Adaptive restraint design for a diverse population through machine learning.

Objective: Using population-based simulations and machine-learning algorithms to develop an adaptive restraint system that accounts for occupant anthropometry variations to further enhance safety balance throughout the whole population.

Methods: Two thousand MADYMO full frontal impact crash simulations at 35 mph using two validated vehicle/restraint models representing a sedan and an SUV along with a parametric occupant model were conducted based on the maximal projection design of experiments, which considers varying occupant covariates (sex, stature, and body mass index) and vehicle restraint design variables (three for airbag, three for safety belt, and one for knee bolster). A Gaussian-process-based surrogate model was trained to rapidly predict occupant injury risks and the associated uncertainties.

Effects of an integrated safety system for swivel seat arrangements in frontal crash.

Autonomous vehicles (Avs) have paved the way for the arrangement of swivel seats in vehicles, which could pose a challenge to traditional safety systems. The integration of automated emergency braking (AEB) and pre-pretension (PPT) seatbelts improves protection for a vehicle's occupant. The objective of this study is to explore the control strategies of an integrated safety system for swiveled seating orientations.

An in silico analysis of oxygen uptake of a mild COPD patient during rest and exercise using a portable oxygen concentrator.

Oxygen treatment based on intermittent-flow devices with pulse delivery modes available from portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) depends on the characteristics of the delivered pulse such as volume, pulse width (the time of the pulse to be delivered), and pulse delay (the time for the pulse to be initiated from the start of inhalation) as well as a patient's breathing characteristics, disease state, and respiratory morphology. This article presents a physiological-based analysis of the performance, in terms of blood oxygenation, of a commercial POC at different settings using an in silico model of a COPD patient at rest and during exercise. The analysis encompasses experimental measurements of pulse volume, width, and time delay of the POC at three different settings and two breathing rates related to rest and exercise.

Integration of Active and Passive Safety Technologies--A Method to Study and Estimate Field Capability.

The objective of this study is to develop a method that uses a combination of field data analysis, naturalistic driving data analysis, and computational simulations to explore the potential injury reduction capabilities of integrating passive and active safety systems in frontal impact conditions. For the purposes of this study, the active safety system is actually a driver assist (DA) feature that has the potential to reduce delta-V prior to a crash, in frontal or other crash scenarios. A field data analysis was first conducted to estimate the delta-V distribution change based on an assumption of 20% crash avoidance resulting from a pre-crash braking DA feature.

Effects of a Highly Portable Noninvasive Open Ventilation System on Activities of Daily Living in Patients with COPD.

For patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an increase in exercise tolerance and ability to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) can mean an improved quality of life with fewer exacerbations and lower health care expenses. We evaluated a wearable, noninvasive open ventilation (NIOV) system designed to enhance exercise capacity and increase mobility. Patients with stable, oxygen-dependent COPD were recruited for this prospective, open-label, crossover study.

Options for home oxygen therapy equipment: storage and metering of oxygen in the home.

Home oxygen therapy equipment options have increased over the past several decades, in response to innovations in technology, economic pressure from third-party payers, and patient demands. The delivery of oxygen in the home has evolved from packaged gas systems containing 99% United States Pharmacopeia oxygen provided by continuous-flow delivery to intermittent-flow delivery, with oxygen concentrators delivering < 99% oxygen purity. The majority of published papers indicating the value of long-term oxygen therapy have been based on continuous-flow delivery of 99% United States Pharmacopeia oxygen.

Effect of allergen immunotherapy practice parameters on cat extract prescribing patterns, 1993-2009.

Background: Cat extract allergen immunotherapy (AIT) is an effective treatment for cat allergy. The prescribed dose for cat AIT varies among prescribers, despite published data supporting an effective dose range. The original practice parameter published in December 1996 did not recommend a dose of cat allergen, but updates in January 2003 and September 2007 recommend cat extract dose ranges of 2,000 to 3,000 BAU and 1,000 to 4,000 BAU, respectively.

Imported fire ant immunotherapy prescribing patterns in a large health care system during a 17-year period.

Background: No large evaluation has been performed of the maintenance vial concentration commonly used by physicians when prescribing imported fire ant (IFA) immunotherapy since the publication of the first Stinging Insect Hypersensitivity Practice Parameter 10 years ago.

Objective: To describe the prescribing patterns for IFA immunotherapy among practicing allergists in a large health care setting and the impact of published Practice Parameter recommendations.

Methods: Data from the US Army Centralized Allergen Extract Laboratory were analyzed to determine IFA immunotherapy prescribing patterns from 1990 to May 2007.

Nocturnal oxygenation using a pulsed-dose oxygen-conserving device compared to continuous flow.

Background: The pulsed-dose oxygen-conserving device (PDOCD) has gained wide acceptance as a tool to reduce the cost and inconvenience of portable oxygen delivery. Despite the widespread use of PDOCDs in awake and ambulating patients, few studies report their use during sleep. This study was designed to compare heart rate and oxygen saturation (measured via pulse oximetry [S(pO2)]) of sleeping patients using one brand of PDOCD versus continuous-flow oxygen.

Characteristics of demand oxygen delivery systems: maximum output and setting recommendations.

Background: Demand oxygen delivery systems (DODS) allot oxygen by interrupting the oxygen flow during exhalation, when it would mostly be wasted. Because DODS conserve oxygen by various methods, there are important performance differences between DODS. We studied certain performance factors that have not previously been carefully examined.