Poster Abstract: Interconnecting Low-Power Wireless and Power-Line Communications using IPv6

Wireless sensor networks for building automation and energy management has made great progress in recent years, but the inherent indoor radio range limitations can make communication unpredictable and system deployments difficult. Low-power radio can be combined with low-power Power-Line Communication (PLC) to extend the range and predictability of indoor communication for building management and automation systems. We take the first steps towards exploring the system implications for integration of low-power wireless and PLC in the same network. We leverage IPv6, which allow networks to exist over multiple physical communication media as well as the RPL routing protocol for low-power lossy networks

Fall risk assessment predicts fall-related injury, hip fracture, and head injury in older adults

Objectives To investigate the role of a fall risk assessment, using the Downton Fall Risk Index (DFRI), in predicting fall‐related injury, fall‐related head injury and hip fracture, and death, in a large cohort of older women and men residing in Sweden. Design Cross sectional observational study. Setting Sweden. Participants Older adults (mean age 82.4 ± 7.8) who had a fall risk assessment using the DFRI at baseline (N = 128,596). Measurements Information on all fall‐related injuries, all fall‐related head injuries and hip fractures, and all‐cause mortality was collected from the Swedish Patient Register and Cause of Death Register. The predictive role of DFRI was calculated using Poisson regression models with age, sex, height, weight, and comorbidities as covariates, taking time to outcome or end of study into account. Results During a median follow‐up of 253 days (interquartile range 90–402 days) (>80,000 patient‐years), 15,299 participants had a fall‐related injury, 2,864 a head injury, and 2,557 a hip fracture, and 23,307 died. High fall risk (DFRI ≥3) independently predicted fall‐related injury (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.43, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.39–1.49), hip fracture (HR = 1.51, 95% CI =1.38–1.66), head injury (HR = 1.12, 95% CI = 1.03–1.22), and all‐cause mortality (HR = 1.39, 95% CI = 1.35–1.43). DFRI more strongly predicted head injury (HR = 1.29, 95% CI = 1.21–1.36 vs HR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.04–1.11) and hip fracture (HR = 1.41, 95% CI = 1.30–1.53 vs HR = 1.08, 95% CI = 1.05–1.11) in 70‐year old men than in 90‐year old women (P < .001). Conclusion Fall risk assessment using DFRI independently predicts fall‐related injury, fall‐related head injury and hip fracture, and all‐cause mortality in older men and women, indicating its clinical usefulness to identify individuals who would benefit from interventions

Linearization of Active Array Transmitters Under Crosstalk via Over-the-Air Observations

Finding computationally feasible solutions to linearize active antenna array transmitters is a timely challenge in modern cellular networks, particularly in 5G and the emerging 6G systems. In this paper, we propose a new modeling and parameter estimation approach to characterize the individual power amplifier (PA) units of an active antenna array subject to crosstalk while relying only on over-the-air observations. Additionally, we describe a beam-sweeping based forward model learning procedure and the corresponding closed-loop digital predistortion (DPD) learning algorithm, to efficiently linearize millimeter-wave phased-array transmitters under crosstalk-induced load modulation. The provided numerical results demonstrate excellent parameter estimation and linearization performance, reaching adjacent channel power ratios (ACPRs) as low as -50 to -60 dB with realistic evaluation assumptions.Peer reviewe

Galton-Watson-processen och åldrande celler

The theory of the multitype Galton-Watson-process has been applied to build a mathematical model for describing biological aging in cells. We also study the phenomenon of rejuvenation. The theoretical results of the model have been applied and populations have been simulated in order to study how biological aging affects cell populations and individual cells. This project investigates how different parameters of the model affect the properties of cell populations. We study what the distribution of different biological ages looks like in the population, guaranteed extinction of populations and the distribution of life lengths in cells. We also introduce a rejuvenation index to provide a formal measure of rejuvenation in the populations. The rate of accumulation of damage and how frequently the cells divide is essential in whether or not the population becomes extinct. In the surviving populations, asymmetric distribution of damage between the mother and daughter cells results in smaller populations but with a higher proportion of biologically young cells. The individual cells live for a shorter period of time but rejuvenation occurs to a higher extent. In populations where the damage is distributed symmetrically, populations become larger and the individual cells live longer but rejuvenation does not occur. Aging in cells has been modeled in a simple but insightful way but there is still some sensitivity in the choice of parameters. The mathematical model that has been developed has also compared the aging and rejuvenation with the yeast cell. We suggest that future research aims at adjusting the parameters of the model in order to be able to describe the mechanisms behind the aging of the yeast and gain an insight into human aging

Serology assessment of antibody response to SARS-CoV-2 in patients with COVID-19 by rapid IgM/IgG antibody test

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created a global health- and economic crisis. Detection of antibodies to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) which causes COVID-19 by serological methods is important to diagnose a current or resolved infection. In this study, we applied a rapid COVID-19 IgM/IgG antibody test and performed serology assessment of antibody response to SARS-CoV-2. In PCR-confirmed COVID-19 patients (n = 45), the total antibody detection rate is 92% in hospitalized patients and 79% in non-hospitalized patients. The total IgM and IgG detection is 63% in patients with 2 weeks disease duration; and 91% in hospitalized patients with >2 weeks disease duration. We also compared different blood sample types and suggest a higher sensitivity by serum/plasma over whole blood. Test specificity was determined to be 97% on 69 sera/plasma samples collected between 2016-2018. Our study provides a comprehensive validation of the rapid COVID-19 IgM/IgG serology test, and mapped antibody detection patterns in association with disease progress and hospitalization. Our results support that the rapid COVID-19 IgM/IgG test may be applied to assess the COVID-19 status both at the individual and at a population level. © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.Peer reviewe

High frequency mechanical impact treatment to improve fatigue life of welds

High frequency mechanical impact (HFMI) is a post-weld peening process which is carried out to improve the fatigue life of welded geometries. The increase in fatigue strength is attributed to the combination of inducing compressive residual stresses at the weld toe, a change in the weld toe geometry from the peening, as well as an increased surface hardness in the treated region. To further investigate the beneficial effects of HFMI, a benchmark exercise has been developed in the Specialist Committee V.3 Materials and Fabrication Technology of the International Ship and Offshore Structures Congress (ISSC 2018). The eventual expectation is the development of design guidelines for the use of HFMI in cyclically loaded components found, for example, in the ship building industry.The benchmark exercise specifies the use of S355, a structural steel with a minimum yield strength of 355MPa, and a particular coupon geometry, which consists of a stiffener, fillet welded to a membrane loaded plate. This geometry, provided as a finite element model by the benchmark exercise committee, is known to be sensitive to fatigue as it has a high stress concentration at the weld toe. Material and mechanical properties for the simulation of HFMI and the cyclic analysis are also specified. Chalmers University of Technology contributes to the benchmark exercise through the course TME131 – Project in applied mechanics.In this year’s project, an efficient way of simulating HFMI treatment is investigated and studies on how cyclic loading affects the induced beneficial compressive residual stresses are carried out. The project is executed in three different stages.Stage 1 mainly concentrates on evaluating methods to simplify the modelling of the HFMI treatment. The goal is to reduce the computational effort without compromising the accuracy of the results. Simulations are performed on a simple cuboid geometry, also provided by the benchmark exercise, with varying parameters such as the constitutive hardening model, e.g. isotropic or kinematic or Chaboche, the analysis type, e.g dynamic or quasi-static, and the indenter tool model, e.g., a single tool or several tools applied in sequence. It is concluded that the choice of analysis type impacts the residual stress state to a minor extent, while it greatly affects the computational effort. A clear trend shows that with an increasing number of indenter parts, greater computational effort is required. Using a single indenter proved to give comparable results to previous work and a uniform residual stress profile. Since it is also computationally effective, it is concluded that this method is the most suitable.The simplifications are then carried over into Stage 2, where the HFMI treatment is applied to the welded coupon geometry. In this stage, the indenter tool models from Stage 1 are redesigned to fit the coupon and simulations are performed to further evaluate the models. Simulations are performed with a variety of indenter tool models. The simulations with several indenters moving in sequence show a greater variation in the residual stress profile, suggesting some unreliability in this method. It is determined that a five-part single impact model was the the most suitable.Finally, in Stage 3 the coupon model with induced residual stresses from a single impact HFMI simulation is subjected to cyclic membrane loading. The residual stress state is found to not be significantly impacted by constant amplitude loading. However, after variable amplitude loading the beneficial residual compressive stresses are found to be redistributed. Furthermore, the beneficial residual compressive stresses are removed to a greater extent when increasing the maximum applied nominal stress. When applying nominal stress with a peak load of 75% of the yield limit, the beneficial residual compressive stresses are reduced by almost 100%. However, when applying a nominal stress with a peak load of 63% of the yield limit, they are only reduced by 50%.For simulating HFMI, the results suggest using the Chaboche mixed hardening model with quasi-static analysis using a single impact indenter tool model. For future work it is recommended to perform further investigation of the single impact dynamic simulations using kinematic hardening since it showed promising results. Furthermore, to achieve better understanding of the effects of cyclic loading, simulations with a wider range of load amplitudes, and closer investigations of the stress-strain development during loading, are recommended

Comparison of quantitative trait loci methods:Total expression and allelic imbalance method in brain RNA-seq

BackgroundOf the 108 Schizophrenia (SZ) risk-loci discovered through genome-wide association studies (GWAS), 96 are not altering the sequence of any protein. Evidence linking non-coding risk-SNPs and genes may be established using expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL). However, other approaches such allelic expression quantitative trait loci (aeQTL) also may be of use.MethodsWe applied both the eQTL and aeQTL analysis to a biobank of deeply sequenced RNA from 680 dorso-lateral pre-frontal cortex (DLPFC) samples. For each of 340 genes proximal to the SZ risk-SNPs, we asked how much SNP-genotype affected total expression (eQTL), as well as how much the expression ratio between the two alleles differed from 1:1 as a consequence of the risk-SNP genotype (aeQTL).ResultsWe analyzed overlap with comparable eQTL-findings: 16 of the 30 risk-SNPs known to have gene-level eQTL also had gene-level aeQTL effects. 6 of 21 risk-SNPs with known splice-eQTL had exon-aeQTL effects. 12 novel potential risk genes were identified with the aeQTL approach, while 55 tested SNP-pairs were found as eQTL but not aeQTL. Of the tested 108 loci we could find at least one gene to be associated with 21 of the risk-SNPs using gene-level aeQTL, and with an additional 18 risk-SNPs using exon-level aeQTL.ConclusionOur results suggest that the aeQTL strategy complements the eQTL approach to susceptibility gene identification

"Outroduction”: A Research Agenda on Collegiality in University Settings

Collegiality is the modus operandi of universities. Collegiality is central to academic freedom and scientific quality. In this way, collegiality also contributes to the good functioning of universities’ contribution to society and democracy. In this concluding paper of the special issue on collegiality, we summarize the main findings and takeaways from our collective studies. We summarize the main challenges and contestations to collegiality and to universities, but also document lines of resistance, activation, and maintenance. We depict varieties of collegiality and conclude by emphasizing that future research needs to be based on an appreciation of this variation. We argue that it is essential to incorporate such a variation-sensitive perspective into discussions on academic freedom and scientific quality and highlight themes surfaced by the different studies that remain under-explored in extant literature: institutional trust, field-level studies of collegiality, and collegiality and communication. Finally, we offer some remarks on methodological and theoretical implications of this research and conclude by summarizing our research agenda in a list of themes

Recurrent de novo point mutations in lamin A cause Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by features reminiscent of marked premature ageing(1,2). Here, we present evidence of mutations in lamin A (LMNA) as the cause of this disorder. The HGPS gene was initially localized to chromosome 1q by observing two cases of uniparental isodisomy of 1q - the inheritance of both copies of this material from one parent - and one case with a 6-megabase paternal interstitial deletion. Sequencing of LMNA, located in this interval and previously implicated in several other heritable disorders(3,4), revealed that 18 out of 20 classical cases of HGPS harboured an identical de novo ( that is, newly arisen and not inherited) single-base substitution, G608G( GGC > GGT), within exon 11. One additional case was identified with a different substitution within the same codon. Both of these mutations result in activation of a cryptic splice site within exon 11, resulting in production of a protein product that deletes 50 amino acids near the carboxy terminus. Immunofluorescence of HGPS fibroblasts with antibodies directed against lamin A revealed that many cells show visible abnormalities of the nuclear membrane. The discovery of the molecular basis of this disease may shed light on the general phenomenon of human ageing.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/62684/1/nature01629.pd