AIMSurv: First pan-European harmonized surveillance of Aedes invasive mosquito species of relevance for human vector-borne diseases

Human and animal vector-borne diseases, particularly mosquito-borne diseases, are emerging or re-emerging worldwide. Six Aedes invasive mosquito (AIM) species were introduced to Europe since the 1970s: Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus, Ae. japonicus, Ae. koreicus, Ae. atropalpus and Ae. triseriatus. Here, we report the results of AIMSurv2020, the first pan-European surveillance effort for AIMs. Implemented by 42 volunteer teams from 24 countries. And presented in the form of a dataset named “AIMSurv Aedes Invasive Mosquito species harmonized surveillance in Europe. AIM-COST Action. Project ID: CA17108”. AIMSurv2020 harmonizes field surveillance methodologies for sampling different AIMs life stages, frequency and minimum length of sampling period, and data reporting. Data include minimum requirements for sample types and recommended requirements for those teams with more resources. Data are published as a Darwin Core archive in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility- Spain, comprising a core file with 19,130 records (EventID) and an occurrences file with 19,743 records (OccurrenceID). AIM species recorded in AIMSurv2020 were Ae. albopictus, Ae. japonicus and Ae. koreicus, as well as native mosquito species

Fifth European Dirofilaria and Angiostrongylus Days (FiEDAD) 2016

Peer reviewe

DESIGNING A TELEMETRY SYSTEM WITH A FOCUS ON EDUCATION

The University of Arizona Baja Racing team competes in an international competition each year. We build a custom telemetry system for the car to collect data during races in order to inform design decisions and warn of upcoming problems. This paper will focus on the contrast between designing a system for production versus designing for the educational experience, as is the ultimate goal of our team. We will specifically discuss this contrast in the areas of size, power consumption, manufacturability, maintainability, repairability, and testability.International Foundation for TelemeteringProceedings from the International Telemetering Conference are made available by the International Foundation for Telemetering and the University of Arizona Libraries. Visit http://www.telemetry.org/index.php/contact-us if you have questions about items in this collection

Next Generation Implementation of an Improved Telemetry System for Monitoring an Off-Road Racecar

The University of Arizona Baja Wildcat Racing Team designs and fabricates an off-road vehicle for an international competition. A telemetry system serves as an important backbone for design optimization and problem detection. The system consists of an array of sensors, microcontrollers to read them, and the core module. The core module is the heart of the system and it compiles, transmits, and stores the data locally. A custom screen displays speed data to the driver. The software saw a total redesign. The primary changes were the implementation of a data management class to improve I2C communications, and the generation of data structures using python scripts to reduce the risk of data loss. The software will be the primary focus, with detailed design justification, and hardware updates will also be discussed.International Foundation for TelemeteringProceedings from the International Telemetering Conference are made available by the International Foundation for Telemetering and the University of Arizona Libraries. Visit https://telemetry.org/contact-us/ if you have questions about items in this collection

Upper threshold of extracellular neural stimulation

It is well known that spiking neurons can produce action potentials in response to extracellular stimulation above certain threshold. It is widely assumed that there is no upper limit to somatic stimulation, except for cellular or electrode damage. Here we demonstrate that there is an upper stimulation threshold, above which no action potential can be elicited, and it is below the threshold of cellular damage. Existence of this upper stimulation threshold was confirmed in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) at pulse durations ranging from 5 to 500 μs. The ratio of the upper to lower stimulation thresholds varied typically from 1.7 to 7.6, depending on pulse duration. Computational modeling of extracellular RGC stimulation explained the upper limit by sodium current reversal on the depolarized side of the cell membrane. This was further confirmed by experiments in the medium with a low concentration of sodium. The limited width of the stimulation window may have important implications in design of the electro-neural interfaces, including neural prosthetics

AN IMPROVED TELEMETRY SYSTEM FOR MONITORING AN OFF-ROAD RACECAR

The University of Arizona Baja Racing Team competes annually in a grueling off-road racing competition designed to test the durability of each team’s vehicle. For the last several years, we have been developing a custom telemetry system to monitor and analyze the performance of the vehicle in order to provide live diagnostics to the pit crew and driver, as well as to inform future designs. This year, we have redesigned the core of the system to be more modular and use more COTS parts in order to allow easier upgrade and repair, and have upgraded many existing sensors, added sensors to monitor driver vitals, improved the driver’s display, and embedded USB hubs in our power distribution boards to allow programming of all microcontrollers on the vehicle over a single USB interface. These changes will make future development easier and will produce far more data than we have had in previous generations.International Foundation for TelemeteringProceedings from the International Telemetering Conference are made available by the International Foundation for Telemetering and the University of Arizona Libraries. Visit http://www.telemetry.org/index.php/contact-us if you have questions about items in this collection

Identifying key elements for paediatric advance care planning with parents, healthcare providers and stakeholders: A qualitative study

Background: Although international guidelines recommend discussions about goals of care and treatment options for children with severe and life-limiting conditions, there are still few structured models of paediatric advance care planning. Aim: The study aimed at identifying key components of paediatric advance care planning through direct discussions with all involved parties. Design: The study had a qualitative design with a participatory approach. Participants constituted an advisory board and took part in two transdisciplinary workshops. Data were collected in discussion and dialogue groups and analysed using content analysis. Setting/participants: We included bereaved parents, health care providers and stakeholders of care networks. Results: Key elements were discussions, documentation, implementation, timing and participation of children and adolescents. Parents engage in discussions with facilitators and persons of trust to reach a decision. Documentation constitutes the focus of professionals, who endorse brief recommendations for procedures in case of emergencies, supplemented by larger advance directives. Implementation hindrances include emotional barriers of stakeholders, disagreements between parents and professionals and difficulties with emergency services. Discussion: timing should take into account parental readiness. The intervention should be repeated at regular intervals, considering emerging needs and increasing awareness of families over time. Involving children and adolescents in advance care planning remains a challenge. Conclusion: A paediatric advance care planning intervention should take into account potential pitfalls and barriers including issues related to timing, potential conflicts between parents and professionals, ambiguity towards written advance directives, the role of non-medical carers for paediatric advance care planning implementation, the need to involve the child and the necessity of an iterative process