A new Approach on Survey of Cut Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks

A wireless sensor network can get separated into multiple connected components due to the failure of some of its nodes, which is called a "cut". In this article we consider the problem of detecting cuts by the remaining nodes of a wireless senso r network. We propose an algorithm that a llows (i) every node to detect when the connectivity to a specially designated node has been lost, and (ii) one or more nodes (that are connected to the special node after the cut) to detect the occurrence of the cut. The algorithm is distributed and asynchronous: every node needs to communicate with only those nodes that are within its communication range. The algorithm is base d on the iterative computation of a fictitious "electrical potential" of the nodes. The convergence rate of the underlying iter ativ e scheme is independent of the size and structure of the network. Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) consist of thousands of tiny nodes having the capability of sensing, computation, and wireless communications. Wireless sensor network can suffer partition problem in the network which is called a cut. So a single topology of the network breaks into two or more parts. Here we discuss several cut detecti on techniques to detect the cuts in WSN

A study of maternal and fetal outcome in cardiac disease in pregnancy at tertiary care center

Background: Cardiac disease complicating pregnancy is an indirect cause of maternal mortality. The incidence of cardiac disease during pregnancy has remained stable for many years even with significant decrease in the occurrence of rheumatic heart disease (RHD) as this decrease is being compensated by significant increase of pregnancy in women with congenital heart disease (CHD). Therefore, in this study we aim to analyse the incidence of cardiac disease in pregnancy and to assess the obstetrical outcome.Methods: A retrospective study carried out in 32 women with cardiac disorders at a tertiary care centre during the period of 5 years.Results: In the present study the incidence of cardiac disease in pregnancy was observed to be 0.21%. With 62.6% rheumatic, 21.8% congenital being and 15.6% peripartum cardiomyopathy. Among rheumatic valvular heart disease, mitral valve stenosis was most common followed by mitral regurgitation and tricuspid regurgitation. Non-cardiac complications like pre-eclampsia and anaemia were also noted. No of vaginal delivery were higher compared to caesarean (26 versus 6). Adverse perinatal outcomes in form of preterm, NICU admission and perinatal death were also noted.Conclusions: A cardiac disease has a major impact on pregnancy. It is a multidisciplinary teamwork to have optimal maternal and foetal outcome in women with cardiac disease. Hence, constant vigilance is required throughout antenatal, intrapartum and postpartum period to avoid adverse outcomes

Energy Storage Data Reporting in Perspective—Guidelines for Interpreting the Performance of Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems

Due to the tremendous importance of electrochemical energy storage, numerous new materials and electrode architectures for batteries and supercapacitors have emerged in recent years. Correctly characterizing these systems requires considerable time, effort, and experience to ensure proper metrics are reported. Many new nanomaterials show electrochemical behavior somewhere in between conventional double‐layer capacitor and battery electrode materials, making their characterization a non‐straightforward task. It is understandable that some researchers may be misinformed about how to rigorously characterize their materials and devices, which can result in inflation of their reported data. This is not uncommon considering the current state of the field nearly requires record breaking performance for publication in high‐impact journals. Incorrect characterization and data reporting misleads both the materials and device development communities, and it is the shared responsibility of the community to follow rigorous reporting methodologies to ensure published results are reliable to ensure constructive progress. This tutorial aims to clarify the main causes of inaccurate data reporting and to give examples of how researchers should proceed. The best practices for measuring and reporting metrics such as capacitance, capacity, coulombic and energy efficiencies, electrochemical impedance, and the energy and power densities of capacitive and pseudocapacitive materials are discussed

Leveraging Northern European population history : novel low-frequency variants for polycystic ovary syndrome

STUDY QUESTION Can we identify novel variants associated with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) by leveraging the unique population history of Northern Europe? SUMMARY ANSWER We identified three novel genome-wide significant associations with PCOS, with two putative independent causal variants in the checkpoint kinase 2 (CHEK2) gene and a third in myosin X (MYO10). WHAT IS KNOWN ALREADY PCOS is a common, complex disorder with unknown aetiology. While previous genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have mapped several loci associated with PCOS, the analysis of populations with unique population history and genetic makeup has the potential to uncover new low-frequency variants with larger effects. STUDY DESIGN, SIZE, DURATION A population-based case-control GWAS was carried out. PARTICIPANTS/MATERIALS, SETTING, METHODS We identified PCOS cases from national registers by ICD codes (ICD-10 E28.2, ICD-9 256.4, or ICD-8 256.90), and all remaining women were considered controls. We then conducted a three-stage case-control GWAS: in the discovery phase, we had a total of 797 cases and 140 558 controls from the FinnGen study. For validation, we used an independent dataset from the Estonian Biobank, including 2812 cases and 89 230 controls. Finally, we performed a joint meta-analysis of 3609 cases and 229 788 controls from both cohorts. Additionally, we reran the association analyses including BMI as a covariate, with 2169 cases and 160 321 controls from both cohorts. MAIN RESULTS AND THE ROLE OF CHANCE Two out of the three novel genome-wide significant variants associating with PCOS, rs145598156 (P = 3.6x10(-8), odds ratio (OR) = 3.01 [2.02-4.50] minor allele frequency (MAF) = 0.005) and rs182075939 (P = 1.9x10(-16), OR = 1.69 [1.49-1.91], MAF = 0.04), were found to be enriched in the Finnish and Estonian populations and are tightly linked to a deletion c.1100delC (r(2) = 0.95) and a missense I157T (r(2) = 0.83) in CHEK2. The third novel association is a common variant near MYO10 (rs9312937, P = 1.7 x 10(-8), OR = 1.16 [1.10-1.23], MAF = 0.44). We also replicated four previous reported associations near the genes Erb-B2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinase 4 (ERBB4), DENN Domain Containing 1A (DENND1A), FSH Subunit Beta (FSHB) and Zinc Finger And BTB Domain Containing 16 (ZBTB16). When adding BMI as a covariate only one of the novel variants remained genome-wide significant in the meta-analysis (the EstBB lead signal in CHEK2 rs182075939, P = 1.9x10(-16), OR = 1.74 [1.5-2.01]) possibly owing to reduced sample size. LARGE SCALE DATA The age- and BMI-adjusted GWAS meta-analysis summary statistics are available for download from the GWAS Catalog with accession numbers GCST90044902 and GCST90044903. LIMITATIONS, REASONS FOR CAUTION The main limitation was the low prevalence of PCOS in registers; however, the ones with the diagnosis most likely represent the most severe cases. Also, BMI data were not available for all (63% for FinnGen, 76% for EstBB), and the biobank setting limited the accessibility of PCOS phenotypes and laboratory values. WIDER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS This study encourages the use of isolated populations to perform genetic association studies for the identification of rare variants contributing to the genetic landscape of complex diseases such as PCOS. STUDY FUNDING/COMPETING INTEREST(S) This work has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the MATER Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 813707 (N.P.-G., T.L., T.P.), the Estonian Research Council grant (PRG687, T.L.), the Academy of Finland grants 315921 (T.P.), 321763 (T.P.), 297338 (J.K.), 307247 (J.K.), 344695 (H.L.), Novo Nordisk Foundation grant NNF17OC0026062 (J.K.), the Sigrid Juselius Foundation project grants (T.L., J.K., T.P.), Finska Lakaresallskapet (H.L.) and Jane and Aatos Erkko Foundation (H.L.). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, publishing or preparation of the manuscript. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.Peer reviewe

Extent of Thoracic Aortic Atheroma Burden and Long-Term Mortality After Cardiothoracic Surgery A Computed Tomography Study

ObjectivesWe hypothesized that the extent of aortic atheroma of the entire thoracic aorta, determined by pre-operative multidetector-row computed tomographic angiography (MDCTA), is associated with long-term mortality following nonaortic cardiothoracic surgery.BackgroundIn patients evaluated for cardiothoracic surgery, presence of severe aortic atheroma is associated with adverse short- and long-term post-operative outcome. However, the relationship between aortic plaque burden and mortality remains unknown.MethodsWe reviewed clinical and imaging data from all patients who underwent electrocardiographic-gated contrast-enhanced MDCTA prior to coronary bypass or valvular heart surgery at our institution between 2002 and 2008. MDCTA studies were analyzed for thickness and circumferential extent of aortic atheroma in 5 segments of the thoracic aorta. A semiquantitative total plaque-burden score (TPBS) was calculated by assigning a score of 1 to 3 to plaque thickness and to circumferential plaque extent. When combined, this resulted in a score of 0 to 6 for each of the 5 segments and, hence, an overall score from 0 to 30. The primary end point was all-cause mortality during long-term follow-up.ResultsA total of 862 patients (71% men, 67.8 years) were included and followed over a mean period of 25 ± 16 months. The mean TPBS was 8.6 (SD: ±6.0). The TPBS was a statistically significant predictor of mortality (p < 0.0001) while controlling for baseline demographics, cardiovascular risk factors, and type of surgery including reoperative status. The estimated hazard ratio for TPBS was 1.08 (95% confidence interval: 1.045 to 1.12). Other independent predictors of mortality were glomerular filtration rate (p = 0.015), type of surgery (p = 0.007), and peripheral artery disease (p = 0.03).ConclusionsExtent of thoracic aortic atheroma burden is independently associated with increased long-term mortality in patients following cardiothoracic surgery. Although our data do not provide definitive evidence, they suggest a relationship to the systemic atherosclerotic disease process and, therefore, have important implications for secondary prevention in post-operative rehabilitation programs

Enhancement of Ti3C2 MXene Pseudocapacitance after Urea Intercalation Studied by Soft X ray Absorption Spectroscopy

MXenes have shown outstanding properties due to their highly active hydrophilic surfaces coupled with high metallic conductivity. Many applications rely on the intercalation between Ti3C2Tx Tx describes the OH, F and O surface terminations flakes by ions or molecules, which in turn might alter the Ti3C2Tx surface chemistry and electrochemical properties. In this work, we show that the capacitance, rate capability, and charge carrier kinetics in Ti3C2Tx MXene electrodes are remarkably enhanced after urea intercalation u Ti3C2Tx . In particular, the areal capacitance increased to 1100 mF cm2, which is 56 higher than that of pristine Ti3C2Tx electrodes. We attribute this dramatic improvement to changes in the Ti3C2Tx surface chemistry upon urea intercalation. The oxidation state and the oxygen bonding of individual Ti3C2Tx flakes before and after urea intercalation are probed by soft X ray absorption spectroscopy XAS at the Ti L and O K edges with 30 nm spatial resolution in vacuum. After urea intercalation, a higher Ti oxidation state is observed across the entire flake compared to pristine Ti3C2Tx. Additionally, in situ XAS of u Ti3C2Tx aqueous dispersions reveal a higher Ti oxidation similar to dry samples, while for pristine Ti3C2Tx the Ti atoms are significantly reduced in water compared to dry sample

Role of computed tomography imaging for transcatheter valvular repair/insertion

During the last decade, the development of transcatheter based therapies has provided feasible therapeutic options for patients with symptomatic severe valvular heart disease who are deemed inoperable. The promising results of many nonrandomized series and recent landmark trials have increased the number of percutaneous transcatheter valve procedures in high operative risk patients. Pre-procedural imaging of the anatomy of the aortic or mitral valve and their spatial relationships is crucial to select the most appropriate device or prosthesis and to plan the percutaneous procedure. Multidetector row computed tomography provides 3-dimensional volumetric data sets allowing unlimited plane reconstructions and plays an important role in pre-procedural screening and procedural planning. This review will describe the evolving role of multidetector row computed tomography in patient selection and strategy planning of transcatheter aortic and mitral valve procedures

Healable Cellulose Iontronic Hydrogel Stickers for Sustainable Electronics on Paper

The authors acknowledge the support from FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology through the Ph.D. scholarships SFRH/BD/126409/2016 (I.C.) and SFRH/BD/122286/2016 (J.M.). The authors would like to acknowledge the European Commission under project NewFun (ERC-StG-2014, GA 640598) and project SYNERGY (H2020-WIDESPREAD-2020-5, CSA, proposal no 952169). This work was also supported by the FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 Program and the National Funds through the FCT - Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology under the Project No. POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007688, reference UID/CTM/50025, project CHIHC, reference PTDC/NAN-MAT/32558/2017. The authors would also like to thank their colleagues Daniela Gomes and Ana Pimentel from CENIMAT/i3N for the SEM and DSC-TGA measurements, respectively.Novel nature-based engineered functional materials combined with sustainable and economically efficient processes are among the great challenges for the future of mankind. In this context, this work presents a new generation of versatile flexible and highly conformable regenerated cellulose hydrogel electrolytes with high ionic conductivity and self-healing ability, capable of being (re)used in electrical and electrochemical devices. They can be provided in the form of stickers and easily applied as gate dielectric onto flexible indium–gallium–zinc oxide transistors, decreasing the manufacturing complexity. Flexible and low-voltage (<2.5 V) circuits can be handwritten on-demand on paper transistors for patterning of conductive/resistive lines. This user-friendly and simplified manufacturing approach holds potential for fast production of low-cost, portable, disposable/recyclable, and low-power ion-controlled electronics on paper, making it attractive for application in sensors and concepts such as the “Internet-on-Things.”.publishersversionpublishe

Oxidation behavior of graphene-coated copper at intrinsic graphene defects of different origins

The development of ultrathin barrier films is vital to the advanced semiconductor industry. Graphene appears to hold promise as a protective coating; however, the polycrystalline and defective nature of engineered graphene hinders its practical applications. Here, we investigate the oxidation behavior of graphene-coated Cu foils at intrinsic graphene defects of different origins. Macro-scale information regarding the spatial distribution and oxidation resistance of various graphene defects is readily obtained using optical and electron microscopies after the hot-plate annealing. The controlled oxidation experiments reveal that the degree of structural deficiency is strongly dependent on the origins of the structural defects, the crystallographic orientations of the underlying Cu grains, the growth conditions of graphene, and the kinetics of the graphene growth. The obtained experimental and theoretical results show that oxygen radicals, decomposed from water molecules in ambient air, are effectively inverted at Stone-Wales defects into the graphene/Cu interface with the assistance of facilitators

Health related quality of life measure in systemic pediatric rheumatic diseases and its translation to different languages: an international collaboration

Background: Rheumatic diseases in children are associated with significant morbidity and poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL). There is no health-related quality of life (HRQOL) scale available specifically for children with less common rheumatic diseases. These diseases share several features with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) such as their chronic episodic nature, multi-systemic involvement, and the need for immunosuppressive medications. HRQOL scale developed for pediatric SLE will likely be applicable to children with systemic inflammatory diseases.Findings: We adapted Simple Measure of Impact of Lupus Erythematosus in Youngsters (SMILEY (c)) to Simple Measure of Impact of Illness in Youngsters (SMILY (c)-Illness) and had it reviewed by pediatric rheumatologists for its appropriateness and cultural suitability. We tested SMILY (c)-Illness in patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases and then translated it into 28 languages. Nineteen children (79% female, n= 15) and 17 parents participated. the mean age was 12 +/- 4 years, with median disease duration of 21 months (1-172 months). We translated SMILY (c)-Illness into the following 28 languages: Danish, Dutch, French (France), English (UK), German (Germany), German (Austria), German (Switzerland), Hebrew, Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Slovene, Spanish (USA and Puerto Rico), Spanish (Spain), Spanish (Argentina), Spanish (Mexico), Spanish (Venezuela), Turkish, Afrikaans, Arabic (Saudi Arabia), Arabic (Egypt), Czech, Greek, Hindi, Hungarian, Japanese, Romanian, Serbian and Xhosa.Conclusion: SMILY (c)-Illness is a brief, easy to administer and score HRQOL scale for children with systemic rheumatic diseases. It is suitable for use across different age groups and literacy levels. SMILY (c)-Illness with its available translations may be used as useful adjuncts to clinical practice and research.Rutgers State Univ, Robert Wood Johnson Med Sch, New Brunswick, NJ 08903 USARutgers State Univ, Child Hlth Inst New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 USAHosp Special Surg, New York, NY 10021 USAUniv Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 USARed Cross War Mem Childrens Hosp, Cape Town, South AfricaAin Shams Univ, Pediat Allergy Immunol & Rheumatol Unit, Cairo, EgyptAin Shams Univ, Pediat Rheumatol Pediat Allergy Immunol & Rheum, Cairo, EgyptKing Faisal Specialist Hosp & Res Ctr, Riyadh 11211, Saudi ArabiaCharles Univ Prague, Prague, Czech RepublicGen Univ Hosp, Prague, Czech RepublicUniv Hosp Motol, Dept Pediat, Prague, Czech RepublicAarhus Univ, Hosp Skejby, Aarhus, DenmarkRigshosp, Juliane Marie Ctr, DK-2100 Copenhagen, DenmarkUniv Med Ctr, Dept Pediat Immunol, Utrecht, NetherlandsWilhelmina Childrens Hosp, Utrecht, NetherlandsGreat Ormond St Hosp Sick Children, Children NHS Fdn Trust, Renal Unit, London, EnglandLyon Univ, Hosp Civils Lyon, Rheumatol & Dermatol Dept, Lyon, FranceMed Univ Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, AustriaPrim Univ Doz, Bregenz, AustriaHamburg Ctr Pediat & Adolescence Rheumatol, Hamburg, GermanyAsklepios Clin Sankt, Augustin, GermanyUniv Zurich, Childrens Hosp, Zurich, SwitzerlandAristotle Univ Thessaloniki, Pediat Immunol & Rheumatol Referral Ctr, GR-54006 Thessaloniki, GreeceIsrael Meir Hosp, Kefar Sava, IsraelSanjay Gandhi Postgrad Inst Med Sci, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, IndiaSemmelweis Univ, H-1085 Budapest, HungaryAnna Meyer Hosp, Florence, ItalyUniv Siena, Res Ctr System Autoimmune & Autoinflammatory Dis, I-53100 Siena, ItalyUniv Florence, Florence, ItalyOsped Pediat Bambino Gesu, IRCCS, Pediat Rheumatol Unit, Rome, ItalyUniv Genoa Pediat II Reumatol, Ist G Gaslini EULAR, Ctr Excellence Rheumatol, Genoa, ItalyUniv Cattolica Sacro Cuore, Inst Pediat, Rome, ItalyUniv Padua, Dept Pediat, Pediat Rheumatol Unit, Padua, ItalyYokohama City Univ, Sch Med, Yokohama, Kanagawa 232, JapanUniv Estadual Paulista, UNESP, Botucatu, SP, BrazilUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Pediat, São Paulo, BrazilUniv Estadual Campinas, Dept Med, Campinas, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro, Dept Pediat, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilUniv Estado do, Adolescent Hlth Care Unit, Div Pediat Rheumatol, Rio de Janeiro, BrazilUniv São Paulo, Fac Med, Childrens Inst, Dept Pediat,Pediat Rheumatol Unit, São Paulo, BrazilChildrens Inst, Pediat Rheumatol Unit, São Paulo, BrazilClin Pediat I, Cluj Napoca, RomaniaInst Rheumatol, Belgrade, SerbiaUniv Childrens Hosp, Univ Med Ctr Ljubljana, Ljubljana, SloveniaHead Rheumatol Hosp Pedro Elizalde, Buenos Aires, DF, ArgentinaHosp Gen Mexico City, Mexico City, DF, MexicoHosp Infantil Mexico Fed Gomez, Mexico City, DF, MexicoHosp San Juan Dios, Barcelona, SpainHosp Univ Valle Hebron, Barcelona, SpainMt Sinai Med Ctr, New York, NY 10029 USAMt Sinai Med Ctr, Miami Beach, FL 33140 USAComplejo Hosp Univ Ruiz & Paez, Bolivar, VenezuelaHacettepe Univ, Dept Pediat, Ankara, TurkeyIstanbul Univ, Cerrahpasa Med Sch, Istanbul, TurkeyFMF Arthrit Vasculitis & Orphan Dis Res Ctr, Inst Hlth Sci, Ankara, TurkeyUniv Calgary, Dept Pediat, Alberta Childrens Hosp, Res Inst, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, CanadaUniversidade Federal de São Paulo, Dept Pediat, São Paulo, BrazilWeb of Scienc