Energy-Efficient Internet of Things Monitoring with Content-Based Wake-Up Radio

The use of Wake-Up Radio (WUR) in Internet of Things (IoT) networks can significantly improve their energy efficiency: battery-powered sensors can remain in a low-power (sleep) mode while listening for wake-up messages using their WUR and reactivate only when polled. However, polling-based WUR may still lead to wasted energy if values sensed by the polled sensors provide no new information to the receiver, or in general have a low Value of Information (VoI). In this paper, we design a content-based WUR that tracks the process observed by the sensors and only wakes up the sensor if its estimated update's VoI is higher than a threshold communicated through the poll. If the sensor does not reply to the polling request, the Gateway (GW) can make a Bayesian update, knowing that either the sensor value substantially confirms its current estimate or the transmission failed due to the wireless channel. We analyze the trade-off between the tracking error and the battery lifetime of the sensors, showing that content-based WUR can provide fine-grained control of this trade-off and significantly increase the battery lifetime of the node with a minimal Mean Squared Error (MSE) increase

Energy-Efficient Design for RIS-assisted UAV communications in beyond-5G Networks

EC/H2020/813999/EU//WINDMILLThe usage of Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces (RIS) in conjunction with Unmanned Ariel Vehicles (UAVs) is being investigated as a way to provide energy-efficient communication to ground users in dense urban areas. In this paper, we devise an optimization scenario to reduce overall energy consumption in the network while guaranteeing certain Quality of Service (QoS) to the ground users in the area. Due to the complex nature of the optimization problem, we provide a joint UAV trajectory and RIS phase decision to minimize transmission power of the UAV and Base Station (BS) that yields good performance with lower complexity. So, the proposed method uses a Successive Convex Approximation (SCA) to iteratively determine a joint optimal solution for UAV Trajectory, RIS phase and BS and UAV Transmission Power. The simulation results show the algorithm provides a minimum guaranteed rate while minimising transmission power of UAV and BS.Peer reviewe

Interpreting the Image of the Human Body in Premodern India

This paper sets out two main arguments. In part one, a description of the adherents of the various intellectual disciplines and religious faiths in premodern India is given, each having developed distinct and different imagined bodies; for example, the body described in Tantric circles had little or nothing in common with the body described in medical circles. In part two, an account is given of the encounter between Ayurvedic anatomy and early colonial European anatomy which led initially to attempts at synthesis; these gave way to an abandonment of the syncretist vision of the body and the acceptance of an epistemological suspension of judgment, in which radically different body conceptualizations are simultaneously held in unacknowledged cognitive dissonance

Albiglutide and cardiovascular outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (Harmony Outcomes): a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial

Background: Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists differ in chemical structure, duration of action, and in their effects on clinical outcomes. The cardiovascular effects of once-weekly albiglutide in type 2 diabetes are unknown. We aimed to determine the safety and efficacy of albiglutide in preventing cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. Methods: We did a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled trial in 610 sites across 28 countries. We randomly assigned patients aged 40 years and older with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease (at a 1:1 ratio) to groups that either received a subcutaneous injection of albiglutide (30–50 mg, based on glycaemic response and tolerability) or of a matched volume of placebo once a week, in addition to their standard care. Investigators used an interactive voice or web response system to obtain treatment assignment, and patients and all study investigators were masked to their treatment allocation. We hypothesised that albiglutide would be non-inferior to placebo for the primary outcome of the first occurrence of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke, which was assessed in the intention-to-treat population. If non-inferiority was confirmed by an upper limit of the 95% CI for a hazard ratio of less than 1·30, closed testing for superiority was prespecified. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02465515. Findings: Patients were screened between July 1, 2015, and Nov 24, 2016. 10 793 patients were screened and 9463 participants were enrolled and randomly assigned to groups: 4731 patients were assigned to receive albiglutide and 4732 patients to receive placebo. On Nov 8, 2017, it was determined that 611 primary endpoints and a median follow-up of at least 1·5 years had accrued, and participants returned for a final visit and discontinuation from study treatment; the last patient visit was on March 12, 2018. These 9463 patients, the intention-to-treat population, were evaluated for a median duration of 1·6 years and were assessed for the primary outcome. The primary composite outcome occurred in 338 (7%) of 4731 patients at an incidence rate of 4·6 events per 100 person-years in the albiglutide group and in 428 (9%) of 4732 patients at an incidence rate of 5·9 events per 100 person-years in the placebo group (hazard ratio 0·78, 95% CI 0·68–0·90), which indicated that albiglutide was superior to placebo (p<0·0001 for non-inferiority; p=0·0006 for superiority). The incidence of acute pancreatitis (ten patients in the albiglutide group and seven patients in the placebo group), pancreatic cancer (six patients in the albiglutide group and five patients in the placebo group), medullary thyroid carcinoma (zero patients in both groups), and other serious adverse events did not differ between the two groups. There were three (<1%) deaths in the placebo group that were assessed by investigators, who were masked to study drug assignment, to be treatment-related and two (<1%) deaths in the albiglutide group. Interpretation: In patients with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, albiglutide was superior to placebo with respect to major adverse cardiovascular events. Evidence-based glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists should therefore be considered as part of a comprehensive strategy to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events in patients with type 2 diabetes. Funding: GlaxoSmithKline

Measuring the health-related Sustainable Development Goals in 188 countries : a baseline analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015

Background In September, 2015, the UN General Assembly established the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The SDGs specify 17 universal goals, 169 targets, and 230 indicators leading up to 2030. We provide an analysis of 33 health-related SDG indicators based on the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study 2015 (GBD 2015). Methods We applied statistical methods to systematically compiled data to estimate the performance of 33 health-related SDG indicators for 188 countries from 1990 to 2015. We rescaled each indicator on a scale from 0 (worst observed value between 1990 and 2015) to 100 (best observed). Indices representing all 33 health-related SDG indicators (health-related SDG index), health-related SDG indicators included in the Millennium Development Goals (MDG index), and health-related indicators not included in the MDGs (non-MDG index) were computed as the geometric mean of the rescaled indicators by SDG target. We used spline regressions to examine the relations between the Socio-demographic Index (SDI, a summary measure based on average income per person, educational attainment, and total fertility rate) and each of the health-related SDG indicators and indices. Findings In 2015, the median health-related SDG index was 59.3 (95% uncertainty interval 56.8-61.8) and varied widely by country, ranging from 85.5 (84.2-86.5) in Iceland to 20.4 (15.4-24.9) in Central African Republic. SDI was a good predictor of the health-related SDG index (r(2) = 0.88) and the MDG index (r(2) = 0.2), whereas the non-MDG index had a weaker relation with SDI (r(2) = 0.79). Between 2000 and 2015, the health-related SDG index improved by a median of 7.9 (IQR 5.0-10.4), and gains on the MDG index (a median change of 10.0 [6.7-13.1]) exceeded that of the non-MDG index (a median change of 5.5 [2.1-8.9]). Since 2000, pronounced progress occurred for indicators such as met need with modern contraception, under-5 mortality, and neonatal mortality, as well as the indicator for universal health coverage tracer interventions. Moderate improvements were found for indicators such as HIV and tuberculosis incidence, minimal changes for hepatitis B incidence took place, and childhood overweight considerably worsened. Interpretation GBD provides an independent, comparable avenue for monitoring progress towards the health-related SDGs. Our analysis not only highlights the importance of income, education, and fertility as drivers of health improvement but also emphasises that investments in these areas alone will not be sufficient. Although considerable progress on the health-related MDG indicators has been made, these gains will need to be sustained and, in many cases, accelerated to achieve the ambitious SDG targets. The minimal improvement in or worsening of health-related indicators beyond the MDGs highlight the need for additional resources to effectively address the expanded scope of the health-related SDGs.Peer reviewe

Comparison of Antimicrobial Effects between Biologically and Chemically Synthesized Silver Nanoparticles

In the field of biotechnology, nanoparticles are one of the fastest developing areas of research. While chemical synthesis of nanoparticles is the standard, biological synthesis offers a safer and more environmentally friendly alternative. This experiment analyzed the inhibition of microbial growth when the microbes were treated with biologically-synthesized silver nanoparticles that were created using yucca extract as a reducing agent compared to chemically-synthesized silver nanoparticles that were purchased commercially. The antimicrobial effects were analyzed by treating Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Escherichia coli with varying concentrations of nanoparticles. The inhibition of growth was tested first with disk diffusion method, and then the growth curves of the microbes that were treated with varying concentrations of nanoparticles were quantified and analyzed. The results showed that the biologically synthesized nanoparticles had a significantly more potent antimicrobial effect than their chemically synthesized counterparts

Analysis of System Wide Optimisation Schemes based on Anticipatory Techniques for Next Generation Networks

Le reti wireless del futuro dovranno integrare un gran numero di dispositivi con diversi requisiti di qualità del servizio (QoS)/qualità dell'esperienza (QoE). L'enorme quantità di dispositivi fa sorgere la necessità di anticiparne il comportamento per progettare un sistema in grado di soddisfare i requisiti di QoS/QoE. Per questo motivo, negli ultimi anni, l'anticipazione delle reti è diventata uno dei principali campi di ricerca nel settore delle comunicazioni wireless. Per rete anticipatrice si intendono le informazioni che possono essere previste, le tecniche che possono essere utilizzate per prevedere tali informazioni e le tecniche di ottimizzazione che possono potenzialmente utilizzare tali previsioni per migliorare le prestazioni della rete wireless. Tuttavia, la progettazione di sistemi di rete anticipatori diventa sempre più impegnativa se si considera la variabilità degli scenari applicativi previsti per le future reti wireless. Pertanto, l'analisi delle tecniche di rete anticipatrici che tengono conto delle prestazioni dell'intero sistema per una varietà di scenari di comunicazione wireless è molto importante. Per questo motivo, al fine di ottenere una visione completa della rete anticipatrice nelle reti wireless, presentiamo una breve panoramica dei lavori presenti in letteratura e spieghiamo i molteplici lavori intrapresi per la progettazione e l'analisi delle tecniche di rete anticipatrici da una prospettiva di sistema a livello fisico, di rete, di trasporto e di applicazione.Future wireless networks would be responsible to integrate large number of devices with variety of Quality of Service (QoS)/Quality of Experience (QoE) requirements. The sheer volume of devices arises a need to anticipate the behaviour of these devices so as to design a system capable of satisfying the QoS/QoE requirements. Due to this reason, in the recent years, anticipatory networking has become one of the core research fields in wireless communication. Anticipatory Networking signifies the information that can be predicted, the techniques that can be used to predict such information and the optimization techniques that can potentially utilize such predictions to improve the performance of the wireless network. However, designing anticipatory networking systems becomes increasingly challenging when considering the variability in application scenarios envisioned for future wireless networks. So, analysis of anticipatory networking techniques taking into account the system wide performance for variety of wireless communication scenarios is very crucial. In this thesis, we present the works undertaken for design and analysis of such anticipatory networking techniques from a system wide perspective at Physical, Network, Transport and Application Layers

High-risk penetrating keratoplasty

Background: Loss of immune privilege has important connotations for graft survival, often in clinical scenarios where the other eye is irreversibly blind. This article looks at the state of the evidence-based treatment available for high-risk penetrating keratoplasty (P.K.). Materials and Methods: Review of pathophysiological and immunological mechanisms present was done. Conclusion: Pre-, intra-, and post-operative considerations in P.K. in high-risk situation along with the role of immune-suppression are discussed. Success in high-risk keratoplasty depends on an ongoing effort during as well as life-long after P.K. The role of nonimmunological factors such as glaucoma, reactivation of infection, and unstable ocular surface are important determinants in graft failure