today marks the fifth birthday of the organization that made Android possible -- the Open Handset Alliance. On Nov. 5, 2007, Google, T-Mobile, HTC, LG, Motorola, Samsung and others joined forces and announced the development of the Android mobile platform.

The result of Google's 2005 acquisition of Andy Rubin's Android, Inc., the first version of Android wouldn't appear on handsets until a year later, and even then, early versions looked radically different to the Android we know today.

But the main pillars of Android were already in place back in 2007 -- a focus on an open platform that anyone could build on, and variety in hardware and network support through numerous partners. It's this variety that's seen Android thrive in recent years.

At the time of the announcement, the iPhone had just been released, and many of us were carrying either featurephones, or BlackBerry or Windows Mobile devices. Five years on, the landscape has shifted dramatically, with Android claiming as much as 75 percent of the global smartphone market, according to recent figures.

How times have changed. Any guesses as to where the next half-decade might take us?

More: Open Handset Alliance

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/jf7JH2UfUZk/story01.htm

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Video: 8-year-old leukemia patient inspires her family

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Source: http://video.msnbc.msn.com/nightly-news/49675325/

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Standards To Assist You Evaluate Different Anti-virus Computer ...

There isn?t any point to show indifference to install antivirus on a newly bought personal computer. There are actually several players like AVG, Kaspersky, Symantec and other people inside the market with a selection of safety merchandise starting from standard antivirus and antispyware protection attributes for the advanced ones that will look after dreaded phishers and scammers with integrated proactive detection engineering to deliver protection against today?s complicated and ever-evolving threats. As on the net banking, shopping and social networking are becoming the trend, it becomes crucial to stumble upon a pillar that will withstand all vulnerabilities inside a robust way, so that you can surf, browse, share and communicate in a risk-free manner.

Antivirus software program which have been obtainable within the marketplace nowadays, will not be the standalone goods but rather thorough. Some vendors are do employing the term World wide web security application or all-in-one protection suite to hit their target consumers. You can find some key-points to become noted ahead of you take a final choice to install antivirus computer software on your pc. Also, preserve a note that every little thing attainable on the internet cannot be genuine and effective. So, where to go, is an important question, and also you have to be out of this dilemma. Antivirus critiques or outcomes portrayed by application testing agencies like AV-Comparatives, VB100 and reputed magazines like Computer Magazine and Pc Globe will be followed to assess the protection, repair and usability factors of totally different products. The comparison will help you to produce the right deal. Virus removal and spyware removal tools are also there over the internet that can abolish unwanted guests from your machine. Still, it?s not necessary to pull your wallet out; you can easily rely on the free antivirus merchandise and on the Windows certain Online safety suits just like Microsoft Safety Essentials to remain protected.

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To your facts, Best Ways To Know Your Antivirus Is Powerful: Picking the Most Impressive Antivirus Software On Your Laptop can give you more information on The Antivirus Software System You Are Able To Believe In: What Attributes Certainly Are A Will Need To Have In Antivirus Software?. Visit the weblink for extra data!

Source: http://www.healthuse.com/standards-to-assist-you-evaluate-different-anti-virus-computer-software.html

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