Novel surface electrode design for preferential activation of cutaneous nociceptors

Objective Small area electrodes enable preferential activation of nociceptive fibers. It is debated, however, whether co-activation of large fibers still occurs for the existing electrode designs. Moreover, existing electrodes are limited to low stimulation intensities, for which behavioral and physiological responses may be considered less reliable. A recent optimization study showed that there is a potential for improving electrode performance and increase the range of possible stimulation intensities. Based on those results, the present study introduces and tests a novel planar concentric array electrode design for small fiber activation in healthy volunteers. Approach Volunteers received electrical stimulation with the planar concentric array electrode and a regular patch electrode. Perception thresholds were estimated at the beginning and the end of the experiment. Evoked cortical potentials were recorded in blocks of 30 stimuli. For the patch, stimulation intensity was set to two times perception threshold (PT), while three intensities, 2, 5, and 10 times PT, were applied with the planar concentric array electrode. Sensation quality, numerical-rating scores, and reaction times were obtained for each PT estimation and during each block of evoked potential recordings. Main results Stimulation with the patch electrode was characterized as dull, while stimulation with the planar concentric array electrode was characterized as sharp, with increased sharpness for increasing stimulus intensity. Likewise, NRS scores were higher for the planar concentric array electrode compared to the patch and increased with increasing stimulation intensity. Reaction times and ERP latencies were longer for the planar concentric array electrode compared to the patch. Significance The presented novel planar concentric array electrode is a small, non-invasive, and single-use electrode that has the potential to investigate small fiber neuropathy and pain mechanisms, as it is small fiber preferential for a wide range of stimulation intensities.

Electrode Design for Thermal and Non-Thermal Plasma Discharge Inside a Constant Volume Combustion Chamber

Previous methods of achieving ignition in the Plasma, Combustion and Fluid imaging (PCFi) Laboratory's Constant Volume Combustion Chamber (CVCC) utilizes either a standard or modified spark plug. The standard spark plug achieves a representation of side wall ignition (similar to a combustion engine) while modified spark plug has an extended electrode to allow for a center camber ignition used for laminar burning speed (LBS) measurements. The creation of the modified spark plug required welding a stainless-steel wire to the electrode of the plug. The creation of these electrodes is time consuming and requires a large quantity to effectively test a wide range of parameters such as gap size or electrode geometry. Two custom-design electrodes are presented in this paper which extend the experimental range of the PCFi's CVCC system. Electrode Design A, gives the ability to test thin wire electrode with adjustability of gap size and different diameters through use of a compression fitting. This electrode design (i.e., tip-to-tip) is utilized with a traditional style of automotive ignition system (i.e., capacitive discharge) to study ignition process (i.e., thermal plasma) and spherical flame propagation. Electrode Design B, adds the ability to change tip geometry (i.e., plate-to-plate, tip-to-plate, tip-to-sphere, plate-to-sphere, etc). In this paper the plate-to-plate configuration is demonstrated to study uniform low-temperature nanosecond plasma discharge. Both electrode designs reduce structural weakness by removing the welded joint and allow for linear gap size adjustment. The electrode utilizes high-temperature epoxy, ceramic and grafoil seals to make parameter adjustments easy and precise. The design was analyzed, prior to building and testing, based on the stress induced from the sealant, the total rated voltage, the rated temperature and the fracture stress of the ceramic material. The stress induced in the electrodes was analyzed with Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and the results were found to be within the limits of the material in terms of the compressive and fracture strengths. The maximum voltage was found to be around 30 kV. Design A is presented with 3 different electrode diameters of 1.3, 1 and 0.5 mm and Design B which utilizes a threaded connection for adjustable tip geometry. A sample of data, visual and electrical, is presented for the newly created electrode with a 0.5 mm diameter as well as combustion images for up to 10 atm of initial pressure for methane-air mixture. The new electrode design was able to survive several months of experimental use with few issues compared with the previous welded design.

Solving the Inter-Ring Distances Optimization Problem for Pentapolar and Sextopolar Concentric Ring Electrodes Based on the Negligible Dimensions Model of the Electrode

Concentric ring electrodes are noninvasive and wearable sensors for electrophysiological measurement capable of estimating the surface Laplacian (second spatial derivative of surface potential) at each electrode. Previously, progress was made toward optimization of inter-ring distances (distances between the recording surfaces of a concentric ring electrode), maximizing the accuracy of the surface Laplacian estimate based on the negligible dimensions model of the electrode. However, this progress was limited to tripolar (number of concentric rings n equal to 2) and quadripolar (n = 3) electrode configurations only. In this study, the inter-ring distances optimization problem is solved for pentapolar (n = 4) and sextopolar (n = 5) concentric ring electrode configurations using a wide range of truncation error percentiles ranging from 1st to 25th. Obtained results also suggest consistency between all the considered concentric ring electrode configurations corresponding to n ranging from 2 to 5 that may allow estimation of optimal ranges of inter-ring distances for electrode configurations with n ≥ 6. Therefore, this study may inform future concentric ring electrode design for n ≥ 4 which is important since the accuracy of surface Laplacian estimation has been shown to increase with an increase in n.