Range Extension of Passive Wake-up Radio Systems through Energy Harvesting

Abstract—Use of a passive wake-up radio can drastically increase the network lifetime in a sensor network by reducing or even completely eliminating unnecessary idle listening. A sensor node with a wake-up radio receiver (WuRx) can operate in an extremely low power sleep mode until it receives a trigger signal sent by a wake-up radio transmitter (WuTx). After receiving the trigger signal, the attached WuRx wakes up the sensor node to start the data communication. In this paper, we implement and compare the performance of three passive wake-up radio-based sensor nodes: 1) WISP-Mote, which is a sensor mote that employs an Intel WISP passive RFID tag as the WuRx; 2) EH-WISP-Mote, which combines a novel energy harvester with the WISP-Mote; and 3) REACH-Mote, which uses the energy harvester circuit combined with an ultra-low-power pulse generator to trigger the wake-up of the mote. Experimental results show that the wake-up range and wake-up delay for the EH-WISP-Mote are improved compared with the WISP-Mote, while providing the ability to perform both broadcast-based and ID-based wake-ups. On the other hand, the REACH-Mote, which can only provide broadcast-based wake-up, can achieve a much longer wake-up range than any known passive wake-up radio to date, achieving feasible wake-up at a range of up to 37ft. I

Assessing whether medical language is a barrier to receiving healthcare services in Bangladesh: an exploratory study.

BACKGROUND: In many global settings, medical language acts as a barrier to accessing and using health services. However, this issue remained unexplored in Bangladesh, where the non-native English language is commonly used for health care. AIM: To examine whether medical language is an obstacle for obtaining health services in Bangladesh and to provide policy recommendations. DESIGN & SETTING: An exploratory study was undertaken to identify the impact of medical language on general practice. Data were collected online from Bangladeshi people between July-November 2014. METHOD: A semi-structured questionnaire was developed through Google Forms for data collection. The snowball technique was applied to obtain data purposively from 50 participants. With prior consent, the questionnaire along with the online link was sent to responders by email. When responders clicked on the 'submit' option of the questionnaire, responses were stored online automatically in the pre-built system. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS (version 22). Textual data analyses (especially of suggestions of the responders) were conducted using a thematic approach. RESULTS: Among study participants, 44% (n = 22) said that English language was the choice for writing prescriptions by health service providers in Bangladesh, and 26% said that a mixture of Bengali and English was used. Around 30% of the study participants could not understand medical language used by doctors (this includes those who were not sure or preferred not to say). Among responders, 78% said that medical language was affecting the treatment process and 48% were of the opinion that it was acting as a barrier in receiving health services. CONCLUSION: Medical language is acting as a barrier in the health services of Bangladesh. Tailored interventions must be developed and implemented to overcome medical language barriers in health services in order to strengthen the health system

Osteoarticular Infection in Three Young Thoroughbred Horses Caused by a Novel Gram Negative Cocco-Bacillus

© 2020 Bernard J. Hudson et al. We describe three cases of osteoarticular infection (OAI) in young thoroughbred horses in which the causative organism was identified by MALDI-TOF as Kingella species. The pattern of OAI resembled that reported with Kingella infection in humans. Analysis by 16S rRNA PCR enabled construction of a phylogenetic tree that placed the isolates closer to Simonsiella and Alysiella species, rather than Kingella species. Average nucleotide identity (ANI) comparison between the new isolate and Kingella kingae and Alysiella crassa however revealed low probability that the new isolate belonged to either of these species. This preliminary analysis suggests the organism isolated is a previously unrecognised species

An unusual case of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction following a late bare-metal stent fracture in a native coronary artery: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>A bare-metal stent fracture as a cause of acute coronary thrombosis and consequently of acute coronary syndrome is a rare clinical event that, to the best of our knowledge, has previously not been reported. A stent fracture is a rare complication arising from percutaneous coronary intervention.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present, to the best of our knowledge, the first documented case of ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction in a patient following a late bare-metal stent fracture and thrombosis in a native coronary artery. The patient, a 51-year-old Caucasian man, was treated successfully with primary percutaneous coronary intervention and a new stent implantation.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A coronary stent fracture is a rare complication that has been described in venous bypass grafts deploying either a drug-eluting stent or a bare-metal stent. Stent fractures rarely occur in coronary arteries. In light of the non-specific presentation of stent fracture, it is also an easily missed complication. Patients may present with a non-specific symptom of angina. The angina could either be stable or unstable as a result of restenosis or in-stent thrombosis, or both. Our case demonstrates the most severe consequences of a bare-metal stent fracture (sudden coronary thrombosis and subsequent myocardial infarction) in a native coronary artery. It was diagnosed angiographically and treated early and effectively.</p

Cognitive behaviour therapy versus counselling intervention for anxiety in young people with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders: a pilot randomised controlled trial

The use of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) as a treatment for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been explored in a number of trials. Whilst CBT appears superior to no treatment or treatment as usual, few studies have assessed CBT against a control group receiving an alternative therapy. Our randomised controlled trial compared use of CBT against person-centred counselling for anxiety in 36 young people with ASD, ages 12–18. Outcome measures included parent- teacher- and self-reports of anxiety and social disability. Whilst each therapy produced improvements inparticipants, neither therapy was superior to the other to a significant degree on any measure. This is consistent with findings for adults

First measurement of neutrino oscillation parameters using neutrinos and antineutrinos by NOvA.

The NOvA experiment has seen a 4.4σ signal of ν[over ¯]_{e} appearance in a 2&nbsp;GeV ν[over ¯]_{μ} beam at a distance of 810&nbsp;km. Using 12.33×10^{20} protons on target delivered to the Fermilab NuMI neutrino beamline, the experiment recorded 27 ν[over ¯]_{μ}→ν[over ¯]_{e} candidates with a background of 10.3 and 102 ν[over ¯]_{μ}→ν[over ¯]_{μ} candidates. This new antineutrino data are combined with neutrino data to measure the parameters |Δm_{32}^{2}|=2.48_{-0.06}^{+0.11}×10^{-3}  eV^{2}/c^{4} and sin^{2}θ_{23} in the ranges from (0.53-0.60) and (0.45-0.48) in the normal neutrino mass hierarchy. The data exclude most values near δ_{CP}=π/2 for the inverted mass hierarchy by more than 3σ and favor the normal neutrino mass hierarchy by 1.9σ and θ_{23} values in the upper octant by 1.6σ

Observation of seasonal variation of atmospheric multiple-muon events in the NOvA Near Detector

Using two years of data from the NOvA Near Detector at Fermilab, we report a seasonal variation of cosmic ray induced multiple-muon (Nμ≥2) event rates which has an opposite phase to the seasonal variation in the atmospheric temperature. The strength of the seasonal multiple-muon variation is shown to increase as a function of the muon multiplicity. However, no significant dependence of the strength of the seasonal variation of the multiple-muon variation is seen as a function of the muon zenith angle, or the spatial or angular separation between the correlated muons

EFSA NDA Panel (EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies), 2013 . Scientific opinion on Dietary Reference Values for fluoride

Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) derived Dietary Reference Values (DRVs) for fluoride, which are provided as Adequate Intake (AI) from all sources, including non-dietary sources. Fluoride is not an essential nutrient. Therefore, no Average Requirement for the performance of essential physiological functions can be defined. Nevertheless, the Panel considered that the setting of an AI is appropriate because of the beneficial effects of dietary fluoride on prevention of dental caries. The AI is based on epidemiological studies (performed before the 1970s) showing an inverse relationship between the fluoride concentration of water and caries prevalence. As the basis for defining the AI, estimates of mean fluoride intakes of children via diet and drinking water with fluoride concentrations at which the caries preventive effect approached its maximum whilst the risk of dental fluorosis approached its minimum were chosen. Except for one confirmatory longitudinal study in US children, more recent studies were not taken into account as they did not provide information on total dietary fluoride intake, were potentially confounded by the use of fluoride-containing dental hygiene products, and did not permit a conclusion to be drawn on a dose-response relationship between fluoride intake and caries risk. The AI of fluoride from all sources (including non-dietary sources) is 0.05 mg/kg body weight per day for both children and adults, including pregnant and lactating women. For pregnant and lactating women, the AI is based on the body weight before pregnancy and lactation. Reliable and representative data on the total fluoride intake of the European population are not available

A Real Time Metridia Luciferase Based Non-Invasive Reporter Assay of Mammalian Cell Viability and Cytotoxicity via the β-actin Promoter and Enhancer

Secreted reporter molecules offer a means to evaluate biological processes in real time without the need to sacrifice samples at pre-determined endpoints. Here we have adapted the secreted bioluminescent reporter gene, Metridia luciferase, for use in a real-time viability assay for mammalian cells. The coding region of the marine copepod gene has been codon optimized for expression in human cells (hMLuc) and placed under the control of the human β-actin promoter and enhancer. Metridia luciferase activity of stably transfected cell models corresponded linearly with cell number over a 4-log dynamic range, detecting as few as 40 cells. When compared to standard endpoint viability assays, which measure the mitochondrial dehydrogenase reduction of tetrazolium salts, the hMLuc viability assay had a broader linear range of detection, was applicable to large tissue culture vessels, and allowed the same sample to be repeatedly measured over several days. Additional studies confirmed that MLuc activity was inhibited by serum, but demonstrated that assay activity remained linear and was measurable in the serum of mice bearing subcutaneous hMLuc-expressing tumors. In summary, these comparative studies demonstrate the value of humanized Metridia luciferase as an inexpensive and non-invasive method for analyzing viable cell number, growth, tumor volume, and therapeutic response in real time