Animals Can Now Warn Us of an Impending Disaster, Such as an Earthquake or Tsunami

Animals Can Now Warn Us of an Impending Disaster, Such as an Earthquake or Tsunami

This Life Saving Device Might Be Tested at Zoological Parks Soon

The article "Sheep Collar Texts Shepherds When Wolves Attack" was published recently. Could animals warn us of impending natural disasters too, using this concept?

Swiss biologists recently devised a sheep collar to alert shepherds of wolves, and other dangers to their sheep. This collar monitors heart rate changes in the sheep and sends a text message when the sheep are frightened, such as when a wolf is near. 

It seems to me that animals could also "text" if a natural disaster was imminent, such as an earthquake, tsunami, and/or tornado.

• Animals seem to "know" when a natural disaster is imminent. Before an earthquake, animals become agitated or excited. Before a tsunami, animals will instinctively seek higher ground. Before a tornado, animals seem to know where to find shelter. Even zoo animals predicted a recent earthquake at the National Zoo in Washington, D.C.
• Heart Rate Monitors are well known now, especially for humans. There are also numerous studies on animals, especially horses. As shown in the sheep article below, animals can be equipped with heart rate collars or similar devices.
• The heart rates of several animals can be monitored simultaneously, as shown in the "Technical note: a noninvasive procedure for measuring goat heart rates". If multiple animals are agitated at the same time, perhaps a natural disaster is imminent.
• As shown in the sheep article and the article "Heartbeat monitoring alert via SMS", text messages can be sent based on elevated heartbeats.

From this information, it seems obvious to me that animals could also "text" if a natural disaster was imminent, such as an earthquake, tsunami, and/or tornado.

 

To test this theory, here is a suggested protocol:

 

1. Zoo animals in earthquake prone areas could be equipped with wireless heart rate monitors. Some animals are more earthquake sensitive than others are.

2. A central computer could receive the wireless signals from each of these animals simultaneously. If multiple animals in different locations in the zoo had elevated heartbeats, perhaps a natural disaster is imminent.

3. The computer could then issue an alert to appropriate people to investigate the situation further.

4. The computer could also compare local seismograph information and develop a probability of an earthquake occurring.

5. In any event, humans could be notified that the multiple animals are frightened of "something". This "something" could very well be a natural disaster, such as an earthquake, tsunami, and/or tornado.

6. Many lives could be saved with such a system, letting the animals "text" of an impending disaster. Perhaps government agencies and/or individual people could collaborate on the development of such a system. 

Of course many other variations of this concept could be tested, some of which are below.

• Many free-range animals in the wild have implanted physiological monitors relaying body-state conditions to wildlife study groups. Many of these devices use telemetry.
• Some farm animals have external or internal health monitors to aid the farmer.
• Probably the best way to initiate experimentation would be to build on the excellent work of others. Some information resources are below that show which animals are better than others to predict events. Some examples of earthquake sensitive animals are cats, dogs, snakes, catfish, parrots, etc. Worldwide ingenuity could develop "emotion sensors" for earthquake sensitive creatures, maybe even including earthquake sensitive people.
• Emotion sensors for humans sometimes measure perspiration rate to indicate emotional stress level. Some animals perspire and some do not. For those which do perspire, some areas of the body might be more indicative, e.g. palms of the hand in humans.

Takeaways:

• It is now known that sheep can send a text message when a wolf is nearby.
• This same concept could be used to predict and warn of an impending natural disaster, such as an earthquake, tsunami, and/or tornado.
• One place to experiment with this concept might be zoological parks in disaster prone areas.
• Previous studies, research, and/or patents might provide innovation insight.

For more information:

• Sheep Collar Texts Shepherds When Wolves Attack
• How Zoo Animals Predicted the DC Earthquake
• Polar Heart Monitors - Studies on Animals
• Technical note: a noninvasive procedure for measuring goat heart rates.
• Heartbeat monitoring alert via SMS (text message)
• Earthquakes and animals: from folk legends to science, by M. Ikeya, 2004, World Scientific
• When the Snakes Awake: Animals and Earthquake Prediction by Helmut Tributsch, Mit Press, 1984
• The earthquake handbook by Peter Verney, Paddington Press, Grosset & Dunlap, 1979 - Chapter 8
• World Patent Application - (WO2002037952) SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR SURVEILLANCE OF ANIMALS (shows collar-like device)
• World Patent Application - (WO2007058638) EARTHQUAKE PREDICTION METHOD (shows multiple animals)

Disclaimer - Article is for information only and is not medical or veterinary advice.

Health Care Costs Can Be Decreased by Enhancing the Placebo Effect

Capturing the Elusive Placebo Effect by Biofeedback Techniques

Health Care Costs Can Be Decreased by Enhancing the Placebo Effect

The Placebo Effect is a part of every medicine or medical treatment. The Placebo Effect makes medicines and treatments work better. Perhaps the Placebo Effect could be described as a patient's hope, faith, or belief in a medicine or treatment. The patient expects to get better by taking the medicine or by undergoing the treatment. 

If the Placebo Effect could be increased, the use of medicines and medical treatments could decrease. This could decrease overall health care cost.

 

Some researchers are indeed trying to maximize the Placebo Effect or at least find out how this phenomenon works. What we do know is that when a patient expects a medicine or treatment to work, it will work better. When the patient doubts the efficacy of a medical intervention, the intervention will be less effective. Essentially, the Placebo Effect is most active when the patient expects or anticipates relief. 

An example of the Placebo Effect at work is when someone takes a pain reliever and says, "I feel better already" after only a few minutes. In actuality, this is impossible because the body has not even absorbed the medicine yet. The patient perceives to feel better already, because they expect relief. 

Expecting or anticipating a positive response is an emotional event. Think of the last time you were excited about a future positive event. You could hardly wait and were emotional.

Consider the Placebo Effect an emotional event. Science has the tools to study emotional events. 

One such "Emotion Measuring Tool" is the Biofeedback Device. Many of these devices use Skin Conductance to determine emotional arousal. When a person is excited, they perspire and Biofeedback Devices measure this. Some devices even have a computer output to track events. 

It is proposed in this article to use Biofeedback Devices to learn how to enhance the Placebo Effect. Below is the description of how this might work.

 

1. The patient would be connected or wear a Biofeedback Device or Monitor.

2. To enhance the Placebo Effect, doctors would say or do things that might elicit a positive expectation of relief or healing. The doctors would continuously monitor the Biofeedback Device to determine if their actions are successful. If the doctor can get the patient to believe that relief is possible, the monitor will show that, since the patient will become excited and slightly perspire.

3. Through time, the Placebo Effect can be captured, studied, and shared. From this, we can learn to enhance the Placebo Effect. 

Takeaways:

• The Placebo Effect is rooted in the Sympathetic Nervous System as an expectation of a positive outcome (hope).
• Biofeedback devices, such as Skin Conductance, measure the activity of the Sympathetic Nervous System.
• Therefore, biofeedback techniques can provide quantitative information about the Placebo Effect.

For more information:

• Placebo Effect
• Enhancing the Placebo
• The Placebo Effect: Mechanisms and Methodology (R01) - Research Grant RFA-DA-12-003 from the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) - See "enhance the therapeutic benefits of placebo effects in clinical research and practice"
• Biofeedback and Skin Conductance
• Reward anticipation, cognition, and electrodermal activity in the conditioned monkey
• Caffeine-associated stimuli elicit conditioned responses: an experimental model of the placebo effect
• The placebo effect and the autonomic nervous system: evidence for an intimate relationship

Disclaimer - Article is for information only and is not medical advice.

New Hope for Drought Stricken or Arid Areas of the World

Low Cost Water Collection Using Dew/Fog Collectors or Solar Stills

New Hope for Drought Stricken or Arid Areas of the World

Water is a problem and a blessing common to the whole world. It is great when we have just enough. Sometimes, due to various reasons, there just is not enough water though. Then, people begin to panic. 

Some little known techniques might be helpful for those experiencing a drought or live in a chronically dry, arid area. 

One of these is Fog or Dew Collection where a large, mostly vertical, piece of fabric, plastic, etc. collects fog or dew. Collected moisture then flows down to a collecting area. This is sometimes called a "fog fence" or "dew collector". This water is fresh water, though you might still have to treat it to become drinkable. 

Another technique is using a Solar Still where the sun's heat is used to evaporate moisture from moist soil or air. 

Both of these techniques can be made with very low cost using available materials. The information at the end of this article should provide a good basis for further research, discussion, and implementation.

• To find more information on Fog or Dew Collection, use this Internet search string - (fog OR dew) (collector OR collection OR harvester OR harvesting).
• To find more information on Solar Stills, use this Internet search string - (solar OR sun) (still OR stills OR distill).
• For each of the above search strings add your own additional terms such as plans, resources, organizations, and the like.

As our climate changes, water-rich countries might have to adopt some of these techniques. We might as well start discussing, brainstorming, and using these concepts now. Other parts of the world can lead the way too. There might be great opportunity for innovation, new product development, etc. on a global basis. 

Takeaways:

• You can still obtain water where there is no apparent water source.
• Fog/Dew Collection and Solar Stills have been used for years. You can build on the work of others.
• You can make your own water collectors and teach others how to do so.

For more information:

• Fog or Dew Collection also Fog Fence
• Dew Harvest: To Supplement Drinking Water Sources in Arid Coastal Belt of Kutch by Girja Sharan, Foundation Books, 2006
• Solar Still
• Solar still construction by Maria Telkes, U.S. Dept. of the Interior, 1959
• Design Notes for Low Cost Dew Collectors or Solar Stills for Water

Disclaimer - Article is for informational purposes only.

How to Make a “Medical Monitor with an Emotional Stress And/Or Pain Indicator”

How to Make a “Medical Monitor with an Emotional Stress And/Or Pain Indicator”

How to Upgrade a Medical Monitor to Include the New Vital Signs of Emotional Stress And/Or Pain

Recently, an article was published titled "Medical Monitor with an Emotional Stress and/or Pain Indicator - an Idea Ahead of Its Time". This article introduced the concept of a Patient's Bedside Medical Monitor that has an "Emotional Stress/Pain Indicator". This indicator could change color depending on the emotional state or pain level of the patient.

There does not seem to be such a device invented yet. Will you be the first to invent this device?

NEW - Please see First Working Model using Skin Conductance.  See How to Make this Model here.  Other models coming soon using Heart Rate Variability.  

 

The following public information might help in the design of such a device. Internet links to this information are at the end of this article.

• First, Texas Instruments has general "Patient Monitoring Design" information. Particularly note how modern monitors have RS-232, USB, or other types of communication ports. In addition, many monitors have wireless capabilities. This communication ability could provide the opportunity to make an aftermarket add-on Stress/Pain Indicator using the existing Medical Monitor without modification.
• The "Dash 3000/4000/5000™ Patient Monitor Service Manual - Software Version 6.5 or later" shows a typical monitor with software to process the information derived from the various sensors on the patient. To add a Stress/Pain Indicator to an existing Patient Monitor, one would probably have to change the software and add an indicator, but maybe you know better.
• The "Universal Medical Monitor System (UMM)" might give engineers some ideas on how to interface to existing monitors.
• The "Medical Monitor Interface" discussion on the Internet Discussion Group might give engineers and experimenters tips and networking opportunities.
• The NASA "Space-Proven Medical Monitor: The Total Patient-Care Package" might give design ideas. Since this was a government project, the hardware/software design details are probably in the public domain.
• The article "Changes in a surgical stress index in response to standardized pain stimuli during propofol-remifentanil infusion" shows how one kind of Surgical Stress Index Software was used to monitor a patient's stress level. Perhaps this software information could help software engineers develop code to display Stress/Pain on a Medical Monitor.
• The European Patent EP1057151B1 shows one version of a "Microprocessor based bed patient monitor". Microprocessors are reprogrammable and typically process the information from patient sensors and display this information in a usable format.
• World Patent Application WO2009063463 shows one version of "Pain Monitoring Using Multidimensional Analysis Of Physiological Signals". Physiological Signals are essentially Vital Signs, as displayed on most Medical Monitors. Vital signs could be used to detect and display emotional stress and/or pain in patients connected to Medical Monitors.
• European Patent EP1704817B1 shows a "Device for the determination of clinical stress of a subject in pulse oximetry". Pulse Oximetry and Heart Rate are typically measured together these days as vital signs. Clinical Stress is a technical term and is related to Surgical Stress. Pain is a type of emotional stress. Emotional stress can also be caused by a medical treatment, procedure, or even poor "bedside manner". Emotional stress or pain activates the sympathetic nervous system, which affects the vital signs.
• World Patent Application WO2009116872 shows "Apparatus for monitoring the autonomous nervous system of a sedated patient". The Autonomic Nervous System is another name for the Sympathetic Nervous System. The autonomic nervous system responds to pain and/or emotional stress.
• U.S. Patent 6,571,124 shows "Apparatus and method for monitoring skin conductance and method for controlling a warning signal". Skin conductance is usually not measured by medical monitors today. Perhaps future monitors will have this capability. Skin conductance is used to monitor the emotional state of a person. This same principle is used in polygraphs and biofeedback monitors. Essentially, when someone gets nervous or stressed, they perspire, especially in the palms of the hands. This perspiration is caused because the sympathetic nervous system has been activated. Some event has occurred wherein the person is mentally deciding whether to "fight or flight". This patent essentially shows one way to make a pain detector and indicating device.
• U.S. Patent Application 20080076094 shows a "System And Method For Facilitating Adjustment Of An Oral Appliance". Typically, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and skin conductance are used to detect pain, as well as emotional stress. This document shows one way how to minimize the emotional stress and/or pain of a patient during a medical procedure.
• Finally, the article "Medical Monitor with an Emotional Stress and/or Pain Indicator" mentions how an open-source microcontroller, such as Arduino, could be used to implement this device. Open-source hardware, software, and support community are readily available to any engineer or experimenter worldwide to implement such a device.
• Of course, wireless technology could provide portable sensing and indication, either locally on the patient or remotely at a nurse's station. Perhaps, it could look something like a bracelet measuring physiological signs and the emotions behind these vital signs. With this device, medical personnel could know when someone is in distress, whether the patient says so or not.

For more information:

• Patient Monitoring Design - "Integrated multi-parameter portable patient monitoring with OMAP from Texas Instruments".
• Dash 3000/4000/5000™ Patient Monitor Service Manual - Software Version 6.5 or later
• Universal Medical Monitor System (UMM)
• "Medical Monitor Interface" on sci.med.informatics - Internet Discussion Group
• Space-Proven Medical Monitor: The Total Patient-Care Package
• Changes in a surgical stress index in response to standardized pain stimuli during propofol-remifentanil infusion - See "Methods" for Surgical Stress Index Software
• Microprocessor based bed patient monitor - European Patent EP1057151B1
• Pain Monitoring Using Multidimensional Analysis Of Physiological Signals - WO2009063463
• Device for the determination of clinical stress of a subject in pulse oximetry - European Patent EP1704817B1
• Apparatus for monitoring the autonomous nervous system of a sedated patient - WO2009116872
• Apparatus and method for monitoring skin conductance and method for controlling a warning signal - U.S. Patent 6,571,124
• System And Method For Facilitating Adjustment Of An Oral Appliance - U.S. Patent Application 20080076094
• Medical Monitor with an Emotional Stress And/or Pain Indicator - an Idea Ahead of Its Time

From all this information, it might be viewed as obvious that one skilled in the art of engineering could make a "Medical Monitor with an Emotional Stress and/or Pain Indicator".

 

Takeaways:

• Emotional Stress and Pain are the new Vital Signs being considered by many modern healthcare professionals.
• Medical or Patient Monitors could detect and provide an indication of Emotional Stress and/or Pain.
• This detection and indication could be part of the monitor itself or housed within an after-market add-on unit dependent on the monitor for information.
• With such a device, the patient could have an indication of his or her own stress and/or pain level. The patient could then learn how to reduce their stress and/or pain using biofeedback techniques.

Disclaimer - Article is for information only and is not medical advice. Seek professionals as needed. The public information sources are provided to stimulate innovation only.