On the Flux Linkage between Pancake Coils in Resonance-Type Wireless Power Transfer Systems

This work presents a series representation for the mutual inductance of two coaxial pancake coils which remains accurate in non-quasi-static regime under the hypothesis that the current in the source coil is uniformly distributed. Making use of Gegenbauer's addition theorem and a term-by-term analytical integration, the mutual inductance between two generic turns belonging to distinct coils is expressed as a sum of spherical Hankel functions with algebraic coefficients. The accuracy and efficiency of the resulting expression is proved through pertinent numerical examples

Marked efficacy of Rituximab in multifocal motor neuropathy associated with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The authors describe a patient who presented a multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) associated with a high anti-ganglioside antibody (anti-GM1 and anti-GD1) titer at the clinical onset of a B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). Immunomodulation (IVIg plus cyclosporine) resulted in a neurological improvement and reduced anti-ganglioside antibody titers, both of which remained stable for at least six years. After this period, the patient had a severe relapse of the neuropathy, which was independent of the clinical course of the B-CLL. Both IVIg and cyclophosphamide were ineffective, and the patient became tetraplegic within six months; in the meantime, the patient displayed an increased antiganglioside antibody titer. Treatment with rituximab (RTX), which is designed to selectively inhibit B cell function, resulted in a dramatic, prompt and long-lasting neurological improvement as well as a reduced anti-ganglioside antibody titer. Although there are no previous reports of MMN in patients with B-CLL, the efficacy of RTX in the treatment of MMN in this patient may be considered remarkable. The expansion of B-cell clones may be a prerequisite for RTX effectiveness in MMN, and in dysimmune neuropathies in general

Marked efficacy of rituximab in multifocal motor neuropathy associated with chronic lymphocytic leukemia

The authors describe a patient who presented a multifocal motor neuropathy (MMN) associated with a high anti-ganglioside antibody (anti-GM1 and anti-GD1) titer at the clinical onset of a B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia (B-CLL). Immunomodulation (IVIg plus cyclosporine) resulted in a neurological improvement and reduced anti-ganglioside antibody titers, both of which remained stable for at least six years. After this period, the patient had a severe relapse of the neuropathy, which was independent of the clinical course of the B-CLL. Both IVIg and cyclophosphamide were ineffective, and the patient became tetraplegic within six months; in the meantime, the patient displayed an increased antiganglioside antibody titer. Treatment with rituximab (RTX), which is designed to selectively inhibit B cell function, resulted in a dramatic, prompt and long-lasting neurological improvement as well as a reduced antiganglioside antibody titer. Although there are no previous reports of MMN in patients with B-CLL, the eficacy of RTX in the treatment of MMN in this patient may be considered remarkable. The expansion of B-cell clones may be a prerequisite for RTX effectiveness in MMN, and in dysimmune neuropathies in general

Modeling of the IC\u27s Switching Currents on the Power Bus of a High Speed Digital Board

When the performances of the electronic technology increase (higher frequencies, more power, lover power supply, faster transistors, reduced chip dimensions), designing electronic equipment becomes more challenging for the electronic engineers. Signal and power integrity on board become of paramount importance. One of the main causes of board malfunctions and electromagnetic radiation is the simultaneous switching noise (SSN) due to the integrated circuits soldered on the board. The paper proposes two simple procedures to model the SSN, so to evaluate its effects in any point of the board

Comparison of Via Equivalent Circuit Model Accuracy using Quasi-Static and Full-Wave Approaches

The EMC and signal integrity impact of printed circuit board (PCB) trace discontinuities, such as vias, where the signal is transitioned from one layer to another in the PCB stackup, have become significant recently with the use of very high speed signals in today\u27\u27s systems. If these discontinuities are ignored, significant distortion of the high speed signal can occur, and in many cases, cause data errors. A fast and accurate technique to include the effect of via discontinuities in the typical design process is needed to ensure this distortion is considered if significant. Therefore, a simple equivalent circuit for the via discontinuity is needed so that this equivalent circuit can be easily used in the normal signal integrity analysis tools. This paper demonstrates the effect on the equivalent circuit values as the distance between the signal via and the return-current via is increased. Also, the frequency range where a quasi-static based equivalent circuit is accurate or where a full-wave model is required is shown for the various distances between vias

Real-world evidence of health outcomes and medication use 24 months after bariatric surgery in the public healthcare system in Brazil: a retrospective, single-center study

OBJECTIVES: The number of bariatric procedures has significantly increased in Brazil, especially in the public Unified Health System. The present study describes health outcomes and medication use in obese patients treated in a major hospital that performs publicly funded surgery in Brazil. METHODS: A retrospective, single center study was conducted to collect real-world evidence of health outcomes and medication use in 247 obese patients (female, 82.2%) who underwent open Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Changes in weight and body mass index (BMI), presence of apnea, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes (T2D), and medication use (hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia) were assessed preoperatively and up to 24 months postoperatively. The mean cost of medications was calculated for the 12-month preoperative and 24-month postoperative periods. RESULTS: During the surgery, the mean age of patients was 43.42 years (standard deviation [SD], 10.9 years), and mean BMI was 46.7 kg/m2 (SD, 6.7 kg/m2 ). At 24 months, significant declines were noted in weight (mean, -37.6 kg), BMI (mean, -14.3 kg/m2 ); presence of T2D, hypertension, and apnea (-29.6%, -50.6%, and -20.9%, respectively); and number of patients using medications (-66.67% for diabetes, -41.86% for hypertension, and -55.26% for dyslipidemia). The mean cost of medications (total costs for all medications) decreased by 450% in 12–24 postoperative months compared to that in 12 preoperative months. CONCLUSION: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass successfully reduced weight, BMI, and comorbidities and medication use and cost at 24 months in Brazilian patients treated in the public Unified Health System

Validation of Equivalent Circuits Extracted from S-Parameter Data for Eye-pattern Evaluation

S-parameter circuit model extraction is usually characterized by a trade off between accuracy and complexity. Trading one feature for another may or may not affect the goodness of the reconstructed S-parameter data, which are obtained from frequency domain simulations of the models extracted. However, the ultimate test for the validity of these equivalent circuit representations should be left to eye-diagram simulations, which provide useful insights, from an SI point of view, about the degradation of the signal, as it travels through the system. Physics based simplication procedures can be used to tune the models and achieve less complexity, whereas the comparisons of the eye-diagrams may help to quantify the goodness of an these circuits extracted. In fact, the most accurate model is not necessary the best to be used

Psychosocial burden and professional and social support in patients with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (ATTRv) and their relatives in Italy

Hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR), alias ATTR variant (ATTRv) is a severe and disabling disease causing sensory and motor neuropathy, autonomic dysfunction, and cardiomyopathy. The progressive decline of patient's functional autonomy negatively affects the patient's quality of life and requires increasing involvement of relatives in the patient's daily life. Family caregiving may become particularly demanding when the patient is no longer able to move independently. This study is focused on the psychosocial aspects of ATTRv from the patient and relative perspectives. In particular, it explored: the practical and psychological burdens experienced by symptomatic patients with ATTRv and their key relatives and the professional and social network support they may rely on; whether burden varied in relation to patients' and relatives' socio-demographic variables, patients' clinical variables, and perceived professional and social network support; and, any difference in burden and support between patients and their matched relatives

Electromechanical and robotic devices for gait and balance rehabilitation of children with neurological disability: a systematic review

In the last two decades, a growing interest has been focused on gait and balance robot-assisted rehabilitation in children with neurological disabilities. Robotic devices allow the implementation of intensive, task-specific training fostering functional recovery and neuroplasticity phenomena. However, limited attention has been paid to the protocols used in this research framework. This systematic review aims to provide an overview of the existing literature on robotic systems for the rehabilitation of gait and balance in children with neurological disabilities and their rehabilitation applications. The literature search was carried out independently and synchronously by three authors on the following databases: MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, PeDro, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar. The data collected included three subsections referring to clinical, technical, and regulatory aspects. Thirty-one articles out of 81 found on the primary literature search were included in the systematic review. Most studies involved children with cerebral palsy. Only one-third of the studies were randomized controlled trials. Overall, 17 devices (nine end-effector systems and eight exoskeletons) were investigated, among which only 4 (24%) were bore the CE mark. Studies differ on rehabilitation protocols duration, intensity, and outcome measures. Future research should improve both rehabilitation protocols\u2019 and devices\u2019 descriptions