Half-duplex energy harvesting relay network over different fading environment: System performance with effect of hardware impairment

In this paper, we introduce a half-duplex (HD) energy harvesting (EH) relay network over the different fading environment with the effect of hardware impairment (HI). The model system was investigated with the amplify-and-forward (AF) and the power splitting (PS) protocols. The system performance analysis in term of the outage probability (OP), achievable throughput (AT), and bit error rate (BER) were demonstrated with the closed-form expressions. In addition, the power splitting (PS) factor was investigated. We verified the analytical analysis by Monte Carlo simulation with all primary parameters. From the results, we can state that the analytical and simulation results match well with each other.Web of Science911art. no. Unsp 228

Value of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein assays in predicting atrial fibrillation recurrence: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Objectives: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) assays to see whether these tests are predictive of atrial fibrillation (AF) recurrence after cardioversion. Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Data sources PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane databases as well as a hand search of the reference lists in the retrieved articles from inception to December 2013. Study eligibility criteria This review selected observational studies in which the measurements of serum CRP were used to predict AF recurrence. An hs-CRP assay was defined as any CRP test capable of measuring serum CRP to below 0.6 mg/dL. Primary and secondary outcome measures We summarised test performance characteristics with the use of forest plots, hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curves and bivariate random effects models. Meta-regression analysis was performed to explore the source of heterogeneity. Results: We included nine qualifying studies comprising a total of 347 patients with AF recurrence and 335 controls. A CRP level higher than the optimal cut-off point was an independent predictor of AF recurrence after cardioversion (summary adjusted OR: 3.33; 95% CI 2.10 to 5.28). The estimated pooled sensitivity and specificity for hs-CRP was 71.0% (95% CI 63% to 78%) and 72.0% (61% to 81%), respectively. Most studies used a CRP cut-off point of 1.9 mg/L to predict long-term AF recurrence (77% sensitivity, 65% specificity), and 3 mg/L to predict short-term AF recurrence (73% sensitivity, 71% specificity). Conclusions: hs-CRP assays are moderately accurate in predicting AF recurrence after successful cardioversion

A Raspberry Pi-based Traumatic Brain Injury Detection System for Single-Channel Electroencephalogram

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a common cause of death and disability. However, existing tools for TBI diagnosis are either subjective or require extensive clinical setup and expertise. The increasing affordability and reduction in size of relatively high-performance computing systems combined with promising results from TBI related machine learning research make it possible to create compact and portable systems for early detection of TBI. This work describes a Raspberry Pi based portable, real-time data acquisition, and automated processing system that uses machine learning to efficiently identify TBI and automatically score sleep stages from a single-channel Electroen-cephalogram (EEG) signal. We discuss the design, implementation, and verification of the system that can digitize EEG signal using an Analog to Digital Converter (ADC) and perform real-time signal classification to detect the presence of mild TBI (mTBI). We utilize Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) and XGBoost based predictive models to evaluate the performance and demonstrate the versatility of the system to operate with multiple types of predictive models. We achieve a peak classification accuracy of more than 90% with a classification time of less than 1 s across 16 s - 64 s epochs for TBI vs control conditions. This work can enable development of systems suitable for field use without requiring specialized medical equipment for early TBI detection applications and TBI research. Further, this work opens avenues to implement connected, real-time TBI related health and wellness monitoring systems.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Manipulation of magnetic nanoparticle retention and hemodynamic consequences in microcirculation: assessment by laser speckle imaging

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) have been proposed for targeted or embolization therapeutics. How MNP retention occurs in circulation may critically determine local hemodynamics, tissue distribution of MNPs, and the therapeutic effects. We attempted to establish a microcirculation model to study the magnetic capture of MNPs in small vessels and to determine the factors affecting MNP retention. Two-dimensional hemodynamic changes in response to magnet-induced MNP retention in the microvessels of the cremaster muscle in vivo were observed in a real-time manner using a laser speckle imaging technique. Changes in tissue perfusion of the cremaster muscle appeared to be closely correlated with the location of the magnet placement underneath the muscle in response to intra-arterial administration of dextran-coated MNPs. Magnet-related retention was observed along the edge of the magnet, as corroborated by the results of histology analysis and microcomputed tomography. In these preparations, tissue iron content almost doubled, as revealed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy. In addition, MNP retention was associated with reduced downstream flow in a dose-dependent manner. Dissipation of MNPs (5 mg/kg) occurred shortly after removal of the magnet, which was associated with significant recovery of tissue flow. However, MNP dissipation did not easily occur after administration of a higher MNP dose (10 mg/kg) or prolonged exposure to the magnetic field. An ultrasound after removal of the magnet may induce the partial dispersion of MNPs and thus partially improve hemodynamics. In conclusion, our results revealed the important correlation of local MNP retention and hemodynamic changes in microcirculation, which can be crucial in the application of MNPs for effective targeted therapeutics

Neutron scattering and superconducting order parameter in YBa2Cu3O7

We discuss the origin of the neutron scattering peak at 41 meV observed in YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_7$ below $T_c$. The peak may occur due to spin-flip electron excitations across the superconducting gap which are enhanced by the antiferromagnetic interaction between Cu spins. In this picture, the experiment is most naturally explained if the superconducting order parameter has $s$-wave symmetry and opposite signs in the bonding and antibonding electron bands formed within a Cu$_2$O$_4$ bilayer.Comment: In this version, only few minor corrections and the update of references were done in order to make perfect correspondence with the published version. RevTeX, psfig, 5 pages, and 3 figure

Multiplex PCR System for Rapid Detection of Pathogens in Patients with Presumed Sepsis – A Systemic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Blood culture is viewed as the golden standard for the diagnosis of sepsis but suffers from low sensitivity and long turnaround time. LightCycler SeptiFast (LC-SF) is a real-time multiplex polymerase chain reaction test able to detect 25 common pathogens responsible for bloodstream infections within hours. We aim to assess the accuracy of LC-SF by systematically reviewing the published studies. Method Related literature on Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases was searched up to October 2012 for studies utilizing LC-SF to diagnose suspected sepsis and that provided sufficient data to construct two-by-two tables. Results: A total of 34 studies enrolling 6012 patients of suspected sepsis were included. The overall sensitivity and specificity for LC-SF to detect bacteremia or fungemia was 0·75 (95% CI: 0·65–0·83) and 0·92 (95%CI:0·90–0·95), respectively. LC-SF had a high positive likelihood ratio (10·10) and a moderate negative likelihood ratio (0·27). Specifically, LC-SF had a sensitivity of 0·80 (95%CI: 0·70–0·88) and a specificity of 0·95(95%CI: 0·93–0·97) for the bacteremia outcome, and a sensitivity of 0·61 (95%CI: 0·48–0·72) and a specificity of 0·99 (95%CI: 0·99–0·99) for the fungemia outcome. High heterogeneity was found in the bacteremia outcome subgroup but not in the fungemia outcome subgroup. Conclusion: LC-SF is of high rule-in value for early detection of septic patients. In a population with low pretest probability, LC-SF test can still provide valuable information for ruling out bacteremia or fungemia

FTIR Combined with Chemometrics for Fast Simultaneous Determination of Penicillin and Cephalexin in Pharmaceutical Tablets

In this research, the potential of combining chemometrics with FTIR techniques to provide a rapid and simultaneous quantitative analyses method for determination penicillin, cephalexin is studied. Unlike other methods, FTIR is considered as a time saving method due to its non-destructive and simple sample preparation. Due to the similarity of infrared spectral, PLS and PCR couples with spectral treatment techniques are applied to make the calibration model for penicillin and cephalexin determination at the same time. The result is also validated in term of RMSEP and R2 value using validation set. The FTIR combined with PLS method shows the best results

Satin associated lower cancer risk and related mortaity in patients with heart failure

Aims Patients with heart failure (HF) have an increased risk of incident cancer. Data relating to the association of statin use with cancer risk and cancer-related mortality among patients with HF are sparse. Methods and results Using a previously validated territory-wide clinical information registry, statin use was ascertained among all eligible patients with HF (n = 87 102) from 2003 to 2015. Inverse probability of treatment weighting was used to balance baseline covariates between statin nonusers (n = 50 926) with statin users (n = 36 176). Competing risk regression with Cox proportional-hazard models was performed to estimate the risk of cancer and cancer-related mortality associated with statin use. Of all eligible subjects, the mean age was 76.5 +/- 12.8 years, and 47.8% was male. Over a median follow-up of 4.1 years (interquartile range: 1.6-6.8), 11 052 (12.7%) were diagnosed with cancer. Statin use (vs. none) was associated with a 16% lower risk of cancer incidence [multivariable adjusted subdistribution hazard ratio (SHR) = 0.84; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.80-0.89]. This inverse association with risk of cancer was duration dependent; as compared with short-term statin use (3 months to = 6 years of use. Ten-year cancer-related mortality was 3.8% among statin users and 5.2% among nonusers (absolute risk difference, -1.4 percentage points [95% CI, -1.6% to -1.2%]; adjusted SHR= 0.74; 95% CI, 0.67-0.81). Conclusion Our study suggests that statin use is associated with a significantly lower risk of incident cancer and cancer-related mortality in HF, an association that appears to be duration dependent. [GRAPHICS]