Frequency-spectra-based high coding capacity chipless RFID using an UWB-IR approach

A novel methodology is proposed to reliably predict the resonant characteristics of a multipatch backscatter-based radio frequency identification (RFID) chipless tag. An ultra-wideband impulsion radio (UWB-IR)-based reader interrogates the chipless tag with a UWB pulse, and analyzes the obtained backscatter in the time domain. The RFID system consists of a radar cross-section (RCS)-based chipless tag containing a square microstrip patch antenna array in which the chipless tag is interrogated with a UWB pulse by an UWB-IR-based reader. The main components of the backscattered signal, the structural mode, and the antenna mode were identified and their spectral quality was evaluated. The study revealed that the antenna-mode backscatter includes signal carrying information, while the structural mode backscatter does not include any tag information. The simulation findings were confirmed by experimental measurements obtained in an anechoic chamber environment using a 6-bit multipatch chipless RFID tag. Finally, the novel technique does not use calibration tags and can freely orient tags with respect to the reader.This research work was supported by FCT through grant SFRH/BD/116554/2016 and by the Center for Microelectromechanical Systems Research CMEMS-UMinho

Deliberate Self-Poisoning: Real-Time Characterization of Suicidal Habits and Toxidromes in the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System

IntroductionDeliberate self-poisoning (DSP) using drugs is the preferred method of suicide at a global level. Its investigation is hampered by limited sample sizes and data reliability. We investigate the role of the US FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS), a consolidated pharmacovigilance database, in outlining DSP habits and toxidromes.MethodsWe retrieved cases of 'intentional overdose' and 'poisoning deliberate' from the FAERS (January 2004-December 2021). Using descriptive and disproportionality analyses, we estimated temporal trends, potential risk factors, toxidromes, case-fatality rates and lethal doses (LDs) for the most frequently reported drugs.ResultsWe retrieved 42,103 DSP cases (17% fatal). Most cases were submitted in winter. Reports of DSP involved younger people, psychiatric conditions, and alcohol use, compared with non-DSP, and fatality was higher in men and older patients. Suspected drugs were mainly antidepressants, analgesics, and antipsychotics. Multiple drug intake was recorded in more than 50% of the reports, especially analgesics, psychotropics, and cardiovascular agents. The most frequently reported drugs were paracetamol, promethazine, amlodipine, quetiapine, and metformin. We estimated LD25 for paracetamol (150 g).ConclusionWorldwide coverage of the FAERS complements existing knowledge about DSP and may drive tailored prevention measures to timely address the DSP phenomenon and prevent intentional suicides

The COVID-19 pandemic and its global effects on dental practice. An international survey

Objectives A multicentre survey was designed to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on dental practice worldwide, estimate the COVID-19 related symptoms/signs, work attitudes and behaviour and the routine use of protective measures and personal protective equipment (PPE). Methods A global survey using a standardized questionnaire with research groups from 36 countries was designed. The questionnaire was developed and pretested during April 2020 and contained three domains: 1) personal data; 2) COVID-19 positive rate and symptoms/signs presumably related to the coronavirus; 3) working conditions and PPE adopted after the outbreak. Countries’ data were grouped by the country positive rate (CPR) during the survey period and by Gross-National-Income per capita. An ordinal multinomial logistic regression model was carried out with COVID-19 self-reported rate referred by dental professionals as dependent variable to assess the association with questionnaire items. Results A total of 52,491 questionnaires were returned with a male/female ratio of 0.63. Out of the total respondents, 7,859 dental professionals (15%) reported symptoms/signs compatible with COVID-19. More than half of the sample (n=27,818; 53%) stated to use FFP2/N95 masks, while 21,558 (41.07%) used eye protection. In the bivariate analysis, CPR and N95/FFP2 were significantly associated (OR=1.80 95%CI=1.60/2.82 and OR=5.20 95%CI=1.44/18.80, respectively), while Gross-National-Income was not statistically associated with CPR (OR=1.09 95%CI=0.97/1.60). The same significant associations were observed in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions Oral health service provision has not been significantly affected by COVID-19, although access to routine dental care was reduced due to country-specific temporary lockdown periods. While the dental profession has been identified at high-risk, the reported rates of COVID-19 for dental professionals were not significantly different to those reported for the general population in each country. These findings may help to better plan oral health care for future pandemic events

Determination of Synthetic Musks in Surface Sediment from the Bizerte Lagoon by QuEChERS Extraction Followed by GC-MS

International audienceA new analytical method for the simultaneous determination of eight synthetic musks compounds (SMs) including five polycyclic musks (PCMs) and three nitro musks (NMs) was validated for sediment samples based on a simple QuEChERS (Quick, Easy, Cheap, Effective, Rugged and Safe) sample preparation procedure followed by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). Good analytical performances were obtained for all the target compounds. For the validation of the method, internal calibration (IC) and internal calibration with QuEChERS (ICQ) were compared. Good linearity was obtained for both calibration methods with determination coefficients (R2) ranging between 0.990 for Musk Xylene (MX) and 0.999 for Tonalide (AHTN) with IC and between 0.991 for Musk Ketone (MK) and 0.999 for Traseolide (ATII) with ICQ. The repeatability ranges were 0.1 %–1.9 % with the IC and 0.1 %–2.6 % with the ICQ. The apparent recoveries obtained for SMs in the standard reference sediment (SRM1944) varied in the range of 70 %–98 % and 75 %–103 % in the sediment from the Bizerte Lagoon (Tunisia). The absolute recoveries ranged between 61 % and 92 % for the SRM1944 and between 61 % and 89 % in the sediment from the Bizerte Lagoon. The limits of detection (LOD) calculated for the two main compounds, Galaxolide (HHCB) and Tonalide (AHTN) were 0.3 and 0.1 ng g−1 respectively. The LODs obtained for ADBI (Celestolide), AHMI (Phantolide), ATII (Traseolide), MM (Muks mosken), MK (Musk Ketone) and MX (Musk Xylene) were 0.08, 0.12, 0.03, 0.34, 0.11, 0.08, 0.10 and 0.15 ng g−1 respectively. The levels of ∑SMs in surface sediments from the Bizerte Lagoon ranged from 1.4 to 4.5 ng g−1, which are 1000 times lower that the predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) for marine organisms

Distributions of organochlorine pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyl in surface water from Bizerte Lagoon, Tunisia

The contamination of the marine environment by organic pollutants is a matter of great concern. Bizerte Lagoon is the second largest lagoon in Tunisia, and is known for different industry and fishing activities. The objective of this work is to investigate the distribution of seven polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and nine organochlorine (OCPs) pesticides in water samples collected from the Lagoon of Bizerte. Extraction of water samples was performed by liquid-liquid extraction with hexane. Gas chromatography with Ni-63 electron capture detector was used to perform qualitative and quantitative determinations. The average concentrations of OCPs were 0.42 and 14.92ngL(-1). For PCBs the concentrations range between 3 and 10.4ngL(-1). The predominant PCB congeners in the surface water were PCB 28 (0.2-1.4ngL(-1)) and PCB 52 (0.8-3.5ngL(-1)). The most widespread OCPs were DDTs with a concentration varied between ND and 8.51ngL(-1), heptachlor (ND and 7.83ngL(-1)), and endrin (ND and 1.51ngL(-1)). These concentrations are generally similar to the background levels from the Mediterranean Sea

Electro-dewatering treatment of sludge: Assessment of the influence on relevant indicators for disposal in agriculture

Waste activated sludge requires effective dewatering, high biological stability and retention of nutrients prior to disposal for agricultural application. The study was conducted to evaluate the impact of pressure-driven electro-dewatering (EDW) on improving sludge characteristics related to disposal in agriculture, including biological stability, pathogen availability, heavy metals concentrations and nutrients content. Thickened conditioned and mechanically dewatered sludge samples were collected from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), characterized by different stabilization processes, and treated by a lab-scale device at 5, 15 and 25 V. EDW increased significantly the dry solid (DS) content, up to 43–45%, starting from 2 to 3% of raw sludge. The endogenous value of specific oxygen uptake rate (SOUR), monitored as indicator of biological stability, increased up to 56% and 39% after EDW tests for sludge from two WWTPs. On the other hand, the exogenous SOUR decreased, indicating a significant drop in the active bacterial population. Likewise, a 1–2 log unit reduction was observed for E. coli after EDW tests at 15 and 25 V. However, no remarkable removal of heavy metals, namely chromium, nickel, lead, copper and zinc, was achieved. Finally, the concentration of nutrients for soil, such as carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur, was not affected by the EDW process. In conclusion, EDW exerts considerable effects on the biological characteristics of sludge, which should be considered in a proper design of sludge management to ensure safe and sustainable resource recovery

New Approach to Managing Onychophagia

Onychophagia is defined as a chronic habit of biting nails, commonly observed in both children and young adults. This oral habit may lead to various medical and dental problems. To date, onychophagia is considered an unsolved problem in medicine and dentistry. In this paper we describe an exclusive nonpunitive fixed appliance utilizing a stainless steel twisted round wire bonded from canine to canine, in the mandibular arch, as a treatment of onychophagia. It was used successfully in young adult patients and maintained for a month. With 9-month follow-up the treatment has satisfied the patients’ expectations which may eventually yield promising implications of this new treatment to similar situations

Manifestations cutanées au cours des giardioses: A propos de quelques cas cliniques

International audienceAbout three clinics cases, the author points out the presence of urticaria symptoms associated with giardiasis disease, and necessity of the treatment of such parasitosis, after parasitological investigation of motions.a propos de trois cas cliniques, l'auteur souligne l'existence de manifestations cutanées urticariennes au cours des giardoses à Giardia intestinalis, et la nécessité de traiter ce type de parasitose, après examen parasitologique des selle

Biofouling potential indicators to assess pretreatment and mitigate biofouling in SWRO membranes: A short review

Many desalination plants still struggle to control biological fouling in seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) systems as there are no standard methods to monitor this type of fouling. Strategies to control biofouling in SWRO systems have been proposed such as antifouling coating and lowering biofouling potential in SWRO feedwater through pretreatment processes. Measuring biofouling potential in the pretreatment and SWRO feedwater has gained increased interest due to its direct link to biofouling. Moreover, this approach can be used as an early warning system allowing for taking corrective actions in the pretreatment processes to meet the required SWRO feedwater quality. This article presents the biofouling potential methods/tools developed for seawater, their applications to monitor and assess raw seawater, SWRO pretreatment and SWRO feedwater, and how these methods are employed to control SWRO biofouling membrane systems. The reported removal efficiency of biofouling potential during SWRO pretreatment processes was found to be low to moderate. Threshold values for biofouling limitation were then proposed based on several lab and plant studies. Research on biofouling potential has provided insight into SWRO pretreatment performance optimisation and biofouling control. Future research is anticipated to determine better pretreatment processes and to identify robust threshold values for mitigating biofouling in SWRO membranes