A spectrally-accurate FVTD technique for complicated amplification and reconfigurable filtering EMC devices

The consistent and computationally economical analysis of demanding amplification and filtering structures is introduced in this paper via a new spectrally-precise finite-volume time-domain algorithm. Combining a family of spatial derivative approximators with controllable accuracy in general curvilinear coordinates, the proposed method employs a fully conservative field flux formulation to derive electromagnetic quantities in areas with fine structural details. Moreover, the resulting 3-D operators assign the appropriate weight to each spatial stencil at arbitrary media interfaces, while for periodic components the domain is systematically divided to a number of nonoverlapping subdomains. Numerical results from various real-world configurations verify our technique and reveal its universality

Enhanced Design of Narrowband Filters Based on The Extraordinary Transmission Through Single Fishnet Structures

A systematic method for the efficient design of narrowband filters founded on the extraordinary transmission via single fishnet structures (SFSs) is presented in this paper. Essentially, due to its strong resonant behavior, this phenomenon is proven suitable for the implementation of high-Q devices. The new design formulas are derived through the combination of full-wave numerical simulations and curve fitting algorithms. Also, adequate mathematical criteria are defined for the evaluation of the filters\u27 linear performance, indicating that the transmitted electromagnetic waves remain practically undistorted in the frequency band of interest. Then, by exploiting the previously developed relations, proper correction factors are introduced in the existing SFS equivalent circuit expressions, which hardly increase the overall computational complexity. This quantitative modification leads to an enhanced characterization of SFSs, as key components for diverse applications. Finally, several limitations as well as possible ways of extending the featured algorithm to more complicated structures and higher frequency bands are briefly discussed

Doing social inclusion with ELSiTO: Empowering learning for social inclusion through occupation

Objectives: The European partnership ELSiTO aimed to develop understanding of the nature and processes of social inclusion for persons experiencing mental illness. Participants: Partners were from Belgium, Greece and the Netherlands with over 30 members including mental health service users, occupational therapists and other staff. Approach: A knowledge-creation learning process was used during four international, experiential, visits and local meetings, which included visiting and describing good practice, telling stories of experiences, reflection and discussion. Results: The partnership developed understandings of the nature and process of social inclusion, including both subjective and objective aspects interrelated with the doing of daily activities in the community. Members' work-related experiences, illustrated through their stories, depict the subjective aspects of social inclusion as they are shaped and framed by the objective conditions within a variety of work opportunities. Experiences in paid work, supported employment and voluntary work may both threaten and enhance mental health. Features of successful (voluntary) work experiences are identified. Conclusions: The importance is revealed of looking critically at current understandings of work and to move beyond a narrow focus on paid work in order to provide a range of work opportunities that will empower the individual's potential and promote inclusivesch_occ[1] Bourdieu, P. (1998). The essence of neoliberalism [Electronic Version]. Le Monde. Retrieved May 30, 2010 from http://www.analitica.com/bitblio/bourdieu/neoliberalism.asp. [2] Burns, T., Catty, J., Becker, T., Drake, R., Fioritti, A., Knapp, M., et al. (2007). The effectiveness of supported employment for persons with severe mental illness: A randomised controlled trial. The Lancet, 370, 1146-1152. [3] Busschbach , J. v. and Michon, H. (2011). Effectiviteit van individuele plaatsing en steun in Nederland. Verslag van een gerandomiseerde gecontroleerde effectstudie. (Effectiveness of IPS in the Netherlands. Report of a RCT.): Trimbos-instituut. [4] Cook, S. and Chambers, E. (2009). What helps and hinders people with psychotic conditions doing what they want in their daily lives. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(6), 238-248. [5] COTEC. (2011). Position paper of the Council of occupational therapists for the European countries: European year of volunteering 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2011, from http://www.cotec-europe.org/userfiles/file/volontiranje.pdf. [6] Davis, M. and Rinaldi, M. (2004). Using an evidence-based approach to enable people withmental health problems to gain and retain employment, education and voluntary work. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67(7), 319-322. [7] Dutch Government. (2011). De Wet werken naar vermogen. Retrieved June 6, 2011, from http://www.rijksoverheid.nl/ onderwerpen/wet-werken-naar-vermogen-wwnv/de-wetwerken- naar-vermogen. [8] Eklund, M. (2009).Work status, daily activities and quality of life among people with severe mental illness. Qual Life Res, 18, 163-170. [9] Eklund, M., Leufstaduis, C. and Bejerholm, U. (2009). Time use among people with psychiatric disabilities: Implications for practice. Psychiatric Rehabilitation Journal, 32(3), 177- 191. [10] European Commission. (2008). Mental Health in the EU Key Facts, Figures, and Activities. Retrieved November 12, 2010, from http://ec.europa.eu/health/archive/ph determinants/life style/mental/docs/background paper en.pdf. [11] European Commission. (2010). European Disability Strategy 2010-2020: A renewed commitment to a barrier-free Europe. Retrieved February 5, 2011, from http://eur-lex.europa.eu/ LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:2010:0636:FIN:EN: PDF. [12] European Commission. (2011). European year of volunteering 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2011, from http://ec.europa. eu/citizenship/focus/focus840 en.htm. [13] European Council. (2009). Joint report on social protection and social inclusion. Retrieved September 10, 2010, from http://ec.europa.eu/social/main.jsp?catId=757&langId=en. [14] Eurostat. (2010). Combating poverty and social exclusion. A statistical portrait of the European Union 2010. Retrieved August 8, 2011, from http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/ cache/ITY OFFPUB/KS-EP-09-001/EN/KS-EP-09-001-EN. PDF. [15] Gabriel, P. and Liimatainen, M.-R. (2000). Mental health in the workplace. Geneva: International Labour Office. [16] Gold, P. and Waghorn, G. (2007). Comment: Supported employment for people with severe mental illness. The Lancet, 370, 1108-1109. [17] Koi.S.P.E. (2011). Odigos ton Koinonikon Synetairismon Periorismenis Euthinis (Koi.S.P.E.) (Guide to the Koi.S.P.E.). Athens: PEPSAEE. [18] Mee, J., Sumsion, T. and Craik, C. (2004). Mental health clients confirm the value of occupation in building competence and self-identity. British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67(5), 225-223. [19] Paavola, S. and Hakkarainen, K. (2005). The knowledge creation metaphor - an emergent epistimological approach to learning. Science and Education, 14, 535-557. [20] Royal College of Psychiatrists. (2009). Position Statement. Mental Health and Social Inclusion. Making Psychiatry and Mental Health Services Fit for the 21st Century. London: Royal College of Psychiatrists. [21] Secker, J., Membrey, H., Grove, B. and Seebohm, P. (2002). Recovering from illness or recovering your life? Implications of clinical versus social models of recovery from mental health problems for employment support services. Disability and Society, 17(4), 403-418. [22] Tregaskis, C. (2002). Social Model Theory: The story so far . . . Disability and Society, 17(4), 457-470. [23] UWV information on job coaching personal support. Retrieved October 3, 2011, from http://www.uwv.nl/zakelijk/reintegratiediensten/ instrumenten-subsidies/jobcoach/index. aspx. [24] Wilcock, A. (2006). An occupational perspective of health. Thorofare: Slack Incorporated. [25] Wolfe, A. (1997). Themoral meanings of work. The American Prospect, 34(14), 82-90.41pub3055pub

ABSense: Sensing Electromagnetic Waves on Metasurfaces via Ambient Compilation of Full Absorption

Metasurfaces constitute effective media for manipulating and transforming impinging EM waves. Related studies have explored a series of impactful MS capabilities and applications in sectors such as wireless communications, medical imaging and energy harvesting. A key-gap in the existing body of work is that the attributes of the EM waves to-be-controlled (e.g., direction, polarity, phase) are known in advance. The present work proposes a practical solution to the EM wave sensing problem using the intelligent and networked MS counterparts-the HyperSurfaces (HSFs), without requiring dedicated field sensors. An nano-network embedded within the HSF iterates over the possible MS configurations, finding the one that fully absorbs the impinging EM wave, hence maximizing the energy distribution within the HSF. Using a distributed consensus approach, the nano-network then matches the found configuration to the most probable EM wave traits, via a static lookup table that can be created during the HSF manufacturing. Realistic simulations demonstrate the potential of the proposed scheme. Moreover, we show that the proposed workflow is the first-of-its-kind embedded EM compiler, i.e., an autonomic HSF that can translate high-level EM behavior objectives to the corresponding, low-level EM actuation commands.Comment: Publication: Proceedings of ACM NANOCOM 2019. This work was funded by the European Union via the Horizon 2020: Future Emerging Topics call (FETOPEN), grant EU736876, project VISORSURF (http://www.visorsurf.eu

Participatory citizenship: critical perspectives on client-centred occupational therapy

Background/aims: This article aims to discuss client-centred practice, the current dominant approach within occupational therapy, in relation to participatory citizenship. Occupational therapists work within structures and policies that set boundaries on their engagement with clients, while working with complex, multidimensional social realities. Methods: The authors present a critical discussion shaped by their research, including a survey, discussions at workshops at international conferences, and critical engagement with the literature on occupational therapy, occupation, and citizenship. Conclusion: A focus on citizenship suggests reframing professional development based on the participation in public life of people as citizens of their society. While occupational therapists often refer to clients in the context of communities, groups, families, and wider society, the term client centred practice typically represents a particular view of the individual and may sometimes be too limited in application for a more systemic and societal approach. Significance: The authors question the individual focus which has, until recently, been typical of client-centred occupational therapy. Placing citizenship at the core of intervention is a transformative process that assumes all people are citizens and conceives of health as a collective issue, influencing the way we educate, do research, and practise. Key words: Collective, dis-citizenship, inequalities, professional development, participation, paradigms, occupational justice</p

Multi-functional metasurface architecture for amplitude, polarization and wavefront control

Metasurfaces (MSs) have been utilized to manipulate different properties of electromagnetic waves. By combining local control over the wave amplitude, phase, and polarization into a single tunable structure, a multi-functional and reconfigurable metasurface can be realized, capable of full control over incident radiation. Here, we experimentally validate a multi-functional metasurface architecture for the microwave regime, where in principle variable loads are connected behind the backplane to reconfigurably shape the complex surface impedance. As a proof-of-concept step, we fabricate several metasurface instances with static loads in different configurations (surface mount capacitors and resistors of different values in different connection topologies) to validate the approach and showcase the different achievable functionalities. Specifically, we show perfect absorption for oblique incidence (both polarizations), broadband linear polarization conversion, and beam splitting, demonstrating control over the amplitude, polarization state, and wavefront, respectively. Measurements are performed in the 4-18 GHz range inside an anechoic chamber and show good agreement with theoretically-anticipated results. Our results clearly demonstrate the practical potential of the proposed architecture for reconfigurable electromagnetic wave manipulation.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figure

Vitamin B12 supplementation in diabetic neuropathy: a 1-year, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Aim: To investigate the effect of normalizing vitamin B12 (B12) levels with oral B12 (methylcobalamin) 1000 μg/day for one year in patients with diabetic neuropathy (DN). Patients and methods: In this prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 90 patients with type 2 diabetes on metformin for at least four years and both peripheral and autonomic DN were randomized to an active treatment group (n = 44) receiving B12 and a control group (n = 46) receiving a placebo. All patients had B12 levels less than 400 pmol/L. Subjects underwent measurements of sural nerve conduction velocity (SNCV), sural nerve action potential (amplitude) (SNAP), and vibration perception threshold (VPT), and they performed cardiovascular autonomic reflex tests (CARTs: mean circular resultant (MCR), Valsalva test, postural index, and orthostatic hypotension). Sudomotor function was assessed with the SUDOSCAN that measures electrochemical skin conductance in hands and feet (ESCH and ESCF, respectively). We also used the Michigan Neuropathy Screening Instrument Questionnaire and Examination (MNSIQ and MNSIE, respectively) and questionnaires to evaluate quality of life (QoL) and level of pain (pain score). Results: B12 levels increased from 232.0 ± 71.8 at baseline to 776.7 ± 242.3 pmol/L at follow-up, p < 0.0001, in the active group but not in the control group. VPT, MNSIQ, QoL, pain score, SNCV, SNAP, and ESCF significantly improved in the active group (p < 0.001, p = 0.002, p < 0.0001, p < 0.000, p < 0.0001, p < 0.0001, and p = 0.014, respectively), whereas CARTS and MNSIE improved but not significantly. MCR, MNSIQ, SNCV, SNAP, and pain score significantly deteriorated in the control group (p = 0.025, p = 0.017, p = 0.045, p < 0.0001, and p < 0.0001, respectively). Conclusions: The treatment of patients with DN with 1 mg of oral methylcobalamin for twelve months increased plasma B12 levels and improved all neurophysiological parameters, sudomotor function, pain score, and QoL, but it did not improve CARTS and MNSIE

XR-RF Imaging Enabled by Software-Defined Metasurfaces and Machine Learning: Foundational Vision, Technologies and Challenges

We present a new approach to Extended Reality (XR), denoted as iCOPYWAVES, which seeks to offer naturally low-latency operation and cost-effectiveness, overcoming the critical scalability issues faced by existing solutions. iCOPYWAVES is enabled by emerging PWEs, a recently proposed technology in wireless communications. Empowered by intelligent (meta)surfaces, PWEs transform the wave propagation phenomenon into a software-defined process. We leverage PWEs to i) create, and then ii) selectively copy the scattered RF wavefront of an object from one location in space to another, where a machine learning module, accelerated by FPGAs, translates it to visual input for an XR headset using PWEdriven, RF imaging principles (XR-RF). This makes for an XR system whose operation is bounded in the physical layer and, hence, has the prospects for minimal end-to-end latency. Over large distances, RF-to-fiber/fiber-to-RF is employed to provide intermediate connectivity. The paper provides a tutorial on the iCOPYWAVES system architecture and workflow. A proof-of-concept implementation via simulations is provided, demonstrating the reconstruction of challenging objects in iCOPYWAVES produced computer graphics

Association of the rs738409 polymorphism in PNPLA3 with liver damage and the development of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>In a genome-wide association scan, the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs738409 in the patatin-like phospholipase 3 gene (<it>PNPLA3</it>) was strongly associated with increased liver fat content. We investigated whether this SNP is associated with the occurrence and progression of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the Japanese population.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>SNP rs738409 was genotyped by the Taqman assay in 253 patients with NAFLD (189 with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis [NASH] and 64 with simple steatosis) and 578 control subjects. All patients with NAFLD underwent liver biopsy. Control subjects had no metabolic disorders. For a case-control study, the <it>χ</it>²-test (additive model) was performed. Odds ratios (ORs) were adjusted for age, gender, and body mass index (BMI) by using multiple logistic regression analysis with genotypes (additive model), age, gender, and BMI as the independent variables. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to test the independent effect of risk allele on clinical parameters while considering the effects of other variables (age, gender, and BMI), which were assumed to be independent of the effect of the SNP.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The risk allele (G-allele) frequency of rs738409 was 0.44 in the control subjects and 0.60 in patients with NAFLD; this shows a strong association with NAFLD (additive model, <it>P </it>= 9.4 × 10^-10). The OR (95% confidence interval) adjusted for age, gender, and BMI was 1.73 (1.25-2.38). Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that the G-allele of rs738409 was significantly associated with increases in aspartate transaminase (AST) (<it>P </it>= 0.00013), alanine transaminase (ALT) (<it>P </it>= 9.1 × 10^-6), and ferritin levels (<it>P </it>= 0.014), and the fibrosis stage (<it>P </it>= 0.011) in the patients with NAFLD, even after adjustment for age, gender, and BMI. The steatosis grade was not associated with rs738409.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We found that in the Japanese population, individuals harboring the G-allele of rs738409 were susceptible to NAFLD, and that rs738409 was associated with plasma levels of ALT, AST, and ferritin, and the histological fibrosis stage. Our study suggests that <it>PNPLA3 </it>may be involved in the progression of fibrosis in NAFLD.</p