BurstProbe: Debugging Time-Critical Data Delivery in Wireless Sensor Networks

In this paper we present BurstProbe, a new technique to accurately measure link burstiness in a wireless sensor network employed for time-critical data delivery. Measurement relies on shared probing slots that are embedded in the transmission schedule and used by nodes to assess link burstiness over time. The acquired link burstiness information can be stored in the node's flash memory and relied upon to diagnose transmission problems when missed deadlines occur. Thus, accurate diagnosis is achieved in a distributed manner and without the overhead of transmitting rich measurement data to a central collection point. For the purpose of evaluation we have implemented BurstProbe in the GinMAC WSN protocol and we are able to demonstrate it is an accurate tool to debug time-critical data delivery. In addition, we analyze the cost of implementingBurstProbe and investigate its effectiveness

Thermal Selection of Seneca Valley Virus Gives Rise to a Novel Thermostable Mutant

This project aimed to improve the stability of the novel oncolytic virus, Seneca Valley virus (SVV). This was with the overarching goal of determining the residues and mutations thereof within the viral capsid that are responsible for capsid stability, to inform the future production of SVV Virus-Like Particles (VLPs) for use as a drug delivery vector. The thermal stability of wild-type SVV-001 was first investigated to determine a baseline to which thermostable mutants could be compared, and to inform a regimen of heating and passage to derive thermostable mutants. During optimisation of these initial experiments, heating of a sample containing approximately 107 PFU/mL SVV-001 to 58.5 °C for 30 minutes produced a single viral plaque. Virus collected from this plaque was shown to be resistant to heating at 56 °C, an improvement on the wild-type, which was shown to lose approximately 99% viral titre to heating at 53.5 °C for 30 minutes. This thermostable phenotype was also confirmed using Particle Stability Thermal Release Assays (PaSTRy). Attempts to select for increasingly thermostable virus were unsuccessful. Mutant virus was purified and the capsid-coding region of the genome sequenced. This revealed four mutations in the thermostable mutants. One of these mutations, A1776G, was predicted to have an effect on the maturation of capsid proteins, which was supported by initial results of SDS-PAGE gel analysis. The other three mutations were either synonymous mutations well-conserved in Senecavirus isolates, or outside of the capsid coding region of the genome, and so were of limited applicability to the production of VLPs. Thermostable virus was then optimised for cryo-electron microscopy to determine its structure, with a low-resolution structure derived as a proof-of-principle. Future studies are warranted to determine if the A1776G confers a thermostable phenotype to the wild-type virus, and in turn to the SVV VLP. The basis for this phenotype should also be investigated, as well as a means to introduce the desired drugs into the genomeless capsid

Factors Affecting Prognosis and Prediction of Outcome in Cystic Fibrosis Lung Disease

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a multisystem disorder with a significantly shortened life expectancy with the major cause of mortality related to lung disease. Inflammation is seen in the CF airways from a very early age and contributes significantly to symptoms and disease progression. As the condition worsens over time, lung function declines, usually measured by Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second (FEV1)% predicted, and extra-pulmonary complications often manifest. While the life expectancy in CF is still short, the median age of death and predicted survival age are continually increasing. Therapeutic interventions for CF have improved significantly in the last 20 years and now there are targeted therapies towards specific elements in CF that may impact upon exacerbation frequency, symptoms, and eventually mortality due to lung disease

Validation of CAT as an independent assessment tool in pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

The benefits of PR in COPD are well recognised but the practical assessment of patients undergoing PR can be complex. The COPD assessment test (CAT) is a recently introduced simple, validated 8-item questionnaire designed to assess the impact of COPD symptoms on quality of life (QOL). We hypothesized that CAT could be used as a screening tool and outcome measure to assess QOL in COPD. 60 patients with COPD enrolled in 8 weeks outpatient PR between January 2011 and October 2011 were studied. Patients completed CAT score, chronic respiratory disease questionnaire (CRDQ), hospital anxiety and depression (HAD) at baseline and at 8 weeks. Functional status (6 min walk test (6MWT) and incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT)), dyspnoea (MRCD) and body mass index (BMI) were measured. 52 COPD patients completed the 8 weeks PR and data were available for 37 patients with mean (SD) age 68.7 (9.2) yrs and FEV1 48.64 (20.79) % predicted. There was a significant difference in 6MWT (47.03m), ISWT (47.84m), MRCD (0.3 points), CRDQ (-3.02 points), Anxiety (1.5points), depression (0.6points) and CAT (3.63 points) post PR. CAT correlated closely with CRDQ at baseline and following PR whereas there was good correlation only with ISWT, anxiety and depression post PR. CAT is an independent, simple and highly responsive outcome measure that can also be utilized for screening patients with COPD for PR

Validation of CAT as an independent assessment tool in pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

The benefits of PR in COPD are well recognised but the practical assessment of patients undergoing PR can be complex. The COPD assessment test (CAT) is a recently introduced simple, validated 8-item questionnaire designed to assess the impact of COPD symptoms on quality of life (QOL). We hypothesized that CAT could be used as a screening tool and outcome measure to assess QOL in COPD. 60 patients with COPD enrolled in 8 weeks outpatient PR between January 2011 and October 2011 were studied. Patients completed CAT score, chronic respiratory disease questionnaire (CRDQ), hospital anxiety and depression (HAD) at baseline and at 8 weeks. Functional status (6 min walk test (6MWT) and incremental shuttle walk test (ISWT)), dyspnoea (MRCD) and body mass index (BMI) were measured. 52 COPD patients completed the 8 weeks PR and data were available for 37 patients with mean (SD) age 68.7 (9.2) yrs and FEV1 48.64 (20.79) % predicted. There was a significant difference in 6MWT (47.03m), ISWT (47.84m), MRCD (0.3 points), CRDQ (-3.02 points), Anxiety (1.5points), depression (0.6points) and CAT (3.63 points) post PR. CAT correlated closely with CRDQ at baseline and following PR whereas there was good correlation only with ISWT, anxiety and depression post PR. CAT is an independent, simple and highly responsive outcome measure that can also be utilized for screening patients with COPD for PR

Inhaled hypertonic saline for cystic fibrosis: reviewing the potential evidence for modulation of neutrophil signalling and function.

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a multisystem disorder with significantly shortened life expectancy. The major cause of mortality and morbidity is lung disease with increasing pulmonary exacerbations and decline in lung function predicting significantly poorer outcomes. The pathogenesis of lung disease in CF is characterised in part by decreased airway surface liquid volume and subsequent failure of normal mucociliary clearance. This leads to accumulation of viscous mucus in the CF airway, providing an ideal environment for bacterial pathogens to grow and colonise, propagating airway inflammation in CF. The use of nebulised hypertonic saline (HTS) treatments has been shown to improve mucus clearance in CF and impact positively upon exacerbations, quality of life, and lung function. Several mechanisms of HTS likely improve outcome, resulting in clinically relevant enhancement in disease parameters related to increase in mucociliary clearance. There is increasing evidence to suggest that HTS is also beneficial through its anti-inflammatory properties and its ability to reduce bacterial activity and biofilm formation. This review will first describe the use of HTS in treatment of CF focusing on its efficacy and tolerability. The emphasis will then change to the potential benefits of aerosolized HTS for the attenuation of receptor mediated neutrophil functions, including down-regulation of oxidative burst activity, adhesion molecule expression, and the suppression of neutrophil degranulation of proteolytic enzymes

The Lantern Vol. 64, No. 1, Fall 1996

• Sleepwalk • Icky • Hauling the Load • Between Days • First Day • Slipping • College Roommates • Full Moon in Scorpio • Summer Madness • Learning French • nEverglades • The Way Around • Rain • Solacehttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1149/thumbnail.jp

The Lantern Vol. 61, No. 1, December 1993

• In Order to Succeed • Essay • Power of Human Self-Interest: Man vs. Car • In Setterich • Wandering Wanda • Maybe Kitchens • Saltiness • Homecoming • Perfect • Sincerely, Jen • A Midterm and a Paper • Prophet Junkie • Soundless Memo • After Ireland, Part 1https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1142/thumbnail.jp