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Safety Sphere - Ultimate motorcycle airbag suit
Rejean Neron's Safety Sphere is a protective suit which inflates to a man-sized sphere, completely enveloping the rider in the event of a crash. It inflates in five hundredths of a second, cushioning the rider for any impact (except perhaps those into giant spikes) and consists of a loose fitting coverall suit comprised of two layers of fabric.
Neron explains: "The outer layer is made up of a highly resistant parachute type material. The inner layer is made up of a thin, moderately elastic synthetic material. In a collision situation, the passengers are thrown from the motorcycle, the cord connecting them to the motorcycle seat disconnects, the electrical voltage plummets, and the electronic circuit processor inside the belt buckle housing of each occupant connects the 9 volt battery to an electric igniter in the back housing of their respective suits." This triggers the firing of an explosive canister of propellant called nitrocellulose.
Neron is a motorcycling idealist who believes bikes could play a massive role in alleviating congestion in 21st century cities, if only riders' fear of crashing's consequences could be reduced to those of the prang-happy car driver. He's been working on the Safety Sphere for many years, through 'countless' iterations and is now looking for backing to bring the design to production.
Brain Cooling for Patients with Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy / HIE
During gestation, the unborn infant faces a variety of threats, including umbilical and placental problems, difficult delivery, and serious illnesses with the mother. If an infant does not receive an adequate supply of oxygen to the brain, such as from asphyxiation, this can result in a condition called hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). HIE causes injuries to the baby's brain from asphyxia or hypoxia.
If the baby's brain is starved of oxygen or blood, especially over a period of hours, the infant's brain will attempt to repair the problem. Depending on the severity of the HIE, the baby's brain may or may not be able to repair itself. If the condition of the HIE is mild, the brain should be able to repair itself, however, if the condition is serious, the infant's brain attempting to repair the problem may actually cause even more damage.
Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy occurring at birth may cause serious brain damage to the infant by lowering the oxygen and reducing the heart's output. When the baby is resuscitated, there will be a sudden increase of blood flow and oxygen, which may end up causing even greater brain injuries to the baby, as the brain is trying to repair the problem.
During hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, a procedure called brain-cooling may help the infant reduce or even avoid the chances of permanent and severe brain damage, and therefore have a healthy life. Brain cooling uses a cooling cap or water filled blanket that lowers the infant's temperature to 91 degrees Fahrenheit for 72 hours. By lowering the temperature of the baby, the metabolic rate slows, preventing dangerous chemical reactions from taking place that could trigger additional rounds of dangerous reactions. Once the baby is subjected to 72 hours of brain cooling, he or she will be slowly and gradually warmed up to a normal body temperature for the next 6 hours. Studies show that properly applied, brain cooling procedures have reduced death and disabilities in infant's with HIE.
An infant with HIE should only be subjected to the brain cooling procedures if the following conditions apply:
If the infant suffered brain damage from HIE.
The gestation period for the infant is greater than 36 weeksBe initiated within the first 6 hours after birth.
Brain hypothermia, is induced by cooling a baby to around 33 degrees Celsius for 3 days after birth and has recently been proven to be the only medical intervention that reduces brain damage and improves a baby's chances of normal survival after birth asphyxia. Brain cooling has become widely used in neonatal units throughout America.