A Novel Secure NFC-based Approach for BMS Monitoring and Diagnostic Readout

In modern systems that rely on the use of Battery Management Systems (BMS), longevity and the re-use of battery packs have always been important topics of discussion. These battery packs would be stored inside warehouses where they would need to be properly monitored and configured before their re-integration into the new systems. Traditional use of wired connections can be very cumbersome, and sometimes even impossible, due to the outer layers and packaging. To circumvent these issues, we propose an extension to the conventional BMS design that incorporates the use of Near Field Communication (NFC) for the purpose of wireless battery pack status readout. Additionally, to ensure that these packs are only managed by authenticated devices and that the data that is communicated with is protected against outside eavesdropping and tampering, we present a solution in the form of a lightweight security layer on top of the NFC protocol. To show the feasibility of our design, an accompanying prototype has been implemented and evaluated.Comment: Accepted copy for Publication at the 16th IEEE International Conference on RFID, 202

Long-term social and professional outcomes in adults after pediatric kidney failure.

BACKGROUND Little is known about the long-term social and professional outcomes in adults after pediatric kidney replacement therapy (KRT). In this study, we described social and professional outcomes of adults after kidney failure during childhood and compared these outcomes with the general population. METHODS We sent a questionnaire to 143 individuals registered in the Swiss Pediatric Renal Registry (SPRR) with KRT starting before the age of 18 years. In the questionnaire, we assessed social (partner relationship, living situation, having children) and professional (education, employment) outcomes. Logistic regression models adjusted for age at study and sex were used to compare outcomes with a representative sample of the Swiss general population and to identify socio-demographic and clinical characteristics associated with adverse outcomes. RESULTS Our study included 80 patients (response rate 56%) with a mean age of 39 years (range 19-63). Compared to the general population, study participants were more likely to not have a partner (OR = 3.7, 95%CI 2.3-5.9), live alone (OR = 2.5, 95%CI 1.5-4.1), not have children (OR = 6.8, 95%CI 3.3-14.0), and be unemployed (OR = 3.9, 95%CI 1.8-8.6). No differences were found for educational achievement (p = 0.876). Participants on dialysis at time of study were more often unemployed compared to transplanted participants (OR = 5.0, 95%CI 1.2-21.4) and participants with > 1 kidney transplantation more often had a lower education (OR = 3.2, 95%CI 1.0-10.2). CONCLUSIONS Adults after pediatric kidney failure are at risk to experience adverse social and professional outcomes. Increased awareness among healthcare professionals and additional psycho-social support could contribute to mitigate those risks. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information

Health-related quality of life in adults after pediatric kidney failure in Switzerland.

BACKGROUND Little is known about health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in adults after kidney failure during childhood. In this study, we analyzed HRQoL of adults after pediatric kidney failure in Switzerland and investigated socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with HRQoL. METHODS In this cohort study, we sent questionnaires to 143 eligible patients registered in the Swiss Pediatric Renal Registry with continuous kidney replacement therapy starting before the age of 18 years. We assessed HRQoL using the Short-Form 36 version 1, compared HRQoL scores between our sample and the Swiss general population, and used linear regression models to examine socio-demographic and clinical factors associated with HRQoL. RESULTS We included 79 patients (response rate 55%) with a mean age of 38.6 years (range 19.4-63.1). Compared to the general population, HRQoL scores were lower for physical functioning (- 12.43, p < 0.001), role physical (- 13.85, p = 0.001), general health (- 14.42, p < 0.001), vitality (- 4.98, p = 0.035), and physical HRQoL (- 6.11, p < 0.001), but we found no difference in mental HRQoL (- 0.13, p = 0.932). The socio-demographic factors-lower education, unemployment, and not being in a relationship-were associated with lower HRQoL. The only clinical factor associated with HRQoL was the type of kidney disease. Patients with acquired kidney diseases had lower mental HRQoL than patients with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (- 11.4, p = 0.007) or monogenetic hereditary diseases (- 9.5, p = 0.018). CONCLUSIONS Adults after pediatric kidney failure in Switzerland have lower physical, but similar mental HRQoL compared to the general population. Subgroups may require special attention with regard to their HRQoL. A higher resolution version of the Graphical abstract is available as Supplementary information

Einfluss der Lebensmittelprozessierung auf die Bioverfügbarkeit von Kupfer: Untersuchungen zur zellulären Kupferaufnahme aus CuSO4 und Melanoidin-Cu-Komplexen

AbstractKupfer gilt als essentielles Spurenelement, da es als struktureller und katalytischer Cofaktor Bestandteil vieler lebenswichtiger Enzyme ist. Andererseits kann jedoch eine exzessive Zufuhr von Kupfer nachfolgend zu irreversiblen Gewebeschäden führen. Um pathophysiologische Erscheinungen zu vermeiden, muss deshalb sowohl die physiologische Kupferhomöostase als auch die Aufnahme von Kupfer aus der Nahrung streng reguliert werden. Obwohl Melanoidine als finale Produkte der thermischen Prozessierung von kohlenhydratreichen Lebensmitteln nachgewiesenermaßen über metallchelatisierende Eigenschaften verfügen, ist ihre Bedeutung für die Resorption von lebensnotwendigen Mineralien und Spurenelementen bisher nur unzureichend geklärt. In der vorliegenden Studie konnte gezeigt werden, dass lebensmittelrelevante Melanoidine über ein revertierbares Kupferbindungsvermögen verfügen. Hierbei konnte ein Zusammenhang zwischen der Menge aus den Maillard-Reaktionsprodukten (MRPs) freisetzbarer Kupferionen und der Hemmung des Cu-sensitiven Enzyms poly (ADP-Ribose) Polymerase 1 nachgewiesen werden. Die Aufnahme der Cu-Ionen aus Melanoidin-Cu Komplexen in humane HCT116-Kolonkarzinomzellen erfolgt im Vergleich zu der anorganischen Verbindung CuSO4 in gleichem Ausmaß, jedoch mit deutlich größerer Geschwindigkeit. Die durchgeführten Genexpressionsanalysen weisen zudem auf Unterschiede in der zellulären Bioverfügbarkeit der aufgenommenen Kupferionen hin. Diese Ergebnisse verdeutlichen, dass Melanoidine als Endprodukte der Maillard-Reaktion regulierend in den Prozess der Kupferaufnahme in intestinalen Zellen eingreifen und thermisch prozessierte Lebensmittel somit als wichtige Modulatoren der Kupferhomöostase angesehen werden müssen

Prevalence and factors associated with cancer-related fatigue in Swiss adult survivors of childhood cancer.

PURPOSE Reported prevalence of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) among childhood cancer survivors (CCS) varies widely, and evidence on factors associated with CRF among CCS is limited. We aimed to investigate the prevalence of CRF and its associated factors among adult CCS in Switzerland. METHODS In a prospective cohort study, we invited adult CCS who survived at least 5 years since last cancer diagnosis, and were diagnosed when age 0-20 years and treated at Inselspital Bern between 1976 and 2015 to complete two fatigue-measuring instruments: the Checklist Individual Strength subjective fatigue subscale (CIS8R; increased fatigue 27-34, severe fatigue ≥ 35) and the numerical rating scale (NRS; moderate fatigue 4-6, severe fatigue 7-10). We collected information about previous cancer treatment and medical history, and calculated β coefficients for the association between CIS8R/NRS fatigue scores and potential determinants using multivariable linear regression. RESULTS We included 158 CCS (participation rate: 30%) with a median age at study of 33 years (interquartile range 26-38). Based on CIS8R, 19% (N = 30) of CCS reported increased fatigue, yet none reported severe fatigue. CRF was associated with female sex, central nervous system (CNS) tumors, sleep disturbance, and endocrine disorders. Lower CRF levels were observed among CCS age 30-39 years compared to those younger. CONCLUSIONS A considerable proportion of adult CCS reported increased levels of CRF. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS CCS who are female and < 30 years old, have a history of CNS tumor, report sleep disturbance, or have an endocrine disorder should be screened for CRF

Balancing competing needs in kidney transplantation: does an allocation system prioritizing children affect the renal transplant function?

Children often merit priority in access to deceased donor kidneys by organ-sharing organizations. We report the impact of the new Swiss Organ Allocation System (SOAS) introduced in 2007, offering all kidney allografts from deceased donors <60 years preferentially to children. The retrospective cohort study included all paediatric transplant patients (<20 years of age) before (n = 19) and after (n = 32) the new SOAS (from 2001 to 2014). Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPC), need for antihypertensive medication, waiting times to kidney transplantation (KTX), number of pre-emptive transplantations and rejections, and the proportion of living donor transplants were considered as outcome parameters. Patients after the new SOAS had significantly better eGFRs 2 years after KTX (Mean Difference, MD = 25.7 ml/min/1.73 m(2) , P = 0.025), lower UPC ratios (Median Difference, MeD = -14.5 g/mol, P = 0.004), decreased waiting times to KTX (MeD = -97 days, P = 0.021) and a higher proportion of pre-emptive transplantations (Odds Ratio = 9.4, 95% CI = 1.1-80.3, P = 0.018), while the need for antihypertensive medication, number of rejections and living donor transplantations remained stable. The new SOAS is associated with improved short-term clinical outcomes and more rapid access to KTX. Despite lacking long-term research, the study results should encourage other policy makers to adopt the SOAS approach

Reconciliation of essential process parameters for an enhanced predictability of Arctic stratospheric ozone loss and its climate interactions

Significant reductions in stratospheric ozone occur inside the polar vortices each spring when chlorine radicals produced by heterogeneous reactions on cold particle surfaces in winter destroy ozone mainly in two catalytic cycles, the ClO dimer cycle and the ClO/BrO cycle. Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), which are responsible for most of the chlorine currently present in the stratosphere, have been banned by the Montreal Protocol and its amendments, and the ozone layer is predicted to recover to 1980 levels within the next few decades. During the same period, however, climate change is expected to alter the temperature, circulation patterns and chemical composition in the stratosphere, and possible geo-engineering ventures to mitigate climate change may lead to additional changes. To realistically predict the response of the ozone layer to such influences requires the correct representation of all relevant processes. The European project RECONCILE has comprehensively addressed remaining questions in the context of polar ozone depletion, with the objective to quantify the rates of some of the most relevant, yet still uncertain physical and chemical processes. To this end RECONCILE used a broad approach of laboratory experiments, two field missions in the Arctic winter 2009/10 employing the high altitude research aircraft M55-Geophysica and an extensive match ozone sonde campaign, as well as microphysical and chemical transport modelling and data assimilation. Some of the main outcomes of RECONCILE are as follows: (1) vortex meteorology: the 2009/10 Arctic winter was unusually cold at stratospheric levels during the six-week period from mid-December 2009 until the end of January 2010, with reduced transport and mixing across the polar vortex edge; polar vortex stability and how it is influenced by dynamic processes in the troposphere has led to unprecedented, synoptic-scale stratospheric regions with temperatures below the frost point; in these regions stratospheric ice clouds have been observed, extending over >106km2 during more than 3 weeks. (2) Particle microphysics: heterogeneous nucleation of nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) particles in the absence of ice has been unambiguously demonstrated; conversely, the synoptic scale ice clouds also appear to nucleate heterogeneously; a variety of possible heterogeneous nuclei has been characterised by chemical analysis of the non-volatile fraction of the background aerosol; substantial formation of solid particles and denitrification via their sedimentation has been observed and model parameterizations have been improved. (3) Chemistry: strong evidence has been found for significant chlorine activation not only on polar stratospheric clouds (PSCs) but also on cold binary aerosol; laboratory experiments and field data on the ClOOCl photolysis rate and other kinetic parameters have been shown to be consistent with an adequate degree of certainty; no evidence has been found that would support the existence of yet unknown chemical mechanisms making a significant contribution to polar ozone loss. (4) Global modelling: results from process studies have been implemented in a prognostic chemistry climate model (CCM); simulations with improved parameterisations of processes relevant for polar ozone depletion are evaluated against satellite data and other long term records using data assimilation and detrended fluctuation analysis. Finally, measurements and process studies within RECONCILE were also applied to the winter 2010/11, when special meteorological conditions led to the highest chemical ozone loss ever observed in the Arctic. In addition to quantifying the 2010/11 ozone loss and to understand its causes including possible connections to climate change, its impacts were addressed, such as changes in surface ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the densely populated northern mid-latitudes

Reconciliation of essential process parameters for an enhanced predictability of Arctic stratospheric ozone loss and its climate interactions : (RECONCILE) ; activities and results

The international research project RECONCILE has addressed central questions regarding polar ozone depletion, with the objective to quantify some of the most relevant yet still uncertain physical and chemical processes and thereby improve prognostic modelling capabilities to realistically predict the response of the ozone layer to climate change. This overview paper outlines the scope and the general approach of RECONCILE, and it provides a summary of observations and modelling in 2010 and 2011 that have generated an in many respects unprecedented dataset to study processes in the Arctic winter stratosphere. Principally, it summarises important outcomes of RECONCILE including (i) better constraints and enhanced consistency on the set of parameters governing catalytic ozone destruction cycles, (ii) a better understanding of the role of cold binary aerosols in heterogeneous chlorine activation, (iii) an improved scheme of polar stratospheric cloud (PSC) processes that includes heterogeneous nucleation of nitric acid trihydrate (NAT) and ice on non-volatile background aerosol leading to better model parameterisations with respect to denitrification, and (iv) long transient simulations with a chemistry-climate model (CCM) updated based on the results of RECONCILE that better reproduce past ozone trends in Antarctica and are deemed to produce more reliable predictions of future ozone trends. The process studies and the global simulations conducted in RECONCILE show that in the Arctic, ozone depletion uncertainties in the chemical and microphysical processes are now clearly smaller than the sensitivity to dynamic variability

Swabian MOSES 2021: An interdisciplinary field campaign for investigating convective storms and their event chains

The Neckar Valley and the Swabian Jura in southwest Germany comprise a hotspot for severe convective storms, causing tens of millions of euros in damage each year. Possible reasons for the high frequency of thunderstorms and the associated event chain across compartments were investigated in detail during the hydro-meteorological field campaign Swabian MOSES carried out between May and September 2021. Researchers from various disciplines established more than 25 temporary ground-based stations equipped with state-of-the-art in situ and remote sensing observation systems, such as lidars, dual-polarization X- and C-band Doppler weather radars, radiosondes including stratospheric balloons, an aerosol cloud chamber, masts to measure vertical fluxes, autosamplers for water probes in rivers, and networks of disdrometers, soil moisture, and hail sensors. These fixed-site observations were supplemented by mobile observation systems, such as a research aircraft with scanning Doppler lidar, a cosmic ray neutron sensing rover, and a storm chasing team launching swarmsondes in the vicinity of hailstorms. Seven Intensive Observation Periods (IOPs) were conducted on a total of 21 operating days. An exceptionally high number of convective events, including both unorganized and organized thunderstorms such as multicells or supercells, occurred during the study period. This paper gives an overview of the Swabian MOSES (Modular Observation Solutions for Earth Systems) field campaign, briefly describes the observation strategy, and presents observational highlights for two IOPs

Delineating the GRIN1 phenotypic spectrum: a distinct genetic NMDA receptor encephalopathy

Objective:To determine the phenotypic spectrum caused by mutations in GRIN1 encoding the NMDA receptor subunit GluN1 and to investigate their underlying functional pathophysiology.Methods:We collected molecular and clinical data from several diagnostic and research cohorts. Functional consequences of GRIN1 mutations were investigated in Xenopus laevis oocytes.Results:We identified heterozygous de novo GRIN1 mutations in 14 individuals and reviewed the phenotypes of all 9 previously reported patients. These 23 individuals presented with a distinct phenotype of profound developmental delay, severe intellectual disability with absent speech, muscular hypotonia, hyperkinetic movement disorder, oculogyric crises, cortical blindness, generalized cerebral atrophy, and epilepsy. Mutations cluster within transmembrane segments and result in loss of channel function of varying severity with a dominant-negative effect. In addition, we describe 2 homozygous GRIN1 mutations (1 missense, 1 truncation), each segregating with severe neurodevelopmental phenotypes in consanguineous families.Conclusions:De novo GRIN1 mutations are associated with severe intellectual disability with cortical visual impairment as well as oculomotor and movement disorders being discriminating phenotypic features. Loss of NMDA receptor function appears to be the underlying disease mechanism. The identification of both heterozygous and homozygous mutations blurs the borders of dominant and recessive inheritance of GRIN1-associated disorders.Johannes R. Lemke (32EP30_136042/1) and Peter De Jonghe (G.A.136.11.N and FWO/ESF-ECRP) received financial support within the EuroEPINOMICS-RES network (www.euroepinomics.org) within the Eurocores framework of the European Science Foundation (ESF). Saskia Biskup and Henrike Heyne received financial support from the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF IonNeurONet: 01 GM1105A and FKZ: 01EO1501). Katia Hardies is a PhD fellow of the Institute for Science and Technology (IWT) Flanders. Ingo Helbig was supported by intramural funds of the University of Kiel, by a grant from the German Research Foundation (HE5415/3-1) within the EuroEPINOMICS framework of the European Science Foundation, and additional grants of the German Research Foundation (DFG, HE5415/5-1, HE 5415/6-1), German Ministry for Education and Research (01DH12033, MAR 10/012), and grant by the German chapter of the International League against Epilepsy (DGfE). The project also received infrastructural support through the Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology in Kiel, supported in part by DFG Cluster of Excellence "Inflammation at Interfaces" and "Future Ocean." The project was also supported by the popgen 2.0 network (P2N) through a grant from the German Ministry for Education and Research (01EY1103) and by the International Coordination Action (ICA) grant G0E8614N. Christel Depienne, Caroline Nava, and Delphine Heron received financial support for exome analyses by the Centre National de Genotypage (CNG, Evry, France)